Ephesians 3:17-19 "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge."

HOW DEEP THE LOVE‏

How wide the arms that took us in,
Fastened securely to a wooden beam;
How wide the eyes that look within,
Forgiven in Truth we are set free.

How long the patience that forgives,
The length of eternity waits for me;
How long the pressure of heady sins,
Held the Lamb of God upon that beam.

How high the power that heals hearts,
Strengthened in Spirit by purest joy;
How high the passion of Our Master's art,
Redeemed by Blood the prodigals rejoice.

How deep the love that suffered my death,
The depth of pain endured to cancel sin;
How deep the love that conquered hell,  
Dissolved our chains and bid us live!  

 J. E. Pollock  
 July 12, 2009  

In the last hours of His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke with His disciples and gave a command which was considered new: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). Should this command really have been new? Shouldn't the disciples have known they were to love one another? Or is it possible to spend three years with a Master Teacher and yet not under- stand that learning must translate to action, and that we teach truth by first being an example of truth? If we desire to teach love, we must first be loving; to teach the concept of grace, we must first be gracious; and in order to "make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:19), we must begin by first being a true disciple! As I continue to study and learn the wonderful truths of God's Word - and as I diligently try to teach these truths to others - I never want to stop at simply being better educated: "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22). I'll be the first to admit that I fall short in many ways, but I sin- cerely strive to make His Word real and apply it in all areas of my life. Our spiritual growth must never be measured by how much we know, but by how much we are transformed- by how much the Word pen- etrates to the innermost part of our heart. We have all been blessed by God's love far more than we deserve. We must now better under- stand this love and then learn how to become His expression of love to others. Ephesians 3:17-19 "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge." The ultimate expression of love was that God gave His Son to an undeserving world so "that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). This is a love we will never fully understand. Paul had such a deep appreciation for the love contained inGod's plan of Salvation through the sacrificial gift of Jesus,that he was often completely overwhelmed; "When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father" (Eph 3:14). When we begin to truly grasp His love, all we can do is say, Thank You! Let's pray for a greater understanding of His love and then return His love through a de- voted life of worship. Let's makeHis love real by demonstrating love to those He places in our path. Let's begin to grasp, and then give back and share, the true love of Christ. Have a Christ Centered Day! Steve Troxel God's Daily Word Ministries

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F and P: http://gdwmboard.org/eve

Invitation: http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm
Encouragement: http://www.gdwm.org/verses/

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THE SONG

It is not about me,

That much I know;

It's not about me,

But still I crow.

It is not about me,

I'm petty at best;

It's not about me,

I fail most tests.

It is not about me,

This much is true;

It's not about me,

My life is a tune.

It is not about me,

I'm usually wrong;

It's not about me,

Jesus is The Song.

J. E. POLLOCK

My Success is About Him by Max Lucado With success comes a problem. Just ask Nadab, Elah, and Omri. Or interview Ahab, Ahaziah, or Jehoram. Ask these men to describe the problem of success. I would, you might be thinking, if I knew who they were. My point, exactly. These are men we should know. They were kings of Israel. They ascended to the throne…but something about the throne brought them down. Their legacies are stained with blood spilling and idol worship. They failed at success. They forgot both the source and purpose of their success. You won't be offered a throne, but you might be offered a corner office, a scholarship, an award, a new contract, a pay raise. You won't be given a kingdom to oversee, but you might be given a home or employees or students or money or resources. You will, to one degree or another, succeed. And when you do, you might be tempted to forget who helped you do so. Success sabotages the memories of the successful. Kings of the mountain forget who carried them up the trail. The man who begged for help in medical school ten years ago is too busy to worship today. Back when the family struggled to make ends meet, they leaned on God for daily bread. Now that there is an extra car in the garage and a jingle in the pocket, they haven't spoken to him in a while. In the early days of the church, the founding members spent hours in prayer. Today the church is large, well attended, well funded. Who needs to pray? Success begets amnesia. Doesn't have to, however. God offers spiritual ginseng to help your memory. His prescription is simply, "Know the purpose of success." Why did God help you succeed? So you can make him known. Why are you good at what you do? For your comfort? For your retirement? For your self-esteem? No. Deem these as bonuses, not as the reason. Why are you good at what you do? For God's sake. Your success is not about what you do. It's all about him—his present and future glory. From It's Not About Me © (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Max Lucado

· Fatalism · Fifth Sparrows · Marked by Your Maker · A Person's Value · Fear of Insignificance - Previous Messages - · Winning Your Spiritual Battles Support the nonprofit teaching ministry of UpWords with your pre-order of Max's next book, Fearless. Shipping early August 2009. Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty or cured a disease.Courage did that. Faith did that. July 10 Working on a prayer message. Pondering Isaiah 62:6 "You people who remind the Lord of your needs in prayer should never be quiet." July 9 Denalyn announced to me last night that we are on the Zone diet. I think I've already zoned out. July 9

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Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road
that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

ONE OF THE FEW

Take heart, God is soveriegn,
He knows the way you've taken;
Take charge, make a change,
If you're heading the wrong way.

Take heart, God is patient,
He longs to be your Father;
Take cover, if you are lost,
Start again at Jesus' cross.

Take heart, God is love,
He lights The Way with His own Son;
Take chances, keep pressing on,
You'll start to love the path you're on.

Take heart, God is faithful,
He'll be watching at The Gate for you;

Take courage, even if you've sold your soul,
By God's grace you still can be one of the few.

J. E. Pollock
July 7, 2009

But small is the gate and narrow the road
that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:14

All Efforts of Worth and Excellence Are Difficult

Enter by the narrow gate . . . . Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life . . . —Matthew 7:13-14

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but it difficulty does not make us faint and cave in—it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest—our best for His glory?

God saves people by His sovereign grace through the atonement of Jesus, and "it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" ( Philippians 2:13 ). But we have to "work out" that salvation in our everyday, practical living (Philippians 2:12). If we will only start on the basis of His redemption to do what He commands, then we will find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not yet put into practice what God has placed within us. But a crisis will reveal whether or not we have been putting it into practice. If we will obey the Spirit of God and practice in our physical life what God has placed within us by His Spirit, then when a crisis does come we will find that our own nature, as well as the grace of God, will stand by us.

Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage, and holiness. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is "bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10 , and God will not shield us from the requirements of sonship. God's grace produces men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not pampered, spoiled weaklings. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy and excellent life of a disciple of Jesus in the realities of life. And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence.

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Thought I'd take a minute (literally) and write an independence day poem;
may the Lord bless you and keep you this weekend. With love, jeff and ev'

HAPPY FOURTH,
Enjoy!!!

__________________________________________

"Who could be more free than the one
who's free in the depths of his soul."

FREEDOM IN JESUS

Walk in God's Light,
Hold your heart to His Way;
Live in God's Truth,
Take every chance to pray.

Trust in Eternal Life,
Put your faith in God's Love;
Stay in God's Word,
Find your freedom in Jesus!

_________________

Jeff Pollock
July 4, 2009

About This Cover

July 4, 2009

Dangerous Freedom

ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Galatians 5:1-6,16-21

Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.
—Galatians 5:13