Worrying is Useless

Worrying is Useless

Luke 12:22-34 NIV

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
NIV

Rainbows

Rainbows

Some folks I know have narrow views
Of life that close them in.
And they continually await
Misfortune to begin.
They never see the sunshine,
But they always find the rain.
They've frowned so much they can't recall
How laughter sounds again.

Instead of seeing each new day
A bright and shining thing,
They face the dawn and wonder what
New sorrow it will bring.
They squeeze out every ounce of joy,
Within the hearts of those
Who seek to cheer their lonely lives,
Why? Only heaven knows.

They put a price on everything,
And say that "nothing's free",
And end up being miserable
As anyone can be.
They haven't learned the secret
That life is more than just
Accumulating lots of things,
That fall apart with rust.

For life is more than gathering
What someday we must leave.
Each one of us needs principles
In which we can believe.
It's not so much the getting,
If we don't know how to share.
For only love can turn the rain
... To rainbows, everywhere.

Grace E. Easley

Our Tongue Is the Culprit

Our Tongue Is the Culprit

James 1:26 NIV
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue , he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

James 3:5-10 NIV
5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

1 Peter 3:10 NIV
10 For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.

The Results of Our Actions

The Results of Our Actions

Be good, and you'll never regret it.
Be bad, and you'll never forget it.
If mistaken, be first to confess it.
If right, be the last to express it.
If wrong, then be quick to redress it.
If it's slander, be sure to suppress it.
Be kind, but let no one suspect it.
Be wise, but let no one detect it.
Be fair, for your friends will expect it.
Be swift, or perhaps you'll neglect it.
If it's borrowed, be quick to repay it.
If it's loaned, make excuse to delay it.
Be selfish, and no one will miss you.
Be a fool, and the demons will hiss you.
Be yourself, and the good Lord will kiss you.

Pack Away Your Troubles

Pack Away Your Troubles

Face your day with a happy heart
And end it with a song - - -
You'll find the hours in between
Can't go far from wrong.

A smile is more contagious
Than a dreary frown,
And nicer to remember
When the sun goes down.

Don't miss out on happiness
By looking toward the ground - - -
But keep looking skyward,
That's where the rainbow's found.

Just pack away your troubles
For some other day
And before you know it,
They'll have slipped away.

Catherine Janssen Irwin

Don't Crowd God Out of Your Life

Don't Crowd God Out of Your Life

I took a short visit around the Blogger site.
Just to survey the competition, you know?
I must have glanced thru around twenty profiles.
What I witnessed wasn't pretty, let me tell you.

Almost to a man (or woman) people said
they were all having a ball doing a lot of things.
The activities and hobbies boggle the mind.

What was conspicuously absent in most
was any mention of God or religion.
Could be they don't consider Him "cool"
with some people devoting just an hour and a half
on Sunday... period... no more (except when
they get into trouble of some sort).

I think there's no excuse today for more people
not to have God as the major force in their lives.
And don't tell me that they don't have enough
time to spend in prayer with Him.
If they have time for Facebook, Twitter, Kindle,
cable TV and all the other time-consuming pastimes
now in vogue, they have plenty of time to spare.

Matt 10:32-33 NIV
32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

It seems that the more things we cram into our lives,
the emptier they become.
Only God can fill our void and emptiness...
no other occupation will suffice.

I consider myself blessed to have had several epiphanies
starting seventeen years ago.
My life radically changed - - - not without much tribulation.
Since then, friends, colleagues, hobbies, etc. take a distant
back seat to God.

Truth Seeker

Don't Quit

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out - - -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - - -
It's when things seem worst
that you must not quit.

Unknown Author

The Imitation of Christ - BOOK 1 - 7th Chapter

The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
BOOK ONE
THOUGHTS HELPFUL IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL

The Seventh Chapter
AVOIDING FALSE HOPE AND PRIDE

VAIN is the man who puts his trust in men, in created things.

Do not be ashamed to serve others for the love of Jesus Christ and to seem poor in this world. Do not be self-sufficient but place your trust in God. Do what lies in your power and God will aid your good will. Put no trust in your own learning nor in the cunning of any man, but rather in the grace of God Who helps the humble and humbles the proud.

If you have wealth, do not glory in it, nor in friends because they are powerful, but in God Who gives all things and Who desires above all to give Himself. Do not boast of personal stature or of physical beauty, qualities which are marred and destroyed by a little sickness. Do not take pride in your talent or ability, lest you displease God to Whom belongs all the natural gifts that you have.

Do not think yourself better than others lest, perhaps, you be accounted worse before God Who knows what is in man. Do not take pride in your good deeds, for God's judgments differ from those of men and what pleases them often displeases Him. If there is good in you, see more good in others, so that you may remain humble. It does no harm to esteem yourself less than anyone else, but it is very harmful to think yourself better than even one. The humble live in continuous peace, while in the hearts of the proud are envy and frequent anger.

Take Time

Take Time














Take time for prayer in the morning
Take time for prayer at night
Take time for God and through the day
He'll see that things go right.

And if you should encounter
A few mishaps along your way
He'll surely give you strength and help
To get you through your day.

And then when evening befalls you
And you come to the end of the day
He'll still be there to hear your prayer
And listen to all you say.

You'll feel His hand of comfort
As you talk with Him once more
And thank Him for His loving care
And blessing by the score.

So take time for God in the morning
Take time for God at night
And talk with God, and walk with God
He'll make your burden light.

Florence Flett

Judge Ye Not

Judge Ye Not

Judge not thy brother's failings,
Nor ever be the one
To hurl a stone at anything
That he has ever done.
Scorn not his humble efforts,
Nor cast him to the ground,
He may have just discovered
What thou has never found.

Harden not thy heart to tears
That often flow unbidden,
From lonely hearts within whose depths
So much of love is hidden.
Set not thyself as model,
Above thy fellowman,
For charity can open doors,
That pride's key never can.

Be not so self-righteous,
Thy foot can also fall...
No man who lives, is blameless,
For sin has touched us all.
And God alone must judge us,
No man has been assigned.
Because the Lord alone can see
Within your heart... and mine.

Grace E. Easley

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

Never a Time

Never a Time

There's never a thought God doesn't know,
And never an act He doesn't see.
Every moment of our lives,
He's looking after you and me.
There's never a pain He doesn't share,
And never a joy He doesn't send,
Never a cry He doesn't hear,
And never a heart He cannot mend.

There's never a wrong God doesn't right,
Or noble deed He doesn't bless,
Never a worthless soul to Him,
Though it be clothed in shabbiness.
Never a dream He doesn't know,
Never a hope He doesn't share,
There's never a day when God forgets,
And never a time He doesn't care.

Grace E. Easley

Imitate Jesus - PRAY !

Imitate Jesus - PRAY !

These are instances in the Bible where Our Lord either prayed or talked about prayer. I've only included the more pointed passages about Jesus and prayer. I've excluded other less pertinent exhortations of Jesus to His disciples and the crowds. My goal here is to show that we can't really call ourselves Christians unless we lead an active prayer life.

Truth Seeker

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Mat 6:9-13 NIV
9 "This, then, is how you should pray :
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

Mat 14:23 NIV
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray . When evening came, he was there alone,

Mat 19:13 NIV
13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

Mat 26:36-46 NIV
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray ." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed , "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as
you will."
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
42 He went away a second time and prayed , "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Mk 1:35 NIV
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed .

Mk 6:46 NIV
46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray .

Mk 14:32-42 NIV
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray ." 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41 Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Mk 9:28-29 NIV
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer ."

Lk 3:21 NIV
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying , heaven was opened

Lk 5:16 NIV
16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed .

Lk 6:12 NIV
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray , and spent the night praying to God.

Lk 9:18 NIV
18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

Lk 9:28-29 NIV
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray . 29 As he was praying , the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

Lk 11:1-4 NIV
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray , just as John taught his disciples."
2 He said to them, "When you pray , say:
"'Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.'"

Lk 18:1 NIV
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Lk 21:36 NIV
36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

Lk 22:31-32 NIV
31 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Lk 22:40-46 NIV
40 On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and
prayed , 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

Jn 17:1 NIV
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed :

Jn 17:9 NIV
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

Jn 17:15 NIV
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Jn 17:20 NIV
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,

Jn 18:1 NIV
1 When he had finished praying , Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.

Philip 4:4-7 NIV
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Prudence in Action

The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
BOOK ONE
THOUGHTS HELPFUL IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL
The Fourth Chapter

PRUDENCE IN ACTION

DO NOT yield to every impulse and suggestion but consider things carefully and patiently in the light of God's will. For very often, sad to say, we are so weak that we believe and speak evil of others rather than good. Perfect men, however, do not readily believe every talebearer, because they know that human frailty is prone to evil and is likely to appear in speech.

Not to act rashly or to cling obstinately to one's opinion, not to believe everything people say or to spread abroad the gossip one has heard, is great wisdom.

Take counsel with a wise and conscientious man. Seek the advice of your betters in preference to following your own inclinations.

A good life makes a man wise according to God and gives him experience in many things, for the more humble he is and the more subject to God, the wiser and the more at peace he will be in all things.

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Isaiah 5:21 NIV
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.

Desiderata

Desiderata

written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.