October Picks
Story of the day: Don’t Give Up, God Doesn’t!
As I sit here at the computer after having meditated on God’s Word this morning, listening to the song, Give until there’s nothing left to give, by Reliant K, I have asked God to show me through His Word what needs to be said.
With a heavy heart for people and a strong desire to live and work for God, noone ever said that ministering would be easy. There are times that Jeff and I continue to ask our Heavenly Father, “Are You sure that You want us to do this?” A person that just 5 years ago was laying on a bathroom floor crying out to You and asking You, Why Me? Then, after many ups and downs for God to put things on track was it when I realized that God will only use those people that are totally broken from themselves and when they have total and complete trust in Him, because at this point what else is left? You are at what seems like the bottom, and does everyone go through such extremes, absolutely not, but I do believe that if we aren’t broken hard, because remember some of us are a little stubborn, then we must be Sweetly broken and then He will say to us, “Okay, you are now ready to move forward with My plan”.
When Jeff and I went through our problems, along with God, we had to work them out ourselves, and we had to individually come before God before we as a couple were even able to work together. There were a few couples that I like to call our “neutrals” whom never gave up on us. They cried with us, they became our accountability partners, while always sticking to God’s Truth. I look back at this time and realize that no matter how much time slipped by, and how many times we messed up even from the beginning of our marriage, had those couples given up on us, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Sin could have taken over, more than it already had, and we could have possibly gone through a divorce. Granted, I know how weary they must have become, because it is a drain on someone to be working through issues with someone else and if they don’t get it the first time, we get frustrated because we think that it should be clear as day. As a teacher, I know that all of my students don’t learn the same way, so I have to come up with different avenues to fit each learning style. That doesn’t mean that my student doesn’t want to learn what is being taught, they just need a different way for it to be shown to them. I as their teacher need to recognize this for them to succeed.
That got me to thinking about how many times that we mess up in our lives yet our Heavenly Father never gives up on us or throws in the towel and says that there is nothing else to do. Man, if that were the case, I would be in big trouble, Jeff would be in big trouble, and our marriage would have been as well. It is not God’s plan for us to fall hard, but when we do, He is always there waiting with open arms for us to come back to Him. The verse today that is truly a testament to those that helped get us back on track with God is in Galatians 6:1-2 “My friends if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Now, move down to Galatians 6:9-10 “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.”
So this is for those that may be struggling with issues in their lives, don’t give up hope, even if God takes you to rock bottom before you recognize you must put Him first, then and only then can His plan for your life be fulfilled. Don’t lose faith in God, and with your neutrals that are there beside you, if you don’t have someone, Jeff and I will be your neutrals, and together you can begin to live a life that has God’s purpose meant just for you and Him.
Quote of the day: Bob Pierce
“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”
Bible verse of the day: Galatians 6:9
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
As I come to You right now, You know what my heart is bearing about people and the things that make them weary. Continue to teach me how to love people the way that You do and don’t be their judge but someone that can share their burdens with them. Lord, my prayer today is for those that are struggling with some issue in their life, some stronghold that they cannot part from. I come to You and ask to bring to light the areas of their life that need work. I pray for those that are stubborn, that pride is swallowed. I pray that they recognize that they are not perfect and we will fall everytime when we think that we are in control of the situation. I pray that Your Will be done and not mine. I pray to always have a humbled heart and stick up for what is right according to Your Word and through the things that You will continue to teach me. I pray to “Give until there is nothing left of me to give.”
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
Story of the day: Forgive Before Bedtime
I often wonder how many times people go to bed with anger or bitterness in their heart. Whether it is towards a loved one or a friend. The Bible makes it very clear in Ephesians 4:26, to not let the sun go down on your wrath. When we have hardened hearts and our one and only desire is to be right, then it becomes difficult to heed this call. But, just think how much more soundly you would sleep, if you just took the time and did your part.
In the story No Grudges After Sunset, Richard De Haan writes:
“A little boy got into a fight with his brother and the whole experience left him feeling bitter. When his brother wanted to make things right, he refused to listen. In fact, he would not speak to his brother all day.
Bedtime came, and their mother said to the boy, “Don’t you think you should forgive your brother before you go to sleep? The boy looked perplexed. He thought for a few moments and then blurted out, “But how can I keep the sun from going down?”
He reminds me of some Christians. They’re angry at certain people and hold grudges. When they are confronted with their unforgiving attitude and urged to make things right, they sidestep the issue and refuse to heed the clear instruction of Scripture. True, we cannot change another person’s heart, but we are responsible for our own attitude. The Bible says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32)
No, we can’t keep the sun from going down. But we can keep it from setting–on our anger. And that means we must forgive.”
Quote of the day: Bosch
“For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
Bible verse of the day: Ephesians 4:26
“Be angry, and do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
You have made it perfectly clear that it is okay to get angry as long as we do not sin. I ask you right now that if I ever wrong someone that it is brought to my attention so that I can make ammends with the situation. I know that through Your Grace, Love, and Mercy that I can do this and make things right. If the other person has wronged me, I pray for the situation to come to light so that the issue can be resolved. Lord, I don’t like to go to bed with an angry heart, so it is much easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to stay angry. I don’t want to lose my joy, so in Your Name, I am asking for You to prepare my heart for whatever darts are tossed my way.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
Story of the day: Today is a Gift
I get so excited about what the future holds. I get excited to see what my Heavenly Father has planned for me to do for His Kingdom. Although I get so excited about the things of tomorrow, I am glad that I am not able to control any part of what is planned for my life. I take joy in knowing that my Heavenly Father has it all planned out. Although my tomorrow is like opening a gift at Christmas, and each day brings something new, my today is worth so much more. Whatever the blessing is, I will always rejoice in it.
The following story called Unopened Tomorrows, written by Joane Yoder, says, “We often wish we could see what lies around the corner in life. Then we could prepare for it, control it, or avoid it. A wise person has said, “Though we can’t see around corners, God can.” How much better and more reassuring that is!
She goes on to say that her and her grandaughter were boiling eggs for breakfast. As they stared into the boiling water and wondered how long it would take to get the eggs just right, her grandaughter said, “Pity we can’t open them up to see how they’re doing.” The grandmother agreed. She said that opening the eggs before they were cooked would have spoiled them, so they had to rely on guesswork, with no guarantee of results.
They began to talk about other things that they would like to see but can’t–like tomorrow. The grandaughter said ,”too bad we can’t crack tomorrow open, to see if that’s the way we would like it. But meddling with tomorrow before it’s time, like opening a partly cooked egg, would spoil both today and tomorrow.
Because Jesus has promised to care for us every day–and that includes tomorrow–we can live by faith one day at a time. (Matthew 6:33-34) The grandmother and grandaugther decided to leave tomorrow safely in God’s hands. Have you?”
Quote of the day: Author Unknown
“Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, and today is a gift and that is why it is called the present.”
Bible verse of the day: 2 Corinthians 5:7
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for such a blessed day. God, I get so excited about tomorrow, just like a child at Christmas time ready to open their presents. I pray that I enjoy the day that I have and not put too much into my tomorrow, for it is not even here yet, and just like the eggs, if I open to early, will spoil the plans that You have for the day.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
Story of the day: Eat Your Spinach
As a child, my brother and I loved to watch the cartoon show, Popeye. We loved to act out scenes from this cartoon and wanted to be just like Popeye. We would get cans and pretend to squeeze the can of spinach, eat it, and grow these muscles just like Popeye did. The can of spinach looked so good and went right along with what my parents had said about eating healthy. That doesn’t mean that I liked Spinach at the time, it just looked yummy. Now, I don’t mind eating the spinach, it is actually pretty good.
Before Popeye ate the spinach, he was just an ordinary man that had no powers against anything or anyone, but once he ate the spinach, things seemed to turn quickly, which was a benefit for helping him out. Popeye recognized that without his spinach he wasn’t able to fight off or get rid of the bad. It was once he turned to the spinach that always seemed to help him get out of his bind.
We should take a closer look at this, because we, just like Popeye, are no good without our Heavenly Father, and He is our Spinach. We can do nothing in our own power to fight off the enemy. It’s when we recognize that we need God, that He will give us the Spiritual Muscles to make us stronger so that we are able to fight off and get rid of the bad.
Quote of the day: Pappy
“If you’d eat your spinach, you’d not be losin’ your fight!”
Bible verse of the day: Exodus 9:16
“But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My Power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I just thank You for such a blessed day. Lord, I pray that You continue to teach me that I can do nothing without You. You are the Strength, the Power, and the Might, all which are the Spinach, that works in my life. I know that I need You and You long for that relationship with me everyday. I pray for times that I start doing things in my own power, to be able to hand it back over to You, so that we may move forward with Your Plan for my life. Lord, I pray that I am also able to recognize that without you I will only tire quickly and can’t win the battle. I pray that I, just like Popeye, will recognize that I need You to be my strength in all things. I pray that the desire to serve, worship, and fellowship continues to grow within me and surfaces towards others, and especially towards You.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
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save the marriage for the children Said:
on June 15, 2008 at 1:29
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Ed: ……