Thought for the Day – Peace and Rest

~Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Not one person can truly say he has experienced true peace, rest and freedom from life’s burdens until they have been born again and entered into a genuine Father/child relationship with the Heavenly Father. This comes only through salvation.

Do you have this kind of true peace and rest? If not, I challenge you to question the path you are on and read the Gospel of John through three times. Please contact me when you are finished 🙂

No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.

Thought for the Day – Do You Hear God?

~John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

~Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

~John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Let God’s Word speak for itself. If you go to church and follow the church rules, yet you disregard what the Word of God, the Bible, teaches, you must question if you are a child of God.  The Bible teaches that it is not following rules or man’s teachings that will get you to Heaven.  One must be born again!  The Holy Spirit enters one’s heart at that point and lives within him.  One is then born of the spirit and the water of the Word, the Water of Life!

~Revelation 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The Builder

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

~Author Unknown~

This story made me think of the Scriptures:

~Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The Bee Sting

A vacationing family drives along in their car, windows rolled down, enjoying the warm summer breeze of the sunny day.  All of a sudden a big black bee darts in the window and starts buzzing around inside the car. A little girl, highly allergic to bee stings, cringes in the back seat.

If she is stung, she could die within an hour.

“Oh, Daddy, ” she squeals in terror, “it’s a bee! It’s going to sting me!”

The father pulls the car over to a stop, and reaches back to try to catch the bee. Buzzing towards him, the bee bumps against the front windshield where the father traps it in his fist. Holding it in his closed hand, the father waits for the inevitable sting. The bee stings the father’s hand and in pain, the father lets go of the bee.

The bee is loose in the car again. The little girl again panics, “Daddy, it’s going to sting me!”

The father gently says, “No honey, he’s not going to sting you now. Look at my hand.”

The bee’s stinger is there in his hand.

~1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Jesus says to us, “Look at my hands.”

He has Satan’s sting,
the sting of death,
the sting of sin,
the sting of deceit,
the sting of feeling worthless.

Jesus has all of those stingers in His hands.

When you see that nail-scarred hand, realize that, on your behalf, Jesus took all the pain that Satan could throw at Him. He reduced Satan to a big black bee that has lost its stinger–all Satan can do is buzz.

That’s the victory that Jesus won for you!

~Author Unknown

Depend on Miracles

One Sunday morning I heard my minister say if you want result from prayer, pray for thirty days without ceasing. I didn’t know why it was thirty days, but I was willing to give it a try. The following became my daily prayer:

I am available, Lord, to be used by You each day. Guide me, precious Lord, and lead me in what I say and do. May my words and actions be a witness that You are living in me. To the one that is lonely, may I be a friend. To those with heavy burdens, help me to meet their needs. Lord, I do not want fame or fortune. My prayer is that You will use me to glorify your name. I know I don’t have much to offer, but I will give You my all. Guide me to be what You want me to be. Amen

On the twenty-first day of this prayer, CPR took on a new meaning for me. I was working an extremely busy twelve-hour night shift in Labor and Delivery. I had just sat down for my first break when a phone call came from my friend working in the Emergency Room. I barely recognized her urgent voice. An eighteen-year-old boy had been brought to the ER for alcohol and drug overdose. The young man was very close to death and they had done all they could do to help him. The father of this boy was requesting a priest or minister and they were having difficulty locating one that could come to the ER quickly. My friend stated, “We know you’re a Christian and we need you to come and try to comfort this father. Please help.”

Reluctantly, I said I would come down. As I waited for the elevator my thoughts became very judgmental and frustration welled up inside me. Then I remembered the prayer I’d been praying. I walked into the ER and approached the father. Taking his hand, I silently led him to the chapel. Before I could even say, “I am not a minister,” this six-foot, two-hundred-twenty-pound man sank into the chair and became a broken hearted child.

Through his non-stop sobbing he spoke, “Christian, pray for Raymond. I remember the first time I held my boy. I felt so proud and I just kept saying, ‘I have a son.’ As the years passed those tiny feet became bigger and walked away from his family’s love and entered a strange, hardened, and destructive world. Tonight, too much alcohol and an overdose of drugs are taking his life.

It’s as though he wants to rebel against everything his family stood for. He knew what he was doing was wrong. Sometimes he seemed so afraid, but he wouldn’t stop. Now it is too late. Christian, you have to pray for Raymond.” Those large hands trembled in mine and as I looked into his eyes, I mourned with him. Silence fell between us, as I searched for the words that would comfort this crumbling tower of a man. I felt so inadequate. I wanted to scream, “Lord it has only been twenty-one days since I began that prayer! I am not ready for this!”

Time was running out and I knew I couldn’t stall any longer. I clutched his hands, now wet with tears, and began to pray. The words came easy, much to my surprise.

I finished praying with him and went to Raymond’s bedside. I took his cold, lifeless hand and once again began to pray. “Lord I am asking for a miracle and I know You can do it.”

I stayed with them both until Raymond was taken to Intensive Care. I visited Raymond on a daily basis and continued to pray for him. Eight days passed with little improvement. On the ninth day I entered the ICU and a miracle had taken place. Raymond was awake and talking with his father. CPR had taken on a new meaning for me: “Christian Pray for Raymond”. As I left the ICU with tears falling down my face, I realized, today is the 30th day of my prayer.

Now I not only believe in miracles, I depend on them.

~Author Unknown

Forgiveness

A letter written to a man on death row by the Father of the man whom the man on death row had killed:

You are probably surprised that I, of all people, am writing a letter to you, but I ask you to read it in its entirety and consider its request seriously. As the Father of the man whom you took part in murdering, I have something very important to say to you.

I forgive you. With all my heart, I forgive you. I realize it may be hard for you to believe, but I really do. At your trial, when you confessed to your part in the events that cost my Son his life and asked for my forgiveness, I immediately granted you that forgiving love from my heart. I can only hope you believe me and will accept my forgiveness.
But this is not all I have to say to you. I want to make you an offer — I want you to become my adopted child. You see, my Son who died was my only child, and I now want to share my life with you and leave my riches to you. This may not make sense to you or anyone else, but I believe you are worth the offer. I have arranged matters so that if you will receive my offer of forgiveness, not only will you be pardoned for your crime, but you also will be set free from your imprisonment, and your sentence of death will be dismissed. At that point, you will become my adopted child and heir to all my riches.

I realize this is a risky offer for me to make to you — you might be tempted to reject my offer completely — but I make it to you without reservation.

Also, I realize it may seem foolish to make such an offer to one who cost my Son his life, but I now have a great love and an unchangeable forgiveness in my heart for you.

Finally, you may be concerned that once you accept my offer you may do something to cause you to be denied your rights as an heir to my wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I can forgive you for your part in my Son’s death, I can forgive you for anything. I know you never will be perfect, but you do not have to be perfect to receive my offer. Besides, I believe that once you have accepted my offer and begin to experience the riches that will come to you from me, that your primary (though not always) response will be gratitude and loyalty.

Some would call me foolish for my offer to you, but I wish for you to call me your Father.

Sincerely,

The Father of Jesus

~Author Unknown

Break Through

~2 Thessalonians 3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

Most of the flight from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale was delightful. We sailed high, in clear skies, with nary a bump to bother us. As the pilot announced our initial descent, thing began to change. The cloud cover in the area was thick, and we would have to go through it to land. As I peered out the window into murky gray emptiness, I felt frightened. There was nothing I could do except put my trust in the pilot and those in the control tower at Ft. Lauderdale. We bumped, were jarred and seemed to be on a roller coaster ride before we finally broke through the clouds. How relieved I was, being able to see once again, and having the smooth ride resume. Breaking through those clouds was exhilarating for me! I sighed a breath of relief.

Life hands us cloud banks of dark and dismal times, also. We may have some warning, as the pilot warned the passengers on the plane, or we may just hit the cloud banks of life with a bang. Either way, the ride through them is usually bumpy and uncomfortable, to say the least. But the old saying that there is light at the end of the tunnel is so true. There is light after we ride through the cloud banks of life. The question is, how do we weather the storm? Who do we put our trust in, as we face difficult times? Do we turn to a friend or write to Dear Abby for help? I hope we turn our eyes toward heaven, and ask God, who created this universe, for guidance and help during the cloudy times we endure. Then, when we make the transition out of darkness into His wonderful light, we can be reminded that He was with us all the while. That is very reassuring to me, and I hope it is to you, also.

~Author Unknown

Emergency Numbers

When in sorrow, call John 14.
When men fail you, call Psalm 27.
If you want to be fruitful, call John 15.
When you have sinned, call Psalm 51.
When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34.
When you are in danger, call Psalm 91.
When God seems far away, call Psalm 139.
When your faith needs stirring, call Hebrews 11.
When you are lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23.
When you grow bitter and critical, call 1 Cor. 13.
For Paul’s secret to happiness, call Col.3:12-17.
For idea of Christianity, call 11 Cor. 5:15-19.
When you feel down and out, call Romans 8:31.
When you want peace and rest, call Matt.11:25-30.
When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90.
When you leave home for labor or travel, call Psalm 121.
Your prayers growth narrow and selfish, call Psalm 67.
For a great invention/opportunity, call Isaiah 55.
When you want courage for a task, call Joshua 1.
How to get along with fellow men, call Romans 12.
When you think of investments/returns, call Mark 10.
If you are depressed, call Psalm 27.
If your pocketbook is empty, call Psalm 37.
If you’re losing confidence in people, call 1 Cor. 13.
If people seem unkind, call John 15.
If discouraged about your work, call Psalm 126.
If you find the world growing small and yourself great, call Psalm 19.

NOTE: EMERGENCY NUMBERS may be DIALED DIRECT. No operator assistance is necessary. ALL LINES ARE OPEN TO HEAVEN 24 HOURS A DAY! Feel free to pass this on to others.

The Cross

A young man was at the end of his road , seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer.

“Lord, I can’t go on,” he said. “I have too heavy a cross to bear.”

The Lord replied, “My son, if you can’t bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room.

Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish.”

The man was filled with relief and said, “Thank you Lord,” and he did as he was told.

Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.

“I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered. The Lord replied, “My son, that is the cross you just brought in.”

When life’s problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined.

YOUR CROSS

Whatever your cross
Whatever your pain
There will always be sunshine
After the rain

Perhaps you may stumble
Perhaps even fall
But God’s always there
To help you through it all
~Author Unknown

I Cannot Pray

I cannot say:

“Our” if my religion has no room for others and their needs.

I cannot say:

“Father” if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily life.

I cannot say:

“Who art in Heaven” if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.

I cannot say:

“Hallowed be Thy name” if I, who am called by his name am not holy.

I cannot say:

“Thy kingdom come” if I am unwilling to give up my own sovereignty and accept the righteous reign of God.

I cannot say:

“Thy will be done” if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life.

I cannot say:

“On earth as it is in Heaven” if I am not truly ready to give myself to his service here and now.

I cannot say:

“Give us this day our daily bread” if I am not expending an honest effort for it or by ignoring the genuine needs of my fellow man.

I cannot say:

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say:

“Lead us not into temptation” if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted.

I cannot say:

“Deliver us from evil” if I am not prepared to fight in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer.

I cannot say:

“Thine is the Kingdom” if I do not give the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal subject.

I cannot say:

“Thine is the power” if I fear what my neighbors do or say to me.

I cannot say:

“Thine is the glory” if I am seeking my own glory first.

I cannot say:

“Forever” if I am anxious about each day’s events.

I cannot say:

“Amen” if I don’t honestly say “cost what it may, this is my prayer.”

~Author Unknown