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There are many people in this world who desire to be great in life. They want their life to make a significant impact that will never be forgotten or erased so that they can proudly say "I made a difference in this world." That is an admirable quest to come from anyone, but what we must realize and understand is that each of us can make a difference in this world. Every person that is alive today is capable of making a difference in someone else's life. How can that be true? How can each of us make a difference? We do so by following God's greatest commandment which is "To love your neighbor as you love yourself." When we love others as we love ourselves, we will honor them, we will favor them, we will look at them with the same love and thoughtfulness that God looks upon us with. (Matthew 22:37-40) (1 John 3:16-18)
Now we must ask ourselves do we wish to be useful or should we allow those opportunities to be a blessing to pass us by? The question is ours to answer. We can either be vessels in which the Lord can work through or we can sit idly by and allow others to partake in the blessings that could and should have been rightfully ours. What we must realize about life is that it is fleeting. All that we have worked so hard to accumulate and attain will one day whither and vanish away, but the good works that we did without motive or pretense will live on forever in our hearts and in the hearts of those whom we were fortunate enough to be a part of. May we have the foresight in this present time to see how our life can be used in making a difference in the lives of others. (Galatians 6:7-10) (Luke 6:29-31)

I encourage you again to seize every opportunity that comes your way to be a blessing. Share a kind word, do a good and kind deed, encourage, inspire, affirm, believe in, forgive, offer mercy towards and simply treat others as you wish to be treated and do for them what you would want someone to do for you in your time of need. When we take the initiative to be a blessing, we will become God's visible Angels to those hurting around us and I greatly believe we will make the Lord proud to call us His beloved child. (3 John 11) (Psalm 37:21-26)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to have a desire to be a blessing to someone else. Allow your life to make an impact in someone else's life so that you will be remembered and thought upon long after your good deed was done.

A DESIRE TO HELP

One mother was jogging through the park, pushing two toddlers in a stroller. As they approached a hill, she said, "OK, now I need you to help me." And they did! As she started up the hill, they each said, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."

Sometimes it just takes the desire to help and you can find a way.

One person known for his desire to help was Fiorello LaGuardia. LaGuardia was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII. He was adored by many New Yorkers who took to calling him the "Little Flower," because of his name and the fact that he was so short and always wore a carnation in his lapel.

In many ways, LaGuardia was bigger than life - he rode the New York City fire trucks, raided city "speakeasies" with the police department, took entire orphanages to baseball games and, when the New York newspapers went on strike, he got on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids.

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving.

But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, Your Honor," the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson."

LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions. Ten dollars or ten days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous hat, saying, "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore, I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."

The following day, New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered woman who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. Fifty cents of that amount was contributed by the grocery store owner himself, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation. Sometimes it just takes the desire to help and you can find a way.

Someone beautifully said, "Sympathy sees and says, 'I'm sorry.' Compassion sees and says, 'I'll help.'" When we learn the difference, we will make a difference.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

1 John 3:16-18 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

John 13:12-15 "So after He had washed their feet, and had taken His garments, and was set down again, He said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."

Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus declares "Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee? Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me."

1 Peter 3:8-11 "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it."

It is important that we always lead our life by example. Our faith confession must always match up to how we are leading our life. If we say we belong to the Lord, then we can't partake in what the world freely indulges in. We can't lead a life of sin and confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. Our faith confession and our life's example must line up so that those who see us, more importantly will see the Lord through us. When we hold God at the center of our life, then others who aren't walking with the Lord will notice that we are different from them. They will see that what the world offers them won't fill their hearts with joy, peace and contentment. They will understand through our example that to have the Lord is to truly have the greatest of Joy's. No other thing is required. No other material possession is needed. We have it all when we have the Lord Jesus in our life. That is a great testimony and one that speaks volumes to all those who don't know the Lord as they should. (1 John 2:15-17) (Matthew 12:50)
Be encouraged to think about your life's testimony. Are you leading by example? Is your life a shining beacon of hope that others can look upon and wish to emulate? We need to wake up and realize that others need to know the Lord as He is. The Lord wishes for none to perish, but that all would come to repentance. Do we tell others that God is forgiving? Do we frequently share our testimony of how we were once lost and without hope, but have now found the truest meaning and purpose of life? Let us not shy away from leading lost souls to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be that beacon of hope and light that others are drawn to and let us share the simple truth of salvation. (Proverbs 16:20-22) (2 Peter 3:9)

May we be eternity minded at all times. May we have a true heart of compassion and do our absolute best to share Jesus through our words, our actions and our life's example. May all who see us, see the Lord Jesus and wish to have Him as their Lord and Savior just the same. (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

I hope this message inspires and encourages your heart to see how important our life's example really is.

WALKING THROUGH LIFE

An unusual thing happened to me a few years ago. I spoke casually with a woman who served tables at a restaurant I frequented. We knew each other by first name only, but usually chatted for a few minutes each time I dined there.

One day, she asked me, "Do you have a son about eight years old?"

'What has he done?' I thought. I nodded yes.

She pressed on. "Does he play soccer?"

When I said that he did, she asked if he played in a game the previous week at a particular field. Again, I answered, "Yes."

"I thought so," she smiled. "I saw him and thought he must be your son."

Since there were tens of thousands of young boys in the city, I was amazed and exclaimed, "I didn't know he looked that much like me!"

"Oh, I didn't see his face," she said smiling as if she were keeping a secret.

"Then how did you know he was my son?" Now I was puzzled.

"I was just sitting in the car, and I saw a little boy in a baseball cap walking across the field to join his team. He walks like you."

Walks like me? Now I was curious. How do I walk? Since I'm doing the walking, I don't notice how I look to others. Maybe I could watch him amble around to get an idea.

That said, how we walk down a street and how we walk through life are very different things. Perhaps I can't help how I walk down a street, but I want to be intentional about how I walk through life.

Through life, I want to walk gently. I want to treat all of life � the earth and its people � with reverence. I want to remove my shoes in the presence of holy ground. As much as possible, I want to walk in peace.

I want to walk lightly, even joyfully, through whatever days I am given. I want to laugh easily. I want to step carefully in and out of people's lives and relationships. I don't want to tread any heavier than necessary.

And throughout life, I think I would like to walk with more humility and less anger, more love and less fear. I want to walk confidently, but without arrogance. I want to walk in deep appreciation. I want to be genuinely thankful for life's extravagant, yet simple, gifts � a star-splattered night sky or a hot drink on an ice-cold day.

If life is a journey, then how I make that journey is important. How I walk through life.

But still I wonder how I look when I walk down a street.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Ephesians 4:29-32 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Galatians 6:2-4 "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another."

Romans 15:1-4 "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

No matter what we go through in life, the ups the downs, the good times and the bad times, we can still rest in the knowledge that the strength that we possess within our hearts can carry us through anything that life brings our way. We must never under estimate our will to continue on because the Lord has well-equipped us to face every difficulty, every discouraging situation with confidence and with a deep and assured knowing that all will be well with us. Having an unwavering trust in the Lord is important when tough times come our way because our foundation will be strong and secure and we will know that nothing can come our way without God already knowing about it and making provision for it. Knowing that God loves us encourages our hearts when facing difficulty because we will faithfully trust that we will become better, wiser and stronger after the trial than we were before it. (Proverbs 3:5-6) (Romans 8:28)
No matter what you may be going through, I want you to know that God is with you. He loves you with an everlasting love. He draws you near to Himself by His spirit. The Lord wishes for you to know Him as intimately as He knows you. So do you? Do you seek the Lord? I pray that you answer yes because God's love or us is greater than we can ever think or imagine. His love is so great that He willingly died in our place so that we may live eternally with Him. He took upon Himself our sins, our iniquities, our shortfalls and exchanged them with His holiness, His righteousness, and His love. May we never forget God's great love for us. May we call upon Him at all times sharing our laughs, our tears, our triumphs, our worries, and simply be in communion with the One whose love for us never wanes, diminishes or decreases. Trust that God loves you at all times and confidently call upon Him at all times because He patiently waits to hear from you. (Romans 8:31-39) (Revelation 3:20)

I hope this message encourages and challenges your heart to not hold on to the burdens of life, but rather give them confidently to the Lord who will replace them with His peace that surpasses all understanding.

BIG BOYS DO CRY

"Big boys don't cry." I heard those words a lot growing up in America in the late sixties and early seventies. In those days men were expected to be tough and rugged and never shed a tear no matter what. Our heroes were all stone faced cowboys who were too strong to cry. Believing this then I tried my best never to cry at all during my teenage and early adult years.

All that changed, however, as I was driving home alone one night shortly after my Mom died. It was dark and raining outside. I was struggling to keep the car on the road while at the same time struggling to hold the tears back in my eyes. I remember almost going off the road twice as I blinked back the salty water that was burning my eyes and blurring my vision. My hands shook, my heart hurt, and my soul felt dead. Finally I could do it no longer. I stopped, pulled over, lay my head on the steering wheel, and cried. I cried until the tears couldn't fall anymore. I cried until the pain that I was holding onto so strongly finally fled my heart.

After that night I realized something. Big boys do cry. In fact, it is the biggest hearts that cry the most. I realized too that it is our tears that can release us from our anger and our grief while reconnecting us to our love and our God. Tears help us to embrace this often bittersweet life. They help us to keep growing closer to each other in love and joy instead of shutting ourselves up in dull, aching, and lonely hearts.

These days I cry a lot more often. Sometimes the tears are sad. Sometimes the tears are joyous. But always the tears are full of love. I do my best to follow the advice of Leo Buscaglia who said, "Crying is good! It cleans out your eyeballs!" My eyeballs are a lot cleaner now than they used to be and my heart is as well. I hope then that every boy and girl out there realizes that tears are a gift from Heaven. They wash away the pain and water the seeds of love in your soul.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus declares "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Psalm 28:6-8 "Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed."

2 Corinthians 4:15-17 "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

Psalm 145:1-5 "I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless Thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works."

John 6:35-37 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."

There isn't a person in this world who would be opposed to going through life trouble-free. We all want to be at peace, to be filled with joy, to have our happiness at its fullest and not have a care in the world. While this may be the ideal life that many wish for, the reality is that life is full of troubles. But is that a bad thing? What we must realize and understand about adversity is that it is the tool that best strengthens our resolve, that makes us better than we were before and it is through adversity that we become equipped with the knowledge that we can overcome even greater challenges in our future to come. (John 16:33) (Psalm 18:24-33)
We must always remember and keep in mind that tough times make us dig our heels in, they make us wiser than we were before, and they show us that we do have the ability to overcome and be victorious if we simply believe in ourselves as God believes in us and stay in the fight until victory is ours. The next time a discouraging situation comes your way, don't become anxious, but rather face it with confidence. The next time the storms of life rage against you, smile and know that you will grow from it, you will stand taller because of it and God will use it to mold you and equip you so that you will not be lacking any good thing. (Isaiah 26:3-4) (Psalm 34:9-10)

Many of our greatest inventors saw nothing but failure and rejection, but they didn't allow that temporary discouragement to dissuade them from doing what they knew in their hearts they were meant and equipped to accomplish. Let us remember to have the same fortitude to continue on in faith no matter how discouraged we may feel, no matter how hard the storms are raging against us and no matter how badly we want to give up. Let us be determined, focused, steadfast and trust that all things will work together for our good and that our latter end will be much greater and glorious than our former beginnings. Trust that goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life and with confidence proclaim that victory will be yours through Christ our Lord. (Romans 8:28) (Psalm 23:6)

I hope this message inspires and encourages your heart to stand firm in the tough times and know that overcoming the challenges in your path will propel your life on to even greater heights.

GRIND OR SHINE

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

Adversity is the grindstone of life. Intended to polish you up, adversity also has the ability to grind you down. The impact and ultimate result depend on what you do with the difficulties that come your way. Consider the phenomenal achievements of people experiencing adversity.

Beethoven composed his greatest works after becoming deaf. Sir Walter Raleigh wrote the History of the World during a thirteen year imprisonment. If Columbus had turned back, no one could have blamed him, considering the constant adversity he endured. Of course, no one would have remembered him either. Abraham Lincoln achieved greatness by his display of wisdom and character during the devastation of the Civil War. Luther translated the Bible while enduring confinement in the Castle of Wartburg. Under a sentence of death and during twenty years in exile, Dante wrote the Divine Comedy. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress in a Bedford jail.

Finally, consider a more recent example. Mary Groda-Lewis endured sixteen years of illiteracy because of unrecognized dyslexia, was committed to a reformatory on two different occasions, and almost died of a stroke while bearing a child. Committed to going to college, she worked at a variety of odd jobs to save money, graduated with her high school equivalency at eighteen, was named Oregon's outstanding Upward Bound student, and finally entered college. Determined to become a doctor, she faced fifteen medical school rejections until Albany Medical College finally accepted her. In 1984, Dr. Mary Groda-Lewis, at thirty-five, graduated with honors to fulfill her dream.

Adversity - The Grindstone of Life. Will It Grind You down or Polish You up?

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

Psalm 20:6-9 "Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; He will hear him from His Holy Heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call."

Psalm 37:23-26 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed."

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

In life we are continually bombarded with thoughts of discouragement. We hear the lies that we are not good enough, that we don't have the gifts and abilities that others possess, and if we listen long enough, we will begin to believe that our life isn't meant to be extraordinary. What we must always remember and keep in mind is that everything that God does, He does to perfection. The Lord doesn't create anything without a reason and purpose behind it. After God created the world and all that is within it in Genesis 1, He followed it by seeing that "It was good". The Lord has perfection on His mind at all times because God is perfect and His creation reflects this truth. But God also wishes for us to be perfect, but it can't happen with ease. The Bible declares in James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (Job 23:10) (Genesis 1:3-31)
Struggles, hardships, difficulties, discouragements are all tools that are used to make us better, wiser and stronger than we were before. When we go through the fire, our resolve becomes as strong as steel. When we stand firm in the midst of the storm, our will to overcome becomes unshaken, and when we simply believe in ourselves as God believes in us, nothing will be impossible to us. The Bible says if God be for us, who can be against us? Our faith must line up with God's Word so that we can be confident in the fact that our life is significant and can be used to make our life and the world that we are living in a much better and brighter place. (Philippians 2:13-16) (Psalm 34:8-19) (Romans 8:31-39)

No matter what is going wrong in your life presently, I want you to know that it will soon pass. You will learn the lessons, become better because of them and you will use what you have learned to better your life in this present time and in your future to come. Don't get discouraged, don't think of giving up, but rather stand up by faith and believe that greatness is within you and will soon be shown outside of you as well. Revive the dreams within your heart that had been lying dormant and dare to reach forth towards the heights of Victory that God wishes for you to stand upon. (Psalm 37:23-29) (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to see your life as extraordinary and one that is meant to make a difference that will never be forgotten or erased.

A DREAM THAT WILL CATCH YOUR HEART

That all-too-quotable Yogi Berra once said, "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else." (I think that happened to me once.)

But even if you know where you want to end up, do you REALLY WANT to be there? I'm not talking about traveling now, but where we're going with our lives. Is the dream you are following really that important to you?

Most people are not lazy. They simply have uninspiring goals. They don't accomplish what they set out to do because they lose interest. The dream they are following is simply not that important to them.

But then I think of Dennis Oehler. He ran the 100-meter dash in 11.73 seconds. Record-holder Maurice Greene ran it in 9.79 seconds, almost two seconds faster. So what's the big deal? Maurice Greene has two legs. Dennis Oehler has one. One leg -- and a huge dream.

The truth is -- we are always highly motivated when something means a great deal to us. If I fell into a deep lake and I didn't know how to swim, I would become highly motivated in an instant. Climbing from the lake would mean more to me than anything else in the world. My effort would be no less than astounding and I would suddenly become one of the most excited and enthusiastic persons imaginable.

And that goes for anything that is truly important to us. If we want something badly enough, we will find necessary energy, excitement and drive to grasp it.

Writer Tim Redmond says this about following worthwhile dreams: "There are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a few that catch my heart...it is those I consider to pursue."

Is your dream big enough -- important enough -- to catch your heart?

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Psalm 34:1-4 "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."

Isaiah 40:28-29 "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength."

Psalm 34:17-19 "The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."

Psalm 103:1-5 "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."

There are many people in this world who are miserable in their life. They have no joy, no peace, no happiness and no sense of fulfillment. They don't see their life as significant and because of this, they allow discouragement and depression to overtake them. What we must all realize and understand about life is that nothing comes easy. Anything that is worth attaining will take a great amount of effort on our end. We must put in the work so that we can receive what we don't have. We must also be disciplined enough to not give up in the midst of our pursuit when we find nothing but difficulties over and again. We must be determined, steadfast, unwavering and have a resolve that says nothing except success is acceptable. (James 5:7-11) (2 Corinthians 4:15-18)
No matter what is going wrong in your life, I want you to know that it is within your ability to make it better. It all depends on how you are reacting to the situation. What we must understand is that it is within our control on how our life will turn out. We all have difficulties, trials and challenges, but how we react to them ultimately determines our outcome. If we are facing a dark time and we murmur and complain about how dark it is, the situation won't get any better, but if we have the forethought that the darkness isn't here to stay, then we will react in a positive way knowing that this current season will make us better, wiser and stronger than we were before and after the darkness passes, we will be thankful for the lessons that we learned in that situation. (Philippians 2:14-16) (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Be encouraged and know that your happiness is waiting for you to grab a hold of it right now. Don't allow the trials of life to make you murmur and complain, but rather use your faith in those times of struggle and trust that God has your best interest in mind. Respond in a positive manner, believe that you will become better because of those difficult times and have an unwavering resolve that no matter what comes your way, you will endure, stand firm and never give up until the Victory is yours. (Hebrews 12:1-3) (Psalm 143:7-10)

I hope this message encourages and inspires your heart to believe in yourself, to love yourself and to know that God loves you no matter what you have been through in times past.

SEVEN DAYS

I saw another one of those seven day advertisements today. They are the ones that claim that you can change your life in just seven days. There are ones for losing so much weight in seven days. There are ones for getting in shape in seven days. There are ones for starting to make a great deal of money in seven days. There are even ones for finding that perfect relationship in seven days. It is amazing just how many people there are out there who think that they can make our lives wonderful in a week.

I have, however, found one way that you can change your life in just seven days. It doesn't require that you buy an exercise machine, take a pill, invest your savings, or give out your credit card number either. All you need is yourself, and all you have to invest is your heart, soul, and mind. Just by doing four simple steps for seven days you can begin to turn your life into the joyous experience you always hoped it could be.

The first step is simply to realize and know just how much God loves you. Once you see that God loves you and wants you to be happy then everything in your life will become better. You will begin to feel, in fact, just how glorious life can be. The next step is just to love God back. That is all God ever asks of us. By loving God back you will take the first step towards living the way you were meant to. Step three is to love yourself. If God loves you then you should be able to love yourself as well. You are a Child of God, after all, and worthy of love. The last step is to go out and love others too. Love is a gift that you can't just keep to yourself. It has to be shared.

If you do these four steps for seven days then you will never want to stop. Your soul will come alive. Love and joy will flow through you and show up in every single thing you do. You will not only change your life but also become a blessing to God and to the world.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Hebrews 12:1-3 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the Joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

Psalm 37:4-7 "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..."

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place."

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

There are many things in life that we will never fully understand, but one thing that we can confidently rest in is that God knows what's best for each of us. Many times when we go through trials and tribulations, setbacks and heartaches we believe the falsity that God has forgotten us and even worse forsaken us. Nothing can be further from the truth because the Bible says that God's love for us never wanes or weakens and this is clearly made evident by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus for all mankind. The Bible declares in Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." We shouldn't doubt God's love for us, but we should wholeheartedly trust that all things will work together for our good. We may face difficulties, the storms may rage against us, the darkness may seem to be unending, but if we stay patient and confident in Him, we will see good come from the situation that looked so bleak before. (Romans 8:28) (Proverbs 3:5-6)
In all the years that I have known and served the Lord, I have never been left wanting. The Lord is faithful. He is good and just and will always have our best interest in mind. We will see at the end how the struggles that we went through served a purpose in making us better, wiser and stronger than we were before them. We will be thankful for the trial because we will have seen and understood with refreshed eyes how God was working on our behalf the whole time, even when we were doubting or questioning His purposes. We must stay in faith because He is faithful. The definition of faith is believing in something that can't currently be seen, but once it is seen, that is when our faith has been manifested. (Psalm 37:22-26) (Hebrews 10:23)

Be encouraged to have an attitude of unwavering trust and confidence in God's ability to meet your every need. We may not understand why, we may question our circumstances, but let us never murmur and complain thinking that good will not come our way again. I firmly believe our ladder end is much brighter and better than our former beginnings. We simply have to believe it by faith until it is manifested into reality. (Psalm 100:1-5)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to see that God's ways are much better and higher than ours can ever be. The Lord knows how to bring the answers that we need in ways that we had never thought of before.

MYSTERIOUS WAYS

God sometimes works in mysterious and wondrous ways. If you don't believe me then let me share with you what happened here recently. I was out walking my dogs a few days ago when my neighbor called out to me. She was upset and asked if I had seen her own little black dog. It had gotten out of her yard and hadn't come back since that morning. I spent the rest of that afternoon helping my neighbors search for him but to no avail. That night I said a little prayer that he would be found or follow his nose back home.

The next day I was catching up with some friends on Facebook when I saw a picture that my cousin had posted online. There he was. His black furry face was looking sadly into the camera. I quickly let my cousin know that it may be my neighbor's dog that she had found and rescued. Then my son, neighbor, and I hopped into my car and drove the half mile to my cousin's house. The little pooch was waiting for us on the porch and was more than happy to get back home into his owner's loving arms.

Now isn't it amazing that a lost little dog found his way safely through woodlands and a very busy roadway to the home of my cousin? Isn't it amazing that my cousin would post his picture online and that it would travel through cyberspace right to my waiting eyes the next day? Is it all just a big coincidence or is there perhaps a Loving, Heavenly hand at work behind it all?

What I do know is that this is just one of a hundred times that God's mysterious, wondrous, and loving ways have been shown to me. I fully believe that He is watching over us, guiding us, and giving us all countless opportunities to help, learn, and love here. All we have to do is open our hearts to His love, our minds to His guidance, and our lives to His will. Then our own lost souls will find their way back home again into His loving arms.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Psalm 34:1-4 "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

Jeremiah 33:2-3 "Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is His name; Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

Psalm 23:1-4 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me."

There are many people in this world who believe that their happiness and sense of peace lies somewhere in their future after they have reached a certain goal or overcome a trial or challenge in their life. They don't see that happiness, joy, peace, serenity and calm all already lie within their being waiting to be utilized. What we must realize and understand is that we don't have to wait for an event to take place before we can have joy and peace in our life. The Bible declares in Isaiah 26:3 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." When we keep our eyes focused on the Lord, we won't allow the discouragements, the setbacks, the trials and tribulations to make us lose our peace. We will know by faith that the victory is ours no matter what the situation may look like right now. When we hold on to our peace, we are standing in our faith proclaiming that nothing can come our way that will make us worry or fear what the future holds. (2 Timothy 1:7) (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Be encouraged to take a hold of your peace and joy right now. Don't wait for a future event because that time will never come. There will always be a new challenge, a new trial, a new setback; so instead of postponing our happiness, we should each receive it right now right where we stand and give thanks to the Lord for His sustenance and provision over our life. We must always remember that God's love for us is pure and without motive. The Lord waits patiently as a loving Father for us to call upon Him and share with Him all that is burdening us. The Bible declares in Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Matthew 11:28-30) (Psalm 145:7-9)

I hope this message ministers to your heart to see that your joy and peace are waiting for you to take a hold of them right now.

ALREADY THERE

For a long time I saw happiness as a huge banner across the finish line of a long race. I felt that only when I accomplished certain things could I finally relax and be happy in my life. Most of the time I felt like the tortoise hoping that "slow and steady would win the race." At other times I would act like a crazed hare trying different side roads at breakneck speeds hoping to reach that banner a little faster. Gradually, though, I began to see that no matter how long I raced towards it the banner was never any closer. I finally decided one day to sit down and take a break. It was then that I saw my happiness sitting beside me. It had been with me all along.

It had been with me as I played basketball as a child. It had been with me as I learned in school. It had been with me as I worked minimum wage jobs mopping floors, doing dishes, and carrying lumber. It had been with me as I held each of my newborn children in my arms. It had been with me as I struggled with my sons' autism and learned to love them for just who they are. It had been with me when I was sick. It had been with me when I didn't have a cent to my name. It had been with me as I raced towards that stupid banner. I just hadn't had the wisdom to see it.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "Tension is what you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are." Perhaps we all should stop our race towards the perfect life we think we should have and rejoice in the life we have now. Happiness will never be found under some banner far away. It will be found in your own heart, soul, and mind. It will be found when you realize that God loves you just as you are and that you can choose and share love and joy as well. Don't be a determined tortoise or a chaotic hare when it comes to your happiness. Be a playful puppy and carry your stick of joy with you everywhere you go. Take yourself out of the race and realize that when it comes to love and happiness you are already there.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

Psalm 37:3-6 "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."

Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."