HIS OWN ANSWER
By Draw Near

A wealthy farmer prayed each day for the wants of the needy. However, when anyone asked him for a little corn from his barns, he never seemed to feel he had enough to spare. One day the farmer's little son said, "Daddy, I wish I had all your corn." "Why, son? What would you do with it?" asked the father. "I would answer your prayers," the boy innocently replied.


Often, we have the power to answer our own prayers but fail to see the opportunity.


People who are the real pray-ers have learned to offer themselves in service as they pray. They are not merely willing to mouth high-sounding words for the needs of mankind. Instead, they place themselves in the position to help. This does not take the edge off divine intervention. Rather, it gives God channels to work through for His blessings to mankind. Let us make ourselves available for God's use today.

Everything You Need

Are you hoping that a change in circumstances will bring a change in your attitude? If so, you are in prison, and you need to learn a secret of traveling light. What you have in your Shepherd is greater than what you don’t have in life.

May I meddle for a moment? What is the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in this blank: “I will be happy when ________________”? When I am healed. When I am promoted. When I am married. When I am single. When I am rich. How would you finish that statement?

Now, with your answer firmly in mind, answer this. If your ship never comes in, if your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, could you be happy? If not, then you are sleeping in the cold cell of discontent. You are in prison. And you need to know what you have in your Shepherd.

You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need.

My Best Friend......JESUS

My Best Friend...Jesus

Day by day I go to Him,
Sometimes I go in tears.
He gives me strength to meet my trials,
And takes away my fears.

He holds my hand and counsels me,
When I feel despair,
And when I need someone to comfort me,
My Lord is always there.

I know that He is standing by,
As I come in silent prayer.
I feel His arms around me,
And I can feel His loving care.

With Him I put my burdens aside;
Can feel a peace and rest.
I know that I can trust Him,
To do what He seems best.

He will not leave me if I stumble,
Or if my steps are slow,
And if I take the wrong path,
He'll surely let me know.

I'm sure He knows that I love Him,
He's the Best Friend I know.
And I pray this love I feel for Him,
My life will always show..

~Author Unknown~

45 lessons of life

Written by a woman on her 90th birthday


This is something we should all read at least once a week!!!!! Make sure you read to the end!!!!!!

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:


1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Read This Sentence.........

Read This Sentence Very Carefully:

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did" When God takes something from your grasp. He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate On This Sentence: "The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

Happiness.........

One of George Orwell's quotes :

"Happiness can exist only in acceptance."

God is in control

Many think of God as being a dictator, a manipulator and stern, ready to judge and punish.


They feel there is no room for mercy, no new chances, no clean slate. God is ready to strike lightning when things are not done His way.


Let me disillusion this thought...


I have never met anyone so merciful, so gracious, so patient, so understanding, so compassionate, so Loving as God.


Hasn't He loved us so much that He gave up His only Son Jesus to take up the penalty for our sins? Would you do the same for a world that rejects and hates you?


God knows what makes you happy. He knows what satisfies your soul. Not temporarily, but eternally.


He knows what makes you sad. He knows what is bugging you. And He knows how to 'unbug' you.


HE KNOWS IT ALL!
HE WANTS YOU TO ENJOY LIFE.


In order to enjoy life fully, He directs your path and leads you through ways and places that sometimes seem mysterious. Sometimes it would even feel like you've lost control.


Don't be afraid, GOD IS IN CONTROL.


But while He is in control, God gives you the opportunity to be in charge of your own life. He gives you the choice to do whatever you want to make of it. He gave you a free will.

He says 'enjoy life the fullest. Do whatever you want to do. But know that I am watching you. I will judge your choices to direct you.'


What a wonderful God we have!


Choose to follow Him, so you can enjoy life the fullest.

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Young people, enjoy your youth. Be happy while you are still young. Do what you want to do, and follow your heart's desire. But remember that God is going to judge you for whatever you do.

Peace for Anxious Days .....written by Max Lucado

Peace for Anxious Days When my daughters were single-digit ages—two, five, and seven—I wowed them with a miracle. I told them the story of Moses and the manna and invited them to follow me on a wilderness trek through the house. “Who knows,” I suggested, “manna may fall from the sky again.” We dressed in sheets and sandals and did our best Bedouin hike through the bedrooms. The girls, on my instruction, complained to me, Moses, of hunger and demanded I take them back to Egypt, or at least to the kitchen. When we entered the den, I urged them to play up their parts: groan, moan, and beg for food. “Look up,” I urged. “Manna might fall any minute.” Two-year-old Sara obliged with no questions, but Jenna and Andrea had their doubts. How can manna fall from a ceiling? Just like the Hebrews. “How can God feed us in the wilderness?” Just like you? You look at tomorrow’s demands, next week’s bills, next month’s silent calendar. Your future looks as barren as the Sinai Desert. “How can I face my future?” God tells you what I told my daughters: “Look up.” When my daughters did, manna fell! Well, not manna, but vanilla wafers dropped from the ceiling and landed on the carpet. Sara squealed with delight and started munching. Jenna and Andrea were old enough to request an explanation. My answer was simple. I knew the itinerary. I knew we would enter this room. Vanilla wafers fit safely on the topside of the ceiling-fan blades. I had placed them there in advance. When they groaned and moaned, I turned on the switch. God’s answer to the Hebrews was similar. Did he know their itinerary? Did he know they would grow hungry? Yes and yes. And at the right time, he tilted the manna basket toward earth. And what about you? God know what you need and where you’ll be. Any chance he has some vanilla wafers on tomorrow’s ceiling fans? Trust him. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (Matthew 6:33-34).

Don't worry......

You don't have to worry.

In every thing . . . let your requests be made known unto God... His peace will guard your thoughts and feelings far beyond you can understand......



Simpson devotion:
An important help in the life of prayer is the habit of bringing everything to God, moment by moment, as it comes to us in life.

This may become a habit the same way all habits are formed:

repeated and constantly attended, moment by moment, until that which is at first an act of will becomes spontaneous and second nature.


If we will watch our lives, we shall find that God meets the things that we commit to Him in prayer with special blessing.

He often allows the best things that we have not committed to Him to be ineffectual, simply to remind us of our dependence upon Him for everything.


It is very gracious and thoughtful of God to compel us gently to remember Him.

He would hold us so close to Himself that we cannot get away for a single minute from His all-sustaining arm.



Philippians 4:6-7

Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.


7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.

Am I a Fireman yet ?

In Calgary, Alberta a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.. the leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true. She took her son' s hand and asked, 'Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?' Mommy, 'I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up..' Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can make your wish come true.' Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Calgary , where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Alberta She explained her son's final wish and Asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, 'Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy - one-with the emblem of the Calgary Fire Department on it, and a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots.' 'They're all manufactured right here in Calgary , so we can get them fast.' Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Calgary that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic's' van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition. The chief replied, 'We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes.. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire?' 'It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?' About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window-------- 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him. With His dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, 'Chief, am I really a fireman now?' 'Billy, you are, and The Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand,' the chief said With those words, Billy smiled and said, 'I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and The angels have been Singing..' He closed his eyes one last time.

Where's the line to see Jesus..

About the Song

While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, "where's the line to see Jesus"?

My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends. He sent the song off to Nashville without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus. My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios.

It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus... with goose bumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to Nashville... still no response.

Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD's, iTunes, anything... we had nothing. After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring... this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs... the real deal.... and here we are today.

Getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together... remembering the true meaning of Christmas. Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults can not understand. Hopefully Spencer's observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone.

Close to the father

He was a little child, and he crawled up into his daddy's lap for the ride. They started laughing and playing together. And then the little boy reached up, took hold of his daddy's beard, and started shaking it kind of like a wet dog shakes, and he was saying, "Abba Abba Abba" --

Do you know what Abba means?
It's the Greek word for "Father."
It "approximates to a personal name," kind of like "Papa."


It is "the word framed by the lips of infants" and by older children "expressing their love and intelligent confidence" in their father.*

Jesus came, talking to God and about God.
But He didn't call Him Jehovah.
Or Elohim. Or Adonai.
Or El Shaddai.
Or any other of the names that the people called God.

No, Jesus came and called Him Abba, Papa, Daddy, Father.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus addresses God 43 times as Father. He took an awesome God,
a fearful God, an unapproachable God, a God who was known to strike out when He was not obeyed, the God of the Old Testament . . . and He introduced us to a loving Father.

How we have structured and formalized and banned the Father that Jesus wanted us to know!

For our conversation with Him to be "pleasing," we have been told we must "look just right," assume just the right posture, be in the right place at the right time, say just the right things, use the prerequisite Thee's and Thou's -- and that only then will He really consider honoring our prayers.

by lifetime daily devotions

Just Because You're Mine

A STORY ABOUT MACE....

Mace could sing one song with great gusto --
just one: Jesus Loves Me.

Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.

He would throw his head back and hold on to that first "Yes" in the chorus as long as he could,
and then he would get tickled and almost fall out of his chair.

Sometimes -- when I think back on those days that seem so long ago -- I can still hear him giggle.
How special that memory is to me. . .

I never doubted for a moment that Jesus loved our profoundly retarded little boy.
It didn't matter that he would never sit with the kids in the back of the church and, on a certain special night, walk down the aisle,
take the pastor by the hand, and invite Jesus into his heart.
It was entirely irrelevant that he could not quote a single verse of Scripture, that he would never be able to reason or
to comprehend God's love,
that he would never be a dad --
I knew that Jesus loved Mason.

What I could not comprehend, what I could not accept,
was that Jesus could love Mason's mother, Anabel.
I believed that in order for anyone to accept me, to love me,
I had to perform for them.
My standard for getting love was performance-based,
so I performed constantly, perfectly. And I was convinced that if anyone ever really got to know me,
he or she wouldn't like me.

Mace could never have performed for anyone's love . . . but oh,
how we loved him.

His condition eventually deteriorated to such a degree -- and so rapidly -- that we had to institutionalize him when he was very young, so we enrolled him in the Enid State School for Mentally Handicapped Children.

We drove regularly the 120 miles to see him, but on this particular weekend he was at home for a visit. He had been with us since Thursday evening, and it was now Saturday afternoon.

As soon as the dinner dishes were done, I would gather his things together and take him back to his house. I had done this many times before, but today God had something in mind that would change my life forever.

As I was washing the dishes,
Mason was sitting in his chair watching me, or at least he was looking at me.

That's when it began -- spinning emotions, tumbling stomach,
the familiar sickening thoughts of separation and defeat:
In just a little while, I'm going to start packing Mason's toys and his clothes, and take him away again.
I can't do that. I simply cannot do it.
I stopped washing dishes and got down on my knees in front of Mace. I took his dirty little hands in mine and tried desperately to reach him.

"Mason, I love you. I love you. If only you could understand how much I love you."

He just stared. He couldn't understand; he didn't comprehend. I stood up and started washing dishes again, but that didn't last long.
This sense of urgency, almost panic, came over me, and once more I dried my hands and knelt in front of my precious little boy.

"My dear Mason, if only you could say to me, 'I love you, Mother.'
I need that, Mace."

Nothing.

I stood up to the sink again.
More dishes, more washing, more crying.
But now thoughts, foreign to my way of thinking, began filtering into my conscious awareness.

I believe God spoke to me that day, and this is what
He said: "Anabel, you don't look at your son and turn away in disgust because he's sitting there with saliva drooling out of his mouth; you don't shake your head, repulsed because he has dinner all over his shirt or because he's sitting in a dirty, smelly diaper when he ought to be able to take care of himself.

Anabel, you don't reject Mason because all the dreams you had for him have been destroyed.
You don't reject him because he doesn't perform for you.

You love him, Anabel, just because he is yours.

Mason doesn't willfully reject your love, but you willfully reject Mine.

I love you, Anabel, not because you're neat or attractive, not because you do things well, not because you perform for Me --
I love you just because you're Mine.

Incredible! Unbelievable!

I had struggled for so many years, hating my performance patterns and yet living to perform,
driven to perform, searching out the praise of people and thirsting for the love of God that I thought could come only to those who performed well enough to merit it.

Yet God had just shown me that He loved me in spite of anything and everything, and He had shown me in a way that I could understand -- through my dear, sweet Mason.

Do you understand?

You don't have to do anything for Him; you don't have to be something for Him.
You can know that there is Someone who loves you not because of the way you do or don't look, or because of the talents you do or don't have.

All you have to do is accept it: He loves you just because you are His.

Well, that's not the end of Mason's story.
It wasn't long after that Sunday with him that Bill, our son Preston, and I went to visit him in Enid.
We held his hand, stroked his hair, and talked to him.
And then we prayed.

God, by Your grace we've lived victoriously and have used Mace's little life and influence for Your glory . . . but we feel that he has suffered enough and that all the influence for Christ that can be realized from his life has pretty well been exhausted.

God, if it be Your will, we ask that you take him to be with You.

We kissed Mason goodbye and headed home.

It was the very next morning when the school called to say that Mason had "unexpectedly passed away during the night" -- and we knew that he had slipped away to be with Jesus.


Yes, Jesus loves me . . .
Yes, Jesus loves me . . .

Face Challenges in Stages

MATTHEW 6:34
“So don’t ever worry about tomorrow.
After all, tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own”



Face Challenges in Stages
Written by Max Lucado:

An accomplished Ironman triathlete told me the secret of his success.
“You last the long race by running short ones.”
Don’t swim 2.4 miles;
just swim to the next buoy (boei).
Rather than bike 112 miles, ride 10, take a break, and bike 10 more.

Never tackle more than the challenge ahead.

Didn’t Jesus offer the same counsel?

“So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

When asked how he managed to write so many books,
Joel Henderson explained that he’d never written a book.
All he did was write one page a day.

Face challenges in stages.
You can’t control your temper forever, but you can control it for the next hour.

Earning a college degree can seem impossible, but studying one semester is manageable, and logging in one good week is doable.

You last the long race by running the short ones.


PRAYER:

Lord, you taught us how to face our challenges when you told us to live one day at a time.
Each day brings its own perplexing problems.
You remind us that we don’t need to borrow worry from tomorrow.

Help us to face daily demands each day by living in your love moment by moment and hour by hour.

You have promised to be with us and to lead and guide us.
We take each step of life and breathe each breath of life under your watchful care.

Forgive us when we fret (fear)
about the future.
Help us to rest continually in you, amen.

Mom's empty chair

A woman's daughter had asked the local minister
to come and pray with her mother.
When the minister arrived,
he found the woman lying in bed with her head
propped up on two pillows.

An empty chair sat beside her bed.
The minister assumed that the woman
had been informed of his visit...
'I guess you were expecting me, he said.

'No, who are you?' said the mother.
The minister told her his name and then remarked,
'I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew
I was going to show up..'

'Oh yeah, the chair,' said the bedridden woman
'Would you mind closing the door?'
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
'I have never told anyone this,
not even my daughter,' said the woman.

'But all of my life I have never
known how to pray.
At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer,
but it went right over my head...'

I abandoned any attempt at prayer,'
the old woman continued, '
until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me,
' Prayer is just a simple matter
of having a conversation with Jesus.
Here is what I suggest..
'Sit down in a chair;
place an empty chair in front of you,
and in faith see Jesus on the chair.

It's not spooky because he promised,
'I will be with you always'..
'Then just speak to him in the same way
you're doing with me right now...'

'So, I tried it and I've liked it so much
that I do it a couple of hours every day.
I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking
to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown
or send me off to the funny farm.'

The minister was deeply moved by the story and
encouraged the old woman to continue on the journey.
Then he prayed with her, anointed her with oil,
and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called
to tell the minister that her mama
had died that afternoon.
Did she die in peace?' he asked.

Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock,
she called me over to her bedside,
told me she loved me and kissed me on the cheek.
When I got back from the store an hour later,
I found her .

But there was something strange about her death.
Apparently, just before Mom died,
she leaned over and rested her head on the chair
beside the bed. What do you make of that?'

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said,
'I wish we could all go like that.'



Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.

I asked God for water, He gave me an ocean.*
I asked God for a flower, He gave me a garden.*
I asked God for a friend, He gave me all of YOU...
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

Find your true home

Find Your True Home
The journey home is nice, but the journey is not the goal. I prepared part of this message on an airplane. As I looked around at fellow passengers, I saw content people. Thanks to books, pillows, and crossword puzzles, they passed the time quite nicely. But suppose this announcement were heard: “Ladies and gentlemen, this flight is your final destination. We will never land. Your home is this plane, so enjoy the journey.”
Passengers would become mutineers. We’d take over the cockpit and seek a landing strip. We wouldn’t settle for such an idea. The journey is not the destination. The vessel is not the goal. Those who are content with nothing more than joy in the journey are settling for too little satisfaction. Our hearts tell us there is more to this life than this life. We, like E.T., lift bent fingers to the sky. We may not know where to point, but we know not to call this airplane our home.
In God’s narrative, life on earth is but the beginning: the first letter of the first sentence in the first chapter of the great story God is writing with your life.
Do you feel as if your best years have passed you by? Hogwash. You will do your best work in heaven. Do you regret wasting seasons of life on foolish pursuits? So do I. But we can stop our laments. We have an eternity to make up for lost time. Are you puzzled by the challenges of your days? Then see yourself as an uncut jewel and God as a lapidary. He is polishing you for your place in his kingdom. Your biggest moments lie ahead, on the other side of the grave.
So “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1 NKJV). Scripture uses a starchy verb here. Zeteo (“seek”) is to “covet earnestly, strive after, to inquire, desire, even require.”
Seek heaven the way a sailor seeks the coast or a pilot seeks the landing strip or a missile seeks heat. Head for home the way a pigeon wings to the nest or the prodigal strode to his papa. “Think only about” it (3:2 NCV). “Keep your mind” on it (3:2 GWT). “Set your sights on the realities of heaven” (3:1 NLT). “Pursue the things over which Christ presides” (3:1 MSG). Obsess yourself with heaven!

witten by Max Lucado

Who are your closest friends?

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. —Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)


Who are your closest friends? Good friends are hard to come by in a world of superficial acquaintances and shallow relationships. "Hanging with the crowd" can give us a false sense of belonging, but often leaves us wounded and alone in times of trouble. Open, honest, supportive, and loving relationships don't happen without investment. Ask the Lord to lead you to close friends in his family. Minister to and serve those around you. Listen to their requests, faithfully upholding them in prayer. Spend time in Christian service with other servant believers. Join yourself to a Bible study or accountability group. As you do, trust that God will give you that "stick-through-thick-and-thin-friend." Companions are easy to find, but can be unreliable. Development of Christian friends is an investment of effort and time, but they are friends with whom we will share forever.

Prayer...

Precious God, I thank you for my friends (include the names of friends).
Please, dear Father, lead me into the life of someone this week who needs me to be his or her friend.
Thank you so much, dear Father, for my greatest friend, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Author: Phil Ware

Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14:6-19, 22-23, 25-27, 29-30, 33 GNT

Conceited (=stuck-up= verwaand) people can never become wise, but intelligent people learn easily.

Stay away from foolish people; they have nothing to teach you.

Why is a clever person wise? Because he knows what to do.
Why is a stupid person foolish? Because he only thinks he knows.

Foolish people don't care if they sin, but good people want to be forgiven.

Your joy is your own; your bitterness is your own.
No one can share them with you.

A good person's house will still be standing after an evildoer's house has been destroyed.

What you think is the right road may lead to death.

Laughter may hide sadness.
When happiness is gone,
sorrow is always there.

Bad people will get what they deserve. Good people will be rewarded for their deeds.

A fool will believe anything;
smart people watch their step.

Sensible people are careful to stay out of trouble, but stupid people are careless and act too quickly.

People with a hot temper do foolish things;
wiser people remain calm.

Ignorant people get what their foolishness deserves, but the clever are rewarded with knowledge.

Evil people will have to bow down to the righteous and humbly beg their favor.

You will earn the trust and respect of others if you work for good;
if you work for evil, you are making a mistake.

Work and you will earn a living;
if you sit around talking you will be poor.

A witness saves lives when he tells the truth; when he tells lies, he betrays people.

Reverence for the LORD gives confidence and security to a man and his family.

Do you want to avoid death? Reverence (eerbied) for the LORD is a fountain of life.

If you stay calm, you are wise, but if you have a hot temper, you only show how stupid you are.

Peace of mind makes the body healthy, but jealousy is like a cancer.

Wisdom is in every thought of intelligent people; fools know nothing about wisdom.

Do you matter?

Luke 21:1-4

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has."


Most people I know care about the sorry state of the world. They feel bad about the fact that millions of people go hungry each day. They're concerned about injustice and violence. They hope the world economy will somehow be fixed.

They would like to see the church be more loving both internally and in its outreach to others. Most of us do care, but we feel insignificant and weak.
We're not national leaders who can shape the policies of our government. We're just voters. We're not billionaires with resources to improve the plight of millions of people, even nations or continents. Bill and Melinda Gates can make a real difference. But what about ordinary folk who struggle to pay the bills each month Whether we're talking about charitable giving or hands-on involvement, many of us wonder: Can I make a real difference If "real" means big and newsworthy and impressive, then the answer might very well be "no."
Yes, there are stories of "little people" like Rosa Parks whose "little deeds" have tipped the cultural scales.
But most deeds of courage and kindness will never make headlines.

Do they matter?
Should we even bother to do them Jesus answers "Yes" to these questions. In his commentary on the poor widow and her tiny gift, he redefines the meaning of "real."

God is not impressed by the size of our gift. God is not looking for people to do big things for him. Rather, God is looking for people who give generously of their goods and their lives.
From God's point of view, the biggest contribution isn't measured by the size of its impact, but rather by the size of the sacrifice.
This means that you and I have the opportunity to make a real difference today, a difference that matters to God. Perhaps you'll be able to offer a badly needed word of encouragement to a colleague at work.
Or perhaps you'll make a business decision that reflects God's justice. Or perhaps you'll be kind to the kid at school that everybody teases. Or perhaps you'll make an extra gift to God's work.
Or, well, you name it. Yes, you can make a real difference today.


PRAYER :
Dear Lord, Thank you for reminding me that my job isn't to do big things for you, but rather to be faithful to serve you however I can. Help me not to discount my effort, even if it seems to be insignificant. Lead me to do that which will honor you and reflect your kingdom today.
As I pray for myself, I also pray for your people throughout the world, that we might act together to share your love and truth with the world.

Help us to be the body of Christ through the world, serving, giving, loving, healing, speaking up for truth, and living the truth. Amen .

Author Name: Mark D. Roberts

Good thoughts

Good Thoughts:

> > +Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life. Never ask for a lighter
> > rain. Just pray for a better umbrella. - That is attitude.
> >
> > +When flood comes, fish eat ants and when flood recedes, ants eat fish. -
> > Only time matters. Just hold on, God gives opportunity to everyone!
> >
> > +Life is not about finding the right person, but creating the right
> > relationship, it's not how we care in the beginning,
> > but how much we care till the very end.
> >
> > +Some people always throw stones in your path. It depends on what you make
>
> > with them. A Wall or a Bridge? -
> > Remember you are the architect of your life.
> >
> > +Search for a beautiful heart, but don't search for a beautiful face. Coz
> > beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always
> > beautiful.
> >
> > +It's not important to hold all the good cards in life.
> > But it's important how well you play with the cards you hold.
> >
> > +Often when we lose all hope & think this is the end, God smiles from
> > above and says, 'relax dear it's just a bend, not the end.' - Have faith
> > and have a successful life.
> >
> > +One of the basic differences between God and humans is, God gives, gives
> > and forgives.
> > But the human gets, gets, gets and forgets.