Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Author Unknown

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.

Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,

Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed.

We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.

With its possible adversities, Its burdens,

Its large promise and poor performance.

Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow’s Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,

but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This just leaves only one day… Today.


Any person can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity’s -

yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.

It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday

and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us therefore live but one day at a time.

Meditation: redeeming the time, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:16

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

They Missed Him!

Author Unknown

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. – John 1:1

They were looking for a Lion, He came as a Lamb, and they missed him.

They were looking for a Warrior, He came as a Peacemaker, and they missed him.

They were looking for a King, He came as a Servant, and they missed him.

They were looking for Liberation from Rome, He submitted to the Roman cross, and they missed him.

They were looking for a fit to their mould, He was the mould maker, and they missed him.

What are you looking for? Lion? Warrior? King? Liberator?

They were looking for their temporal needs to be met. He came to meet their eternal needs, and they missed him.

He came as a Lamb to be sacrificed for your sin. Will you miss him?

He came to make peace between God and man. Will you miss him?

He came to model servanthood for all mankind. Will you miss him?

He came that we might have true Liberty. Will you miss him?

He came to give you eternal life. Will you miss him?

When we submit to the Lamb we will meet the Lion. Join with the Peacemaker and we will meet the Warrior. Work with the Servant and we will meet the King. Walk with the Submitted and we will meet the Liberator. Concern ourselves with the eternal and we will have the temporal.

If Jesus is not fitting into the mould you have, then come to the mould maker and get His new one. Submit to His plan for your life and you will see the eternal need met first, then all the other things you have need of will be taken care of as well.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Then Why Don’t We Pray?

Author Unknown

The highest privilege ever afforded to man is the power of prayer.
…then why don’t we pray?

The right to talk to the highest potentate in all the universe…
…then why don’t we pray?

The most powerful force accessible to man is the potential of prayer…
…then why don’t we pray?

The greatest longing in the heart of God is to talk to His children…
…then why don’t we pray?

Nothing is impossible to those who pray…
…then why don’t we pray?

No man ever fainted or faltered who gave himself to prayer…
…then why don’t we pray?

Every sin is forgiven, every stain is washed clean, all guilt diminished to
the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?

Hell moves farther away, satan flees from the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?

Anointing will come, mountains will be moved, valleys made smooth, rivers
made crossable, the inaccessible made accessible, the impossible made
possible, dreams come through to the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?

Jesus said that men ought always to pray…
…then why don’t we pray?

Paul encouraged prayer without ceasing…
…then why don’t we pray?

The riches of heaven are open to those who pray in His name…
…then why don’t we pray?

Everyone can pray, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the strong, the
weak, the child, the aged, the sinner, the prisoner, in any nation, in any
language, all can pray…
…then why don’t we pray?

Meditation: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. – Luke 18:1

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Many Names of Christ

Author Unknown

To the ARTIST He is the One Altogether Lovely.
To the ARCHITECT He is the Chief Corner Stone.
To the BAKER He is the Living Bread.
To the BANKER He is the Hidden Treasure.
To the BIOLOGIST He is the Life.
To the BUILDER He is the Sure Foundation.
To the CARPENTER He is the Door.
To the DOCTOR He is the Great Physician.
To the EDUCATOR He is the Great Teacher.
To the ENGINEER He is the New and Living Way.
To the FLORIST He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.
To the GEOLOGIST He is the Rock of Ages.
To the HORTICULTURIST He is the True Vine.
To the JUDGE He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men.
To the JEWELER He is the Pearl of Great Price.
To the LAWYER He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.
To the NEWSPAPER He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.
To the OCULIST He is the Light of the Eyes.
To the PHILANTHROPIST He is the Unspeakable Gift.
To the PHILOSOPHER He is the Wisdom of God.
To the PREACHER He is the Word of God.
To the SCULPTOR He is the Living Stone.
To the SERVANT He is the Good Master.
To the STATESMAN He is the Desire of All Nations.
To the STUDENT He is the Incarnate Truth.
To the THEOLOGIAN He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
To the TOILER He is the Giver of Rest.
To the SINNER He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World.
To the CHRISTIAN He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer and the Lord.

The Angry Evangelist

Author Unknown

One day a local evangelist bragged during a crusade that his God was more able than all the other gods and the powers that the villagers worshiped put together. Just then, rainstorm sounds started sounding overhead, threatening the progress of the crusade. The evangelist lifted up his voice and declared with confidence that if the rains fell, then he wasn’t a man of God; he would stop preaching!

Before he could finish his bluff, the rains began to hit the crusade grounds so vehemently, as if in disregard of his declarations. The whole town left the crusade grounds to their houses, shaking their heads in disappointment and dismay.

The evangelist, so distraught and angry, packed his belongings and left the town the next day. On his way through the next town, he checked into a local drinking pub and drank himself to stupor. As he laid on the ground cursing God, an old seedy looking man tapped him gently on the shoulder.

“Man of God”, the old man greeted. But the evangelist quickly cut in, “Don’t mention the name of God to me. He is fake. He is unreliable. I am no longer a believer in this God. A God who chooses to disgrace his servants. Leave me alone!”

But the old man would not let him be. He continued, “I am the fetish priest in the village you just preached at. During your one week stay in that village, you destroyed all the charms I had used to bind the people for 45 years. Your prayers and your words always came with some fearful fire. I tried so many times to eliminate you but i couldn’t. My last chance came yesterday. I had loaded my gun with gunpowder lying wait on the mountaintop where I had a very clear view of you.

“My plan was to shoot you from a distance since i couldn’t get close enough to you due to the fire around you. But just when I lifted the gun, the rains came from nowhere, wetting my gunpowder and covering you in a cloud such that I couldn’t even see you. All I saw was a bright man holding a sword in front of you.

“I was so terrified. I concluded that your God was indeed all powerful and Almighty. That is why I’ve been looking for you since then. I want to follow this your God!”

The ex-evangelist bowed his head in shame.

Dear friends, sometimes, it is just wise for us to believe that our Father knows the way He is taking us. We should just trust His leading. Let our boast be in the Lord, not in ourselves. If we decree a thing and it doesn’t happen, let us not see it as disappointment or dishonour from the Father. Let us just believe that the Father wants his perfect will to be done in all things.

Meditation: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Turtle Picnic

Author Unknown

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. – Psalm 51:6

A turtle family went on a picnic. They had prepared seven years for their outing. The family left home, searching for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey, they found it. For about six months, they cleared the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. They discovered, however, that they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed.

After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt at home. Although he was the fastest of the slow-moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in the shell. He agreed to go on only on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed, and the little turtle had not returned. Five years. Six years. Then in the seventh year of his absence, the eldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich.

At that point, the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, “SEE! I knew you wouldn’t wait! Now, I’m not going to get the salt!”

Some of us, like that little turtle, don’t trust anyone or give anyone the benefit of the doubt. We diligently wait for people to live up to our poor expectations of them – and they always do.

We can be thankful that God doesn’t treat us that way. He accepts us just the way we are. He believes in us. He cheers us on. He thinks the best of us. He is proud of us. When we mess up, He forgives and forgets, and gives us another opportunity to do good. That’s how God treats us, and that is how we are to treat others.

Let’s not think the worst of each other. Let us expect the best; and the best of people we will always get.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Time to Think

Author Unknown

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.

“This,” he said, “is not a slip. This is lingerie.” He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

“Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion.”

He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister’s family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn’t seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.

I’m still thinking about his words, and they’ve changed my life. I’m reading more and dusting less. I’m sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I’m trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I’m not “saving” anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market if I like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I’m not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends. “Someday” and “one of these days” are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.

I’m not sure what my sister would’ve done had she known that she wouldn’t be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I’m guessing – I’ll never know.

It’s those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with – “someday”. Angry because I hadn’t written certain letters that I intended to write – one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn’t tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.

I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.

Every day, every minute, every breath truly is… a gift from God.

May God litter your life with blessings!

“You’ve got to dance like nobody’s watching, and love like it’s never going to hurt.”

“People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don’t need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there.”

Meditation: Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. – Proverbs 27:1

You will succeed in Jesus Name!