How much is integrity worth? It’s hard to say, but if we are truthful and honest in our business, social and family life, we can walk blameless before the Lord. Those around us will also be blessed.
How much is lack of integrity worth? Judging from some of the huge corporate and investment frauds in recent years, it can run into huge amounts of money. The persons responsible usually go to jail, and countless investors lose their money.
Dear Lord, help me to seek you with all my heart, and walk blameless before you, and before others, that you may be honored and others may be blessed.
The butterfly in the image is a small creature, however it’s beauty is large, and pleasing to our eye. If we walk blameless in even the small things, perhaps our good works will be large before God, and pleasing to others.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 119 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
Politicians 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 wild jackasses? Braying, kicking, bucking and being stubborn would be the daily routine. Senator Hoof N. Mouth would be hee-hawing for hours about better oats and mule health. Unfortunately, nobody was listening because lobbyists just delivered sweet hay for lunch.
Actually, there’s not much left to imagine – a Congress full of wild jackasses. A lot of them just got sent away, hee-hawing all the way back to the farm.
Well, perhaps the slandering will stop now, and oat reform will take place. We can only hope.
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.
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.
This Will Rogers Quote appeared in his April 21, 1933 syndicated Daily Telegram column. How true it is today!
The economic team of the current administration is leaving the White House after two years of service. At the beginning of the term, these bright economic minds promised recovery and prosperity would result from massive stimulus spending. Now the Fed is talking about firing up the printing presses again to produce inflation.
I’m one of those economic dummies. I can’t tell you exactly what these economic moves will lead to, but I can tell you that in general, they will lead to no good, just like they did in the 1930s. I can also tell you that cutting taxes and pro-business moves from an administration generally lead to good things.
Perhaps voters will turn out to be smarter about economics that we thought. They know a good economic move from a bad one.
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.
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 God’s love, and that exploring it will inflame our hearts. This isn’t just a feel good type of love, or even a truly deep human expressed love. It is so much more; beyond our comprehension.
God’s love is a love that reaches beyond our sin. In Romans 5:8 we read: “God shows his love for us in that ‘while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.'” Think of the most wretched human being, a person who has betrayed you, or a person who hates you. Could you love that person? Would you die for that person so they might live another day? Yet this is what Christ did for us.
Have you ever had a moment where you suddenly realized you had hurt someone deeply. Perhaps you yelled at your spouse or children in a moment of anger. Did you feel the physical effect? Did your heart burn within you? I’ve felt it on occasion.
As we grow in grace and come to more fully realize the depth of our indwelling sin, our heart should burn within us as we understand God’s love and forgiveness reach beyond our sin. Infinitely beyond! This realization should cause us to “long to love him more,” as Spurgeon says.
Dear Lord, Help me to more fully understand your love for me. Your love led Jesus to the cross, and your Holy Spirit brings grace and help every day. Because of what you have done for me, I long to love you more. 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.
Have you ever listened to a political speech and wondered what in the world was that guy talking about? Perhaps you fell asleep during a speech and woke up to find out you didn’t miss anything.
Will Rogers had heard his share of political speeches. He regularly attended the conventions of both parties and reported the results to his readers with his characteristic humor.
Image Information. Will was a skilled horseman and he loved to ride. When he first started his own stage act, a live horse was part of the act as he demonstrated his skill with the lasso. He even had a polo field built at his California ranch.
The equestrian statue at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum is a fitting tribute to Will, since horses were such an important part of his life. I took this picture at sunset, and you can see some of the glow in the clouds as they passed over this magnificent statue. It is the focal point of the beautiful walkway and gardens at the museum.
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 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.
Will RogersThe U.S. Navy is the most powerful force on the oceans of the world. Not only that, but if you look at the Navy website, you will find that it is also the most mobile, effective and efficient humanitarian force in the world.
Think back to tsunami’s, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters in the costal areas of the world. Within a couple of days there is an aircraft carrier and other vessels providing security and aid to the people directly affected. The Navy also has two hospital ships deployed in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for just such disasters, and they are on-station quickly for longer term medical support.
In this October 30, 1930 quote, Will Rogers makes his point as delicately as ever. Just because you haven’t used your life insurance, and it cost money, doesn’t mean you should drop it because you aren’t dead!
Cut back our Naval defenses, in order to save some money, to the point where they can no longer be effective in a dangerous world, and someone will challenge us. I just hope people don’t have to die to find out!
The image of Will Rogers taken in his later years 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.
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 quite startling.
In Psalm 114, the Psalmist recounts the parting of the Red Sea and Jordan river for the Israelites. These were real live physical events. Don’t you love the wonderful imagery used? “The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.”
Skeptics have come along and proposed various physical phenomenon that would account for these “miracles.” Let’s say we give them their non-miracle explanation for a moment. In that case they will then have to explain how their “non-miracle” event miraculously happened at precisely the time it did and that the duration was precisely the amount of time required to accomplish its purpose.
The Psalmist wants us to understand that the Great Creator can do as he wills with his creation. He can stop the flow of water, make the earth tremble, or turn the “hard rock into springs of water.”
If the earth trembles at the presence of the Lord, we should too. If God can move mountains, He can move us too. For these remembrances we should be filled with praise that God accomplishes His purpose for His people.
Dear Lord, When the earth moves, the wind blows, the rain falls or snow blankets the ground, let my mind be drawn to the Great Creator, our Savior and our God. Amen.
Look below for a musical treat! The Sons of Korah have put Psalm 114 to music. Listen and be blessed!
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 114 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 114 to music. Listen to a sample below and purchase your own copy at the iTunes store by clicking on the button.
| Psalm 114 – Rain Album |  |
I just returned from a quick trip to western Pennsylvania. While trekking through some wooded areas with a friend just above the Allegheny River I noticed quite a number of chipmunks as they would dart into the underbrush. It’s a beautiful area of the country and these humble creatures seem to survive and thrive in the mountain woodlands.
Matching the image of a cute chipmunk with this Psalm seemed appropriate. Humble and meek, the Lord takes care of His creatures, just as He takes care of us.
Satisfied with Gods provision, we should praise God and continue to seek Him in humility. We should also thank God for His work in other lands as “all the kindred of the nations shall worship” God.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 22 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes KJV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
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 love peaceful scenes like the one in the picture. A glassy lake, the ocean in the morning, fog settling over the mountaintops, a quiet evening at sunset are the times I remember.
With the busyness of life we enjoy the peaceful times that God gives us. As I have time to relax and enjoy a quiet moment I try to remember and be thankful to God for his blessings and provision.
In the peaceful times, and even in the hectic ones, may the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in God’s sight. I am so thankful he is my rock and my redeemer.
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.
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.
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.
As I have been reading the Psalms, I have noticed that the Psalmist regularly encourages us to remember, remember, remember. Remember what the Lord has done for us. Remember God’s many blessings in our lives. Remember answered prayers. Remember his salvation. Remember his deliverance. Remember his mercy. Remember, remember, remember!
In this quote, Spurgeon also encourages us to look to the flowing river of our experiences. I hope that our rivers may be wide and deep, like the one in the picture.
The bulrushes, or reeds along the river mark our specific experiences. They can be gathered and woven together in to an ark, or small boat. Spurgeon indicates that this will help us “float safely on the stream.”
When our “infant faith” is tested, we must rely on our experiences of God’s past faithfulness to help us float in safety over rough waters. For example, when I face financial hardships, I remember all the times that God has provided for my needs in similar circumstances. For that I can praise the Lord in the current difficulty, trusting that He will see me through, just like He has so many times before.
Dear Lord, Please help me bring to remembrance all the experiences of your love and mercy, so that they may sustain me in difficult times. Especially let me remember your great salvation, through Jesus Christ, that will sustain me to the end. 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.
What has God done in your life? Anything? If we understand the Bible, everything has purpose and is for God’s glory. Even what we might see as bad things have purpose. God is with us through it all. In order to truly understand Psalm 52, and praise God as the Psalmist does, we must know …
Will RogersWill Rogers’ published this quote and made the observation in 1929. We might think of those days as a bit slower and relaxed, but can you imagine what Will Rogers would think if he could see us today? Cars, trains and airplanes are faster now. We are all still rushing to get somewhere, but …
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 …
Forgiveness is in short supply in this world. It seems to be easier for some people to forgive than others. When someone spreads lies about you among friends or in the press, can you forgive them? Prominent politicians experience this regularly. What would I do in that case? There is something deeply spiritual about being …
Will RogersWhere congressmen used to carry suitcases full of money away from Washington in the past, today it’s boxcars full of money! When “old man interest” starts gnawing away at us, the big boys roll the empty freight cars to the capital for help. Requirements and intent of a Federal program such as TARP, don’t make …
Will RogersI don’t know much about banking, bailouts and loans, but when I read that a country is repaying a loan to the U.S. it does seem mighty strange. It was strange in Will Rogers’ day too. We had loaned vast sums of money to European countries after WWI for rebuilding, and we never saw …
It’s not popular to directly talk about and deal with sin in our lives, but in this quote, Spurgeon admonishes us to deal with it head on. We shouldn’t even laugh at it. The sea otter in the image is always playful and upbeat. We should be too, but it shouldn’t include dabbling in sin, …
Will RogersI’ve driven by golf courses at various times and wondered why people were out there in the middle of the work day. After reading this Will Rogers’ quote, I think I understand. They’re vagrants! Actually, I don’t think Will Rogers was patient enough to play such a slow moving game as golf. He would …
If God is my rock, is he a pebble, a boulder, or a huge formation, like in the picture? Can I put the rock in my pocket, or is it immovable and unchanging, providing shade and shelter? The Psalmist here is transparent and honest before God: “Why have you forgotten me?” He sees and feels …
This Will Rogers quote is from 1929, and we are still trying to figure out today if we are crooks or martyrs when it comes to the income tax form. It’s kind of humorous that today we have a Treasury Secretary, in charge of the IRS, that goofed up (in his favor) on his own …
