“For three things I thank God every day of my life: Thanks that he has graciously given me knowledge of his works; deep thanks that he has set in my darkness the lamp of faith; deep, deepest thanks that I have another life to look forward to – a life joyous with light and flowers and song.”

Take a moment and complete this sentence: “For three things I thank God every day of my life…”

Tim

Perhaps this post will reach someone experiencing a ’spiritually dry spell’; you don’t feel God’s love, you are not hearing his whispers and your circumstances tempt you to doubt his goodness or presence. I encourage you to choose the path Mother Teresa chose…love him as he has never been loved! Your faith will be rewarded and your dry soul will be refreshed.   -Tim

“Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends on what you are made of.”

“Character isn’t inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action.”

“If all the gold in the world were melted down into a solid cube it would be about the size of an eight-room house. If a man got possession of all that gold – billions of dollars worth, he could not buy a friend, character, peace of mind, clear conscience, or a sense of eternity.”

“The best index to a person’s character is (a) how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can’t fight back.”

“Character: When you have the same ailments as the other person but refrain from mentioning it.”

“Character is not made in crisis – it is only exhibited.”

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

“It is the character of very few people to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.”

“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.”

There you have it; my top picks. Take one or two of these quotes that stood out to you, write them down and put them somewhere where you can read them every day for the next week. And parents why not take this list and read it to your family around the dinner table? You may be encouraged with the discussion that follows.

Tim

“Enjoy the blessings of the day if God sends them and the evils bear patiently and sweetly. For this day only is ours. We are dead to yesterday and not born to tomorrow.” – Jeremy Taylor

Thanks, Gloria for giving me a great perspective on today and life! May we all rest in God’s loving providence today!

Tim

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Check out this list of quotes about worry!

Tim

Here are the three quotes I used during the message that you may find challenging and maybe even a little convicting, I know I did.

“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give God orders, and interfering with His plans in us.” – A.W. Tozer

“The historic church taught that the chief end of man was to glorify God and enjoy him forever; the modern church too often teaches that the chief end of God is to gratify man.”  -Larry Crabb

“The question is not ‘how much pleasure am I getting out of life?’ the question is ‘how much pleasure is God getting out of my life?’ Genuine surrender says, ‘Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s, please don’t take it away.” – Rick Warren

Tim

Live as though heaven is on earth.

Every path has a puddle.

It’s never too late to be what you might have been.

Laughter is the shortest distance between friends.

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

Life is not measured by the breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.

Tim

When I think of someone who had a ‘holy curiosity’, I think of King Solomon. In 1 Kings 4:32-33, “He spoke three thousand provers and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.”

I wonder if too many of us have stopped asking questions and stopped being inquisitive. Perhaps its time to take up a new hobby, read a book about the natural sciences, dust off the telescope, or just take a walk in nature and do some personal observations. Curiosity isn’t just for small children, its of all of God’s children!

Tim

“In essentials things, unity. In nonessential things, freedom. In all things, love.”

Tim

Perhaps you would take the time to read that statement a few times too and let the power of his words impact your heart. Truly, God is God and no amount of wanting him to be someone else or act some other way will change him. Our pursuit in life should not be to try to change God into the image we want, but to be changed by God into the image of His Son!

Tim