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Amen to that

I always think that we live, spiritually, by what others have given us in the significant hours of our life.  These significant hours do not announce themselves as coming, but arrive unexpected.  Nor do they make a great show of themselves; they pass almost unperceived.  Often, indeed, their significance comes home to us first as we look back, just as the beauty of a piece of music or of a landscape often strikes us first in our recollection of it.  Much that has become our own in gentleness, modesty, kindness, willingness to forgive, in veracity, loyalty, resignation under suffering, we owe to people in whom we have seen or experienced these virtues at work, sometimes in a great matter, sometimes in a small.  A thought which had become an act sprang into us like a spark, and lighted a new flame within us.
 
 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed".  
1 Peter 2:24

[For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8]

"Trouble is only a challenge to spur you on to achieve the best that God has to offer if you have the faith to believe!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

Today, with faith in your heart, you can face any trouble that you encounter."

Amen..

[He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."]

Quilt of Holes

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.

Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles;  an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares were.  They were filled with giant holes.  Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life.  I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me.  Nobody else had such squares.  Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune.  I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.
My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth.  The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries.  So filled their lives had been!  My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.

My gaze dropped to the ground in shame.  I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes.  I had love in my life, and laughter.  But there had also been trials of illness, wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it.  I had to start over many times.  I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again.  I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life.  I had often been held hp to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judge-mental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth.  My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.  I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light.

An awe-filled gasp filled the air.  I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.  Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me.  Light flooded the many holes creating an image, the face of Christ.  Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes.  He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles.  Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."


May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!  God determines who walks into your life . . . . it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.  When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need.

Grant to us, O Lord, the royalty of inward happiness, and the serenity which comes from living close to Thee. Daily renew in us the sense of joy, and let the eternal spirit of the Father dwell in our souls and bodies, filling us with light and grace, so that, bearing about with us the infection of a good courage, we may be diffusers of life, and may meet all ills and accidents with gallant and highhearted happiness, giving Thee thanks always for all things.



"John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

Whenever we are troubled and life has lost its song, it's God testing us with burdens just to make our spirit strong!
 
"This is my comfort in my affliction that thy promise gives me life."  
Psalm 119:50
 
Today face your challenges with determination and resiliency.

[THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST]

THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST

More than nineteen hundred years ago, there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life. This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He did not travel extensively. Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived; that was during His exile in childhood.
He possessed neither wealth nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous and had neither training nor formal education.
In infancy He startled a king; in childhood He puzzled doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the waves as pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep.
He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.
He never wrote a book, and yet perhaps all the libraries of the world could not hold the books that have been written about Him.
He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined.
He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.
He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired.
He never practiced psychiatry, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.
Once each week multitudes congregate at worshiping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.
The names of the past, proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone. But the name of this Man multiplies more and more. Though time has spread nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and the mockers at His crucifixion, He still lives. His enemies could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.
He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the risen, personal Christ, our Lord and Savior.
We are either going to be forever with Him, or forever without Him.
author unknown

 In all His dispensations God is at work for our good. In prosperity, He tries our gratitude; in mediocrity, our contentment; in misfortune, our submission; in darkness, our faith; under temptation, our steadfastness; and at all times, our obedience and trust in Him
 
 

"For the soul of every living thing is in the hand of God, and the breath of all mankind."

Job 12:10

if you will notice in the bible during Jesus ministry here on earth He was very strong against sin..every sermon He preached was anti sin..He named every sin we could  committ and told us to repent and turn away from them..when He found them sinning in the temple He threw them out and called them a den of thieves..at one time he also called them a generation of vipers, snakes if you will..in the old testement God calls homo***uality  an abomination and they ought to be killed..yes my friends, God hates sin but loves the sinner and that's the way we should feel so we need to remind them of sin and how it can creep into our lives so easily..
if you will notice in my opening thread i said,
"I pray that the people understand when i preach that i'm not being judgemental, hard hearted, or holier than thou."  I do not judge, that's up to God..
one of the problems with the church today, i believe, is there are too mant good time preachers behind our pulpits the preach all is well, you're going to prosper, you will have good health but never mention sin..
 then there are those like Billy Graham, Billy Sunday, John Wesley, and the list goes on, that preached Thus saith the Lord and hundred of thousands, yes, millions were saved..every message they preached was against sin..
I agree, the people need love and encouragement and the solution to their problems, but they also need to know that we are sinners and how are they going to know if we don't show them?

 Happy Birthday Sharon ..
we've shared a lot of birthdays here and i pray we will have many more..
 
and remember, I love you but better yet God loves you!!   :smiley:

Let's be honest. The truth is that a lot of us are like the person who serves as the target in the knife throwing act..they don't want to be hit..and a lot of the people who hear the preacher don't want to be hit either. how many times have you heard someone say,"that was one of those toe stepping sermons or brother so and so should have heard that one preacher or some arer so blunt to say, i didn't like that sermon one bit."
There is good news however. most poeple are not like this at all..I know it is painful to have one's heart pricked as it happened to Peter's bunch at Pentecost and most realize it is a necessary pain that results in something good. none of us like to be told we are wrong and we certainly don't want to be corrected..but most understand that God must undo somethings in us before we can become better..
I pray that the people understand when i preach that i'm not being judgemental, hard hearted, or holier than thou and every sermon that i preach has to go through me first and boy let me tell you, my toes have been stepped on many a time.. ye, sometimes it takes a sharp word to cut through our pride,our ignorance,our stubborness and rebellion but God must get our attention and we must understand the depth of our problem before we will open ourselves up and yeildd to the Father's will..

So the next time a preacher bothers you, pay attention..he just might be saying something you really need to hear..It works for me.

Howdy and welcome to THL

Amen to prayer, one of God's greatest promises.."If you ask anything in my name you'll receive it.."

There was a young man named Johnny came out of the hills of North Carolina and went to work for a construction company building a large building..down the street a couople of blocks was a church and ond day Johnny went in to see what it was like..you see he had never been inside a church or ever heard about Jesus..the preacher was there and he showed Johnny around and then he talked about Jesus..everyday he would come the church and eat his lunch and the preacher would talk to him about Jesus and one day he was gloriously saved..everyday he would kneel at the alter and talk to Jesus and one day the preacher heard him pray and Johnny said,"Good morning Jesus, i don't want anything, i just want to tell you i love you."Johnny went back to work and a little later a man came running to the preacher and told him there had been a terrible accident at the new building as part of it had fallen and some men were trapped..he hurried down to the site and saw that they had everyone free but one ..then he saw it was Johnny, and he could see he was beyond all human help..as he went closer to him he said i heard a voice as plain as you hear me say," hello Johnny, this is Jesus, I love you."
 
you see my dear friends, it's never too late to talk to Jesus..when was the last time you got on your knees and said, hello Jesus, i don't want anything i just want to say i love you."
this is a true story and what a wonderful message it brings..