Happy Sunday

A Jewish Father's Concern

A Jewish father was concerned about his son who was about a year away from his Bar Mitzvah but was sorely lacking in his knowledge of the Jewish faith. To remedy this he sent his son to Israel to experience his heritage.

A year later the young man returned home. "Father, thank you for sending me to the land of our Fathers," the son said. "It was wonderful and enlightening, however, I must confess that while in Israel I converted to Christianity."

"Oy vey," replied the father, "what have I done." So in the tradition of the patriarchs, he went to his best friend and sought his advice and solace. "It is amazing that you should come to me," stated his friend. "I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian."

So in the tradition of the patriarchs, they went to the Rabbi. "It is amazing that you should come to me," stated the Rabbi, "I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian. What is happening to our sons? Brothers, we must take this to the Lord," said the Rabbi. They fell to their knees and began to wail and pour out their hearts to the Almighty.

As they prayed the clouds above opened and a Mighty Voice stated "Amazing that you should come to Me. I, too, sent My Son to Israel....."

I hate to disappoint you!


"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1.

Are you one of those folks that have said at different times in your life-  "You know, if I could just see a sign; if I could just see a miracle, I'd believe in God. I'd get my life straight."

I hate to disappoint you!
But that's just not true.

Look at all those plagues in Egypt.
How did Pharaoh and the Egyptians respond?
Their hearts just got harder.

And look at what happened with the miracles of Jesus.
People witnessed Him raise a man from the dead and all they could think about was how to get rid of Him.

Most didn't change.
Their hearts just got harder and harder.

Throughout history, people's hearts haven't changed because they saw or experienced a miracle.
Miracles simply reveal if a person is hard-hearted toward God or if they have any inkling of faith.

Are you waiting for some sign or miracle to appear to give you the "proof" you're looking for to believe in God?

Remember-
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for."

The evidence for God's existence is everywhere.
What you have to decide is if you'll be open-minded enough to see it, see Him, then change your mind and believe.

Daily Smile:

Cooking Eggs 
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly her husband burst into the kitchen.

"Careful ... CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh no, no, no - you're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful ... CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"

The wife stared at him. "What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?" 
 The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving with you in the car."

 Read more of The StarLight News on line at

http://the-starlight-news.blogspot.com/

Happy Reading

Happy Saturday

Love Each Other

1 John 4:12 "No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

Some people simply enjoy being with others. They make friends with strangers easily and always surround themselves with friends. Other people are shy or reserved. They have a few friends, and are frequently uncomfortable talking with people they don't know or mingling in crowds. Shy people don't need to become extroverts in order to love others. John isn't telling us how many people to love, but how much to love the people we know. Our job is to love faithfully the people God had given us to love, whether there are two or two hundred of them. If God sees that we are ready to love others, He will bring them to us. No matter how shy we are, we don't need to be afraid of the love commandment. God provides us the strength to do what He asks.

God, we thank You for the love You have given us to love others with.

Fill us with an extra dose of compassion, kindness, mercy and grace, as we love Your children.

Thank You for the people in our lives, Lord. May we love those in our lives with a faithful, Christ-centered love.

In Your Precious Name, Amen..

Have a blessed weekend!

In His Service,

April

Daily Smile:

When a little church stopped buying from the local stationer, he called the deacon to ask why, The deacon explained "Remember those pencils we ordered from you so that visitors could register?" 

"Sure," the stationer replied, "didn't you get them?" 

"Yes, but you sent us pencils from the country club that said, "Play Golf Next Sunday"

 Read more of The StarLight News on line at

http://the-starlight-news.blogspot.com/

Happy Reading

Happy Friday

HIS Pain, Your Gain

“We have so theologized the passion and death of this sacred man that we no longer see the slow unraveling of his tissue, the spread of gangrene, his raging thirst.” —Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

The images in the movie “The Passion of Christ” stunned us all. After decades of dissecting the meaning of the Cross, some of us had become desensitized to the fact that the crucifixion was all too real that day in Jerusalem: real whips, real nails, scarlet blood, steaming sweat, bitter tears—real suffering.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. —Isaiah 53:4-5

The writers of the Gospels don't go into the gory details of the Cross. They described His mode of torture and execution as quite a matter of fact. (Historians and Hollywood have willingly filled in the graphic descriptions.) Prior to the Cross, Jesus knew the normal demands and limitations of the human body. We don’t have an indication that He got sick, but He may have. We do see plenty of hunger, thirst, and being physically tired. He definitely understands physical suffering; He certainly sympathizes with our physical suffering.

The important thing is that Jesus is here and Jesus cares. And did something about it. Because of the suffering that He endured through His death on the Cross, we can know a peace that surpasses all comprehension, a joy in spite of our circumstances, and an intimacy with Him through that shared experience.

Lord Jesus, Isaiah predicted that You would carry my sorrows and take up my infirmities. So I leave them with You now. Thank You for the peace that was bought through Your punishment and the healing that I can know through Your wounds. I claim that now through faith in You! Amen.

Daily Smile:

A wife asks her husband, "Could you please go shopping for me and buy one gallon of milk, and if they have eggs, get 6."

A short time later the husband returns home with 6 cartons of milk. The wife asked him, "Why did you buy 6 gallons of milk?"

He replied, "They had eggs."


Editor's Note: And wives say, "We don't Listen"...

Happy Thursday

Expose the Decay

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9,

Recently I have had a lot of dental work done. I have had major dental work over the past 20 years; root canal treatment, crowns, teeth out. My teeth looked OK, but underneath each crown, decay had crept in and undermined the tooth. The poor dentist is in despair, for each time he looks under a crown he is met with decay.

It reminds me of the Christian life. On the outside appearance we may look FINE. On the inside we may feel "Fearful, Insecure, Neurotic & Emotional". We may put on the happy face but just under the surface our lives are full of decay (sin).

Sometimes we are not even aware it is there, until God allows our circumstances to show us what is really in our hearts. The cap comes off and the decay is exposed.

God wants to heal us and expose our hearts so that we can become more like Jesus. As my dentist works away at my teeth he is eventually replacing them with teeth that cannot decay. God wants to replace the lies and the deceit in our hearts with truth so that we can be shining vessels for Him. Dental work is painful and costly. So too is bringing health to our hearts, but the end results are worth it.

Prayer: Father God, please expose the decay in our hearts so that it can be cleaned out and restored to be more like Jesus. We understand that it will be painful and costly, but, Lord Jesus, for your sake, it is worth it. Amen.

Today's Writer : Diane Watson

Daily Smile:

Why did the nerd eat the fifth grader's math test??

Because it was a peace of cake!!

Happy Wednesday

Strong One 

by T. Suzanne Eller

“That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NLT)

The wind blew through my fingers as I held my hand outside the window. The bright sunshine seemed foreign after several days in the small hospital room.

My husband had insisted that I go home. “Take a long bath, babe. Take a nap in a real bed. I’ve got this.”

After four weeks, my world had shrunk to my son’s bedside, X-ray rooms, the therapy wing, and a dimly lit cafeteria in the basement. I had no idea how long my son would be in the hospital, or what awaited us when he was released. The doctors used phrases like, “It’s uncertain at this time.”

Before the drunk driver hit my son, I was strong. It wasn’t that my faith hadn’t been tested; it had. But this was my child, broken and battered at the hands of another, and I couldn’t fix it.

As I drove home, I heard these words deep in my spirit:

When you are weak, you are strong.

That didn’t make sense to me. I felt anything but strong.

When I arrived home I took my bath and a nap. Afterwards, I pulled out my Bible and flipped to the verse. And there it was. Paul’s words:

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The apostle suffered with a “thorn in the flesh.” Scripture doesn’t tell us what that was exactly, but we do know that it was something he couldn’t fix on his own. When he prayed, God reminded Paul that His power comes through when we are at our limits.

There was no mistaking it. Like Paul, I was at my weakest point. As a mom, I wanted nothing more than for my son to be okay and the wreck to be behind us. I wanted my son at home. I was exhausted by long nights on a too-small, too-thin cot, and days of caring for my child as he battled extreme pain.

Yet God was trying to tell me something. Something I hadn’t realized until that moment.

I didn’t have to be the strong one all the time. While I was caring for my son, God was caring for me.

It took a year of therapy and prayer to make my son well; there were many more weak moments ahead for this momma.

But in each, I paused and I whispered these words:

“When I am weak, then I am strong.”

My strength was not found in my own abilities or even my staying power. Instead, I was strong because God sustained me and filled me with His grace in the midst of the battle.

Sometimes, when that period of my life is brought up, friends remark, “Suzie, your faith was so real during that time.”

I can’t help but remind them that I was far from having it all together. What they were seeing was God’s grace and love poured over my weak places.

Are you struggling today? Do you feel weak? Whisper it with me:

“When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Daily Smile:
The Goodnight Kiss

At the end of their date, a young man takes the girl back to her home. He decides to try for that first kiss. With an air of confidence, he leans with his hand against the wall and, smiling, he says to her, "Darling, how 'bout a good night kiss?"

Embarrassed, she replies, "Oh, I couldn't do that. My parents will see us!"

"Oh come on! Who's gonna see us at this hour?"

"No, please. I would just die of embarrassment if someone saw us."

"Oh come on, there's nobody around, they're all sleeping!"

"No way. It's just too risky!"

"Oh please, please, I like you so much!!"

"No. I like you too, but I just can't!"

"Oh yes you can. Please?"

"NO, no. I just can't."

"Pleeeeease?..."

Out of the blue, the porch light goes on, and the girl's sister shows up in her pajamas, hair disheveled. In a sleepy voice the sister says: "Dad says to go ahead and give him a kiss. Or I can do it. Or if need be, he'll come down himself and do it. But for crying out loud tell him to take his hand off the intercom button!"

Happy Tuesday

THE VALUE OF BIBLE STUDY

  by C. R. Stam

"From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus"(II Tim. 3:15).

         Timothy was a fortunate young man. His father was not a believer in Christ, but his godly mother made up for this lack as, day after day, from his earliest childhood, she taught him the Word of God. As a result he came to know Christ at an early age and later became St. Paul's faithful co-worker and close associate in making known the wonderful "good news of the grace of God."

In his very last letter the great Apostle Paul recalls Timothy's "unfeigned faith... which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice" (II Tim. 1:5).

         If only we had more such mothers and grandmothers today, with husbands to help them! If only our American children were not set adrift on a restless sea of human speculation, but were taught the eternal truths of God's Word, the Bible!

         We all need to "know the Holy Scriptures," not only because they teach reverence for God and build moral character, but most of all because they "are able to make [us] wise unto salvation through faith... in Christ Jesus."

         The theme of the Bible, the Old Testament as well as New, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the riches of whose saving grace are unfolded to us in the Epistles of Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace. It was to Paul that God committed the preaching of the cross of Christ. He it is who tells us about the riches that flow from Calvary. He it is who tells us, by divine inspiration that:

         "...WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH [CHRIST'S] BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph. 1:7).

"THAT IN THE AGES TO COME HE MIGHT SHOW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:7).

Daily Smile: 

A guy to a friend: “After three sets golf clubs and ten years of lessons, I am finally getting some fun out of golf. I quit.”

Happy Monday

THE CROWN OF CREATION

By Dr. William Hallman

Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:26-31; 2:7; Psalm 8

Whence came man on the earth? Did he develop, through untold billions of years, from a simple form of one-celled life? Science can prove no such thing. If evolution were true it would be in continuous operation, and there would be forms of life half-way from the ape to man. How good to turn to this record, and find that this original creation presents both animals and man as coming by direct creative fiat or decree by God.

Man was created, first of all, by God's Sovereign Power. "And God said, Let us make man," ... "And the Lord God formed man. " It is Elohim, the triune God, Who in consultation, acted to create man. Here is unity of purpose, a unanimous decision made in Heaven by the Trinity to create man. What a noble thing it is to have our beginning in a direct creation from above, rather than from the scum of the pond below!

Man was also created through God's Sovereign Process. "Let us make man in our image, after our Iikeness, .... male and female created He them. "The Image Dei, the image of God, is the chief possession of man which relates him to God. It is man alone, who like God, is self-conscious, with ability to rationalize, to create, and to make moral judgments. The "image" establishes relationship; while the "likeness" establishes similarity of character. God takes from the ground and forms a body; then breathes into this body His breath of lives. Man then comes forth as a living soul. Here he stands the crown of God's creation.

Man is created in the third place by God's Sovereign Purpose. Physically, "God made man upright" (Eccl. 7:29). The actual form that sinful man still bears (Gen. 9:6; I Cor. 11:7) was the form that God the Creator took in the person of Jesus Christ. Mentally, man had absolute power to have dominion over, and subdue the earth; also he had wisdom to name every living creature. He was also a moral being with power of choice; not a mechanical entity. Truly we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psa. 139:14). Meditate upon and rejoice in such passages as 2 Cor. 3:18; Col.3:10; Rom. 8:29. 

Daily Smile:

I hear the boys are gonna strike," one worker told another.

"What for?" asked the friend.

"Shorter hours."

"Good for them. I always did think 60 minutes was too long for an hour."  

Happy Sunday

SAFELY IN

By Miles Stanford

"You are made partakers of His resurrection, through the faith wrought in you by God, who raised Him from the dead" (Col. 2:12, Cony.).

All true believers are gratefully aware that they are not going to hell, but few realize that they are already in heaven.

"There is no question about there being a beautiful new position for the believer, but people limit it to its being theirs when they die. Scripture shows that it is ours now! People say, 'You get to heaven when you die.' No such thing. You have it now. It is not your death that entitles you to it, but the Lord Jesus' death. There is not a single shade that was between us and the Father, but the Lord Jesus has removed in His death." -J.B.S.

"The great work of the Lord Jesus was wrought on the Cross to bring us to the Father; His death and His Blood, His ascension and sitting on the Throne; all mean one thing - our being brought nigh to dwell in the Father's presence. And with what object? That the Father may have us, to mature us, to work in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight. Let no one think that the entrance into the Holiest is the end; it is only the beginning. It brings us into the right position, in which the Father in His divine power can work out His will and purpose in us conforming us to the image of His Son." -A.M.

"The Lord Jesus stood where I was, and now I stand where He is, and that is the only place I have before my Father. We may fail and grieve the Holy Spirit, but that is where we are set." -J.N.D.

"If there be progress upward there must be progress in life and ways down here; you cannot see the need for a change in your ways here until you are transformed by the influence of nearness to Him there. You thus gradually find things here are not suitable for the order and nature of the things which are so attractive to the renewed heart up there." -J.B.S.

"Your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). 

Daily Smile:

Q: How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb?

A: We don't know. They're still arguing about it.

Happy Saturday

Forever With Him

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 gives us powerful prophetic words,

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Jesus Christ will return, and the church will be caught away! We will meet the Lord in the clouds and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be changed. From that moment on, we will always be with the Lord.

Maybe you are going through a rough patch right now. If so, let me remind you that this earthly life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. But we have eternity in store. Thank God we will ever be with the Lord!

If He tarries and we die before He returns, we get to go to heaven. But I have a feeling, with the way things are shaping up, that we will be the generation that sees His return.

Have you noticed how the eyes of the world are on the Middle East?  This is all end times stuff. Also, one of the things that Jesus said would be a precursor to the end is that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached to every nation, literally, to every language group.

And you know what? That will be completed in our generation.

So keep your eyes fixed on His return, and that day you will meet Him in the air and be with Him forever!

Good Morning and Happy Saturday,
     I see now that writing a prayer request plan over several days is efficient, however, it is challenging to go back and recap a Praise... As you have already figured out, today's recap is written in green to make it easier to follow... Blue is what I wrote on Thursday...
     Friday, I woke at 1AM and decided I still had another hour to sleep instead of going then... Big Mistake... 2AM came and I was sluggish, could barely get going... What would have been a 15 minute get ready at 1AM will take about 60+ minutes as I struggled to get motivated... Left the house at 3:08 to deliver... About a fourth of the papers had been counted and bagged the night before and I moved quickly tossing papers... Stopped in front of Nielsen's Pharmacy to count and bag more papers... 4s, 8s, 10s, 15s and 25s... Almost another fourth of the papers were ready to deliver...
     Just before 6AM, I arrived at Hardee's to claim my two orders of Biscuits with sausage gravy and senior coffee... By 7:30AM, I was finished and feeling good decided to go ahead and make my Mississippi run... The furthest point only about 15 miles away, I felt confident... Everything went well until I turned around to head back and suddenly I could feel my body shutting down... It was the longest 15 miles of my life as I slapped my face to stay focused... W&J had already left for the morning so I was back at Hardee's for coffee before driving across town...
     Visited Ms. Joyce Mizell and left her papers, enjoyed another hot cup of coffee and then headed to the house for some much needed sleep...
     Unfortunately, sleep avoided me until after 3:30PM, Elaine had left to go get the Grandchildren at school and I slept until after 11:30PM... Ate supper, read email and then about 4:30AM, I woke again, having fallen asleep in front of the computer... Again... Back to my recliner where I slept some more until 7:30AM; THEN back to work... Praise The LORD!!! From Wednesday's Email...
The Need Plan:
 1) Today - Finish the paper layout by midnight... Finished the paper layout almost at midnight and the last page was received at the printer at 12:10AM... Thank You LORD!!!
 2) Get at least four hours sleep tonight... Finally fell asleep after 2AM, woke several times, finally got up around 7:30AM... Close enough to call four hours, but felt rough all day... Thank You LORD!!!
 3) Pick up the papers Thursday... Problems at the printer... Possible delay in getting them printed from 7PM tonight until possibly in the morning... After several call backs, I was relieved to hear that the paper would be ready by 3PM today... I have picked up the papers and made it home by 6PM... Thank You LORD!!!
 4) Start paper delivery Friday about 1AM til the stores start opening (This is about three times faster than day delivery)... I plan to spend about an hour bagging papers for delivery tonight and then try to get 3-4 hours sleep... May go ahead and get dressed before bed, this way all I have to do is get up and go...

The rest of The Need Plan will have to wait a little while for the answers I seek...
 5) Continue paper deliver Saturday into outlying areas and Mississippi... Mississippi has already been completed, so I am looking at about 2-3 hours of driving today for the Pine, Thomas, Angie, Varnado run...
 6) Go to church and rest Sunday (Afternoon nap would be a Huge Blessing)... Afternoon nap is wiped out, since I made a previous 4PM commitment... A solid 1-2 hours sleep would be enough to make it through Monday...
 7) Finish the paper delivery early Monday morning in Franklinton...
 8) Go to Juror Duty Monday 9AM for what I hope will be a short day... 
 9) Relief from stress, focus on what needs to be done, the energy to complete the daily task and rest when it is needed... Thank you to those that stood in agreement with yesterday's prayer... By standing with me, doors were opened and satan was the one that got sidetracked... Thank You LORD!!!
My LORD... You Continue to work through me and around me in a might way... Even the setbacks are easier to handle... Thank You My LORD!!!

     Please continue to stand with me as this day goes by and Sunday and Monday approaches... 
Thank and Have a Blessed Day,
Richard

Happy Friday

So Little Thyme 

by Christine Berglund 

With all the varieties of thyme in my collection, it's a standing joke about "just how much thyme I have put into my garden." It is true, gardening takes time, and thyme, too. The herb bed is a favorite spot, and the thymes are definitely one of the most favored of the herbs. I have German Thyme, English Thyme, Lemon Thyme, Silver Thyme, Wooly Thyme, French Thyme, Creeping Thyme, and Elvin Thyme.

"Time, time, time, is on my side; yes it is," sang Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. But the Bible clearly tells us it is not. Our short stay on this planet is but a blink of an eye in light of eternity.

"As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10 NASB).

Who among us did not earnestly wish we had more time in the day or the year? The ancients were likely no different. I am just now discovering that I need to take time to do the things I was saving for later, when I'm supposed to have more time. The farmer in the Bible who made big plans about his big barns thought he had unlimited time, but God proclaimed him to be a fool. He did not know when his time was up on this earth. None of mankind does.

This is why God has "set eternity in their heart"(Ecclesiastes 3:11). This life is so short and full of frenzied activity to get everything done, that the idea of eternity calms our anxious souls.

Have you ever thought it was, say, Wednesday when it was only Tuesday? Or looked at a clock wrong and then discovered you really had an extra hour or two? Allow the concept of eternity to sink in, and feel the same wave of relief wash across your frantic mind.

Yes, there is much to do in this life, and some of it has to be done before it is eternally too late. Precious people heading in the wrong direction, eternally, present an emergency that cannot wait.We don't have a guarantee of more time — not even a minute! Therefore those who are wise are "making the most of [their] time, because the days are evil"(Ephesians 5:16).

In the bigger scheme, we actually have much more time than we think.Prayerfully allow yourself to think in the broader sense of time and of eternity, and the important things will fall into place.You will do a better job using the time you have.

I think my Thyme is up.

Daily Smile:

A Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" 

One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

NOTICE:

     The May '12 Edition of The StarLight News is now on line...
http://the-starlight-news.blogspot.com/

Happy Thursday

JOY IN BELIEVING

                     by JOHN FREDERICKSEN, Pastor

Scripture Reading: Romans I5:13

Believers in the age of grace have perhaps more reason to rejoice in their salvation than believers of any previous time.

Very early in man's history, God revealed His plan to bring spiritual blessing to the entire world through Abraham. God promised him, "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed," (Genesis 12:3). Progressive revelation unfolded the details of Abraham's seed providing a specific Saviour as a sacrifice for sin. Then the remainder of the nation was to become a kingdom of priests ministering to the world. When Christ came the first time, it was "to confirm the promises made unto the fathers," (vs. 8). Had Israel responded in belief, the millennial kingdom would have been established and Gentiles would have at last enjoyed blessing. They would have glorified "God for His mercy," (vs. 9), rejoiced" (vs. 10), and praised the Lord because they too would trust in Him (vs. 11-12).

The problem is, Israel refused to believe and God's plan to bless the Gentiles could have been frustrated. But "the God of hope" found a solution. Romans 11:11-15 explains that God is now blessing Gentiles NOT through Israel's rise to prominence, but through her fall from God's unique favor. Today salvation is offered to all apart from Israel's promises or instrumentality, and solely on the basis of grace. No wonder then that Paul exhorted his readers to be filled with joy and peace in believing. He even exhorted them to abound in the confident expectations of eternal blessings. 

Ours is a salvation provided by the determined purpose of a merciful God. Let's truly rejoice in it today! 

Daily Smile:

This man in a Ford Granada pulls up next to a guy in a Rolls Royce at a stop sign. Their windows are open and he yells at the guy in the Rolls: "Hey, you got a telephone in there?" 
The guy in the Rolls says, "Yes, of course I do."
"I got one too... see?" 
"Uh, huh, yes, that's very nice." 
Then the man in the Granada says, "You got a fax machine?" 
"Why, actually, yes, I do." "I do too! See? It's right here!" 
"Uh-huh." 
The light is just about to turn green and the guy in the Granada says, "So, do YOU have a double bed in back there?" 
And the guy in the Rolls says, "NO! Do you?" 
"Yep, got my double bed right in back here — see?!" 
The light turns and the man in the Granada takes off. Well, the guy in the Rolls is not about to be one-upped, so he goes immediately to a customizing shop and orders them to put a double bed in back of his car. About two weeks later, the job is finally done and he picks up his car and drives all over town looking for the Granada. He finally finds it parked alongside the road so he pulls his Rolls up next to it. The windows on the Granada are all fogged up and he feels a little awkward about it, but he gets out of his newly modified Rolls and taps on the foggy window of the Granada. The man in the Granada finally opens the window a crack and peeks out. 
The guy in the Rolls says, "Hey. Remember me?" 
"Yeah, yeah, I remember you. What's up?" 
"Check this out — I got a double bed installed in my Rolls." 
And the man in the Granada says, "YOU GOT ME OUT OF THE SHOWER TO TELL ME THAT?!" 

NOTICE:

The May '12  Edition of The StarLight News is now available to read online at http://the-starlight-news.blogspot.com/...

Happy Wednesday

DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me…. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:1, 27b NIV).

There are a lot of problems and hardships today that make the world unbearable for living. No one is immune from these things that are confronting human beings every day. Many have given up all hopes and are expecting the worst to happen. Some have even resorted to taking their lives. However, in all these, Jesus Christ says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled."

Jesus Christ was with His disciples in the upper room giving them His farewell speech when He made this statement. His disciples were disturbed because of some events that He predicted. These events included: He was going away (John 7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; 13:33); He would die (John 12:32-33); one of them was a betrayer (John 13:21); Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22:31-32); they would not be able to follow Him to where He was going (John 13:36); Peter would deny Him thrice (John 13:38); and all of them would fall away (Matthew 26:31). Nevertheless, Jesus counseled them to believe in God and also in Him (John 14:1). He was saying in essence that they should believe in, adhere to, trust in and rely on Him. Trust is the great antidote for a troubled heart. Seeing God above our problems will make our hearts not to be troubled.

Jesus Christ did not ask His disciples to only trust in Him as an antidote for their troubled hearts, He also gave some other reasons for His admonition. He affirmed the reality of heaven where He was going to prepare a place for the disciples (as well as other believers), and come back to take them (John 14:2-3). The reward of Christian service in the hereafter is an encouragement to the disciples and even believers today to persevere in trials of faith.

Jesus would not leave the disciples alone in the world. He promised that the Father would send another Comforter to them, Someone who would abide with them forever (John 14:15-17, 26). This would be the Holy Spirit.

Despite the fact that Jesus Christ would leave His disciples, He would give them His peace (John 14:27). This peace would be different from the worldly peace or any other peace that they could think of. But this peace, as Paul put it, "…transcends all understanding, [and it] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 NIV). This would not be for them, just as part of their lives in eternity, but as a vital aspect of their lives on earth. The peace is also for all that put their total trust in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ briefly mentioned it as He was rounding off His farewell speech that He has overcome Satan, the prince of this world (John 14:30). Satan might have come to this world, yet he would not overcome the disciples. Jesus Christ reaffirmed it also in John 16:33 that He has overcome the world.

What are you passing through that is making your heart to be troubled? Remember Jesus' admonition, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." He has gone to prepare our eternal home for us. He will come back to take us to Himself. Come to God through Him, the only true living Way. Allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in your life. You will experience His peace. "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV).

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor)

Daily Smile:

Four high school boys afflicted with spring fever skipped morning classes. After lunch they reported to the teacher that they had a flat tire. 

Much to their relief she smiled and said: "Well, you missed a test today so take seats apart from one another and take out a piece of paper." 

Still smiling, she waited for them to sit down. Then she said:
"First Question: Which tire was flat?"

Happy Tuesday

GOD IS LONG-SUFFERING

 

     “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called not of Jews only but also of the gentiles.” (Romans 9:232-23)

    
     Peter writes how “the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Pet. 3:20.)  What was the condition of man in Noah’s day? “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5.) Yet, in view of such evil, God did not swiftly execute His wrath, but He was long-suffering while Noah built the ark for the saving of eight souls.

      God would make known the riches of His glory through vessels of mercy, but it appears to take a long time to prepare such vessels, longer than it does to bring forth vessels of wrath. Man, born in sin and shaped in iniquity, has the root of the mystery of iniquity working in him from the moment of his natural birth, when he begins to breathe the atmosphere of this world’s system. A baby can manifest its own self-will the day it is born. But to prepare a vessel of mercy takes the tender care of God, as little by little He purges and purifies, until the whole is conformed to His image. Therefore GOD ENDURES, He is patient; He continues a long time while waiting for this spiritual maturity. Just like He endured the whole wicked stream of humanity all those years while Noah constructed an ark, so now He waits for our perfection.

     “Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long (is long-suffering) with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.” (Luke 18:7-8.) What a beautiful balance, long-suffering with His creation, and yet when He does move, it shall be done speedily. “However for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long-suffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God alone who is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Timothy 1:16 -17

By Ray Prinzing

Daily Smile:

Three buddies die in a car crash, and they find themselves at the pearly gates.

They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and
family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you?

The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was the
greates doctor of my time, and a great family man."

The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful
husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our
children of tomorrow."

The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say... LOOK!!! HE'S MOVING!!!!!"

Happy Monday

Our Resurrected Bodies

by Herman Tranter, Preacher/Evanglist

John 11:13 "Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep."

There are many scriptures where death is spoken of as sleep, however, the disciples thought Jesus was speaking of Lazarus simply resting. Jesus eventually clarifies their misunderstanding by using the word "death," but that was not His first choice. This is because God's perspective is different than ours. Death is final to natural man but not to God. There will be a resurrection.

In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul uses natural illustrations to explain the resurrection. He speaks of seeds that are buried in the ground and "die." Then they are resurrected as a plant. The plant and the seed bear no resemblance but they are actually the same. The plant is just in a resurrected state. Likewise, our physical bodies will die but they will be resurrected just as surely as seeds produce plants.

In the same way that a seed is different than the plant that it produces, likewise our resurrected bodies will be different. Our glorified bodies will be very similar to our physical bodies in appearance. This can be said because of what the scriptures reveal about Jesus' glorified body. He still looked human, He ate food, had the print of the nails in His hands and feet, and He said He had flesh and bones. Yet he could appear and disappear. Our resurrected bodies will be immortal (i.e. not subject to death). Our resurrected bodies will be like Jesus' resurrected body.

In the same way that our present physical bodies are a miraculous creation, so our glorified resurrected bodies will have their own glory. We can rest assured that God never serves dessert first. If this physical body is wonderful, our resurrected body will be even better.

Daily Smile:

Mr. White and his wife went for a gathering. At commencement of the program, the MC said the people were going to be grouped into two. He said "those whose wives' are the head of the family move to the left-hand side of the auditorium, while those whose husbands are the head of the family should move to the right". 

Mr. White asked his wife "Honey, which group should we move to?"

Happy Sunday

A TRICK

A young man, a student in one of our universities, was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the students' friend, from his kindness to those who waited on his instructions.

As they went along, they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by, and who had nearly finished his day's work.

The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them."

"My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him."

The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by.

The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin.

Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.

His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom the timely bounty, from some unknown hand, would save from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with tears. "Now," said the professor, "are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?"

The youth replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of those words, which I never understood before: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

-- Author Unknown

Daily Smile:

"Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked one of his employees.

"Yes, sir," the clerk replied.

"That's good," the boss said. "After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother's funeral, she stopped in to see you."

Editor's Note: Today's Devotional and Smile was set to load at 2AM... At 6:20AM, I forced it to load... Have A Blessed Day...

Happy Saturday

Unprofitable Anger

Os Hillman

"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." - Ecclesiastes 7:9

Every day of our lives we are placed in situations that engage us with other people, whether it is in the office, our homes, or in public places. Do you recall the last time someone cut you off in traffic, or you were forced to wait in line because someone up front got held up? Perhaps your employer did something that was downright unfair. Anger can result from many circumstances.

A friend once told me that anger is like warning lights on the front of your car dashboard. They signal that there is something going on under the hood, and we should take a look to examine the source of the problem. Anger can be traced to a few sources. First, when we lose control of a circumstance that we have placed certain expectations on and those expectations do not result in our desired outcome, we are tempted to get angry. The source of this type of anger is both fear and protection of personal rights. You see, when we believe we have a right to something, we have not given the Lord permission to allow an outcome different from what we want. If an outcome is different from our expectations, this may stimulate fear. 

For instance, if a vendor failed to deliver an important job on time due to something out of his control, you may respond out of anger. Please know that the source of your anger is the fear of what might happen to you or what this might say about your abilities to manage a project. You no longer are in control of the circumstance and this creates fear in you. 

The next time you get angry ask the Lord what is the source of that anger? Did the Lord allow that failure to let you see what is "under your hood"? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind (see 2 Tim. 1:7). Give up your rights to expectations that God never gave you. You will find a new freedom in Christ you never knew you could have.

Daily Smile:

According to a radio report, a middle school in Oregon was faced with an unique problem:

A number of girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the custodian. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every day.

To demonstrate how difficult it was to clean the mirrors, she asked the custodian to clean one of the mirrors.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it into the toilet and then cleaned the mirror.

Since then there have been no lip prints on the mirror. 

Happy, Happy Friday

Faith That Is Seen

by Herman Trantor, Evanglist

Mark 2:5, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."

Faith can be seen. Just as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3:8, faith is like the wind. Faith itself is invisible, but saving faith is always accompanied by corresponding actions which can be seen…James 2:17-26.It was not only the faith of the paralytic that Jesus saw, but also that of his four friends… Mark 2:3. This demonstrates the effect our intercession in faith can have upon others. Jesus saw their faith. However, although our faith released on behalf of others is powerful, it is not a substitute for their faith. It is simply a help. The person who is to receive the miracle must have some degree of faith, also. Even Jesus could not produce healing in those who would not believe … Mark 6:5-6. In this instance, it is evident that the paralytic himself also had faith because he was not resistant to the four who brought him; and he got up and obeyed Jesus' command (Verse 7) without having to be helped.

Why did Jesus minister forgiveness of sins to this man instead of meeting the obvious need he had of healing? God is more concerned with the spiritual health of a man than his physical health. Or, Jesus, through a word of knowledge, may have perceived that the real heart-cry of this man was to be reconciled to God. In some instances (not all)… John. 9:2-3, sickness was a direct result of sin. Therefore, Jesus would be dealing with the very root of the paralysis. Whether or not this man's paralysis was a direct result of sin, sin in our life (that has not been forgiven) will allow Satan to keep us in his bondage. Through Jesus' act of forgiving this man's sins, the paralytic was free to receive all the blessings of God, which certainly included healing.

The point Jesus is making is that both forgiveness of sins and the healing of the paralytic are humanly impossible. If Jesus could do one of these things, He could do the other. He then healed the paralytic showing that He did, indeed, have the authority to forgive sins. In Jesus' day, the people were more inclined to accept His willingness to heal than they were to accept His forgiveness of sins without the keeping of the law. Today, the church world basically accepts forgiveness of sins, but doubts His willingness to heal. They were never meant to be separated. Believe and receive all God has for you today.

Daily Smile:

A nervous young minister, new to the church, told the flock, "For my text today, I will take the words, 'And they fed five men with five thousand loaves of bread and two thousand fishes.'"

A member of the flock raised his hand and said, "That's not much of a trick. I could do that."

The minister didn't respond. However, the next Sunday he decided to repeat the text. This time he did it properly: "And they fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fishes."

Smiling, the minister said to the noisy man, "Could you do that, Mr. Perkins?"

The member of the flock said, "I sure could."

"How would you do it?"

"With all the food I had left over from last Sunday!"

Happy Thursday

Tolerating a different spirit "For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!"  2 Corinthians 11:4, GNB Just recently an impressive flowering tree caught my attention. It was covered in attractive blossom and stood out from the rest of the trees all around. For some reason I felt the need to take a closer look and I was shocked at what I found. The flowers did not belong to the tree at all but to a creeping shrub, which I think was a variety of clematis. As I looked underneath I could see that there was a fine mountain ash tree also in flower, although with more subtle colouring, but this was almost completely smothered by the creeping plant. The clematis was growing from its own adjacent root but had been allowed to attach itself to the mountain ash, where it received support, twisting its spindly, vine-like stems around the strong branches of the tree. The tangled stems had pushed through and above the canopy of the main tree, almost completely blocking out the light below. From a distance, the flowers did look most attractive but in reality the mountain ash, which was the original planting, was being progressively choked to death; indeed only a small proportion of the tree was still visible to anyone viewing the landscape. The true nature of the underlying tree was being replaced by the creeping clematis. I felt that the Lord was giving me a powerful picture of how tolerating false spirits within the Body of Christ can certainly result in an impressive show but will eventually bring about destruction of the true fruit of the Holy Spirit, as the light is gradually replaced by darkness. In Matthew 7:16, Jesus reminds us that the nature of any fruit depends on the reality of its roots. When a spirit is rooted in the kingdom of darkness it will inevitably display flowering and fruiting contrary to the character of Christ, even if it initially appears attractive and appealing. Isaiah 61:3 tells us that the planting of the Lord will only glorify Him. However, the planting of the enemy seeks to steal and destroy that glory. Prayer: Father, in these challenging times, empower us to discern and nurture that flowering and fruiting in the Body of Christ which is truly rooted in You. Give us the courage to seek out Your planting, but to root out that which is contrary to Your nature, however attractive it may at first seem. Amen. Today's Writer : David Cross Daily Smile: Inner  Peace: This is so true  If  you can start the day without caffeine, If you  can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and  pains, If  you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If  you can eat the same food every  day and be grateful for it, If  you can understand when your loved  ones  are too busy to give you any time, If  you can take criticism and  blame without resentment  , If  you can conquer tension  without  medical help, If you can relax without  liquor,  If  you can sleep without the aid of  drugs,   ....Then  You Are  Probably  ......... The  Family Dog!      And  you thought I was going to get all  spiritual.

Happy Wednesday

Been saving this one for about 9 years... You may need a tissue for the first few paragraphs... I felt the emotions of Francis so much that I will skip the Daily Smile... Working on May's paper, Don't want to lose what I feel... Richard

~HELP FOR BLINDED EYES~

2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,  the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  2 Tim. 2: 2

The story is told of Francis Gilmore, of Michigan, who was driving his 40 ton tractor trailer along the Kansas turnpike.  While driving, he suddenly went blind, and could not see anything around him.

Mr. Gilmore grabbed his CB radio, called for help, and begin to apply his brakes, as he heard a reply.  A calm voice came over the radio which said, "Don't panic, go to your right.  Easy now.   You are on the shoulder.  You are O.K. now, so shut it down."

Gilmore said he owed his life and the life of others around him, to the man who responded to his call for help.  The trucker who answered his plea became help for his blinded eyes.

Every single day, we come into contact with individuals who are blind to the dangers all around them.  Many of these people are panic stricken, and they feel they have no where to turn for help.  Some are fearful, and there is no one helping to calm their anxiety.  Many wander, aimlessly, waiting for direction.  These fail to realize there is one we all can call upon, who will give us peace for our soul and directions for a life of peace.  As Gilmore, there are many facing destruction on the highway of life.

As God's children, we are responsible to witness to those around us who are blind because of  walking in the darkness of sin.  Each day, many are seeking help.  What will we do about them?  Will we speak peace, by declaring God's Word and letting others know there is hope for the hopeless and help for those who feel helpless? 

May our prayer be to hear the cries of those around us who are looking for God's light and seeking safety.  It can only be found in His salvation.  He has given Christiansa great responsibility to help lead others to Him, that He might give them rest.May we always seek the courage and the wisdom to help others as we walk through this life.

Blessings In Christ,

Jo Ann Kelly © 2010, 2003

J. P.'s Inspirations

http://www.my. homewithgod. com/jpinspiratio ns

Happy Tuesday

You're A W.I.P.

Now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future.

1 John 3:2 NCV

The surest way to get discouraged is to compare yourself with others. The Bible says, "Don't compare yourself" (Galatians 6:4 CEV), because some people will look like they're doing a better job and you'll get disheartened, while others won't be as effective and you'll become proud. "Concentrate on doing your best… (2 Timothy 2:15 TM). That way, "You will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and… won't need to compare yourself… (Galatians 6:4 NLT). All the apples on a tree don't ripen at the same time. Paul says, 'knowledge and understanding' take time (Philippians 1:9-10).

One successful author says, "When I began writing, I found myself fumbling with that part of myself. 'I want to be a writer,' I'd think, 'but I have to get this number of books published and this number of good reviews first.' It can take years and many successes in any new area… before we can confidently say to ourselves and others, 'I am'… what has God called you to do? Don't wait until you're successful… Start now by saying you are what you want to become… Yes, you've much to learn… and you may not be an expert… but you don't have to be, to say those two little words I am."

John writes: "Now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future" (1 John 3:2 NCV). God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines and imperfect people to do His perfect will. So, push ahead, cut yourself some slack, and remember you're a W.I.P. - a work-in-progress!

Daily Smile:

What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu?

For Bird Flu, you need Tweetment,

and For Swine flu,  

you need

OINKMENT!!!

Happy Monday

Decision-making

by Os Hillman, February 7, 2007

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. - Proverbs 3:5

This is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible related to gaining wisdom and direction from God. Yet I have never heard one teaching on this passage that teaches what I believe the psalmist is really saying. The first part is pretty easy; we are to trust with all our heart. But the next part is not so clear. We are not to lean on our own understanding. If we are not to lean on our own understanding, on whose understanding are we to lean? God's!

Throughout the Old Testament we find that God set up structures by which those in authority made decisions. God has always set a principle whereby we are to seek Him in all our decisions, that He might truly make our decisions. In the Old Testament, the priest made decisions based on which way the Urim and Thummim fell inside his breastplate. The casting of lots was another means of allowing a decision to be left with God. Proverbs says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (Prov. 16:33). Another means of making a decision was through the agreement of two or three. No one could be guilty of any crime without the witness of two or three. This was a biblical way of confirming a matter. Still another means of making a decision is through a multitude of counselors.

Given all these scenarios, what are we to gain from these examples? We are told in Jeremiah 17:9a, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." So what really protects each of us from the deceit of our own heart? I believe it is the combination of all the above. When we get to a place with God that our decisions are accountable to others, whether that be a wife, a board, or a few close friends who are committed to the same godly ideals, this is when we are protected from the deceit of our own heart. This is one of the hardest things to yield to God-the right to make our own decisions. Yet, it is the most elementary principle God requires of us to receive His blessing in our lives.

This principle took a long time for me to appropriate. However, today I can tell you I would never make a major decision without the counsel of others who are close to me. Relational accountability has become lost in our culture due to our hunger for independence. I have experienced too often the hardship that results from making decisions that God isn't behind. Walking in obedience is the only real freedom in Christ.

Daily Smile:

They have Dial-a-Prayer for atheists now. You can call up and it rings and rings but nobody answers.

Happy Sunday

I Choose NOT to be Offended 

Wendy Blight

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

What did she mean by that? Why does she always hurt my feelings? Why does she treat me that way?

I didn't realize these words played through my head on a continual basis until my daughter pointed it out. She ended many of our conversations with, "Why do you get your feelings hurt so easily?" Or, "Mom, you're so sensitive."

At first, her words angered me. But over time, I began to hear what she was saying. For years, I allowed people's words to hurt my feelings. In turn, I harbored anger for those words. The anger took root. Satan fed the words to me over and over again. I re-played them in my mind. Each time the anger grew deeper roots.

Listening to a sermon in church, I would think, "I wish ______ was here. They really need to hear this!" Of course, the sermon by-passed my heart all together. The words of others consumed my thoughts and focus, and stole my time.

About this time, God called me to teach a Bible study on the book of Proverbs. I spent days and weeks absorbed in this amazing book of wisdom. One afternoon, this verse leapt off the page and into my heart, "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" ( Proverbs 18:11).

I had a choice. Up until now, I heard people's words, jumped to a conclusion, and chose to be offended. But through His Word, God spoke and said, "Wendy, you can choose to look past their words and not receive them with an offended heart."

I discovered that I needed to LISTEN objectively and ask: What is driving their words? Do they have a valid point? Do they have a deep hurt? Do they need something I am not giving? Are they generally just plain mean and negative?

The responsibility was on me to stop the words from entering my heart and taking root. I discovered in this process that I WANTED the approval of others. Yet, God's Word clearly says that He is the only One whose approval I need. When I accepted this, my heart changed.

Yes, it took time, and I am a work in progress. But, now when someone speaks a hurtful word, I check it at the door of my heart. I hear the words, I recognize my issue, and I speak Truth over my heart. I literally say, "It is to my glory to not receive this as an offense."

It is a win-win for everyone because I do not ruin the rest of the day by pouting and making it all about me or soaking in self-pity. And, each time, I sense God is pleased as I honor Him by choosing NOT to be offended.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I am created in Your image. Thank You I find my identity in You. Thank You that it is only Your Word and Your opinion that matter. Lord, give me Your ears to hear. Help me not to be easily offended and easily angered. Help me lay down any offenses to which I am currently holding. Let me live in the freedom of Your love and forgiveness. Help me live not in my flesh, but supernaturally in the fullness and freshness of Your Spirit. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Daily Smile:

There is the Law of Gravity - and then, there is the Law of Parenthood

- A child's behavior will improve in proportion to the distance she is away from the parent.

- Two is equal to two, except when referring to time. Two minutes of tantrum lasts 20 times as long as two minutes of quiet time.

- The choice of a preschooler's best friend corresponds directly to the distance the friend lives from your house.

- A child's enjoyment of a popular entertainment will be inversely proportionate to the parent's enjoyment.

- The chance of a surprise visit by your parents-in-law is directly proportional to the size of the mess in your home.

- A child will always eat exactly what she has loved for the past year unless it is the only food in the fridge.

- The ease with which a toddler acquires the ability to say a word increases with its likelihood to embarrass a sailor.