Where Does Your Faith Come From?

Does it come from yourself? In your abilities or accomplishments?  Does it come from other people? Or does it come from God? Maybe you feel that you don't even have any faith. Or your faith is very limited. And while it is a good thing to have reasonable confidence in yourself and be proud of your achomplishments, the kind of faith I speak of is in God. Do you have faith that God will provide for your needs? Or that he will protect you? Do you have faith that he will direct you on which way you should go on that important decision you may have to make? Do you have faith in any of God's promises? Are they for everyone else, just not you?  I think as humans we all at times feel that our faith is not strong enough. Romans 12:3 says that we have been given a measure of faith. But it needs to grow. So how does it grow? It grows by hearing God's word. And it is important to hear God's word every day. Romans: 10:17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If you go to church or listen to a pastor on tv that is preaching the word of God, you are hearing the word of God. And as you listen to the word being preached, your faith will grow. If you are reading your bible every day, you are hearing what God is saying to you and your faith will grow. And that is why it is important to read it every day. Jesus said in Mathew 17:20 that all it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains. What mountain do you need to move today? Whatever it is, get into God's word and have faith that he will help you move them. He is ready, willing and able.


Thought for the day:

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Today's joke: A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to ‘Honor thy father and thy mother,’ she asked, ‘Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?’

Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, ‘Thou shall not kill..’


Thanks once again for stopping by. Until tomorrow......

                                                                         

                                                                                               .....  Be blessed and bless others! 

Crown of Righteouness

The older I have gotten, the closer I am to the end of my life on earth. And the closer to the end of my life on earth means that I am that much closer to heaven.  I don't know about you, but the thought of that is exciting to me. Not that I am quite ready to go there yet because I would be leaving my loved ones behind. But still, just thinking about heaven and all that awaits me there, is exciting. Jesus said:

Let not your heart be troubled. If you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, you may be also. John 14:1-3.  Imagine that! For those of us that believe in Jesus have accepted him as our personal Savior, he has prepared a place for us that we can not even begin to imagine. And did you know that we will also be rewarded with a crown of righteousness? In 2 Timothy 4 the Apostle Paul is nearing the end of his life. And he is ready. He has fought a good fight, and finished the course and kept the faith. He had been through many trials during his ministry but he had kept the faith. And what did he have to look forward to at the end of his life? Not only the place that Jesus prepared for him but a crown of righteousness. And we who finish our course and keep the faith and go on to the place God has for us will also receive that crown as well.  Paul says it like this: There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day, but not to me only, but to those also that love his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8, And I am so looking forward to that day! How about you? Has Jesus prepared a place for you in heaven? Will you be rewarded with a crown? You don't have to earn it. All you have to do is accept God's free gift of Jesus Christ. If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior God has not prepared a place for you and you will not get a crown. You will not be able to enter heaven at all.  But you can accept him right now. Just acknowledge to him that you are a sinner and ask Jesus to come into your heart. And then get into a good bible believing bible study or church. And you will have your rewards reserved for you and waiting for you until you get there! Now that is exciting!

                                                      Cartoon of the day

 Thanks for stopping by. Be blessed and pass them on! I hope you will come back tomorrow                                                                                            

                                                                                                              

God Takes Broken Pieces and Transforms Them Into Something Wonderful!

                                                                                

All of us go through hard times at one time or another. A loss of a job. A loss in the family. Maybe someone you know is addicted to drugs. A teenager struggling through school problems or maybe they are running with a group of kids you do not approve of. Or maybe you have a sick parent or child that you are taking care of. Or it could be that you are the one that might be battling a serious disease. It can be any number of things because life in this world just is not fair. But take heart,  Isaiah 61:3 is God's promise to us that he will turn our mourning into joy, and he will turn our heaviness into praise. Sometimes in this life, it is hard to believe that. But we need to trust God will make good on his promises. For those that are born again, he will never leave us or forsake us. Deuteronomy 31:6 And so whatever you might be going through today, know that God loves you and wants his very best for your life. He can truly take the broken pieces of our lives and make something beautiful out of them.

Scripture for today:

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there shall be no more death, or sorrow, not crying or pain. For all former things are passed away.

Todays cartoon:

Thought for the day:

Thanks again Friends for stopping by. I pray you will come back tomorrow. Have a blessed day!

Remind Us Lord

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an inspiring prayer

-- Author Unknown

Heavenly Father, help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy, and love.

source:http://www.inspire21.com/stories/christianstories/AnInspiringPrayer

Joke of the day:

My Dad Makes Big Money

Three boys are in the school yard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, ‘My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50.’

The second boy says, ‘That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper,
he calls it a song, they give him $100.’

The third boy says, ‘I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!’

Quote of the day:                      

                                                                                 

Todays Scripture:
This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12

Well, Friends, that is all for today.
May today bring you many

blessings from our Heavenly 

Father! I hope you will come
back tomorrow! God bless!




                                                                

Ask Not What God Can Do For You. Ask What You Can Do For God

Some of you will remember President  John F Kennedys address on January 20, 1960. In his speech that day, he made this statement. "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." I woke up this morning thinking, what if God said that to us. Don't ask God what he can do for us. Rather what can we just do for him? Thankfully, that is not the case. Mathew 21:22  In all things, whatsoever you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive. Yes, God wants us to ask him for what we need. And Psalms 37:4 Delite yourselves in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Not that he doesn't want us to also do for him. He has called us to go into all the world, preaching, teaching and baptizing in his name. Mathew 28:19. And he has given each of us things that we are good at that we might pass on to others. I Peter 4:10. Are you good at listening to someone that just needs someone they can confide in without judgment? Do you have resources to help others in need and you have an urgency to fulfill those needs in people? Perhaps you do the bulletin for your church or even help with the cleaning of your church from week to week. These are all things that God gives to individuals accordingly that he wants us to do to contribute to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And they are all important. So yes, he wants us to do for him because he has instilled in us the gifts and desires and abilites to do them. But thank God, it is not a one-way street. He wants to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory. Philippians 4:19. I am so thankful for a God that doesn't expect something in return for nothing. As you go about your day, thank him that he loves you  that much. And more importantly, don't forget to thank him for his Son Jesus that shed his precious blood for YOU!

Joke of the day:

Running To Church

A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late! Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late!’

While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again!

As she ran she once again began to pray, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late…But please don’t shove me either!’

Thanks once again Friends for joining me today. Until tomorrow don't forget, have a blessed day and.....

Jesus is Coming Back for His Church!

Greetings Friends:

I pray that today will be a blessed day for you. Don't you just love today's scripture? As we contemplate the things that are going on in the world, we can look forward to the day when Jesus will come back for his church. Someone told me recently that they feared the fact that President Trump was now in office and what he might do to this country. This person then asked me if I fear where our country is headed. I told her no.God, for whatever reasons past and present, have put in place our leaders in government.  The Apostle Paul stated it this way:  

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1.

And so if this scripture is to be believed, what do we really have to fear. No, we don't like what our politicians do most of the time. And that is why we need to be praying for them daily to make the right decisions for our country. God has our backs when the government doesn't. And so I chose to not dwell on who is doing what, but rather pray for those people and leave it up to God. And then I don't have anything to fear, for I know God will take care of me.

an inspiring prayer

-- Author Unknown

Heavenly Father, help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy, and love.

Thanks for stopping by. Make today the day you pass on a blessing to someone else!

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A Cornerstone and a Chosen People

 

1 Peter 4:9

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

                             “See, I lay a stone in Zion,

                                              a chosen and precious cornerstone,

                              and the one who trusts in him

                                             will never be put to shame.”[b]

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,“The stone the builders rejected  has become the cornerstone,”[c]

 8 and,“A stone that causes people to stumble  and a rock that makes them fall.”[d]

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also destined for.

  9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special  possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of      darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but nowyouare the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Thought of the day:  Christ our Cornerstone gave too much for us to ignore him. He paid full price for our sin. Why would we think it is ok to turn from his mercy? Are you part of his chosen, royal priesthood?  If not you can be. In Joshua 24:15 it says "Choose this day whom you will serve." It doesn't say "Choose tomorrow" or the next day, or next month. Friend, you may not have tomorrow, or the next day, next month or next year. You only have right now. Before you get to the end of today's blog, you could pass over into eternity and it could be too late. I hope you choose right now if you have not come to Christ. Do it right now. Because if you don't, you will have made your choice and the end results will be hell. 

                   Thanks for stopping by folks. I hope you will come back tomorrow.

                         

Man Looks on the Outside but God Looks on the Heart

When my son was about 19 or 20, he was still living at home. He had not found where his place in the world was to be yet. And he was struggling with some things. From the time he was young, we had started taking our children to church and so he had grown up in youth groups and other activities that we were involved in. But at this point, Rick was having a hard time due to some issues that many teens or young adults do. Not that he was into drugs. Nothing like that. But some other things. I had called our pastor to ask him to have the youth leader at a church we had started going to at that time, to call Rick and invite him to their youth group. Our pastor passed on the message and the youth minister did call him. Someone from the church even picked him up for their next meeting. And I, being his mom was glad he had agreed to go. Rick had grown his hair a little too long during his high school days to suit his dad. And he had gotten his ear pierced around that time too, unbeknownst to us as well.  And then there was the tattoo on his back that he had hid from us until he was 18. And these things did not bother me so much. I guess when you are a mom, your attitudes towards your children are much different then your husbands are in some families. But Rick had also started wearing one of those long, leather type coats and pants that you see on westerns, around. (I don't even know what they are called) And this again did not bother me. Not that I really liked these things, but I knew that Rick was going through a phase and would likely grow out of them. And he was going to church with us. And now had started going to the youth bible group as well. I trusted God that he would get Rick through whatever he was going through. And I wasn't even sure what might all be involved. One morning we were getting ready for church and Rick came downstairs ready to go. With his earring, longish hair and yes his long leather outfit. His dad told him to get right back up to his room and change his clothes, that he was not wearing those to church. Rick refused and an argument ensued. Both of them yelling at each other and in the end, Rick just did not go to church that day. I was quite upset because this scripture came into my mind. 1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 
However, my husband was not seeing that, that day. It saddens me that we are so apt to look at the outside of people and judge them on their appearance1Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and by the measure you use, it will be measured to you.…Mathew 7:1.  He will judge us by whatever we judge others either in this life or the next. And maybe both. I try not to judge people and where they have been in life because even though I have been through much in my lifetime, and know where I have been, I don't always know where others have been. And so who am I to judge them? Is it always easy? No. But I have to always ask God to forgive me when I do.With Rick, he could have used that argument with his dad to turn away from God and church, but I praise God he didn't. He has gone on to become a good man, and husband and he loves the Lord. And I am so grateful for a God that reached down to keep him through some of probably his darkest times. And what do you know, he eventually met and married his wonderful helpmate who didn't like the earrings or the long hair and it was she, and not his parents that convinced him to get rid of them. And I have no idea where the leather outfit ended up. Isn't God wonderful?! All in his timing it was. The next time you are tempted to judge someone, I hope you will be reminded of our situation those many years ago but more then that remember the above scriptures that are more important than any words that I can say to you. 

                                                                      

Amen!


Thanks for stopping by today Friends! Have a blessed day in Jesus and be sure to bless soneone else today as well. For as we bless others, we are also then blessed! Until next time.....

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Jesus Christ: Is he your Lord?

Todays Scripture:

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
And whose sins have been covered.
8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” 

Romans 4:7-8

My question for today is ARE YOUR SINS COVERED? HAVE YOU BEEN FORGIVEN BY JESUS CHRIST? 

If not, you can be. All you have to do is pray this prayer. GOD, I AM A SINNER. I KNOW I HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU. I ASK YOU TO FORGIVE ME NOW AND I TAKE JESUS AS MY LORD AND SAVIOR. AND I THANK YOU JESUS FOR COMING INTO MY HEART AND CLEANSING ME FROM ALL MY UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Friends, if you have prayed this prayer with sincerity, you have now made Jesus Christ your Lord! Amen!

For more info on what to do next in your new Christian walk, please leave me a comment. I would love hearing from you!

Joke

Joke of the day:

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, “Why is the bride dressed in white?”

The mother replied, ‘Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.

The child thought about this for a moment then said, “So why is the groom wearing black?”

source:https://ministry-to-children.com/funny-church-jokes/

                                                                 

Read this small story; Hope that makes a BIG change in YOU

.
The Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see & asked the students “How much do you think this glass weighs?”

.

’50gms!’….. ‘100gms!’ …..’125 gms’ …the students answered. “I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is:

What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”…. ‘Nothing’ …..the students said..‘Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.
‘Your arm would begin to ache’ said one of the student

.
“You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb; you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to the hospital for sure!”
….. Ventured another student & all the students laughed
.
“Very good.
But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” Asked the professor.
‘No’…. Was the answer.
“Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?”
.
The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?” asked professor again.
“Put the glass down!” said one of the students
.
“Exactly!” said the professor.
Life’s problems are something like this.
.
Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK.
Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache.
.
Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.
.
It’s important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to ‘PUT THEM DOWN’ at the end of every day before you go to sleep…

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That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh &strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!

.

Moral

So, when you start your day today, Remember friend to ‘PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY! ‘ source:http://rishikajain.com/2012/04-small-story-with-powerful-lesson-moral/

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time

Be blessed and pass your blessings on!

                                                             

God's View of Life & Prosperity vs Death & Destruction (part 2)

                                                               Jesus is Lord!

                                                           

In part 1, I shared about how God had told His people, the Israelites, that if they kept his commandments, they would have life and prosperity. However, if they did not keep His commandments, they would have death and destruction. So what did they do? While Moses was on Mt.Sini, he came down to find they had used their gold jewelry to make an image of a calf and then they worshipped it as a god. And they also were doing corruptable things as well.Got was very angry with them and was going to destroy them. However, Moses asked Him not to. God agreed to this but He told them to put swords on their sides and go about killing each other. And so they did and 3000 people were killed that day. The ones that were left were then blessed by God.

So the Israelites had sinned. And the question is, were they blessed or were they cursed by God.?

 I  think it is pretty safe to say that those that were not killed, by the sword were both blessed and cursed. God had allowed them to live and go on to the Promised Land which was a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they were cursed first. In Exodus 32:35,  God punished them. Exodus 32:34-35 But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” Then the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

God always keeps His promises. And He did curse the Children of Israel before allowing them to go on to the Promised Land as described in Deuteronomy 28:15-6. But He also blessed them for their obedience as in Deuteronomy 28:1-15.

And so my next questions are: So, what if anything does this have to do with us in modern day times? 

Just like the days of Moses and the Israelites, God wants to bless us. His Word was not just for them. It is for today as well.For I am the Lord, I change not. Malachi 3:6

Thank God that when we sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin. I John 1:9  But make no mistake. Sometimes we still have to pay the consequences. 

  

 I pray that today you will have a Blessed Lords Day, and as you go through your day, you will be able to bless someone else! Thanks for stopping by!