“A thankful heart is one of the primary identifying characteristics of a believer. It stands in stark contrast to pride, selfishness, and worry. And it helps fortify the believer's trust in the Lord and reliance of His provision, even in the toughest times. No matter how choppy the seas become, a believer’s heart is buoyed by constant praise and gratefulness to the Lord.”—John MacArthur
“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us—and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”—Thomas Merton “God says to give thanks in everything. That doesn’t mean you need to give thanks FOR everything. You don’t need to give thanks FOR that bad day. Or FOR that bad relationship. Or being passed over at work. Financial hardship. Whatever it is—you are not to give thanks FOR the difficulties, but rather IN the difficulties. That is a very important distinction, and one I think we often miss. Giving thanks IN everything shows a heart of faith that God is bigger than the difficulties and that He can use them, if you approach Him with the right heart and spirit, for your good and His glory.”—Tony Evans “When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves—that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude which is very near the heart of authentic Christian experience.”—N. T. Wright “I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way, I can choose to respond in one of two ways: I can whine or I can worship! And I can’t worship without giving thanks. It just isn’t possible. When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance, that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others.”—Nancy Leigh DeMoss “Love of God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an equal degree of gratitude.”—Simone Weil “Most of us forget to take time for wonder, praise and gratitude until it is almost too late. Gratitude is a many-colored quality, reaching in all directions. It goes out for small things and for large; it is a God-ward going.”—Faith Baldwin
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Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.—Robert Green Ingersoll
Kindness is making someone smile if only for a moment.—Raktivist Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.—Author Unknown Kindness is the highest form of intelligence.—Wayne Teasdale The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention. —Kahlil Gibran Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.— Albert Schweitzer A little kindness from person to person is better than a vast love for all humankind.—Richard Dehmel No act of kindness is too small. The gift of kindness may start as a small ripple that over time can turn into a tidal wave affecting the lives of many.—Kevin Heath Kindness is a simple art, which can be mastered by conscious daily practice. —Author Unknown Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together. —Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time. —Morgan Freeman How beautiful a day can be, when kindness touches it!—George Elliston Quote of the day:
“When we are reliable, others know that they can depend on us. They know that we will make the effort to do our best, whatever the situation might be. They know we won’t run, cower, or become paralyzed by fear. They have learned to count on our consistency and trustworthiness. We’ll still be there making the effort to do our best long after the weaker ones have faded.” – Coach Wooden Think about it: I’ve been watching the TV series The X Factor, in which singers across the United States participate in a talent show contest where the winner will be awarded a multimillion-dollar recording contract. For those unfamiliar with the show, in each episode the judges choose who will move on to the next level in the competition, based on talent, of course! But there’s another trait that they’re also looking for. They want someone reliable. Judging from the remarks that the judges make to the contestants, it seems that recording companies don’t want to invest millions of dollars in someone who may be momentarily fantastic and seemingly hugely talented, but is unreliable when it comes to giving stellar performances to sell-out crowds. Show business is tough, and performers who stand out from the crowd are those who consistently deliver excellent performances. Of course, performing artists aren’t the only ones who need to be reliable. Coach John Wooden—considered one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time—talks about some of his basketball players who had reliability and what that meant to him. In his book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, he wrote, “Curtis Rowe was one of my most consistent players. Although he wasn’t usually spectacular, he consistently played at a very high level and made it look easy. I could have almost penciled in his stat line before the game began.” Coach Wooden goes on: “Two of my best players during the mid-1950s stood out for different reasons. Morrie Taft was spectacular and explosive. But I never knew how he was going to play from night to night. On the other hand, I knew what Dick ‘Skeets’ Banton would deliver each game. Morrie [Taft] might get five rebounds, but they were memorable. Dick [Banton] would get eight or nine, but no one gave them much notice. Most people would say [Morrie] Taft was a better player than [Dick] Banton, because [Morrie] Taft had more natural ability and was so dazzling. But I’m not so sure that [Dick Banton] wasn’t the more valuable player, because of his reliability.” Reliability is a good trait to have no matter what profession you are in. Can you be considered reliable? Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. --Attributed to John Wesley Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.--2 Corinthians 9:7 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.--Luke 6:38 Biblical stewardship provides help for the less fortunate. The Bible states, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Giving does not end with tithing. God asks that the giving heart be extended to those who need it most—widows, orphans, and the poor. As a Christian, one must reach out to those in need, sharing the blessings one has received from God. Even after understanding that money does not satisfy, a Christian may find it difficult to let go of more money by giving to those in need. However, the Bible promises, “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” The generous person—the one with the heart of a giver—finds blessings in giving. Understanding God’s generous nature as the owner of all things guides us in our attitude toward giving. As the children of such a generous Father, we should want to follow His example. Knowing that we are stewards of God’s possessions and that He wants us to be generous with what He has put into our care should help us develop the attitude of cheerful and generous giving, both when giving to the Lord through our tithes and offerings as well as when giving to others. When the apostle Paul wrote about the gifts the Philippians had given toward the Lord’s work, he likened the giving to an act of worship. He called the gifts a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. He was comparing the gifts given to God’s work by the believers in Philippi to the sacrifices burnt in the Temple as worship to God. The book of Hebrews speaks of sharing what you have as a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Jesus promised a hundredfold to those who give all. One hundred times as much back “now, in this life, and in the world to come eternal life.” It may not all be in dollars and cents; it may be in fruitfulness of service or in protection or in safekeeping from accidents or sicknesses. God can save you money in more ways than one, and you can’t count His blessings in purely financial terms. So remember the little widow’ All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise or wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance: it is by this that the quarry becomes a pyramid, and that distant countries are united with canals. If a man was to compare the effect of a single stroke of the pickaxe, or of one impression of the spade, with the general design and last result, he would be overwhelmed by the sense of their disproportion; yet those petty operations, incessantly continued, in time surmount the greatest difficulties, and mountains are levelled, and oceans bounded, by the slender force of human beings. --Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. —John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength. --Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. —Pelé (b. 1940) Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place—that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have perseverance. —A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931–2015) When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. --Helen Keller (1880–1968) Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever give in. Don’t ever stop trying. Don’t ever sell out. And if you find yourself succumbing to one of the above for a brief moment, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, whisper a prayer, and start where you left off. But never, ever, ever give up. — Richelle E. Goodrich, Eena, The Tempter’s Snare (2014) Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it to glory.--William Barclay (1907–1978) Though today may not fulfill All your hopes, have patience still; For perchance tomorrow’s sun Sees your happier days begun. —Unknown Quote of the day:
“Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.”--Denis Waitley Think about it: There are many different approaches to facing setbacks and disappointments. I don’t think there’s one perfect formula for overcoming difficulties. There’s no set list of “must do’s” if you’re looking to muster up courage and strength to endure fear, stress, heartache, frustration, or any of the other challenges that accompany the dry spells in our lives. I often find inspiration from true stories about people who have accomplished great things in the face of hardship or handicap. Sports provide some great examples along these lines because they’re such public examples and there’s a clear means of measuring their accomplishments. For example: During a football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, one of the announcers observed that Walter Payton, the Bears’ running back, had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. The other announcer remarked, “Yeah, and that’s with somebody knocking him down every 4.6 yards!” Walter Payton, the most successful running back ever, knows that everyone—even the very best—gets knocked down. The key to success is to get up and run again just as hard. Quote of the day:
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” --Author unknown Think about it: Blaise Pascal was an influential French scientist who lived in the 1600s. He completed important works on mathematics and experimental physics. Pascal was also a devoted Christian. He wrote books on grace and the life of Christ, as well as other Christian works. Through all this Pascal realized that his faith, though intensely personal, could not be merely individualistic. His love for God drove him to love for the poor. “I love poverty,” he said, “because he (Christ) loved it. I like wealth because it gives a means to assist the needy.” Increasingly Pascal deprived himself so that he could give more. He sold his coach and horses, his fine furniture and silverware and even his library in order to give to the poor. When he received an advance of 1,000 francs for his bus [a horse-drawn carriage that could carry several passengers], he sent the money to the poor in Blois, who had suffered from a bitter winter. He then signed over his interest in the company to the hospitals of Paris and Clermont. When Pascal died at the age of 39 on August 19, 1662, his funeral was attended by family, friends, scientific colleagues, worldly companions, converts, writers, and the back of the church was filled with the poor, each and every person there someone Pascal had helped during his life. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax. —Mark Black
While there’s nothing wrong in being very productive, your brain still needs some rest to be fully operational whenever you need it. —Debeena Harris Show me a worrying person and I will show you a person who does not know how to relax. —Albert E. Cliffe No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you’d be more productive. —Dr. Joyce Brothers He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul’s estate. —Henry David Thoreau Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow. —Douglas Pagels Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. —Ovid Never lose sight of this important truth: no one can be truly great until he has gained a knowledge of himself, a knowledge which can only be acquired by occasional retirement. —Johann Georg von Zimmermann For fast-acting relief try slowing down. —Lily Tomlin Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen. —Leonardo Da Vinci Quote of the day:
“Everyone who achieves success in a great venture solves each problem as they come to it. …They keep going regardless of the obstacles they meet.” —W. Clement Stone Think about it: When you’ve worked as hard as you possibly could and yet you failed to make the grade, your dreams remain out of reach, and you feel you just can’t do it anymore, you can feel like giving up. When you’re getting pounded and slammed again and again, how do you get through it? I know how. You do too. You keep going, no matter what! As Winston Churchill said: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Okay, that might be oversimplifying a complex issue, but really, in order to accomplish anything significant, you have to keep fighting day after day, no matter what roadblocks you run into. In the face of disappointment or even failure, that’s the time to try again, work harder and study more. Automobile genius Henry Ford once came up with a revolutionary plan for a new kind of engine, which we know today as the V-8. Ford was eager to get his great new idea into production. He had some men draw up the plans, and presented them to the engineers. As the engineers studied the drawings, one by one they came to the same conclusion. Their visionary boss just didn’t know much about the fundamental principles of engineering. He’d have to be told gently—his dream was impossible. Ford said, “Produce it anyway.” They replied, “But it’s impossible.” “Go ahead,” Ford commanded, “and stay on the job until you succeed, no matter how much time is required.” For six months, they struggled with drawing after drawing, design after design. Nothing. Another six months. Nothing. At the end of the year, Ford checked with his engineers and they once again told him that what he wanted was impossible. Ford told them to keep going. They did. And they discovered how to build a V-8 engine. Keep going and discover your dreams. Each person is a V.S.P. (Very Special Person) because we are each created in the image of God.--Desmond Tutu
Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.--Eleanor Roosevelt If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. But as children of God, we are also not to think more lowly of ourselves than we ought.--Carl Brecheen and Paul Faulkner Search God’s Word and find out how He feels about you. That’s the true basis of all self-worth. If a perfect God can love and accept you with full knowledge of all your imperfections, then the message to you is “Lighten up on yourself!”--Bob Gass Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.—Saint Francis DeSales Building self-esteem often has a lot to do with your relationship with the Lord. If you’re close to the Lord, you’re handsome or beautiful because His love and light shine through.-- Author Unknown When people compliment you, pay attention! Repeat the compliment to yourself. Don’t downplay or dismiss it. Why should your own negative voice be louder than the positive voice of a friend?--Carole M. Wallace Christianity tells us we ought to love ourselves because God loves us. We are not centers of wholeness and goodness all by ourselves. We are of infinite worth because we are the apple of God’s eye.--William Kirk Kilpatrick Each of us is unique in God’s eyes. Each of us is an individual, and He wants us to express our individuality. He’s not trying to press us all into one mold, so that we all look the same and act the same, and do things exactly the same way.--Author Unknown |
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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