Checking the Starting Blocks …Running the Good Race!

Today is the last day of the first month of the New Year. And if you resolved to get this year off to a rousing start, the questions becomes…have you taken the time to set your priorities for the upcoming months?

In the Scriptures, Christ shared with his disciples in Matthew 6:25-27 how to set their priorities so that they would not be anxious about the future; “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life; what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more that clothing? How do you measure up when it comes to setting priorities for your life?

The following story was sent to me recently and it so eloquently illustrates the need to take control of your life and to surrender it to the Master’s touch….see if you don’t agree!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are
 not enough, remember the story of the mayonnaise jar and the chocolate milk.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he quietly picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles, poured them into the jar and shook it lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full….they agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured its contents into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.  The response was a unanimous 'yes!' The professor then produced a quart of chocolate milk from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar…. effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to understand that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your faith, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only these remained…. your life would still be full! The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff” 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life…..

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical for your happiness so you can….

Spend quiet time in study and reflection on the Master of the Universe…God is your Creator and your relationship with Him matters most.

Spend time with your children, your parents and visit your grandparents.

Get medical checkups and follow your doctor’s advice.

Take your spouse out to dinner and get away for a romantic weekend at least once a year.

Play another 18 or dig in the dirt…there will always be time to clean the house or fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.
    

Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the chocolate milk represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The chocolate milk  just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for CHOCOLATE!

So take heart and remember…..seek ye first the kingdom and everything else you need will be provided from your Heavenly Father.

Living one day at a time…looking for His return,

WPQ

Thought for the Day…

Starting each and every day

With the breaking of the sun;

Knowing Jesus could return

Before my day is done…

So I will spend each moment

Living in such a way…

That all will know I’m heaven bound

If this should be the day!

WPQ @ January 2011

https://www.facebook.com/ThankfulPraiseMinistries

Obstacle or Opportunity?

It is so wonderful to serve our mighty God…one who is all-knowing and all powerful; yet, there is one thing God has never known…it is a Problem! God has never encountered a problem; never run up against something that caused Him concern or baffled Him as to what should be done. God ALWAYS has a perfect plan He wants to share with you.

In our world, what you may see as an obstacle, trial, tribulation or problem …God sees as an opportunity. Don’t believe me….read John 9:1-3 “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind? And Jesus replied, Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

Did you catch the magnitude of the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach his disciples? It was for God’s glory to be manifested in this blind man’s life that he was born without sight….what was his obstacle to overcome was God’s opportunity to exalt His Son. We can search the Old Testament and there read the story of Joseph and how his own brothers sold him into slavery. Once in his new country, his hard work and winning ways soon had his employer put him in a position of authority over his household; but when Joseph refused to have a sexual rendezvous with Potiphar’s wife, she told lies to her husband and Joseph was thrown in prison. But at each obstacle, Joseph remained faithful to God and was obedient….and God counted that to the benefit of Joseph….and when all was accomplished; Joseph saved his family and all of Egypt from a terrible famine. His obedience in the face of obstacles and his faith to trust in God placed him in a position of leadership and opportunity.

The same can be true for each of us today. For everything that we see as a problem in our lives, God has placed that obstacle there as His opportunity. We may not see the reason why or understand His methods ….but when we cannot see the hand of God; we can always trust His heart. He has promised us in His word that all will turn out for our good if we seek His face and live according to His purpose for our lives.

So, today no matter what obstacles God has placed in your path…REJOICE…and know that He is already at work to accomplish His will in your life…to make you more like His Son so that you may bring Him glory in all things.

Jesus left his disciples and us with these words from John 16:33, “I have told you these things so that you might have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart!

I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.”

Are you an over comer today in Jesus Christ? It’s all in your viewpoint of your Heavenly Father’s plan…..OBSTACLE or OPPORTUNITY….The choice is yours!

Thought for the Day:

Begin each day with this thought,

Jesus cares for you;

So when upon life’s seas you’re tossed,

His love will see you through.

https://www.facebook.com/ThankfulPraiseMinistries

Are You Still Asking...Why?

I just finished reading one of the poems from our little book, BENT…but not BROKEN! and I can hardly believe that it has been 18 years since that horrendous childhood cancer wrecked our daughter Alyson’s life. We are so blessed to have a beautiful, healthy and vivacious young woman who still honors and respects her parents. I also read another article recently about a family that had lost their son in a horrible accident and I found in that headline the same question that I remembering asking when cancer threatened to take the life of our little 5-year old….WHY HER …..WHY US?

It seems that whenever life’s trials and tribulations confront us, whether we are faithful Christians or not, the first question we ask is “Why me, Lord, why me?” It’s almost like we are expecting that all the bad, terrible, horrendous outcomes in the world should somehow happen to someone else…particularly those “sinners” that are lost and without hope. I know when the cancer hit, I felt that way. But then, I remember a scripture that God lead me to in the first days of our year long ordeal; one that deals with our suffering in Philippians 1:29 that read, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for His sake.”

I must admit, I reeaaallly struggled with this...that somehow the thought that it had been granted to me and my family that we should suffer. But, the Lord taught me daily the lesson that to believe in Him made it necessary that I be prepared to suffer for His sake….and suffer we did; but God was ever at our side. His daily provision and care kept us focused on getting beyond the pain and the suffering that we were enduring. As we watched our brave little girl battle an enemy that was determined to win, we held tightly to this one thought…. OUR GOD WAS GREATER THAN WHAT LAY BEFORE US….

And our God always is……

Greater than the disease you have; greater than the bills you owe; greater than the loss of a precious loved one; greater than ANYTHING that Satan may bring against you. For you have been granted to suffer for Christ …FOR HE SUFFERED FOR YOU!!!!! Don’t try to run and hide or dodge this time of suffering. God is at work and although the outlook may not be good…..the UPLOOK is always perfect!

So, believe in Christ today and let His love be sufficient for all the pains and suffering that you are enduring. I know that you will still ask WHY, I did; but that’s okay…..GOD KNOWS WHY….and He’s only got your VERY BEST outcome at the heart of His heart.

Remember, when you can't see the hand of God at work, that's okay...for you can ALWAYS TRUST HIS HEART....He is working everything out for you good!!!!!!

Suffering together...Honoring Jesus,
WPQ

R U Blessed Beyond Measure?

In almost all my email correspondence these days, I sign off by writing, "Be Blessed," which got me to thinking…what am I truly saying to my recipient? Do they have the power or control to determine that they will be blessed …and just what does that mean?

Upon closer examination, there are a myriad of definitions for the word, blessing, to include the act or words of a person who blesses; a special favor, mercy, benefit or gift bestowed by God, 

thereby bringing happiness; the invoking of God's favor upon a person and the act of approval or good wishes. A blessing can also be an act of praise, devotion or worship which is how we bless God when we extol His virtues and sing His praises.

But for each of us, do we have any control on the act of being blessed by our loving Heavenly Father? I believe the answer is YES! Allow me to explain.

Since the beginning of time, God has been in the blessing business. Genesis 1:28 says, "God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply." And even in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 22, God's Word says, "Behold I am coming soon. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

Throughout all the passages of the Bible, we see God bestow His Blessings and in almost every instance it requires that the recipient of the blessing to have been found FAITHFUL…OBEDIENT…IN RIGHT COMMUNION WITH GOD!

It is how you live that may often determine the extent and the extension of the blessings you may receive. If you have chosen to walk with the Lord on a daily basis, you walk in the Light and it is much easier to see each and every blessing that you receive from the Lord; however, if you are a CIA (Christian In Anonymity) believer and spend as much or more time in the shadows rather than walking in God's abundant light…then your blessings, or the lack thereof, have a lot to do with your relationship with the Father.

Scripture makes it clear, starting with the story of Adam and Eve that they were blessed by God. But their disobedience brought upon them the wrath of God, had them expelled from the Garden to a life of hardship, pain and regret. And this story is repeated on almost every page of the Bible as we read of God's blessing of His people; their sin and His turning away; their repentance and restoration, once more to receive God's blessing and then start the cycle all over again.

Maybe that's you today. As you look at your life, is it filled with the blessings that come from an intimate relationship with a loving Father or do you lack any evidence of favor, mercy or a gift bestowed upon your life? If God's blessing is missing in your life and unhappiness is the cornerstone of your existence, then it's time for some house cleaning.

Get rid of anything that keeps you from spending time with your Heavenly Father and replace it with time spent in His word; with prayer, fellowship and worship with other believers and most of all, looking for the evidence that you are truly blessed.

God is just waiting to pour His abundant blessings out on you….are you poised to receive them or are you living as you want and not as God wants? The answer to that questions can make all the difference in how you are blessed…. just think about it!

Blessed Beyond Measure…Hoping for More,

WPQ

WHO IS YOUR MASTER?

Our world is rocking and reeling and coming at us from all sides. No matter where one might turn these days, something or someone is vying for your eyes, your ears and your pocketbook. So as believers we have one of two choices....succumb to the pressures of this world or trust in the one who saves us and call him...MASTER.

Scripture tells us from the lips of Jesus that NO ONE...ABSOLUTELY, NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS; but I am continually amazed that even in my own life, I try to pull off the impossible.

What do I mean?  Well, as I read in scripture this morning in 2 Peter 2:19a-21, Peter cautions us about becoming enslaved to the wrong master...." for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them."

What has enslaved you? Is it your job....your family...your kids and all their activities...too much time in front of a TV or computer screen....the list can be and often is endless. It all comes back to a few simple rules....

What you talk about, you think about;

What you think about, you do;

What you do becomes your heart throb;

What your heart beats for becomes your Master.....

Peter warns us to stay focused on Jesus ...for through the knowledge of Him we have

been set free from the corruption of this world; but if we still 'dip our toe in the water of worldly things," we will once again find ourselves enslaved to our former Master and in worse shape than if we had never come to know Jesus at all.

So, what has enslaved you today...and how are you going to deal with it? You can try to overcome it on your own or you can give it over to Jesus who is the OVERCOME and the PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH. He is waiting to be reinstated as the Lord and Master of your Life but He will never force himself upon the throne....

If you must be a slave to something or someone(and I believe we all must), why not make it Jesus....for He cares for you with an EVERLASTING LOVE.

ENSLAVED TO THE ONE TRUE MASTER....FOREVER,

WPQ