JNM * Gods Work Ministry E-Mail
From: Dwayne Savaya [EMAIL PROTECTED] Gods Work Ministry Inspirational and Encouragement E-Mail Dear Friend, We are to have a positive outlook on our life and future no matter what our circumstances may look like right now and receive the revelation that God has great things ahead of us waiting to be attained. The Bible declares in Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. The Lord is ready to lead and direct our lives onto the best path, but we must be willing to call upon Him, follow His direction and have the attitude that goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our lives. God has instilled greatness within our being that is meant to come forth, so be encouraged to renew your mind with the word of God and see yourself achieving the greatness that is within you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) (Psalm 31:1-5) (Psalm 18:30-33) (Psalm 23:6) I hope you are inspired by today's message. MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE As a child picking grapes, I say that although we worked hard, we never really got anywhere. Finishing one crop meant starting another. We were so busy working hard, bent and stooped over, it never occurred to us to stand up straight and look around for better opportunities. By settling for the first job we found, we eliminated any chance for better ones. Had we used our minds more and our backs less, we would have had many more opportunities available to us. Qué lástima! (What a pity.) I was fortunate. I used my hot years under the grapevines to dream and picture. My self-conversations went like this: I hate the heat and this dirty work. When I get older I'm going to work in an air-conditioned office and live in a big, cool house. I'm going to go to school and study so I won't have to work in the fields all my life. I'm going to marry a kind, generous man. He'll be an elegant dresser and have a briefcase. Would you believe I married exactly such a man, who later became an attorney and turned out to be a clotheshorse? We get what we picture. Throughout my life, the many pictures I have held steady in my mind have materialized. They can and will for you, too. By Bettina R. Flores As children of the Lord, we should always keep in mind that we are called to be a victorious people. The Lord has instilled great dreams and aspirations within each of our hearts, but it is up to us whether those dreams are realized. The Bible declares in Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he... This scripture does not specify success or failure, but it tells us that whatever we think in our hearts, that is true. (1 Peter 2:9-10) (Isaiah 43:18-19) (Deuteronomy 30:19) We must make up our minds and see our dreams being realized. We cannot have a vision of defeat in our minds and think our dreams will come to pass. God says in Genesis 11:6 And now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Encourage yourself in the Lord and imagine your dreams coming true. Believe the Lord's Word and see yourself prospering and successful in every area of life. (Romans 12:3-8) Continue to dream your dreams and get it in your mind that with God all things are possible to those who believe. Believe in yourself and trust that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or even think. (Ezekiel 37:3-14) (Hebrews 12:1-3) (Ephesians 3:20-21) Read and meditate on these scriptures: Romans 8:31-32 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: HARD TIMES Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem69.htm Today's Selected Testimony: HE HAS A PURPOSE FOR US Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony153.htm In Christ's Service, Dwayne Savaya Gods Work Ministry Please feel free to visit the Website to read more Encouraging and Inspirational stories, poems and testimonies. Our E-mail Archives are available as well to read the messages that have been sent in the past. You can also send Free E-cards to friends and loved ones with the many choices available. You are also welcome to post your prayer requests in
JNM * ALLAH IS GOD
From: Erly Windiana ALLAH IS GOD Seorang anak Amerika, rajin ke sekolah minggu dan berdoa kepada 'God.' Sekali waktu ia heran ketika temannya di Public School yang keturunan Arab dan pakai kerudung berdoa kepada 'Allah.' Ia mulai menerima persepsi yang terdistorsi bahwa sesembahan orang Kristen itu namanya 'God' dan sesembahan orang Islam itu namanya 'Allah. Di lain waktu ia pindah bersama ayahnya yang diplomat yang ditugaskan ke Siria, ia bingung karena sekarang temannya yang orang Siria Kristen membaca Alkitab Peshita (Aram) dan berdoa kepada 'Alaha', dan ketika ayahnya dipindah ke Arab Saudi, ia melihat temannya anak Arab Kristen yang membaca Alkitab bahasa Arab juga berdoa kepada 'Allah' seperti temannya anak Arab-Islam yang berdoa kepada 'Allah.' Dalam kedewasaannya, si anak mulai menyadari bahwa 'Allah' itu ternyata sama dengan 'God', apalagi setelah ia menginjak dewasa dan sering berkunjung ke Eropah ia melihat di sana orang Islam dalam percakapan juga sering menyebut 'Allah' sebagai 'God, Gott atau Dieu' juga. Tetapi kemudian ia menyadari bahwa sekalipun kedua teman Arab (yang Islam dan yang Kristen) itu sama-sama menggunakan nama 'Allah' (atau God) ternyata maksudnya beda juga. Pengalaman yang sama dialami banyak orang, namun di balik kedewasaan wawasan si anak yang diceritakan di atas, ternyata banyak juga orang yang masih berada dalam kutub ekstrim, disatu kutub ada sikap 'allah-mania' yang menganggap bahwa nama 'Allah' itu monopoli milik orang Islam (seperti di Malaysia), dan di kutub lain ada sikap 'allah-fobia' yang alergi berat terhadap nama itu. Bagaimana sebenarnya perkembangan nama itu? Nama 'El' dengan variasinya Elohim Eloah sudah digunakan sebagai nama diri maupun sebutan sejak kitab pertama Alkitab (Kejadian 1, nama Yahweh baru diturunkan kepada Musa dalam Keluaran 6:1-2) dan dipercayai oleh keturunan Adam khususnya keturunan Sem (anak Nuh) yang menghasilkan rumpun Semit, rumpun Semitik ini menurunkan keturunan Ibrani, Arabi, Arami, dan banyak suku-suku di sekitar Palestina. Suku bangsa Arab terdiri dari empat jalur, yaitu: (1) keturunan Sem (rumpun Semitik) melalui anak bernama Aram (Yahudi = keturunan Arphaksad); (2) keturunan Eber, yaitu melalui anaknya Yoktan (Yahudi = keturunan Peleg); (3) keturunan Abraham melalui Hagar (Ismael) dan juga (4) Keturah (Yahudi = keturunan Sara). Jadi orang Arab itu juga orang Semitik (keturunan Sem), Ibranik (keturunan Eber), dan juga Abrahamik (keturunan Abraham) sama halnya dengan orang Yahudi. Dalam keturunan ini nama 'El' itu berkembang dalam dialek-dialek lokal menjadi 'Il, Ilu, Ilum' dan 'Ila, Ilah, Elah', dan khususnya di kalangan suku-suku berbahasa Arab 'El' itu disebut dalam dialek Arab sebagai 'Allah' (al-ilah) dan di kalangan suku Aram Siria disebut 'Alaha' (alah-ha). Kata sandang definitif 'al' (Arab) di tulis didepan dan 'ha' (Aram-Siria) di tulis di belakang. Dalam bahasa Ibrani dan Yunani, kata sandang ini tidak lazim dipakai untuk menyebut Tuhan. Ensyclopaedia Britannica menulis: Allah (Arabic: God), the only God in the religion of Islam. Etymologically, the name Allah is probably a contraction of the Arabic al-ilah, the God. The name's origin can be traced back to the earliest Semitic writings in which the word for god was Il or El, the latter being an Old Testament synonim for Yahweh. Allah is the standard Arabic word for God and is used by Arab Christians as well as by Muslims. (di bawah kata 'Allah'). Di kalangan suku-suku berbahasa Arab, nama 'Allah' itu adalah nama diri dan generik Tuhan. Dan sebelum ada Islam, jauh sebelumnya, orang yang berbahasa Arab yang menganut agama Yahudi maupun Kristen sudah menyebut 'El' dalam dialek Arabnya yaitu 'Allah.' Di kalangan orang Arab yang tidak menganut agama Yahudi dan Kristen, mereka masih menyebut 'El' monotheisme Abraham dalam dialek Arab sebagai 'Allah,' ini dilakukan oleh kaum Hanif/Hunafa. Gagasan tentang Tuhan Yang Maha Esa yang disebut dengan nama Allah, sudah dikenal oleh bangsa Arab kuno. Kelompok keagamaan lainnya sebelum Islam adalah Hunafa (tngl.hanif), sebuah kata yang pada asalnya ditujukan pada keyakinan monotheisme zaman kuno yang berpangkal pada ajaran Ibrahim dan Ismail. . . . Hanif. . . . digunakan dalam al-Quran dengan pengertian orang yang mengikuti keyakinan monotheisme. Sebuah kata sifat yang ditujukan oleh al-Quran terhadap Nabi Ibrahim dan terhadap mereka yang sebelum masa Islam menjaga kemurnian dan kelurusan naluri-naluri keagamaan mereka dan sama sekali tidak terlibat dalam tradisi paganisme dan politheisme. Mereka yang tergolong hunafa antara Nabi Ibrahim dan Muhammad terdapat sejumlah generasi Ibrahimiyyah dan Isma'illiyah. (Cyril Glasse, Ensiklopedia Islam, h.50-51,124). Agama Islam masuk Indonesia pada abad-13 dan dari ratusan tahun kehadiran bahasa Arab di Indonesia, menurut Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, 1.495 kata Arab (termasuk Allah)
