Psalm 130:1
Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
Funny how some people never ask for help until everything comes crashing down upon them. They wait until the last minute, then send out the distress signal. Many people work their relationship with God that way. They call on Him infrequently while things are going well, but when trouble rears its ugly head, they are pounding on His door for help. It is a wise person who learns to include God in everything he does. When God is a full part of your life, you never feel panic when things go wrong. Still, it is good to know that God will hear us when we cry out from the depths, and that He will always come to the aid of His children.
Prayer: Make me to remember You in all times, Lord, not just times of trial. Help me to share my whole life with you and to glory in Your presence. Thank You for staying beside me always. Amen.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Invisible God
He is the image of the invisible God.
Colossians 1:15
FROM THE FATHER'S HEART
My child, others scoff at your declarations that I am real, living in you and all around you. But not everyone can see Me. I am the invisible God, and I am spirit discerned. When Moses saw My glory, others could not even look at his face. But he looked with eyes of faith. The heart can see what the physical eye cannot. If you search for Me, you'll find Me.
A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
You are like the wind whispering through the pines, like a ripple by the water's edge. I cannot see You, but I feel Your awesome presence all around me. You are the invisible God, and I can only visualize You with eyes of faith. But You are there, Lord, always there.
SIMPLE TRUTH
When we look for God, we'll find Him, right where He's always been.
Colossians 1:15
FROM THE FATHER'S HEART
My child, others scoff at your declarations that I am real, living in you and all around you. But not everyone can see Me. I am the invisible God, and I am spirit discerned. When Moses saw My glory, others could not even look at his face. But he looked with eyes of faith. The heart can see what the physical eye cannot. If you search for Me, you'll find Me.
A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
You are like the wind whispering through the pines, like a ripple by the water's edge. I cannot see You, but I feel Your awesome presence all around me. You are the invisible God, and I can only visualize You with eyes of faith. But You are there, Lord, always there.
SIMPLE TRUTH
When we look for God, we'll find Him, right where He's always been.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Discretion
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs." Matthew 7:6
FROM THE FATHER'S HEARTMy child, I have chosen earthen vessels like you to hold My most valuable jewels because My light shines best in ordinary people. Others, full of themselves or with the cares of this world, have stuffed their jars so full, there is no room left for Me. Use My discretion wisely, My child. Sacred things are not to be trampled, but preserved. Share My treasures wisely. Don't hoard them, but give them to faithful disciples who appreciate the value.
A GRATEFUL RESPONSENot everyone can appreciate the "diviner" things of life, Lord. You were careful to give Your jewels to those who would value their worth. I appreciate Your discretion, Lord. And I thank You for entrusting me with Your valuables.
SIMPLE TRUTH
Even in the darkness there are treasures of light.
Deepest Desire
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.
What is your deepest desire?
Take a minute to stop reading and really think about your answer to this question. What are you chasing after the most in your life?
If we are honest, many of us find ourselves thinking about things that will not last for eternity, things of this world. Those things won’t last. It must make God sad how we often don’t learn this lesson until late in life when we have tried all those things and found they still haven’t filled up that empty spot in our hearts.
What really matters the most? The one thing that will matter to you the most for all eternity—your living relationship with God Himself.
Today God wants you to know that if you will make Him your deepest desire, then He will satisfy your desire. Do you desire love, acceptance, forgiveness, purpose, security, joy, peace? You will find it all—and more—in Him. He has wired our hearts to long for Him. For that reason, the only way to be truly satisfied in life is to make God the great delight and enjoyment of your heart.
“Delight”in Him, “commit your way” to Him, “trust” Him, and “He will do it.”
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Friend to Friend
A father took his six-year-old daughter on a “date” to their favorite restaurant. During the meal, the dad did most of the talking as he told his little girl how wonderful she was, how proud of he was to be her dad and how special she was to him and to God. After he had done what he thought was a sufficient job, he picked up his fork and began to eat. His daughter put her little hand on his arm and stopped him with these words, “Longer, Daddy. Longer!” The father said he didn’t eat much food that day, but a little girl’s hungry heart was certainly fed.
Life is filled with hungry hearts. I really believe most of us delight in finding creative ways to touch those hearts and are passionate about introducing them to God’s love, forgiveness and transforming power. However, I wonder how many of us miss the hungry hearts that greet us each morning across the breakfast table, wait for us to come home each night or silently long for us to convince them that they really are not total failures. Every day, we cross paths with people who feel unworthy and unwanted. They have no idea how special they are to us and in the eyes of God. How easy it is to lose focus and scramble priorities. We get so busy doing such good things and miss one of the highest things God created us to do – encourage one another.
One of the greatest gifts we can give the people in our lives is the gift of a guarded tongue. The Psalmist writes, “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD: keep watch over the door of my lips.” Someone once said, “Lord, please bridle my tongue, so that on Judgment Day, I will not be guilty of assault with a deadly weapon.” The power of the spoken word is great in that words are like seeds. What we plant will grow. If we plant negative words, destructive and critical words, we will reap relationships that are negative, destructive and critical. On the other hand, if we consistently plant words of encouragement, our relationships will flourish. Look for the good in your family and friends – and then speak it. Be a cheerleader for the people God sends your way. Everyone needs a cheerleader!
CBS released a movie about Karen Carpenter, the talented singer who rose to stardom while singing with her brother, Richard. At the young age of 32, Karen Carpenter died unexpectedly of heart failure, the result of many years of abuse caused by the eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa. What amazed and saddened me most about Karen Carpenter was the underlying reason for her fatal obsession with weight control. It seems that a reporter once called her “Richard’s chubby sister.” Careless words, spoken without thought, can demolish a life.
We need to ask God to teach us to understand just how powerful our words are. Proverbs 31:26 reads, “When she speaks, she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.” How I wish that statement could be said about me. There are days when I desperately want to rip out my unruly tongue or reach out and grasp the harsh words I have just spoken and stuff them back into my mouth. What was I thinking? That’s just it. I wasn’t thinking. We would be wise to ask ourselves these questions before speaking:
T Is it true?
H Is it helpful?
I Is it inspiring?
N Is it necessary?
K Is it kind?
Over the years, I have had many, many opportunities in ministry and in life to learn from my mistakes when it comes to the way I speak and the words I use. Here are a few thoughts for us all to consider:
Let’s Pray
Father, I am so sorry for the careless words I have spoken today. I really do want to encourage and build others up with the words I speak. I cannot control my tongue without Your power and strength. Help me learn to think before I speak. Break my heart when my words hurt others. Teach me how to be a cheerleader for my family and friends so that Your love will flow through me into their lives.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Examine the words you have spoken today in light of the following verses:
Psalm 141:3 “LORD, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say.”
Life is filled with hungry hearts. I really believe most of us delight in finding creative ways to touch those hearts and are passionate about introducing them to God’s love, forgiveness and transforming power. However, I wonder how many of us miss the hungry hearts that greet us each morning across the breakfast table, wait for us to come home each night or silently long for us to convince them that they really are not total failures. Every day, we cross paths with people who feel unworthy and unwanted. They have no idea how special they are to us and in the eyes of God. How easy it is to lose focus and scramble priorities. We get so busy doing such good things and miss one of the highest things God created us to do – encourage one another.
One of the greatest gifts we can give the people in our lives is the gift of a guarded tongue. The Psalmist writes, “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD: keep watch over the door of my lips.” Someone once said, “Lord, please bridle my tongue, so that on Judgment Day, I will not be guilty of assault with a deadly weapon.” The power of the spoken word is great in that words are like seeds. What we plant will grow. If we plant negative words, destructive and critical words, we will reap relationships that are negative, destructive and critical. On the other hand, if we consistently plant words of encouragement, our relationships will flourish. Look for the good in your family and friends – and then speak it. Be a cheerleader for the people God sends your way. Everyone needs a cheerleader!
CBS released a movie about Karen Carpenter, the talented singer who rose to stardom while singing with her brother, Richard. At the young age of 32, Karen Carpenter died unexpectedly of heart failure, the result of many years of abuse caused by the eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa. What amazed and saddened me most about Karen Carpenter was the underlying reason for her fatal obsession with weight control. It seems that a reporter once called her “Richard’s chubby sister.” Careless words, spoken without thought, can demolish a life.
We need to ask God to teach us to understand just how powerful our words are. Proverbs 31:26 reads, “When she speaks, she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.” How I wish that statement could be said about me. There are days when I desperately want to rip out my unruly tongue or reach out and grasp the harsh words I have just spoken and stuff them back into my mouth. What was I thinking? That’s just it. I wasn’t thinking. We would be wise to ask ourselves these questions before speaking:
T Is it true?
H Is it helpful?
I Is it inspiring?
N Is it necessary?
K Is it kind?
Over the years, I have had many, many opportunities in ministry and in life to learn from my mistakes when it comes to the way I speak and the words I use. Here are a few thoughts for us all to consider:
- Use the five to one ratio when correcting someone – five positive comments to one negative comment.
- The harder the truth, the greater the love with which it should be said.
- Never put confrontational words in writing. Instead, confront face-to-face and write only words of encouragement that can be read again and again.
- Our words should not only be guarded and carefully measured, but should be filled with wisdom and kindness as well.
- While it is our responsibility to train our children in daily living, it is more important that we train them in Kingdom living. Words of wisdom gleaned from God’s Word will not only transform the hearts and lives of our husband and children, but our own as well. Look for every opportunity to emphasize God’s words as a model for the words we speak.
- Make it a daily habit to speak words of encouragement to the people with whom you come in contact. By doing so, your heart and mind will soon be trained to focus on the good in each other. And that perspective builds healthy relationships.
Let’s Pray
Father, I am so sorry for the careless words I have spoken today. I really do want to encourage and build others up with the words I speak. I cannot control my tongue without Your power and strength. Help me learn to think before I speak. Break my heart when my words hurt others. Teach me how to be a cheerleader for my family and friends so that Your love will flow through me into their lives.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Examine the words you have spoken today in light of the following verses:
Psalm 141:3 “LORD, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say.”
Psalm 20:14. ”May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
How did you do? I encourage you to memorize these two verses. Ask God to let each verse take root in your heart and work its way out in the words you speak. (oneplace.com)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Just a thought
Been thinking and a lot has came to my attention. Regardless of what people may think about the way i live my life, my actions, my thoughts, my words are just that MINE! I don't live to please you or anyone else but God and that's what i'm going to continue to do! I can't help the mistakes that i may make and i can't help who i fall in love with but i can learn from them and move on. I'm not dwelling on the past and neither should should you. I'm just focusing on my future and becoming that person with a purpose!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Dear Lord,
As i thank you for the gift of life, i also thank you for the gift of wonderful people i have met along this journey. Some of them inspire me, stretch me, challenge me, love me, and encourage me. All of them helped me to realize how meaningful and beautiful my life is. I love them so much. Bless them Lord with good health, security, wealth, success, peace, and joy. Grant their prayers too.
Amen!! (taken from a page)
As i thank you for the gift of life, i also thank you for the gift of wonderful people i have met along this journey. Some of them inspire me, stretch me, challenge me, love me, and encourage me. All of them helped me to realize how meaningful and beautiful my life is. I love them so much. Bless them Lord with good health, security, wealth, success, peace, and joy. Grant their prayers too.
Amen!! (taken from a page)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Baby Girl
BABY GIRL LET ME TELL YOU,
HE WON'T HEAR YOU BETTER EVEN IF YOU OPEN UP YA KNEES,
THEY LIES THEY TELL ARE ONLY FOR HIS NEEDS,
YOU GOTTA BE SMART AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO,
DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE TRY TO TELL YOU,
PLAY THAT GAME HOW YOU WANT TO,
WHETHER YOU WANT TO MAKE THE MONEY
OR LET THE MONEY MAKE YOU.
BUT DON'T BE A FOOL CAUSE A FOOL ALWAYS GET PLAYED
THINK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE AND NEVER BE AFRAID!
To be continued!
HE WON'T HEAR YOU BETTER EVEN IF YOU OPEN UP YA KNEES,
THEY LIES THEY TELL ARE ONLY FOR HIS NEEDS,
YOU GOTTA BE SMART AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO,
DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE TRY TO TELL YOU,
PLAY THAT GAME HOW YOU WANT TO,
WHETHER YOU WANT TO MAKE THE MONEY
OR LET THE MONEY MAKE YOU.
BUT DON'T BE A FOOL CAUSE A FOOL ALWAYS GET PLAYED
THINK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE AND NEVER BE AFRAID!
To be continued!
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