I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN...

I am proud to be an American
In this land of sweet Liberty;
For those who have gone before
And died to keep us free.

I am one with those whose blood cries out
From lands across the sea...
Who gave their all in sacrifice
To protect our sweet liberties.

I stand with those whose struggles
Keep them downtrodden and forlorn;
And I mourn with every mother
For the child that was never born.

I lift up the broken-hearted
With their Spirit, I too weep;
And lament with those who have no place
To lay their head in peaceful sleep.

I champion those, our desperate ones
And pray for them sweet rest;
For the sure and ever present beat
Of freedom in each breast.

I unite with those whom I oppose
So together strong we stand...
In defense of this great nation
And the God who rules this land.

Oh, I am PROUD to be an American
So on this bright and glorious day;
May my actions and deeds speak louder
Than the words you hear me say.

Yes, I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN
Thus my prayer will always be;
That God will shower His blessings upon
This land of the BRAVE and FREE!!!!

W. Patrick Queen© January 20, 2017

MAY WE TRULY TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS, SEEK THE GOD OF THIS NATION WITH ALL OUR HEARTS AND MAY WE PRAY THAT FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL WHO GAVE THEIR ALL, THEY DID NOT DIE IN VAIN....

MAY WE ONCE AGAIN BE .....ONE NATION UNDER GOD WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!!! AMEN.

This is a reprint of a former post....let this be our

Call to Action

I had the day off yesterday, so I decided to treat myself to a big breakfast at my favorite morning place in downtown Greenville. After a very filling and satisfying meal, I cranked up my car and made my way into morning traffic to begin my errands. I had driven only a few feet out of the parking lot when my attention was diverted to a small white van, unloading boxes of fruit at the homeless shelter next door to the Ham House.

In front of me, in tattered and worn clothing, was a man of about 40. His was so tiny in stature, so frail and thin that when he turned sideways, he seemed to disappear. I found that in that next moment, my thoughts turned to pity as I wondered what might have led to his unfortunate circumstances ….I quickly uttered a prayer of thanksgiving, that but for the grace of God that could have been me; then, the light changed and I moved along with the flow of traffic as I began my busy day.

But all morning long, the thought kept coming back…. was my pity enough?

You see in many instances in the Scriptures, the Bible tells us that our Lord felt pity…..He felt pity in Matthew 9:36, “And what pity He felt for the crowds that came because their problems were so great and they didn’t know what to do or where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.” (The Living Bible)

Jesus felt pity for the people in Mark 8:2, “One day as another great crowd gathered, the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples together and said, “I pity these people for they have been here three days and have nothing left to eat.” (TLB)….or in Luke 7:12-13, “As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother and she was a widow. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” (English Standard Version)

In each of these situations, our Lord felt pity….But, oh my friend, HE FELT SO MUCH MORE!!!!

If he had only felt pity or sympathy for these people, he would have checked his emotions and just moved on…. like I did yesterday…..but our Lord felt so much more and with His growing feeling of sympathy and empathy, His compassion became action.

Yes, Jesus took pity….but more than that, JESUS TOOK ACTION!!!!!!

To the multitude of the lost and aimless, He became our Shepherd….To the hungry, he fed them and became our Bread of Life….to the broken-hearted and forlorn, he became their comfort and our Resurrection to Life Eternal.

And now, where does that leave you and me and our feelings of pity?  Are we to feel pity, sympathy and compassion for those that Christ sets in our path…or are we just to observe that pain and sufferings, thank God that it is not us and pass by on the other side ….OF COURSE NOT!!!!

We are called to serve …called to mirror our Savior and to give our feelings….FEET and HANDS and a VOICE that proclaims the love of Jesus in and through our ACTIONS.

So, resolve with me today that you will not fall victim to Satan’s ploy ….when you encounter those that need a helping hand …don’t just pity their plight and leave them for someone else to show them compassion….simply ask, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

JESUS WOULD TAKE ACTION TO ALLEVIATE THEIR PAIN OR SUFFERING BUT MORE THAN THAT….. HE WOULD SHOW TRUE COMPASSION FOR THOSE WITHOUT A SHEPHERD…..

Striving to Minister for Jesus,

WPQ

Thought 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

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS....SO PRAYER HARDER!

We've all heard it said that "prayer changes things" and I believe, that for the most part, most of us as believers actually hold to this tenet of our faith. However, when we look at what is happening in Venezuela or the shooting that took place at the UNCC campus (my college alma mater) last evening, we begin to question if prayer can or does make a difference.

First off, James 5:16 tells us that "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  So the question we may be asking ourselves is...Are my prayers effective...Am I praying fervently ...and are these the prayers of a righteous man?

We all struggle with prayer....when, where and how to do it? How do we pray effectively? I think the answer is quite simple...we pray about the things that matter the most to us! First of all, as God takes control in our lives and we seek to live for Him and to be obedient to His will, we will begin to align our desires with the desires of our Heavenly Father...we will pray for what matters to us because we know those things matter to Him...and the more we pray the more our consistency will build ferverency. Jesus told His disciples on many occasions to ask their Heavenly Father for their needs and to continually pursue His favor through their fervent prayers. When we pray fervently, we will pray with a hot, burning, intense desire that will consume our wants as we make known to our Father what truly matters is asking for our needs in ACCORDANCE WITH HIS WILL....and that's how we become the righteous man whose prayers are answered.

When we pray for God to grant our wants or to give us what we have determined we need, we can be fervent, even effective in our consistency to pray; but we are not close to approaching the prerequisite that God has set in place for answered prayer....RIGHTEOUSNESS. It is our desire to be in alignment with the PERFECT WILL OF A RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY GOD that sets the framework for the workings of the Holy Spirit...and in those workings, we see that our prayers AVAIL MUCH.

So as you look across the landscape of your life and you see those areas that have been ravaged by the work of the enemy, take hope in this....WHEN YOU PRAY EFFECTIVELY, FERVENTLY AND RIGHTEOUSLY FOR THE WILL OF GOD TO BE DONE IN YOUR LIFE....THE ANSWER IS ALREADY ON THE WAY...and your landscape will be healed and God will be glorified as you let Him have his way in your prayers.

Yes, if you just take a look around the globe, you can see what has broken the heart of God! So, if you want to make an eternal difference, then plant your flag of prayer in one of these broken places and begin to pray as James encouraged believers to pray....just pray and leave the outcome of your prayers to your Heavenly Father...for He is just waiting for you and I to ask Him to meet our needs and our problems head on....for He has promised to answer every prayer and He is God...

He can't break a promise!

Praying fervently with a righteous heart,

WPQ

Poem for the day....

Each morning as you climb out of bed

Before your feet hit the bedroom floor,

Take a moment to think of the heart of God

And what you should be praying for?

Is it for the child who has no shoes

Or the man who has no feet?

Should you be praying for the homeless ones

Who are living just down the street?

Don't pray for things that make life grand;

Barely touch upon the things you need.

Just pray that God will grant to you

The desire to sow His seed....

Of Love and Grace and Mercy

So with all of those you touch;

You'll know that the prayers of a righteous man

Are the ones that accomplish much!!!!

WPQ © May 2019