The Best Gifts This Season

Author Unknown

To a Friend, Loyalty

To an Enemy, Forgiveness

To your Boss, Service

To your Child, A good example

To your Father, Honor

To your Mother, Gratitude and Devotion

To your Spouse, Love and Faithfulness

To Yourself, Respect

To All Men, Charity

To God, Your Life!

Meditation: Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:29-31

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Signs of Inner Peace

Author Unknown

* A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

* An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

* A loss of interest in judging self.* A loss of interest in judging other people.

* A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

* A loss of interest in conflict.

* A loss of ability to worry (this is a very serious symptom).

* Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

* Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

* Frequent attacks of smiling.

* An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

* An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Meditation: For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “…In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Birth of Jesus

– Author KNOWN!

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria). And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on
whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to the one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2: 1-20 NIV)

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

One on the Wall

Author Unknown

I sat with my friend in a well-known coffee shop in a neighbouring town of Venice (Italy), the city of lights and water. As we enjoyed our coffee, a man entered and sat at an empty table beside us. He called the waiter and placed his order saying, ‘Two cups of coffee, one here, one on the wall.’

We heard this strange order with interest and observed that he was served with one cup of coffee but he paid for two. As soon as he left, the waiter pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying, ‘A Cup of Coffee’.

While we were still there, two other men entered and ordered three cups of coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. They had the two cups of coffee, but paid for three and left. This time also, the waiter did the same; he pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying, ‘A Cup of Coffee’.

It was something unique and perplexing for us. We finished our coffee, paid the bill and left. After a few days, we had a chance to go to this coffee shop again. While we were enjoying our coffee, a poorly dressed man entered. As he seated himself, he looked at the wall and said, ‘One cup of coffee from the wall’.

The waiter served coffee to this man with the customary respect and dignity. The man had his coffee and left without paying.

We were amazed to watch all this, as the waiter took off a piece of paper from the wall and threw it in the dustbin.

Now it was no surprise for us – the matter was very clear. The great respect for the needy shown by the inhabitants of this town made our eyes well up in tears.

Ponder upon the need of what this man wanted. He enters the coffee shop without having to lower his self-esteem. He has no need to ask for a free cup of coffee without asking or knowing about the one who is giving this cup of coffee to him. He only looked at the wall, placed an order for himself, enjoyed his coffee and left.

Probably the most beautiful wall you may ever see will be our wall of good deeds on the Day of Judgement. This is what is Charity when you give from one hand and the other hand does not know about it. May God help us to spend for the poor and the needy.

Meditation: Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. – Matthew 6:2-4

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Situations that Require Silence

Author Unknown

As the adage goes; ‘silence is golden’, the following is a list of 20 situations where it is better to be silent:

1. Be silent – in the heat of anger.

2. Be silent – when you don’t have all the facts.

3. Be silent – when you haven’t verified the story.

4. Be silent – if your words will offend a weaker person.

5. Be silent – when it is time to listen.

6. Be silent – when you are tempted to make light of holy things.

7. Be silent – when you are tempted to joke about sin.

8. Be silent – if you would be ashamed of your words later.

9. Be silent – if your words would convey the wrong impression.

10. Be silent – if the issue is none of your business.

11. Be silent – when you are tempted to tell an outright lie.

12. Be silent – if your words will damage someone else’s reputation.

13. Be silent – if your words will damage a friendship.

14. Be silent – when you are feeling critical.

15. Be silent – if you can’t say it without screaming.

16. Be silent – if your words will be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends and family.

17. Be silent – if you may have to eat your words later.

18. Be silent – if you have already said it more than one time.

19. Be silent – when you are tempted to flatter a wicked person.

20. Be silent – when you are supposed to be working instead.

Meditation: Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles. – Proverbs 21:23

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Big Picture

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
– Proverbs 3:5

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when, suddenly his room filled with light and the Saviour appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s weary mind: “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.”

Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. “Why kill myself over this?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough.” And that was what he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

“Lord,” he said, “I have laboured long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimetre. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

The Lord responded compassionately, “My son, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never did I mentio

n to you that I expected you to move the rock. Your task was to push, and now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so?

“Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscular, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition, you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.

“Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient, push, exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock.”

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves the mountains.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

If You’ve Ever Been in Love

Author Unknown

If You’ve Ever Been In Love…

Think back (for some of you this will take longer than others) to when you met that man/woman that you just knew would be the one. Remember when you realized/admitted to yourself that you loved him/her. Now, remember how much you wanted to act like you were in a movie, and yell to everyone in the football stadium “I love (fill in the name)!” You told family and friends how perfect he was. You told your boys how she was just what you were looking for.

Well, I told the LORD I loved Him today. And He said to me, “How much do you love me? You haven’t told anyone how good I’ve been to you. You haven’t shared how perfect my love is. You haven’t spread the good news that I am always there to listen to your problems. You haven’t told your family how I helped you pay your bills when you didn’t have a high paying job, or how I got you a better one. You didn’t tell your boys how I took away that addiction that would have cost you not only your job, but that woman that was just what you were looking for. So how much do you really love me?”

So, I said I would share with my friends and family (for starters) just how wonderful, perfect, understanding, patient, loving, unselfish, considerate and forgiving God really is. He has blessed me with a family that loves me and friends that I can confide in. But, even more than that, He has saved me from a destruction I couldn’t even see coming. He gave to me the peace of knowing Him and He has never broken a promise. Truly, He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I stand in my stadium today to yell to you all “I love The LORD!”