TWO SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL WORDS

THANK YOU. Two simple words, and yet, they can be so powerful!
I did not realize just how powerful they could be until the other night.
 Our church had Spring Revival last week. Although always spiritually uplifting, this week can also be physically taxing, especially where the pastor's family (hi! that's us!) is concerned.
Well, after revival service one night (my husband was still at the church), I was folding laundry, cleaning up our kitchen, trying to get the boys ready for bed, feeling VERY exhausted and, yes, a little unappreciated. My oldest son walks up to me and says (with a little hug), "Mommy, you work hard for us. Thank you!". I didn't know what to say for a second. I then gave him a big hug. Do you know, that "thank you" gave me more of an energy boost than anything else could! It made such a big difference to me for the rest of the week. Wow!
I think that we often take those two simple words for granted. When we are out in public, do we thank the waitress for refilling our drinks or even for clearing off our table? How about that cashier who has just checked us out? If we do say thank you, do we say it as something we're just supposed to say, or do we actually look at them and say it with meaning? This could make a big difference to someone who is having a terrible day or has been dealing with cranky customers.
Have you thanked your spouse for the things that he or she does for you? For example,if your husband takes out the trash, thank him! That may sound trivial, but sometimes we take our spouses and what they do for granted, especially if we have been married for a while. Those two words are very important in the marriage relationship.
How about God? When was the last time you thanked Him for what He has done for you? He loves to hear our praises and thanksgivings. The Bible is full of passages that tell us so. He does SO much for us, EVERY day! I think back to the way I was feeling that night, then how I felt after my son told me thank you. I wonder if God feels the same way when we thank Him, not with just a perfunctory "Thank You", but with a heartfelt and meaningful THANK YOU!
How about it? Let's try to use those two simple, yet powerful words more often, not just with other people, but with our God!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

SATURDAY MORNING SAYINGS

               "The Two Prayers"

                         "Last night my little boy confessed to me,
                         Some childish wrong;
                         And kneeling at my knee.
                         He prayed with tears,
                         "Dear God, make me a man
                         Like Daddy-- wise and strong,
                         I know you can."

                         Then while he slept,
                         I knelt beside his bed,
                        Confessed my sins;
                        And prayed with low bowed head.
                        "Oh God, make me a child
                        Like my child here--
                        Pure, guileless,
                        Trusting Thee with faith sincere."

                                     ~Andrew Gillies~

 

RESURRECTION SUNDAY-PRAISE THE LORD!



Hallelujah! I serve a RISEN Saviour! He is alive today. I am so thankful for what He did for us.

 "And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazereth, which was crucified.: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him." Mark 16:4-6

Amongst all of the beauty and excitement of new Easter outfits, hats and flowers, we can't forget the real reason for today-our Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us that we might live with and see Him one day.

Have a wonderful and blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Beth :-)

SATURDAY MORNING SAYINGS

Little Birdie Blessings

“HE PAID A DEBT HE DID NOT OWE”

HE PAID A DEBT HE DID NOT OWE;

I OWED A DEBT I COULD NOT PAY;

I NEEDED SOMEONE TO WASH MY SINS AWAY.

AND, NOW, I SING A BRAND NEW SONG,

“AMAZING GRACE”.

CHRIST JESUS PAID A DEBT THAT I COULD NEVER PAY.

HE PAID THAT DEBT AT CALVARY.

HE CLEANSED MY SOUL AND SET ME FREE.

I’M GLAD THAT JESUS DID ALL MY SINS ERASE.

I, NOW, CAN SING A BRAND NEW SONG, “AMAZING GRACE”.

CHRIST JESUS PAID A DEBT THAT I COULD NEVER PAY.

ONE DAY HE’S COMING BACK FOR ME

TO LIVE WITH HIM ETERNALLY.

WON’T IT BE GLORY TO SEE HIM ON THAT DAY!

I, THEN, WILL SING A BRAND NEW SONG, “AMAZING GRACE”.

CHRIST JESUS PAID A DEBT THAT I COULD NEVER PAY.

YES, JESUS PAID A DEBT THAT I COULD NEVER PAY.

-Ellis J Crum

DESENSITIZED TO SIN



           Bran Made Tags   

             

I have heard it said that if you put a frog in a pot of water and slowly bring it to a boil, the frog will not be aware of any danger until it is too late.
Christians are in the same kind of danger today. Slowly, slowly, we are being "desensitized" to sin. Through media (television, books, internet, etc) and public schools, we and our children are exposed every day to the world's views that living together and sex before marriage is ok, homosexuality is just another lifestyle, immodest dress is the way to be attractive and cursing is fine. People are exposed to violence and sexual content in their video games. If we choose to simply just tolerate and "quietly overlook" these sins, eventually we will not see it as such a bad thing.
Listen dear readers, if it was an abomination to God back in Bible times, it's STILL an abomination to Him today. If it was a sin back then, it's STILL a sin today! God does not change.
What is a Christian to do? How can we protect ourselves and our children from this?
First, stay in the Word! 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  Read and study the Bible. Keep up your family prayer and devotions. Constantly talk to and teach your children about God's ways, as it says in Deuteronomy 11:19, "And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."  That's ALL the time!
Know your Bible so that when a situation arises, you can show your children what God says about it. If you don't know, search the Scriptures together with them to find the answer (a concordance helps alot!).
Second, when you are watching a movie or TV program and someone curses, walks on the screen scantily clad, magic or sorcery is introduced, or any other questionable thing comes on-TURN IT OFF! If it is on a DVD that you own-THROW IT AWAY! Sounds drastic? Yes, but it needs to leave your house. You may have to endure some crying and arguments from your children. My husband and I have been there. But, protecting our families should be the most important thing to us. Don't forget that you are the parent, and are the one in charge.
Monitor very, very closely the video games that your children play. Even some of the innocent looking ones may have some surprises as the levels progress.
 Although it's an easy way out, don't use the explanation of, "Just because I say so". Your children need to know why you are doing this. Once again, go to God's word and show them.
My friends, it is a battle which can get very hard sometimes. Satan is shrewd and cunning. But we must fight for the sake of our families. We must continually be on our guard, staying in the Word and on our knees! Watch out that you don't get caught in boiling water!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)