Spiritual Thoughts

  T here is much satisfaction in work well done, BUT there can be no happiness equal to the joy of finding a heart that understands . ~ Victor Robinsoll F or we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, BUT one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. et us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need . ~ Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV)

  Y ou get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, BUT by building a fire within. ~ Bob Wilson T hey said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, "The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon."     ~ Luke 24:32-34

  O ne thing that I want to tell you that only a non-doctor an tell you and that is: that the head-bone is connected to the heart-bone.  Don't ever let them come apart. ~ Alan Alda A nd he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your  heart  and with all your soul and with all your strength and  with all you  mind , and your neighbor as yourself." ~ Luke 10:27

  M elt the icy fingers of fear with the sunshine of  hope . ~ William Shakespeare W hy are you cast down, oh my heart, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope  in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. ~ Psalm 43:5

  W here there is room in the heart there is always room in the house. ~ Thomas Moore L et love be without hypocrisy. Rejoice in hope, persevere in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of God's people; pursue the practice of hospitality. ~ Proverbs 2:2-6

T he most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched,  they must be felt with the heart.  ~ Helen Keller   P ut on then compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ~ Colossians 3:12-13

Y our inner thoughts  reveal your true character. ~ Jonathan L. Huie   F or as he things in his heart, so is he. ~ Proverbs 23:7

L ife is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, BUT of little things, in which smiles and kindness, and small obligations given habitually, are what preserve the heart and secure comfort. ~ Humphry Davy   T hen the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me." ~ Matthew 25:24, 40  

W hen you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you, until it seems you cannot hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for THAT is just the place and time the tide will turn. ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe   N ow Jesus told the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lost heart. ~ Luke 18:1

  Friday Tale ~ Road to Happiness   W hen I travel on business, I like to talk to the taxi drivers who take me from the airport to my hotel, or to a convention center, or to a restaurant. Taxi drivers are often immigrants with interesting personal histories and unusual cultural backgrounds. I ask them how long they've been in America, how they chose which city to live in, and what they like best about where they live. Of course, I also ask them for advice on good local restaurants and any special attractions they'd recommend to a visitor. I've had some great experiences on my travels, thanks to the advice of taxi drivers!     On one trip about ten years ago, I was making conversation with the taxi driver, asking him my usual questions about how he came to live where he lived. Then I asked him a hypothetical question: "if you could live anywhere in the world—and if money was no object—where would you live?"   ...

  Friday Tale - With Gratitude to God   Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out patients at the clinic.           One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my eight year old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body.           But the appalling thing was his face lopsided from swelling, red and raw. Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning."           He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success, no one seemed to ha...

  M ay you have year round the gladness of the season, which is HOPE; the spirit of the season which is PEACE; and the heart of the season which is LOVE. ~ Ada V. Hendricks (amended)   T he Hope of the righteous is  Gladness, and Love covers  all transgressions. ~ Proverbs 10:28, 12

  I t doesn't matter what you look like. You can be tall, short, fat, thin, ugly or  handsome, or you can be black, yellow  or white, it does not matter.  What does matter is the size of your  heart and strength of your character. ~ Herman Numster   P ut off your old self... to be renewed in   your minds, and to put on the new self,  created after the likeness of God in  true righteousness and holiness. ~ Ephesians 4:22-24

  F ollow your heart BUT  take your brain with you. ~ Alfred Adler W hen we were children, we thought  and reasoned as children do. BUT when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. For now there are  faith, hope and love. BUT of  these three, the greatest is love. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:11, 13

  Friday Tale - A Lesson in Heart   A lesson in “heart” is from my little 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in “field day” – that’s where they have lots of races and other competitive events.     Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of words of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this get her down – things I have heard many famous coaches tell the players when they were faced with defeat – but before I could get a word out, she looked up and said, “Daddy, I won two of the races!”     I couldn’t believe it! And then Sarah said, “I had an advantage.” Ahh, I knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start…some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said, “Daddy, I didn’t get a head start…m...

T o handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt   Y ou shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, BUT you shall love your neighbor as yourself. ~ Leviticus 19:18

A smile is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.      ~ Barbara Jonson  A glad heart makes a cheerful face.... the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. ~ Proverbs 15:13, 17

F ollow your heart BUT take your brain with you. ~ Alfred Adler  H e who walks with the wise grows wise, BUT a companion of fools suffers harm.  ~ Proverbs 13:20

Give not from the top of your purse BUT  from the bottom through the top of your heart.  ~ Author unknown Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,  and one who waters will himself be watered. ~  Proverbs 11:25