Lord I AM Faithful, Where Is My Reward

A certain man had been a faithful builder for an employer for many years. His employer decided to take a world cruise. Before leaving he left with his builder plans for an ideal house. "Build it according to specification, spare no necessary expense. I want this house to be a good house for a special reason."
But the builder thought of the many years he had worked for small wages and decided to make a profit for himself, so he substituted cheap materials wherever it would not show. On his return his employer observed the house with satisfaction and said,
"You have served me well these many years. In reward I have planned this house for you. It is yours, to own, and to live in." Walter Cowen


Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians.16:18

Child of the living God … don’t let the devil try to convince you that you have every right to be rewarded NOW – in THIS life - for your faithfulness. Hebrews 10:36-29 is addressing this very issue. We need to KEEP enduring – keep persisting – keep persevering – KEEP ON KEEPING ON, because our rewards are being layed up in heaven for us.Norm Rasmussen

Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters

As I encourage others, I am encouraged
As I thank others for the things they have done for me, I feel thankful
Do you suppose if I love others as the Lord has loved me, I will feel loved?
I think so too.

I once heard Joni Earechson saying how she thanks God everyday for something. At first it wasn't that easy to say, "Thank you for making me a paraplegic" but I had to start small and thank him for the fact that there was a big window in her room so she could look out even when she couldn't lift her head.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

Marnie Pehrson explains, in other words, put out good, help others, and it will return to you in your hour of need. If you have sown good seeds, then in your moment of crisis, it will return to your rescue in the exact moment that you need it.
God takes what we sow and transforms it into abundance. Just as a tiny pea yields a plant laden with peas, so the Lord takes our efforts and multiplies them in our behalf. We can never be certain when, where or what seeds we sow will yield a harvest. Cheerfully do all within your power to lift, to build, to help and to serve from morning until evening, because you never know when or how your blessings shall return.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 (The Message)
1 Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. 2 Don't hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night. 3 When the clouds are full of water, it rains. When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls.4 Don't sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don't stare at the clouds. Get on with your life. 5 Just as you'll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, So you'll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does. 6 Go to work in the morning and stick to it until evening without watching the clock. You never know from moment to moment how your work will turn out in the end.

John 1:16 From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Dear Lord, Forgive

Forgiveness is not an elective in the curriculum of servanthood. It is a required course, and the exams are always tough to pass.

thank you Charles Swindoll

Matthew 6:14-15New International Version (NIV)14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:14-15 The Message Translation) It’s not that we earn God’s forgiveness when we forgive…it’s that, if aChrist-follower refuses to forgive he reduces his capacity to receive forgiveness

Evening Prayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAqUEjP6Lw4

The Choice by Max Lucado

Happy New Year 2012

We do have choices and for that I am glad. I don't always make the right ones, but I also have the choice to "change". I am never stuck with my first choice, I can repent and start fresh, nothing is held against me, everyday with Jesus is a new beginning. For that I am so very thankful and anticipate the New Year for the outcome of choices I've made, and the new choices to face. Thank you Max, for your words. I look forward to any you offer, in fact I search them out.

God's Blessings to you and yours,
Julie




The Choice
It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.
I choose love . . .
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy . . .
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace . . .
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose patience . . .
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I choose kindness . . .
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I choose goodness . . .
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I choose faithfulness . . .
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I choose gentleness . . .
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control . . .
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.
- by Max Lucado, excerpted from When God Whispers Your Name

Notice, Pause and Choose to be Thankful

And the Peace of God that passes all understanding, will guard your heart and mind as you live your life in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:7

"A truly thankful person is a truly peaceful person" ...I wonder what might happen if we decide in the midst of our circumstances today to notice, pause and choose something for which we can truly be thankful... Dear Lord. Thank You for the reality that being thankful truly changes eveerything. In Jesus'Name, Amen. Lis TerKeurst

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart
A wonderful praise song by Don Moen

Pay Your Gratitude Forward

Pay it forward cuz it just feels good and benefits so many others.
Go. Invite. Have a banquet for Jesus and invite those who can't pay you back. based on Luke 14: 12-24

Dear Lord,
when I had been knocked down by sin, when I was defenseless to help myself, Jesus stopped and did for me what I could not. For His gracious act of saving me, I am grateful. May my gratitude enable me to help others whenever and wherever I can. This I pray in my savior's Name.
Amen

"You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

John Wooden

Self Gratification vs Doing The Right Thing

It is a sad time for society, when love of the game and the winning reputation of a college outweigh devastation, heartbreak and horror for a young child. No one should get involved in the situation for a witchhunt, but rather to educate about and pray for wrong decisions made at the time. Support accountability measurements now for the officials who had the opportunity to overturn and make things right at the time. Pray that we may see through the eyes of Jesus, in bringing this nightmare to an end for these victims and others that may be experiencing such torment.

"What we do when no one is watching reveals the type of person we really are" Joyce Meyers

Proverbs 10:9
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his way crooked will be found out.


Matthew 7 13-14
The Narroaw and Wide Gates
13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.