The Perfect Gift

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things, not the great occasions, give off the greatest glow of happiness.

 

Bob Hope's words are so true.  Sending little gifts to someone out of the blue, for no reason can make perhaps a blah day into a special one.  I used to do this for my Mom and Dad all the time.  Many times the postage was more expensive than what was in the package. To hear their happiness in a thank you phone call or a note told me that receiving that $2.99 item wasn't about the gift, but my time and thought that mattered the most to them.

 

The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions -- the little soon forgotten charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment, and the countless infinitesimal of pleasurable and genial feeling. Coleridge, Samuel Taylor

 

"The Gift of the Magi" is a heartfelt story by O. Henry about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money.

Their perfect gift for each other, came with a sacrifice to themselves.

 

Stop your search, wander aimlessly no more for Jesus is the one Gift which we need. When that Gift becomes ours through Spirit-given faith, our sins are forgiven, and we are granted a new home in heaven. There we shall live forever, giving thanks for God's perfect Gift -- the Gift better than gold.

 

 

 

Dear Lord, as we go searching for the perfect gift or plan the grandest of occasions for friends and family members, may we remember that -- by Your grace -- we have received the perfect Gift of a Savior and blood-bought salvation. May we share that Gift with others. In His Name. Amen

 

 

 

 

Give Thanks

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

I am grateful for all the insightful writers out there in cyberland, and the ability and resources to find their wonderful words and pass them collectively along to you. thank you
jmcee

think happy
heaven knows i'm not the best at balancing my responsiblities,

but i think it's important that i remember that i'm grateful for them....
all my chores mean that i have a home, a warm bed, utilities, a sweet little family to take care of,
and a life full of purpose...read more at http://angiedunn.blogspot.com/

The "Secret" is Gratitude

I have been very blessed in my life. I recognize that these blessings come from sharing what I have with others and giving gratitude for what I have been given....read more at http://thesecretisgratitude.blogspot.com/

********************

I'm utterly convinced that the key to lifelong success is the regular exercise of a single emotional muscle: gratitude.
People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what's wonderful in their life. Because they enjoy the fruits of their successes, they seek out more success. And when things don't go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective.......read more, you'll be glad you did http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/gratitude-true-secret-to-success.html

 

Faith Unlocks the Door

Faith shouldn't die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God's way of working his will in our lives. Our persistence is an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers

When you feel tired of praying, know that God is present, always listening, always answering--maybe not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that he knows are best.

 

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." Colossians 4:2, NLT

Prayer is the key to heaven but faith unlocks the door

Words are so easily spoken

Prayer without faith is like a boat without an oar

Have faith when you speak to the Master
That's all he asks you for

Prayer is the key to heaven but faith unlocks the door

great lyrics by Don Gibson

 



Integrity

Proverbs 11:3 "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity."

Integrity is one of the most influential traits that we could have. If our society would embrace this single value with more passion, more strength and more power... the darkness of crime, corruption, and deceit would fade to nothing.     

Integrity - Noun; Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code; the state of being unimpaired; soundness; the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness
Integrity is the result of preparation and choice
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1889285    

Billy Graham once said:

"Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, all is lost."

 





 

 

The Best Place to Be

We continue to climb ladder after ladder to our own detriment and often to the detriment of those around us. We focus more on achieving the next rung than on God’s call on our lives. I don’t know what your ladder is – career goals and success, social connections, having an enviable family and home, your own gifts and talents. There are so many ladders in life, and it isn’t that our pursuits are bad, it is just that when we are seeking the top rung of the ladder, it is very hard to die to the self, and we often don’t, unless and until the ladder collapses. Then we are reminded all too well of our fragility, our temporariness, and our enormous capacity for self-delusion.
taken from a sermon by Desiree' Urlich.

The best place to be for any human being is in the middle of God's plan for his or her life

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2395717

You can find out what God's plan is for your life and change the course of your life forever

• First of all, we have to contact Him. We have to slow down, change direction and search for Him. He promises to always come to those who search for Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
• Second, we have to learn about Him. God has a much higher way of thinking than we have, and He wants to teach us to think that way. Failure, lack, worry and defeat are not part of His vocabulary, and He does not want it to be part of yours! The best way to renew your mind to God's way of thinking is by reading His Word and by hearing anointed messages about Him!
• The third step is to spend time with Him daily. Just like in any friendship, you have to invest time and effort to get to know God intimately. It is only then that God will reveal His secrets to you.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2395717

Proverbs 16:9  "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps".
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Change

 

I have often heard it said that the only easy way to deal with change is when you are the one doing the change.










 Truth be told, many times we are not in control of the change and therefore we find it hard to adjust.

Some changes beautify our world and are welcome with all they offer to our daily activities and plans.

God Does Not Change

 “God cannot change for the better, for He is already perfect; and being perfect, He cannot change for the worse.” ~ A. W. Pink

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed [changed] by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2 KJV).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord Let My Heart, Be Good Soil

LORD LET MY HEART BE GOOD SOIL

Text and music, H. Hanson

Lord let my heart be good soil,

Open to the seed of your word.

Lord let my heart be good soil,

where love can grow and peace is understood.

When my heart is hard, break the stone away.

When my heart is cold, warm it with the day.

When my heart is lost  lead me on your way.

Lord let my heart,

Lord let my heart,Lord let my heart be good soil.

Because of "hymn of the month" I found a new wonderful song, but more than that, a prayer that I may be an example to spread the Love of Jesus, no matter the circumstance.

 

Gather the Harvest and Spread it Around!

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:9-10

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:28

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

Goodness is the only investment that never fails.

- Henry David Thoreau

 

The best portion of a good man's life is his little nameless,
unencumbered acts of kindness and of love. - Wordsworth

 



Story of Ruth and Boaz

Story of Ruth And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor. "Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter."ï¾ So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz who was from the clan of Elimelech. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The Lord be with you!". "The Lord bless you!" they called back. Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, "Who is that young woman"?ï¾ The foreman replied, "She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi". She asked, "Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters."She went into the field and has worked steadily form morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.' So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls." When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.ï¾ As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don't embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her." So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered, Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. Her mother- in-law asked her, "Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the person who took notice of you!" Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. "The name of the person I worked with today is Boaz," she said. Excerpts from the Book of Ruth, Chapter 2

You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. ~ John Wooden



Galatians 6:10

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers
  Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do

Feel good stories and testimonies bear repeating.
  Taken from "This Day's Thought from the Ranch.
Dan Clark recalls that when he was a teenager, he and his father once stood in line to buy tickets for the circus. As they waited, they noticed the family immediately in front of them. The parents were holding hands, and they had eight children in tow, all behaved well and all probably under the age of twelve. Based on their clean but simple clothing, he suspected they didn't have a lot of money. The kids jabbered about the exciting things they expected to see, and he could tell that the circus was going to be a new adventure for them.

As the couple approached the counter, the attendant asked how many tickets they wanted. The man proudly responded, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus."

When the attendant quoted the price, the man's wife let go of his hand, and her head drooped. The man leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The attendant again quoted the price. The man obviously didn't have enough money. He looked crushed.

Clark says his father watched all of this, put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, and dropped it on the ground. His father then reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder, and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man knew exactly what was going on. He looked straight into Clark's father's eyes, took his hand, shook it, and with a tear streaming down his cheek, replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

Clark and his father went back to their car and drove home. They didn't have enough money to go to the circus that night, but it didn't matter. They had encouraged a whole family. And it was something neither family would ever forget.
John C. Maxwell

Lord, give me an open heart to find You everywhere, to glimpse the heaven enfolded in a bud, and to experience eternity in the smallest act of love.

Mother Teresa

Clutter Away

Don’t live in the midst of clutter or it will make you feel overwhelmed and confused. –Joyce


Cleaning Your Clutter Can Make so Much Difference in Your Life. Shed your physical and emotional clutter and find your true self and unlimited potential. Happiness starts with being the real, authentic you. 'Things' are not just things. They usually have emotions and values attached to them. That old dog-eared teddy is not just another toy - it's part of your memories of childhood, your old friend, your comfort. There are many reasons why we have clutter and as you start to clear your clutter you will uncover many emotions which are wrapped up in the energy of the items. Be prepared to face these feelings and be patient with yourself if you become emotional. Often when we de-clutter we learn a lot about ourselves.  
Clutter robs us of our energy and our vitality",  says Dr. Sabrina Schleicher. "A cluttered home symbolizes a cluttered, blocked mind. Mental clutter is that unfinished business in your life that gnaws at you in the background of your consciousness". Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/163838

Just like we have to sweep the cobwebs out of the corners of our home, same is true with those in our life. Learning to release those things that keep us suppressed allows us to move forward. Letting go of all the clutter in my life allows me to focus on the important things. The trivial things are just that---trivial. But when I put the focus on those things that have meaning in my life, it helps me move in the direction that was meant to be.http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=spring_cleaning_your_life

Why do we live with so much stuff we don't need? It's not just a house question but a life question too.

Why do we fill our life with so many things that weigh us down? Things we never use. Thoughts that hold us back. Habits that limit us. Distractions that derail us. Negative people that drain us. Fear that paralyzes us. And countless time zappers that sabotage our performance and productivity.
We spend so much time and energy on things that don’t matter that we don’t focus on what does matter. We fill up with so many things that generate negative energy that there’s no room for positive energy to flow into our lives. by Jon Gordon

Are frazzled thoughts cluttering your inner life, or are you making time regularly for quiet reflection, and asking the Holy Spirit to renew your mind?  Eliminate clutter in your schedule and your mind to create space to focus on what’s truly important. crosswalk.com

1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God, I don’t want anything to hold me back from doing what You have asked of me. Help me to search my heart and help me to de-clutter my life.

In Jesus Name I pray, Amen

This song Cleanse Me Oh God will be an encouragement to you as you ask God for his help.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?

Nothing is Impossible

John 20: 16-18

Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her

                                                            I've Just Seen Jesus

The army of Israel looked at Goliath through the eyes of man and said he's too big to beat.  David looked at him through the eyes of God and said he's too big to miss. by Wally Carter

Reverend Robert Schuller graduated from Calvin College and Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan and went to California to start a church. It was during the 1950s when so many people from the Midwest went to California. Schuller loaded his books in his station wagon with his wife and small children and drove around until he found a place to start a congregation. It was an unconventional spot – in a drive-in movie theater. He started preaching on Sunday mornings from a portable pulpit erected in the parking lot and his congregation came in casual clothes and sat in their cars picking up the sermon over the portable speakers provided by the theater. Robert Schuller built his parking lot church and later erected a church building to go with it. church leaders continued to say he built in the worst possible place for a church since it was surrounded by freeways and almost in the shadow of Disneyland. What seemed impossible, God made possible for Dr. Schuller. 

A greater impossibility: that a virgin would conceive and bear a child. This contradicts all the laws of nature, but God set up those laws and is able to use them as God wills. Once in all human history, the law of God was broken by God so that God's Son might come into the world.

We need faith. What seems impossible is not so with God – with God there are unlimited possibilities and all we need is the faith to accept and receive what God has to offer. Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest impossibility, yet it comes if we open our hearts and minds to receive it. 

God has many blessings in store for us as individual people and for this congregation. If we look to Jesus, each one of us, and believe in Jesus, miracles can happen. We can change. We can become the people God wants us to be. We can reach out to others with the wonderful message of God's love in Christ. God can turn what seems impossible into wonderful possibilities for this congregation, for me, for you. Blessings galore can be ours with faith in Jesus. FOR WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Amen.

Excepts from James Kegel serman.

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Do Not Run...Push Through

Billy Graham said, "Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys."

It seems that an old dog fell into a farmers well. After considering the situation, the farmer decided that neither the dog nor the well were worth saving. So, he decided to bury the old dog and put him out of his misery. When the farmer began shoveling, the dog was hysterical. But as the farmer kept on shoveling, and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck the old dog. Each time a shovel full of dirt hit his back, the dog would shake off the dirt and step up. So, blow after blow, the dog would shake it off and step up. No matter how painful those shovels of dirt were, the old dog fought panic, he just kept shaking it off and stepping up. Finally, the dog, battered and exhausted stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well. What he thought would bury him actually benefited him because of the way he handled his adversity. 

Perseverance is the ability to shake it off and step up when a load of trials are dumped on you. Perseverance is producing maturity

The mature Christian life is the sweet fruit of bitter times.

excerpts from This Day's Thought by Kelly Randolph

Running from the trials produces worse, long term results than the pain of pushing through.  Do not run…push through! When we push through is when God uses His power and showers on us His grace.

When we do things we don't like, commit to exhausting and time consuming training schedules or  suffer through chemo and other treatments to fight a deadly illness we look ahead. We look ahead to the outcome or finish line and it gives us the perseverance to push forward. Keep your eye on the prize and the JOY of pushing through will outweigh the trials you came through to reach it.

Philippians 3:14

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us

Beauty From Ashes

taken from
When Life Breaks You
Samantha Reed

Dear Lord, I can't see how good will come from my pain. But You are my creative Creator and I know You can work masterpieces out of muck. Today, I recommit my hope and faith in You, and I'm looking up to You. Thanks for kneeling beside me so faithfully. In Jesus' Name, Amen

My heart was burned and the ashes seemed a proper place to fall......Yet I knew, wallowing in the embers would be the death of me as well.....: God knew this too. He unwaveringly knelt next to me, extending a helping-hand up. He promised:
Give Me the ashes; I'll do something with them. Something beautiful.

Something Beautiful

Something beautiful
Something good, All my confusion
He understood
All I had to offer Him, was brokenness and strife
But he made
Something Beautiful, of my life. 

If there ever were dreams that were lofty and noble
they were my dreams from the start
And the hopes for life's best
Were the hopes that I harbored down deep in my heart
My dreams turned to ashes
My castles all crumbed
My fortune turned to loss, So 
I wrapped in all in the rags of my life
And laid it at the cross 

You may feel like your life is ugly and insignificant right now. But sometimes things that appear ugly just need the right climate to grow.  Isaiah said he will give you beauty for ashes. God knew you would be burnt by life’s experiences. But he also knew he could replace that burnt out mess with something beautiful.
Isaiah 61
 

Something for Nothing

Steven Curtis Chapman said, "Because of God's grace, there is nothing we can do that will make Him love us more than He already does.  And there is nothing we can do or have done that will cause Him to love us any less".

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours is a pattern we are more familiar with, I'll do this for you if you do that for me.  So getting something for nothing seems like, "Yah right, you betcha.  How much will it cost me in the end".  

By God's grace, we can freely receive His something—for nothing
... G.R.A.C.E is really God's Riches At Christ's Expense."For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9