Happy Thursday

I Didn't Sign up for This 

 Karen Ehman

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good ..." Genesis 50:20a (NLT)

"I didn't sign up for this!" my friend moaned as we reviewed the printed class schedules we'd just picked up in the school office.

While I had gotten all my desired classes, she had been assigned one she had absolutely no interest in taking. She couldn't imagine spending four months stuck in a classroom studying something she disliked.

I tried to empathize, but truthfully I felt she was whining about a very minor issue. Her life, in my estimation, was absolutely fantastic. She came from a well-to-do family. Her parents had been happily married for over 25 years. She had a big extended family and fun get-togethers. She had straight teeth and a nearly-new car.

I, on the other hand, came from a family rocked by divorce and financial struggles. I had only one brother with whom I didn't get along. My car was old and ugly. My teeth needed braces, but the funds had never been available.

Hearing her complain about her schedule started my descent into self-pity as I compared my circumstances to hers.

The more I thought about the unfairness of my life, I reached the same conclusion she had when she spied that unwanted class: "I didn't sign up for this!"

My friend and I both felt stuck. However, our situations weren't life-threatening. They were issues we could work to change. We could learn the lessons God had for us by not always having a perfect life. And if truly unable to change parts of our circumstances, we could still change our attitudes.

A young man in Scripture, Joseph, also found himself smack dab in a heap of hassles and difficult situations he never signed up for. His jealous brothers sold him into slavery. He was whisked away to live in a foreign land. To top it off, he was falsely accused of raping his master's wife even though he tried his best to stay away from her. He even wound up in prison.

These unjust circumstances could have had him complaining, "I didn't sign up for this!" He could have retaliated against those who had caused his turmoil. But he didn't.

Joseph maintained a God-fearing, God-honoring attitude throughout his ordeals, even as a slave with no freedom in sight.

At the end of his life we get a glimpse into his continual Christ-like behavior. He'd risen from slave to governor of Egypt through his discernment and wisdom. When his brothers came to buy grain during a famine from the Egyptian authorities, they were shocked to see their younger brother—long thought dead—sitting in a position of power. They feared he would retaliate for the cruel things they did to him, but Joseph's response? "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good ..." (Genesis 50:20a).

Joseph refused to let life's hard knocks knock him off course, preventing him from living a life that pleased God. He believed in a God Who works all things together for good. By recognizing God's redemption of horrific circumstances, he found true spiritual freedom from self-pity, anger and retaliation. Instead he characterized what God wants of us in Micah 6:8b, "And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" (NAS).

Today when I am tempted to whine as I compare my life with someone I perceive has an easier one, I remember Joseph, the slave-by-force. I want to emulate his attitude, be spiritually free, and walk in the ways of God.

It also prompts me to remember that today forced slavery still exists; women and children are forced into the sex-trafficking trade every day. These precious ones sit in atrocious circumstances due to no fault or choice of their own.

We enjoy simple freedoms they never get to experience. Unless ... we band together, purposing to do something about this awful practice. Could we dare to get our eyes off of our sometimes minor problems and spend time doing justice, acting kindly and humbly walking with God to help free these slaves?

No matter our circumstances, it's never too late to be free. Our God-honoring attitude that comes from a shift in perspective can help us find spiritual freedom. And our intentional actions can help others imprisoned in slavery find freedom, physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Dear Lord, help me take my eyes off of my circumstances and fix them solely upon You and Your plan so I can find true spiritual freedom and offer freedom to others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Happy Wednesday

Pride's End, Sinful Pride! (Leviticus 8-10)

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. - Proverbs 6:16-19

In Leviticus 8-10, we see that the consecration of the priests contained a strange ritual. God instructed Moses to kill a ram, take the blood, and put it on the ears, hands, and feet of Aaron and his sons. They were set apart for God through this anointing, and dedicated to His service in all they did.

Soon after this, Leviticus 10 records that Aaron's sons are killed for offering strange fire before God. God had not authorized them to burn incense on the solemn day of inauguration. That was to be performed by the high priest alone; they were to assist him. We know from the New Testament that the priests were to burn incense only when it was their lot, and this was certainly not Nadab and Abihu's.

As I've pondered these events I've wondered, Was there an element of pride in the lives of these two sons of Aaron? They had a tremendous honor bestowed upon them, but had it gone to their heads?

Can you think of anything good that cannot be ruined by pride? I can't. May God grant us the grace to face our areas of personal pride, confess them, forsake them, and walk each day HUMBLY with the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, help me to walk humbly with You. Amen.

God is especially angered and grieved when we, His children, exhibit prideful behavior.

In The News: Imagine, if you will, living in a country that you could be beaten, hospitalized, even killed JUST For Knowing JESUS... 

Coptic Christian Girl Shot Dead in Egypt

Morning Star News

CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News) – A Coptic Christian girl walking home from a Bible class at her church was shot and killed last week in Cairo by an unidentified gunman, human rights activists said August 9.

Amid a near-constant din of threats and scattered attacks against the Christian population in Egypt by militant political Islamists, the rights representatives said 10-year-old Jessica Boulous of the Ain Shams section of Cairo was killed early Tuesday evening (Aug. 6) while walking from the Ahmed Esmat Street Evangelical Church through a market to her home with her Sunday school teacher. 

The teacher turned to buy an item at a market stall only to turn back and find Jessica lying in the dirt in a puddle of blood, rights activists said. A Muslim shopkeeper who knew Jessica saw her fall to the ground and ran to her side. He took off his shirt, wrapped it around her motionless body and rushed her to a hospital, but she was already dead.

A single bullet had passed through her chest and heart, killing her instantly, witnesses said.

Nasr Allah Zakaria, Jessica’s uncle, said the killing has devastated the girl’s family.

“I just can’t believe she is gone,” Zakaria said. “She was such a sweet little girl. She was like a daughter to me. I can’t believe she is gone.”

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing. Zakaria, pastor of an evangelical church in Egypt, said he didn’t know for sure if the shooting was religiously motivated but quickly added that violence against Christians “seems to be normal” in Egypt now.

Violence or intimidation against Christians has become almost a daily occurrence in most parts of Egypt. In the aftermath of the protests that led to the removal of Mohamed Morsi as president, militant supporters of Morsi have publicly scapegoated the Coptic Christian minority for the Islamic Brotherhood-backed president’s fall from power. Many have called for revenge against Christians. Less than 12 hours after the Egyptian military announced that it had expelled Morsi from office, reports of attacks against Christians by Morsi supporters began.

After numerous attacks for about a week and a half, there was a relative lull in the violence. But at the end of July, the pace picked up once more. The attacks were inspired, human rights activists said, by a near-constant stream of vitriol from Islamic leaders calling for retribution against the Copts.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood on Aug. 2 distributed flyer threatening to attack church buildings and police stations in Minya in Upper Egypt, according to local residents.

Happy Tuesday

Clashing with Others

Karen Ehman

"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found..." Proverbs 10:12-13a (ESV)

My husband and I often joke about what would have happened in our college-courting days if we had sent our profiles to an online match-making website. We are pretty sure that instead of pairing us, the computer screen would have blinked DO NOT DATE!! TOTALLY NOT COMPATIBLE!

We're a lot like the two candlestick holders on the dresser in our bedroom. While both are crafted from solid brass with similar round bases, the rest of each holder couldn't be more different.

One is straight and streamlined, more functional than fancy. That candlestick holder has tall, strong lines. The second is designed with a touch of flair. It has two strands of brass that whirl and swirl from top to bottom in a "look at me" manner.

I found the candlesticks at different yard sales. While their styles aren't the same, somehow this eclectic pair is an interesting match. And more importantly, they're a visual reminder to my husband and me of our marriage.

My husband is the first candlestick. No frills. Straight-forward. Only about function. I am the second one. Crazy. All over the map. All about fun. While we both are "forged from brass" in that we are followers of Christ with the same spiritual foundation, pair our opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum personalities together and disaster could ensue.

Beyond the normal male/female differences, we have a lot in our personalities that cause friction and sometimes (mostly from me) snapping and harsh words.

Mismatched personalities in marriage, parenting or in work or friendship situations, can cause frustration, anger and at times, wounded feelings.

Someone who is not wired as we are, does not think like we do and who makes decisions and carries out actions we would never dream of, can rub us the wrong way. It causes our feathers to ruffle and not-so-nice thoughts enter our brains.

Usually, if dealing with a non-family member, we manage to keep our composure and tame our tongues to avoid saying anything we might regret. With our children or spouses however, sometimes we open the floodgates and spew cutting comments, nasty words, criticisms and awful accusations. My husband and I call it "throwing flesh balls." At that point, we no longer "walk by the Spirit" but "gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16 NIV).

If I allow it, my flesh likes to be satisfied and nothing satisfies it more than a good ol' verbal assault on my thinks-and-acts-so-differently-from-me husband.

There's a different way God calls me to respond though. Proverbs 10:12-13a provides direction for how we should handle conflicts that arise from trying to mesh two differing personality types. "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found ..." (ESV).

Love is key to wise responses in a relationship. Because we love God, and others, we should seek to understand when we clash. And ask God for wisdom when we don't understand. We should love intentionally. Not necessarily in an "ushy-gushy, touchy-feely" way, but in an "I am going to choose to react gently and behave kindly because that is what God is asking me to do" sort of way.

Cementing this thinking in our minds will help us to respond with God's love and biblical truth. Especially when faced with someone who thinks and acts differently than us.

Will you join me in purposing to stop stirring up strife when it comes to someone in your life? And to choose to love and understand them? Especially when they are oil while you are water. Yes, even your spouse.

Dear Lord, grant me the ability to speak kindly, respond gently and at times, to hold my tongue. I want my actions and reactions to please and reflect You and Your love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Happy Monday

1st John 3:6 

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

 

Our verse today teaches about sin and sinners. This is a topic many of our churches avoid. The modern churches stress “do good and feel good”, and, sometimes they will throw in something about social issues they don’t like.

 

There are two types of sinners. First, there are those that sin willfully. Then there are those that sin through ignorance. The newly saved and the young Christians can sin because they didn’t know better. It is their responsibility to study their Bible to learn about how live. It is our, the older ones is Christ, to live and teach Christian living as an example before this younger generation.

 

The first group, those that say they are saved but continue to willfully sin, cast doubt upon their salvation. They doubt it, and, so does others.

 

 Christian friends, don’t doubt your salvation, rather, trust in it. 

 

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.
P.O. Box 235
LaGrange, Ga. 30241
e-mail= hill.walter19@yahoo.com

 

Daily Smile:

A guy walking down a street one afternoon passes an old man sitting on the side of the road with a large sack.

The younger guy says to the old man, "Watcha got in the sack?"

The old man responds, "I got some monkeys in that there sack."

The younger man asks, "If I guess how many monkeys you got in the sack, can I keep one?"

The old man replies, "Son, if you guess how many monkeys I got in this sack, I'll give you both of 'em!"

 

O How I Love JESUS

1. There is a name I love to hear, 
 I love to sing its worth; 
 it sounds like music in my ear, 
 the sweetest name on earth.  
Refrain:
 O how I love Jesus, 
 O how I love Jesus, 
 O how I love Jesus, 
 because he first loved me!

2. It tells me of a Savior's love, 
 who died to set me free; 
 it tells me of his precious blood, 
 the sinner's perfect plea.
 (Refrain)

3. It tells of one whose loving heart 
 can feel my deepest woe; 
 who in each sorrow bears a part 
 that none can bear below.
 (Refrain)

Happy Sunday

Becoming
(by Alan Smith)

The famous actor Gregory Peck was once standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for some time, the diners seemed to be taking their time eating and new tables weren't opening up very fast. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory Peck, "Why don't you tell the maitre d' who you are?"

Gregory Peck responded, "No, if you have to tell them who you are, then you aren't."

There's a great deal of wisdom in that statement. There's a big difference in who we think we are, who others think we are, and who we really are. Someone has well said that, "Reputation is who others think we are. Character is who we really are." As Christians, we ought to be more concerned with character than with reputation. Christianity is more than just knowing the right facts. It's more than going through the right motions. It begins in the heart; it's who we are.

There is a continual process of growing and adding Christ-like virtues to our lives. Peter wrote, "Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." (2 Peter 1:5-8). We never stop "becoming"; it's an ongoing process. There's always something positive to add to our lives, always something negative to try to get rid of.

We have different ways of measuring growth. When Sueanne and I would take our children to see the pediatrician, the nurse would always check their height and weight. Then that information was written onto a chart that gave us a picture of how they were growing. When we get to be adults, we measure our growth by whether or not we can fit into last year's pants.

But how does a person measure his growth in Christianity? In Ephesians 4:15-16, Paul says, "...but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into him who is the head -- Christ -- from whom the whole body...causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." Paul says that it's time for us to grow up, it's time for us to mature. But what is the goal of our growth? Jesus Christ is!

My favorite picture of the growth of Christianity is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." Paul says it's as if we're holding a mirror in our left hand, and a picture of Christ in our right hand. Now when we look in the mirror and see our reflection, and we then we look at Christ, they don't look much alike. But every day as we mature, we grow up, we become more like Christ, striving for the day when we look in the mirror and see the reflection of Jesus Christ.

Knowledge, conduct, and character must always go together. We learn God's will so that we might obey it; and in obeying it, we serve him and grow in Christian character. While none of us is perfectly balanced in these three areas, we ought to strive for that balance.

May God bless you as you seek to "know" His will better, "do" more in service to Him, and "become" more like Jesus Christ!

Happy Saturday

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

 

Be thankful when you don't know something,

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

 

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

 

Be thankful for your limitations,

because they give you opportunities for improvement.

 

Be thankful for each new challenge,

because it will build your strength and character.

 

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

 

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,

because it means you've made a difference.

 

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

 

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

 

~ Helen Dowd

Happy Friday

“A day has been well spent,

when you include God in all you did”

Too often in Christianity, that’s about all that God gets. Weekend Visitations. So often we treat God as our divorced father, one who has weekend custody. Yet, with weekend custody we only wish to give our father a couple of hours on Sunday, because we have other things to do. Once a week is all some think about Him. Many Christians only visit, or call on God when there is trouble, hard times, barriers, or when they are seeking answers. Simply put, God is asking for full custody not temporary visitation to fit our needs.  Typically children from broken families, foster homes, or divorce yearn for a relationship, love, comfort and affection from parents not just an occasional timed scheduled event. This is the same guardianship God longs to have with His children. More often than not the root cause for people shunning from relationships with God is lack of desire, time or the belief of solving one’s own problems. Believing that an occasional prayer and thanksgiving is all that is needed to have a relationship is far from the truth. These warped thoughts drive a wedge deeper between God and His children.  The question we ask our selves can’t be; “What would I like to do, but heavenly Father what would you have me to do?” The dying words of Paul reflect a Christian who had given full custody of himself to Jesus. Sadly enough, we are in a spiritual custody battle between satan and our heavenly Father. The Good thing is, we have the right to choose who we want to live with eternally. It’s our call do we want just weekend visitations or can we let go and allow God full custody of our life?

Daily Smile:
A family of skunks was trapped in a thicket, surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves that were edging even closer. The Mother skunk calmly instructed her young: "Quickly children, let's put our heads together!" After they obeyed, forming a circle, she continued, "Now—Let us spray!"

In The News:
Bullied Kids More Likely to Commit Crimes as Adults

People who were bullied throughout childhood and adolescence are more likely than others to engage in delinquent or criminal behavior later in life, a new study finds.

In the new research, scientists found that about 14 percent of those who reported suffering repeated bullying through their childhood and teenage years — up to 18 years of age — wound up serving time in prison as adults. In comparison, 6 percent of people who did not experience bullying ended up in prison.

"Most studies focus on a relatively narrow period of the life course, but I looked at victimization from birth to age 18 and then associated that with legal outcomes — whether they got involved with substance abuse, got arrested, convicted or were sent to incarceration," said Michael Turner, an associate professor in the department of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

In his analysis, Turner found that compared with nonbullied individuals, victims of bullying had higher rates of criminal conviction. More than 20 percent of those who were bullied throughout childhood and adolescence were convicted of crimes, compared with 11 percent of nonvictims. Sixteen percent of individuals who experienced childhood bullying, up to age 12, were convicted of crimes, with 13 percent of victims who were bullied during adolescence (from age 12 to 18) experiencing similar legal outcomes later in life. "But chronic victims — those who were bullied in childhood and adolescence — had the highest odds of adverse legal outcomes."

Turner presented the findings at the American Psychological Association's 121st Annual Convention.

Source: LiveScience

Happy Thursday

When You're a Run-Away Bride

Samantha Evilsizer

"I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people." Psalm 116:14 (NIV)

As soon as the opening prayer ended, I knew I had to leave my wedding. Whispering a quick apology, I turned and ran.

My patent leather shoes burned rubber, leaving my soon-to-be groom in a cloud of confusion at the altar. Fast down the aisle where my father and I had just walked. Past the curious wedding guests. Straight to the powder room where my purse and coat were waiting.

I breathed a sigh of relief. There they were, my written vows, forgotten in the excitement of preparations.

I hurried back to Joshua waiting patiently for me at the altar. Facing the man I loved, we exchanged our vows.

It's not every day that a girl makes a lifelong commitment like that. But it is every day I get to carry one out. Not just to my husband, but to my God.

Sadly, although I made a vow to follow God years ago, there've been times when I've left my vows behind. I've been a run-away bride, leaving Jesus and my commitment to Him in the dust as I took off for what I thought were greener pastures.

The whole time, He waited patiently. Waited for me to return and say, "I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people" (Psalm 116:14).

We can run all our lives, but we're never truly settled until we make and keep a lifelong pledge to the One to whom our heart truly belongs. In Him, we have all good things, including the gift of love—God's love.

As I read my marriage vows out loud at my wedding, I realized they were vows my heart needed to make to Christ as well. So I took the promises I made to my earthly husband, and re-addressed them to Jesus, as a covenant with my Savior, to record my heart's vows to Him:

There really is no place like home. I've come to know this with great certainty as my love for You, Jesus, has grown. You're my favorite place to be. That's because You are where I am most at home ... You are where my heart is settled, comforted and loved.

I vow to always keep You as my home base. To never stray emotionally, physically, or in my thoughts.

I vow to keep You as the center of my home. To seek You every day with all my heart, mind and soul, and to serve You with all that's within me.

I vow to keep my home clean from doubt, strife and unnecessary cares, and will fill it with believing the best about You, humility, and prayerfulness.

I vow to willingly submit to You as head of my life, to lean on You, and not be stubborn. And to allow You to serve me.

I vow to stay healthy and keep active, inviting You into my everyday activities.

I vow to dream and plan and pray for my future with You.

I vow to love mercy, act justly, and to walk humbly with You.

I vow to let You know every day just how very much I love and honor You. And to thank You for all the wonderful things about You that make You ... YOU!

If home is where the heart is, then my heart will always be with You.

I don't know where you stand with God right now ... how near or far you are. But I know from experience, the further away you are, the more lost you will feel. Today, let's run to Christ—and make or renew our vows to Him.

Lord, You alone are worthy of all my heart, soul, mind. Please help me keep my vows to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen
Daily Smile:
Doctor: What’s wrong with your bother?

Boy: He thinks he is a chicken.

Doctor: really? How long has this been going on?

Boy: Five years.

Doctor: Five years!

Boy: We would have brought him in earlier, but we needed the eggs.

In The News:
India: Five Women Missionaries Beaten Publicly for Sharing Gospel

Five women were beaten by a man in the Andhra Pradesh region of India while sharing about the love of Jesus in a public marketplace, Charisma News reports. Amazingly spared, they retreated to safety, thanking God for the honor of suffering for His sake. The women, all leaders in the Gospel for Asia-sponsored Women's Fellowship ministry, had been sharing with store owners and shoppers when one man demanded to know what they were doing. The assault began with a powerful slap to the face of one woman and continued to the others, one of whom was isolated and surrounded by five men. The women -- Bansari, Jaladhi, Kuyil, Sunita and Viveka -- were beaten on their faces, ears and heads. All reported that no bystanders came to their defense during the ordeal but they miraculously escaped from their multiple attackers and were delivered from further harm. "Jesus promised persecuting and hardships," said Daniel Punnose, vice president of GFA. "These young ladies see it worth facing the beatings in order to share the love of Christ. ... When we see young women publicly beaten for the faith, it tells us what the future holds in regards to persecution. Things will get worse, but the Lord is faithful in all things."

Happy Wednesday

Junk Closet Heart

Karen Ehman

"Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults." Psalm 19:12 (HCSB)

Our basement furnace room is not a pretty sight right now. This out-of-the-way space is a catch-all place for off-season items and assorted memorabilia. To combat clutter and keep objects organized, we've purchased shelves and large plastic totes over the years to neatly house our family's stuff.

In my perfect plan, bins are labeled, shelves are stocked tidily with homemade canned goods, and holiday decorations nestle themselves neatly in our oh-so-organized furnace storage room. And truthfully, this is how it usually goes. Well, 82% percent of the time.

However, when we are not intentional to actually walk into the room and place items in the proper bin or situate them on their assigned shelf, we tend to revert to the open, drop, and shut method of organization: open the door, drop the item just inside the room, and shut the door tightly so that the accumulating pile of clutter is not visible from the adjacent family rec room.

The result is an unattractive pile of stuff that slowly grows and messes with my plan of an orderly storage room. When this occurs, I have to stop what I'm doing and carve out time to sort and situate the items back to their proper place.

At times my heart can become a catch-all for clutter and junk too. It is not my intent to have a messed-up heart that harbors incorrect attitudes or contaminated thoughts that eventually might lead to wrong actions or even unconfessed sin. However, when I am not intentional to put those thoughts and feelings in their proper place—under the authority of Christ—they can soon breed a bunch of unwanted and sinful "stuff" in my spirit that messes with God's plan for me to behave like His Son. And although the outside world may not see it, behind the door of my heart I know the junk pile is there.

For believers to keep this spiritual clutter at bay, we must make a regular habit of asking God to show us if we are collecting such unwanted attitudes, thoughts and issues.

Are we harboring anger, bitterness, envy or ill-will? Have we accumulated spiritual laziness or a love for something that is greater than our love for God?

Without putting these away soon by confessing them to God, we might end up with an unintentional pile of spiritual junk that often can lead to sins we never set out to commit. Hidden anger in our heart toward another becomes harshly hurled words. Secret envy morphs into gossip. Behind-the-scenes bitterness begets public bad behavior.

Let's make today's key verse our heart-cleaning plea, "Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults." God is the Master de-clutterer who alone can help us deal with the messes we might make.

Let's allow Him to clean out the clutter of our hearts and make our spirits whole again. This is spiritual pile-busting at its very best.

Dear Lord, teach me to bring any unconfessed sins to You early so they do not pile up making a mess of my heart. I want to daily be more like Your Son. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Have Thy On Way LORD

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

Daily Smile for everyone except the parents:

I needed this sign in my frame shop years ago... 

Have A Blessed Day,

Richard

Happy Tuesday

The Boomerang of Blessing 

Karen Ehman

"The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed." Proverbs11:25 (NLT)

I tried my best to smile for the camera in the grocery store. Tears welled up in my eyes and cascaded down my cheeks, dragging my mascara along for the ride. I had one toddler on my hip and a baby on the way, a pressing concern when our only income was from my husband who was paid straight commission. Some weeks he earned money; others brought no paycheck at all.

That day in the store, my budget was so tight my dollars squeaked! As a result, I had to remove a few items from the conveyer belt as I watched the total mount. As I paid for my order, the cashier handed me a scratch-off card from the store's current promotion. Customers could get money off of their order by matching dollar amounts revealed on the card.

I used a dime to rub away the shiny silver coating, revealing a $10 match! Smiling, I handed the clerk the card and asked for the "can't afford them" items back. "Sure!" she replied. "Now, do you want to use the remainder of your prize today or on another trip?"

My puzzled look must have clued her in. "What?" I questioned. She then showed me I'd actually won $100! A manager quickly snapped my picture to display alongside the other smiling winners on the store's wall. Only in my photo, my smile was saturated with grateful mascara-smudged tears.

During those lean days God always took care of us, often through generous people in our lives: groceries left anonymously on our porch, cash in an envelope tucked under our windshield after church, and hand-me-down clothes from an acquaintance who wanted to share her children's outgrown clothes.

We learned to live frugally during that time, and yet God also challenged us to give. As we did, we found ourselves blessed. Sometimes monetarily. Always spiritually.

Nowadays, although at times our family experiences layoffs due to the nature of my husband's employment, we are in a place where we can more consistently be the "bless-er" and not just the ones being blessed. What a thrill it is to treat, secretly pay, or stealthily provide as we ourselves become spiritually blessed and ultimately God—the giver of all things—is glorified. As Proverbs 11:25 states, "The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed" (NLT).

Will you willingly contribute to God's work and also to others, refreshing them as God also refreshes you? What we have—both our money and possessions—all belongs to God. When we give, we receive. The boomerang of blessing comes right back around.

How might you seek to display generosity toward someone today? You just might make their day. Or perhaps, even make their mascara run.

Dear Lord, teach me to treat all I have as Yours. May I give willingly and cheerfully as I seek to be a blessing to those in my life who might need a helping hand. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Take The Name Of JESUS With You 

Take the Name of Jesus with you,
Child of sorrow and of woe,
It will joy and comfort give you;
Take it then, where’er you go.

   Refrain

     Precious Name, O how sweet!
     Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n.
     Precious Name, O how sweet!
     Hope of earth and joy of Heav’n.

Take the Name of Jesus ever,
As a shield from every snare;
If temptations round you gather,
Breathe that holy Name in prayer.

   Refrain

O the precious Name of Jesus!
How it thrills our souls with joy,
When His loving arms receive us,
And His songs our tongues employ!

   Refrain

At the Name of Jesus bowing,
Falling prostrate at His feet,
King of kings in Heav’n we’ll crown Him,
When our journey is complete.

   Refrain

Daily Smile:

 I'm smiling because I didn't take the picture... :)

Have a Blessed Day,

Richard

Happy Monday

Religion That God Accepts
Psalm 146:9
The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.     NIV


     One of the things that the Bible consistently emphasizes is this – that the Lord cares for the alien, the stranger, the outcast and the unprotected, particularly the fatherless and the widow. And God challenges us to share that concern.

     In the New Testament, in the epistle of James, pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is defined as this: “To visit the widows and the fatherless.” You know, a lot of things that we think are religious don’t mean much in the sight of God, and some things we neglect are very important in the sight of God. God cares for the alien. He cares for the widow. He cares for the fatherless. And if God has imparted His nature and His compassion to you and me, we are going to have the same kind of care, the same kind of concern, that God has. And that’s going to be the kind of religion that’s acceptable with God.

     It’s not just a question of religious activities. It’s not just going to church or singing hymns, but it’s sharing God’s concern with Him. He cares, and we need to care. Today there are countless opportunities for us in this blessed land of America to show our care and our concern for those in this or other lands who are less privileged than we are. God cares, we need to care.

—Derek Prince

 

Daily Smile: