The Earth never was flat

Long ago, the most educated minds thought the Earth was flat and believed if you sailed too far out into the ocean, you'd fall off the edge of the world. It's understandable when looking out over the horizon that it looks like there's nothing else out there. I wonder what these people might have thought of ocean water running off the side of the Earth? On Earth, we look at things from our small perspective.


Photo credit: enfinite5 from morguefile.com
 
Well, that theory was all wrong and we know better since we've gained more insight and knowledge about the Earth, and still are.
Today, many educated people think their 'sinful status' has no significance to God..and some don't believe in God, or His Word, or much of anything related to the masterful plan God has to redeem and save every person from a horrible future set for those who reject him. (I ponder why people reject or accept a particular religion. I know a lot has to do with where a person is born, the family they're born into, having been exposed to the gospel or not and their upbringing. This is another topic to write later).

Sometimes it takes seeking and prodding to find the Truth. Sometimes it takes a knock up beside the head. Sometimes it takes a major life event to open one's eyes to the Truth.

Longtime atheist converts to Christianity and plans to become a preacher

 With my little mind, I've thought of a few reasons of what a person chooses to have faith in boils down to 'choosing to believe or disbelieve'. And disbelief is due to human perspective of a holy, sovereign, spiritual, unseen deity. Until one can see from a 'spiritual perspective', this does looks flat, like there's nothing out there. So naturally the conclusion is 'disbelief' in all the good things which God promises. And the promises of the God of Abraham are better than any other god. And the Lord God stamps His promises with Himself, cause there is none higher or cross his heart to, nor can He lie. His promise is as good as a promise can be.

God's Holy Word is for us to gobble up and absorb all it's loaded with of characters showing what happens when a person obeys, and what happens when a person disobeys God.

The Earth never was flat, no matter how many people thought it was. And same goes for God's Word. It does not matter what you think, God's Word, all of it, is for you and I to gain knowledge of what delights God and wisdom for living, and to be in His good graces to receive His abounding goodness. 

Taking this notion a bit further, God does not need you or I to believe Him. We need to get on board with Him, not visa verse. His Way is 'The Way' regardless what any of us thinks or believes. We are alive in our fleshly bodies only for a brief moment in His vast creation timeline.  His ways are far above our mortal ways. (Can a man create a sunset?) There is plenty 'unseen' we have to use eyes of faith to see, and sin against God is nothing to be blind to, for it is something so real to a real God.


Photo credit: hotblack from morguefile.com

In His wisdom, God made us with certain needs.  In this posting I want to bring up just two needs we all beacon for, even thought we may not consciously say we need them, but in my most humble opinion, I believe we all do, just like we need air to breathe.

The first is love. Love is intangible, but love bonds us and helps get us through life. Life and love are inseparable in a way, but are the compliment that makes each better. Without love, life is miserable

We want love to last, especially after we share love with someone who reciprocates love back, and the love is pure and true.  God loves each of us with an unconditional love. This may not be believed if you don't believe in God, but it's true nonetheless. If he didn't love you, He wouldn't have sent a part of Himself in the flesh to die for payment of your sins. He was the perfect acceptable sacrifice for all of mankind, but more fittingly, just for you so you'd be spared from dying that 'second death'. Right now you receive fresh blessing each day- waking up, breathing, air, food, sunlight, love. Separation from all blessings, is the 'second death' which will be like 'dying, not being able to die so you suffer continually without end or hope of it ever stopping-hence, death. I can only think that spiritual death is something I do not want to experience.

(What could be more wonderful than the creator devising a plan that ensures a future with Him and totally missing the hell and Lake of Fire?  Would anyone prefer Hell and the Lake of Fire?)

God's plan of love could not be thwarted by the devil, even though he tried to throw a wrench in God's plan. Lucifer, the fallen angel, also known as 'the devil', has been allowed lots of freedom to deceive people, and many have been ensnared by his masterful cunning, devious deceptiveness.  So much so that people believe him and disbelieve God. Satan's that good in making people turn to his counterfeit everything, and away from God's perfect design. He's nearly perfected getting people's focus, hearts and minds off what's really important and rather onto mundane things with no lasting, true value, such as wasting your time and energy and ultimately selling your soul for what the flesh wants and desires. And get this, satan is so good he's even got some thinking he doesn't exist, or he isn't that bad, or an even has some worshiping him in some form or other. He has you thinking you don't need God, you don't need to obey God, you don't need to worship God, and you're fine and happy with stuff and things, so why pursue anything that has to do with godliness?  But, satan can't give you love. He does not love you.
But God loves you so much that he sent his Son, to die in your place so your sins could be forgiven so there would be nothing separating you from God so you are not banned from entering heaven and the place Jesus is working at designing for every soul who wants their sins forgiven and the Son of God as their Lord and Savior.

Noah's ark was navigated by God without the need of rudder or sails.  The New Testament ark is in Jesus.

those on the ark were kept safe 

Photo credit: gracey from morguefile.com

Forgiveness is another need. I don't even think Reverend Billy Graham would honestly
claim to have lived his life not making a single mistake. Compassion is a wonderful. But forgiveness is compassion amped up to the tenth degree. Because of love with compassion, forgiveness was made available to each of us through Jesus the Christ. When your sins are forgiven, you are indeed set free from spiritual death, the death that your sins, or disobedience to God, so rightly deserves.

 God covered all bases for you so you could be in heaven. All it takes on your part is humbleness, admitting you need a Savior, and believe that Jesus was sent for you and he died for you,  and invite Him into your heart and life. And bam, just like that, you're no longer a foe, but an heir to the kingdom of God in heaven instead of on your way to hell and the Lake of Fire.

There are some societies and religions which one must perform or do certain things to have their 'mistakes' dealt with to appease the gods to get back into good standings, like reciting something or doing something physical.

Some societies don't practice of extending of 'forgiveness', 'compassion' or 'love' when a person makes a mistake or 'sins'. If something is done which brings shames upon the family, they're promptly put to death as punishment. Jesus said about the woman who was caught in an adulterous situation, 'let the first one without sin be the first to cast a stone'. And then, he said to the woman, 'go and sin no more.' Now that was Jesus demonstrating grace, mercy, forgiveness and compassion, which is the gift of love. Love. Love. Love. A God who loves you and I. What in the universe is better than that?

Forgiveness is granting someone amnesty, a get-out-of jail pass, a 'free ticket' that completely exonerates one of their wrongs, even when they're not deserving of the forgiveness. Wrongs done against God are called 'sins'. The Ten Commandments are the Old Testaments list of categories sins fall under. These 'wrongs' can't be hidden from the omnipotence of God.  Back then, a person had to offer a perfect animal and have the priest offer it to pay for sins. That sufficed for a while until the perfect God-Man offered Himself once and for all. God accepted and all we have to do is acknowledge we need a savior,  accept Jesus as our Savior, and invite him into our hearts and as thanks for all he's done, share this good news of our new life and hope with others searching for the same inner peace, redemption and salvation.  Reciting 'hell maries' is like wanting vanilla ice cream, but settling looking at a picture of ice cream.  Jesus is so much more as High Priest and friend. Go to him like a child and receive love and life. He is The Way. Accepting Jesus into your heart has permanent and lasting advantages. And he is patiently waiting right now to be invited into your life.

Forgiveness of your sins covers all shapes and forms and manner of sin in your life. This is freely given as part of the package wrapped up and included in the love God has for you. In accepting Jesus  into your heart and to be your Lord, your sin slate is wiped clean and you're fresh and new and you're an heir to the blessings of God, because you've invited His Son in your heart.

In this world, satan is on the loose, prowling about to destroy any way he can. He deceives and wants you destroyed, but he does this by making you think you do not need God, which will make you a foe of God. Deception is his mode of operation.

Which team are you on? There is only one ultimate winner.

Photo credit: ardelfin from morguefile.com

 Think from a heavenly perspective. Life in the flesh lasts but so many days, months, and years. In contrast, existence as a spiritual being will be forever.

What'cha gonna do about your sin condition? It's all up to you, with your educated mind. It's all up to you to make the choice for your spirit and soul. The choice you make will determine your forever future. Unforgiven sin, is sin which will be to your eternal detriment. Don't let that happen.


Because of the Son, the Earth is revolving and you can't fall off.




Christianity is a relationship with the one, living God, who offers love and forgiveness, totally free just for the asking.  It begins with inviting Jesus into your heart and life and growing in faith day-by day with such an indescribable and wonderful God because Jesus opened the way.

God is indescribable and awesome in His splendor and love to us and in His creation which is so vast and wide and without end.  (Light travels over 186,000 miles/second). Be amazed at our wondrous Creator. We will not know the end of God's span. He can hold the galaxies in his hand. God calls the stars by name. He has no equal. Watch this video to see the universe beyond any words can describe.




I can go on an on. So until next time,
Peace is so sweet when you're totally at peace with God.

Enjoying the walk down that peaceful, small path, leading closer and closer to my Lord.

Family member 'killers' need love

We're supposed to be safe amongst family members. That isn't always so.
Lately, killings we might hear about happening during a burglary, robbery or
some gang activity aren't the only stories making the headlines in the news.  
When the news is about a family member killing another family member, most of us, or me at
least, find this to be horrendous. Unthinkable and unimaginable come to mind when I hear the news story reporting the killer is a child.
Are kid-killings on the increase? I sure hope not. This isn't exactly the first time a child has killed
another family member. The very first murder mentioned in the Bible was committed by a sibling.
Abel died at the hand of Cain, his brother.


Here are news stories of recent killings by family members.

Killing by the hand of a child

Photo credit: chelle from morguefile.com

 
How does one manage to move on with life after this sort of tragedy has affected your family?
 It's bad enough when a stranger invades your home and takes a life. But how does one manage
when child purposely takes the life of other family members?
I can only imagine the grieving after such a tragedy lasts for a long, long time for the lives
cut short, and for the life, forever changed for the child who chose to kill.


It wasn't told to us in the fourth chapter of the Book of Genesis, how Adam and Eve reacted
after Cain killed his brother. But we can gather reasoning why Cain chose to kill.  I like this 
persons explanation.
 Then, Cain was banished to wander as an outcast as part of his punishment. And he wore the
mark so he would be recognized and left alone.
So, Adam and Eve lost two sons. It must have hurt them on a level similar to when they were banished from the Garden of Eden, symbolic of 'spiritual death' from their disobedience to
God concerning their partaking of the fruit of one
certain tree. They had freedom to all the other trees, but they chose to disobey and the resultant consequences followed.

Links to articles on the subject of child killers-
Why kids kill their parents.
What makes a child kill.
Case studies into what motivates a child to kill.


Children learn by modeling what they see. If they see violence, then they learn violence.
Have adults been modeling and teaching children violence as the manner in which to express
anger and frustration?
If children aren't taught healthy coping skills, they'd be less prone to resort to harming those
whom they can vent their disappointments on whenever they don't get their way. 


It's my belief that the following have some involvement in why children choose to kill:
  They're void of 'Love' within their hearts,
  They're emotionally disconnected from people.
  They hadn't been shown how to properly react to their feelings of anger.
 They've been abandoned to 'grow up' in a 'digitally, emotionally-void world,
 and, the spirit of 'self entitlement' in full bloom within their soul.

The spirit of 'love for one another' is slowly being snuffed out and replaced with a spirit of 'worshiping self'. In other words 'self' is above all else, self is #1.


I've read that child killers believe they're 'justified' in killing their siblings or parents.
To them killing was the better choice. And, they show no remorse, or guilty conscious about
what they did. That's heartlessness.


What's becoming of our children?
Are hearts turning hideously darken earlier and earlier?

This problem doesn't have to get any worse. Love can overcome and prevail. Without Christ, the heart has 'unbridled potential' to do 'evil' and not even be aware of any 'wrong-doing'.

A 'new heart', one with potential for going the things of Christ can be found in Jesus, our Redeemer and Savior. The Holy Spirit can do a miraculous surgical procedure on the heart in an instant. I can testify about that.

Bottom line- All hearts need Christ to heal from within, and to gain internal strength for supporting and loving those who will live with the aftermath of the gruesome actions they committed upon
those who were their family.

 Love covers a multitude of sins. 


I pray for the return of 'innocence' in children and like a child, they somehow come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Love is the greatest, and so many are existing without  'agape love' in their lives.

(I'm not a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a relationship professional. My opinions are based upon
my observations and my knowledge of what sin is capable of acting out if sin is allowed
to take control and reign without any conscious of wrong doing).                                                                                  

How do you rate by God's standards?

Lately, reading one of my favorite Christian-based blogs, and a new book, "You Matter More Than You Think", along with studying in my Bible, conversing with God, and listening to my favorite Christian radio station every morning, all I'm learning is resonating godly truths which are settling peacefully within my soul. I've been thinking about God's standards. Since He is 'the Creator', it's His standards, not those of man that matter. God's ways are far above man's ways. God's ways are mysteries to man. But, to those with a ear that will listen, and a heart that will seek the Truth, the Holy Spirit decodes those mysteries. God is ever so clever, so righteous and sovereign. I'm learning God's standards are based upon two truths- Jesus and love. Sometimes, we don't right away understand God's standards. We want to add or subtract from them.  So, God uses teaching methods to stop us in our tracks and then get our attention. Two teaching methods He uses for getting results, happens to be......

 Through pain and suffering, God brings us unto Himself. 

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

1. Pain. Yes, most people naturally avoid anything that causes pain at all costs. But, it's through pain where we learn very valuable lessons and receive blessings which mature us spiritually: suffering, afflictions, difficulties, set-backs, and hardships hone us, give us stronger backbones, build our character, and ultimately teach us some lessons in wisdom.  A person who's been sheltered or has experienced little or no pain most likely will be a person who's not able to look too far out of their own world and be immature in their feelings for others and not exhibit or be able to make the wisest choices  You'll probably never in your lifetime experience all the afflictions Paul suffered. He was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, jailed, he had an eye condition, ,,,,, And it was Paul, by divine inspiration, who penned more New Testament books than anyone else. And to this day, we are still gaining insight, wisdom, and spiritual growth from the lessons learned from his afflictions.


You are so precious that God knows every hair on your head.

Photo credit: alvimann from morguefile.com


Instead, allow lessons learned from pain, suffering and affliction mature your spirit, deepen your faith, widen your gratitude, and be instrumental in helping you mature into a more humble person. Since you are a precious jewel to God, and in His constant care, He will not abandon you nor forsake you, nor allow more than you can handle.  What He allows to happen is for molding and fashioning you into a more mature Christian. Remember, count it all joy- for it is a blessing and for your spiritual well-being.

Question- Why must it take 'pain' in order to learn valuable spiritual lessons?
Answer-  Because we are stubborn, hard-headed, selfish, greedy, and we're looking at life through fleshly eyes, we're living for the moment, and we're focusing on temporal things rather than eternal things which really matter.

2. And, tough love. You've heard the term, "tough love". Tough love is the courage to take action to love someone enough by stepping in and not allowing your loved one to continue on their path of harm and destruction. You love them to stop them from hurting themselves. Love wants what is best for a person. Love, is action and when demonstrated with the right motive and intention, never fails.  In all you do, do it in love. Stop thinking only of yourself and learn to love unselfishly.  Jesus showed His love by dying on the Cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. Love extends even to your enemies and the unlovable.


Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com
 
And, in the spirit of love, extending your heart to seeing to the needs of others, and taking attention off of yourself, you're showing to that person the love of God. In return, you'll receive God's love back, and so much more. God can never be out-given. It was 'Love' embodied in the body of Jesus who hung and died painfully on the Cross. Love prevails, and the 'good' attained is far greater than the pain. He arose, and is in heaven interceding between heaven and earth for the saints!

God is Spirit. It's more important to invest heavier on the growth of your 'inner man' rather than your 'outer earthen vessel' which will die.  Placing more emphasis on the growth and beauty of your 'inner spiritual man' will give eternal dividends and rewards. This is the 'true, and real, You', created to exist through all eternity, never to die. You chose where the real you is going to reside. If you made the choice to accept God's gift of Jesus into your heart, your spirit will be heaven-bound. 


Photo credit: phillwatson from morguefile.com

This very moment your spirit can become awakened, renewed, strengthened and more fashioned into the image of Christ. The transformation is set into being the very moment you accept the Lord as your Savior. You may not feel any differently, but you are spiritually transformed into a new creation, one with a spirit that is alive, not dead.  Your spirit becomes awakened and sensitive to the proddings of the Holy Spirit. But, we remain trapped in our earthly bodies, and most times a constant conflict is going on between what the flesh desires against what our spirit desires. This is when those painful experiences are needed to get the flesh to back down, so we can stop, listen, and obey what the Holy Spirit is communicating to our spirit- this is sanctification, which is spiritual maturing and growth. Remember, tidal waves of temptations in this world pull strong and hard at getting your eyes, your attention, and your focus off godly things to prevent you from being still and listening to that small, still voice of the Holy Spirit.  If you trust God through the afflictions and the pain, spiritual lessons learned will be invaluable in your spiritual growth, which is what God is most concerned about.

But, if you're not willing to listen, nor are your desires for the things of God, you're allowed to continue down the path of your choice. God never forces anyone to go against their will. If you're against the things of God, God allows you that choice. But the destination you will meet will be your spiritual death. Nor will God stop the from sun shining upon you, nor your food supply, nor shelter, or air, etc. while you're still breathing. God will love you until your last breath, then you will not be able to change the destination you've chosen for yourself. Turning you back against God, means you can look forward to your spirit existing in a dark and unloving place, never to leave it. You'll be eternally wishing that you'd made a different choice.

In eternity, it will not matter how beautiful your face or hair was, or if you were born in the lowest cast or an influential, wealthy family.  It won't matter if you were short or tall.  It won't matter if you were a handsome prince, or a homely plumber, or if you'd been on the 'A' list, or not on any list at all.  For eternity, you will exist as a spirit-being designed to live eternally. The only thing that will matter is did you ask Jesus into your heart, effectively called your 'second birth', making your spirit alive and qualifying you to receive the promises to all heirs in the family of God.  And, the second thing that will matter is what you did to further the kingdom of God.  This will determine the number of crowns you will have to present to Jesus. So, greater importance should to be placed on the 'healthy status' of your spirit, rather than on your exterior looks or social status.

That is the measure by which you will be rated- What you did using your talents and gifts to further the kingdom of God which God equips you to do that by passing you through trials and afflictions to mold and hone you making you effective for kingdom work.


His standards are measured in 1) Have you invited His Son, Jesus, into your heart, and 2) have you extended the love of Christ outward from your heart to others and point lost souls to Jesus, the Savior, who wants to be your Savior, because through Him is the ONLY WAY your sins can be forgiven.
 




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God is Spirit, and He is due our spiritual worship which is
       two things- worship Him in spirit and in truth.
     Your spirit must be quickened by the Holy Spirit by
inviting God's Son, Jesus, the Christ, into your heart. Then,
 a supernatural, spiritual transformation occurs within you.
                                It's a God thing.
 
What does it mean to be saved? 

Wanna stop being an enemy of God and become at peace with God?  (Romans 5:10 )

This video shows how you can pray to get saved today.





God's standards are love. And that 'love' was extended to 
every man, woman and child through Jesus.

So, how do you rate according to God's standards?

             Get Jesus for an excellent rating!


Scripture references- Matthew 10:30
                                   Luke 12:7
                                   Ephesians 3:4; 6:9:  Romans 5:10; 8:17-18; 8:29; 16:25
                                   1 Corinthians 2:7; 12:2; 13:2; 14:2
                                   Colossians 1:24
                                   Job 11:7; 37:5
                                   entire books of Daniel, 1Peter, and 2 Timothy

REVIEW  God's standards are ---------------------------Jesus, and love.

                God sometimes teaches us through-------Pain and 'tough' love

             What's important in eternity?------------------Accepting Jesus as your Savior, which ia the way to spiritual re-birth, and then showing the Love that lives within your heart to others, pointing them to Jesus, so they can personally know and choose Jesus as their Savior.

               How do you worship God--------------------In your heart,with your spirit, and in truth.
                                       Remember, GOD IS SPIRIT

                                                           
Until next time,  I remain on the narrow, but brightly lit path, enduring day by day, until I
I'm in the presence of my loving Savior's glorious face.

Three- in- one

I've heard scores of great messages and if I could apply even half what I've learned from each of them, I would be a much better Christian today.  I've taken notes and jotted down things in my Bible and underlined scripture and have stars the margins of my Bible.  But today, one scripture I happened upon in the short book of 1John, fifth chapter, got me to stop and think a bit longer. It's the three-in-one.  This three separate entities make the Christian faith very unique. God is the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit is our counselor, our guide for us and bear witness for us during Jesus's absence on Earth.
These three-in-one have the same goal, same mission, same love, just different manner of showing us. They are different, but at the same time inseparable making up one. Sort of like taking three ingredients, mixing them together making it impossible to unmix them. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all Holy in that way we refer or communicate about them, but they are one. There is nothing impossible for God to do for us. That is the beauty and magnificence in which no other religion on the Earth can compare. God has covered it all in all ways for us. In other words, He's got our back no matter what, no matter when, no matter where.

 Inseparable bound by love

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Imagine, all the stories and messages I've heard over the years about God.  His Spirit on Earth has been here to bear witness to me when I hear His truth. His Son, came to Earth as a man, the perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice for any person to call upon Him to be their Savior so their sins would be forgiven. And, the Heavenly Father, which can't be seen by our eyes, ( He's too holy for our eyes to see), and is in heaven loving us. All three-in-one, one-in-three, difficult to explain, but nevertheless, I am so thankful my God is supplying all my needs in every way, even paying and providing my sins be forgiven and allowing me to learn the truth of him and how to live in light of pleasing Him.

What are your comments?

Scripture reference-1 John 5:6-8

On the journey of that Son filled road

Ten Commandments reduced to two

Now and then I see car stickers that read, "Keep the Ten Commandments".   I ask myself why keep the Ten Commandments? In my limited knowledge of what I read in my Bible,  Jesus explained that the Ten Commandments are done away with and replaced with just two. Before Jesus came Moses presented the Ten Commandments from God on stone tablets for people to live by. But that was B.C. (before Christ).  When Jesus came, He summed the entire Ten Commandments into two things to do. Jesus broke it down into......... 

1. Love the Lord God with all your might, all your heart, all your mind and all your soul.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (your neighbor happens to be any person other than  yourself).

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com


The Ten Commandments can be grouped into two categories- what was pleasing to God in your relationship and worship of Him, and, how you are to relate with people.

Jesus summed these two categories also into- love God with all your might and love your neighbor as yourself.  Simple and to the point. Love. If you love, you are doing every commandment.   The Bible is full of stories of love and Jesus definitely showed us about love more than anyone else.

Bottom line- If you desire to know the mind of God and what's pleasing to Him, it's in His written Word, the Bible, and following after Jesus. The Bible is the written story of God's love for us. It's full of examples and people for us to learn from.  It does take time to read and comprehend and apply, but if you really are sincere to know, the Holy Spirit will reveal the mysteries of God's word to you a little at a time. The scriptures come alive and you'll be forever changed as the words in the Bible feed your soul unlike any other words from any other book ever can. Read it for knowledge of who God is, and the mighty love He has for you. God wants His precious creation, us,  to rely upon and trust Him. He is our loving, heavenly Father. When you have the Word in you, there's a change that happens from the inside and expresses itself on the outside in your actions and desires and wants. You'll be more apt to live your life in a manner more pleasing to God, thus showing your love to Him. You will be able to do things you never thought you could with God in your life.  And, when you love your neighbor as you love yourself, you're fulfilling God's Commandments.  God loves all, but hates the sin. We should make it our passion to love as God loves and be patient and forgiving as God is with us. Remember, when you do as Jesus would do, you're doing what's pleasing in God's sight.  Bottom line, the Bible is for you to discover all these wonderful things and to know God's commandments for His people.

Any comments?

scripture references- Matthew 22: 36-40; 1 John 5:1-3;John 14:15; 2John 6

Until next time, keep traveling the upward road with the bright Son as your guide........

Gratitude is the attitude

Well, I was thinking about gratitude this morning. One day things can be going so well, and I'm so grateful with the feeling of gratitude that day. Then other days things don't go as I'd like, and I'm not having that feeling of gratitude.  Then I had this thought. What if I had the attitude of gratitude no matter what?  If I had that attitude, then my perspective would be different and therefore I would see things positively and I wouldn't have any 'bad' days. Just because the day isn't going my way doesn't mean it's a 'bad day'.  I just need to change my perspective and be constant in my thinking. Keep the attitude of gratitude. Now I think that's mature thinking. Of course it will take practice, but I think I can put forth the effort.
I even came across a site about gratitude that I thought was pretty cool for a  journey that will change your life in a most positive way. Yes, an attitude of gratitude is key to many wonderful things in life. Some time ago I heard that having this attitude positively affects your mind, your health, your thoughts, and spills over into how others treat you. I believe this and need to put it to practice more. I think gratitude is closely related to love.

There's even an essential oil blend that's called Gratitude. If gratitude had an aroma, this is it. Check it out under Links to 'Young Living Essential Oils and Health Products' on my website home page.

I compare gratitude with a surprise vase of beautiful flowers. Everyday is a surprise and you have to wait and see what happens. The surprise is different each day, but overall it's still good. When I or anyone places God in control of their life, it's beautiful and bright.

An attitude of gratitude in all things is a gift like these beautiful flowers

Photo credit: christilper from morguefile.com


Keeping my face toward the Son.  Until next time, peace and love always.
And remember, unconditional love never fails.

See about me on my website and let me know how you're having more gratitude in your daily life in the comments here.

Love that never fails

I was thinking, love is what everyone's searching for? We all want it, need it, thrive on it.  Has love become what we seek for ourselves,  but not what we always want to give to our fellow man? Has love become such a fleeting emotion or choice? It seems it's so easy to dislike or find fault in others, but not so easy to love others who may be a little different in what they believe or different in how they look.
Everyday it's feeling more and more like Fall in the air. The leaves are starting to fall and the air is a bit cooler and less humid.

The seasons change. But God's love never changes.

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I'm studying about love in the Bible, I Corinthians,Chapter 13. When I read this chapter, I always receive a deeper meaning of this love.  The type of love that never fails, which has made me think about religion in current news events.  I'm well aware there are other religions besides what I practice, but my heart is saddened when I see unkind treatment to people associated with religion?  What kind of love keeps a gender subdued, confined or limited?  How could the God someone worships not call for love to all? I just don't understand. Women want to be loved unconditionally.  I am not going to hate anyone who doesn't accept the religion or God I serve and worship.  I am so pleased that my God loves unconditionally both men and women equally.  Because God loves us and shows us His love in everything, we are to love our neighbor, that means all people.  The entire message of the Bible is about love. God is love. And when we find that special person to love, we are to love them with another type of love one has for their spouse which binds them and their hearts together as one. That love should endure as well.

I believe God created man and woman to be together to love each other and be fruitful and multiply. This is God's idea of family. Anything else is not the designed family that God intended. A baby should grow up in a loving environment and see Mother and Father display unconditional love towards each other.

Father, Mother and child

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But getting deeper on the love in I Corinthians, Chapter 13, is the type of love many of us may never experience from the people around us- called unconditional love. Oh, we want others to have that kind of love for us, because that kind of love is not changed by circumstances or situations, or what bad might be going on at the moment. This kind of love is extra special, almost extinct now.  Unconditional love is not the here today and fade away tomorrow kind of love. This love is the I'd-give-my-life-for-you-kind of love. This is the love God has for us. God sent His precious Son, a part of himself in the flesh, to die a gruesome death in full public view. God and sin don't mix. All men and women have sinned and are sinners. Sin is disobedience against God, so Jesus took your place by dying for you. His dying was displaying the depth of his love, unconditional love, so your sins are wiped clean away, and you don't have to die. Your soul will be able to enter heaven.  No sin can enter heaven so it has to be cleansed away, and Jesus did that for you, but you must believe it to have your sins forgiven.  I don't know about your faith, but has your God shown unconditional love for you? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has cleared the way so the only two things you need to do is believe and accept his free gift? You don't have to work, or prove anything, or be perfect or perform anything. All you have to do is simply by faith believe and accept that God's love was sent in the body of Jesus, His Son, who died for your sins, and you, a sinner, by faith accept into your heart this free gift. It really is that simple. Then God's gift of unconditional love will live in your heart, and can then be displayed to others. Once you know what unconditional love is, you can share it. It's the greatest thing to experience and to share.
With Jesus in your heart, you can do it. And it's the greatest thing.

We know how to love because of God's love for us

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It's a matter of the heart and the heart has to be reborn to really know what unconditional love is. When you accept Jesus, you're born anew, reborn, saved.

                 

Bleeding Heart

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P.S. Love is what took Jesus to the cross. Love is what kept him on the cross until he fulfilled his mission. Love is what raised Jesus from the dead. Love is what will fill your heart when you accept Jesus into your heart by faith. You see, love never fails. Love is what will prevail in heaven, not hate. God is love. And love never fails. Get it?
In heaven there will be no need for hope and faith because Jesus will be there. Love will fill heaven.
Read I Corinthians Chapter 13, and I John 4:7-21, and Romans 10:9

Until next time, I'm putting my best face toward the Son.

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Love- the one thing we're all looking for

    I was blown away today by something that made a lot of sense. In America we overuse the word, 'love'.  We say we 'love' eating, we 'love' watching a certain television program, we 'love' a certain sport, we 'love' our pets, we 'love' chocolate, and of course, 'I love New York'.  What we're saying is we have a strong liking to something.   But the way we use it isn't really the way love is defined. There are three meanings of the word, 'Love'.  It can be agape love, which is the love that is the pure love that you would sacrifice of your self for another person. Then there's eros love, which is the sensual love between a husband and wife, and, third is brotherly love, like love for your fellow man. But most important is when you say you love someone, that person is going to think are you just saying the words? They are going to want you to show your love.  Love is a verb. And the ultimate example is no greater love than to lay down your life, to die for someone-that's showing agape love. God's already proved his love to us.  He sent His Son to die for you, so that you can live, and not die. Your soul will never be separated from God in heaven,  meaning you will never die. The instant you acknowledge that you're a sinner in need of a savior, and that Jesus paid the ultimate price for your sins, saving you from a spiritual death, you will be saved.  The moment you take your last breath, the flesh body, which will die because it's only temporary, but your soul, your spirit, the real you, will be quickened and made alive. If your sins have been forgiven, and this happens the instant you accept Jesus into your heart, you're adopted into the family of God.  And remember God is Spirit. And God has no limits or bounds. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I know of no other religion where love is shown to man by God Himself to prove how much He loves you, and wants your spirit to live and reside in heaven and not be away from His presence. In heaven, Jesus will be the only one with a non-perfect glorified body- His will be the one with wounds. That proves agape love. God spared not his own Son for the world.


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I'm not going to use the word 'love' so carelessly from now on.  I would 'like' very much to get your comments. Know that God loves you!
Read these scriptures John 15:13, John 3:16, John 1:1-14 (read the entire book of John)


I just came inside after cutting grass, got cleaned up and I took my homemade facial I blended out of the refrigerator. It was so nice and cool applying it to my face, then I took a 10 minute nap. This facial mixture, I'm calling it 'Afternoon Oat and Vitamin E Delight', was too thin to take a photo of it on my face because it's wasn't very thick, but perfectly fine on my face while napping, and very pleasant to smell, too. After my nap,  I rubbed the facial over my face with my fingers to get a light abrasion from the oatmeal, to rub off surface dead skin cells,  then took a damp washcloth to remove the remainder, and my face feels moist, soft, and delightful.
Here's what's in it- oatmeal (uncooked), Vitamin E oil, aloe vera oil, lavender essential oil, and yogurt mixed together.  This is very nice facial made of natural ingredients to relax with after working outside. I like it.

Oatmeal, Vit.E, aloe vera, and lavender essential oil facial

 Until next time, keep your best face toward the Son.