Why would God not delight in sacrifice and offerings? After all, He had set up the sacrificial system to provide His people with a means of dealing with their sins.
The Psalmist makes it clear that our delight should be to do God’s will, and that it should be written on our hearts. Going through the motions of obedience is not enough, it must be from sincere motives and delight in God’s law.
You’ve probably heard the story about the child that was disciplined by his parents, and told to go sit in the corner. His response was: “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing on the inside.” I can remember a few of those occasions, can you?
Jesus always seemed to deal with people in a way that touched them right at the heart of their motives and needs. We can think of the “Rich Young Ruler,” “The Prodigal Son,” and many other parables and miracles. Jesus’ dealings with people in the Bible were so intimate that no miracle or healing is ever duplicated exactly.
So it is that Jesus touches me, right at the heart of my motivations, so that I may know how much he loves me. As he teaches me to delight in His will, I can only respond with my obedience.
Dear Lord, In your mercy, help me to delight more and more in your will. As I read the Scriptures, let your law become written on my heart. Jesus, please work in my heart, that I may understand your great salvation. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 40 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.
Politicians and candidates that don’t tell the truth really are to be pitied. Reporters and news organizations that make up stories and repeat the lies of the candidates are also to be pitied.
Interestingly, it seems that the mainstream press seems to attack, without mercy, candidates that tell the truth. Every detail of their lives, clothing, bank records, shopping habits, children, contents of their trash cans are probed in detail. Candidates supported by the mainstream press can do and say whatever they want, true or false, without question.
In this day and age, we need candidates and politicians with integrity. I think people instinctively sense the efforts of the mainstream press to cast truth as a lie, and a lie as the truth. While there are many people that “ain’t any more interested in politics than they are in long underwear,” as Will Rogers says, I believe that more people are becoming interested.
May God give honest politicians strength to stand, and may God give voters the wisdom to choose truth over lies.
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.
Matching the image and quote adds quite a bit to the meaning of the selected verse. The geese flying against the beautiful sunset conveys the natural beauty of this world and God’s majesty. It should remind us of his protection as a shield. It should also remind us to walk uprightly.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 19 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ASV 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.
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.
Have you ever been blamed for something you didn’t do? I think all of us have at some time or another. Actually, movie plots are filled with these types of stories. The protagonist is cast out of society unjustly and has to fight against the odds to prove their innocence.
The Psalms are filled with passages that echo the theme of justice for the poor and relief for the afflicted. The Psalmist suggests thanksgiving from the righteous.
What the movies typically show is the person fighting their way back under their own strength. Believers can trust in God’s strength for relief and justice.
In 1 Thes 5:18 Paul gives us some remarkable advice. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” If we want to know God’s will, it is to give Him thanks for our circumstances.
Dear Lord, help me to give you thanks in all circumstances, when I’m poor and afflicted, when I’m going about my daily tasks, for everything, at all times. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 140 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.
Rogers does it again with this quote. With rising taxes will it get to a place where a person simply can’t carry the tax load and make a living for the family. Rogers wrote this in 1932 and politicians are still raising taxes today!
The image comes from one of Rogers’ many movies as indicated in the “Image info” at the end of the quote.
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.
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 years for many Americans.
On Jan. 5, 1934, Will Rogers published this quote in his Syndicated Daily Telegraph column. Well, the numbers have gone up by more than 10 this time. The President looked the country in the eye recently and said: “Mister, can you spare $800 billion?” That $10 billion in 1934 looks like 10 cents today!
What in the world are they going to do with all that TAXPAYER money? Why stimulate the economy, of course.
By the time the government hires millions of administrators for all the programs, accounts for inefficiency and waste, plus fraud, some of the money might create a few jobs. But that comes after bank and union bailouts, even foreign banks we now find out.
Here’s a novel common sense idea! How about if the government cuts its bloated spending, and lets me keep more of my own money that would have gone to taxes. That way I can stimulate the economy with my money, without all the government inefficiency, waste, fraud and bailouts!
Image Information: This picture was taken at the Will Rogers Ranch in Oologah, Oklahoma. The farmhouse where Will Rogers lived has been preserved and is administered by the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in nearby Claremore, Oklahoma. The Museum and Ranch are great places to visit if you are ever in the Tulsa area.
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.
When times get tough, it seems natural to ask “Why, O Lord?” It seems natural to wonder “Where is God when I am suffering?” Why isn’t God answering my prayers? Where is God’s comfort?
In Psalm 44, the Psalmist seem to express the deep feelings of our hearts with his words. His pleas echo our prayers. His urgency for help speaks to our needs.
I must remember that these words are from Scripture! They are the very words of God. It means that God knows my heart and my situation. We can put this together with the gospel and the life of Jesus in the New Testament. We can understand that Jesus, the Son of God, experienced human life with all its joy and grief, glory and suffering.
God understands our situation and pain, because of the life of his Son, Jesus. Furthermore, from the example of Jesus’ life, and the teaching of Scripture, we find that everything that happens has purpose and meaning. Even bad things have purpose on God’s plan for our lives. The best example is the cross of Christ. We can also look at the life of Joesph in the Old Testament, and the life and writings of Paul in the New Testament.
The idea of God’s purpose and meaning in the things that happen is called the Doctrine of Providence, and it is a sweet and comforting thought, and guiding principle when times are tough. The Puritans referred to difficult times and severe trials as a “frowning Providence.” Faith is not shaken when we understand the providence of God, even in the darkest of times.
Dear Lord, You understand the darkest of times of my life. You have purpose and meaning in every event, every trial, every grief. Let the knowledge of your providence be boosted by the understanding of your steadfast love for me. As I read your Word, let these truths encourage my heart. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 44 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 RogersSpend, spend, spend! Promise, promise, promise! So here we are now. The money is spent and the promises are all broken.
Last election, a whole bunch of legislators went down appropriating and are now looking for employment, just as Will Rogers said in his quote from 1932.
The only thing stimulated by the all the spending has been the government. Somebody has to manage all the pork. Hog calls can be heard in the halls of government as harried workers try to get control of the hog waller. Sooooooooweeeee, soooooooweeee, here pig, pig, pig, pig!
Now everything stinks to high heaven, but the brilliant economists and administration officials comfort us by saying that “this is the new normal, get used to it.”
Let’s see now, unemployment is rising, oil prices are rising, food prices are rising, waste and fraud are rising, health care costs are rising, benefits are extended, and we are supposed to believe that we are on the right track and the administration knows what they are doing. Will Rogers was a man of common sense, and I think the American people are too. Common sense would say that in the next election the people still left who got us into this mess will have “appropriated themselves out of a job.”
All we have to do then, is join with Will Rogers and say: “I hope some of the men[and women] who get the most votes will be elected.”
Image Information: This image is from a Will Rogers’ silent movie called Jubilo, released in 1919. Rogers plays Jubilo, a tramp, who makes himself useful doing odd jobs in a small farming community while he looks for the wife who deserted him while he was off in the war.
The image was taken directly from movie stills 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.
When you have loved somebody for a very long time, it is a special relationship. Perhaps it is a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, or childhood friend that you have known and loved for decades. You share lots of memories and events between you that nobody else can enjoy in the same way. In some cases, that person knew you, before you knew them, as in the case of parents.
In this quote, Spurgeon points out that our relationship with our Savior, Jesus, is special. He knew us, loved us, died for our sins, and chose us, before we knew Him. In Romans 5:8 it says that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
As we look back into the ancient past, we see that “broad stream of our gracious Lord” flowing to us. This is love so deep that we should seek to nurture the relationship to our Savior with great passion and energy.
Dear Lord, As I continue to grow into a greater understanding of what you have done for me down through the ages, and how you have loved me before I even knew you, help me to respond with praise and thanksgiving for such a wonderful gift. 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.
Sometimes when I look back, I realize that God was working in my life, and I didn’t realize it at the time. If I could truly see all that God has done for me I think I would praise the Lord with a bit more energy.
In Psalm 47 the Psalmist shouts and sings praises to God. It looks like our sea lion friend in the picture is shouting out in his congregation. I think a deep faith brings forth great praise to God. As our faith grows, so does our praise.
Let’s sing together, brothers and sisters! Let’s sing praises to our King!
Dear Lord, Help my faith to grow, that I may more clearly see the great things you have done for me. Let the praise spill out in abundance as I marvel at your love for me. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 47 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 RogersYou’ve heard the expression: “He was spending money like a drunken sailor.” As I’ve watched congress over the past few years, I don’t think a drunken sailor can even outspend a seemingly sober Congressman. Both seem to lack any common sense whatsoever when it comes to money, and the Congressman’s recklessness is worse – because it isn’t even his own money!
The next morning the sailor wakes up with a headache and an empty wallet. He might even see the error of his way and vow never to act so stupidly again. Congressmen on the other hand, never suffer any consequences for reckless spending. In fact the more money they can appropriate, the more prestige they seem to gain.
The latest economic theory seems to be that by “stimulating” the economy with an injection of vast sums of money will turn things around. But enough is never enough, when it comes to money! In a December 2010 GQ interview with Vice President Joe Biden we find out: “He [Biden] tells us he believes—and thinks the people believe—that ‘the stimulus did exactly what it was supposed to do, but it wasn’t enough.’”
Wasn’t enough?!!! Will Rogers has a famous quote that says: “Congress wants everybody to go broke just to prove they are right.” Unemployment is at record levels, and we’re going broke alright!
Here’s where Will Rogers quote for today comes in. With the huge burden of debt, old-man interest rears his ugly head. It becomes a monster as it consumes more and more of our resources. Well, if you’re paying so much interest, you can’t demand anything because you don’t have the extra money, and you can’t supply anything because there’s no demand.
Somebody needs to come up with a 10 step program for Congressmen to teach them common sense spending habits. Wait just a minute! Did I put “common sense” and “congressman” in the same sentence? Heaven help us all!
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.
Don’t you wish you could be as happy and carefree as the sea otter in this picture? God seems to have given these playful creatures an energy and happiness above their fellow creatures. You don’t normally associate happiness with a bear, elk, tiger or walrus, do you?
So it is with us. Some people just seem to be happier. Could it be that people who love righteousness might generally be happier than those who don’t? The Psalmist indicates that the righteous person is favored with gladness from God.
In this fallen world, it is amazing that happiness exists at all. Natural disasters, wars, strife, accidents, and so many other events in our lives seem designed to rob us of any happiness at all. The pursuit of happiness seems a fruitless exercise, sadness a certain curse. Is there any hope?
God has “anointed you with the oil of gladness,” says the Psalmist. Deep happiness, gladness, joy, comes from God. God is the one who can turn back the fallenness and give us hope. This is something that we cannot do on our own.
Consider the life of Jesus. Jesus broke though the fallenness of this world with his healings, teachings and miracles, and most important, his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit continues the work of redemption today in the lives of believers. Seek the living God today and ask Jesus for the joy and happiness that comes from forgiveness of your sins. With the help of the Holy Spirit you can “love righteousness” too.
Dear Lord, Save me from this fallen world. Help me to find true happiness, no matter what comes my way. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 45 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 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 don’t have to look far back into history to find oppression of innocent people. The holocaust during WWII certainly comes to mind along with many other cases of the brutal treatment of people whose only crime was being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Bible specifically records the oppression of …
In this wonderfully uplifting Psalm, we find our two themes of praise and remembrance again. It seems that when I get focused on myself and my problems, that I forget to praise God and remember his blessings. We also find in verse 8 the remarkable thought that God is a forgiving God, though he punished …
Will RogersWhen you get used to something, it’s kind of hard to give it up. Can you remember the day your were born? One minute you are nice and warm, perfectly content and at peace. All of a sudden you are painfully squeezed through an opening so small it’s a wonder anyone could survive. Next …
The Psalmist must have found great comfort in God’s house. He delighted being there among others who were offering their praises up to the Lord. The passion of the Psalmist for God’s house and presence is truly amazing. His flesh cries out for the living God! He desires a place near the alter. He wants …
Will RogersHave you noticed that Congress seems to live in the land of “good intentions?” Some call it an “alternate universe.” It’s a place of love, happiness and prosperity. How many times have you heard our legislators proudly proclaim that their legislation will bring world peace, end poverty, end hunger, end unemployment, put a chicken …
Timeless Will Rogers Humor & Wisdom Brought to you by Systems of Merritt, Inc. Get your daily dose of common sense, humor, encouragement and inspiration. Share Will Rogers quotes and images with your friends. . Will Rogers Daily Quotes iPhone App More than 365 unique Will Rogers quotes and images! -Click button to buy at Apple …
There is hardly any place in Scripture that conveys such passion and exuberance for God as Psalm 103. Words can hardly describe the praise we would give to the Lord from our inmost being, from the depths of our soul. Even Mr. Billy Goat seems to be quite excited in the picture, as if he …
Will RogersI suppose you could say that interest in taxes is on everybody’s mind these days. These topics dominate the political talk shows and dinner parties, and for good reason. Nobody knows what in the world the lame ducks are going to do about taxes. Businesses don’t know what their tax liability is going to …
As you read the Psalms, it becomes clear that God defends and protects the poor. Psalm 14 indicates that restoration and better days are ahead. In fact, if you are responsible for oppressing the poor, God takes note of it, and is not pleased. Poor in terms of possessions is not the only thing that …
Will RogersYou’ve heard the expression: “He was spending money like a drunken sailor.” As I’ve watched congress over the past few years, I don’t think a drunken sailor can even outspend a seemingly sober Congressman. Both seem to lack any common sense whatsoever when it comes to money, and the Congressman’s recklessness is worse – because …
