Good Morning,
Thank you for your prayers, e-mails and calls what a blessing you are to us. Your support makes all the difference, so again, Thank You.
In my reading today, from the Sower, I would like to share with you:
GIVING OTHERS A CHOICE
A mother gave her son two beautiful apples, but one was larger and shinier than the other. Placing them in his hands, and wishing to teach him about sharing, she instructed him to “Give your little sister her choice.”
A short time later, she noticed that he had kept the bigger one for himself. So, she asked, “Why didn’t you give your sister her choice?”
“I did,” came the reply. “I gave her the choice of the little one or none at all. And she took the little one.”
There is a lot of selfishness even in the smallest of us. Size has little to do with whether or not we are self-centered or God-centered. It is easy to save rather than to share, to get rather than to give, to hoard rather than to help, to protect rather than to promote.
Paul reminds us that “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Prayer: Help me, Heavenly Father, to realize that the needs of others are an opportunity for me to give to them as You have given to me. May I be sensitive to others who are without the necessities of life, and share with them out of the abundance You have given me–especially Your salvation. In Your Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Philippians 2:1-8 "....not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
Have a great day, love you, pass it on!
Don
Good Morning,
Thank you for your prayers, e-mails and calls what a blessing you are to us. Your support makes all the difference, so again, Thank You.
From my reading today, I want to share this.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
By Leslie Snyder
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth. –1 John 3:18
The early church father, St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” The following story communicates how actions often communicate more than words.
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening and the pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and sat down. The pastor made himself at home, but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some time, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.”
Today, spend a few moments considering what your life communicates to others.
GOING DEEPER:
Jesus calls us to be His hands and feet to a lost and dying world. In any relationship, our actions speak louder than words. How can you visibly share the gospel with someone today?
Have a great day, love you, pass it on!
Don
Good Morning,
Thank you for your prayers, e-mails and calls what a blessing you are to us. Your support makes all the difference, so again Thank You.
In my reading today I want to share this from The Sower.
THE WHISTLER AND HIS WIFE
A new preacher came to town. Each day as he passed one particular home on his walk to the post office, he heard a man whistling happily and loudly.
Day after day he heard the whistler. He became so fascinated with the sounds that he decided to discover where they came from. One morning the preacher opened the gate quietly and looked inside. Hearing the gate creak, “the whistler” approached the preacher asking him to come inside.
“Why do you whistle so loudly when you work?” asked the preacher.
“My wife’s a cripple,” he answered, “and she is also blind. I want her to know as she sits alone on the porch that I’m always close by and thinking about her. When she hears me whistling, she knows I’m not only nearby but available.”
Our Lord is just like “the whistler” – always nearby and available. Although we may not hear Him or see Him, He is always present in our world. However, we must trust “Him with our worries and cares, for He is always thinking about us and watching everything that concerns us.”
Prayer: Thank You, Heavenly Father, for always being nearby, for always watching over us and protecting us, and meeting our every need. May we always sense Your presence in our lives and Your love that surrounds us. In Your Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: 1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on!
Don
