Walking alone?

Often times in our Christian lives we feel that we are walking alone. Not only are we walking alone, but when it comes to following the direction of God, we feel that we are standing alone. We feel as if there is no one who will stand beside us. We just feel alone.

But are we alone? Do we want to be alone?

There will be times where we must Stand Alone, but that does not mean we are really standing on our own without without Christ or without his Father, our God, the divine Creator Who as a Spirit is everywhere every time. God is always with His creation.


The apostle Paul did know that he had to do a big battle, but that he was not left alone to do it.
Luke was mentioned as being present with Paul at the end, but Paul still did felt “at my first answer no man stood with me…” except “…the Lord stood with me…”

We may have no guilt in life, no fear in death because we can find the power of Christ in us.
From life’s first cry to final breath Jesus should command our destiny. By following Christ Jesus, Jeshua the son of God, no power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck us from Jesus his hand nor from God His hand.


Like the apostle Paul and the first Christians we have to do more than our part at first. We might feel alone in this big world of materialism which does not seem to be interested in a future life nor a god.

Often we are thinking we are important in this world. But are we really that? Are we not just like a little grain of sand on the beach?
We may become of certain importance but than we also have to make others feel important – because they are. We should be concerned about their future and let them feel that we are not only interested in ourselves.


When we are willing to willing to get uncomfortable, at the same time trusting in the Creator God, we should not worry so much. We may trust that He Who started to work in us will bring us further on our way. (Philippians 1:6)

We also mostly forget that when we need a helping hand, we may find one at the end of our arm.

As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands.  One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
- Audrey Hepburn

“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?”
- George Eliot

“Determine never to be idle… It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.”
— Thomas Jefferson

How bouncy are you? Can you use setbacks to spring you into new realizations? Use insults or criticisms to lift you into new heights?
The next time you get knocked down, remember that you have a choice whether you want to rest first, or bounce right back up.
Try it right now. See if you can bounce off any resistance or bad feelings. See how high you can go. See if you can shift your view.
- From Thought For Today.

In the power of Christ we shall be able to stand .



Please do find:

Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #6 Prayer #4 Attitude 

Stand Alone

Taming the Beast

Thinking Like an Elephant

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Joy: Foundation for a Positive Life

JOY:  Foundation for a Positive Life

   Wouldn’t you like to experience deep and enduring joy?  Wouldn’t you like to be joy-full?  Be assured ~ you can!

   The world has a woeful shortage of joy and a surplus of fear, worry, discouragement and depression.  Even the “pursuit of happiness” and obsessive pleasure-seeking do not bring deep and lasting joy.

   Let’s first understand the difference between joy and happiness.  Happiness is an emotion, and God never intended for people to be in that emotional state all the time.  There is “a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

   Biblical joy ~ true joy ~ comes from filling the spiritual void with good relationships, primarily an intimate relationship with the One who is pure joy.  Jesus put it this way:  “I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5).  That fruit includes much joy!

   The Bible speaks much more often of joy than of being happy.  “Hap” means chance and is the root of several words ~ happen, haphazard (dependent on mere chance), hapless, happenstance (a chance circumstance) and happy.

   Happiness is a glad feeling that depends on something good happening.  God wants us to experience happy times (as long as God approves of what is happening).  But His greater desire is that you have unconditional JOY.  Jesus said His joy would “remain in you” and “your joy no one will take from you” (John 15:11; 16:22).

   Think of joy as a strong foundation that supports a variety of healthy emotions, including happiness. The long-range evidence of joy is general gratitude, contentment, optimism, a sense of freedom and other positive attitudes.

   Joy looks out and up, not inward ~ A common mistake is to think that getting something will make you happy.  We tell ourselves, “If only…”  But joy and happiness come much more from giving and serving than from getting.

   The Apostle Paul reminded his listeners that Jesus Christ had taught this very thing:  “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35, TEV).

   To grow in joy, we must resist not only self-pity but also being self-centered and self-absorbed. For joy to flourish, we must focus on loving others and especially on loving God.

   Joy is largely composed of gratitude ~ gratitude for the wonderful things God has done for us and His “exceedingly great and precious promises” for our future (2 Peter 1:4).  Gratitude produces joy (1 Thes. 5:16-18).  And our gratitude should be for other people’s blessings as well as for our own (Romans 12:15).

   Try to follow this biblical formula:  Add to your life gratitude, humility, forgiveness, faith, hope, patience and love.  Take away resentment, anger, fear, worry, materialism, greed, jealousy, complaining and pride.  The result? JOY!

   Joy is spiritual, supernatural and essential ~ God is joyful ~ far more than any human being ever was!  It is tragic that many people think of God as somber and stern rather than cheerful and smiling.  He is enjoying His creation and especially the delightful anticipation of many new “sons of God” (Rom. 8:14, 19).

   True followers of Jesus Christ will be joyful also.  Psalm 68:3 says, “Let the righteous be glad;…let them rejoice exceedingly.”  God desires that we serve Him “with joy and gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47).

   Paul spoke of the “joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). It is through His Spirit that God shares and communicates His joy.  And when Paul lists the “fruit of the Spirit,” joy is second, preceded only by love (Galatians 5:22-23).  If we are filled with godly love, won’t that produce joy?  Of course it will!

   Joy is a major topic in the Bible.  In the KJV, “joy” appears 158 times and “rejoice” 198 times (not counting other variations such as joyful, joyfully, joyous, jubilant, happy and glad).  Rejoice is the verb form of joy, meaning to feel or have joy!  Clearly there is great emphasis in the Bible on expressing joy.  That explains why the Bible also emphasizes prayers and songs that praise and celebrate God (James 5:13; Psalm 150; Colossians 3:16, 17).

   Joy is not optional.  The Bible repeatedly commands us to rejoice!   The most emphatic exhortation is in Philippians 4:4, where Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, Rejoice!”

   Joy because of trials?  God’s joy continues to flow through His people even during their suffering because of their rock-solid hope of future everlasting joy in His Presence.  They know that all suffering is limited to this short life, and the time will soon come when “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying” (Revelation 21:4).  They “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).

   We also have good reason to rejoice because of our trials when we understand how God is using those trials to help us build godly character.  “And we know that God works all things (even severe trials) for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). More specifically, Paul wrote that “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope” (Romans 5:3, 4 NIV).  James wrote, “Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” in remaining faithful to God (James 1:2 NIV).

   And because Christ suffered for each of us, we should have a special joy when we are persecuted for our faith.  Jesus said, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11, 12).

   The number one key to Joy: God’s Spirit ~ Supreme joy is God’s nature and character!  We see proof everywhere in God’s creation, i.e., birds singing, animals frolicking, flowers blooming, brooks babbling and the sun shining!

   Our unique joy begins when Christ comes to live in us (Gal. 2:20). We then have an intimate relationship with the Lord God, through His Son ~ the One Psalm 43:4 calls “God, my exceeding joy!”  God’s Spirit is a tree of life, producing life-giving fruit which includes great joy!

   Jesus prayed for His followers “that they may have My joy fulfilled in them” (John 17:13). He taught, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full!” (John 16:24).

                                                                                         Don Hooser                             

Give your worries to God

“Any concern too small to be a prayer is too small to be a burden.”
- Corrie ten Boom

"Give your worries to God before you
sleep, 'cause He's going to be awake anyhow"
- Unknown

"God does not give his grace as he gives his sunlight
- proportional poured over all.
He brings distinction in spiritual blessings.
He gives strength to the extent that we need it.
His eye is always on us  in tender, caring love
and He provides us with what we need."
- J. R. Miller

“Jehovah is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
Jehovah is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1

“Jehovah is my strength and song,
And he is become my salvation:
This is my God, and I will praise him; My father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
Exodus 15:2

Jehovah have mercy on me and my neighbours.
Take worries away from us and guide us safely through this life.
I will sacrifice unto you with the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay that which I have vowed.
By you Yahweh, Jehovah, my God is my salvation.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Geef uw zorgen aan God

Look for today

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Proverbs 27:1, New International Version

---

    Humility about the future! We don't control tomorrow. At other times in our lives we may have taken tomorrow for granted; not so anymore. Tomorrow may not come. Tomorrow something horrible could happen. Tomorrow everything we possess could be gone. In the face of these discouraging possibilities, is there anything positive we can hold onto? Absolutely! We know that God holds tomorrow in his hands. We know that because our life is hidden with Christ in God (cf. Col. 3:1-4) our tomorrow is secure. It might not be what we expect. It might not go as we planned. But, it will go as God determines and it will end up with us sharing in his comfort, victory, and glory.

“1   So, if all of you have been raised up together with the Christ, continue seeking those things above, where the Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. {Psalm 110:1} 2  Continue thinking about things above, and do not keep thinking about earthly things. 3  For all of you died and your life is carefully concealed with the Christ in union with The God. 4  Whenever the Christ–our Life–becomes visible, then all of you, also, together with him, will become visible in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4 MHM)

    Father, my tomorrows all rest in your hands. I ask that I can be useful to you today; courageous enough not to worry about tomorrow, and loyal enough to not waver in my love for you and my commitment to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Christelijke Overdenking: Kijk naar vandaag

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A small trouble is like a pebble

"A small trouble is like a pebble.
Hold it too close to your eye and it fills the whole world and puts everything out of focus.
Hold it at a proper distance and it can be examined and properly classified.
Throw it at your feet and it can be seen in its true setting, just one more tiny bump on the pathway of life."
- Celia Luce

"Nobody will make a lock without a key.
Similarly God will not give problems without solutions.

If a problem can be solved, then there is no need to worry about it.
If a problem can not be solved, what is the point in worrying about it?"
- Author unknown

"Faith is not a guarantee against trouble, but to defeat."
- Corrie ten Boom

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

By Your mercy, God we are entrusted with the service of proclamation why we never lose heart. No, we give not up hope. Although we also have the outward man perish, our inner life renews itself day by day, and here we can count on because we believe in Your Word and the Gospels being assured that we will be able to harvest on time.
Jehovah, You are the one who gives strength to the weary again, and the indigent an abundance of power. We, who rely on you, renew our strength and mount up with wings as eagles; we will be able to walk and not become tired, run and not become depleted. For this we plan with the new man on his way to true understanding, innovating after the image of its creator.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Een kleine moeite is als een kiezelsteen

English: Betsie, Nollie, Casper, Willem, Cornelia, Corrie ten Boom in 1900. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Try driving forward instead of backwards

Dutch translation / Nederlandse vertaling > Probeer vooruit te rijden in plaats van achteruit

"Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before His presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD He is God:
it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise:
be thankful unto Him, and bless His name."
Psalm 100:2-4

"How many times to we begin our prayers with thankfulness?

Someone once said, "There [are] so many times that we load up all of our
burdens and worries onto a big dump truck and we put that truck in reverse
and then we back that truck right up to the throne of God and flip the switch
and dump all of that trash at God's feet, all without ever seeing Him."

This is completely backwards from God's teachings.
We should enter God's presence with praises and thankfulness.
Then, after we have spent time thanking God for His mercies
and praising Him for his greatness,
we can turn the truck around and unload our worries and burdens.

Which direction are you driving your dump truck today?

Try driving forward instead of backwards into the presence of God."
(From The Daily Psalm)
 

English: Dump Truck 1b (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God Feeds The Birds

God Feeds The Birds

MATTHEW 6:26 LB
26 Look at the birds! They don't worry about what to eat-- they don't need to sow or reap or store up food -- for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are.

 

English: Female House Sparrow, Bairnsdale Australia. Taken in September 2006. See also Image:House sparrow03.jpg. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you ever watched birds eating on a snowy day? It takes some effort on their part. They don't just sit in a heated house waiting for someone to bring them food.
Is God feeding them? Directly or indirectly?
Jesus stated clearly that God is the one who provides food for the birds. This implies that God provides for every creature.
Yet, if a bird sits still, instead of gathering the food God has provided for them, they will starve.
Yes, the birds can be a good lesson for us. They don't worry. Neither should we. They gather what God provides for them. So should we.

I don't know whether the birds are thankful to God, or not. But we should be thankful. And we should recognize that God is the Source of all the good that we enjoy in life.

So work, but don't worry. (And if you can't do normal work -- still don't worry, because God cares more for you than He does the birds, and He will provide for you somehow.)
SAY THIS: God cares for the birds, so I know He will take care of me.

-   a devotion

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Rejoicing in the day

—This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (v. 24)

Believers should live in a state of rejoicing because believers have a unique comfort. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ know that there is a purpose and meaning to life. We didn't crawl out of the primordial slime and are simply trying to be among the fittest that survive. We also know that our future is solidly in the hands of our Creator. We also know that our past misdeeds are forgiven. We can move forward by living in today because both the past and the future are taken care of.

The Lord made this day. Perhaps the meaning of this is simply that God caused the sun to rise and shine. Let me suggest another possible meaning too. Maybe the "day" the Lord has made is the circumstances in our lives. Maybe what we are being told that this day with all of its joy and all of its challenges is a gift from God to be enjoyed.

How sad is it for those who cannot rejoice in today because they want yesterday to be different than it was or are worried about tomorrow. Don't you know people like that? They are miserable today because of something someone did or said to them in the past. They are miserable today because they think something bad could happen in the future. Both past and future are God's business, not ours. God has given us today and today only to rejoice and be glad in. We should never let the past or future interfere with our present rejoicing. We can only do one thing at a time in the moment we are in. Whatever moment God has given us—whatever task God has given us—let us do it unto the Lord and savor it.

I sometimes ask worrywarts why they are giving up today for something that MIGHT happen in the future. Isn't the real enemy our diabolos or lack of faith? If we can change our thinking, wouldn't we be much better off? We can rejoice here and now.

So do not worry; do not say, `What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?' It is the gentiles who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God's saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:31-34 NJB)

Have a great week,
Tucker


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