From the Heart by B.Demaere

 1)  Goodness is Action Goodness is the action behind kindness.   Kindness is passive, but goodness is active showing itself through acts of love toward people and meeting their needs.   The goodness of God was put into effect when he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world.   Because he is God meant that sending his son into the world was a sacrifice for you and me.   He left his home where he was with His Father and came to earth where he was initially rejected through the Crucifixion.   Mind you he was resurrected, but he came back to life for you and me.   That was God’s kindness in action. 2) Goodness promotes Growth Look! In 2 Peter 1:5-6 “For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises], make every effort in [exercising] your faith to develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), and in your knowledge, self-control… Note that in the Amplified translation of the Bible in...

  “Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, got you are with me; Your rod [to protect] and your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” (Psalm 23:4 Amplified) Normal Christian Life What is the normal Christian life?   The answer is Psalm 23, It does not mean an easy life but sometimes of great testing.   These should not surprise at all if we are in the footsteps of our Saviour. I am going through that valley right now and this is not fun, but I must focus on Jesus and trust that he will take me on the other side.   Although, he might feel like he is at a distance when we go through the valley…We have three comforts to draw from.   Oh he never leave us alone, remember he is the Good Shepherd of the sheep.   If the shepherd would leave his sheep, they would become a meal to a wolf or wild dog.   No, no and no! That would be the furthest thing on his mind… to leave you alone.   He loves...

  Meditation A lot of books are sold on meditation of all kinds these days.  People in general are interested in the deeper meaning of life.  I, for one want to grow closer to God, meaning I know he is always with me and in me, but I just want to know him more.  I must focus more on him and all the other things like time spend on social media will fall by the wayside. The Lord seemed to be leading me to read and meditate on Him through the 23 rd Psalm that speaks about the Great Shepherd.   The Lord is my Shepherd, it starts…What a great focus point for us.   This psalm has been a great inspiration to me in the past and still is.   It is full of pictures.   A shepherd with the sheep throughout.   He is always with them in their lowest time and their best time.   In time of hunger and time of thirst.   To start with proper meditation is to focus on Christ or the Bible other than self oriented.   Teaching on m editation, I a...

The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.   He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right path, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.  You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. I love the book of Psalms, mostly because it was written by a man who loved God with all his heart and also because it is poetry. But as I dug deeper into this psalm one day, I discovered it had to do all with the presence of God and being with him forever.  Even here on earth. This psalm teaches about life and that everything will be...