Hope in the Lord – Psalm 146 NASB 2 Minute Devotional

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.

Spurgeon on “For Want of Prayer” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

Floods can do a great deal of damage. Most recently we’ve prayed for our friends in Queensland. Over the past few years we’ve seen the devastation from tsunamis, hurricane Katrina and other flood disasters around the world. In the image, we can see the power of the flowing water as it sweeps down the mountainside. Nothing can stand in its way.

In order to avoid flooding in many areas, dams are build to control the flow of water during the flood season. In Spurgeon’s quote, the “sluice-gates” are used to control the flow of water. The power of the water is held back against the gate.

As Spurgeon says, so many times I am careless and lacking in prayer, and as a result, those flood waters pour over me. The waters are swift, and the destruction is terrible.

But there is help! With God’s help, the gate can be closed, debris can be cleared away and the garden replanted.

Dear Lord, Thank you for so many mercies, as I am careless and lacking in prayer. Help me to turn again to you. Help me to better tend the “fair garden of the heart.” Let it produce praise and thanksgiving for your great salvation. 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.

Praise the Lord, O my Soul! – Psalm 103 NIV 2 Minute Devotional

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 could shout “Praise the Lord!”

The Psalmist says that we should praise the Lord because of all the benefits we receive from Him. What are the benefits we receive from our God and King? Forgiveness, healing and redemption are available to those who love and serve Him. We are also crowned with love and compassion.

Dear Lord, Help me to not forget all your benefits, especially the forgiveness that Christ bought for us on the cross. Let my passion for you grow stronger each day. Praise the Lord! Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 103 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.

EXTRA!

Below is an extra treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 103 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.

Psalm 103:1-5 – Rain Album

Spurgeon on “Light Without Darkness” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

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.

God’s Mighty Power – Psalm 89 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

In younger days I was a surfer, and I can tell you that waves can be powerful. Riding across the face of a wave is one of the most exciting things in the world, but when the wave comes crashing down on you all you can do is hold you breath, hang on, and wait until it passes. You can feel the concussion of the crashing water and hear the roar in your ears.

The Psalm 89 excerpt in this quote reminds us that God rules all the power of the sea. He can also still the waters as we know from Mark 4:39. It is a good thing to worship an all-powerful God!

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 89 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.

Spurgeon on “Resplendent Redemption” – 2 Minute Devotional

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.

Will Rogers on “Lay Down Our Weapons”

Will RogersSome of the ideas coming out of Washington these days just don’t seem to exhibit any common sense. My first mistake is probably using the words “Washington” and “common sense” in the same sentence.

Folks have been debating disarmament since WWI and Will Rogers has a lot to say about it. I’ll sum up arguments for disarmament in one word: “cuckoo.” The happy version goes like this: Both parties get rid of lots of weapons and the world will be a safer place. The scary version is we disarm, trusting the other party to do the same, even if they lie to us. Even worse is the fact that the current administration wants to compromise our ability to even defend ourselves with treaty concessions.

Here’s a little story for you. Farmer Jones down the road is a nice guy, but he is known to have a mean streak. When he gets drunk, he threatens to blow my farm off the map, but when he’s sober, he says he’s a nice guy and suggests that I get rid of all my guns. He did blow up two of my barns one time, and cut the heads off of some of my chickens when I wasn’t looking.

I’ve found that modern inventions have done wonders in keeping the peace. When he found out that his bullets were no longer effective against my bullet defense system, he could only complain that it wasn’t fair. When he realized that my guns had twice the range of his, he calmed down pretty quick. I told him that if he ever threatened my chickens again, my chicken protection system would fill his hide with buckshot.

Farmer Jones and I get along fine now. We trade chickens, hogs and corn. We have an understanding. You touch my chickens, hogs, barns or junk and I’ll blow you to kingdom come. He knows I can do it, and he knows I mean it.

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 Rogers

Psalm 1:1 Psalm Daily Quote KJV for iPhone

Psalm Daily Quote KJV
From a Friend

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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Heavens are the Work of Your Hands – Psalm 102 ESV 2 Minute Devotional

Day to day, I tend to think of myself as eternal. When I go to sleep, I believe that I will wake to another day, and another, and another. When I look around, I expect the buildings and landscape to be the same day to day, year to year. Certainly, the stars in this beautiful NASA image will remain forever.

Then there are those circumstances that remind me of the transitory nature of life. Things change – a friend passes away, a landmark building is demolished, or we move to a new house.

In Psalm 102, the Psalmist comments on the eternal nature of God. I love the imagery of the Psalms. Those “eternal” stars, the heavens, will “wear out like a garment.” It took me four years to wear out a pair of tennis shoes, but stars take a bit longer.

Dear Lord, You are eternal, I am not. This body will wear out. Lord I want to be with you when that happens. Jesus makes that possible – let me come to know him now. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 102 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 Rogers on “Old Fashioned Movies”

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 Rogers

Spurgeon on “Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee” ~ 2 Minute Devotional

Are we timid about our relationship to the Lord, or do we dare approach him as a close trusted friend? This Spurgeon quote refers to two passages from the Bible.

The first passage is from John 13:25, John’s account of the “last supper.” Meals during those ancient days were an intimate family affair. Without modern furniture, it was common to comfortably recline upon the floor around the prepared meal. The participants would be physically close as they reach for the food in front of them, engaging in casual conversation.

The closest I can come to imagining such closeness and conversation today, would be to picture two young children laying comfortably together in a field of grass, gazing up at the clouds or stars. As close friends, they are free to speak their minds without fear of criticism.

The second passage is from Mark 5:27. The passage talks about a woman with a long-term health problem who approaches Jesus by making her way through a large crowd of people (“press” of people as Spurgeon says). She manages to get close enough to touch Jesus’ clothes, and is healed. Even with all the people crowded around him, Jesus knew she had touched him. He individually called her out of the crowd and said to her: “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace…”

According to Spurgeon, whether we are an intimate friend of the Savior, or timidly approach him in fear and trembling, he knows us! He loves us! He saves us from our sins!

Dear Lord, Even if I come to you with timid trembling hesitation, help me grow in confidence as you turn and look at me, and encourage me with the words: “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” 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 Rogers on “Can we solve our own problems?”

Rogers wrote this quote in 1933. Can you believe that the World Court debate still rages today? Some politicians and “legal scholars” believe that the U.S. should subject itself to external legal authorities.

We’re trying to solve problems overseas, and making quite a mess of it. We can barely handle our own problems. There is hope however – The UN just appointed a space ambassador to greet alien visitors.

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 Facebookpage regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.

The Lord Sustains Me – Psalm 3 NIV 2 Minute Devotional

I’ve been afraid on a few occasions – a near collision on the highway, taxi rides in N.Y. City, almost falling off a ladder.

You know the feeling. Your hands start shaking and your heart is racing. It’s not the time to think about sleep, in fact you may have trouble sleeping for a few days as you ponder what might have happened.

The Psalmist says that he “will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.” This takes amazing confidence and faith. I get concerned if even one person is angry at me, yet we have an image of the Psalmist facing battle and certain death as hordes of adversaries gather against him. The Psalmist sleeps and wakes because the Lord sustains him.

Dear Lord, Help my faith to grow so that I can rest confidently in the knowledge that you care, protect and provide for me moment by moment. Amen.

I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 3 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.

EXTRA!

Below is an extra treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 3 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.

Psalm 3 – Rain Album

Will Rogers on Horsemanship

Will RogersWill Rogers grew up on a ranch near Claremore, Oklahoma where he learned to rope and ride. In his early career horses were part of the act in Wild West shows. Horses were also a part of many of Will Rogers’ movies.

Will kept his own stable at his ranch in Hollywood and built a polo field where he would regularly ride and compete. He made sure that his children learned to rope and ride as well.

I suppose that as Will Rogers saw the automobile take the place of the horse as the primary means of individual transportation, Will thought back through history of the importance of the horse and penned this quote.

Image information: Will Rogers always kept up with current events by reading the newspaper.

The image was taken directly from images 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 Rogers