WORK IT OUT

The following was taken from Joel Osteen's little devotional book entitled Your Best Life Begins Each Morning. The title is "Work It Out".

Work out your own salvation. - Philippians 2:12

Certainly, none of us enjoy going through struggles, but you have to understand that your struggle may be an opportunity for advancement and promotion. The very thing you are fighting against so tenaciously may be the springboard that catapults you to a new level of excellence. Your challenges may become your greatest assets.

Without the resistance of air, an eagle can't soar. Without the resistance of water, a ship can't float. Without the resistance of gravity, you and I can't even walk. Without opposition or resistance, there is no potential for progress. There are no shortcuts; there is no easy way to mature physically, emotionally, or spiritually. You must remain determined and work with God. Salvation is more than a onetime prayer. It is constantly cooperating with God, dealing with the issues He brings up, keeping a good attitude, and allowing Him to change you as He sees fit.

My thoughts on this subject: As I am writing this I am reflecting on the past hour or so. We went to the 24 Hour Fitness Center as we do often. Some days I go to the Silver Sneaker exercise class but today I just rode a stationary bike. On those bikes you can turn up the "resistance" so you can hardly make those pedals go around. I seldom turn it up that high, but I do turn it up higher than I did when I first started riding over a year ago, and I can ride it a lot longer and faster. This devotional by Joel Osteen reminded me of my "gym" experience. I'm not in wonderful shape, but I'm in a lot better shape than I would have been if I had not been doing this exercise for the past year. Obviously "resistance" has benefits. I need to stop seeing my struggles as "problems" and see them as growing opportunities. Of course reading and studying the Bible is an even better way to "grow" spiritually. Reading what others have shared on Spiritual Sundays has been extremely helpful to me as well.

If you didn't come here from Spiritual Sundays blog I hope you will go there and check out all the links to many great posts that others have shared there. You might even want to participate by linking a post on your own blog. Click HERE to go there.

A Clean Heart

Be sure to visit Spiritual Sundays for links to lots of inspirational posts.

Thank you to each dear "heart" who shares there.

SPEAK TO YOUR MOUNTAIN

"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be taken up and cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."

Mark 11:23-24 NASB

In his little devotional book, Your Best Life Begins Each Morning, Joel Osteen shared these thoughts.

WHAT MOUNTAIN IS IN FRONT of you this morning―a sickness, a troubled relationship, a floundering business? Jesus said that whatever your mountain is, you must do more than think or pray about it; you must speak to that obstacle.

The Bible says, "Let the weakling say, 'I am strong'" (Joel 3:10). Start calling yourself healed, happy, whole, blessed, and prosperous. God is a miracle-working God. Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are, and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is!

Charlotte's thoughts: I think this is good. I can remember arguing with my cousin about this scripture when I was about 12 years old. He just laughed at me, but I argued that if the Bible says it, it has to be true. As I got older I realized a literal mountain like the one in the picture was not exactly what was being talked about in this scripture. Although "BELIEVE" is the key word here. I did believe that when I was 12. I still do. God has moved a lot of mountains for me in my lifetime. 

Please visit Spiritual Sundays blog for links to many inspirational posts. 

A REAL LIFE FAIRY TALE

...and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (Mark 10-44)

Marion Mill was born in a fairy tale royal palace in Hungary. Her first spoon was solid gold. They sent her to school in Vienna where she became an actress and there she met and fell in love with a young medical student named Otto.

Otto and Marion married and went to live in Hollywood, California. There, as they "set up house," he began to dabble in movies. He became so interested in movies and in directing movies that he gave up his medical practice and went on to become the internationally famous movie director Otto Preminger. Marion's beauty, wit, and irresistible charm brought her everything a woman desires. In Europe, New York and Hollywood, she became a famous international hostess. But Otto's princess could not handle the fast life of Hollywood. She dove into alcohol, drugs and numerous affairs. Her life and life-style became so sordid, even for Hollywood, that Otto Preminger divorced Marion. She tried to take her own life three times, unsuccessfully, and finally moved back to Vienna.

There at a party, she met another doctor ― Albert Schweitzer, the well-known medical doctor, musician, philosopher, theologian  and missionary Schweitzer was home on leave from his hospital in Lamberene, Africa. She was so fascinated by Schweitzer that she asked him if she could talk to him alone. For almost six months she met with Dr. Albert Schweitzer every week. At the end of that time he was going to go back to Africa and she begged him to let her go with him. Schweitzer surprised everyone by agreeing. Marion, the young princess, who was born in a palace, went to a little village in Lambarene, Africa, and spent the rest of her life emptying bed pans and tearing up sheets to make bandages for putrid sores on the poverty stricken nationals.

She wrote her autobiography. I love the title of it - All I Want is Everything. When she died, Time Magazine quoted from her autobiography these words: "Albert Schweitzer says there are two kinds of people. There are the helpers and the non-helpers. I thank God He allowed me to become a helper, and in helping, I found everything." 

This story was shared by Jim Borror of Scottsdale Bible Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a devotional book the church had printed as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the church. I'm happy to be a member of that great church. It was started 50 years ago when 13 people met in a home. It has grown to about 7000 members now and is active in missions around the world as well as locally. 

Of course I'm sharing this for Spiritual Sundays. 

You may click HERE to go to that blog for many links to inspirational posts others have shared.

Show & Tell

I John 4:11

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

A Salvation Army worker found a derelict woman alone on the street and invited her to come into the chapel for help, but the woman refused to move. The female worker assured her: "We love you and want to help you. God loves you. Jesus died for you." But the woman did not budge.

As if on divine impulse, the worker leaned over and kissed the woman on the cheek, taking her into her arms. The woman began to sob and, like a child, was led into the chapel, where she ultimately trusted Christ.

"You told me that God loved me" she said later, "but it wasn't until you showed me that God loved me that I wanted to be saved."

Jesus did not simply preach the love of God; He proved it by giving His life on the cross. He expects His followers to do likewise. If we abide in Christ, we will abide in His love. If we abide in His love, we must share this love with others. In other words, as Christians there is no separation between our inner life and our outer life.

This devotional was taken from Warren Wiersbe's book Pause for Power.


There are many ways we can show Christ's love for others. As I was typing this message, one of our Spiritual Sundays people came to my mind. That person calls herself micey. Her name is Michelle. She has linked with us on Spiritual Sundays almost every week since we first started this blog. Right now micey is making preparation to go to Africa on another mission trip. If you are not acquainted with her I hope you will visit her blog and learn all about this trip that is coming up very soon. You can click HERE to go to her blog.

And you can click HERE to go to the Spiritual Sundays blog to find links to lots of inspiring posts. You may want to participate by sharing something of an inspirational nature on your own blog. There are instructions there on how to do it.

LIGHTEN UP

There are so many good devotionals in Warren Wiersbe's little book called Pause for Power. Today I want to share with you the one called "Lighten Up." It's short but the message is good.

Read I John 2:9-11
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

A man who was walking down a dark street one night saw a pinpoint of light coming toward him in a faltering way. He thought perhaps the person carrying the light was ill or drunk, but as he drew nearer he could see a man carrying a flashlight and a white cane.

Why would a blind man be carrying a light? the man wondered, and then he decided to ask. 

The blind man smiled. "I carry my light not so I can see, but so that others can see me. I cannot help being blind," he said, "but I can help being a stumbling block."

The best way to help other Christians not to stumble is to love them. Love makes us stepping-stones; hatred (or any of its "cousins," such as envy or malice) makes us stumbling blocks. It is important that we Christians exercise love in a local church or else there will be problems and disunity. If we are falling over each other, instead of lifting each other higher, we will never become a happy spiritual family.

As I was thinking about this devotional, I thought about how so many of you who share on Spiritual Sundays "lift us up" by sharing your hearts with us each week. You can click HERE to go to that blog and click on the different links. You will find a big variety of interesting and inspirational thoughts.

LOST

It happened again last night. I had that dream again. I was so glad when I woke up to realize it was just a dream. Several times I have dreamed that I lost my purse. I was still thinking about the dream when I woke up and the word "lost" kept coming to my mind.

People lose things all the time. Many even lose purses. I actually did lose mine a couple of times, but each time I got it back after panic and much prayer. I'm much more careful now. As bad as losing something in this life can be, how much worse it would be to lose our souls. The Bible says "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul."

1. Matthew 16:26
   For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
   Matthew 16:25-27 (in Context) Matthew 16 (Whole Chapter)
2. Mark 8:36
   For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
   Mark 8:35-37 (in Context) Mark 8 (Whole Chapter)
3. Luke 9:25
   For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
   Luke 9:24-26 (in Context) Luke 9 (Whole Chapter)

I think lost is one of the saddest words in the English language. We all know people who are lost. We need to help them find their way if we can. 
"The way" in the Bible: John 14:6 
There is exactly one way to God, according to the Bible: Jesus Christ. He is the "way, the truth, and the life." No one will come to the Father except through Jesus.

I hope you will take the time to visit as many links in the Spiritual Sundays blog as you can. There are so many inspiring posts that are shared each week. 

SO FAR ABOVE

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! - Psalm 8:3-9 (KJV)

"O Lord, Our Lord." Do you know that song? The above scripture was the inspiration for the song. I memorized it when I was 12 or 13 years old. The youth choir at our little church memorized all the songs we sang because our leader didn't want us holding a book when we "performed". I loved this song then and I still do.

This video has been around for awhile and I think I have shared it in the past, but I think it goes well with the scripture in Psalms.

Spiritual Sundays is the place to be each weekend for lots of links to inspirational posts. Click HERE to go to that blog. You may want to link there and share a post on your blog.

I hope everyone has a blessed new year. Let's make 2012 a year to remember - in a good way.

Tom and Alura

Anything good? That's the question I always ask Clif when he brings the mail in. Most of the time it is just junk mail but once in a while there is something good. Yesterday when I asked him, he said we got a Christmas card from Tom and Lou. "I always call them Lou and Tom," I replied. It's always been Lou and Tom - not Tom and Lou. He said, "Well, they're more formal. The return address says Tom and Alura." Why was this beautiful Christmas card and a four page hand written letter special to me? Alura (Lou) is my dad's youngest sister. She's 93 years old. Her husband Tom is 95. They still live at home and take care of themselves. They have a lady that comes in once every two weeks and cleans the house. They've been married for 72 years. I think that is remarkable. I remember when I was growing up I was always compared to my Aunt Lou. People said I looked like her. Maybe this is a good "omen" for me. LOL

Some of my most cherished childhood memories are going to their farm in Oklahoma. They sold their farm and moved to town about 15 years ago. Tom bought himself a new pickup for his 90th birthday. And they both played golf regularly until just a few years ago. In her letter she updated us on all their kids and grandkids. She was proud they all had college educations. Lou and Tom lived their entire lives in the same area in Oklahoma. I remember many years ago they visited us when my parents and I lived in Colorado. Lou really fell in love with Colorado and I think for just a short time, she wished she lived there. Her heart was in Oklahoma though and it didn't take her long to "get over it."

I credit at least part of their longevity to all that good fresh food they grew on their farm. Clif added, "and clean air." I think the main thing though was the Lord was blessing them in every way. They have both been faithful Christians all their lives.

Thank you for letting me reminisce a little. I hope you have a Lou and Tom in your lives. Even more importantly, I hope you have their Lord in your lives.

I'm sharing this tribute for Spiritual Sundays.  Again, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6-7

AMAZING GRACE - Not Just Soap

Amazing Grace is not just soap? Of course not. We all know about Amazing Grace ― the spiritual kind (at least I hope we do) ― but how many know about Amazing Grace soap? I just found out about it recently. So how did I find out about this amazing soap? It was at an Arts & Crafts Festival in Fountain Hills, AZ. Did I buy some of it? No. But after I got home I wished I had. And why is that, you ask? I did buy a jar of their Body Butter and I love love loved it. When I bought the Body Butter I was given a small sample of their soap. (It is so wise to give samples.) Well, I used that little sample all up and was sold on it. But the Fair was over, so I looked it up online. A little research by my dear hubby and we found out they would be at the Tempe Festival of the Arts. It can also be ordered online, of course, but since they were going to be at the Festival I thought it would be a good excuse to go to it. We always enjoy going there anyway. We were so glad we went because we met the lovely lady who makes these beautiful soaps and her husband also. Amazing Grace is just one of the choices they have. Many different fruity and flower "flavors" are also available. And they are all amazing. The problem I had was deciding which fragrance to choose. Amazing Grace was the one I finally chose, partly because of the pink color. They do have other colors. So this is one of my Christmas presents. It's under the tree now in the lovely bag they provided. Here is their website if you would like to find out more about their products. http://SophisticatedSoap.com/index.htm

As wonderful as this soap is, it pales in comparison to God's Amazing Grace. There is a reason why Amazing Grace is one of the most popular songs in the religious world. That Jesus would leave his heavenly home, come to earth, live here showing us how we should live, and then going to the cross, dying in our place. And of course just as important, his resurrection and promised return to this earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now, that is truly AMAZING GRACE.

I'm sharing this both for Spiritual Sundays and for Pink Saturday. I hope you will visit both of these links to find many wonderful posts both of the spiritual and pink varieties.

Silent Night

After posting some history behind O Little Town of Bethlehem, I decided to see what I could find out about an even more popular carol — Silent Night. Here is what I found online.

On December 24, 1818 the carol "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht" was heard for the first time in a village church in Oberndorf, Austria. The congregation at that Midnight Mass in St. Nicholas Church listened as the voices of the assistant pastor, Fr. Joseph Mohr, and the choir director, Franz Xaver Gruber, rang through the church to the accompaniment of Fr. Mohr's guitar. On each of the six verses, the choir repeated the last two lines in four-part harmony.

On that evening in 1818 Joseph Mohr journeyed to the home of musician-schoolteacher Franz Gruber who lived in an apartment over the schoolhouse in nearby Arnsdorf. He showed his friend a poem he had written and asked him to add a melody and guitar accompaniment so that it could be sung at Midnight Mass. His reason for wanting the new carol is unknown. Some speculate that the organ would not work; others feel that the assistant pastor, who dearly loved guitar music, merely wanted a new carol for Christmas. Later that evening, as the two men, backed by the choir, stood in front of the main altar in St. Nicholas Church and sang "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!" for the first time, they could hardly imagine the impact their composition would have on the world. Now translated into hundreds of languages, it is sung by untold millions every December from small chapels in the Andes to great cathedrals in Antwerp and Rome.

I learned this carol in school way back when Christmas was celebrated in public schools and Christmas plays were the norm. In fact, I think I learned most of the carols that I love today in school. Today's children are denied that blessing. How sad for America's children.


I'm sharing this for Spiritual Sundays. You can go there to find links to many spiritual and inspirational posts on different blogs. You may want to share. There is info there about how to do it.