Verse For The Day
“My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” (Psalm 62:7)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
The Standard
Revelation 3:15-16 NIV: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Am I hot or cold? Am I lukewarm? Perhaps the first question to ask would deal with what standard I am using to determine if I am hot, or cold, or lukewarm. Do I use my church as a standard? It was the entire church of Laodicea that was considered lukewarm. Many churches today "teach as doctrine the traditions of men." The church has members who are Christ-like, but the church itself is not the standard to look to. Do I use my own understanding as the standard? My understanding may be influenced by "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 Jn. 2:16), or the "worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth" (Mt. 13:22). Scripture tells me not to trust my own understanding but to trust God (Prov. 3:5-6). The only standard is Christ. Only in looking to Him will I avoid a lifestyle that has" a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Tim 3:5). Once we acknowledge Him as the standard, we have a decision to make—will I "throw off everything that hinders" (Heb. 12:1-3) so I can follow Him fully, or will I be content to remain lukewarm?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Daily Ponder
Verse For The Day
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Seeking His Truth
2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Ever wonder why it is that the Bible changes over time? Of course that is not true. God´s Word remains constant. What changes are the eyes through which the scripture is viewed—the minds in which the scripture is interpreted. Does it make sense to us to consider the interpretation of generations of Christians gone by as being interpretations that have missed the mark? What makes us believe our generation knows better than they? Truth be told, there is much interpretation being done that is heavily influenced by selfish desire and societal influence. I once heard a woman refer to Paul as a chauvinist. Could her viewpoints of Paul´s letters possibly have been clouded by societal influence? Most likely so. As we approach God´s Word, we must be willing to abandon all we think we know and discover His Truth as His Spirit would reveal it. We cannot let the world around us dictate how God´s Word should be understood; but we must let God´s Word be the measure by which we understand the world.
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Seeking His Truth
2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Ever wonder why it is that the Bible changes over time? Of course that is not true. God´s Word remains constant. What changes are the eyes through which the scripture is viewed—the minds in which the scripture is interpreted. Does it make sense to us to consider the interpretation of generations of Christians gone by as being interpretations that have missed the mark? What makes us believe our generation knows better than they? Truth be told, there is much interpretation being done that is heavily influenced by selfish desire and societal influence. I once heard a woman refer to Paul as a chauvinist. Could her viewpoints of Paul´s letters possibly have been clouded by societal influence? Most likely so. As we approach God´s Word, we must be willing to abandon all we think we know and discover His Truth as His Spirit would reveal it. We cannot let the world around us dictate how God´s Word should be understood; but we must let God´s Word be the measure by which we understand the world.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Verse For The Day
“ O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” (Isaiah 25:1)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
First Hand
1 John 1:3 NKJV: We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
God intercedes in our lives. But you have to wonder how much of what He does goes completely unnoticed by us. If only our first thoughts could always be to look for His hand in things. If only our first desire each day could be to consider our day as another chance to get even closer to Him. I´m convinced that if our hearts delighted in Him in this way, that we would notice far more of what He is doing each day--each moment. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." It´s easier to hear His voice when we are near Him. It´s easier to see His hand at work in our lives at times we are closest to Him. It´s easier to witness His work in our lives and the lives of others when we strive to abide in Christ. His faithfulness today will be our hope for tomorrow. As we reflect upon all the things we have seen God do, we will be greatly encouraged and our faith will be made stronger. And when we testify to others about our Lord Jesus Christ, or testimonies will be filled story after story about the wonderful things we have witnessed God do first hand.
“ O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” (Isaiah 25:1)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
First Hand
1 John 1:3 NKJV: We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
God intercedes in our lives. But you have to wonder how much of what He does goes completely unnoticed by us. If only our first thoughts could always be to look for His hand in things. If only our first desire each day could be to consider our day as another chance to get even closer to Him. I´m convinced that if our hearts delighted in Him in this way, that we would notice far more of what He is doing each day--each moment. "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." It´s easier to hear His voice when we are near Him. It´s easier to see His hand at work in our lives at times we are closest to Him. It´s easier to witness His work in our lives and the lives of others when we strive to abide in Christ. His faithfulness today will be our hope for tomorrow. As we reflect upon all the things we have seen God do, we will be greatly encouraged and our faith will be made stronger. And when we testify to others about our Lord Jesus Christ, or testimonies will be filled story after story about the wonderful things we have witnessed God do first hand.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Daily Ponder ;-)
Verse For The Day
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.” (Job 23:10-11)Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
While You Wait
Psalm 37:4 NKJV: Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
When we make our requests to God, do we consider His request of us? He knows our requests before we ask, even as He knows our hearts. But He also desires that we know His heart, and that the nature of our requests will mature into something that reflects His desire for us. I may have a situation I am waiting for Him to resolve. Perhaps I need a job, or to sell a house, or something else I feel I have little control over. I make my request to God, and I ask people to pray for me that my situation be resolved quickly. But what might I be missing? Why does God wait to meet my need? There is a good chance that there is a need I have that God needs to show me that is not the need I am focused on. There is a good reason why God is not resolving my issue quickly. My prayer request, therefore, needs to mature to a level wherein I ask Him, what He needs of me. My prayer request turns from, "Lord, please fix this;" to "Lord, show me what You need from me where I am." The Lord will indeed meet all of our needs. But what is it He desires from you while you wait?
Daily Ponder
Verse For The Day
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Do Not Grow Weary
Galatians 6:9 NIV: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
The long road is often the least appealing. In our fast-paced world today, it seems so many of us so often look for the quickest solution, or the short answer. My wife could tell you I am not one for the short answer. She has often asked me if I could just give her a simple yes or no and leave it at that. With me, the explanation that goes with the yes or no may be repetitive, and overly lengthy. But, my quirks aside, in life the best things may call for repetition, and often develop over time. Consider how we love others, and how we might love others toward the Lord. With the right amount of prayer, time, and love, we can help others let go of the short answers and turn toward THE Answer. But we ourselves must remember that even though our efforts may feel repetitive and lengthy, the harvest indeed will come if we do grow weary, if we do not faint, and if we do not give up.
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Do Not Grow Weary
Galatians 6:9 NIV: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
The long road is often the least appealing. In our fast-paced world today, it seems so many of us so often look for the quickest solution, or the short answer. My wife could tell you I am not one for the short answer. She has often asked me if I could just give her a simple yes or no and leave it at that. With me, the explanation that goes with the yes or no may be repetitive, and overly lengthy. But, my quirks aside, in life the best things may call for repetition, and often develop over time. Consider how we love others, and how we might love others toward the Lord. With the right amount of prayer, time, and love, we can help others let go of the short answers and turn toward THE Answer. But we ourselves must remember that even though our efforts may feel repetitive and lengthy, the harvest indeed will come if we do grow weary, if we do not faint, and if we do not give up.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Daily Ponder
Verse For The Day
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13) AMEN!!!
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Just As I Am
Exodus 3:14 NIV: God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ´I AM has sent me to you.´"
I come just as I am. There is no other way to approach our Lord. He does not look upon outward appearances, but upon the motives of the heart. He knows my reasons for approaching Him. He knows why I make my requests to Him. He knows when I come seeking His Will, and when I come seeking my own. "They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." And there is no hiding the true intent of my heart. I come just as I am. I approach Him not because I am good enough, but because Christ has given me access to the Father by His life and sacrifice. What can I do? I can go just as I AM. He is I AM—the great I AM. With Christ, I can go into each day as I AM, for He would go into each day ready to serve, to seek and to save that which was lost; to look for opportunity to love and to heal. With Christ, I can love just as I AM—unconditionally—without regard for self—sacrificially and without hesitation. By seeking Him fully, honestly and humbly, I can go through each day, just as I AM.
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13) AMEN!!!
Short Devotional Thought
Our Daily Devotional:
Just As I Am
Exodus 3:14 NIV: God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ´I AM has sent me to you.´"
I come just as I am. There is no other way to approach our Lord. He does not look upon outward appearances, but upon the motives of the heart. He knows my reasons for approaching Him. He knows why I make my requests to Him. He knows when I come seeking His Will, and when I come seeking my own. "They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." And there is no hiding the true intent of my heart. I come just as I am. I approach Him not because I am good enough, but because Christ has given me access to the Father by His life and sacrifice. What can I do? I can go just as I AM. He is I AM—the great I AM. With Christ, I can go into each day as I AM, for He would go into each day ready to serve, to seek and to save that which was lost; to look for opportunity to love and to heal. With Christ, I can love just as I AM—unconditionally—without regard for self—sacrificially and without hesitation. By seeking Him fully, honestly and humbly, I can go through each day, just as I AM.
Monday, February 18, 2008
How to Speed up your Computer
Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.Use Disk Cleanup to:
• Remove temporary Internet files.
• Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
• Empty the Recycle Bin.
• Remove Windows temporary files.
• Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
• Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
Choose the files that you want to delete.
3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.
Top of page
Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
When to run Disk DefragmenterIn addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:
•You add a large number of files.
•Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
•You install new programs or a new version of Windows.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3. To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows Vista, there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being defragmented.
After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4. To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5. To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6. To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.
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Detect and repair disk errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.
To run the Error Checking utility:
1. Close all open files.
2. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3. In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5. Click the Check Now button.
6. In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
7. If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
Top of page
Protect your computer against spyware
Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.Use Disk Cleanup to:
• Remove temporary Internet files.
• Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
• Empty the Recycle Bin.
• Remove Windows temporary files.
• Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
• Remove installed programs that you no longer use.
Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.
Choose the files that you want to delete.
3. Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4. When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.
Top of page
Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
When to run Disk DefragmenterIn addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:
•You add a large number of files.
•Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
•You install new programs or a new version of Windows.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
2. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
3. To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows Vista, there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being defragmented.
After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.
4. To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
5. To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
6. To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.
Top of page
Detect and repair disk errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.
To run the Error Checking utility:
1. Close all open files.
2. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3. In the My Computer window, right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then click Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5. Click the Check Now button.
6. In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
7. If bad sectors are found, choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the "Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your disk contains bad sectors.
Top of page
Protect your computer against spyware
Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.
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