THE DUCK AND THE DEVIL

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.

He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.

Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly,

hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.

He was shocked and grieved.

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile,
only to see his sister watching!

Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said,
"Sally, let's wash the dishes."

But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me
he wanted to help in the kitchen."
Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?"
So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children
wanted to go fishing and Grandma said,
"I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."
Sally just smiled and said,
"Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help."
She whispered again, "Remember the duck?"
So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing
both his chores and Sally's,
he finally couldn't stand it any longer.

He came to Grandma and confessed that
he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug,
and said, "Sweetheart, I know.
You see, I was standing at the window
and I saw the whole thing,
but because I love you, I forgave you.
I was just wondering how long you would let
Sally make a slave of you."

~~~~ Thought for the day~~~~

and every day thereafter?

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done...

and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face

(lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...
whatever it is...

You need to know that God was standing at the window...

and He saw the whole thing...

He has seen your whole life.
He wants you to know that He loves you
and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long
you will let the devil make a slave of you.

“There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus..."
Romans 8:1

The great thing about God is that
when you ask for forgiveness,
He not only forgives you,

but He forgets.

It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.

Always remember: God is at the window.

FAITHFUL IN A VERY LITTLE

“And he said unto him, Well done, you good and faithful servant: because you have been faithful in a very little, you have been given authority over much.” Luke 19:17

A young man once went to the beach. There, he saw miles and miles of starfish washed up on the sand.

“If these starfish stay out here during the heat of the day,” he thought, “they'll die.” So he began picking up a starfish at a time as he walked and throwing them back into the ocean.

An elderly man also walking along the shore approached him and said, “Do you mind if I ask, young man, what are you doing?” “I'm throwing these poor starfish back into the ocean so they don't die in the hot sun,” the youth replied.

“But what difference can you really make,” said the old man, “Look at this beach -- there are thousands, maybe millions, of starfish here!

”The young man chuckled as he threw yet another starfish into the sea. “Well -- it made a difference to that one!”

“Faithful in a very little”, the Word of God says! It is faithfulness in the little things that the Lord rewards mightily! The world is like those millions drying out in the hot sun – and we have to reach out to those the Lord has put in our path! If we all do our share, the job will get accomplished! There's so much work to be done!

THE PATH TO LIFE ETERNAL

A while back, I heard someone say that they wished they could go back to a time years ago to a "spiritual experience" which greatly affected their life. Their desire was to feel the thrilling touch of God's Holy Spirit... to sense His "nearness" again... and to return to being the person they were at that moment.

As Believers, can we go back... or is the life of a Believer always looking ahead... going forward?

Would I want to go back to being a teenager again, thinking and responding to life as a teenager?

Would I want to go back to twenty or thirty? I think not.

While it is true that my experiences in life have made me who I am today, I want to go on with the Lord, growing... maturing... and becoming more useful to Him. I want it to be evident in my life that I have learned from life's experiences. I hope to go on to the "next grade level" and not find it necessary to "repeat the courses" I have taken before.

Am I satisfied with my relationship with the Lord? Never! There is no "Status quo" with God. Either I am growing, maturing, and going forward in my walk, or I have lost momentum... and I am headed in the wrong direction.

"Brothers and sisters, I do not count myself to have apprehended;
but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." ( Phil. 3:13,14)

Lord, teach us Your ways... and lead us in Your truth everlasting. Forgive our sins... and show us where we have missed Your will for our lives. Help us to keep our feet on the path to life eternal with You. Amen

(The photo is of my son-in-law Tommy and two of my "grands"... taken by their talented mother Samantha.)

PRECIOUS GIFT

The Precious Gift that Jesus gave us... His cleansing blood shed once… for all... redeemed us from the punishment that was ours. His sacrifice "bought us back" from the penalty of our sins. Our sins were forgiven... PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.

Our enemy satan is called "the accuser of the brethren". One of the "devices" of the enemy is to accuse us to ourselves... to bring up our faults... past sins... or poor choices. His aim is to distract us from the changes that occurred in each of us when we received Jesus as Lord and Master of our lives.

We must keep our minds stayed on who we are "in Christ"... and refuse to be "side-tracked" by satan's lies. We can’t allow his accusations to "take root" in our hearts and in our minds.

The Word says,
"I AM . . .

1. A child of God (Romans 8:16)

2. Redeemed from the Hand of the Enemy (Psalms 107:2)

3. Forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14)

4. Saved by Grace through Faith (Ephesians 2:8)

5. Justified (Romans 5:1)

6. Sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:11)

7. A New Creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)

8. Partaker of His Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4)

9. Redeemed from the Curse of the law (Galatians 3:13)

10. Delivered from the Powers of Darkness (Colossians 1:13)

11. Led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14)

12. A Son of God (Romans 8:14)

13. Kept in Safety Wherever I Go (Psalms 91:11)

14. Getting All My Needs Met by Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:19)

15. Casting All My cares upon Jesus (1 Peter 5:7)

16. Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might (Ephesians 6:10)

17. Doing All Things through Christ Who Strengthens Me (Philippians 4:13)

18. An Heir with God and a Joint Heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17)

19. Heir to the Blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14)

20. Observing and Doing the Lord's Commandments (Deuteronomy 28:12)

21. Blessed Coming in and Blessed Going out (Deuteronomy 26:6)

22. An Heir of Eternal Life (1 John 5:11-12)

23. Blessed with All Spiritual Blessings (Ephesians 1:3)

24. Healed by His Stripes (1 Peter 2:24)

25. Exercising My Authority over the Enemy (Luke 10:19)

26. Above Only and Not Beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13)

27. More than a Conqueror (Romans 8:37)

28. Establishing God's Word Here on Earth (Matthew 16:19)

29. An Over comer by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of My Testimony (Revelation 12:11) 30. Daily Overcoming the Devil (1 John 4:4)

31. Not Moved by What I See (2 Corinthians 4:18)

32. Walking by Faith and Not by Sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

33. Casting Down Vain Imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

34. Bringing Every Thought into Captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5)

35. Being Transformed by Renewing My Mind (Romans 12:1-2)

36. A Laborer Together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9)

37. The Righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

38. An Imitator of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1)

39. The Light of the World (Matthew 5:14)

40. Blessing the Lord at All Times and Continually praising the Lord with My Mouth "(Psalms 34:1)

The power of reading and meditating upon God's Word will renew our minds and remind us that we are "joint heirs" with Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus that we have hope for tomorrow.

SLEEPING LIKE A BABY

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8) Is there anything more beautiful than a sleeping baby? Some of my favorite photos are those of my grandchildren who have fallen asleep in unusual positions.

We have photos of them slumped over on a toy or a book in the playpen… or sitting up in their baby bed… or riding down the road in their car seat... or in the shopping cart while shopping.

There is nothing more peaceful than the face of a sleeping child… unaware of any danger or worrisome thoughts that could prevent sleep… secure enough to let down all defenses and rest… safe in their parents care.

What about those of us who are children of the Father God? Do we put our full trust in our Father… and in His ability to keep us safe and protected from the worries and fears of the world? ”I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me" (Psalm 3:5).

It is in realizing that God alone can protect us, can meet all our needs, and keep us safe under all circumstances that we can cease from our struggles to work out our lives on our own terms. It is in trusting Him that we find the security and peace which often eludes us. Knowing that I am in God’s care… and that HE loves me with a never-ending love provides me with the security for which I am looking in every area of my life. He will protect… and He will provide.

For those of us who are accustomed to taking care of ourselves, turning control over to the Lord can be very difficult… but very “freeing”. Time and again, the Lord has proven His faithfulness and His dependability. He will never let us down or fail us. We must be willing to "let go"... and let Him "be God".

When our trust is fully resting in the Lord, we can lie down and “sleep like a baby”… knowing that God is our refuge… our strength… our stronghold… our defender… and a “very present help in times of trouble”.

"Leaning on the everlasting arms.... safe and secure from all alarms...

Leaning on His everlasting Arms!"

HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

Bruce, a close relative of my husband’s, had to travel to a large city in another state for heart surgery. The chance of success was not good but the alternative was sure death.

The surgery went well but within a few days vital organs began to shut down. The battle raged. Many prayers went up. Finally, Bruce passed from this life to the next. He was “absent from his body and present with the Lord“!

My hubby has “more first cousins than you can shake a stick at” so we were two of many who drove in to pay our respects and to support his family.

The funeral was crowded. This man was well known and loved.

As each minister stood to share his thoughts about Bruce, I listened intently to the things they said. One said he had never heard Bruce say a negative thing against another person. Someone else pointed out that he had been a deacon at two churches and was a very active believer all his life, raising his daughter in church. Another pointed out that when he was about to have his car repossessed, Bruce loaned him the money that enabled him to keep it… and many more wonderful things were said about his integrity and about his life as a believer.

It was observed what a wonderful family man he was and how his wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandsons adored him. They had a very happy home. It was a good funeral… if there is such a thing.

I had a lot of time to think as we rode that 300 miles home. I wondered about what people will say about me when I die. Probably something like, “the first ten years she belonged to the church she was there every time the doors opened… and was involved in every activity that came along. She was on that committee and she liked to help out in the kitchen when we had meals at church. She was part of that group of ladies who met weekly throughout the year and did Bible studies together. She taught some of them.

But then what happened to her? She slowed down in her church attendance… just coming on Sunday mornings. Then she started missing Sundays here and there. Now it seems like all she does is go to work and go home. Work and home?"

Life has slowed down tremendously the last two years... almost to a crawl in recent months… slowing somewhat because of my husband's age... and the physical and emotional challenges we have faced.

Depression... anxiety... fear of crowds.... and then the headaches started. It has felt like like a downward spiral... with no end in sight

Still... I want to be a soul winner for the Lord. I want to be a daughter of whom He can be proud. I realize that I have issues that need attending to.

My “circle of life”… “circle of comfort”… circle of friends has grown smaller and smaller, each caught up in their own work and families. This “circle of friends” with whom I had shared so much for many years are leading busy lives, doing what the Lord is leading them to do.

The question on my mind today is how much have I accomplished for God… and how much was never done because I was too caught up in my physical limitations… too “bogged down” by depression and anxiety… too limited by my very real fears... to give God’s work the attention it deserved?

In so many ways I feel I have failed God. I haven’t been the bold and powerful witness that He desired me to be in quite a while. In many cases, I have given in to the physical and mental distractions…. and allowed them to be an excuse for being less than acceptable to the Lord.

All during this time, the Lord has remained near and dear. He has heard my every prayer and comforted my heart when it cried out to Him. He is a Father like no other... and He loves His children with an unconditional love.

Have you ever wondered how you will be remembered once you are gone? Would they say that you had lived your life with zeal... and vigorously completed the work God had assigned? I'm thankful there is still time left to work.

At the end my life I want to hear the Lord say, "Well done, You good and faithful Servant". I want to know that I have "fought the good fight, finished the course, kept the faith.”

As long as there is breath in my body, there is hope for a better future. I want to be a blessing to God... and a blessing for God. The thoughts He has for me are thoughts of peace and not of evil... thoughts to give me a future and a hope!