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Friday Time Capsule June 26 2006

john : June 30, 2023 1:05 pm : John Shirk, Staff Pages

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6MEh20iwwzGyeUpaYVidCD?si=071309fc4ed44533

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Light Reflection-Psalm 19:14 Words and Meditation

john : June 30, 2023 10:34 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Psalm 19:14.

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

This is a prayer for our spoken words and focused thoughts to be pleasing in God’s sight. David, who wrote this Psalm, understood that words and thoughts matter in our faith.

We can build up someone with our words or tear them down.

We can worship God or cling to idols.

We can plan to do what is right in God’s eyes, or plot a sinful course.

Those solitary moments with God are crucial for living out faith with godly integrity. He will show us the right way and give us the courage to follow after His own heart.

This Light Reflection inspires us to please the Lord with our words and thoughts in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Vital Step to a Radiant Faith-Seek Good, Not Evil

john : June 30, 2023 10:31 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to Seek Good and Not Evil.

Amos 5:14 says, “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.”

If we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, He will give us the vision for making decisions that are consistent with God’s goodness.

We are in a spiritual battle. There is evil in the world. There is a real devil who seeks to separate us from God and to destroy our lives. But if we run to Jesus, He will be a strong tower to provide refuge for our souls. He will give us pure desires that reflect His righteousness. Jesus will lead us in the way of life, love, and liberty.

James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Seeking Good and Not Evil is a vital step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Light Reflection-2 Corinthians 13:5 Self-Examination

john : June 29, 2023 10:01 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Second Corinthians 13:5.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?”

We do check-ups and inspections in various areas. Many of us go to the doctor for a physical evaluation. We take our cars to the mechanic for an annual inspection. There is also value in examining our spiritual condition. How is my relationship with God? Do I love Him above all else? Am I demonstrating my love for Him with an obedient heart? Am I loving my neighbor as myself? Is there any sin in my life hindering my walk with God?

These are some honest questions to evaluate our spiritual well-being. What matters most is how God sees us. David’s prayer in Psalm 139 is quite relevant to this examination. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

This Light Reflection inspires us to examine our spiritual condition with honesty and prayer in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Vital Step to a Radiant Faith-Rejoice In The Lord

john : June 29, 2023 9:57 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is rejoicing in the Lord.

The Apostle Paul gave this instruction in Philippians 4:4, and then emphasized it by repeating it.

In the Old Testament, Nehemiah talked about the joy of the Lord being our strength.

Joy is the experience of knowing God’s love. Having the joy of the Lord moves us to celebrate God’s amazing grace and to enjoy our relationship with Him.  We will be moved to places of praising God with our lips and worshipping Him with our hearts. There will be a song in our heart, and Jesus will be the theme of our music. His salvation will be our great delight. Our service for Him will be an honor and privilege.

Psalm 40:16 says, “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!”

Rejoicing in the LORD is a vital step to a radiant faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Vital Step to a Radiant Faith-Praise God

john : June 28, 2023 11:44 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to praise God for His awesome wonders.

In the days of Moses, the Israelites saw miracles from God’s hand. Yet, they struggled with idolatry, immorality, and lack of faith.

God remained faithful to His Word on their journey. Just before they entered the Promised Land, Moses urged the Israelites to get ready for the land and get right with God.

In Deuteronomy 10:21, Moses told the people, “He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.”

This is a good reminder for our faith also. Remember God’s great and awesome wonders-the cross, the empty grave, and the evidence of God’s love in the nail-scars of Jesus. This is one of God’s purposes for our lives-to declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Praising God for His awesome wonders is a vital step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Light Reflection-Lamentations 3:40 Return

john : June 28, 2023 11:42 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Lamentations 3:40.

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.”

The writer of Lamentations recognized the need for a course correction. His nation had drifted far from the LORD and was suffering the consequences of their rebellion.

C.S. Lewis once said, “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is most progressive.”

Examining our ways and testing them involves humility. It is an honest probe of the heart to examine personal motives. It is a search of the Scriptures to examine the truth of God’s Word. And it is a view of Jesus that sees His nail-scarred hands ready to embrace us with forgiveness.

This Light Reflection inspires us to examine our ways and go forward with God in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Vital Step to a Radiant Faith-Say “Yes” to God’s Call

john : June 27, 2023 10:39 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is saying “Yes” to God’s call.

That’s what Isaiah did in Isaiah chapter 6. After God worked in his heart and humbled him, God then had an assignment for the prophet.

“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

Isaiah said in verse 6, “Here am I! Send me!” That’s the reflection of a heart that is willing to be one of God’s ambassadors.

God is looking for people who will answer His call to share good news in our neighborhoods and around the world. He is looking for volunteers who are faithful to that mission. That first step begins when we say “yes” to God, and participate as His servants and witnesses.

Saying “Yes” to God’s call is a vital step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Light Reflection-John 1:14 Grace and Truth

john : June 27, 2023 10:36 am : John Shirk, Staff Pages, Uncategorized

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from John 1:14.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Bible says that the knowledge of God’s glory was displayed in the face of Christ. He came as the light of the world, so that those who walk in darkness might be set free from sin and be reconciled to God.

The grace and truth of Jesus was clearly evident in His encounter with a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders were ready to stone her to death, but Jesus disarmed them by saying, “Let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And as her accusers gradually went away, Jesus told the woman, “Neither do I condemn you, go now and leave your life of sin.”

This Light Reflection inspires us to find forgiveness and freedom in God’s grace and truth in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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Light Reflection-Second Corinthians 4:6 God’s Light Shines in Hearts

john : June 26, 2023 5:33 pm : John Shirk, Staff Pages

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Second Corinthians 4:6.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

Jesus came to earth as the radiance of God’s glory. He is the exact representation of His being. Jesus told His disciples that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father. If we want to experience God’s glory, we can open our heart to Christ. Make room for Him in the core of our being, so that His light might be the reason for our hope and the guiding force of our lives.

Jesus is the key that opens the door to a restored relationship with God the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”

This Light Reflection inspires us to experience God’s glory by looking to Jesus in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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