VARIOUS MORSELS FOR YOU!!

                                                TROUBLES AND BLESSINGS

                                                                            by W. F. Bell

I just read about a father who kept a pickle jar in his bedroom to save coins in for his son to get to go to college.  I will not relate that story here, but some quotes at the end of the story I will share, plus a few others.  May we be reminded of how blessed we are in America.  For those of us who have visited other countries not as blessed as ours -- after staying with foreign people in their homes -- we realize we should never complain again!  Think about that, and here are the quotes:

"Sometimes we are so busy adding  up our troubles, that we forget to count our blessings."

 "Never underestimate the power of your actions.  With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for worse."

"God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some small way."

"You may now be passing through the furnace; you may now be draining adversity's bitter cup; friends unkind, the world empty, every thing earthly failing, faith weak, corruptions strong; but still your omnipresent Christ is with you!  Do not be cast down!"  (Octavius Winslow)

"It is of no use to hope that we shall be well rooted if no rough winds pass over us.  Those old gnarlings on the root of the oak tree, and those strange twistings of the branches, all tell of the many storms that have swept over it, and they are also indicators of the depth into which the roots have forced their way.  So the Christian is made strong, and firmly rooted by all the trials and storms of life."  (Charles Spurgeon)

             "For He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

I pray that this "small gesture" sent your way today may bless you and change you "for better," to God's glory.

                                     CHURCH BULLETIN BOARDS

           

Signs we often see on church bulletin boards, how true are they? I suppose most have at least an element of truth. Some only need a little exposition such as:

“Prayer Changes Things”- It certainly does for the pray-er. That is, from our earthly point of view it does. From God’s heavenly point of view it does not. We do not change God’s mind, or anything about Him. “I am the Lord, I change not--- “(Malachi 3:6a) “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of God’s willingness.” Arthur W. Pink

“Jesus Saves”- You can bank on it! There has never been a sinner who really wanted to be saved, that cannot be saved. What about someone who has committed the unpardonable sin? Such a person that attributes the working of the Holy Spirit to Satan (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit), cannot be saved, and does not want to be saved. Jesus said: “All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)  “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Acts 2:21)

“Make Jesus Lord of your life”- This is a good thing, but YOU can’t do it! As the late Rolfe Barnard used to say, “God has beat you to it.” He has already been made Lord. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) All any of us can do as lost sinners, is come to Him and confess Him as Lord. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (lit. Jesus as Lord), and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

“God is My Co-Pilot- Change Seats!”- That last part of the phrase is an improvement over the slogan from the old World War Two movie from 1945 “God is My Co-Pilot.” Actually in reality God IS the pilot of life’s journey for us all. “In whom also we have obtained and inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” (Ephesians 1:11)

“No God- No Peace: Know God- Know Peace” A lot of truth here. “There is no peace saith my God to the wicked.”(Isaiah 57:21) In contrast: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)

“Come on In, It’s Cool Inside.” Sounds like a good idea in this hot weather, but you should be careful about what kind of church you get involved with. The gospel is NOT preached in a lot of them. I’d rather pick up a live rattlesnake than go in some of them. On second thought- they have some churches around here that will provide the live rattler!  (compiled by Charles Woodruff)

                                 TAKE GOOD ADVICE FROM PAST LEADERS

         In perilous times such as these, we might do well to read the                                   words of two past leaders of our country. 

         "There are great problems before the American people.There are problems which            will need purity of spirit and an integrity of purpose such as have never been            called for before in the history of this country."

 "I should be afraid to go forward if I did not believe that there lay at the foundation of all our schooling and of all our thought this incomparable and unimpeachable Word of God."

"If we cannot derive our strength thence, there is no source from which we can derive it, and so I would bid you go from this place, if I may, inspired once more with the feeling that the Providence of God is the foundation of affairs, and that only those can guide, and only those can follow, who take this Providence of God from the sources where it is authentically interpreted."

"I beseech all my fellow-believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God, I ascribe to Bible study the help and strength which I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials, in various ways, than I had ever had before; and after having now above fourteen years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it."

"A soul that has been refreshed and made happy early in the morning meets the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day with a power how different from that of one that has had no "spiritual preparation.”

-Woodrow Wilson- from a booklet published in 1918

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if one sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

-Part of a statement by Benjamin Franklin at the framing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, June 28, 1787.

                                  WHAT IF I FIND HYPOCRISY IN ME?   

                                  By Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

WELL, dear friends, if our hearts condemn us not, then have we peace towards God; but if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things (1John 3:20). Let us confess to Him all past failures. And though we may not be conscious of hypocrisy, yet, let us say, "Lord, search and try me, and know my ways; see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:24)... .I have great confidence in the sincerity of any Christian man who says habitually and truthfully, "Lord, let me know the very worst of my case, whatever it is; even if all my fair prospects and bright ideals should be but dreams, the fabric of a vision... so be it; only let me know the truth. Lead me in a plain path; let me be sincere before thee, 0h thou heart-searching, rein-trying God!" Let us with such frank candor, such ingenuous simplicity come before the Lord. Let as many of us as fear the Lord and distrust ourselves take refuge in His omniscience against the jealousies and suspicions which haunt our own breasts. 

And let us do better still: let us hasten anew to the cross of Jesus and thus end our difficulties by accepting afresh the sinners' Savior. When I have a knot to untie as to my evidence of being a child of God, and I cannot untie it, I usually follow Alexander [the Great's] example with the Gordian knot and cut it. How cut it? Why, in this way: "Thou sayest, 0h conscience, this is wrong, and thus is wrong. Thou sayest, 0h Satan, thy faith is a delusion, thy experience a fiction, thy profession a lie. Be it so then, I will not dispute it, I end that matter. If I am no saint, I am a sinner; there can be no doubt about that! The devil himself is defied to question that.  

Then it is written that 'Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,' and to sinners is the Gospel preached. 'He that believeth on him is not condemned.' I do believe on Him. If I never did before, I will now; and all my transgressions are therefore blotted out! And now, Lord, grant me grace to begin again; and from this time forth let me live the life of faith, the life of prayer. Let me be one of those who will pray always, let me be one of those who will pray when they are dying, having prayed all their lives." Prayer is our very life: ceasing prayer we cease to live. As long as we are here preserved in spiritual life, we must pray. Lord, grant it may be so with each one here present, through the power of Thy Spirit and the merit of Jesus' blood. Amen and Amen!!

      (Compiled by Charles Woodruff------oursong2000@yahoo.Com)