GOD’S LIBRARY_OLD TESTAMENT_PART TWO

"MAN MUST LIVE, NOT ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY 
UTTERANCE COMING FORTH THROUGH JEHOVAH'S MOUTH"
(MATTHEW 4:4) – NWT
 

66 books of the BIBLE : ALL SCRIPTURES ARE INSPIRED BY GOD

PART TWO

LAMENTATIONS – A SEQUEL TO JEREMIAH’S PROPHECY WHOM

LAMENTED SORROWFULLY OVER THEIR RUINS OF THE HOLY CITY

AND THE SACRED TEMPLE WHICH HAD STOOD FOR OVER 400

YEARS. JEREMIAH WEPT IN SEPARATE POEMS IN LAMENTATIONS

REGARDING WHY GOD HAD PERMITTED THE FALL OF JERUSALEM.

IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE AND THEIR

REJECTION OF THE ONE TRUE GOD, JEHOVAH.

EZEKIEL – PROPHET EZEKIEL APPOINTED BY GOD TO PREACHED

CAREFULLY CONTRIVED PROPHECIES REGARDING DOWNFALL

OF JUDAH AND JERUSALEM; JUDGMENTS UPON NATIONS WHO

SEEK TO DESTROY HIS PEOPLE; THE FINAL CALL AT THAT TIME

FOR THE REPENTANCE OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND LASTLY,

THE GLORIOUS RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.

DANIEL - DURING THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY OF THE JEWS,

DANIEL AND HIS 3 FRIENDS [Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego]

HAVE DISPLAYED THEIR FEARLESS LOYALTY TO THE ONE FAITH

IN ONE TRUE GOD, JEHOVAH, OF THEIR FOREFATHERS AND

ALSO THEIR ADVANCEMENT INTO THE REALMS OF ROYAL FAVOR.

DANIEL INTERPRETED KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM AND

THE SYMBOLIC VISIONS THAT PORTENDS THE FOUR SUCCESSIVE

EMPIRES OF THE WORLD : BABYLON, PERSIA, GREECE AND ROME.

THE LAST EMPIRE WILL BE SUCCEEDED BY THE COMING OF THE

KINGDOM OF GOD.

HOSEA - A PROPHET OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

CALLED REPENTANCE FROM THEM AS HE FORESAW THE DOOM

THAT WERE TO BEFALL THEM IF THEY CONTINUED IN THEIR

SINS. THE REBELLIOUSNESS OF THE CHOSEN ONES WITH

THEIR UNGRATEFULNESS SOUGHT HELP FROM THE ASSYRIANS

AND THE EGYPTIANS RATHER FROM THE ONE TRUE GOD,

JEHOVAH, WHO HAD BEEN SHOWING THEM HIS LOVING

KINDNESS AND MERCY TIME AND TIME AGAIN. HOSEA ALSO

FORETOLD ABOUT THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST,

700 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE.

JOEL – A SYMBOLIC VISION FROM JOEL AS HE WARNED JUDAH

AND ISRAEL REGARDING THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS AND SEVERE

FAMINE OF THE LAND IF THEY DO NOT REPENT.  JOEL PLEADED

WITH THEM TO HUMBLE THEMSELVES BEFORE THE GREAT LORD

GOD JEHOVAH AND TO ASKED FOR HIS FORGIVENESS THROUGH

FASTING AND PRAYERS.  JOEL WAS PROSNOSTICATING OF THE

COMING OF THE “DAY OF THE LORD” WHICH GOD WILL SMITE

ALL THOSE WITH A REBELLIOUS AND UNREPENTANT HEART AND

HIS JUDGMENT WILL BE HARSH AND SEVERE, THOROUGH AND

MOST CERTAIN!

AMOS - A SHEPHERD FROM TEKOA, A SMALL TOWN FROM JUDEA;

WHOSE NAME MEANT “BURDEN BEARER” WAS CALLED BY LORD

GOD WITH A MISSION TO SEND THE MESSAGE OF DOOM UPON

ISRAEL AND THE SURROUNDING NATIONS. THEIR PRACTICES

OF IDOLATRY, PAGAN WORSHIPS, GREED, OPPRESSION OF THE

NEEDY AND ALSO THEIR CONTINUAL NEGLECT OF GOD’S

WORDS IGNITED GOD’S WRATH UPON OTHER NATIONS AND

JUDAH BUT ISRAEL SUFFERED THE HARSHEST OF PUNISHMENTS;

MORE SEVERE BECAUSE OF THEIR DEPTH OF THEIR SINS. AMOS’S

CHASTISEMENTS  WENT UNHEEDED AND SO ISRAEL WERE

EXILED INTO CAPTIVITY.

OBADIAH - HIS NAME LITERALLY MEANS “SERVANT OF JEHOVAH”.

THIS BOOK IS THE SHORTEST OF PROPHETICAL WRITINGS IN

JUST ONE CHAPTER WHICH FORETOLD ON THE DOOM OF EDOM,

WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF ESAU AND THE PROMISE OF

DELIVERANCE FOR ZION, JERUSALEM.

JONAH - A LIFE OF PERIL LIVED FOR THE RELUCTANT RUNAWAY

PROPHET FROM DUTY ORDAINED BY JEHOVAH GOD. HIS MISSION

WAS TO DELIVER A MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF

NINEVEH FROM DESTRUCTION IN FORTY DAYS.

MICAH - HIS NAME INJECTS A MIGHTY STATEMENT “WHO IS

LIKE JEHOVAH”. HE FORESAW THE INVASION FROM FOREIGNERS,

THE DISPERSION OF THE ISRAELITES FOR THEIR SINS AND THE

INEVITABLE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM BUT THE MOST

SIGNIFICANT OF ALL IS THAT HE IS THE ONLY PROPHET WHO

FORETOLD ABOUT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IN BETHLEHEM [5:2]

NAHUM – A NATIVE OF GALILEE WITH A NAME “COMFORTER”

TO HIS CREDIT.  NAHUM’S PROPHECY WAS UNLIKE JONAH

WHICH WAS THE CERTAINTY OF DOOM FOR THE CORRUPT

PEOPLE OF NINEVEH WHOM HAD RETURNED TO THEIR SINFUL

WAYS. APART FROM NINEVEH, HE FORESAW JUDAH’S FUTURE

DELIVERANCE.

HABAKKUK - A PROPHET WHOSE NAME GOES BY “ONE WHO

EMBRACES” LIVED 600 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST IN TIMES

WHERE THE CHALDEANS CONQUERED NINEVEH OF THE

ASSYRIAN EMPIRE. THE “WHY” PROPHET WITH HIS

EXPECTANT  REPLY FROM HIS SINCERE PRAYER TO

JEHOVAH; LEARNT THAT WE NEEDED TO TRUST IN GOD

IMPLICITLY AND ALSO THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY

HIS OWN FAITH IN THE ONE TRUE GOD JEHOVAH.

ZEPHANIAH - HE PROPHESIED DURING THE REIGN OF KING

JOSIAH AND WHOSE NAME MEANS ‘DEFENDED BY JEHOVAH”.

HE FORETOLD OF UNIVERSAL JUDGMENT AND DIVINE WRATH

TO FALL UPON ALL NATIONS INCLUDING JUDAH TOO IF ALL

DEFY GOD’S LAW. ZEPHANIAH PLACED EMPHASIS ON SPIRITUAL

WORSHIP AND PREACHED THAT WORSHIP TOWARDS GOD NEED

NOT BE A PHYSICAL SANCTITY BUT IN THE QUIET SOLITUDE

OF OUR HEARTS. HE FURTHER STRESSED ON GOD’S SALVATION

AND JUDGMENT FOR MANKIND, AND ALSO THE PROMISES OF

NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH.

HAGGAI – THOUGH HE PROPHESIED FOR ONLY A SHORT TIME;

HAGGAI WHOSE NAME MEANS “MY FEAST” WAS THE FIRST

VOICE TO BE HEARD AFTER THE EXILE; HE RICOCHETED STERN

REPROOFS TO THE RESTORED PEOPLE OF GOD. HE TOLD THEM

OF THEIR DUTY TO RESTORE AND REBUILD GOD’S HOUSE OF

WORSHIP, THE TEMPLE, WHICH WAS BUILT BY KING SOLOMON

AND DESTROYED BY INVADERS. ZERUBBABEL, GOVERNOR OF

JERUSALEM AND JOSHUA, THE HIGH PRIEST AND THE PEOPLE

SET UPON THAT ENORMOUS TASK BUT WAS DISCOURAGED

EASILY. HAGGAI PIPED IN AND ENCOURAGED THEM THAT

GOD WAS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES AND JEHOVAH

WILL BLESS JERUSALEM WITH A MUCH GREATER TEMPLE

ARRAYED SPLENDOR AND GLORY.

ZECHARIAH – “JEHOVAH REMEMBERS” IS THE MEANING OF

HIS GIVEN NAME. HE JOINED HAGGAI IN AROUSING AND

ENCOURAGING THE RETURNED CAPTIVES IN BUILDING

THE SANCTUARY OF JEHOVAH GOD. THE TEMPLE WAS

FINALLY BUILT IN FOUR YEARS AND DEDICATED TO GOD.

HIS PROPHESIES LOOKED FAR BEYOND INTO THE FUTURE,

TO THE COMING OF OUR MESSIAH AND THE DAWN OF A

BETTER AND BRIGHTER TOMORROW.

MALACHI - THE LAST MINOR PROPHET OF THE OLD

TESTAMENT AND HIS NAME BEARS “MY MESSENGER”.

HE REBUKES THE SINS AND FOLLYS OF THE JEWS. HE

PREDICTED THE PREPARATION OF HIS WAY [MESSIAH]

BY JOHN THE BAPTIST. HE ALSO REPROVED NEGLECTFUL

PRIESTS AND WARNS STERNLY ABOUT THE JUDGMENT

TO COME UPON THE NATION THAT HAD TURNED BACK TO

SINFUL WAYS AFTER BEING PROVIDENTIALLY RETURNED

FROM EXILED IN CAPTIVITY.

*keziah boey*

 

GOD’S LIBRARY_OLD TESTAMENT_PART ONE

“MAN MUST LIVE, NOT ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY

UTTERANCE COMING FORTH THROUGH JEHOVAH’S MOUTH”

(MATTHEW 4 : 4) – NWT

66 books of the BIBLE : ALL SCRIPTURES ARE INSPIRED BY GOD

GENESIS - UNDERSTANDING THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE.

EXODUS - UNDERSTANDING THE WONDER OF REDEMPTION.

LEVITICUS - WHAT GOD IS LIKE IN HIS MORAL CHARACTER AND
WHAT HE EXPECTS FROM US IN OUR ETHICAL BEHAVIOR.

NUMBERS - GOD'S COMMAND OF CENSUS OF ALL ISRAELITES
ACCORDING TOTHE 12 TRIBES/SONS OF ISRAEL [JACOB].

DEUTERONOMY - OBEDIENCE AND ENDURANCE LEARNED THROUGH
TRUDGING IN THE WILDERNESS FOR 4O YEARS UNDER GOD'S
GUIDANCE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

JOSHUA - GOD'S TEACHINGS ON OBEDIENCE AGAIN, LEADERSHIP,
STEADFASTNESS AND FAITHFULNESS IN HIM. GOD'S HONOR TO
ABRAHAM FULFILLED IN GIVING HIM THE PROMISED LAND THROUGH
MOSES AND JOSHUA, GOD'S OBEDIENT SERVANTS.

JUDGES - UNDERSTANDING THAT VICTORY BELONGS TO THOSE
WHO HAS COMPLETE FAITH IN GOD THAT NEVER WAVERS.

RUTH - THE ACCEPTANCE OF GOD THROUGH RELATIONS BONDED
WITH LOVE

SAMUEL - THE BESEECHING PRAYER OF A BARREN WOMAN TO GOD.
GOD ANSWERS WITH A SON AND HANNAH OFFERED SAMUEL BACK
TO GOD AS HIS ANOINTED PROPHET.

KINGS - WISE CHOICE OF A RULER, KING SOLOMON PRAYED FOR
WISDOM TO RULE THE COUNTRY AND TO GOVERN JUSTLY OVER
GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE.  GOD'S BLESSINGS OF RICHES AND
WISDOM UNTO HIM, HE HONORED GOD BY BUILDING THE HOUSE
OF THE LORD, THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM.

CHRONICLES - DETAILING THE HISTORY OF ABRAHAM, GOD'S
FAITHFUL AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, AND HIS DESCENDANTS.
AS GENERATIONS PASSED, ISRAEL WAS DIVIDED INTO 2 KINGDOMS
AFTER THE DEATH OF KING SOLOMON. HIS SONS RULED UNWISELY
AND HAD FORSAKEN THE COMMANDMENTS AND STATUTES OF LORD
GOD JEHOVAH, SO GOD SENT ISRAEL [NORTHERN KINGDOM] INTO
CAPTIVITY INTO ASSYRIA AND JUDAH [SOUTHERN KINGDOM]
UNDER THE BABYLONIANS.

EZRA - RETURN OF THE EXILES TO JERUSALEM FROM ASSYRIA AND
BABYLON REFLECTS A KIND, MERCIFUL AND FORGIVING GOD

NEHEMIAH - TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM RECONSTRUCTED.  NEHEMIAH,
LEAD THE ISRAELITES INTO A RESPECT AND LOVE FOR THE WORD
OF GOD.  NEHEMIAH, BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE FOR GOD AND HIS
DESIRE TO SEE JEHOVAH GOD HONORED AND GLORIFIED, INFLUENCED
THE ISRAELITES TOWARDS THE FAITH AND OBEDIENCETHAT GOD
HAD DESIRED FROM THEM FOR SO LONG.

ESTHER - PROVIDENCE OF GOD IN REGARDS TO HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE
THROUGH ESTHER DEMONSTRATED THAT GOD'S AWESOME WAYS
OF SAVING HIS PEOPLE IN SUSA OF PERSIA FROM THE DEATH
DECREE OF THE VENGEFUL HAMAN.

JOB - THE UNWAVERING DISPLAY OF A MAN'S FAITH TOWARDS
THE ALMIGHTY AND SOVEREIGN JEHOVAH GOD. THOUGH THROUGH
SATAN'S MACHINATIONS OF REDUCING JOB IN REGARDS TO HIS
FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL STANDING, SATAN WAS NOT ALLOWED
BY GOD TO END HIS LIFE.

PSALMS - A COLLECTION OF 150 PSALMS BY A LIST OF AUTHORS
THAT SPANS MANY CENTURIES IN ISRAEL'S HISTORY. IT REFLECTS
SUBJECTS OF CREATION, WORSHIP, WISDOM, PRAISE, JUDGMENT,
SIN, EVIL AND FORETELLS THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH, JESUS
CHRIST.

PROVERBS -  31 CHAPTERS INVITING SEEKERS TO SEARCH OUT
WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING AND WALK A RIGHTEOUS AND
FEAR GOD AS THE FEAR OF THE ALMIGHTY BRINGS WISDOM AND
ABUNDANT BLESSINGS TO WHOM WHO WALKS RIGHTEOUSLY.

ECCLESIASTES - THE GRAPPLING BETWEEN A LIFE OF VANITY,
SUCH AS THE PURSUIT OF FAME  & FORTUNE WHICH IS ONLY
TEMPORARY OR A LIFE WITH DIRECTION AND PURPOSE WITH
OUR FAITH FIRMLY LOCKED IN JEHOVAH GOD AND HIS SON,
JESUS CHRIST .  LIFE ON EARTH UNDER THE SUN IS MEANINGLESS
AND EMPTY AND FULL OF SUFFERINGS IF WE LIVE APART FROM GOD.

SONG OF SOLOMON - KING SOLOMON EXTOLLING THE VIRTUES OF
LOVE BETWEEN A HUSBAND AND HIS WIFE, THUS AFFIRMING THAT
A MARRIAGE IS SACRED AND IS DESIGNED & ORDAINED BY GOD BY
WHICH BOTH PARTIES ARE IN UNION PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY
AND SPIRITUALLY.

ISAIAH - GOD'S JUDGMENT AND SALVATION.  GOD IS UNBENDING
IN ALLOWING SINS TO GO UNPUNISHED IN REGARDS TO JUDAH
AND ISRAEL.  WHEN ISRAELITES REPENTED GENUINELY FROM THE
HEART AND TURNED BACK TO GOD; HE'D RESTORED AND HEALED
AND KEPT HIS PROMISE TO ABRAHAM.  THE ALMIGHTY JEHOVAH
IS A GRACIOUS, MERCIFUL, COMPASSIONATE  AND LOVING GOD
AND WHOEVER BELIEVES AND WORSHIP HIM SHALL BE GRANTED
SALVATION THROUGH HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST.

JEREMIAH - THE LORD GOD JEHOVAH PRONOUNCED THE
PEOPLE OF JUDAH INTO CAPTIVITY BY THE BABYLONIANS
THROUGH PROPHET JEREMIAH BECAUSE THEY WERE SO RAMPANT
WITH IDOLATRY AND IMMORALITY AND WITH THEM COMPLETELY
ABANDONED GOD AFTER THE DEATH OF RIGHTEOUS KING JOSIAH,
GOD'S ANGER AND SEVERE PUNISHMENT EXILED THEM INTO THE
HANDS OF KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR OF BABYLON.

*keziah boey*

 

Thy Word

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.

When I feel afraid,
And think I’ve lost my way.
Still, you’re there right beside me.
Nothing will I fear
As long as you are near;
Please be near me to the end.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.

I will not forget
Your love for me and yet,
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus by my guide,
And hold me to your side,
And I will love you to the end.

Nothing will I fear
As long as you are near;
Please be near me to the end.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
And a light unto my path.
You’re the light unto my path.

*lyrics : Michael W Smith & Amy Grant*

 

The Sultan and Satan

The Sultan and Satan

An ancient legend from the East tells of a great sultan who was a devout man of God. One morning he overslept. When the Devil saw that the hour of morning prayer was passing, he woke the sultan and urged him to get out of bed and pray.

Sultan from the East

“Who are you?” asked the startled sultan, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Oh, it’s not important,” replied the shady figure. “The important thing is that I woke you up in time, otherwise you would have missed your prayers for the first time in ten years-and it is very good to pray, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that is true!” replied the sultan smugly. “I wouldn’t dream of missing my prayer time. Not even once! … But wait a minute! I think I recognize you. Yes, I know your face. Of course! You are Satan, and no doubt you have some evil motive for your appearance!”

Satan aka The Devil and Deceiver

“I’m not really as bad as you think!” exclaimed the intruder. “After all, I was God’s right-hand angel once.”

“That is all very well,” replied the wise old sultan, “but you are also the Deceiver; that is your business! So I demand in the name of God to know why you want me to get up and pray!”

“Well,” replied the Devil, having grown huffy and impatient with the sultan’s persistence, “if you must know, I’ll tell you. If you had slept and forgotten your prayers, you would have felt very sorry for it afterward and would have been quite penitent. That would have humbled you and brought you close to God. But if you continue on as you have for the last ten years, without missing a single prayer, then you will become so satisfied with yourself that it will be worse for you than if you had missed one prayer and had asked God for forgiveness. God loves your fault mixed with repentance much more than your virtue seasoned with pride!”

Often it is actually good for us to make some mistakes because if we didn’t, we’d most likely become so proud of ourselves and so self-confident that we’d no longer feel we needed any help from God or others. But in reality, when we feel so proud and self-satisfied, it’s because we’re not closer to God, but more full of ourselves.

Many people in the world today are taught that pride is a virtue. But God recognizes pride and self-righteousness for what they really are-sins of the heart! The Bible says that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall,” and that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 16:18; James 4:6).

Quite frequently God uses our mistakes to help keep our pride in check, to keep us humble and more dependent on His goodness and strength, rather than our own. The Lord blesses humility. He gives more grace to the humble, and promises to dwell “with him who has a contrite and humble spirit” (1 Peter 5:5; Isaiah 57:15).

It has been said that out of what seems like defeat come some of God’s greatest victories. “But what kind of victory is that?” you may ask. Well, God very often uses humbling experiences to make us better people-more compassionate and understanding of the errors of others, more loving and patient, when otherwise we might not have been so. The Lord wants to use our mistakes to teach us many important lessons that perhaps we wouldn’t be able to learn any other way. So isn’t it encouraging to realize that even our failures can be for our good?

Of course, in order for the Lord to bring this good to pass, we must be honest with ourselves, be willing to confess our mistakes, and attempt to rectify them. The hardest words to say in any language are, “I was wrong!” This takes humility of the kind that only God can give, because it’s human nature to want to appear perfect and faultless, and consequently be unable to confess our mistakes.

But if we want the truth and desire God’s blessing, then we’ll honestly and humbly admit our faults and failings. Then we can take comfort in knowing that we are wiser today than we were yesterday. Contrary to what some folks seem to think, an admission of error is a sign of strength rather than weakness.

Besides, God knows you’re anything but perfect. In fact, He knows you can’t be perfect and never will be. So the crux of the matter is not whether you are perfect or not, but whether you depend on the Lord and His grace, love and mercy. Do you give Him all the glory and credit for anything good that you do? Whenever you accomplish something good, you should say, “Just thank Jesus. Don’t thank me! If I have done anything good, it’s only because the Lord helped me do so.”

A good rule to follow is this: Give God all the glory for anything good you do, and yourself the blame for anything bad. That will help keep you from falling into that horrible trap of self-righteous pride, which is the basis of virtually all sin.

So whenever you make a mistake and are then tempted to get down and discouraged, just remember the sultan’s lesson: God loves your fault mixed with repentance more than your virtue seasoned with pride!

 

Grace Alone

more about “Grace Alone“, posted with vodpod

 

Four Seasons Of A Tree

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn
not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest,
in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance
away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the

third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they

had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe

what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no-it was covered with green buds and full
of promise.
The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that
smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful
thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and
drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because
they had each seen but ONLY one season in the tree’s life. He told
them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,
and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and
love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end,
when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’ s winter, you will miss the promise

of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of

your fall.

Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don’t judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are

sure to come some time or later.

It all depends on how we look at things, and not on how things are
in themselves. The least of things with a meaning is worth more in
life than the greatest of things without it.  ~ Carl Jung ~

Flowers often grow more beautifully on dung-hills than in gardens
that look beautifully kept. ~ Saint Francis de Sales ~

 

12 Things To Remember

12 things to remember: 

The value of time.
The success of perseverance
The pleasure of working.
The dignity of simplicity.
The worth of character
The power of kindness.
The influence of example.
The obligation of duty.
The wisdom of economy.
The virtue of patience.
The improvement of talent.
The joy of origination.




Each of these is worth considering with regards to how we live our lives.

How can we grow in all of these attributes?
 

By associating with the wise and by respecting the Word of God. 
 

Proverbs 16:16 puts it this way:


"How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding
is to be chosen rather than silver." 
 

Only through attaining godly wisdom can we improve how we live our
lives now and ultimately find eternal happiness in God’s Kingdom.


*source : gnmagazine*

 

PRIORITIES

Ω♣♥ PRIORITIES ♥♣Ω

William Gladstone (1809-1898) was England's Prime Minister four
times, and one of the most important political figures of his era.
He was also famous for being an active Christian. Every day as
Gladstone went up the steps of the Parliament building, he bought
a newspaper from the same newsboy and said an encouraging word
about how Jesus loved him.

One day, as Gladstone and his secretary were going into Parliament,
another newsboy stopped them. "Hey, Mr. Gladstone, you know the
bloke you usually get'cher paper from?

Well, yesterday he was run over by a carriage and he's going to die.

He wants you to come get him in."

"What do you mean, 'get him in'?" Gladstone asked.

"You know--get him in to Heaven."

Gladstone's secretary protested. "No, no, no, you don't have time
to go see a newsboy! You know how important your speech today is.
It could change the course of history!"

Gladstone thought a moment, then said, "One immortal soul is worth
more than my speech in Parliament." So he went to the little garret
where the newsboy lay dying. Gladstone prayed with him to receive
Jesus. He "got him in"--and then the boy died.

By the time Gladstone made it back to Parliament, a heated discussion
was already under way. He gave his speech, and his side went on to
win the vote.

Afterwards his secretary asked, "Sir, how could you have gone off
like that and almost miss making such an important speech?"

"The speech was a very important and good thing," Gladstone replied,
"but getting that boy saved and into Heaven was a better, more
important thing!"

by David Brandt Berg

♦♦ * * * ♦♦

To comprehend a man's life, it is necessary to know not merely
what he does, but also what he purposely leaves undone. There
is a limit to the work that can be got out of a human body or
a human brain, and he is a wise man who wastes no energy on
pursuits for which he is not fitted; and he still wiser who,
from among the things that he can do well, chooses and
resolutely follows the best.

There is but one question of the hour: How to bring the truth
of God's Word into vital contact with the minds and hearts of
all classes of people. 

♣ William E. Gladstone ♣

 

The Trade

“Papa, look!” Someone had just given a six-year-old
a string of plastic pearls, and she was bubbling over
with excitement as she ran to show them to her father.

faux pearls

“These are beautiful,” her father said. For a long,
thoughtful moment he turned them over in his hand
and watched them shine in the light from
the lamp next to his easy chair.
Then he asked, “Will you do something for me?
Will you give me these beads in exchange for
something I will give you tomorrow?”
"Have I ever asked you to do anything that wasn’t
for your good?"

“What’s that?” asked the little girl.

“You’ll see tomorrow,” her father replied.

The little girl’s eyes betrayed her inward struggle.

“It’s up to you,” the father said. “You don’t have to
make the trade just because I am asking you to, but have
I ever asked you to do anything that wasn’t for
your good? Can you trust that I know best?”

It wasn’t easy, but the little girl handed the beads to her
father. He slipped them into his pocket, and gave her a big
hug that said, “I’m proud of you.”

The next day, the father gave the little girl a gift that was
far more beautiful and valuable—a delicate gold chain with a
genuine pearl pendant. The little girl forgot all about the
string of plastic pearls.

beautiful pearl pendant with gold chain

“I did this to teach you to trust the Father in Heaven,”
her father explained.
“Many times in your life He will ask you to give up something
you want, or to avoid something that to you looks good,
and often you won’t understand why.
But if you trust your heavenly Father as you have trusted me,
you will find that He always knows best.
When He asks you to give up some things, it’s because
He wants to give you much better things.”

In one of the parables that Jesus told, He likened the
Kingdom of Heaven to a pearl so rare, so beautiful,
and so costly that one man sold everything he
owned in order to buy that one pearl (Matthew 13:45-46).

We can have a little bit of Heaven here and now, but the
gifts and treasures of the spirit come at a price.
To experience and enjoy the things of eternal value,
we have to make room for them; we have to be willing
to give up some of our “trinkets,”
the trivialities and fleeting pleasures of this life.

Jehovah God satisfies the hungry hearts with good things,
but the rich—those who are too busy or satisfied with
other things—He sends away empty (Psalm 107:9; Luke 1:53). 

Will you “sell” the things of this world in order
to gain the true riches?

 

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart's longing.


It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow;
if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled
and closed from fear of further pain!

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the
tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, 
to be realistic; to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. 
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; 
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own
soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty,
every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much
money you have.
I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, 
weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to
feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you
truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. 
contentment in just being alone


by Oriah MountainDreamer
copyright © 1999 by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
 

 

The Double Minded Leader Claiming Islam Shaped America for the Better

WASHINGTON — April 7 2009

NO-BAMA_double minded*double speak

Some of the most double minded sayings of this new century are: “I support the

troops, but not the war”; “I am against abortion, but for the woman’s right to

choose an abortion”; “I believe that Christians, Jews and Muslims all worship

the same god”; and “the United States is not at war with Islam. In fact, our

partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology

that people of all faiths reject.” The man who now occupies the Oval Office has

uttered all of these and the last one is a direct quote before the Parliament of

Turkey. Facts are: The leaders of radical Islam have called for the complete

destruction of America and Israel; they have declared war on America and

Israel.

The man who now occupies the Oval Office went on to say, “We seek broad

engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. We will listen

carefully, bridge misunderstanding, and seek common ground. We will be

respectful, even when we do not agree. And we will convey our deep

appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many

centuries to shape the world for the better – including my own country.

The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans.”

We must ask:

Can there be mutual interest and common ground with those

who seek to destroy you?

How can the so-called Islamic faith be appreciated when it

foments death wherever it takes root?

But worse, how can an American president ever claim that the

so-called Islamic faith shaped the United States for the better?

***This is sheer disillusionment***

Were the Founding Fathers born from or converted of Islam?

Did Islam stop capturing Africans and selling them into slavery?

Did Islam advance health and medicine in America?

Was Islam the driving spirit behind entrepreneurship and free enterprise?

Did Islam suffer the rights of  women to vote?

Did Islam stand for a free and independent Israel?

Did Islam spread in our prisons and contribute to crime against

Americans?

Did Islam perpetrate terrorist attacks killing innocent Americans?

Where did Islam shape America for the better?????

It is one thing to try to improve relations that have been damaged over

the years. It is yet another to make statements that not even those who

are hearing them believe to be true. But the same concepts with this man

hold consistent. This is the man who believes America can spend its way

out of debt. He believes that free enterprise can be saved by nationalization

of industry. And he believes that Islam—who kills the innocent, enslaves

women and children, and sells drugs to fund the spreading of its religion

–shaped America for the better.

James 1:8 says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

And Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.”

By Bill Wilson, KIN Senior Analyst
[www.watch.org]

 

The Rose

The Rose

♥Daniel Miller♥

And upon a day, while walking among the flowers of

his teacher’s garden, did the child speak unto the Mystic:

“Some men claim that this life
is the darkness of a curse,
and a punishment to be endured
for all our wicked ways.
Oh Mystic, what say you of life?”

And the Mystic answered:

“I say that life is neither a curse nor a punishment,
But a rose filled with the beauty of desire.

The stem of the rose is your life upon this earth,
The thorns, painful lessons you bring unto
yourself, that you might learn.
The leaves are those joys that enter
your life with the tenderness of an unseen Love.

Curse not the sorrow of your thorns,
for the deeper they cut unto the heart of
your being, the greener the leaves of joy shall be.

The tiny bud is your soul, waiting to
bloom with the truth of God among its petals.
Slowly will your flower unfold,
that you might not become lost
within the fragrance of its secret.

♥

♥

And when the rose is at the height of its beauty,
Shall you not see the pureness of God
smiling from the very center of your Being ?”

sweet fragrance of a rose at the height of its beauty

 

The Hunger of Expectation

Today you are hungry…
…along comes a man that gives you food to eat,
but tomorrow your hunger arises yet again,
demanding to be fed.
Along comes another man who feeds your Eternal-Self,
thus freeing you from the hunger of illusion.
Which of these two men brings forth the greater gift
to all mankind?

As we give forth our gifts to our brother and sister souls,
we must do so without any expectation;
rather that we take a lesson in giving from the trees,
bearing fruit for all to eat…
from the time they are born until the day that they die,
their only desire is to give forth the sweetness of Life
to all who pass their way.

forever giving fruit tree

When we attach any sort of expectation to even our kindest
thought, it ceases to be a gift and becomes instead, a debt
to pay…no longer a blessing but rather a burden to bear.
Is this not the reason so many human relationships fail?

If our own expectations are attached to our emotions
then the gift of love becomes only the tie that bind…
‘I love you.’ then exists as a contract to honor or to break
‘Because I love you, I expect you to act accordingly.
I expect this for that.’

When our loved ones fail to live up to our own expectations,
the relationship tends to suffer.
Expectation is the food which gives rise to yet a more demanding hunger.
Unconditional Love is the sweetness of Life that feeds your Eternal-Self.

♣ Daniel J. Miller ♣  

 

GOD’S INVISIBLE BREATH

GOD’S INVISIBLE BREATH

The man whispered,

“God, speak to me.”
And a meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.

God’s Mighty yet Gentle Calling

So the man yelled,

“God, speak to me!”
And the thunder rolled across the sky.
But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said,

“God, let me see you.”
And a star shone brightly.
But the man did not notice.

God’s Light in the Dark .. A Sign He’s always there

And the man shouted,

“God, show me a miracle!”
And a life was born.
But the man did not know.

So, the man cried out in despair.
“Touch me God, and let me know that you

are here!”
Whereupon God reached down and touched

the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and

walked on.

God’s Gentle Touch; Unheeded by man

MORAL: Don’t miss out on a blessing

because it isn’t packaged the way you

expect.

*An Old Hindu Poem*

 

Dirty Oven

”If we (freely) admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just

(true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins (dismiss our lawlessness)

and (continuously) cleanse us from all unrighteousness (everything not in conformity to

His will in purpose, thought, and action)”

(1 John 1:9) - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our

sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – NWT

Cleaning the oven is not my favorite thing to do. In fact, it slides down to bottom of my

“to do” list several times before I actually make it a priority. I know I am not the only

person who feels this way. The owner of the house we moved into obviously disliked

cleaning ovens even more than I do. It was very dirty and hadn’t been cleaned for a

long time. I put it through the self-clean cycle then used SOS pads to clean the build

up around the edges. But the build up on the front bottom part of the oven and door

were so caked on that I had to take a screwdriver to scratch it off.

let not our hearts be like a dirty oven with crusts of ungodly habits

Finally it was clean.

As I was scrubbing the oven, I compared the dirty oven with our hearts. People can’t

see inside our ovens, or our hearts, but God can and it can be pretty dirty. I remember

so vividly the time when I asked Jesus into my life at the age of 12. I asked Him to

forgive my sins. He cleansed me and I felt so clean. At the age of 30, I learned about

spiritual breathing (confessing our sins and appropriating the Holy Spirit). I learned

I could be “clean” all the time – moment by moment.

However, sometimes we become so busy that we don’t spend time daily with the

Lord and His Word. We become sloppy and accumulate ungodly habits that are like

the caked on grease at the bottom of my oven. You have to work at getting rid of those.

Worry, ungratefulness, critical attitudes, etc. We need to confess them immediately

and begin thanking the Lord for all His blessings, start thinking “good, pure thought”

and focus our thoughts on God and His sufficiency.

If we spend quiet time with the Lord and His Word, He will point them out to us.

Many, many times a day, we have to do this to change our ungodly habits.

Purify our hearts Daily

Don’t let your oven (heart) get dirty – keep it clean.

What are your “caked on” habits?

Admit your sins and He will cleanse you.

by Katherine Kehler