Boundless Love!

Someone has said, "You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving." Look how God loved us as written in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." All who have received this love are, and will be, eternally thankful for God's love shared in this way. Thank you Father God for your boundless love!

Perfect Peace!

In Isaiah 26:3 we read, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Trust in him, with our minds on him, and we will be kept by him in perfect peace. I can't speak for anyone else, but on my own behalf, I want to confess that it is my desire to be kept this way. Perfect peace seems to be just what is needed in this hour, with all the unrest and uncertainty in this world. Satan is really trying to wreck havoc on all nations and all people. But, God has a people, and this people will triumph! The victory is ours in Christ Jesus! He purchased it at Calvary. So Lord, we ask that you help each of us to be partakers of this perfect peace.

You Shall Know Them By Their _____?

A young lady was soaking up the sun's rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?" She was surprised by the question but replied, "Why yes I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again her answer was "Yes!" Then he asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray every day?" Again she said, "Yes!" But by now her curiosity was very much aroused. At last the lad sighed and said, with obvious relief, "Will you hold my quarter while I go swimming?"

It sure makes a person comfortable to know whom he or she is dealing with, but remember a lot of dishonest people professing to be Christians would give the same answers as the young lady in the above story! It's by their fruits that we know them, not by their words!

Have You Killed Any Cows Lately?

Many of us are like the little boy who had broken the glass of a streetlamp. Greatly disturbed, he asked his father, "What shall I do?" "Do?" exclaimed his father, "Why, we must report it and ask what you must pay, then go and settle it." This practical way of dealing with the matter was not what the boy was looking for, and he whimpered, "I --I--thought all I had to do was ask God to forgive me." I know all kinds of Christians who aren't at all aware of the fact, that if you kill another man's cow, asking forgiveness is only the beginning, for the cow must be replaced, and if you would like my opinion, "it should be replaced with a much better cow than the one killed."

Wandering Along Life's Many Paths!

Proverbs 27:8 tells us, "As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place." Some folks just love to go a wandering along life's many paths. From my experience, I don't believe the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but is greenest right where God places us. Contentment of heart helps to hold us steady when we begin to have the desire to go a wandering. Let's wait on God's leading and then our journey will be right.

Buck Passing!

And the man said, The woman ...., and the woman said, The serpent ....Genesis 3:12,13. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Aaron blamed the people for the golden calf. The unprofitable servant blamed his master for his unfaithfulness. We live in an hour where most all are experts at giving reasons why it can't be them who made a mistake.

Proverbs 28:13 says, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." If, and only if, we are at fault we should own it, confess it, and receive forgiveness. Our deliverance is swift when it lies in God's hands.

A Laugh!

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent. Proverbs 17:22, says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Words!

Dr Wilfred Funk, the well-known dictionary publisher, was asked to select the ten most expressive words in the English language. Here is the list:
1. the most bitter word - alone
2. the most tragic - death
3. the most reverend - mother
4. the most beautiful - love
5. the most cruel - revenge
6. the most peaceful - tranquil
7. the saddest - forgotten
8. the warmest - friendship
9. the coldest - no
10. the most comforting - faith
Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue:..." Let's choose our words carefully and lovingly!

If The Lord Wills!

In James 4: 13-15 it reads thus, "Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

It might sound old fashioned or perhaps even religious to some, but it should be a well used part of our vocabulary, to say regarding any plans we are making, "If the Lord wills we are doing this or that." How about it? Do we really say such a thing? or think such a thing? or live such a thing? Truth is, we should unashamedly, say it, think it, and live it!

Courage!

Someone has said, "Courage in people is like a tea bag. You never know the strength until they're in hot water." Speaking of courage, the lady was small, old, and frail. She had lost the sight of her eye, and it had to be removed. When it was to be replaced with a false eye she said to the doctor, "Be sure to choose one with a twinkle in it." Courage is definitely needed in life, but so is a twinkle in one's eyes.

You With Me Or What?

The psychiatrist was concerned about his nurse's office procedure, so he said to her, "When you answer the phone, just say, 'We're terribly busy just now', instead of 'It's a madhouse." It can mean the same thing, but we must choose carefully how we chose to say something. You with me or what?

Victory In Jesus!

I was particularly encouraged this morning by the following words from I Cor. 15:57-58 which reads, "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Victory through Christ is the only place to obtain victory. We must focus on being steadfast, unmoveable, and abounding in the work of the Lord. There is much to distract us at this moment, but let's stay focused on the Lord, for the rest is only of minor significance. Victory in Jesus our Saviour forever!

Splitting Wood!

Have you ever split wood with an axe? It is a hard and difficult job. If your axe isn't sharp, you are fighting a losing battle. When we find ourselves in a hard spot in life it can be just like splitting wood. We need to be sharpened the right way to be able to deal with the situation in a proper spirit. If the blade of a axe has been sharpened at the wrong angle, it's worse than it was before we tried sharpening it. Don't let a hard time cause us to respond in the wrong way. God does want to shaprpen us the proper way and he can if we cooperate. It will be easily seen by our response. If we don't respond properly, we make the situation much more difficult. A humble and gracious spirit are good indicators we have been sharpened at the right angle!

The Way To Go!

In John chapter 8 there is a story told of some scribes and Pharisees who brought a woman, who was caught in adultery, to Jesus. They quoted the law that Moses wrote where it says that a person such as this should be stoned to death, and then asked him what he had to say about it. After writing on the ground, they asked him again and he said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her," and then he wrote on the ground again. His saying convicted them and from the eldest to the youngest they left. Jesus asked the woman where her accusers were and has no man condemned you? She said, "No man" and his forgiving reply was, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
Now any experienced stone thrower knows that even a small pebble makes ripples. I think we best leave the stone throwing alone, for it is not Christ's way. Perhaps we could throw a little love and forgiveness on a situation such as happened in chapter 8 of John's gospel. Now that would be the way to go!

No Rivals!

Benjamin Franklin once said, "He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals." How true this is. Luke 14:26 says, "If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Self love is one of the main hinderances to our becoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must learn as he did, to become servants of all, manifesting love, humility, patience, mercy, forbearance, forgiveness, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, and did I mention love. Without love our lives are at best, lonely and legalistic. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) Hopefully all men can see who we are by seeing our love one to another.

It Could Happen Anywhere!

Two Texans were trying to impress each other with the size of their ranches. One asked the other, "What's the name of your ranch?" He replied, "The Rocking R, ABC, Flying W, Circle C, Bar U, Staple Four, Box D, Rolling M, Rainbow's End, Silver Spur Ranch." The questioner was much impressed and exclaimed, "Whew! That's sure some name! How many head of cattle do you run?" The rancher answered, "Not many. Very few survive the branding."
Let's watch out, for pride can be a killer!

The Doorkeeper!

The Psalmist David, wrote in Psalm 84:9-11, "Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
We will have opportunity after opportunity to be a doorkeeper in the house of God. May our God help us all to choose doorkeeping over dwelling in the tent of wickedness. Sin often looks attractive, while doorkeeping only looks attractive to those of humble heart. You know the ones, those who are so grateful to God for his love, mercy, and forgiveness. Those who would rather worship the "Exalted One" over being exalted themselves. No good thing will God withhold from them that walk in uprightness. Now that is a blessed person!

Flee!

On an employee bulletin board: "In case of fire, flee the building with the same reckless abandon that occurs each day at quitting time." Humorous? Perhaps! Maybe we should learn a lesson from this story. We are told to flee the wrath to come, flee youthful lusts, flee ungodliness, etc. Let's make sure we flee these things, just like we would run from a fire.

An Open Book

Someone has said, "Live your life like an open book with nothing to hide or be ashamed of." To this I say amen, for our lives are like an open book to be read by any that cross our paths. Hopefully they will read out of our lives, Christ in us the hope of glory.

Coiled And Ready To Strke!

Years ago when Pepper Rodgers was in the middle of a terrible season as football coach at UCLA, he said, "It even got so bad that it upset my home life." He recalls, "My dog was my only friend. I told my wife that a man needs at least two friends and she bought me another dog." I don't know if this story is true, but I do know that a man needs friends. I personally know some who think that they don't have any use for other people. They are easy to recognize for they are about as friendly as a coiled rattlesnake. You know what I mean, "make a move in their direction and they will strike out at you trying to bite you, or at least scare you off." Without friends, who would help us up when we fall down? Or maybe you can tell me, who will stand with us when the battle rages hot? Everyone knows that a two stranded cord is twice as strong as a single stranded cord. Scripture tells us in the Amplified Bible in Proverbs 17:17, "A friend loveth at all times, and is born, as a brother, for adversity." I hope that we all value friends, family, and brothers and sisters in the Lord. Many a time they are representing the Lord as they reach out to us to help us in an hour of need.

Do Unto To Others!

Just think what the world would be like if we decided to treat everyone that we come into contact with as if this were the last day of their lives. Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this shall men know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to another". He also said in Matthew 7:12, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets". Treating every human that we come into contact with, the same way we want to be treated, is the Lord's way. Being loving, kind, understanding, forgiving, merciful, compassionate, gentle, etc. is the right thing to do. The question is, are we doing it?

Our True Needs Amounts To Very Little!

A man's true needs amounts to very little. Scripture admonishes us to be content with food and clothing. Remember, "little is much when God is in it".
What does it take for us to walk softly before the Lord, in full contentment? We could list many things, but the truth is, that the basics for survival should bring contentment.
Many years ago, the Lord whispered in that still small voice of his, to my wife and I, "I will always meet your needs as long as you aren't to particular". That is exactly what He has done throughout the years, and we praise Him for it.

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

About 1930, the Communist leader Bukharin journeyed from Moscow to Kiev. His mission was to address a huge assembly. His subject, atheism. For a solid hour he aimed his heavy artillery at Christianity, hurling argument and ridicule. At last he was finished and viewed what seemed to be the smoldering ashes of men's faith. "Are there any questions?" Bukharin demanded. A solitary man arose and asked permission to speak. He mounted the platform and moved close to the Communist. The audience was breathlessly silent as the man surveyed them first to the right, then to the left. At last he shouted the ancient Orthodox greeting. "CHRIST IS RISEN!" The vast assembly arose as one man and the response came crashing like the sound of an avalanche, "HE IS RISEN INDEED!" Yes, "HE IS RISEN INDEED!"

Tools Need To Be Used!

I remember it well. It was bright and shiny and a brilliant red in color. There was a saw, a hammer, a level, pliers, a measuring tape, nails, screws, and other things in that beautiful little tool box. It even came with it's own lock and key. I was so proud of that tool box, for I knew that with tools and the right materials, I could build most anything. I locked the box so no one would be tempted to use my tools and went out to play. Later I came in and was going to build something. I reached into my pocket and to my dismay, I couldn't find the key. I had lost it while playing outdoors, and had left the spare key in the box, so I was without a way to open it. I remember how hopeless I felt at that time. I had all the tools that I needed to be about building something wonderful, but I was locked out of my tool box.
Aren't you glad that our heavenly Father hasn't locked us out. We come into his presence through Jesus Christ and when we do we find all the tools that we need to build a wonderful life. They are found in his word, The Holy Bible, but are not useful if we don't use them. When we study the word and begin to apply it to our lives, we find that something beautiful is being built. I thank God for the tools needed to build a beautiful life and that they aren't locked up in a box where I can't get to them. Let's pull them out and put them to work. We will be amazed at what we can build.