Happy Friday

Dying to Live

"I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:20,

There are questions I have to ask myself. Have I really been called to a particular work? Where does my heart’s desire lie? How important are material things? Can I lay everything down at His feet? Do I want reward, recognition or glory for myself? Am I willing to die to live? Is the Lord my exceeding great reward, or do I seek something else? Am I willing to lay aside good works in order to pray? Am I willing to say ‘Your will be done, not mine’?

As I start to seek the Lord’s face, I find He’s running to meet me, like the father ran to meet the prodigal son. The questions I’ve asked myself are not things that I have to strive for alone – for the Lord’s said that it’s a work that requires co-operation. It’s not only His work, but mine. It’s our work together.

Together we reckon the old nature died with Christ, and ‘Crucified with Christ’ takes on a new meaning. There’ll be no freedom or joy of resurrection until this first part takes place. It’s a daily, momentary experience that the Lord and I are in together. He shares my failures, troubles, difficulties and heartaches, and I share His strength, and patience, and new life.

He’ll whisper His words of unfailing love to me, as I lay my will at His feet each minute. This ‘dying to self’ releases Christ to truly live in me. It appears illogical and foolish, but it works. It sounds crazy, but it’s the perfection of wisdom. And the outcome is glorious life, as the transformation takes place in my heart, as surely as fruit comes from a seed that’s buried.

‘To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory’ (Colossians 1:27).

Prayer: Lord, let me share that grace of Thine, Wherewith Thou didst sustain The burden of the fruitful vine, The gift of buried grain. Who dies with Thee, O Word divine, Shall rise and live again. Albert Osborn

Today's Writer : Pam Smith

 

 

 

Daily Smile:

The economy is not going well and an unemployed engineer desperately needing work is nervous about an upcoming accountant job interview. The interview goes well, but as the engineer stands up to leave the manager says, "Oh just one more question. How much is four times eight?" Puzzled, the engineer responds that in all calculations, even simple ones like that, he never relies on his memory. He always uses a calculator with a paper printout, and double-checks his answer. "Fine", says the manager, but I just want you to tell me the answer anyway from memory without using your calculator. "Sure," says the engineer. "Four times eight is, uh, thirty-four." After saying goodbye and leaving the building, the engineer hurriedly pushes up four times eight into his calculator and curses when he sees the answer.

Nonetheless, he gets the job. Six months later, when he's doing well and feels confident enough, he walks up to his boss and asks him. "Sir, I'm curious. Why is it that out of all those engineering candidates, you hired me, when I gave you the wrong answer to four-times-eight?" His boss looks up and says, "Your answer was the closest."

In The News:
Atheist Couple Suing to Remove 'Under God' From Pledge of Allegiance in Massachusetts

A lawsuit to strike the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance goes before the Massachusetts Supreme Court this week, CBN News reports . An atheist couple sued on behalf of three anonymous children in the Acton-Boxboro School District. The American Humanist Association, which is representing the students, argues that the pledge uses wording that "strongly favors one religious class" over another. A lower court rejected the suit last year because students can refuse to say the pledge. It also said that including the words "under God" does not violate children's rights. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is defending the school district.

Central African Republic: Bible Translation Teams Face Trouble After Coup

In March 2013, the government of the Central African Republic was overthrown in a coup d'état in the country's capital, Bangui. Since that time, the country has experienced significant unrest and turmoil. The country's volatile state has affected the lives of many innocent people and also the work of Bible translation, according to Wycliffe Associates . All expatriate staff were evacuated and the national Bible translation organization has suffered looting and pillaging. Translation teams throughout the country have experienced significant problems as a result of this and the activities of armed forces in their own areas. "Pray for God's protection of the innocent and for a return of lasting peace," Wycliffe said in a press release.


1 Million Syrian Refugee Children Gripped by Bloodshed, Upheaval

DAMASCUS, Syria (BP) -- "I am staying," a Baptist pastor in Syria said. "They tell me to travel, to leave, to emigrate, but I tell them I am staying."

He is one of several pastors who serve in Baptist churches throughout Syria caught up in civil war.

"I am staying for the church, to keep the message of Jesus as a light for the lost and frightened," the pastor said. "I am staying because the harvest is plentiful. I am staying to serve the needy."

The pastor, weeping, quoted the prophet Jeremiah, "'Oh that my head was water and my eyes were pools of water, that I may cry for the dead of my people.'

"Even though we are living in difficult times, let us not stop being faithful to our Lord."

Every day the numbers rise as Syria's crisis rages out of control and spills across borders into neighboring countries. There are now more than 2 million refugees, 5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 100,000 dead.

"This is an unparalleled challenge," said Don Alan*, a senior missions strategist for the Middle East. "It is destabilizing the whole region."

Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt struggle to cope with the escalating Syrian refugee situation. Within Syria, civilians are caught between armed rebels and government troops.

Over a period of three days in mid-August, 30,000 Syrians crossed the border into northern Iraq, overwhelming refugee camps. Drinking water and sanitation immediately became critical needs. Typically 6,000 Syrians a day flee their nation, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).


Teen Employment Hits Record Lows

For the fourth consecutive summer, teen employment has stayed anchored around record lows, prompting experts to fear that a generation of youth is likely to be economically stunted with lower earnings and opportunities in years ahead.

The trend is all the more striking given that the overall unemployment rate has steadily dropped, to 7.4 percent in August. And employers in recent months have been collectively adding almost 200,000 new jobs a month. It led to hopes that this would be the summer when teen employment improved.

In 1999, slightly more than 52 percent of teens 16 to 19 worked a summer job. By this year, that number had plunged to about 32.25 percent over June and July. It means that slightly more than three in 10 teens actually worked a summer job, out of a universe of roughly 16.8 million U.S. teens.

“We have never had anything this low in our lives. This is a Great Depression for teens, and no time in history have we encountered anything like that,” said Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. “That’s why it’s such an important story.”

The findings are important because a plethora of research shows that teens who work do better in a wide range of social and economic indicators. The plunging teen employment rate is likely to mean trouble for this generation of young workers of all races.