DAILY VERSE
Burst into song, you mountains,
you forests and all your trees,
for the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in Israel.
Isaiah 44:23
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DAILY QUOTE
The creation is quite like a spacious and splendid house, provided and filled with the most exquisite and the most abundant furnishings. Everything in it tells us of God.
John Calvin
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DAILY THOUGHT
God brings joy to our lives in various ways: a kind word from a friend, an accomplishment at work, the gentle whisper of His Spirit. But throughout the ages, God has brought joy to us through the wonder of His creation. Feeling down? Maybe all you need is a walk in the woods.
Consider the reaction of Carl Boberg when he looked at the world God made:
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze;
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
Take time to notice and celebrate God’s greatness and gifts, and you’ll suddenly find many reasons to be joyful.
Thank You, God, for the beauty of creation. Help me to see You in the world around me today. Amen.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A cheerful spirit
For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:15 NLT
When I think of God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes leap and dance as they leave my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, I serve Him with a cheerful spirit.
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
A happy heart
A person's heart is a major concern of the Lord. God's Word tells us that he doesn't look at the things people look at. We look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart; that is, our "thoughts and intentions" (1 Samuel 16:7). Today's verse tells us that a happy, or cheerful, heart make life "a continual feast."
How do we obtain—and maintain—this happy heart? There are many clues throughout the book of Proverbs. We should not let our hearts be anxious or proud because anxiety and pride are deterrents to a cheerful heart (Proverbs 12:25; 16:5). Instead, God calls us to have pure hearts and to keep them on the right path (Proverbs 22:11; 23:19). These are positive steps to achieving a happy heart because when we are being obedient to God's Word and experiencing his smile of approval, our hearts will be lighter, even in difficult times.
The Bible gives us many other instructions about how to have "healthy" hearts, but a good place to start is to embrace the truth of Proverbs 15:15 and ask God to show us how to develop hearts that are happy, no matter what challenges we are facing.
FATHER, help me to have a happy heart. Remove the anxiety that sometimes weighs my heart down. Keep my heart from growing proud. Instead, give me a pure heart—a heart that is pleasing to you. Help me to hide your Word in my heart so that I can walk in your ways and enjoy life that is a continual feast.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 17.
Proverbs 15:15 NLT
When I think of God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes leap and dance as they leave my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, I serve Him with a cheerful spirit.
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
A happy heart
A person's heart is a major concern of the Lord. God's Word tells us that he doesn't look at the things people look at. We look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart; that is, our "thoughts and intentions" (1 Samuel 16:7). Today's verse tells us that a happy, or cheerful, heart make life "a continual feast."
How do we obtain—and maintain—this happy heart? There are many clues throughout the book of Proverbs. We should not let our hearts be anxious or proud because anxiety and pride are deterrents to a cheerful heart (Proverbs 12:25; 16:5). Instead, God calls us to have pure hearts and to keep them on the right path (Proverbs 22:11; 23:19). These are positive steps to achieving a happy heart because when we are being obedient to God's Word and experiencing his smile of approval, our hearts will be lighter, even in difficult times.
The Bible gives us many other instructions about how to have "healthy" hearts, but a good place to start is to embrace the truth of Proverbs 15:15 and ask God to show us how to develop hearts that are happy, no matter what challenges we are facing.
FATHER, help me to have a happy heart. Remove the anxiety that sometimes weighs my heart down. Keep my heart from growing proud. Instead, give me a pure heart—a heart that is pleasing to you. Help me to hide your Word in my heart so that I can walk in your ways and enjoy life that is a continual feast.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for May 17.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
God delights in those who honor him
As bright as the sky...
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever.
Daniel 12:3 NLT
Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset.
Thomas Watson
Deepen your shine
People spend thousands of dollars to last longer— exercise, cosmetics, plastic surgery, self-help advice, nutrition plans. We like life, and we want it to last, not just in some ethereal, nondescript expectation of a life hereafter, but in a real, fulfilling, purposeful eternity. We don't just want "forever." We want to know we will enjoy it.
Daniel is told what makes or breaks eternity in the resurrection: righteousness. Loving it, drinking it in, leading others to it, investing in it. Righteousness is the key. The quality of our righteousness on earth has everything to do with the quality of our eternity.
Those who are wise also know that there's a problem. We are inherently unrighteous. An eternity based on earthly righteousness is a devastating predicament for people who are, in their very genetics, infected with corruption. Are there any who can really lead others to righteousness? Will any shine like the brightness of the heavens? Or is the promise empty?
Righteousness is a gift from a holy heaven to an infected race. It comes from outside ourselves, available only through faith in its Giver. Those who are wise will tell others about this gift. Those who want to shine will know the Source of the light and will be completely preoccupied with Him.
Evangelism is one way to make an investment that never, ever ceases to bring abundant returns. God promises that sharing the Light with others will forever deepen your own shine.
Adapted from The One Year® Walk with God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), entry for April 7.
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever.
Daniel 12:3 NLT
Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset.
Thomas Watson
Deepen your shine
People spend thousands of dollars to last longer— exercise, cosmetics, plastic surgery, self-help advice, nutrition plans. We like life, and we want it to last, not just in some ethereal, nondescript expectation of a life hereafter, but in a real, fulfilling, purposeful eternity. We don't just want "forever." We want to know we will enjoy it.
Daniel is told what makes or breaks eternity in the resurrection: righteousness. Loving it, drinking it in, leading others to it, investing in it. Righteousness is the key. The quality of our righteousness on earth has everything to do with the quality of our eternity.
Those who are wise also know that there's a problem. We are inherently unrighteous. An eternity based on earthly righteousness is a devastating predicament for people who are, in their very genetics, infected with corruption. Are there any who can really lead others to righteousness? Will any shine like the brightness of the heavens? Or is the promise empty?
Righteousness is a gift from a holy heaven to an infected race. It comes from outside ourselves, available only through faith in its Giver. Those who are wise will tell others about this gift. Those who want to shine will know the Source of the light and will be completely preoccupied with Him.
Evangelism is one way to make an investment that never, ever ceases to bring abundant returns. God promises that sharing the Light with others will forever deepen your own shine.
Adapted from The One Year® Walk with God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), entry for April 7.
Monday, April 12, 2010
A BETTER WAY TO LIVE
Did you know...?
That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head
of the army that liberated France from the English?
That church reformer John Calvin was twenty-six when he published
his "Institutes"?
That poet John Keats died when he was twenty-six?
That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left
English literature his classic "Odes"?
That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law
of gravitation when he was twenty-three?
That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser," was sent to the United
States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of
Representatives at thirty-four?
That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five
and thirty?
That Mozart only lived to be thirty-five years old?
Maybe I'm just a late bloomer.
When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few
years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most
things happen.
Unfortunately, these days I usually have no idea what is happening.
Of course, most of us will never paint a masterpiece, write a
classic or discover an important scientific principle. But why
should we? We're each cut from a unique pattern.
Dick Van Dyke once told the story of a woman taking her nephew to
her Catholic church. She whispered to him as they approached the
pew: "Can you genuflect?"
"No," he said, "but I can somersault!"
I wonder if he showed her.right then and there. I can almost see him
rolling down the aisle in a joyous celebration of the thing he CAN
do, with no regard for genuflecting. the thing he cannot do.
Some people waste lives obsessing on that thing they cannot do,
wishing they were more competent. And some measure the value of
their abilities against those of others, wishing they could
contribute in a bigger and better way.
You and I may never be a Mozart, a Raphael or a John Keats. But
there are things you CAN do to bring beauty or joy or happiness to
your world. Find them. Do them. Celebrate them. Rejoice in them.
I can hardly think of a better way to live.
-- Steve Goodier @
LifeSupportSystem.com
That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head
of the army that liberated France from the English?
That church reformer John Calvin was twenty-six when he published
his "Institutes"?
That poet John Keats died when he was twenty-six?
That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left
English literature his classic "Odes"?
That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law
of gravitation when he was twenty-three?
That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser," was sent to the United
States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of
Representatives at thirty-four?
That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five
and thirty?
That Mozart only lived to be thirty-five years old?
Maybe I'm just a late bloomer.
When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few
years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most
things happen.
Unfortunately, these days I usually have no idea what is happening.
Of course, most of us will never paint a masterpiece, write a
classic or discover an important scientific principle. But why
should we? We're each cut from a unique pattern.
Dick Van Dyke once told the story of a woman taking her nephew to
her Catholic church. She whispered to him as they approached the
pew: "Can you genuflect?"
"No," he said, "but I can somersault!"
I wonder if he showed her.right then and there. I can almost see him
rolling down the aisle in a joyous celebration of the thing he CAN
do, with no regard for genuflecting. the thing he cannot do.
Some people waste lives obsessing on that thing they cannot do,
wishing they were more competent. And some measure the value of
their abilities against those of others, wishing they could
contribute in a bigger and better way.
You and I may never be a Mozart, a Raphael or a John Keats. But
there are things you CAN do to bring beauty or joy or happiness to
your world. Find them. Do them. Celebrate them. Rejoice in them.
I can hardly think of a better way to live.
-- Steve Goodier @
LifeSupportSystem.com
Friday, April 9, 2010
From Daily Inspirations...
DAILY VERSE
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
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DAILY QUOTE
Prayer is not intended to change God’s purpose, nor is it to move Him to form fresh purposes. God has decreed that certain events shall come to pass through the means He has appointed for their accomplishment.
Arthur W. Pink
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DAILY THOUGHT
A Classic Devotional from St. Francis of Assisi
A Prayer for Peace, Growth, and Recovery
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Your heart, O Lord, is open to Your children.
Help me to be willing to learn from You. Amen.
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAILY QUOTE
Prayer is not intended to change God’s purpose, nor is it to move Him to form fresh purposes. God has decreed that certain events shall come to pass through the means He has appointed for their accomplishment.
Arthur W. Pink
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAILY THOUGHT
A Classic Devotional from St. Francis of Assisi
A Prayer for Peace, Growth, and Recovery
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Your heart, O Lord, is open to Your children.
Help me to be willing to learn from You. Amen.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Inner Light
"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light."
Albert Schweitzer said these words and how very true they are. We've all had times in our life when we desperately needed a "shot of inspiration" to move forward.
Sending a 'deepest thanks' to those who have helped me rekindle my inner light!
Albert Schweitzer said these words and how very true they are. We've all had times in our life when we desperately needed a "shot of inspiration" to move forward.
Sending a 'deepest thanks' to those who have helped me rekindle my inner light!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Twinkies and Root Beer
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?
"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
~author unknown~
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?
"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
~author unknown~
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