Hello my friends! Blessings for us all will be some really nice, summer weather days ahead in the 10 day forecast - Praise the Lord!! Was over at Lori's this morning as she was working and was getting a DISH man coming to put it in for her TV, so I got myself entertained with my smart phone plus a few phone calls to make the time go faster!! Had Sammy along, Phoebe (cat) jumped on my lap and purred - another blessing!! Ollie behaved himself. Then when Lori came home for a late lunch she made us both a really good and healthy shake with her vitamix - delicious. and some raw cauliflower and carrots with a good hummus. Then she took Sammy and me home. She didn't have TV for the longest time. Bought the antenna last week, decided against it, and will be taking it back. It just seemed so flimsy she didn't trust it. Now my husband is waiting for me to freeze cabbage, he got a good start already so until next time - know you all are in my prayers daily. Thanks for praying for us.
Praise accomplishes great things. Lord, let me be your instrument
in touching lives and changing hearts.
Scripture for the day:
"If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love,
any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy
complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full
accord and of one mind." Philippians 2:1-2
Meditation for the day:
There is great joy in living the spiritual life. A faith without joy
is not entirely genuine. If we are not happier as a result of our
faith, there is probably something wrong. Faith in God can bring us a
deep
feeling of happiness and security, no matter what happens on the
surface of our life. Each new day is another opportunity to serve God
and improve our relationships with other people. This can bring joy.
Life can be abundant and outreaching. It can be glowing and outgoing,
in ever widening circles.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that my horizons may grow ever wider. I pray that I may keep
reaching out for more service and companionship.
Right Now
What is wrong with right now? Nothing. Are there things you would like to
change? Of course. The beauty of right now is that it gives you a place to
start and the wisdom of knowing where to go.
There is nothing wrong with right now. It is a magnificent point in time.
Any problems you sense with this moment are based on your own
interpretation. Nothing is wrong unless you choose to make it so.
Choose instead to see and to live the rightness and the goodness of this
moment. Transcend the petty concerns which have held you back in the past.
Free yourself to live at your best.
Drink in the beauty and energy of right now. A world of possibilities
stretches out in front of you. They all begin right now. Life is already
filled with abundance, and right now is your chance to make it even better.
~ Ralph Marston ~
THE GIFT
Author Unknown
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many
months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom,
and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all
he wanted.
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his
father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his
graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father
told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how
much he loved him.
He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but
somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a
lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in
gold.
Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your
money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the
Bible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in
business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized
his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He
had not seen him since that graduation day.
Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him
his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his
son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When
he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his
heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and
saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears,
he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had
carefully underlined a verse, Matt. 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your
Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he
read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had
a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car
he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the
words PAID IN FULL.
How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not
packaged as we expected?
Jesus -- How Long Do We Have --
What if God decided to give you just a sixty-second test ... to see if You
are ready for heaven, If He asked me, I would beg Him to give me more time.
I have too many things to change about me before I can be tested to be
heaven-worthy. Heaven is "forever" and I sure don't want to miss out
because I only had 60-seconds to shape up.
But then, suppose God said "O.K. ... I will give you a full week for me to
test you for a week to see if you are worthy enough to enter heaven."
Yikes, I would say (that is not fair, I need more time to improve and be out
of all my nasty habits). I need more time.
O.K. God says ... "O.K. ... I will give you five-years to shape up and then
I will test you to see if you are worth heaven after 5-years." Would this be
enough (five years to get ready)? Only God knows.
God knows all things and He knows how much time (each one of us needs to
"get ready"). He gives us each (enough time). We all have exactly enough
time for our testing -- He loves us that way.
Ask and it will be given to you." (Mt 7:7)
*****
Narrative:
The shabbily dressed old lady with her basket on her arm hobbled down the
street toward the butcher shop, hoping to get a few leftover scraps of meat
for some soup. "Please God, don’t let me down," she prayed in her heart.
As she neared the butcher’s, she heard him remarking loudly for her benefit:
"Those are just the kind of customers I don’t need. I like people with ready
cash or a checkbook. I don’t give anything away for free."
The grandma entered the shop and told him, "I don’t want anything for free.
I always pay you. I always tell you: ‘May God repay you.’"
"Bah!" the butcher remarked. "Let’s write that ‘May God repay you’ on a
piece of paper, put it on the scale, and see what it is worth. Whatever it
weighs, I’ll give you in meat."
So he did – and the side with the paper on it went right down. Surprised, he
took a little piece of meat from the showcase and laid it on the opposite
side of the scale to balance it. Nothing happened. The scale did not move.
So he added more and more and more meat.
He had to keep his promise to equal the weight of that paper. He emptied his
whole butcher shop, and still the side of the scale with the paper written
"May God repay you" did not rise.
The little old lady chose only the meat she had come for. And the speechless
butcher was taught a lesson he never forgot: that the poor people’s "May God
repay you!" was worth more than all the money in his cash register.
Lord, Teach Me The Art Of Patience
By Thomas Fuller
Lord, teach me the art of patience whilst I am well, and give me the use of
it when I am sick. In that day either lighten my burden or strengthen my
back. Make me, who so often in my health have discovered my weakness
presuming on my own strength, to be strong in my sickness when I solely rely
on thy assistance.
I BELIEVE
Author Unknown
I believe in Miracles and dreams that will come true,
And I believe in happiness And friendship, through and through
I believe that when you cry your tears are not in vain,
And when you're sad and lonely someone knows that you're in pain.
I believe that when we laugh a sparkle starts to shine,
And before you know these sparks will spread
From more hearts than just mine.
I believe the gifts you have are there for you to share
And when you give them from the heart, the whole world knows you care.
I believe that if you give, even just to one,
That gift will grow in magnitude before the day is done.
I believe that comfort comes from giving part of me,
And if I share with others, there's more for all so see.
I believe that love is still the greatest gift of all,
And when it's given from the heart, Love will conquer all.
HOW TO BE HAPPY
Keep your heart free from hate and your mind free from worry,
live simply, expect little, give much,
sing often, pray always,
forget self, think of others and their feelings
fill your heart with love, scatter sunshine.
These are tried links in the golden chain of contentment.
BLESSINGS WE MAY NOT RECOGNIZE
Author Unknown
1. If you own a Bible, you are abundantly blessed - about 1/3 of the
world does not have access to one.
2. If you wake up each morning with more health than illness, you are
blessed to rise and shine, to live and to serve in a new day.
3. If you have anyone on the planet, just one person that loves you
and listens to you; count this as a blessing.
4. If you can freely attend a church meeting without fear, then you
are more blessed than over 1/3 of the world.
5. If you have a yearning in your heart to parent a child, you are
blessed because you still desire what you cannot see.
6. If you pray today or any day, you are blessed because you believe
in God's willingness to hear your prayer.
7. If you pray for someone else, you are blessed because you want to
help others also.
8. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof
over your head, and a place to sleep; all at the same time; you are
rich in this world;
9. If you have a brother or sister in Christ that will pray with you
and for you, you benefit from a spiritual unity, bond, and agreement,
which the gates of h ell cannot stand against.
10. If you have any earthly family that even halfway loves you and
supports you, you are blessed beyond measure.
11. If you attend a church with a church family that offers you one
word of encouragement, you are blessed with some form of fellowship.
12. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, or some spare
change in a dish someplace you are among the world's wealthy.
13. If you can go to bed each night, knowing that God loves you, you
are blessed beyond measure.
14. If you try each day to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ for even a
minute, you are blessed because you show a willingness to grow up in
Him.
15. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than about 1/3
of the world who cannot read at all.
16. If you have never had to endure the hardship and agony battle,
imprisonment, or torture, you are blessed in indescribable measure.
17. If you have a voice to sing His praises, a voice to witness God's
love, and a voice to share the gospel, you are blessed. About 1/3 of
the world do not even know who the one true God is.
18. If you can hold someone's hand, hug another person, touch someone
on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing
touch.
19. If you can share a word of encouragement with someone else, and do
it with His love in your heart, you are blessed because you have
learned how to give.
20. If you have the conviction to stand fast upon His Word and His
promises, no matter what, you are blessed because you are learning
patience, endurance, and tenacity.
21. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly
thankful, you are blessed because most people can, but many will not.
May God Bless You And Keep You Safe
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