Friday, November 28, 2008

Trust God

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God's love does not always keep us from trials, but it is a love that always keeps us through trials.

Got Troubles?

Everyone experiences situations or circumstances that are less than ideal, or that you have to struggle with or rise above on a daily basis.

There are all kinds of tests and trials that come as a part of life.

It teaches you to see things positively even when you feel like things are hopeless, to choose to love and share and sacrifice even when you don't have enough, to choose to do the right thing even when everything around you is wrong.

Life on Earth is a training and testing ground, one which teaches you to make the right decisions despite the hardships.

The difficulties that you face in life are what shape character. These are the tools that God uses to make you into the men and women that He needs you to be.

Without the tests, there would be no testimony.

Without these nagging weaknesses, these annoyances, these besetting sins‚ these embarrassing problems and obstacles, your faith would not be tested.

Only in the hot furnace of affliction do we as Christians let go of the dross to which, in our foolishness, we ardently cling.

He promises, "ALL things work together for GOOD to them that love the Lord!" (Romans 8:28) He is not going to allow ANYTHING to happen to you, His child, except what is for your GOOD!

Of course, we often feel like, "My goodness! A LOT of things happen that don't look very good to ME!" But sooner or later you will find out that somehow or another they WERE good for you!

So even if you don't always understand WHY you're going through tests, trials, hardships and breakings, remember, GOD knows what He's doing! He knows all the purposes and reasons behind each test, trial or trouble.

EVERYONE who has ever been of any real use to the Lord, had to first be broken, humbled and brought virtually to the END of THEMSELVES.

Otherwise, they would be too proud and self-confident in their own fleshly talents and natural abilities, and would take the glory to THEMSELVES if God were to use them.

This is why He chooses to use the WEAK things and the FOOLISH things, "that NO FLESH should glory in His presence!" (1Corinthians 1:25-29)

A bar of steel worth $5 ºº

When wrought into horseshoes, is worth $10 ºº

If made into needles, it is worth $350 ºº

If into penknife blades, it is worth $32,000 ºº

If into springs for watches, it is worth $250,000 ºº

What a drilling the poor bar must undergo to be worth this!

But the more it is manipulated‚ the more it is hammered, and passed through the fire, and beaten and pounded and polished, the greater the value.

—Sir Henry Bessemer (1813–1898), British inventor and engineer

The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perish, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise & honor & glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

1Peter 1:7

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Butterfly & Flower

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Once there was a man who asked God for a flower....

....and a butterfly.

But instead God gave him a cactus....

....and a caterpillar.

The man was sad, he didn’t understand why his request was mistaken. Then he thought:

Oh well, God has too many people to care for...

And decided not to question.

After some time, the man went to check up on his request that he had left forgotten.

To his surprise, from the thorny & ugly cactus a beautiful flower had grown.

And the unsightly caterpillar had been transformed into the most beautiful butterfly.

GOD always does things right!

His way is ALWAYS the best way, even if to us it seems all wrong.

If you asked God for one thing & received another, TRUST.

You can be sure that He will always give you what you need at the appropriate time.

What you want...

....is not always what you need!

God never fails to grant our petitions, so keep on going for Him without doubting or murmuring.

Today’s THORN...

Is tomorrow’s FLOWER!

GOD GIVES THE VERY BEST TO THOSE WHO LEAVE THE CHOICES UP TO HIM! GOD BLESS YOU!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Storm Clouds

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“If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth.”

Ecclesiastes 11:3

True, for a while they hide the sun, but the sun is not quenched; it will be out again before long.

Why, then, do we dread the clouds which now darken our sky?

Meanwhile those black clouds are filled with rain; and the blacker they are, the more likely they will yield plentiful showers.

How can we have rain without clouds?

Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will.

They are the dark chariots of bright grace!

These clouds will empty themselves before long, and every tender herb will be gladder for the shower.

Our God may drench us with grief, but He will refresh us with mercy!

Our Lord’s love letters often come to us in black-edged envelopes.

His wagons rumble, but they are loaded with benefits.

Let us not worry about the clouds, but sing because May flowers are brought to us through the April clouds and showers.

His rod blossoms with sweet flowers and nourishing fruits!

O Lord, the clouds are the dust of Thy feet! How near Thou art in the cloudy and dark day!

Love beholds Thee, and is glad. Faith sees the clouds emptying themselves and making the little hills rejoice on every side.

The blue of heaven is larger than the clouds.

What seems so dark to thy dim sight
May be a shadow, seen aright
Making some brightness doubly bright.

The flash that struck thy tree
No more to shelter thee
Let heaven’s blue floor
Shine where it never shone before.

The cry wrung from thy spirit’s pain
May echo on some far-off plain,
And guide a wanderer home again.

TAKEN FROM AN ARTICLE BY C.H. SPURGEON

Friday, November 14, 2008

The Romans

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UNDERSTANDING ROMANS 8 VERSES 28-29

Because God is sovereignly in control, accidents are just incidents in God’s good plan for you. Because every day of your life was written on God’s calender before you were born, everything that happens to you has spiritual significance. Everything!

Romans 8 28-29 explains why: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son.” (NLT)

This is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood passages in the Bible. It doesn’t say, “God causes everything to work out the way I want it to.” Obviously that’s not true. It also doesn’t say, “God causes everything to work out to have a happy ending on earth.” That is not true either. There are many unhappy endings on earth.

We live in a fallen world. Only in Heaven is everything done perfectly the way God intends. That is why we are told to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.” To fully understand Romans 8 28-29 you must consider it phrase by phrase.

“We know”: Our hope in difficult times is not based on positive thinking, wishful thinking, or natural optimism. It is a certainty based on the truths that God is in complete control of our universe and that He loves us.

“that God causes” There’s a Grand Designer behind everything. Your life is not the result of random chance, fate or luck. There is a master plan. History is His story. God is pulling the strings. We make mistakes, but God never does. God cannot make a mistake – because He is God.

“everything”: God’s plan for your life involves all that happens to you – including your mistakes, your sins, and your hurts. It includes illness, debts, disasters, divorce, and death of loved ones. God can bring good out of the worst evil. He did at Calvary.

“to work together”: Not separately or independently. The events in your life work together in God’s plan. They are not isolated acts, but interdependent parts of the process to make you like Christ. To bake a cake you must use flour, salt, raw eggs, sugar, and oil. Eaten individually, each is pretty distatseful or even bitter. But bake them together and they become delicious. If you will give God all your distatseful, unpleasant experiences, He will blend them together for good.

“for the good”: This does not say that everything in life is good. Much of what happens in our world is evil and bad, but God specialises in bringing good out of it. In the official family tree of Jesus Christ, four women are listed: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Tamar seduced her father-in-law to get pregnant. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was not even Jewish and broke the law by marrying a Jewish man. Bathsheba committed adultery with David, which resulted in her husband’s murder. These were not exactly sterling reputations, but God brought good out of bad, and Jesus came through their lineage. God’s purpose is greater than our problems, our pain, and even our sin.

“of those who love God and are called”: This promise is only for God’s children. It is not for everyone. All things work for bad for those living in opposition to God and insist on having their own way.

“according to His purpose”: What is that purpose? It is that we “become like His Son.” Everything God allows to happen in your life is permitted for that purpose!

Extract from The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. (Page 195)

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A Master Piece

This is a master piece.  If you have not read it take the time to read it now.  If you have read it take time to read it again! Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

GEORGE CARLIN

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A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember: Spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember, to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

—George Carlin

Monday, November 10, 2008

Sanity Savers

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Every morning I wake up to what seems like a list of two million things I think I need to get done before the sun sets. I used to push myself to the limit physically and mentally, but still rarely accomplished everything I had planned, and that left me frustrated and stressed. My solution? I came up with a list of five things to help me get more done without feeling so pressured. Believe it or not, none of them are "work harder" or "go faster."

1. Pray for solutions. When we ask God in prayer for the help He has promised us in His Word, this sets heavenly forces to work on our behalf. So when I begin to feel pressured, I stop and ask Him to work out whatever situation is putting me under stress. This is getting at the root of the problem, not just dealing with the symptom, the stress.

2. Still my spirit. All prayers aren't answered instantaneously, of course, so I also pray for God to still my spirit and help me to trust Him for the outcome. I spend a few moments meditating on God and turning my worries and concerns over to Him. Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).

3. Plan and organize. The Bible advises, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). I have found that by planning my day the night before, I can free myself of much of the stress on even the busiest of days. I start with a list of everything I need to do or would like to do, set priorities, and pare down the list to what seems realistic. Then I plan the order in which to do them, including my route and travel times, estimating on the outside to allow for the unexpected. If everything doesn't fit, I cut some more. Having a solid plan sets my mind at ease.

4. Take breaks. Friends who work in offices, banks, schools, and other busy workplaces tell me, "That's impossible! I don't have the time for breaks." But I've found that a break doesn't have to take 30 minutes or an hour to be effective. Five minutes or less will usually do. I drink a glass of water and step outside for a deep breath of fresh air. Or if I can't do that, I look out a window or lean back and close my eyes. Relaxing physically helps to calm my mind. The next hour or two usually go so much better that it's clear those five minutes were a good investment.

5. Stay positive. No matter how carefully I plan my day, there are times when things go wrong or the unexpected happens. Instead of panicking or getting frazzled, I make a conscious effort to look for the good, to focus on possible solutions, not the problem.

So there you have it—five sanity savers that don't require any special genius, just a little discipline and practice.

Do you want a new lease on life?

You can have one, but you have to be willing to let go of the pressures that drive you now.

It’s up to you!

—Andrew Mateyak

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Getting Ahead

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How can you maintain peace of mind in today's fast-paced world without falling behind or getting run over by the pack? Here are some ideas.

Set priorities and goals.

· Without meaningful goals you will never be truly successful in life, no matter how much money you earn or how great a name you make for yourself.

· Be wise; prioritize.

· Success starts in the heart. When priorities and motives are right, you're halfway there.

· Avoid self-imposed pressure by avoiding unrealistic goals and deadlines.

· Even a relatively small project can seem like a mountain when you get so close to it that it's all you can see. Cut it down to size by breaking it up into smaller tasks.

· When you feel overwhelmed with all there is to do, reassess your goals, priorities, strategy, and work habits.

· Keep things in perspective. Don't let little inconveniences become big annoyances that sap your inspiration and strength.

· If you are worried about tomorrow, it makes today doubly difficult because you're trying to carry tomorrow's burdens as well as today's. Concentrate only on what you can do today.

Slow down and take time to rest and relax.

· There will always be deadlines, pressures, and work. If you let those things run your life, you'll never find time to relax and enjoy life.

· Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself.

· You must stop everything periodically and connect with the source—God—to get recharged, or you will run out of power.

· Better to take regular times of rest than to risk a breakdown. No matter how important your work is, it's not as important as your health and spiritual well-being.

· After creating the universe, God rested from His labor, and He tells us to do likewise.

Don't get caught in the materialism trap.

· Material things may temporarily satisfy the body, but only God and His love can truly satisfy the spirit.

· The truest wealth is measured in the things that money can't buy.

· Some people own things, and some people's things own them.

· At best, material success will last till the day you die; love lasts for eternity.

Take time for people.

· Make people your priority, and the best things in life will come to you.

· Start the day with love, and love will carry you through the day.

· Take the preferences, needs, personalities, and limitations of those you work with into consideration. That will go a long way in reducing stress and friction, two arch enemies of happiness.

· The life you live will soon be past,
But the things you do for love will last.

· All you need to be a world changer is love, because love changes everything it touches.

Stay positive and cheerful.

· To get the most from every day, look for the good in every situation.

· Success starts with a successful attitude. Train your mind to look beyond obstacles, disappointments, setbacks, and even failures.

· A smile is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.

· Laughter relaxes you physically and refreshes you mentally and emotionally by putting your problems in perspective.

Give your cares and problems to Jesus.

· Prayer can lift you up on the wings of God's Spirit to where you can see the big picture more clearly.

· When the pace or the events of the day seem overwhelming, take time to reflect and talk things over with Jesus, and you will be amazed at how much more energy you'll have and how much smoother things will go.

· Prayer is meant to be like talking to your closest friend on the telephone. You talk to Jesus, you listen, and together you sort things out.

· Make prayer your prelude, and you'll stay on key all day.

· Jesus can give you solutions that will make problems that loom as large as mountains melt away.

· Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light," but there's one condition attached: "Come unto Me" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Maintain a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle

· An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It's better to stay healthy than to have to be healed.

· The best way to prevent illness is to obey God's natural laws: Live right, eat right, work right, play right, rest right, love right, and maintain a right relationship with Him.

· Take time to enjoy life. God made every good thing for you to enjoy in moderation, and He created the senses with which to enjoy them.

· Taking good care of our bodies shows respect for the God who created us and gave us life and health.

· What you take in mentally and spiritually is as important to your overall well-being as what you eat. If life is full of headaches, perhaps you've been filling your head with the wrong stuff.

Compiled by Abi F. May

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Failure Is Not Defeat

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Failure does not equal defeat; they are two separate things.

Failure is a part of every life; everyone fails at times.

Defeat is when you don't rebound, but instead allow failure to turn what could be a successful life into a wasted one through self-pity and fear of the opinions of men.

Feelings of inferiority are Satan's attempts to deny the power of God within you.

*

One good thing about failure is that you appreciate the victory all the more.

It's not the failing that counts, but what you do with it.

No one has ever made a discovery, won a victory, or had a breakthrough without first experiencing some failures, yet refusing to let those failures defeat them.

*

Failing is often God’s way of helping you to zero in on His highest and best.

As your own programs crumble into dust, He’s right there with a new blueprint for something much better.

You can fail many times—in different things—and you will.

But you're not a failure as long as you keep getting up and trying again.

*

Always remember that there's a difference between failure, —which happens many times in our lives, and being a failure —which only happens if we decide to give up and quit.

There's a big difference between saying "I fail" and "I'm a failure."

There's no disgrace in saying the first—which is just a fact of life—but you should never say "I'm a failure" unless you've decided to give up.

The basic rules for success may be defined as follows: Know what you want. Find out what it takes to get it. Act on it and persevere.

No one is a failure who can truly say, "I have done my best."

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Words Of Wisdom

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ON PRAYER:

A potpourri of inspirational thoughts on several topics.

If you worry… you didn’t pray. If you prayed… DON’T WORRY.

As a child of God, prayer is like calling home every day.

No one can live in doubt when he has prayed in faith.

To grow tall spiritually, a man must first learn to kneel.

Some people talk about Heaven being so far away, when it is within speaking distance of those who belong there.

Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the Will of God.

Most of us would be in more trouble than we are if all our prayers had been answered.

“If two of you shall agree on Earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Matthew 18:19-20

ON FAITH:

Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, & receives the impossible.

Faith is to accept the impossible, do without the indispensable, & bear the intolerable.

Faith is idle when circumstances are right, only when they are adverse is one's faith in God exercised. Faith, like muscle, grows strong & supple with exercise.

You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings.

Faith ends where worry begins, & worry ends where faith begins.

The greatest victories are the victories of faith. It is not so much what we can do that counts, but what we can trust God to do.

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

Romans 4:20-21

ON CHARACTER:

Character, like embroidery, is made stitch by stitch.

Men of genius are admired; men of wealth are envied; men of power are feared; but only men of uprightness are trusted.

You cannot control the length of your life, but you can control its breadth, depth, & height.

The real measure of a man's wealth is how much he would be worth if he lost all his money.

Your reputation can be damaged by the opinions of others. Only you yourself can damage your character.

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

ON HAPPINESS:

Happiness is neither within us only, or without us; it is the union of ourselves with God. --Blaise Pascal

To be content with what we possess is the greatest of all riches.

There is as much difference between spiritual joys & earthly as between a banquet that is eaten & one that is painted on the wall.

There is no key to happiness, the door is always open.

There are two ways of being rich. One is to have all you want, & the other is to be satisfied with what you have.

You will be happier if you will give people a bit of your heart rather than a piece of your mind.

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

John 13:17

ON PEACE:

Peace is not made at the council tables, or by treaties, but in the hearts of men. --Herbert Hoover

Peace rules the day, when Christ rules the mind.

The peace of God transcends all understanding & misunderstanding.

If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot. --John Bunyan

Peace is the smile of God reflected in the soul of the believer.

Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

Monday, November 3, 2008

When Disaster Strikes

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WORDS OF COMFORT FROM JESUS

Shock, pain, anguish. Fear, confusion, turmoil. Disbelief, terrible sadness, anger. In this dark hour, I know even these words cannot fully express what you who have been touched by grave tragedy feel inside.

I know many of you feel that, at this point, there is no peace to be found. Mental anguish and an array of emotions grip you.

I feel and understand your pain. I hear the questions that barrage you. I see the horror that haunts you. I know the havoc, the devastation, the tragic loss of life. I grieve for you. I see your misery. I feel your heavy-heartedness.

Yes, I do see. I do care. I am deeply touched with your grief.

Some of you ask whether I care that your loved ones are gone. You may wonder if I care that your heart is breaking. You may question if I see.

My heart aches for you, and I want to comfort you. I want to relieve your pain and clear your mind. I want to give you peace that passes all understanding. I want to give you peace though all seems lost. I want to give you peace in place of fear, and comfort in place of distress, turmoil, and confusion.

No matter what you feel at this moment, no matter how deeply grieved you may be, no matter how hopeless or distraught you feel, I ask you to put Me to the test. Test My love. You can do this by letting Me comfort your heart, ease your mind, and free you from fear.

I'm reaching out to you now. If you'll grab hold of Me, if you will call on Me for help—even if you do not understand, even if you feel confused, even if you feel the pain is too much to bear—if you'll just put your hand in Mine and trust Me, I will give you peace that passes all understanding.

There is peace to be found. In the midst of this terrible destruction and despair that has touched your lives, in the face of bereavement and suffering, I will be your comfort and your consolation.

I want to answer the questions that trouble your mind. I want to allay the anguish and heaviness of heart, mind, and spirit you feel.

Put Me to the test. I am here with outstretched arms to bring you comfort. No matter how difficult the circumstances, I can give you perfect peace, freedom from fear, and strength to pull you through. I will be a light in the midst of the darkness that surrounds you. Try Me!

Those of you who already know Me, please talk to Me more. You can call out to Me anywhere, anytime, any hour of the day. When you do, if you'll wait a moment and listen, I will answer you. I will speak to your heart and mind, and will comfort and guide you through this difficult time.

Those of you who don't know Me yet, I will do the same for you if you'll call on Me now. Simply say:

"Jesus, if You really are the Son of God, I need You. Please make Your presence known to me. Give me Your peace and comfort and love. Take away my fear, ease this pain, comfort my aching heart. Set my confused and anguished mind at peace. Help me to talk to You, and to listen when You reply. Give me answers to my questions."

All you have to do is take this first step. No matter how dismal these days may be, I will pull you through if you'll hold on to Me. I never sleep. I am attentive to your needs and listening for your voice all the time. I am here to comfort and care for you. I am ready to answer your every question. Though your dreams may be shattered, there is no sorrow that I cannot and will not heal. I am here to hold you, to console you, to comfort you.

With never-ending love,

Jesus