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Water for Your Soul by Max Lucado

Water for Your Soul

by Max Lucado

Where do you find water for the soul? Jesus gave an answer one October day in Jerusalem. People had packed the streets for the annual reenactment of the rock-giving-water miracle of Moses. Each morning a priest filled a golden pitcher with water from the Gihon spring and carried it down a people-lined path to the temple. He did this every day, once a day, for seven days. "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water' " (John 7:37--38).

He "stood and shouted" (NLT). The traditional rabbinic teaching posture was sitting and speaking. But Jesus stood up and shouted out. Forget a kind clearing of the throat. God was pounding his gavel on heaven's bench. Christ demanded attention.

He shouted because his time was short. The sand in the neck of his hourglass was down to measurable grains. In six months he'd be dragging a cross through these streets. And the people? The people thirsted. They needed water, not for their throats, but for their hearts. So Jesus invited: Are your insides starting to shrivel? Drink me.

Internalize him. Ingest him. Welcome him into the inner workings of your life. Let Christ be the water of your soul.

Toward this end, I give you this tool: a prayer for the thirsty heart. Carry it just as a cyclist carries a water bottle. The prayer outlines four essential fluids for soul hydration: God's work, God's energy, his lordship, and his love. You'll find the prayer easy to remember. Just think of the word W-E-L-L.

Lord, I come thirsty. I come to drink, to receive. I receive your work on the cross and in your resurrection. My sins are pardoned, and my death is defeated. I receive your energy. Empowered by your Holy Spirit, I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. I receive your lordship. I belong to you. Nothing comes to me that hasn't passed through you. And I receive your love. Nothing can separate me from your love.

Don't you need regular sips from God's reservoir? I do. I've offered this prayer in countless situations: stressful meetings, dull days, long drives, demanding trips, character-testing decisions. Many times a day I step to the underground spring of God and receive anew his work for my sin and death, the energy of his Spirit, his lordship, and his love.

Drink with me from his bottomless well. You don't have to live with a dehydrated heart.

Receive Christ's work on the cross,
the energy of his Spirit,
his lordship over your life,
his unending, unfailing love.

Drink deeply and often. And out of you will flow rivers of living water.

From
Come Thirsty
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado

Maxwell Leadership - The Plan of an Effective Leader

Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia . . . And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go . . . But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:5-9

Paul had a plan to reach the major cities of his day. In a conversational manner, he describes his plan to start in Macedonia, then move south to Corinth, and finally visit Asia Minor and the major port city of Ephesus, where "a great and effective door opened" to him.

Effective leaders don't drift from one place to another. Paul had a plan to impact major cities that would in turn influence those who visited these cities. He focused on the metropolitan areas, knowing that well-trained followers would bring God's message to the smaller towns and villages in the region.

Leaders can do anything, but they can't do everything. Paul did not spend his energies haphazardly, but charted the course to reach the Roman Empire in his lifetime. What kind of plan do you have?

The Maxwell Leadership Bible

Alert! How To Detect a Two-way Mirror

How To Detect a Two-way Mirror
Beware of Mirrors in Hotels or Public Washroom! Because you never know!

How to determine if a mirror are 2 way or not (Not a Joke!) Not to scare you, but to make you aware. A policewoman who travels all over the US and gives seminars and techniques for businesswomen passed this on.

HOW TO DETECT A 2-WAY MIRROR:
When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms, etc. How many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way mirror ( i.e., they can see you, but you can't see them).

There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors in female changing rooms. It is very difficult to positively identify the surface by just looking at it.

So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type of mirror we are looking at? Just conduct this simple test:

Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface and if there is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is a GENUINE mirror.

However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then BEWARE, FOR IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR!

So remember , every time you see a mirror, do the "fingernail test." It doesn't cost you anything. It is simple to do, and it might save you from getting "visually raped"!

This is a really good thing to do. The reason there is a gap on a real mirror, is because the silver is on the back of the mirror UNDER the glass. As a two-way mirror, the silver is on the surface. Keep it in mind!

Ladies: Share this with your girl friends.
Men: Share this with your wives, daughters and/or girlfriend or friends.
PASS THIS ON FOR SAFETY

VERY VERY Important Msg for Mobile Phone Users

Don't press
#90 or #09 h

If you receive a phone call on your mobile from any person, saying that,
that they're checking your mobileline, and you have to press # 90 or #09
or any other number.End this call immediately without pressing any numbers.

There is a fraud company using a device that once you press #90 or #09
they can access your 'SIM' card and make calls at your expense. Forward
this message to as many friends as you can, to stop it.

This information has been confirmed by both Motorola and Nokia.

There are over 3 Million mobile phones being infected by this virus in all
around the world now.

Book Review: On the Anvil Max Lucado

On the Anvil Max Lucado

List Price: $14.99
Binding: Softcover
Page Count: 160
Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
ISBN: 978-1-4143-1553-9
CPC Sub Category: Devotional
Release Date: February 2008

We are all somewhere in the Blacksmith’s shop. We are either on the scrap pile, in the Master’s hands on the anvil, or in the tool chest. (Some of us have been in all three.) In this collection of writings, best-selling author Max Lucado takes us on a tour of the “shop.” We’ll examine all tools and look in all corners, from the shelves to the workbench, from the water to the fire. And for you who make the journey--who leave the heap and enter the fire, dare to be pounded on God’s anvil, and doggedly seek to discover your own purpose--take courage, for you await the privilege of being called “God’s chosen instruments.” This new edition includes discussion questions and a new foreword from the author.

Back Cover Copy

We are all somewhere in the blacksmith’s shop.

We are either on the scrap pile, in the Master’s hands on the anvil, or in the tool chest. Some of us have been in all three.

In this classic collection of inspirational readings, best-selling author Max Lucado takes us on a tour of the blacksmith’s shop—examining every tool and looking in every corner, from the shelves to the workbench, from the water to the fire . . .

For those who make the journey—who leave the heap, enter the fire, and dare to be pounded on God’s anvil—a grand privilege awaits: to be called one of God’s chosen instruments.

Feeling Emotional

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me." John 14:1 (NLT)

Devotion:
Frustration hit me full force about a quarter 'til dawn. I woke up to find my child is sick, again. With my husband away on business, it was up to me to help the young boy who was standing beside my bed coughing. He's been sick the better part of the last 5 weeks. I thought he was finally turning the corner. I thought we were done with decongestants, germy tissues, and Clorox wipes. That is, until this morning. So the first thing I felt today was frustrated.

When my child is out of commission, it puts me out of commission as well. He is now behind on his school work, and I am now behind on about a half-dozen things. I could feel my stress level rising as I poured the cough syrup into the plastic measuring cup. I thought about the things I was supposed to accomplish today ... the meetings, the deadlines, the errands. A scowl settled into my forehead. I closed the medicine cabinet door with much more force than really necessary.

I felt sorry for my pitiful son. I also felt frustrated that my prayers had not prevented this relapse in illness. I felt angry that yet another day would be interrupted by some virus. And I felt bad because I knew I wasn't handling it well. I felt, I felt, I felt ...all I was doing was feeling, letting my emotions spread out and lay claim over every aspect of my day.

I have this notion in my head that a mature Christian wouldn't be feeling this way. Shouldn't I be so spiritual that I'm above getting upset over things like this? After taking care of my son, I sat down and scanned the gospels to see if Jesus ever felt emotionally strained. Sure enough, I found instances where Jesus is described as feeling "deeply troubled" and "distressed" (Mark 14:33, John 13:21, John 12:27, NLT).

If Jesus got emotionally agitated, then it's ridiculous for me to expect to go through life without feeling some stress. The problem isn't my emotions, it's my reaction to them. The trouble comes when I give them free reign in my heart and mind. That's when I become unstable. That's when I lose sight of God. That's when I say or do things I regret.

Jesus spoke today's verse to his disciples, knowing what their futures would hold. He knew His death was coming and it would trigger fear, sorrow and doubt in their hearts. Not wanting them to wallow in those emotions, He counseled them ahead of time to keep their focus on God and all that He'd been teaching them.

Jesus, knowing what our day holds, speaks the same words to us. He tells us to not let our emotions fly about today, creating an unstable and troubled heart. Instead, our trustworthy Lord tells us to focus our attention on Him.

I made the decision this morning to pray and place my trust in God, despite how my day was shaping up and despite how volatile my emotions felt. He calmed my anxious heart, and my son seems to be feeling better as well. It feels good to trade in my troubled emotions for a source of strength that will get me through my day. And that's one feeling I think Jesus would love for me to wallow in.

Dear Lord, I want to be ruled by Your Spirit, not by my emotions. Help me to focus on You today and not my troubles. In Jesus' Name, Amen.