If you were to walk into a throne room in ancient days, the person occupying the highest place in the room was the king. There might be steps leading up to the throne on a high platform. Everyone looked up to the king. It was the ultimate expression of authority and power.
Nobody dared approach the king without permission, and even close advisors had to observe strict protocol when approaching the throne, or suffer severe punishment.
The only ones that could share the high place with the king were his queen and his children. They didn’t have to make an appointment, and could come and go as they pleased. Not only that but the king was proud to receive them, and his children rejoiced in the kings presence.
“Come up and sit with me,” the king might say, as he sees one of his children in the throne room. With no fear, the child climbs the stairs and is received into the king’s arms.
The rest of the king’s court looks on. They know that this special relationship is only between the king and his children. Only the king and his children may share such terms of endearment as “Abba, Father.”
Do you have this special relationship with King Jesus? Do you know him as a child of God? Have you been adopted into the family of believers?
Dear Lord, If I have never drawn near to your throne as one of your children, work in my heart that I might come to know your great salvation and forgiveness of sins. Then bid me “come up higher” that I might rejoice in You and draw near in holy confidence, saying “Abba, Father.” Amen
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
God remembers our prayers! He knows our needs. He cares about His children. What great comfort we can take in this knowledge.
The heavens are vast, as shown in this NASA photograph. Just as the Lord remembers each and every star, he can remember our prayers and fulfill them to our delight, as Spurgeon says.
Yet despair and discouragement always seem to be close at hand as we wait. When our faith is tried, it is important to realize that is when our faith grows. Continue in “earnest supplication,” persevere, hang on, dear child of God!
As we have seen in other Psalms, we need to look back and remember what God has done for us, how He has answered prayers and blessed us, even when we don’t deserve it. God knows our future as we see our past. It is all for His glory.
Dear Lord, Let me glorify you and enjoy you forever. As I pray, help my faith to grow each day, even through discouragement and hard times. Help me to always engage in earnest supplication. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
We don’t think much about the importance of rivers today, as we drive comfortably across bridges in air conditioned cars sipping from a bottle of clean water. To folks in the 19th century and earlier, rivers were their source of life-giving water.
To have convenient access to a clean, clear, abundant supply of river water was a great blessing to ancient people. The psalmist tells us that in heaven there will be a “river whose streams will make glad the city of God.”
As a fallen person in a fallen world, I don’t deserve such a blessing as a place beside life-giving waters. I will never find such a place under my own strength or efforts. What can I do?
It is God’s undeserved saving grace through the work and sacrifice of his son Jesus that makes such blessings possible. Come to the river and enjoy the blessings of the water.
Dear Lord, I am thirsty for your water. I need your grace. Lead me, Jesus, to the river that gives life, both in this world and in heaven. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 46 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Will RogersIn Rogers’ day, disarmament was a leading issue. In the period after WWI, there were numerous peace conferences. Rogers would attend and report on the proceedings with his characteristic wit and humor. Rogers saw the futility in nations trying to regulate how many battleships and weapons a country should have, and that it was no guarantee of a peaceful future.
Today the weapons are bigger, nuclear, and more destructive. Today we talk about nuclear disarmament. But the issue gets more complicated. Do we demand Israel exercise restraint when attacked? Do we ignore nuclear Iran’s threat to wipe Israel off the face of the earth? Should we unilaterally disarm, in hopes that others will follow?
The U.S. is a good country, and a strong U.S. presence around the world tends to be the most effective way to keep peace. Our national interest is served and the world is a better place. A weak U.S. will make the world a more dangerous place where rogue nations think they can dictate international policy that is a threat to the U.S. and our allies. Which way are we headed?
Image Information: The image of Rogers is from his 1921 silent film Guile of Women. Rogers plays a Swede named Yal who travels with a friend to America to seek his fortune. After misfortunes in love and business, his girlfriend finally arrives from Sweden.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
How hard is it to seek God? How hard is it to praise God? It takes some effort, but that effort is pleasing to God. Plus, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Anyone can seek God. No matter the situation. Start by prayer, reading the Scriptures, look for Christian fellowship, listen to the preaching of God’s word and other activities that will encourage you in your faith. As you seek the Lord, you will want to praise Him for the grace He has given you.
When I exercise, even these old, tired muscles of mine get stronger. However, the exercise must be regular, and it must challenge the muscles to grow. Allowing my faith to grow is similar, and the result is a healthy, strong and vibrant faith.
According to the psalm, the results are significant: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,” and “The poor will eat and be satisfied.” As I get stronger, I can encourage my family to get stronger, and together we can encourage other families, and so on, God helping us along the way.
Have you never sought God before. Then let’s pray together.
Dear Lord, Help me to seek you, that I might praise you for your saving grace, through Jesus. No matter what my sin, it can be forgiven. I want to believe, Lord, help my unbelief. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 22 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes NIV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
![O redemption, how wondrously resplendent dost thou shine when we think how black we are! O Holy Spirit, give us henceforth the hearing ear, the understanding heart! E12-16</p> <p>[resplendent – Splendid or dazzling in appearance; brilliant.]](https://systemsofmerritt.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/spur015i.jpg "Spurgeon Daily Quote")
In today’s world, redemption seems so bland and colorless. The reason is because sin is only seen as a light shade of gray. It is barely mentioned these days, even from the pulpit. Sin is rationalized, in order to avoid personal responsibility. Sin is made comfortable in order not to offend the sinner. It is our very nature to avoid dealing with sin in our lives.
Now consider the difference between turning on a light in the middle of the day, verses turning on the same light in the blackness of the night. In one case there is little or no effect from the light, but at night we have to shade our eyes and turn our head from the brilliance of the light.
Only when we begin to understand the deep blackness of our sin can we fully understand the “resplendent” redemption of God. We must shade our eyes, turn our head and give deep heart-felt praise to God for such great grace.
Dear Lord, As I consider the terrible suffering of Christ on the cross, help me understand that it was because of my terrible sins. It is then that my redemption does resplendently shine. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Apple just approved the Daily Psalm KJV (King James Version) upgrade.
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Will RogersFrom this quote, do you get the feeling that Will Rogers wasn’t too keen on the game of golf? I think it was too slow of a game for Will.
As you look at the pictures in the Will Rogers blog posts, you will notice that Will is always active. In the picture on the left, he is busy giving a speech. You’ll find other pictures of Will playing polo, riding horses, flying in airplanes, spinning a lasso, making a movie or playing with his kids.
“Why stand on your feet for hours watching somebody else putt” when you could be having fun doing something else?
The image was taken directly from photographs at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
I love these little penguins because they symbolize patience in the extreme as they care for the eggs. They are also cute. It seemed to beautifully fit Psalm 27:14 as shown in the image.
This verse is from the Psalm Daily Quotes NASB app. Each day of the year the app shows a different daily quote and matched image, plus you can browse the quotes collection.
A friend stopped by last night and was telling us how she had used a “blue” bottle to feed milk to baby kittens. It took us a while to figure out that she was saying “glue” bottle. Communication problems seem to happen in our house all the time. Sometimes the results can be quite humorous as with “no man is an island” turns into “no mayonnaise in Ireland.”
With God, there are no translation or communication problems when it comes to our prayers. The God who fashioned our very being and bodies understands our needs as we express them in prayer.
I thought this image fit well with the verse. Ears that large have got to be very sensitive to even the smallest noise or the most distant sound. How sensitive do we think God’s ears are? Do we have the faith to “direct our prayer unto thee and will look up?” Lord, help us to have the faith to believe that you hear us.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 5 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes KJV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Psalm 1 1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
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Will RogersI was shocked when I came across this Will Rogers quote. He was referring to an industry convention of motion picture producers at the time. I normally think of Shirley Temple movies from this time period, not movies with sexual content.
Can you imagine stepping through a time warp from 1934 to today to witness the filth that saturates every broadcast medium today? It seems that Hollywood is always pressing the limits of decency, portraying all manners of social and sexual deviancy as justifiable and even normal.
Somewhere along the way however, movie makers discovered that consumers wanted to see “an old fashioned movie,” as Will Rogers says.
Image Information: This image is a Will Rogers’ publicity shot from the late 1920s or early 1930s.
The image was taken directly from pictures at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
We’ve had some close calls financially, but there has always been food on the table for our family. My wife can stretch the food budget, a friend gave us some grocery money, a neighbor brought us a meal, another neighbor shared garden vegetables with us are some of the ways God has provided for us in the past.
This is a short verse, but it carries lots of meaning. The Lord asks two things of us: trust Him and do good. In return he allows us to dwell in the land and promises we shall be fed. Mr. Squirrel seems to be quite satisfied in the picture, doesn’t he?
Dear Lord, help me to trust in you, and to do good from a grateful heart. Thank you for your gracious provision, Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 37 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes KJV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Being searched at the airport now days is quite an experience. Your bags are checked with X-ray machines, and full-body scans render you naked on somebody’s screen. You body and possessions are fully exposed to try and determine if you are a terrorist threat.
The one thing that they can’t do at the airport security station is determine the intent of your heart. If they could do that, no other security measure would be needed.
Exposing yourself to airport security is humiliating, which is why there is so much controversy about it. The Psalmist, however, says “Search me, O God, and know my heart.” This is a much deeper exposure and intimacy which takes a great deal of humility.
Our tendency is to want to hide ourselves from God, just like Adam and Eve tried to hide themselves in the garden after eating the forbidden fruit. Opening up to the Lord can bring great blessings though. The Psalmist asks “lead me in the everlasting way.” The image shows a beautiful, peaceful wooded path to go with this Psalm.
Dear Lord, Help me to open up to you, even if just a little. Search me and know my heart, and help me to know you better. Lead me in your path and teach me your ways. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 139 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes NASB iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
I’m trying to think of times when I was excited about going somewhere. Perhaps a graduation ceremony for one of my kids. I enjoy going to ball games and concerts. A weekend campout is lots of fun.
The anticipation of going somewhere special is a great feeling, isn’t it? When you get there, you are among other people that are as excited as you. Like the penguins in the picture, everyone is headed in the same direction, moving toward the event.
In Psalm 122, the Psalmist expresses gladness in anticipation of going to the house of the Lord. Is it because of the great music, special programs or preaching? Actually, it’s a time to draw near to God as a group of believers. It’s a time to grow more secure in our faith.
Dear Lord, help me to anticipate with gladness the time when I will go to the house of the Lord. Let my visits be frequent, and let my love for you grow as I worship you in the congregation. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 122 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Will RogersIn 1932 Will Rogers predicted that it would take taxpayers 50 years to pay for all the massive appropriations of his day. How could he have been so wrong? It’s 75 years later now and we are still paying for massive social programs put into place during the Roosevelt years. Not only that, but …
Will RogersHow is it that in 1929 Will Rogers could see through all the fancy rhetoric to the reality of what they called “disarmament” in those days, and today we are doing the same thing, but with different names? We call it SALT and START, but it’s all the same. I guess it gives the …
Timeless Bible Wisdom from the Psalms for your iPhone -Click buttons below to buy at Apple iTunes Store- You can also gift one to an iPhone friend! Brought to you by Systems of Merritt, Inc. Get your daily dose of Bible encouragement and inspiration. Share Psalm Daily Quotes and images with your friends. . Psalm Daily …
When I am ill, or under some sort of affliction, it’s not really a time that I would normally think of as a faith-building experience. My instinct is to focus on myself and complain to anyone who will listen. In Judges 14 we find the story of Samson that Spurgeon mentions in the quote. One …
Will RogersBoy, were some people surprised to find out what the current administration had planned for the country. After two years, and poll numbers falling off the charts, people have started catching on. After the election, poll number were high and everybody was looking for hope and change. Hope left a long time ago, and …
Gentle Reader, I have a special treat for you today. Below is an article from the Will Rogers Memorial Museum website about Will Rogers and his passion for Christmas. Here is the original link for the article: Will Rogers Christmas. Enjoy! Will Never Outgrew Passion for Christmas CLAREMORE — Will Rogers never outgrew the child’s passion …
The saying: “Mister can you spare a dime?” typified the poverty and despair during the depression years. My Grandmother told me that young, out of work, men would travel from place to place looking for jobs. Many times they would come to her back door to ask for a bite to eat. Those were difficult …
Timeless Spurgeon Bible Wisdom for your iPhone -Click button to buy at Apple iTunes Store- You can also gift one to an iPhone friend! Brought to you by Systems of Merritt, Inc. Get your daily dose of Bible encouragement and inspiration. Share Spurgeon quotes and images with your friends. . Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone App More …
As I have been reading the Psalms, I have noticed that the Psalmist regularly encourages us to remember, remember, remember. Remember what the Lord has done for us. Remember God’s many blessings in our lives. Remember answered prayers. Remember his salvation. Remember his deliverance. Remember his mercy. Remember, remember, remember! In this quote, Spurgeon also …
![[Congressional] Investigations are held just for photographers. BEVERLY HILLS, Cal., April 4, 1934](https://systemsofmerritt.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/wr49-200x300.jpg)
At all these fancy investigations, the action seems to be in the photographers’ pit. The noise from shutters clicking is almost deafening. Thousands of pictures are taken of every move made by whoever is testifying. The perfect shot is one that captures an absurd grimace or a finger brushing by the nose. This requires the most …
