Joy

Story of the day:  Joy

     Sherwood Wirt wrote in Jesus, Man of Joy, about a conversation that he had with C.S. Lewis.  He says, “there is too much solemnity and intensity in dealing with sacred matters, too much speaking in holy tones.  The tragic loss in all this pious gamesmanship is to the individual in the pew, who begins to feel that in the midst of the religious razzle-dazzle he cannot get through to the Lord Himself.

     We have learned that joy is more than a sense of the comic, more than earthly pleasure, and to a believer even more than what we call happiness.  Joy is the enjoyment of God and the good things that come from the hand of God.  If our new freedom in Christ is a piece of angel food cake, joy is the frosting.  If the Bible gives us the wonderful words of life, joy supplies the music.  If the way to Heaven turn out to be an arduous steep climb, joy sets up the chair lift.”

Quote of the day:  Author Unknown

“Joy is a winsome magnet that draws people in because it is one thing they do not have.”

Bible verse of the day:  Psalm 16:11

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today I will think about the joyful abundance that is mine when I follow Christ.  I will follow the path of life that You reveal to me and as I do, Your Word says that in Your presence, I will find the fullness of joy.  I thank You for this beautiful day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

Power made perfect in our weaknesses

                                                                                                                                                                                                     Story of the day:  Power made perfect in our weaknesses

    Do you feel strong in your weakness?  The pain we may all experience, that can be found in our weak times, although challenging, can be rewarding when all is said and done. It may not seem like it while you are going through the pain, but power is made perfect in our weakness.  As I continued on with this thought about our pain or times of persecution that we all go through at one time or another, God shed a little more onto this by sharing this marvelous Scripture with me last night at church.  It is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, and He so gracefully says this “but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” 

    Well, here is a little piece of art that I found that helps to illustrate the power of God making us strong in our weaknesses or the trials and tribulations that we may experience.  “A little piece of wood once complained bitterly because its owner kept whittling away at it, cutting it, and filling it with holes, but the one who was cutting it so remorselessly paid no attention to its complaining.  He was making a flute out of that piece of ebony, and he was too wise to desist from doing so, even though the wood complained bitterly.  He seemed to say, “Little piece of wood, without these holes, and all this cutting, you would be a black stick for ever–just a useless piece of ebony.  What I am doing now may make you think that I am destroying you, but, instead, I will change you into a flute, and your sweet music will charm the souls of men and comfort many a sorrowing heart.  My cutting you is the making of you, for only thus can you be a blessing in the world.”  Thank you M.R. Dehaan for this wonderful story.

       Although we can’t always see the big picture of why we go through the things we go through, it truly is for our best interest and we will only become stronger for having gone through our weak times, if we allow God’s power to be made perfect in our weakness.   

Quote of the day:  C. S. Lewis

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains:  it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Bible verse of the day:  2 Samuel 22:31

“This God–His way is perfect: the promise of the Lord proves true:  He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that in my weakness Your power shines through.  I am grateful that Your power is made perfect at the times when I am the weakest.  God, I thank You for always being there for all of the times in my life.  You are there when I am happiest, when I am saddest, and when I have overcome whatever obstacle was placed before me.  I thank You for being my Everything.  I thank You or the times in my life when I have been weak, You have made me stronger.  I love You and thank You for this day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

JESUS

                                                                                                                                                                                                 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

There’s no hurry?

                                                                                                                                                                                        Story of the day:  There’s no hurry?

    Time.  Now here is a word that we talk about everyday in one fashion or the other.  It is a constant reminder of life, from the time we are born to the time we die.  It plays out in our homes, our cars, our jobs.  Yet, it is something that we can’t ever seem to get enough of.  So, how do you use your time?  Is it planned or are the seconds being wasted away as the day goes on?

    Here is a little legend that I found written by C.S. Lewis “about Satan and his imps planning their strategy for attacking the world that’s hearing the message of salvation.  One of the demons says, “I’ve got the plan, master.  When I get to earth and take charge of people’s thinking,  I’ll tell them there’s no Heaven.”

    The devil responds, “Ah, they’ll never believe that.  This Book of Truth is full of messages about the hope of Heaven through sins forgiven.  They won’t believe that.  They know there’s a glory yet future.”

    On the other side of the room another says, “I’ve got the plan.  I’ll tell ’em there’s no hell.”

    “No good,” he says. “Jesus while He was on earth, talked more of hell than of Heaven.  They know in their hearts that their wrong will have to be taken care of in some way.  They deserve nothing more than hell.”

    And one brilliant little imp in the back stood up and said, “Then I know the answer.  I’ll just tell them there’s no hurry.”  And he’s the one Satan chose.”

Quote of the day:  Frank Laubach

“I have this minute in my control.  It is all I really do have to work with.  It is as magnificent or drab or vile as the thoughts which fill it.  I fear our most common sin is empty minutes.”

Bible verse of the day:  Psalm 32:8

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye.”

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We can get so focused on time, or get into such a hurry that we lose sight of why we are truly here.  How I use my minutes daily is very important.  God, my biggest thing is that we are not guaranteed our next minute.  It’s all we have.  I guess that’s why I live my life everyday as if it were my last day.  I treasure the time that You have given me Lord and I pray that I don’t use it by letting it waste away.  I pray that You give me love to give to others, rest when I am tired, strength to overcome obstacles, knowledge from Your Word, and perseverance to do what You have called me to do, at the time You have called me to do it.  I thank You for this day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen