My friends, God wants us to trust Him fully and totally!! Not 50%... Not 75%... but a full 100%! He loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life... if you will give it to Him completely. When we hold back any portion from God... He can not complete His perfect will in our lives. What is holding you back, from giving God, ALL of you today? We must all take inventory of our lives, on a regular basis... and see if we are living unconditionally for Him and Him alone! You are safer with God in the storms of life... then you are anywhere else... without Him. Will you take your faith to a new level today and trust God wholly today??
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He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32 Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty eleven year old girl. One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace, priced at $2.50. How Jenny wanted that necklace and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what, I'll buy you the necklace and when we get home, we will make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don't forget that for your birthday, Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, Okay? Jenny agreed and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her. Jenny worked very hard on her chores everyday and sure enough her grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday. It wasn't long that, Jenny had paid off the cost of the pearl necklace. How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere, to kindergarten, when she went out with her mother to run errands and even to bed at night. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower; because her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green. Now, Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed at night, he would get up from his favorite chair, walk into her room and read Jenny, her favorite story. One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?" "Oh, yes Daddy, you know I love you." the little girl said. "Well then, give me your pearls." "Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But, you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit too. Okay?" "Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss and said, "Good night, little one." One week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?" And again Jenny answered, "Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you!" And once again her dad replied, "Well then, give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my ribbons and my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft and you can play with it, braid it and everything." the little girl said to her father. "No, that's okay," her father said and then he brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, my little one. Sweet dreams!" Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lower lip was trembling. "Here, Daddy," she said and held out her small hands. "I want you to know how much I love you! I'm sorry I didn't give you my necklace, but now I want you to know how much I really do love you!" With that said, she placed her hands in his. When she opened them, there was her beloved pearl necklace. She let it slip into her father's hand. With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box, was a real, genuine pearl necklace. He had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap imitation and plastic pearl necklace, so that he could give her the real thing. -Author Unknown Story Courtesy of S. Scott And... so it is with our Heavenly Father. God is waiting for us to give up the cheap, the fake things in our lives. The things that imitate true beauty! The story begs the question... "What are we holding on to? Harmful relationships, bad habits, lewd activities?? Have we become so attached that it seems impossible to let go?? There are times when it is hard to see... that which is in the other hand. Still, we must believe this one thing, God will never take away something... without giving us something much better!! My friend, trust Jesus... He has something beautiful planned for you! This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and noticed she only had three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today!" So she did and she had a wonderful day! The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she only had two hairs on her head. "Hmmm..." she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day! The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she only had one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day!! The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "Yay!" she exclaimed. "I don't have to fix my hair today!!" -Author Unknown So I'm learning... ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING!! Sometimes our lives seem to be in a "holding or waiting pattern." I have been waiting for over two months now for my 6 month old laptop, to be fixed or replaced. I won't bore you with all the details... but suffice it to say, "I am still working on a subpar computer. The first few weeks I was more than frustrated. The next several weeks, unable to deal with the constant phone calls... I gave it to my husband to deal with. So now what?? Well, I am in a holding pattern, a time of waiting!! However, I have decided to get back to my blog... no matter how long it takes to write. I am finding that it is my attitude that means everything in this faux pas. This kerfuffle or blunder has kept me from blogging... it has reduced my communications with friends and it has annoyed me beyond... what it ever should have. Certainly, there are more important things in life!! There are children who are hungry, disease, wars, human trafficking... etc. I am fighting a monstrous disease and daily pain, I have friends with cancer, who are battling for their very lives. How in the world could I get so caught up in a faulty computer?? Shame on me!! God is directing, calling and compelling me to keep moving forward! To press on, when life seems contrary to reason, to press in when things look hopeless and to dig deeper when impossibilities present themselves!! I recently told a friend that we must have "convictions of steel"... and so I too, will stand on that truth!! Now more than ever, I must be kinder, I must love more generously, I must be loyal, trusting and care deeply. Everyone I know needs a smile that declares the joy of the Lord and a loving touch from Jesus... for everyone we know is fighting some kind of battle!! Life is not about waiting for our storms to pass, it's about breathing in the fresh air... while we are dancing in the rain! And, it's about learning new roadways... when our journey takes a detour! Lord, when I get set in my ways... stir my heart and revive my soul to see... those who need a touch of your love! Surely, this is the day that the Lord has made... I must rejoice and make the most of it!! And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9 Every morning a woman would get up very early to bake bread for members of her family... and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She also made an extra loaf of bread on the window sill, for whosoever would take it away. Each and every day, a hunchback came and took away the bread. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went on his way, "The evil you do remains with you, the good you do comes back to you!" This went on day after day and every day, when the hunchback came and picked up the bread, he always uttered the same words. The woman felt irritated, for not once had the hunchback given a word of gratitude and he never even attempted to thank the woman for her kindness. One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this ingrate" she said. What did she do? She added poison to the bread that she prepared the very next day, just for him. As she was about to put the bread on the window sill, her hands began to tremble and conviction set in. "What is this I am doing?" she said. Immediately, she threw the bread into the fire and prepared another one for the window sill. She asked God for patience and peace to continue baking the extra loaf of bread. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the bread and muttered the same words: "The evil you do, remains with you, The good you do, comes back to you!" Then the hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman. To pacify and lighten her burden, the old woman decided to direct her concerns to prayer. As she continued to bake the extra loaf of bread, she would pray for her son. Many months before, he had set out to seek his fortune and she had no news of him, so she prayed for his safe return! The very next evening, there was a knock on her door. As she opened it, she was so surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. When he saw his mother, he said, "Mom, it's a miracle I am here. A month ago, as I traveled towards home, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but for an old hunchback who passed me on the street. When I saw him, I begged him, for a morsel of food and he was kind enough to take me into his small home. Each day he would cut a small slice of bread for himself and give me the rest of the loaf. He said, "This is all I have to eat each day, but I will share it with you, for your need is greater than mine!" As the mother heard her son's words, her face turned pale and she leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned bread that she had made one morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son and he would have lost his life! It was then that she realized the significance of the hunchback's words: "The evil you do remains with you, the good you do comes back to you!" It is easy to grow tired, when we consistently try to do good... especially if there is no noticeable appreciation. But, we must not let ourselves be caught up in Satan's plot of fatigue and weariness... in what God would have us to do. There will come a time when we will harvest a return, if we don't grow weary, give up or quit. As Christians we must work for the benefit of all, starting with those closest to us in the faith. I have found that for each time I get the chance to bless someone... God always blesses me in return! I would encourage you to "be a blessing to someone today!" You never know what a kind word or deed will do... to advance the kingdom of heaven and bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! |
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