Spiritual Thoughts

M ay you have the hindsight to know where you have been, the foresight to know where you are going,  and the insight to know when you are going too far.  ~ Hosea Ballou   M ake your ear attentive to wisdom; incline your heart to understanding. For if you cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding, then you will understand the honor of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God. ~ Proverbs 2:2, 3, 5

T ears of joy are like the summer raindrops pierced by sunbeams.  ~ Hosea Ballou   T hose who sow in tears shall harvest with joyful shouting. ~ Psalm 126:5

P eople usually judge you based on where you are at currently, not what you could become eventually.  Don't let one comment stop you from trying. File it away or use it as fuel. Focus on getting better. Someone else's analysis of your current position does not tell you anything about your current potential.  ~ James Clear   BUT grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. ~ 2 Peter 3:18

  Y our present circumstances do not determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.  ~ Unknown   B y faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance, and he left, not knowing where he was going. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us , so that apart from us, they would not be made perfect. ~ Hebrews 11:8, 39-40

  Friday Tale - Touch of the Master's Hand   'T was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer Thought it scarcely worth his while To waste much time on the old violin, BUT he held it up with a smile; “what am I bidden, good folks?” He cried, “who’ll start the bidding for me? A dollar - one dollar - then two, only two - Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Going for three” - BUT no - From the room far back, a gray-haired man Came forward and picked up the bow; Then wiping the dust from the old violin, And tightening the loosened strings, He played a melody pure and sweet As a caroling angel sings.                          The music ceased and the auctioneer,                        With a voice that was quiet and low,                        Said, “now what am I bid for the old violin?”                        And he held it up with the bow;                        “a thousand dollars - and who’ll make it two?                        Two thousand and who’ll make it three?      

N ever regret anything that has happened in your life. It cannot be changed, undone, or forgotten, so take it as a lesson learned and move on.  ~ Unknown   F or Godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produces a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret. ~ 2 Corinthians 7:10 (Amplified)

I 'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning to sail my ship.  ~ Louisa May Alcott (said by Amy in "Little Women")   M ay the Lord direct your hearts into realizing and showing the love of God into the steadfastness and patience of Christ and in waiting for his return. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:5 (Amplified)

I t doesn't really matter who you used to be, what matters is who you've become, and who you are becoming.  ~ Robert Tew   BUT speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects to him who is the head, that is Christ. ~ Ephesians 4:15

    Thought for the Day 10/21/2024  D evelop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.  ~ Anthony J. D'Angelo BUT  grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Peter 3:18    

  Friday Tale - An Ordinary Rock?   A closed mind stumbles over the blessings of life without recognizing them.       To the untrained eye, a geode looks pretty much like an ordinary rock. But a trained geologist knows that inside the geode there is a beautiful crystal lining. The story is the same for those who refuse to examine new possibilities because their minds are closed.        Life’s greatest opportunities, like the geode, often come in ordinary packaging. Do not allow yourself to become such a creature of habit that you simply go through the motions and let life happen to you.         Just taking a new route to work, putting together a jigsaw puzzle, reading a newspaper instead of watching television, or visiting a museum at lunchtime will stimulate your thought processes and may help you open your mind to new possibilities. ~ Unknown   I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inh

  W ith gratitude, all life appears as a blessing;  without gratitude, all of life is perceived as a burden. ~ Jonathan L. Huie   A s you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, abounding in thanksgiving. ~ Colossians 2:6-7

T he antidotes for worry are: ·      gratitude, ·      action ·      service, and ·      faith. ~ Jonathan L. Huie   D o not be anxious about anything, BUT in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ~ Philippians 4:6

Y ou must do the things you think you cannot do.  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt   W here there is a will, there is a way. ~ old English proverb   T herefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Peter 1:13

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  ~ G. K. Chesteron   T he one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way right, I will show the salvation of God! ~ Psalm 50:23

  Friday Tale - Someone's Got your Back.   A uthor Jack Canfield said, “Human beings are not designed to go through life alone. No one has to bear the burden of tough times all by themselves.”       A television nature program captured an image of this idea well. It was an episode about a baby bear.       The cub was one of two babies born to a mother black bear, but his sibling died in childbirth. Not too long afterward, Mama Bear also died. The little cub was left alone to fend in the world.       But he was fortunate. He soon came across a huge male black bear who took a liking to the little guy. By the end of the day the adoption papers were signed and the little cub had a new friend and father.     Papa Bear showed the cub how to forage for berries. He taught him which plants he could eat and which to leave alone. He showed him how to fish. Papa Bear taught the cub all the things a bear needs to know to get along in the world.       The two were inseparable...until

T he point is not to pay back kindness, BUT to pass it on. ~ Julia Alvarez   D o not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck; Write them on the tablet of your heart. ~ Proverbs 3:3

 O ur background and circumstances  may have influenced who we are, BUT we are responsible for  who we become. ~ Barbara Geraci   S o teach us to number our days, so that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12

I t is not how long you live, BUT how you live that matters most. ~ Jill Whitman   W hatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. ~ Colossians 3:23-24

P ositive thinking is not about expecting the best to happen every time, BUT accepting that whatever happens is the best for this moment. ~ Unknown   B lessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. ~ James 1:12  

  Friday Tale - A Gentle Whisper   "A still small voice" (AV, RSV), "a gentle breeze" (LXX). 1 Kings 19:12   T he judgments of God (strong wind, earthquake, fire) are actually manifestations of His mercy. They are the prelude, and preparation, for the still small voice calling the nation to repent.   Elijah is being shown that the LORD God -- or Yahweh -- is, of course, the God of the strong wind, the earthquake, fire -- all these were presumed by the pagans to be manifestations of the great "god" Baal, but this was utterly false!   But not only was Yahweh the true and only God of these great and frightening aspects of nature, in contrast to Baal. He was, ESPECIALLY, the God who revealed Himself through the quiet, still, small, and gentle voice speaking to the individual conscience.   An old preacher spoke something in reply to a question from a young man, something so hushed it could not be discerned. The young man stepped across the room. "

H ealing does not mean going back to the way things were before, BUT rather allowing what is now to move us closer to God. ~ Ram Dass   T rust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. ~ Proverbs 3:5, 8

S olutions are not found by pointing fingers, they are reached by extending hands. ~ Aysha Taryam   BUT whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? Little children, let us not love with word or tongue, BUT in deed and truth. ~ 1 John 3:17-18

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do.  ~ Leonardo da Vinci T herefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)