Saturday's Snippet

Revelation 21:27

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Good morning, one and all!

Sweet Saturday to all my faithful readers and, as my Dad used to say, "May the Good Lord take a liking to you!"

Today's spoonful of thankfulness is for books! Oh, how I love books! In my living room, I have two bookcases almost filled with books, and two more are in our master bedroom (and they are filled with books). I love to read, fiction and nonfiction, inspirational, self-help, cookbooks, etc. There's a wealth of knowledge contained within books, and I'm still trying to gain some more each day by reading.

Thank God, too, for the authors of these books, who took the time to pen their thoughts, edit, and publish them so we could enjoy their works. Writing is much harder work than people realize, so my hat is off to authors along with books today.

There is one book that stands out above all others and that is the one mentioned in our focus verse today - the Lamb's book of life. My name is in that book, written down on May 1, 1965, and for that blessing alone I am forever thankful. Of all the books I've read and will read before the Lord returns for His church, none mean more to me than knowing that my name is written down in heaven. A reward awaits me at the end of my life here on earth. 

In closing, I'd like to share one last Bible verse with you all:

Luke 10:20

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

I hope you all enjoy a good book or two today but, above all else, take time to offer thanks to God for your name being written in heaven.

Lord willing, I'll see you tomorrow!

Friday's Footnote

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

¹⁷ And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

¹⁸ But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Good morning - a Fabulous Friday morning - to you all!

Today's spoonful of thankfulness is for our finances. We have nothing without God. As the verse above states, "it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth". No, we're not wealthy, but all that we possess, every penny we've ever made whether working secular jobs or through the work of the ministry, we owe God all the thanks.

With the blessing of finances comes the responsibility of stewardship. When God places money in our hands, He expects us to use it to bless His kingdom, and to live within our means. How sad it would be to receive of the Lord's hand and then squander His blessings. 

In Matthew 25:14-30, we find the story of the servants and talents. Verse 14 mentions that "he delivered unto them his goods" (italics are mine).  The goods belonged to the Master, and he expected the servants to use them wisely, bringing more back to him when he returned. So, it is with spiritual "wealth" that God imparts to us. There will be a reckoning day soon. What have we done with the blessing of the Lord's goods in our hands?

Whether natural money, or spiritual goods, my heart is thankful but I sense the deep responsibility to use all that God has given us as He desires. 

Here are a few quotes regarding wise spending:

Whether it be money, time, or heart,

invest wisely.

-TeachingGood Things.com

How you spend your time in life matters

more than how you spend your money.

Spend both wisely.

-Alive N Grateful

When a man becomes a Christian, he becomes industrious,

trustworthy, and prosperous. Now, if that man when he 

gets all he can and saves all he can, does not give all he can,

I have more hope for Judas Iscariot than for that man!

- John Wesley

I hope today's blog post was encouraging to you, and I pray you all have a Fabulous Friday with the Father. If He's willing, I'll see you again tomorrow.....

Thursday's Thought

1 Timothy 2:1-3

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

² For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Good morning, one and all!

We are over halfway through the month of November, as well as being that far into the subject of thankfulness. Today's spoonful relates to being thankful for America, as some have penned - "The home of the free because of the brave." I know it's changing, but I still want to say thanks for living in this great country.

My desire today is not to point out what's going wrong in America, but to show gratitude for the good that I have seen most of my life in this great land. I do not thrive on debating political issues, and do not feel qualified to even discuss much along those lines, but just allow me to say a few words for the America that I do love. 

I'm grateful for all the states that I have traveled to during my sixty-two years upon this earth. If my memory is correct, I have been in fifteen states. I have seen much of this great land - beautiful flowers, fields, lakes, the ocean, many sunrises and sunsets, etc. The first time I visited North Carolina (it may have been my only time), azaleas were blooming and I had never seen such beautiful flowers. When we were privileged to visit Hawaii in 1999, I witnessed the most beautiful sunsets and I marveled at the sounds of the ocean while I was there.

This song from my childhood, and one that most people have heard, is a favorite of mine. I love both its lyrics and its melody. Since there are quite a few verses, I will only include the first one:

America the Beautiful

words by Katharine Lee Bates

melody by Samuel Ward

O beautiful for spacious skies

For amber waves of grain

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America, America

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

My prayer today is for this land that I have called home all my life. May God help America in this trying hour, and may God help the people of America to turn their hearts toward Him.

Have a tremendous Thursday, and I hope to see you again tomorrow!

Wednesday's Whisper

Psalm 147:8

 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

Good morning, everybody!

I hope you're all feeling rested and ready to start the day on this Wonderful Wednesday! Today's spoonful of thankfulness is directed toward rain - yes, I thank God for the rain. Yesterday, we drove home from Arkansas through a lot of rain; no easy task in a motor home (the wind was strong, too - but that's another subject). Rain creates havoc on the highways, and is not always desirable, yet it is needful.

We all love sunny, warm days but we need rainy days sometimes. God has a purpose for the rain. If a farmer plants a crop, he often prays for rain after the planting. In I Corinthians 3:6, the Apostle Paul wrote, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." Paul sowed the seed, but somebody (thank God for Apollos) did the watering; then God gave the increase. 

I love these verses:

Isaiah 55:10-11

¹⁰ For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The rain (and snow) comes down from heaven, and it never returns. Its purpose is to water the earth so that buds can form, which turn into seed for the sower, then bread for the eater. God's word is like that rain, as it is delivered through preaching, it accomplishes what God pleases, prospering where He sends it. 

Our city is saturated from the rain that fell throughout the evening and night. There is a purpose in that rain. We may not see it, but God knows why it came and all it will accomplish. 

You may not be in a time of natural or spiritual sunshine right now; perhaps you're in some type of storm. Remember that God has allowed it for HIS purpose. Rest in Him as He still calms the storm (or He'll calm us). He still walks on the water during troubled times. 

Thank You, Lord, for the rain!

God bless you all, dear readers. I hope to see you tomorrow!

Tuesday's Tidbit

Psalm 91:1

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Good morning, everybody!

The Lord is good, and we are blessed with yet another Terrific Tuesday! My thanks today goes to prayer, that time of sweet communion with the Lord God Almighty. The verse today speaks to me of prayer, that "secret place of the most High". If we abide there, we are promised protection.

Some have said that prayer is talking to God, while others believe (as do I) that it is talking with God. Prayer is beautiful communion and fellowship with the Lord. Spending time in God's presence can be compared to no other because there is no One else like Him. 

Taking our burdens to Him, and leaving them with Him is of immense value. We can share our troubles and trials with friends and family but they cannot mend the brokenness within us, but God can. He welcomes us to come and spend time with Him, and if we let many days go by without our quiet time together, we can easily tell it.

I found these quotes about prayer, and I'd like to share them with you:

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.  

- Abraham Lincoln-

You prayer in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.

- Kahlil Gibran -

The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured.   

- Rick Warren - 

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. 

- Corrie ten Boom - 

May we all take time to spend time with our wonderful Lord today! God bless you all, and I hope to see you tomorrow!

Monday's Moment

Revelation 21:22-27

²² And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

²³ And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

²⁴ And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

²⁵ And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

²⁷ And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Marvelous Monday Morning to all of you!

My weekend was great and I hope you can say the same about yours. Today's spoonful of thankfulness is for a city not made with hands - Heaven! My soul is longing to go there, and some day all the saints of God will go there. We've heard about this majestic place for years, but one day we will see it for ourselves.

More than all the beauty of heaven is Jesus, who we will see when we get there, and we will spend eternity with Him.

A song came to mind this morning, and I will let its lyrics, along with the above scriptures, be the heart of this blog post:

Heaven for Me

by Lanny Wolfe

Verse One

I've heard of a land that is wondrously fair

They say that its splendor is far beyond compare

In that place that's called Heaven my soul longs to be

For where Jesus is, it will be heaven for me

Chorus

Heaven for me, Heaven for me

He'll make it heaven for me

Jesus will be what makes it heaven for me

All its beauty and wonders I'm longing to see

But Jesus will be what makes it heaven for me

Verse Two

If walls there weren't jasper

If the streets were not gold

If mansions would crumble

And if folks there grew old

Still I'd see everything I've been longing to see

If Jesus is there, it will be heaven for me

May your Monday be majestic and marvelous - with the Master! I hope to see you again tomorrow with another spoonful!

Sunday's Specialty

Psalm 95:6

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Good morning, one and all, and a Special Sunday to you!

I am thankful for worship today - but, what is worship? One definition is: show reverence and adoration for a (deity), and for us that means God. It is truly one of life's dearest blessings to understand the beauty of worship. In our focus verse, the Psalmist David wrote that we should worship, bow down, and kneel. The context of that verse gives clarity to the definition of true worship because when we bow down and kneel, we are lowering ourselves in order to lift God up.

I spoke about praise yesterday but worship is different than praise. To me, praise is showing gratitude to God for what He has done, but worship is adoring Him for who He is. When we understand the sovereignty of God, His power, and His majesty, our gratitude for Him becomes so deep. Praising God is more exuberant and energetic... the clapping of the hands, the waving of our arms, but worship brings us to our knees as we see Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. We desire to abase ourselves in order to exalt Him, for He alone is worthy of this type of reverence.

Worship deepens our relationship with Jesus Christ. The more we worship Him, the dearer and closer He becomes. We are not merely acquaintances, but we are close friends. He becomes the best friend we've ever had, or ever will have. 

If the Queen of England walked into a room, we would be in awe of her because of her royal position. How much more, when we are in the presence of the Mighty God! We should feel extreme awe for Him. He is Sovereign. He is Lord. He is in control of everything that's going on right now in our lives and in our world. 

Oh, let us worship the Lord today; deep, heartfelt adoration for Him!

I love this chorus that my brother, Casey, taught us some years back:

Worship the King

Worship the King

We are in His presence

To magnify His name

When we seek His face

Glory fills this place

As we worship the King

My soul is looking forward to church time, for I sense a drawing to worship my King!

God bless you all, and grant you a Special Sunday! If He's willing, I'll see you again tomorrow!