Thought for the day

Thought For The Day: What You Water Will Grow – Matthew 13

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For the last two or three years I have tried my hand at gardening. While I admittedly am not very good at it. I like the idea of planting a seedling into the ground with the children and watching it change over time. Now another point of truth, I get far more excited about this than my children. Maybe if I were more successful they would be more enthusiastic. However here is the Golden Nugget that you each need to take away about life. WHAT YOU WATER WILL GROW SO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS GROWING IN YOUR GARDEN.

I have a few planters in my yard from years of attempts at gardening. This year my succulents are doing pretty good. However in the white planter where I try to plant some kind of vegetable there seems to be something that wants to sprout life. Now this planter has been dead since oh around the third week after Good Friday, yeah i killed them early this year. So a good amount of time has passed and I’m pretty sure that even the squirrels have stopped digging for whatever roots might have still been in the ground. This is a planter of barren land if you get my drift. Ok so as I stated my succulents are growing beautifully. There is a purple and green vine plant that i have pinched and made others. There is a plant that was dead in walmart that is now growing beautifully and she was free. There is a little basket of carnations that was on clearance at walmart. Finally there is one peace lily from my Grandmothers funeral that has had some rough times but insists on hanging in there with me and I am so thankful.

However now all of a sudden there is life in the white planter. I see this life peeking barley over the lid of the the planter and on hot days it screams water me. Now the sad thing is I’m sometimes tempted to do just that, Just because it is struggling for life it wants to grow and is putting forth its best effort to do so. But what if i did, what if i went out there all enthusiastic watered this unknown plant and neglected the plants I know. What if I watered and tended to and cared for that plant even though I understand it is a weed. You follow me?

Many times in life will tend to and water the weeds in our life and let the succulents die. Not meaning to let them die, we figure they can thrive and survive if we give the weed just a little bit of attention. We just talk bad bout our spouse to our closest friends and family. the marriage will survive. We just distance ourselves from our family, the kids won’t notice or suffer. We just feed into this addiction just a little every now and then it won’t hurt anyone no one will know. I will go to bed angry tonight but I’ll be better in the morning. Oh no? Not this morning? Or the next as a matter of fact the more i do it the harder it becomes to get over just being angry not even remembering what ticked me off in the first place but somehow i will get back to forgiving ol me. right?

Watering the weed just once can give it all the strength it needs to destroy the garden. My current trials and errors have taught me to better understand the nature of the weed. The weed was not creating to get a little light and die, or get a little water and die , the weed unlike my vegetables was made to endure and outlive and choke out any competition that is in the garden. As a matter of fact it can be so intrusive that the Bible tells them to leave it bc if you pluck out the weed you will kill the wheat. Meaning its best not to ever have weeds in your garden, to prevent them from taking root because once they do letting them live or die can destroy your harvest.

Its hard to remember that when you think a negative thought about someone you are watering a weed. Its hard to think that when you don’t pray for someone you are watering a weed. So many of us wonder why our relationships don’t work, why we can’t stop looking thinking the worst in others it’s because the weeds are being allowed to grow. However in our lives prayer and thinking on the good are the best weed repellents that we can have. I’m starting to really like the vine plants. It’s something about their beauty and they way the grow and spread that I find encouraging. Especially these last few months because I have been going through so much and trying to hold onto what I know is good and right even though some days I feel like I am losing the battle. The weeds of bitterness and resentment and anger are going to take over and who I have been for so long is going to lose. But I watch my plants growing and I see them stretching and reaching and holding on to every inch of space that is around them. My Grandmothers plant was looking dead and all of a sudden it rained and it was like it had new life spring from it. I speaks to me and tells me that even though I am in a desert a dry and painful place that the living water of Christ is all I need to refresh me and revive me. I just have to remember not to water the weeds and be happy they are in separate containers.

Be BLessed,
Riverangel42

“How to Lead” — WJD! for 10/28/2013

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I get daily emails from various writers from Joseph Prince to Phil Ware and when there is something that I read that tugs at the good ole heart strings, I like to share it with you. Hope you all enjoy.
Be Blessed,
RiverAngel42

“The person that serves you like a servant is the greatest person among you. Every person that makes himself better than other people will be made humble. Every person that makes himself humble will be made great.” — Matthew 23:11-12 (ERV)

Key Thought:

Humility is a greatly under-emphasized quality among humans. We don’t know what it means. We don’t know how to appreciate it. We don’t know how to do it. And we’re not all that sure we want to have it.
Culturally we’re much more drawn to the energetic, dynamic, charismatic, crowd-drawing leader. That’s who gets the headlines and the attention. But if we listen closely and watch carefully, we can see in Jesus someone who is humble, but strong; humble, but charismatic; humble, but crowd drawing; humble, but dynamic.
You see, the same Lord who stilled the storm and spoke to the crowds is the Lord who washed feet and died on a cross and held babies in his arms when it wasn’t politically correct.
So maybe we need to rethink humility and live it like Jesus did. Come to think of it, that’s exactly what we need to do; no maybe about it! Let’s be like Jesus and the humility comes along with the character!

Today’s Prayer:

O gracious Father, how and why you chose to become one of us in Jesus is too overwhelming to even fully contemplate. Yet your humility in redeeming us, Jesus’ humility in saving us, cuts such a deep impression on my heart that I want to be more like him. And on those days, dear Father, when I am too big for my own britches, humble me gently by reminding me of Jesus’ willing service to redeem me and bring me into your family. In the name of Christ the Lord I pray. Amen.

The Thoughts and Prayers for What Jesus Did! are written by Phil Ware.
Thank you for this wonderful word.

Thought for the Day – You Were Born to be You by Tom Norvell

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I read this a few minutes ago and felt it was a great share.

“You Were Born to be You!” — Daily Heartlight for 08/15/2013

Written by Tom Norvell

Who am I?
What was I created to be and to do?

Why am I here?

Do I have a purpose?

Does God have a plan for my life?

These are all questions we struggle with from time to time — questions some struggle with all the time.

How about you? Ever wonder why you were placed on this earth? Does another year passing make you sad because it means you still do not know why you were born?

Maybe the apostle Paul can offer us some help:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully (Romans 12:3-8 NIV).
Insight Number One: Maybe we think too much about ourselves.
In verse 3, Paul instructs us “Do not think more highly than you ought… ”

Maybe one way to read that would be, “Don’t spend so much time thinking about yourself.” Use sober or clear-headed judgment about yourself. Maybe we spend too much time trying to figure ourselves out when we should spend more time focusing on God and what He is doing, and how we can fit into His plan

Insight Number Two: God’s plan for us is not necessarily a puzzle to be solved.

It is mysterious. But, the puzzle has been solved:

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness — the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:25-! 26).
Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is a major part of the reason you are here, to allow Christ to be revealed in you. That happens when you have surrendered to Him. That happens when you have made your life a living sacrifice.
Insight Number Three: You were born to be you.

God makes it clear that we are all different, but we are all joined in Christ’s Body to be one. We all have different gives, but we make up the one body. We cannot be someone else. We do not have their gift. Although we may have similar qualities as our parents, as our siblings, as our closest friends, we are not them. We were not created to be them or to be like them. We were formed in our mother’s womb to be us. We are to be part of the Body of Christ as designed by God, and as He designed us.

You were born to be you. That is where you can be your best. That is where you will flourish. So, be who you were born to be: be you.

What Jesus Did by Phil Ware – Faith or Frustration

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“Faith or Frustration?” — WJD! for 08/14/2013

Jesus and the followers went back to the people. A man came to Jesus and bowed before him. The man said, “Lord, be kind to my son. He has epilepsy and is suffering very much. My son often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought my son to your followers, but they could not heal him.” Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. Your lives are all wrong. How long must I stay with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you? Bring the boy here.” Jesus gave a strong command to the demon inside the boy. Then the demon came out of the boy, and the boy was healed. — Matthew 17:14-18 (ERV)

Key Thought:

Why had Jesus’ closest followers not been able to heal the boy? Matthew 17:19 says that it was because they did not have enough faith, but why was that? Was it because of Jesus’ absence? Was it because of the leaders’ among the apostles being with Jesus? Was it because they simply lost faith in what Jesus had equipped them and empowered them to do?
Jesus is surely frustrated with our vain attempts to live for him and bless others with his grace. Just as Moses came down from his mountain of experience with God and found frustration and faithlessness, Jesus does, too. The message for us? Surely we must understand that we must have faith and when we do, Jesus can do great things through us. But … Jesus can and will do things without us if we choose not to follow and obey him. The issue is one of honoring and blessing him by having faith.

Today’s Prayer:

Holy God, I want you to be pleased by my choices and my actions as I seek to live by faith, trusting Jesus will use me to make a serious impact on others. Father, I believe, but help my faith to grow stronger each day. May all I do bring you glory and bless my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

Pastor Joseph Prince – Daily Inspriations “God Gives You Undeserved Preferential Treatment”

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Romans 1:7
7… Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When you fly first class in an airplane, the cabin crew gives you first-class treatment. They ask you, “Is everything okay with you, sir?” They ask you what magazines you want to read. They give you a blanket if you are cold. They give you the best kinds of food. They give you preferential treatment compared to those traveling in economy class.

The grace of God is defined as “undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor”. And one of the definitions for favor is “preferential treatment”! Today, God wants you to know that you have His favor on you. He wants you to know that He gives you preferential treatment which you do not deserve. And He wants you to depend on and take full advantage of it in your life.

God also wants you to know that His favor in your life can be increased. You can experience more of His favor from day to day. How? The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 1:2 that God’s grace (or favor) is multiplied to us “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. The more you behold Jesus and His love for you, the more you believe and confess that God’s favor is on you, the more you will see His favor work for you.

So if you are a doctor, you will find patients favoring you and you will have more patients than you can handle. If you are a businessman, you will find people just wanting to do business with you because they like you and feel good about you. Then, you will have more business than you can handle and you will need to plan for expansion!

When the favor of God shines on your church, you will find its premises too small for the people who queue up week after week to attend the services! So when people wonder and ask, “What is happening here?” you can tell them, “It is the favor of God multiplied all over us!” And it is all undeserved, unearned and unmerited!

Thought for the Day: Let Your Yes Be Yes

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There are many times when talking with another person we tell them, “Yes we will do…” and times when we say “No, we will not do…”. However, how many times do you find yourself reneging on your word? Sometimes we do it unintentionally yet other times we make it point to do exactly the opposite of what we have agreed. We try to justify it by saying well this person told me x,y and z and did the opposite so I am getting them back. That might be well and good but you should also be aware that not only are you telling a lie but that you are also going against God’s word.

The Bible states in James 5:12 12Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned. When you enter into an agreement with a person you are not only entering into an agreement with them but God. So if in your heart you have no intention of honoring the agreements with which you have entered, you would be better off not to enter them at all. There is no out for “well I never promised” or “we didn’t have a written contract” as the world would have you think. The agreement is simply the yes or no that you speak.

It is true that there are times when the other party might make you really want to break your word however God judges us each by our own words, hearts and actions. At the end of the day this is what I strive for…May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Humbly Submitted,
RiverAngel42

Thought For The Day: God On My Mind and Being Prepared

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Last night I had an interesting rest. While I slept well, thoughts that I had that evening made their way into my dreams. Now I am a person who dreams often and feel that I have begun to be able to discern when my dreams are messages vs. thoughts that manifest themselves into dreams. These were thoughts into dreams.

With that being said this morning when I woke I determined that I wasn’t going to go back to bed. I got my coffee and sat at my computer to begin to search for information to post on Fellowship. I thought for a while about ideas I could write about and then my morning went in another direction. I opened up my Facebook page and Twitter account and began to post the following to friends and family: “Good Morning and God Bless. Have a beautiful day and when obstacles come to distract you, smile and know God’s got it!” The more I copied and pasted the short inspiration the more my spirit spoke to me and said, “God is in you! This morning put yourself into God”. As I did the more at peace I began to feel. My spirits were lifted and I felt stronger.

As the morning progressed I looked at a friends FB Page only to find out that a college friend had passed. Monroe Brown had died at 41 years old. He had been on the Penn State Basketball Team when I was in school and led the team at one of their Highest Points. Wow, was not expecting to read that. As soon as I left from reading that news the next post I read was about another college friend who had died this weekend as well. James Reynold Thompson 44, the nice guy who never had a harsh word for anyone. He had been on FB Sunday talking about the Oprah/Bobbi Kristina Interview and now he too is gone. In addition to the fact that my mother just called yesterday to announce the passing of our church organist, Edgar was around my age and a Fraternity Brother. He had played at church on Sunday and his roommate found him Monday morning. The last time I saw him was when he played while I sang at my Grandmother’s funeral. Who knew it would be the last time.

I say all of this in some what a state of shock and disbelief. I know I am not as young as I was few years ago but I also don’t feel that my friends and I are at the age where we are having to say goodbye in such rapid succession. However more importantly I say this to say, God prepares us for life and death. I thank God for urging me to seek his face with such vigor this morning. To allow His peace to have already rested on me before reading about my friends. While stunned I am able to Thank Him for his wonderful works for He knows and understands what we simply can’t comprehend.

I learned a valuable lesson today that I want to share. So many times we wait for the storm to arise, we wait to be knee deep in the mess and then we run to God for help. However what I realized this morning is that God will not only rescue or assist us for life. If we are always seeking His face, fearfully worshiping Him, talking to Him, He will also prepare us before the storm. Nothing like already having an umbrella on a stormy day!

Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
— 1 Chronicles 16:11

To my friends, while your journeys on earth have ended. I pray that your everlasting life with God has just begun. God’s peace and comfort to your families.

Be Blessed,
RiverAngel42

Thought for the Day: Your Destiny by Guest Writer John Dauphine

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Throughout life, people are constantly telling us what we can or cannot become and what we have or don’t have. It’s just like they’re sticking a label on us: too short, too slow, too old, too many mistakes, not talented enough. These labels are not what God says about us. If we don’t know any better, we will wear them like they’re the truth, and it limits what God wants to do in our lives. But understand, people don’t determine our destiny; God does.
Thank you John for your encouraging words. John is another FB Friend who had a word to share with us. Please feel free to submit o us as well. Send your submissions to riverangel42@gmail.com.

Mmm Mmm Mmm I Look Good!

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Take your phone, your scrapbook, photo albums and find that one picture of yourself. You know the one that you took that day when your hair was just right. Or the one when your smile and everything else was perfect. The sun was shining on the green tree in front of your house, giving just the right amount of light and shade to make you look like a model. Or the one that one day last year when you were getting ready to go out for a while and you had that outfit on, you know the one, the one that everybody that passed you on the street said was Dy-no-mite. Take a good look at that picture, feel good about yourself and brace yourself for what is next.
No matter how good you look in that picture. No matter how perfect the lens captured your outer beauty. On the inside you are broken. There, now that it is out there, let’s be honest. We all are. Every single person on this earth has something that makes their hearts cry, even when their eyes won’t. However here is the important part of this post. We all try our best to do what is right and we all get knocked around by life. However we have to hear the whisper that says: God loves you. He can heal what is broken inside of you. He sees a beauty in you that no camera will ever do justice. He placed inside of you potential and possibilities that even your mother couldn’t imagine. He wants nothing but the best for you and knows that those times that felt like the worst will only serve for your good. He doesn’t want you to pretend that you are something that you are not when who He made you to be is wonderful in his eyes.
So the next time a camera clicks, don’t look at the picture and think that image you see is beautiful because of the outfit, the hair or any of the above reasons. Look deeper, past what the lens copied, past what other people say about you, past the hurt you are hiding. Now look just a little closer and try to see the God in you. Believe that He is there. Believe He can heal you. Believe He feels what you do. Believe He will never leave you. When we can look past ourselves and see Him, then we will always say…Mmm, Mmmm, Mmm I look good! Focus on that and let it expand.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I needed to speak an encouraging word for both you and myself. I feel God moving in my life and it feels good. I don’t understand everything yet. I don’t know how it will all turn out. I know I believe in Him. I know I TRY to do what is right by everyone I meet. I know that believing in the good in people makes me vulnerable at times but I am good with that. I know that I am able to endure whatever comes my way because My God strengthens me. I know I am not your typical “fighter” but I know I don’t have to be because I know who fights my battles and how they are won. I trust and believe that things will work out for my good. Lastly I KNOW That if God be for me…
Be Blessed
RiverAngel42
I needed to speak an encouraging word for both you and myself. I feel God moving in my life and it feels good. I don’t understand everything yet. I don’t know how it will all turn out. I know I believe in Him. I know I TRY to do what is right by everyone I meet. I know that believing in the good in people makes me vulnerable at times but I am good with that. I know that I am able to endure whatever comes my way because My God strengthens me. I know I am not your typical “fighter” but I know I don’t have to be because I know who fights my battles and how they are won. I trust and believe that things will work out for my good. Lastly I KNOW That if God be for me… Humbly submitted, RiverAngel42
“Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever.” (Psalm 44:5)

Thought of the Day: Mind What You Say, Pastor Zachery Tims Home Going

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As many of you know Pastor Tims family has decided that they will keep both the Wake and Funeral Services private. As I was sitting here I began to SPECULATE as to what reasons they might have had to make such a last minute decision.
I began to think about my life as the Pastor’s granddaughter. I thought about how many times we had a family gathering that he had to miss because someone’s child got locked up or because a member was either in need or in the hospital. We literally shared our grandfather with what seemed to me as a small child to be the world. Now we had a small congregation so I could only imagine what Pastor Tims family life must have been like with such a large congregation and two churches. I am sure he had to miss a lot of precious moments trying to do God’s work while his children were growing up.

I say this to say that you should be mindful as to what you say. My speculating led me to think that perhaps all the negative press and more importantly negative comments from the “Body” have led the family to feel as though they needed to shut the doors to protect the family. Especially when you consider the fact that he was not only a pastor but had young children who have to deal with their grief, the rumors and gossip.

It is sad that they can’t just have our support, love and prayers. I think as a body of believers in times like these we really need to be more mindful of what we say about people. You never know your one comment might have been the one to make them change their minds. That is the families choice and no one should question that. However it is a shame to me that his family had to share him with the world in life and can not extend courtesy in death because we have a hunger for drama and negativity.

Like I said previously I have no other reason than my own mind to think that this is the reason. Rather it is or it isn’t I hope this will serve as a reminder that our words have the power to both heal and destroy. Proverbs 18:21 states The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. We should all pray for the wisdom to control ours.

Be Blessed
RiverAngel42