Scripture to Ponder

This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalms 118:24


Friday, November 2, 2018

God and the Geese

This is not my own words, but a story I ran across online and wanted to share with you:

God and the Geese

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion  and religious holidays.    
His wife, however, did believe in God, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. 
One snowy Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived. They were to talk about Jesus' birth. She asked him to come, but he refused. "That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!"  So she and the children left, and he stayed home.
 
A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening  Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and  aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.   The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them.The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked  over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. 
 
 The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.
 
 "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"  He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.
Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn -- and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety.He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!"  

Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"    Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done.   We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing..    God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. 
As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer:  "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!  I am ready to do what you wish for me to do".
Heb 4:14-16, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.   Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need". 

Thursday, March 8, 2018

What is One of Satan's Easiest Tactics?

Satan...we've all heard that familiar verse in I Peter 5:8 which tells us: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (NIV)." I like the KJV also, "Be sober, vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

Oh how we take him so lightly. He wants nothing more than to destroy our soul! One easy place that Satan finds fairly easy is to attach the family structure. If he can create strife within the family, then he has a good chance to take us away from our Christian values and eventually from God. An easy target is with our "Fathers" within households. If he can remove that stability that a father gives, then it is easier for him to destroy the family.

I discovered a great, non-profit ministry that is trying to combat the effect Satan is having on Fathers. It's founder, John Finch, from Dallas was raised in a fatherless home and is on a mission to help fathers create a strong family and build a legacy that expands generations.

I came across this ministry on my Twitter feed and LOVE their posts such as this one below. I do hope you explore more about "The Father Effect".

Monday, June 5, 2017

Which Step Are You On?

It is not many times that I find myself "double-posting" on my two blogs. But today is just one of those finds that can be applied to a "Christian's life" as well as an educator. God expects effort on our part. He expects us to grow and learn. Faith is a choice and it is shown by our actions. The belief is the easy part. We believe in Jesus, that He is God's son and was sent to save us from our sins. We all say we believe, but how do we prove our belief? It is said that we are either drawing near to God or away from him. Each day we make choices on how we want to spend our day and how we use it to His glory. We choose the attitude that we will have and how we show our gratitude. Today, I want to share a visual that I ran across on Twitter. It is used in an education type scenario; but I want to use this same visual in a Christian's life as they grow and trust in God through their walk.
Which step are you on? Are you refusing to do God's will? Are you saying you are committed, but only on your terms, not God's? Is fear keeping you from facing your giants and becoming what God has planned for you? How can we fulfill our purpose God has for us? Check out this visual and see where you have climbed. Are you stuck on a step?

The Peril of Falling Away

Hebrews 6
  

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God permits.

Better Things for You

Hebrews 6
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Today, why don't your take time to examine yourself in your faith. We are asked to do this, but our measurement should be on God's standard, not the world's. Make sure you are spending time in God's word which is our measuring stick! Is Christ Jesus in you?

2 Corinthians 13:5 
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Do You Have Anxiety?

For the BEST help with anxiety, stress, etc. consider God's word. Here are a few verses to get you started: Philippians 4:6 Isaiah 41:10 Psalm 34:4 1 Peter 5:7 2 Corinthians 12:10 Philippians 4:13 Proverbs 3:5 Matthew 6:25-34

Monday, February 20, 2017

What is YOUR next step?

Love to find little treasures on Twitter. Ran across this one today and thought it worthy to post here today! Have a great President's Day! Remember not to focus on your past failures, but always pick yourself up and look for that step forward (or upward)!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Your Daily Bread

New International Version
Luke 11:3

Give us each day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11Give us today our daily bread.
Proverbs 30:8
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

Monday, May 2, 2016

What quality is your FAITH?

Faith That Moves Mountains Sketchnote

I have purchased two books on Sketchnoting by Mike Rohde from Amazon. One is the Sketchnote Handbook and the other one is the Sketchnote Workbook. My goal is to increase the way I am taking notes during sermons and while doing my morning bible study. Here is an example what I'd like to do. Thanks for sharing this on Flickr so that others like myself can see great sketching in action. Looks like Greg Alles is the author or sketch artist who created this message on Faith. Love, love this. Awesome stuff here. I hope to find more to share and then one day, share my own. With God's help, I can succeed, right?