Who is your best Friend?

Do you have a good friend that you tell everything?  You can talk for hours talking about all kinds of things. 

It seems like you never run out of things to talk about.  

You can tell them the good things and the bad things that happened to you. You tell them everything that someone said. You even tell them things that you would not tell your mom and dad.  

It is special to have someone like that to talk to, all the time. It is nice to have someone that will listen to you. They want to hear all the details.  

Every Christian has a friend like that. Not every Christian realizes that. Jesus wants to be like that for  them all the time. 

You can tell Him the good things and the bad things that happen to you. You can tell Him all the things that someone said, especially about you. He hears, and listens, and cares.

He will love you even when no one else seems to care. He always has time for you. He is a big God. 

He is THE best friend that anybody could ever have. He loves you when you do good, and He still loves you when you choose to do or say something bad.

It is hard to understand God. It is hard to explain God, and all that He can be and do. I am glad that you do not have to understand how He does everything that He does. You just have to trust Him.

There are a lot of things in this world that I do not understand, but I can accept them anyway. 

When you put your faith and trust in Jesus, everything else fits. Trust Jesus today, and then everyday.  Tell Him about everything in your life. Ask Him any question that you have. Then you must listen to hear His answers for you. 

Let Jesus be your Best Friend.

Can You Spare a Dollar?

Everybody has been asked that at some time.  It may have been a friend, someone on the street, a homeless or a  needy person at a traffic intersection, or a group there collecting for some charity. 

Many organizations ask you for money. There are mailers asking for money, collections at school, or work, and  at the grocery store. 

There many causes that need your money. You must choose which ones you want to help. 

It is true for Christian organizations also. There are projects at church like mission trips, raising money for a building or church on the mission field, and tracts for the missionaries. 

There are local projects also for the church. Things like coats for those in need, special financial help for a member with cancer or some other disease, or a house fire. It may be a building fund, or church van.  

There are many Christian mission groups visiting churches needing support. There are foreign missionaries,  missionaries to special groups like native America reservations, teen ministries, youth ministries, children's ministries, and many others. 

There are civic groups helping special needs people, burn victim's, shelters, disasters events, and blood drives for emergency needs. 

It can be hard choosing which need to support. 

This is also true in your life, when you are choosing what you will do in your life. There are many options.

You may be a good athlete that has to choose which college to attend, or a good student choosing a college. 

You may have a talent in constructing, or working on cars, or cooking, and you have to get more training. 

In your Christian life, you must also make choices. God might want you to be a preacher, or missionary, or staff person for a mission organization. He also has special talents needed in each church, and other mission groups like the Gideons, or FCA.  

There are always needs in this world. There are physical needs, and spiritual needs. You must choose where God wants you to serve. It is not where there is a need. It is where God wants you.

Being successful in life is not measured by the numbers. Although numbers are important, they are not the most important. 

Some people serve in places where there are great opportunities to reach many, while others are in small places where there are still needs. In the Bible, Phillip was reaching many, and God sent him into the desert to reach one. Both were opportunities to serve God and meet a need.  

Begin today, praying, studying, listening, learning, and being open to where God wants you to give, and go, and serve. You will be successful and be used by God in a personal way.

Do You Want To Dive?

Last weekend, Mr. George ran the Skydive marathon in Clewiston, FL. No he did not skydive. But many of the runners did. 

Clewiston is on the south side of Lake Okeechobee. It was a beautiful sight to see the skydivers float down from 13,000 feet in the air. They came out in groups of five with their colorful chutes.  Each runner had an experienced  diver tethered to them for the trip. 

To the spectators, it was a quiet graceful float down to the designated X on the grass next to the runway.  As the day progressed, the winds grew stronger and swirled more.  This made it more of a challenge for the diver to control the flight.  At times, the approach changed directions, as the winds dictated. 

The secret was for the runner to fully trust the diver, and follow the instructions.  As long as the diver had  complete control, the maximum experience was reached for the adventure of a lifetime. 

Anytime the runner tried to adjust or change something, the diver had to make changes to keep the team on a successful course. 

This event is a great illustration of the Christian life. A Christian must put their full trust in the Lord Jesus Christ each day, to reach their maximum potential in life. When a person tries to do it himself, God has to make adjustments. 

To be sure, the divers had experienced problems in the past, and had learned from those adventures.  Each dive had its' problems, and varying conditions. With those experiences, the diver made the trip better for each runner. 

Christians also experience problems in their life, and learn from each one. Then they are able to help you face the challenges in your life. 

God does not want to dictate your life. But He wants to guide you, so that you can reach the maximum potential, and success in your life.  

First you ask Jesus to forgive your sin, and thank Him for dying on the cross for you. Then you need to put your full and complete trust in Him each day to guide you to reach the maximum success in your life. 

You will be glad that you did. As one runner said, What an adventure! I am glad that I did it. You will be also.

What is a Friend

Do you have a friend? What do expect from them? 

My friend, Mike was on the mission field in Indonesia. It was a remote area, and he was much bigger than all the natives there. 

One day they had a problem with the canoe, and Mike held the rope and saved them.  From then on, they called him, Friend Mike.  Whenever they had a problem, they called for Friend Mike. 

Why was he a friend? It was because he was a hero to them.  They still did not know him.           

A friend is more than that. A friend is an acquaintance that you get to know better, and like.  When you have a good friend, you do things for each other because you like to be there for them. It is special. 

So a friend is not a friend because of what they do for you.  They are a friend because of who they are to you. 

Jesus wants to be your best friend. He died on the cross for you, because He cares for you.  The better you get to know Him, the better the friendship can be.  I hope that He is your best friend.

TOBI Says - Do You Have Faith?

Faith is a good thing. Do you have faith? Who or what is your faith trusting? Does that make a difference?

First faith is important to have anytime. Faith is learning to believe in things beyond yourself. You start as you trust a bike, then a car, and other physical things like that. This is very easy to understand. 

Then you have to learn to have faith in people. Some people are easy to trust. Others are harder to be able to trust. 

Remember how brothers and sisters tell the other one that mom wants them? Do they believe them? 

It takes time to learn to trust someone. Faith is something that can grow with time, and experience. 

Players learn to trust their coach. Whether it is catching, throwing, running, or any other kind of training, the right results grow that faith.

It is the same with trust in parents and teachers. Experience helps develop stronger faith.      

But experience with some people also lowers faith in them. People can let you down, and disappoint you.

This will cause you to lose faith in others also.

So, faith in the right thing or person, can give you strength, and encouragement.

Step one is believe in God. After that trust that He can do anything. He is beyond understanding. As you go through each day, you can see Him at work in your life. He does work in the life of each person, even when they do not believe in Him.

He can give you faith, if you are willing to give Him a chance. He will never let you down. That does not  mean that you will always get what you want. It does mean that He will do what is best for you. 

The most important faith is when you know that Jesus loves you, and has the power to forgive your sin.  

Can or will you trust Him to do that for you. Then you will have true faith that will last