DAYS OF TEARS AND SMILES

“A little girl was eating her breakfast when a ray of sunlight suddenly appeared through the clouds and reflected on the spoon in her cereal bowl.  She immediately put it into her mouth.   With a big smile she exclaimed to her mother, ‘I just swallowed a spoonful of sunshine.’”

A spoonful of sunshine is excellent ‘soul food’ for all of us.

And on those days when laughter is not possible…let us remember that God knows our sadness…God cares for our tears…God will compensate.  The coming of Christ is our assurance!

How did you use your time today?

GOD never requires us to do something without giving us time to do it.

Therefore PARENTS have years to teach and to inspire their children. (These years pass quickly so they must be used wisely.)

STUDENTS have several years to acquire knowledge for a productive future.  (These are fleeting years that must not be wasted.)

WE have THIS DAY to obey GOD.  (Tomorrow is uncertain!!!)

Each must ask, “Am I using the time that God has given to me…as He would have me to use it?”

CONSIDER...

CONSIDER:

For the future to hold something for you, you must have some faith in it.

Preparation for the future involves your willingness to remember your blessings with a spirit of gratitude.

The future is dim for the person who thinks with fears rather than the recognition that great strength comes from the realization of being “created in the image of God.”

Let the future be illuminated with this enduring key of the Holy Spirit: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8

TRYING TIMES ARE NOT TIMES TO STOP TRYING

A cynic stated, “Perhaps instead of resting on the seventh day, God should have erased.

You and I must remember:

TRYING TIMES ARE NOT TIMES TO STOP TRYING

The power of prayer remains regardless.  Let us pray for the leaders of nations…for others…for ourselves.

God can work through YOU.  Do not underestimate what He can accomplish through YOU.  A handful of God fearing people could have saved the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Appreciate the privileges of today: speaking encouraging words…helping another…smiling…counting your blessings.

“The world is a looking glass and gives back to each person a reflection of his/her attitude.”

What are you complaining about today?

IF I AM ALWAYS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE WAY THE BALL BOUNCES…I just might be the guy who dropped it.

IF I AM CONSTANTLY COMPLAINING THAT THINGS “ AREN'T THE WAY THAT THEY USED TO BE”…I should realize that neither and I!

Some insist on complaining because God put thorns on roses, while other praise Him for putting roses on thorns.

The habit of being a constant complainer is dangerous.  It can weaken your immune system and invite physical illness.  It diminishes your influence upon those who love you the most. So both of us need to determine that with God’s help we are going to defeat the temptation to be chronic complainers.

NOTE:  There are “legitimate complaints” because of the sorrows of life.  Let us help each other in working through these. 

A friend is one who sings our song when we have forgotten the words.

How often do you read the Bible?

Our forefathers built this nation with three tools:

AN AX, A PLOW AND A BOOK.

That book was the BIBLE.  Thomas Jefferson stated, “I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the
Sacred Volume, the Bible, will make better citizens…better fathers, better husbands…the Bible makes the best people in the world.”

In the Bible we find ourselves where we are, and if permitted, it takes us where we ought to go.  We may not be able to understand all that we read in the Bible but we can attempt to obey what we do understand.

An occasional taste of the Bible will not cause us to develop much of a taste for it.  Pertinent are these words of General Douglas MacArthur, “Believe me, sir, never a day goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the word of God before I go to bed.”

What have you given today?

Thoughts from Albert Schweitzer:

“I do not know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know, the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  He was not minimizing the joy that comes from receiving a gift.  He was deeply grateful for the gift of expensive ointment what was generously given to Him; so grateful that an eternal blessing was bestowed upon the “Giver.” 

Two blessings come from giving:

1.      The Giver’s heart enjoys a sensitivity that comes from closeness TO THE SAVIOR.

2.      The Giver’s head is enlightened with the sense of accomplishment THAT THE SAVIOR APPROVES.

                        The attitude of giving enables a person to do more than just earn a living…it directs to make truly a life as well.