9 Examples Of Where Jesus Exceeded People's Expectations.


Listed Below Are 9 Examples Of Where Jesus Exceeded People's Expectations.
 
Ephesians 5:1-2 says “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Listed Below Are 9 Examples Of What People Expected And Where Jesus Greatly Exceeded Their Expectations:

1. A Man Looked For Healing.
Jesus not only healed the man but also forgave his sins. (See Mark 2:1-12)

2. Jesus' Disciples Were Expecting An Ordinary Day Of Fishing.
The disciples caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break and they also found the Savior. (See Luke 5:1-11)

3. A Widow Was Resigned To Bury Her Dead Son.
Jesus restored her son to life and gave him back to his mother. (See Luke 7:11-17)

4. The Religious Leaders Wanted A Miracle.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus didn't do a miracle that day but offered them the Creator of miracles. (See Matthew 12:38-45)

5. Jesus' Disciples Thought The Crowd Should Be Sent Home Because There Was No Food.
Jesus used a boy's five small barley loaves and two small fish to feed an estimated 15,000 people (men, women and children) and when they all had enough to eat, they gathered the pieces that were left over and filled twelve large baskets. (See John 6:1-15)

6. A Woman Who Wanted To Be Healed Touched Jesus.
She touched Jesus' cloak and was immediately freed from her suffering. Jesus also helped her see that it was her faith that had healed her. (See Mark 5:25-34)

7. The Crowds Looked For A Political Leader To Set Up A New Kingdom To Overthrow Rome's Control.
Jesus offered them an eternal, spiritual kingdom to overthrow sin's control. (A theme throughout the Gospels)

8. The Disciples Wanted To Eat The Passover Meal With Jesus, Their Master.
Jesus set a powerful example by washing their feet and showing them that He was also a servant, not just their Master. (See John 13:1-20)

9. The Religious Leaders Wanted Jesus Killed And Got Their Wish.
But, after being horribly crucified and spending 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb, Jesus rose from the dead. (See John 11:53, 19:30, and 20:1-29)

If you want to be extraordinarily successful, wherever you go and whatever you do, try to imitate Jesus and always exceed people's expectations. When people get to know this about you, success will automatically follow.

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Now You Can Pray Directly To God – No Priest Required!

By: Bill and Teddy Rogers


A NEW DAY HAS DAWNED

Hebrews 10:19-23 says “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”

A new day has dawned and now all believers are priests, with permission to talk with God personally and directly.

ONLY ONE WAY!

In John 14:6, Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In this verse, Jesus said that He is the only way to God the Father. You can approach God directly because Jesus' death on the cross and your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior has made you acceptable to God.

Some people may argue that this way is too narrow. In reality, it is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept it.

Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, you should be saying “Thank you, God, for providing a sure way for me to be able to spend eternity with you in Heaven and not have to guess about it!”

WE ARE ADOPTED AS CHILDREN OF GOD

When we accept Jesus as our Savior and make Him Lord of our life, we are adopted into the family of God as children.

We are accepted in the beloved. Since Jesus is the beloved Son of God the Father, that means that the Father accepts us as He would His own Son. We are now joint heirs with Jesus and share in the same inheritance.

The Father looks upon you (the redeemed) as if He were looking on His Son Jesus. What a blessing that Christ has told us to approach the Father in His name! What a glorious inheritance!

PRAY IN THE NAME OF JESUS

When you pray to the Father in the name of Jesus, it means that you come to the Father with the knowledge that your only right in approaching Him is that Jesus shed His blood and died on the cross for your sins and that He Himself has given you authority to go directly to the Father through Him.

It means that you know that you are totally unworthy of receiving anything from God and that the only reason God should grant your requests is that you come in Jesus’ name. It is not a magic formula, but a heart attitude.

In John 14:12-14, Jesus said Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

When Jesus says that you can ask for anything, remember that your asking must be in accordance with God's character and will. God will not grant requests contrary to His character and will, and you cannot use His name as a magic formula to fulfill your selfish desires.

If you are sincerely following God and seeking to do His will, then your requests will be in line with what He wants, and He will grant your requests in His time.

JESUS CHOSE YOU

In John 15:16, Jesus saidYou did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

Jesus made the first choice – to love and to die for you, to invite you to live with Him forever. You must make the next choice – to accept or reject His offer.

A NEW RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND GOD

In John 16:23, Jesus said In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

In this verse, Jesus is talking about a new relationship between you (the believer) and God. Previously, people approached God through priests. Now, because of Jesus' death and resurrection, any believer can approach God directly. Hallelujah!

Have you prayed and talked directly to God today? Have you thanked Him for all He has done for you? If not, we encourage you to do it now!

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How to Know You Will Be Extraordinarily Successful.

NOTE: This is a Guest Post used with permission from Jeff Haden at http://www.blackbirdinc.com.


It's not that hard to be successful. But it is hard to be extraordinarily successful.  Yet we all hope to achieve exceptional success (something we all define differently – and should define differently.)

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet. There is no one-size-fits-all prescription. But there are certain qualities that incredibly successful people share.... especially those who also make a significant impact on the lives of other people.

See how many apply to you:

1. You find happiness in the success of others.
Great business teams win because their most talented members are willing to sacrifice to make others happy. Great teams are made up of employees who help each other, know their roles, set aside personal goals, and value team success over everything else.

Where does that attitude come from? You!

Every successful person answers the question, "Can you make the choice that your happiness will come from the success of others?" with a resounding "Yes!"

(Here's more on that.)

2. You relentlessly seek new experiences.
Novelty seeking--getting bored easily and throwing yourself into new pursuits or activities--is often linked to gambling, drug abuse, attention deficit disorder, and leaping out of perfectly good airplanes without a parachute.

But according to Dr. Robert Cloninger, "Novelty seeking is one of the traits that keeps you healthy and happy and fosters personality growth as you age.... If you combine adventurousness and curiosity with persistence and a sense that it's not all about you, then you get the creativity that benefits society as a whole."

As Cloninger says, "To succeed, you want to be able to regulate your impulses while also having the imagination to see what the future would be like if you tried something new."

Sounds like every successful person I know.

So go ahead. Embrace your inner novelty seeker. You'll be healthier, you'll have more friends, and you'll be generally more satisfied with life.

3. You don't think work/life balance, you just think life.
Symbolic work/life boundaries are almost impossible to maintain. Why? You are your business. Your business is your life, just like your life is your business--which is also true for family, friends, and interests -- so there is no separation because all those things make you who you are.

Incredibly successful people find ways to include family instead of ways to exclude work. They find ways to include interests, hobbies, passions, and personal values in their daily business lives.

If you can't, you're not living -- you're just working.

4. You're incredibly empathetic.
Unless you create something entirely new--which is really hard to do--your business or profession is based on fulfilling an existing need or solving a problem.

It's impossible to identify a need or a problem without the ability to put yourself in another person's shoes. That's the mark of a successful businessperson.

But exceptionally successful leaders go a step further, regularly putting themselves in the shoes of their employees. (Here's what that looks like in practice.)

Success isn't a line trending upwards. Success is a circle, because no matter how high your business--and your ego--soars, success still comes back to your employees.

5. You have something to prove – to yourself.
Many people have a burning desire to prove other people wrong. That's a great motivator.

Incredibly successful people are driven by something deeper and more personal. True drive, commitment, and dedication spring from a desire to prove something to the most important person of all. You.

6. You ignore the 40-hour workweek hype.
Studies show that working more than 40 hours a week decreases productivity.

OK...
Successful people work smarter, sure, but they also outwork their competition. (Every successful entrepreneur I know who reads those stories probably thinks, "Cool. Hopefully my competitors will believe that crap.")

The author Richard North Patterson tells a great story about Robert Kennedy. Kennedy was seeking to indict Teamsters head Jimmy Hoffa (who some still believe is hanging out in Argentina with Elvis and Jim Morrison). One night, Kennedy worked on the Hoffa case until about 2 a.m. On his way home, he passed the Teamsters building and saw the lights were still on in Hoffa's office, so he turned around and went back to work.

There will always be people who are smarter and more talented than we are. Successful people simply want it more. They're ruthless--especially with themselves.

In short, they work smarter... and they also work harder. That's the real secret of their success.

7. You see money as a responsibility, not a reward.
Many entrepreneurial cautionary tales involve buying 17 cars, loading up on pricey antiques, importing Christmas trees, and spending $40,000 a year for a personal masseuse. (Wait -- maybe that's just Adelphia founder John Rigas.)

Successful people don't see money solely as a personal reward; they see money as a way to grow a business, reward and develop employees, give back to the community... in short, not just to make their own lives better but to improve the lives of other people, too.

And most importantly, they do so without fanfare, because the true reward is always in the act, not the recognition.

8. You don't think you're special.
In a world of social media, everyone can be their own PR agent. It's incredibly easy for anyone to blow their own horn and bask in the glow of their insight and accomplishments.

Truly successful people don't. They accept their success is based on ambition, persistence, and execution... but they also recognize that key mentors, remarkable employees, and a huge dose of luck also played a part.

Exceptionally successful people reap the rewards of humility, asking questions, seeking advice, and especially recognizing and praising others because…

9. You realize that success is fleeting, but dignity and respect last forever.
Providing employees with higher pay, better benefits, and greater opportunities is certainly important. But no level of pay and benefits can overcome damage to self-esteem and self-worth. (Here's a heartbreaking story that illustrates the point.)

The most important thing successful people provide their employees, customers, vendors -- everyone they meet -- is dignity.

And so should you... because when you do, everything else follows.

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The Rubik's Cube of Life.

NOTE: This is a Guest Post used with permission from Denise Rezsonya at http://denisemrezsonya.com.


I have debated whether I was going to write this post and if I would actually publish it but after much prayer and inflection I have decided to do so. It’s hard for me to let everyone in on my private struggles but I can’t effectively help others if I don’t, so here goes.

I’ve decided that I’m like a Rubik’s cube. I’m hard to figure out – just ask my husband! One day, I’ll have the white side all figured out but then the rest of the cube is messed up, go figure! I can’t figure myself out so it’s no wonder he can’t figure me out.

I wonder if this perplexes the Rubik’s cube as well – “darn it I just got my yellow side looking good and now the other sides are all jumbled up!”

If you’re one of the handful of people who have actually solved the Rubik’s cube, I commend you. You have this whole life thing figured out! For those of us who only seem to be able to figure out one or two sides at a time, I’m talking to you!

A couple of weeks ago, I had something thrown at me that I can only call a trick by God. He was a little late on April Fools’ Day but He got me good.

I went to a local abuse advocacy group after I felt The Spirit prompting me to go there to discuss speaking engagements. As I sat down to meet with a very nice woman and we started talking, it became clear that God had me there for other reasons. You see, my friends, I have a bit of a traumatic history, as many of us with this type of calling do.

I have not dealt with that in a healthy way, choosing to ignore and repress the situation, feeling like I was doing “okay.” Outwardly I’ve got it together. My yellow side is looking good. I’ve got a great husband, two awesome kids, a safe and wonderful home and community.

The blue side of my cube’s looking pretty good, I work out, try to eat decent. The red side, not too shabby. I attend church regularly, I pray daily. But man the remaining sides aren’t looking too hot. Those sides are a jumbled mess and I can’t realistically solve those sides of the puzzle without really figuring this complex cube out.

So, these next few weeks, I’ll be meeting with an advocate and digging into all of this. While I’m not thrilled with feeling like the Big Guy tricked me into getting me in there, He knew I needed to do this and under the premise of helping others I was sure to follow through.

It’s not easy to admit when you need help. It’s not easy to publicly tell you that my life isn’t all sunshine and roses. But I went into all of this to help others in their walk with Christ and I’m committed to doing that.

There’s no other way for me to do it than to share the good, the bad, and the ugly. My Rubik’s cube is looking a bit messy right now but I’m hoping to actually solve this darned thing and have it figured out some day! That’s optimism, baby!

I gotta tell ya, I’m feeling peace and relief knowing that it is truly time for me to really deal with issues from my past. I was caught very much off guard a couple of weeks ago when this all happened but now I know the direction I must head and why, and that brings me comfort and hope.

I thought I could continue on through life leaving my cube unsolved and that would be okay, but the truth is, it’s not okay. To get closer to solving that puzzle, we gotta pick it up, twist the sides and try to figure it out.

So, what’s your Rubik’s cube looking like? Got some sides you need to work on? If I can do it, you can too! I’ll be right there alongside you going through it too, and I’m here to support you if you need it. Don’t be afraid to contact me. This was a big step for me so take that big step for you too!


So, let’s see what the Big Guy has to say…

He says He will give us strength: Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

He says He is near us and that our spirits can be rebuilt! Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

He says if we are lost, there is hope that we can be found! Luke 15:6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”

For anyone willing to throw up some prayers for me during this time, I would sincerely appreciate it. I will readily admit that I’m scared to finally sit down and really dig into this like I need to. I am so thankful for all of you!

Be blessed and be a blessing my friends!
Denise

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