Spiritual Thoughts

Do little things as though they were great, because of the majesty of Jesus Christ who does them in us, and who lives our life; and do the greatest things as though they were little and easy, because of His love. --Blaise Pascal 1 Peter 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

"I can't do it" never yet accomplished anything: "I will try" has accomplished wonders. -- George P. Burnham Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Triumph is just "umph" added to "try" . God's Little Instruction Book for Students. Psalms 92:4 For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. Philippians 2:12 -13 So then, my beloved, . . . work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Psalms 37:23-24 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. David shows us that even though we may fall, God will lift us up. Even though we may go through a tough time, God will bring us through it. Even though we may be forced to bend, we will not be broken. "We shall not utterly be cast down". Praise God! We can have the victory today and tomorrow. "Sorrow may bring us to the earth, and death may bring us to the grave, but lower we cannot sink, and out of the lowest of all we shall arise to the highest of all."-- C.H. Spurgeon

"Make your now "wow", your minutes miracles, and your days pay. Your life will have been magnificently lived and invested, and when you die you will have made a difference." --Mark Victor Hansen 1 Timothy 6:18-19 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Having truth decay? Brush up on the Bible! Unknown Proverbs 2:6-7 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity.

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." --Albert Einstein Philippians 3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.

Psalm 100:2-4 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. How many times to we begin our prayers with thankfulness? Someone once said, "There so many times that we load up all of our burdens and worries onto a big dump truck and we put that truck in reverse and then we back that truck right up to the throne of God and flip the switch and dump all of that trash at God's feet, all without ever seeing Him." This is completely backwards from God's teachings. We should enter God's presence with praises and thankfulness. Then, after we have spent time thanking God for His mercies and praising Him for his greatness, we can turn the truck around and unload our worries and burdens. Which direction are you driving your dump ...

God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble, a door of hope. -Catherine Marshall Hosea 2:15 "Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor [=trouble] as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears. --Native American Proverb Grief shared is half grief; Joy shared is double joy. --Honduran Proverb James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Learn to write your hurts in sand. Learn to carve your blessings in stone! -Unknown Proverbs 10:22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.

Weave the unfailing fabric of God’s Word through your heart and mind. It will hold strong, even if the rest of life unravels. -Gigi Graham Tchvidjian Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

The beautiful thing about this adventure called faith is that we can count on Him never to lead us astray. -Charles Swindoll 1 Peter 2:25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

"Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness." --William Arthur Ward Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

If nothing is too hard for God, then why do we believe our problem is? ~Joyce C. Lock~ Jeremiah 32:17 'Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Remember to Be Happy! The sign hangs on the wall of a bagel shop: ”Don’t forget to be happy.” Sometimes we get so bogged down in dealing with feelings, issues, problems – the realities and details of our lives – we forget to be happy. Often happiness can be ours if we just remember to be happy. Joy is a choice – a deliberate, conscious choice. That choice is available to us each day. Our joy isn’t controlled by others or by outward circumstances. Joy comes from a deeper place, a place of security within ourselves. It’s an attitude, not a transitory emotion. Joy comes from knowing God, His way, His love. Remember to be kind. Remember to be loving. Remember to feel all your feelings and to take care of yourself. But most of all, remember to be happy. - Melody Beattie in Positive People Power Psalms 118:24 This is the day which the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Prayer is an end to isolation. It is living our daily life with someone; with Him who alone can deliver us from solitude. -Georges Lefevre Psalm 32:6-7 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

"One who thinks that money can do everything, is likely to do anything for money." -Anonymous 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Until today, you may not have realized that your life provides the content of your obituary. Just for today, examine your life. Think about all the things you want to leave behind. Remember, the good thing about doing this today is that you still have time to rewrite your life's content if necessary. Iyania Vanzant Go forward, not back. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Psalm 94:16-19 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the LORD had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence. If I say, "My foot slips," Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Do you feel alone in your battles today? David says in verse 16 that no one would help him in his time of trouble. The only person that would help him fight his battle is the one Almighty God. In eminent danger from his enemies, he found strength and comfort in God . Verse 19 tells us that although our minds be filled with the struggles of the day our soul can find comfort in him. "From my sinful thoughts, my vain thoughts, my sorrowful thoughts, my griefs, my cares, my conflicts, I will hasten to the Lord; he has divine comforts, and these will not only console but actually delight me." - C.H. Spurgeon