I can remember being disciplined by my parents. Sometimes it was a spanking, restriction of privileges, or a stern lecture. Normally, I knew exactly what the issue was. I did the wrong thing, and I was being punished for that specific deed.
On this earth, parents are fallible, discipline and punishment can be abused, so we have to be careful how we view discipline from the Lord. Parents should discipline a child because they love their child, and in their wisdom, they know that a particular behavior is not healthy. For example, lying is not acceptable behavior and telling the truth is a far better way to conduct one’s life.
So how do I know if God is disciplining me? Let me suggest that if you are being disciplined by God, it will be obvious to you. Just like I mentioned above, I knew exactly why my parents were disciplining me, so it is with God’s discipline. I also know that I tried to hide from my parent’s discipline, because the consequences were painful. It is also our nature to hide from God’s discipline. It is important for me to learn to respond to God’s discipline with repentance, and with His help, to correct the problem.
Here’s the tough question. If something bad happens to me, is it because God is disciplining me, or is God mad at me, or has He forgotten me? First, let’s establish that nothing, good or bad, happens to us without God’s purpose or knowledge. Ultimately, everything will work out for God’s glory. The problem is that we aren’t privy to the details, this side of heaven. As a result, we must trust each event to God’s wisdom and purpose whether we understand it or not.
To answer the question then, if bad things happen to us because of God’s discipline, it will be obvious to us and we should respond with repentance. If it is not obvious, we should ask for God’s help, understanding that He has a purpose for leading us through such a trial. In either case we should humbly look for the opportunity to grow in grace.
Dear Lord, If you are disciplining me for specific sin, help me to humbly repent. In all things, good or bad, let me praise you for daily grace, and understand that all things work together for good for those who are called according to your purpose. 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.
This world is stained with sin. We can’t get away from it, no matter how hard we try, or how far we go. It manifests itself personally in our lives, and in nature.
In our personal lives and relationships, we see pride, envy, lust, hatefulness, and all sorts of sin that manifests itself in our lives each day. We might be able to overcome some sins through the sheer force of will, but sin itself is so deeply embedded in our being that it can never be overcome completely.
In nature we see imperfections and decay everywhere. Our own bodies wear out after a period of time, even though the average lifespan has increased in recent years. Natural phenomena such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and many other events indicate that this earth is unstable. Pain and suffering are all around us.
But Spurgeon (and the Bible) talk of beauty and perfection that doesn’t exist on this earth. In a place called heaven we will find it.
When Jesus came to this earth, he showed us that He could reverse the effects of sin in this world. Jesus healed many people reversing the effect of disease in their bodies. He controlled the weather by calming a storm, and he controlled evil spirits by casting them out of the people they tormented. He also preached the gospel, which by faith, can cleanse sin from our lives.
Dear Lord, Only with your grace can we reverse the effect of sin in our life. Only by faith can we prepare for heaven, where sin shall be no more, and we will see your “glory without cloud.” 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.
The U.S. economy is amazingly resilient, but it can only carry so much dead weight in the form of government taxes, policy and regulations before something has to give. The current administration and the Federal Reserve Bank continue to throw gasoline on the fires of recession, burning up business growth and precious jobs.
While this occurs in in any administration, the economy eventually quenches the fire and things get back in balance after a year or so. With this administration, however, the fire is out of control and by either incompetence or design, they continue to feed a fire from which the economy cannot easily recover.
It all seems to stem from a complete lack of business common sense pioneered by Democrat Party legislation and mandates filled with political correctness and social engineering. By requiring banks to engage in risky loan practices, and masking the problem, the mountain of worthless paper finally precipitated our current financial crisis.
So the Federal Reserve encourages more risk? Read it here:
“Meanwhile the Federal Reserve is urging the banks to go on taking risks. It has been injecting cash into the banking system for the past half-year while urging bank CEOs in confidential chats to offer more credit. The aim is to keep on financing consumer spending and even to stimulate it further — for reasons of patriotism. There’s a word for this policy — madness.” (Source: www.spiegel.de from 4-14-2008)
Patriotic or not, common sense tells us not to take unnecessary risk in uncertain economic times. In spite of huge injections of cash into the economy in the form of stimulus and recovery legislation the administration has not been able to convey economic stability. Instead they keep throwing gasoline on the fire!
While the FED emphasizes patriotism, the Vice President inspires confidence with this quote: “Just becaust the Recovery Act was a monumental failure, does not mean that it is not working.” Businesses beware when the Federal Reserve Bank meets. Will Rogers is right, again!
Image Information: This image shows Will Rogers holding his son, and at the same time spinning his lasso around them both.
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.
Will RogersThere’s a lot of “Oinking” going on in the halls of Congress. It takes a big hog waller to handle all the pork, so big in fact, that it’s impossible to manage all the hogs. They’re running here and there, squealing and oinking, as Congressmen and aids try to gather them up and ship them back to the home district. Some crooks have been caught stealing hogs by the trainload, but nobody knows how many trainloads are unaccounted for.
Many Congressmen are in the middle of the hog waller, covered in mud, yelling “More Pork! I demand more Pork!” Even the Vice President surfaced from under the mud saying “The first porkulus wasn’t enough! We need more pork to finish the job!”
A massive protest is forming called the “Wild Hog Party.” Folks are concerned that so many hogs have been taken in taxes, that in a few years there won’t be any hogs left at all on the farms. Protest signs are saying: “I gave my hog to the government, and all I got back was two lousy pieces of bacon!”
Someone asked the “Boss Hog” what was in upcoming hog-care legislation. She said: “We need to pass the bill before we can find out what’s in the bill.” “But what if we run out of hogs and go broke trying to pay for everything?” The Boss Hog said, “It’s no problem, we can always print more hogs! Oink, Oink!”
Image Information: The image is of Will Rogers, his wife Betty and their three children.
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.
This Will Rogers quote was written in 1933, and it’s still true today! One big difference is that their predictions can be broadcast live over TV and the internet, so we can get the information faster.
The picture is from Will Rogers’ film The Ropin’ Fool. If you look closely you can see that Will’s lasso is circling both of them. The movie was produced by Rogers to highlight his roping skills and is fun to watch. You can get copies from the Will Rogers Memorial Museum gift shop.
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.
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.
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.
About three months ago [August 2010] I became a grandpa. Our oldest daughter and son-in-law had their first baby. Staying up through the night will be part of their lives for a period of time, and I remember the days when our daughter kept us up at night. To be honest, my wife usually stayed up.
I got to hold my grandson for the first time recently. There was a feeling of contentedness and thanksgiving to God for such a wonderful blessing.
Caring for children is the high calling of parenthood. Praying for your child as you “serve by night” can make it a special time. Praise goes with it as you consider the blessings of being a parent. Bless the Lord!
May the Lord bless you young parents! “He who made heaven and earth.”
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 134 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.
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Will RogersThose poor Democrats just couldn’t get their message out. They raided the National Treasury for enough “stimulus” loot to build a highway to the moon and back, and borrowed enough money for Amtrack rails and trains to Mars. Did the voters appreciate being showered with all those billions? Apparently not.
I think that the shovel-ready jobs must not have had enough shovels ready. Nobody got charged up about all the new fangled electric cars that cost so much to build. Nobody got any change from all the hope out there, not even a dime.
There are an unusually large number of Democrat lame ducks gathered at the Congressional pond these days. Their once-proud feathers are ruffled and frayed.
I have one last question for them. Where’s did all that loot go?!
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 my customers, and quotes like the following make it all worthwhile!
A good way to start the day
This is a nice app. Each day there is a nature picture and a quote from Spurgeon worthy of pondering. Very easy to use.
Another Comment
Though He Be Dead, Yet Still He Speaketh…I love this man….WOW!!!
I like the way this image and quote match. Trying to count grains of sand scooped up in your hand is difficult. Trying to count grains in mile upon mile of desert sand is a number so vast we can’t comprehend it. Even so are the precious thoughts of God toward us as the Psalm brings to our mind.
This quote and image are from the Psalm Daily Quote NIV iPhone app available on the Apple iTunes Store. I hope it will be a blessing to you.
“The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”—Will Rogers
It’s just a simple printing press, but it just happens to be the printing press in Washington that prints our money, and it’s got the whole world upset. Everybody knows printing more money brings trouble. Let’s hope the “smart men,” as Will Rogers says, can figure it out.
If Will Rogers knew this 80 years ago, how come “smart men” are still making the same mistakes today?
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.
In 1933 the country was in crisis as the Great Depression took its toll. The elections were over and FDR was waiting to take office when Will Rogers wrote this Daily Telegram on January 19, 1933.
From this Will Rogers quote, it seems that nobody was in charge, and nobody wanted to tackle the problems facing the country in early 1933. Would they dare try to balance the budget? Could they bring in debts owed? Would they spend money that we didn’t have?
Are we in the same situation today? Congress has been spending money like a drunken sailor. It’s worse that that! Drunken sailors eventually run out of money. Congress can print more.
Maybe this is just too simple, but suppose that I sign up for every credit card application that comes in the mail, with the thought that I can use them to spend my way out of debt and on to prosperity. Not to worry, when I die, my kids will pay for the debt.
Can we really spend our way out of debt? They couldn’t do it in the 1930s. Why does this administration think it can be done today. Let’s hope and pray that sanity will prevail with the new congress and bring some balance back into the budget.
This image is from a Will Rogers’ silent movie called An Unwilling Hero, released in 1921. Rogers plays Whistling Dick, a hobo who loves life and classical music. He loves just about everything except work.
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.
As with so many of Rogers’ quotes, nothing has changed in politics after all these years. Congress is still counting mythical beans.
There is a slight problem though. Taxpayers, their children and grandchildren will have to pay for the mythical beans!
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 Facebookpage regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
When I visited Pompeii years ago I was struck by the suddenness and completeness of the destruction of the city by the Vesuvius volcano. People were found frozen in position. Artifacts were preserved by the covering ash.
Some volcanoes move more slowly, as in Hawaii. The hot lava spews from vents as in the picture and moves slowly down the mountain to the sea.
Intense heat, pressure, explosive power and widespread destruction describe some of the physical effects of a powerful volcano. I imagine these effects in a spiritual sense when I think of fiery trials.
The severity of the trial can become so intense that we may fear for our very lives. We can’t imagine any escape from the pain, or can we? The fiery furnace in Daniel 3 is a great illustration of God’s power to override even the forces of nature to protect his children.
Spurgeon reminds us in this quote that God’s presence is both our comfort and safety. “Fear not, for I am with you” is God’s promise to us.
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 RogersPoliticians calling each other names isn’t anything new, especially during elections. This season the women were hit pretty hard, being called witch and prostitute. According to Will Rogers, you can sling mud and call names all day long, but you better beware of slandering wild jackasses. Can you imagine the Senate chamber full of …
In the midst of a difficult trial or physical sickness, I ask the question, along with the Psalmist: “Where is my God.” Unbelievers love to press that same question since they know that God doesn’t exist in this physical realm, in the sense that we don’t see him with our eyes or hear him with …
I was at a conference earlier this year near Rochester, NY, and during one of the morning sessions we felt the room start moving. It took a minute for it to register, but we had just felt the effects of an earthquake. There was no damage, but the moving and rolling feelings were unmistakable and …
There’s a lot of gloom these days. Uncertainty over the future of our country in a dangerous world. We are concerned about crime. Leaders don’t seems to have common sense answers. Psalm 99 helps us to put things in perspective: “The Lord reigns!” It seems so simple – but it’s true. All through the Scriptures …
Will RogersYou’re not going to believe this, but my birthday is October 31. When I was a kid I remember getting dressed up for trick-or-treat. Actually, the costume was important for one thing, access to candy. When it was all over, the costume came off and I enjoyed the fruit of my labor. I think …
My grandmother was well into her 90s when we gathered around her. It would be the last time I would see her in this life. She looked up at me, smiling, her blue eyes twinkling, and said: “I’m ready to go.” I’ll never forget that moment. My uncle told me that the short time she …
The mules were hee-hawing the other day in the lower chamber – I mean lower stall. They were kicking and bucking something terrible. There was so much commotion and noise that there wasn’t even a need for microphones – you could hear ’em clear across town. They was all bunched up in groups, trading oats …
Will RogersThose poor Democrats just couldn’t get their message out. They raided the National Treasury for enough “stimulus” loot to build a highway to the moon and back, and borrowed enough money for Amtrack rails and trains to Mars. Did the voters appreciate being showered with all those billions? Apparently not. I think that the …
Sons of Korah Psalms Those of you that follow this blog know how special the Psalms are and the blessing they can have on your life. Recently, the Sons of Korah held a concert at our church here in Upland, Indiana. They have put the Psalms to music, which adds a new dimension to the …
Will RogersLame ducks have been seen waddling down the halls of Congress lately. Unfortunately for these birds, there isn’t any more loot left in the National Treasury. There’s not even enough for a bridge to nowhere or a new post office building with their name on it. All the quacking and flapping around to raise …
