Tag Archives: inspiration for living

Nov23

Always Be Thankful

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Thankful

 

“No matter what happens, always be thankful ~ 
For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (TLB)
 

It’s easy to have a grateful heart when life is moving in a positive direction, when there is smooth sailing ahead, when showers of blessings are raining down upon your head, when everything is “right” in your world. But it’s not so easy to be thankful when you face adversities, illness, financial pressures, relationship problems, or other trials.  Yet grateful people seem to have an inner feeling of contentment, a supernatural sense of joy that can only come out of a thankful heart. They find ways to be thankful, even in the deepest valleys of life. Ungrateful people are grumpy, constantly complaining, and find it difficult to be happy in life. They haven’t realized that the “secret” to happiness is simply having an attitude of gratitude…no matter what happens.

If you are continually focused on the things you don’t have, you can never be grateful for the blessings you do have! God wants you to be thankful…no matter what. He knows exactly what you are going through, and when you thank Him in those tough times, your focus turns to Him instead of your problems. It’s amazing how the simple act of acknowledging His presence in your life makes Him seem larger and your problems seem smaller. Trusting that He works everything out for your good is one key to being thankful in ALL circumstances.

Take time today to focus on being thankful. Express your gratitude to God for His constant presence in your life and His never-ending love and mercy toward you.

Nov6

Little Things Matter

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Everyone can do something

 “And serve each other according to the gift each person has received,

as good managers of God’s diverse gifts.”
1 Peter 4: 10 CEB
 

Just think what a difference we could make in our community, our state, our nation…or throughout the world..if we ALL gave just a little bit of time, money, or talent for serving others? A few dollars out of your pocket, a few cans of food out of your pantry, or a few minutes out of your day, may not mean much to you, but to others it can mean everything.

So take a moment and think about the blessings in your life, and consider what one thing you can do today to serve others. If we all did our part, the result would be like the ever-expanding ripple effect from dropping a small pebble into a body of water. The sphere of influence of our combined actions could increase incrementally and spread throughout the world. The little things do matter!

“Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything.” 1 Peter 4:10 (MSG)

  •  “We are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
  • ” Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”  Hebrews 10:24
  • “Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God’s word.  Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes.  Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.”  1 Peter 4:11 (CEB)
  • Realize that the purpose of money is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Eventually money will be useless to you—but if you use it generously to serve others, you will be welcomed joyfully into your eternal destination. Luke 16:9 (VOICE)
  • “In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.”  2 Timothy 2: 20 – 21 (MSG)
 http://howtoberich.org/time/
Sep16

Every New Day is a Second Chance

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Every New Day

 

 

“Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
Great is Your Faithfulness!”
Lamentations 3:21 – 23
 

Every sunrise serves as a shining ray of hope, reminding God’s children about His inexhaustible supply of love and mercy ~ they are new every morning.

To fully comprehend this continually renewable resource of divine mercy, here are a few ways to define it:

  • kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation
  • a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion
  • kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly
  • compassionate treatment of those in distress

So if you’re in a desperate situation in need of a “second chance,” be encouraged to know that the Father of mercy compassionately dispenses daily acts of divine favor, and there will never be a shortage of His kindness and forgiveness. As constant as the waves rolling into the seashore, His mercies are new every morning, and they won’t ever come to an end. The situation is never hopeless when you place your hope in the Great Faithfulness of your compassionate and gracious Heavenly Father.

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” Exodus 34:6
 “The Lord within her is righteous; He does no wrong. Morning by morning He dispenses his justice, and every new day He does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.” Zephaniah 3:5
Sep13

Trust the God of Limitless Possibilities

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All I have seen Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.”
Isaiah 40:28
 

Our finite human minds cannot begin to comprehend the infinite wisdom of God. We try to understand and explain God using our limited knowledge and language based on our earthly experiences, but the scope of God’s almighty and all-powerful attributes is beyond human comprehension. And probably the most difficult thing for us to grasp is that the Creator of all the earth ~ Who never grows weak or weary ~ cares for each of us personally. He is readily available 24/7 to hear our prayers and provide help, healing, comfort, provision, strength, courage or safety for His children.

Is there something you are dealing with that seems overwhelming – like you don’t have the power or wisdom to face it on your own? Turn to the God of Limitless Possibilities and ask Him for help.  He cares about every intimate detail of your life. Nothing is impossible ~ or too wonderful ~ for Him.

 “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

“And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27
 
“Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too hard or too wonderful for You— ” Jeremiah 32:17 (AMP)
Sep12

Seeing with Eyes of Faith

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Faith is like a radar
“The path we walk is charted by faith, not by what we see with our eyes.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 (VOICE)
 

If you have ever driven through a dense fog, you know how difficult it is to navigate safely through the dangerous conditions, especially if you are unfamiliar with the road. Your visibility is limited, and you can’t see what hazards lie ahead.

Sometimes your journey through life can also feel like you are passing through a thick cloud bank of uncertainty.  You can’t see what lies ahead, and you feel scared and unsure of which direction you should head.  But the Author of Life sees your future clearly. After all, He wrote your story, and He knows the beginning, the middle and the end.  If you place your faith in Him and allow His divine guidance to be your radar, you can be certain that He will chart the BEST path for your life. Trust Him for all the things your human eyes cannot see.

 

Your ears will hear sweet words behind you: “Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go” whenever you must decide whether to turn to the right or the left. Isaiah 30:21 (VOICE)

 Teach me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; Guide me in your truth and teach me, for your are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)
 
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
Sep7

Hope Sets us Free

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Hope sets us free to experience joy

May the God of Hope fill you with all
JOY and PEACE
as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope…
Romans 15:13 (NIV)
 

With God, nothing is impossible!  So if you place your trust in the God of All Possibilities…if you wholeheartedly believe in the God of Miracles…if you have faith in the God of Hope…you will be filled with joy and peace.  Your feeling of hopelessness will change to hope-FULL-ness, so much so that you will be filled to the brim and bubbling over with hope. The despair, distress and discouragement that once consumed you will be replaced with confident expectation.

So if your life circumstances seem irreversible, incurable, or insurmountable, simply place your trust in the God of Hope and experience His joy and peace.

“For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Luke 1:37 (NKJV)
 
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
 
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
Hebrews 6:19 (NIV)
Sep5

Get Up and Go!

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Get up and go
 
“While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Simon, three men are looking for you.  
So get up and go downstairs.
Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.'”
Acts 10:19 – 20 (NIV)

Has God given you a vision or dream for your life? Has He gently whispered His plans for your future? What are you doing about it right now?

Like Peter, God may be telling you to stop thinking about the vision and start doing something about it.  The Holy Spirit instructed Peter to “get up and go” without any hesitation, fear, doubt or second-guessing. Do you feel God nudging you into action today? Is it time to take the first step ~ or leap ~ toward making the dream a reality?

You can be confident that if God has given you the vision, He will give you the provision and wisdom to successfully bring it to fruition. If you feel inadequate to accomplish His plans, you can rest in God’s promise that where you have weaknesses, you are strong in the grace of Jesus. So take that first step and pray for supplies of divine strength and grace to fulfill His vision for your life.

Stop thinking…start doing….get up and go!

“Each time He said, ‘No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.’
Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am;
I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 (TLB)
Aug24

Sometimes God Calms the Storm…

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Sometimes God calms the storm..

                                                                                                                                                                   (Quote by Leslie Gould ~ The Amish Nanny)

“He stilled the storm to a whisper;

    the waves of the sea were hushed.”

Psalm 107:29 (NIV)

When facing a storm in life, most of us prefer that God would simply speak and hush the storm to a whisper. But instead, “sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child…” And if you ever witness God’s unfathomable greatness in action during times of extreme distress, you gain a divinely deeper understanding of His limitless power and love than you would if He simply calmed the storm.  In turbulent times, your faith is stretched and expanded to new limits and you receive a marvelous insight: when hope in God is all you have left ~ that’s all you really need.  His grace, protection, and provision are sufficient to help you weather any tempestuous circumstances.

Lately it seems you can’t turn on the news without hearing about many terrible crises taking place around the world (or even in your own town).  The latest headlines consist of a multitude of “bad news” items including ~ natural disasters, viral epidemics, political unrest, terror threats, volatile conditions and horrific violence.  It might be that things in your life are going well, but when you hear the dreadful reports, you become engulfed with fear and anxiety .  If you find yourself suffering from a feeling of worry or despair over world events or your own life events, remember the words of Jesus, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” John 16:33 (AMP)

So as His child, allow His words to penetrate your heart and give you perfect peace and confidence, so that you will be calm in the midst of any storm you face.

 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  James 1:2 – 3 (NIV)
 
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 (NIV)
Jul9

Inexpressible Joy

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IMG_3950

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him;
and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him
and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
2 Peter 1:8 (NIV)
 

Imagine the feeling of inexpressible joy! There are many joyous moments in life that bring about such a feeling:  the birth of a precious baby, finding the love of your life, landing your dream job, …even good news from an oncology report.  Of course all of these wonderful events would naturally elicit the feeling of indescribable joy, but for the child of God, joy can be experienced even in the darkest moments of life.

Here’s the astonishing truth:  Joy is not the absence of sorrow, disappointments, struggles, or suffering.  Joy is God’s presence in all things.

Joy is an aspect of God’s nature and character, and so to draw near to God is to draw near to joy.  As a child of God, you can tap into inexpressible and glorious joy continually.  When waves of difficulty crash over your life, the burden is greatest if you feel a sense of isolation in the midst of your suffering.  Yet when God is there, all your difficulties are infused with His mysterious and glorious joy. Spend time in His presence and be filled you with His inexpressible joy, no matter what you are facing in life.

    • “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5b (AMP)
    • “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10b (NIV)
    • “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8a (NKJV)
    • “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11 (NIV)
Jul6

Bloom Where You’re Planted

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P1110103 - Version 3

 

 

P1110096

 

 

 
“And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else.
Where you are right now is God’s place for you.
Live and obey and love and believe right there.”
1 Corinthians 7:17a (MSG)
 

In most parts of the world, a limb cut from a tree will not continue to grow and thrive. But in the fertile, tropical rain forest region of Central America, the growing conditions are so perfect that even limbs used as fence posts will sprout roots and produce new limbs!  Eventually these “Living Fences” begin to look like groves of trees, growing in perfect alignment.

In the same way, God wants to use your life right where you are planted, and He has specifically placed you where you are at this moment in time for a special reason. Don’t miss out on the great opportunities to serve Him right where you live! We often feel strapped to our life’s obligations, and we are so concerned about what we could be doing if we were someplace else, but you can do God’s work and have a tremendous impact on others in your current sphere of influence.  You are uniquely positioned to influence those around you in your home, your workplace, your community, your school, your team, your neighborhood, etc… You don’t have to be in full-time ministry or ship off to a foreign mission field to serve others.  Live out each day of your life as your ministry, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Ask God to open your eyes and show you new and creative ways to serve Him. Be like the “Living Fence,” and live and obey and love and believe right there ~ Bloom where you are planted!

Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him,
so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.
Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
Colossians 2:6 – 7 (NLT)