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KINDLE BOOKS

Recently finished a new Kindle entitled “Genesis & Discrimination”. It is a very powerful collection to challenge your thinking. Also, consider: Secrets of a Deeper Life in Christ , A Missing Psalm, Forgiveness. I hope putting these together in this new format will be a blessing to many more & will help support this ministry.

By Email Too

The WeakDay Devotion originated as encouragement for a dear friend who was having difficulties with her job.

It is especially for my family, firends, business people, students, pastors, teachers and a myriad of pre-, new and long-serving Christians who want more Scripture with their devotion than many of the regular devotionals offer. it is also written to be short so you can get on with your day, but filled with a new idea from God's Word that is practical and applicable. You can also have it sent directly to your email box every day - just send me an email (DarleneRichard@gmail.com) and I will add you to the distribution.

Friday, August 11, 2023

WeakEnd Assignment – How to Get to Heaven

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki3LZgkaDo0

Or search YouTube for How to Get to Heaven

By DTBM (8 min 11 sec)

“Therefore, from now on we recognise no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:16-21

Assignment

1. Set aside an hour and find a place where you will not be interrupted.

2. Bring with you your Bible, notebook, something to write with and a refreshment.

3. Settle in and quieten your heart. Pray the Lord will use this assignment to help you better understand the ‘exchange’ of Salvation and be able to share it more easily with others.

4. Find a fresh page in your notebook and date it. Watch the video and make notes of the key points shared about how what someone believes about how they are saved make all the difference for Eternity.

5. Write out a little story of when you exchanged something for something else. Examples: giving someone a book you are through with to someone else for a book they have that you want, or bartering something you’ve made for something else, or when you purchase something with money (like exchanging money for a sandwich), or it could be when you are cooking and run out of something and exchange something else for an ingredient with another.

6. Open your Bible and read the verses above once more. Underline (and/ or write out in your notebook) the verses that relate to the key points in your story to help you explain the power of Salvation.

7. Relate this clarity to how when we accept Jesus’ offer to EXCHANGE our sin for His righteousness it is not only amazing, but it is …finished.

Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still prays for you daily)

PS: Find my statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (where you will also find a series of beginner Bible studies to share). You can easily find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’. (Also, there is an android ‘Google Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone. Not sure about Apple.). For the books, go to Amazon books.

NEW PRAYER REQUESTS (Thank you for the updates.)

· Jill – will soon have cataract surgery. Please pray for the surgeon and those who support her that the procedure will go smoothly and her eye will heal quickly and that Peter, and those who love her, would rally to support her.

· Barbara – the beloved wife of my brother (who recently passed) – thank you for praying for her (and for me as we struggle with our loss of Tim). Please pray God places people in her path who will help her with all the things He knows she needs help with. Pray for Barb’s peace and protection at night.

· Wayne B – is slowly losing his beloved wife, Lyn, (diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia three and a half years ago). She has been in care since May of 2020 but recently had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho-geriatric facility. She sometimes knows who he is but is no longer able to respond. Pray for comfort for Wayne as he deals with this difficult situation.

· Jen – lost her only sister and still needs your prayers to get through this difficult time and pray her health remains good.

· Hans– a dear friend in Germany struggling with lung cancer and financial difficulties. He and his whole family are recovering from COVID. Pray his new social worker will be able to help him and that he will have patience. Pray for his healthcare providers and that he is surrounded by faithful and compassionate Christian friends who will remind him of the Lord’s love. Pray for his Mom (age 84) -- that their time together is filled with extraordinarily good memories and lots of love.

· Jake – No news about Jake, a friend of my brother, also living with COPD (emphysema) and heart problems. Please pray for his daughter, Tiffany and for his other friends and health carers to help him through his health journey.

· Callilah- a lost child. Pray in thanksgiving that the Lord is softening her heart and that the Lord has placed Patti just where she needs to be. Pray for Patti’s safety and patience.

· Pray for Jeff and Rachael’s family in Louisville to desire and seek a relationship with the Lord.

· Philip and Sue – Philip recently had surgery. Pray for his health carers and for Sue as she supports him through his recovery.

· Sarah and Andrew – he left his job a year ago -- she went to work in a new role. Pray for this precious Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the Lord.

· Sue and Rob – opened their home to support Luke who is lost, angry and refuses to move out. Please pray he wakes up and realises he must take responsibility for his own life and most of all that he needs the Lord. Pray for the continued patience and compassion of Sue and Rob.

· Ray and Kathy – Ray’s mom is lost in the growing fog of dementia and lives a couple of hours away. She recently had a serious fall and is now in an aged care facility. Pray that she might adjust and stay healthy. Pray for travelling mercies for Ray as he drives back and forth to visit her, and for Kathy as she supports him through this difficult time. Pray also for their separate ministries to grow through the witness of their love and compassion.

· Bettina – continue to pray for her as she grows into a new phase of her life in the Lord. Pray each of her five married daughters, spouses and 18 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

· Paul – please pray for him. He was unsuccessful for the job he applied for (after more than ten years without work). He is very discouraged and now unwell. Please pray the Lord provides needed work so he can begin to heal and strengthen.

· Demi and John – one evening he went out his backdoor to run an errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several times (one pierced his heart). He has recovered physically, but please pray for him and his wife as they pull their lives together – that they might find the Lord in all the chaos left behind.

· Ian – continue to pray that his desire to grow his understanding and effectiveness with personal evangelism is fulfilled.

· Peyton and Carter - Grandchildren of Jeff and Rachael. Payton, their granddaughter is now a senior in university. Carter, their son is now a freshman in college. Both are exceptional students and love the Lord. Pray they are not distracted by worldly things, that the Lord watches over and protects them, that they continue to do well in their studies and that their love of God’s Word increases daily.

· Elina – needs courage of her convictions and resolve to live a life that is Christ-honouring for herself and her young son, Jimmy.

· Megan (for emotional healing) and Scott, her husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through troubled times.

· Christine – give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives his heart to the Lord.

· Robin – lost her beloved mother (was 93 years old), please pray for strength and healing for her as she navigates through this time of mourning and for her daughter who is comforting her.

· Pray for true, Bible-based, Christ-centered revival in America.

Pray for those in full-time service

Pray the Lord upholds our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of evil. Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.

Pray for those with ongoing health concerns

Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health. Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them.

Pray for the World

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Background of WeakDay Devotions

Over eleven years ago a dear friend couldn't find a job. She's brilliant, skilled & experienced -- but simply couldn't find a position to suit her. After about eight months of struggling & searching, she was hired to work with the Sydney Olympics but six months later the role turned feral. She was discouraged as she pulled herself into work each morning.

Then it became apparent they were trying to "move" her out. She struggled. At least once a week she would be on the phone to me or be sitting on my balcony talking/crying her heart out. I found myself being a sort of Christian coach/mentor for her.

One morning after my quiet time, something I learned seemed relevent for her, so I shared it with her in an email. She wrote back that it indeed helped. Next morning the same thing happened. Again the Lord used it to encourage & strengthen her. The next morning nothing seemed good to send, but I searched till I found something I hoped would strengthen her. The Lord used it. Each week day morning from then on I would get up early & write her a note of encouragement.

A month went by & another friend sent me an e-mail expressing their own frustration with a work situation. I sent them a copy of the e-mail I'd sent my friend that very morning. They were encouraged & asked me to include them each morning. After a couple of weeks both wrote to me to say they'd been sending the email to others & would I just add theses new names each morning. They also suggested I ask others if they'd like to be included. I did & many asked to receive it. One day, I was asked to do a radio interview with Gordon Moyse ("An Ordinary Christian"). He had heard about the morning "WeakDay Devotions" & wanted his listeners to know more about them.

Almost every week day morning since that first e-mail, I've written a fresh word of encouragement for (by now) an untold number of people around the world. It was originally mostly business oriented, but has grown to be more general in nature with Christian business people knowing it is the little personal details of their walk that need a boost anyway.

Within the distribution list now are Christians or pre-Christians (Catholic & Protestant), some are Jewish, some have not made a decision about what they believe, yet. There are several pastors; a Catholic priest, a Jewish teacher and a Christian Web page creator (and pastor) who distributes select ones to his readership. There’s even a pastor in the USA who uses them as part of his daily radio program.

Many who receive them forward them to others & they ricochet around the world. They're used as morning devotions between friends at work in the USA, Argentina, the Philippines, New Guinea, Hong Kong & places I don't even know about yet.

The Lord is using these meek & meagre "presents to Him" for His own purposes in the lives of others & I'm constantly surprised & humbled at the encouragement I've found in my own personal time with the Lord because of their ministry to me!

If you'd like to have them emailed directly to you each day, just send me an email. I'm open to comments, suggestions & criticisms.

Again, it's almost always only one screen long, so you don't have to take too much time with them, they always come marked "Urgent" so they can be found more quickly. Finally, the distribution list is "blinded" so everyone's privacy is assured (although I pray for everyone I send to & know them all much better now).

Every day is different, some days are very short -- sometimes only one verse or two, but there's always a Bible verse (I always use the New American Standard Bible translation, unless otherwise indicated). There are also times when there is a suggestion for something special as an assignment. I've also written a variety of series, such as: The Ten Commandments, Forgiveness, How to Know God's Will, Fasting, Unmet Needs, etc.

Stay close to His Word.
Your servant and friend in Christ.... Darlene

The First Devotion

"And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee." Psalm 9:10

From George Muller's Autobiography:

"I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished.

"The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord's blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God; searching, as it were, into every verse, to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word; not for the sake of reaching on what I had meditated upon; but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this...that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer."

Have a wonderful day resting in Him....love, your servant and friend in Christ...D

Another style: The Princess & the Pea

[Jesus teaching] "'And why do you look at the spec that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?'" Matthew 7:3

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." James 2:10

"So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!" James 3:5

"Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.'" Matthew 13:31-32

Ever notice how it's the little things that get under your skin and grow out of perspective? Think of the time you spend looking for a misplaced file or phone number. What about when you're late and get a red light or someone pulls out in front of you in traffic. Or how about when you get a paper cut or have a hang nail? How about forgetting someone's birthday or when you lose your glasses or keys? Any of these things can make us "lose our cool". As Christians we must be ever vigilant to how the little things can stumble our walk and witness with Christ.

It reminds me of the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea (where a prince looked for a gentle and delicate princess to help rule his kingdom. He arranged a test of all the fair maidens. He had a stack of mattresses placed one on top the other and each "princess candidate" was invited to spend the night in the castle. The Prince became discouraged because no one seemed to respond to the test until one morning a lovely woman complained she could not sleep, as the mattress was too lumpy. Unbeknownst to her (and all the other candidates) the Prince had placed a single pea under the bottom mattress. No one else had been sensitive to the little things. Of course they lived happily ever after. In our Christian walk we need to be that sensitive to the little things that stumble us! Take care, your servant and friend in Christ – Darlene

A WeakDay Devotion

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