Ten Life Commandments that Lead to a Blessed Life!

1)  Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; rather, it is a "steering wheel" that helps keep you on the right path throughout your journey.

2)  Ever wonder why a car's WINDSHIELD is so large, but the REAR VIEW MIRROW so small?  Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE... So, focus on the road ahead and don't look back! 

3)  Friendship is like a BOOK. It only takes a few minutes to be destroyed in a fire, but it often takes years to write the entire story.

 4) All things in life are temporary.  If they're going well, enjoy them while you can for they will not last forever.  If things are not as they should be, don't worry... that won't last long either.

  5) Old Friends are Gold and new friends are Diamond!  If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold!  Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

  6) Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, friend; it's just a bend in the road, not the end of the road!"

  7) When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

 8) A blind person asked St. Anthony:  "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?"  He replied, "Yes, losing your vision!"

 9) When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them. So, when you are safe and happy, remember, often someone has prayed for you.

 10) WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES... it takes away today's PEACE.

If you adhere to these and commit your ways to the Lord, He promises that He will pour out a blessing so great that you will not be able to take it all in...Trust in the Lord and remember this:

Too often when we become complacent in life, we just stop trying! It is then that we must remember...To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.

When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

Go today with God as He goes before you and makes the pathway straight!!!!

WPQ

Bearing Good Fruit....One Good Work at a Time!

In our last post, we took a brief look at how Jesus related to His disciples regarding their desire to follow Him and how they were to relate to His Lordship over their lives...THEY WERE TO PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT...and good fruit only comes from healthy trees.

So if we consider ourselves to be "good trees," then the fruit that we see manifested in our lives should be good. In practical terms, our "fruit" is our good works...a thought, attitude or action of ours that God holds in high esteem because it glorifies Him. In essence, the fruit from your life is how God receives His due honor on earth. Jesus said it best in John 15:8, "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit."

I have found that I bear inner fruit when I allow God to nurture a Christ-like quality within me as in the fruits of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, humility...the list can truly be endless. On the other hand, I bear outward fruit when I allow God to work through me to do a good work that will bring Him glory...and that would certainly include sharing my faith with someone...believer or unbeliever.

So how important is the "fruit bearing" to Jesus? In John 15: 16 Jesus said, "I chose and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that you fruit should remain." The good works that we do in Jesus name have a permanent place in Heaven and they are one of the main earthly reasons that we were saved...if you are alive and reading this, then God has a unique purpose for your life and it will be wrapped up in the good works that He has prepared for you to do.

God's greatest dream for you is really quite simple...You will bring Him glory by the remarkably abundant life that you live...and you will find your GREATEST personal fulfillment, both now and in eternity, by producing an abundance of good fruit through the good works that you will do for Jesus.

So whether it's chopping wood for a senior citizen, taking a friend to her chemo treatment or spending a lifetime in service in the foreign mission field, you have been called to bear fruit...much fruit...and even more fruit, so that the hallways of Heaven will be filled to overflowing with the good works that you have done...and God will have been well praised, love and adored because of you and the "fruit" you have borne for His Glory.

Harvesting for the Savior...Bearing Much Fruit,

WPQ

Praying  for Crop Failure?

There is an old saying that says, "Be careful where you sow your wild oats, you can't approach judgment day and pray for crop failure." Of course that saying follows on the heels of  "You reap what you sow."  Jesus, however, taught a different message by instructing us to live within the will of our Heavenly Father and produce "good fruit."

As he is winding up his eloquent teaching known as the "Sermon on the Mount," he tells all who are still listening to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing ...and how we will recognize such charlatans? He says, "You will recognize them by their fruits."

Throughout Scripture we are told to bear good fruit; even to bear much fruit...and what is good fruit? Is it bringing more lost into the presence of a loving and forgiving God so that they may seek His forgiveness and be assured a eternal life with their Heavenly Father and His Son...Of course, I think we would all consider that "good fruit".

However, I believe Jesus is teaching us to be known by the good deeds that we do so that others may see our good works and be pointed to our Father so that He may receive the glory that He is due. So giving to a family in need after a natural disaster with no thought of reward would be a "good fruit"; helping a elderly widow with her yard work at no cost...a "good fruit"; adopting a child from another country so that they may have a life that they never expected...a "good fruit"...and the list is endless. Why? Because God has ordained each of us to bear "good fruit"...and if we are truly trying to live up to our calling to bear His name as a Christian, then we must be about the Father's work and that means bearing "good fruit."

But what if we fail...Matthew 7: 19-20 reads, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."  So does that mean we can lose our salvation if we fail to produce "good fruit"? I think not; however, we will lose the opportunity to be used by God, to be recognized as His child and to share in the glory that comes to Him when we do good works. Simply put, our influence goes up in smoke because we have been cut off from the power of the Holy Spirit for God's Word says, "So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree good fruit. Matthew 7:17-18

So, what kind of fruit are you producing ...or maybe the more important question, "What kind of tree are you...good or diseased?

Come back tomorrow and let's see if we can dig deeper to know what kind of fruit we should be producing?

Pruned by the Father to Produce Good Fruit,

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. It is then that we will be pulled, twisted and torn in every direction, never at peace because we are trying to accomplish the impossible task of serving two masters.

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 OVERCOMER 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

R U ARGUING WITH GOD?

The following is a letter written to my daughter who  is struggling with the ups and downs in her life and needed a word of correction and encouragement. My prayer is that this may touch your spirit  should  you be struggling in your life as well...remember God loves you so much that He has already given his Son in death so that you might forever live with Him....HALLEUJAH!

Good Morning Little One...

I am compelled to write to you after reading your blog post of yesterday and talking with your Mom, who was visibly disturbed after her reading. It seems that you are going through a valley in your life at this time and may be struggling to find your way in this maze we call life...or you just may be a emerging cynic who is becoming the "town crier," running about the village shouting the alarm that your sky is falling. In either case, let me try and share a word or two of encouragement and correction as I deem appropriate.

First, congrats on your "baptismal birthday;" however, in the grand scheme of life it does not make you anymore "saved" than someone that doesn't know when they accepted Christ, got baptized or failed to follow in the ordinance of baptism. The act of baptism was NEVER meant to be a goal line or a measuring stick of your arrival into the Kingdom...it was always meant to be an outward expression of an inward decision in obedience to the Lord's direction. So if you have asked Jesus into your heart to be the LORD and SAVIOR of your life, then nothing else is required. With that said, here's the rub...Most of us get the fact that we NEED A SAVIOR; all we have to do is look at our life and see that we have made a mess of it and we fail to live a holy and righteous life that is required to be a child of God. It is a life that no one can live; one that is pure and blameless. So, we willingly and wonderfully accept what Christ did for us on the cross and count ourselves as blessed because Jesus was willing to trade his life for ours...that's where we get the "warm and fuzzies."

It is the other part, making Jesus Lord of our life, that creates all the hassles and heartaches of life. We want to give God control of our lives, especially since He has promised us an "abundant life" but giving up control of who we are and what WE want; well, that's not so easily accomplished.

In fact, that is where the conflicts and the arguments begin. We TELL God what we want and then we pray as if there is no other alternative that could possibly be right for us. So when God does not value our opinion and give us the desires of our heart, we begin to doubt His love and His commitment to take care of us and provide for us. In fact, if we are not careful in this way of thinking, rebellion rears its ugly head and we find ourselves at odds with God...us seeking to go in our direction and God pulling, prodding and provoking us to follow Him where He leads. This conflict leads to great tension in our relationship with Him and often can lead to a total breakup...us going our own way and leaving God out of our lives altogether.

It sounds to me in reading your blog that you are engaged in an argument with God about your life. This happened and that happened and that made you unhappy and wrecked your life and so on and so on.  Let me say this to you in great love and affection, arguing with God about what has happened in your life to date is an argument that you can't win....simply because GOD IS SOVEREIGN and YOU ARE NOT!!!

This simple lesson took me years and many heartaches to learn...and my hope is that I might spare you from some of that heartache. I would ask you to do me this favor. Pull out your Bible and go to the book of Job and start reading at Chapter 37 through Chapter 40, with particular attention to verses 1 and 2 of chapter 40. It calmly asks, "Will the one who argues with the Almighty correct Him?"

It is sooo easy to look at our life and lament about how it has turned out so far and to want to question God and argue with Him about what He has allowed to happen and why we find ourselves in such "bad" place. We fuss and fume about what He has or has not given us and continually try to correct His way of thinking so that He will get back to our "plan" for our life and we can once again be happy.

Here's the truth about our happiness and God...He is not interested in making you or me happy in the living of our lives; however, He has promised that when we seek HIS WILL FOR OUR LIVES that all the things we need and many of the things we want (that would make us happy)....HE WILL ABUNDANTLY SUPPLY....and the caveat, He will supply all our needs in HIS TIME!!!!

So my prayer for you is simple....quit arguing with God about the past or even the present and begin to trust Him with the child-like faith that says, GOD YOU ARE THE SOVEREIGN BEING IN MY LIFE AND I SUBMIT MY WILL TO YOU SO THAT YOU MAY LEAD ME WHERE YOU WANT ME TO GO. MAY MY LIFE BE A TRUE REFLECTION OF YOUR SON AND HIS LOVE AND MAY I QUIT GRUMBLING ABOUT HOW BAD THINGS MAY HAVE BEEN IN MY PAST OR MAY BE IN MY FUTURE. HELP ME TO KNOW THAT YOUR LOVE IS SUFFICIENT FOR ME AND WILL ALWAYS SEE ME THROUGH TO A BETTER AND BRIGHTER FUTURE, ORDAINED BY YOU TO BRING YOU HONOR AND GLORY...AND IN THAT I WILL FIND TRUE HAPPINESS.

AMEN!

May God Hold You In His Loving Arms as You Surrender to Him,

WPQ

R U Living for Christ?

If you have ever been a parent, you have probably heard the old saying that "More is caught than taught" when it comes to raising our kids. Simply put... it means they are watching your every move!

I was reminded of that today as I read my devotion and the Scripture passage from Titus 2:6-7 that reads, "Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.  Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity,  dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned."

I recall a moment with our daughter that taught me this lesson so well. Alyson was not quiet two years old when we took a vacation in North Carolina along the Outer Banks and stopped in the small fishing village of Oriental to spend the night. We checked in to a cute little motel and as we preceded to carry in our luggage my wife and I keep saying , "This is Nice; this is really Nice!!!" After unpacking our bags, we put Alyson in her stroller and proceeded to walk around the town to stretch our legs and see the sights. About a hour later, when we re-entered our room with Alyson securely held in her Dad's arms, she  glowingly announced, "This is nice; this is really nice!"  My wife and I both burst into laughter, but in that moment, I knew that she would be watching her Mom and Dad and that she would learn what we lived in front of her each day of her young life...and now that she is almost 25, the same is still true.

So what's the point of this story for each of us on an individual level? Simply put...someone is ALWAYS  watching what you do; what you say; how you treat others. And if you profess to be a believer in Jesus Christ, they are judging Him by who you are in front of them. None of us have the luxury of living life in a dark room where all our secrets can remain hidden. Instead, our lives are on display to all those we encounter...at home, at church, in the boardroom or in the checkout line at the supermarket.

If we truly want to make a difference in the lives of those we love and those we have some influence over, then we must do everything within our power to live a life of self control that is a model of good works done in the name of our Lord and Savior. When we live like this we can be sure that God receives the glory and we receive the peace that passes all understanding.

Ralph Waldo Emerson penned this thought from a more secular perspective but it bears repeating... 

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say."

What is your life saying today about your Savior and how much you love him? I trust it screams at the top of your lungs, "I LOVE JESUS WITH ALL MY HEART AND I SERVE HIM WITH ALL THAT I AM OR HOPE TO BE!"

Living Center Stage....Bringing Glory to the Father,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

We should follow Christ’s example

With everyone we meet…

We should seek to show compassion

For we are His hands and feet.

For Christ would have us working

To care for those distraught;

To give ourselves unselfishly

Is what our Savior taught.

WPQ@ October 2010

Singing in the Midst of Trials...

We all know that life is fraught with trials, tribulations and "bad days"....days that make you want to pull your hair out or at least shed a tear or two.

Paul, that great apostle and follower of Jesus Christ, had more than his fair share of those kind of days. In fact in Scripture, he recounts all his "bad days" and the many misfortunes, beatings and near-death experiences that have beset him in the course of his relationship with His Lord and Savior. But the one that always brings a smile to my face in found in Acts 16: 24-28.

As life for Paul goes, he and his ministry partner, Silas, have been thrown into prison and the jailer has made sure that they are not going anywhere by placing them in the inner prison with their feet and hands securely fastened in the stocks. As the midnight hour approaches, Paul and Silas do what any intelligent men in a situation like this would do...they pray and they SING...you heard me correctly; THEY SING SO THAT ALL THE PRISONERS CAN HEAR THEM!

And then God shows up....there is a "great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed."  The jailer is awakened by all the clamor and realizing that all the doors of the prison are open and that the prisoners have probably escaped, prepares to take his own life. Paul calls out and tells him not to harm himself  for everyone is still there...in the same miserable condition as before except for one thing...GOD STEPPED IN WHEN THEY SANG PRAISES TO HIM.

And that makes for a great lesson for you and me...whenever we find ourselves imprisoned by the trials and tribulations of life, know this... that is not the time to wallow in self-pity and self-reliance...that is the time to PRAISE the Lord and sing of His power and might. It is in those times that our OUTLOOK on our situation needs to change and become an UPLOOK to God's sustaining mercy and grace.

Maybe God has placed you in a terrible situation so that you might learn a new lesson regarding His ability to make "all things new" ...or to be a witness to others of His great love and power as He releases you from the "chains" of your fears and inadequacies (remember the other prisoners heard the singing of Paul and Silas)...or just maybe, God is preparing you for a greater ministry that will require you to be more dependent on Him than ever before.

Whatever the reason, one thing should be crystal clear regarding our "bad days"....God is SOVEREIGN, still on His throne and He alone knows the outcome....it is you and I that need the earthquake to be reminded that He is at work.

So next time you find yourself beset with a particular trial that is getting the best of you...DON'T SWEAT IT ....SING ABOUT IT! Lift your voice in praise to the ONE true God who loves you and gave His Son for you....and as we say down South..."If that don't make you sing, your heart's been broke!"

Tested in the trials of Life....Singing to the Savior,

WPQ

GIVING THANKS....THANKFULLY GIVING!!!!

Today marks a week after Hurricane Matthew began its relentless attack on the East Coast after laying waste to the island of Haiti and its people. If you have not been praying for this little island nation, please start to do that NOW!!!

With that thought in mind, I want each of us that came through this storm to stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving. Yes, there may be piles of debris all over the area; power lines down and no power in your home or office; beaches eroded, homes destroyed or damaged beyond repair...and with all that, the future may indeed look bleak. But in Philippians 4: 6, God's Word instructs us as follows; "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

So there are your marching orders...don't worry, trust and thank God!!! Now, I personally know that is one of the most difficult things that we as Christians are called to do...to let go of our circumstances, thank God for where we're at and trust that He is moving us forward to a better place within His will. We, in our puny mindset, only see the devastation and destruction that may be all around us and we find it impossible to thank God for where we are...that I understand; however, we are not to dwell on what we don't have or what we have lost, rather we are to be thankful for what we still have and trust God to restore and replenish that which we have lost with treasure from His bounty...and then we are to look for ways to give to those who have lost even more.

Let me mark this next passage to say that I am not patting my wife or I on the back, but offering a suggestion that may have not come to mind just yet as all of us in the southern U.S. get back on our feet. 

My wife and I were heading to a consignment shop this week to drop off some clothes to sell on their racks to receive a few dollars back to spend on ourselves once again. At that time my wife (ever the smart one in our duo) suggested that we take them to a Helping Hands ministry so that they could be given to those that may have lost everything due to the hurricane and the ensuing flood waters...this morning we are happily making that trip to drop off our stuff, ever thankful that we have more than enough and that God would grant us the privilege to share with those in need.

So today, don't just count your blessings....look for a way to SHARE your blessings with those who maybe at this moment can't pray a prayer of thanksgiving...but not only can you pray and petition with thanksgiving, now might be the time to show your Heavenly Father just how thankful you really are by giving away the blessings that He has given you and rejoice with those in need that He is able to do above and beyond all we can imagine...for we serve a Living Savior and He is calling you to serve Him today.

In His Grip...Serving with a Thankful Heart,

WPQ

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…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. Then, when all of God's plan 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 in terrible circumstances placed him in a position of opportunity that God used for Joseph's good and His Glory.

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.