The Proof of Our Love For Jesus

The Proof of Our Love For Jesus

John 21:15-17 NIV

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

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Jesus is only interested in one quality in our resume
That quality is our love for Him and our fellow man
We may think we can show our love with mere fancy words
However, Jesus can see through our facade
When Jesus asks for a commitment from us as he did with Peter
In our job descriptions - he expects us to keep our promises

Truth Seeker

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My Earnest Prayer

My Earnest Prayer

Today, I pray for others, Lord,
Who seem less blessed than I,
That in your love and mercy,
You'll heed their desperate cry.

For those depressed and lonely,
Please be their constant guide...
And show them they are not alone,
For You are by their side!

For those in pain of body...
Dear Lord, please make them whole,
And those who doubt... increase their faith;
Reveal their glorious soul!

Feed those who live in hunger,
House those who have no home,
And free this world from hatred;
Show us we all are one.

Dear Lord, thank you for listening,
And answering this prayer,
This world seems much less frightening,
Just knowing that You care.

Deborah A. Doyle

I Will Start Anew

I Will Start Anew

I will start anew this morning
with a higher, fairer creed;

I will cease to stand complaining
of my ruthless neighbor's greed;

I will cease to sit repining while
my duty's call is clear;

I will waste no moment whining and
my heart shall know no fear.

I will look sometimes about me
for the things that merit praise;

I will search for hidden beauties
that elude the grumbler's gaze.

I will try to find contentment
in the paths that I must tread;

I will cease to have resentment
when another moves ahead.

I will not be swayed by envy
when my rival's strength is shown;

I will not deny his merit,
but I'll try to prove my own;

I will try to see the beauty
spread before me, rain or shine;

I will cease to preach your duty
and be more concerned with mine.

S.E.Kiser

Directions

Directions








Jesus, take me by the hand.
Guide me through this troubled land.
When, by storms, I'm tossed about
Calm the waves; erase the doubt.

Dearest Savior, light my way
'Lest in darkness, I might stray.
Though a detour cause concern
May it be a chance to learn.

Oh, Lord, shield me with Your grace.
Hold me in Your sweet embrace.
As a beacon, shining far
Stay my constant, guiding star.

God, without You, I'm afraid
I'd face too many barricades
Wrought with doubts and dead-end streets
Ending in despair, defeats.

Though the path become too steep...
And my step a little slow...
I know You'll take me in Your keep
When I have nowhere else to go.

Polly Thornton

The Message of the Cross

The Message of the Cross

******* These passages could have been written especially for the mentally-ill. TS *******










1 Cor 1:18-31 NIV
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

The World is Full of Big Bad Wolves

The World is Full of Big Bad Wolves

In the Bible, the wolf got Adam and Eve but good...
but God always has a contingency plan and
is never caught unprepared - - - like the wise little pig,
who can be likened to Jesus who built His Church of bricks.
The boiling pot was the Lake of Fire, the devil's ultimate destination.

Truth Seeker

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The Story of the Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time there were three little pigs, who went from home to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him:--
"Good man, give me that straw to build me a house."
The man gave the straw, and the little pig built his house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said:--
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
But the pig answered:--
"No, no, by the hair of my chiny-chin-chin."
So the wolf said:--
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."
So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew his house in, and ate up the little pig.

The second little pig met a man with a bundle of furze, and said:--
"Good man, give me that furze to build me a house."
The man gave the furze, and the pig built his house. Then once more came the wolf, and said:
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
" No, no, by the hair of my chiny-chin-chin."
"Then I'll puff, and I'll huff, and I'll blow your house in."
So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed and he huffed, and at last he blew the house in, and ate up the little pig.

The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said:--
"Good man, give me those bricks to build me a house with."
The man gave the bricks, and he built his house with them. Again the wolf came, and said:--
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
"No, no, by the hair of my chiny-chin-chin."
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."
So he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed and huffed; but he could NOT get the house down. Finding that he could not,
with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said:--

"Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips."
"Where?" said the little pig.
"Oh, in Mr Smith's field, and if you will be ready to-morrow morning we will go together, and get some for dinner."
"Very well," said the little pig. "What time do you mean to go?"
"Oh, at six o'clock."
So the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf came crying:--
"Little pig, are you ready?"
The little pig said: "Ready! I have been and come back again, and got a nice potful for dinner."
The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be a match for the little pig somehow or other, so he said:--

"Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple-tree."
"Where?" said the pig.
"Down at Merry-garden," replied the wolf, "and if you will not deceive me I will come for you, at five o'clock to-morrow, and get some apples."
The little pig got up next morning at four o'clock, and went off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came; but it took long to climb the tree, and
just as he was coming down from it, he saw the wolf coming. When the wolf came up he said:--
"Little pig, what! are you here before me? Are they nice apples?"
"Yes, very," said the little pig. "I will throw you down one."
And he threw it so far that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the little pig jumped down and ran home. The next day the wolf came again, and said to the little pig:--

"Little pig, there is a fair in town this afternoon; will you go?'
"Oh yes," said the pig, "I will go; what time?"
"At three," said the wolf. As usual the little pig went off before the time, and got to the fair, and bought a butter-churn, which he was rolling home when he
saw the wolf coming. So he got into the churn to hide, and in so doing turned it round, and it rolled down the hill with the pig in it, which frightened the wolf
so much that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the little pig's house, and told him how frightened he had been by a great round thing which came past him down the hill. Then the little pig said.--
"Ha! ha! I frightened you, then!"

Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and tried to get down the chimney in order to eat up the little pig. When the little pig saw what he was about, he put a pot full of water on the blazing fire, and, just as the wolf was coming down, he took off the cover, and in fell the wolf. Quickly the little pig clapped on the cover, and when the wolf was boiled ate him for supper.

Here I Come to Save the Day !

Here I Come to Save the Day !

Mighty Mouse was my first superhero... followed by the Long Ranger...
then by Superman... then Batman...
then by Spiderman... followed by Iron Man...
and the list ended with two or three more.

I don't recall anyone in my childhood years
ever telling me Jesus is the greatest Superhero.
After all, He didn't fit the type - - - no red cape, you know.
The big picture in my house of the Sacred Heart inspired
reverance in me but no boyhood awe and wonder.
Thank God for the nuns in Catholic school and the daily
Catechism questions I memorized nightly and
recited the next school day.

But you see, little problems call for little superheroes;
it's the big ones that call for the real McCoy - - - Our Lord.
Sometimes a death of a parent will bring Him and His Blessed Mother
(the real Wonder Woman) to the child's side in no time flat.
A subsequent mental illness is liable to empty
heaven's rafters of its saints.

Truth Seeker

Omnipotence

Omnipotence

Genesis 18:14 NIV
14 Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Exodus 14:21-22
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Job 42:1-2 NIV
1 Then Job replied to the LORD :
2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Jer 32:17 NIV
17 "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Jer 32:27 NIV
27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Mat 19:26 NIV
26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Mar 10:27 NIV
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Lk 1:37 NIV
37 For nothing is impossible with God."

Lk 18:27 NIV
27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

If You're Going to Boast

If You're Going to Boast

Jer 9:23-24 NIV
23 This is what the LORD says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,

24 but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD.

Soar

Soar

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.