Spiritual Thoughts

  T his day and in the coming year,  may the light of Jesus shine brightly in your life, filling your home with love, joy and peace. Wishing you and your family a coming year filled with faith, hope and the joy of the Lord. May His peace and love be with you today and always. ~ Anonymous N ow to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless, with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority,  before all time and now and forever. Amen ~ Jude 24:-25

  T he birth of Christ is the ultimate  expression of God's love, bringing hope and peace to a world in need. ~ Unknown D o not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." ~ Luke 2:10-14

  K indness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning. ~ Frederick W. Faber T hus has the LORD of hosts said, "Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother. ~ Zechariah 7:9

  A  kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.  ~ Washington Irving 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

  Friday Tale - You  Are Rich I  once asked my Aunt, Dora Jane, who raised me as if she were my mother where we stood on the spectrum between rich and poor. I said, "I know we live well and have money, but we don't have millions of dollars. What does that make us?"   She responded by saying, "I beg your pardon! We are rich, we have always been rich and we will always be rich!"   I responded, "But Auntie, we don't have money like the Getty's!"     She interrupted me and said as she pointed to her heart, and then to her head, "Rich is in here and up here.   You will always be rich in heart and mind. If you have a lot of money that makes you wealthy. If you have no money, that makes you broke.   You see, richness is a state of mind; not how much money you have.   It does not matter how much you have that counts in life.   It's what you do with what you have than counts.   And so long as you remember that you will always ...

  H e is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not,    BUT  rejoices in what he has. ~ Epictetus I ndeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. ~ Philippians 3:8

  Y ou cannot always control what goes on outside. BUT you can always control what goes on inside. ~ Wayne Dyer N ow may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement, grant you to be of the same mind with one another like Christ Jesus. ~ Romans 15:5

  A  part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve. ~ Joseph Joubert B ut I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that  you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ~ Matthew 5:44-45

  L ife is not about getting and having, it is about giving and being. ~ Kevin Kruse I f your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, and the LORD will reward you. ~ Proverbs 25:21

  Friday Tale ~ What Do We SEE? A  man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.  Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.  The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and...

  T here are two days about which nobody should ever worry, and these are yesterday and tomorrow. ~ Robert J. Burdette But  the LORD's loving-kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:23-24

  D etermination and perseverance move the world; thinking that others will do it for you is a sure way to fail. ~ Marva Collins But  the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the Word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance. ~ Luke 8:15

  P roblems tend to growl at us like cowardly dogs. If we face them and challenge them, they back away. If we run from them, they run after us, snapping at our heels. ~ Freddie Mitman But  you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of a preacher of the gospel, fulfil your ministry. ~ 2 Timothy 4:5

  I t is not the out-look  BUT  the "up-look" that counts. ~ Lawrence Ragan But  w hen these things begin to place, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. ~ Luke 21:28

  Friday's Tale ~ Sharing Kindness I  had not eaten all day due to a working crisis. I was so hungry. I stopped at Panera Bread for a sandwich. It was closed. Limited hours due to staffing shortages. I thought, “my local sub shop!” I was on my way. Standing in a very long line, I settled in and patiently waited for my turn to order. It’s a busy sub shop. You cannot be in a rush. I was nearly to the ordering section and realized that I hadn’t looked to see if I had cash. It’s a cash-only business. I said, “Oh no!”   The gentleman in front of me looked behind and at me. I told him that I was going to use my debit at Panera and hadn’t checked for cash before getting in this line. I started to peek in my wallet and he announced, “Oh, ma’am, don’t worry at all. I am not a doctor but I have a lot of patience and I care about others. I have some money just for people in your situation. I got you. I will pay for your full meal so if you find yourself short, let me know and I wil...

  P atience is the ability to idle your motor  when you feel like stripping your gears. ~Unknown S o, as those who have been chosen by God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and  patience ; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other. ~ Colossians 3:12-13