Thought for the Day

Ripened grapes

Thought for the day: “The sun with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.” GALILEO GALILEI
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Today look upward toward God, not downward toward yourself. Look away from unpleasant surroundings, from lack of beauty, from the imperfections in yourself and I those around you. In your unrest, behold God’s calmness; in your impatience, God’s patience; in your limitations, God’s perfection. Looking upward toward God, your spirit will begin to grow. Then others will see something in you that they also want. As you grow in the spiritual life, you will be enabled to do many things that seemed too hard for you before.
HAZELDEN……………Twenty-Four Hours A Day
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I just got a call from my friend Little Joe. He asked me what the “thought for the day” was. I read it to him, and we both took a little time to reflect on it. How awesome the sun is to control our solar system and still be able to ripen grapes. I can relate to this because my God created many, many suns and keeps the universe in order, but still understands how I feel today. In Hebrews 13:5 God said that I would not be left alone or forsaken and I have found this statement to be true. In my experiences I have thought that I have walked away from God, only to find myself lost and in need of spiritual help. As soon as I turn back to God, God is there, and God was there all the time. My spiritually blind eyes could only see myself and I thought I was alone. How sad life is when we can only see ourselves. I am so grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself……………………………JRE
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After the death of Moses the LORD spoke to Joshua before the conquest of the promise land. The LORD gave him reassurance and I have this same promise to stand on today……….JRE
“NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STAND UP AGAINST YOU ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE. AS I WAS WITH MOSES, SO I WILL BE WITH YOU; I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.”
Joshua 1:5 NIV

Loosen the knots

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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THE PARABLE OF THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servants master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denari. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you for give your brother from you heart.” MATTHEW 18:21-35 NIV
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Forgiveness is the key to answered prayer. Forgiveness is the key to salvation. Forgiveness is the key to my freedom as an individual. I am bound and tied physically and spiritually by any feelings of anger, resentment, jealousy, envy, self-pity, and shame. Only when I become willing to forgive others and as important myself, do I free up the straps that tie me down. At first all it takes is willingness to loosen the knots that hold me, and then willingness and prayer leads to the forgiveness that unties the knot and sets me free. I am grateful to be happy, joyous, and free. Thanks for letting me share…………………..JRE
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As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward our instinctual drives need to undergo drastic revisions. Our demands for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power all have to be tempered and redirected. We learn that the full satisfaction of these demands cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives. We cannot place the cart before the horse, or we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first, then and only then do we have a real chance to grow in healthy awareness and mature love.
BILL W. AA’s 12X12 page 114
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I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself.JRE

The Bridge

Thought for the day: “He who can not forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.” GEORGE HERBERT
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CONSIDERING QUITING?
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest……..for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
MATTHEW 11:28, 30
Every achievement worth remembering is stained with the blood of diligence and scarred by the wounds of disappointment. To quit, to run, to escape, to hide, none of these options solve anything. They only postpone the acceptance of, and reckoning with, reality.
Churchill put it well: “Wars are not won by evacuations.”……
Giving thought to giving up?
Considering the possibility of quitting?
Don’t!……The only time the LORD ever used the word “easy” was when He referred to a yoke.
Day by Day with Charles Swindoll
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“Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables”.
BILL W. AA 12X12 page 67
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King George V wrote on the flyleaf of the Bible of a friend: “The secret of happiness is not to do what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do.”
Too many people think happiness is an elusive, will-o-the-wisp thing to be found only by constant pursuit and relentless searching, But happiness is not an end in itself; it is the byproduct of something far greater. Jesus told His disciples: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). The “things” He spoke of were the basic needs of life: food, drink, clothes, shelter. He told us not to make these things the chief goal of our lives, but to “seek…..the kingdom.”
There, if we will take it, is the secret of happiness: “Seek first the kingdom of God……..” How do we do this? By submitting ourselves without reserve to Jesus Christ as King of our lives every day. This is the path of true happiness.
BILLY GRAHAM
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I don’t have too much to add today. All is well here, and I pray all is well there. I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share………………….JRE

Stay Teachable

Thought for the day: “Do not be wise in your own eyes.”
PROVERBS 3:7 NIV
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“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18 NIV). How about that verse? It’s really speaking to me this morning. I try to get along peacefully with others, but sometimes when a pushy attitude directed my way gets under my skin, I have the tendency to push back. And I know this is wrong, but will push anyway. In the first place when I allow something to upset me, I do just that, I “allow” it. I am learning that I have a choice in the attitude I take regardless of what happens to me. I am learning, but the same lesson is being taught to me over and over. I must stay teachable. Bill W. says in AA’s 12X12 page 90: “It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us.” The Bible says, “Be ye angry and sin not” (Ephesians 4:26), but being disturbed is a different matter, and I agree with this.
Share this Scripture with me: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” JAMES 3:13-18 NIV
Thanks for letting me share………………………JRE
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I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. ISAIAH 41:10
Our problem isn’t that we’ve failed. Our problem is that we haven’t failed enough. We haven’t been brought low enough to learn what God wants us to learn…….
Remember one of the songs from the Seventies we used to sing again and again? It mentioned how we learned to trust in Jesus and trust in God by going “through it all.” Not around it. Through it.
Through it all. That’s the ticket. Through the victories and the failures. Through the brilliant days of accomplishment and the broken days. Through the heady days of laughter and success and those nameless intervals of setback and bland despair. Through it all, He is with us, leading us, teaching us humbling us preparing us.
CHARLES SWINDOLL….Moses A Man of Selfless Dedication
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I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself…………………….JRE

Morning thoughts

Thought for the day: “It’s hard to take yourself too seriously when you look at the world from outer space.”
Thomas K. Mattingly II (Apollo XVI astronaut)
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God has blessed me. Each morning at my fingertips there is a small collection of books. I may use them to draw from and get my perspective in line. How long I stay lined up depends on my attitude. I try and start each morning with simple prayer, giving thanks, praising God, and intercession for others who have needs. Then I try and spend some time in the study of God’s Word. Next I try and get insight from the experiences of others through the books I have gathered together (most have been gifts, and I am very grateful). I would like to take this time to thank the many who have responded to my “morning thoughts”(I send them to around 95 people through out the USA). They speak to me first and are very much a part of the program I work to stay clean and sober. They are never planned or aimed at anyone except myself. I type in the first line and go from there as the Spirit leads. I am so grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself…………………….JRE
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PRAYING FOR OTHERS
While praying sincerely, we still may fall into temptation. We form ideas as to what we think God’s will is for other people. We say to ourselves, “This one ought to cured of his fatal malady’ or “That one ought to be relieved of his emotional pain,” and we pray for these specific things.
Such prayers, of course, are fundamentally good acts, but often they are based upon a suppostition that we know God’s will for the person for whom we pray. This means that side by side with an earnest prayer there can be a certain amount of presumption and conceit in us.
It is AA’s experience that particularly in these cases we ought to pray that God’s will, whatever it is, be done for others as well as for ourselves.
BILL W. ……………….As Bill Sees It, page 206
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Now we do not live following our sinful selves, but we live following the Spirit. ROMANS 8:4
Perhaps your childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration. The voices of your past cursed you, belittled you, ignored you. At the time you thought such treatment was typical. Now you see it isn’t.
And now you find yourself trying to explain your past. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?
Think about this. Spiritual life comes from the Spirit! Your parents may have given you genes, but God gives you grace. Your parents may be responsible for your body, but God has taken charge of your soul. You may get your looks from your mother, but you get eternity from your Father, your heavenly Father. And God is willing to give you what your family didn’t.
MAX LUCADO…………….When God Whispers Your Name

The war is over

Thought for the day: “The horse is made ready for the day of battle; but victory rests with the LORD.” PROVERBS 21:31 NIV
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A FORMULA FOR PEACE
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. PSALM 119:165 NIV
God has a plan for peace, and it is found in His Son, whom the Bible calls the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). But we have rejected God’s plan. Wars still ravage our world, and our lives.
Why? Jesus said the problem is within us: “Out of the heart……proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21-22). What a list! Our real war is a rebellion against God, and it brings unending misery.
But God longs to see this rebellion cease. That is why Christ came. By His death He provided the way for us to be reconciled to God. And when we have peace with God, we have peace in our hearts, and peace with each other.
This happens as we repent and receive Christ. The war is over, for God extends a peace to all who come to Christ.
BILLY GRAHAM
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This morning as I sit and look out my window, I watch the rain and I contemplate peace. I find that peace is something that comes from within, not from circumstances around me. My good friend Little Joe is always telling me that “the war is over,” and so it is. Of the battles in my life, the one within lasted the longest and by far took the greatest toll. Today I try to “Let Go and Let God.” I do what I can, and when I can do no more, it is time to turn it over. I used to carry years of burdens around with me, what a load that was. When I would open my mouth the first thing that came out was “poor me…….poor me……..pour me another one!” And the burden only got heaver. Today by the grace of God I don’t have to pour another one. When I accepted God into my life I was able to share my burdens and lighten my load. I carry more ammo now and less trash. I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share……………………………JRE
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In my view, we of this world are pupils is a great school of life. It is intended that we try to grow, and that we try to help our fellow travelers to grow in the kind of love that makes no demands. In short, we try to move toward the image and likeness of God as we understand Him.
BILL W. …………..Letter dated 1950

A marked trail

Thought for the day: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
JOHN WOODEN
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Five years ago I thought I knew much more than I know today. I realize today that I don’t have all the answers and must rely on others for guidance. I am comfortable with what I don’t know and what little I do know. Others have walked the path that I’m on, and have left many marks on the side of the trail to follow. I try and read of the experiences of others who have walked this “Way,” but the One I am following is either waiting at the end of the trail, or on His way back to get me. I am not lost. I follow the “Truth, the Way, the Life………………I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. Thanks for sharing this with me……..JRE
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CARE AND CONCERN FOR OTHERS
Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1 PETER 5:5
Humility of mind is really an attitude, isn’t it? It’s a preset mentality that determines ahead of time thoughts like this:
I care about those around me.
Why do I always have to be first?
I’m going to help someone else win for a change.
Today I’m going to curb my fierce competitive tendencies.
Instead of always thinking about receiving, we’ll start looking for ways to give. Instead of holding grudges against those who have offended us, we’ll be anxious to forgive. And instead of keeping a record of what we’ve done or who we’ve helped, we’ll take delight in forgetting the deed(s) and being virtually unnoticed. Our hunger for public recognition will diminish in significance.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………..Improving Your Serve
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Deep down in every man, woman, and child is the fundamental idea of a God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that Power in human lives are facts as old as man himself.
BILL W. …………ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 55

All man, all God

Thought for the day: “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” PROVERBS 16:32 NIV
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At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “GO TELL THAT FOX, I WILL DRIVE OUT DEMONS AND HEAL PEOPLE TODAY AND TOMORROW, AND ON THE THIRD DAY I WILL REACH MY GOAL. IN ANY CASE, I MUST KEEP GOING TODAY AND TOMORROW AND THE NEXT DAY, FOR SURLY NO PROPHET CAN DIE OUTSIDE JERUSALEM!”
LUKE 13:31-33 NIV
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WHO HAD REAL POWER?
Jesus was executed by powerful political authorities, among them the Roman official Herod. But this statement, spoken before his arrest, reveals who had the real power. Jesus dismissed Herod as “that fox,” a Jewish expression for a worthless or insignificant person. Jesus’ death on a cross came as no surprise to him; in fact, here Jesus calls it his “goal.”
ZONDERVAN NIV STUDENT BIBLE
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I came across something awhile back in the Dake Bible, that for me really explains the finished work of the cross, and much of what preceded that work. Share this with me………………….JRE

In the fall Satan gained a pseudo sovereignty over man on the principle of possession and consent, of a responsible agent, or government by consent of the governed. God recognized this and decided to permit Satan to defeat himself by causing him to kill a innocent victim over whom he had no claim. When he inflicted death on Christ, he forfeited all his claims, rights and pseudo authority and his right to liberty itself. He lost the right to inflict death on all others who became the property of Christ by virtue of His redemption for them.
Through Adams sin, a sentence of death, without a promise of resurrection, passed upon all men; so by the obedience of Christ taking man’s place, the sentence was completely cancelled and original dominion restored. One is constituted a sinner through Adam, not by his personal sins, so one is constituted righteous through Christ, not by his personal acts of righteousness. THE DAKE BIBLE

This statement is very heavy. If you take your time with it and read it over again and again you can see how awesome God’s plan is. Jesus knew all along that His Goal was the cross, but still His human side still asked the Father if maybe there was some other way to do this. Jesus was not half man and half God, but all man and all God. The human part of Jesus did not want to go to the cross, but the Divine Jesus saw the victory ahead and knew that the grave could not hold Him. Way down in my heart this speaks to me, and through my faith I also have the same victory. I am so grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. …………………………………JRE

Ask Seek Knock

Thought for the day: “If error is corrected whenever it is recognized as such, the path of error is the path of truth.” HANS REICHENBACH
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The Greek word “krouo” (knock), taken from Matthew 7:7-8 NIV.
Words of Jesus:
“ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU; SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND; KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO YOU. FOR EVERYONE WHO ASKS RECEIVES; HE WHO SEEKS FINDS; AND TO HIM WHO KNOCKS THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED.”
Strong's Ref. # 2925

Romanized krouo
Pronounced kroo'-o

a primary verb; to rap:

KJV--knock.
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To knock, the third way of getting answer to prayer. To ask implies want; seek implies loss; and knocking implies need. One must ask with confidence and humility; seek with care and application; and knock with earnestness and perseverance. THE DAKE BIBLE
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Sometimes, if I have a problem in the natural world, and can’t seem to get an answer, I walk away for a while and come back later. Upon returning with my mind fresh, I can often see the problem and find the solution. In the spiritual world I find this not to be the case. Some of my spiritual problems seem to be in the form of a test. If I walk away from them I find myself being tested all over again. Only when the test is passed am I able to help others when they have to take the test. We all need spiritual mentors to tutor us for the tests that will be given to us. The question I have today is where is the line between the natural and the spiritual? Thanks for letting me share, I am so grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself………………..JRE
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A man who persists in prayer finds himself I possession of great gifts. When he has to deal with hard circumstances, he finds he can face them. He can accept himself and the world around him.
He can do this because he now accepts a God who is ALL, and who loves all. When he says, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” he deeply and humbly means it. When in good meditation and thus freed from the clamors of the world, he knows that he is in God’s hands, that his own ultimate destiny is really secure, here and hereafter, come what may.
BILL W. AA Grapevine, June 1958

You can have what you say

Thought for the day: “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.” PROVERBS 21:13 NIV
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We have great power as believers if we use it. Jesus said, “You can have what you say,” (Mark 11:23). I believe we must speak of things that we wish to come to pass and apply our faith, which is the source of power. Words are of a spiritual essence, they are a part of the substance of time. Once they have been spoken they can not be retrieved. Words are more than just letters. They create images in the mind of the hearer. If I would speak the word “dog” and you heard the word, in your mind you would not see the letters of the word, but would see the image of a dog. The power that words have to create images, I believe is of a spiritual nature. That same power can cause an image to become real. The universe was spoke into being, and when we speak God’s words in faith we have the power of God behind them. I have applied this spiritual principle to my life and have found it works. I am very grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself……………….JRE
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A COMPLETE RESTORATION
And his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength. EPHESIANS 1:19 NIV
God loves to decorate. God has to decorate. Let him live long enough in a heart, and that heart will begin to change. Portraits of hurt will be replaced by landscapes of grace. Walls of anger will be demolished and shaky foundations restored. God can no more leave a life unchanged than a mother can leave her child’s tear untouched……..
This might explain some of the discomfort in your life. Remodeling of the heart is not always pleasant. We don’t object when the Carpenter adds a few shelves, but he’s been known to gut the entire west wing. He has such high aspirations for you. God envisions a complete restoration. He wont stop until he is finished……..He wants you to be just like Jesus.
MAX LUCADO…………Just Like Jesus
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It is when we try to make our will conform with god’s that we begin to use it rightly. To all of us, this was a most wonderful revelation. Our whole trouble had been the misuse of will power. We had tried to bombard our problems with it instead of attempting to bring it into agreement with God’s intention for us. To make this increasingly possible is the purpose of AA’s Twelve Steps.
BILL W. AA 12X12 page 40

the Alter

Thought for the day: “………That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.”
DORIS LESSING
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How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young, a place near your alter, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. PSALM 84:1-4 NIV

There is a small cabin where we have Bible study and prayer on Wednesday evenings. A barn swallow has built a nest above the porch light by the front door. The nest is secure and completely out of the weather, with a constant supply of insects from the nearby woods. “A place where she may have her young, a place near your alter,” to quote the psalmist. We live in the time of grace and God’s alter is found in our hearts. It took me a while to understand this, I thought that in order to go to the alter a person had to go up front at church and have the preacher or someone else pray with you. Today I know that wherever I am the alter of God is very near. I kneel down in my heart and God meets me there. It’s between me and God anyway, and nobody else……Thanks for letting me share…………………..JRE
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God’s Spirit is all about you all day long. You have no thoughts, no plans, no impulses, no emotions, that He does not know about. You can hide nothing from Him. Do not make you conduct conform only to that of the world and do not depend on the approval or disapproval of others. God sees in secret, but He rewards openly. If you are in harmony with the Divine Spirit, doing your best to live the way you believe God wants you to live, you will be at peace.
HAZELDEN…………Twenty-Four Hours A Day

Living in a cardboard box

Thought for the day: “Friendship either finds or makes equals.”
PUBLILIUS SYRUS
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SEED OF FAITH
“For verily I say unto you, if ye have as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
Matthew 17:20
Someone once said that the reason I can live like I do is because I have special faith. But, you know, that’s just not true. I don’t have special faith. God has given me the same measure of faith He’s given to you and every other believer. The only reason my faith looks like it works better is because I use it!
If you’ve been living in the shadow of a mountain, waiting for God to give you some kind of special faith, make a change today. Step out and put the measure of faith you have to work moving the spiritual, physical, mental, or financial obstacles Satan has brought against you.
Romans 12:3 says God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. Believe Him! Step out in faith about that faith! Say, “Heavenly Father, I thank You that through faith in Jesus Christ, You have shared Your nature and Your Spirit with me. I am grateful for the measure of faith imparted to me as a believer.
“I make the decision today to walk in that faith. To put it to work on the situations around me. I commit myself to operate in mountain-moving faith, for I know that it is impossible to please You without it (Heb. 11:6).
“As I plant this faith and water it with Your Word (Rom. 10:17), I expect it to grow and overcome the mountains in my life and in the lives of those for whom I intercede.
“Thank You, Father, that as I do this nothing shall be impossible to me! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
KENNETH COPELAND
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As I look back over my years I can’t think of many desires that I’ve had that were not supplied. I truly believe that if you have a desire for something and it is good and true, and you apply your faith it will come to pass. I had a desire to be sober, and had faith that I could live that way. By the grace of God and taking one day at a time it has come to pass. I had a desire to have children when it was not a reality for this old man. When I was a year and a half sober a daughter and grandson I never knew I had came into my life. When I was drunk and homeless and living in a cardboard box in Springfield Mo., I did have a desire to own property and have a home. At that time it seemed impossible, but by the grace of God and taking life one day at a time it has come to pass. Along with my faith I had to learn to get my priorities in order. I found I could not put old selfish Jerry upfront and have anything good come to pass. I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. To God be all the glory. Thanks for letting me share……………………..JRE

Watch and see

Thought for the day: “It makes a great difference in the force of a sentence whether a man be behind it or no.” RALPH WALDO EMERSON
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The earth is like one big house and yard that we all live in. Some tend the vegetable garden, some the animals, some the flowers, some repair the house, some greet at the door, some care for those who need help, some are in touch with the owner and keep us informed, and some don’t do anything. We are all part of the estate and should do our share. What a beautiful home we have been given. The owner is here is Spirit and will return someday to claim all He has paid so dearly for. Don’t be surprised because we have been given plenty of notice. Watch and see……..JRE

“NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THAT DAY OR HOUR, NOT EVEN THE ANGLES IN HEAVEN, NOR THE SON, BUT ONLY THE FATHER. BE ON GUARD! BE ALERT! YOU DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE TIME WILL COME. IT IS LIKE A MAN GOING AWAY: HE LEAVES THE HOUSE AND PUTS HIS SERVANTS IN CHARGE, EACH WITH HIS ASSIGNED TASK, AND TELLS THE ONE AT THE DOOR TO KEEP WATCH.
THEREFORE KEEP WATCH BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE WILL COME BACK, WHETHER IN THE EVENING, OR AT MIDNIGHT, OR WHEN THE ROOSTER CROWS, OR AT DAWN. IF HE COMES SUDDENLY, DO NOT LET HIM FIND YOU SLEEPING. WHAT I SAY TO YOU I SAY TO EVERYONE: ‘WATCH!’”
Words of Jesus John 13:32-37 NIV
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A CHOSEN PEOPLE
You are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. 1 PETER 2:9
Do you ever feel unnoticed? New styles may help for a while. But if you want permanent change, learn to see yourself as God sees you: “He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).
Does your self esteem ever sag? When it does, remember what you are worth. “You were brought, not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
The challenge is to remember that. To meditate on it. To focus on it. To allow his love to change the way you look at yourself.
MAX LUCADO…………..When Christ Comes
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“The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.” BILL W. AA 12X12 page 88

On the inside

Thought for the day: “Better shun the bait than struggle in the snare.”
JOHN DRYDEN
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Yesterday we had many storms pass through the area. Let us remember in prayer those who lost much, and the family of those who lost loved ones. We must trust God in these times for restoration and healing. Through our faith we will all meet again. What a glorious day that will be. It is well to have possessions and enjoy them. It is sad when we lose them. The older I get the more I realize that it is not about what I have on the outside that counts, but what I have on the inside. Serenity has no price tag. I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share……………………..JRE
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MORNING THOUGHTS
On awaking, let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity and from dishonest or self-seeking motives. Free of these, we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for God gave us brains to use. Our thought life will be on a higher plane when our thinking begins to be cleared of wrong motives.
If we have to determine which of two courses to take, we ask God for inspiration, and intuitive thought or decision. Then we relax and take it easy, and we are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.
We usually conclude our meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, asking especially for freedom from damaging self-will.
BILL W. ………Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 86, 87
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WE WAIT ON GOD
Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. ISAIAH 40:31
Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are exempt from tribulation and natural disaster. We live in a world infected with the disease of sin, and we share in its misery and pain.
But the Bible does teach that we can face trials with a power others do not have, the power of God. As we trust Him, God helps us endure and even discern His purposes in the midst of suffering. Christiana Tsai, the Christian daughter of a former governor in China, wrote, “Throughout my many years of illness (53), I have never dared to ask God why He allowed me to suffer so long, I only ask what He wants me to do.”
The eagle has the unique ability to lock its joints and soar effortlessly on an updraft, instead of flapping its wings. As we wait on God. He helps us use the winds of adversity to soar above our problems. As th4e Bible says, “Those who wait on the LORD……………shall mount up with wings like eagles.”
BILLY GRAHAM

Meditating

Thought for the day: “Life has taught me to think, but thinking has not taught me to live.” ALEKSANDR IVANOVICH HERZEN
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The words meditation and meditate are found in several places in the Old and New Testament. In our Western society we don’t seem to put a lot of importance on the act of meditation. Not so in the East. Our Holy Scriptures come from the East and are influenced by the traditions and cultures of the people found there. I’ve heard it said that prayer is communicating with God, and meditation is waiting for an answer. I feel that there is much more to meditation that just this simple act of waiting. From my personal experience, I am able to draw upon times when fear and doubt seemed to take over my mind. At these times I found that just meditating upon the name of Jesus brought peace and comfort like nothing else could. In my minds eye I picture the name of Jesus in large bold letters. I center my spirit and mind on the letters of the name of Jesus, and the power and the authority found only in the name of Jesus starts to work. I have found that fear and doubt cannot exist in the presence of Jesus, even the name alone has wonderful power……No Other Name But The Name Of Jesus……….thanks for letting me share……………JRE

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” PSALM 1:1-2 KJV
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OUT OF THE DARK
Self-searching is the means by which we bring new vision, action, and grace to bear upon the dark and negative side of our natures. With it comes the development of that kind of humility that makes it possible for us to receive God’s help. Yet it is only a step. We will want to go further. We will want the good that is in us all, even the worst of us, to flower and to grow. But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can grow in the dark. Meditation is our step out into the sun.
BILL W. AA 12X12 page 98
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UNLOAD YOUR DISTRESS
Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
I’ve been told that the French translation of this phrase, “Cast all your cares upon Him” is “Unload your distress upon God.” Have you ever seen a dump truck get rid of its load? The driver simply pushes a button our pulls on a lever and the heavy load is discharged at the prescribed spot. The truck would be of no use if it carried its burden forever.
We were never meant to be crushed under the weight of care. We can push the button of faith or pull the lever of trust, and our burden is discharged upon the shoulder of Him who said He would gladly bear it. Unload the anxieties of the present moment upon Him, for He cares for you. If He loved you enough to take away the burdens of your sins, can’t you trust Him to take away every lesser burden as well?
BILLY GRAHAM