TODAY'S QUOTE

"Self-control produces a strong prayer life,

prayer produces an intimate relationship

with God, and intimacy produces love of

God."    

-Francis Chan

A FATHER'S LOVE

I just want to share an emotion, an insight that
I experienced again today.  That is the love of
a father for his kids.

Many, many years ago I was involved in a failed
marriage and the resulting breakup from it.  There was
the initial shock of coming home from work to find
an empty house and then "existing" in a daze for
about a week.  But the emotion that still stands out
in my mind the most - wether it was the same day or
the next I do not remember - was the realization that
the kids were not there needing my help.  My kids were
gone.  What was I going to do without my kids.  How
was I going to love them and provide for them.  It hurt
me deeply.

Yes, they had a good mother.  That was not the problem.
It was that need for a father to be able to share his love
with his children.

Thank God,
as the children grew up in another state and
began to get out on their own that relationship
has been reestablished.  We share a love for
each other even if they are grandparents now.

Down to the present.
Believe it or not, I am a lot older now than I
was then.  I even have "great grandchildren"
who have grown too big to want grandpa to
hold them and love them.

I have noticed the last few days that this old
man just aches sometimes to hold a loving little
child in my arms and love them.

Today as I was walking down to get the mail
God brought something to my mind.  That is
the way God is.  God truly wants to love us,
hold us, cuddle with us, just like an earthly
father would want to do.  The Scriptures point
that out many times.  But I will only share one
of them with you.

"See how very much out Father loves us,
for he calls us his children, and that is what
we are!  But the people who belong to this 
world don't recognize that we are God's
children because they don't know him."
(1 John 3:1 NLT)

Here the Apostle is writing to the Christians.
No, everybody is not God's child.  But He
wants them to be if we will just turn to Him.

REMEMBER.
God wants to be a Father to you and love you,
if you will let Him.

THAT IS WHAT CHRISTMAS
IS ALL ABOUT.

GOD KNOWS BEST

This is one of those things that hurts to share

on one hand.  Then on the other, happy to tell

you about how God can work for us.

About forty three years ago I was of course much

younger and single.  Now a single life does not appeal

to me at all and I had fallen in love with a young lady.

Lets just say that this lady and I were in two different

leagues.  There were too many differences and obstacles.

But, you know that does not stop love.

So, having faith in God and believing that nothing

is impossible with God, she became the object of much

pray and trusting God to work out the impossible.  Yes,

it was sorta a one sided affair.  I loved her and she was

just simply a friend.  

In time I came to realize that this was not going to

work.  So I went to God in pray offering her up to

Him and "trying" to release my interest in her.  It

was perhaps the most difficult thing I ever did it 

my life.  I can still remember the hurt to this day.

However,

we still live in the same area and are still friends.

But after watching her go through several marriages

I see now that I would have been hurt really, really

bad.  And further, because of her goals and outlook

on life, she would have been an obstacle to my 

relationship to God and living for him.

Further.

Shortly after this - perhaps a year - God brought

another lady into my life.  Not only did he bring

us together but clearly indicated to me that she was

to be my wife.

After over forty years of marriage I can truly say

that God gave me one of the best wives on the 

face of the earth.  Praise God.

GOD KNOWS BEST.

"And we know that God causes everything to work

together for the good of those who love God and 

are called according to his purpose for them."

(Romans 8:28 NLT)

TODAY'S PROMISE

"And this hope will not lead to disappointment.

For we know how dearly God loves us, because

he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts

with his love."

(Romans 5:5 NLT)

TODAY'S PROMISE

"The Pharisees, who dearly loved their

money, heard all this and scoffed at him.

Then he said to them, 'You like to appear

righteous in public, but God knows your

hearts.  What this world honors is detestable

in the sight of God."  

(Luke 16:14 NLT)

TODAY'S QUOTE

Image courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com.   

"He who loveth God with all his heart

feareth not death, nor punishment, 

nor judgment, nor hell, because perfect

love giveth sure access to God.  But he

who still delighteth in sin, no marvel if

he is afraid of death and judgment."  

-Thomas A. Kempis

TODAY'S QUOTE

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"The desire of power in excess caused

the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge

in excess caused man to fall, but in love

there is no excess neither can angel or

man come in danger by it."

- Francis Bacon

TODAY'S PROMISE

"We know how much God loves us;

and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love

live in God, and God lives in them."  

-1 John 4:16 NLT

TODAY'S QUOTE

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"Whatever you do, wherever you live, if you belong

to Jesus Christ, the call from heaven has come to 

you - to the highest honor a human being can exp-

rience.  The Son of God is spreading His love, His

lifestyle, and His life-saving message across this 

planet - and you know what?  He has summoned

you to join Him in His glorious administration

Don't settle for anything less."

-Ron Hutchcraft

TODAY'S PROMISE

"And we know that God causes everything to

work together for the good of those who love

God and are called according to his purpose 

for them."

(Romans 8:28 NLT) 

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Understand therefore, that the LORD your God

is indeed God.  He is the faithful God who keeps

his covenant for a thousand generations and 

lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him

and obey his commands."

(Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT)

TODAY'S QUOTE

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"Real love is the universal language - understood by

all.  You may have every accomplishment or give 

your body to be burned; but, if love is lacking, all

this will profit you and the cause of Christ nothing."

-Henry Drummond

HOW MUCH HAIR DO YOU HAVE?

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HOW MUCH HAIR DO YOU HAVE?

You don't know and neither do I.  In fact even

smart people with a Phd, DD, MD, or any other

kind of D after their name do not know either.

I do know that my wife for years complained that

her hair made her hot and uncomfortable so she 

kept it in a short hair style.  But now, she complains

that she has too little and wants a wig.

Hair of course serves a number of purposes for

the body.  For example hair on the head holds 

in body heat.  But in observing people it looks 

like the major purpose of hair for most people

is to adorn themselves with and attempt to 

exemplify something they are not.  You know,

look smart or rugged or unconcerned etc. for

the men.  And for the women - well, lets not

even touch that one.

Closer to my point.  Hair is important, but it

is not one of the major necessities of the body.

Lots of people do quite well with out a head of

hair.  But try doing without a heart, lungs, kidneys,

brain, toe etc.  What I am saying is that the hair

of the head is one of the most minor things of the

body.

Closer to my point.  I love my wife, but I do not

bother to count the hairs on her head.

Now to my point.  God [Yes there is one.] cares 

enough about YOU that He even knows how many

hairs you have on your head.  Do you know anybody

else who cares about you that much?

Jesus Christ said;

"What is the price of two sparrows -

one copper coin? But not a single sparrow 

can fall to the ground without your Father

knowing it.  And the very hairs on your head

 are all numbered.  So don't be afraid; you 

are more valuable to God than a whole flock 

of sparrows."    

(Matthew 10:29-31 NLT)

Now if God loves you that much are you accepting

His love for you?

TODAY'S PROMISE

"For the mountains may move

and the hills disappear,

but even then my faithful love for you

will remain.

My covenant of blessing will never

be broken,'

says the LORD, who has mercy on you."

(Isaiah 54:10 NLT)

TODAY'S QUOTE

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"I took up that word Love, and I do not know how

many weeks I spent in studying the passages in

which it occurs, till at last I could not help loving

people.  I had been feeding on love so long that I was

anxious to do everybody good I came in contact

with.  I got full of it.  It ran out my fingers.  You take

up the subject of love in the Bible!  You will get so

full of it that all you have to do is to open your lips,

and a flood of the Love of God flows out. "

- D. L. Moody

WHERE IS YOUR LOVE?

You are not going to be taking it with you when
you die.  You will leave it all behind for the family
to squabble over and then squander.

If your love is for the things of this world, you
will loose it all and the things that could come
for you after death.

God through the Apostle Pauls said;

"For we have brought nothing into the world,
so we cannot take anything out of it either" 
(1 Timothy 6:7 NASB)    

We need to set our love on God and the things
of God.  When our love rests on Him and our
efforts are spent for Him, then our true reward
comes after death and is eternal.

Even old Socrates had some insight into chasing
after the things of the world when he said;

“He who is not contented with what he has,
 would not be contented with what he would 
like to have.” 
― Socrates

But even more importantly the very creator

of life and the universe, Jesus Christ warns

us;

"For what does it profit a man to gain the

whole world, and forfeit his soul?

For what will a man give in exchange for

his soul?  

(Mark 8:36,37 NASB)

"...for where your treasure is, 
there your heart will be also."
(Matthew 6:21 NASB) 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

  "For God so loved the world,

that He gave His only begotten

Son, that whoever believes in 

Him shall not perish, but have

eternal life."  

(John 3:16 NASB)  

The best Christmas gift ever.

The very creator of the universe came down

and became a man named Jesus Christ who

out of love for his created beings died as a

sacrifice for our sins and failings.  Then offers

us eternal life to live with him for ever if we 

will but turn from the way we are going and

give our selves to him.

Don't ignore the greatest gift ever.

God does love you.

TODAY'S QUOTE

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"For where love is wanting, the beauty

of all virtue is mere tinsel, is empty sound,

is not worth a straw, nay more is offensive

and disgusting."

-John Calvin

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Know therefore that the LORD your God,

He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His

covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth

generation with those who love Him and keep

His commandments;"   

(Deuteronomy 7:9 NASB)

TODAY'S QUOTE

"Only one act of pure love, unsullied by any taint 

of ulterior motive, has ever been performed in the 

history of the world, namely the self-giving of God 

in Christ on the cross for underserving sinners."  

-John Stott