To Have and Have Not

To Have and Have Not

Matt 13:11-13 NIV
11 He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

Matt 21:43 NIV
43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Matt 25:14-30 NIV
14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Mark 4:25 NIV
25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

Luke 8:18 NIV
18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

Luke 10:41-42 NIV
41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 19:26-27 NIV
26 "He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.

Only God Knows What the Future Holds

Only God Knows What the Future Holds

James 4:13-17 NIV
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money ." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

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

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH - - - HEAVEN KNOWS WE NEED IT

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH - - - HEAVEN KNOWS WE NEED IT

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

Irish Marriage Blessing

May God be with you and bless you.
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortunes
and rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
from this day forward.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

A Wish for a Friend

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

Bless This House

Bless this house, o Lord, we pray.
Make it safe by night and day.
Bless these walls so firm and stout,
Keeping want and trouble out.
Bless the roof and chimney tall,
Let thy peace lie over all.
Bless the doors that they may prove
Ever open to joy and love.
Bless the windows shining bright,
Letting in God's heavenly light.
Bless the hearth a-blazing there,
With smoke ascending like a prayer.
Bless the people here within...
Keep them pure and free from sin.
Bless us all, that one day, we
May be fit, O lord, to dwell with Thee.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

In Time of Sorrow...

May you see God's light on the path ahead
When the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear,
Even in your hour of sorrow,
The gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard may hardness
Never turn your heart to stone,
May you always remember
when the shadows fall—
You do not walk alone.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

From Saint Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ in me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ on my right
Christ on my left
Christ where I lie
Christ where I sit
Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man
who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of every man
who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me
Salvation is of the Lord.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

Said during thunder and lightning...

O Lord, be between us and harm and protect us from the harm of the world.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

Said in the morning when rising...

Christ be with me,
be after me,
be before me,
and be at my right and left hand.
May everything I do be for Christ.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Why Don't We Just Call God Genie?

Why Don't We Just Call God Genie?

It would simplify matters somewhat;
all we'd need to do is rub the lamp and
he'd appear in a flash.
But we'd then only get three wishes.
The real God grants us many more - - -
if we only ask Him right.
Some claim that, even today,
Jesus appears to us much as he did
two thousand years ago, and grants
many more prayers than any Genie.

But, if the truth be told, most of us
don't welcome the idea of a personal
and judgmental God looking over our shoulder.
People will kneel, pray, and beg during times
of crisis - - - either personal or corporate - - -
but when troubles vanish, they want God
to do likewise. " Thy Kingdom Come? "
Hardly.

Truth Seeker

Count the Cost

Count the Cost

=== o ===

The Cost of Following Jesus

Luke 9:57-62 NIV
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

59 He said to another man, "Follow me."
But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."
62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

The Cost of Being a Disciple

Luke 14:28-33 NIV
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Wealth Can Hold Us Back

Wealth Can Hold Us Back

Eccl 5:10 NIV
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

Matthew 6:24 NIV
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Matthew 19:23-24 NIV
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Mark 10:23 NIV
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

Luke 18:24-25 NIV
24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

Mark 13:43-44 NIV

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on."

Luke 21:1-4 NIV
1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

1 Tim 6:10 NIV
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Heb 13:5 NIV
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."

Where Is Our Treasure?

Where Is Our Treasure?

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We Have Nothing

Job 1:21 NIV
21 and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised."

======= o ======= ======= o ======= ======= o =======

1 Timothy 6:7-8 NIV
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Gaining the Whole World

Matt 16:25-26 NIV
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?