Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Beautiful Uses Of The Alphabet

This is one of the nicest and most beautiful uses of the alphabet that I have ever seen.

Although things are not perfect
Because of trials or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame

Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know

Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee

Move out of ' Camp Complaining '
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone

Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To 'thank' is a command

Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high

Yes, there'll be good times & yes some will be bad, but...
Zion waits in glory...where no one is ever sad!


Source: L. Perry

Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Chosen Vessel

The Master was searching for a vessel to use;
On the shelf there were many – which one would he choose?
“Take me,” cried the gold one, “I’m shiny and bright;
I’m of great value and I do things just right.
My beauty and lustre will outshine the rest
And for Someone like You, Master, gold would be best!”

The Master passed on with no word at all;
He looked at the silver urn, narrow and tall.
“I’ll serve you, dear Master; I’ll pour out your wine,
And I’ll be at your table whenever you dine.
My lines are so graceful, my carvings so true,
And silver will always compliment you.”

Unheeding, the Master passed on to the brass.
It was wide mouthed and shallow, and polished like glass.
“Here! Here!” cried the vessel, “I know I will do.
Place me on your table for all men to view.”

“Look at me,” called the goblet of crystal so clear.
“My transparency shows my contents so clear.
Though fragile am I, I will serve you with pride,
And I’m sure I’ll be happy in your house to abide.”

The Master came next to a vessel of wood.
Polished and carved, it solidly stood.
“You may use me, dear Master,” the wooden bowl said,
“But I’d rather you used me for fruit – please, no bread!”

Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of clay
Empty and broken it helplessly lay.
No hope had that vessel that the Master might choose
To mend and cleanse – make it all His to use.

“Ah! This is the vessel I’ve been hoping to find,
I will mend it and use it – and make it all mine!”
“I need not the vessel with pride of itself;
Nor the one so narrow who sits on the shelf.

Not the one who is big mouthed and shallow and loud;
Nor the one that displays its contents so proud.
Not the one who thinks he can do all things just right –
But this plain earthen vessel, filled with My Power and Might.”

Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay –
Mended and cleansed it and filled it that day.
Spoke to it kindly – “There’s work you must do.
You pour out to others – and I’ll pour in to you!”


Author Unknown

Thursday, January 23, 2014

A Great Lesson On Stress



A young woman confidently walked around the room with a raised glass of water while leading a seminar and explaining stress management to her audience. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, “Half empty, of half full?” She fooled them all. How heavy is this glass of water?” she inquired with a smile. Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. To 20 oz. she replied.


“The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes.”


She continued, “and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.”


“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When were refreshed, we can carry on the burden-holding stress longer and better each time practiced.


So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Pick them up again tomorrow if you must.

Words Of Inspirations

  1. Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

  2. Always keep our words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

  3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

  4. Drive carefully..It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

  5. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

  6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

  7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

  8. Never buy a car you can't push.

  9. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

  10. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

  11. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

  12. The second mouse gets the cheese.

  13. When everything's coming your way, your in the wrong lane.

  14. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have the longer you live.

  15. Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

  16. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

  17. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

  18. Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.
Today someone asked me if I liked you all. I laughed and said, “Ha! That's funny!! I absolutely Love them!! They're funny, caring, crazy as heck, sweet, beautiful, they're reading this right now & I love them!!”


Be the kind of person that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says “Oh darn, they're up!”

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

To Let Go

To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off, it’s the realization that I can’t control another.

To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it’s to make the most of myself.

To let go is not to care for, but to care about.

To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To let go is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to criticize, or regulate anyone, but to try to become what I dream I can do.

To let go is to fear less, and to love more.

Life

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be – a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger – but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.

If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

And if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.

Learn a lesson in life each day that you live!

Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.

Think About it? Was it worth it?

Testing For Gossip

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”

“Hold on a minute”, Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.”

“Triple filter?”

“That’s right”, Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“No,” the man said, “Actually I just heard about it and …”

“All right”, said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”

“No, on the contrary.”

“So”, Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: The filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really.”

“Well”, concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”

Author Unknown

Rules From God For A Good Year

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Wake Up 

Decide to have a good day.
"Today is the day the Lord hath made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it"
Psalms 118:24

Dress Up

The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at outward appearance;
but the Lord looks at the heart."
 Samuel 16:7

Shut Up

Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth,
so He must have meant for us to do twice
as much listening as talking.
"He who guards his lips guards his soul."
Proverbs 13:3

Stand Up

For what you believe in. Stand for something or
you will fall for anything..
 "Let us not be weary in doing good;
for at the proper time, we will reap
a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good..."
Galatians 6:9-10

Look Up

To the Lord.
"I can do everything through
Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

Reach Up  
 
For something higher.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
And He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6

Lift Up 

Your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything;
Instead pray about everything."
Philippians 4:6

Source: mamarocks.com

Life Is A Journey

Life is a journey through many terrain
From gardens of pleasure to deserts of pain
From an ocean of love to a jungle of hate
From mountains of glory to canyons of fate

There's a highway for joy and a highway for sorrow
A road for today and a road for tomorrow
So choose your path wisely and walk with care
If you follow your heart, you'll find your way there

I've been to the garden and planted seeds there
I've been to the desert and felt the despair
I've swam in the ocean and drank of it's wine

I climbed up the mountain to touch the sky
I went to the canyon and started to cry
I've traveled both highways,
Both today and tomorrow
I've basked in the joy and wallowed in sorrow

My path has been chosen and I've walked it with care
I followed my heart and I'm on my way there
So I'll just keep walking till I find what I'm after
To mountains and oceans and Gardens of laughter.
~ Author Unknown ~

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Divine Paradoxes [In The Scripture]

We see unseen things.
We conquer by yielding.
We rest under the yoke.
We reign by serving.
We become great by becoming little.
We are exalted by being humble.
We become wise by becoming foolish.
We become free by becoming slaves.
We posses all things by having nothing.
We triumph by defeat.
We glory in infirmities.
We live by dying.
When we’re weak we’re strong.


B. Simonton

Monday, January 20, 2014

So Swift the Way! So Short the Day!

In this fast moving world of turmoil and tension
With problems and troubles, too many to mention
Our days are so crowded and our hours so few
There's so little time and so much to do.

We are pressured and pushed until we are dizzy,
There's never a minute we're not crazily busy.
And sometimes we wonder as we rush through the day,
Does God really want us to hurry this way?

Why are we impatient and continually vexed,
And often bewildered, disturbed, and perplexed?
Perhaps we're too busy with our own selfish seeking
To hear the dear Lord when he's tenderly speaking.

We're working so tensely in our self-centered way,
We've no time for listening to what God has to say,
And, hard as we work, at the end of the day,
We know in our hearts we did not "pay our way".

But God in his mercy looks down on us all,
And though what we've done is so pitifully small
He makes us feel welcome to kneel down and pray,
For the chance to do better as we start a new day.

And life would be better if we learned to rely
On our Father in heaven without asking "Why"?
And if we'd remember as we rush through the day,
"The Lord is our shepherd and he'll lead the way".

So don't rush ahead in reckless endeavor,
Remember "He leadeth" and "Time is Forever".

- D.S. Baker -

" It's not Length of Life but Depth of Life."

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Please Be Patient..,

My dear girl, the day you see I'm getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I'm going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don't interrupt to say: "You said the same thing a minute ago"... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep. When I don't want to take a bath, don't be mad and don't embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl? When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don't look at me that way ... remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life's issues every day... the day you see I'm getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I'm going through. If I occasionally lose track of what we're talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can't, don't be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you. And when my old, tired legs don't let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked. When those days come, don't feel sad... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I'll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I've always had for you, I just want to say, I love you ... my darling daughter. Original text in Spanish and photo by Guillermo Peña. Translation to English by Sergio Cadena

A Solitary Way

There is a mystery in the human heart.
And tho we are encircled with a host
Of those who love us well, and are beloved
There comes a sense of utter loneliness -
Our dearest friend is stranger to our joy
And cannot realize our bitterness.
There is not one who really understands
Not one to enter into all I feel -
Such is the cry of each of us in turn --
We wander in a solitary way.

No matter where or what our lot may be,
Each heart mysterious even to itself
Must live its inner life in solitude.
And would you know the reason why this is?
It is because the Lord desires our love,
In every heart He wishes to be first.
He therefore keeps the secret key Himself
To open all its chambers and to bless
With perfect sympathy and holy peace
Each solitary soul who comes to Him.
So, when we feel this loneliness, it is
The voice of Jesus crying "Come to Me."
And every time we are not understood
It is a call to us to come again,
For Christ alone can satisfy the soul.
And those who walk with Him from day to day
Can never have a solitary way!

And when beneath some heavy load we faint
And say, "I cannot bear this heavy load alone",
You say the truth; Christ made it purposely
So heavy that you must return to Him.
The bitter grief that no one understands
Conveys a secret message to the King
Entreating you to come to Him again.
The "Man of Sorrows" understands it well,
"In all points tempted", He can feel with you.
You cannot come too often nor too near,
The Son of God is infinite in grace,
His presence satisfies the longing soul -
And those who walk with Him from day to day
Can never have a solitary way !


By: ~ Isabel Boyd

Saturday, January 18, 2014

The Study Of Prayer

1st Kings 8:33-5.4 - Solomon's Prayer - Prayer is a very important subject…Holy Communion with God. It is a life or death matter held in the balance. Those who lose out fail in prayer. There is no quicker way to grow than in prayer. The reason our conventions are what they are, is because many days before God's people are praying for the meetings and those who will attend, for those who will minister, making it a hallowed place. In order to grow in this Way of God, we must increase our communion with God.

I have found that there are five parts to prayer.

Begin with Appreciation, thanking God for our deliverance, our benefits in the Kingdom, etc, and this opens our hearts to God. Thank Him for our peace and joy in Him. Express our needs to God. God knows our hearts already but He will not give them until we ask, seek and knock. He wants to hear our own expression of need.

Confession: We need to be cleansed of our sins. A sin not cleansed is one held back from God. We need to tell Him our sins, just lay them out there before Him. Confess them and forsake them and God will show mercy.

Supplication: Supplications mean, "Entreat for Grace”…asking for the power to do what we cannot do for ourselves. Pray for ourselves and then we can pray for others. We can ask for wisdom, grace, faith, love and many things we need. We need our speech seasoned with grace. Is there any time that anger should enter in? If there is trouble, the way to handle it is with grace. This is why we need to ask for grace, the power to do that which we cannot do.

Intersession: How much time do we spend praying for others? As we extend our time in prayer and thinking of the needs of others, our list of others will increase. We can pray for everyone that will be in the meeting on Sunday morning in our area...pray by name. We can have a part in the work of God...We can't forsake our homes and families but we can uphold every worker's name on our workers' list before each day...become interested in missions, etc. When a brother or sister fails, we can look at ourselves for lack of intercession on their behalf. In a workers' meeting in Korea after others had spoken, a brother worker got up to speak and he said, "I cannot continue in the work." Instead of pointing at him and saying the things he should have done, they all turned the searchlight into their own hearts and felt condemned for their lack of intercession. We can pick out a country on the map where the Gospel has gone forth and write to a worker there. If we do not know any workers there, ask one of the workers for a name and get to know that worker and you will become interested in their missions, the friends, etc.

Silence: Waiting before the Lord…just not saying anything. There are two parts to a telephone conversation. How long would we talk if only one spoke? Shall we, just after a few petitions to God, hang up? God wants an opportunity to speak to us. If our mind wanders, let it wander on the greatness of God's Kingdom and the greatness of God. It is not easy to wait on God but it is the most vital portion of prayer. There is no use trying to help others, write letters, visit or anything else before we have spent time with God.

Result of prayer: 1st Kings 8:33-54, Deuteronomy 9:20, Numbers 11:2, Luke 11:1, Job 42:8

Secrets of prayer: 2nd Chronicles 33:12, Psalm 40:1, Mark 11:24, Luke 9:18, Hebrews 5:7-8, 1 Peter 3:12

Things that hinder prayers: Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 28:9, 1 Peter 3:7, James 4:2-3

How often do we pray? Nehemiah 1:6, Psalm 55:17, Daniel 6:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:17

What do we pray for? Matthew 5:44, Matthew 9:38, Luke 22:40, John 17:20, 1st Timothy 2:2.

What accompanies our prayers? Romans 8:26.Revelation 8:3...This incense had no value unless it was mixed with the prayers of all the saints.

Source: B. Simonton

I Can't Make......,But God Can.

I can't make the raging sea, but God can;
Can't make honey like a bee, but God can.
I can't make the lightning stop;
Can't make earth produce a crop;
I can't make it rain a drop, but God can.
Sometimes I wonder in His plan why He included me.
But then I think how one small acorn made the big oak tree.
I can't make the morning dew;
I can't make the skies turn blue,
I can't make a dream come true, but God can.

I can't make a simple cloud, but God can,
I can't feed a hungry crowd, but God can.
I can't put corn on the stalk;
I can't make the lame to walk;
I can't make the dumb to talk, but God can.
Sometimes I wonder in His plan why He included me.
But then I think how one small acorn made the big oak tree.
God will give the strength we lack,
Follow on and don't look back.
Sometimes we can't see the track, but God can.

I can't tell when friends are true, but God can.
I can't look inside of you, but God can.
Can't turn darkness into light;
Can't make mountains snowy white;
Can't give blinded eyes their sight, but God can.
Our great men show their might, power on land and in the skies,
But science can't produce one thing that lives and breathes and dies.
I don't know just what's in store;
I can't see through Heaven's door;
I can't tell you any more, but God can.


Source: B. Simonton

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The Bible

This book contains:
The mind of God,
The state of man,
The way of salvation,
The doom of sinners,
The happiness of believers.

Light to direct you,
Food to support you,
Comfort to cheer you.
Its doctrine is holy,
Its precepts are binding,
Its histories are true,
Its decisions immutable.

Read it to be wise,
Believe it to be safe,
Practice it to be holy.
It is the traveler's map,
The pilgrim's staff,
The pilot's compass,
The soldier's sword,
The Christian's charter.
Here paradise is restored,
Heaven is opened,
The gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject,
Our good its design,
The glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory,
Rule the heart,
Guide the feet.
Read it slowly,
Frequently and
Prayerfully.

It is a mine of wealth,
A paradise of glory,
A river of pleasure.
It is given to us in life,
It will be opened at the Judgement,
And remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility,
It will reward the greatest labor,
And will condemn
ALL who will trifle with
Its sacred contents.

By Robert Chapman

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Before I Go

When my life has reached it's very end,
And I take that final breath,
I want to know I've left behind,
Some "good" before my death.

I hope that in my final hour,
In all honesty I can say,
That somewhere in my lifetime,
I have brightened someone's day.

That maybe I have brought a smile
To someone else's face,
And made one moment a little sweeter,
While they dwelled here in this place.


Lord, please be my reminder
And whisper softly in my ear...
To be a "giver", not a "taker",
In the years I have left here.

Give to me the strength I need,
Open up my mind and my soul.
That I might show sincere compassion,
And love to others before I go.

For if not a heart be touched by me,
And not a smile was left behind...
Then the life that I am blessed with,
Will have been a waste of time.

With all my heart, I truly hope,
To leave something here on earth.
That touched another, made them smile
And gave to my life ... worth.
~ Shawnee Kellie ~

A Wish For You


 
Today...I wish you a day of ordinary miracles

 A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself. 

An unexpected phone call from an old friend. 

Green stoplights on your way to work or shop. 

I wish you a day of little things to rejoice in... 

The fastest line at the grocery store. 

A good sing along song on the radio. 

Your keys right where you look. 
A rainbow ahead of you.

I wish you a day of happiness and perfection,
little bite-size pieces of perfection 
that give you the funny feeling 
that the Lord is smiling on you,
holding you so gently because
you are someone special and rare.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Ecclesiastes 12:11

"The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of the assemblies, which are given from one shepherd." I was reading today a little about goads and from what I could tell it was a long pole that was used for prodding an animal forward or guiding them. It was heavy and it was sharp . And the thought that came to me when I was trying to understand what it was, that whatever a goad would be used on the thing couldn't stay, like it would have to move. And I was just thinking about the words of the wise, things that we hear, especially the words of Jesus that help us to go forward. Like times we can't stay where we are.

I thought about the colt that Jesus sent two of his disciples to that was tied at a place where two ways met and the words of the wise that came from Jesus were, "Loose him and let him go." and the disciples said, "What should we say to those that keep him ?" And Jesus said, "Tell them that the Lord has need of him." And I just wondered if those were things that would prod us forward and help us not to stay where we are, just being loose or set free. And also of knowing the Lord had need of us. The thing that could have kept that colt was that he could have felt too small, but he had never done that before and he had never been free and the weight of it could have seemed like too much, but to fulfill scripture he went with those disciples. And I was just thankful that, that could have been like a goad that just helped him not to stay. There were many times when Jesus had wise words that prevented people from staying where they were, but He prodded them on.

The next part of this verse it says, "and as nails fastened by the masters of the assemblies." sometimes when you buy something like furniture, it says, some assembly is required, and you might put it together where it might look right and be somewhat useful but until nails are in place and things are fastened it is unstable and insecure. So I just like this part where words of the wise is like nails and they are the thing that fastens, and brings stability and security.

I was thinking about the time when Jesus' disciples were on the ship on the sea and they had followed Jesus there, like He had gone before them, so they were in the right place and they were with the right one but the storm came and it just seemed like in their lives they maybe felt unstable and insecure, like the waves were crashing their world was seeming insecure, there might have been an insecurity but Jesus' words, "Peace be still" and there was a great calm. And I just felt like those words were from the wise. Like those disciples they were assembled, they were in the right place but they just needed security. And I feel like that's what the Gospel and often words from the wise, that's what they do for us, they bring a security and a stability that helps us not to just look right but be able to be used.

And in this last part of the verse, it says "Which were given from one shepherd" and that's just speaking about our shepherd again. John 10 and the things that it says about Him, and like the words that He spoke. Maybe I'll just read them. In John 10 verse 11 Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd and know my sheep, and am known of mine." And so these words that come from the wise, they're not just sharp, like the goad that is sharp and powerful, like the nail that sometimes has to be hit hard to be put into place, but it comes from one shepherd. And a shepherd that is good, and a shepherd that's true, and that knows his sheep and is known of him.

So it's been helpful to me to think about words that are from the wise and that we have been hearing these days. And most of all that they come from the one source, and that's our shepherd. And the thing about a shepherd is that there is safety in that. That's the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about a shepherd. Like a sheep without a shepherd really has, like that within it's self has no defense. So we are thankful for a wise shepherd and that we are known of Him. I've always loved that about this chapter, that we are known of Him, and He is known of us, and I'm thankful for this.

Source: T. Springfield

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Life's Voyage

The ship that carries us through life
Cannot be turned around,
But keeps on sailing 'til we reach
The port for which we're bound.

How wonderful when Christ, our Lord,
Is Pilot all the way,
And God's great Name is glorified
In all we do and say.

Sometimes we take the wheel awhile
But soon we leave the course,
And then we hand it back to Him
With tears and great remorse.

If only we, with childlike faith,
Would leave it to the Lord,
How sweet this sailing, then, would be!
What peace it would afford!

Everett. Wilcox - April 2003

Precious Thoughts

I hope I never forget what a young man in our Meeting said years ago : "Right is still right even if nobody does it; Wrong is still wrong even if everybody does it!"
" What Is Our RPM rate today? Is it what It Should Be" Our RPM Rate Is Reading, Praying, Meditating !!
"If you do not wake up with a Hymn on your mind put one there to start the day."  
" A Loving Promising Little Lamb Died Today. The Autopsy Revealed It Had Never Learned To Chew It's Cud which Is The same As Meditation To Us".
Remember it is only the year number that is changing..... God will still be there.
Life's Voyage

The ship that carries us through life
Cannot be turned around,
But keeps on sailing 'til we reach
The port for which we're bound.

How wonderful when Christ, our Lord,
Is Pilot all the way,
And God's great Name is glorified
In all we do and say.

Sometimes we take the wheel awhile
But soon we leave the course,
And then we hand it back to Him
With tears and great remorse.

If only we, with childlike faith,
Would leave it to the Lord,
How sweet this sailing, then, would be!
What peace it would afford!

Everett. Wilcox - April 2003
 
 
 
 
 

So Many Things I Do Not Know..,

So many things I do not know of earth's philosophy;
But this I know-God sent His Son to live a life for me.
It matters not that earth's wise men o'er words and creeds have striven,
I see that Jesus marked the Way so clear from earth to heaven.
'Tis not the things I ought to know, or truths I ought to see,
But what I ought to be and do, which matters most to me.

So many things I do now know, for 'Jacob's well' is deep:
But this I know that Jesus died, the Shepherd for the sheep,
And if I follow as He leads, and thus requite His love,
I'll prosper in the pastures green, and dwell with Him above.
And when the gilt of earth shall fade with every transient joy
I'll have my treasure where no thief nor rust can e'er destroy.

So many things I do not know about the stars above;
But this I know--God put them there, and at His will they move.
The last of Adam's race will die, the gates of time be past,
Before men tell their number, or measure space so vast;
And "what is man" that such a God should of him mindful be?
And such as we should dwell with Him throughout eternity?

So many things I have not learned about this world below;
But I can trace the work of God in every place I go.
I've seen Him in the tropics, and in frozen northern land,
In valley, plain, and mountain height, by lake and oceans strand.
The wise man said, "Of making many books there is no end,"
But I love the Book of Nature more than all that men have penned.

I cannot find identical two pebbles in the brook!
Nor yet two grains of wheat as with the microscope I look!
I cannot find two quite the same among the forest trees;
Nor yet the leaves which shiver in the gentle noonday breeze!
How can each sheep in hundreds its own lamb's bleating tell?
And when it finds it by its bleat, confirms it by its smell.


The wild bird calling to its mate its answering note discerns;
The waiting wife her spouse's step as homeward he returns.
The features are dissimilar in households of one name,
And though it scarce seems possible, no voices are the same;
Nor yet exactly like the script wherewith our names are signed,
Woe to the criminal who leaves his finger prints behind.

I do not know, and no man knows, when Christ shall come again;
'Tis not revealed to angels, much less to sons of men.
Eleven sad disciples heard upon the mountain's brow—
"This self-same Jesus comes again, just as you see Him now."
And I know He'll seek one people, and only one that day-
Those doing what He told them before He went away.

I love the Book of Nature and all its precious lore;
I read God's Book--The Bible--and I love it more and more.
I glory not in what I know, nor ought that I have done;
I feel my education here has scarcely yet begun;
But in one thing I do rejoice midst earthly sin and strife—
That ever God wrote down my name within the Book of Life.

by W.J. Hughes Auckland, N.Z. May, 1936

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Advice For The New Year

Always do right. This will gratify some people
and astonish the rest....Mark Twain


Always keep your words soft and sweet,
just in case you have to eat them.

Be like a postage stamp -
stick to one thing until you get there.

Be true to your teeth, or they'll be false to you.

Be wary of strong drink.
It can make you shoot at tax collectors, and miss.
 
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes.
That way you're a mile away, and you have their shoes too. 

Cooking lesson #1: don't fry bacon in the nude.
  
Drive carefully.
It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse
will happen to you for the rest of the day.

Eat your spinach and you'll grow up big and strong like Popeye.
You'll also end up with a girlfriend that looks like Olive Oyl.
 
Growl all day and you'll be dog tired at night.
 
If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished!
 
If you and your friend are being chased by a grizzly bear, 
don't worry about out-running the bear, 
just worry about out-running your friend.
 
If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again,
it was probably worth it.
 
If you think nobody cares if you're alive,
try missing a couple of car payments.

If you think your wife's jewelry is an investment,
try selling a few pieces.
 
It is better to keep your mouth shut,
and look like a fool, than to open your mouth,
and remove all doubt.
 
It's nice to be important,
but more important to be nice.
 
It's always darkest before dawn.
So if you're going to steal the neighbor's newspaper,
that's the time to do it
 
Take the time to be right.
It's faster than being wrong.

The easiest way to find something lost around
the house is to buy a replacement
 
Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody is looking.

Old Year Out

Before you flip your calendar
To start a New Year bright,
Reflect for just a moment on
The year that ends tonight.

Each joy and every heartache
Has been etched into your heart,
But in a few short hours you
May make a brand new start.

As you review the days and weeks
That simply seemed to fly,
Would you say fortune smiled on you
Or did she pass you by?

Since it's not wise to dwell upon
Those days that made you cry,
The thing to do is set your sights
And aim right at the sky.

Forget those tears and sorrow
As you bid the old, "Adieu,"
And welcome in the New Year,
It's dawning ... just for you!

~ Author Unknown ~

You Never Did Let Go..,

As children bring their broken toys, with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God, because He is my friend.
But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own.
At last, I snatched them back again and cried, "How can you be so slow?"
"My child," He said, "What could I do? You never did let go."
Author Unknown

The Prodigal Son

You will notice that the father never went to seek him out while he was still in that other land and that was because the father knew that repentance has to come from the heart. It would have done no good for father to go and try to persuade him to come home. It had to come from him. As soon as the father saw him coming home, and you can just picture him coming home with his tail between his legs, so to speak. I am sure that he was not striding home with the attitude and the gait that he had when he left. I'm sure that he looked lots different. He came home and his father ran out to meet him. He threw his arms around him and gave him a hug and kissed him. Then he started to tell his story and his father wasn't listening. His father interrupted him and told one of the servants to go back and kill the fatted calf because our son who has been gone and is home again. I just love that story because it is a beautiful picture of the response on the part of God to the spirit of repentance on the part of humanity. In these earlier parables Jesus said, "There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth," then He went on to tell this story.

Maybe I'll just tell you, just quickly a little story of one of my own special memories of my own rearing. My Dad, I hesitate to say that he was strict but in a sense when he told us to do something, he expected it done. He did not micromanage our lives at all, and in fact we were given a lot of responsibility as children for our own decisions. When Dad told us something to do, it was expected that we did it and Dad never threatened and he did not put up with a whole lot of foolishness. When I was 16, this one night Dad had bought a brand new Ford pickup, and in our home new vehicles were not very common. Dad asked me to take the garbage to the dump which was about a mile and half way. This was in the pre-environmental days when the local dump was just a cliff that you dumped things over. It was a winter night and pouring down rain, I thought, "Ha, I get to take the garbage to the dump," so I jumped into the brand new truck and went. I backed up to the edge of the cliff and I dumped the garbage then I thought that I would punch it. Well, I did. The road was slick and the truck spun out and the next thing that I knew the back end of the pickup was over the cliff. The pickup was teetering on the edge and I was one sick boy. Here was this brand new truck balancing on the edge of the cliff and it was pouring down rain, dark as pitch and I was about a mile and a half from home. All of the fun had suddenly gone out of life. There was nothing to do but start walking home and, of course, Mom and Dad had gotten worried because it was taking me longer than it should have. Somewhere in the night we passed each other, Dad in the car and me walking home in the rain. I didn't see him and he didn't see me. So I got home and Dad was not there. Mom was there and very quiet. I stood by the fire to warm up a little bit. Then Dad came back in the door and I just knew that I was in trouble. You know what? All he said was, "Let's go pull it out." He had gotten to the dump and found the pickup hanging over the cliff and no Ed around. I think that he saw by the expression on my face that it really probably wasn't necessary to rub it in any further. We went back and I got in the car and he got in the pickup and we pulled it back up on the road and we went home. I expected a thorough dressing down. You know, until his dying day I never heard another word about that, never. I think it was because he saw that it wasn't necessary, that I had learned my lesson and any further correction was unnecessary.

I just like to think of that, how that would have been that day when that young man came home. I can picture very well the feeling that he had. The father saw that further correction was not necessary, all he needed was just to be warmly welcomed back into the home. That is the love of our Father. He does not change His truth for anyone but when we are willing and we are humbled and when we repent, there is no hesitation on His part to welcomed us home. -Ed Alexander 2005

A Convention Meeting For The Children

Someday I am going to get shot down for long messages, but until then...I do hope everyone that can, will find time to read this...when its to children, that's you and me as well as the little ones.

Brett Hammett: A Convention Meeting for the Children – 2 Maroota, Australia Convention, Jan. 7, 2007

(A meeting for the children) Matthew 10:11 - "Into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide . . And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you." At the last convention we heard that willingness and worthiness are directly related. I wonder if you can read into these verses, "enquire who is willing . . and if the house be willing?" It makes good sense. Not only are willingness and worthiness directly related, but peace is part of it, too. Peace comes when you are willing to invite God's servants into your home. It makes the dwelling worthy and I think you all experience that continually. It is a great privilege for us to preach the gospel and see this result.

In this meeting I am going to speak directly to the young ones and children. You have done very well in the convention, just listening, and I know that sometimes what is being said is a little difficult for a child to understand. Maybe after the meetings you ask your parents, "What was that worker talking about?" and they explain it to you. Well, this meeting is going to be the other way around and your parents might ask you, "What was that worker talking about?"

Where I labor in South America, there are a lot of little children in the meetings. Some of the places we visit are in the jungle. You know what a jungle is like. We get to walk through mud, and you children will understand how much we enjoy that! It is quite a ways to walk and we carry a little backpack with our things so we can spend the night with a family that is waiting for us. We don't have to wear a tie and meeting clothes really. We get to wear our "play" clothes and we can get them dirty. When we get to the home, we need a bath, so we go to the river, and you will understand how much we enjoy that, too. Another thing we like is that sometimes we get to sleep on the floor, like when you go to your grandparents' house and there aren't enough beds, so you sleep on the floor, and you like that. At one place, there is a little monkey and this monkey and I have a really good friendship. I pat him and give him a biscuit, and sometimes when I am asleep on the floor, the monkey is right there next to me. So, we get to preach the gospel in places like that and we love it. Sometimes when we get to a home, it is probably like when the workers come to your home. Those children don't go anywhere because they don't have a car. They can't just go to town. The highlight of the month is when the workers come, and they are waiting for us. All month long they have been thinking about what they will show us and tell us about. Maybe they have some new puppies or chicks or guinea pigs, and we get to hold them. Or maybe we have to see how big the rooster has grown in the last month.

But that isn't all. After dinner is finished at night, we have a little meeting and we don't use lights like these because there aren't any. All they have is some little oil lamps, so we read our Bibles by oil lamp with the children. Some of their parents have never gone to school and can't read very well, so the children - just like you - help us out. They can pronounce better than I can because I am a foreigner there. We get them to very simply read some verses that apply and then we speak about them, and even the children understand. Sometimes we want to tell them a little bit about how we are responsible for our actions. I think you are learning from your parents that you are responsible for your actions. It is the same with God. When we do something good, there is a reward and when we are bad, God isn't so pleased. These people don't even understand that concept, so the children help us out.

Do you still use a regular pencil at school? In Malachi 3:16 we read that God has a book of remembrance and in Revelation 21:27 it tells us that God has another book - the book of life. We like to tell people about these, and to explain it we use something very simple. I don't know what is in the book of remembrance, but the point is that we are responsible to God for the things we do. Maybe God is writing down the things that are good, but then when we do something wrong, He takes that pencil and writes down that we didn't do so well. Then we explain what forgiveness is. What are the two parts of a pencil? One part is what you write with and the other part is the eraser. God has made provision in the eraser and if we are sorry for the sins we do, like when you children say you are sorry and that you didn't mean it, then God uses the other side of the pencil to erase what we have done wrong. I think you can understand that, but maybe it is too simple for your parents? That is the way we have to begin speaking to the people there.

We also tell them that God, with that same pencil, wants to write something on our hearts. Maybe we also tell them that we really don't want to continue in sin because, when you are using the eraser part, are you able to write at the same time? No, because it is on the opposite end of the pencil. You can't erase and write at the same time. So, when God is erasing all our mistakes it is pretty hard for Him to be writing on our hearts until it is all clean. Right after that is when He can write the best on our hearts. We also ask the children, "What part of a pencil wears out the quickest? Is it the part you write with or the eraser?" Every one of them says, "It is the eraser." I don't know why they don't make pencils with erasers that long!

So we speak to these families like that and the children help us. The best part of those visits is not because we get to hold the new little chicks or take a bath in the river, or even the meetings. There is one part that is even better. When God's servants leave homes like that, it is three weeks or so before we get back there. Do you know what Mum and Dad start to do in that time? Little by little they start reading their Bible together. The one that is the best reader probably reads to the other, and they mark where we have spoken from so they can read it over again. And here is the best part - before the workers visited those homes, Mum and Dad used to argue and that is not very comfortable. Nobody likes it, but their lives are in turmoil. They are used to arguing and the children suffer. But when the workers start visiting and they read their Bibles together, instead of focusing on each others faults they start focusing on what they are reading in the Bible and they don't have any interest in fighting. That is the process and little by little people receive life. It doesn't need to be complicated and this gospel of Christ works in every part.

I'll tell you a little story. To get to one home we hiked through the jungle and the mud. It was a poor little home where the family had two girls, one about three and the other still a baby. The whole house was only a bit more than twice the size of this platform I am standing on, but we love going to that home. The little girl had a doll and it was the only thing she owned. She didn't have any other toys, only this doll. The doll was in such bad shape that it was almost unrecognizable as a doll, but she loved it. When she went outside, she had her doll. When she came back in, she had her doll. When she sat to eat, she had her doll and when she went to bed, she had her doll. You children can understand that, can't you? If you had nothing else to play with, you would treasure it. Well, the time came when the little girl got a brand new doll, and you would think, "That's great!" But that is when a time of conflict started. Why? She had become so accustomed to her old doll that she didn't want to put it down, but she also wanted her new doll. She wasn't really big enough to handle both dolls, but she wanted them all the time. Going downstairs was awkward when she was carrying two dolls and coming back up was even more awkward! She just couldn't let go of the old one yet. But finally, she put away her old doll and just played with her new doll.

That little story taught me a bit about what her parents were going through at the same time. When the workers first started coming there, all they had was their own will and their own life, and they treasured them. But during the process of the visits, they were presented with a new life and it was presented to them like a new doll. They accepted it and received it, just like their little girl did with her new doll. At the same time, they were trying to manage both "dolls" and it was very awkward. Finally, just like the little girl, their old "doll" was put away. I think that has happened to every one of us. Maybe those of you who stood for baptism today felt that way up to this time. You had made your choice but were still hanging on to the old "doll". Maybe that is what has brought you to the decision to be baptized because now all you want is the will of God.

Now I would like to teach you a little bit about the brothers and sisters of Jesus. I have met some of you children already and asked your name, and how many brothers and sisters you have, and their names. If I ask you how many brothers and sisters Jesus had, what would you tell me? If I ask you what their names were, could anybody tell me? If you ask your parents, could they tell me? You ask them after the meeting! For your parents, I will tell you where they are written, because sometimes us older ones don't have such good memories. Jesus had four brothers and we don't know how many sisters, likely three or more. We have the names of His brothers but we don't know the names of His sisters. The brothers' names are James, Jose's, Simon and Judas.

Matthew 13:54 tells us that when Jesus went to His own home area, the people started to say, "Isn't this man from here? Don't we know His father and mother, and His brothers and sisters?" Vs 55: "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren James and Joses and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?" It mentions all His sisters, so I think there would be at least three. Maybe you would like to know a little bit about the brothers and sisters of Jesus? First of all, when Jesus began to be a worker, they weren't professing. If your Mum and Dad want to read it later in John 7, it tells us that they weren't believers. Jesus went up to the feast and His brothers heard about the miracles He did. They said, "Why don't you go up and show people all these things you can do?" John 7:4 - "If thou do these things, show thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him." They weren't professing then. Maybe some of your brothers and sisters are not professing? He just said, "You go ahead, the world cannot hate you but it hates me. You are of the world and it won't hate you." Later, He went up to the feast.

Matthew 12:47 - One day, Jesus was preaching in a meeting like this and His mother and brothers came there. If His brothers were professing I don't think anything would be recorded here, but when people don't understand about the things of God, they don't mind interrupting. It seems like the brothers said, "Tell Jesus we are here to see Him," and He was speaking! When they sent somebody in, Jesus just looked over the crowd and said, "You are my brothers and sisters." In other words, "My brothers and sisters don't believe in the things of God yet and you mean more to me than they do." He wasn't despising His mother in any way, and I think Mary would agree and think, "Maybe this is the best thing for my other sons to hear." That wasn't the end of the story of Jesus' brothers and that is the nice part about it. Sometime, we don't know when, at least two of His brothers professed. They were met together in a meeting. For your parents, it is written in Acts 1:13 - "They went into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,
Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James."

1 Corinthians 9:5 is where you read about two of His brothers not just professing, but two became workers. Galatians 1:19 - "But other of the apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord's brother." One of them became an elder worker, and his name was James.

If there is something your parents don't understand in this meeting, you can help then tonight. When we preach the gospel, we love to have the children attentive like you have been in this meeting. You are the hope of the kingdom and we appreciate you, and if you have learned the names of the four brothers of Jesus, I will be very, very happy!

Benefit / Benefits

Benefit / benefits are words that has seemed to crop up so many times in the last days. Heard it again tonight at meeting. So I looked up some places in the Bible and these are ones that stick in my mind.

Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psa 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psa 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
Have you ever tried to list the ways you benefit from God's goodness? It must be a lot like love--no ending.
He cleans us of our sin, He raises us up, provides light in this dark world, he a guide--shepard, provides a comfoter, bread of life, full of mercy, and provides many little miracles that most people would take for granted but his people can see the miracle. And the list goes on. This morning as we were singing each new thought sang pushed forth more benefits of walking with God. Would not want to find myself where there would be no benefits from Him.
Jer 18:9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
Jer 18:10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

I Can See Clearly Now

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean; she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looks on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hangs her wash to dry, the young woman makes the same comments. A month later, the woman is surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and says to her husband: "Look, she's finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this? " The husband replies, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows." And so it is with life... What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look. 
Author Unknown

Life's Voyage

The ship that carries us through life
Cannot be turned around,
But keeps on sailing 'til we reach
The port for which we're bound.

How wonderful when Christ, our Lord,
Is Pilot all the way,
And God's great Name is glorified
In all we do and say.

Sometimes we take the wheel awhile
But soon we leave the course,
And then we hand it back to Him
With tears and great remorse.

If only we, with childlike faith,
Would leave it to the Lord,
How sweet this sailing, then, would be!
What peace it would afford!

Everett. Wilcox - April 2003

Belief And Unbelief

Kathy McLin 'Belief and Unbelief' Brisbane Convention 2013 
 
Today my thoughts have been in Mark 9. There was a man that was disappointed in the disciples and he came to Jesus and said 'If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us.' If thou canst do anything? That man said that to Jesus and Jesus answered him 'If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believe. There was no if with Jesus, He knew He could help this man without a doubt. The if was with the man. I like the man's response. He prayed with tears. He was honest and he was urgent and he said 'Lord I believe help my unbelief' He looked in his own heart and he saw both belief and unbelief and I'm sure if you look in your heart and was honest you would have both also. This man saw that unbelief stands between me and a miracle. He knew that unbelief was his hindrance and he prayed help my unbelief. Jesus honored that prayer.
It is wonderful to believe but first we must recognize what our enemy is. Do we see unbelief as sin, do we see it as the work of Satan? It is very serious. How sad if we left unbelief and doubts rob us of the great things that God has for us, if we just believe in Him and His Son and in the Holy Spirit. We have many reasons to believe. 
Those that came to Jesus with great faith they received help immediately. The Leper said 'If thou whilst thou canst make me clean' and it happened. There was a woman who said if I can just get close enough to touch His garment I will have hope and she did. We are going to have as much help as we have faith to believe. We are going to be led as far as we let Him lead us and we will enjoy as much as we let Him give us. We set the limit and do we realize the seriousness of unbelief and doubt. 
I was reading in Revelations the other day where it speaks about the depths of Satan. I love reading about the depths of God and of Jesus and their work. It mentioned the depth of Satan and I thought about depths of confusion, depths of deceit, depths of darkness and where it can lead us to. Have you ever felt any comfort or any joy when you are doubting and unbelieving, has it done any good for you? I thought about Eve and what did it do for her? What did it do the children of Israel? Many died because of unbelief. Where does it end? 
 
Sometimes I wonder how Satan makes people cherish things of the world and he is a deceiver and that is why and that is how he deceives. How can you make so many people believe what is not true, and make people refuse to believe what is true, because he is a deceiver. He will take us into such depths. The end of unbelief is darkness forever. It speaks about hell as a bottomless pit and there is no end and you just fall and fall and fall. We do not want to be led into the depths of Satan. Everyone here that has a revelation that Jesus is the Son of God is very fortunate. And if you believe to the extent that you live by His teachings you are very fortunate. 
Jesus said to Peter when Peter said I believe that thou art Christ the Son of the living God. Jesus said blessed art thou. The rock of revelation that I will build my church upon and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. We want something in our lives that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The gates of hell can prevail against all the doctrines and ideas of man, but they cannot prevail against those who believe in the Son of God. We want to build upon that solid rock, something that is in our lives that is sure and eternal. In Revelations you read about Satan's deception. He can deceive all except those that have the mark of the Son of God in their forehead.
I was thinking about some Scripture were doubts were hindering them. One time the Pharisees came to Jesus and John 10 and they said these foolish words to Jesus. 'How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ tell us plainly. Jesus answered them I told you and ye believed not, the works that I do in my Father's name they bear witness of me' Jesus did not do one thing that would ever make anyone doubt. He always did what pleased the Father, He always spoke the words of the Father and He always did the works of the Father.
 
Why were they doubting? They would not let the spirit reveal or open their heart to His word because it was right. And they did not like that. They loved darkness rather than light and they justified themselves by saying Jesus was making them doubt. When they listened to Him they could see they were wrong and all they were doing was just vanity and just a show. They were talking with their lips but their hearts were very empty and very displeasing to God. Then they said why do you make us doubt. Sometimes we are unwilling and we do not want to do what the Scripture teaches us, we really do not want to follow Jesus so we justify that by doubting. We are saying we do not believe what Jesus is saying and we have to be very careful about that. These religious Pharisees were left in their darkness, they never moved from the dark miserable world. We need to be careful about the sin of unbelief.
I was thinking about Peter in Matthew 14 and there was a storm and Jesus took those steps to Jesus and that was a wonderful thing. Then the waves and the wind were so strong and he focused on that and he began to sink. Jesus asked him 'Wherefore didst thou doubt?' That is such a wonderful question and when we have doubts and we need to search what is it that makes us doubt and where this unbelief comes from. We do not know how Peter answered but I believe that he got his focus off Jesus and that was the problem. 
 
It is a frightening thing to be on a sea with the waves and you feel very voluble and you feel very alone and we will be that way also on the sea of life if we have our eyes off Jesus. There are many fierce waves and winds blowing against our fellowship. If we get our eyes off Jesus and then let the winds and waves affect us we are on very dangerous waters. We must keep our focus on the Son of God. After that experience Peter moved on from the steps of doubt into a deeper love and appreciation for Jesus and Jesus wants that for us.
 
 In John 20 we read about Thomas after Jesus was crucified and after the resurrection and the wonderful news came that He was alive. And we know the sad story that Thomas never went to the first meeting the disciples had after the resurrection. Then the disciples came and said to Thomas we have seen the Lord. Then Thomas said some very sad words 'Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.' That is a very bold statement, I will not believe. 
Jesus could have left Thomas there, Jesus had already done so much and there were so many reasons why Thomas should believe. Jesus could have said 'Thomas you were there when I fed the 5000, you were there when I calmed the wind and the waves, you have seen so many miracles, we had so many good visits and Jesus could have given him a long list of reasons why he should not have unbelief. Jesus didn't, Jesus wanted him to believe and Jesus came to him after eight days and Jesus said to Thomas 'Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.' Jesus did not want Thomas to enter in to the hopeless future of unbelief. Be not faithless but believing. That is God's message for all of us, search what causes the doubts and be not faithless, but believing. We all have so many reasons to believe. Thomas touched Jesus wounds and was reminded of His spirit and then Thomas believed. We all need to be concerned about doubts and fears because it can stop the work of God in our souls. Jesus invited Thomas, touch Me and make sure of this.
I like what it says in Luke 24 'Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself, handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have.' Handle Me, make it real, take it to yourself and there is every assurance that we should believe and come and see. I love this invitation and John wrote later we have handled this, we have the words of life and we must be sure that we handle this.
 
I had a friend who was killed in a plane accident. And the daughter told me that they were at the funeral parlour and they were all around the casket and they begged the undertaker to open the casket so they had some assurance it was really their father. The undertaker said I cannot do that because the body was not whole. And after a little while he said I could show you his hand and so he showed them their father's hand and it was wonderful to them to know this really is my father. That is the hand that has touched us and the hand that guided us and the hand that corrected us and the hand that embraced us, that is our father's hand. We know his hand. 
We want to take hold of these things as they are true and they are real and we can make them very real in our lives. So sad to let the sin of unbelief and doubt take us into our hopeless future and to destroy the great work God wants to do in our soul. I hope we will pray, help my unbelief, increase my faith and we will make a greater effort to make this very true and very real. 

'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed'

I've Never Made A Fortune
And It's Probably Too Late Now
But I Don't Worry About That Much
I'm Happy Anyhow
And As I Go Along Life's Journey
I'm Reaping Better Than I Sow
I'm Drinking From My Saucer
'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed
 
I haven't Got A Lot Of Riches
And Sometimes The Going's Tough
But I've Got Loving Ones Around Me
And That Makes Me Rich Enough
I Thank God For His Blessings
And The Mercies He's Bestowed
I'm Drinking From My Saucer
'Cause My Cup Has Overflowed

I, Remember Times When Things went Wrong
My Faith Wore Somewhat Thin
But All At Once The Dark Clouds Broke
And Sun Peeped Through Again
So Lord, Help Me Not To Gripe
About The Tough Rows That I've Hoed
I'm Drinking From My Saucer
"Cause My Cup Has Overflowed

If God Gives Me Strength And Courage
When The Way Grows Steep And Rough
I'll Not Ask For Other Blessings
I'm Already Blessed Enough
And May I Never Be Too Busy
To Help Others Bear Their Loads
Then I'll Keep Drinking From My Saucer
"Cause My Cup Has Overflowed!"
 

The New Year Blessing

The new year, like a new born child,
is placed in our hands as the old year
passes away. The days and weeks to come
are God's gift; they carry God's blessing.
As a blessing we welcome them.
Our hope for the year ending is that all
that was good in it remain with us an
all that was harmful be left behind. 

Let There Be Peace On Earth
Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on Earth,
the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father,
brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my brother,
in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me,
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
let this be my solemn vow,
To take each moment and live each moment
in peace, eternally.
Let there be Peace on Earth,
and let it begin with me.

A Happy New Year Wish For You

My Happy New Year wish for you
Is for your best year yet,
A year where life is peaceful,
And what you want, you get.

A year in which you cherish
The past year’s memories,
And live your life each new day,
Full of bright expectancies.

I wish for you a holiday
With happiness galore;
And when it’s done, I wish you
Happy New Year, and many more.

~ Joanna Fuchs ~