Posts Tagged ‘Heaven’
{ September 19, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ Funny Friday Picks, September 2008 }
{ Tags: God, Prayer, Funny Friday Quote, Jesus, Heaven, Doctor, Bible, Christian }
·
{ }
Funny Friday Quote: ( Now tell me the medical term) Herschel H. Hobbs
“The man told his doctor that he wasn’t able to do all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination was complete, he said, “Now Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what is wrong with me.”
“Well, in plain English,” the doctor replied, “you’re just lazy.”
“Okay,” said the man. “Now give me the medical term so I can tell my wife.”
Bible verse of the day: Psalm 106:4
“Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for a blessed week. As another week rolls by and we are soon heading into October, may we use our time wisely to spread Your Truth to a world that is in need. Give me wisdom this day and may Your Will be done. I pray that opportunities arise to share Your Love and Saving Grace with others. May we have a blessed weekend, with continual worship and praise. I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ September 18, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ September 2008 }
{ Tags: Bible, Billy Graham, children, Christian, God, Heaven, identity, infinite worth, Jesus, position, possessions, Prayer, Quote of the day, riches, success, value }
·
{ }
Story of the day: You are of infinite worth to Him! (Billy Graham)
“A certain rich man died and the question was asked at his funeral, “How much did he leave?”
“He left it all, ” came the reply.
Often, I hear someone introduced this way: “This is Bob and he works for…,” as if where a person works or what a person does determines his or her value. (I have noticed it is usually only the well-to-do or those who are thought of as “successful” who are introduced this way.)
Yet God does not judge us by our success. He loves each person the same. Your value and mine does not come from what we do, the clothes we wear, the house we live in, or the type of car we drive. Our value comes from the fact that God made us and loves us, and Christ died for us. Our value comes from the fact that He adopted us into His family, and we are now His children forever.
Don’t depend on possessions or position for your identity. Get your identity from Christ, for you are of infinite worth to Him!”
Quote of the day: Anonymous
“Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long, and the pay is low, but the retirement benefits are out of this world.”
Bible verse of the day: Proverbs 8:19
“My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
So much of what I see today is based on the value of what people do or how much money they make. The media sets up a false sense of security that by having these things, fast and quick, that people can find happiness. Father, true happiness is not based on what we have or as the story so greatly said, what kind of car we drive, or house we live in. These things are all for today and can’t be taken with us when we die. My prayer for today is that people can recognize that the treasure that they should be storing up is for Heaven and not here on earth. I pray that my children will continue to learn the value of who they are in You which is so much more important than the material things here on earth. I am grateful for the things that You have blessed us with, for You always know what we need, and when we need it. I thank You for this day and for all that it holds!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ September 15, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ September 2008 }
{ Tags: aesops fables, Bible, Christian, God, growing, Heaven, Jesus, learning, overcoming, Prayer, Quote of the day, tortoise and the hare, win the race }
·
{ }
Story of the day: Press on
Joanie Yoder wrote in Our Daily Bread about the “tortoise and the hare in Aesop’s Fables. The hare boasted that he was the swiftest animal in the forest. When he challenged the others to a race, only the tortoise dared to try. To the hare, it seemed an unfair contest, since he would win easily. But off they started, with the tortoise soon trailing far behind.
On the way, the hare decided there was time for a nap, but the tortoise kept plodding along. When the hare awoke, he couldn’t see the tortoise anywhere, so he laughed and said, “He still hasn’t caught up with me!” But as he ran toward the finish line, he saw the tortoise crossing it. Slowly and steadily , the tortoise had won!
Like that foolish hare, some believers are “fast movers” whose Christian lives are full of stops and starts. But they often complain that they’re getting nowhere fast. The better testimony would be “I’m getting somewhere slowly.” This is more realistic, for true learning, growing, and overcoming are gradual experiences.
A philosopher once said that the essential thing in Heaven and on earth should be “long obedience in the same direction.” Like the apostle Paul, make it your lifelong aim to press on toward your goal in Christ (Philippians 3:14). You’ll be the one to win the prize.”
Quote of the day: Crosby
“There are no shortcuts on the road to spiritual maturity.”
Bible verse of the day: Ecclesiastes 9:11
“I returned and saw under the sun that–The race is not to the swift…”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Your Holy Word tells me to press on toward my goal in Christ. Father, lead me in obedience in Your direction and for Your Will. Father, I don’t want to be like the hare in the story, always starting and stopping. I want to move slowly and steadily all the way to the finish line. Father, when I become tired, I pray for rest; when I become discouraged, I pray for hope; when I grow weary, I pray for strength. I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ May 20, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ May 2008 }
{ Tags: becoming better, Bible, Christian, dwelling place, Earth, faithfulness, gardener, God, Heaven, Jesus, mansion, materials, plain house, Prayer, Quote of the day, treasures, wealthy woman }
·
{ }
Story of the day: Where are you storing your treasure?
“There is a story of a wealthy woman who, when she reached Heaven, was conducted to a very plain house. She objected. “Well,” she was told, “that is the dwelling-place prepared for you.”
“Whose is that fine mansion across the way?” she asked.
Her guide replied, “It belongs to your gardener.”
“How is it that he has a house so much better than mine?”
“The houses here are prepared from the materials that are sent up. We do not choose them; you do that by your faithfulness while on earth.”
This may be a story, but it bears a profound truth about the “treasures” we accumulate.” Michael P. Green
Quote of the day: Peter Maurin
“The world would be better off if people tried to become better. And people would become better if they stopped trying to become better off. For when everybody tries to become better off, nobody becomes better off. But when everybody tries to become better, everybody is better off.”
Bible verse of the day: Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Your Word is so clear in Matthew 6:19-21 about not laying our treasures here on earth, but up in Heaven. Father, may I be reminded daily that the stuff here on earth, is just stuff that can’t be taken with me when I die, and the things that I do for Your Kingdom are eternal. I pray to You for an eternal mindset in all areas of my life. Father, I am so thankful to You for always meeting my needs even when I don’t know how it’s going to be done and the faith that I have in You is far greater than worrying about it. I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ May 15, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ May 2008 }
{ Tags: bike, Christian, God, Heaven, hell, Jesus, judge, jump, life, madness, merited, observer, predictable, President, Quote of the day, rocky places, scary passages, secrets, sharp corners, speeds, The Road of Life, Tim Hansel, took the lead, track, Trust, wreck }
·
{ }
Story of the day: The Road of Life by Tim Hansel
“At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited Heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president.
But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.
I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since. When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable….It was the shortest distance between two points.
But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds, it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, “Pedal!”
I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are you taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.
I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand.
He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me gifts to take on my journey, my Lord’s and mine.
And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.
I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.
And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.
And when I’m sure I just can’t do any more, He just smiles and says, “Pedal.”
Quote of the day: E. Stanley Jones
“Jesus is not a strong man making men and women who gather around Him weak. He is the Strong creating the strong.”
Bible verse of the day: Psalm 37:3
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I trust in You Lord and for all the things that You are going to bring forward into my life. Father, may I find rest in You in this day as I trust that the things that I have been praying for will be answered when the time is right. I pray that You guard my ways in all that I do and that as I lean upon You as my Rock and Shield that You protect me from things that aren’t pleasing to You. I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ April 23, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ April 2008 }
{ Tags: God, heart, life, choice, praying, negative, positive, Father, Jesus, Today, Heaven, seek, Bible, pure, Christian, control, treasure, Quote of the day, bank, Add new tag, deposits, checking, account, withdrawals, keep out, guard }
·
{ }
Story of the day: What R U depositing into your heart bank?
We all make deposits into our checking accounts. We either deposit cash, checks, or have our employers direct deposit our money from their account into ours. Either way it is done, there is some sort of deposit going in. If we don’t take care of what is in our account or if we altogether stop putting money into our account and keep making withdrawals, then what we get from our account is negative and we can’t positively withdrawal anymore.
The same is true of our heart. What R U depositing into your heart bank? Are the things positive or negative? If they are positive, then the withdrawals will be positive. But, if they are negative or you are forgetting to put deposits in, and are continuing to run off the fumes of what is left, then you are probably withdrawing negative things from your heart, which has probably overtaken the positive withdrawals.
Well, Christy, how do I do this? I am so glad you asked. First, you start by changing your thinking. If you think negative thoughts, you will deposit negative resources. If you think positive thoughts, you will start to deposit positive resources. Second, don’t give out what you don’t have. If you continue to give and give negative or positive, and haven’t been putting any in, for example reading your Bible and praying, then stop withdrawing, because it will deplete faster than anything. Last, make sure it lines up with the Word of God. What we think are positive deposits, may not actually be what God is asking us to deposit, therefore it is so important to study God’s Word, pray, and to seek answers from our Heavenly Father about decisions that you will be making or what you are putting into your heart. I encourage you to try depositing the things that God is asking of You and see all the blessings that you will be withdrawing.
Quote of the day: Dr. Creflo Dollar
“You control what you choose, but after you make the choice, it’s gonna control you!”
Bible verse of the day: Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
It is so important that I study Your Word, and constantly seek Your will for my life. Father, I pray to not make any deposits into my heart that are not pleasing to You and when I make withdrawals from my heart that I do so in a way that honors You. Father, please give me the wisdom in knowing what to deposit into my heart and what to keep out, even if it looks like it will keep me in the positive. Father, You know what is best for my life and I am thankful to You for that. Guard my heart today and keep my mind set on the things that are pure and as I make withdrawals, may the lives that I come across be impacted by the things of You. I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ April 9, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ April 2008 }
{ Tags: allow, Bible, cancer, Christian, death, diary, don't wait, empty house, funeral, God, Heaven, illness, In the Living Years, Jesus, late, Mike and the Mechanics, Prayer, Quote of the day, regrets, relationships, spend our time }
·
{ }
Story of the day: Don’t wait until it’s too late
Relationships are so very important. The time it takes to cultivate them and the energy that is placed within them can be so rewarding, if we allow the time and energy for them. The people that we hold dear and valuable to us, we should always take that extra time to value them. We don’t wish to spend our time here in this world alone, yet sometimes we allow words to hurt us, words to hurt others, or to get so focused on ourselves that we don’t always tell those closest to us how valuable they are to us, and our words get lost in the day. We take it for granted that they are going to be here everyday and that death, although can happen at anytime, is not going to happen to us right away. And what happens, we wish we had done things more or said what we wanted to say, and wind up regretting it later. As a person that believes life is so short and that we should treasure the time and people that God has given to us while here in this world, I must say that we shouldn’t let the sun go down on our anger, or get so self absorbed with ourselves that we lose sight of what is important.
Clarence Macartney wrote an interesting piece about a man named Thomas who waited too long. He had ”married his secretary. She was someone that he loved dearly, but he was very thoughtless and absorbed in his own interests and activities, treating his wife as if she were still his employee.
Stricken with cancer, she was confined to her bed for a long time before she died. After her funeral, Carlyle went back to his empty house. Disconsolate and grieving, he wandered around downstairs thinking about the woman he had loved. After a while he went upstairs to her room and sat down in the chair beside the bed on which she had been lying for months. He realized with painful regret that he had not sat there very often during her long illness. He noticed her diary. While she was alive, he would never have read it, but now that she was gone he felt free to pick it up and thumb through its pages. One entry caught his eye: “Yesterday he spent one hour with me. And it was like being in heaven. I love him so much.” He turned a few more pages and read, “I listened all day to hear his steps in the hallway. And now it’s late. I guess he won’t come to see me.” Thomas read a few more entries and then through the book on the floor and rushed out through the rain back to the cemetery. He fell on his wife’s grave in the mud, sobbing, “If only I had known…if only I had known.”
Some of the lyrics from a childhood song say it best. The song entitled In the Living Years, by Mike and the Mechanics says this, “Say it loud, say it clear. You can listen as well as you hear. Its too late when we die” Yes, it is too late when we die, so we should tell those we hold so dear that we love them! And we shouldn’t wait until it’s too late, for we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Quote of the day: St. Anthony of Padua
“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”
Bible verse of the day: 1 John 5:4
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for those that You have placed in my path. Father they are all such precious souls and I treasure each of them. I thank You for my family. God You have blessed me with them and I don’t want to take for granted the time that You have given me with them. I pray that I use the time wisely and treasure all the times that I am with them. God, I know that I am only here for so long and I don’t want any regrets while here. Continue to guide and monitor my time so that it is used wisely. I pray to not let anger play a part in me not ever saying I love you to someone and I pray that I don’t let the small things eat away at me. I pray to not let the sun go down on my anger! I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ March 26, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ March 2008 }
{ Tags: God, Prayer, Jesus, Heaven, Bible, Christian, Quote of the day, C.S. Lewis, prove, justifies, endows, saves, unites, sanctifies, foolish, accept }
·
{ }
Story of the day: JESUS
I love when people write in to the website and when doing so, I whole heartedly welcome your responses. Remember, I am a very simple person and as much as I would love to wow you with a very theological response to things, I can only give You what My Father in Heaven has shared with me. “The best way to prove the truth of the Bible is to study it.” After I woke up this morning and had seen something on the news that the media of course tried to play more into, it got me to thinking about why things aren’t just simple anymore. Why can’t “a cover of a magazine just be a cover”, without something more being added to it or taken from it. Why do we constantly look for flaws in everything?
Well, I thought that I would tell you about JESUS in as simple form as possible, yet His name alone can speak so powerfully without having to come across so complex. Jeff, being in the military, uses a lot of acronyms, and so I thought that I would share this one with you: JESUS.
J-ustifies by the Blood of His atonement. Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
E-ndows in his peerless person. Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
S-aves in His vitalizing life. Romans 5:10 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
U-nites in His baptizing Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and have been made to drink into one Spirit.”
S-anctifies by His indwelling presence. Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Quote of the day: C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would be either a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”
Bible verses of the day: Galatians 4:4-7
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Your Son paid it all. It is as simple as that. Father people have a choice to: have faith, believe that Your Son was Who He said He was, died on a cross, and was raised after 3 days. We have a choice to accept this fully, ask for forgiveness, and to trust Him completely. As my husband so greatly put it, “The choices we make today effect tomorrow.” God, things don’t need to be so complicated, but when people don’t understand things they try really hard to counter it with something that does make sense to them. Our minds can’t fathom all the Glory that You hold. God, I pray that if hearts are hardened that they are changed. There are things that I will not know the entire answer to, and that’s okay. You have shared what needs to be shared through Your Word. My faith in You has birthed a deeper desire for me to want to serve You in a way that is only pleasing to You. Just as You have said in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I may not understand it all, but my faith in You is proof enough that You existed through Your Son, and by His death I am saved. I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
{ March 12, 2008 @ 1:29 }
·
{ March 2008 }
{ Tags: afraid, Bible, Christ, Christian, God, Heaven, Jeremiah, Jesus, morning, Patience, Quote of the day, scheduled, strength, struggles with reading and writing, time table, wait, weakness, write }
·
{ }
Story of the day: God’s words and time table, not mine
I usually get up every morning, do my quiet time with God, and then write for Quote of the day. Lately, God has been showing me that it’s not always going to work like that. I am a scheduled person and like to do things the same everyday. God has now been telling me to wait on Him, which I usually try to do, but lately, I have been struggling because when I am ready to write, God has been telling me to wait. So, I first want to apologize for not getting the quotes out as early as I had every morning, but at the same time, I don’t apologize for God telling me to wait, because through my waiting, God has shown me that His timing is perfect.
Not only is His timing perfect it is everything! As I was reading in the book of Jeremiah last night, I began to notice just how important His timing truly is. There are times that I think that Quote of the day is ready to go out for the day and God says, no wait. And I ask God, are You sure? Like He needs me to ask Him. Again I always hear crickets and imagine Him standing over me, and looking at me like I look at my children when they’ve asked me a question like that. And although the waiting has been uncomfortable and challenging to me, I see the importance of why He had me wait.
Have you ever wondered what you were going to say to someone about Christ and were afraid that you didn’t know exactly what to say and when to say it? That has been my dilemma my whole life. It’s not that I was afraid of telling people about God, it’s just I didn’t know where in the Bible to look. Along with that were struggles with reading. I have always had to read things a couple of times to make sure that I got it, so I thought, well if I am struggling with saying things and reading things, maybe I should write it down, but even that was so hard for me. Give me a math problem, since I love math, and I could figure it out, but with writing, my thoughts would speed past me and my hand’s couldn’t write it down fast enough before they became just a memory. And even though these things were always hard for me, God is amazing in that He took the things that I struggled with the most and turned them into a strength for His glory!
God began to show me in Jeremiah last night just how impecable His timing is. It is so perfect that He knew that I would be writing this right now even before I was born. Jeremiah 1:4-5,7b-9 says this: “Then the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.”
I stand amazed every single day that He puts into my mouth the words that He will have me write and does so in a way that ministers to me, the one that is doing the writing. It has come full circle to me understanding my purpose even during the times that I didn’t understand it. And as long as I continue to do what He has asked of me and to remember that it’s all on God’s time table, and not mine, then no matter what time I get Quote of the day sent off during the day, I now know that it will be sent on His perfect time, whenever that may be.
Quote of the day: Esther Fields
“Things don’t just happen to us who love God,
They’re planned by His own dear hand,
Then molded and shaped, and timed by His clock,
Things don’t just happen–they’re planned.
Bible verse of the day: Jeremiah 1:9
“Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Your timing is so perfect. I am so grateful that You have been showing this to me in the last few weeks. And although I may want things a certain way, I know that it’s not my way that counts, but Yours. Let me be reminded daily that waiting on You is a gift that You have given to me. The gift has been teaching me patience, the value of Your time and not mine, and how to deal with struggles in my life. Thank You that before I was born You already had Your words ready for me to use. The words will be used to glorify Your name and to teach others about You. God, I have looked at myself and have often asked why You have chosen someone that has had struggles with writing to do Your will, and with Your great response You said, “Christy with your weakness, your struggle, I have turned it around, and made into a strength. I want others to see that it’s okay to have weakness, because in my eyes, as I begin to change their weakness into a strength, they too will see the great things that I am doing in their life, and know that it is from Me. They just have to want to love Me and allow Me to start a work in them, and from My work that I am doing, they will see how much I love them.” God, that touched my heart and continues to minister to me. I thank You for Who You are and for sharing this with me today. Father, I love You so much. When I wake up to when I go to sleep my thoughts are always on You and as You reach down from Heaven daily and “touch your hand to my mouth,” I know that I have been given exactly what You want me to say and it will be done on Your time table and not mine. I thank You for this day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
« Previous entries
