Unto Us This Child Was Born, With Love to Live and Die For

Imagine...
He Learned as He Grew, Just Like Any Baby Boy Will Do;
But The LOVE He had when He was Born, is The LOVE He Lived and Died For.

"There has never before been, and never again will be, a baby born ... to live and die ... like this!" #JoyToTheWorld -- Keith, Brenda, and Team TTM

Imagine being born inside a structure of horse stables, your first baby bed being a wooden frame filled with handfulls of hay, and being swaddled in cloth for comforting warmth next to Mommy. This is the beginning of Christ Jesus's story, and his proud parents, Joseph and Mary. When we read from the Gospel of Jesus Christ written in Luke, chapter 2, it's written like this... "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of The Lord came upon them, and the Glory of The Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ The Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find The Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (verses 8-14)."Amen.

We pray for God's blessings on your heart's deepest desires at CHRISTmas and every day!

When our heart is filled with thanks for God, for Who He is more than for what He can do for us, God can most certainly smell it. For God, a gratitude-filled heart is sweet in His nostrils. When God is our passion, so much so that we are continually grateful to Him, for Him, the contents of our hearts rise up before His Throne like a sort of invisible smoke, or a sweet-smelling savor, that is Holy, acceptable, and pleasing to Him. This sweet-smelling savor, or fragrance, is the praise mentioned in Psalms 100:4. God is the Consummate Family Man, and nothing makes Him happier than when His children love, and want, Him more than they want their own lives, or His "stuff" for that matter. "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom that IS God), and His Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

People we meet often ask us, "What is your mission statement, or what exactly do you do?" When we get asked this question, our answer is always the same, "We aim to show God BIG in the eyes of those who see Him small, and to bridge the gap between God and His beloved children." Every morning, we wake up to the vision of what it would be like if everyone we knew and met was truly and wholeheartedly grateful. They would exude gratitude to God for Who He IS, and also to others for who they are. They would have and display a level of uncommon respect for others. They would be quick to speak life. They would be selfless and always looking to help others in whatever way they can. They would be looking to see others through God's eyes, and would always be looking to see, and call out, the gifts that God has placed in them. They would fan the flame in the heart of others for completing the work God has wired them to full-fill. And every one of them would love God wholeheartedly, pursue "oneness" with Him, and tell everyone what He means to them. They would be more keenly aware of the times we are living in, and would do everything possible to lift up the Lord's Name and glorify God in the eyes of others, not because they are told they have to, but because of their unquenchable passion for Him. During this Thanksgiving, and always, for everyone we meet, we aim to ignite a diligent pursuit for Who God IS more than for what He does, or can do! This is our goal and it's our every-day VISION that drives us!

Will you join us? We will be praying, and eternally grateful, for your decision to help us ignite an unquenchable passion in the hearts of others to thank God, continually, for Who He is more than for what he can do!

Your friends and servants in Christ Jesus,

     ...and the entire Team of Toward The Mark, Inc.

This blog message, and each of our full-Bible tools and resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful partners. If you would like to be part of helping us expand our outreach, we would like to invite you to become a monthly financial partner. Your support will go toward fulfilling our calling to provide effective, ongoing outreach tools for the churched and un-churched alike to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us and, together, "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)."

CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.

Every gift is tax-deductible and helps. We thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry, and we pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

Mail tax-deductible check contributions to:  Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.

Sharing practical and effective ways for knowing and showing the Love and Truth of the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached... Living a victorious life during turbulent times in a lost and dying world.

"See flipcard titles"

          Take me back to the top of this post.

          Take me to "Happy is Giving-Thanks" post.

          Take me to "Prayer and Our Vote..." post.

          Take me to "STOP..." post.

          Take me to "Is Your Nest Becoming Unfeathered?" post.

          Take me to "Love Letter from FATHER" post.

          Take me to "Out From Under His Wings" post.

          Take me to "Gold Star Tribute for Memorial Day" post.

          Take me to "Special Tribute to Godly Moms" post.

          Take me to "New CHURCH Leader Prophetic Word" post.

          Take me to "'Rein In' our Runaway Brain" post.

          Take me to "Celebrating 'SINGLEness'" post.

          Take me to "Worship God with sacrifices of Praise" post.

          Take me to "MONEY is not the root of all EVIL" post.

          Take me to "The BEST New Year's Resolution" post.

          Take me to "Aristo & God fulfilled their 3rd military deployment!" post.

          Take me to "Leave it ALL on the Field!" post.

          Take me to "Happy THANKS-GIVING IS EVERYTHING Day!" post.

          Take me to "BEST Keith Shealy Quotes, Recent Most-Requested" post.

          Take me to "Being IN True Faith; OUT of Sin & Doubt" post.

          Take me to "Wine, Deception, and... JESUS" post.

          Take me to "NEW Windows of Opportunity" post.

          Take me to "Defeat the Giant in the Way of your Promotion" post.

          Take me to "What is GOLD STAR MOTHER'S DAY in September?!" post.

          Take me to "NEW Breed of Leader!" post.

          Take me to "God shows Himself BIG in small things too" post.

          Take me to "What do you mean, take up the Cross?" post.

          Take me to "Smite God's Shepherd; Scatter the Sheep!" post.

          Take me to "Bite Your Tongue!" post.

          Take me to "Are You Ready to be Offered?" post.

          Take me to "Bring God a Sacrifice of praise" post.

          Take me to "God, why am I here?" post.

          Take me to "Murder by words?" post.

          Take me to "The BEST Fruit on the Limb" post.

          Take me to "We've Got to Let 'Stuff' Go" post.

          Take me to "Don't Take Your Gifts to the Grave" post.

          Take me to "Salvation is Every-Day Life" post.

          Take me to "Emergency Warning to Professing Witches" post.

          Take me to "Passionate Pursuit of Singleness" post.

          Take me to "We'll Miss You, Dad Shealy" post.

          Take me to "Celebrate Difference; Honoring MLK, Jr." post.

          Take me to "75 Years Ago: Pearl Harbor & Fleet Admiral Nimitz" post.

          Take me to "Our Military Vets Out of Sight...Out of Mind?" post.

          Take me to "Where to RUN When Trials Come" post.

          Take me to "Caught Up With Jesus" post.

          Take me to "True Leaders Speak Life" post.

          Take me to "Greatest Hindrance to Significance" post.

          Take me to Keith's MINI-Series of *Keep the FAITH* book, Chapter TWO.

          Take me to "Rattlesnake Revelation" post.

          Take me to "Gold Star Families Gave ALL" post.

          Take me to "Love of GOD" post.

          Take me to "My Broken Vessel's Fiery Trials" post.

          Take me to "Magnetic Mantle...Why Cats Should Have Kitties" post.

          Take me to "Run TO the Roar!" post.

          Take me to "Overcoming Intimidation" post.

          Take me to "The Invisible Man" post.

          Take me to "The Abomination of Misrepresentation" post.

          Take me to "Living Among Thorns" post.

          Take me to Keith's Journey through Chapter ONE of *Keep the FAITH*.

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

We INVITE YOU ... 
See and hear, follow and share, more TTM messages of God, His Will, and His Ways:

~ "Keith Shealy's Toward The Mark media page" on Facebook

~ "TTM Singing Sergeant media page" on Twitter

~ "Between The Lines TTM Show podcasts" on TTM's Channel

~ "Sharing Messages God Whispers posts online" at our website

Toward the Mark, Inc. © 2005 - 2019 | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply |
(757)251-2440 | TowardTheMark.com | Keith@TowardTheMark.com

Day 14, Paragraph 14 of Weekday Blog #1

*Starting our morning and day off great with the 10-minute Weekday Blog*

Our first DAILY blog for each Weekday in JUNE!

Thank you for joining us for this
ground-breaking JOURNEY...
through the 1st CHAPTER of Keith's book,
“Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!

If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped
to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with* Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...
      

Day FOURTEEN,
Paragraph FOURTEEN:

    
In order to be truly successful, we must know what manner of being we truly are. The spirit comes first, the soul next, and the body last. When we are born again, God recreates our spirits in His image. The next order of business is the remaking of our souls. This is where the will of God is to be fulfilled in us, and because of this, the soul is where the enemy focuses his attacks. Even as there are abortion clinics working round the clock to terminate the lives of countless thousands of God's young ones, there are even greater attacks being waged against God's people specifically for the purpose of aborting the gifts that He has placed in each of us for the fulfillment of His will while we are here on the earth. This may be surprising, but it is nonetheless true: the vast majority of abortions that assail humanity on a daily basis are not being performed with a scalpel. They are actually being performed with something much sharper: the wagging tongues of ungodly people! For it is by lying words that the gifts and callings of God are aborted in the lives of people.

Question to ponder:

When you look at children and others around you, do you see them through God's eyes, or do you see them through your own?  _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

"One of the things that I remember from my many years of playing the sport of football is how crucial to success the art of the 'fake-out' is.  Boxing is another sport that depends on that same art.  Just like a football player, the greatness of a good boxer is his ability to convince his opponent that he's about to get hit with the left hand when, in fact, the hit actually ends up coming from the right hand.  If there's anyone who has ever mastered the art of the 'fake-out', it's the devil and his wicked spirits.  You see, just as we mentioned in today's paragraph, the devil and his minions know that, if they can get people so focused on thinking abortion solely taking place in abortion clinics, then he has succeeded in the art of the 'sucker-punch'.  While everyone is focused on the terrible death of little baby bodies, a mass slaughter of infinite proportions is being conducted by the wagging tongues of the ungodly people on the gifts and calling of God in the lives of others.  For example, Brenda and I were just talking the other day about how grateful we are for our dads.  My dad, though he wasn't physically home with us during the week much, because of his job, whenever he was home he was always encouraging me in whatever I was doing at the time.  If he ever condemned me for anything I was doing, I can't remember it.  I was always free to do whatever I had an interest in doing and being a part of.  See, Dad released me to excel in whatever I was interested in doing, unlike many of my friends who lived under the heavy hand of parents who, for lack of a better way of explaining it, wanted to accomplish through their children what they couldn't, or didn't, when they were young.  Just think about the millions and millions of dollars parents spend every year on educating their kids to do things that God never intended for them to do and to be. Most of those parents believe they are doing a good thing, hoping to lead their children into a good career field, but it so often turns out to not adequately prepare that child for what they're truly called to.  So often, the abortion of God's will and calling for children's lives, sadly, begins right in their own homes.  Having said that, we encourage you with all of our hearts to take another look at each of your children; take another look at other people around you; and ask the Person of the Holy Spirit to impart to you the purpose for which God has impregnated each one of them to fulfill with Him.  And, as soon as He reveals that to you, begin to encourage the gift and calling out of them and INto full fruition.  When the Lord returns, we pray He finds you 'speaking life'!"

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."  (Romans 16:17-20)


*See you tomorrow, and invite your friends to join in too! God bless and keep you!*

_____________________________

This book is based on real-life matters that are crucial for each one of us to embrace in our life. To ask questions, make a special donation for a large quantity of books, or if you would like to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, and as provided below.

We pray God bless you greatly as you have greatly blessed us and the entire Toward The Mark, Inc. Family!

Your friends & servants in Christ,

Take me back to the top of this post.

Take me to yesterday's post, *Day 13*.

Take me to the first post of this week, *DAY 11*.

Take me to the first post of last week, *DAY 6*.

Take me to the beginning, *DAY 1* of this Blog.

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:

~    "Keith Shealy & Wisdom Wednesday" on Facebook 

      

~  "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter
~  "Sharing Messages God Whispers" on the website
~  "Between The Lines TTM Podcast" by Keith Shealy 

      

This blog message, along with the rest of our inventory of Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.

Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!

Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152. 

Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

BITTERNESS for the Believer

"This I've learned... We don’t pursue forgiveness because we are told to or because we are simply wanting to silence something in us. We pursue forgiveness because it’s a matter of life and death." - Keith

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

"Being 'born again' is the paradigm shift that occurs in our heart as the result of what we see through God’s eyes the moment we enter into oneness with Him."

Find this, and more, in our latest edition of TTM NEWS.

Whether it’s our skin color, an opposing team, or “that other church,” the truth is this: people tend to criticize harshest those things they understand the least.  Therein lies satan’s deadly trap.  You see, it is when we are IN God, as Jesus teaches us in John 17: 20-26, that we can see ourself and others through His eyes.  It is what we see, when we are looking through His loving eyes, that breaks the chains of bitterness and unforgiveness in our heart against ourself and others.

When we finally see ourself and others the way God sees us, it is at that moment that we are born again.  Being “born again” does not happen at the altar when we give our life to Jesus Christ.

What takes place on the day that we “commit our heart and life to Christ” is we make the commitment to turn our backs on our old stinkin’ flesh nature, with all of its sinful ways, and pursue oneness with our Father.  Being “born again” is the paradigm shift that occurs in our heart as the result of what we see through God’s eyes the moment we enter INto oneness with God.

If we cannot see ourself and others the way God sees us, as His beloved children created uniquely and with a divine purpose, we will not know who we are, or who anyone else truly is.  And then, it is a fact that, if you do not know the purpose for a thing, you will only abuse it.  The purpose for a thing can only be found in the mind of the maker of the thing.  The Maker of you, me, and each one of us is God, so only HE knows what we are made to do and to be, so we must pursue Him for a fulfilled purpose, and "LIFE".  People, by nature, tend to most abuse the things, and individual people, they understand the least.  This is why, seeing ourself and others through God’s eyes is imperative.

Before we can see ourself and others for the priceless works of art that God has created each of us to be, we must be clean of all bitterness in our hearts.  Jesus, knowing better than anyone, the way to free ourselves from the deadly effects of holding on to bitterness against others, said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Jesus also teaches us, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22).

You see, we don’t simply pursue forgiveness because we are told to, or because we are trying to silence hurtful voices in our minds.  We pursue forgiveness because it is a matter of life and death. Bitterness in our hearts separates us from God.  God is life.  Without, or on the outside of, Him we can do nothing, including truly LIVE.

Let’s see, 70 x 7= 490 times to forgive.  In other words, Jesus told Peter that forgiveness is essential!  Therefore, bitterness for the believer ... is NOT an option!

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)

For more on this topic, and many others, see "TTM Magazine," celebrating 30 Years of Service, on our website at TowardTheMark.com.   

We invite you to Follow:"Toward The Mark's Wisdom-Packed Wednesdays" Facebook page, Keith'sBetweenTheLines Podcast channel,
"Sharing with youthe Secrets that God Whispers to me" monthly teaching on the website,
and "TTMSingingSgt" Twitter page...for more Scripture-based truth, unveiling God's Word on real-life matters - what the devil does NOT want you to know!