JNM * Mengapa Engkau ..; Kasih Agape; Jadilah bijaksana Kasih sayang
From: MANGUCUP [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mengapa Engkau meninggalkan Aku ? Suara hingar bingar di sekeliling kita bisa terdengar dengan jelas, bahkan rekan-rekan disekitar kita saling berbual cerita, berjual celoteh yang terkadang membuat kita turut tertawa, walaupun demikian ada hal yang tidak bisa dipungkiri ialah „Rasa Kesepian“ ! Rasa kesepian ini bisa terjadi terhadap siapa saja, mulai dari wong kaya s/d wong miskin, mulai dari raja s/d gembel, karena ini sudah merupakan bagian dari „Heartware“ kita. Bukan hanya komputer saja yang memiliki Hardware Software, manusia juga diciptakan lengkap dengan Heartware nya. Berbagai rasa yang dimiliki oleh setiap manusia seperti rasa gembira, cinta, puas, senang, lucu ini semuanya merupakan Heartware program pelengkap dari Sang Pencipta. Bagaimana dengan perasaan negatif, seperti benci, sedih, takut, kesepian, dendam maupun sakit batin, apakah ini juga termasuk Heartware dari Sang Pencipta ataukah ini merupakan Virus yang disusupkan oleh si iblis ke dalam Heartware kita ? Ribuan formula sebagai penangkal Virus perasaan negatif ini telah diciptakan oleh berbagai macam agama maupun Kitab Suci di kolong langit ini, tetapi kenyataannya sampai dengan detik ini, belum ada yang berhasil menciptan pergram Anti Virus ini. Misalnya Tuhan Yesus sendiri yang telah diakui oleh umat Kristen sebagai Tuhan yang menjelma menjadi manusia, bahkan dilengkapi dengan berbagai macam program Anti Virus Dosa maupun Fire Wall yang bukan super canggih saja bahkan Super Sakti, tetapi kenyataannya tetap saja bisa kebobolan dimana Ia juga kejangkitan Virus Kesepian ! Apalagi si Ucup yang sudah dari sononya dilahirkan tanpa dilengkapi dengan program Anti Virus, sehingga seringkali dilanda Virus Dosa maupun virus-virus lainnya seperti rasa sedih, kesepian, takut maupun sewot ! Berdasarkan laporan dari Journal of Clinical Nursing, ternyata kebanyakan orang usia paruh baya dengan rata-rata usia 40 tahun adalah adalah kelompok manusia yang paling banyak merasa kesepian. Jawablah dengan jujur: „Apakah anda merasa kesepian ?„ Dalam hal ini anda tidak perlu berkecil hati, sebab hampir setiap orang mulai dari anak kecil sampai dengan orang dewasa pernah merasa kesepian. Kesepian bukan hanya timbul pada saat kita kehilangan orang yang kita kasihi saja. Rasa kesepian itu bisa timbul juga, pada saat kita ditolak oleh orang-orang di sekitar kita; maupun oleh orang-orang yang kita kasihi. Kita pun bisa merasa kesepian; pada saat kita merasa tidak dihargai, misalnya pada saat kita di PHK, diserang, dikritik maupun pada saat dipermalukan. Begitu juga pada saat musibah melanda hidup kita entah karena penyakit, kegagalan dalam usaha, sekolah maupun lain-lainnya lagi. Rasa kesepian yang paling menyakitkan adalah pada saat kita sedang jatuh atau mendapatkan kegagalan dalam kehidupan; kita di tinggal oleh orang-orang disekitar kita, bahkan terkadang bukan hanya oleh rekan-rekan sejawat saja, tetapi juga ditinggal oleh orang yang kita kasihi. Perasaan ini ada jauh lebih menyakitkan daripada rasa kesepiannya itu sendiri, karena bukan hanya rasa kesepian saja, melainkan juga merasa dikecewakan/dihianati. Pernahkah anda merasakan bagaimana rasanya, dimana pada saat anda jaya; anda diakui sebagai abang saya, tetapi pada saat jatuh; ditendang dan dijauhi seperti juga orang yang kejangkitan penyakit Aids. Renungkanlah bagaimana perasaan anda, pada saat dimana anda sukses, banyak sekali sobat yang datang berkunjung ketempat anda, bahkan mereka bersedia mendampingi dan menemani anda siang malam, tetapi kebalikannya begitu anda jatuh atau ada masalah terutama yang berkaitan dengan hukum. Anda akan segera dijauhi oleh mereka. Mereka tidak mau mengakui anda lagi, boro-boro sebagai sobatnya, dengar namanya saja seakan-akan kagak pernah ! Pada saat tersebut saya merasa; bukan saja ditinggal oleh orang-orang yang kita kasihi saja, bahkan saya merasa ditinggal oleh Sang Pencipta ! Sehingga wajarlah kalau saya berteriak dan menjerit untuk menanyakan keberadaannya Sang Pencipta: „Where are You God, when I’m lonely Wah ini menandakan bahwa imannya mang Ucup itu lemah dan lebih lembek daripada oncom, sebab orang yang kuat imannya tidak akan pernah menanyakan keberadaannya Sang Pencipta ! Dengan pertanyaan itu saja sebenarnya sudah bisa disamakan sepergi juga menghujat Tuhan !!! Mang Ucup akui, bahwa besarnya iman saya tidak ada satu promilenya dari besarnya biji sawi, bahkan dengan mikroskop saja tidak kelihatan. Kesalahannya mang Ucup sebenarnya hanya satu saja, dimana saya mengajukan pertanyaan itu dalam bahasa Londo, coba saya mengajukan pertanyaan tersebut dalam bahasa Aram „Eloi, Eloi Lama Sabakhtani“ = Tuhan-KU, Tuhan-Ku mengapa Engkau meninggalkan Aku ? – (Matius 27:46) tentu tidak akan yang berani menilai saya bahwa saya menghujat Tuhan, sebab kalimat itulah yang diucapan oleh Tuhan Yesus pada saat Ia disalib ! Pertanyaan apakah dengan ucapan Tuhan Yesus tersebut menandakan
JNM * Gods Work Ministry E-Mail
From: Dwayne Savaya [EMAIL PROTECTED] Gods Work Ministry Inspirational and Encouragement E-Mail Dear Friend, Doing for others brings greater satisfaction to ones life than many of the great accomplishments they may achieve. Jesus made it clear when He said it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. The Lord knows of the many benefits that givers receive and throughout His preaching, the Lord commanded us as believers to give. The Lord says in Luke 6:38, Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Galatians 6:1-4) The laws of God command that givers will receive, but more importantly, the feeling of fulfillment that givers receive greatly outweigh any gift that was given. Be encouraged to do for others what you would want them to do for you and allow yourself to be an angel to someone else who is in need of your intervention. (Malachi 3:10) (Luke 6:31) (James 1:22-27) (James 5:7-11) I hope today's message ministers to your heart to allow yourself to be used of God to minister to someone else in need and allow your light to shine brightly where all darkness will cease to exist. FAITH AND DEEDS I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3), and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called Smile. The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say, hello, anyway...so, I thought, this would be a piece of cake, literally. Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's, one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch...an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible dirty body smell...and there standing behind me were two poor men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was smiling. His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's light as he searched for acceptance. He said, Good day as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally deficient and the blue eyed gentle man was his salvation. I held my tears...as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked them what they wanted. The man doing the ordering said, Coffee is all Miss. -- because that was all they could afford. To sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something... hey, they just wanted to be warm. Then I really felt it...the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with his blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me...judging my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, Thank you. I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, I did not do this alone for you...God is here working through me to give you hope. I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, That is why God gave you to me honey...to give me hope. We held hands for moment and at that time we knew that only because of the Grace of God that we had been given, that we were able to give. We are not church goers but we are believers. That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in my project and the instructor read it...then she looked up at me and said, May I share this? I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read, and that is when I knew that we, as human beings and being part of God, share the need to help people and be helped. In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn...Unconditional Acceptance. Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this. Learn how to love people and use things -- not love things and use people. Author Unknown We
JNM * Edisi 13 -- Akulah Jalan, Kebenaran, dan Hidup
From: Kisah [EMAIL PROTECTED] Edisi 13 -- Akulah Jalan, Kebenaran, dan Hidup PENGANTAR Sebelum menerima Kristus, Paulus adalah seorang yang sangat keji. Dia menganiaya orang-orang yang percaya bahwa Yesus yang lahir di kandang domba adalah Mesias. Tapi Yesus justru menghampiri Paulus dengan terang-Nya dan membuatnya bertobat. Berikut ini kisah yang mirip dengan apa yang dialami oleh rasul yang menjadi panutan banyak orang itu. Mari kita simak. Pimred KISAH, Pipin Kuntami __ KESAKSIAN AKULAH JALAN, KEBENARAN, DAN HIDUP == Saat kalian menangkap para kafir itu, pukuli mereka! Tuhan akan senang, Zahid memberi mereka semangat. Kerumunan yang terdiri dari pria-pria muda, kaum muda dari rumah ibadahnya, mengayunkan tongkat dan pipa besi dan bersorak dalam kesepakatan. Ia merasa dalam keadaan baik-baik saja sebagai seorang petinggi agama yang masih muda. Dan ia merasa orang tuanya akan bangga. Dalam beberapa menit, ia dan teman-temannya menyisiri jalan-jalan desa dan mencari orang-orang Kristen untuk dijebak. Zahid memiliki garis keturunan yang membanggakan di Pakistan. Ayah dan abangnya merupakan petinggi agama dan Zahid telah mengikuti jejak mereka. Setelah ditugaskan di rumah ibadahnya untuk pertama kalinya, kebencian Zahid terhadap orang Kristen mulai tampak dan ia mulai mengumpulkan para pengikutnya untuk menentang mereka. Pemerintahannya makin lama makin terpengaruh oleh salah satu hukum agama yang menuntut kematian bagi siapa pun yang didapati bersalah karena penghujatan atas nabi dan kitab suci mereka. Saat kegilaan mereka memuncak, Zahid memimpin kelompoknya ke jalan-jalan, dan tidak diperlukan waktu yang lama sampai mereka menemukan sekelompok orang Kristen muda untuk diserang, pada saat dikejar salah satu dari antara mereka menjatuhkan Alkitabnya. Seorang anggota kelompok Zahid memungut Alkitabnya dan membukanya untuk merobek-robek halamannya. Zahid senantiasa memberitahu para pengikutnya untuk membakar semua Alkitab yang telah mereka kumpulkan. Tetapi kali ini Zahid merasakan keinginan yang aneh untuk menyimpan dan mempelajarinya serta mencari kesalahan-kesalahan yang ada di dalamnya. Zahid melaporkan dalam kata-katanya sendiri apa yang terjadi karena menyimpan Alkitab itu: Aku sedang membaca Alkitab, mencari kontradiksi-kontradiksi yang dapat kugunakan melawan iman Kristen. Tiba-tiba, sinar yang terang benderang muncul di kamarku dan aku mendengar sebuah suara memanggil namaku. Cahaya itu demikian terang, ia menerangi seluruh kamar. Suara itu bertanya, 'Zahid, mengapa kau menganiaya Aku?' Aku ketakutan. Aku tak tahu apa yang baru dilakukan. Kupikir aku sedang bermimpi. Aku bertanya, 'Siapakah engkau?' Aku mendengar, 'Akulah jalan, kebenaran, dan hidup.' Selama tiga hari berikutnya cahaya dan suara itu kembali. Akhirnya, pada malam keempat, aku berlutut dan menerima Yesus sebagai Juru Selamatku. Kebencian Zahid tiba-tiba lenyap. Ia ingin membagikan Yesus kepada siapa pun yang ia kenal. Ia pergi kepada anggota-anggota keluarganya dan mereka yang berada di rumah ibadah dan memberitahukan apa yang telah terjadi kepadanya selama empat malam terakhir kepada mereka. Keluarga dan teman-temannya berbalik menentangnya, ia ditangkap oleh yang berwajib. Berdasarkan ajaran agamanya terdahulu, Zahid kini dianggap sebagai orang yang murtad, seorang pengkhianat bagi agama, dan dianggap seorang penjahat. Zahid ditempatkan di dalam penjara selama dua tahun, dia disiksa berulang-ulang. Satu waktu, mereka mencabut kuku-kukunya dalam upaya mematahkan imannya; mereka mengikat rambutnya pada kipas angin di langit-langit dan membiarkannya tergantung di sana. Walaupun aku menderita amat hebat dalam tangan penangkap-penangkapku, aku tidak menyimpan kepahitan terhadap mereka. Aku juga pernah membenci orang-orang Kristen. Menurut hukum agamaku dulu, aku harus dieksekusi dengan cara digantung. Mereka berusaha memaksaku untuk menarik kembali imanku dari Yesus. Tetapi aku tidak dapat menyangkal Yesus. Nabi agamaku dulu tidak pernah mengunjungiku; Yesus pernah dan aku tahu bahwa Dia adalah kebenaran. Aku hanya berdoa bagi para penjaga, berharap bahwa mereka juga akan mengenal Yesus. Pada hari Zahid akan digantung, ia tidak takut akan kematian saat mereka datang untuk membawanya dari sel. Bahkan saat mereka menempatkan jeratan di sekeliling lehernya, Zahid berkhotbah mengenai Yesus kepada para penjaga dan pengeksekusinya. Ia ingin agar nafas-nafas terakhirnya di bumi dipergunakan untuk memberitakan kepada rekan-rekan bahwa Yesus adalah jalan, kebenaran, dan hidup. Zahid berdiri dengan siap untuk menghadap Juruselamatnya. Tiba-tiba, suara-suara keras terdengar di ruangan luar.
JNM * daily devotional
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] daily devotional Morning ... Isaiah 53:12 He was numbered with the transgressors. Why did Jesus suffer Himself to be enrolled amongst sinners? This wonderful condescension was justified by many powerful reasons. In such a character He could the better become their advocate. In some trials there is an identification of the counsellor with the client, nor can they be looked upon in the eye of the law as apart from one another. Now, when the sinner is brought to the bar, Jesus appears there Himself. He stands to answer the accusation. He points to His side, His hands, His feet, and challenges Justice to bring anything against the sinners whom He represents; He pleads His blood, and pleads so triumphantly, being numbered with them and having a part with them, that the Judge proclaims, Let them go their way; deliver them from going down into the pit, for He hath found a ransom. Our Lord Jesus was numbered with the transgressors in order that they might feel their hearts drawn towards Him. Who can be afraid of one who is written in the same list with us? Surely we may come boldly to Him, and confess our guilt. He who is numbered with us cannot condemn us. Was He not put down in the transgressor's list that we might be written in the red roll of the saints? He was holy, and written among the holy; we were guilty, and numbered among the guilty; He transfers His name from yonder list to this black indictment, and our names are taken from the indictment and written in the roll of acceptance, for there is a complete transfer made between Jesus and His people. All our estate of misery and sin Jesus has taken; and all that Jesus has comes to us. His righteousness, His blood, and everything that He hath He gives us as our dowry. Rejoice, believer, in your union to Him who was numbered among the transgressors; and prove that you are truly saved by being manifestly numbered with those who are new creatures in Him. Numbers 33:51-52 (51) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; (52) Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: We should understand this in a religious sense since any representation of God changes Him from what He really is. Egyptians worshipped oxen, heifers, sheep, goats, lions, dogs, cats, monkeys, ibis, cranes, hawks, crocodiles, serpents, frogs, flies, scarab beetles, the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, fire, light, air, and darkness. And they could come up with good reasons why! A young man once said to me that he could see nothing wrong with the Christmas tree because he did not bow down and worship it. He misunderstood. Do we? The first commandment covers this particular aspect of idolatry. If one was bowing down to the tree, that would be what he was worshipping. The second commandment has to do with the way we worship, in spirit and truth. Christmas-and its trappings like the Christmas tree-is not part of the way God commanded we worship. It is not part of the truth of God. Therefore, the Christmas tree is a component of an idolatry created when man desires to worship God as he devises rather than as God instructs. So he breaks the second commandment even though he never bows down to the tree. John W. Ritenbaugh From The Second Commandment === From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] daily devotional Morning ... Isaiah 53:5 With His stripes we are healed. Pilate delivered our Lord to the lictors to be scourged. The Roman scourge was a most dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the sinews of oxen, and sharp bones were inter-twisted every here and there among the sinews; so that every time the lash came down these pieces of bone inflicted fearful laceration, and tore off the flesh from the bone. The Saviour was, no doubt, bound to the column, and thus beaten. He had been beaten before; but this of the Roman lictors was probably the most severe of His flagellations. My soul, stand here and weep over His poor stricken body. Believer in Jesus, can you gaze upon Him without tears, as He stands before you the mirror of agonizing love? He is at once fair as the lily for innocence, and red as the rose with the crimson of His own blood. As we feel the sure and blessed healing which His stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt at once with love and grief? If ever we have loved our Lord Jesus, surely we must feel that affection glowing now within our bosoms. See how the patient Jesus stands, Insulted in His lowest case! Sinners have bound the Almighty's hands, And spit in their Creator's face. With thorns His temples gor'd and gash'd Send streams of blood from every part; His back's with knotted scourges lash'd. But sharper scourges tear His heart. We
JNM * SPRING! A Time to Move Forward and Not Backward! by Chuck Pierce
From: Global Harvest Ministries SPRING! A Time to Move Forward and Not Backward! by Chuck Pierce March 23, 2007 Vol 4 Issue 7 SPRING! A Time to Move Forward and Not Backward! By Chuck Pierce For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines With the tender grapes give a good smell. Song of Solomon 2:11-13 Spring is Here! I am thankful that the Lord makes all things new and sprouts forth after a time of dormancy. Your Path is FORWARD and not BACKWARD! Pam and the kids have been working in the yard this week. Planting and preparing for Spring is one of Pam's joys in life. I love watching her gardens grow. When Spring comes, I always think of these four things. 1. Spring is the time when the Jordan River begins to rise and we prepare to cross over or pass over into a new season of growth and inheritance. We let go of some things from the past year or past season and move forward. Crossing over includes moving from one dimension of promise to the next. 2. Spring is a time when kings go to war. I always contemplate the warfare ahead. I pray for God's leaders - that they gain their war strategy for the future, and that they will be ready to confront the enemies that would try to keep them from prospering in God's Kingdom purposes. Make of list of the wars you need to win in the days ahead. 3. Spring is a time of resurrection. Some things have been dormant or else, you have gone through a winter or death season, and now its time for life to spring forth again. 4. Spring is a time for planting, sowing and preparing for the Harvest or REAPING! Spring is a Transitional Season Spring is a time when the power of dormancy breaks off of us. We actually come out of hibernation and begin to roar because we are spiritually hungry. If Spring is a time for kings to go to war, then make a list of things that you want to be sure are fully defeated in your life. Also, define the place that you are trying to cross over into and how you should be prepared to make this shift. The crossing over place is defined as transition. This is a time when we must allow God to show us the future so we can advance. You need to reach back and grab hold of those things that have been detrimental and defeating in your past. Then take your other hand and grab hold of God's best for your future. Pull all the defeats of your past and place them under the best in your future! The Body of Christ, the governments of the world, our nation and most of us personally are in major TRANSITIONS. A transition is a place of CROSSING OVER! We are grafted into the covenant of Abraham. Abram, the Hebrew, was one who always crossed over. The word Hebrew is abar and means to CROSS OVER! Therefore, we are a Blood-bought, redeemed people who will always be crossing over to our next place of victory. A transition is also a passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another! A transition is a CHANGE in a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another. Transition is a SHIFT IN SOUND, or a musical modulation or passage leading from one section of a piece to another. Most transitions begin with a shift in our worship dynamic. A transition is an abrupt change in energy state or level accompanied by the loss or gain of a single quantum of energy. Therefore, we are sent into major transitions when the Lord looses new power into our lives. The power of God seems so many times to upset our ordered apple cart! We must learn to adjust. Transition has Three Phases! Transition has three phases, the first of which is an ending or death to something. Then there is much confusion. Confusion is fine for a while. Your cognitive processes are adjusting to many new ideas and environmental changes. Old strongholds are breaking but resisting fully letting go. Therefore, you know you need to move forward. However, many times you do not know how to move forward but are sure you do not want to go back to where you have come from. Then finally, there is your crossing over place into the new! The new will come and you will get to your there if you keep going! I believe the Lord watches us very closely in our transitions to see how we process change and keep moving. Psalm 126:6 says, He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. That means there comes a
