Thought for the Day

Tug of War

Thought for the day: “ Sacrifice is the true measure of our giving.”
OUR DAILY BREAD
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Paul writing to the Galatians chapter 5 verses 13-16 NIV.
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as your self.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch our or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
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Live by the Spirit. Listen to the voice that speaks on the inside. As born again Christians our inner ears hear the voice of the Spirit. Take time each day to find a quiet place to meet with the voice that speaks from within. With the world trying to pull us one way and then another, step aside and don’t get involved in the tug of war. If you’ve got a hold of the rope, the other side will pull you through the mud. And then in retaliation you will pull them through the mud. Step aside, listen to the voice of the Spirit, and serve one another in love. This thought is aimed straight at myself. Thanks for letting me share……………………………JRE
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WALK IN THE SPIRIT
To walk means to place one foot in front of the other and to go forward one step at a time. If you stop doing this, you are no longer walking. You are standing still, or worse, going backwards. Walking always implies movement, progress, and direction.
This is what it means to walk with God. It means moving forward in step with Him, confident that the way He is leading is best.
The problem is that we are weak. We stumble or get diverted, or get weary and stop moving forward. But that is one reason why the Holy Spirit has been given to us. Galatians 5:16 could be paraphrased this way: “Walk by means of the Spirit.”
One of the highest commendations in the Bible is found in these words about Noah: “Noah was a just man perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9). Could this be said of us?
BILLY GRAHAM
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AA Step Two: “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”

Love and War

Thought for the day: “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” ABRAHAM LINCOLN
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The Greek word “echthros” (enemy), taken from Matthew 5:43-45 NIV
Words of Jesus:
“YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID, ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AND HATE YOUR ENEMY.’ BUT I TELL YOU LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU, THAT YOU MAY BE SONS OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. HE CAUSES HIS SUN TO RISE ON THE EVIL AND THE GOOD, AND SENDS RAIN ON THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS.”

Strong's Ref. # 2190

Romanized echthros
Pronounced ech-thros'

from a primary echtho (to hate); hateful (passively, odious, or actively, hostile); usually as a noun, an adversary (especially Satan):

KJV--enemy, foe.
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The admonition LOVE YOUR ENEMIES is one of the greatest statements Jesus ever made. The love enjoined in this passage is love that originates from God Himself. Man is not commanded to attempt to love his enemy on the basis of mere human affection but rather on the basis of a love that comes from God. The quality of love commanded here is expressed by giving. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute you. Loving an enemy involves doing good toward that enemy in order to win him over to Christ.
THE NELSON KING JAMES STUDY BIBLE
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One of the ten commandments written in English says “thou shall not kill.” But in the Hebrew the word is murder not kill. There is a difference. Wars have always been sanctioned by God and always will be. As a child I spent seven years in Germany and France (1949-1957), I remember the devastation that was there. In 1967-68 I was in Vietnam and remember the devastation there also. In the 70’s I was hanging with the “peace people.” I became a Christian in 1983 and the concept of war and killing was very hard for me to understand. As I grow older I understand more about “love and war.” As I look back I see that Germany and Japan are not our enemies and are very much needed as friends. Only God can take a terrible thing such as war and bring much good out of it. I don’t really know where I was headed with this, but thanks for sharing with me anyway. …………………………..JRE
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THE LORD IS PEACE
The Lord came to Gideon and told him he was to lead his people in victory over the Midianites. That’s like God telling a housewife to stand up to her abusive husband. Or a high school student to take on drug peddlers or a preacher to preach the truth to a congregation of Pharisees. “You better get somebody else” we stammer. But then God reminds us that he knows we can’t, but he can, and to prove it He gives us a wonderful gift. He brings a spirit of peace. A peace before the storm. A peace beyond logic…..He gave it to David after he showed him Goliath; He gave it to Saul after He showed him the gospel; He gave it to Jesus after He showed him the cross. And He gave it to Gideon. So Gideon, in turn, gave the name to God. He built an alter and named it Jehovah-shalom, the Lord is peace (Judges 6:24).
MAX LUCADO…………..The Great House of God

Against the flow

Thought for the day: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
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At times when I feel down and I feel like everything is going against what I’m working to accomplish in my life. When I try and do right and people rub against me the wrong direction. At times like these, I realize that I am swimming against the flow. Any dead fish can float down stream, but it takes a live one to swim up stream in search of the source. I swim against the flow to find and be part of the source of abundant life, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Our military brothers and sisters today are going against the flow. The lives that have been so courageously given to the cause, have not been given in vain. We will have the victory! The world by far will be a better place because of their extreme sacrifice of life and limb. We owe them respect!!!!!!!!
At times like these I stand upon a firm foundation, The Word of the Living God.
ISAIAH 54:17 KJV
NO WEAPON THAT IS FORMED AGAINST THEE SHALL PROSPER; AND EVERY TONGUE THAT SHALL RISE AGAINST THEE IN JUDGMENT THOU SHALL CONDEMN. THIS IS THE HERITAGE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD, AND THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OF ME, SAITH THE LORD.

Thanks for sharing this with me……………………………JRE
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BORN TO VICTORY
“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have perfect peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulations and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer….I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, The Amplified Bible)

Jesus said as long as you live in the world, you’re going to have trouble. ( I can vouch for that!) but your not just in the world. You’re in JESUS in the world, and that makes the difference. You’re in Him and He’s overcome every kind of trouble there is.
As God’s child, you’re not the defeated trying to get victory. You’re the overcomer, and Satan’s trying to rob you of the victory that already belongs to you.
When you made Jesus the lord of your life, you were born into victory…..because the Victor came to live in you. Think about it. The victorious Jesus. The Anointed One. The glorified and resurrected Lord. The Ruler of the Universe.
Cheer up my friend. Have “perfect peace and confidence.” That’s Jesus who lives in you! …………………..GLORIA COPELAND

Love and Peace

Thought for the day : “Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.”
Solomon speaking of wisdom….PROVERBS 3:17 NIV
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The church at Corinth was a church with problems. They were being divided by internal problems, and also they were planted in the midst of a city that was known for it’s wealth and wickedness. Paul wrote what I believe to be one of the best chapters in the Bible to this church. The 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, “the love chapter.”……………..JRE

Verses 4-8 : LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND. IT DOES NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD. IT IS NOT RUDE, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS. LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES IN THE TRUTH. IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES. LOVE NEVER FAILS……………..
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WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH
I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice.
PROVERBS 8:20

Vision is the ability to see God’s presence, to perceive God’s power, to focus on god’s plan in spite of the obstacles.
When you have vision it affects your attitude. Your attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic. Your attitude stays positive rather than negative. Not foolishly positive, as though in fantasy, for you are reading god into your circumstances. So when a situation comes that cuts your feet out from under you, you don’t throw up your arms and panic. You don’t give up. Instead, you say, “Lord, this is Your moment. This is where You take charge. You’re in this.”
This is nothing more than having a strong belief in the power of God; having confidence in others around you who are in similar battles with you; and yes, having confidence in yourself, by the grace of God. Refusing to give in to temptation, cynicism and doubt……..It’s hanging tough when the going gets rough.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………Living Above the Level of Mediocrity
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I needed to hear about “Love and Peace” today. I remember during the Vietnam war saying to myself, “how long can this go on.” Through it all, as I look back I realize that God never left the throne. Even in the darkest hours, God was still there. May we seek the presence of God and find inner peace during these times. Thanks for letting me share………..JRE

The Heart

The thought for the day: “ No question is so difficult to answer as that to which the answer is obvious.” GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
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Turn out all thoughts of doubt and fear and resentment. Never tolerate them if you can help it. Bar the windows and doors of your mind against them, as you would bar your home against a thief who would steal in to take away your treasures. What greater treasures can you have than faith and courage and love? All these are stolen from you by doubt and fear and resentment. Face each day with peace and hope. They are results of the true faith in God. Faith gives you a feeling of protection and safety that you can get in no other way.
HAZELDEN……………Twenty-Four Hours A Day
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MARK 7:14-23 NIV

Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “LISTEN TO ME, EVERYONE, AND UNDERSTAND THIS. NOTHING OUTSIDE A MAN CAN MAKE HIM UNCLEAN BY GOING INTO HIM. RATHER IT IS WHAT COMES OUT OF A MAN THAT MAKES HIM UNCLEAN.”
After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “ARE YOU SO DULL?” He asked. “DON’T YOU SEE THAT NOTHING THAT ENTERS A MAN FROM THE OUTSIDE CAN MAKE HIM UNCLEAN? FOR IT DOESN’T GO INTO HIS HEART BUT INTO HIS STOMACH AND THEN OUT OF HIS BODY.” (In saying this Jesus declared all foods clean.)
He went on: “WHAT COMES OUT OF A MAN IS WHAT MAKES HIM UNCLEAN. FOR FROM WITHIN, OUT OF MEN’S HEARTS, COME EVIL THOUGHTS, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, THEFT, MURDER, ALDULTERY, GREED, MALICE, DECEIT, LEWDNESS, ENVY, SLANDER, ARROGANCE AND FOLLY. ALL THESE EVILS COME FROM WITHIN AND MAKE A MAN UNCLEAN.”
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It all starts in the heart, not the head. When I accepted the gift that Jesus offered to me, it was in the heart. When I accept others the way they are, it is in the heart. When I accept myself for the true person that I am, character defects included, it is in the heart. Any changes that need to be made are always started in the heart. My desire is to keep my heart like prepared soil ready to receive “good” seed. Old hard stony frozen ground is not easy to work. I have found that what I sow in my heart some how makes its way to my mouth. When I watch and read trash, my mouth declares it…………….JRE
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A GODLY TOUCH
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!”
MATTHEW 8:3

Oh, the power of a godly touch. Haven’t you known it? The doctor who treated you, or the teacher who dried your tears? Was there a hand holding your at a funeral? Another on your shoulder during a trial? A handshake of welcome at a new job?……
Can’t we offer the same?
Many of you already do. Some of you have the master touch of the Physician himself. You use your hands to pray over the sick and minister to the weak. If you aren’t touching them personally, your hands are writing letters, dialing phones, baking pies. You have learned the power of a touch.
But others of us tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it’s just that our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be…………
Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t make the same mistake?
MAX LUCADO………………………..Just Like Jesus

Not Glum Lots

Thought for the day: “Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are, and what they ought to be.”
WILLIAM HAZLITT
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I woke up this morning thinking about some emails that I had sent out yesterday. Some might not have been in the best taste but I thought they were funny. I needed a laugh and maybe some of you also did. When the world situation seems so heavy there is a part of me that says, “lighten up a little.” To lighten up I look up, not down. What would I do without grace? When I am wrong I am forgiven. That does not mean that I should do it again, and it also does not mean that it will not happen again. I am stuck in the middle sometimes between doing what I should, and doing what I do. I have found the “send tab” on emails to have the same effect as words spoken by the tongue. Once you click on it you can’t bring it back What would I do without grace? I would indeed be a glum lot.
In the ninth chapter of first Corinthians, the apostle Paul claims the right to live a normal live like others. He also claims the right to live the Gospel like others. To reach others who do not know Jesus as Friend and Savior, we must go to where they are. To look them in the eyes we must stand where they are, and our feet might get a little muddy but they will wash……..JRE
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1 CORINTHIANS 9:22-23 NIV

TO THE WEAK I BECOME WEAK, TO WIN THE WEAK. I HAVE BECOME ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN SO THAT BY ALL POSSIBLE MEANS I MIGHT SAVE SOME. I DO ALL THIS FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL, THAT I MIGHT SHARE IN ITS BLESSINGS.
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GOD FEELS WHAT WE FEEL
Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.
LAMENTATIONS 3:22

When I was a small boy, I thought of God as an old man with a long white beard. After all hadn’t Michaelangelo and other artists painted Him that way? Perhaps in my childish mind I thought He resembled an old man in other ways also, some what feeble and harmless, not quite in touch with me and my problems.
Later as I read the Bible, I realized that God is a spirit. He does not have a body, nor is He confined to one place (as a physical being would be). At the same time, He has the attributes of a person: He thinks, He speaks, He communicates, he loves, He becomes angry, He grieves. Because god is a person, He feels what we feel.
No matter what we face, He understands what we are going through. He even understands our temptations, for Christ “has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet…..without sin” (Heb. 4:15,NIV). And that is why you can bring anything, anything, to Him in prayer, confident that He will understand.
BILLY GRAHAM
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God’s mercy is brand new every day………………………….Please pray for the leaders, and the ones that follow the orders…………..JRE

Love, one to another

Thought for the day: “God enters by a private door into every individual.”
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
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Today I am reminded of a Psalm of David, the 91st . It is an expression of the security that can be found in God during a time of war. David the shepherd who became king was truly a man of war. Because he was a man of war he was not allowed to build the Temple in Jerusalem. The job was given to his son Solomon. David inquired of God many times before making a military decision. The victory was theirs when God was their strength. May we find security today in the words of David………JRE

PSALM 91:5-11 NIV

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the LORD who is my refuge, then no harm will be fall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
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WISDOM IN THE WILDERNESS
I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.
PROVERBS 4:11

The Hebrew word for “desert” is midbaar. It’s from the word dahbaaar, meaning “to speak” Let me draw from that root term and suggest that the desert is the place where God speaks, where He communicates some of His most important messages to us…..
Your desert experience might involve caring for an ailing family member or an elderly parent over an extended time, with no help at hand and no relief in sight. Your sojourn in the dry lands might be a stubborn physical condition that keeps you confined. It could be that deep soul-ache that comes with an unfaithful spouse, or a rebellious teenager…….
Does God know? Does he understand? He understands very well, my friend. After all, He’s the One who put you there. His schooling includes time in the wilderness. That’s where He gets our attention.
CHARLES SWINDOLL…….Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
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What an awesome God who makes a way for us to use all, and I mean “all” our victories, defeats, and trials to help others overcome theirs. I can use four words to sum up the gospel on the physical level…….”Love, one to another”…………JRE

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Awesome God

Thought for the day: "Think of your own faults the first part of the night when you are awake, and the faults of others the latter part of the night when you are asleep." Chinese proverb

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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ONE

I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me. EZEKIEL 22:30

In an overpopulated world, it's easy to underestimate the significance of one. There are so many people who have so many gifts and skills who are already doing so many things that are so important, who needs me? What can I as one individual contribute to the overwhelming nees of our world? Sure is easy to let the vastness of our surroundings do a number on us, isn't it?

But the truth is, you are you, the only you in all the world.......You're the only person with your exact heritage, your precise series of events in the pilgrimage and sufferings of life that have brought you to this hour....

When I read God's word I don't find that many stories about great crusades and ......mass meetings where God's attention rested on an entire country or a whole community. More often, I find individual men and women who made a difference, who set the pace or cut a wide swath or stood in the gap and changed their times.

CHARLES SWINDOLL..Esther a Woman of Strength and Dignity

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"Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from Heaven above with wisdom, power, and love.......Our God is an awesome God." ...The chorus of a well known song, It's playing right now on my music box. I find it amazing how God can use the people we would lest expect to be in service. People are coming out of prison and preaching. Athletes are reaching many by simple prayer seen on TV. Recording artist are being transformed and reach millions. A recovering drunk reaches out to help another drunk lost in the hopelessness of addiction. One person can make such a difference, we never see the end result of love when extended to an other and another and another and another.......thanks for sharing this with me today.............................JRE

My own black hole

Thought for the day: “Sacrifice is the true measure of our giving.”
OUR DAILY BREAD
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Jesus speaking to the chief priests and the elders of the people after they asked Him by what authority was He doing what He was doing………….JRE

THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
Which of the two did what his father wanted? “
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this you did not repent and believe him.”
MATTHEW 21:28-32 NIV
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This illustrates that the despised classes, the sinners, will be saved before the religious and self-righteous chief priests and elders. THE DAKE BIBLE
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JUST THE RIGHT MESSAGE
Let me hear your loving kindness in the morning; for I trust in you.
PSALM 143:8

Listen to me, victims of mistreatment. More importantly, please listen to God’s truth. He has a hundred different dungeon experiences. He knows just the right message at the right time, and all it takes to receive it is a sensitive, obedient, trusting heart. Not one preoccupied with revenge or bitterness or hostility, but a heart that says, “Lord God, help me right now. Right at this moment. Deliver me from my own prison. Help me to see beyond the darkness, to see Your hand. As I am being crushed, remold me. Help me to see you in this…………..”
Pray that prayer. Turn your trial into trust as you look to God to tenderly use that affliction, that dungeon, that abandonment for His purpose………
In the midst of all this, remember, God has not abandoned you. He has not forgotten you. He never left. He understands the heartache.
CHARLES SWINDOLL ……..Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness
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One of the greatest feelings I have experienced is one of relief. To be forgiven brings a peace from the outside to the inner most parts of my heart. I found myself in a dungeon that I had walked in on my own. I deserved to be there. My life centered around myself had finally closed in on itself like a “black hole.” Deep in my innermost being there was a small spark (actually a seed, that had been planted by many over the years). The spark made me aware that there was more to life than just my own little world. Out of desperation I fanned that little spark and kindled it with the Word of God. It became a fire that still burns today. I realize that I must continue to feed it otherwise it will die out. Just like my body my spirit needs nourishment. The grace you extend to me by allowing me to send this small page kindles the flame. I am grateful to you…………………….JRE

Aunt Merle

Thought for the day: "When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly.
BARBARA J. WINTER
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Today I remember my Aunt Merle England. She passed over to the other side sometime early this morning. She would have been 87 the 5th of May. She and Uncle Elmer, my fathers older brother, were married sometime around the beginning of world war two. Elmer served with General Patton, and upon returning home from the war they decided not to have children. The reason was because of the war and what Elmer experienced while in the service. They felt the world was not a place to bring children into at that time. My self, my sister, and my cousins were the only children they had, and what a great thing that was. I can remember as a child going to their house (same house for 50 years), and anything I wanted was mine. I did not have to eat peas, carrots, cabage, or anything like that. I can remember having chocolate cake for breakfast. If I wanted to go fishing, Uncle Elmer would take me fishing that day. There wasn't none of this "in a little while" stuff with him. I miss him, he passed in the mid 1990's.
When I moved to the Ozarks in 1985, Elmer and Merle were the ones I first went to church with. We shared the same pew for many years. They never judged me even when I became very strange, and hard to love because of substance abuse. They always pointed me to the Savior. Merle was a faithful and loving wife to my Uncle Elmer. She made the best pie crust and pies the world has ever seen.
After Elmer died she became ready to join him. Just the mention of his name would bring tears to her eyes. She missed his so much. Today they are together again in the presence of the Lord..................JRE
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LIVING A HOLY LIFE
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. MATTHEW 6:20

An old man, a great man of God, lay on his deathbed. He summoned his grandson to come to his side. Calling the boy's name, he said, "I don't know what type of work I'll be doing in heaven, but if it's allowed, I'm going to ask the Lord Jesus to let me help build your mansion. You be sure and send up plenty of the right materials."
Living a life of purity and love, leading others to Christ as we share our faith, doing good works in Christ's name, all of these things are materials that may be sent on ahead. These can never be touched by the fluctuations in the earthly economy, by natural disaster, or by thievery.
What kind of materials are you sending up to Heaven?
BILLY GRAHAM
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For those who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Friend, we stand upon the Scripture "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." (2 Cor. 5:8).....Thanks for sharing this with me......JRE

Words

Thought for the day: "The nicest thing about the future is it comes one day at a time." ANONYMOUS
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TAMING THE TONGUE

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
JAMES 3:3-6 NIV
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COLORFUL LANGUAGE
Vivid, homey pictures from nature give a visual character to James's words, almost as if each thought were a photograph. He refers to sea froth, wilted flowers, a forest fire, horse's bit, the morning mist, a hungry moth, the farmer's spring rains, a giant ship, and a saltwater spring. Paul, a more educated writer, alluded to culture and athletics and human relationships. But James felt most comfortable borrowing simple images from nature.
ZONDERVAN NIV STUDENT BIBLE......Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford
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DO LITTLE THINGS WELL
If you want to be a person with a large vision, you must cultivate the habit of doing the little things well. That's when God puts iron in your bones!......The test of my calling is not how well I do before the public on Sunday; it's how carefully I cover the bases Monday through Saturday when there's nobody to check up on me, when nobody is looking....
When God develops character, He works on it throughout a lifetime. He's never in a hurry.
It is in the schoolroom of solitude and obscurity that we learn to become men and women of God. It is from the schoolmasters of monotony and reality that we learn to "king it." That's how we become, like David, men and women after God's own heart.
CHARLES SWINDOLL.........David: Man of Passion and Destiny
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Words are so small, but seem to have such a lasting effect on our lives. A simple "I do" brings about a commitment that lasts a life time. A simple "no" at times will turn the page never to have the opportunity come again. Having spent the first forty years of my life in large cities, I heard many many words coming from all direction and going out from me in all directions. It wasn't until I moved to a small community that I started to learn the impact of words on our lives. In a small town people listen closely and remember a long long time. I heard once that an ocean liner in the middle of the ocean can turn around by the movement of a small rudder....but it takes 45 minutes and the scenery never changes. One day at a time, one minute at a time, through trial and error I am growing and learning in this thing we must do...... live together.

AA Step ten: "Continued to take personal inventory and when wrong promptly admitted it."

Thanks for sharing this with me today.................JRE

In memory of my grandmother Dorothy Dake who passed one year ago today. I learned more from her than any other person.

Jars of clay

Thought for the day: "Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters." PROVERBS 25:13 NIV
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In Paul's writing to the church at Corinth, he tells them of God's love and light that dwells in us, and that it can be seen by others. Our experiences that cause our brokenness allow God's love and light to shine on others................JRE

II CORINTHIANS 4:5-9 NIV
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed."
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PICTURE OF WEAKNESS
Where would you keep expensive jewelry? Would you want a safe, secure place. You wouldn't stash valuables in, say, a tattered cardboard box. Yet this image comes close to the one Paul used to describe his ministry: "jars of clay." In his day jars were about as common, and as safe, as cardboard boxes are today.
The treasure Paul refers to is the incredible message of the gospel: God's good news of forgiveness and the promise of life forever. Yet amazingly, God chose to enclose that treasure in people who are like "jars of clay." Clay jars are ordinary and highly breakable, and Paul tell us he is both. An immortal God chooses mere humans as his personal representatives. "And who is equal to such a task?" Paul asks (2:16). He is determined to draw attention to the treasure inside him, not to himself.
ZONDERVAN NIV STUDENT BIBLE.....Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford
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WE'RE ALL CLAY POTS
Do you know what an earthen vessel is? It's nothing more that a clay pot.....that's a reference to our bodies and our abilities in the strength of our flesh. that is all you and I have to offer God.....a pot. A perishable container.
You may be like brittle, delicate china. You break and chip easily, and you could show the glue marks because of those broken times. Then again, you may be a rugged, scarred hunk of heavy pottery, not very attractive, but boy are you useful. Or you may be composed of clay that hasn't yet been fired in the kiln; you are still being molded and shaped for use.......
To tell the truth, it isn't the condition of the pot that's most important. What's important is the treasure inside, the light and glory of Christ's salvation. What's a few dings, or even a crack or two? If others can see the glory inside through the cracks, so much the better.
CHARLES SWINDOLL...........Moses a Man of Selfless Dedication
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May we allow the brokenness of ourselves to help heal the cracks and flaws of others......thanks for sharing this with me.........JRE

Only a smile

Thought for the day: "We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden." GOETHE
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The Hebrew word "yowm" (day) taken from Psalm 84:10 NIV.

"BETTER IS ONE DAY IN YOUR COURTS THAN A THOUSAND ELSEWHERE; I WOULD RATHER BE A DOORKEEPER IN THE HOUSE OF MY GOD THEN DWELL IN THE TENTS OF THE WICKED."

Strong's Ref. # 3117

Romanized yowm
Pronounced yome

from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), [often used adverb]
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84:10 HOMECOMING
"HOME SWEET HOME" probably adorns more plaques than any other motto. Home is a place where you can lay down your tried body and bruised ego in saftey. Psalm 84 contains the same idea, but with a dramatic difference. Home is in God's house, a place that brings comfort right down into your bones. You'd rather spend one day near God, praising him, than a thousand days anywhere else.
Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford.......Zondervan NIV Student Bible
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For years I sat on the pews of churches expecting God to pay me a visit. For years nothing happened......When out of desperation I asked for help from God, I found God speaking to me from the hearts of family, friends and neighbors. As I continued to search I found God speaking to me from my own heart as well. God does not dwell in a building, sometimes the stained glass does not let in the light. God dwells in His people. God's house is everywhere and my heart is part of everywhere. When I visit a church building I try to bring God with me, that way I'm never disappointed. I used to go to church to receive something and became disappointed. Usually because of a negative attitude. Today I try and give, sometimes it's only a smile, but I am never disappointed. I praise God for doing for me what I could not do for myself............................JRE
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AT HOME WITH GOD
"If people love me, they will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
John 14:23

God wants to be your dwelling place. He has no interest in being a weekend getaway or a Sunday bungalow or a summer cottage. Don't consider using God as a vacation cabin or an eventual retirement home. He wants you under his roof now and always. He wants to be your mailing address, your point of reference; he wants to be your home.......
For many this is a new though. We think of God as a deity to discuss, not a place to dwell. We think of God as a mysterious miracle worker, not a house to live in. We think of God as creator to call on, not a home to reside in. But our Father wants to be much more. He wants to be the one in whom "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28 NIV).
MAX LUCADO...................The Great House of God
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Thanks for sharing this with me..................JRE

Therefore

Thought for the day: "For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife." PROVERBS 32:33 NIV
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The language of the street says: "The more you stir it the more it stinks." ..................JRE
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The Greek word "steko" (stand firm) taken from Philippians 4:1 NIV

"Therefore my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!"

Strong's Ref. # 4739

Romanized steko
Pronounced stay'-ko

from the perfect tense of GSN2476; to be stationary, i.e. (figuratively) to persevere:

KJV--stand (fast).
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I have often heard that when you find the word "therefore" in the Bible you should go back and find out what it is "there for". Paul was under house arrest in Rome, and it was about two years before his execution when he wrote the letter to the church at Philippi. (The congregation at Philippi quickly became the dearest of all the apostle's children in faith. NELSON BIBLE). What an example Paul was, even though he was under arrest he still encouraged those he cared about. I know people in jail and have been there myself, and rarely do you find someone under arrest who has an encouraging word for those on the outside. You hear more self-pity and send me money than anything else. Only by the grace of a loving God do we encourage others from prisons bars. And oh what freedom it is when you are locked up and your heart is set free. Please support prison ministries, truly the only way to transform those who have made wrong choices. I kind of went a little different direction today, I try and let the Spirit lead and many times I am taken back to when I first truly met Jesus. I was locked up.
The "therefore" is there because Paul was encouraging them to stand fast as he was, even though they were being pulled different directions by the people around them. The Judaizers were one group who were trying to change them into thinking that you had to work to be saved. There is nothing we can do to be saved, it is a gift through faith (Eph. 2:8).
I am reminded of something I heard my preacher at Calvary Temple Church say: "Two men looked out from prisons bars, one saw the mud the other the stars."................................JRE
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DYNAMIC AND DEDICATED

A bar of raw steel may be purchased for a few dollars. But when that bar of steel has been thrust into the fires and processed, when it has been tempered and forged and made into tiny watch springs for expensive watches, it is worth thousands of dollars. Fire and the skilled hands of master artisans made the difference, enhancing the value.
Just as the sun by its heat and light performs a thousand miracles a day in the plant kingdom, God through the refining fire of His Spirit performs a thousand miracles a day in the spiritual realm. His regenerating power can take the dull and ordinary things of our lives, even the burned out ashes of our past, and forge them into something useful, even beautiful, for His purpose.

BILLY GRAHAM

Fight or Flight

Thought for the day: "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." ABRAHAM MASLOW
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For years the only way I took care of the problems in my life was through anger, violence, revenge, intimidation, or when scared to run away. When confronted with an issue it was either to "fight or flight." I only had a hammer and used it either on you or myself. Most friends won't stick around very long while you use your hammer on them, so I used it on myself. When I beat myself low enough the only way I could look was up. There laying at my feet was a "spiritual tool kit" which had been placed by a Loving God and many friends who knew that I needed more than a hammer to make it in this life. In the tool kit I found many blueprints; the Bible, AA books, NA books, and many books by others who had traveled the same road. I also found many new tools; fellowship, prayer, forgiveness, giving, praising, singing, and the tool I try to use the most love.
Don't use a hammer much anymore.....................JRE
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Words of comfort from Jesus to the disciples just before His arrest and execution. JOHN 13:34-35 NIV

"A NEW COMMAND I GIVE YOU: LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, SO YOU MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER. BY THIS ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER."
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FOOTPRINTS OF DISCIPLESHIP

Watch a small boy follow his dad through the snow. He stretches to step where his dad stepped. Not an easy task. His small legs extend as far as they can so his feet can fall in his father's prints.
The father seeing what the son is doing, smiles and begins taking shorter steps, so the son can follow.
It's a picture of discipleship.
In our faith we follow someone's steps. A parent, a teacher, a hero... none of us are the first to walk the trail. All of us have someone we follow.
In our faith we leave footprints to guide others. A child, a friend, a recent convert. None should be left to walk the trail alone.
It's the principle of discipleship.
MAX LUCADO............The Inspirational Study Bible
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May we extend the arms of fellowship wherever needed. Thanks for sharing this with me today...................JRE

Lords Prayer

Thought for the day: "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." Seen on an email from kgba
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The prayer that we know as the Lord's Prayer "Our Father who art in Heaven...........", is really the disciples prayer. The disciples asked how to pray and Jesus gave them words that cover the complete scope of life here and here after. It is a totally complete prayer consisting of seven clauses. Who God is, who we are, where God is, what God is, what we need daily, forgiveness, temptation, the future, and more. The true "Lord's Prayer" can be found in the 17th chapter of the gospel of John. In this prayer Jesus pours out His heart for us. How awesome it is to have the Lord of creation pray for all believers and our unity with Him and the Father.
I was riding the Grayhound bus from Mtn. Grove to Kansas City a couple of years ago, and an Amish family got on. We soon were talking and I asked the man what his favorite Scripture was. I expected maybe a verse or two, but his answer was the 17th chapter of John.
When Jesus prayed for us, it was a perfect prayer...............JRE
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The Greek word "sos" (thine), taken from John 17:10 KJV

Words of Jesus; "AND ALL MINE ARE THINE, AND THINE ARE MINE; AND I AM GLORIFIED IN THEM"

Strong's Ref. # 4674

Romanized sos
Pronounced sos

from GSN4771; thine:

KJV--thine (own), thy (friend).
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OUR GOAL

God is in the business of changing the face of the world.
Let me be very clear. This change is his job, not ours. Our goal is not to make our faces radiant. Not even Jesus did that. Matthew says, "Jesus' appearance was changed" not "Jesus changed his appearance." Moses didn't even know his face was shinning (Exod. 34:29). Our goal is not to conjure up some fake, frozen expression. Our goal is simply to stand before God with a prepared and willing heart and then let God do his work.
And he does. He wipes away the tears. He mops away the perspiration. He softens our furrowed brows. He touches our cheeks. He changes our faces as we worship.
MAX LUCADO..........................Just Like Jesus
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Stand before God with a willing heart, and watch the doors open....................JRE

Letting go and letting God

Thought for the day: "The greatest good you can do for another is not to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own."
BENJAMIN DISRAELI
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The Greek word "paristemi" (yield KJV, offer NIV), taken from Romans 6:16 NIV.
"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or obedience which leads to righteousness."

Strong's Ref. # 3936

Romanized paristemi
Pronounced par-is'-tay-mee

or prolonged paristano {par-is-tan'-o}; from GSN3844 and GSN2476; to stand beside, i.e. (transitively) to exhibit, proffer, (specifically) recommend, (figuratively) substantiate; or (intransitively) to be at hand (or ready), aid:

KJV--assist, bring before, command, commend, give presently, present, prove, provide, shew, stand (before, by, here, up, with), yield.
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YIELDED TO GOD

Of Eric Liddell, the missionary and great runner whose story is told in the film Chariots of Fire, someone has said, he was "ridiculously humble in victory, utterly generous in defeat." That's a good definition of what it means to be meek. Eric Liddell was fiercely competitive, determined to use his God-given abilities to the fullest. But his meekness, kindness, and gentle spirit won the admiration even of those he defeated.
Meekness involves being yielded. The word yield has two meanings. The first is negative, and second is positive. On one hand it means to "relinquish, to abandon;" on the other hand it means "to give." This is in line with Jesus' words: "He who loses [or abandons] his life....will find it" (Matt. 10:39).
Those who submit to the will of God do not fight back at life. They learn the secret of yielding, of relinquishing and abandoning, their own lives and will to Christ. And then He gives back to them a life that is far richer and fuller than anything they could ever have imagined.
BILLY GRAHAM
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In these last few paragraphs Billy Graham gave about as good an AA talk as I've heard. I know that he is not in the program, but for me the center of working my program has been the concept of "letting go and letting God." Learning to yield (negative, less of self) so I could learn to yield (positive, give of self). One word two meanings, both working for the good that is and is to come. I praise God for setting me free from my addictions. No one can be in prison by themselves, it takes two. One to be in prison and one to keep them there. I was a slave to my addictions and they kept my heart in prison. When I yielded the chains fell off....one day at a time...............JRE
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In God's strength you conquer life. Your conquering power is the grace of God. There can be no complete failure with God. Do you want to make the best of life? Then live as near as possible to God, the Master and Giver of all life. Your reward for depending on God'a strength will be sure. Sometimes the reward will be renewed power to face life, sometimes people brought to a new way of living. Whatever success comes will not be all your own doing, but largely the working out of the grace of God.
HAZELDEN.................Twenty-Four Hours A Day

HOW

Thought for the day: "Feeding your faith will starve your doubts."
OUR DAILY BREAD
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The Greek word "dikaios" (just KJV, righteous NIV), taken from Romans 1:16-17 NIV.
Paul writing to the Church at Rome:
I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL, BECAUSE IT IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR THE SALVATION OF EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES: FIRST FOR THE JEW, THEN THE GENTILE. FOR IN THE GOSPEL A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD IS REVEALED, A RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT IS BY FAITH FROM FIRST TO LAST, JUST AS IT IS WRITTEN: "THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
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THEME AND MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS:
Paul's primary theme in Romans is the basic gospel, God's plan of salvation and righteousness for all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike. "The Gospel of God" (1:1) includes justification by faith, but it also embraces such related ideas as guilt, sanctification and security. Romans is the most comprehensive and systematic statement of the Christian faith in the Bible.
ZONDERVAN New International Version Bible
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God's righteousness is revealed in the gospel on the ground of faith as the absolute condition of salvation, and is only effective in those who believe. THE DAKE BIBLE
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Honesty......Openmindedness.......Willingness. Willingness is the "key" that opens the door to faith. I found that when I was willing to try and accept God and the Bible the way it was presented to me. When I became willing to take one step closer to God. When I became willing to pray for God's will in my life. When I became willing to not depend on head knowledge and give my heart a chance to speak. When I just became "willing," the door was opened to me. As I entered into the realm of faith more was revealed step by step, day by day.
I have learned that life is better when I learn to trust God. "In God We Trust" the motto of the U.S.A.. Faith and Trust.......are they the same?....................JRE
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A DELIBERATE TRUST
In you O LORD, I have taken refuge. PSALM 31:1

Under heaven's lock and key, we are protected by the most efficient security system available, the power of God. There is no way we will be lost in the process of suffering. No disorder, no disease, not even death itself can weak or threaten God's ultimate protection over our lives........
"God stands between you and all that menaces your hope or threatens your eternal welfare," James Moffatt wrote: "The protection here is entirely and directly the work of God."
Two words will help you cope when you run low on hope: accept and trust.
Accept the mystery of hardship, suffering, misfortune, or mistreatment. Don't try to understand it or explain it. Accept it. Then, deliberately trust God to protect you by His power from this very moment to the dawning of eternity.
CHARLES SWINDOLL....................Hope Again
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Honesty.....Openmindedness.....Willingness. The HOW of AA

Self-esteem, Self-respect

Thought for the day: "When we are willing to do what we can, we shall be surprised at how much we can do." C.P. Co.
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Scripture taken from Proverbs 3:13-16 NIV.

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO FINDS WISDOM, THE MAN WHO GAINS UNDERSTANDING, FOR SHE IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN SILVER AND YIELDS BETTER RETURNS THAN GOLD. SHE IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN RUBIES; NOTHING YOU DESIRE CAN COMPARE WITH HER. LONG LIFE IS IN HER RIGHT HAND; IN HER LEFT HAND ARE RICHES AND HONOR.
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I once heard around the "tables" that if you want to improve your self esteem, work on your self respect. And the way to improve your self respect is to find someone whom you respect and be like them. The people I have found to respect seem to be people with wisdom and not necessarily knowledge. There have been some with both, but in my experiences not many. Some of the greatest influences on my life have been people with no more than an elementary education. Common sense tells us to be kind to one another, to give where there is need, and not to judge someone. These principles don't seem to come from school, but are passed on to us from the ones who care about us. And we must in turn "PASS IT ON"............."She is more precious than rubies and nothing you desire can compare with her"....................JRE
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SHINNING LIGHTS
Let your light so shine before men, that they may.....glorify your Father in heaven. MATTHEW 5:16

Our Lord regarded His followers as a select company who belonged to a different world from the rest of humanity. Many of the religious people of His day were worldly and unspiritual, publicly parading their religion to impress others while privately dominated by pride, ambition, greed, and falsehood.
Jesus told His disciples they could not make their light shine by sinking to the world's low level. It was only by abiding in Christ and living under the ruling power of His Holy Spirit that they could rise above the world. Only in that way could they be salt and light to a decaying and darkened world.
Our influence on society depends on our likeness to Jesus Christ. We cannot elevate others higher than we ourselves have gone. The first century Christians out-thought, out-lived, and out-loved their neighbors, and by their example of purity and compassion attracted countless thousands to the Christian faith.
What do others see in your life that would attract them to Christ?
BILLY GRAHAM
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Let our light shine among our brothers and sisters, raise it high so it can be seen from afar. Thanks for letting me share "one day at a time"..............JRE

God Hole

Thought for the day: "Whenever we are in the wrong place, our right place is empty." C.P.Co.
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The calling of Matthew Levi, the tax collector and author of the Gospel. Luke 5:27-32 NIV

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "FOLLOW ME," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
Jesus answered them, "IT IS NOT THE HEALTHY WHO NEED A DOCTOR, BUT THE SICK. I HAVE NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT SINNERS TO REPENTANCE."
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You know why Jesus did not come to call the righteous?......Because there were none!!!!!! Only in their own eyes were they righteous. Today I have righteousness. I did nothing to earn it, it has been a gift. To me righteousness means right standing before the Father. I stood before the Father guilty of sin because of a life centered around myself and only myself. I had some feelings for others but they were only on the surface. Deep down inside it was only about me and me alone. Some how that inner shell of self was cracked (by the tears of a prison guard who knew Jesus), and God was allowed to enter. You see, we have a hole on the inside of us shaped just like God, nothing else will fit. I tried to fill that hole with myself and when that did not work I filled it with alcohol, drugs, sex, material things, and anything else I thought would make me feel better. Nothing worked. When god came in I became whole. When I stand before the Father He looks at me and sees my friend His Son and the blood that was shed for me, the Father
says "not guilty." I become justified and my righteousness is all because of Jesus and nothing else.
When Matthew was called the first thing he did was call his friends and have a party. I was the same way, I wanted to share with everyone what had been done for me that I could not do for myself.
You know.....the sinners felt comfortable around Jesus, and the religious folk uncomfortable.......how strange...............JRE
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I believe that in the spiritual world, as in the material world, there is no empty space. As fears and worries and resentments depart out of my life, the things of the spirit come in to take their places. Calm comes after a storm. As soon as I am rid of fears and hates and selfishness, God's love and peace and calm can come in.
HAZELDEN..................Twenty-four Hours A Day