Take a walk this week enjoying the beauty of God's creation and ask Him to give you the patience and faith that can turn a little acorn into a mighty oak.

Love Worth Finding,

Adrian Rogers www.lwf.org

Fresh Starts

Each day is a storehouse given you

Fresh every morn from God's hand;

Do you stop to think of this

When at its door you stand?

Twenty-four empty, waiting hours,

All ready for you to fill with

Worthwhile thoughts and worthwhile deeds

And service, if you will.

You're given a chance to store

Away treasures of love and joy,

And satisfaction of work well done

That time cannot destroy.

So put your best into all your day

With eyes opened wide to see, and

Eager hands stretched out to grasp

Each opportunity.

Unknown

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God knows we need fresh starts. He gently (and frequently) reminds us throughout Scripture to take things one day at a time. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble,” says Matthew 6:34. Fretting doesn’t accomplish anything anyway (aside from deepening those frown lines).

God commands us to give others fresh starts, too. We’re to forgive our fellow human beings when they hurt us, not seven times, but seventy times seven. And when we forgive, we don’t keep track of the count, so the idea is to keep forgiving, just like God keeps forgiving us.

Read more from LeeAnn Bonds

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30128.asp

Whatever You Do

Understanding your work life purpose is key to receiving your inheritance. Paul said no matter what kind of work you do, if God has called you to do it, you will receive an inheritance for doing it. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Col 3:23-25). From TGIF Today God is First, Os Hillman

God ensures - through the Bible, His followers, and His Spirit within us - that we each have what we need to do our best as well. He equips us to follow hard after Him. No money is necessary to be well-heeled in God's kingdom. Whether we're wearing nursing shoes, work boots, high heels, hand-me-downs, or flip-flops, we can walk securely by walking wisely.

Dear Lord, grant me wisdom and sure footing as I follow after You. I trust You to equip me with all I need. Whatever my path, I believe Your principals can keep me from slipping. You lead, I'll follow. In Jesus' Name, Amen. from Rachel Olsen Proverbs 31 Women

Proverbs 4:7, "Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment." (NLT)

Your God Given Talent

Psalm 18:33

He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

We have been given many wonderful gifts and talents. When we affirm the talents we have been given, then God will surely bless us, and we will be a sign to others of His goodness. God has given us hinds' feet, wings to fly, power, grace, and a multitude of other gifts. Embrace them and know that the Lord is good.

Prayer: Teach me to use the gifts I have been given. Aid me as I test my wings and struggle to get my footing. Be patient with me, Lord, and touch me with Your touch of peace and grace. Amen

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The Lord gave you a talent,

But it is not yours alone;

For someday He will call you

To stand before the throne.

He’ll say, “Where is that treasure

I gave to you that day?

Did you use it for My purpose?

Or is it stored away?”

God does not say, “See what you can do with what I gave given you.” He says, “I will hold you accountable for what I have given you.”

by Helen Dowd

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God gives people different gifts.

It is not your talent, which matters; what matters is how you use it.

Everyone is not equal in talent; but every person can be equal in effort.

God expects creative use of our opportunities and talents.

Don't worry about failure, rather, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try.

If someone has a talent and exercises it, they are progressively able to do more with it, but, if one has a talent and fails to exercise it, they will inevitably lose it

We are to use our time, talents, and treasures diligently, faithfully, and continually in order to serve God completely in whatever we do.

God does expect, and reward, creative use of the opportunities for service, which are open to us. We are to use His gifts responsibly, but also adventurously.

We are responsible to use well what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have.

God is generous and merciful, and if we examine our hearts and our lives and see where we fall short, the Holy Spirit will help us invest in those things He has so confidently entrusted to us.

What God Expects from Us

Matthew 25:14-30

http://www.mooreschapel.org/pastor/koo-sermons/what-god-expects-of-us.html

Great is Your Reward in Heaven

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. "But I don’t ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy." "But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman’s son.
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Matthew 5

The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Treasures of Today

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it

Proverbs 22:6

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Another great excerpt from This Day's Thought 1/29/2010

One Sunday I was entertained in a farm home of a member of a rural church. I was impressed by the intelligence and unusually good behavior of the only child in the home, a little four-year-old boy. Then I discovered one reason for the child's charm. The mother was at the kitchen sink, washing the intricate parts of the cream separator when the little fellow came to her with a magazine. "Mother," he asked, "what is this man in the picture doing?" To my surprise she dried her hands, sat down on a chair and taking the boy in her lap she spent ten minutes answering his questions. After the child had left I commented on her having interrupted her chores to answer the boy's questions, saying, "Most mothers wouldn't have bothered." "I expect to be washing cream separators for the rest of my life," she told me, "But never again will my son ask me that question!"

Unknown

This is the Day that the Lord Hath Made

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 1 Corinthians 13:11

Excerpt from This Day's Thought, January 25th

Our five-year-old Jeanie took to rising at 5:30 each morning and puttering around just long enough to wake the rest of us before climbing back into bed. Her reason was always the same- she had to see if there was a surprise. Finally we told her firmly that she must stop and that there wouldn't be any surprises until Christmas, which was months away. "I wasn't talking about living-room surprises," she said through her tears. "I was talking about like yesterday morning it was raining, and this morning real summer's here, and tomorrow morning I'll probably find some pink in the rosebuds." Jeanie still gets up each morning at 5:30.
Mrs. Roy F. Carter

This Day's Thought is a wonderful message to receive in your email every day. In conjuction with The Ranch these great inspirations bring a great start to every day. Click on the link to your right and experience this for yourself.