"Prayers, Poems and more..."
The Joy of Obedience
"A Prayer ...just for you"
Thursday, 24-Aug-00
Gracious God...
Heavenly Father, I must confess that I am sometimes upset
by the many changes that come in life.
I find it difficult to make the necessary adjustments.
I do not ask to understand,
but help me, always to realize that no matter what happens to me,
and what changes must be made,
You still love me and will make every experience work together for my good
even if it does not "feel" that way.
Give me the faith to trust Your promise,
"My grace is sufficient for you."
In mercy forgive all grumbling and complaining
of which I have been guilty of in the past.
Teach me to follow the example of Jesus,my Savior and Lord,
who in trial and tribulation said,
"Not My will, but Thine, be done."
In that spirit I shall be able to meet whatever life has in store for me.
For Jesus' sake.
Amen
;)
"...and one for me"
Merciful Lord
by Your Holy Spirit You have implanted in my heart
an undying hope that promises rest after the struggles of this
present life, and everlasting peace in Your eternity.
I thank You for looking on me with favor
and helping me through the difficult times in my life.
Continue to be with me as I face the hardships and irritations
of today, the temptations that I may face
...and the doubts of my own heart.
Please direct my footsteps on this journey of life
to render service to You and to all people.
Forgive me Lord if I have hurt anyone.
Keep out of my day all harm and danger of both body and soul
for me and all those people around me,
that You gave to me
...to love.
Let us all live continually in Your presence.
I pray for all those who are weary, burdened, and confused,
for all who are discouraged or sad,
for all who mourn and weep,
and for all who are lonely and distressed.
Draw closer to them and to me with Your ever-renewing strength,
and preserve us all in this saving faith to the end of our days.
In Jesus name,
Amen
"HE IS THIS AND MORE"
He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the Universe
and the Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be . . .
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!
He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him,
and the leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him,
The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him, and
The people couldn't hold Him!
Nero couldn't crush Him,
Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him,
and non-believers can't explain Him away!
He is Light, Love, Longevity, and Lord.
He is Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness,and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, Mighty, Powerful, and Pure.
His ways are right, His Word is eternal,
His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me!
He is my Redeemer, He is my Savior,
He is my Guide, and He is my Peace!
He is my Joy, He is my Comfort,
He is my Lord, and He rules my life!
I serve Him because His bond is love,
His burden is light,
and His goal for me is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is the Wisdom of the wise,
the Power of the powerful, the Ancient of Days,
the Ruler of rulers, the Leader of leaders,
the Overseer of the overcomers,
and the Sovereign Lord of all that was,
and is and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you,try this for size . . .
His goal is a relationship with me!
He will never leave me, never forsake me,
never mislead me, never forget me,
never overlook me, and never cancel my appointment
in His appointment book!
When I fall, ...He lifts me up!
When I fail, ...He forgives!
When I am weak, ...He is strong!
When I am lost, ...He is the way!
When I am afraid,...He is my courage!
When I stumble,...He steadies me!
When I am hurt,...He heals me!
When I am broken,...He mends me!
When I am blind, ...He leads me!
When I am hungry, ...He feeds me!
When I face trials, ...He is with me!
When I face persecution, ...He shields me!
When I face loss, ...He provides for me!
When I face Death, ...He carries me Home!
He is everything for everybody, everywhere,
every time, and every way.
He is God! He is Faithful.
I am His, and He is mine!
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure,
understand this . . .
He said it and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing for GOD IS.
-unknown
The Joy of Obedience
"Struggles In Our Lives "
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth.
He took it home so that he
could watch the moth come out of the cocoon.
On the day a small opening appeared,
he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled
to force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress.
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.
It just seemed to be stuck.
Then the man, in his kindness,
decided to help the moth,
so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the
remaining bit of the cocoon.
The moth then emerged easily.
But it had a swollen body and small,
shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment,
the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,
which would contract in time.
Neither happened!
In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that
the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get
through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into
its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Freedom and flight would only come after the
struggle.
By depriving the moth of a struggle,
he deprived the moth of health.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles,
it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
How true this is!
How many times have we wanted to take the quick way out of struggles and difficulties,
to take those scissors and snip off the remaining bits in an attempt to be free.
We need to remember that our loving Father will never give us more than we can bear and through our trials and struggles we are strengthened as
gold is refined in the fire.
(unknown author)
The Joy of Obedience
"Words To Live By"
People are often unreasonable, illogical,
and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone
could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
-Mother Teresa
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