Have you ever been blessed? Have you ever been a blessing?
When I was in grad school, years ago, my wife and I lived in married student housing, along with a lot of other young, financially challenged, couples. We didn’t make much money, but we managed to find an extra $50 which we gave to another couple. I can still remember the tears in the wife’s eyes as they received the gift.
This past year, a friend gave us grocery money when we were in need. Blessings seem to flow freely as the Lord meets the needs of his people.
When we consider who the Lord is, the maker of heaven and earth, it doesn’t seem so strange that he meets needs for those “whose hope is in the Lord,” as the Psalmist says. This beautiful image of ocean life, doesn’t begin to come close to conveying the richness and vastness of God’s creation.
Dear Lord, help me to be a blessing to others, as you have blessed me in so many ways. Help me to put my hope in you, my creator, and faith in your son Jesus, our savior. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 146 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.
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.
Have you ever been in the right place at the right time to see something special? A few weeks ago, after a late afternoon thunderstorm, I looked outside to see the most magnificent rainbow. In fact, there were two rainbows. The colors of the dominant one were so bright and vivid – it was breathtaking. A few minutes later it was gone.
As I think about my life, I can see that God has led me with love and precision. He has placed me at the right time in the right place to accomplish his purposes. One step to the right or the left would not have accomplished his purposes and would have led to disaster.
When I look at the image of the mountain goat perched on a ledge, I think of the precision of each foot placement and how one misstep can lead to disaster. Yet they live and thrive in the high places.
I know it’s not my skill, strength or intelligence that sets me on high places. To God alone be the glory for leading me every moment of every day.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 18 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.
The Daily Psalms ESV application update 1.1 was just approved by Apple and is available at the iTunes Store.
Will RogersAfter being focused “like a laser beam” on jobs, this administration finally gave up and told us that high and rising unemployment was going to be the “new normal.” The “substantial help,” as Will Rogers puts it in his quote, was to keep extending unemployment benefits.
Common sense from Washington has always been in short supply, but do you suppose that injecting uncertainty into the economy might have something to do with many of our problems. Uncertainty over healthcare, drilling, energy, trade relations, manufacturing, insurance, banking, etc. are killing jobs.
If you don’t slop the hogs every day, they start to get cranky, and if businesses can’t depend on reliable and predictable policy coming from Washington, they get cranky too. They have to lay off people to survive.
People are getting cranky too. After so many broken promises, they don’t have much faith in the rhetoric coming from Congress. Perhaps that’s why they voted to throw so many politicians out of office in the last election. They should have known that if you can’t slop a hog right, you don’t know how to treat people right.
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.
It’s interesting that Rogers noticed the growth of government back in 1934. By his humorously exaggerated estimate, half the people in the U.S. hold government jobs.
Today, we also have a problem with growing government. Thousands of IRS agents are needed to handle the new healthcare legislation. When you hear about vast amounts of stimulus spending, it will require additional government staffing to administer the programs.
The point that Rogers makes in his quote and the question we have to ask today is “Do we really need to grow government to such a large size?” Can we get along with a smaller government?
This beautiful picture was taken at Will Rogers Dog Iron Ranch in Oolagah, Oklahoma. The picture was taken looking from the house down the walkway toward Lake Oolagah in the background. The ranch is just a few miles from the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, OK. (near Tulsa) If you are ever in the area, be sure to stop by and visit.
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.
There is perhaps no more beautiful expression of a desire to seek God than “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” Once the image is in your mind, you can never forget it. Musicians have crafted it into their melodies (see Sons of Korah below) so we can sing it in the congregation or hum it to ourselves.
Yet the Psalmist, just like all of us, struggles with the question “Where is your God?” We pour out our hearts with tears as doubts creep in and our desire to seek God grows chill. What can I do?
I can remember happier days. Days when my heart was on fire, days when worship excited my soul. Those memories of God’s blessings can help carry us through the times of doubt, but why do we have to go through the valleys? Perhaps, because during time in the valley, my faith can grow even stronger. As my soul begins to thirst after better days I can “pant for streams of water.” I can be drawn toward Christ, the living water (John 4:10).
Dear Lord, Let me thirst for you. Let the dry times increase my desire for you, not diminish it. Let me remember past blessings and praise you for all you have done for me. Let me drink of the living water. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 42 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.
Below is an extra treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 42 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
| Psalm 42a – Rain Album |  |
Years ago, when our oldest daughter was a toddler, she had experienced some seizures. She had a scan done which produced an X-ray type of output and the doctor saw what appeared to be a growth on her brain. We immediately scheduled an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon.
The Psalmist always seems to be able to describe my emotions, as he says “my spirit is overwhelmed within me.” For the days leading up to the next appointment I could think of nothing else, except my precious daughter’s condition. God had done so many wonderful things in my life, but now this.
As we waited for the neurosurgeon, his assistant took the X-ray and made some basic observations. Our daughter was playing with an emory board.
When the neurosurgeon came in a short time later, he looked at our daughter as she played, and then told us that there was nothing wrong with her! The “growth” was an artifact of the scanner. The burden was lifted off our backs. The relief was profound.
As I ponder the way in which the Lord has guided us though life, and the lessons of each trial, I hope that it has taught me to long even more for Him. The barren landscape in the image is a parched land that longs for water as I should long for the Lord.
Dear Lord, help me to long for you and quench my thirst with your word, that I may follow you more closely.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 143 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Will RogersBack in 1934, Will Rogers indicates that folks were concerned about sensational advertising. Today, they’ve just about run out of sensational things to use. It all seems pretty boring, and nothing is shocking any more.
I have to disagree with Will on his statement that “You can’t make a picture as bad as the ads lead you to believe it is.” How do you explain movies like “Aliens vs. Cowboys?!”
It makes you question the theory of evolution. Are motion pictures evolving to a higher, more noble art form, or are they deteriorating into random collections of moral depravity?
There are some bright spots in the motion picture offerings these days however. Perhaps the viewers will choose the more noble and uplifting movies and leave the “sensational” ones to the dust bin of motion picture history.
Image Info: Will Rogers and Dizzy Dean at the 1934 World Series. Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean (January 16, 1910, Lucas, Arkansas – July 17, 1974) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
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 1930s 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.
Even before my oldest daughter was born, I was thinking about her. So was my wife. After she was born, we spent a lot of time thinking about her, praying for her and caring for her. That’s a lot of thoughts!
If I could add up all those thoughts, I don’t think I could come close to the number represented by the grains of sand in the image on the left.
The Psalmist give us an idea of the vastness of God’s precious thoughts toward us. Before we were even born he was thinking of us. From the day we were born, and every day and night – his thoughts are on his children.
Dear Lord, help me to understand even a small part of your thoughts and care for me, especially in the work of Jesus – his life, his cross, his death and his resurrection!
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.
Below is an extra treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 139 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
| Psalm 139 – Rain Album | |
Affliction is a relative thing. For some believers it means giving up their lives under severe persecutions. For others, they may loose all their possessions or be thrown in jail. For me, it may be a more trivial affliction, such as a temporary financial problem, relationship difficulty, or health problem.
Whether the affliction is great or small, whether the faith is little or great, God grants “sufficient grace” to carry us through. The result is we find new strength to endure, and a growing faith.
One thing to realize is that this growing strength isn’t like lifting weights, it’s not the result of our own work. Our sin-stained efforts are only effective because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It makes grace all the more precious and gives us more reason to praise God for his mercy.
I am always drawn to he cross of Christ as an example. Here was the most extreme affliction of physical suffering a human could be subjected to. In addition to the physical affliction, Christ bore my sins as well. If Jesus did that for me, then he understands my afflictions, and can bring me aid.
Dear Lord, When I am afflicted, help me to understand that you provide sufficient grace to help increase my strength. No matter the circumstance, there is always reason to praise you. 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.
A refuge is a place of safety and shelter. It is a place that offers protection from any dangers that may affect us from outside. It is a place where we can find rest. An example of refuge for many of us, would be the arms of our parents when we were young. They were …
This quote from Will Rogers in March of 1932 is certainly relevant today! Sometimes when I read one of his brilliant humorous quotes, I have to laugh out loud. But as I ponder the meaning, it sends a chill up my spine. This is one of those quotes. One of the reasons it costs so …
Folks, you just gotta love Will Rogers! Here’s a classic quote about war and the Federal Reserve from 1929 that still rings true today. The Federal Reserve (The Fed) is responsible for conducting the nation’s monetary policy to help maintain employment, keep prices stable, and keep interest rates relatively low. The poor folks running The …
In Will Rogers’ day, they had organized crime problems. Today, we have domestic terrorism threats. Perhaps there’s not much difference when you have people wanting to kill each other. The quote from Will Rogers indicates that the killing and hate don’t end at the prison door. Inside the prison, the hatred and struggle for power …
What a glorious Psalm about God’s goodness. To ponder such great goodness, brings about praise as the Psalmist says: “Your saints will extol you.” Not only is God good now, but His goodness extends through all generations and beyond. Sometimes I struggle with why so many bad things happen to me. Bad things are all …
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 …
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, …
In this beautiful photograph you can see the effect of the sunlight as it lights up the sky. Beautiful shapes and colors emerge, where before there was nothing but blackness. We need God’s light to guide us, and we also need His truth. The Psalmist asks that they guide him to God’s dwelling. We cannot …
Have you ever felt the exuberant joy described in Psalm 47? Have you ever been overwhelmed with the wonder of the greatness of God that you just had to praise Him? I’ve been in audiences where the person on stage received a standing ovation. We clapped and shouted. Everyone had a smile on their face. …
This Will Rogers quote must be true. How else do you explain how legislators get reelected after scandalous behavior or legislating against the will of the people. It’s just astonishing that some of these politicians have any credibility left, but they keep getting elected. It’s as regular and predictable as the milking schedule on a …
