ABC!

A-lthough things are not perfect

B-ecause of trial or pain

C-ontinue in thanksgiving

D-o not begin to blame

E-ven when the times are hard

F-ierce winds are bound to blow

G-od is forever able

H-old on to what you know

I-magine life without His love

J-oy would cease to be

K-eep thanking Him for all the things

L-ove imparts to thee

M-ove out of "Camp Complaining"

N-o weapon that is known

O-n earth can yield the power

P-raise can do alone

Q-uit looking at the future

R-edeem the time at hand

S-tart every day with worship

T-o "thank" is a command

 

U-ntil we see Him coming

V-ictorious in the sky

W-e'll run the race with gratitude

X-alting God most high

 

Y-es, there'll be good times and yes some

will be bad, but...

Z-ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

In closing, always remember, the shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.

  For the one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything!   Amen.

Presuming about tomorrow

Thought of the day
written by Joel Osteen
August 14 2011 

Today's Scripture

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. (NIV)

Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]. (AMP)

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (KJV) 

(James 4: 14)

Today's Word

Life is unpredictable. None of us know what's going to happen tonight much less next year. All we can do is make guesses. A war could start, the economy could turn around, your friends could leave you. None of us know what's going to happen in life. Many of you work on commission, or you are self-employed. You go from feast to famine in your income. One day it's great and the next day it's the pits. You don't have any assurance. There is no guarantee of perpetual success. None of us do. Realize that you can't presume on tomorrow. We shouldn't let that frighten us, that life is uncertain. Don't worry about it or be afraid. Just let it cause you to trust God more. Let it cause you to be more dependent on God. You don't know what's going to happen in your life or your business. It just forces you to trust God more. Life is unpredictable.

Life is brief. "you are a mist" “Mist" in Greek is "atmos" where we get the word "atmosphere". Your life is like fog; it rolls in, in the morning but it burns off by noon. Who knows how long we're going to live? None of us do. How does the Bible describe your life? It uses phrases like a leaf, grass, shadow, cloud, puff of smoke, vapor. I'm only one heartbeat away from eternity. I don't know how long I'm going to live.You can't presume that tomorrow is going to be just the same as today. You can't presume that you're going to live to be 100. Proverbs 27:1 "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." We love to announce our plans, to make our goals and declare them. Next year I'm going to double my income! Next year I'm going to take over three territories! Announcing a goal can either be a statement of faith or it can be a statement of arrogance. What makes the difference?
 Your motive. God says it's great to have goals but check in with Me first. Don't presume on tomorrow. What's the solution? Matthew 6:34 0 "So don't be anxious about tomorrow -- God will take care of your tomorrow too.

Enjoy now. Make the most of now. Don't make the mistake of planning without God. Don't make the mistake of presuming about tomorrow. I don't know if I've got next week, much less next year. I shouldn't just assume it. Spencer Johnson, the man who wrote the book The One Minute Manager wrote another book called The Perfect Present. In this book he said the perfect present is literally the perfect present. The present time. That's all I have. That's all I have to give to this world. Not next hour or next month but right now. That's the gift that God has given to me so I ought to use it. That's all I have -- the present.

Just because the future is uncertain and unsure and brief, doesn't mean you get all uptight and get paralyzed with panic and worry. It's the motivation to trust God more. You put your trust in God -- that's how you face the future. "I don't know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future." That's what counts.

Today's Prayer 
Father in heaven, help me to not make the mistake of planning my life without You and help me to not merily to presume tomorrow. Instead, help me to include You in my planning to make the most of today and to really live llife one day at a time. In Jesus Name Amen

He Is God

http://d21c.com/Seabird44/inspirations/heisgod.html

He is the First and Last,
The Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be ...
unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!



He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him, and The leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him,  and The people couldn't hold Him!
Nero couldn't crush Him, Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him, and "Oprah" can't explain Him away!



He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.



His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me.
He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and He rules my life!



I serve Him because His bond is love,
His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful,
the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders, the overseer of the overcomers, and is to come. And if that seems impressive to you, try this for size.



His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me,
never forsake me,
never mislead me,
never forget me,
never overlook me and
never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!



When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
  When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!



He is everything for everybody everywhere, every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful. I am His, and He is mine!
My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...
He said it and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.


Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!


 

PASS THIS ON IF YOU BELIEVE IT...
I love the Lord and thank Him for all that He has done in my life; therefore I'm passing this on.

To Forgive or to Blame?

READ Colossians 3:12-17http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20Colossians%203:12-17%20&version=NIV

"It's not my fault" is a prevalent attitude in our culture. To avoid responsibility for their own actions, people blame others: "I wouldn't yell at my kids so much if my own mother had loved me more" or "I wouldn't speak unkindly about my boss if he showed me some respect."

Resentment wells up until the victim is blind to everything except how his life is impacted by someone else's hurtful deeds. Then casting blame is easy. But God has a challenge for believers: Forgive those who wound you. The Lord's Prayer mentions several of God's duties but lists only one for believers:to forgive debtors (Matt. 6:12). The metaphor of debt describes sin well. A wronged person often feels that the responsible party owes something, such as an apology or compensation.

But by showing mercy to one who has sinned, you stamp his or her obligation to you "paid in full." Reparations and retribution are no longer required.Sometimes our wounds are so deep that forgiveness does not come easily. Remember that Jesus bears the scars of others' sins, too, and His Holy Spirit enables believers to carry out this difficult task. While your debtor may have done nothing to deserve grace, choose to give it anyway, just as Jesus did for you


When God forgives, He remembers wrongs no more (Jer. 31:34). That doesn't mean that a transgression magically never happened. Instead, the Lord refuses to use past wrongs as a reason to punish His people. He set the pattern of debt cancellation.For the good of our spiritual life, we must follow His example (Matt 6:15). 

Life Before Grace

Ephesians 2

Made Alive in Christ

 ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

...

...

...

Grace is the unmerited love that God shows to sinful people. He expressed this love through the sacrificial death of His Son. It becomes ours when we confess that we are sinners and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. Because of grace, we are forgiven by God and adopted into His family.

Today's passage describes our life before grace. First, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. This means that every one of us is born with a deadness to the things of God—we come into this world with no spiritual life. Our nature leans away from the Lord and toward ourselves. Secondly, our thinking and behavior follow the world's, which, according to the Scriptures, is under Satan's control. His plan always opposes God's and leads us to rebel against divine commands.

Before encountering grace, the apostle Paul was very religious but blind to God's perspective and plan. He actively opposed those who followed Christ (Acts 26:9-11). With a goal of destroying the church, he sought to eradicate the Christian faith, which he deemed false. He continued persecuting believers until he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6). There he surrendered his will to the Lord's and became a true follower of Christ.

If you have not trusted in the Savior, then you are spiritually dead, separated from God, and under His judgment. Like Paul, you may be very religious and yet lack a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God offers you salvation today through faith in Him. How will you answer?


- Charles Stanley

A Place Called Heaven!

John 14:1-6

 ¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” 
⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Because mankind is earthbound until death, misconceptions about heaven are common. Some people imagine it as an ethereal world of formless spirits who float about, while others flatly deny its existence. A few have returned from near-death experiences to describe what they saw. Amid all the confusing and contradictory views, we would do well to remember that our only sure source of accurate information about heaven is God’s Word.

Jesus had firsthand knowledge of heaven because He came from the Father to earth. Shortly before dying, He told His disciples that He would return to His Father’s house to prepare a place for them and then would come back to take them to their new home. Several weeks later, while standing on the Mount of Olives, the disciples watched the resurrected body of Jesus ascend into heaven (Acts 1:9-11).

Ever since that day, believers throughout history have been waiting for the Lord’s promised return. Each one will be given an immortal resurrection body similar to Christ’s. It will be physical, visible, and recognizable to others. We will even be able to eat (Luke 24:41-43). Heaven is a literal place for physical bodies—a place to live, serve God, and worship and enjoy Him forever.

Knowing all the specifics of our heavenly home is impossible, but we can be sure that Jesus will fulfill His promise to come back for us. Stepping into our custom-designed dwelling places, we’ll each realize that we’re finally home—and throughout eternity can never be separated from God.

- Charles Stanley

Where do you go for advice?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%204:4-10&version=NIV
Read | 1 Timothy 4:4-10

Because thinking shapes beliefs, and beliefs in turn determine lifestyle, a biblical mindset is vitally important in our Christian walk. Each day we choose to let either the world or God’s Word shape our thoughts. Although most of us are quick to say we believe the Bible, sometimes our actions do not match our words.

Where do you go when you want advice about a big decision or lifestyle choice? Websites, blogs, and the media offer a wealth of information that can be either beneficial or harmful. Co-workers, family, and friends are also readily available sources of counsel, but do they speak with worldly reasoning or godly wisdom? Our only sure resource for true and wise guidance is Scripture. Yet sadly, we do not always seek direction in its pages but instead rely on human intelligence and personal preferences.

Hebrews 4:12 describes God’s Word as ”living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” and piercing into the deepest parts of the soul. Those who are reluctant to surrender to its penetrating work essentially dethrone the Lord by their refusal to listen and obey. But those who are willing to be nourished by Scripture, accepting its reproof and correction, will discover the riches of a life of faith.
Letting the Word be your guide requires costly changes in thought, attitude, and behavior. Yet any lifestyle adjustments, sacrifices, or disciplines that produce godliness also result in eternal profit. A solid foundation of faith and wisdom starts with going to Scripture for direction.


- Charles Stanley