Thoughts of Grace

Good Morning

But without faith it is impossible to please Him;
for he that cometh to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6

Faith is a wonderful key to every situation where we come to God in prayer.
Faith is a wonderful key that open God’s storehouse.
God’s storehouse is filled, shelf after shelf, clear to the top with good things that men and women need.
On the shelves of God’s storehouse there is salvation– a born again experience, victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. On the shelf of God’s storehouse thee is divine healing, there is blessing, there is deliverance for your body as well as your soul and your spirit. On God’s helves is a rich spiritual experience, there is joy unspeakable and full of glory, hope, peace, blessing. and answer to prayer.
Every man, woman, and child may have the key of faith to God’s storehouse put in his hand that he may turn the lock of prayer and swing wide the portals.
Faith moves mountains.
Have you a mountain to move?
Have you a mountain of heartache, despair, discontent, discouragement?
Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God can move it.
Faith in the precious blood that flowed from the wounded side of Immanuel can cleanse the heart and make it whiter than the driven snow.
The Lord can move that mountain.
You cannot move it with all the power of your reasoning, not even with your vain imaginations.
What you need is just a little spark of faith down in your heart and it will move the mountain.
The Lord does answer prayer.
Use the key He had placed in your hand.
Have faith in God!
You can look upon those shelves in the storehouse and claim any number of the fruits He as stored thereon.
~ ~ ~ From a newspaper clipping.

Have Faith in God . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Morning

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Jeremiah 17:7

Life

LIFE, believe, is not a dream
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day.
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
O why lament its fall ?

Rapidly, merrily,
Life’s sunny hours flit by,
Gratefully, cheerily,
Enjoy them as they fly !

What though Death at times steps in
And calls our Best away ?
What though sorrow seems to win,
O’er hope, a heavy sway ?
Yet hope again elastic springs,
Unconquered, though she fell;
Still buoyant are her golden wings,
Still strong to bear us well.
Manfully, fearlessly,
The day of trial bear,
For gloriously, victoriously,
Can courage quell despair !

Charlotte Brontë

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

. . .For this rainy day

Good Morning

To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. Ephesians 3:19

A little child was playing by the shore of the broad blue sea
And oft he looked away across the waves, so wonderingly.
It was a new entrancing sight to him, that watery waste.
The tossing billows breaking o the sand with foam wreaths graced.
And often in this distant inland home, with childish glee,
The boy would say to young and older friends,
“I have seen the sea!”
And so he had;
the child made no mistake,
his words were true;
But yet,
how much of ocean’s vast expanse had met his view?
Only the waves that rippled on the shore; while far away,
The broad Atlantic in its depth and strength beyond him lay
And thus we say we know the love of Christ,
and so we do;
‘Tis no exaggeration or mistake, but sweetly true.
But ah!
how much of that unfathomed love do we yet know?
Only the ripples on the shores of time, the nearer flow.
The mighty ocean of redeeming love rolls deep and wide.
Filling eternity,
and heaven,
and earth, with its vast tide.
We know it by a sweet experience now;
yet shall explore its breadth and length,
its depth and height of grace,
for evermore. ~~E.R.V.

Trust that love for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

What I saw today at 7:00am

Good Morning

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. Psalm 92:1

My soul, wouldst thou be free from that pain–that remorse of memory?
Thou mayst be so; live in present thanksgiving!
Treasure today the gems that are strewn upon thy path!
The love that is merely retrospective is a very painful thing. I would not have thee wake to the glory of a past only when it is past–desire one of the days of the Son of Man after He has ascended. If thy days of sorrow at any time should cloud thy days of joy, I should like thee to be able to say, “Well, while they lasted, I did appreciate them.”
There are some who want to feel at death that their life has been a vain show.
I would not have it so with thee, O my soul.
I would like when death comes, to feel that I had thoroughly enjoyed life–taken the honey from the flower as God meant me to take it
I should like to know that I had not defrauded myself of my birthright, that I made room for others because I had had my share.
The cup of gladness which my Father has given me shall I not drink it, even unto the dregs!
I shall thank Him for every bird that sings.
I shall praise Him for every flower that blows.
I shall bless Him for every stream that warbles.
I shall love Him for every heart that loves.
I shall see the sparkling of the cup ere it passes to the hand of my brother.
There shall be no remorse of memory when I have thanked God for today.
~~George Matheson, from Leaves for Quiet Hours.

Thank God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Remembering all my favorite things at ” Anne of Green Gables” home, Prince Edward Island.

Good Morning

Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou hast also wrought all our works in us. Isaiah 26:12

Have you ever stood ankle-deep in the ocean? Gradually, wave upon wave washes about your feet, rearranging and depositing sand. And if you stand there long enough, you will not only find your feet, but your legs also buried beneath the sand. You don’t have to do anything. It is enough to do nothing.

It is the same in the Christian life. You don’t have to do anything to sink into worldly patterns of thinking and living. The world system in which we live floods in, wave upon wave. . . .(or as our pastor says, ‘there is a drum beat, continually beating)

Our everyday environment deduces, taunts, and rages against the Christ-life within us. Without concentrated, deliberated action on our part to nourish our spiritual life, the oncoming tide wears away the under girding foundation of our faith. To stanch the flow, to control the erosion, Christians must do more than hold our skirts higher. We must spend time apart with God. There is no growth in holiness apart from it. ~~Jean Fleming, Finding Focus in a Whirlwind World.

‘Alone with God, the world forbidden
Alone with God, O blest retreat
Alone with God and in Him hidden
To hold with Him, communion sweet.’ ~~ hymn

Trust God for your day. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

One happy camper – 2007 trip of wonderful memories

Good Morning

Whosoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will will never be thirsty. John 6:35

There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get. . .

You pray and wait.
No answer.
You pray and wait.

May I ask a very important question?
What if God says no?

What if the request is delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, “I’ve given you my grace, and that is enough.” will you be content?

Content . That’s the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than he already has.

Max Lucado ~~In the Grip of Grace

Trust God for your day – Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

I love this maple tree.

Good Morning

We will find grace to help us when we need it. Hebrews 4:16 NLT

God’s help is timely. He helps us the same way a father gives plane tickets to his family. When I travel with my kids, I carry all our tickets in my satchel. When the moment comes to board the plane, I stand between the attendant and the child. As each daughter passes, I place ticket in her hand. She, in turn, gives the ticket to the attendant. Each one receives the ticket in the nick of time.

What I do for my daughters God does for you. He places himself between you and the need. And at the right time, he gives you the ticket. Wasn’t this the promise he gave his disciples?

“When you are arrested and judged, don’t worry ahead of time about what you should say. Say whatever is given you to say at that time, because it will not really be you speaking; it will be the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:11 emphasis mine.

God leads us. He will do the right thing at the right time. ~~Max Lucado, Traveling Light

Trust God for your day. . . Today.
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

I love violas.

Good Afternoon

Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me:
for I am poor and needy Psalm 86:1

What e’er I ask I surely know
And steadfastly believe
Thou wilt the thing desired bestow
Or else a better give.

To Thee, I therefore, Lord, submit
My every fond request
And own, adoring at Thy feet
Thy will is always best.

Trust God for your day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Front flower bed cleared of summer asters and goldenrod and planted with pansies and violas.

Good Morning

We’ve been in Redding helping with the Farmer’s mother. She has been in the hospital with pneumonia, etc, but is much better now. She has been transferred to a care center and we have been able to come home. The only internet connection we had was in the hospital, so I didn’t do much but check my mail and posted updates on Facebook to the family. We have seen God’s mercy as she has improved.

“He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Malachi 3:3

Our Father, who seeks to perfect His saints in holiness, knows the value of the refiner’s fire. It is with the most precious metals that the assayer takes the most pains, and subjects them to the hot fire, because such fires melt the metal, and only the molten mass releases its alloy or takes perfectly its new form in the mold. The refiner never leaves his crucible, but sits down by it, lest there should be one excessive degree of heat to mar the metal. But as soon as he skims from the surface the last of the dross, and sees his own face reflected, he puts out the fire. ~~Arthur T. Pierson.

“He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore,
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test,
And He wanted the finest gold
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gens with a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Tho’ we fain would have said Him ‘Nay’
And He watched the dross that we had not seen.
And it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears,
We saw but the fire–not the Master’s hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above
That bent o’er the fire, tho’ unseen by us,
With a look of ineffable love.
Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment’s pain?
Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,
Than was needed to make it pure.”

Again, trust God for your day. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

I’m ready for another trip to the beach!

Good Morning

. . . and yet I show you a more excellent way 1Corinthians 12:31

I carefully laid every plan:
the future seemed so bright.
My hopes and dreams they towered high–
I saw no trace of night.

And then at closing of the day
I knelt in usual prayer,
And prayed; Dear Lord, bless every plan–
All that I hope and dare.”

But day by day my plans all failed.
My hopes came tumbling down.
All my ambitions disappeared,
And FAILURE was my crown.

Perplexed–I could not understand,
Had I not knelt in prayer?
And asked that every plan and hope
Would find a blessing rare?

Then in the stillness of the night,
Out from the shadows dim,
I heard a sweet persuading voice
That called me close to Him.

“Why don’t you let Me make your plans?
I’ve trod the path before.
Just leave the future in My hands,
I’ll lead thee o’re and o’re.”

In shame, I bowed my humble head;
My spirit low was brought,
For I had caught a strange new light,
By HIs own Spirit taught.

No longer do I pray as once,
“Dear Lord, bless all my plans.”
But now I pray: “Lord, plan for me,
The future’s in Thy hands.” ~~Selected

Even Today – trust God for your day.
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

The last of the zinnas.

Good Morning

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh:
is there any thing too hard for me?
Jeremiah 32:27

We need to hear that God is still in control.
We need to hear that it’s not over until he says so.
We need to hear that life’s mishaps and tragedies
are not a reason to bail out.
They are simply a reason to sit tight.

Corrie ten Boom used to say.

“When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark,
do you jump out? Of course not.
You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through”. . .

The way to deal with discouragement?
The cure for disappointment?
Go back and read the story of Job.
Read it again and again.
Be reminded that you aren’t the first person to weep.
And you aren’t the first person to be helped.

Read the story and remember, [the] story is yours!
Max Lucado, He Still Moves Stones

Trust God for your day. . .Today.
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie