How Much Do You Love?

If you look at your calendar, you will see that we are just a day or two away from the "LOVE" month and that made up holiday called Valentine's Day (it must be made up since the banks will be open).  On that day, we are to express our love for those special people in our life with flowers, candy and mushy, sentimental greeting cards that pledge our undying love.

Now, while I am one who believes that it is good to express our deepest and most affectionate love on Valentine's Day, we need to do that with all of our days. It is not the giving of things that lets those we love know that we care for them; rather it is how we care for them in our prayers that shows our true and deepest affections.

Just look at Scripture and Paul's writings in Colossians 1: 9-14 that says, " For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin."

It is evident in this Scripture the great love that Paul has for the Colossians believers because he is praying for them in an intercessory mindset...He is doing what God has called each of us to do...Pray for those we love and intercede for them...CONTINUALLY!!!!

We are called by our Heavenly Father to love others and there is no greater way (short of giving up our own life) to show our love than to pray and intercede on the behalf of those we love. Does your spouse know how much you love them? Are your praying DAILY for God to work in their life as He helps them to grow in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord? Do you have a child or children that know how much their Mom or Dad loves them because DAILY and without CEASING, your are praying for God to work and have His way in molding your child into a child of the King....making them like Jesus because of your intercessory prayers. There are many ways, most of them admirable, in expressing our love for our family, our spouse and our friends; but there is none better than the example set by Paul as he prayed for those believers.

Why not show your love in a quiet place.... simply get on your knees and take those you know to the Throne Room of Heaven to intercede for them with your Heavenly Father. It will touch the heart of a loving Father and He will hear and answer your prayers...for He LOVES THEM EVEN MORE THAN YOU!!!! Make today the day that your love breaks through and shows those most special to you how much your really care...for your intercessory prayers will be answered and God will be glorified.

Praying for those I love...Continually on my knees,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

There are those in our lives

We love with all our heart....

And no matter what they do,

It's been that way from the start.

But we are called to share a greater love

One that draws us close and keeps us there

As we lift up the ones we love

And intercede for them in prayer.

We must take them to Jesus

And when we come on bended knee;

The hand of God will protect them

And the devil, he will flee.

For who can stand against Him

And the angels gathered there;

All because we sought His face

Through our intercessory prayer.

WPQ © January 2018

The One Consistency of Life....CHANGE!

It has been said there is only one thing in this world that remains constant…and that is CHANGE!!!!

If that is true, then it behooves one of wisdom to prepare for the inevitable. We have already been inundated (by both political parties) over the last several months to expect change. We only have to read the daily headlines to see that our world is in a constant state of fluctuation….financial disarray, rising unemployment, spiraling food and health costs…. All producing…change…Change….CHANGE.

Now for most of us, change is something of a dirty word, or at least one that makes us very uncomfortable. We strive to live our lives in a calm and peaceful manner; free from the upheavals of change. Yet, try as we might, change happens! In fact, God’s word tells us that change is coming; but praise be, it also tells us who is in charge of that change.

“I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends the good times and the bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. Isaiah 45: 7 NLT

Our typical response to change is one of fear and trepidation. We all too often begin to look at our circumstances rather than our provision. Unfortunately, change seems to always bring fear before it births faith. Fear seems to focus on the worst rather than hold claim to the best.

When God chooses to interrupt the natural flow of our life with change or something that we have never encountered before….we choose panic over praise. James, the Lord’s brother, wrote in his letter, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds (change, my interpretation), for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

Yes, when calamity or change occurs that is unsettling or disheartening, we can view the presence of the problem as the absence of God ….and our simplistic response is to try and run away from the mess we find ourselves in. Or… we can do the unexpected; we can praise Him from whom all blessings and problems flow!

We can take comfort in and find joy in the midst of any trial if we will but remember that God is on our side…and that He is in control. He is working all things out for our good… so that we may be perfect and complete in Him. We still have a responsibility to do what we CAN....but when we reach the end of what we can do, it is time to realize that what is left is not what we can't do; rather it is what God can and will do on our behalf. 

So….change is coming and you have two distinct choices….Prepare to Panic … or… Praise His Provision…for no matter the magnitude of the change that comes…our God is sufficient to meet and exceed ALL OUR NEEDS.

Standing firm….Praising His Provision,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

Sufficient for today are the problems we can see

As we wait upon the Lord in surrendered humility.

Never knowing what the future holds 
Nor where life's roads may lead...

We follow in His footsteps...we listen...trust...believe!

We hear His voice telling each of us 

That change will come our way;

For we need not fear life's outcomes

If we trust  Him and obey.

So welcome change with open arms

For no matter life's ups or downs;

When you're trusting in God's Holy Word....
You're planted in SOLID GROUND!

WPQ © October 2018

This is a reprint of a former post...May You Be Richly Blessed in 2018.

GPS for the New Year…

It was Christmas a year ago that my wife gave me a Garmin GPS system. Now, as any red-blooded American male would do, I thanked her profusely for her unselfish gift and thought to myself, “I don’t need some computer gizmo giving me directions…I can find where I need to go and how to get there ON MY OWN!”

Well! Here it is a year later and boy, was I ever wrong….this thing has been great. Over the first three months of 2009, I had a new job calling on businesses in the greater Greenville, SC area …going, or trying to go, to places I had never been before; some, in fact, probably did not even show up on a map. I was intrigued that every time I typed an address into the GPS, it gave me turn by turn directions to that specific location. This was nirvana for a manly man such as me….getting directions without having to ask someone.

You know, a lot of us treat God like that….we want to go where He wants us to go; we just don’t want to ask for His directions. Scripture says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes (directs) his steps.” Proverbs 16:9  We say that we want to be “in the Father’s will,” but then we set out to follow the desires of our hearts and hope that at some junction along our journey, our will and God’s direction will mesh in perfect harmony. Unfortunately, it hardly ever works out that way.

We become lost in life’s journey to serve a risen Lord when we fail to consult His GPS….God’s Placement System…..His Holy Word. God is ready, willing and totally able to direct and establish the roads that He wants us to take if we will only consult Him and read His word. The more we read, the more He directs, the more He establishes the way that is right ….the more we enjoy the journey. Proverbs 3: 5-6, a favorite verse that was given to me as a young man from one of my spiritual mentors says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path (steps).”

So don’t try to make it along life’s highway with just your understanding….tap into God’s GPS and acknowledge that He and He alone knows best. Read, study and ingest His Holy Word … let Him guide you and follow the path that He has set before you. And if, at some point, the directions seem fuzzy or you have gotten off course, do what my GPS does for me each time I make a wrong turn, miss an exit or travel too far down the road past my desired destination…..it screams at me,

RECALCULATING,RECALCULATING!!!!

The start of this New Year is a great time to recalculate where God is directing you in service for Him…or to confirm that you are firmly implanted on the path that He has directed you to travel. Either way, it’s a great time to get into His Word and become a better you. Yes, God’s Holy word is your GPS and it will direct you to where He wants you to go. The question is simple ….Are you too manly (or womanly) to ask the God of Creation for directions?

I pray that 2018 will be the best year of your life thus far as God directs your steps and you follow His heavenly directions…..and if you have a moment; from time to time, drop me a line and let me know how goes the journey…..

Traveling Life’s Highway ….Following His Directions,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

The start of a New Year

Is exciting for most of us;

As long as we're don't become mired

In the hoopla and all the fuss.

So set your sights on progress

As you contemplate your road...

And prepare for the journey

By lightening your load.

Just trust the Father's guiding hand

So that in his hands, you'll rest...

Spend time with Him in His Holy Word

And let it be your G P S!

WPQ  © Jan 2018

The Secret to a Happy New Year…

Just about everyone starts off the New Year by making a few, well-thought out New Year’s resolutions. In fact, I would venture to guess that most of us reason that if we will remain true to our vision of a better “you” and will commit ourselves to the fulfillment of our resolutions…we will enjoy a truly HAPPY New Year…..

The sad fact of the matter is that RARELY EVER HAPPENS.

So, in order to insure that you and my other faithful reader enjoy a blissful and extremely HAPPY New Year, I have decided to share my secret with you; although in truth, it really belongs to the apostle Paul. He wrote in Philippians 4:11-12 the following, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and EVERY circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”

And there it is, my friend….in a few simple sentences, the great apostle Paul tells us the secret to happiness….for life, health, wealth and everything else. We need to learn contentment….whether in good times or bad, whether happy or sad, in plenty or want or abundance or need…..LEARN TO BE CONTENT AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY!

Now, I know that sounds almost too simplistic and as you stand there scratching your head, think on this….We learn contentment when we abandon comparison….It is the constant use of comparison that leads to discontentment. If we buy a new car that meets our needs, we have reason to be happy…. until we compare our ride to that of our boss or neighbor or anyone else who has a newer, sleeker model. The bloom of comparison leads to the seeds of discontent and there goes the joy and happiness that was once ours.

Time after time after time, when we compare what others have with what we don’t have, we tear down our foundation to happiness. We need to see what we have as sufficient for our needs…as God’s measured blessing to insure our happiness and to keep us focused on doing His will.

Whenever you trade your contentment for discontentment, you become myopic in your vision for the Lord’s work and in His will for your life. You become so self-centered in looking at what you don’t have that you are rarely thankful for what God has given….this is more than just seeing the glass as half-empty or half-full….it is a greater truth that speaks to the heart of who you are and who you want to be in Jesus Christ.

Contentment is a learned response to the actions of a loving God….you can choose to be happy with little or with much…with great wealth or abject poverty….with exceptional wellness or poor health….the list is inexhaustible ….but the choice is always yours ….and the correct choice will lead to contentment and happiness that is often inexplicable to those who view your life from outside the faith.

So, learn this invaluable lesson that Paul sought to teach each of us….in EVERY SITUATION, in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE….don’t look around to see if others have more or less than you…learn to be content in your situation….then you will be able to live in the fullness of verse 13 in Philippians 4 that says, “I can do all things through Him that gives me strength.”

Choose today to be a person that lives with a flexible cup that is always ready to expand or contract  based on the Lord’s provisions…it is a mindset that will lead to contentment and one step closer to living a life that will honor your Heavenly Father….get started today; and oh, by the way, this is a secret that is okay to share with those you love….I know that’s what I intend to do.

Go On…..Make it a Happy New Year,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

Every year about this time,

The calendar begins to shrink...

And we are left to wonder,

To ponder and to think.

I am happy with what I have

Or am I a discontent...

That squanders all my blessings

Wondering where my money went?

For when I trust in the things I have

I'm left feeling empty and wanting more.

My joy and happiness come and go

Like living life in a revolving door.

But when I give my all to my Master;

My Savior...My Lord...My King!!!!

My heart is overflowing and

My soul will shout and sing...

Hosannas to HIM in the highest

I'm thankful for whatever comes my way.

I'm always blessed beyond measure

And thankful for each new day!

Make this new year your BEST ever...and give your Heavenly

Father the praise and adoration that He is due!

WPQ © Dec 2017

As you celebrate this special day with family and friends....remember the spirit of Christmas lies in your Heart...for

IT'S THE THOUGHT

When I was just a little lad I would travel to the mall;

I'd take along my piggy bank to buy gifts for one and all.

I'd look and search for the perfect gifts to give to Mom and Dad

To let them know how much they meant to me...I'd spend every cent I had.

~

But then one day a problem arose...the gifts had too great a cost!

I feared the worst; tears filled my eyes...my Christmas would be lost.

My Mother took me by the hand; "Now, Son, you mustn't cry,

For it's not the present that you give, but it's the reason why."

~

The reason why; what could she mean? My problem was paramount!

"It's not the gift you give my son; it's the thought that really counts."

"The thought that really counts" can't be place beneath the tree.

Did my Mom not understand what Christmas meant to me?

~

A quiet pause; a smile, a squeeze as she began to explain this thought...

It's not the tinsel nor the wrappings nor the worth of what's been bought.

For we're to give at Christmas as the Father gives to us

Out of love and selfless living without the fuming and the fuss.

~

For God so loved us all that He sent His Son to earth;

Born in a lowly stable bare of a maiden's virgin birth...

A gift so rare and so wondrous to all who receive His Love

We're promised a life abundant and eternity above.

~

So be not worried nor have regrets of the gifts beneath your tree,

For God's greatest gift was given on a hill called Calvary.

Just thank the Father every day with a life that's pure and true

And the Spirit of each Christmas will live inside of you...

So as you make your shopping list and you're settling on each amount

Just give as God has given you, and remember...

"It's the thought that really counts!"

W. Patrick Queen

Christmas 1995

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…

This past Wednesday, December 20th, my wife and I celebrated the 26th birthday of our daughter, Alyson…and as her mother and I took a walk down memory lane, I was reminded of that age-old truth…A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I remember that during those long months of expectancy, I took a simple note card and in my rudimentary calligraphy wrote the following and placed it in Alyson’s crib….

COMING SOON…..ALYSON TAYLOR QUEEN.

As a father, expecting his first (and in my case, only child), I was filled with fear, trepidation and anxious moments as I anticipated this new arrival….would I be a good father? Would I know what to do and how to protect this small child? Would I, could I and should I filled my every thought, for as I have mentioned before….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

I’m sure that was true on that first Christmas night, two thousand plus years ago, as Mary and her betrothed husband unloaded the donkey and began to make a birthing bed for Mary. They probably waited in silence, huddled together to stave off  the cold night air as they awaited the miracle of birth. The cattle stirred and the bleating sound of the sheep interrupted their thoughts of what had happened in days past ….and look where they were now…for we all know….

A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…..ESPECIALLY WHEN HE IS THE SON OF GOD!!!!

And now, on this Christmas eve (and 2,000 plus years later) the same is true….A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING….for that was God’s intent all along. Through His prophet Isaiah, God foretold, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

God came to us in a form and in a way that we could understand….He came as a baby and through His birth, His life, His death and His glorious resurrection, HE HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING. No longer does the notion that God is mad at us hold water...that He is hell bent on our destruction because of our sin and disobedience….He has shown His great love for each of us because He sent His son…His only Son to take our place; to pay our debt; to forgive our sins; to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; to make us a new creation; to give us eternal life as a free gift from Him….and it all started with a baby.

It is my hope that you know the Christ-child of Christmas not only as the babe in the manger, but as the Christ on the cross. I pray that the babe of Bethlehem lives in your heart and is the Lord and Savior of your life. I trust that for you this baby, God’s son, is the BABY THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING FOR YOU.

If not, why not?

Don’t let another day go by without the acknowledgement that you need a savior. Accept today that the baby born to Mary and Joseph so very long ago is the baby that changes everything …and if you are willing to confess that He is Lord and that His death on the cross paid your sin debt, you will have eternal life… and your forever life, in the presence of the Heavenly Father, starts the moment you invite this baby into your heart.

Trust your heart to the babe, God’s Son, EMMANUEL….GOD IS WITH US!

Be Blessed and Know that He is God,

WPQ

Poem for the Day:

Born that night in a cattle stall,

This one babe to die for all...

God's most precious gift was born

In a manger laid on Christmas morn.

Shepherds and Angels announced His birth

Glory to God...Peace on the Earth.

And with the Wisemen let us bring

Our precious gifts to Christ the King.

In each heart may the Savior reign

Fill the skies and the lowest plains

With our praise and everlasting joy

Because of Mary's baby boy.

W. Patrick Queen @ December 2015

Operation….Christmas Andrew!

Tis' the season of Christmas...gloriously  filled with all the sights and sounds of this special holiday with its twinkling lights, candy canes, sleigh bells ringing, children singing ...I am sure that you get the picture; however, the center of this season is and always should be the celebration of the birth of Christ.

For each of us that profess to be a “believer” and call ourselves “little Christ”, we know that the birth of Christ is sacrosanct to our faith for it lays the foundation for us…it shows us that our God loved us enough to make himself one of us and to give his life for us so that we might forever live with Him.

EMMANUEL…GOD WITH US!!! Unfortunately, too many of us, on too many occasions fail to make this holiday a celebration of the birth of Jesus and his arrival among us; rather we toddle along with the world’s view that Christmas is about the money not the manager. We set aside our beliefs to satisfy our desires for pleasure and pride. Our gifts are about us and not about our spirit of giving.

What is the greatest thing you could do to bring about change in the life of someone this Christmas?

You should become a “Christmas Andrew!”

John 1: 35-41 tells us how; “The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”  “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.

Did you catch that? Andrew spent the day with Jesus and then he went to get his brother, Peter….WHY? So that he might introduce him to the Savior …The Messiah …God’s fulfilled promise of EMMANUEL.

Today, if you take a look around in your sphere of influence, there is a family member, a close companion at work or a nearby neighbor that for Christmas and all its pleasures and pageantry… they have become fixated on the familiar rather than focused on the Forever! They have become inoculated to the true meaning of Christmas and they need a Christmas Andrew…someone, who in love and gentle encouragement, will remind them that Jesus is the reason that we celebrate this season…or maybe, they don’t know the babe of Bethlehem at all.

It is your choice and you can be the “Andrew” that takes them to meet the Savior. You can share with them the joy that comes from knowing the true and living Messiah….Emmanuel. Then, they too can come to know that Jesus loves them and gave his life to ransom them from their sins.

The true message of each Christmas season is really quite simple….FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE…..WHAT WILL YOU GIVE THIS CHRISTMAS?

Give the greatest gift that anyone can give at Christmas...give YOURSELF... totally surrendered to your Heavenly Father. Be a Christmas Andrew and bring those you love to worship the babe in the manager….

Seeking to Share….Praying to be an Andrew,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

Christmas is a wondrous time

There’s always much to do;

But the greatest gift that you can give

Is to be a Christmas Andrew.

So seek to share the good news;

Tell others of the babe who came...

To heal the broken and discouraged;

The crippled and the lame.

This babe sent down from Heaven

With us as man to dwell...

The blessed Christ child with us,

OUR LORD...EMMANUEL!!!

WPQ © Dec 2017