Wednesday, February 16, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
I will be taking a week or so off from sending this page. All is well with me, but I am finding that I need more time for my personal devotional period and studies. I thank you for letting me share, this has been a great part of my recovery program from alcoholism and drug addiction. Hopefully my spiritual battery will spend some time hooked up to the Charger and receive a full charge. .............thank you.........God will do for me what I can not do for myself.......JRE
Here is a thought, share this with me:
"When we rely on organization, we get what organization can do. When we rely upon education, we get what education can do. When we rely on eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. But when we rely on the Holy Spirit, we get what God can do."
A.C. DIXON
recharging
I will be taking a week or so off from sending this page. All is well with me, but I am finding that I need more time for my personal devotional period and studies. I thank you for letting me share, this has been a great part of my recovery program from alcoholism and drug addiction. Hopefully my spiritual battery will spend some time hooked up to the Charger and receive a full charge. .............thank you.........God will do for me what I can not do for myself.......JRE
Here is a thought, share this with me:
"When we rely on organization, we get what organization can do. When we rely upon education, we get what education can do. When we rely on eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. But when we rely on the Holy Spirit, we get what God can do."
A.C. DIXON
Monday, February 14, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day, share this with me…………JRE
THE RESURRECTION
By Jonathan Brooks
His friends went off and left Him dead
In Joseph’s subterranean bed,
Embalmed with myrrh and sweet aloes,
And wrapped in snow-white burial clothes.
Then shrewd men came and set a seal
Upon His grave, lest thieves should steal
His lifeless form away, and claim
For Him an undeserving fame.
“There is no use,” the soldiers said,
“Of standing sentries by the dead.”
Wherefore, they drew their cloaks around
Themselves, and fell upon the ground,
And slept like dead men, all night through,
In the pale moonlight and chilling dew.
A muffled whiff of sudden breath
Ruffled the passive air of death.
He woke, and raised Himself in bed;
Recalled how He was crucified;
Touched both hands’ fingers to His head,
And lightly felt His fresh-healed side.
Then with a deep, triumphant sigh,
He coolly put His grave clothes by
Folded the sweet, white winding sheet,
The toweling, the lined bands,
The napkin, all with careful hands
And left the borrowed chamber neat.
His steps were like the breaking day;
So soft across the watch He stole,
He did not wake a single soul,
Nor spill one dewdrop by the way.
Now Calvary was loveliness;
Lilies that flowered thereupon
Pulled off the white moon’s pallid dress,
And put the morning’s vestures on.
“Why seek the living among the dead?
He is not here,” the angel said.
The early winds took up the words,
And bore them to the lilting birds,
The leafing trees, and everything
That breathed the living breath of spring.
*****************************************************
This great love demonstrated by God has given us the freedom to love in return. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, thanks for letting me share. God has done for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
No greater love
Thought for the day, share this with me…………JRE
THE RESURRECTION
By Jonathan Brooks
His friends went off and left Him dead
In Joseph’s subterranean bed,
Embalmed with myrrh and sweet aloes,
And wrapped in snow-white burial clothes.
Then shrewd men came and set a seal
Upon His grave, lest thieves should steal
His lifeless form away, and claim
For Him an undeserving fame.
“There is no use,” the soldiers said,
“Of standing sentries by the dead.”
Wherefore, they drew their cloaks around
Themselves, and fell upon the ground,
And slept like dead men, all night through,
In the pale moonlight and chilling dew.
A muffled whiff of sudden breath
Ruffled the passive air of death.
He woke, and raised Himself in bed;
Recalled how He was crucified;
Touched both hands’ fingers to His head,
And lightly felt His fresh-healed side.
Then with a deep, triumphant sigh,
He coolly put His grave clothes by
Folded the sweet, white winding sheet,
The toweling, the lined bands,
The napkin, all with careful hands
And left the borrowed chamber neat.
His steps were like the breaking day;
So soft across the watch He stole,
He did not wake a single soul,
Nor spill one dewdrop by the way.
Now Calvary was loveliness;
Lilies that flowered thereupon
Pulled off the white moon’s pallid dress,
And put the morning’s vestures on.
“Why seek the living among the dead?
He is not here,” the angel said.
The early winds took up the words,
And bore them to the lilting birds,
The leafing trees, and everything
That breathed the living breath of spring.
*****************************************************
This great love demonstrated by God has given us the freedom to love in return. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, thanks for letting me share. God has done for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
Friday, February 11, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain your are given and the pain you are giving back; in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.” FREDERICK BEUCHNER
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy man be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” JOHN 15:10-12 NASB
This morning I had a love feast in reading the fifteenth through seventeenth chapters of the Book of John. And then in looking for a thought to use to start this small page I came across the one by Beuchner about anger. The scales of reality got balanced out in the process. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone went around loving each other, thinking of others first, and in general just doing good for each other. But that’s just not the way it is. It seems that we can’t get away from experiencing some form of anger every now and then, and the worst kind of anger is when it comes from within ourselves. Ever since I became involved in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous I have come to the conclusion that anger is a luxury that some may be able to enjoy, but for us alcoholics it could mean a trip back into active addiction and the end result is death. I can’t afford anger in my life, and I find it impossible not to have some anger from time to time, so what do I do? First of all I am learning to fix the problem as soon as possible. If I get angry for more than ten minutes, I better start looking inside and find a way to resolve the anger. Regardless of the wrong that has been done to me, forgiveness will resolve the anger. It is only when I enjoy the anger and want to hold on to some resentment that I cross over into the danger zone of anger. I am learning to use the tools that Jesus gave us, which are the one’s He used Himself, love and forgiveness. May I continue to learn. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.”
MARK 11:25 NASB
********************
“If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but fro alcoholics these things are poison.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 66
“……..harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit.” BILL W.
anger + D = Danger
Thought for the day: “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain your are given and the pain you are giving back; in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.” FREDERICK BEUCHNER
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy man be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” JOHN 15:10-12 NASB
This morning I had a love feast in reading the fifteenth through seventeenth chapters of the Book of John. And then in looking for a thought to use to start this small page I came across the one by Beuchner about anger. The scales of reality got balanced out in the process. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone went around loving each other, thinking of others first, and in general just doing good for each other. But that’s just not the way it is. It seems that we can’t get away from experiencing some form of anger every now and then, and the worst kind of anger is when it comes from within ourselves. Ever since I became involved in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous I have come to the conclusion that anger is a luxury that some may be able to enjoy, but for us alcoholics it could mean a trip back into active addiction and the end result is death. I can’t afford anger in my life, and I find it impossible not to have some anger from time to time, so what do I do? First of all I am learning to fix the problem as soon as possible. If I get angry for more than ten minutes, I better start looking inside and find a way to resolve the anger. Regardless of the wrong that has been done to me, forgiveness will resolve the anger. It is only when I enjoy the anger and want to hold on to some resentment that I cross over into the danger zone of anger. I am learning to use the tools that Jesus gave us, which are the one’s He used Himself, love and forgiveness. May I continue to learn. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.”
MARK 11:25 NASB
********************
“If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but fro alcoholics these things are poison.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 66
“……..harboring resentment is infinitely grave. For then we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the spirit.” BILL W.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire.”
Corrie ten Boom
“Your are forgiving and good, O LORD, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.” PSALM 86:5-7 NIV
David knew how to call on the Lord, he knew how to pray and use prayer. Many of the Psalms that David wrote are prayers. I see David as using prayer as a steering wheel and also as a spare tire. As I heard in my study group last night, “at times, you can’t help from picking up a nail and getting a flat tire, so we need to have a spare tire.” We need both, prayer in steering our lives and guiding us, and also prayer for the unexpected situations in life. This morning I just finished reading the Book of Deuteronomy and was reminded once again how Moses knew God face to face, and spoke to Him face to face. I have not experienced this and must communicate with God through prayer, as I am sure that many others must do the same. I get much assurance from the Scriptures by hearing that God does hear us and will answer us. Not only that, but I can look back in my life to many times when God answered my prayers and get assurance again that God hears. My prayers don’t all get answered the way I want, but I am learning to change myself and my attitude to be able to accept the way God has applied His will to my life. I do know that as I pray each morning I develop spiritual renewing which gives me strength for the day ahead of me. I am grateful for a loving God that extends mercy that is renewed each day. I am so grateful that God is forgiving and good. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
“Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” DEUTERONOMY 34:9-10 NASB
********************
Chuck Swindoll from his book “Moses, A man of selfless dedication.” Share this with me……..JRE
“I want to live my life so eternally committed to my Savior and so available and free to Him that all it takes is a whisper from heaven, and I’m obeying. I want that for my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. I want that for us as a people of God.
“Let me return to the question we started with: If you could put yourself into the skin of any Bible character, which one would it be? In these closing lines, I urge you to put yourself in the skin of Moses. Consider what he gave up and what he received in return. There was no monument to this man of selfless dedication. No towering sphinx. No imposing pyramid. Egypt was more than willing to forget that such a man ever existed. He was buried on some lonely peak on the barren slopes of Mount Pisgah, without so much as a single flower on his grave.
“He willingly traded the earthly monuments and acclaim, the perks, the power, and the pleasure for a reward in an invisible realm. He cashed it all in, every shekel of it, for a relationship with the living God.
“It was the best trade anyone would have made. What he lost, he couldn’t have kept anyway, and what he gained, he could never lose.
“Moses couldn’t do any better than that.
“Neither can we.”
********************
“Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask.” BILLY GRAHAM
Face to face
Thought for the day: “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire.”
Corrie ten Boom
“Your are forgiving and good, O LORD, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.” PSALM 86:5-7 NIV
David knew how to call on the Lord, he knew how to pray and use prayer. Many of the Psalms that David wrote are prayers. I see David as using prayer as a steering wheel and also as a spare tire. As I heard in my study group last night, “at times, you can’t help from picking up a nail and getting a flat tire, so we need to have a spare tire.” We need both, prayer in steering our lives and guiding us, and also prayer for the unexpected situations in life. This morning I just finished reading the Book of Deuteronomy and was reminded once again how Moses knew God face to face, and spoke to Him face to face. I have not experienced this and must communicate with God through prayer, as I am sure that many others must do the same. I get much assurance from the Scriptures by hearing that God does hear us and will answer us. Not only that, but I can look back in my life to many times when God answered my prayers and get assurance again that God hears. My prayers don’t all get answered the way I want, but I am learning to change myself and my attitude to be able to accept the way God has applied His will to my life. I do know that as I pray each morning I develop spiritual renewing which gives me strength for the day ahead of me. I am grateful for a loving God that extends mercy that is renewed each day. I am so grateful that God is forgiving and good. God does for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
“Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” DEUTERONOMY 34:9-10 NASB
********************
Chuck Swindoll from his book “Moses, A man of selfless dedication.” Share this with me……..JRE
“I want to live my life so eternally committed to my Savior and so available and free to Him that all it takes is a whisper from heaven, and I’m obeying. I want that for my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. I want that for us as a people of God.
“Let me return to the question we started with: If you could put yourself into the skin of any Bible character, which one would it be? In these closing lines, I urge you to put yourself in the skin of Moses. Consider what he gave up and what he received in return. There was no monument to this man of selfless dedication. No towering sphinx. No imposing pyramid. Egypt was more than willing to forget that such a man ever existed. He was buried on some lonely peak on the barren slopes of Mount Pisgah, without so much as a single flower on his grave.
“He willingly traded the earthly monuments and acclaim, the perks, the power, and the pleasure for a reward in an invisible realm. He cashed it all in, every shekel of it, for a relationship with the living God.
“It was the best trade anyone would have made. What he lost, he couldn’t have kept anyway, and what he gained, he could never lose.
“Moses couldn’t do any better than that.
“Neither can we.”
********************
“Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask.” BILLY GRAHAM
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so. If you find yourself so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.” George MacDonald
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 NASB
The love of Christ surpasses knowledge. That means that you can’t understand all of the love that Jesus has for us with the mind. My mind kept me from accepting Jesus for many years because I tried to have a complete understanding of this great act of love that the Father did for us, by sending His Son to die for me. There was no way I could understand it with my mind. It had to go from my mind to my heart to my spirit. This love that God bestowed upon all people lives in my inner man. As it moves from my spirit to my heart where my emotions live, and on to my mind, I find that I try and express this love in words, and have a difficult time. That is because it surpasses knowledge. It is so difficult to try and explain the love of God to someone who has not experienced it. But let another person who has the love of God in their spirit share with me, and I find a common understanding, a spirit to spirit communication going on. We can speak with a common understand and share knowledge. Since I have trouble explaining this great love that I experienced, I find that God has given me a comprehension of His spiritual nature and this lives within me. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……..JRE
********************
GOD’S LOVE
God’s love is:
Boundless (breadth, v 18)
Endless (length, v 18)
Fathomless, exhaustless (depth, v 18)
Measureless (height, v 18)
All that is included in the breadth, length, depth, and height is submerged in the immensity of the love of God which comprehends all that is above, below, and past, present, and future. It encompasses the universe, and time and eternity. It reaches to the depth of sin and infamy, to the height of the infinite divinity. It passes all knowledge and wisdom. God’s gift to man is the measure of His love (Jn. 3:16); the death of Christ is the measure of His love (Rom. 5:5-10); and the condescension of the Holy Spirit to transform men and work in their lives it the measure of the love of the Spirit to man (Jn. 16:7-15).
THE DAKE BIBLE
********************
“Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord, a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity, sense, and knowledge, sot that I may carry out your holy and true command.” FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Spirit to spirit communication
Thought for the day: “No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so. If you find yourself so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.” George MacDonald
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 NASB
The love of Christ surpasses knowledge. That means that you can’t understand all of the love that Jesus has for us with the mind. My mind kept me from accepting Jesus for many years because I tried to have a complete understanding of this great act of love that the Father did for us, by sending His Son to die for me. There was no way I could understand it with my mind. It had to go from my mind to my heart to my spirit. This love that God bestowed upon all people lives in my inner man. As it moves from my spirit to my heart where my emotions live, and on to my mind, I find that I try and express this love in words, and have a difficult time. That is because it surpasses knowledge. It is so difficult to try and explain the love of God to someone who has not experienced it. But let another person who has the love of God in their spirit share with me, and I find a common understanding, a spirit to spirit communication going on. We can speak with a common understand and share knowledge. Since I have trouble explaining this great love that I experienced, I find that God has given me a comprehension of His spiritual nature and this lives within me. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……..JRE
********************
GOD’S LOVE
God’s love is:
Boundless (breadth, v 18)
Endless (length, v 18)
Fathomless, exhaustless (depth, v 18)
Measureless (height, v 18)
All that is included in the breadth, length, depth, and height is submerged in the immensity of the love of God which comprehends all that is above, below, and past, present, and future. It encompasses the universe, and time and eternity. It reaches to the depth of sin and infamy, to the height of the infinite divinity. It passes all knowledge and wisdom. God’s gift to man is the measure of His love (Jn. 3:16); the death of Christ is the measure of His love (Rom. 5:5-10); and the condescension of the Holy Spirit to transform men and work in their lives it the measure of the love of the Spirit to man (Jn. 16:7-15).
THE DAKE BIBLE
********************
“Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord, a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity, sense, and knowledge, sot that I may carry out your holy and true command.” FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Monday, February 07, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “In love everything is two, and everything strives to be one.”
OCTAVIO PAZ
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him. “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will make Our abode with him.”
John 14:22-23 NASB
Judas had a good question, how was Jesus going to disclose Himself to them and not to the world? This Scripture comes at the tail end of the conversation that took place at what we call the Last Supper. The disciples all had questions and were confused about the foretold death of Jesus and His resurrection. They were seeing everything through their natural eyes and were understanding only with the natural mind. The last meal that they shared together as a ministry team started out by Jesus washing their feet and stating that whoever would be first must be servant to all. He ended up the meal with a conversation on the receiving the Holy Spirit. I believe it was the spiritual nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that confused Judas. He at that time could not understand how if some could feel and experience God, why could not the rest of the world? It’s all about love and love that is brought around by faith. If you don’t love Jesus you can’t experience the Holy Spirit. Jesus went on to tell Judas and the disciples that the Father was going to send a Helper to help teach them and to help them understand all things. I on a personal level can relate to this Teacher and Helper, the Holy Spirit. Because of love, that God first loved me and I in turn love back, I have received help in understanding words that otherwise would seem confusing. Love is the fuel that makes it all work, and because of that I have a Helper. I am grateful I don’t have to try and understand it all by myself. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………………JRE
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
Words of Jesus……………. John 14:25-26 NASB
********************
You, my son,
Have shown me God.
Your kiss upon my cheek
Has made me feel the gentle touch of Him who leads us on.
The memory of your smile, when young,
Reveals His face,
As mellowing years come on apace.
And when you went before,
You left the gates of heaven ajar
That I might glimpse,
Approaching from afar,
The glories of His grace.
Hold, my son, my hand,
Guide me along the path,
That, coming,
I may stumble not,
Nor roam,
Nor fail to show the wayWhich leads us home. GRACE COOLIDGE
The Helper
Thought for the day: “In love everything is two, and everything strives to be one.”
OCTAVIO PAZ
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him. “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will make Our abode with him.”
John 14:22-23 NASB
Judas had a good question, how was Jesus going to disclose Himself to them and not to the world? This Scripture comes at the tail end of the conversation that took place at what we call the Last Supper. The disciples all had questions and were confused about the foretold death of Jesus and His resurrection. They were seeing everything through their natural eyes and were understanding only with the natural mind. The last meal that they shared together as a ministry team started out by Jesus washing their feet and stating that whoever would be first must be servant to all. He ended up the meal with a conversation on the receiving the Holy Spirit. I believe it was the spiritual nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that confused Judas. He at that time could not understand how if some could feel and experience God, why could not the rest of the world? It’s all about love and love that is brought around by faith. If you don’t love Jesus you can’t experience the Holy Spirit. Jesus went on to tell Judas and the disciples that the Father was going to send a Helper to help teach them and to help them understand all things. I on a personal level can relate to this Teacher and Helper, the Holy Spirit. Because of love, that God first loved me and I in turn love back, I have received help in understanding words that otherwise would seem confusing. Love is the fuel that makes it all work, and because of that I have a Helper. I am grateful I don’t have to try and understand it all by myself. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………………JRE
“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
Words of Jesus……………. John 14:25-26 NASB
********************
You, my son,
Have shown me God.
Your kiss upon my cheek
Has made me feel the gentle touch of Him who leads us on.
The memory of your smile, when young,
Reveals His face,
As mellowing years come on apace.
And when you went before,
You left the gates of heaven ajar
That I might glimpse,
Approaching from afar,
The glories of His grace.
Hold, my son, my hand,
Guide me along the path,
That, coming,
I may stumble not,
Nor roam,
Nor fail to show the wayWhich leads us home. GRACE COOLIDGE
Friday, February 04, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. We all need the light of God’s reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace.” BILL W. A.A.’s 12X12 page 97
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Proverbs 11:2 NIV
What is the atmosphere of God’s grace? For me, the atmosphere that exists in the presence of my awareness of God’s grace, is one of peace, no strife, a sense of accomplishment without having to accomplish anything. It is a place that I come to by myself without myself. If I bring a big inflated ego into the atmosphere of God’s grace my light becomes the greater light. God has given me the wonderful gift of having my own free will, and allows me to bring whatever I want into the atmosphere of His grace, but it is only by surrendering of myself that I become victorious and His grace floods in. I must reach a point where because of God’s awesome love, I realize that I have nothing to offer but my empty self. At that point I become full. Not of ego, but of grace and the love of God. God does for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV
********************
IN THE WORLD, NOT OF IT
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world.” 1 John 2:15
If you want to stay clean, even when you’re walking alone in the dark, low-ceiling coal mine of the corrupt and secular culture, you need to remember a few practical things, four come to mind.
1. Pay close attention to what you look at………Our eyes seem to be the closest connection to our minds.
2. Give greater thought to the consequence of sin than to its pleasures…..Nobody ever mentions the ugly underside of pleasurable sins.
3. Begin each day by renewing your sense of reverence for God. Start each new day by talking to the Lord, even if that early morning talk has to be brief.
4. Periodically during each day focus fully on Christ…….Imagine Him as He is thinking about you, praying for you, standing with you, living in you….
Be in the world but not of it.
CHARLES SWINDOLL……………….. Hope Again
The atmosphere of His grace
Thought for the day: “As the body can fail its purpose for lack of nourishment, so can the soul. We all need the light of God’s reality, the nourishment of His strength, and the atmosphere of His grace.” BILL W. A.A.’s 12X12 page 97
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Proverbs 11:2 NIV
What is the atmosphere of God’s grace? For me, the atmosphere that exists in the presence of my awareness of God’s grace, is one of peace, no strife, a sense of accomplishment without having to accomplish anything. It is a place that I come to by myself without myself. If I bring a big inflated ego into the atmosphere of God’s grace my light becomes the greater light. God has given me the wonderful gift of having my own free will, and allows me to bring whatever I want into the atmosphere of His grace, but it is only by surrendering of myself that I become victorious and His grace floods in. I must reach a point where because of God’s awesome love, I realize that I have nothing to offer but my empty self. At that point I become full. Not of ego, but of grace and the love of God. God does for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV
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IN THE WORLD, NOT OF IT
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world.” 1 John 2:15
If you want to stay clean, even when you’re walking alone in the dark, low-ceiling coal mine of the corrupt and secular culture, you need to remember a few practical things, four come to mind.
1. Pay close attention to what you look at………Our eyes seem to be the closest connection to our minds.
2. Give greater thought to the consequence of sin than to its pleasures…..Nobody ever mentions the ugly underside of pleasurable sins.
3. Begin each day by renewing your sense of reverence for God. Start each new day by talking to the Lord, even if that early morning talk has to be brief.
4. Periodically during each day focus fully on Christ…….Imagine Him as He is thinking about you, praying for you, standing with you, living in you….
Be in the world but not of it.
CHARLES SWINDOLL……………….. Hope Again
Thursday, February 03, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “This only I have found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.” King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 7:29 NIV
This morning after having completed my devotional period of reading, I found myself in search of a thought upon which to start this small page. I looked in Job, Psalms, Song of Songs, and ended up in Ecclesiastes. This saying of Solomon reminds me of something we read at every AA meeting, “We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not.” God has given us the “easier softer way.” When we go in search of many schemes, we always come to a point where the soft path we took becomes a rocky road, or a “hard row to hoe.” God has given us many tools that we can use as we travel on our path of life. Some of these are: the witness of friends when they share their experiences; our own personal experiences that have taught us how to choose properly; the fellowship of other believers; and the written Word of God and prayer. When we lay down out tools and head a direction we think is easier, we find ourselves with nothing to dig the rocks out of our path with. I could not even think about putting in a garden this spring without the proper tools. Of most importance is my hoe. I use it for laying out my rows and digging the holes for the plants, and also for coming along later and digging out weeks and unwanted rocks. I might get a few blisters on my hands, but believe me it is the “easier softer way.” The results are in what is produced. May I always remember that the easier softer way requires some work and pain. Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
“If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We though we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 58
For me the key is to “let go absolutely” and follow Him…………….JRE
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“Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love Him as they love their cow, for the milk and cheese and profit it brings them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly love God, when they love Him for their own advantage. Indeed, I tell you the truth, any object you have in your mind, however good, will be a barrier between you and the inmost Truth.” Meister Eckhart
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“Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your pain? 1 Corinthians 15:55
The fire that lit the boiler of the New Testament church was an unquenchable belief that if Jesus had been only a man, he would have stayed in the tomb. The earliest Christians couldn’t stay silent about the fact that the one they saw hung on a cross walked again on the earth and appeared to five hundred people.
Let us ask our Father humbly, yet confidently in the name of Jesus, to remind us of the empty tomb. Let us see the victorious Jesus: the conqueror of the tomb, the one who defied death. And let us be reminded that we, too, will be granted that same victory!
MAX LUCADO………..Walking with the Savior
Easier softer way
Thought for the day: “This only I have found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.” King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 7:29 NIV
This morning after having completed my devotional period of reading, I found myself in search of a thought upon which to start this small page. I looked in Job, Psalms, Song of Songs, and ended up in Ecclesiastes. This saying of Solomon reminds me of something we read at every AA meeting, “We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not.” God has given us the “easier softer way.” When we go in search of many schemes, we always come to a point where the soft path we took becomes a rocky road, or a “hard row to hoe.” God has given us many tools that we can use as we travel on our path of life. Some of these are: the witness of friends when they share their experiences; our own personal experiences that have taught us how to choose properly; the fellowship of other believers; and the written Word of God and prayer. When we lay down out tools and head a direction we think is easier, we find ourselves with nothing to dig the rocks out of our path with. I could not even think about putting in a garden this spring without the proper tools. Of most importance is my hoe. I use it for laying out my rows and digging the holes for the plants, and also for coming along later and digging out weeks and unwanted rocks. I might get a few blisters on my hands, but believe me it is the “easier softer way.” The results are in what is produced. May I always remember that the easier softer way requires some work and pain. Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
“If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it, then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We though we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 58
For me the key is to “let go absolutely” and follow Him…………….JRE
********************
“Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love Him as they love their cow, for the milk and cheese and profit it brings them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly love God, when they love Him for their own advantage. Indeed, I tell you the truth, any object you have in your mind, however good, will be a barrier between you and the inmost Truth.” Meister Eckhart
********************
“Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your pain? 1 Corinthians 15:55
The fire that lit the boiler of the New Testament church was an unquenchable belief that if Jesus had been only a man, he would have stayed in the tomb. The earliest Christians couldn’t stay silent about the fact that the one they saw hung on a cross walked again on the earth and appeared to five hundred people.
Let us ask our Father humbly, yet confidently in the name of Jesus, to remind us of the empty tomb. Let us see the victorious Jesus: the conqueror of the tomb, the one who defied death. And let us be reminded that we, too, will be granted that same victory!
MAX LUCADO………..Walking with the Savior
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “If I could give you information on my life it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by God in strange and unaccustomed paths to do in His service what He has done I her. And how if I could tell you all, you would see how God has done all, and I nothing. I have worked hard, very hard, that is all; and I have never refused God anything.” FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 NKJV
I’ve got to “keep on keeping on.” There just ain’t no sittin’ still, if you’re sittin’ still, you’re backing up. The apostle Paul realized this, after all he had done in preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, and after the many churches he had help start on the European continent, he still realized that he had not reached a point where he could stop working. The example Paul sets is one of “reaching forward” to things ahead, and “pressing toward” the goal, the prize of the upward call. What is the upward call of God? It is a calling of love. It is a calling of sharing freely what we have received. Love has been given to us as a sack of seed. If we stop sowing, our seed will just sit and rot. The only way we can get our love to grow, is by sowing it into the lives of others. I got blessed this morning when I had an opportunity to take part in a chapel service at our local Christian School. How wonderful it is to share the love of God, and to see in return the many young smiling faces that reflect that love of God back into my heart. It cost me nothing but time, and what I received back cannot be counted in material terms. This morning I had a glimpse of the prize that Paul was talking about, I saw it in the faces of the children. Today, God did for me what I could not do for myself………..JRE
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“What could you want that forgiveness cannot give? Do you want peace? Forgiveness offers it. Do you want happiness, a quiet mind, certainty of purpose, and a sense of worth and beauty that transcends the world? Do you want care and safety, the warmth of sure protection always? Do you want quietness that cannot be disturbed, a gentleness that can never be hurt, a deep abiding comfort, and a rest so perfect it can never be upset?
“All this forgiveness offers you, and more. It sparkles in your eyes as you awake, and give you joy with which to meet the day. It soothes your forehead while you sleep, and rests upon your eyelids so you see no dreams of fear and evil, malice and attack. And when you wake again, it offers you another day of happiness and peace.”
GERALD JAMPOLSKY M.D.
The doctor says that forgiveness is good, forgiveness is peace flowing all directions. Thanks for letting me share today……………JRE
If you're sittin' still, you're backin' up!
Thought for the day: “If I could give you information on my life it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by God in strange and unaccustomed paths to do in His service what He has done I her. And how if I could tell you all, you would see how God has done all, and I nothing. I have worked hard, very hard, that is all; and I have never refused God anything.” FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 NKJV
I’ve got to “keep on keeping on.” There just ain’t no sittin’ still, if you’re sittin’ still, you’re backing up. The apostle Paul realized this, after all he had done in preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, and after the many churches he had help start on the European continent, he still realized that he had not reached a point where he could stop working. The example Paul sets is one of “reaching forward” to things ahead, and “pressing toward” the goal, the prize of the upward call. What is the upward call of God? It is a calling of love. It is a calling of sharing freely what we have received. Love has been given to us as a sack of seed. If we stop sowing, our seed will just sit and rot. The only way we can get our love to grow, is by sowing it into the lives of others. I got blessed this morning when I had an opportunity to take part in a chapel service at our local Christian School. How wonderful it is to share the love of God, and to see in return the many young smiling faces that reflect that love of God back into my heart. It cost me nothing but time, and what I received back cannot be counted in material terms. This morning I had a glimpse of the prize that Paul was talking about, I saw it in the faces of the children. Today, God did for me what I could not do for myself………..JRE
********************
“What could you want that forgiveness cannot give? Do you want peace? Forgiveness offers it. Do you want happiness, a quiet mind, certainty of purpose, and a sense of worth and beauty that transcends the world? Do you want care and safety, the warmth of sure protection always? Do you want quietness that cannot be disturbed, a gentleness that can never be hurt, a deep abiding comfort, and a rest so perfect it can never be upset?
“All this forgiveness offers you, and more. It sparkles in your eyes as you awake, and give you joy with which to meet the day. It soothes your forehead while you sleep, and rests upon your eyelids so you see no dreams of fear and evil, malice and attack. And when you wake again, it offers you another day of happiness and peace.”
GERALD JAMPOLSKY M.D.
The doctor says that forgiveness is good, forgiveness is peace flowing all directions. Thanks for letting me share today……………JRE
