Wide Eyed in Wonder wrote:
> Another devotional from my free ebook Power 4 Life for ministry and
> discussion...
>
> A Good Investment
>
> Romans 8:32 - The Message
> "If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for
> us...is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do
> for us?"
>
> What are your most valuable possessions? Without fail,
> they will be the things that cost the most or required the
> greatest sacrifice to get. The level of investment into a good
> increases the value attached to it and the care that is given
> to it.
>
> Now, consider that you are the work of the Hands of
> God, and your life was planned from the start (Ephesians
> 2:10). Your body was put together by His Hands in your
> mother's womb (Psalms 139:13-14). God works in your life
> to see to it that you succeed (Psalms 138:8). Your life is the
> unfolding of a great story that God is writing with you.
>
> God has so much more invested in us. He created a
> world for us. He put together our families. He gives us
> children. He gives us air to breathe and food to eat. His
> Holy Spirit stands by us in times of struggle and in times of
> pain (Ephesians 3:16), and He has said that He will never
> leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
>
> However, He invested much more than time and things
> into our lives. He invested Himself. After giving us life by
> His breath (Genesis 2:7), He gave His own life on the
> cross to save our souls from our deserved punishment
> (Revelations 5:6-9) for our offenses against Himself and His
> children.
>
> How long do you think you would have gone, through
> crucifixion, before giving up? I think I would've chickened
> out at the first lash on my back. I would've been like, "Ok,
> I'm done...that's enough for me." However, Christ stayed
> there and took the whips, the sticks, the punches, the thorns
> on His head, the mocking and spitting, the carrying of the
> cross, and the nails holding Him to a piece of wood that He
> made for that very purpose. Finally, He rose from the dead
> still bearing the wounds of the cross (John 20:26-27).
>
> Let me ask you. If He was willing to do all that, how
> valuable do you think that you are to Him? Don't you think
> that God has a stake in seeing that you succeed? Do you
> think God will forget your value to Him? He will not. His
> very Hands remind Him of His investment in you (Isaiah
> 49:16).
>
> The God that died on a cross for us has a vested interest
> in your health, wealth, and success in the life that He has
> given you in the world that He made (Romans 8:32).
>
> A Word in Season
> "He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could
> not pay. I needed Someone to wash my sins away ... Christ
> Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay." - An anonymous
> American folk hymn, vs 1
>
> Confession
> I believe God thought me valuable enough to suffer
> and die for me. I believe God has invested too much in me
> to ignore my needs. I believe God has a personal interest in
> my success, has a plan unto that end, and will work to make
> it happen, if we trust Him.
>
> God Bless
>
> Kenny Clifton
> -author of the Red Letter Stories and other free books
> http://www.christianjedi.com/redletterstories.html
> http://www.lulu.com/writingken

Amen and amen.

May GOD continue to bless the writing and sharing of HIS Word in these
USENET newsgroups, in Jesus' most precious and holy name.

Amen ! ! !

Will be available to "glow" and chat about this and other things like
cardiology, diabetes, Bird Flu, the 2006 global earthquake advisory,
cooking and nutrition that interest those following this thread here
during the next on-line chat (03/23/06) from 6 to 7 pm EST:

http://tinyurl.com/8w7uq

For those who are put off by the signature, my advance apologies for
how the LORD has reshaped me:

http://tinyurl.com/7mcuo

Prayerfully in Christ's love,

Andrew
http://tinyurl.com/rgsp8