Is Your Cross Too Heavy?

 Cross

A young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said, "I have too heavy of a cross to bear." The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you, Lord," and he did as he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered.

And the Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in." When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined. (see: 

Cross - Christian Stories)

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Sometimes life can be so hard, and we tend to want to complain. To ourselves, to those around us, to God.  

We knew a minister years ago, to whose church we were going to at the time. My husband, who had his own A/C business at the time, was talking to him one day and told him about a particular home whose furnace he had been to that day to repair. He mentioned something about the condition of the home and how bad it was.

The minister said to him, "I have been to homes in this county where there are holes in the floor."

It made me think. Wow. I have lived in homes that were not exactly nice or what I would have liked. But I never had to live in homes where there were holes in the floor. What must have that been like for the families that lived in those conditions?

No matter what we go through in life, we can always find someone whose life is worse off than what we are going through.

It reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said

 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

I have to admit, I have not always been content in my life, but I do try. And I think that God honors that when we do. Even if we fail. But the lesson to learn is not only to be content but also to help others carry their own crosses when we come across someone that needs us to lift theirs up. 

Because those of us that know Christ Jesus? Well, we are too blessed to look the other way and worry only about our own cross. 

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Have a blessed evening!

Is There A Doctor In The House?

 The other day, I received an email from the John Hagee Ministries and I want to copy it in part here for you because I think it is so true. Read on:

I overheard two people talking about their aches and pains. One of them told the other, “I’m doing so much better since I’ve changed doctors. This one is really good!” If you’re sick, maybe you need to change doctors. Let me tell you about my divine doctor, the Great Physician – He’s the Specialist of Specialists.

Without using a stethoscope, He knows the condition of your heart. Without a brain scan, He knows your every thought. Without blood tests, He knows the chemistry of every cell in your body. He knows the number of hairs on your head, and He wants to be your Divine Doctor. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

The Great Physician makes house calls. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things” (Jeremiah 33:3). You can call the Great Physician in the middle of the night, and He will never say, “Take two aspirin and get some rest, then call Me in the morning.”

He is a Doctor whose only fee is faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

He is a Doctor Whose medical accomplishments have stunned the scientific community. Modern technology may allow man to prduce a baby in a test tube, but my Doctor created a man from a fist full of dirt – without the benefit of a research grant. My Doctor heals the sick and raises the dead. He’s never lost a case, and He wants to take care of you!

No matter how desperate your diagnosis, no matter how severe your symptoms, the Great Physician has a remedy for what ails you. He has written a manual on miraculous cures – have you read it lately? John Hagee Ministries

Indeed. Sometimes when we are sick, or in pain or going through something really hard, we tend to forget that healing is as close as a prayer of faith to our Creator. I do believe He uses doctors and medicine but when faced with those times, prayer should be first on our list.

      Thanks for coming by, Friends. God bless your day!

                                                                                                           

   

 

 

Is God Calling?

  The short story I found for the post today, is about a man that received a call from an unexpected source. Could it be true? Well, we know that anything is possible with God, so I am certainly not going to dismiss it as fiction. It can be found with other stories at A Call From God - Christian Stories

One Saturday night, a pastor was working late and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10:00 PM, but his wife didn't answer the phone. The pastor let it ring many times. He thought it was odd that she didn't answer but decided to wrap up a few things and try again in a few minutes. When he tried again, she answered right away. He asked her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that it hadn't rung at their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry ways.

The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. The pastor couldn't figure out what the man was talking about.

Then the man said, "It rang and rang, but I didn't answer."

The pastor remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he'd intended to call his wife.

The man said, "That's okay. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do this, give me a sign now.' At that point, my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to answer!"

The church that the pastor attends is called Almighty God Tabernacle.

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Yes, God can do anything. Even use a phone call that was supposed to go to one person, go to interrupt another. 

He has a purpose for each of us. And he won't let us go to our death until it is our time. 

Life is hard for a lot of people. Especially in these times we now found ourselves living in.

And so trusting in the God that created us, is what we should be trying to do every minute of the day.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; and not unto your understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths

Proverbs 3:5-6

Easy, to do? Not always. But God promises to take care of us, every step of our journey to Him. 

Thanks for coming by Friends: Blessed be the name of the Lord: Proverbs 113:2 and God bless you!

All Pins

Check This Out

I don't have much time today so I can't spend any time here. However,I found the following a couple days ago and wanted to share it with you. You can find it here:Important Recall Notice: From a Collection of Religious and Other Humor from All-Creatures.orgif you would like to check it out on the site I found it on. I think that it fits humanity pretty much to a T. Reac on:

The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the  heart.  

This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype unit’s code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. 

This defect has been identified as “Subsequently Internal Non-morality,” more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. 

Some of the symptoms include: 

1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion 

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. 

The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. 

The number to call for repair in all areas is:  P-R-A-Y-E-R. 
Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. 

Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. 

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:  

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self control   

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Basic  Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.   
WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.  For free emergency service, call on Jesus. 

DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your attention!     
— GOD

 P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by ‘Knee Mail’!   
Because HE Lives!

Remember…
Working for God on earth doesn’t pay much,
but His retirement plan is out of this world!

— Author unknown

Have a blessed day!

Todays Truthful Minute

Do you like snakes? I don't suppose most people do. Especially the kind that can bite and even kill someone. Since the beginning of time as we know it, snakes are represented as evil. The following story is about a sneaky one. And just as this one did, it is sin that will try to get in and kill us. This and other stories can be found at Lesson of the Snake - Inspirational Stories - Funny short stories if you would like to check them out.

Author Unknown

A man was in his cabin in the middle of a terrible snowstorm when he heard a feeble scratching at his door.

He opened it to see a half-frozen rattlesnake on his doorstep begging to be let in from the bitter cold.

The man said to the snake, “I’m not going to let you in! You’re a rattlesnake and you’re going to bite me!”

“No, I won’t,” hissed the snake. “Just bring me in and get me warm and I’ll be your friend for life.”

Well, the man let the snake come in and even allowed it to rest upon his chest by the fire to get warm.

When the snake was completely comfortable, it bit the man on the neck.

As he was dying, the man said, “But you promised you wouldn’t bite me and would be my friend for life.”

The snake calmly replied, “But you knew I was a snake when you let me in.”

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The good news is Jesus. He can take away the sin that we let creep into our very lives.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

Isn't God good?

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Have a blessed day!

Todays Truthful Minute

Did you know that no matter how much money you have (or don't have) you are a daughter or son of a (more than) billionaires daughter?

That's what the girl in the following story came to understand in her life See:  Short Story: The Billionaire’s Daughter – Christian Perspective

Short Story: The Billionaire’s Daughter

I have to act like a billionaire’s daughter. Amy told herself once again.

Trying to act like a billionaire’s daughter was exhausting for Amy. After all, she lived on the streets and was hopelessly in debt. Amy ended every day in frustration, feeling like such a failure. Try as hard as she might, she just couldn’t act the part. How was she ever supposed to afford fancy clothes?

You might wonder why Amy was so bent on acting like a billionaire’s daughter. The desire stemmed from a notion she had that if she could just act the part, she’d somehow earn the billionaire’s favor. She wanted him to accept her as his daughter.

Now, Amy knew that the billionaire had announced long ago that he would pay off any debt people owed and adopt children into his household. Which was great news for Amy. She’d accepted the invite, but then really failed to comprehend what that meant. If she had, she wouldn’t be living in constant frustration on the streets.

“Amy, don’t you understand?” Sarah tried to help her friend comprehend the situation. “You’ve already been adopted by the billionaire. You don’t have to earn his favor. Yes, you should act like a billionaire’s daughter, but only because you are one! The only way you can act like it is through the riches he’s given you. You don’t have to try to piece together your own clothes–he already has beautiful ones in his mansion for you to put on. Just run to him. Rest in his love. Let the love and the position he’s given you sink in.”

It took Amy a long time to understand. But slowly, she realized that she was welcomed in the mansion simply because her father had adopted her. She didn’t have to impress him–her father wanted her just as she was. Yet he had also bestowed on her his vast resources so she could live out like his daughter instead of like a beggar. And you know what? The more time Amy spent with her father instead of trying to please him on her own the more she found herself imitating him and acting as he’d intended. Joy gradually replaced the frustration–when Amy spent time with her father and remembered who she really was and all she’d been given.

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“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV)

We’re called to walk as Christ walked–but from the position of beloved children imitating Him, not to earn God’s favor. The first part of Ephesians reiterates how hopeless we are and always will be apart from God but what an incredible gift God has given us in salvation (Ephesians 2:8). It’s in light of that gift–and through His power and Spirit in us–that we can imitate Him.

“…that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16b-19 (ESV)

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God did not create us to have to clean ourselves up before we can have a relationship with him. He wants us to come to him just as we are. Which is usually pretty wretched in some people. And it is in that moment of surrender to him, he begins the clean-up process in us. Even more than that, we become members of his household. His holy household. We become his adopted child. And therefore inherit our home in heaven. Which is much grander than anything we can have here on earth. 

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Oh, we may not be rich here. But heaven is worth the wait. And thank God, it will be there when we need it the most!

Thanks for coming by. Have a blessed day!

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Today's Truthful Minute

 

An Inspiring Prayer

Author Unknown

Heavenly Father, help us remember that the woman 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 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 man asking for money in the same spot every day struggles with an addiction that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the couple walking slowly 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.
 An Inspiring Prayer - Inspirational Stories - Funny short stories

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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

What more can I say? Thanks for coming by, Friends!