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Printing and Reproduction Policy: The devotional you have chosen to print is protected by copyrights. Personal Use: Permission is granted to print one copy for personal referrence. Ladies Groups and Meetings: Permission is granted to share these at your local church ladies banquets, retreats, and meetings. You also have permission to print them for handouts at your meetings as long as nothing is changed, the copyright information remains in tact, and the website url is placed somewhere with the printed devotional. Please Note: These may *not* be used in conjunction with any national or state-wide meetings or retreats. They are intended as helps for Women's Ministry in the local church. Important: This material may not be reprinted to any other website, message board, or forum. Transmitting electronically in any way is prohibited, i.e. fax, email. Julia loves to know how these are used, so email her if you choose to use this at one of your ladies meetings and let her enjoy a blessing! |
What The World Needs Now! Julia Bettencourt Lately I've seen so many situations where people are in pain. There are financial needs, marital problems and health problems it seems like everywhere I look. Sometimes it just overwhelms me to see so many people hurting and in pain. Of course it never overwhelms God. He sees and knows each situation. I supose you all may remember the line in that old pop song, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love". How true that is! Only it is God's love that will make all the differnce. Don't you just get excited to see God's love manifested in someone's life? Watching new Christians learn and grow close to God to me is just amazing. You begin to see them attending church, reading their Bibles, their family lives begin falling into place, and they begin to be active for Christ and all because of God's love. Of course we as Christians know everything just doesn't automatically turn rosy when we are saved and accept Christ as our personal Savior, but just to know and have a God that cares and loves us does make life worth living. I'm not sure about you but sometimes I'm guilty of not spreading that love around. We know a wonderful and loving God and we see people who need that love and yet we don't share it with them. I don't think it's because we want to greedily keep God's love to ourselves. A lot of things get in our way. Our priorities get off. We get caught up in pride and self. Maybe we think someone else will do it for us. Sometimes we even get so caught up into living the Christian life itself that we forget that oops, everyone doesn't live this way. Other's need this too! You've probably heard the saying or even thought it that "there but the grace of God go I". Just think where we would be without Christ. As Christians we have so many things in our lives that wouldn't be possible without God's love. Our salvation first of all. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Just think how much we rely on God's love as Christians. Oh not to be able to go to Him in prayer. As Christians it is part of our very existence to have access to our Savior but just think if you didn't have that privilege of prayer like an unbeliever who hasn't accepted God's love. "...who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Rom 8:34) What about all those promises that comes all wrapped up in a bow for us when we are saved by God's love. Here are just a few of my favorites, "...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Heb 13:5) "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Phil 1:6) "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy," (Jude 1:24) "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Mat 11:28) "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19) "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Pet 5:7) These are just some of the promises that are ours as Christians. There are so many more found in the Scriptures. These are things that God's love affords us. I'm not sure about you but having these things to cling to is essential for me. I can't imagine living in a world without God's promises or without anything that comes along with being a Christian. I trust that I will be a little more sensitive to witnessing for Christ. We as Christians sometimes think that people only need to be saved to keep them from a dying hell, but we forget that also people need the Lord to live life on earth to the fullest. God's love is what the world needs now! Scripture References are from the King James Version. Copyright ©2002-03 Julia Bettencourt www.creativeladiesministry.com |
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