Archive for August, 2009
The Choice is Yours
by PRRussell on Aug.31, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
The Choice is Yours
I will make you My promised bride forever. I will be good and fair; I will show you My love and mercy. Hosea 2:19
For all its peculiarities and unevenness, the Bible has a simple story. God made man. Man rejected God. God won’t give up until He wins him back.
God will whisper. He will shout. He will touch and tug. He wil take away our burdens; He’ll even take away our blessings. If there are a thousand steps between us and Him, He will take all but one. But He will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours.
Please understand. His goal is not to make you happy. His goal is to make you His. His goal is not to get you what you want; it is to get you what you need.
“A Gentle Thunder”
Known for Humility
by PRRussell on Aug.19, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
Known for Humility
Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance. Romans 12:3 Phillips
The mightiest of the saints were known for their humility. Though Moses has served as the prince of Egypt and emancipitor of the slaves, the Bible says, “Moses was…..more humble than anyone else” (Num. 12:3 NIV)
The apostle Paul was saved through a personal visit from Jesus. He was carried into the heavens and had the ability to raise the dead. But when he introduced himself, he mentioned none of these. He simply said, “I, Paul, am God’s slave” (Titus 1:1 MSG)
John the Baptist was a blood relative of Jesus and the first evangelist in history, but he is remembered in Scripture as the one who resolved, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30 NKJV).
“Traveling Light“
Store Up The Sweet
by PRRussell on Aug.18, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
Store Up the Sweet
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable,…. if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 RSV
Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God’s love? Will standing beneath the downpour of His grace change the way we feel about others?
Paul says absolutely! It’s not enough to keep the bad stuff out. We’ve got to let the good stuff in. It’s not enough to keep no list of wrongs. We have to cultivate a list of blessings: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Thinking conveys the idea of pondering – studying and focusing, allowing what is viewed to have an impact on us.
Rather than store up the sour, store up the sweet.
“A Love Worth Giving” by Max Lucado
Spiritual Bankruptcy
by PRRussell on Aug.17, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
Spiritual Bankruptcy
God will show His mercy forever and ever to those who worship and serve Him. Luke 1:50
God does not save us because of what we’ve done. Only a puny god could be bought with tithes. Only an egotistical god would be impressed with our pain. Only a temperamental god could be satisfied by sacrifices. Only a heartless god would sell salvation to the highest bidders.
And only a great God does for His children what they can’t do for themselves.
God’s delight is received upon surrender, not awarded upon conquest. The first step to joy is a plea for help, an acknowledgment of moral destitution, an admission of inward paucity. Those who taste God’s presence have declared spiritual bankruptcy and are aware of their spiritual crisis…. Their pockets are empty. Their options are gone. They have long since stopped demanding justice; they are pleading for mercy.
“The Applause of Heaven” by Max Lucado
God’s View of Your Life
by PRRussell on Aug.17, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
God’s View of Your Life
You are my place of safety and protection. You are my God and I trust You. Psalm 91:2
Have bad things really happened to you? You and God may have different definitions for the word bad. Parents and children do. Look up the word bad in a middle-schooler’s dictionary, and you’ll read definitons such as “pimple on nose,” or “pop quiz in geometry.” “Dad, this is really bad!” the youngster says. Dad, having been around the block a time or two, thinks differently. Pimples pass….
What you and I might rate as an absolute disaster, God may rate as a pimple-level problem that will pass. He views your life the way you view a movie after you’ve read the book. When something bad happens, you feel the air sucked out of the theater. Everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? You’ve read the book. You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot. God views your life with the same confidence. He’s not only read your story…. He wrote it.
“Come Thirsty“ by Max Lucado
Headed Home
by PRRussell on Aug.17, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
Headed Home
We are waiting for God to finish making us His own children, which means our bodies will be made free. Romans 8:23
Aging is God’s idea. It’s one of the ways He keeps us headed homeward. We can’t change the process, but we can change our attitude. Here is a thought. What if we looked at the aging body as we look at the growth of a tulip?
Do you ever see anyone mourning over the passing of the tulip bulb? Do gardeners weep as the bulb begins to weaken? Of course not. We don’t purchase tulip girdles or petal wrinkle cream or consult plastic-leaf surgeons. We don’t mourn the passing of the bulb; we celebrate it. Tulip lovers rejoice the minute the bulb weakens. “Watch that one,” they say, “It’s about to blossom.”
Could it be heaven does the same? The angels point to our bodies. The more frail we become, the more excited they become. “Watch that lady in the hospital,” they say. “She’s about to blossom.” “Keep an eye on the fellow with the bad heart. He’ll be coming home soon.”
“Traveling Light” by Max Lucado
What Are Your Strengths?
by PRRussell on Aug.17, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
What Are Your Strengths?
We all have different gifts, each of which came because of the grace God gave us. Romans 12:6
There are some things we want to do but simply aren’t equipped to accomplish. I, for example, have the desire to sing. Singing for others would give me wonderful satisfaction. The problem is, it wouldn’t give the same satisfaction to my audience……
Paul gives good advice in Romans 12:3: “Have a sane estimate of your capabilities” (PHILLIPS).
In other words, be aware of your strengths. When you teach, do people listen? When you lead, do people follow? When you administer, do things improve? Where are you most productive? Identify your strengths, and then…… major in them…….Failing to focus on our strengths may prevent us from accomplishing the unique tasks God has called us to do.
“Just Like Jesus” by Max Lucado
Choosing to be Content
by PRRussell on Aug.13, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
Choosing to be Content
“I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11 NKJV
In his book “Money: A User’s Manual”, Bob Russell describes a farmer who once grew discontented with his farm. He griped about the lake on his property always needing to be stocked and managed…. And those fat cows lumbered through his pasture. All the fencing and feeding – what a headache!….
He called a Realtor and made plans to list the farm. A few days later the agent phoned, wanting approval for the advertisement she intended to place in the local paper. She read the ad to the farmer. It described a lovely farm in an ideal location – quiet and peaceful, contoured with rolling hills, carpeted with soft meadows, nourished by a fresh lake, and blessed with well-bred livestock. The farmer said, “Read that ad to me again.”
After hearing it a second time, he decided, “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to sell. I’ve been looking for a place like that all my life.”
“Cure for the Common Life” by Max Lucado
Infinite Patience
by PRRussell on Aug.12, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
Infinite Patience
Patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us. Romans 5:4-5
God is often more patient with us than we are with ourselves. We assume that if we fall, we aren’t born again. If we stumble, then we aren’t truly converted. If we have the old desires, then we must not be a new creation.
If you are anxious about this, please remember, “God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again” (Phil. 1:6).
“A Gentle Thunder” by Max Lucado
To See The Unseen
by PRRussell on Aug.11, 2009, under ♥ My Spiritual Blog
To See the Unseen
He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. Isaiah 40:29
An example of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words:
I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine.
I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown.
I believe in God, even when He doesn’t speak.
I try to imagine the person who etched those words. I try to envision his skeletal hand gripping the broken glass or stone that cut into the wall. I try to imagine his eyes squinting through the darkness as he carved each letter. What hand could have cut such a conviction? What eyes could have seen good in such horror?
There is only one answer: Eyes that chose to see the unseen.
“He Still Moves Stones” by Max Lucado