GOLDEN WORDS

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
   
Luke 12: 16-21



It is recorded one of America’s richest men, that before he died he said to a friend: "I don’t see what good it does me – all this money that you say is mine. I can’t eat it , can’t spend it; in fact, I never saw it, and never had it in my hand for a moment. I dress no better than my private secretary, and I cannot eat as much as my coachman. I live in a big servants’ boarding house, have dyspepsia, cannot drink champagne, and most of my money is in the hands of others, who use it mainly for their own benefit." This is the testimony of one who put his treasure in " a bag with  holes.

Gospel Herald



If your riches are yours, why don’t you take them with you to t’other world.

—  Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1732
 

Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman

January 17

"Speak, for your servant is listening" 1 Samuel 3:10; "I will listen to what God the Lord will say: he promises peace to his people, his saints" Psalm 85:8; "Two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving" Psalm 62:11,12.

There is a philosophical question that if a tree falls and no one is there to hear it, then does it make a sound? The same can be said for our spiritual experiences. God calls us by name but, if we don't listen and respond, then we lose the interest and the principleand the Principal.
What is so touching in the third chapter of 1 Samuel is that Samuel ran into Eli's room three times, thinking that it was the elderly Eli who had called him. The voice was so humanlike that Samuel was sure it was Eli. Sometimes we receive calls and rebukes in the familiar voices of relatives and friends. We would do well to be able to distinguish them as messages from God. God often uses human instruments to bring about Divine results.

"Now get up and go...and you will be told what to do" Acts 9:6. God no longer speaks directly to us as He did to Samuel, but He does speak in His providence through the various people, events and actions in our lives, the new opportunities we have each day to renew our covenant with Him and the new responsibilities of each day that afford us the chance to serve Him and others. God speaks to us consistently and insistently in nature, in history, and in the gift of reasoning powers. He speaks to us as individuals: "I have called you by name; you are mine" Isaiah 43:1b. Yes, Lord, I will listen and I will learn that You are a strong and loving God who wants us to be not just hearers but listeners who learn well what You want for us in our lives. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will pray for the Lord to speak, and they will hear Him.


Pat Nordman ©

 

T H I N K A B O U T I T

Instructions For Life 1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three Rs: (A) Respect for self (B) Respect for others and (C) Responsibility for all your actions. 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 8. Spend some time alone. 9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values. 10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer 11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time. 12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home. 13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past. 14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. 15. Be gentle with the earth. 16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before. 17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other 18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. 19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

 

January 17   Genesis 49:1 - Exodus 1:22 Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

 

 

Today's  Devotion

 

... ...and by his light I walked through darkness!    JOB 29:3 NIV   In All Circumstances by Pat Nordman   "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" Job 2:10b What faith it takes to give thanks in ALL circumstances, especially the circumscribed ones! God's will becomes ours when we can accept divine providence as our confidence of His divine love, as well. The seemingly unbearable yoke that presses on our neck becomes lined with down when we can say, "Thank You, Father, for this, too!" "Then Jesus looked up and said, `Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me. . .'" John 11:41. What a perfect prayer of faith! We, too, can look up and thank Him and know that our Father hears our prayers. "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear" Isaiah 65:24. What comfort to know that we are heard and our anguished prayer answered, even before we present our petitions! Again Jesus is our example. He said this at the grave of one of His dearest friends, Lazarus. He wept for Lazarus, as we weep for our loved ones when we stand beside the grave. In His intense humanity at His friend's grave, Jesus gave us faith that God understands our brokenness and hope that our anguish will be turned into joy. Thanksgiving is a mark of the Christian; an unthankful heart is a mark of the wicked. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened" Romans 1:21. "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be. . .ungrateful. . ." 2 Timothy 3:1,2. Gratitude is the umbrella that covers nobility. © Pat Nordman God's will becomes ours when we can accept divine providence as our confidence of His divine love, as well.   More Walking Through the Darkness

 

 

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