Spiritual Thoughts

W isdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk. ~ Doug Larson   M ake your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding. ~ Proverbs 2:2

  P atience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time. ~ Jon Katab Zinn   T herefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. ~ 2 Peter 3:14-15

  I ntelligence is knowing the right answer. Wisdom is knowing when to say it. ~ Tim Fargo   I , wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. ~ Proverbs 8:12

  Friday Tale - Tending the Garden of our Lives   W e live in an age of instant gratification. When we are hungry, we drive in to McDonalds, or heat something in the microwave. When we want to be entertained, we switch on the television.   We also seek instant gratification in other arenas in which its success rate is abysmal. Buying lottery tickets is an example of this irrational striving for instant gratification. Unlike the fast-food window, lottery tickets very rarely pay out. The search for a romantic partner is also susceptible to being swept up in an urge for instant gratification. While some couples do "win the lottery" of instantly finding a great relationship, the odds are very much in favor of those couples who become solid friends with shared values before they become romantically involved.   Instant gratification is not the way of nature, and has not been the path of human advancement.   Preparation , Perseverance , and Patience are the pa...

J udge each day not by the harvest you reap,  BUT by the seeds you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson   Y our people shall be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I might be glorified. ~ Isaiah 60:21

  I t is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn. ~ B. C. Forbes   "B ehold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed, When the mountains will drip sweet wine.... Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel...." ~ Amos 9:13-14

  A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. ~ Maya Angelou BUT let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy, and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You. ~ Psalm 5:11

  I f we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~ Anne Bradstreet   I know O, LORD, that Your  judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You  have afflicted me. ~ Psalm 119:75

  Friday Tale - Dog Lessons   I t is amazing to me how God communicates certain lessons. Apparently, I must not listen in a traditional way because He always seems to use nature, my children, or my dogs to teach me things about myself.                 As I was walking my dog, Chelsea, today, I noticed she was worse than usual about pulling. She was practically choking herself. She has a 25-foot leash that allows her 25 feet in just about any direction to enjoy without feeling uncomfortable. However, Chelsea seemed to always want to pull the leash as tightly as possible to get to the next "spot" in the road. Keep in mind that we are walking that direction and will be at that "spot" in just a matter of minutes. ...

  S elf pity is our worst enemy, and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world. ~ Helen Keller S aul looked at David with suspicion from that day on. Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing the harp, as usual; and a spear was in Saul's hand. Saul hurled the spear for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." BUT David escaped from his presence. Now Saul was afraid of David, for the LORD was with him, BUT had departed from Saul. ~ 1 Samuel 18:9-12

Y ou cannot control what happens to you, BUT you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than it allowing it to master you. ~ Brian Tracy   I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are mature, have this attitude. ~ Philippians 3:14-15

T he person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it. ~ Unknown T herefore, prepare your minds for action, keep a clear head, and set your hope completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah, is revealed. ~ 1Peter 1:13

O ur thoughts, deeds, and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy. ~ Florence Shinn   B y his fruitful speech a man can remain satisfied, and a man's handiwork will reward him. ~ Proverbs 12:14

  Friday Tale - Mousetrap A  mouse  looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package.   "What food might this contain?"  He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.    Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.  "There is a mousetrap in the house! There Is a mousetrap in the house!"    The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr... Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."    The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house". The pig sympathized but said, "I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."   The mouse turned to the cow. She said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you. But it's no skin off my nose."   So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected...

  A  bad attitude is like a flat tire: you can't go anywhere until you change it. ~ Unknown L et your gracious attitude be known to all people. The Lord is near. ~ Philippians 4:5

  Y ou don't become what you want, you become what you believe. ~ Oprah Winfrey   T herefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us. ~ Ephesians 5:1-2

N o such thing as spare time. No such thing as free time. No such thing as down time. All you got is LIFE time. Go. ~ Henry Rollins   T herefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, BUT as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. ~ Ephesians 5:15-16

  O ur Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring time. ~ Martin Luther W e also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:13-14

  Friday Tale - Saturday Marbles   The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. One Saturday I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning conversation. I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles ."   I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter'...

  S hared joy is double joy and shared sorrow is half sorrow. ~ Swedish Proverb   A nd do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. ~ Hebrews 13:16

  L ove and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. ~ Barbara de Angelis   E ach one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:7

L ife is a quarry, out of which we are to mold and chisel and complete a character. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe   A nd not only this, BUT we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character - hope. ~ Romans 5:3-4

  Y ou have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others.  ~ Unknown   W e urge you, admonish the unruly, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:14