A kindness given...

Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life.

Bible text: But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22 NIV).


After two years of marriage, Pete no longer saw his wife as interesting, fun, or attractive. In his mind, he regarded her as a sloppy housekeeper, overweight, and a woman with a faultfinding personality. He sought out a divorce attorney, who advised him: "Pete, if you really want to get even with your wife, start treating her like a queen! Do everything in your power to serve her, please her, and make her feel special. Then, after a couple of months of this royal treatment, pack your bags and leave. That way you?ll disappoint her as much as she has disappointed you." Pete could hardly wait to enact the plan! He picked up a dozen roses on his way home, helped his wife with the dinner dishes, brought her breakfast in bed, and began complimenting her on her clothes, cooking, and housekeeping. He treated her to an out-of-town trip.

After three months, the attorney called and said, "Well, I have the divorce papers ready for you to sign. In a matter of minutes, you can be a happy bachelor."

"Are you crazy?" Pete said. "My wife has made so many changes. I wouldn?t think of divorcing her now."

Kindness extended toward another person may not change the other person, but it does change the person showing kindness? it makes them kinder!

Always holding somebody up...

The heart is the happiest when it beats for others.

Bible text: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 NIV).

One of the people most admired by Charles Swindoll is
Dawson Trotman, who died after helping to rescue two drowning girls. Says Swindoll:

"When Dawson Trotman passed away he probably left a legacy of discipleship on this earth that will never be matched except perhaps in the life of Jesus Christ Himself. I've become a real student of Dawson Trotman and believe wholeheartedly in the methods of discipleship that he taught and emulated throughout his days. He died in Schroon Lake, New York. He died of all things in the midst of an area that he was expert in - he drowned. He was an expert swimmer. The last few moments he had in the water he lifted one girl out of the water. He went down and got the other girl and lifted her out of the water and then submerged and was not found again until the dragnet found him a few hours later... Time ran an article on Trotman's life the next week, and they put a caption beneath his name, and it read, 'Always Holding Somebody Up.' In one sentence, that was Trotman's life - investment in people... holding them up."

Discipleship is not having others follow you as much as it is lifting others up to see the Lord and then serving them so they can follow Him wholeheartedly.

It is a matter of commitment

Thought: The secret of achievement is to not let what you're doing get to you before you get to it.

Biblical text: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." (Proverbs 16:3)

Jane was only seven years old when she visited a shabby street in a nearby town, and seeing ragged children there, announced that she wanted to build a big house so poor children will have a place to play. As a young adult, Jane and a friend, Ellen Starr, visited Toynbee Hall in London, where they saw educated people helping the poor by living among them. She and Ellen returned to the slums of Chicago, restored the old Hull mansion, and moved in! There they cared for children of working mothers, and held sewing and cooking classes. Older boys and girls had clubs at the mansion. An art gallery, playground, and public music, reading, and craft rooms were crafted in the mansion. Her childhood dream came true!

Jane fought against child labour laws and campaigned for adult education, day nurseries, better housing, and women's suffrage. She eventually was awarded an honorary degree from Yale, was called "America's most useful citizen" by President Theodore Roosevelt, and was given the Nobel Prize for Peace.

No matter how famous she became Jane Addams remained a resident of Hull House. She died a resident of Halsted Street in the heart of the slum she had come to call home.

Keep on faithing on

Thought: Feed your faith, and your doubts will starve to death.

Biblical text: "But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39)

Richard E. Byrd spent winter of 1934 at Bolling Advance Weather Base in Antarctica, where the temperature ranged from -58˚ to -76˚ F. By the time he was rescued, he was suffering from frostbite and carbon monoxide poisoning.

He wrote in his book, "Alone" the following passage:
"I had hardly strength to move. I clung to the sleeping bag, which was the only source of comfort and warmth left to me and mournfully debated the little that might be done. Two facts stood clear. One was that my chances of recovering were slim. The other was that in my weakness I was incapable of taking care of myself. But you must have faith. "You must have faith in the outcome, I whispered to myself". It is like a flight into another unknown. You start and you cannot turn back. You must go on, trusting your instruments, the course you have plotted."

With faith as his only guidance system, Byrd forced himself to do the necessary things for survival very slowly and with great deliberation. At times he felt as if he was living a thousand years in any given minute. But at each day's end, he could say he was still alive. And that was enough.

Some times the only thing left to do in a situation is to press on in faith. And so press on!

Laughter: the music of the soul

Thought: Humour is to life what shock absorbers are to automobiles.

Biblical text: "A cheerful heart is good medicine; but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)

Stand-up comedian and author David Brenner was signing books in a San Francisco bookstore when a young man handed him a newly purchased copy to be signed and said softly, "I want to thank you for saving my life." Brenner replied flippantly, "That's okay." The young man stood his ground and said, "No, I really mean it."

Brenner stoped signing and looked at him. The man said, "My father died. He was my best friend. I loved him and couldn't stop crying for weeks. I decided to take my own life. The night I was going to do it, I happened to have the TV on. You were hosting 'The Tonight Show', doing your monologue. Next thing I knew I was watching you and laughing hysterically. I realised then that if I was able to laugh, I was able to live. So I want to thank you for saving my life." Humbled and grateful, Brenner shook his hand and said, "No, I thank you."

Laughter does more than help us escape our problems. It sometimes gives us the courage to face them. As humorous author Barbara Johnson has said, "Laughter is like changing a baby's nappies. It doesn't permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for awhile."

Money is worth...what?

Thought: The heart of a person cannot be determined by the size of their pocketbook.

Biblical text: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36, 37)

Not a lot of press coverage was given to the tough Argentine golfer Robert De Vincenzo, but one story from his life shows his greatness as a person.

After winning the tournament, De Vincenzo received his check on the eighteenth green, flashed a smile for the cameras, and then walked alone to the clubhouse. As he went to his car, he was approached by a sad-eyed young woman who said to him, "It's a good day for you, but I have a baby with an incurable disease. It's of the blood, and the doctors say she will die." De Vincenzo paused and then asked, "May I help your little girl?" He then took out a pen, endorsed his winning check, and then pressed it into her hand. "Make some good days for the baby," he said.

A week later as he was having lunch at a country club, a PGA official approached him, saying "Some of the boys in the parking lot told me you met a young woman after you won the tournament." De Vincenzo nodded. The official said, "Well, she's a phoney. She has no sick baby. She fleeced you, my friend."

The golfer looked up and asked, "You mean that there is no baby who is dying without hope?" This time the PGA official nodded. De Vincenzo grinned and said, "That's the best news I've heard all week."

Extreme Makeover

Thought: It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.

Bible text: “I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed” (Ezekiel 36:26).

One of the more popular television shows in the past few years has been a program called Extreme Makeover. The show’s “hook” revolves around the belief that people will actually feel different if they can only look different.

I was skeptical at first, but I have to admit the physical transformations that take place are nothing short of miraculous! Through tummy tucks, eye lifts, dental surgery, and a seemingly endless variety of implants, the physical attributes of the patients change in dramatic fashion. They emerge from their former physical selves as though they were beautiful monarchs shedding the imprisoning confines of an ugly chrysalis.

As stunning as these changes are though, I am still of the belief that these people are pretty much the same on the inside as they were before they became so drastically different on the outside. Can that be true even after thousands of dollars spent, dozens of surgeries performed, and hours of physical pain endured? Oh, these people might have a little more confidence, and they may even get a little egotistical, but when it’s all over, the studio lights dim, and the cheering crowd goes home, I believe that they are still, well…themselves!

God’s word is clear that unless we have an extreme spiritual makeover that we will retain the same feelings, desires and habits that we have always wrestled with. We still struggle with self worth, and often wonder to ourselves, “Is this all that life has to offer?”

The fact is, we can make over everything in our lives, but if we don’t allow God to do an extreme spiritual makeover we’ll still be just as miserable as we always were. We can get a new car, a new house, a new job, or even a new spouse, but unless we get to the root of where all happiness comes from we’re going to be right back where we started.

More than a makeover

God’s prescription for true happiness doesn’t involve tummy tucks, facelifts, or maxillofacial surgery. His prescription for a better life is nothing short of an entire heart transplant!

“I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed” (Ezekiel 36:26).

What God promises here is an extreme spiritual makeover that will bring true happiness, peace, and yes, even joy into our lives. And the best news is that we don’t have to make an appointment to have a consultation with the Great Physician. The doctor is always in!

Used with permission from www.e-gracenotes.com

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Hard to Swallow

Thought: The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bible text: I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Recently I had a medical procedure which required me to drink about a gallon of liquid in a couple of hours. Every ten minutes I was to consume eight ounces of this clear stuff which was supposed to have a "cherry" flavor to it. The directions recommended that the solution be cooled, and desiring to be an exemplary patient, I followed all the directions to the letter.

Let me just tell you that that stuff was absolutely, positively the very, very WORST tasting NASTIEST drink I have ever drank in my entire life. If they made drinking this concoction a part of "Fear Factor" nobody would advance to the next round. After having to force myself to drink it, I felt fully prepared for the end of the world. Bring it on. I have looked death in the face and survived.

There are times in each of our lives where circumstances or situations are very, very hard to swallow. The cup we are asked to drink is most bitter and causes every fiber of our innermost being to recoil from the horror of the reality which is being forced upon us. At such times God seems very far away as our lives our enveloped in a fearful darkness.

On a fateful night long ago, a humble carpenter, a most gentle and loving soul, drank from two cups--the first communion cup was full of life and blessing, the other cup of woe was full of death and a fearsome curse. And in between the drinking of those two cups, Jesus encouraged His faithful followers of all ages to abide in Him so that they might bear much fruit (John 15:1-5).

Life's two cups

The life of a fruit-bearing Christian is always oscillating between the two cups. While all of us would like to take up permanent residence in the Upper Room of feasting, there are times when the Lord asks us to travel with Him to the painful, blood-stained Garden of suffering. It was there in Gethsemane Jesus sweated blood over that second cup,and it was because of His infinite courage and sacrifice, our lives are saved for eternity.

Thank-you Jesus, for drinking that cup of woe. The cup of death that was meant for me, you have taken out of my hands and swallowed every last drop. All of a sudden, what You have asked me to swallow doesn't seem so distasteful anymore.

Live By Faith

Thought: "Faith is like electricity. You can't see it, but you can see the light." -Anonymous

Bible text: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Driving along the highway yesterday, I saw a church sign with the sermon title, “Faith is Daring the Soul to Go Beyond What the Eyes Can See!” I like that. It agrees with what the Bible says in Romans 1:17: “The righteous man shall live by faith” (NASB).

This is just the opposite of “Seeing is believing,” the rule most people live by today. I’ve even been advised by someone to believe only half of all I see.

To be sure, that last approach may be safer than the practice of one person I met. She said, “I just believe everything I see or hear. That way, I have all my bases covered.” But neither of these is what faith is all about.

Faith depends on a lack of visible evidence. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV). A good synonym for faith is trust. Trust, or faith, is something we all do every day, whether we realize it or not. Every time we sit down on a chair, or get into our car or lie down on a physician’s exam table, or relax (?) in a dental chair. We shop for food, trusting those who handled it. Without faith, we couldn’t ride elevators, or board planes.

In the same way, God asks us to trust Him. “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB).

You can put your plans, your very life, into God’s hands. He knows what’s best for you. He will give you what you would ask for if you could see the end from the beginning. You can bring to Him all your problems, all your anxieties and perplexities. He never gets tired of listening to your needs, whether they’re large or small. After all, He’s got the whole world in His hands! Literally!

God invites you to trust Him today by going beyond what your eyes can see!

Positive thinking overcomes...

It isn't your position that makes you happy or unhappy, it's your disposition.

Bible text: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (1 Timothy 6:6,7 NIV).

A traditional Supervisor's Prayer states: Lord, when I am wrong, make me willing to change. When I am right, make me easy to live with. So strengthen me that the power of my example will far exceed the authority of my rank.

A positive attitude may not directly change your circumstances, but it will change the way you respond to your circumstances. The responses of positive people are far more likely to be:
- Active
- Solution oriented
- Generous towards others
- Involving of others
- Immediate or timely
- Rooted in dignity and respect

Positive people are much more likely than are negative people to turn their ideas into positive behaviour. Positive behaviour, in turn, does change circumstances, and nearly always so, for the better.

To grab hold of a slippery problem and rise above it, first grab hold of a positive thought!

Sermons do walk

Thought: Forget yourself for others and others will not forget you!

Biblical text: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man - six-feet-four with bushy hair and a large moustache - stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various ones began telling him how honoured they were to meet him.

The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, he asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags, and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. Returning to the greeting party he apologised, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer?s action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next him, "That?s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking."

Sharing troubles when times are hard...

When things go wrong, don't go wrong with them.

Biblical text: Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. (Proverbs 4:14 NIV)

Medical missionary Dr. Lambie, formerly of Abyssinia, forded many swift and bridgeless streams in Africa. He learned from the natives the best way to make a hazardous crossing.

The danger in crossing a stream lies in being swept off one's feet and carried downstream to deeper waters or being hurled to death against hidden rocks. A way to avoid this is for a man about to cross a stream to find a large stone, the heavier the better, to lift it to his shoulders, and carry it across the stream as ballast. The extra weight of the stone keeps his feet solid on the bed of the stream.

In telling of this technique, Dr. Lambie drew an application of life: "While crossing the dangerous stream of life... we need the ballast of burden-bearing... to keep us from being swept off our feet."

This does not mean that we should seek out troubles or give in to our problems. Rather, it means that as we look around at others, we are to help shoulder their burdens and in return, to accept their help in bearing our own loads. It's easy to become overwhelmed in carrying only your own burden. Shared burdens, however, "travel lighter."

Silence is golden...

Never pass up a chance to keep your mouth shut.

Bible text: Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. (Proverbs 17:28)

President Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth president of the United States, was a reserved man who spoke very little. A reporter attempted to interview him, and the conversation went as follows:

Reporter: Do you wish to say anything about the war threat in Europe?
Coolidge: No.
Reporter: About the strike in the clothing factories?
Coolidge: No
Reporter: About the League of Nations?
Coolidge: No
Reporter: About the farm production problem?
Coolidge: No

As the reporter began to leave the room, Coolidge unexpectedly called him back and said, "Don't quote me."

Never let yourself feel pressured into saying something you don't want to say, or into saying something when you don't feel like talking. Silence is not a "lack" of communication. It is a form of communication, and it can be a very effective one at that.

Sometimes words are not enough !

You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth.

Bible text: My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19)

Rabbi Harold S. Kushner writes in When All You?ve Ever Wanted Isn't Enough:

"A business associate of my father's died under particularly tragic circumstances, and I accompanied my father to the funeral. The man?s widow and children were surrounded by clergy and psychiatrists trying to ease their grief and make them feel better. They knew all the right words, but nothing helped. They were beyond being comforted. The widow kept saying, 'You?re right, I know you're right, but it doesn't make any difference.' Then a man walked in, a big burley man in his eighties who was a legend in the toy and game industry. He had come to this country illiterate and penniless and had built up an immensely successful company. He was known as a hard bargainer, a ruthless competitor. Despite his success, he had never learned to read or write?.he had been sick recently, and his face and his walking showed it. However, he walked over to the widow and started to cry, she cried with him, and you could feel the atmosphere in the room change. This man who had never read a book in his life spoke the language of the heart and held the key that opened the gates of solace where learned doctors and clergy could not."

The 'big' picture is often made up of 'little' decisions.

The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.

Biblical text: A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. Proverbs 12:3

In the 1960s, drug companies were presenting nearly 700 applications a year to the Federal Drug Administration for new medicines. The beleaguered New Drug Section only had sixty days to review each drug before giving approval or requesting more data.

A few months after Dr Frances Kelsey joined the FDA, an established pharmaceutical firm in Ohio applied for a license to market a new drug, Kevadon. In liquid form, the drug seemed to relieve nausea in early pregnancy. It was given to millions of expectant women, mostly in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Although scientific studies revealed harmful side effects, the pharmaceutical firm printed 66,957 leaflets declaring its safety. The company exerted great pressure on Dr. Kelsey to give permission for labels to be printed, in anticipation of the drug's approval.

Dr. Kelsey reviewed the data and said no. Through several rounds of applications she continued to find the data "unsatisfactory." After fourteen-month struggle, the company humbly withdrew its application. "Kevadon" was thalidomide, and by that time, the horror of thalidomide, deformities was becoming well publicized! One firm "no" decision by Dr. Kelsey spared untold agony in the United States.

Sometimes standing your ground on something may not seem that important but in time you may see the "big" picture.

The secret to being content...

The secret of contentment is the realisation that life is a gift not a right.

Biblical text: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (1 Timothy 6:6,7 NIV).

At age 14, Andrea Jaeger won her first professional tennis tournament. At 18, she reached the finals of Wimbledon. At 19, a bad shoulder all but ended her career. Many a world class athlete may have become bitter or discontented with life at that point. Jaeger, however, turned her competitive spirit to a new endeavour, a non profit organisation called Kids' Stuff Foundation that attempts to bring joy to children suffering from cancer and other life threatening illnesses. Her work there has also inspired her to take correspondence studies in nursing and child psychology.

Jaeger not only created the program, but runs it full time, year round, unpaid. "I'm inspired by these brave kids, and humbled," she has said. "They lose their health, their friends, and sometimes their lives. And yet their spirit never wavers. They look at life as a gift. The rest of us sometimes look at ourselves as a gift to life."

"You get very spoiled on the tour," she adds with a twinkle in her eye. "The courtesy cars, the five star hotels, the thousands of people clapping for you when you hit a good shot. It's easy to forget what's important in life... I forget it a lot less lately."

The trap of gossip is dangerous

Thought: Whoever gossips to you will be a gossip of you.

Biblical text: "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret." (Proverbs 11:13)

In 1752, a group of Methodist men, including John Wesley, signed a covenant. Every man agreed to hang it on his study wall. The six articles of this solemn agreement were as follows;

1. That we will not listen or willingly inquire after ill concerning one another;
2. That, if we do hear any ill of each other, we will not be forward to believe it;
3. That as soon as possible we will communicate what we hear by speaking or writing to the person concerned;
4. That until we have done this, we will not write or speak a syllable of it to any other person.
5. That neither will we mention it, after we have done this, to any other person;
6. That we will not make any exception to any of these rules unless we think ourselves absolutely obliged in conference.

Talk about an Anti-Gossip Pact!

Always remember: the person who tells you: "don't tell this to a soul!", has probably told all the souls you know.

A Better Country

Thought: "Worldly riches are like nuts; many a tooth is broke in cracking them, but never is the stomach filled with eating them." Rabbi Nachman

Bible text: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne (heaven) saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'" Revelation 21:3,4

The Bible tells the story of two wealthy ranchers who lived long ago in the Middle East. Abram and his nephew, Lot, drifted from place to place, looking for a good spot to settle down. By the time they reached the plain of Jordan, they had a problem. “But the land couldn’t support both of them; they had too many possessions...Abram said to Lot...Look around. Isn’t there plenty of land out there? Let’s separate. If you go left, I’ll go right; if you go right, I’ll go left” (Genesis 13:6,8,9 The Message).

This was a fair proposal. It showed Abram’s unselfishness. He was getting to be an old man. Lot should have given Abram first choice. But he didn’t. When he saw the entire well-watered plain of Jordan spread out before him, he got greedy. He chose the whole thing. The Bible says, “He pitched his tent near Sodom” (verse 12). Bad choice. Sodom was the worst place he could have chosen to raise a family. It was notorious for its crime and immorality. The Bible says there were not even ten decent people living there. Later on, when Sodom was finally destroyed, Lot’s wife and most of his family died, along with everyone else there. Lot barely escaped with two of his daughters.

Better than what we see

Abram chose a different city, “...the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10 NASB). Abram's eyes were focused, not on this world’s fame and fortune, but on things of eternal value. No wonder his name is listed among the great in God’s hall of fame in Hebrews 11. The Bible tells about the faithful, “But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them" (Hebrews 11:16 NLT).

God has a place in his heavenly home for you, and anyone else who really wants to live there. The Bible calls it a “better country.” Better than any place on earth. Are you looking for that city?

from www.e-gracenotes.com

Beware: Sharks!

Thought: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

Bible text: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

Brian Anderson, 31, was surfing off the coast of Northern Oregon on December 24th, 2005 when a great white shark attacked him. As he was paddling, Anderson said he felt something grab his leg. Without thinking, he punched the big shark in the nose. "That's all I could think to do, and after I did that, it let go," Anderson said. After some frantic paddling Brian finally got to shore, his lacerated leg dripping with blood, shaken, but in good health. Punching the “great white” in the nose saved Anderson from being a shark’s “lunch.” ¹

When I read this story it reminded me of a type of “shark” in the spiritual realm who is always attempting to consume people. The devil is a constant enemy who seeks to hurt and destroy those who can be “caught” through the temptations that are the stock and trade of one who wishes to harm us. There is a way however to fight back, and the Bible makes it clear that using this fool-proof method will send the devil packing. “...submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 New King James).

Two powerful words virtually leap off the page of this small but life-altering text. Let’s look at them both:

Submit -This word means to “yield oneself to the authority or will of another.” ² When we choose to submit to God’s authority in our lives, we are placing our Creator in charge of the outcome. To surrender to the Lord is not always easy, but it’s necessary if we want to effectively deal with the evil one.

Resist - By definition this word means to “to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat.” ³ At first glance this looks like our work, but when coupled with the following verse it takes on new meaning.

“…All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 Message/Remix).

If we stay connected to God we can have the confidence that we’re in capable hands. Going into the spiritually “shark infested waters” of life would be foolish without this promised protection. So let’s submit and resist. It’s much more effective than a punch in the enemy’s nose!
______________________________

¹ Story Information from ABC News Online
² Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
³ Ibid.

from www.e-gracenotes.com

Yosemite Church

Thought: "...think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in."

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God." George Washington Carver

Bible text: "They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy." Psalms 65:8

One morning I had the privilege of watching the sunrise over Half Dome from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. Glacier Point gives a wonderful panoramic view of the entire western Sierras from its 7200-foot elevation. The unobstructed view of several hundred miles of virgin wilderness, granite buttresses and distant mountains was absolutely breathtaking. From that dizzying height you could peer over the sheer rock wall and see Yosemite Valley, a strip of green verdure squeezed into the mountains nearly 4000 feet below.

Dominating the view to the east was the most photographed rock in the world . . . Half Dome. It loomed up into the sky and formed a dark relief for the rising sun. Its unique shape can never be forgotten and is one of the focal points on any trip to Yosemite.

There were just a few people up there that early in the morning. A team of astronomers had spent the night taking pictures of a meteor shower. Naturalists were there along with tourists and some teenagers who had slept over night in the cool mountain air. What impressed me about every person who had gathered for the early sunrise "service" was how quiet they all were. Although there were no signs to be reverent, everyone was hushed and talked in whispers. It was really remarkable.

God's sanctuary

I was then struck with the thought that we were in God's sanctuary, and what a sanctuary it was! The roof was the heavens and it was lit by the sun. Its floor was vast expanses of solid granite, a fitting foundation for the everlasting Lord. And every vista filled the soul with a quiet and reverent awe.

Psalms 65:8 says: "They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy." In this day of cities filled with man-made idols, where the common is considered sacred and the sacred common, it is indeed a blessing to retreat to a place which rightly assigns what we have made to the dust and exalts the Creator of the Universe as the only Person worth exalting.

When we enter the throne room of eternity the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. May we all find a quiet place of awe today, our very own mountain top experience, to worship our God and be silent before His wonderful power, wisdom and majesty.

from www.e-gracenotes.com