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 in every pot, cure cancer, clean up the environment, stop terrorism, and leave no child behind.
Noble goals indeed, but without fail there are always unintended consequences which create the opposite effect. The “War on Poverty” hasn’t ended poverty despite spending untold billions of dollars. Treaties never seem to bring peace, extending unemployment benefits seems to correlate with more unemployment, and cleaning up the environment seems to mean that nobody can live, work on, or enjoy the land any more.
The fact that the programs don’t accomplish their original goal, by any measurement, and cause more trouble that good, doesn’t seem to make any difference. In fact, the more colossal the failure, the more money is demanded to finish the work. Just the other day a high administration official remarked that the stimulus spending did what it was supposed to, and that we needed even more money to finish the job!
Will Rogers was concerned about an ineffective gathering of “our boys [and girls]” in Congress in 1931. I’m even more concerned about them gathering today! Not only are they ineffective, they are killing us with “good intentions,” because people are still hungry and unemployed.
Well, the Capitol grounds may be a place of love, happiness and prosperity, but if you wander down the wrong street a couple of miles away, you better be packin’ heat and be wearing a bullet-proof vest.
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 had the honor of meeting a former Navy SEAL while waiting for a flight at DFW. He was 70 years old and looked every bit as fit as men half his age. Last year he was invited back to temporary active duty to assist training today’s Navy SEAL candidates, and compare it with his experience from years ago. The attrition rate for SEAL training has been and is still over 70% for First Phase training. It’s still the toughest military training in the world!
As we looked at pictures from the Navy Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app, such as the one in this blog post, he could tell me exactly what was going on when we came to pictures of SEAL training.
One thing Navy SEALs have to learn is teamwork. Nobody makes it through training by relying only on themselves. You are responsible for your teammates, and they are responsible for you. For SEALs, it can be a matter of life and death.
This thought brings us to Psalm 108:12. While our natural tendency is to do things on our own, we must understand that we cannot save ourselves. We have to trust God for salvation, and with God, “we shall do valiantly.”
Dear Lord, Help me to put my trust in you. I can do nothing without your help. Amen.
Psalm 108:12 Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! 13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
Image info: SAN DIEGO (Feb. 25, 2010) First phase Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL students navigate small inflatable boats through the surf during a navigation training exercise. First phase is an eight-week course that trains, prepares and selects SEAL candidates based on physical conditioning; water competency; mental tenacity and teamwork. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Shauntae Hinkle-Lymas/Released)
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 108:12 and the accompanying image taken from the Navy 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.
Apple just approved the Daily Psalm ASV (American Standard Version) upgrade.
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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.
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.
Will RogersWhenever a company tries to idiot-proof a product, along comes a smarter idiot! Whenever congress tries to “protect” us from ourselves however, there always seems to be what they call “unintended consequences.”
But wait a minute, what about a little common sense when it comes to legislators? For example, if you take more and more money away from people and corporations in the form of taxes, will that encourage economic growth? Not only does common sense tell us the answer is no, but history also tells us no.
I’ll feel a lot better when Washington begins to show some common sense!
Image Information: This publicity picture of Will Rogers is from his early days in show business when he would use rope tricks to punch-up his monologues. The “pretzel” is one of his trademark tricks where he flips the end of the rope into a pretzel shape with the flick of his wrist.
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.
Our form of government is truly amazing. Power peacefully changes hands as often as every four years. Votes and not machine guns determine the outcome of elections. If you don’t approve of who is in office, there’s always the next election.
The image is from one of Rogers’ silent movies called Jubilo from February 1920. Rogers plays a lazy roving hobo who encounters a rancher’s pretty daughter and reforms, slowly, painfully, but completely.
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 try to run on a regular basis. Not that I particularly enjoy being out of breath and exhausted at the end of the run, but because I know it is good for my health. I also know that it takes time to build endurance, and that after time, my body will become more accustomed to the work.
As we grow in the Lord, we begin to become more accustomed to praise and thanksgiving. It seems unnatural at first, but as our faith and endurance grow we become used to it. We understand better that it is he who made us, and as we look around at all the Lord has done for us, we begin to praise God more and more.
I imagine that the lamb in the picture must be saying “thank you God for green grass and a friend at my side.” Even for the simple things we can praise the Lord.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 100 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.
A user made the following request in an App Store review:
I love the quoted but I wish u could fwd them to start off someone else day as well
WISH GRANTED!
The 1.1 version of each of the applications contains the ability to forward the quote by email. Several of the applications have been released by Apple to the App Store, and the rest are waiting for review. Keep and eye out for your upgrade notification, and enjoy the share feature.
There’s just something about the word “duty” that bugs me. It conjures up endless drudgery and work, that takes me away from other things I would rather be doing.
Yet there is something important that comes of duty. John Quincy Adams said: “Duty is ours, results are God’s.” What we do in service to God, be it caring for children, providing for our families, serving others, and many other things, is important. In God’s providence, He has knit all these things together for His purpose and glory.
In Spurgeon’s quote, he sharpens our sense of duty, by using a military example. A soldier endlessly trains and prepares for combat against the enemy. His duty is to train and fight, in order to serve and protect his country against a great evil.
The soldier must take classes on dragon scales, teeth, claws, fire and tails. He must learn how to use the weapons needed to defeat dragons, and when the training is complete, the soldier must face the dragon.
It is the soldier’s duty to train and fight. He understands that if he puts forth any less than all his heart, soul and strength he will not prevail. A soldier also understands that he is not alone. His comrades-in-arms, NCOs, officers, and generals are all working together to fight the battles and win the war.
When the battles are over, there is rejoicing, and when the war is won, there will be a great prize: life eternal. With the end in mind, duty is not so much a burden as a pleasure, because we know it pleases God.
I’ve fought battles with finances, relationships, work situations, anxiety, sinful thoughts and many other challenges. When my heart and soul and strength are not in the battle, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to prevail. If I haven’t done my duty, to train and prepare, I may get singed by the fire, or receive a terrible wound.
Dear Lord, Help me to do my duty, and fight with all my heart, soul and strength against the enemy. 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.
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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Maybe it’s just a “guy thing,” but have you ever witnessed a sporting event where the winner shouts in triumph, waving fists in the air? Game winning touchdowns are one example that comes to mind.
Meanwhile, the defensive players shake their heads in disbelief and pitifully walk off the field, heads down and shoulders slouched. This is about the best I can do with Psalm 41 for a cultural analogy.
In ancient days, if your enemy was shouting in triumph over you, it was because you were dead! The battle was lost, it was over. At least in football, you live to play another day.
What about integrity? Can I stand before God and man with a clear conscience? Did I play a fair game? Are my business dealings honest? Can I praise the Lord, no matter what happens? This is what God desires.
I don’t think that God promises that I will “triumph” in everything according to my desires. I won’t win every game, or make millions on every business deal. But I can say that God’s purposes will be accomplished and that God will triumph.
Through it all have I walked in integrity, and can I praise God in all things? Do I depend on the Lord and look to Him, as the baby seal in the picture depends on it’s mother?
Dear Lord, Many times I have fallen short, and have not walked in integrity. I look to you for help and strength, and I praise you in all things. I especially thank you that Jesus walked in integrity, and can offer forgiveness and salvation, which I now accept. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 41 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.
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 …
I forget lots of things, people’s names, phone numbers, where I left the keys, important papers, etc. I didn’t mention family birthdays, because some things you don’t dare forget! Things that are close to me, aren’t forgotten as easily, like family relationships. When others become a part of my circle of friends, it takes a …
Will RogersLike Will Rogers says, when Congress adjourns you can count it a blessing. Well, almost. You see, the problem is that during their recess, they all return to their districts where they stir up trouble with fundraising and campaign speeches. The only way to get rid of them is for them to return to …
“Before the first of the stars began to shine!” We were on God’s mind in eternity past, when the covenant was formed, and Jesus expressed his love for each of us (his elect) as he became party to it. Can we even begin to comprehend ages so vast, or love so deep? Words and images …
Will RogersIt’s impossible to add much to a Will Rogers quote like this one! Over the past couple of years, we have watched an overactive congress pass a boatload of some of the most controversial and unpopular legislation ever. Along with that, they have spent and borrowed more money than even a drunken sailor could imagine. …
There’s just something about the word “duty” that bugs me. It conjures up endless drudgery and work, that takes me away from other things I would rather be doing. Yet there is something important that comes of duty. John Quincy Adams said: “Duty is ours, results are God’s.” What we do in service to God, …
Will RogersWill Rogers was a champion of the downtrodden and unfortunate who suffered in the aftermath of economic downturns and hardships. He tirelessly raised money for the Red Cross to help those who had been affected by natural disasters, especially farmers who suffered during the “dust bowl.” In spite of his fame, Will Rogers was …
Don’t you wish you could be like the sea otter in the picture? Not a care in the world. Even catching food looks like a game for these fun-loving creatures. Burdens come in many forms, relationships, financial, school work, pressure at the job, child rearing, and many others. They stick to us like Velcro to …
Will RogersThe week prior to the date of this quote was the week the stock market crashed in 1929. Leave it to Will Rogers to find a bit of humor in such times. The Roaring ’20s was a time of prosperity and optimism that expressed itself in not only the culture, but the rising stock …
When I think of the the “love of God,” I find it easy to let the thought pass without much reflection. Three words that make up a simple, well worn phrase just don’t seem to carry much weight in our culture these days. Spurgeon’s quote gives us a view of the infinitely vast reach of …
