Spiritual Thoughts

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. -Martin Luther King, Jr. Mark 4:30-32 And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? "It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade."

"You will regret many things in life but you will never regret being too kind or too fair." --Brian Tracy Colossians 3:12-13 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." --Dr. Leo Buscaglia Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

A "NO" uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a "YES" merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble." --Mahatma Gandhi 1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

When you face the perils of weariness, carelessness, and confusion, don't pray for an easier life. Pray instead to be a stronger man or woman of God. -Luis Palau Psalms 119:28 My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word. Psalms 10:17 O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear.

Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe. Winston Churchill 2 Corinthians 1:3 - 4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

" Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, sickness and captivity would, without this comfort, be insupportable." --Samuel Johnson Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.

"All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope." - -Alexander Dumas Psalms 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.

Speak Lord, for your servant hears. Grant us ears to hear, Eyes to see, Wills to obey, Hearts to love; Then declare what you will, Reveal what you will, Command what you will, Demand what you will. -Christian Rossetti Luke 22:41 -42 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

"Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again." --Sarah Ban Breathnach Psalm 39:7 And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go. --Irish Blessing Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Psalms 34:6-8 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! God's mercy and grace gives us an deep abiding joy in our lives that will never be found in anywhere else. Are you experiencing the joy that David describes throughout the book of Psalms in your life? The joy and salvation of our God comes highly recommended by David, a shepherd boy, a lion killer, a giant killer, a murderer, an adulterer, a king, and a forgiven child of God. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Put your trust in Him and praise His name and He will bless your life. Try it. You'll like it.

"Sincerity is not a test of truth. We must not make this mistake: 'He must be right; he's so sincere.' Because, it is possible to be sincerely wrong. We can only judge truth by truth and sincerity by sincerity." --Jim Rohn John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

"If all you do is all you're doing, all you'll get is all you're getting." --Brian Tracy Deuteronomy 12:28 "Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

One rotten beam can make a whole house collapse. --Russian proverb A chain is as strong as its weakest link. --Unknown Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together. -Vesta M. Kelly Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.

Don't pray to escape trouble. Don't pray to be more comfortable in your emotions. Pray to do the will of God in every situation. Samuel M. Shoemaker Luke 22:40 - 42 When He [Jesus] arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."

My mind is a garden. My thoughts are the seeds. My harvest will be either flower or weeds. -Mel Weldon Luke 8:11-15 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. "Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. "But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. "And the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

Happy is the person who knows what to remember of the past, what to enjoy in the present, and what to plan for in the future. Arnold H. Glasgow 2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

"You can't always change your situation, but you can always change your attitude." -- Larry Hargraves "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." -- Maya Angelou 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

A successful man is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him. --David Brinkley 1 Peter 2:4-7 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone."

In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently. --Anthony Robbins Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.

Psalms 3:2-5 Many are saying of my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God." But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. God has sustained me - and you. He has allowed me to breathe the breath of life for another day. Do we thank God for the things that we normally take for granted, like waking up this morning? On most days, "waking" is not something that most of us enjoy, because we'd rather sleep in, instead of going in to work, or something unpleasant needs to be done that day. Yet, in verse 5, David was thankful that God has allowed him to wake to another day of his life. Take the time today to thank God for the things that you normally take for granted.