Author Archives: famtree2014

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 3, 2013

Posted under

Prayer, Trusting God

BE DIRECT

Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better? [Matthew 7:7-11 (MSG)]

If it is important to us, it is important to God; if it troubles us, it troubles Him, too. Just as no problem is too big for prayer and the Lord’s work, nothing is too small or trivial. It’s not up to us to decide what concerns God; we need to bring everything to God in prayer. Let Him decide what, if anything, to do about it.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 2, 2013

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Thanks & Praise

A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. [Hebrews 13:15 (NLT)]

It’s easy to support the local team when they’re on a winning streak. When they’re in a slump, however, the fans often change their loyalty and speak disparagingly about the owners, coach, manager and players. It’s easy to believe in and praise Jesus when everything is going smoothly in our lives. The real challenge is to remain faithful in the face of hardships and trouble. Jesus wants committed full-time followers, not fickle fans.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 1, 2013

Posted under

Faith & Hope, Thanks & Praise

Hope

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God! [Psalm 42:5 (NLT)]

Fill my heart with gratitude, O Lord, and keep my lips from complaint. Fill me with hope and optimism so that I can see the positive in all things.

 

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 30, 2013

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Wisdom & Guidance

Listening and Learning

Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall. [Proverbs 16:18 (GW)]

Today, if the answer is, “I don’t know,” that’s exactly what I’ll say.

Lord, help me let go of the mistaken belief that I shouldn’t admit my ignorance. Stop me from barging ahead when what I really need is guidance or assistance. Help me accept that I am not nearly as smart as I think I am or want to be. There is still a great deal I have to learn.

Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights. [Proverbs 18:15 (MSG)]

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 28, 2013

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Trusting God

WINNING ISN’T ANYTHING

Good people might fall again and again, but they always get up. It is the wicked who are defeated by their troubles. [Proverbs 25:16 (ERV)]

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the encouragement and strength you give us when we get disheartened. Thank you for our failures and what we learn from experiencing them. Help us to remember that you measure success in an entirely different way than we. What we may consider losing is often what you consider a lesson well taught!

Winning isn’t anything. You can live an entire lifetime and never win, so it can’t be that important. But losing is as much a part of life as breathing. … Losing, and learning to go on and live again, is the only kind of winning that truly matters. [John R. Powers from “The Junk-Drawer Corner-Store Front-Porch Blues”]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 27, 2013

Posted under

Love & Works

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

2013-6-27-2

And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” [Matthew 25:40 (NLT)]

An essay by Loren Eiseley that first appeared in The Unexpected Universe, tells of an old man walking on the beach. He sees a young girl who appears to be dancing. As he draws nearer, he realizes that she is reaching down to the sand, picking up starfish stranded by the low tide, and gently tossing them back into the sea. When he asks her why she’s doing it, she tells him that if she doesn’t, they will surely die. He reminds her of how long the beach is and of the great number of starfish on it and tells her she cannot possibly make a difference. Her simple reply, as she throws another one back into the ocean, is, “It made a difference to that one!”

I don’t think God expects any of us alone to change the world but He does expect each of us to try to change our little corner of it. We all may not accomplish extraordinary things, but all of us can live an ordinary life with extraordinary love.