To Give and To Receive

There are loyal hearts; there are people brave.

There are souls that are caring, true and pure.

And you? Give to the world the best you have,

The best will come back to be returned to you.

Give love, and the love in your heart will flow.

God’s strength is there in your deepest need.

Have faith, and a score of hearts will show

To you, their faith in God’s place in your heart.

Dispense truth; your gift will be paid back in kind

And honour that is seen, and honour will be met

Two of God’s people connect in their mutual love.

Extend truth, and your gift will be paid in trust,

A smile that is just as warm and sweet to meet

Give sorrow and concern to those who mourn,

You will receive more when troubles plague you.

The seeds of caring in your thoughts out- bourne

Though you are sowing ask nothing in return

For the life that you lead surely note is taken

That you are exactly what you say and do.

The fragrance of God’s love has permeated others

God’s love will come flowing back to you.

Remember, you can never out-give the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 ~ “Furthermore then, we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”

Proverbs 16: 9 ~ “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.”

Psalms 37:23 ~ “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”

A New Year Wish

Health enough to make work a pleasure to treasure.

Wealthy enough to support all your basic needs.

Ability to recognize the difference between needs and greeds.

Strength enough to battle difficulties and to overcome them.

Grace enough to confess your sins, and with God’s help forsake them.

Patience enough to toil until severe good is accomplished.

Charity enough to see some good in your neighbour.

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.

Hope enough to remove all anxious faces around you.

Courage enough to face the New Year with God by your side.

                       

Hosea 10:12 

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy. Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.”

1 Thessalonians 4:1 

Furthermore, when we beseech you, brethren, and exhort You by the Lord Jesus, that ye have received of us how ye should walk and to please God, so ye abound more and more.

Proverbs 3: 1 - 2 

My son, forget not my law but let thine heart keep my commandments: for length of days, and long life, and peace, shalt they add to thee.

Proverbs 28:25 
He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat. He that trusteth his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.  

What Is Christmas without Christ?

What is a Christmas without Christ?

A shopping frenzy, a food indulgence.

Drinks of all types, a sobriety divulgence.

One upmanship over last year’s choices.

Hearing children parroting commercial voices.

“I want, I need, everyone has it, please intercede!”

Then when they see it, it is not what they need!

No returns or exchanges until after New Year.

When you go to exchange the shelves are all clear!

Just giving them money, seems a crass thing to do.

They could buy it themselves and forget about you!

If we could forget about stores; we should try,

Walk on by the Malls that entice you to buy.

Just for one year wipe buying off your slate.

Determine to make gifts, don’t even hesitate.

Send your money to Missions for the needy.

Just tell the family it is a lesson on “Greedy”.

Instead of “things” they are bound to return,

Or some gift they keep but secretly they spurn.

Tell them this year they bought part of a goat

We’re not responsible to keep the economy afloat!

Revert to the old days, one gift under the tree,

A love letter to each other, are you all with me?

It has grown into a charge card that is out of hand.

Explain post-Christmas sales, they’ll understand.

Things they really need can be bought out of hand.

The charge cards stay home, what freedom that will be,

Take a picture of the homeless and put it under the tree.

Volunteer as a family to serve dinners to the destitute.

They will feel the joy of being able to contribute.

We all need a wake up call to the blessing of a giver

The same principle applies to the one who is a forgiver.

                                                                                        

Acts 20:35 ~ “In every thing I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

People Are Ready

The fields are ripe and ready unto harvest.

But are we ready to sow the seeds and to reap!

Have you prayed and prepared the ground to plant?

Have you watered and fertilized with God’s word?

Did you work on developing a relationship first?

Yes, be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks,

Couch your comments worthy of a question from them!

Take care, to live your life with an urgency of spirit.

Everyone wants and needs a hope to grasp on to.

Through you may Jesus Christ be their hope today.

                          Amen

I  Peter 3: 15 ~ “But sanctity Christ Jesus in your hearts, always being ready to make a defence to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”  NSA

We must not be afraid of the unsaved and what they might do to us. God must be our fear “Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself, and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread”    Isaiah 8:13

SANCTIFY is a command, the only command in 1 Peter 3:15.  (Be ready) may carry the force of an imperative but it is not strictly an imperative. Notice that the word BE is in italics. The believer is told to set apart the Lord in his heart. This is the key phrase of the verse.

GOD has sanctified us (!Corinthians 1:2, 6:11. 

We in turn are to sanctify God. God has set us apart, we in turn are to set God apart. God has sanctified us, set us apart for Himself in a special way, called us to be His SAINTS (set apart ones, holy ones) what then does it mean for us to sanctify God?

“Hallowed be Thy Name!”  Lord, let your Name be set apart! Let Thy glorious Person be adored and held in reverence! To sanctify God means that we treat Him as holy.

IF you are going to communicate with man rightly you must first have communion with God. If you are going to connect with another person you must have a right connection with God. Before you speak to men about God you need to speak to God about men.

Living Your Life

Life cannot always be lived on a mountain top.                                                                             

The higher one lives, the swifter becomes the drop.

Living below, amidst the darkened forest floor,

You will beg for light wanting to breathe more.

A roller coaster ride can be scary and to some fun. 

A continuous ride will make you sick, the ride to shun.

You need to look for stability in the midst of change

Ask God to help you to know just what to rearrange.

God says He will show you the right path to follow.

He will skim off the futile  and show you what to follow.

Psalm 25:4 - 12 ~ “Show me the right path, O Lord, point out the road for me to follow....

Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose.

Psalm 37:5 ~ “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.”

Proverbs 16:17 ~ “The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.”

What You Sow You Will Reap

Lord, teach me to think before I act,

And open my ears to hear before I judge.

May I be ever ready to forgive my enemies,

So that You, O Father will forgive me.

If I choose to be candid and frank

Ensure my words are softened with love.

Remind me to lift up a fallen brother,

And not to think more highly of myself.

Holy Spirit give me sympathy for the afflicted

For I may walk their path one day myself.

Holy Spirit help me to think before I speak,.

Close my ears that I hear no gossip that passes by.

And seal my lips so no gossip passes from me.

I want to be loyal to my church and its principles,

And I desire to stand by the truths in your word.

If my tongue becomes slanderous, bridle it Lord.

I desire to have a clean heart with pure thoughts.

May I be courteous and kind to all that I meet,

For one day I will stand at Thy judgment seat,

May I not be ashamed of how I have lived for Thee.

                             Amen

Nahum 1:7 ~ “The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.”

Hebrews 10:23 ~ “ ”Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.”

The Fruit of the Vine

We are the branches, and Jesus is the vine.

God tells us this parable to give us a sign.

If we the branch bear no fruit in our time, 

The barren branches Jesus will cut off.

Is this so that others might bear more fruit?

This parable is fearful, and does not suit!

Am I a branch that is torn from its root?

I want to bear fruit, and be so prolific.

Lord, help me not to be a branch that is sick.

Change my priorities, please make it quick!

I want to be securely attached to the vine.

I desire to blossom to show others a sign.

I gave myself to Christ, I’m no longer mine.

        In Jesus name, Amen

                                                                                  

John 15: 1 - 5 ~ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it might bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”