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Verse of the day:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. –Jer.29:11-12 Think about it: Colonel Gracie was aboard the ship The Titanic on his way home. His wife was at home and couldn’t sleep. She felt something was wrong and began to pray with all her heart for her husband. Finally she felt peace at 5:00 in the morning. During that time, The Titanic had its accident and was slowly starting to sink. After helping others get into life boats, not thinking of himself, Colonel Gracie then sank down deep in the icy water along with the ship. But not for long, as suddenly he came to the surface of the water and found himself near an overturned lifeboat. He and others nearby climbed in, happy to get out of the cold water. Soon after, at 5:00 in the morning another life boat came over and helped them all make it to the shore. That is the moment when his wife at home, with no idea what was happening, felt at peace that all was well, because she prayed. Praise of the day: I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. – Psalm 9:1 Quote of the day:
“Getters generally don't get happiness; givers get it. You simply give to others a bit of yourself--a thoughtful act, a helpful idea, a word of appreciation, a lift over a rough spot, a sense of understanding, a timely suggestion. You take something out of your mind, garnished in kindness out of your heart, and put it into the other fellow's mind and heart.”--Charles H. Burr Think about it: We know that giving and generosity are not limited to finances. Many people are not in a position to give financially, but they are able to give of themselves by sharing time, attention, encouragement, and love with others. Making an effort to give of yourself by sharing time and giving attention to someone, by showing respect toward and being kind and helpful to others, is being generous. I really enjoy being around people who have a generous, giving spirit. I feel enriched by the time we spend together and am blessed as I recognize their consistent way of interacting with others (both friends and strangers) intentionally with kindness, respect, and generosity as they offer their service, help, time, or simply a listening ear. I believe we can learn to be more aware of opportunities to bless others if we determine to live intentionally. We can do that in part by being more aware of the kind attitudes and generous daily activities that we want to focus on, until they become second nature for us. Along with making the decision to be generous with our finances, we can be generous with our time, attention, encouragement, service, etc., so we can help others live better, happier lives. We could look for opportunities for volunteering in our community—tutoring children, helping elderly neighbors, pitching in with busy parents’ errands, and the list goes on. Here is some helpful advice on this topic from one of my favorite authors, John C. Maxwell. Intentional living is about approaching each day with the goal of adding value to others to make a difference in their lives. You can add value every day if you will. You must begin with your perspective. A life of significance cannot be achieved if you think of other people as obstacles that must be overcome. This means valuing everyone—not just those close to us. … People who live intentionally think about ways to add value. … During a trip to Washington D.C., I challenged the two young children of one of my team members to think about how they could add value to people during the day. One of the kids decided he would open doors for people throughout the day. The other decided she would leave thank you notes for people to express her appreciation. Then, they went out and did it! At the end of the day, both children came back and enthusiastically shared with me how people positively responded to their intentional acts of kindness. In addition to thinking ahead about ways to add value, people who live with intentionality are also on constant lookout for spontaneous ways to help others. They have an outward focus as they go through their lives, ready to do something that makes someone’s day. These actions don’t have to be big or expensive; small meaningful actions can make a big difference. The key is to open your eyes and be ready to seize opportunities as they present themselves. To keep myself accountable to this, at the end of each day, I ask myself one question: “Did I add value to people today?” That’s a great question to ask yourself—and intentional actions allow you to answer “Yes.” Verse of the day:
Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. — Isaiah 59:1 Think about it: After a snowstorm, Ray couldn’t make a phone call. The phone lines were down due to the storm. However, the moment he decided to step outside and shovel the front walk, the phone rang. It was his brother, and they chatted briefly. When Ray then opened the front door, he found a live electrical wire lying across the path. It had fallen during the moment he was on the phone. Amazed at the timing, and how his brother’s call had saved his life, he wanted to phone him back. However, the phone line didn’t work, and remained that way all weekend. On Monday the telephone crew came. When Ray said he’d received one call, they replied "You couldn't have. No one in this area has had telephone service since Friday night. The lines were completely destroyed during the storm." Ray knew Who had temporarily repaired the wires to spare his life. Praise of the day: I will … praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. – Psalm 138:2 When asked which was the greatest of God’s commandments, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind [and] love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” He obviously knew that in learning to love, we would learn what it means to be holy. I think He also knew that this was probably the hardest commandment to live up to. We could have coped better with a list of rules—at least then, we’d all know who was hacking it and who wasn’t. Who was worthy and who wasn’t. Now we’re stuck with the impossible task of loving those around us, even if they seem unworthy.
But for the longest time, that wasn’t my take on His commandments. I somehow equated love with worthiness. God loved me because I was worthy of His love, and I loved others who were worthy of my love. Then one day, my heart finally asked the question: What have I done that has made me worthy of God’s love? Nothing. Have I magically kept my sins and shortcomings within a “loveable” scoring? Nope. I came to the realization that He doesn’t love me because I’m worthy, but I’m worthy because He loves me. Honestly, it took a while for that to sink into my brain. It was extremely liberating to realize that I wasn’t on a quest to score as many “love” points as I could. It was also deeply humbling to realize I was fully and completely loved, without deserving it at all. How countercultural is that! In a world that equates value with achievements, scorings, and numbers, the only reason I’m valuable to God is because He loves me. That’s when I finally understood what John meant when he said that we love God because He first loved us. When we understand the depth of God’s love for us, and the extent to which we are unworthy of it, how can we not love Him! – By Marie Alvero By Iris Richard
When a pandemic enters our lives, when all around us morphs into a state of uncertainty and chaos, it is natural to succumb to fear, anxiety, and worry. Even though all of us are affected in one way or another, some suffer more severe situations, face isolation, loneliness, financial difficulties, sickness, and even death. Such circumstances are hard to cope with, and a cloud of negative emotions—such as despair, hopelessness, and fear of the future—can settle like a dark cloak over us. Questions batter our minds. How long will it be before we are released from this uncertainty? What will tomorrow bring? How will we survive? News headlines engender fear and worry of infection, and losing loved ones can augment the feeling of helplessness. The threat of losing our jobs can be all too real, and we can find ourselves in the midst of turmoil that threatens to overcome us. We’re all human, so it makes sense that our hearts hurt and our faith wavers when observing the impact that COVID-19 is bringing in its wake. We ask ourselves what we can do in response to the alarming circumstances that unfold around us, how we can react when trying to stay positive just isn’t enough. Here are some words of hope. Keep praying: Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. – Psalm 107: 6
Immerse yourself in God’s Word: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear. —Psalm 46:1-2
The gift of hope: … hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. – Psalm 130:7
Guard your heart: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.—Proverb 4:23
Care for others: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.—Galatians 6:2
Share of what you have: Your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want.—2 Corinthians 8:14
Promise of the day:
As you have believed, so let it be done for you. -- Matthew 8:13 Think about it: A friend of mine asked the manager of a supermarket if he had ever cashed a bad check for a stranger. “No, I never did,” he said, “because I never look at the check—I look at the man. If I can trust the man, I take his check.” What a lesson in faith! In Hebrews 10:23 we find these words: “He who promised is faithful.” Who makes the promises in God’s Word?—God does. Look at the Maker of the promises, and then there can be no question as to their absolute validity. God’s Word says, “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.” (See Job 22:21.) To know God is to be sure that He keeps every promise He has made. Abraham knew God and “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith … being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (See Romans 4:20–21.) Some people think of faith as something very mysterious and far beyond their reach. Others think of faith as a gift assigned at birth—some have it to a great degree, while others don’t. Both of those are misconceptions. God has dealt to each person a measure of faith,( See Romans 12:3.) but many people don’t use their faith. If you don’t use your faith, it becomes flabby, just like muscles when you don’t use them. For faith to grow, you’ve got to keep exercising it. Faith operates in an entirely different realm from our five senses, but some of the same principles apply. Faith conveys to us evidence of spiritual truths, just as our five senses convey evidence of physical things. Just as we accept what our five senses tell us, we must accept as evidence what our faith tells us. When we do, our faith brings that thing to pass and makes it real. Take God at His word. When the troubles and trials come, instead of letting them grow and grow, open your Bible, find a promise, and claim it in Jesus’ name. Here’s one that’s surely too big for me to comprehend, but I often claim it: “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”(See John 14:13.) And here’s another one: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (See Jeremiah 33:3.) No wonder the Bible calls these promises exceedingly great and precious and tells us that through them we can “participate in the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4 NIV.) – By Virginia Brandt Berg (1886–1968) Praise of the day: I praise You Lord most high. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. -- Psa 119:49-50
Verse of the day:
Search me, O God, and know my heart.—Psa. 139:23 Think about it: I have found it healthy to do a regular “heart check” to be sure that I am open to what the Holy Spirit might want to show me. So let me ask you: Are you ready to ignite your life, brighten your days and leave a deeper legacy than you ever thought possible? The Greek philosopher Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” So it is good to stop sometimes and reflect on where we are and where we want to be. This is a healthy attitude. Why am I here? What is my mission? What am I uniquely formed to accomplish for God? What is my deepest purpose? What legacy was I destined to leave behind? Whose lives must I impact? What actions should I plan to take? Proverbs 14:23 says: All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk only leads to poverty. We need to roll up our sleeves! The Psalmist cried out to God in Psalm 139:23–24: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. I think he is saying to God: “Check me out. I want to live for you. Look deep within me. I want to improve!”—David Macfarlane Praise of the day: I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.—Psa.9:1 Quote of the day:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. By Pastor Martin Niemöller Think about it: I think the quote is a very good reminder in today’s climate to be careful not to take everything at face value. It seems we are being lied to about the virus and how bad it is and so few people are speaking up for the poor who are having to endure the brunt of the restrictions unnecessarily. I recently received a letter from a friend of mine in Cambodia and was reminded of the above quote as if we don’t speak out for the poor, the oppression of freedom of speech and religion there will be nobody to speak up for us when they come for us. Thus this post. “I find this “total lockdown” response to disease very strange, when for centuries mankind has been finding ways to survive a plague or outbreak. Are we now so afraid of death that we’re willing to do anything not to get a flu? And what about our human rights? Did anyone get to vote or debate about the best way to manage an outbreak? The reporting of it in the news is mostly negative, constantly changing and confusing too. “We check in every now and then, but try to make sure our time reading, thinking about and watching God's Word supersedes time spent reading, debating about or watching bad news. In Matthew 24, Jesus was asked to describe what would be the signs of His return. One of the things He mentions is “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold….and many shall betray one another, and shall hate one another”. That intense emotion, rage, and anger is something I sense a lot these days. Folks getting so riled up at opposing points of view, and reacting so violently. I saw some clips from India of people being driven from their mosques and temples by police swinging rods and beating them. Apparently an attempt to enforce social distancing. How about making an announcement first, asking them to disperse?” In my opinion and suggestion to all the fear mongering is: Don’t fear. Trust God. Don’t buy into their lies. Stand up for the truth. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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