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Bring Out The Best In Others (2)
'Be strong and courageous' Deuteronomy 31:6
'And the winner of X Factor 2010 is... Matt!' Those were words that, back when Matt Cardle was painting and decorating someone's house in a sleepy Southampton suburb, he thought he'd never hear. Yet that potential catapulted him into a million pound contract and a Christmas number one. (Better luck next Christmas, Cliff!)
Simon the Galilean fisherman was another example. Jesus didn't announce His plans for the church in the same glitzy, high-octane fashion as 'X Factor', but He did say: 'And on this rock I will build my church' (Matt. 16:18). Jesus gave Simon a new name and a fresh purpose, and helped shape him into the leader Jesus knew he could be until he became a real 'diamond geezer'.
The thing about diamonds is (grab your lab coat, here comes the science bit) they can only be formed if the carbon is subjected to certain specific circumstances involving intense pressure. None of us is the finished article and God wants to make us more like Christ, but this often means that we have to go through some pressurised times for that diamond-producing process to take place. God loves us way too much to leave us the way we are.
If God has something for you to do that seems straight out of 'Fear Factor', it'll be accompanied with this message: 'Be strong and courageous. I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go. I'm telling you, "Don't panic. I'm right here to help you"' (Isaiah 41:13 TM).
written by Bob Gass
'Be strong and courageous' Deuteronomy 31:6
'And the winner of X Factor 2010 is... Matt!' Those were words that, back when Matt Cardle was painting and decorating someone's house in a sleepy Southampton suburb, he thought he'd never hear. Yet that potential catapulted him into a million pound contract and a Christmas number one. (Better luck next Christmas, Cliff!)
Simon the Galilean fisherman was another example. Jesus didn't announce His plans for the church in the same glitzy, high-octane fashion as 'X Factor', but He did say: 'And on this rock I will build my church' (Matt. 16:18). Jesus gave Simon a new name and a fresh purpose, and helped shape him into the leader Jesus knew he could be until he became a real 'diamond geezer'.
The thing about diamonds is (grab your lab coat, here comes the science bit) they can only be formed if the carbon is subjected to certain specific circumstances involving intense pressure. None of us is the finished article and God wants to make us more like Christ, but this often means that we have to go through some pressurised times for that diamond-producing process to take place. God loves us way too much to leave us the way we are.
If God has something for you to do that seems straight out of 'Fear Factor', it'll be accompanied with this message: 'Be strong and courageous. I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go. I'm telling you, "Don't panic. I'm right here to help you"' (Isaiah 41:13 TM).
written by Bob Gass
