He Knows Best......

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own! ,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
   
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

THIS DAY IS YOURS DON'T THROW IT AWAY    86,400 Seconds

May God Bless You,

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world"

DID YOU KNOW?

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.

2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq.

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!

13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the fiery furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq.

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq.

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon,which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep roots.

Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq.

And also... This is something to think about! Since America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages...

The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran (9:11) - "For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced;

For the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace."

Hurricane Charlie
Many of the signs and billboards in the area were no match for Hurricane Charley. However, one billboard resisted the 100-mile per hour winds of the eye wall of the storm. While the billboard still stands, the advertisement that was there when Hurricane Charley hit was pealed back to reveal an earlier message. When the sun rose the next morning on Sand Lake Road in Orlando the words on the billboard clearly read,

LIFE
"Life is not a journey to the grave
with the intention of arriving safely
in a pretty and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up, totally worn out,
and loudly proclaiming

" WOW !!!....... What a Ride !!!"
 

PERSPECTIVE

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of 100 people, with existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look like the following:

There would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, North & South
8 Africans

52 would be female, 48 would be male
70 would be nonwhite, 30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian,30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual, 11 would be homosexual

6 people would possess 59% of the world's wealth, with all 6 from the United States
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition

1 would be near death
1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.

The following are also worth pondering:

• If you woke this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
• If you never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are more fortunate than 500 million people in the world.
• If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world!
• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.
• If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even more rare in the United States and Canada.
• If you can read this message, you have received a double blessing because someone is thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world, who can not read at all.

1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove, He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

 2...God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

 3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

 4...God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

 5...God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of our ability.

 6...God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

 7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

 8...God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

 9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

 10...God won't ask how many people you forwarded this to, He'll ask if you were ashamed to pass it on to your friends.

A Visit from Jesus

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.. She read the letter

Dear Ruth:

I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.

Love Always, Jesus

Her hands were shaking as! she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me?

I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer." With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. "Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least."

She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.

A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?"

Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags "Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us. Lady, we'd really appreciate it."

Ruth looked at them both.

They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.

"Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."

"Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway."

The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley.

As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.

"Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest."

She handed the man her grocery bag.

"Thank you lady. Thank you very much!" "Yes, thank you!" It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. "You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.

"Thank you lady! Thank you very much!"

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him.

She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

"That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth:

It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.

Love Always,

Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

***************

- Jesse Jackson

He took out a card, wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back and stuck
it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that
his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis
3:10." Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in
gales of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."
Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was
afraid for I was naked."

Remember when the funniest jokes were the clean ones? They still
are!

A cheerful heart is good medicine... (Proverbs 17:22a)
 

Things to carry with you in life

TOOTHPICK - to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others. - *Matthew 7:1

RUBBER BAND - to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out. - *Romans 8:28

BAND AID - to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's. - *Colossians 3:12-14

PENCIL - to remind you to list your blessings everyday. - *Ephesians 1:3

ERASER - To remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's okay. - *Genesis 50:15-21

CHEWING GUM - to remind you to stick with it, and you can accomplish anything. - *Philippians 4:13

MINT - to remind you that you are worth a mint. - *John 3:16-17

CANDY KISS - to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug everyday. - * John 4:7

TEA BAG - to remind you to relax daily and go over your list of blessings. - *1 Thessalonians 5:18

A prayer for friendship

Lord, thank You for loyal, loving friends

Who are there in winter or springtime fair.

New acquaintances are easy to come by,

But true friendship is extremely rare.

A friend always sees the best in you,

Although they've known you at your worst.

They laugh with you in the good times,

When storms threaten, they'll be there first.

They'll offer a shoulder to rest your head

When tears are welling in your eyes.

Take a walk down friendship's path with you

And help chase away those stormy skies.

Lord, thank You for all the gifts You give;

Each one makes our life seem more worthwhile.

But one of the finest gifts you've given us

Is the warmth of friendship's loving smile.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his  waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free  himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and  terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life.

"No, I can't ! accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.

At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.  "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.

"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.

His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: 

Picture
If God had a refrigerator,
your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet,
your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He listens.
He can live anywhere in the universe,
but He chose your heart.
Face it, friend - -He is crazy about you!
God didn't promise days
without pain, laughter
without sorrow, sun
without rain,
but He did promise strength for the day,
comfort for the tears, and
light for the way.
 

The Notebooks of Florence Allshorn (1887-1950)

Our calling is not primarily to be holy women, but to work   for God and for others with Him.

Our holiness is an effect,  not a cause; so long as our eyes are on our own personal  whiteness as an end in itself, the thing breaks down.

God can  do nothing while my interest is in my own personal character   -- He will take care of this if I obey His call. In learning  to love God and people as He commanded us to do, obviously your sanctification cannot but come, but not as an end in itself. 

George MacDonald, Diary of an Old Soul [1880]

Gather my broken fragments to a whole,
          As these four quarters make a shining day.
          Into thy basket, for my golden bowl,
          Take up the things that I have cast away
          In vice or indolence or unwise play.
          Let mine be a merry, all-receiving heart,
          But make it a whole, with light in every part.

C. T. Studd (1860-1931)

Funds are low again, hallelujah! That means God trusts us  and is willing to leave His reputation in our hands.

Where was YOUR GOD?

How many of us have heard that question "Where was your GOD when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was attacked?"  Well I know where my GOD was the morning of September 11, 2001,and He was very busy!

He was trying to discourage anyone from taking these flights. Those four flights together held over 1000 passengers and there were only 266 aboard. He was on 4 commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the family members who were called by a loved one on
one of the high-jacked planes said that passengers were screaming in the background. On one of the flights he was giving strength to passengers to try to overtake the hijackers.

He was busy trying to create obstacles for employees at the World Trade Center. After all, only around 20,000 were at the towers when the first jet hit. Since the buildings held over 50,000 workers, this was  a Miracle in itself. How many of the people who were employed at the World Trade Center told the media that they were late for work or they had traffic delays.

He was holding up 2-110 story buildings so that 2/3 of the workers could get out. I was so amazed that the top of the towers didn't topple when the jets impacted. And when they did fall, they fell inward. GOD didn't allow them to topple over, as many more lives would have been lost. And when the buildings went down, my GOD picked up almost 6,000 of his children and carried them home with him. Reassuring his frightened children that the worst was over and the best was yet to come.

He sat down and cried that 19 of his children could have so much hate in their hearts. That they didn't choose him, but another god that doesn't exist, and now they are lost forever.

He sent his children that are best trained for this disaster and had them save the few that were still alive, but unable to help themselves. And then sent many others to help in anyway they were needed. He still isn't finished though, he held the love ones that were left behind in his arms. He comforts them
daily. His other children are given the strength to reach out to them and help them in any way they can. And I believe he will continue to help us in what is to come. He will give the people in charge of this great nation the strength and the wisdom to do the right thing. He would never leave us in our time of need.

So when anyone asks, "Where was your GOD on September 11", you can say "everywhere"! And yes, although this is without a doubt the worst thing I have seen in my life, I see God's miracles in every bit of it. I keep praying for those who don't believe in GOD, every chance I have. I can't imagine going through such a difficult time and not believing in GOD. Life would be hopeless.

BREAK FREE FROM THE SPIRIT OF FEAR
 . . . ARM YOURSELF WITH THE WORD. . .

Everybody has to deal with fear, regardless of age, gender, or nationality. It is a powerful force that  Satan uses against us in an attempt to paralyze us and keep us from moving forward to receive the will  of God for our lives.    The more attention we give to the fears that come against us, the more power they have to influence  and control our lives. Job 3:25 says, For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of  which I am afraid befalls me. The more we mediate on the fears that come against us, the greater the  chance that the fear will take over our lives. Don't be afraid to LIVE and remember to live every  moment. The best antidote for fear is FAITH. Although we can't do anything to keep the enemy from  bringing his thoughts of fear against us, we CAN choose what we are going to think about. Through  the powerful force of our faith and the words of our mouth, we can overcome Satan's evil attacks.   Protect yourself against Satan and his followers. Put on the armor found in Ephesians 6: 10-20 and  you will be able to stand against them.