A Lifetime of Learning…

I am so thankful that learning is a lifetime experience. Some very knowledgeable psychologists tell us that we learn almost 90 % of what we will learn in a lifetime by the ripe old age of 5….that leaves most of us, 70 plus years to work on the other 10%. Some folks work diligently, others give little effort at all.

Some things I learned as a child:

No matter how hard you try…you can’t baptize a cat!

You can’t trust your dog to watch your food!

You can’t hide broccoli in a glass of milk!

Some things I learned as an adult:

Raising teenagers is like nailing Jello to a tree!

Wrinkles don’t hurt, thankfully, anything but your pride!

Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that stood its ground!

As I continue to mature: (that means I have my AARP card)

Forget the health food stuff…I need all the preservatives I can get!

If I fall down, what else can I do while I’m down here!

Did I remember to put the cat out and kiss my wife Goodnight and not vice versa!

Growing up is mandatory…growing OLD is OPTIONAL!

And most important of all……there are only two days that matter on any calendar; TODAY and “THAT DAY”! TODAY is the day to decide where I will spend eternity and once that decision has been made (as it has been for each of us as ambassadors for Christ) then I will spend today deciding how I will spend eternity. In Matthew 6:19-21, Christ tells us not to lay up treasure here on earth where all sorts of malady and calamity await, but to store up our treasures in heaven where the King of Kings and His heavenly host watch over our treasures  as He says: “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”  On “THAT DAY” scripture foretells “that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD!” I’m so thankful that I am living for “THAT DAY” when I will hear my Savior say, “Well done, my Good and Faithful servant, enter now into the Joy of thy Lord.”

I trust that this week your work for the kingdom, done in the name of Jesus Christ, is stockpiling your treasure chest in God’s heavenly throne room and He is waiting with words of encouragement….

“WELL DONE, WELL DONE …I AM WELL PLEASED!”

PRAYER:

God grant us your peace and keep us in your will as we seek to lay up treasures in heaven that demonstrate our love for you and our desire to please you alone. AMEN

BLESSINGS ABOUND,

WPQ

Checking the Starting Blocks …Running the Good Race!

In just a few days, we will enjoy 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

   

   
   
 
   
   
   
   

RIDERS TO YOUR POST!

AND THEY’RE OFF….so says the track announcer at the start of each race….and that is often the phrase that describes each of us at the beginning of a New Year.

The New Year has begun and in an effort not to be left behind at the starting gate….WE COME OUT RUNNING AT FULL SPEED. Unfortunately, too often, we have no idea where we are headed. This year, why not try something a little different in order to see real growth and maturity in you and your relationships. You see, knowledge is power and we know the source of REAL POWER.

Though most of us would welcome a crystal ball or a well-connected psychic to help us plot the course of 2016… that’s probably not going to happen, so what can we do? (Besides, how much fun would life really be if we always knew what was coming our way…. be it good or bad?)

There is a way, however, to stay connected to the true source of life and power….reading God’s word on a daily basis. In fact, Psalm 119: 105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Now, most of us want a bright spotlight or a massive floodlight to illuminate our way; enough light so nothing will sneak up on us or catch us by surprise…. but God promises to provide a lamp…a single, solitary source of light by which He will light our path.

In biblical times, a lamp was little more than a candle in a candle holder or a wick shoved in a bottle of olive oil…and the light from either barely covered your next step. Today’s modern lamps come in all shapes and sizes and extreme wattage…some bright enough to light a runway where you could land 747’s. But that’s not what God has promised. He has promised to light your feet; to show you the next step along the path that He has chosen for you. He will not leave you in the dark, but He does require that you trust Him for the next step and the next step and the next….one step after the other leading you to fulfillment in Him.

But from where does this light come?  It comes from spending time in His word…not dashing over a couple of scriptures verses just before heading off to run in the race of this world. It means setting aside some time where you and God’s word come together with the express desire of getting to know Him better, to listen for the voice and instruction of the Holy Spirit and to dwell on His precepts and commandments for righteous living.

So, put aside the desire to know what’s up ahead and slow down to enjoy the relationship that God has set aside for you….He is the light that will illuminate your path…He will guard your step….and He will protect you from all that you cannot see.

Just stay focused on Him and His Word and this year will take care of itself…..one step at a time!!!!!

Living in the moment ….secure in His Promise,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

When life's full of disappointments

And no one seems to care...

Just lift your eyes toward heaven,

See the Savior waiting there.

For in life's travels you might see,

Just one pair of footprints in the sands.

Remember then, He carried you

In the palm of His nail-scarred hands.

WPQ@1999

BROKEN and BLESSED?

If you stop one hundred strangers on the street today and ask them to describe the state of our world in one word; the word probably uttered the majority of the time would be ….BROKEN!

Yes, when we look in every direction, we see that truly mankind has made a complete and utter mess of our world…it is broken and out of sorts with our Creator's original design and purpose; however, there is hope in the midst of our dysfunctional situation and that is to be BROKEN BEFORE OUR MAKER AND ALLOW HIM TO REBUILD US AS HE SEE FITS.

There is a current TV commercial that illustrates my thought. It deals with a little boy that is out with his Dad and sister and he is putting his remote controlled race car through its paces when the back wheels fall off. He is heartbroken and ask his Dad if he can fix it? One look at his Subaru, he says yes and climbs behind the steering wheel, and with the broken car on the seat, he goes in whichever direction his son turns the controls.

If we look closely at this situation, it is where many of us find ourselves in life…we have the controls and we are steering our life in all directions, when something, someone or so circumstance breaks us and our spirit…we want to know if our Heavenly Father can fix us?

He takes the controls from our hands, puts us behind the wheel and then guides us to steer as He directs. We just have to stay focused on the path that He has put before us and remain committed to follow where ever He leads.

You see, brokenness in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a vital part of the fabric of our lives. The ground must be broken to plant the seed in order to reap the harvest. The clouds must be broken so that the rain will fall and water the crops. The very seed itself must be broken and die to itself so that new life may be born and a harvest of good may be produced.

And you dear Christian brother or sister, you too must be broken if you are to serve your Heavenly Father and allow Jesus to live in and through you. God's greatest desire is that we follow Him in all that we do and He is prepared to do whatever is necessary to make us fit for service in His kingdom…even if that means we must be broken.

King David, a man that had to experience extreme brokenness to regain his relationship with God, said it best; "The sacrifices to God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17 

Where do you stand today in this broken world…in service to your King or still holding on to your wants and desires? Give Jesus your broken and contrite heart today and make this world a better place because you are here in His name, under His power and working by His authority….be broken today; it's the first step on the path to BLESSING.

Broken and Poured Out ….Seeking to Serve,

WPQ

Poem of the day….

If for the Father you want to live

There are some things that you must do…

Give you heart, a broken gift

So Christ can live through you.

A contrite heart He will love.

A broken spirit He will mend.

He is your Loving Father and

Your everlasting Friend.

WPQ@August 2014

Waiting On The Lord

After the Israelites exited Egypt, they began their travels through the desert to the Promised Land. In Numbers, chapter 9, we read how the Lord instructed Moses to have the Israelites observe the second Passover. It is later in that same chapter that we read about the cloud of Guidance.

Read Numbers 9:15-23

Scripture tells us that as long as the cloud remained above the tent of testimony, God’s people stayed put. Whether it was for a night, several days, a month or longer….they did not break camp and move out until the cloud went before them.

The same is true for us today. We need to stay put until our cloud (God’s Holy Spirit) moves out.

Now, it is true that we all call upon the Lord for guidance, direction, protection and provision… in fact, the list seems to go on and on. Yet, too often, after we have made our request known, we strike out on our own and fail to heed the tug or nudge of the Holy Spirit. We are too eager to make things happen rather than wait on the leading and direction of our Heavenly Father. We have all heard that old adage, “God helps those that help themselves” but that saying is neither scriptural nor even factual. God is in the business of meeting, even exceeding our needs, but He does not need our help ….rather He needs our obedience.

Too often when difficulties or uncertainties arise in our lives, we subscribe to the idea, "Don’t just stand there, do something!”  But noted Biblical author and teacher, Henry Blackaby says it should be just the opposite, “Don’t just do something, stand there!” Stand in the promise of God ….and wait!

So, the next time you need a little guidance or you’re feeling unsure of the next step to take along the path of God’s will for your life…..STOP and do like the children of God did in the wilderness….WAIT ON THE CLOUD!

God’s spirit is hovering over you; working inside your heart and mind; calming and encouraging you to be still and wait on the spirit of God to move…in fact,

Your Promised Land is just ahead if you will wait on the Lord and follow His spirit…remember, waiting on God is the perfect way to know his will…..WHEN HE MOVES…YOU MOVE!!!!!!!

Moving ahead …following His cloud,

WPQ

A CHANGE OF THINKING

I want to ask you to do me a special favor that, for the large part, should be painless. I want you to change your way of thinking….now, before you go off the deep in, take a deep breath and listen to my proposal.

From the beginning of creation, God has had a specific way of considering the 24 hours that make up a day. From His word we read in Genesis 1:5, “and the evening and the morning were the first day.” Did you catch that?

You and I don’t think that way, do we? We see it just the opposite. A day is the morning followed by the evening….always has been, always will be….and that’s what requires a change of thinking on our part.

There is always a wonderful truth embedded in even the smallest scripture …if we are only willing to take a good look. If we could but see our days as God sees them….first the evening followed by the morning, what a difference that could make.

We would then spend each evening contemplating and meditating on the activities and responsibilities that God will set before us in the morning….and then spend time asking Him for His guidance and blessing upon all that He wants us to accomplish for Him and His kingdom. Then, as we place our head on our pillows, we are free to experience a full night’s rest as we give everything to Him. We can sleep in the full assurance that He is in complete control and we can lay aside the worries and cares that beset us after a day of hurried activities.

David, the psalmist wrote, “Weeping may endure for the night, BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!” Psalm 30:5 Why not change your thinking in this area of your life and experience the joy that is yours each new day…..Let me know if seeing each day the way God sees it works for you….it only takes a moment to change your mind.

Enjoying the new day and all its promise,

WPQ

Thought for the Day:

The eyes of the Lord travel to and fro

Seeking to find someone;

Upon whom he might bestow

Blessings for a life well done

So give Him your love and obedience

And each morning when you arise…

Plan to live this day for Him

To find favor in His Eyes.