Today’s thought – The Word of God

482012 001My HOPE is built on nothing less . . .

Good Morning

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away.

Priscilla Howe once described the Word of God as the Book that contains

the mind of God,
the state of man,
the way of salvation
the doom of sinners,
and the happiness of believers.
Its doctrines are holy,
its precepts are binding,
its histories are true,
and its decisions are immutable.

Therefore,
how can it ever fade from the grasp of man?
Read it to be wise,
believe it to be safe,
and practice it to be holy.
It contains
light to direct you,
food to support you,
and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler’s map,
the pilgrim’s staff,
the soldier’s sword,
and the Christian’s charter.
Here paradise is restored,
heaven opened,
and the gates of hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand object,
our good its design,
and the glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory,
rule the heart,
and guide the feet.
Read it slowly,
frequently,
and prayerfully.
It is a mine of wealth,
a paradise of glory,
and a river of pleasure.
It is given you in life,
will be opened in the judgment,
and be remembered forever.
It involves the highest responsibility,
will reward the greatest labor,
and will condemn all who trifle
with its sacred content.

Trust God’s Word . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 17, 2014 at 12:07 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,

Today’s thought – Coincidences?

july 24 flowers 011Zinnias still blooming.

Good Afternoon

1Kings 17:11-15
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

What marvelous “coincidences”
are prepared by providential grace!
The poor widow is unconsciously ordained
to entertain the prophet!
The raven will be guided to the brook Cherith!
“I have commanded them to feed thee there.”
Our road is full of surprises.
We see the browning, precipitous hill,
and we fear it,
but when we arrive at its base we find a refreshing spring!
The Lord of the way had gone before the pilgrim.
“I go to prepare . . . for you.”

But how strange that a widow with only “a handful of meal”
should be “commanded to offer hospitality!
It is once again “the impossible” which is set before us.
It would have been a dull commonplace to have fed the prophet
from the overflowing larder of the rich man’s palace.
But to work from an almost empty cupboard!
That is the surprising way of the Lord.
He delights to hang great weights on apparently slender wires,
to have great events turn on seeming trifles,
and to make poverty the minister of
“the indescribable riches of Christ.”

The poor widow sacrificed her “handful of meal,”
and received an unfailing supply.
And this, too, is the way of the Lord.
~~~J.H. Jowett, from My Daily Meditation

Can even I be used . . . Today?
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 14, 2014 at 2:25 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , , ,

Today’s thought -The Comforter Comes to Abide

Good Afternoon

Hosea 2:16
And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord,
that thou shalt call me Ishi;(my husband)

The coming of the Comforter is a holy thing,
a solemn act,
and must be preceded by an intelligent and solemn covenant
between the soul and God.
It is the marriage of the soul to the Redeemer,
and it is not a “trial marriage.”
No true marriage is rushed into carelessly.
It is carefully considered,
and it is based upon complete separation
and consecration and the most solemn pledges and vows.
So, if the Comforter is come to abide,
to be with us and in us evermore,
we must come out an be separate for Him,
we must consecrate ourselves to Jesus fully and forever,
and we must covenant to be the Lord’s
“for better or for worse,”
and we must trust Him.
The soul that thus truly and solemnly dedicates itself to Him
become His, and He will come to that soul to abide forever
to be its “shield and exceeding great reward.”

Hosea 3:3
And I said unto her,
Thou shalt abide for me many days;
thou shalt not play the harlot,
and thou shalt not be for another man:
so will I also be for thee.

Consider our vows . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 12, 2014 at 1:22 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , ,

Today’s thought – My Peace I Give

july 14 001I find peace here,
even in the midst of the storm.

Good Morning

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

My peace I give in times of deepest grief,
Imparting calm and trust and My relief.

My peace I give when prayer seems lost, unheard;
Know that My promises are ever in My Word.

My peace I give when thou art left alone–
The nightingale at night has sweetest tone.

My peace I give in time of utter loss,
The way of glory leads right to the cross.

My peace I give when enemies will blame,
Thy fellowship is sweet through cruel shame.

My peace I give in agony and sweat,
For mine own brow with bloody drops was wet.

My peace I give when nearest friend betrays–
Peace that is merged in love, and for them prays.

My peace I give when there’s but death for thee–
The gateway is the cross to get to Me. ~~~L.S.P.

In all seasons there is peace, even . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 7, 2014 at 10:45 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

Todays’ thought – My Own Peace

feb19 002
Good Afternoon

“My own peace I give to you.” John 14:27

Two painters each painted a picture
to illustrate his conception of rest.
The first chose for his scene
a still, lone lake among the far-off mountains.

The second threw on his canvas
a thundering waterfall,
with a fragile birch tree bending over the foam;
and at the fork of the branch,
almost wet with the cataract’s spray,
sat a robin on its nest.

Thirst was only stagnation,
the last was rest.

Christ’s life outwardly was one
of the most troubled lives that ever lived;
tempest and tumult,
tumult and tempest,
the waves breaking over it all the time
until the worn body was laid in the grave.
But the inner life was a sea of glass.
The great calm was always there.

At any moment you might have gone to Him
and found rest.
And even when the human bloodhounds were dogging Him
in the streets of Jerusalem.
He turned to His disciples
and offered them, as a last legacy,
“My peace.”

Rest is not a hallowed feeling
that comes over us in church;
it is the repose of a heart set deep in God.
~~Drummond.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Rest in Christ . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 6, 2014 at 2:39 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

Today’s thought – The Love That Shows

apr11 005My Hedge Rose is still blooming.

Good Morning

Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver;
I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

If all my days were sunny could I say,
“In His fair land He wipes all tears away”?

If I were never weary, could I keep
Close to my heart, “He gives His loved ones sleep”?

Were no graves mine, might I not come to deem
The Life Eternal but a baseless dream?

My winter, and my tears, and weariness,
Even my graves, may be His way to bless.

I call them ills; yet that can surely be
Nothing but love that shows my Lord to me!
~~Selected

Are you receving blessings . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 4, 2014 at 10:33 am  Comments (1)  
Tags: ,

Today’s thought – Blessings

Good Morning

Deuteronomy 8:2
And thou shalt remember
all the way which the Lord thy God led thee . .

A bright, happy soul,
rejoicing in all God’s gifts,
seeing cause for thankfulness
and gladness in everything,
counting up mercies rather than trials,
looking at the bright side,
even of sickness,
bereavement,
and death–
what a very fountain
of goodness and love of Christ
such an one is!
I remember one who,
worn with sickness and sleepless nights,
answered to when question
if the nights did not seem interminable:
“Oh no, I lie still,
and count up my blessings!”
~~~H. L. Sidney Lear

Deuteronomy 8:2-6 Amplified Bible
And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove you, to know what was in your [mind and] heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you recognize and personally know that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not become old upon you nor did your feet swell these forty years. Know also in your [minds and] hearts that, as a man disciplines and instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and [reverently] fear Him.

First on my ‘Thankful’list today,
my home didn’t leak during yesterday’s rain!
mar25 010

Count up . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 1, 2014 at 11:48 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,

Today’s thought – Clean Your Plate

june2912pickingVeggies

Good Morning

John 21:12
Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.
And none of the disciples durst ask him,
Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

Last night during family devotions,
I called my daughters to the table and
set a plate in front of each.
In the center of the table
I placed a collection of food:
some fruit,
some raw vegetables,
and some Oreo cookies.
“every day,” I explained,
“God prepares for us a plate of experiences.
What kind of plate do you most enjoy?”

The answer was easy.
Sara put three cookies on her plate.
Some days are like that, aren’t they?
Some days are “three-cookie days.”
Many are not.
Sometimes our plate has nothing but vegetables–
twenty-four hours of celery, carrots, and squash.
Apparently God knows we need some strength,
and though the portion may be hard to swallow,
isn’t it for our own good?
Most days, however. have a bit of it all . . .

The next time your plate has more broccoli than apple pie,
remember who prepared the meal.
And the next time your plate
has a portion you find hard to swallow,
talk to God about it.
Jesus did.
The Great House of God – Max Lucado

Matthew 26:39
And he went a little farther,
and fell on his face,
and prayed, saying,
O my Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will,
but as thou wilt.

Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 31, 2014 at 10:08 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,

Today’s thought – Dear Soul, Be Still

last leaf 11-21-11 003Last Leaf

Good Afternoon

 

Ezekiel 1:24-26
And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings,
like the noise of great waters,
as the voice of the Almighty,
the voice of speech,
as the noise of an host:
when they stood, they let down their wings.
And there was a voice from the firmament
that was over their heads,
when they stood,
and had let down their wings.
And above the firmament
that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne,
as the appearance of a sapphire stone:
and upon the likeness of the throne
was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

(Doesn’t this read like poetry?)

What is the letting down of the wings?
People so often say,
“How do you get the voice of the Lord?”
Here is the secret.
They heard the voice when they stood and let down their wings.

Be still! Just now be still!
Something thy soul hath never heard,
Something unknown to any song of bird,
Something unknown to any wind, or wave, or star,
A message from the Fatherland afar,
That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,
Cometh to thee if thou cast but be still.

Be still! Just now be still!
There comes a presence very mind and sweet;
White are the sandals of His noiseless feet.
It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent
To teach thee what the words He uttered meant,
The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.
If thou would’st hear His message,
Dear soul, be still!
Unknown

Be still . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 30, 2014 at 1:37 pm  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

Today’s thought – The Far-Reaching River of Life

thanksgiving12 - burneyfalls 009“There is a river that flows from God above . . .”

Good Afternnon

He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water —John 7:38

A river reaches places which its source never knows.
And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness,
“rivers of living water” will flow out of us,
reaching in blessing even “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may
appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow—
“This is the work of God, that you believe. . .” (John 6:29).
God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.

A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers.
For a while it goes steadily on its course,
but then comes to an obstacle.
And for a while it is blocked,
yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle.
Or a river will drop out of sight for miles,
only later to emerge again
even broader and greater than ever.
Do you see God using the lives of others,
but an obstacle has come into your life
and you do not seem to be of any use to God?
Then keep paying attention to the Source,
and God will either take you
around the obstacle or remove it.
The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles.
Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty.
The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference
to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will
simply remember to stay focused on the Source.
Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ—
not emotion nor experience—
nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.

Think of the healing and far-reaching rivers developing
and nourishing themselves in our souls!
God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds,
and every point He has opened up is another indication
of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us.
If you believe in Jesus,
you will find that God has developed and nourished
in you mighty, rushing rivers of blessing for others.
My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers

Let the River flow . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 29, 2014 at 12:45 pm  Comments (2)  
Tags: , , , ,

Today’s thought – They are HIS Billows

may25 009The Billows never cease to roll . . .

Good Morning

Psalm 42:7
All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

They are HIS billows whether they go o’re us,
Hiding His face in smothering spray and foam;
Or smooth and sparkling, spread a path before us,
And to our haven bear us safely home.

They are HIS billows, whether for our succor
He walks across them, stilling all our fear;
Or to our cry there comes no aid nor answer,
And in the lonely silence none is near.

They are HIS billows, whether we are toiling
Through tempest-driven waves that never cease,
While deep to deep with clamor loud is calling;
Or at HIs word they hush themselves in peace.

They are HIS billows, whether He divides them,
Making us walk dryshod where seas had flowed;
Or lets tumultuous breakers surge about us,
Rushing unchecked across our only road.

They are HIS billows, and He brings us through them;
So He has promised, so H\His love will do.
Keeping and leading, guiding and upholding,
To His sure harbor, He will bring us through.
~~ Annie Johnson Flint

Psalm 107:25-31
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind,
which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths:
their soul is melted because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
and are at their wit’s end.
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm,
so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they be quiet;
so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Trust HIM in HIS billows . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 28, 2014 at 10:14 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , ,

Today’s thought – ‘Cushion of the Sea’

may25 005

Good Morning

Philippians 4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

There is what is called the “cushion of the sea.”
Down beneath the surface that is agitated by storms,
and driven about with winds,
there is a part of the sea that is never stirred.

When we dredge the bottom
and bring up the remains of animal and vegetable life
we find that they give evidence
of not having been disturbed in the least,
for hundreds and thousands of years.

The peace of God is that eternal calm which,
like the cushion of the sea,
lies far too deep down to be reached
by any external trouble and disturbance;
and he who enters into the presence of God,
becomes partaker of that undisturbed and undisturbable calm.
~~Cr. A. T. Pierson

Philippians 4:4-7 Amplified Bible
Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is coming soon]. Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Sink into God’s presence . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 24, 2014 at 11:10 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,

Today’s thought – Our View of God

may25 017God knows even in the nighttime.

Good Morning

Psalm 138:7-8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:
thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies,
and thy right hand shall save me.
The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever:
forsake not the works of thine own hands.

There is a window in your heart
through which you can see God.
Once upon a time that window was clear.
Your view of God was crisp.
You could see God as vividly
as you could see a gentle valley or hillside.

Then, suddenly, the window cracked.
A pebble broke the window.
A pebble of pain.

And suddenly God was not so easy to see.
The view that had been so crisp had changed.

You were puzzled.
God wouldn’t allow something like this to happen,
would He?

When you can’t see Him, trust Him . . .
Jesus is closer than you’ve ever dreamed.
In the Eye of the Storm, Max Lucado

Trust Him . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie.

Published in: on October 23, 2014 at 11:33 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , ,

Today’s thought – Impulsiveness or Discipleship?

nove trees 002
Good Morning

from My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith . . .” Jude 20

There was nothing of the nature of impulse
or thoughtless action about Our Lord,
but only a calm strength that never got into panic.
Most of us develop our Christianity
along the lines of our own nature,
not along the lines of God’s nature.
Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life,
but Our Lord always ignores it,
because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple.
Watch how the Spirit of God
gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness,
suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness
which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves.
Impulsiveness is all right in a child,
but it is disastrous in a man or woman;
an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person.
Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition by discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God.
Walking on the water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness,
but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ
is something altogether different.
Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus,
but he “followed Him at a distance” on dry land (Mark 14:54).
We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises,
human nature and pride are sufficient
for us to face the stress and strain magnificently.
But it does require the supernatural grace of God
to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint,
going through drudgery,
and living an ordinary, unnoticed, ignored existence
as a disciple of Jesus.
It is ingrained in us
that we have to do exceptional things for God;
but we do not.
We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life,
and holy on the ordinary streets,
among ordinary people,
and this is not learned in five minutes.

Be exceptional . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 22, 2014 at 4:35 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: , , ,

Today’s thought – All I Need

nove 2 002Rose hips

Good Morning

Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

All believers,
according to the will of God concerning them in Christ Jesus,
may cast, and ought to cast,
all their need upon Him who careth for them,
and need not be anxiously concerned about anything.

My Lord is not limited;
He can again supply.
How truly is it that every one
who rests alone upon the Lord Jesus for salvation,
has in the living God a father,
to whom he may fully un-bosom himself
concerning the most minute affairs of his life,
and concerning everything that lies upon his heart!

Do you know the living God?
Is He, in Jesus, your Father?
Be assured that Christianity is something more than
forms and creeds and ceremonies;
there is life, and power, and reality, in our holy faith.
~~~George Mueller

Philippians 4:19 Amplified Bible
And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

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

Published in: on October 21, 2014 at 10:11 am  Leave a Comment  
Tags: ,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »