Unfolding the Rosebud

It is only a tiny rosebud,

A flower of GOD’s design;

But I cannot unfold the petals

With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers

Is not known to such as I.

GOD opens this flower so sweetly,

When in my hands they fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,

This flower of GOD’s design,

Then how can I think I have wisdom

To unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in Him for His leading

Each moment of every day.

I will look to Him for His guidance

Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,

Only my heavenly Father knows.

I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,

Just as He unfolds the rose.

Meditation: O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. – Jeremiah 10:23

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes

Which God gave me to hold.

He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black,

And all your joys in the gold.”

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes

Both my joys and sorrows I store,

But though the gold became heavier each day

The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black

I wanted to find out why

And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole

Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud,

“I wonder where my sorrows could be.”

He smiled a gentle smile at me.

“My child, they’re all here with me.”

I asked, “God, why give me the boxes,

Why the gold, and the black with the hole?”

“My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,

the black is for you to let go.”

Meditation: Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. – Isaiah 53:4

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Don’t Take it Home

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet the family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

After opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His face was wreathed in smiles, and he hugged his two small children and then gave his wife a kiss.

Afterwards, he walked me to my car. We passed the tree, and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

“Oh, that’s my trouble tree,” he replied. “I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning, I pick them up again.”

“Funny thing is,” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”

There is an even better way of dealing with the challenges of life – cast them all upon Jesus, Who is an expert at turning troubles around testimonies.

Meditation: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Homeless Man

It was a cold winter’s day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church. As I got closer, I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost laying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face.

He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over them, his toes stuck out. I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church. We all fellowshipped for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man laying outside. People snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me.

A few moments later church began. We all waited for the Preacher to take his place and to give us the Word when the doors to the church opened. In came the homeless man walking down the aisle with his head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit he took off his hat and coat.

My heart sank.

There stood our preacher…he was the “homeless man.”

No one said a word. The preacher took his Bible and laid it on the stand. “Folks, I don’t think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today.” Then he started singing the words to this song.

If I can help somebody as I pass along.

If I can cheer somebody with a word or song

If I can show somebody that he’s travelling wrong.

Then my living shall not be in vain.

“IS YOUR LIVING IN VAIN?”

Meditation: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. – Hebrews 13:2

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Power of Words

I have always had a special love for words. Words have such power in them. The right words can uplift, inspire, heal, and create endless joy and love in our lives. The wrong words can depress, discourage, hurt, and bring us endless misery and pain. It is so very important then to try and choose the right words in our lives. By choosing the right words I don’t just mean saying the right words or writing the right words either. I also mean thinking the right words. It is amazing the garbage that so many of us allow ourselves to think each and every day of our lives.

In order to live a truly blessed life we must haul away the garbage and start to plant words that will grow into a garden of joy and light in our minds. Start today then to make the words in your life work for you and not against you. Do away with “can’t” and “no”. Try “can” and “yes” instead.

Say, “I can be happy, I can choose joy, and I can share love.” Say, “Yes” to life, to learning, and to growth. Begin to use words like: Wonderful, Beautiful, and Delightful when you speak to others. Find a word of praise for everyone you know and then share it with them. Look the people you love straight in the eye and tell them, “I love you.” Seek our every fantastic, fabulous, and glorious word that you can and start to use them in your life.

Words are such simple things and yet they have the power to change our lives forever if we use them right. Make the choice every day of your life to use all of the good, positive, and loving words you can every second that you can. If you do this you will find that your life will become a paradise of love and joy, that other people will become your brothers and sisters in happiness, and that God’s goodness will shine through every word you use….

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. – Ephesians 4:29

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Judge Gently

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry having been called in for an urgent surgery.

He changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery block. He found an anxious father pacing the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the man yelled: “Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?”

The doctor smiled and said: “I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital and I came as fast as I could after receiving the call. Now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can attend to your son.”

“Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do?” demanded the angry father.

The doctor smiled again and replied: “I will say what Job said in the Holy Book ‘From dust we came and to dust we return, blessed be the name of God’. Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go and intercede for your son, we will do our best by God’s grace.”

“It is so easy to give advice when we’re not directly concerned,” the father murmured.

The surgery took some hours after which the doctor came out happy, “Thank goodness! Your son is saved!”

And without waiting for the father’s reply he proceeded on his way running. “If you have any questions, ask the nurse!”

“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so that I ask about my son’s state.” the man complained when the nurse came over some minutes after the doctor left.

The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was at the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he has saved your son’s life, he has run back to finish his son’s burial.”

Never judge anyone; because you may never know how their life’s journey has been or what they are going through.

— Author Unknown

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

You Ask Why I Follow This Jesus?

You ask why I follow this Jesus?

Why I love Him the way I do?

When the world’s turned away from His teachings

And the people who serve Him are few.

It’s not the rewards I’m after

Or gifts that I hope to receive

It’s the Presence that calls for commitment

It’s the Spirit I trust and believe.

The Lord doesn’t shelter His faithful

Or spare them all suffering and pain,

Like everyone else I have burdens,

And walk through my share of rain.

Yet He gives me a plan and a purpose,

And that joy only Christians have known,

I never know what comes tomorrow,

But I do know I’m never alone.

It’s the love always there when you need it;

It’s the words that redeem and inspire,

It’s the longing to ever be with Him

That burns in my heart like a fire.

So you ask why I love my Lord Jesus?

Well, friend, that’s so easy to see,

But the one thing that fills me with wonder is

Why Jesus loves someone like me.

–– Author Unknown

Meditation: We love Him because He first loved us. – 1 John 4:19

You will succeed in Jesus Name!