Spiritual Thoughts

  T o me every hour of the day and night is an unspeakable perfect miracle. ~ Unknown  F rom the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised. ~ Psalm 113:3

  I t is not the difference between people that is the difficulty.  It is the indifference . ~ Unknown  I f a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ~ James 2:15-16

  Friday Tale ~ Night Ordeal T here is a legend of the Cherokees' rite of passage. To become a man, the boy must go into the forest, where his father blindfolds him and leaves him alone for the entire night. He is told that he must sit there the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He must not cry out for help to anyone. But if he survives the night alone and unable to see, he will have become a man. He must promise that, after he has completed his ordeal, he will not tell the younger boys what he has gone through, because each one must come to manhood entirely on his own. During his ordeal, the boy is naturally terrified. He hears all sorts of noises around him. He can only imagine what wild beasts may be prowling about, or even if some person might be lurking to do him harm. He can feel the wind; he can hear strange rustlings nearby, but he must sit stoically, never removing the blindfold. It is the only way he can become a ...

  T he pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~ Winston Churchill  T hat is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:10

  I f I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent. ~ Isaac Newton  H e who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. ~ Proverbs 16:20

  W isdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk . ~ Doug Larson  S o teach us to number our days, so that we may present to Y ou a heart of wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12

  P atience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength . ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton  Y ou too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. ~ James 5:8

  Friday Tale ~ The 23rd Panel T he PHONE is my shepherd. My spiritual growth shall want. It maketh me to sit down and do nothing for His name's sake, because it requireth all my spare time. It keepeth me from doing my duty as a servant of Jesus Christ, because it presenteth so many good shows that I must see. It restoreth my knowledge of the things of the world, and keepeth me from the study of God's word.  It leadeth me in the paths of failing to attend the ecclesial activities, and doing no work in God's vineyard. Yea, though I live to be a hundred, I shall keep on viewing my PHONE as long as it will work, for it is my closest companion. Its sound and its picture, they comfort me. It presenteth entertainment before me, and keepeth me from doing important things with my family.  It fills my head with ideas which differ from those set forth in the Word of God. Surely, no good thing will come of my life, because my PHONE offereth me no time to do the will of God; thus I w...

  W e cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are. ~ Oprah Winfrey  B eloved, do not imitate what is evil, BUT what is good. The one who does good is of God. ~ 3 John 11

  I t will but little avail us to have Christ revealed to us, if he is not also revealed in us. ~ Matthew Henry  F or you have been called for this purpose [verse 9], since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps. ~ 1 Peter 2:21

  T ime is the most valuable thing that a man can spend. ~ Theophrastus  L ove does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than we first believed. ~ Romans 13:10-11

  F orgivness is the well from which we draw the water to wash others' feet. ~ D. Siler   Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.   ~ Luke 12:37

  Friday Tale ~ Who Moved? I was once told a story about a newlywed couple.    When they rode together in the car, the wife would sit so close to her husband that it looked like there was a two-headed driver in the seat.    Now, twenty-five years later, when they go out in the car, the wife sits way over on the other side.    One day she looked over longingly at her husband and said with a sigh, "Remember the days when we used to sit so close to each other we looked like a two-headed driver?"    The husband looked over at her and quietly said,           "Well, Honey, I wasn't the one who moved." ~ Unknown  C hrist has now reconciled you in his body through death, in order to present you before God holy and blameless and beyond reproach - IF indeed you continue in the firmly established and steadfast faith, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard. ~ Colossians 1:22...