Thursday, September 29, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “O Lord, who lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” COLOSSIANS 3:15 NASB
This morning my study takes me to the word “thankful.” I was amazed at the number of times it is found in the King James translation of the Bible. Only three times can the word thankful be found. The words thanks, thanksgiving, and thankfulness can be found more places, but the word thankful only three, Psalm 100:4, Romans 1:21, and Colossians 3:15. Being thankful is not something that can be forced upon us. Oh we can be commanded to give thanks, and instructed to say thank you, but being thankful is an inside job and no person, place or thing can make you thankful. In my life I find being thankful as an inner awareness of some situation or some relationship that is taking place in my life, that has blessed me in some way. I am learning to be thankful for situations and things in my life that don’t always seem at first to be a blessing. Many times around the tables of Alcoholics Anonymous I hear people introduce themselves as a grateful alcoholic. At first I could not understand how someone could be grateful that they were a drunk, until I planted both feet in the program and began to realize how God could take my weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Then I started to understand how I could be grateful for my shortcomings and weaknesses. I have learned that there is not any part of my life, no matter how bad, that God can’t use somehow to reach someone else in a like situation. And also there is not any situation past or present that God cannot use to shed light on my walk with the Lord today. You just got to be thankful. William Shakespeare asked the Lord to lend him a heart replete with thankfulness. Don’t hear much of the word replete today, so I looked it up. This is from Webster’s Dictionary, share this with me: “well-filled or plentifully supplied, stuffed with food and drink, gorged.” How about asking God to give us a heart stuffed and gorged with thankfulness. I have learned one thing about being thankful. And that is that being thankful I am sober, and the fact that God has used my past to help others, helps me stay sober. Thankfulness allows God to do for me what I could not do for myself.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3 NASB
This Scripture has fifty-two words that explain being thankful………..JRE
“Build your life on the firm foundation of true gratitude to God for all His blessings and true humility because of your unworthiness of these blessings. Build the frame of your life out of self-discipline; never let yourself get selfish or lazy or contented with yourself. Build the walls of your life out of service to others, helping them to find the way to live. Build the roof of your life out of prayer and quiet times, waiting for God’s guidance from above. Build a garden around your life out of peace of mind and serenity and a sure faith.”
HAZELDEN……………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Thankful
Thought for the day: “O Lord, who lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” COLOSSIANS 3:15 NASB
This morning my study takes me to the word “thankful.” I was amazed at the number of times it is found in the King James translation of the Bible. Only three times can the word thankful be found. The words thanks, thanksgiving, and thankfulness can be found more places, but the word thankful only three, Psalm 100:4, Romans 1:21, and Colossians 3:15. Being thankful is not something that can be forced upon us. Oh we can be commanded to give thanks, and instructed to say thank you, but being thankful is an inside job and no person, place or thing can make you thankful. In my life I find being thankful as an inner awareness of some situation or some relationship that is taking place in my life, that has blessed me in some way. I am learning to be thankful for situations and things in my life that don’t always seem at first to be a blessing. Many times around the tables of Alcoholics Anonymous I hear people introduce themselves as a grateful alcoholic. At first I could not understand how someone could be grateful that they were a drunk, until I planted both feet in the program and began to realize how God could take my weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Then I started to understand how I could be grateful for my shortcomings and weaknesses. I have learned that there is not any part of my life, no matter how bad, that God can’t use somehow to reach someone else in a like situation. And also there is not any situation past or present that God cannot use to shed light on my walk with the Lord today. You just got to be thankful. William Shakespeare asked the Lord to lend him a heart replete with thankfulness. Don’t hear much of the word replete today, so I looked it up. This is from Webster’s Dictionary, share this with me: “well-filled or plentifully supplied, stuffed with food and drink, gorged.” How about asking God to give us a heart stuffed and gorged with thankfulness. I have learned one thing about being thankful. And that is that being thankful I am sober, and the fact that God has used my past to help others, helps me stay sober. Thankfulness allows God to do for me what I could not do for myself.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3 NASB
This Scripture has fifty-two words that explain being thankful………..JRE
“Build your life on the firm foundation of true gratitude to God for all His blessings and true humility because of your unworthiness of these blessings. Build the frame of your life out of self-discipline; never let yourself get selfish or lazy or contented with yourself. Build the walls of your life out of service to others, helping them to find the way to live. Build the roof of your life out of prayer and quiet times, waiting for God’s guidance from above. Build a garden around your life out of peace of mind and serenity and a sure faith.”
HAZELDEN……………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The reason many people are not growing is because they are not sowing. They are living self-centered lives. Unless they change their focus and start reaching out to others, they will probably remain in that condition.”
JOEL OSTEEN
“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, ‘Why eateth your Master with the publicans and sinners?’ But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
MATTHEW 9:11-13 KJV
What did Jesus mean when He said, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice?” I thought we were to sacrifice, give up things, ideas, and attitudes that are not right. Oh I know that we are to give up and turn over to God anything that gets in the way of our being useful and of service to God. But why is mercy more important than sacrifice? Jesus in saying this quoted the prophet Hosea. Hosea prophesied to Israel telling them that they had religious sins. Their religion had got in the way of them being useful to God. The Pharisees had just accused Jesus of eating with politicians and sinners. How could Jesus sit down and eat with dirty sinners? What an insult that must have been to God. That was where the work was being done. The Pharisees had let their religion get in the way of being of service to God and helping others. Just because you drive the church bus doesn’t mean that you don’t have to offer rides in your personal car. Just because you sing in the choir doesn’t mean that you don’t have to go to the nursing home and sing for the ones who can’t get out. Just because you are involved in ministries in you church doesn’t mean that you don’t need to go beyond the out-reach of your church, and help someone who is dying of addictions, or diseases brought on by self-centered lifestyles. Jesus stepped out of the religious circles, He traveled the path less traveled and spent time with those no one else thought of. Mercy to others is more important than having shinny shoes, more important than our beautiful clothes, more important than the money we give, more important than our beautiful music we sing, more important than our hours spent learning the Scriptures, and more important than our religious attitude. Mercy is spiritual, not religious. In 1983 I was sitting in jail, reading the Bible for the first time, and this Nazarene associate pastor came in and said, “lets have church.” He stepped out of his Sunday attitude, and came through the barbed wire and locked doors, to fellowship with this undesirable. I remember his mercy towards me more than any sacrifice he might have offered. Some things just mean more than others. God was doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
“I desire acts of mercy on your part rather than sacrifices. If your religion makes you exalted and self-righteous and you consider yourself to be defiled by associating with sinners, your sacrifices are in vain.”
THE DAKE BIBLE
“Maybe you are in some sort of famine today. It could be a financial famine; or maybe you’re simply famished for friends. It’s possible you need a physical healing. Perhaps you need peace in your home. Whatever the need, one of the best things you can do is to get your mind off yourself and help meet somebody else’s need. If you’re down and discouraged today, don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Go find somebody to cheer up. Sow some seeds of happiness. That’s the way to receive a harvest. The seed always has to lead.”
JOEL OSTEEN
Mercy not sacrifice
Thought for the day: “The reason many people are not growing is because they are not sowing. They are living self-centered lives. Unless they change their focus and start reaching out to others, they will probably remain in that condition.”
JOEL OSTEEN
“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, ‘Why eateth your Master with the publicans and sinners?’ But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
MATTHEW 9:11-13 KJV
What did Jesus mean when He said, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice?” I thought we were to sacrifice, give up things, ideas, and attitudes that are not right. Oh I know that we are to give up and turn over to God anything that gets in the way of our being useful and of service to God. But why is mercy more important than sacrifice? Jesus in saying this quoted the prophet Hosea. Hosea prophesied to Israel telling them that they had religious sins. Their religion had got in the way of them being useful to God. The Pharisees had just accused Jesus of eating with politicians and sinners. How could Jesus sit down and eat with dirty sinners? What an insult that must have been to God. That was where the work was being done. The Pharisees had let their religion get in the way of being of service to God and helping others. Just because you drive the church bus doesn’t mean that you don’t have to offer rides in your personal car. Just because you sing in the choir doesn’t mean that you don’t have to go to the nursing home and sing for the ones who can’t get out. Just because you are involved in ministries in you church doesn’t mean that you don’t need to go beyond the out-reach of your church, and help someone who is dying of addictions, or diseases brought on by self-centered lifestyles. Jesus stepped out of the religious circles, He traveled the path less traveled and spent time with those no one else thought of. Mercy to others is more important than having shinny shoes, more important than our beautiful clothes, more important than the money we give, more important than our beautiful music we sing, more important than our hours spent learning the Scriptures, and more important than our religious attitude. Mercy is spiritual, not religious. In 1983 I was sitting in jail, reading the Bible for the first time, and this Nazarene associate pastor came in and said, “lets have church.” He stepped out of his Sunday attitude, and came through the barbed wire and locked doors, to fellowship with this undesirable. I remember his mercy towards me more than any sacrifice he might have offered. Some things just mean more than others. God was doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
“I desire acts of mercy on your part rather than sacrifices. If your religion makes you exalted and self-righteous and you consider yourself to be defiled by associating with sinners, your sacrifices are in vain.”
THE DAKE BIBLE
“Maybe you are in some sort of famine today. It could be a financial famine; or maybe you’re simply famished for friends. It’s possible you need a physical healing. Perhaps you need peace in your home. Whatever the need, one of the best things you can do is to get your mind off yourself and help meet somebody else’s need. If you’re down and discouraged today, don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Go find somebody to cheer up. Sow some seeds of happiness. That’s the way to receive a harvest. The seed always has to lead.”
JOEL OSTEEN
Monday, September 26, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty.”
JOHN FINLEY
“For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps.”
JOB 34:21 NASB
When I was younger in age and younger in maturity, I did not handle uncertainty well. I had to go through many unpredictable situations over and over, to develop some experience to realize, that most situations work themselves out. Oh, but that feeling of despair when in the middle of something and not knowing which way to turn. Today I am not totally mature in my thinking, I consider maturity to be a growing process, and if you think you have arrived, then you are not there yet. Thinking you have arrived is evidence of not having arrived. In my daily growing with the Lord I am learning that being able to wait is a sign of growth. Our natural thinking tells us that while waiting, we are in one place and there is no growth. But spiritual thinking tells us that while waiting we are renewing our strength, we are observing the situation, we are waiting for the gift of discernment to open up avenues and doors of opportunity. Hasty decisions many times lead to dead ends. When I was younger in maturity, not necessarily younger in age, I can remember times when uncertainty always led to the bottle. When problems seemed to grow and be multiplied, the first few sips of alcohol always seemed to sooth the savage beast that was raging inside. The alcohol actually fueled the problem not the answer. For years I did seasonal work. I worked as a tree-trimmer and equipment operator for several private companies in Kansas City. When the snow would fly and the roads and trees were covered with ice, we would be laid off till spring. In those days I never seemed to be prepared for anything. The only faith I had was in the dollar bill, and that only lasted until it was gone. The lower the money got the more I would spend on booze. How ironic that the in times of need I would do the worst thing I could. That is the nature of the mentality of those in the grips of a fatal malady, alcoholism. Looking at life through the bottom of an empty bottle will bring either death or maturity. And maturity is the harder of the two to embrace. That is because we are swimming totally against the current, or the direction our lives have been following. As we step out in faith and walk more in the solution than the problem, we are able to look back and grab a hold of the hand of someone who is reaching out to live also. At that point we are not alone anymore. We really have never been alone, God is with us all the time, and it’s just that our spiritual eyes were looking only at our feet and the mess we were standing in. Today I am so grateful for growth and the capacity to endure uncertainty in a more mature way. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE
“Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
ISAIAH 40:31 NASB
“Perhaps the heaviest burden we try to carry is the burden of mistakes and failures. What do you do with your failures?
Even if you’ve fallen, even if you’ve failed, even if everyone else has rejected you, Christ will not turn away from you. He came first and foremost to those who have no hope. He goes to those no one else would go to and says, “I’ll give you eternity.”
Only you can surrender your concerns to the Father. No one else can take those away and give them to God. Only you can cast all your anxieties on the one who cares for you. What better way to start the day than by laying your cares at his feet.”
MAX LUCADO
Have you arrived?
Thought for the day: “Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty.”
JOHN FINLEY
“For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps.”
JOB 34:21 NASB
When I was younger in age and younger in maturity, I did not handle uncertainty well. I had to go through many unpredictable situations over and over, to develop some experience to realize, that most situations work themselves out. Oh, but that feeling of despair when in the middle of something and not knowing which way to turn. Today I am not totally mature in my thinking, I consider maturity to be a growing process, and if you think you have arrived, then you are not there yet. Thinking you have arrived is evidence of not having arrived. In my daily growing with the Lord I am learning that being able to wait is a sign of growth. Our natural thinking tells us that while waiting, we are in one place and there is no growth. But spiritual thinking tells us that while waiting we are renewing our strength, we are observing the situation, we are waiting for the gift of discernment to open up avenues and doors of opportunity. Hasty decisions many times lead to dead ends. When I was younger in maturity, not necessarily younger in age, I can remember times when uncertainty always led to the bottle. When problems seemed to grow and be multiplied, the first few sips of alcohol always seemed to sooth the savage beast that was raging inside. The alcohol actually fueled the problem not the answer. For years I did seasonal work. I worked as a tree-trimmer and equipment operator for several private companies in Kansas City. When the snow would fly and the roads and trees were covered with ice, we would be laid off till spring. In those days I never seemed to be prepared for anything. The only faith I had was in the dollar bill, and that only lasted until it was gone. The lower the money got the more I would spend on booze. How ironic that the in times of need I would do the worst thing I could. That is the nature of the mentality of those in the grips of a fatal malady, alcoholism. Looking at life through the bottom of an empty bottle will bring either death or maturity. And maturity is the harder of the two to embrace. That is because we are swimming totally against the current, or the direction our lives have been following. As we step out in faith and walk more in the solution than the problem, we are able to look back and grab a hold of the hand of someone who is reaching out to live also. At that point we are not alone anymore. We really have never been alone, God is with us all the time, and it’s just that our spiritual eyes were looking only at our feet and the mess we were standing in. Today I am so grateful for growth and the capacity to endure uncertainty in a more mature way. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE
“Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
ISAIAH 40:31 NASB
“Perhaps the heaviest burden we try to carry is the burden of mistakes and failures. What do you do with your failures?
Even if you’ve fallen, even if you’ve failed, even if everyone else has rejected you, Christ will not turn away from you. He came first and foremost to those who have no hope. He goes to those no one else would go to and says, “I’ll give you eternity.”
Only you can surrender your concerns to the Father. No one else can take those away and give them to God. Only you can cast all your anxieties on the one who cares for you. What better way to start the day than by laying your cares at his feet.”
MAX LUCADO
Friday, September 23, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Faith never denies reality but leaves room for God to grant a new reality.” JIM CYMBALA
“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more.”
MARK 4:24 NIV
Mark recorded the words of Jesus when He was teaching a large crowd that was following Him. He told them of the parable of the sower and how the Word of God was what was sown, and how the fact that if the seed or the Word brought forth a harvest, was determined by how we hear the word. I have studied this parable and have read it as the heart being the important substance in whether we bring forth a harvest. I always thought that if the soil of your heart is prepared and is open to receiving the seed of the Word of God, that with water from those who minister to us, and the fact that God gives the increase, we will bring a harvest. Jesus gives us four examples of those who receive the seed of the Word of God, and each has a different result. Three of the four that received the seed had no harvest. In each case Jesus tell of how they hear. The word hear can be found in each case as Jesus explains the parable. At the end of the parable before He explains what it means He says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” I find this to be an important key in understanding the parable. After Jesus explains the parable He goes on to say, “Consider carefully what you hear.” This reminds me of a problem I have in my own life. Many times I hear something, but do not listen. Hearing and listening are not the same act. I have been accused of having selective hearing. I find that if I don’t have a burning desire or a passion for a subject, often I don’t listen as intently as I should or could. I remember when I came in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, that there was one person that kept telling me “to take the cotton out of my ears and put it in my mouth.” I talked all the time and never listened. As a result I did not stay sober. I thought I had a grasp on what was going on but I failed to listen. Jesus is so right in putting the importance on hearing. If your spiritual ears, of your spiritual heart are not listening, it will be measured to you sparingly. It has nothing to do with the amount there to be received, but if you listen with a teaspoon to store what you hear, you will receive what you hear in teaspoon amounts. I am trying to learn to listen carefully and to bring a large container. I might not be able to use everything I hear, but I don’t want to miss something important because I brought only a teaspoon. “Consider carefully what you hear,” to me means take the cotton out of my ears, and God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
“True freedom will only bloom in your life when you put on the truth of who God says you are. Knowing who God wants you to be is not the same as practicing who He want you to be. When life gets complicated and failures abound, turn your heart and mind back to the basics. Remember who you are, and in time, you’ll be walking in the…….. Hall of freedom.”
DENNIS JERNIGAN……………….This Is My Destiny
“A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect others favorably, but criticism or ridicule coming from another often produces the contrary effect.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 125
The cotton in my ears
Thought for the day: “Faith never denies reality but leaves room for God to grant a new reality.” JIM CYMBALA
“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more.”
MARK 4:24 NIV
Mark recorded the words of Jesus when He was teaching a large crowd that was following Him. He told them of the parable of the sower and how the Word of God was what was sown, and how the fact that if the seed or the Word brought forth a harvest, was determined by how we hear the word. I have studied this parable and have read it as the heart being the important substance in whether we bring forth a harvest. I always thought that if the soil of your heart is prepared and is open to receiving the seed of the Word of God, that with water from those who minister to us, and the fact that God gives the increase, we will bring a harvest. Jesus gives us four examples of those who receive the seed of the Word of God, and each has a different result. Three of the four that received the seed had no harvest. In each case Jesus tell of how they hear. The word hear can be found in each case as Jesus explains the parable. At the end of the parable before He explains what it means He says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” I find this to be an important key in understanding the parable. After Jesus explains the parable He goes on to say, “Consider carefully what you hear.” This reminds me of a problem I have in my own life. Many times I hear something, but do not listen. Hearing and listening are not the same act. I have been accused of having selective hearing. I find that if I don’t have a burning desire or a passion for a subject, often I don’t listen as intently as I should or could. I remember when I came in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, that there was one person that kept telling me “to take the cotton out of my ears and put it in my mouth.” I talked all the time and never listened. As a result I did not stay sober. I thought I had a grasp on what was going on but I failed to listen. Jesus is so right in putting the importance on hearing. If your spiritual ears, of your spiritual heart are not listening, it will be measured to you sparingly. It has nothing to do with the amount there to be received, but if you listen with a teaspoon to store what you hear, you will receive what you hear in teaspoon amounts. I am trying to learn to listen carefully and to bring a large container. I might not be able to use everything I hear, but I don’t want to miss something important because I brought only a teaspoon. “Consider carefully what you hear,” to me means take the cotton out of my ears, and God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………………..JRE
“True freedom will only bloom in your life when you put on the truth of who God says you are. Knowing who God wants you to be is not the same as practicing who He want you to be. When life gets complicated and failures abound, turn your heart and mind back to the basics. Remember who you are, and in time, you’ll be walking in the…….. Hall of freedom.”
DENNIS JERNIGAN……………….This Is My Destiny
“A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect others favorably, but criticism or ridicule coming from another often produces the contrary effect.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 125
Thursday, September 22, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Apart from blunt truth, our lives sink decadently amid the perfume of hints and suggestions.”
ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD
“Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 CORINTHIANS 13:6 NIV
What is truth? That seems to be one of the big questions ever asked. From my own personal experience and when I look at situations from my point of view, I at times can come up with what I believe to be truth. But when I compare it to the experiences of others and compared to their point of view, I see how possibly we can differ on views of what truth may be. So what is truth? The term “what is truth” can only be found one place in the Bible and that is on the occasion of the Roman ruler Pilate presenting the question to Jesus. Just before this Pilate had questioned Jesus about His kingdom and asked Him if He was a king. Jesus said “to this end was I born, “ and “that I should bear witness to the truth.” So there we have the truth of the truth. So now I ask what truth did Jesus come to bear witness to? I find this question to have answers that I don’t even know. I know some of them, but the whole truth and nothing but the truth, that I find to be bigger than I can answer. I know that the truth is that Jesus came to be a witness to the work of the Father. Also I know that through the finished work of the cross truth was established in the areas of God’s grace, God’s forgiveness, God’s healing, and the reconciliation of mankind back to a place of communication with our heavenly father. As I continue in my thoughts this morning about truth, I find where the apostle Paul says, “love rejoices with truth.” Do love and truth have much in common? I know one thing that they have in common, they rejoice together. There can’t be much real rejoicing in something that is not the truth. Think about that. That’s why in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous we put great emphasis on honesty and self-truth. When we really get honest with ourselves we come to understand that “no human power could relieve our alcoholism” (big book page 60). That is truth. Today I might not know all the truth, but I know a few truths that have set me free. When Pilate asked Jesus “what is truth,” the truth is that he was standing next to the Truth and did not even know it. And so it is with life, we can at times be in the presence of truth and not know. I pray to have my spiritual eyes opened more to allow the Light of Truth to enter. That way love may rejoice with the truth. Thanks for letting me share this day, I continue to find that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” JOHN 14:6 NASB
“For in the true nature of things, if we will rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”
MARTIN LUTHER
The whole truth and nothing but the truth
Thought for the day: “Apart from blunt truth, our lives sink decadently amid the perfume of hints and suggestions.”
ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD
“Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 CORINTHIANS 13:6 NIV
What is truth? That seems to be one of the big questions ever asked. From my own personal experience and when I look at situations from my point of view, I at times can come up with what I believe to be truth. But when I compare it to the experiences of others and compared to their point of view, I see how possibly we can differ on views of what truth may be. So what is truth? The term “what is truth” can only be found one place in the Bible and that is on the occasion of the Roman ruler Pilate presenting the question to Jesus. Just before this Pilate had questioned Jesus about His kingdom and asked Him if He was a king. Jesus said “to this end was I born, “ and “that I should bear witness to the truth.” So there we have the truth of the truth. So now I ask what truth did Jesus come to bear witness to? I find this question to have answers that I don’t even know. I know some of them, but the whole truth and nothing but the truth, that I find to be bigger than I can answer. I know that the truth is that Jesus came to be a witness to the work of the Father. Also I know that through the finished work of the cross truth was established in the areas of God’s grace, God’s forgiveness, God’s healing, and the reconciliation of mankind back to a place of communication with our heavenly father. As I continue in my thoughts this morning about truth, I find where the apostle Paul says, “love rejoices with truth.” Do love and truth have much in common? I know one thing that they have in common, they rejoice together. There can’t be much real rejoicing in something that is not the truth. Think about that. That’s why in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous we put great emphasis on honesty and self-truth. When we really get honest with ourselves we come to understand that “no human power could relieve our alcoholism” (big book page 60). That is truth. Today I might not know all the truth, but I know a few truths that have set me free. When Pilate asked Jesus “what is truth,” the truth is that he was standing next to the Truth and did not even know it. And so it is with life, we can at times be in the presence of truth and not know. I pray to have my spiritual eyes opened more to allow the Light of Truth to enter. That way love may rejoice with the truth. Thanks for letting me share this day, I continue to find that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” JOHN 14:6 NASB
“For in the true nature of things, if we will rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”
MARTIN LUTHER
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “One of the healthiest things you can learn to do is smile more often.” JOEL OSTEEN
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; yes establish the works of our hands.”
PSALM 90:17 NIV
Once again I am drawn to the 90th Psalm that Moses wrote, the oldest psalm recorded. The Psalm is a prayer and starts out “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations,” and ends with “May the favor of the Lord our god, rest upon us.” What is the favor of the Lord? Here recently because of a book I am reading by Joel Osteen, I have been giving consideration to the favor of God in my life. As believers, God favors us in many ways, not saying that we are favorites, God loves all equally. But we do get favors from God. It’s Scriptural, and that’s all I need to know to stand on it, and be in expectation. Exactly what is favor? Webster defines favor as “friendly or kind regard, good will; a small gift, souvenir, or token.” In my opinion the size of the gift does not have to be small, large is acceptable. For years I considered situations that happened in my life, that were in my favor, to be nothing more than coincidence. Today I realize that the “favor of the Lord” can be found in many books of the Bible, it is one of the major blessings that we have from God, but we many times chalk it up to chance or something else. If you happen to be in a line in the super market and a new cashier opens up and invites you in, think of God’s favor. When your in rush hour traffic and find yourself not moving and the lane next to you starts moving and someone flags you in, think of the favor of God. When you’ve got an appointment and you know it will take hours, many just waiting, and you get right in and out, think of the favor of God. How about when we’re working on a project and it goes quicker than we expect and turns out better than we thought, think of the favor of God. When I think about it I realize that the favor of God rests upon my life in many other ways. One way is by giving me the strength each day to resist certain weakness that I’ve have for years, like the abuse of drugs and alcohol. I find the exact amount of strength each day to carry me through to the next day. This I realize is from God and is His favor toward me. God’s favor rests upon our lives as believers and we should not let I slip by without recognition. Look for it and you will see it. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.”
PROVERBS 3:3-4 NASB
“You can revive your sense of wonder by merely saying to yourself: Suppose this were the only time. Suppose this sunset, this moonrise, this symphony, this buttered toast, this sleeping child, this flag against the sky…..suppose you would never experience these things again! Few things are commonplace in themselves.”
AURTHOR GORDON
“When I focus on what’s good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what’s bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; if I focus on the answer, the answer increases.”
Dr. Paul…………….Alcoholics Anonymous, page 419
Favor vs. Coincidence
Thought for the day: “One of the healthiest things you can learn to do is smile more often.” JOEL OSTEEN
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; yes establish the works of our hands.”
PSALM 90:17 NIV
Once again I am drawn to the 90th Psalm that Moses wrote, the oldest psalm recorded. The Psalm is a prayer and starts out “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations,” and ends with “May the favor of the Lord our god, rest upon us.” What is the favor of the Lord? Here recently because of a book I am reading by Joel Osteen, I have been giving consideration to the favor of God in my life. As believers, God favors us in many ways, not saying that we are favorites, God loves all equally. But we do get favors from God. It’s Scriptural, and that’s all I need to know to stand on it, and be in expectation. Exactly what is favor? Webster defines favor as “friendly or kind regard, good will; a small gift, souvenir, or token.” In my opinion the size of the gift does not have to be small, large is acceptable. For years I considered situations that happened in my life, that were in my favor, to be nothing more than coincidence. Today I realize that the “favor of the Lord” can be found in many books of the Bible, it is one of the major blessings that we have from God, but we many times chalk it up to chance or something else. If you happen to be in a line in the super market and a new cashier opens up and invites you in, think of God’s favor. When your in rush hour traffic and find yourself not moving and the lane next to you starts moving and someone flags you in, think of the favor of God. When you’ve got an appointment and you know it will take hours, many just waiting, and you get right in and out, think of the favor of God. How about when we’re working on a project and it goes quicker than we expect and turns out better than we thought, think of the favor of God. When I think about it I realize that the favor of God rests upon my life in many other ways. One way is by giving me the strength each day to resist certain weakness that I’ve have for years, like the abuse of drugs and alcohol. I find the exact amount of strength each day to carry me through to the next day. This I realize is from God and is His favor toward me. God’s favor rests upon our lives as believers and we should not let I slip by without recognition. Look for it and you will see it. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.”
PROVERBS 3:3-4 NASB
“You can revive your sense of wonder by merely saying to yourself: Suppose this were the only time. Suppose this sunset, this moonrise, this symphony, this buttered toast, this sleeping child, this flag against the sky…..suppose you would never experience these things again! Few things are commonplace in themselves.”
AURTHOR GORDON
“When I focus on what’s good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what’s bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; if I focus on the answer, the answer increases.”
Dr. Paul…………….Alcoholics Anonymous, page 419
Monday, September 19, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “People see God every day. They just don’t recognize Him.”
PEARL BAILY
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”
PSALM 90:12 KJV
The 90th Psalm is a prayer that Moses prayed, and it is the oldest of all the Psalms. The part of the prayer that Moses asks God to “teach us to number our days” really spoke to me this morning. See I had to learn to live life one day at a time before I could consider my life to be somewhat successful. To me that is numbering my days. Each day is number one, and the next and the next are also number one. We can only live one day at a time, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is yet to be today, so it all comes down to how well I handle today. It took me years to get this simple spiritual principle working in my life. I will give a couple of examples from my own life to demonstrate. There were many times when I would wake up the morning after I had tied one on in my usual manor. After consuming too much alcohol and various other chemicals, and after having made a complete fool of myself, I would find myself praying around the porcelain throne or what is better known as the toilet. Upon these humbling moments I would say to myself, “I will never, never do that again. I am through with alcohol forever.” And I would believe this for several days until the pain of the experience lessened and everything would slide back to the way it was before and I would drink again. I might start out a little slower at first, but within a short period of time I would be drinking worse than the time before. Once again my time spent praying around the porcelain throne would make me realize that I wasn’t successful at this thing called drinking, and I would quite forever again. Only to return to my folly, and to my vomit once again. Forever was too big a chunk of time for me to deal with. I even found that a year or even a month was too big a piece of time for me to handle. When my mind slowed down emotionally and I learned that all I really could work on was today, and I learned to just not drink today, that’s all, I started counting successful days one after another. You can’t go from zero to one thousand without starting with one. Even day five hundred is nothing more that one-day. It’s so simple that I had for years a hard time grasping the concept, I always thought that forever was my goal. The reality is, today is my goal. Forever is made up of nothing more than an endless string of today’s. Today is where the work is to be found, and Moses knew this. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…….JRE
“Let God have you, and let God love you, and don’t be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you’ve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before.”
MAX LUCADO
Praying around the porcelain throne
Thought for the day: “People see God every day. They just don’t recognize Him.”
PEARL BAILY
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”
PSALM 90:12 KJV
The 90th Psalm is a prayer that Moses prayed, and it is the oldest of all the Psalms. The part of the prayer that Moses asks God to “teach us to number our days” really spoke to me this morning. See I had to learn to live life one day at a time before I could consider my life to be somewhat successful. To me that is numbering my days. Each day is number one, and the next and the next are also number one. We can only live one day at a time, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is yet to be today, so it all comes down to how well I handle today. It took me years to get this simple spiritual principle working in my life. I will give a couple of examples from my own life to demonstrate. There were many times when I would wake up the morning after I had tied one on in my usual manor. After consuming too much alcohol and various other chemicals, and after having made a complete fool of myself, I would find myself praying around the porcelain throne or what is better known as the toilet. Upon these humbling moments I would say to myself, “I will never, never do that again. I am through with alcohol forever.” And I would believe this for several days until the pain of the experience lessened and everything would slide back to the way it was before and I would drink again. I might start out a little slower at first, but within a short period of time I would be drinking worse than the time before. Once again my time spent praying around the porcelain throne would make me realize that I wasn’t successful at this thing called drinking, and I would quite forever again. Only to return to my folly, and to my vomit once again. Forever was too big a chunk of time for me to deal with. I even found that a year or even a month was too big a piece of time for me to handle. When my mind slowed down emotionally and I learned that all I really could work on was today, and I learned to just not drink today, that’s all, I started counting successful days one after another. You can’t go from zero to one thousand without starting with one. Even day five hundred is nothing more that one-day. It’s so simple that I had for years a hard time grasping the concept, I always thought that forever was my goal. The reality is, today is my goal. Forever is made up of nothing more than an endless string of today’s. Today is where the work is to be found, and Moses knew this. Today God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…….JRE
“Let God have you, and let God love you, and don’t be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you’ve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before.”
MAX LUCADO
Friday, September 16, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “God wants you to have a good life, a life filled with love, joy, peace, and fulfillment. That doesn’t mean it will always be easy, but it does mean that it will always be good.”
JOEL OSTEEN
“The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.”
PSALMS 145:13-14 NIV
Joel Osteen says it’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be good. When we’re in the middle of a difficult situation sometimes we can’t see the good that is working through and because of the problem in the spiritual realm. The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “in all things we know that God works for the good of those who love Him.” I have heard that Scripture quoted as “all thing work for good.” That is not what Paul said, Paul said “in all things God works for the good.” There is a difference. I see this scripture being true in my life. Who would have thunk (hillbilly for past tense of think) that my having been arrested several times for offenses involving alcohol and drugs, and my several incarcerations, would be the schooling that I needed to prepare me to go back into the penitentiaries and jails. This time with a message of hope and encouragement, and of a new life that waits for those who seek to draw closer to God. See, I’m not afraid to go through those doors. It doesn’t bother me at all to spend time with those who are doing time. Most of my youth was spent hanging with people just like that. Oh I might be a little older than most of them, but some things don’t change, like the attitude that got them there. I understand that attitude. I lived it for years. Just this morning I talked to a lady at a penitentiary a few miles down the road, she has made arrangements for me to go to a training session next Tuesday in Jefferson City. After the training I will be give an identification card with picture and will be able to walk into prison a free man. Who would have ever thunk? God took a very bad situation in my life and turned it around for good. Only God can open some doors that are closed, sealed, and locked. Only God can rebuild bridges that we have burned and destroyed. Where there doesn’t seem to be a way, I know that God can make a way. Because God does for me what I could not do for myself…………………JRE
“Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God’s love? Will standing beneath the downpour of His grace change the way we feel about others?….
Absolutely!”
MAX LUCADO
“Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 164
Who would have thunk?
Thought for the day: “God wants you to have a good life, a life filled with love, joy, peace, and fulfillment. That doesn’t mean it will always be easy, but it does mean that it will always be good.”
JOEL OSTEEN
“The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.”
PSALMS 145:13-14 NIV
Joel Osteen says it’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be good. When we’re in the middle of a difficult situation sometimes we can’t see the good that is working through and because of the problem in the spiritual realm. The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “in all things we know that God works for the good of those who love Him.” I have heard that Scripture quoted as “all thing work for good.” That is not what Paul said, Paul said “in all things God works for the good.” There is a difference. I see this scripture being true in my life. Who would have thunk (hillbilly for past tense of think) that my having been arrested several times for offenses involving alcohol and drugs, and my several incarcerations, would be the schooling that I needed to prepare me to go back into the penitentiaries and jails. This time with a message of hope and encouragement, and of a new life that waits for those who seek to draw closer to God. See, I’m not afraid to go through those doors. It doesn’t bother me at all to spend time with those who are doing time. Most of my youth was spent hanging with people just like that. Oh I might be a little older than most of them, but some things don’t change, like the attitude that got them there. I understand that attitude. I lived it for years. Just this morning I talked to a lady at a penitentiary a few miles down the road, she has made arrangements for me to go to a training session next Tuesday in Jefferson City. After the training I will be give an identification card with picture and will be able to walk into prison a free man. Who would have ever thunk? God took a very bad situation in my life and turned it around for good. Only God can open some doors that are closed, sealed, and locked. Only God can rebuild bridges that we have burned and destroyed. Where there doesn’t seem to be a way, I know that God can make a way. Because God does for me what I could not do for myself…………………JRE
“Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God’s love? Will standing beneath the downpour of His grace change the way we feel about others?….
Absolutely!”
MAX LUCADO
“Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 164
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.”
Mrs. Charles Cowman………Streams in the Desert
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him,”
1 JOHN 5:14-15 NASB
Want your prayers answered? Then ask according to God’s will. You might ask what is or is not God’s will. Many who seek God, and seek God’s will in their life have asked this question I’m sure. I have had people come up to me and tell me what they thought God’s will was for me. I have also found this not to settle too well with me in times past. Today I have a guide to go by when others tell me of God’s will for my life, I use the Bible and what the Bible has to say about the situation. When people try and give us good orderly direction, we should always see if it lines up with the Word of God. We should let the Word of God speak to us to see if we get the same advice and direction to head. Don’t take my word for this, check it out with God’s Word. I have found the best source for finding God’s will for my life is the Bible. Some of God’s will for my life I might find to be difficult to follow, but I don’t just set it aside to be forgotten. I know that God is patient with me and gives me new mercies each morning, so I remember the difficult parts of God’s will and keep them to mind. With continued instruction, trial and error, and the love of God flowing from His heart to mine, I am able to learn and apply God’s will to my life. As far as prayer and meditation, and God’s will for us go, I think that Alcoholics Anonymous has one of the best teachings outside of the Word of God on the will of God and prayer. Share this with me:
AA Step Eleven……”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.”
“Praying only for knowledge of His will for us.” That sums up prayer. The apostle John said that if it’s in His will for us, He hears. John did not say that if it is not in His will, that He does not hear. God probably hears all prayers, but when it comes to His will and what God desires for us I know that God hears, and listens and answers. Thanks for letting me share this day with you. God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Often God seems to place His children in position of profound difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape; contriving a situation which no human judgment would have permitted, had it been previously consulted…..The issue will more than justify Him who has brought you hither. It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. He will give you a lesson that you will never forget, and to which, in many a psalm and song, in after days, you will revert. You will never be able to thank God enough for having done just as He has.”
Mrs. Charles E. Cowman…….Streams in the Desert
Praying only for knowledge of His will for us
Thought for the day: “Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.”
Mrs. Charles Cowman………Streams in the Desert
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him,”
1 JOHN 5:14-15 NASB
Want your prayers answered? Then ask according to God’s will. You might ask what is or is not God’s will. Many who seek God, and seek God’s will in their life have asked this question I’m sure. I have had people come up to me and tell me what they thought God’s will was for me. I have also found this not to settle too well with me in times past. Today I have a guide to go by when others tell me of God’s will for my life, I use the Bible and what the Bible has to say about the situation. When people try and give us good orderly direction, we should always see if it lines up with the Word of God. We should let the Word of God speak to us to see if we get the same advice and direction to head. Don’t take my word for this, check it out with God’s Word. I have found the best source for finding God’s will for my life is the Bible. Some of God’s will for my life I might find to be difficult to follow, but I don’t just set it aside to be forgotten. I know that God is patient with me and gives me new mercies each morning, so I remember the difficult parts of God’s will and keep them to mind. With continued instruction, trial and error, and the love of God flowing from His heart to mine, I am able to learn and apply God’s will to my life. As far as prayer and meditation, and God’s will for us go, I think that Alcoholics Anonymous has one of the best teachings outside of the Word of God on the will of God and prayer. Share this with me:
AA Step Eleven……”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.”
“Praying only for knowledge of His will for us.” That sums up prayer. The apostle John said that if it’s in His will for us, He hears. John did not say that if it is not in His will, that He does not hear. God probably hears all prayers, but when it comes to His will and what God desires for us I know that God hears, and listens and answers. Thanks for letting me share this day with you. God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Often God seems to place His children in position of profound difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape; contriving a situation which no human judgment would have permitted, had it been previously consulted…..The issue will more than justify Him who has brought you hither. It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. He will give you a lesson that you will never forget, and to which, in many a psalm and song, in after days, you will revert. You will never be able to thank God enough for having done just as He has.”
Mrs. Charles E. Cowman…….Streams in the Desert
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
“Nothing we can do will make the Father love us less; nothing we do can make Him love us more. He loves us unconditionally with an everlasting love. All He asks of us is that we respond to Him with the free will that He has given to us.”
NANCIE CARMICHAEL
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword………But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
ROMANS 8:35,37,38,39 NASB
No created thing can separate me from the love of God. I am a created thing, and I take this to mean that not even I myself, can do something that will separate me from the great love that God has extended toward us. How about if my attitude is not right toward God and I possibly am upset or disappointed at some situation or event that has happened? If by some chance I am not loving God does that change how God feels about me? I think not. Scripture tells me that not even my attitude can change and separate me from the love of God. I would like to say that I have never been mad at God. I have met those who have been hurt by some situation, and blame God and just get upset at God. But have not done this and I cannot do this. It is very difficult for me to picture God picking on me as an individual. I just don’t feel that special. I know that God considers me special and wants me to prosper in all ways spiritual, material, emotional, and mental, but for God to single me out and hurt me somehow, I can’t seem to grasp that thought. The Scripture says that no created thing, no angel, no life, no death, no power can make God stop loving me. I don’t know why I don’t have personal problems with God when others do, but I have had reason if I wanted it. When my dad died of cancer I didn’t blame God, when my mother died of complications from surgery I didn’t blame God. When my stepson committed suicide I didn’t blame God. When my ex-wife died of an overdose I didn’t blame God. When I prayed for my granny to be healed and at the age of 93 she died, I didn’t blame God. When the hurricane destroyed the lives of believers as well as non-believers, I didn’t blame God. You see, God’s love helped me when I was not loveable at all. It was God’s love that paved the way for a better life for me and accepted me just as I was, warts and all. Who am I to blame God for anything, seems pretty egotistical and self-centered to think something like that. I’ve got some ego problems but they ain’t that big. I love being loved because God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………JRE
“I will never forget to say thank you to God, even on the grayest days. My attitude will be one of humility gratitude. Saying thank you to God is a daily practice that is absolutely necessary. If a day is not one of thankfulness, the practice has to be repeated until it becomes so. Gratitude is a necessity for those who seek to live a better life.”
HAZELDEN………………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Nothing we can do will make the Father love us less
“Nothing we can do will make the Father love us less; nothing we do can make Him love us more. He loves us unconditionally with an everlasting love. All He asks of us is that we respond to Him with the free will that He has given to us.”
NANCIE CARMICHAEL
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword………But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
ROMANS 8:35,37,38,39 NASB
No created thing can separate me from the love of God. I am a created thing, and I take this to mean that not even I myself, can do something that will separate me from the great love that God has extended toward us. How about if my attitude is not right toward God and I possibly am upset or disappointed at some situation or event that has happened? If by some chance I am not loving God does that change how God feels about me? I think not. Scripture tells me that not even my attitude can change and separate me from the love of God. I would like to say that I have never been mad at God. I have met those who have been hurt by some situation, and blame God and just get upset at God. But have not done this and I cannot do this. It is very difficult for me to picture God picking on me as an individual. I just don’t feel that special. I know that God considers me special and wants me to prosper in all ways spiritual, material, emotional, and mental, but for God to single me out and hurt me somehow, I can’t seem to grasp that thought. The Scripture says that no created thing, no angel, no life, no death, no power can make God stop loving me. I don’t know why I don’t have personal problems with God when others do, but I have had reason if I wanted it. When my dad died of cancer I didn’t blame God, when my mother died of complications from surgery I didn’t blame God. When my stepson committed suicide I didn’t blame God. When my ex-wife died of an overdose I didn’t blame God. When I prayed for my granny to be healed and at the age of 93 she died, I didn’t blame God. When the hurricane destroyed the lives of believers as well as non-believers, I didn’t blame God. You see, God’s love helped me when I was not loveable at all. It was God’s love that paved the way for a better life for me and accepted me just as I was, warts and all. Who am I to blame God for anything, seems pretty egotistical and self-centered to think something like that. I’ve got some ego problems but they ain’t that big. I love being loved because God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………JRE
“I will never forget to say thank you to God, even on the grayest days. My attitude will be one of humility gratitude. Saying thank you to God is a daily practice that is absolutely necessary. If a day is not one of thankfulness, the practice has to be repeated until it becomes so. Gratitude is a necessity for those who seek to live a better life.”
HAZELDEN………………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Monday, September 12, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for day: “It is with disease of the mind, as with those of the body; we are half dead before we understand our disorder, and half cured when we do.”
CHARLES CALEB COLTON
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
ISAIAH 53:4-5 NIV
This morning I received a phone call from my AA sponsor and his wife wishing me a happy birthday. This is not my belly button birthday, but the day of my birth seven years ago into a new life of sobriety. I count the first day I went without a drink or mind altering drug as the day of my new birth, not the last day I drank. The last day I drank was 9-11-1998. I remember that day well. After being clean and sober for ten months from 8-1996 to 4-1997, I relapsed into seventeen months of a pure living hell. A life filled with violence, pain, and thinking only of myself. This life was centered around shooting meth, smoking pot, and compete abuse of alcohol. The whole thing came to a lonely end by experiencing the death of friends involved in the same lifestyle. I decided I wanted to live, and made arrangements to get into the treatment program at the VA hospital in Poplar Bluff Missouri. My life was very bleak, and as far as I could see, I had only one friend, a drinking buddy named Joe. Joe agreed to drive me to the hospital. We drank that night as I did laundry and prepared for the stay in treatment. The next morning I felt so hesitant about going that I became sick and would not even get out of bed. Joe showed up to drive me the 130 miles and I sent him to town to get a pint of liquor before I would even set my feet on the floor. I drank half of the bottle before I even got out of bed. We then headed down the road for the hospital. Somewhere after we crossed the Current River in Van Buren I killed the rest of the bottle and threw it out the window. Just another dead soldier. Joe dropped me off and I paid him with enough money to get gas and booze for the trip home. Then it started happening, the sweats, the anxiety, the tears, and the depression. At times it would be just one of the characteristics, at other times they all would bombard me at once. I felt totally alone with the feeling I was experiencing and my decision to try and turn my life around, after all I was fifty-two years old and knew I could not go on much longer this way. You don’t see too many fifty-year old alcoholic-meth addicts. Know why? Cause their dead! As I lay there I remember reaching beyond myself with a simple prayer, “Lord help me do this.” From that point on some kind of assurance, a blessed assurance, came upon me and brought me peace. I remember getting up off the bed, going outside and breathing the fresh air of a new life. That prayer worked that day, and each day I try and ask the same from God. “Help me do this.” For 2,557 days this prayer has been answered. I am grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………JRE
FREEDOM THROUGH ACCEPTANCE
We admitted we couldn’t lick alcohol with our own remaining resources, and so we accepted the further fact that dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our AA group) could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol compulsion had begun.
For most of us, this pair of acceptances had required a lot of exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with sheer will power; it came instead as the result of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living.
We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we began to be free.
BILL W. ……….Grapevine, March 1962
2,557 Days
Thought for day: “It is with disease of the mind, as with those of the body; we are half dead before we understand our disorder, and half cured when we do.”
CHARLES CALEB COLTON
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
ISAIAH 53:4-5 NIV
This morning I received a phone call from my AA sponsor and his wife wishing me a happy birthday. This is not my belly button birthday, but the day of my birth seven years ago into a new life of sobriety. I count the first day I went without a drink or mind altering drug as the day of my new birth, not the last day I drank. The last day I drank was 9-11-1998. I remember that day well. After being clean and sober for ten months from 8-1996 to 4-1997, I relapsed into seventeen months of a pure living hell. A life filled with violence, pain, and thinking only of myself. This life was centered around shooting meth, smoking pot, and compete abuse of alcohol. The whole thing came to a lonely end by experiencing the death of friends involved in the same lifestyle. I decided I wanted to live, and made arrangements to get into the treatment program at the VA hospital in Poplar Bluff Missouri. My life was very bleak, and as far as I could see, I had only one friend, a drinking buddy named Joe. Joe agreed to drive me to the hospital. We drank that night as I did laundry and prepared for the stay in treatment. The next morning I felt so hesitant about going that I became sick and would not even get out of bed. Joe showed up to drive me the 130 miles and I sent him to town to get a pint of liquor before I would even set my feet on the floor. I drank half of the bottle before I even got out of bed. We then headed down the road for the hospital. Somewhere after we crossed the Current River in Van Buren I killed the rest of the bottle and threw it out the window. Just another dead soldier. Joe dropped me off and I paid him with enough money to get gas and booze for the trip home. Then it started happening, the sweats, the anxiety, the tears, and the depression. At times it would be just one of the characteristics, at other times they all would bombard me at once. I felt totally alone with the feeling I was experiencing and my decision to try and turn my life around, after all I was fifty-two years old and knew I could not go on much longer this way. You don’t see too many fifty-year old alcoholic-meth addicts. Know why? Cause their dead! As I lay there I remember reaching beyond myself with a simple prayer, “Lord help me do this.” From that point on some kind of assurance, a blessed assurance, came upon me and brought me peace. I remember getting up off the bed, going outside and breathing the fresh air of a new life. That prayer worked that day, and each day I try and ask the same from God. “Help me do this.” For 2,557 days this prayer has been answered. I am grateful that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………JRE
FREEDOM THROUGH ACCEPTANCE
We admitted we couldn’t lick alcohol with our own remaining resources, and so we accepted the further fact that dependence upon a Higher Power (if only our AA group) could do this hitherto impossible job. The moment we were able to accept these facts fully, our release from the alcohol compulsion had begun.
For most of us, this pair of acceptances had required a lot of exertion to achieve. Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with sheer will power; it came instead as the result of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living.
We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we began to be free.
BILL W. ……….Grapevine, March 1962
Friday, September 09, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Someone said to me once that we can see the features of God in a single smile. Look for that smile in the people you meet.”
CHRISTPHER DE VINCK
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
ISAIAH 43:18,19 NIV
“God will make a way when there doesn’t seem to be a way.” These are the words of a contemporary Christian song, and my how true they ring. The prophet Isaiah told the people of Israel that after their exile to Babylon God was going to do a “new thing.” God still works the same way today, after any setback that we may experience, God can clear away the wreckage of the past and set our feet on a new path. Make a way where there doesn’t seem to be any way. I can relate to this in my own life. After living in a self-imposed prison of alcoholism and addictions my bleak existence seemed as if the only way I was going to get out was by way of jails, institutions, or death. A new way opened up to me in the desert that had become my life, but I could not get on the path till I took that first step in a different direction. I had tried to change my life many times for many years before this, and I see now that that my problem was that as I took the step in the new direction I always kept one foot firmly planted in my old life. I have learned to take the first step toward God’s “new thing” in my life, then to release my foot hold on my past, and step out in faith with the other foot and plant it firmly ahead of me. This is what we call walking. Before I was just standing with feet planted in two worlds. Today, I am refreshed by the streams that have sprung up in what used to be the wasteland of my life. I don’t want to go back to the desert, I will continue one day at a time to walk in this new thing that God is doing in my life. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……JRE
Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
“Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 59
Half measures availed us nothing
Thought for the day: “Someone said to me once that we can see the features of God in a single smile. Look for that smile in the people you meet.”
CHRISTPHER DE VINCK
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
ISAIAH 43:18,19 NIV
“God will make a way when there doesn’t seem to be a way.” These are the words of a contemporary Christian song, and my how true they ring. The prophet Isaiah told the people of Israel that after their exile to Babylon God was going to do a “new thing.” God still works the same way today, after any setback that we may experience, God can clear away the wreckage of the past and set our feet on a new path. Make a way where there doesn’t seem to be any way. I can relate to this in my own life. After living in a self-imposed prison of alcoholism and addictions my bleak existence seemed as if the only way I was going to get out was by way of jails, institutions, or death. A new way opened up to me in the desert that had become my life, but I could not get on the path till I took that first step in a different direction. I had tried to change my life many times for many years before this, and I see now that that my problem was that as I took the step in the new direction I always kept one foot firmly planted in my old life. I have learned to take the first step toward God’s “new thing” in my life, then to release my foot hold on my past, and step out in faith with the other foot and plant it firmly ahead of me. This is what we call walking. Before I was just standing with feet planted in two worlds. Today, I am refreshed by the streams that have sprung up in what used to be the wasteland of my life. I don’t want to go back to the desert, I will continue one day at a time to walk in this new thing that God is doing in my life. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself……JRE
Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER
“Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 59
Thursday, September 08, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.”
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL
“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”
ISAIAH 32:17-20 NIV
What words of confidence and assurance I find coming from the prophet Isaiah. Even if a natural disaster flattens the forest and levels the city, we will still be blessed when we sow our seed by every stream. When you make a trip to your spiritual bank today please deposit these words. It will be a rather large deposit so I suggest that at the same time you withdraw a little of the “peace” to take with you. Later on if you are feeling insecure in any way you can withdraw some of the “secure homes and undisturbed places of rest.” An “undisturbed place of rest,” now there’s something to invest in with your withdrawal. Last night early in the evening I felt a little tired after attending my Wednesday study group. I went to bed fairly early and was up fairly early. I experienced a wonderful undisturbed rest, this doesn’t happen every night. Today as I deposited this scripture in my spiritual bank I realized how last night I had drawn from the undisturbed rest guaranteed us by God. The reason I say that this is a large deposit to make is because even if we loose everything like the hurricane victims, we will be blessed as we sow our seed by every stream. You can take that to the bank! As I watched the news last night I saw this gentleman who was sleeping under a big blue tarp. He was on his property and all around him there was nothing but debris, this was his home and his possessions. His mother had had a small store near their home and she lost her life during the storm. As the news program closed the segment they showed the man lighting a lamp, reclining on a cot under his blue tarp, and his words were “I am blessed.” Wow, what a statement. Somewhere this gentleman had made a deposit in his spiritual bank and when he needed it, it was there. He was not broke. I see him as being very, very rich indeed. I saw him as sowing his seeds by the stream of television that just happened by. He will have a harvest that abounds in all directions. I am part of his harvest today and he does not even know it. Also his cattle and donkeys will range free, what a blessing to know that he will prosper. The man has a large account in his spiritual bank. May I learn to go to the bank each day to transact with deposits and withdrawals. Then God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
“Do we not dwell in the gallery of our God? Isn’t the sky His canvas and humanity His magnum opus? Are we not encircled by artistry? Sunsets burning. Waves billowing. And isn’t the soul His studio? The birthing of love, the bequeathing of grace. All around us miracles pop like fireflies, souls are touched, hearts are changed.”
MAX LUCADO
“We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for a lifetime.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 84
Deposits and withdrawals
Thought for the day: “Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.”
ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL
“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”
ISAIAH 32:17-20 NIV
What words of confidence and assurance I find coming from the prophet Isaiah. Even if a natural disaster flattens the forest and levels the city, we will still be blessed when we sow our seed by every stream. When you make a trip to your spiritual bank today please deposit these words. It will be a rather large deposit so I suggest that at the same time you withdraw a little of the “peace” to take with you. Later on if you are feeling insecure in any way you can withdraw some of the “secure homes and undisturbed places of rest.” An “undisturbed place of rest,” now there’s something to invest in with your withdrawal. Last night early in the evening I felt a little tired after attending my Wednesday study group. I went to bed fairly early and was up fairly early. I experienced a wonderful undisturbed rest, this doesn’t happen every night. Today as I deposited this scripture in my spiritual bank I realized how last night I had drawn from the undisturbed rest guaranteed us by God. The reason I say that this is a large deposit to make is because even if we loose everything like the hurricane victims, we will be blessed as we sow our seed by every stream. You can take that to the bank! As I watched the news last night I saw this gentleman who was sleeping under a big blue tarp. He was on his property and all around him there was nothing but debris, this was his home and his possessions. His mother had had a small store near their home and she lost her life during the storm. As the news program closed the segment they showed the man lighting a lamp, reclining on a cot under his blue tarp, and his words were “I am blessed.” Wow, what a statement. Somewhere this gentleman had made a deposit in his spiritual bank and when he needed it, it was there. He was not broke. I see him as being very, very rich indeed. I saw him as sowing his seeds by the stream of television that just happened by. He will have a harvest that abounds in all directions. I am part of his harvest today and he does not even know it. Also his cattle and donkeys will range free, what a blessing to know that he will prosper. The man has a large account in his spiritual bank. May I learn to go to the bank each day to transact with deposits and withdrawals. Then God will do for me what I could not do for myself…………..JRE
“Do we not dwell in the gallery of our God? Isn’t the sky His canvas and humanity His magnum opus? Are we not encircled by artistry? Sunsets burning. Waves billowing. And isn’t the soul His studio? The birthing of love, the bequeathing of grace. All around us miracles pop like fireflies, souls are touched, hearts are changed.”
MAX LUCADO
“We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for a lifetime.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 84
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Our life is frittered away by detail……Simplify, simplify.”
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and invite You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to You? The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, You did it to Me.’” MATTHEW 25:35-40 NASB
I started the day out this morning with thoughts of going to prison. For years the fear of having to go to the penitentiary loomed over my head. The lifestyle I was living involved the use of drugs and abuse of alcohol, and was leading many to do time. I myself was having to do time in city correctional institutions and county jails. Prison was the next stop for me. I should have gone, my last DWI was a felony and I received a 4 year sentence, but because I had a lawyer I was able to only go to the county jail for a while. Now I am trying to get back into the prison system to carry the message of hope to those who are still suffering, and I am having some difficulty. I have been turned down twice and I’m in the process of my third attempt to go to prison. Funny how when they want you to go you don’t want to, and when you want to go they don’t want you to. This time I’ve got a couple of strings on the inside to pull. Praise God I’m going to prison at last.
Anyway, this morning I had thoughts about prison and wanted to use this Scripture verse spoken by Jesus as a reference. As I read over it time and again, I could not help but think of the hurricane victims. My what a tragic disaster, to be moved from your home with no food, no water, no clothes, and put in shelters that are worse than any prisons I know of. How awesome is the God we serve, who has children who care for each other. This is one of the commands from the King of Kings himself. You want to love Him, you got to loves the “least of them.” Every church in my community is doing something. We are gathering up basic essentials to be taken to the victims. When we do it to the least of them, we are doing it to Jesus. Living in a rural community I sometimes see walls built up between different congregations, but this disaster has broke them down. We don’t have time for differences, we, must do “unto the least of them.” I pray that this unity we are experiencing continues to be the glue that holds us together. We must do it for Him. Thanks for letting me share this morning, God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“All the things in this world are gifts and signs of God’s love to us. The whole world is a love letter from God.”
PETER KREEFT
“You must always remember that you are weak but that God is strong. God knows all about your weakness. He hears every cry for mercy, every sign of weakness, every plea for help, every sorrow over failure, every weakness felt and expressed. We only fail when we trust too much to our own strength. Do not feel bad about your weakness. When you are weak, that is when God is strong to help you. Trust God enough, and your weakness will not matter. God is always strong to save.”
HAZELDEN……………….twenty-Four Hours A Day
I'm going to prison
Thought for the day: “Our life is frittered away by detail……Simplify, simplify.”
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and invite You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to You? The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, You did it to Me.’” MATTHEW 25:35-40 NASB
I started the day out this morning with thoughts of going to prison. For years the fear of having to go to the penitentiary loomed over my head. The lifestyle I was living involved the use of drugs and abuse of alcohol, and was leading many to do time. I myself was having to do time in city correctional institutions and county jails. Prison was the next stop for me. I should have gone, my last DWI was a felony and I received a 4 year sentence, but because I had a lawyer I was able to only go to the county jail for a while. Now I am trying to get back into the prison system to carry the message of hope to those who are still suffering, and I am having some difficulty. I have been turned down twice and I’m in the process of my third attempt to go to prison. Funny how when they want you to go you don’t want to, and when you want to go they don’t want you to. This time I’ve got a couple of strings on the inside to pull. Praise God I’m going to prison at last.
Anyway, this morning I had thoughts about prison and wanted to use this Scripture verse spoken by Jesus as a reference. As I read over it time and again, I could not help but think of the hurricane victims. My what a tragic disaster, to be moved from your home with no food, no water, no clothes, and put in shelters that are worse than any prisons I know of. How awesome is the God we serve, who has children who care for each other. This is one of the commands from the King of Kings himself. You want to love Him, you got to loves the “least of them.” Every church in my community is doing something. We are gathering up basic essentials to be taken to the victims. When we do it to the least of them, we are doing it to Jesus. Living in a rural community I sometimes see walls built up between different congregations, but this disaster has broke them down. We don’t have time for differences, we, must do “unto the least of them.” I pray that this unity we are experiencing continues to be the glue that holds us together. We must do it for Him. Thanks for letting me share this morning, God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“All the things in this world are gifts and signs of God’s love to us. The whole world is a love letter from God.”
PETER KREEFT
“You must always remember that you are weak but that God is strong. God knows all about your weakness. He hears every cry for mercy, every sign of weakness, every plea for help, every sorrow over failure, every weakness felt and expressed. We only fail when we trust too much to our own strength. Do not feel bad about your weakness. When you are weak, that is when God is strong to help you. Trust God enough, and your weakness will not matter. God is always strong to save.”
HAZELDEN……………….twenty-Four Hours A Day
Thursday, September 01, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “This voice that calls to us out of the everyday moments of life is called the wisdom of God. This wisdom is infused into nature and the laws that govern her, and into human nature and the laws that govern it.”
KEN GIRE
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.”
PSALM `126:5 NASB
Yesterday I spoke of how one tear was worth a thousand words. My cousin Margaret did a search on the word tear in the Bible yesterday, and tears seem have an important emphasis in many Scriptures. There are actors that can cry on command, and as a child I remember being able to work up a tear for no reason, but tears don’t just flow normally on command. Something has to stir us up in our emotions to bring a tear to the surface. I have observed that there are many kinds of tears. There are tears of emotional pain, tears brought about by some hurt done us by someone else, or a hurt that we have done to ourselves. Sometimes these tears of emotional pain are caused because we are wrong in our thoughts and actions and God still reaches down in love with forgiveness. These tears I find to be a combination of pain and joy both. Then there are tears of joy, tears that come to us because of the many blessing that God bestows upon us. Tears that well up in our eyes when we see our loved ones blessed, how precious these tears are, they flow because of love. How about the funny tears, have you ever laughed so hard that you cry? Sure you have, funny tears are fun. Then there are tears that well up for no obvious reason that we know of. In my life when I was strung out on meth and the drugs were gone; after everyone had left and I was alone, I would drown my sorrows in booze. I remember in times like these how because of the depression, all of a sudden I would start crying, just soul sick with myself. I remember thinking how I had sinned against God by my self-centered nature, how I had sinned against my loved ones by thinking only of myself, and what really brought the tears was the sin that I was committing against my own body. My body would say no but my mind would say yes to another shot of dope. Since I have been clean and sober, September 12, 1998, I have not had any tears that I could not explain. God has helped me on a daily basis to get my priorities in order, “seek ye first the kingdom and His righteousness,” and everything else will line up as it should. Today I truly “sow in tears, and reap with joyful shouting.” God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“The daisy was glad to stand out in the grass….it felt very grateful; and when the sun went down it folded its leaves and went to sleep, and dreamed all night about the sun.”
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
More about tears
Thought for the day: “This voice that calls to us out of the everyday moments of life is called the wisdom of God. This wisdom is infused into nature and the laws that govern her, and into human nature and the laws that govern it.”
KEN GIRE
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.”
PSALM `126:5 NASB
Yesterday I spoke of how one tear was worth a thousand words. My cousin Margaret did a search on the word tear in the Bible yesterday, and tears seem have an important emphasis in many Scriptures. There are actors that can cry on command, and as a child I remember being able to work up a tear for no reason, but tears don’t just flow normally on command. Something has to stir us up in our emotions to bring a tear to the surface. I have observed that there are many kinds of tears. There are tears of emotional pain, tears brought about by some hurt done us by someone else, or a hurt that we have done to ourselves. Sometimes these tears of emotional pain are caused because we are wrong in our thoughts and actions and God still reaches down in love with forgiveness. These tears I find to be a combination of pain and joy both. Then there are tears of joy, tears that come to us because of the many blessing that God bestows upon us. Tears that well up in our eyes when we see our loved ones blessed, how precious these tears are, they flow because of love. How about the funny tears, have you ever laughed so hard that you cry? Sure you have, funny tears are fun. Then there are tears that well up for no obvious reason that we know of. In my life when I was strung out on meth and the drugs were gone; after everyone had left and I was alone, I would drown my sorrows in booze. I remember in times like these how because of the depression, all of a sudden I would start crying, just soul sick with myself. I remember thinking how I had sinned against God by my self-centered nature, how I had sinned against my loved ones by thinking only of myself, and what really brought the tears was the sin that I was committing against my own body. My body would say no but my mind would say yes to another shot of dope. Since I have been clean and sober, September 12, 1998, I have not had any tears that I could not explain. God has helped me on a daily basis to get my priorities in order, “seek ye first the kingdom and His righteousness,” and everything else will line up as it should. Today I truly “sow in tears, and reap with joyful shouting.” God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“The daisy was glad to stand out in the grass….it felt very grateful; and when the sun went down it folded its leaves and went to sleep, and dreamed all night about the sun.”
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
