Apr 29
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution What If?"...I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live,..." - Deuteronomy 30:19 History buffs enjoy playing a little game called "Alternative History". Entire books have been written exploring such questions such as, “What if the British had won the Revolutionary War?” or “What if the Japanese had been repelled at Pearl Harbor?” One of my favorites: “What if the security guard had not noticed the tape left on a door b… Read more » -
rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Enemies In The Home"...so that there will not be among you a man or a woman or family or tribe whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God..." - Deuteronomy 29:18 There are many enemies within the home seeking to destroy the family. Let me share a few: Busyness. Everyone is over-committed, mostly through workaholism and activity-itus. This is true for all ages with our over-organized children's activities. Lack of spiritual and moral leadership by the father. Approximately 34% of all birt… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Suicide - An Option?"...choose life...by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him..." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Through the years, we've heard in the news about Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the doctor of death (if that isn't an oxymoron) who chose to make assisted suicide his cause. His actions elicit strong emotions, because no one wants to see a loved one suffer, and no one desires to endure long-term pain and disability. But it really comes down to a question of faith.… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Parenting Children"You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit...when you walk...when you lie down and when you rise up." - Deuteronomy 11:19 The first stage of parenting children in the home is the preschool years. The second stage is the childhood years, ages six through twelve. During these years, parents should practice the baton principle: in a relay race, the most important time is the passing of the baton. If it's dropped, the race is lost. Parenting children in the hom… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Marriage And The Future"You shall not do what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes." - Deuteronomy 12:8 Consider the logical result of same sex marriage. If modern man suddenly decrees that what has been immoral and illegal for thousands of years in every society is now moral and legal, how can he then deny a man the right to marry two, three, or four wives (especially since Islam's Koran teaches this is okay)? If same-sex marriage is right and good after being w… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution How Great Thou Art"He is your praise; He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes." - Deuteronomy 10:21 Swedish pastor, Carl Boberg, was enjoying a nice walk through the woods when suddenly, a thunderstorm struck. He sought shelter underneath an ancient oak tree and braced himself from the cold rain and wind. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the storm subsided, leaving a clear blue sky and the gentle scene of nature at its most glorious. Boberg hea… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Actually, Money Can Buy Happiness"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." - Deuteronomy 15:7 Here's an interesting newspaper article I recently read. A research team at Harvard Business School has found that spending as little as five dollars a day on others will significantly boost your own personal happiness. A psychologist heading the study said, "We wanted to test the… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Actually, Money Can Buy Happiness"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." - Deuteronomy 15:7 Here's an interesting newspaper article I recently read. A research team at Harvard Business School has found that spending as little as five dollars a day on others will significantly boost your own personal happiness. A psychologist heading the study said, "We wanted to test the… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Let the Good Times Roll"Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good. But that also proved to be meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 2:1 Jerry Seinfeld, that famous philosopher of the nineties, has said, "Everybody is looking for good sex, good food, and a good laugh because they are little islands of relief in what's often a very painful existence." Does that describe you? Constantly seeking pleasure will mean finding life empty and unfulfilling. Look at the gurus of pleasure… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution A Just Result"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." - Ecclesiastes 9:10 As a teenager, I went to work in a tennis shop, learning to string racquets. The owner told me I'd have to practice on old racquets for a couple of weeks before he'd let me get paid to string customers' racquets. After a few weeks, he gave me a brand new Jack Kramer racquet to string for one of his best customers. In the dark ages of the twentieth century, there were no finer racquets. I… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Emptiness"The conclusion, when all is heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person." - Ecclesiastes 12:13 Do you ever feel like you've done it all? Success, wealth, pleasure, thrills and yet you feel empty inside? Solomon, the ancient king of Israel, was such a man. He had extraordinary success and wealth, incredible intellect, more women and sex than Wilt Chamberlain, and yet it all became meaningless to him. He felt so empty inside because he turn… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Stock Market"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income." - Ecclesiastes 5:10 Are you bullish or bearish? Is the Federal Reserve on the right track or not? When you think about the Dow Jones, is it buy or sell? Hold or liquidate? As important as financial advice from Wall Street is, there's a more reliable place to gain understanding on managing our money. That place is the Bible. Amazingly, Jesus speaks more about money and possessions t… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Soul MateTwo are better than one..." - Ecclesiastes 4:9 Everyone is looking for a soul mate--someone you really click with, a person who enriches your life while you enrich his or hers. The term has a basis in the very first marriage. The first time God said something was "not good" had to do with Adam being alone. God's ideal is for each man and woman to have their spouse as their soul mate, a person of the opposite sex who is a perfect complement. God was the first anesthesiolog… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Righteous Anger"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." - Ecclesiastes 7:9 All of us struggle with anger; it's a part of life. Do you ever feel your anger is justified? Have you ever used the term "righteous anger?" The phrase is often used when someone has wronged us so unjustly that we say, "I have every right to be angry." And then to justify our outburst ,we'll add, "Jesus showed righteous anger, didn't He?"… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Patience With Others"Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit." - Ecclesiastes 7:8 To have patience with other people is one of life's greatest qualities. In Lincoln, The War Years, Sandberg writes of Lincoln's patience with his cabinet in the most difficult days of American history. Many in his cabinet felt they were a whole lot smarter than the President. They made a point of letting other people know it, too. Some mocked and belittled him; one even call him a dumb gorilla. T… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution The Original Religious Terrorist"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." - Matthew 5:44 Do you know who is the most famous religious terrorist of all time? We are first introduced to this man in the book of Acts. A crowd was stoning the Christian, Stephen, and laid their robes at his feet. His name was Saul and he was an up and coming aristocratic Jewish Roman citizen who had enthusiastically cheered Stephen's stoning. Stephen became the first Christian martyr, as Saul cont… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Hostility Toward ChristianityA 6-week sermon series from Bryant Wright. You can download MP3s or watch the streaming videos for free. Sermons include: 1. Where It All Begins - Hostility Over Origins Genesis 1:1-5 2. People-Pleasing Preachers -- Hostile to the Faith II Timothy 3:16-17 & 4:1-5 3. How to Respond to the Condescending Hostility of Secularist Judges 17:6 4. Materialism vs. God: A Daily Fight 5. Sex and Sensuality -- Assault on the Heart Galatians 5:19 6. Paying the Price - Religious Hostility to the Chu… Read more »
Apr 28
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution An Even Tougher StandardIf you think about the Ten Commandments, Jesus makes us realize the standard is even tougher than we thought. For instance, most of us are pretty comfortable that we are obeying the commandment, "Thou shall not murder," but then Jesus sets our world on end with his perspective on the verse. Not only is the actual act a violation of the commandment, but Jesus says our angry thoughts are just as sinful. Wow. That's a little tougher than the first reading of the Ten Commandments. Je… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Do You Need a Shepherd?"The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want." Trust Christ as your good shepherd. He promises to meet your needs. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures," He gives us rest and spiritual nourishment. "He leadeth me beside the still waters." He calms our troubled souls. "He restoreth my soul:" He renews our spirit when we spend time with Him. "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake," His Word teaches us how t… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Marriage 101: The BasicsWhen a team - an organization - a mission - gets off track, it's time to focus on the basics. With marriages and families under attack, perhaps this would be a great time to look at the basics of marriage. Specifically, why did God create marriage in the first place? 1. God created marriage for procreation. (Genesis 1:28) 2. Man is to be in partnership with his wife in managing the earth, in practicing good conservation, and in caring for the environment. (Genesis 1:28) 3. Marriage is fo… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Jesus and ScriptureWho is history's most influential person? I believe it's Jesus Christ. Every time we write the date, it's a testimony to Him. But it's important to remember that we are directly dependent on Scripture to give us the full view of Jesus. To know Jesus we need to know Scripture. Jesus said, "Do not think I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill." All scripture, from Moses and the Old Testament prophets to the Gospels, the epi… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Life's Most Important QuestionAlmost 2,000 years ago, a man named Pilate asked the most important question in life. Standing before him was an itinerant preacher. There was nothing remarkable about His looks. He had attracted a large following but few committed followers. He had no wealth - not even a home of His own. Yet He was the object of an unmitigated hatred from a mob. Pilate asked, "What shall I do with this man?" As the mob cried for His execution, the man, Jesus Christ, stood silently as Pilate cowardly s… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution But Wasn't It Simply the Destiny of Judas?Here is a question I am asked every Easter. Since Christ had to go to the cross in order to fulfill His mission on earth, wasn't Judas simply fulfilling the will of God? Wasn't God using him as a tool to get Jesus to the cross? Well, no and no. Even though God had His predetermined plan and knew what Judas was going to do, He did not force him to do it! Judas still had a choice and he chose to betray Jesus. I realize there's a lot of discussion about Calvinism and free will. And,… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Why I Believe the Bible is Real"The Bible is divinely inspired word of God to reveal God and His will to man. The Bible has God as its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error. The Bible is the sole authority for Christian living." That is the statement of belief expressed by our church. Why do we believe so deeply in the Bible as the Word of God? Let me share with you a handful of some of most meaningful reasons for me. • Do you know that the phrase, "Thus sayeth the Lord,"… Read more »
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rightfromtheheart added a link contribution Saving Our Marriages From The StartHere are some devastating statistics from SBC Life, entitled "Kingdom Families." Each day of the year in America, more than 3,571 families end in divorce. More than 50 percent of the children in America's public schools live in single-parent homes. Of the nation's children who live apart from their biological fathers, 50 percent have never set foot in their father's home. Sometimes, I'll be performing a wedding ceremony and as we go through the reciting of the vows… Read more »
User Info
Name: Right From The Heart
User Since: November 2007
Location: Marietta, GA
Website: www.rightfromtheheart.…
Contributions: 105
Tags: 28