Monday Morning Quote

Trust... in His timing.
Wait... for His answers.
Rely... on His promises.
Relax... in His presence.
Believe... in His miracles.
Rejoice... in His goodness.

Happy Valentine's Day

God's Valentine

God so loVed the world,
    That He g Ave
             His onLy
               BegottEn
                         SoN
                     thaT whosever
                  Believeth In Him
                        Should Not perish,
                        But have Everlasting life."
                                                                     
                                                                      John 3:16

The Blank Page

One day while printing a report for work, I noticed a blank page.  I thought the printer was malfunctioning until I looked near the bottom of the page to see, “this page intentionally left blank.”  After a sigh of relief, a different section of the report began to spout from the printer.  Another “page intentionally left blank” preceded another section of the report.  The “page intentionally left blank” served as a separator page to let the reader know that a different section was behind it.

There are points in our lives in which we say to our selves, “God, I don’t have a clue as to what you are doing.”  Sometimes we say (or think), “This is happening, that is happening, and I am not getting any guidance from You God.  What’s going on?”  This is a point in life in which God intentionally leaves the page blank.  God sometimes remains silent in order for us to trust Him beyond our emotions. 

God wants us to trust Him when we do not feel His presence.  He wants us to continue to trust Him even when we feel He is not near.  Some are wondering, “Where are you God, do you hear me, have you left me?”  Some are at a “blank page” point.  Be encouraged that God is still near and simply wants us to trust Him because the current page in our life may be intentionally left blank.  Trust Him in the “blank  pages” of life.
~ the Daily Encourager

The Fork

The Fork

"There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible.

Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply.

"This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."

The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.

The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming... like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.

"Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?'. Then I want you to tell them: Keep your fork.... the best is yet to come."

The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her.

The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come."

The Jars

THE JARS

The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit.  He quoted 1 Samuel 16:7 'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"

"These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different," he explained.

Then he upset one of the jars and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other jar, and vinegar spilled out.

"When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out.  Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference was within, and could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed.

Until we are upset we put on a good front. But when we are upset, we reveal our innermost thoughts and attitudes, for "out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks' ( Luke 6:45)"

What if someone tipped you over today ??   What would flow out ??

Would you reveal the "honey" of grace and patience, or the "vinegar" of anger and sarcasm ??

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1Peter 4:8)

Have a terrific day knowing that the one who upsets you may be just looking for some honey


Author Unknown

Are You Waiting to be Called?

ARE YOU WAITING TO BE CALLED?

"Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator.  Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed.

When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet.  They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!"

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the last several minutes while you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his."

We are so busy, living in a world that is full of noise and clatter, just like that office. People are distracted and unable to hear the still, small voice of God as He speaks in His creation, in His Scriptures, and most of all, in and through His Son Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.

So I ask you, as I ask myself, "Are you listening, or are you waiting to be called? Do you hear the Lord when he speaks to you?  Is your spiritual ear atuned to Him or are you blocked from hearing His voice beacuse you're focused on all the other voices in your life?"

This is a story from the Daily Encourager

"The sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27) 

Here are six terrific truths about time:

First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time.

Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results.

Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use.

Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time...pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use.

Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone.

Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities.