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“Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey.” - Genesis 24:12, A Servant’s Prayer


Anyway – Version Two

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

How Near God Is

“Will you ever understand how near God is to you?” – Lalla

Time, Eternity, and God

“Time is short, eternity is long. God is good.” – Sr. Mary Martial

I Asked God

“I asked god to take away my pride and God said, “No,” He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, “No.” He said, “Her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.”

I asked God to grant me patience, and God said, “No.” He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation. It isn’t granted it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness, and God said, “No.” He said he gives blessings; happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare my pain, and God said, “No.” He said, “Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.”

I asked God to help me love others as much as he loves me, and God said, “Ah, finally you have the idea.”

Jesus, the Friend of Sinners

  • Luke 15:1-10
  • Many times, we tend to cater to the Body of Christ instead of being a friend to sinners. We focus on ourselves instead of the outside world.
  • That’s not totally bad, but when we don’t reach out for Christ, we’re failing Him. He has decided to use us, His church, to build His Kingdom.
  • Be careful of the message of the Pharisees (their yeast). They taught that God basically hated sinners and that He is pleased when they suffer and die because of sin.
  • Are we attracting sinners and tax collectors? What made Christ attractive to the lost should make us attractive to them as well. (Titus 2:10)
  • Are we making it easy for sinners and tax collectors to feel welcome? Do we welcome them to our churches? Jesus never condoned or avoided or ignored their behavior, but He told them they were at the right place. “I’m glad you’re here.” (John 6:37). Jesus never turned anyone away– but many decided to leave Him.
  • Are we identifying with sinners and tax collectors? Are we broken with and for them? (I Corinthians 5:9-11). We used to be like them– lost. Don’t forget where God brought you from.
  • Lost people do what lost people are supposed to do. They are lost! Lost people don’t need just a scolding– they need love too. (Luke 15:5-6). Sometimes, we the church, put them down so far and show so little love, they see no way out.
  • Every human being has been created in the image of God and is worth searching for.
  • Some of us were covered with dirt (like the coin), and God can clean us up.
  • How hard are we willing to search for the lost?

Limiting God Through Selfishness

  • Matthew 20:20-28; James 4:1
  • God centered vs. self centered.
  • To know and do the will of God, I must live a God centered life (John 12:23-25) and deny myself.
  • I must focus my life on God’s purpose, not on my plans (Genesis 6:5-14; Judges 6:11-16; Acts 9:1-16)
  • I must wait until God shows me what He’s going to do through me. We must join Him at work around us.
  • Understanding what God is about to do is more important than us telling God what we’re going to do.
  • God will accomplish more through us yielded to Him than we ever will in our own strength.

Knowing the Author

“Knowing the Bible is one thing. Knowing the Author is another!”

Faith Sees, Believes, and Receives

“Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives from God, the impossible. “

Looking Down on Your Fellow Man

“Never look down on your fellow man, only God sits that high.”

Fearing God

“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.” – Oswald Chambers

That I Still Possess

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” – Martin Luther

God Whispers, Speaks, and Shouts

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” – C. S. Lewis

Called to Suffer

“The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention. It may be the closest you’ll ever get to God.” – Max Lucado

When Our Foundation Shakes

“We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking only to learn that it is God shaking them.” – Charles West

Job 2:9-10

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. – Job 2:9-10 (ESV)

Consider: Job didn’t do anything to “deserve” what was happening to him. His wife turned against him, yet he kept his focus on God. We tend to focus on situations and circumstance, but Job reminds us to stay locked in on God and hold on for the ride. God is not unaware during the good times or the bad times. It’s OK to ask “why” questions, but if we focus on the “why,” there’s a really good chance we will miss out on what God is doing. Of course, this is easier said than done.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (ESV)

Consider: Usually, the best gift we can give to anyone is the gift of ourselves – our time, our talent, our energy, and so on. God did the same for us – He gave Himself. Not only can we have a deep friendship with Him here and now, but also into eternity. His gift made the way.

Oh God of Second Chances and New Beginnings

“Oh God of second chances and new beginnings, here I am… again!”

God is Awake

“When you have laboriously accomplished your daily tasks, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.” – Victor Hugo

Saved by God’s Mercy

“We are saved by God’s mercy, not by our merit – by Christ’s dying, not by our doing.”

The Beauty of Math – 101%

1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn’t it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Now, take a look at 101%.

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint, what equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here’s a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it’s the Love of God that will put you over the top!

 
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