Thought for the Day

Change my heart O God

Thought for the day: “If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man’s confidence.” PROVERBS 25:9 NIV
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“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, FOR THEY SHALL BE CALLED SON OF GOD.” Matthew 5:9 NIV

AA and NA Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Most people want peace in their lives, but many will never know the complete peace that is available to them, because they are not willing to be true peacemakers. We may want to put the past behind us, or at least sweep it under the rug, and get on with our lives. That is the “easy” way, the dysfunctional way of doing things.
We can have the courage and wisdom to be peacemakers because of God’s love working in and through us. First John 3:1 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” Not only do we have God’s love to guide us in our peacemaking; John 14:27 tells us that we have the promise of God’s own peace resting upon our lives, which frees us from fear.
With our hearts full of God’s love and peace, we can extend forgiveness and make appropriate amends where needed.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 6
I am reminded of the words of a popular praise and worship song. “Change my heart O God, make it ever true, change my heart O God, may I be like you.” If we have God’s love in our hearts, can we continue in life and not forgiving others? Can we love God and hate our brothers and sisters? God says we cannot. Change my heart O God may I be like you. Change my heart God, I’m having trouble doing it by myself and I need your help to do it right. I need a road sign on the shoulder of the road I am traveling. It should say, “Easy does it, work in progress.” I am truly grateful for the changes that have been made in my life that I could not make myself……………………..JRE
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THE VERDICT
Jesus said [to her], “I also don’t judge you guilty. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.” JOHN 8:11
If you have ever wondered how God reacts when you fail, frame the words [of that verse] and hang them on the wall. Read them, ponder them…………
Or better still, take him with you to your canyon of shame. Invite Christ to journey with you….to stand beside you as you retell the events of the darkest nights of your soul.
And then listen. Listen carefully. He’s speaking……..”I don’t judge you guilty.”
And watch. Watch carefully. He’s writing. He’s leaving a message. Not in the sand, but on a cross. Not with his hand, but with blood. His message has two words: Not guilty.
MAX LUCADO………..He Still Moves Stones

Keep it simple

Thought for the day: “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
PSALM 8:16 NIV
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But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished, he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
ROMANS 3:21-26 NIV
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Righteousness, justified, redemption, atonement, I did not understand these words for a long time. Even after I had accepted Jesus as my Savior and friend, I still did not have the full meaning of these words as applied to the finished work of the cross and God’s plan for my life. I can sum them up by saying that God has done for me what I could not do for myself.
Righteousness: right standing with the Father
Justified: was guilty but had it changed to not guilty.
Redemption: going and getting something that is already paid for.
Atonement: paying the full price for something (paid in full).
These are my own definitions and how I use these words in my life, I am learning to “Keep it simple” so I can use them on an everyday basis. Thanks for letting me share today…………………..JRE
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THE BUILDING OF CHARACTER
Since most of us are born with an abundance of natural desires, it isn’t strange that we often let these far exceed their intended purpose. When they drive us blindly, or we willfully demand that they supply us with more satisfactions or pleasures than are possible or due us, that is the point at which we depart from the degree of perfection that God wishes for us here on earth. That is the measure of our character defects, or if you wish, of our sins.
I we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. That is something we are supposed to be willing to work toward ourselves. He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character.
BILL W. A.A.12X12 page 65
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To sum it up, the grand total, the bottom line……I find the word GRACE. Unmerited favor, may I be grateful…………JRE

Life giving principles

Thought for the day: “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” PSALM 141:3 NIV
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Paul writing to the Ephesians asks them to be involved is their daily chores and encounters with the same divine enthusiasm that called them to salvation. We all have a call and a divine tug on our lives toward the Father. The older I get the more aware I become of the pull. I praise God that over the last four years, nine months and thirteen days the pull of the Father has directed my life away from some self-centered behavior that might have caused a life of pain and misery. My life is not perfect, but when I apply the faith that I have been given it becomes manageable. I am grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……..JRE

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” EPHESIANS 4:1-6 NIV
Called to hope……think about it!!…………….JRE
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“Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.
The remedy? Well, lets have a hard look at ourselves, and still a harder one at A.A.’s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we see how many of our fellow A.A.’s have used the Steps to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired to try these life giving principles for ourselves.”
BILL W. a letter dated 1966
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In case you are wondering what these “life giving principles” are, I will list them. Each one relates to one of the steps: (1)Honesty (2) Hope (3) Faith (4) Courage (5) Integrity (6) Willingness (7) Humility (8) Brotherly Love (9) Justice (10) Perserverance (11) Spiritual Awareness (12) Service. Thanks for letting me share………………..JRE

Amends

Thought for the day: “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.” ERIC HOFFER
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1 CORINTHINIANS 13:1-3 NKJV
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”
A.A. Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
In the first two verses of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells the worldly wise Corinthians that no matter how talented, smart, and determined they are, if they do not have real love, God’s kind of love for others (and themselves), they are nothing. This message is relevant for our society as well.
Then in verse 3 we find that Paul addresses the issue of codependency long before twentieth- century psychiatrists had given it a name. He identifies the personality type that sacrifices itself completely and unsparingly for others and yet has misplaced motivation and focus for those seemingly altruistic deeds.
In step 8, as we work to replace the codependent feelings we have had about others and ourselves with feeling of true love and compassion, each verse of this powerful chapter can speak to us and move us toward the willing heart God wants us to have.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE
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How many of us have ever made a list of people we have harmed? For us in the programs of AA and NA we are familiar with this list. But before I came to the program I had no desire or need to make a list as such. And so I struggled with life because of the wrong I had done to others. Some people I had to avoid and others, when I ran across them I would have to make excuses. Step 8 and 9 (making amends), have set me free from the bondage that others had on my life. I still have some amends to make and when and where possible I will do so. Today I try and live life one day at a time and when wrong promptly admit it (step 10). These steps clear up the areas of my life where I used others. How grateful I am that I am learning to take out the trash……………………JRE
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When fear persisted, we knew it for what it was and we became able to handle it. We began to see each adversity as a God-given opportunity to develop the kind of courage which is born of humility, rather than bravado.
A.A. Grapevine, January 1962

Nip it in the bud

Thought for the day: “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” What child of God was ever permitted to fall lower than God’s “underneath”?
H. GILL
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Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy, without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble.
HEBREWS 12:12-15 NIV
This Scripture really speaks to me this morning. I had to make a phone call and fix something that was wrong. I refuse to let a bitter root to spring up. It is so much easier to pull weeds when they are young and the ground is still moist. When they are still young you can pull the out the weed, root and all. If you wait until the roots have been well watered and the top is mature they will not pull, they have to be cut which leaves the roots to grow again. The Grace of God is the tool that is used to pull out the roots and all. The grace of God is forgiveness. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble” (vs. 15). I recall Barney Fife, “nip it, nip it in the bud.” ……………….JRE
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Every time a person imposes his instincts unreasonably upon others, unhappiness follows. If the pursuit of wealth tramples upon people who happen to be in the way, then anger, jealousy, and revenge are likely to be aroused. If sex runs riot, there is a similar uproar.
Demands made upon other people for too much attention, protection, and love can invite only domination or revulsion in the protectors themselves, two emotions quite as unhealthy as the demands which evoked them. When an individual’s desire for prestige becomes uncontrollable, whether in the sewing circle or at the international conference table, other people suffer and often revolt. This collision of instincts can produce anything from a cold snub to a blazing revolution.
BILL W. A.A. 12X12 page 44
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God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share…………………..JRE

Prayer of Jabez

Thought for the day: “Open your ears to God before you open your mouth to others.” OUR DAILY BREAD 6-18-03
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It’s all right to pray for yourself. Most of the time, I try and make intersession for others knowing, that God knows my needs before I ever know them myself. But I am learning to pray for myself and this is all right. It is not selfish. I am learning it from the Word of God. Last year for my birthday, my daughter and family gave me a ceramic stone with the Prayer of Jabez inscribed on it. About two months ago a friend gave me a small book on the Prayer of Jabez. Today in my daily reading I came across the man Jabez in 1 Chronicles. I am getting the concept that it’s all right to pray for yourself, in my spirit. The Word has been sown in my spirit and is taking root. I would like to share with you the preface from the book The Prayer of Jabez, by Dr. Bruce H. Wilkinson………JRE
“I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief, only one sentence with four parts, and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God.
This petition has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power. In fact, thousands of believers who are applying its truths are seeing miracles happen on a regular basis.”
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PRAYER OF JABEZ
Now Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain,” and God granted his request.
1 Chronicles 4:10
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Five requests of Jabez:
1. Bless me indeed.
2. Enlarge my territory.
3. Let your hand be with me.
4. Keep me from evil.
5. Keep me from pain.
These 5 requests are the most general ones Jehovah hears from the average man. God heard Jabez and we have all the right in the world to believe that He will also hear all others who pray likewise from the heart, for He is no respecter of persons (Rom. 2:11).
THE DAKE BIBLE
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That’s all we know about Jabez, he was of the tribe of Judah, the same as David and Jesus, his prayer, and the fact that his request was granted. I think the Dake bible hit upon the key, “likewise pray from the heart.” I am thankful for this simple prayer and the depths it reaches. It’s all right to pray for yourself. I am grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………...JRE

Papa's Shop

Thought for the day: “The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.”
OLIVER WENDELL HOMES
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Words of Jesus taken from Matthew 6:19-21 NIV.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”
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The other day I decided to work in my grandfathers shop and do a little straightening up. It had been neglected for twenty years and it was almost impossible to get past the door. The groundhogs and mice had taken over and arranged everything to their liking. My grandfather never threw anything away, and some of the things I found had been there for sixty or seventy years. The condition of the things saved over the years was not the same as when it was first put aside for a later use. I still use many parts and tools that are found there. If you need a part and have the time to look for it, it can be found in that shop. I have many memories of that shop as a child, and will save all that is in there. But when my grandson gets around to cleaning it out there will be still more damage due to time. Everything changes with time except Father God, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The only thing we take with us is what we have done for others. These are our treasures in heaven. I take a look at my heart today and see the need for understand and love of others. Today I choose “treasures in heaven.” Thanks for letting me share………………………….JRE
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“We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.” AA Big Book page 84

Back to the get go

Thought for the day: “To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult of all.” GOETHE
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PATIENCE AND PERFECTION
The testing of your faith produces patience. JAMES 1:3
Patience isn’t easy for most of us. If a plane is delayed a few minutes or something doesn’t happen exactly when or how we expected it to, we get impatient and frustrated. I have heard of people who quit going to church because the preacher didn’t stop exactly on time! James said, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:7-8 NIV).
Patience is not simply “teeth-clenched” endurance. It is an attitude of expectation. The farmer patiently watches his barren ground because he knows there will be results. He has patience in his labors because there will be products of his labor.
So it is in the spiritual realm. God knows the final product of what is happening to us, and He would have us link patience to our faith. Ask God for the gift of patience, and then use it.
BILLY GRAHAM
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In the AA program we have a saying that, “you can start your day over anytime you want.” What a blessing it is to use this simple tool. There are many times when I have to slam on the brakes and say, “this aint right,” and go back to the “get go” and start over. I am still learning to work step ten on a daily basis (when wrong promptly admit it). When I carry out the trash as I get it, it doesn’t build up and stink too bad. The more I admit that I’m wrong when wrong, the easier it is to apologize, and recognize when in the wrong. I am thankful for the simple kit of tools that have been laid at my feet by the program………………JRE
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In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New York member. In an obituary notice from a local paper, there appeared these words: “God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Never had we seen so much A.A. is so few words. With amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.
A.A. Comes Of Age, page 196
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Thanks for sharing with me, I’m grateful for what God has done for me that I could not do for myself………………..JRE

"Well" water

Thought for the day: “A man may dwell so long upon a thought that it may take him prisoner.” George Savile, Marquis of Halifax
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Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14 NKJV
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AA Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

For most of us, life has been a thirsty experience. We have thirsted for love, security, self-worth, and peace. Many of us have tried to quench that thirst through excessive control, addictions, and other inappropriate behavior patterns. But finally we have come to know the One who can satisfy the deepest thirst of every human spirit. We have put our trust in Jesus Christ who gives to us as He did to the woman at the well, the fountain of water springing into everlasting life.
How do we participate in the joy and peace of everlasting life right now? The Lord speaking through Paul in Ephesians 5:26 connects water with the Word of God. Just as water is essential to our physical lives for quenching our thirst and cleansing us , so the Word of God satisfies and purifies our spiritual lives. Through it, we come to a better knowledge of God and His will for us, and our relationship with Him is nourished and enriched.
NELSON SERENITY BIBLE page 133
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This morning I go watch a friend graduate from rehab. From my experience I can relate to the blessing and victory that comes through surrender. How awesome is the strength that we get when we realize that we can’t do it alone and become humble enough to ask for help. We are given enough strength to reach out and help another. I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself……….JRE

Seed time and harvest, blackberry jam

Thought for the day: “Be kind to yourself.”
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Each moment of your day which you devote to this new way of life is a gift to God. The gift of the moments. Even when your desire to serve God is sincere, it is not an easy thing to give Him many of these moments: the daily things you had planned to do, given up gladly so that you can perform a good service or say a kind word. If you can see God’s purpose in many situations, it will be easier to give Him many moments of your day. Every situation has two interpretations, your own and God’s. Try to handle each situation in the way you believe God would have it handled.
HAZELDEN…………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day
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NO SUCCESS WITHOUT WISDOM
Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. ECCLESIASTES 10:10
I don’t know of a hotter subject today than success. Magazine articles, books, seminars, and sermons promote it. But success is seldom linked with wisdom. Chances are good that if we would pick up last Sunday’s paper and read it through, we’d come across twenty or more references to success, yet find nothing added regarding wisdom. In today’s hype about success, wisdom is conspicuous by its absence. Outside of biblical literature and biblically based books, we hardly even come across the word…………
[Wisdom] may not give us great popularity and wealth and it may not mean that we will be the most respected in our field or that we will have the most significant voice in the company, but ultimately, as God gauges it, we will be successful.
CHARLES SWINDOLL…………..Living on the Ragged Edge
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What a great spring this has been in the Ozarks of Missouri. The evenings have been cool, the days mild, and it has rained often and not too much. Other than a couple of days of severe storms, this has been an ideal spring. The wild flowers are bright and beautiful and the blackberries are many. Sometime in the next month there will be fresh blackberry jam and toast for breakfast.
What brought about my thoughts of spring were my thoughts about the last winter. More snow than I have seen in a long time, freezing temps, cloudy days for weeks at a time, and being confined to the house for several days in a row. What a difference a few months makes.
And so it is with life, there will be cold cloudy days and there will be bright sunny days. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22 KJV). What a promise that is………shall we sow seeds of love and faith in each other and watch for the harvest that is guaranteed to come………………………JRE

The Bread of Life

Thought for the day: “I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.” WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE
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In the 6th chapter of John, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, and says that He is the “bread of life.” He then goes on to speak of spiritual unity and feeding our Spirit with the Living Word of God. Jesus says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” (vs. 56-57) The disciples did not understand what He was talking about, they thought He meant the actual eating of flesh but He was speaking of feeding the Spirit……………..JRE
“THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE, THE FLESH COUNTS FOR NOTHING. THE WORDS I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU ARE SPIRIT AND THEY ARE LIFE.” John 6:63 NIV
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AA Step Two: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Addiction and codependency are often defined as an unhealthy reliance on the control of exterior things in order to fill interior needs. Scripture cautions against this manipulation of the material and physical realms, the flesh, as a means of satisfying our deepest spiritual and emotional hungers. The belief that these hungers can be addressed on a physical, material, or financial level alone is its own special form of insanity.
Step 2 promises that we shall be restored to sanity as we turn away from codependent engagement with the flesh and turn toward the revitalizing life source of the Spirit. Indeed, we shall experience nothing less than a rebirth.
Our recovery literature describes this rebirth and infilling of the Holy Spirit in the following way: “As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hearafter. We were reborn” (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 63)……………..Nelson, Serenity Bible
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May we continue to keep the eyes of our hearts open to the Spirit, and feed upon words and thoughts that bring sanity, health and life. Today I am especially grateful for what God has done for me that I could not do for myself……………………JRE

Image Worship

Thought for the day: “My dear brothers; take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
JAMES 1:19 NIV
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I have several pictures of Jesus hanging on my walls. I don’t worship them, and I don’t pay very much attention to them. Most were gifts and I am thankful. I even have one that shows Jesus with sandy brown hair and a reddish brown beard. All show Jesus with long hair. The reason for a Jew to have long hair was the Nazirite vow, Samson had taken this vow. Part of the vow also was not to drink wine. Jesus is associated with this vow because he came from the town of Nazareth. I have read no where in Scripture where Jesus took the vow. He also drank wine on many occasions. I have often wondered how we came about to have so many paintings and statues of Jesus. Today I read something in the Dake Bible which sheds some light on the subject. Share this with me………..JRE
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IMAGE WORSHIP IN CHRISTENDOM:
Regardless of many commands in both testaments against idolatry, the love of images and their worship are indulged in by millions today, even in so called Christian lands, and those who break God’s laws are destined to God’s wrath. Idolatry was God’s big problem with Israel. No Bible writer ever mentioned images in worship to God in the tabernacle or temple rituals, except when Israel was backslidden and served idol gods. Images are the work of man. Being mere imitations of creatures and made of dead material, it is folly to make them part of one’s worship.
IN THE CHURCH: THE FIRST Christians were not adverse to art, but they had no images of Christ. From 100-400 A.D. Christian leaders rebuked various ones for seeking to introduce images of Christ and saints into their worship. The 36th canon of the synod of Elvira prohibited images as a hindrance to the spiritual worship of God. Eusebius, father of church history, opposed them.
Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine all mentioned pictures made of apostles and Christ and the worship of images as beginning in their day. The use and adoration of images were popular in the East, being increased by pagan concept and customs in worship. The theory that images represent the invisible persons became very prominent in some circles. Images began to be used as sponsors and reverence began to be paid them. Opposition to image worship then became acute for some time, the conflict being between the emperors and many of the bishops. Emperors often condemned images as heresy and idolatry, and religious relics were destroyed and thrown into the sea. In 766 A.D. Constantine sought to impose an oath against image worship, but the Lateran synod sanctioned images in 769.
Tarasius, an advocate of images, was made patriarch of the East in 784; and in 787 the symbol of Nicca ascribed reverence to images and worship to God through them. The same decision was reached in the West at the synod of Frankfort, 794 A.D., and images were again sanctioned at Paris in 825. Emperors in the East continued their opposition, and advocates of images were exiled for sometime. Such worship was restored in the reign of Theodora (843). After 850 A.D. the cult of image worship in churches began to grow due to arguments for images and stories of miracles performed through them. Blessings were claimed for the images themselves and finally in 1188 it was declared that denial of images was a denial of God. In 1225 it was said that Christ was not Christ unless He was graven. Even Thomas Aquinas (1265) declared that an image of Christ claims the same veneration as Christ Himself. The 25th session of the council of Trent (1551-52) justified the worship of images. Thus, from the beginning until now the controversy has raged, and image worship has been accepted by many as authorized of God. The fact remains though, that the Bible is against all uses of images in worship.
THE DAKE BIBLE, pages 116-117
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I praise God because I am loved in spite of my faults. I am a work in progress, may I stay teachable. I am thankful for a God who does not reside only in paint, paper, wood or stone, but has taken up residence in my heart. I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself…………………….JRE

I wonder

Thought for the day: “He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” PROVERBS 21:21 NIV
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PRAYER IS PRIVATE DEVOTION
Pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. MATTHEW 6:6
Prayer is never something we do to be seen. It loses its whole purpose if it becomes a platform to impress others. It is a private act of devotion, not a public demonstration of piety. According to Jesus, it belongs in the closet of our lives, and act done in secret…….
Christ never saw a prayer as pleading or begging or hammering away at the throne of God. No, the Father knows His children, He knows what we need. Therefore, there is no reason to think that connecting with Him requires special words excessively repeated……….
Prayer was never intended to be a verbal marathon for only the initiated… no secret-code talk for the clergy or a public display of piety. None of that. Real prayer, the kind of prayer Jesus mentioned and modeled , is realistic, spontaneous, down-to-earth communication with the living Lord that results in a relief of personal anxiety and a clam assurance that our God is in full control of our circumstances.
CHARLES SWINDOLL………….Strengthening Your Grip
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This week has been a week of prayers. I sometimes wonder if I even pray the right way? I wonder if my prayers are heard? I wonder if I am praying for the right thing? I wonder, I wonder, I wonder……wonderment, that’s what it is. Wonderment doesn’t answer any questions for me, it just causes confusion. I am trying to learn not to let my mind wonder too much. I know that God hears my prayers and answers prayers that are according to His will. My prayers do not change God, but can change my attitude about something I am praying for. God knows our every need before we ever bow our knee and place it before Him. I have found that needs I have that I don’t pray for are still supplied, and I am grateful for a loving God. I am learning that when I put God first everything else lines up in a way that is most useful in my life. I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself……………………..JRE
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“I have become a pupil of the A.A. movement rather than the teacher I once thought I was.” BILL W. ….a letter dated 1949

All in all

Though for the day: “What appears at first to be boredom may be the harbinger of serenity.” Anonymous
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“But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. COLOSSIANS 3:8-12 NIV
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Christ is all, and in all. I am so thankful for this. I don’t have to go very far to find Jesus. All creation speaks of the Creator. I find Jesus in the lives of the people whom I call friends. I find Jesus in the pages of God’s Word. I find Jesus in prayer and answers to prayers. I find Jesus when I just sit and praise God for being in my life. Jesus is close and even closer when I hurt. All in all……………………………JRE
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I must prepare myself by doing each day what I can to develop spiritually and to help others to do so. God tests me and trains me and bends me to His will. If I am not properly trained, I cannot meet the test when it comes. I must want God’s will for me above all else. I must not expect to have what I am not prepared for. This preparation consists of quiet communion with God every day and gradually gaining the strength I need. HAZELDEN……..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
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True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the profound desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God. BILL W. AA12X12 pages 124-125
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I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share……………….JRE

Rocky

Thought for the day: “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things.” PROVERBS 23:31-33 NIV
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Today I turn to a passage from the prophet Micah. His name in its self means “who is like the Lord.” I take refuge in the assurance that I am forgiven through faith in the finished work of the cross and the blood of Jesus Christ…….JRE
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” MICAH 7:18,19 NIV
Today I remember Rocky, a young man who took his life Saturday. He was nineteen years old. I first met Rocky in 1995 when his mother and I started seeing each other and living together. We lived together off and on until the fall of 1997. He was an active youth who had many friends and enjoyed sports. I remember his first in-line skates, his first guitar, his first mountain bike, his graduation from high school. We went to church as a family for ten months during that time. I remember sharing Jesus Christ with Rocky. I used to say to Rocky that if he listened he could hear God’s calling on his life. The last couple of years when I would see Rocky about town, I would ask if he had heard his calling yet. I believe he would have been called into ministry and service for the Savior. I do not understand why this happened, I feel the loss of a friend. Please remember his family in prayer……………………………JRE
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EVERLASTING LOVE
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. JEREMIAH 31:3
Who can describe or measure the love of God? Our Bible is a revelation of the fact that God is love. When we preach justice, it is justice tempered with love. When we preach righteousness, it is righteousness founded on love. When we preach atonement for sin, it is atonement necessitated because of love, provided by love, finished by love.
When we preach the resurrection of Christ, we are preaching the miracle of love. When we preach the abiding presence of Christ, we are preaching the power of love. When we preach the return of Christ, we are preaching the fulfillment of love.
No matter what sin we have committed, no matter how black, dirty, shameful, or terrible it may be, God loves us. We may be at the very gate of hell itself, but God loves us with an everlasting love. The proof? Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, went to the cross for us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
BILLY GRAHAM
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I am grateful for what was done for me that I could not do for myself. Thanks for letting me share……………….JRE