If you’re feeling like a captive on a boat that’s being upended because of someone else’s decisions or actions, don’t give in to anger and fear! Remember, if you’re born again then Jesus is not only with you on the boat, He lives in you! You possess His ability to remain in love, and in His name you can speak peace to those storms!
“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:7). Jesus healed, Jesus delivered, Jesus taught, Jesus loved, because Jesus IS love. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father’s nature. When you see Jesus in the Word, you’re seeing the Father’s heart. And when you understand the nature and character of God, and His love for mankind, you will always have the right doctrine!
If Jesus lives in you, you have a miracle inside you! All His purpose and power is now able to grow and develop in you, as you get to know Him through spending time with Him in prayer and reading His Word!
Jesus said “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). He is saying that following His success will make you someone that others want to follow. Men will be caught by your posture, words, peace, and authority in the midst of challenges. That is true leadership!
Love is a much greater motivator for men and women than any dollar or any discipline.
Love inspires every creature to be more than just a creation.
Love believes—when all evidence says it should not.
Love sees a bright future, even when dark clouds suggest storms on the horizon.
Love is the power of God.
Love lays down its life for the unloved.
Love pays the price others will not pay.
Love—the weapon of God—has conquered armies, won nations and made disciples of the vilest of men.
“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” The author of this phrase, Elbert Hubbard, also wrote a story about Ida Straus, and her death on the Titanic. As a woman she was supposed to be placed on a lifeboat before any of the men, but she refused to board the boat: “Not I!” she said, “I will not leave my husband. All these years we’ve traveled together, and shall we part now? No,” she said, “our fate is one.” Hubbard then added his own stirring commentary:
“Mr. and Mrs. Straus, I envy you that legacy of love and loyalty left to your children and grandchildren. The calm courage that was yours all your long and useful career was your possession in death. You knew how to do three great things—you knew how to live, how to love, and how to die.” “Happy lovers, both,” Elbert said, “In life they were never separated, and in death they are not divided.”
Ask yourself these three simple questions: Have I discovered the key to a full life? Have I learned to love with a full heart? What will I do when one day I face death? These questions, as simple as they may appear, lie at the core of a meaningful life.
If such human love like Mrs. Strauss is capable of such great sacrifice—what could you do with devotion and love of this type? How could you influence those around you?
I encourage you today to go to my website, www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that will change your life!
Is pleasure the key to your happiness? As a child, one of my favorite experiences each fall was to go shopping for clothes! It was a special event. I grew up in a town of 1,100 people, so we had to drive to the city, spend the day shopping, and then we would eat at a restaurant! Wow! We did this every school year, and it is one of the special yearly memories from my childhood.
Why? I was different as a child and choosing clothes made me feel special. These clothes provided a confidence when everyone made fun of me for being so tall and lanky! I clearly recall each year as we headed out, Mother would say to me, “Leslie, as a child I only had one dress for school and church. Your father and I want you to have more than we did as children.”
Yet, more than shopping adventures and new clothes, my family gave me the meaning of life through a solid spiritual foundation—with a clear belief in God. They instilled in me a good education, a strong work ethic, and the importance of integrity. They guided my life with values by which I still live today!
I believe that without that spiritual foundation in my life, I would have been adrift in search of pleasure and happiness. Why? My generation, was (and still is) all about fast cars, big houses, high salaries, media toys and the right family! They are thrill seekers and money masters!
On December 7, 1988, an earthquake devastated the northwestern section of Armenia, killing an estimated 25,000 – 50,000 people. After the earthquake, a father rushed to his son’s school only to discover that the school had been flattened. The father remembered dropping off his son earlier that day, and as he did every day he told his son, “No matter what, I’ll always be here for you!”
When the father saw the school he feverishly began removing rubble from where he believed his son’s classroom had been. The other parents were wailing, “My son!” “My daughter!” Some even told the father to go home, that there was no chance any of the students were alive. But the father replied, “I made my son a promise that I’d be there for him anytime he needed me. I must continue to dig.”
Courageously, he proceeded alone. He simply had to know—is my boy alive or is he dead? With seemingly supernatural strength, this father continued to dig…for 8 hours…12 hours…24 hours…36 hours.
Then, in the 38th hour, he heaved away a heavy piece of rubble and heard voices. “Armand!” he screamed. “Dad! It’s me—Armand! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you’d save us! Dad, take them out first, I know you’ll be here for me!”
Moments later the father was helping his son Armand and 13 other frightened, hungry, thirsty boys and girls climb out of the debris. How could this happen? When the building collapsed, these children had been spared in a tent-like pocket. When the townspeople praised Armand’s dad, his explanation was, “I promised my son, ‘No matter what, I’ll be there for you!'”
The ancient scriptures say, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)
“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” The author of this phrase, Elbert Hubbard, also wrote a story about Ida Straus, and her death on the Titanic. As a woman she was supposed to be placed on a lifeboat before any of the men, but she refused to board the boat: “Not I!” she said, “I will not leave my husband. All these years we’ve traveled together, and shall we part now? No,” she said, “our fate is one.” Hubbard then added his own stirring commentary:
“Mr. and Mrs. Straus, I envy you that legacy of love and loyalty left to your children and grandchildren. The calm courage that was yours all your long and useful career was your possession in death. You knew how to do three great things—you knew how to live, how to love, and how to die.” “Happy lovers, both,” Elbert said, “In life they were never separated, and in death they are not divided.”
Ask yourself these three simple questions: Have I discovered the key to a full life? Have I learned to love with a full heart? What will I do when one day I face death? These questions, as simple as they may appear, lie at the core of a meaningful life.
If such human love like Mrs. Strauss is capable of such great sacrifice—what could you do with devotion and love of this type? How could you influence those around you?
Visit my website today, www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that will change your life!
Forgiveness has both a horizontal and a vertical aspect. Horizontal forgiveness releases us from judgments that bind us to unhealthy relationships. It is the gatekeeper to the unforgiving spirit. As long as we are alive, we will encounter hurt and disappointment. What we do with this disappointment will determine our future.
Vertical forgiveness begins at the heart of God and extends directly to our hearts. It is a supernatural force of divine love that has the power to lift every burden. God’s forgiveness can lift our perspective of our relationships and ourselves. It can cause us to rise above every offense and see things from a heavenly perspective.
Are you troubled in spirit? Right now reach out for God’s divine forgiveness and discover a new liberty and freedom in Him! You can be free, happy and loosed from the chains of an unforgiving spirit!
