DELAMP MAGAZINE

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things…your Father already knows your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.” – Luke 12:29-30 Sigh…if only it were that easy.  For many of us however, we see ourselves as exceptions to that – we deserve to worry, don’t we?!  After all, we’ve just been fired from our low-paying job, the rent hasn’t been paid yet, there is no food at the fridge, and our money is only enough for this week’s groceries.  How can we not worry? “ Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!” – Luke 12:24 But we’re not like birds, are we? We need gasoline for our cars, gas for the kitchen, insurance for our health, mortgage payments for the house, tuition for the kids, and a little extra money just in case something else goes wrong!

1. It is not God who willed sin and pain into this world. If He ever allowed evil, it is to be able to accomplish a greater good. Heroism, perseverance, courage, compassion, mercy, faith – these are the things that shine brighter in the darkness, such is the greater good that arises out of evil and pain. That greater good is what I must focus on. If God ever allows pain and misfortune or any kind of injustice to touch me, it is not with malice that He does so, nor with indifference. He is very much aware of my suffering. The kind of love that will not forget me even if a mother should forget her child is that same love that has willed a greater good for me to last for eternity. “…because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. For he created all things that they might exist, and the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; and the dominion of Hades is not on earth. For righteousness is

1. Whispering sweet nothings into her ear. 2. Massaging her tired feet. 3. Painting her portrait. 4. Gently caressing her cheek. 5. Playing her a song. 6. Composing her a song. 7. Making her a poem. 8. Holding her hand. 9. Kissing her forehead. 10. Offering your hand when she gets off the car. 11. Saying, “You’re wonderful, do you know that?” 12. Saying, “I missed you, please stay by my side.” 13. Washing the dishes. 14. Cooking for dinner. 15. Taking care of the kids so she could go out with her friends. 16. Buying her a book she’ll love. 17. Taking her out to eat at her favorite place. 18. Massaging her hand. 19. Lending your shoulder when she feels sleepy. 20. Carrying her when she’s too tired to walk. 21. Saying, “You’ve made me into a different person.” 22. Saying, “Thanks for believing in me.” 23. Praising a meal she cooked. 24. Not making her worry. 25. Never making her wait. 26. Not complaining when she makes you wait sometimes.

You can be who you want to be, you can have what you want, you can make your dreams a reality. You can have your break-through in the situation your are in now only if you believe. In other to achieve, you have to believe. We all dream dreams but not all of us are able to accomplish, those who accomplish are not better or stronger than the ones who could not, but they do because they exercise what they have, which is 'believe'. The ability to believe in yourself rains supreme. That is a major key for achievers. Believing in yourself makes all the difference. In other to make your dream a reality you first have to believe in yourself, you have to be confident that you can achieve your set goals. Always have it in mind that every big establishment had a small beginning. To have a breakthrough your believe will have to be as strong as a rock, you have to see your dreams becoming a reality. If you cannot see it then you cannot achieve. In the pursue of your dre

Who is a Christian? Does that question sound strange. But seriously, what does it mean when you say am a christian cause the truth is most people will get that answer wrong. People feel my parents are Christians, automatically am a christian, or my wife/husband is a christian which means am a christian. If you are part of these groups, am sorry you are wrong. Before I go on, let me first explain what a christian is and what it is all about. Christian means Christian like, meaning nature and character of Jesus Christ. And you can't know something one's character, till you know the person, and you can't know Him till you accept Him. So, I asked again, what is a christian or better still are you a christian? The truth of the matter is, most Christians don't even behave like Christians, I have even seen pastor's behaving worst than even the pagans. In the bible Jesus said when some one slaps you on one chick turn the other, I know easier said than done, bu

Scripture has much to say regarding the drinking of alcohol ( Leviticus 10:9 ; Numbers 6:3 ; Deuteronomy 29:6 ; Judges 13:4 , 7 , 14 ; Proverbs 20:1 ; 31:4 ; Isaiah 5:11 , 22 ; 24:9 ; 28:7 ; 29:9 ; 56:12 ). However, Scripture does not necessarily forbid a Christian from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. In fact, some Scriptures discuss alcohol in positive terms. Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs, “Drink your wine with a merry heart.” Psalm 104:14-15 states that God gives wine “that makes glad the heart of men.” Amos 9:14 discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God’s blessing. Isaiah 55:1 encourages, “Yes, come buy wine and milk…”   What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness ( Ephesians 5:18 ). The Bible condemns drunkenness and its effects ( Proverbs 23:29-35 ). Christians are also commanded to not allow their bodies to be “mastered” by anything ( 1 Corinthians 6:12 ; 2 Peter 2:19 ). Drinking alcohol in

Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 16:34-36 In 1 Chronicles 16:34-36 we find David's psalm of thanks. This song tells us that we are to give thanks for thanksgiving. I. Give (v. 34) Two of God's primary characteristics are celebrated in this verse: His goodness and His love. David said that God is good. What does that mean? It means God's essence and character are the epitome of goodness and righteousness. Because God is so good, we are to give thanks. Why should we give thanks? Simply because we are God's creation, we should do nothing else and nothing less. We rejoice in God's goodness. We do this by giving thanks and by our worship. In the New Testament, the word for "thanks" gives us our words grace and eucharist. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Jesus' shed blood and battered body, we give thanks. All of our existence and worship should revolve around giving thanks. In addition, God's love endures fo

Scriptures: Proverbs 1:7 , James 2:22-25 Connection with unit theme : Wisdom is found in knowing Christ and following Him. There's a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the philosopher and said, "O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge." In response Socrates led the young man through the streets, to the sea, and chest deep into the water. The he asked the young man, "Now tell me, what is it that you want?" "Knowledge, O wise Socrates," said the young man with a smile. Socrates put his hands on the man's shoulders and pushed him under the water. Thirty seconds later the wise philosopher lifted his pupil out of the water. "What is it again that you want?" he asked. "Wisdom, O great and wise Socrates" the young man said under labored breathing. Socrates again took the man and held him under water, this time longer. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five, for

"It's the faith, Brother." That's what Tim Russert said to Jon Meacham when he invited him to appear on Meet the Press to debate noted atheist Christopher Hitchens. "You gotta come down and defend the faith, Brother." He wanted Meacham, an Episcopalian, to defend the Christian faith against the sulfuric criticism of Christopher Hitchens. Even though he was a devout Catholic (a fact he never tried to hide), Russert as moderator couldn't take sides so he wanted Meacham to take up the cause. "It's the faith, Brother." That's a good statement any way you look at it, and it gains new poignancy after the sudden death of Tim Russert. Later in the day that Russert died Howard Fineman of Newsweek magazine made this observation during a television interview: "Tim Russert Did Not Pursue False Gods, He Pursued the Real One." That's as fine a tribute as you are likely to find, and not just about a p

Knowing God in an intimate personal way will change our minds and our lives. But how do we know for certain that we know God. What about those lingering doubts and questions. This sermon lays to bed the uncertainty of one's salvation so they can know for certain of their eternal destiny. A twenty-seven year old girl came to me and said, "I have been going to church all of my life, but I'm not sure I am a Christian." A missionary's wife approached the president of a major Christian organization and said, "During the past thirty years, my husband and I have introduced thousands of people to Christ, but I have never been sure of my own salvation. I have never before shared this concern with anyone, but now I am so desperate that I have come to seek your help." A college student who had prayed to receive Christ stood to his feet with a puzzled look on his face. He said, "I don't feel any different. I guess God didn't hear m

Illustration: Imagine for a moment that you've just spotted Osama bin Laden. Wow! How would the danger . . . or the opportunity . . . of that situation strike you? You'd probably be in a foreign land, most likely in a very dangerous place. Would you take a nap, right at that moment? I don't think so! The adrenalin would race through your body, and every thing you touched would be super sensitive. You'd smell the air, look for the slightest movement, and hear the faintest of sounds. Your senses would be on edge, at their sharpest points. Perhaps, when the threat of overwhelming danger wore off just a bit, you'd remember the bounty that's on bin Laden's head. That's $50 million out there for grabs, and $50 million goes a long ways, these days. It would change your life, in an instant, if you could simply survive long enough to report the world's most wanted man to the right authorities. No, you wouldn't take a nap. You