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.
Earlier this year, we were in a financial crunch. We cut back all we could, but the cash had run out. It’s a situation that weighs on you. As the Psalmist says: “…my heart is stricken within me.”
A friend of mine and I regularly go on walks, and I shared some of our needs. He returned later that afternoon and gave me a cash gift. It wasn’t a huge gift, but it was enough for groceries. We made it through that time, with God’s help, and are doing better now.
When we are needy, we feel small, just like the bird in the picture. But just like the bird in the picture, tiny and insignificant, we are still God’s creation – we are still His child.
Dear Lord, when I am poor and needy, when my heart is stricken within me, save me according to your steadfast love. Help me turn to Christ for my salvation. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 109 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.
The sun plays a major role in our lives. The sunrise marks a 24 hour cycle we can’t ignore. If the cycle changed in length it would have a profound effect on us, but the sun never changes. It’s there for us every day, constant, unchanging.
The sun has been there since ancient days, it’s here for us now, and will mark time for future generations. The sun is probably one of the few physical things that comes close to representing eternity for us.
In this passage the Psalmist reminds us that God is eternal. “May his name endure forever.” This is a great comfort to us. God is with us, constant, unchanging – as long as the sun rises each day.
Today we see that over the ages God has blessed people from all the nations. Just as he has blessed many of us, God reaches into the remotest areas of the world. From all over the earth, people “call him blessed.”
Dear Lord, Thank you for your eternal, constant and unchanging word. Just as your love, through your son Jesus, has reached me, so it reaches across the world to all nations. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 72 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.
Hurry up, God! I need this, I need that – right now! Perhaps we are far too impatient, which is why we can identify with the plea in Psalm 70 – “make haste to help me, O Lord!”
I have trouble waiting for paychecks. They never seem to come in time. Yet our needs have been met every time. Unexpected income and help from friends have taught us to “rejoice and be glad” as we see God’s provision for us time and again.
The beautiful dolphins in the image convey speed, power and grace as they glide through the water. Perhaps we can believe that God comes to our aid with speed, power and grace. Make haste, O God! For God’s provision let us say with the Psalmist “Let God be magnified!”
Dear Lord, When I am poor and needy, come quickly and deliver me. Let me love your salvation and magnify you continually. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 70 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.
When you have loved somebody for a very long time, it is a special relationship. Perhaps it is a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, or childhood friend that you have known and loved for decades. You share lots of memories and events between you that nobody else can enjoy in the same way. In some cases, that person knew you, before you knew them, as in the case of parents.
In this quote, Spurgeon points out that our relationship with our Savior, Jesus, is special. He knew us, loved us, died for our sins, and chose us, before we knew Him. In Romans 5:8 it says that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
As we look back into the ancient past, we see that “broad stream of our gracious Lord” flowing to us. This is love so deep that we should seek to nurture the relationship to our Savior with great passion and energy.
Dear Lord, As I continue to grow into a greater understanding of what you have done for me down through the ages, and how you have loved me before I even knew you, help me to respond with praise and thanksgiving for such a wonderful gift. 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.
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.
Watch the Federal Reserve! That’s the message from Will Rogers in 1929. We’re still watching today, and things haven’t changed much.
Mix the Federal Reserve manipulation of interest rates with Democrat meddling in the mortgage banking industry, and what do you get? Forclosures! Over 1 million Americans seen losing homes in 2011.
The Democrat solution is, of course, more government involvement and programs to clean up the mess they created in the first place. It’s like putting a polecat in charge of a perfume factory. It doesn’t make scents [sorry, couldn’t resist the pun]!
It’s time for the Republicans to show some good old fashioned common sense when it comes to economics. Even so, keep an eye on the Federal Reserve!
Image Information: Today’s image is of Will and Betty Rogers in their later years of marriage. She was the love of his life. Will said: “The day I roped Betty Blake was the best catch of my life.” Biographers agree that the strong marriage, fidelity, loyal friendship and trust between Will and Betty Rogers were the keystones of Will Rogers’ incredible career and life success.
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.
When I went to vote, I had to stand in line. I don’t like to wait, I’m pretty impatient. I did get to visit with friends, but I would rather have been on my way.
There’s no better picture of patience than the penguin. Male penguins sit atop their nest for weeks in order to protect their eggs. They can’t move or the eggs will freeze, so they sit patiently, through storm and bitter cold.
Waiting for the Lord is tough, but Psalm 27 admonishes us to take courage. God’s timetable is not our own and with patience He begins to align our timetable with His. We might think it is too late, but God is right on time with the answer.
Dear Lord, help me to be patient, let my heart take courage as I trust in you, even through storm and bitter cold. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 27 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.
“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 are simply inadequate in describing concepts such as everlasting and eternity. Spurgeon’s imagery, however is beautifully stated and wonderful to ponder. The background image is from a NASA photograph of deep space, to give further perspective to the long ages of eternity.
But how can I know if I am one of God’s elect? Because of God’s love for his people, he will surely communicate his love and salvation to us. There are several ways He communicates. God has provided his Word to us, the Bible, to communicate the gospel message to us personally. Pastors and christian friends share God’s word with us, and finally God’s Holy Spirit actively works in our lives. We are not alone!
If you are unsure of God’s grace and salvation in your life, pray for His help, and look for His answer. Complete assurance of salvation may not come all at once, but it will grow over time.
Dear Lord, Grant me a deeper understanding of your eternal love. Speak to me through your Word, christian friends and by your Holy Spirit, that I may know your salvation and be counted among your elect. 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.
If ever a Will Rogers quote was relevant today, it is this one. When I send my hard-earned money off to Washington, I hope that they would spend it wisely. Is that too much to ask?
Apparently so! When I hear about the pork barrel spending and waste, it just burns my grits. We’re talking about huge amounts of money here folks. When a government accountant sneezes, a million dollars goes up in smoke. When a politician blinks, a billion dollars vanishes and when the president gives a speech, wealth disappears.
The President is a rich guy. His tax bill this past year was over $400,000. He talks about the rich people needing to pay their fair share, but if I sent that kind of money to the government, I would expect a “thanks,” and a little accountability.
Instead, my money is spent on failed programs, by the billions. We have a Federal Education department that hasn’t improved education by any measurable result. The War on Poverty has had more negative results than positive. Yet we hear how important these programs are, and that more money is needed to fix the problems they created in the first place.
Any belief that elected officials in this administration posses any special wisdom and common sense went out the window when the Vice President said: “Just becaust the Recovery Act was a monumental failure, does not mean that it is not working.”
My only hope is that candidates in the next election come up with something better to offer than empty promises. Is that too much to ask?
Image Info: Wiley Post is pictured with Will Rogers in this colorized image. Post was one of the most famous aviators of the 1930s, and set records for high-altitude and round-the-world flights. Rogers and Post were killed in a plane crash in Alaska in August of 1935.
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.
I love these little penguins because they symbolize patience in the extreme as they care for the eggs. They are also cute. It seemed to beautifully fit Psalm 27:14 as shown in the image.
This verse is from the Psalm Daily Quotes NASB app. Each day of the year the app shows a different daily quote and matched image, plus you can browse the quotes collection.
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, clothing, bank records, shopping habits, children, contents of their trash cans are probed in detail. Candidates supported by the mainstream press can do and say whatever they want, true or false, without question.
In this day and age, we need candidates and politicians with integrity. I think people instinctively sense the efforts of the mainstream press to cast truth as a lie, and a lie as the truth. While there are many people that “ain’t any more interested in politics than they are in long underwear,” as Will Rogers says, I believe that more people are becoming interested.
May God give honest politicians strength to stand, and may God give voters the wisdom to choose truth over lies.
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.
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 while before I remember names and details. If I value the relationship, I make the effort to be with friends more often so I won’t forget them.
Can you remember when you first turned to God? Can you remember when you first read some of the great stories from the Bible? Can you remember a particularly meaningful sermon you heard? Can you remember an event where God did a significant work in your life? Do you remember when a friend brought you encouragement from the Lord, when you needed it?
As we walk with the Lord, we gather memories, from Scripture, from preaching, from people and from experience. Spurgeon’s quote encourages us to put these memories in perspective, and to never forget that God is able to “fulfil his own promises.”
Dear Lord, Help me remember that you “uphold the universe,” and that you fulfill your promises. If I have strayed, receive me back as I remember your goodness and grace to me. Let the memories from today increase my faith, and love for you tomorrow. 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.