Monday, October 31, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “An elementary but correct way to think of God is as the One who contains all, who gives all that is given, but who Himself can receive nothing that He has not first given.”
A. W. TOZER
“Were all human beings suddenly to become blind, still the sun would shine by day and the stars by night, for these owe nothing to the millions who benefit from their light. So were every man on earth to become atheist, it could not affect God in any way. He is what He is in Himself without regard to any other. To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections; to doubt Him takes nothing away.”
A. W. TOZER………………….The Knowledge of the Holy, page 33
“To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections, to doubt Him takes nothing away.” What a humbling thought. Sometimes I will get a vision of some great work that I am taking part in. This would involve sharing the Word of God with others, and sharing my personal experiences and how God has done for me, what I could not do for myself. My sobering thoughts this day are centered in the facts that, what ever I do, or do not do, I cannot change God one bit. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, so why do what I do? I do what I do because it changes me. As I continue on a daily basis to try and reach out to the alcoholic and drug addict that is still suffering, I observe changes that take place within myself. Some of the changes occur quickly, some slowly, but they do happen as I take my thoughts away from myself and focus them on others. This evening will be the second time that I will visit the prison down the road. My plans are to go in once a week to carry a message of hope to those who still suffer from the results and effects of alcoholism and drug addictions. This work will not make God better because of it, nor will it make God worse off if I don’t. Where the change takes place will be in myself, and hopefully in time those I visit will also see the change that is taking place within me. And possibly they might desire what I have. Changes in myself today manifest themselves in different ways. Some that I see as a result of my drawing closer to God are, a satisfaction in knowing what I’m doing is good, in a inner peace that I cannot explain very well most times, and the fact that if I continue to do what I am doing I will continue to get what I am getting, sobriety and serenity. As others get a glimpse of hope, and I see it in their eyes, I am strengthened, they are strengthened, and we both find that our eyes are opened to the sunshine of the Spirit. At these moments, God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves……………………JRE
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery……….. You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love.”
GALATIANS 5:1 and 13 NIV
We come this morning,
Like empty pitchers to a full fountain,
With no merits of our own,
O Lord-open up a window of heaven,
And lean out far over the battlements of glory,
And listen this morning.
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON
He is what He is in Himself
Thought for the day: “An elementary but correct way to think of God is as the One who contains all, who gives all that is given, but who Himself can receive nothing that He has not first given.”
A. W. TOZER
“Were all human beings suddenly to become blind, still the sun would shine by day and the stars by night, for these owe nothing to the millions who benefit from their light. So were every man on earth to become atheist, it could not affect God in any way. He is what He is in Himself without regard to any other. To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections; to doubt Him takes nothing away.”
A. W. TOZER………………….The Knowledge of the Holy, page 33
“To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections, to doubt Him takes nothing away.” What a humbling thought. Sometimes I will get a vision of some great work that I am taking part in. This would involve sharing the Word of God with others, and sharing my personal experiences and how God has done for me, what I could not do for myself. My sobering thoughts this day are centered in the facts that, what ever I do, or do not do, I cannot change God one bit. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, so why do what I do? I do what I do because it changes me. As I continue on a daily basis to try and reach out to the alcoholic and drug addict that is still suffering, I observe changes that take place within myself. Some of the changes occur quickly, some slowly, but they do happen as I take my thoughts away from myself and focus them on others. This evening will be the second time that I will visit the prison down the road. My plans are to go in once a week to carry a message of hope to those who still suffer from the results and effects of alcoholism and drug addictions. This work will not make God better because of it, nor will it make God worse off if I don’t. Where the change takes place will be in myself, and hopefully in time those I visit will also see the change that is taking place within me. And possibly they might desire what I have. Changes in myself today manifest themselves in different ways. Some that I see as a result of my drawing closer to God are, a satisfaction in knowing what I’m doing is good, in a inner peace that I cannot explain very well most times, and the fact that if I continue to do what I am doing I will continue to get what I am getting, sobriety and serenity. As others get a glimpse of hope, and I see it in their eyes, I am strengthened, they are strengthened, and we both find that our eyes are opened to the sunshine of the Spirit. At these moments, God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves……………………JRE
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery……….. You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love.”
GALATIANS 5:1 and 13 NIV
We come this morning,
Like empty pitchers to a full fountain,
With no merits of our own,
O Lord-open up a window of heaven,
And lean out far over the battlements of glory,
And listen this morning.
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON
Saturday, October 29, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “There is no pit so deep that God is not there.”
CORRIE TEN BOOM
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
MATTHEW 9:35 KJV
Teaching and preaching, what do they have in common, and how do they differ? I like what the Dake Annotated Reference Bible has to say about this. Share this with me: “Preaching is for the purpose of calling the attention of men to truth, while teaching is the work of making the truth clear.” We need both, just to sit and listen to good preaching can be fun and exciting or humbling and sobering, but we need some instruction and teaching to fully understand. Most sermons today that are prepared based on a truth, and main idea running through them, will present the truth, explain the truth, and give examples of the truth and how we may apply it to our lives. This is preaching and teaching, and this is how Jesus went about all the cities and villages. After the truth has been shown and explained lights will come on in our being. We will appear as if “the lights are on” and somebody is home too. Once the lights have been turned on healing will take place. Whether it is emotional, physical, or spiritual healing, with the lights on it will happen. I can relate preaching, teaching and healing in my life in several areas. I can first apply this to my understand that God is for me and not against me, and my realization that God’s saving grace was available to me even when I was sitting there in the filth that I called my life. When the lights came on I was able to see to clean up, and receive spiritual healing. I can also apply preaching, teaching, and healing to my recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. Being totally powerless over alcohol and drugs I could not help myself. I tried and tried, but always slid back into my old habits. I was hopeless, helpless, and harming myself. Ever since my early days of alcohol abuse I knew of AA. Somewhere, sometime, someone had preached AA to me and had called my attention to the truth of a life without the miseries brought on by drugs and alcohol. Later on by going to meetings, having a sponsor to explain and teach me, and reading the books, I was able to apply abstinence, sobriety, and serenity to my life. The lights came on and healing began. First came the physical healing, my body absent of the stress of drugs began to rebound, regenerate, and renew. Second came the emotional healing as I began to become aware of some of my character defects and deal with them properly. Third came spiritual healing as I found myself wanting to be closer to God, and reaching out to others in some way. May I always listen for the truth, the explanation, and the application, and God will do for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
“God still draws near to me in the ordinary, common place, everyday experiences and places……He comes in surprising ways.”
HENRY GARIEPY
“Try to be thankful for whatever vision you have. Try to perform, in the little things, faithful service to God and others. Do your part every day in a spirit of service to God. Be a doer of God’s word, not a hearer only. In your daily life try to keep faith with God. Every day brings a new opportunity to be of some use. Even when you are tempted to rest or let things go or to evade the issue, make it a habit to meet the issue squarely as a challenge and not to hold back.” HAZELDEN…………………Twenty-Four Hours A Day
The lights are on, and someone is home
Thought for the day: “There is no pit so deep that God is not there.”
CORRIE TEN BOOM
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
MATTHEW 9:35 KJV
Teaching and preaching, what do they have in common, and how do they differ? I like what the Dake Annotated Reference Bible has to say about this. Share this with me: “Preaching is for the purpose of calling the attention of men to truth, while teaching is the work of making the truth clear.” We need both, just to sit and listen to good preaching can be fun and exciting or humbling and sobering, but we need some instruction and teaching to fully understand. Most sermons today that are prepared based on a truth, and main idea running through them, will present the truth, explain the truth, and give examples of the truth and how we may apply it to our lives. This is preaching and teaching, and this is how Jesus went about all the cities and villages. After the truth has been shown and explained lights will come on in our being. We will appear as if “the lights are on” and somebody is home too. Once the lights have been turned on healing will take place. Whether it is emotional, physical, or spiritual healing, with the lights on it will happen. I can relate preaching, teaching and healing in my life in several areas. I can first apply this to my understand that God is for me and not against me, and my realization that God’s saving grace was available to me even when I was sitting there in the filth that I called my life. When the lights came on I was able to see to clean up, and receive spiritual healing. I can also apply preaching, teaching, and healing to my recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. Being totally powerless over alcohol and drugs I could not help myself. I tried and tried, but always slid back into my old habits. I was hopeless, helpless, and harming myself. Ever since my early days of alcohol abuse I knew of AA. Somewhere, sometime, someone had preached AA to me and had called my attention to the truth of a life without the miseries brought on by drugs and alcohol. Later on by going to meetings, having a sponsor to explain and teach me, and reading the books, I was able to apply abstinence, sobriety, and serenity to my life. The lights came on and healing began. First came the physical healing, my body absent of the stress of drugs began to rebound, regenerate, and renew. Second came the emotional healing as I began to become aware of some of my character defects and deal with them properly. Third came spiritual healing as I found myself wanting to be closer to God, and reaching out to others in some way. May I always listen for the truth, the explanation, and the application, and God will do for me what I could not do for myself………………….JRE
“God still draws near to me in the ordinary, common place, everyday experiences and places……He comes in surprising ways.”
HENRY GARIEPY
“Try to be thankful for whatever vision you have. Try to perform, in the little things, faithful service to God and others. Do your part every day in a spirit of service to God. Be a doer of God’s word, not a hearer only. In your daily life try to keep faith with God. Every day brings a new opportunity to be of some use. Even when you are tempted to rest or let things go or to evade the issue, make it a habit to meet the issue squarely as a challenge and not to hold back.” HAZELDEN…………………Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Thursday, October 27, 2005
jralplhengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “We are to add what we can to life, not get what we want from it.”
WILLIAM OSLER
“No one sews a patch of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wine skins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
MATTHEW 9:16-17 NIV
As I study these words of Jesus today, I am becoming aware of the differences found in the Greek words used for “new wine” and “new wineskins.” The two words used for new, are not the same. Matthew recorded these words, and the conversation took place in his own home. Jesus had just called Matthew the tax collector and politician to follow Him. The way I read the story is that they then went to Mathew’s house for dinner. I guess Matthew had a bunch of his buddies over and they would be what we would call today politicians and crooks. The religious leaders of the day got wind of the party, and they said to Jesus’ disciples, “why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus then went on to tell these old rigid religious leaders about something new that was happening with God. Jesus explained it in terms that they understood, He said that new wine, or the new spirituality, had to be put in new wineskins, or the new bodies of men. If you received an inheritance of many priceless jewels, you wouldn’t carry them around in the pocket of your old Levi’s that had a hole in the pocket. You would renew your Levi’s, and that brings me to the Greek words used for new. The Greek word used for new wine is neos, which means freshly made or new in time. The Greek word that Matthew used for new wineskins is kainos, which means renewed and not new in existence. The new wine which is the new spirituality and spiritual gifts, is given to us believers by the Father, the Son Jesus, the finished work of the Cross, and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. The problem is this new wine can’t be contained in our old dried up spiritual wineskins that we call our bodies. Our bodies must be renewed. How does this take place? Some of the answer I have found can be seen in how old wineskins were renewed. If the wineskin was dried, stiff, and hard, it first had to be soaked in water. This process in our lives comes about by faith that we can be renewed, and by the washing of our mind by the continual reading of the Word of God, and by demonstrating our new faith by baptism. After the old wineskin was soaked and had become soft, it was then greased with oil or butter to prevent leakage and evaporation. In our lives this takes place after we have been softened up and made of use for God, we then experience the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit which seal us so that we don’t loose the spiritual treasures that God has given us. I am so grateful for the renewing I experience daily when I just take time to let God keep me pliable. Sometimes it stings when the oil is applied to this old dried skin of mine, but the liberty that comes from being spiritually flexible is worth the experience. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
ROMANS 12:2 NIV
“The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.”
BILL W. ………………..AA 12X12 page 88
Moisturizing and oiling my dried skin
Thought for the day: “We are to add what we can to life, not get what we want from it.”
WILLIAM OSLER
“No one sews a patch of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wine skins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
MATTHEW 9:16-17 NIV
As I study these words of Jesus today, I am becoming aware of the differences found in the Greek words used for “new wine” and “new wineskins.” The two words used for new, are not the same. Matthew recorded these words, and the conversation took place in his own home. Jesus had just called Matthew the tax collector and politician to follow Him. The way I read the story is that they then went to Mathew’s house for dinner. I guess Matthew had a bunch of his buddies over and they would be what we would call today politicians and crooks. The religious leaders of the day got wind of the party, and they said to Jesus’ disciples, “why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus then went on to tell these old rigid religious leaders about something new that was happening with God. Jesus explained it in terms that they understood, He said that new wine, or the new spirituality, had to be put in new wineskins, or the new bodies of men. If you received an inheritance of many priceless jewels, you wouldn’t carry them around in the pocket of your old Levi’s that had a hole in the pocket. You would renew your Levi’s, and that brings me to the Greek words used for new. The Greek word used for new wine is neos, which means freshly made or new in time. The Greek word that Matthew used for new wineskins is kainos, which means renewed and not new in existence. The new wine which is the new spirituality and spiritual gifts, is given to us believers by the Father, the Son Jesus, the finished work of the Cross, and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. The problem is this new wine can’t be contained in our old dried up spiritual wineskins that we call our bodies. Our bodies must be renewed. How does this take place? Some of the answer I have found can be seen in how old wineskins were renewed. If the wineskin was dried, stiff, and hard, it first had to be soaked in water. This process in our lives comes about by faith that we can be renewed, and by the washing of our mind by the continual reading of the Word of God, and by demonstrating our new faith by baptism. After the old wineskin was soaked and had become soft, it was then greased with oil or butter to prevent leakage and evaporation. In our lives this takes place after we have been softened up and made of use for God, we then experience the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit which seal us so that we don’t loose the spiritual treasures that God has given us. I am so grateful for the renewing I experience daily when I just take time to let God keep me pliable. Sometimes it stings when the oil is applied to this old dried skin of mine, but the liberty that comes from being spiritually flexible is worth the experience. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself……………..JRE
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
ROMANS 12:2 NIV
“The wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.”
BILL W. ………………..AA 12X12 page 88
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Man for all his genius is but an echo of the original Voice, a reflection of the uncreated Light.”
A. W. TOZER
“The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”
HABAKKUK 3:19 NIV
The Book of Habakkuk is a short prophetic book of three chapters. Share with me the quote from the introduction of the book. This is from the Zondervan New International Version.
“Habakkuk was written as a dialogue or conversation between God and the prophet. He saw that the leaders were oppressing the poor, so he asked why God allowed the wicked to prosper. Having received replies, he responds with a beautiful confession of faith. His confession became a public _expression and appears to have been used as a psalm.”
When I was in treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, one of the counselors as an assignment, told us to read the book of Habakkuk. Treatment involves the nurturing of spirituality, but seldom will one of the books of the Bible be used. The counselor was a Christian and knew of the therapeutic value the book held. Habakkuk starts out by asking God, “How long O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” My, there are many of us who have hit bottom in our lives and understand this cry for help. We feel all alone and think that everyone has abandoned us including God. Of course this view of life is seen through the self-centered eyes of self-inflicted pain. When I speak of the self, I am referring to the ego, the emotions, and the will of the inner being found in all of us. The self has a very dim view of reality while under the influence and effects of alcohol. It is seen by the beady little eyes that always look outside to see what can be received, very seldom is the view directed toward giving. If by the grace of God we are able to reach a point where we desire a turn-around in our lives, one of the first fruits of our recovery will be the sharing of our experiences, our strengths, and our hopes. As we desire to help others by our sharing, our view of life broadens. As our view broadens we are able to at first get just a glimpse of the Divine workings going on around us. God and those who have been willing to offer us help up, to the heights of a new life, have always been there. Our narrow and dim view seen only through the eyes of self have blocked out the Light.
As Habakkuk continues on, God gives an answer to his questions in the second chapter. The third chapter is the prophets prayer, and praise to God. Habakkuk’s attitude was turned around by a view into the Divine. I am learning that as I reach out to others that have suffered with the same afflictions as myself, my vision improves, and I find that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Lord of all being! Thou alone canst affirm I AM THAT I AM; yet we who are made in Thine image may each one repeat ‘I am,’ so confessing that we drive from Thee and that our words are but an echo of Thine own. We acknowledge Thee to be the great Original of which we through Thy goodness are grateful in imperfect copies. We worship Thee, O Father Everlasting. Amen.”
A.W. TOZER
The feet of a deer
Thought for the day: “Man for all his genius is but an echo of the original Voice, a reflection of the uncreated Light.”
A. W. TOZER
“The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”
HABAKKUK 3:19 NIV
The Book of Habakkuk is a short prophetic book of three chapters. Share with me the quote from the introduction of the book. This is from the Zondervan New International Version.
“Habakkuk was written as a dialogue or conversation between God and the prophet. He saw that the leaders were oppressing the poor, so he asked why God allowed the wicked to prosper. Having received replies, he responds with a beautiful confession of faith. His confession became a public _expression and appears to have been used as a psalm.”
When I was in treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, one of the counselors as an assignment, told us to read the book of Habakkuk. Treatment involves the nurturing of spirituality, but seldom will one of the books of the Bible be used. The counselor was a Christian and knew of the therapeutic value the book held. Habakkuk starts out by asking God, “How long O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” My, there are many of us who have hit bottom in our lives and understand this cry for help. We feel all alone and think that everyone has abandoned us including God. Of course this view of life is seen through the self-centered eyes of self-inflicted pain. When I speak of the self, I am referring to the ego, the emotions, and the will of the inner being found in all of us. The self has a very dim view of reality while under the influence and effects of alcohol. It is seen by the beady little eyes that always look outside to see what can be received, very seldom is the view directed toward giving. If by the grace of God we are able to reach a point where we desire a turn-around in our lives, one of the first fruits of our recovery will be the sharing of our experiences, our strengths, and our hopes. As we desire to help others by our sharing, our view of life broadens. As our view broadens we are able to at first get just a glimpse of the Divine workings going on around us. God and those who have been willing to offer us help up, to the heights of a new life, have always been there. Our narrow and dim view seen only through the eyes of self have blocked out the Light.
As Habakkuk continues on, God gives an answer to his questions in the second chapter. The third chapter is the prophets prayer, and praise to God. Habakkuk’s attitude was turned around by a view into the Divine. I am learning that as I reach out to others that have suffered with the same afflictions as myself, my vision improves, and I find that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Lord of all being! Thou alone canst affirm I AM THAT I AM; yet we who are made in Thine image may each one repeat ‘I am,’ so confessing that we drive from Thee and that our words are but an echo of Thine own. We acknowledge Thee to be the great Original of which we through Thy goodness are grateful in imperfect copies. We worship Thee, O Father Everlasting. Amen.”
A.W. TOZER
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “One self-approving hour whole years outweigh.”
ALEXANDER POPE
“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.”
PROVERBS 12:16 NIV
These words of Solomon are speaking to me today. It seems that when I am annoyed by someone, someplace, or something, I always open my mouth and let words fly that often I regret. Even if my words are salted with kindness and grace the sting that they may carry always seems to sting me also. I know for a fact that often when someone else is the object of my annoyance, the stinging effect of my words on my own heart are deeper, longer lasting, and more painful than their effect on their intended victim. In my life the skill of studying my words before I speak is a life long process, and just when I think that I am making some progress out will come words of annoyance that have been honed on the grinding stone of self-approval. Once I click on the “send” tab of the computer of my mind, the words cannot be retrieved. I have learned much about social behavior from my family, peers, church, and school, but some of the best teachings I’ve learned about getting along with others, has come from the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Just not drinking is but a beginning. In order to stay sober I must clear away the wreckage of my past and get along with those people, places, and things that I encounter in my life. One hard lesson that I am learning is that even when my rights are violated, if I speak too quickly, and use words that have been sharpened, often I am the one injured and wounded by my own pain. Not only do I feel the pain from someone else that has been directed at me, I also feel the pain of my own thoughts and words. Double the pain, for the single price of one experience. The words of Bill W. echo through my thoughts, share this with me.
“It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also. But are there exceptions to this rule? What about ‘justifiable’ anger? If somebody cheats us, aren’t we entitled to be mad? Can’t we be properly angry with self-righteous folk? For us of A.A. these are dangerous exceptions. We have found that justified anger ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it.”
I am not qualified enough to handle anger without hurting myself. My uncle Elmer use to tell me to just “let annoyances run off like water on a ducks back.” That’s hillbilly for the words of Solomon “a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Today may I learn that many words are like a two-edged sword, they are able to cut as I speak them, and also as I hear them myself. If I concentrate today on listening and not so much on speaking, God will do for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
“If you focus on the past, it won’t be long before complaints start oozing from your lips. You will remember a long-ago time, bathed in a hazy, rosy glow of memory, when something was easier and more comfortable than it is today. And as you compare then and now, I guarantee it, you will grumble.
“I do this; so do you. But it’s so foolish. We look back nostalgically on what was once a pleasant situation, at which time (even then!) we were looking back longingly on a more pleasant earlier time. That’s dumb isn’t it? You may be grumbling right now about your current situation. But chances are good that two years from now you’ll be looking back on this moment and saying, ‘Oh for the good old days! Boy it was great back then, wasn’t it?’…..
“Stop! We live in the light of some dreamy past leisure of pleasure, when in actuality God continues to show Himself strong all along the way.”
CHARLES SWINDOLL…………..Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
Like water running off a ducks back
Thought for the day: “One self-approving hour whole years outweigh.”
ALEXANDER POPE
“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.”
PROVERBS 12:16 NIV
These words of Solomon are speaking to me today. It seems that when I am annoyed by someone, someplace, or something, I always open my mouth and let words fly that often I regret. Even if my words are salted with kindness and grace the sting that they may carry always seems to sting me also. I know for a fact that often when someone else is the object of my annoyance, the stinging effect of my words on my own heart are deeper, longer lasting, and more painful than their effect on their intended victim. In my life the skill of studying my words before I speak is a life long process, and just when I think that I am making some progress out will come words of annoyance that have been honed on the grinding stone of self-approval. Once I click on the “send” tab of the computer of my mind, the words cannot be retrieved. I have learned much about social behavior from my family, peers, church, and school, but some of the best teachings I’ve learned about getting along with others, has come from the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Just not drinking is but a beginning. In order to stay sober I must clear away the wreckage of my past and get along with those people, places, and things that I encounter in my life. One hard lesson that I am learning is that even when my rights are violated, if I speak too quickly, and use words that have been sharpened, often I am the one injured and wounded by my own pain. Not only do I feel the pain from someone else that has been directed at me, I also feel the pain of my own thoughts and words. Double the pain, for the single price of one experience. The words of Bill W. echo through my thoughts, share this with me.
“It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. If somebody hurts us and we are sore, we are in the wrong also. But are there exceptions to this rule? What about ‘justifiable’ anger? If somebody cheats us, aren’t we entitled to be mad? Can’t we be properly angry with self-righteous folk? For us of A.A. these are dangerous exceptions. We have found that justified anger ought to be left to those better qualified to handle it.”
I am not qualified enough to handle anger without hurting myself. My uncle Elmer use to tell me to just “let annoyances run off like water on a ducks back.” That’s hillbilly for the words of Solomon “a prudent man overlooks an insult.” Today may I learn that many words are like a two-edged sword, they are able to cut as I speak them, and also as I hear them myself. If I concentrate today on listening and not so much on speaking, God will do for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
“If you focus on the past, it won’t be long before complaints start oozing from your lips. You will remember a long-ago time, bathed in a hazy, rosy glow of memory, when something was easier and more comfortable than it is today. And as you compare then and now, I guarantee it, you will grumble.
“I do this; so do you. But it’s so foolish. We look back nostalgically on what was once a pleasant situation, at which time (even then!) we were looking back longingly on a more pleasant earlier time. That’s dumb isn’t it? You may be grumbling right now about your current situation. But chances are good that two years from now you’ll be looking back on this moment and saying, ‘Oh for the good old days! Boy it was great back then, wasn’t it?’…..
“Stop! We live in the light of some dreamy past leisure of pleasure, when in actuality God continues to show Himself strong all along the way.”
CHARLES SWINDOLL…………..Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication
Monday, October 24, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”
THOMAS MERTON
“O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days……………Let your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes confirm the work of our hands.” PSALM 90:14, 16, 17 NASB
I like what Charles Ryrie has to say about these three verses in his Study Bible, share this with me. “When God deals with us in lovingkindness, life will be joyous, it will be viewed from His perspective, and His blessings will be on our work.” Charles Ryrie uses the word when, I do not think that he meant it as if there are times that God does not act with lovingkindness. God is love and therefore love must be involved in every act or presence of God. It is only through my attitude that I will give situations in my life a tint of the absence of God. God presence is always near to all of us. Only when I nourish my pride, my self-pity, or my selfishness do I find that I experience loneliness far from the loving hand of God. Of course the distance can be found only in my attitudes, not in the presence of my loving God. The ninetieth psalm is a prayer of Moses, and I know that Moses, as he led millions of people through very trying times, understood about getting the day started off in the right direction. “Satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” I have discovered that when my feet hit the floor in the morning I have the choice whether to look in or look up. If I look up I will not go too far in the day without realizing that mercy and grace are there if I only receive them. They abound for those who know God, but we must first reach out spiritually and receive them. Grace and mercy are attributes of God’s lovingkindness. They are ever-present. I would consider God’s lovingkindness to be the true breakfast of champions. Why not start the days with all we need to overcome any obstacles that may come our way? The Breakfast of Champions. This morning God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………………JRE
“When we in our turn sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, “a design for living” that really works.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, page 28
“Above all give me grace to use these beauties of earth without me and this eager stirring of life within me as a means whereby my soul may rise from creature to Creator, and from nature to nature’s God.”
JOHN BAILLIE
Breakfast of Champions
Thought for the day: “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”
THOMAS MERTON
“O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days……………Let your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes confirm the work of our hands.” PSALM 90:14, 16, 17 NASB
I like what Charles Ryrie has to say about these three verses in his Study Bible, share this with me. “When God deals with us in lovingkindness, life will be joyous, it will be viewed from His perspective, and His blessings will be on our work.” Charles Ryrie uses the word when, I do not think that he meant it as if there are times that God does not act with lovingkindness. God is love and therefore love must be involved in every act or presence of God. It is only through my attitude that I will give situations in my life a tint of the absence of God. God presence is always near to all of us. Only when I nourish my pride, my self-pity, or my selfishness do I find that I experience loneliness far from the loving hand of God. Of course the distance can be found only in my attitudes, not in the presence of my loving God. The ninetieth psalm is a prayer of Moses, and I know that Moses, as he led millions of people through very trying times, understood about getting the day started off in the right direction. “Satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” I have discovered that when my feet hit the floor in the morning I have the choice whether to look in or look up. If I look up I will not go too far in the day without realizing that mercy and grace are there if I only receive them. They abound for those who know God, but we must first reach out spiritually and receive them. Grace and mercy are attributes of God’s lovingkindness. They are ever-present. I would consider God’s lovingkindness to be the true breakfast of champions. Why not start the days with all we need to overcome any obstacles that may come our way? The Breakfast of Champions. This morning God has done for me what I could not do for myself…………………JRE
“When we in our turn sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, “a design for living” that really works.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, page 28
“Above all give me grace to use these beauties of earth without me and this eager stirring of life within me as a means whereby my soul may rise from creature to Creator, and from nature to nature’s God.”
JOHN BAILLIE
Thursday, October 20, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “If God is present at every point in space, if we cannot go where He is not, cannot even conceive of a place where He is not, why then has not that Presence become the one unanswerably celebrated fact of the world?……People do not know if God is here. What a difference it would make if they knew.”
A.W. TOZER
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.”
PSALM 119:130-132 NIV
Understanding to the simple. I have noticed in my life that sometimes the simple things are the most difficult to understand. I think at times that I look right past the understanding to try and find the answer for why, or how, or what. I don’t seem to be satisfied with the simple answers, but because of the complexity of life, and because our educational experiences have taught us that the more knowledge we gain the more complex the information must be. This is true in the natural world, but in the spiritual it doesn’t always apply. Spiritual principles and laws work and may be applied to our lives just as natural principles and laws are applied to our lives. Spiritual principles travel on the unconditional love that the Father has for us. They work by the faith that we have when we become involved in the process of applying the principles to our lives. I have observed in life how the simple things are many times the best things. I have observed how a simple smile can generate much good, where as, if the person smiling had explained all the details behind why they smiled, the meaning would have been lost in the definition. I have observed in my life how something as simple and the color light blue, has more of an appealing than something that has a mosaic of colors splashed about. When the choices in my life centering around alcoholism and drug addiction led me on a downward spiral with the end results of living a life of misery in a spiritual void, I started looking for help. I had been to treatment six times before, and once again I sought out the education needed to bring about the change in my life. I learned of the nature of alcohol and the effects it has on the human body. I learned of the psychological aspects of the obsession and compulsion that took place in the minds of those who suffered from the malady. I learned of the need for spiritual growth and for the desire to reach out and help others who suffer likewise. All of this learning gave me a broad knowledge of what was making me tick, but the answer came in the form of a simple truth. “If you want to stop drinking, don’t take the first drink.” That’s pretty elementary, but we look for the deeper answers, why? When one of the co-founders of AA, Dr. Bob, was dying, one of the last things he said to Bill W. was “keep it simple.” These words echo to me today as I read the 119 Psalm, “The unfolding of Your words gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.” Today by faith and the grace of God, the simple spiritual principles that God has given us, is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob…..The wonderful, old broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, “Remember, Bill, lets not louse this thing up. Let’s keep it simple!” I turned away unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, page 214
“Surely He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows.”
ISAIAH 53:4
Understanding the simple
Thought for the day: “If God is present at every point in space, if we cannot go where He is not, cannot even conceive of a place where He is not, why then has not that Presence become the one unanswerably celebrated fact of the world?……People do not know if God is here. What a difference it would make if they knew.”
A.W. TOZER
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.”
PSALM 119:130-132 NIV
Understanding to the simple. I have noticed in my life that sometimes the simple things are the most difficult to understand. I think at times that I look right past the understanding to try and find the answer for why, or how, or what. I don’t seem to be satisfied with the simple answers, but because of the complexity of life, and because our educational experiences have taught us that the more knowledge we gain the more complex the information must be. This is true in the natural world, but in the spiritual it doesn’t always apply. Spiritual principles and laws work and may be applied to our lives just as natural principles and laws are applied to our lives. Spiritual principles travel on the unconditional love that the Father has for us. They work by the faith that we have when we become involved in the process of applying the principles to our lives. I have observed in life how the simple things are many times the best things. I have observed how a simple smile can generate much good, where as, if the person smiling had explained all the details behind why they smiled, the meaning would have been lost in the definition. I have observed in my life how something as simple and the color light blue, has more of an appealing than something that has a mosaic of colors splashed about. When the choices in my life centering around alcoholism and drug addiction led me on a downward spiral with the end results of living a life of misery in a spiritual void, I started looking for help. I had been to treatment six times before, and once again I sought out the education needed to bring about the change in my life. I learned of the nature of alcohol and the effects it has on the human body. I learned of the psychological aspects of the obsession and compulsion that took place in the minds of those who suffered from the malady. I learned of the need for spiritual growth and for the desire to reach out and help others who suffer likewise. All of this learning gave me a broad knowledge of what was making me tick, but the answer came in the form of a simple truth. “If you want to stop drinking, don’t take the first drink.” That’s pretty elementary, but we look for the deeper answers, why? When one of the co-founders of AA, Dr. Bob, was dying, one of the last things he said to Bill W. was “keep it simple.” These words echo to me today as I read the 119 Psalm, “The unfolding of Your words gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.” Today by faith and the grace of God, the simple spiritual principles that God has given us, is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………JRE
“A few hours later I took my leave of Dr. Bob…..The wonderful, old broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, “Remember, Bill, lets not louse this thing up. Let’s keep it simple!” I turned away unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE, page 214
“Surely He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows.”
ISAIAH 53:4
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “No one is in mere distance any further from or any nearer to God than any other person.”
A.W. TOZER
God is our refuge and strength,
An ever-present help in trouble.
therefore we will not fear,
Though the earth give way and the
mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
PSALM 46:1-3 NIV
“God is an ever-present help in trouble.” The distance between God and myself is always the same, close. I am talking about physical distance. God is ever-present. When it comes to the matters of the heart, sometimes I put a little spiritual distance between myself and God. I don’t like doing this, I would hope to some day be able to give my all to God, but at the present I am learning by my mistakes. There are parts of my life that at times I will turn over to God, and then later take them back to myself. When I let my self control my attitudes and actions totally, I at times create some spiritual distance between God and myself. Some of my attitudes that I have found to create spiritual distance between my heart and God are self-righteousness, self-centeredness, self-righteous anger, unforgivenness, resentments, pride, jealousy, and the list goes on to include all of what we call the seven deadly sins. Of course they are not listed in Scriptures as the seven deadly sins, we know that all sins are deadly when not dealt with. My how a little sin, or one that I would consider little, can thrive and grow when allowed a little space in my heart. I have found that when I allow the growth of my character defects, my heart becomes distant to God and to those affected by the defects. Character defects are spiritual defects and will go against and pull away from God. Today I will have lunch with my AA Sponsor, and through our time of fellowship and conversation, possibly some of my character defects will come to light and I will be able see where the work in my spiritual life needs to be directed. I realize that I cannot hide from God, because God is ever-present. My problems seem to be of my own making by hiding myself from me. Emotional pain only seems to occur as they come to the surface and come to the light. At times this takes the help of my friend and AA sponsor. Today I am so grateful for those who are honest with me about myself. May learn through my relationships with others to be honest with myself. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself…..JRE
“Our pursuit of God is successful just because He is forever seeking to manifest Himself to us. The revelation of God to any man is not God coming from a distance once upon a time to pay a brief and momentous visit to the man’s soul. Thus to think of it is to misunderstand it all. The approach of God to the soul or of the soul to God is not to be thought of in spatial terms at all. There is no idea of physical distance involved in the concept. It is not a matter of miles but of experience.”
A.W. TOZER………………..The Pursuit of God, page 61
“The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear………..”
AA 12X12, page 76
Ever-present
Thought for the day: “No one is in mere distance any further from or any nearer to God than any other person.”
A.W. TOZER
God is our refuge and strength,
An ever-present help in trouble.
therefore we will not fear,
Though the earth give way and the
mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
PSALM 46:1-3 NIV
“God is an ever-present help in trouble.” The distance between God and myself is always the same, close. I am talking about physical distance. God is ever-present. When it comes to the matters of the heart, sometimes I put a little spiritual distance between myself and God. I don’t like doing this, I would hope to some day be able to give my all to God, but at the present I am learning by my mistakes. There are parts of my life that at times I will turn over to God, and then later take them back to myself. When I let my self control my attitudes and actions totally, I at times create some spiritual distance between God and myself. Some of my attitudes that I have found to create spiritual distance between my heart and God are self-righteousness, self-centeredness, self-righteous anger, unforgivenness, resentments, pride, jealousy, and the list goes on to include all of what we call the seven deadly sins. Of course they are not listed in Scriptures as the seven deadly sins, we know that all sins are deadly when not dealt with. My how a little sin, or one that I would consider little, can thrive and grow when allowed a little space in my heart. I have found that when I allow the growth of my character defects, my heart becomes distant to God and to those affected by the defects. Character defects are spiritual defects and will go against and pull away from God. Today I will have lunch with my AA Sponsor, and through our time of fellowship and conversation, possibly some of my character defects will come to light and I will be able see where the work in my spiritual life needs to be directed. I realize that I cannot hide from God, because God is ever-present. My problems seem to be of my own making by hiding myself from me. Emotional pain only seems to occur as they come to the surface and come to the light. At times this takes the help of my friend and AA sponsor. Today I am so grateful for those who are honest with me about myself. May learn through my relationships with others to be honest with myself. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself…..JRE
“Our pursuit of God is successful just because He is forever seeking to manifest Himself to us. The revelation of God to any man is not God coming from a distance once upon a time to pay a brief and momentous visit to the man’s soul. Thus to think of it is to misunderstand it all. The approach of God to the soul or of the soul to God is not to be thought of in spatial terms at all. There is no idea of physical distance involved in the concept. It is not a matter of miles but of experience.”
A.W. TOZER………………..The Pursuit of God, page 61
“The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear………..”
AA 12X12, page 76
Monday, October 17, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things.”
A.W.TOZER
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
HEBREWS 11:6 NIV
“Faith enables our spiritual sense to function.” This quote from A.W. Tozer can be found in his book The Pursuit of God. I started reading the book yesterday and was most way through the book before I put it down. It is a small book first published in 1948 and only 120 pages, but my how powerful are the words that I found contained within its pages. I have found Tozer to be a remarkable man, “with no teacher but the Holy Spirit and good books, A.W. Tozer became a theologian, a scholar and a master craftsman in the use of the English language.” Tozer wrote the book I am reading on his knees, and I have found each word to be spiritually in order. If anyone desires to be closer to God and to truly know God in a personal way, I recommend the book. Defective faith will result in the inward sensibility and numbness toward spiritual things. How true this is. When my faith in God was at a low point because of my self-centered life style brought about by the abuse of alcohol and drugs, I found that I was also insensible and numb to the life of the spiritual realm. The word insensible means, lacking sensation, and not having the power to perceive with the senses. With very little faith my self-centeredness grew depending upon itself and itself only. Of course the alcohol and drugs were out to destroy the self and the end result is a faithless and lonely death. Somewhere close to what I would call the bottom of my existence I grasped a glimpse of hope, and a spark of faith ignited. As hope grew and dreams became reality, my faith, encouraged by the results of its existence also grew. Today I am learning to exercise my faith every chance I get. I want to keep it strong and useable. I have been clean and sober for seven years, and as I grow in my desire to know God more, I find that God blesses me with spiritual rewards. Today I am being blessed by the words and insights of A.W. Tozer. By using and exercising my faith, God does for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
“Our uncorrected thinking, influenced by the blindness of our natural hearts and the intrusive ubiquity of visible things, tends to draw contrast between the spiritual and the real, but actually no such contrast exists. The antithesis lies elsewhere, between the real and the imaginary, between the spiritual and the material, between the temporal and the eternal; but between the spiritual and the real, never. The spiritual is real.”
A.W. TOZER…………………..The Pursuit of God
“Spiritual power is God in action. God can only act through human beings. Whenever you, however weak you may be, allow God to act through you, then all you think and say and do is spiritually powerful. It is not you alone who produces a change in the lives of others! It is also the Divine Spirit in action. God can use you as a tool to accomplish miracles in peoples lives.”
HAZELDEN……………………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Sensible
Thought for the day: “Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things.”
A.W.TOZER
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
HEBREWS 11:6 NIV
“Faith enables our spiritual sense to function.” This quote from A.W. Tozer can be found in his book The Pursuit of God. I started reading the book yesterday and was most way through the book before I put it down. It is a small book first published in 1948 and only 120 pages, but my how powerful are the words that I found contained within its pages. I have found Tozer to be a remarkable man, “with no teacher but the Holy Spirit and good books, A.W. Tozer became a theologian, a scholar and a master craftsman in the use of the English language.” Tozer wrote the book I am reading on his knees, and I have found each word to be spiritually in order. If anyone desires to be closer to God and to truly know God in a personal way, I recommend the book. Defective faith will result in the inward sensibility and numbness toward spiritual things. How true this is. When my faith in God was at a low point because of my self-centered life style brought about by the abuse of alcohol and drugs, I found that I was also insensible and numb to the life of the spiritual realm. The word insensible means, lacking sensation, and not having the power to perceive with the senses. With very little faith my self-centeredness grew depending upon itself and itself only. Of course the alcohol and drugs were out to destroy the self and the end result is a faithless and lonely death. Somewhere close to what I would call the bottom of my existence I grasped a glimpse of hope, and a spark of faith ignited. As hope grew and dreams became reality, my faith, encouraged by the results of its existence also grew. Today I am learning to exercise my faith every chance I get. I want to keep it strong and useable. I have been clean and sober for seven years, and as I grow in my desire to know God more, I find that God blesses me with spiritual rewards. Today I am being blessed by the words and insights of A.W. Tozer. By using and exercising my faith, God does for me what I could not do for myself…………….JRE
“Our uncorrected thinking, influenced by the blindness of our natural hearts and the intrusive ubiquity of visible things, tends to draw contrast between the spiritual and the real, but actually no such contrast exists. The antithesis lies elsewhere, between the real and the imaginary, between the spiritual and the material, between the temporal and the eternal; but between the spiritual and the real, never. The spiritual is real.”
A.W. TOZER…………………..The Pursuit of God
“Spiritual power is God in action. God can only act through human beings. Whenever you, however weak you may be, allow God to act through you, then all you think and say and do is spiritually powerful. It is not you alone who produces a change in the lives of others! It is also the Divine Spirit in action. God can use you as a tool to accomplish miracles in peoples lives.”
HAZELDEN……………………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Friday, October 14, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Much of what is sacred is hidden in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives. To see something of the sacred in those moments takes slowing down so we can live our lives more reflectively.”
KEN GIRE
“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.”
ECCLESIASTES 5:2-3 NIV
“Slow down, you’re moving too fast, you got to make the morning last. Just kicking down the cobble stones, looking at life and feeling groovy.” Some of you might remember this song from the sixties by the Young Rascals. Forty years ago the pace of life seemed fast. After all it wasn’t the forties or the fifties anymore, we were in the jet age, and our big V-8 cars traveled at seventy and eighty miles an hour. We were clipping along and doing just fine. Who would have ever thought that forty years later the pace of life, along with technology would have doubled or tripled? We are clipping along so fast these days that finding time for God, for prayer, for meditation, seems to be a task that never gets much attention. As I examine myself this morning I find that I can be quick to pray, and often use many words. May I realize today that God doesn’t need a lot of words to understand my situation, or to hear my praise for the grace that has been extended to my life. God understands before I ever open my mouth, possibly my many words only confuses me, and could direct my prayer in the wrong direction. Today may I take the time to slow down and be more reflective of God in my life. And may my words be few, but filled with faith and honesty, and directed in the proper direction. Once again, the Word of God is doing for me today, what I could not do for myself……….JRE
“Nothing can give you quite the same thrill as the feeling that you in harmony with the great God of the universe who created all things.”
JAMES DOBSON
“We are going to know a new freedom.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 83
Slowing down
Thought for the day: “Much of what is sacred is hidden in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives. To see something of the sacred in those moments takes slowing down so we can live our lives more reflectively.”
KEN GIRE
“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.”
ECCLESIASTES 5:2-3 NIV
“Slow down, you’re moving too fast, you got to make the morning last. Just kicking down the cobble stones, looking at life and feeling groovy.” Some of you might remember this song from the sixties by the Young Rascals. Forty years ago the pace of life seemed fast. After all it wasn’t the forties or the fifties anymore, we were in the jet age, and our big V-8 cars traveled at seventy and eighty miles an hour. We were clipping along and doing just fine. Who would have ever thought that forty years later the pace of life, along with technology would have doubled or tripled? We are clipping along so fast these days that finding time for God, for prayer, for meditation, seems to be a task that never gets much attention. As I examine myself this morning I find that I can be quick to pray, and often use many words. May I realize today that God doesn’t need a lot of words to understand my situation, or to hear my praise for the grace that has been extended to my life. God understands before I ever open my mouth, possibly my many words only confuses me, and could direct my prayer in the wrong direction. Today may I take the time to slow down and be more reflective of God in my life. And may my words be few, but filled with faith and honesty, and directed in the proper direction. Once again, the Word of God is doing for me today, what I could not do for myself……….JRE
“Nothing can give you quite the same thrill as the feeling that you in harmony with the great God of the universe who created all things.”
JAMES DOBSON
“We are going to know a new freedom.”
Alcoholics Anonymous, page 83
Thursday, October 13, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Life only demands from you the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible, not to run away.”
DAG HAMMARSKJOLD
“But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.”
EPHESIANS 2:4-5 NIV
“God who is rich in mercy.” Have you ever thought about that kind of wealth? As I study this scripture this morning I look deeper into the meaning of the word mercy. Webster’s Dictionary has this for the definition, share this with me: A refraining from harming or punishing offenders, enemies, persons in one’s power; kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness; the power to forgive or be kind; kind or compassionate treatment; relief of suffering.
I really like the last definition, “relief of suffering.” God who is rich in mercy has relieved my suffering that I had brought upon myself. There are many kinds of suffering, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, but the kind of suffering that inflicted the most pain into my life was the suffering that I had brought about by making choices. When you are in the grips of physical, emotional and spiritual pain, and you know that it could have been avoided by making a better choice, then you will feel pain that you realize is unnecessary. What hurts is to know that your suffering did not have to happen. I have a large scare on my forehead that twenty-five years ago was the result of a drunken rage and accident. Each morning as I wash my face I see the results of a bad decision I made years ago. The memory of the day does not fade. When I think about the wreck I am taken back in time and I am able to relive the experience just as vivid as if it happened yesterday. The amazing aspect of my magnifying memory is that today I have relief from the suffering of my mistakes that day. Oh I could have continued in self-pity with my thoughts of that day, but two years after the accident I accepted Jesus into my life, and God forgave me of my mistakes that day. I still have to make some amends because of the choices I made that day, but God “who is rich in mercy” has relieved my suffering caused by remorse and guilt. In February of 1983 I started my life over. I can never forget the feeling of realizing that life was brand new. I was doing time in jail and I can remember walking out in the yard and everything was new. The sky was a new sky, the air I was breathing was new air, and the ground I was standing on felt as if I had never stood on ground before. The inmates around me seemed to take on new personalities, and I started to see God in the lives of others. Now that I think of it, that might have been one of the most amazing aspects of my new birth, the fact that I knew in my heart that God loved me, and God also loved others the same. It made everybody and everything look different. God had connected us all together by love, mercy and grace. If I ever get down in the dumps I need to go no further in my memory that day when everything seemed brand new. I stand in that doorway of my life and look out again. God who is rich in mercy has done for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
“I will learn to overcome myself, because every blow to selfishness is used to shape the real, eternal, un-perishable me. As I overcome myself, I gain that power which God releases in my soul. And I too will be victorious. It is not the difficulties of life that I have to conquer, so much as my own selfishness.” HAZELDEN………………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Rich in mercy
Thought for the day: “Life only demands from you the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible, not to run away.”
DAG HAMMARSKJOLD
“But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved.”
EPHESIANS 2:4-5 NIV
“God who is rich in mercy.” Have you ever thought about that kind of wealth? As I study this scripture this morning I look deeper into the meaning of the word mercy. Webster’s Dictionary has this for the definition, share this with me: A refraining from harming or punishing offenders, enemies, persons in one’s power; kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness; the power to forgive or be kind; kind or compassionate treatment; relief of suffering.
I really like the last definition, “relief of suffering.” God who is rich in mercy has relieved my suffering that I had brought upon myself. There are many kinds of suffering, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, but the kind of suffering that inflicted the most pain into my life was the suffering that I had brought about by making choices. When you are in the grips of physical, emotional and spiritual pain, and you know that it could have been avoided by making a better choice, then you will feel pain that you realize is unnecessary. What hurts is to know that your suffering did not have to happen. I have a large scare on my forehead that twenty-five years ago was the result of a drunken rage and accident. Each morning as I wash my face I see the results of a bad decision I made years ago. The memory of the day does not fade. When I think about the wreck I am taken back in time and I am able to relive the experience just as vivid as if it happened yesterday. The amazing aspect of my magnifying memory is that today I have relief from the suffering of my mistakes that day. Oh I could have continued in self-pity with my thoughts of that day, but two years after the accident I accepted Jesus into my life, and God forgave me of my mistakes that day. I still have to make some amends because of the choices I made that day, but God “who is rich in mercy” has relieved my suffering caused by remorse and guilt. In February of 1983 I started my life over. I can never forget the feeling of realizing that life was brand new. I was doing time in jail and I can remember walking out in the yard and everything was new. The sky was a new sky, the air I was breathing was new air, and the ground I was standing on felt as if I had never stood on ground before. The inmates around me seemed to take on new personalities, and I started to see God in the lives of others. Now that I think of it, that might have been one of the most amazing aspects of my new birth, the fact that I knew in my heart that God loved me, and God also loved others the same. It made everybody and everything look different. God had connected us all together by love, mercy and grace. If I ever get down in the dumps I need to go no further in my memory that day when everything seemed brand new. I stand in that doorway of my life and look out again. God who is rich in mercy has done for me what I could not do for myself……………JRE
“I will learn to overcome myself, because every blow to selfishness is used to shape the real, eternal, un-perishable me. As I overcome myself, I gain that power which God releases in my soul. And I too will be victorious. It is not the difficulties of life that I have to conquer, so much as my own selfishness.” HAZELDEN………………….Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Have thy tools ready; God will find thee work.”
CHARLES KINGSLEY
“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 PETER 2:4,5 NASB
I understand first hand about the stone that was “rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God.” I’m not talking about myself. This Scripture is in reference to Jesus, and how many men reject Him. How I relate to this is in a building project that I once undertook. In 1986 I had a well drilled and before the winter winds blew I needed to build a well house. I built a wooden frame four foot by four foot well house to sit over the well, pressure tank and electrical controls. The next year I decided to go get field rocks and enclose the whole building in with rocks and mortar. I had never done any rockwork, so I gathered many and all sizes. The nice flat rocks about the size of a cafeteria tray I thought would be the best to use. I rejected the large odd shaped rocks because they were too heavy and too awkward to move and use. I laid out the rocks that I thought would become the first wall, and started to lay rock. I dug down several inches and put a concrete footing for the rocks to set on. I then laid my first rocks. When I came to the second row of rocks I found that the weight of the added rocks too much for the small rocks used in the foundation of the first row. I quickly saw that with the added rows on top of one another, I would have problems. I had to start over. I went out to the field and gathered the large, odd shaped, heavy, and awkward rocks that I had rejected. They were perfect for the first row of foundation rocks. Oh, they weren’t the pretty ones that I wanted to use, but when that first wall was completed, they looked mighty fine supporting the other rocks, and did not look out of place at all. Jesus was the Stone that was rejected by the builders of the religion of His day. But my, what a secure foundation for the church Jesus the Rock is. No other rock would work, Jesus is the foundation that supports, and holds up, and loves, and encourages the other living stones that the Builder uses in building His church. Today I find many living stones that men have rejected to be fitly placed in the walls of the church. My, how God will use those who truly rely on Him. I find living stones in the lives of recovering alcoholics and addicts. I find living stones serving the Lord who were criminals and have done time. I find living stones in those who have had tragic situations that have led to separation from loved ones. I find that God can especially use building materials that have been rejected by men. After all, they rejected His Son. He understands rejection. Thanks for letting me share, God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE
“Therefore thus says the Lord God, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” ISAIAH 28:16 NASB
“We too have been freed, freed to serve God without looking over our shoulders to see if He’s glaring at us with suppressed hostility, freed to offer ourselves as servants, and freed to accept the commission.”
JIM MCGUIGAN………………Where the Spirit of the Lord Is
Rock foundations
Thought for the day: “Have thy tools ready; God will find thee work.”
CHARLES KINGSLEY
“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 PETER 2:4,5 NASB
I understand first hand about the stone that was “rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God.” I’m not talking about myself. This Scripture is in reference to Jesus, and how many men reject Him. How I relate to this is in a building project that I once undertook. In 1986 I had a well drilled and before the winter winds blew I needed to build a well house. I built a wooden frame four foot by four foot well house to sit over the well, pressure tank and electrical controls. The next year I decided to go get field rocks and enclose the whole building in with rocks and mortar. I had never done any rockwork, so I gathered many and all sizes. The nice flat rocks about the size of a cafeteria tray I thought would be the best to use. I rejected the large odd shaped rocks because they were too heavy and too awkward to move and use. I laid out the rocks that I thought would become the first wall, and started to lay rock. I dug down several inches and put a concrete footing for the rocks to set on. I then laid my first rocks. When I came to the second row of rocks I found that the weight of the added rocks too much for the small rocks used in the foundation of the first row. I quickly saw that with the added rows on top of one another, I would have problems. I had to start over. I went out to the field and gathered the large, odd shaped, heavy, and awkward rocks that I had rejected. They were perfect for the first row of foundation rocks. Oh, they weren’t the pretty ones that I wanted to use, but when that first wall was completed, they looked mighty fine supporting the other rocks, and did not look out of place at all. Jesus was the Stone that was rejected by the builders of the religion of His day. But my, what a secure foundation for the church Jesus the Rock is. No other rock would work, Jesus is the foundation that supports, and holds up, and loves, and encourages the other living stones that the Builder uses in building His church. Today I find many living stones that men have rejected to be fitly placed in the walls of the church. My, how God will use those who truly rely on Him. I find living stones in the lives of recovering alcoholics and addicts. I find living stones serving the Lord who were criminals and have done time. I find living stones in those who have had tragic situations that have led to separation from loved ones. I find that God can especially use building materials that have been rejected by men. After all, they rejected His Son. He understands rejection. Thanks for letting me share, God is doing for me what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE
“Therefore thus says the Lord God, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” ISAIAH 28:16 NASB
“We too have been freed, freed to serve God without looking over our shoulders to see if He’s glaring at us with suppressed hostility, freed to offer ourselves as servants, and freed to accept the commission.”
JIM MCGUIGAN………………Where the Spirit of the Lord Is
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “There is no limit to God’s love. It is without measure and its depth cannot be sounded.” MOTHER TERESA
“Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” MATTHEW 7:7 KJV
“Ask and it shall be given you.” The words of Jesus are very simple in this statement concerning prayer. The Greek word “aiteo” is the word used for “ask,” and it has several meanings that can be applied to the interpretation of the statement by Jesus. Aiteo means to ask, to crave, to beg, and to require or demand. I like how the Dake Annotated Bible explains it, share this with me: “The idea here is to demand something that is due one because of family and redemptive rights.” When you use the definition of “require or demand” of the word aiteo, then for me it changes the whole idea of asking. It is not a pleading or a begging, or a whishing and a hoping. Asking can be a demand for something required. If someone offers you a gift that you have not possessed before, and you receive it with gladness, ! it is yours. But, if you have a right to something, and you ask for it, it must be given you. You have rights, and you can demand that they be honored in receiving what you have asked for. You might ask what rights I have in asking anything from God? I stand upon the words of Jesus as evidence of my rights to ask of the Father. Jesus didn’t say maybe if you ask it will be given to you, He said, “Ask and it shall be given to you.” It’s pretty simple, and that’s how I understand it. Jesus uses this same concept several times in His teachings on prayer, He tries to instill confidence in us by telling us that we can have what we ask if we only believe that we will receive them. It’s all about using your faith to make it work. Begging and pleading only come close to hitting the mark in prayer. Know your rights in your prayer life. Because of my faith in Jesus and the finished work of the cross, and because of being a member in the family of! God, I have a right to be forgiven. I have the right to health and healing, I have the right to eternal life with the Father, I have the right to intercede in prayer for others, and I have the right to get up once again when I stumble. Even though I deserve to stay down when I have fallen, God’s mercy will lift me up again, dust me off, and set me on the right path again. I have the right to stand after falling. Mother Teresa said it well when she said, “There is no limit to God’s love.” When I ask, I find that God will do for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“To ask implies want; seeking implies loss; and knocking implies need. One must ask with confidence and humility; seek with care and application; and knock with earnestness and perseverance.” THE DAKE BIBLE
“If my Father says something about me, even if I can not see it yet, I can rest assured it is so…..and begin to put on that truth……and walk in it. I can no longer blame someone else for how I view myself. I cannot make the old excuse “that’s just the way I am.” I take back the stolen ground by simply being in relationship with my Father. His holy genes are now part of my inheritance from Him. I must stand and be who He says I am.”
DENNIS JERNIGAN…………This Is My Destiny
Asking rights
Thought for the day: “There is no limit to God’s love. It is without measure and its depth cannot be sounded.” MOTHER TERESA
“Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” MATTHEW 7:7 KJV
“Ask and it shall be given you.” The words of Jesus are very simple in this statement concerning prayer. The Greek word “aiteo” is the word used for “ask,” and it has several meanings that can be applied to the interpretation of the statement by Jesus. Aiteo means to ask, to crave, to beg, and to require or demand. I like how the Dake Annotated Bible explains it, share this with me: “The idea here is to demand something that is due one because of family and redemptive rights.” When you use the definition of “require or demand” of the word aiteo, then for me it changes the whole idea of asking. It is not a pleading or a begging, or a whishing and a hoping. Asking can be a demand for something required. If someone offers you a gift that you have not possessed before, and you receive it with gladness, ! it is yours. But, if you have a right to something, and you ask for it, it must be given you. You have rights, and you can demand that they be honored in receiving what you have asked for. You might ask what rights I have in asking anything from God? I stand upon the words of Jesus as evidence of my rights to ask of the Father. Jesus didn’t say maybe if you ask it will be given to you, He said, “Ask and it shall be given to you.” It’s pretty simple, and that’s how I understand it. Jesus uses this same concept several times in His teachings on prayer, He tries to instill confidence in us by telling us that we can have what we ask if we only believe that we will receive them. It’s all about using your faith to make it work. Begging and pleading only come close to hitting the mark in prayer. Know your rights in your prayer life. Because of my faith in Jesus and the finished work of the cross, and because of being a member in the family of! God, I have a right to be forgiven. I have the right to health and healing, I have the right to eternal life with the Father, I have the right to intercede in prayer for others, and I have the right to get up once again when I stumble. Even though I deserve to stay down when I have fallen, God’s mercy will lift me up again, dust me off, and set me on the right path again. I have the right to stand after falling. Mother Teresa said it well when she said, “There is no limit to God’s love.” When I ask, I find that God will do for me what I could not do for myself……………….JRE
“To ask implies want; seeking implies loss; and knocking implies need. One must ask with confidence and humility; seek with care and application; and knock with earnestness and perseverance.” THE DAKE BIBLE
“If my Father says something about me, even if I can not see it yet, I can rest assured it is so…..and begin to put on that truth……and walk in it. I can no longer blame someone else for how I view myself. I cannot make the old excuse “that’s just the way I am.” I take back the stolen ground by simply being in relationship with my Father. His holy genes are now part of my inheritance from Him. I must stand and be who He says I am.”
DENNIS JERNIGAN…………This Is My Destiny
Monday, October 10, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “God’s love never ceases. Never…….. Our faith does not earn it anymore than our stupidity jeopardizes it. God doesn’t love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God’s love never ceases.
MAX LUCADO
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
PSALM 51:10 NIV
Renew a steadfast spirit within me. When David wrote these words his sin of adultery had just been exposed, and it was a very humbling time for him. In reading of David I have found that he was quick to repent and never strayed too far from the love and grace of God. David knew that if he went the wrong direction in life, that to correct his path and to again return to God, he had to start with his own spiritual heart, his inner self. The drawing board of our life is not out somewhere in the cosmos, but our life plans are drawn out on the drafting tables of our heart. This is the place where our self-will holds the drafting pencil and the eraser. By knowing God as our friend through prayer and meditation, and the reading of Scriptures, we can get a glimpse of the plans that God would have for our life. We then can take action in conforming our will to the will of the Father, by drawing our life as He would have us live. I looked up several Hebrew words in this scripture, but the one that spoke to me this morning was “yatsaq” or in English “steadfast.” David asked God to renew a steadfast spirit within him, one that possibly would not make the wrong decisions again. The Hebrew word yatsaq is used of the hardening of metals once they have been melted, poured into a cast, and then cooled and formed into the image of the cast. The steadfast spirit David asked for is one that has been melted in the fiery trials of life, poured into the mold of a new heart of forgiveness, and hardened with the renewing breezes of God’s love and forgiveness. We all at times have to ask for the plans for a new heart, and a renewed steadfast spirit. I am so grateful that the words of David are recorded. Because of his honesty I learn that I also can ask for a pure heart, and a renewed steadfast spirit. Through the study of the Scriptures, I find that God will do for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Do you ever wonder where you can go for encouragement and motivation? Go back to that moment when you first saw the love of Jesus Christ. Remember the day when you were separated from Christ? You knew only guilt and confusion and then, a light. Someone opened a door and light came into your darkness, and you said in your heart, ‘I am redeemed!’
Run to Jesus. Jesus wants you to go to him. He wants to become the most important person in your life, the greatest love you’ll ever know. He wants you to love him so much that there’s no room in your heart and in your life for sin. Invite him to take up residence in your heart.”
MAX LUCADO………………..Walking with the Savior
“Praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, page 59
Steadfast
Thought for the day: “God’s love never ceases. Never…….. Our faith does not earn it anymore than our stupidity jeopardizes it. God doesn’t love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God’s love never ceases.
MAX LUCADO
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
PSALM 51:10 NIV
Renew a steadfast spirit within me. When David wrote these words his sin of adultery had just been exposed, and it was a very humbling time for him. In reading of David I have found that he was quick to repent and never strayed too far from the love and grace of God. David knew that if he went the wrong direction in life, that to correct his path and to again return to God, he had to start with his own spiritual heart, his inner self. The drawing board of our life is not out somewhere in the cosmos, but our life plans are drawn out on the drafting tables of our heart. This is the place where our self-will holds the drafting pencil and the eraser. By knowing God as our friend through prayer and meditation, and the reading of Scriptures, we can get a glimpse of the plans that God would have for our life. We then can take action in conforming our will to the will of the Father, by drawing our life as He would have us live. I looked up several Hebrew words in this scripture, but the one that spoke to me this morning was “yatsaq” or in English “steadfast.” David asked God to renew a steadfast spirit within him, one that possibly would not make the wrong decisions again. The Hebrew word yatsaq is used of the hardening of metals once they have been melted, poured into a cast, and then cooled and formed into the image of the cast. The steadfast spirit David asked for is one that has been melted in the fiery trials of life, poured into the mold of a new heart of forgiveness, and hardened with the renewing breezes of God’s love and forgiveness. We all at times have to ask for the plans for a new heart, and a renewed steadfast spirit. I am so grateful that the words of David are recorded. Because of his honesty I learn that I also can ask for a pure heart, and a renewed steadfast spirit. Through the study of the Scriptures, I find that God will do for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE
“Do you ever wonder where you can go for encouragement and motivation? Go back to that moment when you first saw the love of Jesus Christ. Remember the day when you were separated from Christ? You knew only guilt and confusion and then, a light. Someone opened a door and light came into your darkness, and you said in your heart, ‘I am redeemed!’
Run to Jesus. Jesus wants you to go to him. He wants to become the most important person in your life, the greatest love you’ll ever know. He wants you to love him so much that there’s no room in your heart and in your life for sin. Invite him to take up residence in your heart.”
MAX LUCADO………………..Walking with the Savior
“Praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, page 59
Thursday, October 06, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Unforgiveness is not a self-contained disease. It defiles many. When life heats…its acid boils forth, burning everyone it touches. Neither is forgiveness self-contained. It heals many. When life heats….its living waters overflow, refreshing everyone it touches.”
BETH MOORE……….Praying God’s Word, page 193
“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave thee thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
Words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:23-24 KJV
Do you have an altar in your life? Do you have a place where you meet regularly with God? Of course we Christians today know that the Temple of God is our body, and that the Holy Ghost will take up residence there and dwell in our heart. And we know that our altar where we meet with God, is a place in our heart, not a physical place. But just the same many believers have a special place or a special time to meet with God. I have heard others say that when they first get up they go to their knees and spend time in prayer, this is to get the day headed in the right spiritual direction. I have heard it said that taking a walk and praying, and spending time with God in meditation is how some communicate. I have heard it said that some have a special place in their home where they meet with God. The truth is that God will meet with us anyplace where we humble ourselves and bow before the altar in our heart. For the last seven years I have been meeting regularly with God at my desk. It has become a familiar meeting place for me, and I feel very comfortable here. I keep the Bible open, and I have two windows that look out upon the yard and trees. From this place I observe the seasons as they change colors, and I observe the animals as they scamper about the feeders. I observe the hot days and the cold days, the rain, wind and snow. I become aware of changes in myself with time, and of my attitudes as they also change in time. But there is one thing that does not change and that is whom I meet with. God’s love and forgiveness is always the same. God’s mercy is renewed each day, it is the same mercy, just brand new. As time goes by I realize more and more that a major source of my spiritual, emotional and physical strength is renewed in this time of solitude with God. There are days when because of circumstances it is not possible to find the time to meet alone with God. These days always seem to get started on the wrong foot until I find time to pray and read God’s Word. Today I am reminded of the words of Jesus, that when I am at my altar, and if I remember that my brother has anything against me, to go fix it first and then come back to my time with God. Jesus didn’t say if we had anything against someone else. He said if someone else had anything against us. Whether we are right or wrong does not seem to be the issue, but feelings seem to be the issue. Can I spend quality time at my altar today knowing that someone has something against me? No I cannot. Today I learn this lesson about the feeling of others. If I take a step in the right direction toward healing feelings, then God will be able to do for me what I could not do for myself…………JRE
“When the Archenemy finds a weak place in the walls of our castles, he takes care where to plant his battering ram and begins his siege. You may conceal your infirmity, even from your dearest friend, but you will not conceal it from your worst enemy. He has lynx eyes and detects in a moment the weak point in your armor. He goes about with a match, and though you may think you have covered all the gunpowder of your heart, he knows how to find a crack to put his match through. Much mischief will he do, unless eternal mercy prevents.”
CHARLES SPURGEON
Healing feelings
Thought for the day: “Unforgiveness is not a self-contained disease. It defiles many. When life heats…its acid boils forth, burning everyone it touches. Neither is forgiveness self-contained. It heals many. When life heats….its living waters overflow, refreshing everyone it touches.”
BETH MOORE……….Praying God’s Word, page 193
“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave thee thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
Words of Jesus found in Matthew 5:23-24 KJV
Do you have an altar in your life? Do you have a place where you meet regularly with God? Of course we Christians today know that the Temple of God is our body, and that the Holy Ghost will take up residence there and dwell in our heart. And we know that our altar where we meet with God, is a place in our heart, not a physical place. But just the same many believers have a special place or a special time to meet with God. I have heard others say that when they first get up they go to their knees and spend time in prayer, this is to get the day headed in the right spiritual direction. I have heard it said that taking a walk and praying, and spending time with God in meditation is how some communicate. I have heard it said that some have a special place in their home where they meet with God. The truth is that God will meet with us anyplace where we humble ourselves and bow before the altar in our heart. For the last seven years I have been meeting regularly with God at my desk. It has become a familiar meeting place for me, and I feel very comfortable here. I keep the Bible open, and I have two windows that look out upon the yard and trees. From this place I observe the seasons as they change colors, and I observe the animals as they scamper about the feeders. I observe the hot days and the cold days, the rain, wind and snow. I become aware of changes in myself with time, and of my attitudes as they also change in time. But there is one thing that does not change and that is whom I meet with. God’s love and forgiveness is always the same. God’s mercy is renewed each day, it is the same mercy, just brand new. As time goes by I realize more and more that a major source of my spiritual, emotional and physical strength is renewed in this time of solitude with God. There are days when because of circumstances it is not possible to find the time to meet alone with God. These days always seem to get started on the wrong foot until I find time to pray and read God’s Word. Today I am reminded of the words of Jesus, that when I am at my altar, and if I remember that my brother has anything against me, to go fix it first and then come back to my time with God. Jesus didn’t say if we had anything against someone else. He said if someone else had anything against us. Whether we are right or wrong does not seem to be the issue, but feelings seem to be the issue. Can I spend quality time at my altar today knowing that someone has something against me? No I cannot. Today I learn this lesson about the feeling of others. If I take a step in the right direction toward healing feelings, then God will be able to do for me what I could not do for myself…………JRE
“When the Archenemy finds a weak place in the walls of our castles, he takes care where to plant his battering ram and begins his siege. You may conceal your infirmity, even from your dearest friend, but you will not conceal it from your worst enemy. He has lynx eyes and detects in a moment the weak point in your armor. He goes about with a match, and though you may think you have covered all the gunpowder of your heart, he knows how to find a crack to put his match through. Much mischief will he do, unless eternal mercy prevents.”
CHARLES SPURGEON
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
Thought for the day: “Nothing in life is more remarkable than the unnecessary anxiety which we endure, and generally occasion ourselves.”
BENJAMIN DISRAELI
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not le yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
GALATIANS 5: 1 NIV
The apostle Paul in writing to the church of the Galatians is warning them not to return again to their bondage of being under the law. The law being the Ten Commandments and the many hundreds of rules and regulations that were placed upon the people to keep them somewhat obedient. Of course the law did not work because it only worked on changing the outer person. Jesus Christ came with a new teaching of the kingdom of heaven being within us and the idea that when we change the inside, the outside will follow suit. Jesus said of Himself that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. He fulfilled the law by giving us the gift of forgiveness, which lifted the burden of slavery that had been placed upon us by rules and regulations that could not be kept. That is not to say that the new covenant that Jesus gave to us does not have any commandments. Share this with me what the Dake Bible has to say about the new covenant: “The laws and commandments of the new contract are just as binding as those in the old contract. There are over 1050 commands in the new contract, plus many other teachings not expressed in the form of commandments.” I could get overwhelmed by the number of commandments found in the Bible, if, I allow myself to become anxious about the great number. I am so grateful for the loving friend and savior that I find in Jesus, who realizes, that I will burden myself again and again with things. Therefore Jesus kept it simple and said we could narrow it down to just two commandments. “To love God with all my heart, soul and mind; and to love my neighbor as myself.” If I work on fulfilling these two commands, everything else will line up as it should. I have no problem with the first command to love God, it’s the second that seems to build up friction in life. I have observed that if I’m not feeling too good about myself, or loving myself as I should, that it is hard to love someone else the way I should. It all starts within our own hearts and the way we feel about ourselves. To love my neighbor as myself I must first love myself! Being overburdened by rules and regulations does not help in loving myself. In learning to love myself I must start with accepting the free gift of grace and forgiveness that has been laid at my feet by a loving God. This gift comes into my life by faith in Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross. My starting point in loving myself is not because of something I have done, but because of something I have faith in and believe. There is a transference of love that takes place which allows the river of love to flow back to God, and to my neighbor. Loving your neighbor as yourself starts by receiving, not by giving. Receiving God’s great love has done for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
“We love Him, because He first loved us.”
1 JOHN 4:19
“All of us have our own battle to win, the battle between the material view of life and the spiritual view. Something must guide our lives. Will it be wealth, pride, selfishness, greed or will it be faith, honesty, purity, unselfishness, love, and service? Each one has a choice. We can choose good or evil. We cannot chose both. Are we going to keep striving until we win the battle? If we win the victory, we can believe that even God in His heaven will rejoice.”
HAZELDEN……………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
River of love
Thought for the day: “Nothing in life is more remarkable than the unnecessary anxiety which we endure, and generally occasion ourselves.”
BENJAMIN DISRAELI
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not le yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
GALATIANS 5: 1 NIV
The apostle Paul in writing to the church of the Galatians is warning them not to return again to their bondage of being under the law. The law being the Ten Commandments and the many hundreds of rules and regulations that were placed upon the people to keep them somewhat obedient. Of course the law did not work because it only worked on changing the outer person. Jesus Christ came with a new teaching of the kingdom of heaven being within us and the idea that when we change the inside, the outside will follow suit. Jesus said of Himself that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. He fulfilled the law by giving us the gift of forgiveness, which lifted the burden of slavery that had been placed upon us by rules and regulations that could not be kept. That is not to say that the new covenant that Jesus gave to us does not have any commandments. Share this with me what the Dake Bible has to say about the new covenant: “The laws and commandments of the new contract are just as binding as those in the old contract. There are over 1050 commands in the new contract, plus many other teachings not expressed in the form of commandments.” I could get overwhelmed by the number of commandments found in the Bible, if, I allow myself to become anxious about the great number. I am so grateful for the loving friend and savior that I find in Jesus, who realizes, that I will burden myself again and again with things. Therefore Jesus kept it simple and said we could narrow it down to just two commandments. “To love God with all my heart, soul and mind; and to love my neighbor as myself.” If I work on fulfilling these two commands, everything else will line up as it should. I have no problem with the first command to love God, it’s the second that seems to build up friction in life. I have observed that if I’m not feeling too good about myself, or loving myself as I should, that it is hard to love someone else the way I should. It all starts within our own hearts and the way we feel about ourselves. To love my neighbor as myself I must first love myself! Being overburdened by rules and regulations does not help in loving myself. In learning to love myself I must start with accepting the free gift of grace and forgiveness that has been laid at my feet by a loving God. This gift comes into my life by faith in Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross. My starting point in loving myself is not because of something I have done, but because of something I have faith in and believe. There is a transference of love that takes place which allows the river of love to flow back to God, and to my neighbor. Loving your neighbor as yourself starts by receiving, not by giving. Receiving God’s great love has done for me what I could not do for myself………JRE
“We love Him, because He first loved us.”
1 JOHN 4:19
“All of us have our own battle to win, the battle between the material view of life and the spiritual view. Something must guide our lives. Will it be wealth, pride, selfishness, greed or will it be faith, honesty, purity, unselfishness, love, and service? Each one has a choice. We can choose good or evil. We cannot chose both. Are we going to keep striving until we win the battle? If we win the victory, we can believe that even God in His heaven will rejoice.”
HAZELDEN……………..Twenty-Four Hours A Day
Monday, October 03, 2005
jralphengland@yahoo.com
thought for the day: “With God there is always more unfolding, that which we can glimpse of the divine is always exactly enough, and never enough.”
KATHLEEN NORRIS
“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” LUKE 12:2 KJV
“With God there is always more unfolding.” These words by Kathleen Norris echo the words of Jesus as He spoke to His disciples and warned them against hypocrisy. The occasion was during a time when a very large innumerable gathering had assembled together. The Bibles says that they were so large in number that they “trode one upon another.” In Jesus’ talk to the disciples He was referring to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, how they acted very religious, but ignored the masses and their needs. As I read the words of Jesus and I read of Luke’s account of the behavior of the large crowd, I can’t help but believe that Jesus saw the hypocrisy of the crowd by their pushing and shoving, and their “troding one upon another.” Possibly they could have learned this from watching the religious leaders of the day. Jesus was always able to take the situation at hand and to use it as a teaching example. He did this with the fig tree, with the mountain, and with the woman at the well. Here once again Jesus sees the crowd pushing and shoving each other and He uses this as an opportunity to teach a lesson about life. I would like to be free of hypocrisy in my life, but at times I realize that I say one thing and act another way. This has become evident in my life by my writing this small daily page. I have had some that know me closer than others to say on occasion, “you should read what you write!” I realize that I am not perfect, and by writing and keeping a daily spiritual journal such as this small page, I get the message first and I am the first to become aware of the hypocrisy in my life. I am still learning, and like Jesus said, “there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed.” I am so grateful for the truth found in the words of Jesus, it keeps me trying to be honest. I realize that there is nothing I can do that will be hid from every single person. There will be someone who God has revealed the truth to, whether it is by knowledge or insight, the truth will be revealed to someone. By getting this idea down in my spirit, it works as a check point for my actions and thoughts. Today may I be aware that there is nothing hid from God, and that someone somewhere if the occasion presents itself, may be able to see right through me to the truth. By learning this lesson on life from Jesus, and by keeping my heart open, I know that God will do things in my life that I have trouble doing myself……………..JRE
“Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
LUKE 12:3 KJV
“For God Himself works in our souls, in their deepest depths, taking increasing control as we are progressively willing to be prepared for His wonder.”
THOMAS R. KELLY
Nothing covered that shall not be revealed
thought for the day: “With God there is always more unfolding, that which we can glimpse of the divine is always exactly enough, and never enough.”
KATHLEEN NORRIS
“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” LUKE 12:2 KJV
“With God there is always more unfolding.” These words by Kathleen Norris echo the words of Jesus as He spoke to His disciples and warned them against hypocrisy. The occasion was during a time when a very large innumerable gathering had assembled together. The Bibles says that they were so large in number that they “trode one upon another.” In Jesus’ talk to the disciples He was referring to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, how they acted very religious, but ignored the masses and their needs. As I read the words of Jesus and I read of Luke’s account of the behavior of the large crowd, I can’t help but believe that Jesus saw the hypocrisy of the crowd by their pushing and shoving, and their “troding one upon another.” Possibly they could have learned this from watching the religious leaders of the day. Jesus was always able to take the situation at hand and to use it as a teaching example. He did this with the fig tree, with the mountain, and with the woman at the well. Here once again Jesus sees the crowd pushing and shoving each other and He uses this as an opportunity to teach a lesson about life. I would like to be free of hypocrisy in my life, but at times I realize that I say one thing and act another way. This has become evident in my life by my writing this small daily page. I have had some that know me closer than others to say on occasion, “you should read what you write!” I realize that I am not perfect, and by writing and keeping a daily spiritual journal such as this small page, I get the message first and I am the first to become aware of the hypocrisy in my life. I am still learning, and like Jesus said, “there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed.” I am so grateful for the truth found in the words of Jesus, it keeps me trying to be honest. I realize that there is nothing I can do that will be hid from every single person. There will be someone who God has revealed the truth to, whether it is by knowledge or insight, the truth will be revealed to someone. By getting this idea down in my spirit, it works as a check point for my actions and thoughts. Today may I be aware that there is nothing hid from God, and that someone somewhere if the occasion presents itself, may be able to see right through me to the truth. By learning this lesson on life from Jesus, and by keeping my heart open, I know that God will do things in my life that I have trouble doing myself……………..JRE
“Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
LUKE 12:3 KJV
“For God Himself works in our souls, in their deepest depths, taking increasing control as we are progressively willing to be prepared for His wonder.”
THOMAS R. KELLY
