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GIVING TO GOD
"Every
man according as he purposeth in his heart,
so let him give;
not grudgingly or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7
Years ago it was the custom
for the people to bring their gifts to the front of the church. A well-known preacher was making an appeal to the people to give for a good cause. Many came to present their offerings of love. Among them was a little crippled girl who hobbled along at the end of the line. Pulling a ring from her finger, she placed it on the table and made her way back up the aisle. After the service an usher was sent to bring her to the preacher's study. The preacher said, "My dear, I saw what you did. It was beautiful. But the response of the people has been so generous that we have enough to take care of the need. We don't feel right about keeping your treasured ring, so we have decided to give it back to you." To his surprise, the little girl vigorously shook her head in refusal. "You don't understand," she said. "I didn't give my ring to you, I gave it to God!" Lovely. (Author Known to God) What Is Tithing? Mathematically . . .
It is a tenth. "and
of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."
Genesis 28:11 Scripturally . . . It is a law. "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed . . ." Deuteronomy 14:22
Morally . . . It is a
debt. " . . . Wherein have we
robbed thee? In
tithes and offerings." Malachi 3:8 Economically . . . It is an investment. "But
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . ." Matthew 6:20 "Give,
and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over . . ." Luke 6:38 Spiritually . . . It is a blessing. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10 When you give be sure that it is as the child and given to Godeven though it may be by way of someone in great need. – jcshrimp1.com/insp
LAW
OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK
Someone wrote the following article packed
with truth...
THE
Toward the end of his term Mr. Burris and
three companions began a 180- mile journey with 4,000 copies of the Chinese New
Testament. In the first ten days about half of these New Testaments had been
distributed. Then, in the remote countryside, they were stopped by five armed
bandits who took everything--money, clothing, shoes--- and the remaining 2,000
copies of the New Testament. Mr. Burris and friends limped home barefooted in
their shirts and trousers, glad to be alive.
Approximately 25
years later when Mr. Burris was the pastor of a church in
I call it “The Miracle Church.” The picture on the screen showed a
large rough empty building. "This is The Miracle Church," the
missionary continued, "because no one knows who started it, or how, every
Sunday, 400 people attend, each with a copy of The New Testament in Chinese.
No one knows were they got these New Testaments. So far as is known, no
missionary or distributor ever went into these mountains which are infested with
bandits and robbers. Yet today, the church is there and the people have God's
Word".
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING "O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work, help me to remember the jobless; When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all; When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer, And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency; bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help; By word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen." – Samuel F. Pugh
BE THANKFUL
Be thankful
that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference. It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings. - Author Unknown.
THANK
GOD
If God brings you to it,He will bring you through it. Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.
THREE
KINDS OF GIVING There are three kinds of giving, grudge giving, duty giving, and thanksgiving.
The first comes from constraint; the second from a sense of obligation; the third from a full heart. Nothing much is conveyed in grudge giving since the gift without the giver is bare. Something more happens in duty giving, but there is no song in it. Thanksgiving is an open gate to the love of God. It is the “Amen” of giving.
THANKSGIVING
PROCLAMATION -
From A Moment to Consider (John Yates, "An Attitude of Gratitude")
"If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get." - Frank A. Clark
BLESSINGS
AND AFFLICTIO There was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church. One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle. The pastor said, "That's a wonderful gesture on your part. He asked if it was OK to tell the congregation and they said that it was. So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead son. On the way home from church, another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife, "Why don't we give a gift because of our son?" And his wife said, "But our son didn't die in any conflict! Our son is still alive!" Her husband replied, "That's exactly my point! That's all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to God."
Isn't it interesting that we most often give gifts to God in memorial
rather than in appreciation! It
ought to be the exact opposite! But
it's the same way in our prayer lives. We
pray the best and the most when troubles come our way, not when we are being
blessed.
GOD
GIVES
BE
THANKFUL FOR . . .
Author Unknown – www.creativeyouthideas.com
"The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful and cheerful heart." --Plutarch
HARVEST OF THOUGHTS "Dig a hole in your garden of thoughts. Into it put all your disillusions, disappointments, regrets, worries, troubles, doubts and fears and–forget. Cover well with the earth of fruitfulness, water it from the well of contentment. Sow on top again the seeds of hope, courage, strength, patience and love. Then, when the time of gathering comes, may your harvest be a rich and plentiful one." – Anonymous
Spend
your time counting your blessings, not airing your complaints.
“WHY
ME, LORD?”
"I
CRIED unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my
supplication. I poured out my
complaint before him;I showed before him my trouble." Psalm 142:1, 2
A GRATEFUL MAN "Pride slays thanksgiving, but an humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." --Henry Ward Beecher
CHRIST’S
BANQUET TABLE Imagine that you have been invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the home of the richest man in the world. You pull up a chair at a table two football fields long that's piled high with so much turkey, dressing, potatoes, bread, carrot cake, pumpkin pie, mixed vegetables, milk, and anything else you can think of that the table is about to break under the load. Your host tells you to take your fill of anything you see. Thank you very much,' you say. 'Might I please have half a cranberry?' Your astonished friend nearly chokes on a candied yam and replies, 'Please have all you would like. That's why I invited you! You're hungry, and here is everything you need to get full.' 'Thank you so very much,' you say. 'Perhaps I will have a sip of water.' Ridiculous, we say. Who would ever act like that? If it were us, we'd gobble up so much food they'd have to use a bulldozer to move us out. Why is it, then, that when it comes to getting full spiritually, we settle for a half a cranberry? Paul doesn't want that for us, and in this passage (Colossians 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”) he reminds us that in Christ we have all we need to be all that God wants us to be. Not infrequently you'll come
across people who say either in word or deed that their lives are impoverished.
Sometimes, remarkably, you'll find a believer who for some reason is looking for
something else. Remember: The extent to which you need something else to fill you full is the extent to which you find Christ deficient. If you find Christ deficient, then you have found something in contradiction of Scripture, which says that in Christ all the fullness of Deity resides in bodily form. We've got to decide, Is it true that in Christ we have all that we need? You'll find in the church today many people propagating all kinds of things that believers 'need.' Not infrequently these things that Christians 'need' have exceedingly tenuous connections to Christ, 'in whom all fullness dwells.' As soon as someone tells you that you need this, that, and the other thing, ask yourself, “Is this in any way diverting my attention from Christ? Is there any sense in which this is perverting the gospel of Christ, which tells me all fullness is in him? If I get into this particular thing, will it in any way subvert the authority of Christ in my life?” Beware! Scripture declares that in Christ is all fullness, and if you are related to him, you have been given all fullness. We don't need something super-added, extra-plus to Christ. What we need is to daily discover all that we already have in him. How much have you eaten off of Christ's banquet table? How full are you?" - Source: Stuart Briscoe- "Secrets of Spiritual Stamina" - www.creativeyouthideas.com
IN
GOD ALL THE TIME
When H. B. MaCartney, an
Australian pastor, visited Hudson Taylor in MaCartney later wrote, "He was in God all the time, and God was in him. It was the true abiding spoken of in John 15." – www.creativeyouthideas.com
IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR
BEING!
EAGLES
The eagle is a symbol used
many times in Scripture. In fact, it is mentioned 38 times throughout the Bible.
We can learn some important lessons from this majestic creation of God. Eagles
have a wing span of 2 meters and are around 90 cm. tall. The eagle mates for
life and use the same nest for life. This nest is built in a safe place, often
on the ledge of a sharp cliff. It is built to last and the largest nest reported
is 9 ½ feet wide and 20 feet deep.
When the babies are born, both parents
assume responsibility for their care. They are gentle parents, sitting on the
eggs for one month. The parents bring food up to the nest and feed them small
pieces of meat. Within 45 days they can weigh nearly 40 times their birth
weight.
At three months they get special feathers
for flying and a new learning experience begins. The mother eagle flies into the
nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion. Eventually one of
the babies will fall out of the nest and begin heading for the earth below.
Never having used his wings before, he's not really sure what to do, but does do
lots of flapping while heading straight down! Just before the baby hits the
ground, the mother eagle flies underneath in order to 'catch' the baby on her
powerful wings and she flies him safely back to the nest. This continues on day
after day until all the babies learn to fly.
There are two verses in scripture that
actually mention this routine of the eagle. Moses reminds the children of
When eagles are about 30 years old they go
through a renewal process. They find a secret place high in the mountains and
begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged
over the years. As a result, it bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the
eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this it would not be able
to live to its normal 60 years of age.
Psalms 103:5 says,
“Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is
renewed like the eagle's.” A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we
get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back, aging us spiritually. A
time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way
He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain!
Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain.
But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans
for us, we need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.
When the eagle is free to soar in God's
creation, they are the cleanest of birds. They were created to be free and to
soar to great heights. They were not meant to remain close to the earth in the
lowlands. They were created to soar. When eagles are held in captivity, they
become one of the dirtiest birds.
Eagles do not fly like other birds, they
don't flap their wings but rather soar. Flapping their wings would use
incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so
much more food as fuel if they didn't soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and
wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off
and soar upward. Effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time.
There is a special 'up going' wind, that they ride as it circles higher and
higher toward the sky.
What a lesson for God's children to learn.
How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and 'flapping our wings',
instead of waiting for God's timing. Waiting is not a popular concept in these
days of instant everything! But when we wait on the Lord - wait for His timing -
wait for His answers - wait for His direction, then we can soar to new heights
and fly to new places. Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” …Linda Ozirney (Jul 17, 2007) (www.bgc.Zca) by way of The Daily Encourager (dlangerfeld@HarrisburgBaptist.org) and “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
IN
THE HANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE
"All
of us at times find ourselves and our futures seemingly in the hands of other
people. Their decisions or their actions determine whether we get a good grade
or a poor one, whether we are promoted or fired, whether our careers blossom or
fold. I am not overlooking our own responsibility in these situations, but all
of us know that even when we have, so to speak, done our best, we are still
dependent upon the favor or frown of that teacher or boss or commanding officer.
We are, from a human point of view, often at the mercy of other people and their
decisions or actions...
GOD’S
CREDIT CARDS
It
sure is nice that so many people want to give me money. The first time I
received a letter saying I could access thousands of dollars, I was quite
impressed. And tempted. Until I realized there was a catch. There was a hefty
interest rate attached to the little plastic card they wanted to send me. Oh
well, it was a nice thought while it lasted.
But
then I had another thought. God has offered us a "credit card" of
sorts. He tells us so in His word - Philippians
4:19 – “But
my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus.” He
has not only promised us this, He has proven it over and over again in the lives
of His people around the world.
I
am in the middle of teaching at our annual
After
three years in
Then
one day I went to the post office and there was a registered letter waiting. I
was a little annoyed when I saw it was from the Yukon Territorial Government. I
thought they were sending my husband another piece of junk mail about a job he
had held years before. But when we opened the letter and discovered there was a
check in it for $250.00 I wasn't so annoyed. We were able to buy groceries. Then
another check arrived, then another, and a few weeks later, another.
When
all was said and done, the retroactive pay my husband received from a union
settlement on a job he'd had four years earlier paid for our groceries, the move
to a new community, rent when we arrived there and furniture for the house.
God's timing and provision were astonishing.
And there was no interest to be paid. Just praise and thanksgiving to a
God who does provide. A God who loves us deeply and will never abandon us.
That
little boy was wide-eyed when I finished telling that story. And then I could
tell him there was more, because the spiritual riches God gives us are even
better. As those kids left I prayed this prayer - Ephesians
1:18 -
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know
what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints, I
pray that for all of us.” …..Marcia Lee Laycock - The Spur (Marcia@vinemarc.com) by way of "Christian Voices" (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
THOSE
WHO CAN’T PRAY THE LORD’S PRAYER If
you don’t know Christ...you can’t pray, "Our Father."
"The greatest of all miracles is the salvation of a soul."
TIME
FOR PRAYER
"Pray without ceasing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17
GOD’S
TEN MOST WANTED MEN 1.
The man who puts God’s business above any other business.
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!
REMEMBER
THE DUCK!
There was a little
boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play
with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the
target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.
As
he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the
slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and
grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his
sister watching! Sally had seen it
all, but she said nothing.
After
lunch the next day Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the dishes.' But Sally said,
'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.' Then she whispered
to him, 'Remember the duck?' So
Johnny did the dishes.
Later
that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said,
'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.' Sally just smiled and said,
'Well, that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.' She whispered
again, 'Remember the duck?' So Sally
went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After
several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, he finally couldn't
stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the
duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know. You see,
I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you,
I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of
you.'
Thought
for the day and every day thereafter? Whatever is in your past, whatever you
have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating,
debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger , bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You
need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He
has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you
are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a
slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He
not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. Go ahead and make a difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember: God is at the window! - Author Unknown
HELPING OTHERS WIN
At the Seattle Special Olympics,
nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting
line for the 100-yard dash.
At
the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run
the race to the finish and win.
All,
that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a
couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry.
They
slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went
back......every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed
him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms
and walked together to the finish line.
Everyone
in the stadium stood, the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story... Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. - www.creativeyouthideas.com
The treasures of truth in God's Word are best mined with the spade of meditation.
WE
WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!
"For it is written, AS I
LIVE, SAITH THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS
TO GOD. So then every one of us
shall give account of himself to God." - Romans
14:11,12
This applies to every one!
Not just the rich or those with special talents.
All of us have been given some possession, gift, or ability that we can
use in His service. God is concerned
with how we do this. He requires us
to give an account to Him of how we are using what we have.
A
DAY WELL SPENT If we sit down at set of sun And count the things that we have done, And counting, find One self-denying act, one word That eased the heart of one who heard; One glance most kind That fell like sunshine where it went – Then
we may count the day well spent – “Church Bulletin Bits”
LASTING IMPRESSIONS
"And
I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labors;and their works do follow them." Revelation 14:13
UP,
UP, AND UP!
There
is one little two-letter word in the English language that is all of an adverb,
adjective, preposition, noun and a verb. I'm talking about the word
"UP." For just two letters, this word carries an awful lot of
meanings. Note: When the Lord returns, we’d all better be ready to go UP!
“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.” - - Ezra Taft Benson
UNSPEAKABLE LOVE! "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." - Jeremiah 31:3
"I have loved thee with an everlasting love" means that
God loved us and planned our salvation even before the world was created, when
we were but thoughts in the creative mind of God.
Amazing condescension! Unspeakable
Love!
"With loving-kindness have I
drawn thee" tells us that His love was first expressed in the kindness
of our creation and continued care. What loving-kindness this is: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Wonderful love, indeed!
Looking beyond the cross to His throne, Jesus also promised, John
12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
He drew us through Baptism and by His Word.
He continues to draw us through the preaching and teaching of His gospel
message.
God is the absolute center of all that exists.
All nature and all created things revolve around Him.
He is the center of all His people, Note: What a mighty God we serve! He has done all He promised He would do! When the Holy Ghost was given on the Day of Pentecost, the Church Age was ushered in and Peter used the Keys to the Kingdom to tell them what they must do: Acts 2:38-39 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
WHICH
WAS HER NEIGHBOR?
A certain woman went down from
By
chance, there came a limousine that way with a bumper sticker that read,
"Smile, God Loves You!" When the occupants saw the stranded woman,
they passed by in the far lane-without smiling.
And
likewise, there came a sports car with a CB radio and a bumper sticker saying,
"Honk If You Love Jesus!" The man who was driving passed by in the far
lane without honking and without using his CB to tell the Highway Patrol about
the woman's dilemma.
But
a certain working man, as he traveled to his job, came to the spot where the
woman was and, when he saw her raised hood, white scarf, and flat tire, he had
compassion on her. He stopped his old beat-up pickup-which had no bumper
sticker-and crossed the four-lane highway, and offered to change the tire. The
woman opened the door and gave him the key to the trunk. The man took out the
spare tire, jacked up the car, removed the flat tire, and replaced it with the
spare.
When
he had finished, the woman tried to pay him. He refused the money, saying,
"If my wife were stranded on the highway with a flat tire, I'd want some
Good Samaritan to stop and help her out." He
returned to his bumper-stickerless truck, smiled, honked at her, and went his
way.
Which
of these three was neighbor unto her who had a flat tire?
MUSIC
IN TIME OF HARDSHIPS
Psalm 90:14-15
"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing
for joy and be glad all of our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have
afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble."
Floods
of sorrow and hardship that would have drowned a lesser soul, released a song of
hope and Christian Joy in the heart of reverend Luther Burgess Bridgers. During
the early years if his ministry God richly blessed him and his wife and three
precious boys were born into the family. In 1910, his popularity was growing and
he received and accepted an invitation to conduct a two-week series of
evangelistic services in another state. Leaving his family to the safe-keeping
of his wife's immediate relatives, he kissed them goodbye and left.
Two
glorious weeks later, the services closed and many a sinner was converted and
many a saint was strengthened. He was wonderfully used by God and was at the
peak of popularity,,, then that very night, he received a phone call. A
disastrous fire had completely consumed the house of his father in law and taken
the lives of his wife and his three sons. It was at this time that he wrote the
words and tune to a song very familiar to us today... There's
within my heart a melody Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know,
The
third stanza pointed to the momentary times of hardship, but he last looked to
an eternal future. Though
sometimes he leads through waters deep, Soon
he's coming back to welcome me Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know,
JUST
USE ME!
"And
as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the
servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while,
that I may show thee the word of God." – 1
Samuel 9:27 To those who suffer in
lonely solitude,
GOOD??? There is
so much good in the worst of us, And so
much bad in the best of us, That it
ill becomes any of us To
find fault with the rest of us
10
LITTLE CHRISTIANS 9
little Christians stayed up very late. 8 little Christians on their
way to Heaven. 7
little Christians chirping like chicks. 6 little Christians seemed
very much alive, 5
little Christians pulling for Heaven's Shore, 4 little Christians each
busy as a bee. 3
little Christians knew not what to do. 2 little Christians, our
rhyme is nearly done, 1
little Christian can't do much 'tis true, 2 earnest Christians, each
won one more. 4
sincere Christians worked early and late. 8 splendid Christians if
they doubled as before. In
this little jingle, there is a lesson true,
BOTTLE IT UP
Our vacation in Sights and sounds so wonderful…. I wanted to bottle them up and take them home with me to keep the joy I experienced alive. I could just let a little of it out each time I faced a trial at home… I could recapture the way I felt – joy, peace and thrill of beauty unsurpassed…. I could allow the happy memories help me face the setbacks of the real world. But of course, this was impossible, for we cannot “bottle up” joyful experiences and then just pour them out when we want a dab of them, like we would perfume. There is, however, a bottle full of God’s grace, and glory, peace and acceptance, faith, hope and love ready for us to receive. As a matter of fact, it says in the bible- (Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”), that there is so much God wants to give us – we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit. That is wonderful news. I am so glad God has a miraculous way to share all He has with us. It is beyond human understanding, but I know from personal experience that if I go to the bottle of God’s love, remove the stopper and ask for His help, He will pour into my spirit what I need. He does the same for all His children, for He loves us all equally. Remember when you are in dire circumstances or the pressures of life are getting you down, just go to God’s bottle of grace, and He will pour out to you a good measure, not just a dab, but a good measure of whatever it is you need. He is faithful! …..Marion Smith (noles65@aol.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
HELP TO MAKE A BETTER DAY "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24 Little things make a better day! *Being grateful for another morning by being cheerful on the outside, even though you might be in physical pain on the inside. *Writing a note of encouragement, congratulations, appreciation, sympathy or condolence to someone needing a little lift. *A short visit to a sick friend. *A telephone call to someone who lives alone who may be lonely. *A little gift to someone to brighten their day. *Have a kind and warm greeting to those you pass by. *Stop and smell the flowers and enjoy their beauty. *Show kindness to animals ~ feed the birds. *Explore the satisfaction of being courteous. By administering just a few of these suggestions today, they will add to the sweetness and smoothness of life. They will bring pleasant communion with others, nurture friendships, and prevent the interference of those petty sophistications that keep us apart from others. Though small, they create a beneficent radiation which enriches us and contributes to our own ennoblement. They will enhance a tender inclination for pleasantness that comes with the satisfaction of having done good. They strengthen the soul. They make a good day because they make us better people. And then, when you lay down to go to sleep at the end of this day, you will be left with a satisfied feeling that you have been a more considerate person today than you were yesterday. Then, by all means . . . try it again tomorrow! Smile! Jesus loves you! So do I! - jcscrimp1.com/insp
WE
CANNOT Sow bad habits and
reap a good character; Sow jealousy and
hatred and reap love and friendship; Sow dissipation and
reap a healthy body; Sow deception and
reap confidence; Sow cowardice and
reap courage; Sow neglect of the
Bible and reap a well-guided life. –
Author Unknown
PRAY
WITHOUT CEASING!
JESUS---WHO
IS HE??? The
world can't understand him, I
serve Him because His bond is love,
The
most powerful testimony is a godly life.
THE
SOUND OF SILENCE
"The LORD is good unto
them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation
of the LORD.
Sometimes no answer is
an answer!
When Herod asked Jesus question after question,
Jesus said nothing.
When Pilate asked Jesus where He was from,
Jesus gave no answer.
To some, Jesus gave absolutely no response.
In Matthew Chapter 11 when
John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the
Messiah, and Jesus told them, "Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see:
The blind receive their sight, and
the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the
dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
And blessed is he, whosoever shall
not be offended in me."
Others received a response also, but not the one they were after: Zechariah said to the
angel: "Whereby
shall I know this? for I am an old
man, and my wife well stricken in years.
And the angel answering said unto
him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God; and am sent to speak
unto thee and to show thee these glad
tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until
the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season."
Just because God seems silent at times doesn't mean He isn't working.
Sometimes silence is "golden".
And the silence of God might just be speaking volumes! "And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him." - Isaiah 30:18 - jcshrimp1.com/insp
When
we go to heaven,
It
is our main business in this world
RESPECTING GOD’S WORD When James wrote James 1:19 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” he wasn’t just talking about our willingness to speak and not listen to others. He was talking about our willingness to speak and not listen to God. You can’t miss it from the context. (read vv. 19-21) The only “Word planted in you, which can save you” is the Word of God. Don’t miss his point. We need to be more interested in hearing what God has to say to us than telling Him what we think! We need to hear the Word of God. I am convinced that people are much more interested in talking to God than listening to Him. Statistics bear that out. According to George Barna, a Christian pollster, in a given week about 37% of Americans will read their Bible, but 85% will pray. (source: barna.org) It sounds to me that we are quick to speak, but slow to listen to what God has to say. Can I share a pet peeve on this issue with you? I get to do that because I am the preacher. I have noticed that people are very respectful not to interrupt when someone is praying. If you are chatting and someone begins to pray aloud, if you are like most people you will stop talking until they say “amen.” I have noticed that people are nowhere near as respectful when the Word of God is being read. People will continue to chat just like someone was reading from the newspaper. So what is more important for us to respect, when people talk to God or when God speaks to us. – Tim Bond
THIS DAY "I was given a most precious gift this morning when I woke up. It's a gift I never received before. It's one I can't keep, can't return, can't save, and don't know how well it will really work. I do know it's a most wonderful and beautiful gift. I hope I value and appreciate it enough to use it wisely. That gift is 'this day!' Enjoy yours and make it a very special one." - By Ray Lammie, a four-time cancer survivor in "Random Thoughts on Life." – Cited in Weekend Encounter
THE
ANCHOR OF FAITH
The mighty Niagara River
plummets some 180 feet at the American and
If children are to find their way to God, we must point the way. <>
The more we serve Christ, the less we will serve self. <> Spiritual
inactivity corrodes the soul.
DO NOT LET HURTS HURT YOU
"NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1
MAKING
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
Romans 5:3-4
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and
experience, hope.” "A piece of black ebony wood was being cut and broken by a woodmaker. The wood complained but the woodmaker desisted from bowing to the complaints. He was carving a flute. The woodmaker seemed to be saying, 'Little piece of wood. You think that I am hurting and abusing you, but without these holes and cutting, you would not be able to bring others beautiful music to soothe their souls and calm their hurts and fears for a time.'" Pain is the great motivator. It can be and often is God's wake-up call to help us change and grow. So who wants to change and grow when everything is going great? Not me. I only grow when I am uncomfortable with the way things are or the way I am. And that's the way it's meant to be. God wants to make "beautiful music" out of your life and mine. It's up to us to allow him to do so. The process at times can be painful, but the end result can be something beautiful. – Dick Innes – Daily Encounter
A SEVENTY-YEAR LIFE Suppose God granted you a life of seventy years? The average person would spend: three years getting an education, eight years recreating and relaxing, six years eating, five years riding in a car, four years talking, fourteen years working, three years reading, and twenty-four years sleeping. How much time do you give to God? If you went to church every week and prayed for five minutes every morning and evening, you would give five months to God -- five months out of 70 years. – Baker Books, Church Bulletin Bits, 1976
THINK
ON THESE THINGS
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are
of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things." Philippians 4:8
LIVE
FOR THE LAST PAGE
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be. I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."
- Revelation 22:12,13
LET
IT GO!!!!
A word that we often hear and use is “stress”. There are
several” truths” about stress that people don’t know or realize. (1) Not
all stress is bad! (2) People or situations do not place stress on us – stress
is self-induced, and as such (3) we control the level of stress we have. If you
don’t believe any of those “truths”, ask your physician! In most scenarios, the stress we allow ourselves to experience is because of what we think about other people. We try to control others and when they do not do or say the things we want them to say or be, we become stressed. The following article is one that I find so incredible on the mark that I reprint it twice each year. This article has brought the most positive response from readers than any other article or story ever printed. It is so pertinent and real for so many of us that it is worth reprinting. For those who have never read it before, let it be enlightening. For those who have read it before, let it be a refresher. There are people who can walk away from you. And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone. When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. The Bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19] People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay.Let them go! And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person, it just means that their part in the story is over and you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead. You've got to know when it's dead. You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift - I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay. Let them go!! If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to......LET IT GO!!! If you are holding on to past hurts and pains.....LET IT GO!!! If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth.....LET IT GO!!! If someone has angered you........LET IT GO!!! If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge......LET IT GO!!! If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction.....LET IT GO!!! If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents…...LET IT GO!!! If you have a bad attitude.......LET IT GO!!! If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better......LET IT GO!!! If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him......LET IT GO!!! If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship....... LET IT GO!!! If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves.....LET IT GO!!! If you're feeling depressed and stressed.........LET IT GO!!! If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to......LET IT GO!!! Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for 2008!!! LET IT GO!!! Get Right or Get Left... think about it, and then. LET IT GO!!! "The
DEAD
WEIGHT IN THE CHURCH
I’ve
been a dead weight many years around the church’s neck; I’ve let the others carry me and always pay the check. I’ve had my name upon the rolls for years and years gone by; I’ve criticized and grumbled, too; nothing could satisfy. I’ve
been a dead weight long enough upon the church’s back; Beginning now, I’m going to take a wholly different track. I’m going to pray and pay and work and carry loads instead; And not have others carry me as people do the dead. – Baker Book House:
THE
PRUNING PROCESS
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit." - John 15:2
There is a time for planting and a time for pruning. Perhaps
God is at work in your life today taking away branches that do not belong, and
pruning ones that do.
THE
BURDEN BEARER
Bob Weber, past president of
Kiwanis International, told this story. He had spoken to a club in a small town
and was spending the night with a farmer on the outskirts of the community. He
had just relaxed on the front porch when a newsboy delivered the evening paper.
The boy noted the sign Puppies for
CHECKUP FOR CHURCH MEMBERS How many morning services would we have if everyone would stay home when I do? How often would the evening service be canceled if no one would go except when I do? How often would the Sunday School meet if others would attend only when I do? How much Christian instruction would the children of my community receive if other parents would pay only as much attention to it as I do? How many neighbors would be invited to services and welcomed if others would invite and welcome only as many people as I do? How many prayers would be offered for my pastor, my neighbors, and my church if others would pray only as much as I do? How many words of testimony would be given for Christ if others would speak out for Christ only as much as I do? What kind of church would my church be if every member were just like me? - Baker Book House:
WISDOM
OR FOOLISHNESS "And
I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take
thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But
God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee:
then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God." - Luke 12:19-21
POUR
IT ON, PREACHER! The preacher had just concluded a hot and scathing sermon on the sin of
swearing. He had stated several times that he knew that one of his hearers was
guilty.
HOW TO BUILD UP THE CAUSE OF CHRIST Christians need to: Wake up, sing up, preach up, pray up, stay up, pay up, but never give up, let up, back up, or shut up…until the cause of Christ and the church is built up.
Like a compass, the Bible always points you in the right direction.
THE PRIVILEGE OF SUFFERING Joni Eareckson's story is now well known to us both through her books and the movie about her paralysis as a teenager and her amazing fight back to a useful and productive life of ministry through her art. From the preface of Joni: Isolated, by itself, what is a minute? Merely a measurement of time. There are sixty in an hour, 1,440 in a day. At seventeen, I had already ticked off more than 9 million of them in my life. Yet, in some cosmic plan, this single minute was isolated. Into these particular sixty seconds was compressed more significance than all the millions of minutes marking my life prior to this instant. So many actions, sensations, thoughts, and feelings were crowded into that fragment of time. How can I describe them? How can I begin to catalog them? I recall so clearly the details of those few dozen seconds--seconds destined to change my life forever. And there was no warning or premonition. What happened on July 30, 1967, was the beginning of an incredible adventure which I feel compelled to share because of what I have learned. Oscar Wilde wrote: "In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." To rephrase his thought, I suggest there are likewise only two joys. One is having God answer all your prayers; the other is not receiving the answer to all your prayers. I believe this because I have found that God knows my needs infinitely better than I know them. And He is utterly dependable, no matter which direction our circumstances take us. In the Psalms we're told that God does not deal with us according to our sins and iniquities. My accident was not a punishment for my wrongdoing--whether or not I deserved it. Only God knows why I was paralyzed. Maybe He knew I'd be ultimately happier serving Him. If I were still on my feet, it's hard to say how things might have gone. I probably would have drifted through life--marriage, maybe even divorce--dissatisfied and disillusioned. When I was in high school, I reacted to life selfishly and never built on any long lasting values. I lived simply for each day and the pleasure I wanted--and almost always at the expense of others. --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 13 - http://e-inspirational.blogspot.com
SEED
OF HOPE
A successful Christian
business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take
over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he
decided to do something different.
CHOOSING BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG "And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her." - Genesis 39:7-10 To be moral is to know the difference between right and wrong and to choose what is right. In this Old Testament story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, we see that Potiphar's wife expected Joseph to rationalize that the safe thing to do was to accept her invitation to sin. After all, she was the authority in the house, as he was the slave. If he refused her invitation, would that bring him harm? Of course it would! And as you read this wonderful story, you will see that it did. Joseph responded to temptation with an answer so classic that it has inspired many to say throughout the centuries, "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Joseph's action landed him in prison. However, his criterion is not what he wanted, not even if it was safe, but rather, it was what God wanted, which concerned him more. It may seem today there are few moral absolutes. The shades of behavioral gray are increasing. But God still speaks to all human beings. Paul, describing the wickedness of the first century, underscored the awareness and accountability of everyone to the Law of God through conscience (Read Romans 2:15). Immorality ignores conscience. Rationalizations abound to justify what's wrong. "Everyone's doing it" is a favorite, whether "it" refers to cheating on one's taxes or on one's spouse. As Joseph fled from a sinful act, not out of cowardness, but in the preservation of his honor, are we, God's redeemed, doing this in our daily lives also? Let us be mindful that our sins are not just between us and someone else, but they are also a deliberate act of disobedience against God. He knows all ~ He sees all, so may we all act accordingly, for Christ's sake, and for that of our own. For there will come a day when we will be held accountable with our answers.May God walk with you always ~ in His light. - jcscrimp1.com/insp
DECEPTIVE
PACKAGING
"LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He
that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteouness, and speaketh the truth in his
heart." - Psalm 15:1-2
THE
LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK
One day I hopped in a taxi
and we took off for the airport . We were driving in the right lane when
suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi
driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really
friendly.
All sunshine and no rain make a desert.
HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? Recently I read an article about a game in which the home team had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of a lesser opponent. While several offered their wisdom as to why this tragic event had occurred, one player uttered those seven little words every coach hates to hear. "They wanted it more than we did." He wasn't impressed with the abilities of the other team. He didn't point out any superior strategy or blame the officials. Instead, he placed the entire result on one thing: desire. And with those few words he had condemned his team. They wanted it more than we did. They fought harder, took it more seriously, cared more. It did not mean as much to us. For him, they had not been beaten. They had failed! As I look at the state of Christianity today, those same words ring loudly in my ears. I'm not referring to churches, ministries and Christian organizations. I'm talking about individuals...the men and women who claim to be Christian. What team are they on? Can anyone tell? Ask yourself... Do I truly follow Jesus? Do I live the way He commands? Do I walk the way that He walked? Do I stand for the things that He stands for? Do I search His words, share with His heart, and listen to His counsel to find out what I should do or say? Do I want to be different from the world? I have little patience with those who put on others their own standards of what it means to be a Christian. The number of people you witnessed to today, how many times you were at church this week, the number you've led to Christ this month, how large your church is, how large your bank account is...all of it is nonsense and anyone who tells you different is a false teacher. Only one thing matters. John 14:5-6 “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” I am the way. Walk with me! I am the truth. Believe what I say! I am the life. Live as I've shown you! This is what it means to be a Christian and it doesn't get any simpler. When we walk with Him, believe what He says, and live as He has shown us, then others experience Christ in our lives. God works through us to reach, love and encourage those around us. Christian living takes on renewed strength and direction because we realize these lives are no longer ours ...they are His! @Ciloa - go to http://www.ciloa.org to subscribe – Monday-Fodder.com
GOD’S
WORD
"Wherefore
lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with
meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James
1:21-22
NOTHING
TO GIVE BUT…
Sometime ago there was a teacher who celebrated her eightieth
birthday. It proved to be a marvelous occasion, highlighted by the presence of a
great number of her former students.
ADAM’S SUIT A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible, and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed between the pages. 'Momma, look what I found,' the boy called out. 'What have you got there, dear?' his mother asked. With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered: 'I think it's Adam's suit!'
THERE’S
FORGIVENESS
"Seek
ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to
our God, for he will abundantly pardon." - Isaiah
55:6-7 There's
Forgiveness
WORK
IN PROGRESS
Have you ever watched an
artist at work? When he puts the pencil to the canvas you see only the
beginnings of a certain shape or form.
CELEBRATE
JESUS - He is worthy. Amen! The Greatest Man in
History,
Acts 17:28-30 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”
THE
LAST WORD
The simplest meaning of Easter is that we are living in a world in
which God has the last word. On Friday night it appeared as if evil were the
master of life. The holiest and most lovable One who had ever lived was dead and
in His tomb, crucified by the order of a tyrant without either scruples or
regrets. He who had raised the highest hopes among men had died by the most
shameful means.
THE
KING OF GLORY
THE earth
is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the
floods. 3 Who shall ascend into the
hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the
God of his salvation. 6 This is the
generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. 7 Lift up
your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King
of glory shall come in. 8 Who is
this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the
King of glory shall come in. 10 Who
is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. Psalm 24:1-10 The world does not know, but this psalm gives us the answer. The King of glory is "The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." Then the gates are told to open up so that the King of glory might enter in. Well, He is not "in" today as He should be. The world has rejected Him. Who is this King of glory? He is the Lord of hosts, He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. And He is the King of glory! "SELAH!" (Inspired of God) - jcscrimp1.com/insp
Jesus Christ forgave voluntarily;
he died vicariously; he arose
I’M
COMING BACK!
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?
The Gospel of John tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the
face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes
an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at
the head of that stony coffin.
John 20:6-7 “Then
cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the
linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not
lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.”
The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the
wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the
table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would
not dare touch the table, because.......... The folded napkin meant, "I'm
coming back!"
Jesus is Coming Back! The gospels repeatedly speak of His second coming.
John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart
be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also.”
John 15:11-13 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
MY
CROWN
Crowns have always been the sign of authority and Kingship.
Charlemagne, whom historians say should deserve to be called
"great" above all others, wore an octagonal crown. Each of the eight
sides was a plaque of gold, and each plaque was studded with emeralds,
sapphires, and pearls. The cost was the price of a king's ransom. Richard the
Lion Heart had a crown so heavy that two earls had to stand, one on either side,
to hold his head. The crown that Queen Elizabeth wears is worth over $20
million. Edward II once owned nine
crowns, something of a record. Put them all together, from all of
MIRROR
OF GRACE
My wife is ... a mirror. When I
have sinned against her, my sin appears in the suffering of her face. Her tears
reflect with terrible accuracy my selfishness. ... But I hate the sight, and the
same selfishness I see now makes me look away. ...
TAKE IT TO GOD "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 Christian
believers are wrongly taught if they believe that the Christian life is a
guarantee against human trials and problems.
WHO IS JESUS? In chemistry, He turned water to wine. In biology, He was born without the normal conception. In physics, He disapproved the law of gravity when He ascended into heaven; In economics, He disapproved the law of diminishing return by feeding 5000 men with two fishes and 5 loaves of bread; In medicine, He cured the sick and the blind without administering a single dose of drugs; In history, He is the beginning and the end; In government, He said that he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace; In religion, He said no one comes to the Father except through him; So. Who is He? He is Jesus! Colossians 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”
THE LESSON OF THE KITE
I love to make and fly kites. When my kite is grabbed by the wind and
soars into the sky, my heart goes with it. But flying a kite teaches lessons,
too. It takes two things to make a kite fly. First, it must have wind.
The kite has to stay oriented toward the wind catching the full force on the
face. I am like that. I have to face life with its challenges and demands head
on. If I avoid responsibility or refuse to fulfill commitments, I get all
tangled up and crash.
Second, the kite must have a secure connection to the one in control
through the string. If the string breaks, the kite falls to the ground
completely out of control. The kite line maintains the orientation to the wind.
In my life I must keep my connection to God strong.
There are results to learning the lesson of the kite that we don't always
anticipate. First, when you fly a kite, you have to look up. When life is
difficult, looking up reminds us we were made to seek God.
Second, the stronger the wind blows, the higher the kite flies. I am like
the kite. When life's pressures are the strongest, I soar to unexpected heights
through my connection with God. The message of the kite is, "Come fly with
me."…..Gayle Haynes (ghaynes64@dctexas.net)
by way of Daily Wisdom (dw-owner@lists.gospelcom.net)
(dw@lists.gospelcom.net
) and “Christian Voices) (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
Gayle has been married for 50 years. She is the mother of six. For ten years she
was a psychologist in the
"WORRY
IS A RAT!"
Years ago, in the pioneer days
of aviation, a pilot was making a flight around the world.
PRAYING
FOR RAIN
The minister's little six-year-old girl had been so naughty during the
week, that her mother decided to give her the worst kind of punishment.
She told her she couldn't go to the Sunday School Picnic on Saturday.
MORE THAN CONQUERORS! "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." - Romans 8:35, 37 The word "conquerors" appears only once in the Holy Bible. However, we often hear how we can become "more than conquerors" through Christ Jesus. This verse touched my heart this morning in a special way, and I wanted to share it with you. People have different ways of dealing with problems life tosses at them. Some are constant complainers, who don't handle setbacks and upsetting periods very well. Some of them cannot even handle normal events. There are those who are defeated at the slightest difficulty. And quite a few get confused, turned around and seem not to know what to do or where to go next. But then, there are a handful who are unconquerable! Problem after problem can smack them square in the face, but they just stomp around enough until they actually use the problem to rise above it! Look at the great heroes of the Bible. They were men and women who could match the occasion. Moses was that kind of man. Surely Joseph, who rose from the bottom of a pit to a leader of The reason such people could rise out of the traps or problems of life they encountered is because they all had a great deal of faith in God. It is a childish attitude that says, "If God really loved me, He would take away all these problems." Not so!! Actually, the opposite is really true. God loves us. He will reveal Himself to us through His Word and give us opportunity to let our faith lift us up. God wants us to learn how to do it. He wants us to work at it. And when we realize that and accept it, it will give us a power to deal with living we never experienced before! For we are more than conquerors through Christ, who loved us enough to die for us! (Inspired of God) - jcscrimp1.com/insp
DELIVERANCE
A saying arose during World War II that is most often attributed to
the war journalist Ernie Pyle: "There are no atheists in foxholes." It
meant that in times of war, even those who professed no previous belief in God
would likely be found calling out to Him for deliverance. The statement is
a generalization: probably true of some but certainly not true of all.
THE
CRUCIAL WORD
Dwight Moody's father died when Dwight was only four. A month
later Mrs. Moody gave birth to twins; she now had nine mouths to feed and no
income. Merciless creditors dogged the widow, claiming everything they could get
their hands on.
SILVER MAKES THE DIFFERENCE One day a wealthy old miser visited a rabbi who took him by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said, pointing to the street. "What do you see?" "I see men and women and little children," answered the rich man. Again the rabbi took him by the hand and led him to the mirror and said, "What do you see now?" "Now I see myself," the rich man replied. Then the rabbi said, "Behold, in the window there is glass, but the glass of the mirror is covered with silver, and no sooner is the silver added then you fail to see others but see only yourself." If you see self and all the respect and honor others ought to give you, you are on dangerous ground. You won't be able to see others if self is in the image you hold in front of you. - e-inspirational.blogspot.com, by Norman Lawrence
I TOOK HIM IN A pastor was known to have a Bible verse for everything that happened. One Sunday as he was preaching a bug flew into his mouth. He gulped and said, “He was a stranger and I took him in.” - Croft Pentz, A Book of Zingers
"The question for each of us to settle is not what we would do if we had the means, time, influence and educational advantages, but what we will do with the things we have." --
LIVING GOD’S WAY
"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said,LORD God of Abraham,
Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and
that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word."
- 1Kings 18:36
KEEPING A CLEAN DESK The superintendent of a large Christian school was concerned about the disarray he found in so many of the classrooms he visited. Papers were often strewn on the floor, and the students’ desks were surrounded by clutter. Feeling strongly that learning could not take place in such an untidy environment, he decided to take action. He chose one classroom for an experiment, introduced himself to the students and with a smile made this proposition: “Your teacher, principal and I provide a well-equipped classroom for you to enjoy but we need your help in keeping your desks and the classroom orderly. Many of you have crumpled papers inside your desks with books left open and the pages bent. Often there are pencils on the floor under your desks along with other debris. "I would like each of you to clean out your desk today and begin this school year resolving to keep it clean. One day I will return and inspect your desks and the person with the neatest desk will be given this $100 bill. I won’t tell you which day it will be. It will be a surprise. Not even your teacher or the principal will know the day." The children squealed with excitement and began immediately pulling things from their desks, filling the trash baskets with crumpled papers, stacking their books neatly inside their desks, and neatly lining up their pencils and pens. Every morning for the first week, every student checked his or her desk to make sure it was in perfect condition, confident that today would be the day the superintendent returned. The next week, a few boys grew weary of the exercise and returned to their former habits. By the third week, several students remarked, “I doubt if he’ll come back at all. He just said that to make us keep our desks clean.” After two months, no one in the classrooms bothered to inspect their desks and in fact, forgot the superintendent’s promise. Except for one girl. Dutifully, she inspected her desk every morning and several times a day, making sure things were in proper order. For months, she was teased by the other students. “He’s not coming back! Why do you keep looking for him? You look stupid believing that promise, anyway.” Still, she remained quiet, kept her desk in perfect condition and waited. Near the end of the school year, there was a knock on the door and the superintendent entered. Quickly, the students flung open their desks and began frantically to clean them. But the superintendent held up his hand for them to stop. All the students were asked to stand beside their desk at attention while the superintendent inspected each desk. One after another, he rejected them for being unkempt. One boy tried giving excuses but to no avail. Another blamed the teacher for not reminding them. Still another blamed the superintendent for making them wait so long. Finally, the superintendent arrived at the desk of the little girl who confidently displayed her well-kept desk while beaming at the superintendent. After inspecting her desk, he took her by the hand to the front of the classroom and awarded her the $100 bill. “Boys and girls,” he said kindly, “this girl never stopped believing I would return so she kept her desk in perfect order. She didn’t need to worry about what day or even what time of day I would arrive because she was always ready. Always. “And that is how it will be when Jesus returns for His own. We don’t know the day or the hour but if our hearts are always kept free from sin, we will always be ready for Him. Let your hearts be like the well-kept desk of this faithful little girl who never stopped looking, never tired of waiting and made sure she was always ready.” Even so come, Lord Jesus.
…..Mariane Holbrook (Mariane777@bellsouth.net)
(www.marianholbrook.com) by way of "Christian Voices" (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
Mariane Holbrook is a retired teacher, an author of two books, a musician and
artist. She lives with her husband on coastal
RESCUE
THE PERISHING
The Times-Reporter of
"The more we pray, the more we shall want to pray. The more we pray, the more we can pray. The more we pray, the more we shall pray. He who prays little will pray less, but he who prays much will pray more. And he who prays more, will desire to pray more abundantly." - Spurgeon
THE
PRIDE OF RICHES
The moth looks like such a harmless creature. In its pearly white
color it hovers about without sound at twilight, or in our dark rooms and
especially in our closets where our woolen clothes are kept. It is not
impertinent like the robust flies of the summer. It does not have the sting of a
mosquito. It does not sound in our ears the shrill notes of the cricket. It does
not nibble and gnaw like the mouse and rat, nor, as roaches do, indecently
overrun our food. It is most fair, silent, and apparently harmless. Yet every
housewife springs after it with electric haste. It is a dreaded pest, not for
what it is but for what it does. Once a garment is moth-eaten, it is almost
impossible to repair it.
IT’S
IN THE VALLEYS
"Doth not he see my
ways, and count all my steps?
If I have walked with vanity,
or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;
Let me be weighed in an even balance,
that God may know mine integrity."
- Job 31:4-6 Job speaks of his integrity
in Chapter 31. I thought perhaps we could take a look at our own this morning.
I remember quite a few years back when I would go on camping trips,
hiking through the woods or the mountains, up and down hills
in and out valleys along the way.
Sometimes my footing would somewhat falter,
yet I somehow always managed to keep my balance and kept moving
forward along the path.
These particular valleys in my "camping & hiking
days"
once again enter my thoughts as I search my heart and ask myself,
"Am I still moving forward in pleasing God?"
I know that with God in my life, I have nothing to fear.
For He is the same on the mountain tops as He is in the valleys.
He will point the way for us, if we allow Him,
and turn any crisis into calm.
We need to just simply trust in Him regardless of the shape we're in.
He will guide us and comfort us,
but most importantly, deliver us as we repent of all our sin.
He is a Mighty God who is never-changing.
He's the same yesterday, today and for ever more.
But do we really know where to find wisdom and understanding?
It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity.
Even the sharp-eyed birds cannot discover it.
But Destruction and Death say,
"We have heard a rumor where it can be found."
God surely knows where it can be found,
for He looks throughout the whole earth, under all the heavens.
He made the winds blow and determined how much rain should fall.
He made the laws of the rain and prepared a path for the lightening.
Then, when He had done all this, He saw wisdom
and measured it!
He established it and examined it thoroughly.
And this is what He says to all humanity:
"The fear of the Lord is true wisdom.
To forsake evil is real understanding."
(Job 28:20-28 “Whence
then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? Seeing
it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole
heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the
thunder: Then did he see it, and
declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is
wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”) In conclusion, when we are "down in the valley" and out of sorts with our self, let us look to the Lord for strength, wisdom, and understanding. He is the Almighty One! He will sustain us! He is our Comforter and Counselor. If we will just look to Him and seek His wonderful grace, we will soon discover that it's in the valley where we all once started to grow. (Inspired of God)
WHAT SHALL WE SING? A young pastor was quite long-winded one night talking to the young people. After nearly an hour he suddenly stopped, smiled, and asked, “What hymn shall we sing?” One boy called out, appropriately, “Revive Us Again.”
Place your needs up against God’s riches and they will soon disappear.
THE BERRY SPOON "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." - Ephesians 4:31,32 I'll never forgive him. I told him I would never forgive him." The attractive elderly lady spoke softly, but with resolve, to the night nurse. Her expression was troubled as she turned away, focusing her eyes on the drape closing in her nursing home bed. The conversation had traveled from the temporal to the eternal and now a deep hurt had surfaced. She told of how her brother had approached her hospital bed, accusing her of taking more than her share of family heirlooms following their mother's death. He spoke of various items, ending with the "berry spoon." He said, "I want the berry spoon." For forty years since the parent's death he had hidden his feelings, and now they erupted. She was both hurt and angered by his accusation and vowed never to forgive him. "It's my spoon. It was given to me," she defended herself. "He's wrong and I won't forgive him."
A How many berry spoons are there in our lives? How many things, as insignificant as a spoon, in light of eternity, separate us from full communion with God? How much lack of forgiveness keeps us from fellowship with others? Some good points to ponder! "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:2 - jcshrimp1.com/insp/
WHAT
DOES LOVE MEAN? (THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN)
Slow down for three minutes to read this. A
group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds,
"What does love mean?"
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint
her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when
his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca - age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving
cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your
French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when
you're tired." Terri
- age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of
kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My
Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop
opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend
who you hate," Nikka -
age 6 (we need a few million more
Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like
his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other
so well." Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I
looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was
the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else
kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out and buy
new ones." Lauren - age 4
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if
you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8 LABOR Set it down as a fact to which there are no exceptions, that we must labor for all we have, and nothing is worth possessing or offering to others, which costs us nothing. – The Sunday School
FOOTBALL
GAMES ARE NOT FOR ME
I’ve made up my mind never to attend another football game.
I’ve been an avid football fan for many years, but now I’ve had it.
Let me list the reasons why:
Well, there they are – ten reasons why I will never attend another
football game. Kind of foolish,
isn’t it, to miss the joy of football for reasons like these?
I wonder how many of us are missing the joys of worship, Bible study,
training, and prayer for reasons just as foolish.
Live,
Laugh, and Love
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to
ever let you down probably will. You
will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time.
You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.
You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an
old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually
lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like
you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute
of happiness you'll never get back. - Author Unknown. Source: "Pulpit
Pieces Weekly," Copyright 1999-2007 Compiled and Produced by Net 153
Publications http://net153.com -
Cited on Weekend Encounter
LISTEN…..SPEAK
IN LOVE!
"Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not righteousness
of God." - James 1:19 If we ever fancied that we could get along without God's Spirit, even for a moment, we probably did not make this mistake in connection with the way we listen and talk with others. Who has not said on any number of occasions, "If I had only listened!?" or "Why can't I keep my big mouth shut?!" I believe we all would have no problem at all if James had said, "Let everyone be quick to speak and slow to listen." There is none excluded from "offering lip service" instead of listening with our hearts. Quick to listen . . . to what? Perhaps the events in the days of our loved ones, some helpful counsel, both sides of a story, a plea for help, and a request for forgiveness, to name a few. But as we listen carefully, we also hear utterances of disappointment, pleas for love, and sighs of sorrow, that we alone can answer with God's help. These are special messages from our Father, who cries in the pain of the world, "I am hungry . . . thirsty . . . in prison . . . sick." Slow to speak . . . about what? A friend's shortcomings, gossip at work, disagreements with church matters, school and community, to name a select few. But here in this Scripture verse, James is counseling us to "count to ten" so to speak, before talking and putting our "two cents" in. Our Savior had these words written of Him: 1 Peter 2:22-23 “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” This, Jesus' example and power, are ours that we may follow in His steps, in the way of peace. Do we? "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth." – Proverbs 10:19, 20 "He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit." Proverbs 17:27 May we listen first . . . then speak in love! - jcshrimp1.com/insp
When
believers influence each other for good,
"MAKE
A DIFFERENCE"
If I can throw a single
ray of light across the darkened pathway of another; if I can aid some soul to
clearer sight of life and duty, and thus bless my brother; if I can wipe from
any human cheek a tear, I shall not have lived my life in vain while here.
"YOUR
CROSS"
The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he
dropped to his knees in prayer.
BRAIN
TEASER
Brain
Stuff . . . reported to be from I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the human mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! - Submitted by Chuck Herpick – Cited in Weekend Encounter
CHURCH
PEW HOSTAGES "But
be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man
beholding his natural face in a glass: For
he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner
of man he was." - James 1:22-24
"LOOK FOR THE GOLD" At one time Andrew Carnegie was the wealthiest man in A reporter asked Carnegie how he had hired forty-three millionaires. Carnegie responded that those men had not been millionaires when they started working for him but had become millionaires as a result. The reporter's next question was, "How did you develop these men to become so valuable to you that you have paid them this much money?" Carnegie replied that men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold; but one doesn't go into the mine looking for dirt - one goes in looking for the gold. That's exactly the way we need to view people. Don't look for the flaws, warts, and blemishes. Look for the gold, not for the dirt; the good, not the bad. Look for the positive aspects of life. Like everything else, the more good qualities we look for in our people, the more good qualities we are going to find. - Source Unknown. – Norman Lawrence, A Dose of Inspiration
"THE
WORLD NEEDS LEADERS"
The world needs
leaders...
THE
ABC’S OF A TRUE CHILD OF GOD Although
things are not perfect Because
of trial or pain Continue
in thanksgiving Do
not begin to blame Even
when th e times are hard Fierce
winds are bound to blow God
is forever able Hold
on to what you know Imagine
life without His love Joy
would cease to be Keep
thanking Him for all the things Love
imparts to thee Move
out of " No
weapon that is known On
earth can yield the power Praise
can do alone Quit
looking at the future Redeem
the time at hand Start
every day with worship To
"thank" is a command Until
we see Him coming Victorious
in the sky We'll
run the race with gratitude eXalting
God most high Yes,
there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
"The
world measures greatness by money, or eloquence, or intellectual skill, or even
by prowess on the field of battle. But here is the Lord's standard: 'Whosoever
shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the
The WHAT of our future is determined by the WHO of eternity.
A
REASON FOR EVERYTHING
"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk,
O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In
thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thyrighteousness shall they be
exalted." - Psalm 89:15-16
When troubles call on you, call on God.
"WHICH
WAY IS UP?" -
By Mark Rader
Some years ago, I read about a speedboat driver who had recently
survived a racing accident. He said that he had been at near-top speeds when his
boat veered slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of
his speed and the size and angle of the wave sent the boat spinning crazily into
the air. He was thrown from his seat and propelled deeply into the water - so
deep, in fact, that he had no idea which direction the surface was. He had to
remain calm and wait for the buoyancy of his life vest to begin pulling him up.
Once he discovered which way was up, he could swim for the surface.
LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE The Bible has been translated into over 1,200 languages. The Bible was the first book ever printed. In 1454, Johannes Gutenberg invented the "type mold" printing press and began to print the Bible. Life magazine called this the single most important event of the second millennium. Stephen Langton first divided the Bible into chapters in 1228. The Old Testament was first divided by verses in 1448 and the New Testament in 1551. The first English Bible translation was initiated by John Wycliffe in 1382 and completed by John Purvey in 1388. It takes about 70 hours to read the entire Bible. About 170,000 Bibles are
distributed each day in the The Bible is the best selling best-selling book of all time. - Source: Sermon Illustrations and Outlines - http://net153.com/net/ - Cited in Weekend Encounter
I have read how "two fellows were driving a delivery truck down a road when they came to a tunnel. The sign above said: 'Warning: Maximum Height 10 feet zero inches,' so they got out and measured their truck. Unfortunately, the truck was just over 12 feet high. "They didn't know what to do, when finally one of them looked in both directions and said, 'I don't see any police, let's go for it!'" The result was obvious. I guess far too many of us knew very well we shouldn't do a certain thing or commit a certain sin, but we did it anyhow because we thought no one was watching. We may not have seen the immediate effects, but we always reap what we sow--even if it is eventually. Furthermore, acting wrong too often because no one is watching can easily become a habit. As George Dana Boardman wisely said, "Sow an act ... reap a habit; sow a habit ... reap a character; sow a character ... reap a destiny." The reality is that we can never hide from God. He sees all. He knows all. And he judges all unless we confess our sins and receive his forgiveness. As God's Word also says, Numbers 32:23 “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” – Cited in Daily Encounter
HELP
TO MAKE A BETTER DAY "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in
it." - Psalm
118:24 Little things make a better day! *Being grateful for another morning by being cheerful on the outside, even though you might be in physical pain on the inside. *Writing a note of encouragement, congratulations, appreciation, sympathy or condolence to someone needing a little lift. *A short visit to a sick friend. *A telephone call to someone who lives alone who may be lonely. *A little gift to someone to brighten their day. *Have a kind and warm greeting to those you pass by. *Stop and smell the flowers and enjoy their beauty. *Show kindness to animals ~ feed the birds. *Explore the satisfaction of being courteous. By administering just a few of these suggestions today, they will add to the sweetness and smoothness of life. They will bring pleasant communion with others, nurture friendships, and prevent the interference of those petty sophistications that keep us apart from others. Though small, they create a beneficent radiation which enriches us and contributes to our own ennoblement. They will enhance a tender inclination for pleasantness that comes with the satisfaction of having done good. They strengthen the soul. They make a good day because they make us better people. And then, when you lay down to go to sleep at the end of this day, you will be left with a satisfied feeling that you have been a more considerate person today than you were yesterday. Then, by all means . . . try it again tomorrow! Smile! Jesus loves you! So do I! – jcshrimp1.com/insp/
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the
distance between your knees and the floor. <> The one who kneels to the
Lord can stand up to anything.
CELL
PHONE VS. BIBLE I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone. What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we used it to receive messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it? What if we gave it to our kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? This is something to make you go... hmm...where IS my Bible? Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the Bill. And no dropped calls! P.S. DO WHAT YOU THINK GOD WOULD WANT YOU TO DO WITH THIS E-MAIL P.S.S. The battery never runs down either, it is ALWAYS ON FULL CHARGE, YOU NEVERUSE UP ALL YOUR MINUTES AND THE SIGNAL IS STRONG NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO! - Sent to me by email from Ava Bowley
FOLLOW YOUR BUBBLES
Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee.
GOD’S
STRONG HANDS by David McCasland READ:
Genesis 32:22-30
“Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking
of day.” —Genesis 32:24
JUST
DRIFTING "THEREFORE
we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard,lest
any time we should let them slip." - Hebrews
2:1
WHERE’S THE SCENT?
Hebrews 12:6, 10, 11 “For whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth… For
they verily for a few days chastened us
after their own pleasure; but he for our
profit, that we might be
partakers of his holiness…Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
THE
NAIL
"For as the body is
one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body: so also is Christ."
THE
WORLD
DEPENDS ON FAITH Howard
Hendricks writes... I
didn’t observe any of you come into this room and examine your chair before
you sat in it. You just automatically committed yourself by faith to the chair,
assuming it would hold you. Most of you got here by car; you slid in the car and
turned on the ignition and away you go. You don’t have a clue as to what goes
on behind the scene. You can’t explain the process. You just trust it.
RECOGNIZING
AND CHANGING Several
years ago the Peanuts comic strip had Lucy and Charlie Brown practicing
football. Lucy would hold the ball for Charlie's placekicking and then
Charlie would kick the ball. But every time Lucy had ever held the ball
for Charlie, he would approach the ball and kick with all his might.
PRAYER
is so simple. It is like quietly
opening the door and slipping into the very presence of God;
There in the stillness to listen to His voice; Perhaps to petition, or
only to listen. It matters not; Just
to be there in His presence is PRAYER. – Baker Book House: “Church Bulletin Bits”
Note: What a privilege to
enter into the presence of the Lord in prayer.
I think of the words of Dottie Rambo: “I didn’t come here to ask you
for anything, I just came to talk with you, Lord.
You’ve answered a million prayers or more that I forgot to thank you
for, I just came to talk with you, Lord.”
ON
BARKING DOGS AND SLEEPING LIONS
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
“For ye see your
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,
not many noble, are called: But
God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God
hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are
mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God
chosen, yea, and things which
are not, to bring to nought things that are:
That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
TRUE
RICHES
A tax assessor came one day
to a poor minister of the gospel to determine the amount of taxes he would have
to pay. “What do you possess?” he questioned.
OFF
KEY AND OUT OF TUNE
Today I turned on my computer and began to type. I had finished about two
lines before I looked at the screen and saw a confusing jumble of letters. I had
unknowingly placed my hands one key to the left of proper starting position.
Therefore, each word I wrote made absolutely no sense.
GOD
ALWAYS HAS CONTROL
"But
as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to
pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." - Genesis
50:20
Joseph's jealous brothers sold their young brother into slavery.
Despite this evil deed, Joseph was, in time, led by the Lord to become
prime minister of
Our God has laid out His plans, and we cannot alter them.
He foresees the schemes of evil people and He plans around them, turning
evil into good.
Peter proclaimed on Pentecost that Jesus, crucified and killed by the
hands of lawless men, was delivered up according to the definite plan and
foreknowledge of God. But God raised
Him up, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death
to keep its hold on Him! (Read Acts
2:24)
Knowing the power God had then, and still has today, we can be certain
that He is turning apparent evil into good also in our lives.
We can fully trust that God is in control ~ of this world and of our
lives. God has a plan for each of us! May we seek His guidance in the unfolding of it, trusting in Him and following Him always. - jcshrimp1.com/insp/
I
AM ONE I am only one, But I am one; I cannot do everything, But I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do; And what I ought to do, By the grace of God, I will do. – Baker Book House:
HE
LIVES TODAY!
I remember the witness of Bishop
Lajos Ordass of the
GOD’S
MORNIN’ IS COME
Pastor Cameron S. Smith tells a
wonderful story. It is about the only white person in the state of
This man had lost his mother when he was just a baby. His father, who
never married again, hired a black woman named Mandy to help raise his son. She
was a Christian woman who took her task seriously. Seldom has a motherless boy
received such warmhearted attention. One of his earliest memories was of Mandy
bending tenderly over him in his upstairs bedroom at the beginning of each day
and softly saying, "Wake up--God's mornin' is come."
As the years passed this devoted woman continued to serve as his
surrogate mother. The young man went away to college, but when he would come
home on holidays and in the summer, she would still climb the stairs and call
him in the same loving way. "Wake up-God's mornin' is come." One day, after he had become a successful statesman, the sad message came: "Mandy is dead. Can you attend her funeral?" As he stood by her grave in the cemetery, he turned to his friends and said, "If I die before Jesus comes, I want to be buried right here beside Mandy. I like to think that on Resurrection Day she'll speak to me again and say, 'Wake up, my boy, God's mornin' is come!'" …..By Rev. Guss Shelly, via Wit and Wisdom by way of Chaplains Notes (ChapnotesMail@aol.com) and “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
THE BEAUTY OF CREATION
"In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth." - Genesis 1:1
God
made this world and filled it with all its riches.
He created us to live in this
world and to discover, enjoy, and use its resources.
"Bless the LORD, O my
soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou
art clothed with honour and majesty.
Who coverest thyself with
light as a garment;who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain."
- Psalm 104:1, 2
The beauty of the Lord is
reflected in the skies. The softness of a sunset hosts a gorgeous harmony of colors and
the mighty architecture of clouds. The
enchanting hues of the sunset are given us by God for our enjoyment.
"And God made two great
lights; the greater light
to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also." -
Colossians 1:16
The beauty of the Lord is
reflected in the skies. He asks that His light also be reflected in our lives.
We are to shine daily before
others in abundant deeds of love so
that they, seeing our good works, will glorify our Father who is in heaven.
"The same was in the
beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life; and the life
was the light of men." -
John 1:2-4
Every thing God does, He does for
a purpose. It will endure forever. All
around us are things God, in His good pleasure, has given us.
We all just need to "Stop,
and take time to smell the roses" He has given us to enjoy.
We should be standing in awe of
God, and His power, beauty and wisdom.
He has placed such beauty here on
this earth for us, out of an act of love.
But His
greatest act of love is not found in the stars or in a beautiful sunset,
or in the lilies of the fields . . . but
in the cross of Christ ~where salvation and eternal life awaits sinners on
earth. While
the beauty of His creative world is awesome, one day it will pass away.
But His gift of Jesus and His
forgiveness of sins will endure forever.
May we all look around us today
and absorb the beauty of God's wonderful creation. With a joyful heart, may we stand before Him in prayer, giving
thanks for every thing ~ especially for our gift of salvation.
"I asked God for all things
that I might enjoy life. He
gave me life that I might enjoy all things."
"THE RISING OF AN EMPIRE" In 1787 representatives from each of the 13 states met in Philadelphia to iron out differences that threatened to destroy the new nation. Instead of making things better, fighting became so intense that some of the delegates actually walked out ... and it appeared that others would soon follow. It was at this point that Benjamin Franklin, the 81-year-old elder statesman rose to his feet and said, "I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this building no better than the builders of Babel... ...I therefore beg leave to move - that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business..." The delegates listened soberly, and in the midst of crisis, our leaders in Congress set aside their congressional duties and got on their faces before God... and the power of God came into that room and they began moaning and groaning in prayer. They were weeping and wailing, crying out to God to save their young nation. After they sought God in earnest and fervent prayer, they drafted our Constitution - the document that lays out the principles by which we are governed. Our constitution has become the oldest written constitution still in effect today. This amazing document bears the stamp of God's handiwork when we see how it has effectively met the challenges we have faced throughout our 200+ year history. -- This historical excerpt is from an account of the event written by Peter Marshall on the founding of America. Peter Marshal is the son of the late US Senate Chaplain, Peter Marshall of whom the book and movie "A Man Called Peter" was written by his wife Catherine Marshall. - From A Dose of Inspiration
Freedom does not mean the absence of constraints or moral absolutes. Suppose a skydiver at 10,000 feet announces to the rest of the group, "I'm not using a parachute this time. I want freedom!" The fact is that a skydiver is constrained by a greater law -- the law of gravity. But when the skydiver chooses the "constraint" of the parachute, she is free to enjoy the exhilaration. God's moral laws act the same way: they restrain, but they are absolutely necessary to enjoy the exhilaration of real freedom. - From A Dose of Inspiration
REAPING WHAT YOU SOW If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment. If you plant consideration, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. If you plant faith in God, you will reap a harvest.So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later. Source: Graphic Humor and Inspiration by Richard Wimer -http://witandwisdom.org/subscriptions.htm – Cited on Weekend Encounter, by Dick Innes
AND
THIS IS LOVE…
"And
this is love, that ye walk after his commandments.
This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye
should walk in it." - 2
John 6
Psalms 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people
whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
In
a world of mystery, it's a comfort to know
FRUITS
OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
For his first pastorate, Burkett Smith came to the Evangelical
United Brethren church of
LISTEN
FOR THE
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop
your car, or are walking by, you will notice some-thing quite amazing. Looking
into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen
not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.
This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the
sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that
it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is
a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can
follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with
the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will
listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting
that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each
evening it stops occasionally and looks back making sure that the blind friend
isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just
because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches
over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell
of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse,
helping others to find their way.... Good friends are like that... You may not
always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell
and I'll listen for yours. And remember... Be kinder than necessary - everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. …..Jack the AZBeeman and DM Xander by way of Chaplains Notes (ChapnotesMail@aol.com) and “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
A Christian rises
against the winds of adversity.
MEASURING
OUR WORTH
"Jesus said unto him,
If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful:
for he had great possessions. Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall
hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew
19:21-23
OBEDIENCE
AND PEACEFUL ABIDING
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." John 15:4
GOD,
OUR FATHER
"And he arose, and came to his father.
But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his
neck, and kissed him. And the son
said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no
more worthy to be called thy son. But
the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him;
and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be
merry: For this my son was dead and
is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And
they began to be merry." Luke
15:20-24
YOUR
FATHER KNOWS THE WAY
When I was a small boy growing up in
MY
FATHER’S HANDS by
Pastor Rick Sams
Once there was a woman who would ask if she could give you her picture to
remember her. After recipients got past the initial shock of such an usual, bold
request, usually her gift was accepted. It was her picture for sure; a picture
of her hands. Not particularly attractive or distinguishing hands, I might add.
TURN
FROM SINFUL WAYS
"AND
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of
"A B C" My words are not mine most days. They just appear in my mind, on my computer screen or on paper and I share them. I sat in a meeting recently listening to others around me speak about all the challenges in life. The group was made up of men and women of various ages. One middle aged man wondered out loud why God had not permitted him to be successful. I stood up and said, "Success is as easy as A B C." I then walked out of the room. Of course this stirred the conversation and caused a number of people to laugh at the simplicity of my statement. I waited outside the door and listened. "He has no idea what he is talking about!" "Nothing in life is that simple!" As I turned to walk away I heard a voice, "Sir! Pardon me." I stopped and turned toward him. "You caused quite a discussion in there." "I always do," I replied. "I couldn't let you go without an explanation," he said. "You said 'Success is as easy as A B C". How can that be?" I then pulled a small scrap of paper out of my jacket, walked over to a nearby table and scribbled something on it. "Out of all those people, you were the only one who showed interest in the possibility. It's a reflection of today's society. We are made to believe that unless something is complex, multi-layered and expensive, it cannot be of any value. Something simple is not worth pursuing. That is except for those who know the truth...like you," I said. I then handed him the note, smiled and walked away. Before he opened the paper, I left the building, crossed the parking lot and got into my car. I waited and watched the nearby window. He appeared there smiling as he held the note up and waved. This is what I wrote, "You are "A" child of God. You will "B" successful when you "C" what He sees in you." "A B C"…..Copyright 2007 Bob Perks "I believe in you!" (2believe@comcast.net) (http://www.BobPerks.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
IT’S
EASY TO GIVE WHAT WE DON’T WANT ANYMORE
When a tornado touched
down in a small town nearby, many families were left devastated. Afterward, all
the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the
families who suffered the hardest.
EQUIPPED
TO SERVE
"Come
now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth
my people the children of
MEMORIAL DAY SALUTE The United States of America was born from the blood and ashes of war--the Revolutionary War of 1776. It was fought to defend the "self-evident" truth "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Those who fought and died were committed to the notion that government derives its "just powers from the consent of the governed" and that when a government does not protect the unalienable rights of the people, it is the "Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."
Since the
war of 1776, nearly two and a quarter centuries ago, thousands of men and women
have died for the same cause. Tyranny
does not reign in
THE POWER OF AN
INVITATION
On
Monday a friend met me on the street. “I
noticed you were absent from our civic club’s last meeting,” he said.
“Will you be there next Wednesday?”
“No,”
I replied. “I can’t make it.
Don’t look for me.”
Two
men asked me on Tuesday if I could come. I
said to the first, “I wish I could, but I can’t this week.”
The next one I answered, “My schedule looks impossible, but I’ll try
to find the time to come.”
Wednesday
morning in the post office a fourth man asked if I would be at the meeting that
day. “I’ll try to come,” I
replied, “but I may not make it.” Before
I got to my car, a fifth man stopped me, and I promised I would be there for
sure.
I
don’t know whose official duty it was to contact me, but I couldn’t resist
the invitation from five different men. We
all like to go where we are wanted.
If
you want the unsaved, the indifferent, and absentees to attend our church, you
must let them know. They know that
if you really want them to come, you will find the opportunity to invite them.
This is a task for ever member of our church. –
Baker Book House:
THE
SINNER’S FRIEND
One evening a woman was
driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was driving
uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the
truck, but when she sped up the truck did too. The faster she drove, the faster
drove the truck.
“Tell me,” said a philosopher, “Where is God?” “First, tell me,” said the other, “where He is not.” – Anonymous OUR GOD IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, FOREVER!
OUR SYMPATHETIC SAVIOR "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16
Some years ago, a man in When the appendage had been strapped to the stump, which was all that remained of the injured leg, the attendant requested that the patient get up and walk across the room. Awkwardly, the man struggled to his feet and staggered across the room. Then, dragging himself painfully back to his chair, he slumped into it, utterly exhausted and discouraged. "That's not how to do it," said the attendant. "Watch this!" Then he gracefully walked across the floor. "Ah," exclaimed the patient, "It's all very easy for you because you don't have any disability." "Oh, haven't I?" replied the attendant. "Look!" Pulling up the legs of his trousers, he disclosed that he was not wearing one artificial limb, but TWO! (Author Unknown) So many times we doubt or we get depressed and discouraged and we are inclined to say, "Jesus, it was easy for You. You are God, and could not sin. You never tasted the abundance of daily temptation, toil, and frustration." Yet, Hebrews 4:15 tells us, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” So, the next time you find yourself doubting you can finish the race, look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. The next time you're depressed about giving up things for God, look to Jesus who gave up even more. Or the next time you're discouraged, remember the ultimate sacrifice........ Jesus bearing the sins of the world on the Cross as God turned His back to say, "I LOVE YOU" to us. May the Lord bless you and fill you with His love, hope, joy and peace always! - jcscrimp1.com/insp
SOLID PREPARATON
"And
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of
DROP
A PEBBLE IN THE WATER Drop a pebble in the water, just a splash, and it is gone; But there is half a hundred ripples circling on and on and on, Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to sea. And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.
Drop a pebble in the water;
in a minute you will forget, But
there are little waves a-flowing and there are ripples circling yet, And
those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown; You've
disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone. Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone; But there are half a hundred ripples circling on and on and on, They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go, And there is no way to stop them, once you've started the flow.
Drop a word of cheer and
kindness: just a flash and it is gone; But
there are half a hundred ripples circling on and on and on, Bearing
hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave, Till
you wouldn't believe the volume of the one kind word you gave. Drop a word of cheer and
kindness: in a minute you will forget; But there's gladness
still a swelling, and there's joy circling yet. And you've rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard, Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word. - Author Unknown. Cited on Graphic Humor & Inspiration. Editor, Richard Wimer, http://witandwisdom.org/subscriptions.htm - Dick Innes, Weekend Encounter
PUSH
THE BUTTON!
My pastor friend put sanitary
hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church and after two weeks took
them out. I asked him why and he confessed that they worked fine but when he
went in there he saw a sign that read, "For a sample of this week's sermon,
push the button." …..Mikey's Funnies (funnies-owner@lists.MikeysFunnies.com)
(www.mikeysFunnies.com) by way of "Christian Voices" (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)
YOUR CHURCH IS YOU You are a walking advertisement of your church and the Christ whom it proclaims. You take the church of its four walls and make it live in the everyday affairs of life. In fact what people think of your church, they think of you. Some have the idea that the pastor is the church. It is true that the pastor often speaks for the church, declares what it stands for, and invites people into its fellowship. It is his job to know the church’s business and to act in its behalf. He is your representative, but he certainly is not your substitute. The preaching in the pulpit is fruitless unless it is reflected in the lives of members of the congregation. Classroom teaching is ineffective unless it comes to life in the attitudes and behavior of the people. Your church is measured not so much by what its leaders say as by what you do. It is easy to make speeches and claims, but claims must be validated by the product. You are your church’s product and the validation of its claims. You are the means by which the good life advocated by the church is communicated to people. Your church professes a
concern for people; you express that concern in the way you act toward others.
Your church tries to build up a Christian world; you validate these
attempts by your conduct on the job or in your community.
Your church claims to have a gospel that will make people new, opening to
them a more satisfying life; you are the demonstration of that claim.
Your daily acts as a
Christian preach more sermons, teach more people, and save more lives than the
words that are spoken inside the four walls of your church building.
You are a cell of the living church.
Without you, the church has no life. – Baker Book House:
THE MESSAGE OF MY MONEY My money is really another pair of feet to walk today where Christ would walk if He were still on earth. My money is another pair of hands to heal and feed and bless the desperate families of the earth. My money is a prayer of intercession suddenly crossing time and space to help answer itself in one swift, unselfish gesture. My money is one big part of my Christian life. If my money is not committed to Christ, then I am not totally dedicated to Jesus and His will. - Baker Book House:
AMAZING
GRACE
John John abandoned the faith
taught by his mother and embarked on such a life of extreme debauchery that his
friends questioned his sanity. He signed onto a slave ship and was soon the
master of his own ship, dealing in the evil of bringing slaves from Africa to All through his life John
Newton never ceased to marvel at the grace of God that transformed him so
completely. While the pastor of a church, he wrote his spiritual autobiography
in a song that God gave him from the dark night of his soul: "Amazing
Grace." - Author unknown. Cited in Encounter Magazine. Published
by ACTS International (
UNKNOWN
HEROES Ilion Jones writes that "On the great biographer Ida M.
Tarbell's 80th birthday, someone asked her to name the greatest persons she had
ever met. She responded, 'The greatest persons I have ever met are those nobody
knows anything about.'
THE
LOVE OF A MOTHER
Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of
TAKE TIME: To think. It is the source of power. To play. It is the secret of perpetual youth. To read. It is the fountain of wisdom. To pray. It is the greatest power on earth. To love and be loved. It is a God-given privilege. To be
friendly.
It is the road to happiness. - Baker Book House:
A
MOTHER'S LAMENT
Of all the men I have known, I cannot recall one whose mother did her level best for him when he was little, who did not turn out well when he grew up. – Frances Parkinson Keys PRAYER,
BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE
God does not conduct His work, solely, with men of education or of
wealth or of business capacity. Neither can He carry on His work through men of
large intellects or of great culture, nor yet through men of great social
eminence and influence. All these can be made to count provided they are not
regarded as being primary. These men, by the simple fact of these qualities and
conditions, cannot lead in God's work nor control His cause. Men of prayer,
before anything else, are indispensable to the furtherance of the
I WROTE YOUR NAME I wrote
your name on a piece of paper, but by accident I threw it away. I wrote your name on my hand, but it washed away. I wrote your name in the sand, but the waves whispered it away. I wrote your name in my heart, and there forever it will stay. - Author Unknown. Submitted by Ellen Schultz -
Cited on Weekend Encounter, by Dick
Innes
AN
HUMBLE BIRTH
Mary was far from home, far from
her family, and far from what she expected that first birth to be. But the whole
setting for the child’s birth was apart of an elaborate plan to provide access
for lost humanity into God’s family. Why did God experience such a humble
birth?
FEAR
NOT
In the Christmas narratives,
there are several “fear not’s.” 1. The “fear not” of salvation: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings...which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10,11). 2. The “fear not” of the humanly impossible: “Fear not, Mary, … the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: …For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:30, 35, 37). 3. The “fear not” of unanswered prayer: “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Luke 1:13). 4. The “fear not” of immediate obedience: “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife. … Then Joseph … did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him” (Matthew 1:20,24) - Source Unknown
THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS
POSITIVE
INFLUENCE
John Gibson, a popular anchor for the Fox News Channel, has been
digging up evidence about activists, lawyers, politicians, educators, and media
people who are leading the war on Christmas. And he reveals that the situation
isn’t just hype.
For
instance:
THE EASY WAY OUT Christmas shopping, though fun, can be difficult. Did you hear about the guy that bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas? A friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty 4-Wheel drive vehicles." "She did," he replied. "But where am I gonna find a fake Jeep?"
As a theologian said in 320, "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it."
The King
of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave himself to you and me. The Bible calls
Him, "the unspeakable gift!" He
is the greatest gift we will ever receive!
SPONTANEOUS
BROTHERHOOD
THROW
IT OUT!
In a business magazine I
read, there was an article about a company, imaginary I hope, that was planning
its Christmas sales campaign. The board of directors was puzzled how they could
beat their competitors, then suddenly the chairman had an idea. "We’ll
have a crib," he said, getting very excited. "We’ll have the most
expensive manger in the world. We’re about to put Christmas back into
Christmas!" From then on there was no stopping them. They decided on a
slogan lifted from the New Testament, "It is more blessed to give than to
receive."
May
the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
A CANDY MAKER’S WITNESS
CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTIONS To
your enemy, forgiveness. To God, praise and glory and honor! (Worship Him)
May
Peace be your gift at Christmas
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVERYTHING It is a commentary on our situation in life that the biggest problem most of us has with our Christmas shopping, aside from finding time to do it, is that most of the people we shop for already have everything they need. This year I’m fresh out of ideas. We can imagine the scene in a fairly average household on Christmas morning. When all the expensively wrapped gifts have been opened and the room looks like an explosion in a paper-goods factory…
It is rather obvious that a
typical American family has everything. They have helped keep the economy on an
upward spiral, gratifying both the local merchants and the administration in Are they people who have everything or people who need everything? What do they really need this Christmas? They need simplicity, time for sorting out their lives, time for being together, time for getting to know one another, and time for sharing themselves at the deepest levels of human communication. They need holy time, a sense of life’s deeper dimensions, of eternal mysteries breaking in upon finite existence, of the God of righteousness whose being conveys meaning to all of life’s actions and relationships, and the blessing of a world that wants to bless us if we’ll only let it. They need space for seeing life as it is, for seeing the millions of people in the world who are starving to death and the millions who are dying of simple diseases, for realizing how shallow life is when it is lived merely for the pleasure of the moment without any regard to the future or its consequences, for standing back and looking at their own lives, so that, like Scrooge when the ghosts of Christmas Past and Christmas Present and Christmas Future whisked him away, they will have a chance to mend their ways, to become wholesome, to become worthy, and to become children of God. They need the Christ of Christmas and renewal of their inner spirits. That is what it all comes down to, isn’t it? They need to hear and receive the message of Christmas, that God has entered the human arena to dwell with us, that His presence is consequently here and available to us now, that we are not alone, spinning out our destinies…, and that all our days are spent before the Holy One of Israel who poured all that He was and is and will be through the funnel of a miracle into the child born in the manger of Bethlehem. They need to surrender their lives to Christ, who is the real Gift of Christmas, and in the end He so overshadows all others as to be the only one. In a sense, I am talking about all of us. That is the way it ought to be for us at Christmas. Most of us have been lost in the busyness of our existence, trying to cope from day to day, and have quite forgotten who we are or whose we are.…And then we, who thought we had everything, realize we have nothing, and, realizing we have nothing, stand ready to receive everything. For He is our joy and peace.
In all the frenzy and noise
of the season, O God, help us to find our way home; and, having found it, let us
never lose it. Through Christ, who was born to show us the way. Amen. - John
Killinger Christmas Spoke Here
T'was
The Night Before Christmas
There was no room in the inn when Christ was born, and today there is no room in the hearts of many everywhere for the Christ who grew and gave His life that we might live!
JUST THE FACTS
"He
that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding
holdeth his peace."
Proverbs 11:12
GIVING TO GOD "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." - 2 Corinthians 9:7 Years ago it was the custom for the people to bring their gifts to the front of the church. A well-known preacher was making an appeal to the people to give for a good cause. Many came to present their offerings of love. Among them was a little crippled girl who hobbled along at the end of the line. Pulling a ring from her finger, she placed it on the table and made her way back up the aisle. After the service an usher was sent to bring her to the preacher's study. The preacher said, "My dear, I saw what you did. It was beautiful. But the response of the people has been so generous that we have enough to take care of the need. We don't feel right about keeping your treasured ring, so we have decided to give it back to you." To his surprise, the little girl vigorously shook her head in refusal. "You don't understand," she said. "I didn't give my ring to you, I gave it to God!" Lovely. (Author Known to God) - jcshrimp1.com
SLEEPING
IN CHURCH In a
cartoon simply dated 2000, Tim Walburg of
SEND
THE FLOOD! During
a flood in the
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