35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
Mark Twain
Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.
Omar N. Bradley
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
Anais Nin
We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
There are times in life when we just simply have to step out on faith.
Twenty years ago my husband and I did just that. I was seven months pregnant and we had prayed and prayed for God to bless my husband with a position making more money so that I could stay at home with our new baby that was soon to be born.
After many prayers God blessed him to receive a new position within the same company that he was already working for. We had no clue that an unexpected move would come with this promotion. Wow! Be careful what you pray for. After accepting the reality that a move was inevitable we actually started to look forward to the adventure of it all.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
Psalm 144:12 May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
Deuteronomy 4:9-10 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. 10 Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai,[a] where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’
For many years now I have written my prayers to God. The idea to pray this way came to me when I was about 18 years old and away in college. The exact thought was “why don’t you write a letter to God”. For many years I saw it as an idea that just popped into my head one day. I am now convinced that it was definitely the Holy Spirit guiding and preparing me, even at a young age for the writing I am doing now. You see I truly have never considered myself a writer. Those of you who are writers are probably saying “so true” right now. I see myself as a person who is simply writing to share her story, a person that is deeply in love with the awesome God of this Universe, who is my Lord and Savior, my Blessed Redeemer and my only hope always.
2 Corinthians 4:18….. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 6:10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
Psalms 23: 2-3 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Several weeks ago while traveling my husband and I had an opportunity to visit my brother and his family. This is always a treat for us since we only get to see them 2-3 times a year. My brother and his wife have been blessed with the gift of hospitality. They have truly mastered the art of entertaining.
When you leave their home you literally feel like you have been blessed to have a few nights away at a 5 star Bed and Breakfast. They love to cook and they make a great team in the kitchen. They each have their specialties’ that they enjoy preparing when guest come. And believe me they have their share of guest.
When we are there our children really enjoy each other’s company and that makes for a fun time. We have lots of laughs and of course we always have to revisit our good old childhood memories, which seem rather pre-historic to our children. The visit is just not complete without sharing those well over told stories with them one more time.
Usually after having a great meal we retire to the living area. We can sit for hours with he and his wife just talking about the wonderful things God is doing in all of our lives and just how great He is. It seems that when we start these conversations our time just gets away from us and before we know it, the whole evening has gone by. In our conversation on this last trip my brother made the statement: “the best things in life cannot be purchased” We started to name a few of the things that money cannot buy. I thought I would share some of these with you today just as a reminder of how richly blessed we are.
Things money can not buy: peace, joy, contentment, hope, great health, a beautiful sun shinny day, family, and your relationship with God, wisdom, a great friend, salvation/ eternal life and love. Just to name a few. All of these things are straight from the hand of God and none of these can be purchased.
Most of the time we work endless hours to acquire money to purchase more and more things. These are usually material items that our eyes simply cannot resist, such as a shiny new car, a beautiful home, the finest clothes, jewelry with the most sparkle or bling, and don’t forget those lavish vacations.
Please know that I enjoy beautiful things also and that there is no sin in having nice things. Yes, please hear me, there is no sin in having nice things. However while these also are blessing from God, you will never find complete fulfillment in obtaining them. Our greatest joy actually comes in the things we cannot see at all. The evidence of some of these flow through us. An example of this would be a person who has joy, is joyful. People who are at peace or are content are usually calm in their demeanor, because they have learned how to rest in God and trust His will for their lives.
Where are you today? Are you truly enjoying the gifts that are free to us straight from the hand of our Father, or are you chasing the things that have no eternal value and can never truly bring peace or contentment? If so, maybe it’s time to get still with paper and pen in hand and re-evaluate some things. Make a list of the things you have been blessed with that have cost you nothing. I think you will be amazed. I also think that you would not trade one of those for something material.
Let’s fully enjoy all that God has given us and realize that we are already rich beyond measure. We simply need to take time to review what we freely possess.
May your cup run over today with peace, joy, love, contentment, and most of all gratitude.
Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
Colossians 3:12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Isaiah 49:15 (NLT)
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
Proverbs 31:28
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her: