Tag Archives: The Word

Feb16

No Charge For Love!

Posted on February 16, 2013 by sagescenery

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I just received this e-mail from a friend…

I’ve seen it before…

I don’t know who wrote it…

But it’s worth re-reading!

Let it sink in…

“There’s No Charge For Love!”

Jesus already paid the price…

And Jesus Understands!

Point everyone to Him!

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.

He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups

and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard.

As he was driving the last nail into the post,

he felt a tug on his overalls.

He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.

“Mister,” he said,

“I want to buy one of your puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer,

as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck,

“These puppies come from fine parents

and cost a good deal of money.”

The boy dropped his head for moment.

Then reaching deep into his pocket,

he pulled out a handful of change

and held it up to the farmer.

“I’ve got thirty-nine cents.

Is that enough to take a look?”

“Sure,” said the farmer.

And with that he let out a whistle.

“Here, Dolly!” he called.

Out from the doghouse

and down the ramp ran Dolly

followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence.

His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence,

the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.

Slowly another little ball appeared,

this one noticeably smaller.

Down the ramp it slid.

Then in a somewhat awkward manner,

the little pup began hobbling toward the others,

doing its best to catch up…

“I want that one,”

the little boy said,

pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said,

“Son, you don’t want that puppy.

He will never be able to run and play with you

like these other dogs would.”

With that, the little boy stepped back from the fence,

reached down,

and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.

In doing so, he revealed a steel brace

running down both sides of his leg

attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said,

“You see sir,

I don’t run too well myself,

and he will need someone who understands.”

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down

and picked up the little pup.

Holding it carefully,

he handed it to the little boy.

“How much?” asked the little boy…

“No charge,” answered the farmer,

“There’s no charge for love.”

“But God shows his love for us

in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 ESV

“For we do not have a high priest

who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,

but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are,

yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,

that we may receive mercy

and find grace

to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV

Our salvation cost Christ a great deal…

But when Jesus saw us,

His eyes danced with delight!

Others may have said, “You don’t want that one!”

But, as Jesus looked at the runts we all are…

With complete love,

He said,

“Yes, I want that one!

I understand and sympathize with their weaknesses…

I know they can never afford to repay,

But, there’s never, ever…

A Charge for My Love!”

Feb16

Oh, Go Ahead…Let Go!

Posted on February 16, 2013 by sagescenery

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And Let God!

Keep letting go of things…your plans…your way…

and as they fall away, you’ll look more like Jesus every day!

He’s trimming, pruning, chiseling, and fine tuning…

Let Go and Let Him!

Yeah, go ahead, give in!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make straight your paths”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

“For I know the plans I have for you,

declares the Lord,

plans for welfare and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope”

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

“Remember not the former things,

nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth,

do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

“Casting all your anxieties on him,

because He cares for you.”

I Peter 5:7 ESV

Feb16

“All This Time”

Posted on February 16, 2013 by sagescenery

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Keep walking with me, Lord!

Footprints In The Sand

A Poem About Jesus

-Author Unknown

One night a man had a dream.

He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:

one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,

he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of his life

there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.

“Lord, You said that once I decided to follow You,

You’d walk with me all the way.

But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life,

there is only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why when I needed You most You would leave me.”

The Lord replied,

“My son, My precious child,

I love you and I would never leave you.

During your times of trial and suffering,

when you see only one set of footprints,

it was then that I carried you.”

All this time!

Feb14

“Fishing? Anyone???”

Posted on February 14, 2013 by sagescenery

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“Fishing for men, that is!”

Love, Jesus

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 4:19 NIV

Let’s go fishing!!

“Simon Peter said to them,

‘I am going fishing.’

They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’

They went out and got into the boat,

but that night they caught nothing.”

John 21:3 ESV

“And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon,

‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’

And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!

But at your word I will let down the nets.’

And when they had done this,

they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.”

Luke 5:4-6 ESV

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea

and gathered fish of every kind.”

Matthew 13:47 ESV

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;

the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;

or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;

and the fish of the sea will declare to you.

Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12:7-10 ESV

“And wherever the river goes,

every living creature that swarms will live,

and there will be very many fish.

For this water goes there,

that the waters of the sea may become fresh;

so everything will live where the river goes.”

Ezekiel 47:9 ESV

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to His disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.

It happened this way:

Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,

the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them,

and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’

So they went out and got into the boat,

but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore,

but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’

‘No,’ they answered.

He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’

When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter,

‘It is the Lord!’

As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’

he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off)

and jumped into the water.

The other disciples followed in the boat,

towing the net full of fish,

for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.

When they landed,

they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them,

‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’

So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat

and dragged the net ashore.

It was full of large fish, 153,

but even with so many the net was not torn.”

John 21:1-11 NIV

“Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”

“It is the Lord.”

“Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

So…did you bring any fish home???

“I’m going out to fish.”

“We’ll go with you.”

Yes, that’s the way to fish!

Love, Jesus

Feb14

Happy Presidents’ Day!!

Posted on February 14, 2013 by sagescenery

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I’m off on Monday!

Yippee!!

A day off…

That’s the way I like to celebrate!

Happy Presidents’ Day!

According to History.com, Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February.

Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government.

Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers.

While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

America,

Let’s Bless God…

And He will Bless us!!

Amen!

“…if my people, who are called by my name,

will 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.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV

“Do not pray for easy lives.

Pray to be stronger men.”

John F. Kennedy

(www.brainyquote.com)

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant

and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”

Ronald Reagan

(www.brainyquote.com)

“Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world

must first come to pass in the heart of America.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

(www.brainyquote.com)

According to Wikipedia, the national flag of the United States of America

consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white,

with a blue rectangle bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars

arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of 6 stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of 5 stars.

The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America

and the 13 stripes represent the 13 British colonies that declared independence

from the Kingdom of Great Britain

and became the first states in the Union.

According to Flag Code and Regulation,

“No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America.” (Section 8)

“The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” (Section 8j)

“The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

(www.brainyquote.com)

Nicknames for the American flag include the

“Stars and Stripes”

Old Glory”

and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

(History.com)

“My family, frankly, they weren’t folks who went to church every week.

My mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew

but she didn’t raise me in church,

so I came to my Christian faith later in life

and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ

spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead.”

Barack Obama

(www.brainyquote.com)

God Bless our President

And give him Your wisdom to lead our country!

Feb3

When It Comes To Your King…Be Undignified!

Posted on February 3, 2013 by sagescenery

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We’ve sung this song so many times in Kids Church, at Christian Camp Retreats, at Youth Conventions, etc.

This is why I love worshiping with kids and teens!!

They get it!!

“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand,

and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.”

Exodus 15:20 NIV

“And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.”

2 Samuel 6:14 NLT

“While he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.”

2 Samuel 6:15 NIV

Do what it takes to get over yourself!!

Leave your pride by your side!!

Amen!

It’s not about us…

It’s all about our King of Kings!!!

Feb1

Sniff It Out!

Posted on February 1, 2013 by sagescenery

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What’s that smell???

My Crazy Siberian has a very keen sense of smell!! She always knows when something smells “fishy!” Ha!

If it seems out of the ordinary…she perks up…and is at full attention…until she can figure it out!

When she was an immature puppy…her senses were not mature yet…so she would ingest anything and everything!

Socks (dirty or clean!), rubber bands, plastic bottle caps, plastic beach shoes, dust bunnies, etc., etc., etc.

You know dogs even (YUK!!!!!!!) eat their own vomit…they’re so disgusting!

They sniff out everything (including their poop!!! YUK, again!!), and are certainly not too discerning at all!!

Once, she ate the entire black substance inside a tennis ball/bar bell-looking toy we got for her at Walmart…

And threw it up for days!

So knowing this history of our crazy dog…I don’t expect too much from her…

However, I was surprised yesterday, when I realized I left the dryer lint where she could reach it in the laundry room…

AND IT WAS STILL THERE!!

An “AHHHHHH HAAAAAA!” moment, for sure…

My precious, little, 6-year-old girl is growing up!

She’s making better decisions!

She sniffed it out…and decided it was not worth ingesting!

She still eats questionable things for a healthy dog to eat, but seems to be restricting her intake to food items!

She still chooses peanut butter, cheese, burgers, and anything else we’re eating over her own food…

But, I say she is maturing in the area of what she will put inside herself!

Hallelujah!

Hey everybody!! God feels this way about us, too!

We need to grow up!!

Sniff it out, first…

BEFORE you ingest it into…Your Body…Your Mind…Your Heart…

If it stinks…Don’t eat it!

“Stinkin’ Thinkin'” isn’t good for us!

That’s for babies!

Don’t be a baby!!

As a mature Christian, be discerning!

Sniff it out…whatever you see, read, hear, think, say…

If it doesn’t smell good, according to God’s Word…

Don’t put it in, and don’t let it live in you!

Throw it out!

Philippians 4:8 NIV

“Finally, brothers and sisters…

Whatever is true…Whatever is noble…

Whatever is right…Whatever is pure…

Whatever is lovely…Whatever is admirable…

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy…

Think about such things!

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me…

Or seen in me…put it into practice…

And the God of peace will be with you!”

Amen!

Sniff! Sniff!

Feb1

Believe In The God Of The Burning Bush!

Posted on February 1, 2013 by sagescenery

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Exodus 3:2-6 NIV

“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.

Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.’

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look,

God called to him from within the bush,

‘Moses! Moses!’

And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’

‘Do not come any closer,’ God said.

‘Take off your sandals,

for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’

Then He said, ‘I am the God of your father,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac

and the God of Jacob.’

At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.'”

Holy!

Purifying Fire!

Majestic!

Awesome in Glory!

Divine Deity!

Righteous!

Almighty!

Consuming Fire!

“To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.”

Exodus 24:17 NIV

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,

let us be thankful,

and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

for our God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV

“…God, the blessed and only Ruler,

the King of kings and Lord of lords,

who alone is immortal

and who lives in unapproachable light,

whom no one has seen or can see.

To Him be honor and might forever. Amen”

I Timothy 6:16 NIV

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’

This is what you are to say to the Israelites:

‘I AM has sent me to you.’

God also said to Moses,

Say to the Israelites,

‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—

has sent me to you.’

This is my name forever,

the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.”

Exodus 3:14-15 NIV

When Isaiah looked into the throne room of heaven, he saw angels praising God.

Isaiah 6:3-5 NIV

“And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

The whole earth is full of His glory!’

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out,

and the house was filled with smoke.

So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King,

The Lord of hosts.’”

“There is no one holy like the Lord;

there is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.”

I Samuel 2:2 NIV

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.”

Psalm 103:19 NIV

“Thus says the Lord,

‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool…'”

Isaiah 66:1 NIV

“Immediately I was in the Spirit;

and behold, a throne was standing in heaven,

and One sitting on the throne.”

Revelation 4:12 NIV

“In a loud voice they were saying:

‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!’

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth

and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!’”

Revelation 5:12-13 NIV

Jan31

Hiding From God???

Posted on January 31, 2013 by sagescenery

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You Can’t!

So Don’t Try!!

You can run, but you can’t hide!

He’s everywhere!

That’s bad for you if you’re trying to hide from Him,

But good, because you can be assured that He’s always there!

He’s already found you…

Now stop, turn around, look up, and there He is!

He loves you!

It’s like “Lost and Found” to Him!

His love embraces you…

Wraps around your hurts, your pain, your despair, your scars, your mistakes…

It wraps around everything!

“…because love covers over a multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8 NLT

Come out of hiding…

If He loves even me…

He can love even you, too!

What are you hiding behind???

Your job? Your family? Your health? Your money?

Your wants and desires? Your reputation?

I assure you, He knows who you are and where you are!

Look up!

Or, if you knew Him in the past…

Look inside!

To that place in your heart that can only be filled with God’s Holy Spirit…

Where it can be refilled…

And ready to overflow again with His Joy…

Even in life’s difficult situations with your job, family etc.!

Adam and Eve tried to hide, too!

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God…

As He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day…

And they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’

He answered,

‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked;

So I hid.’”

Genesis 8-10 NIV

In Bible study, while watching the DVD series called Frequency by Robert Morris…

Pastor Morris talked about God feeling sad when Adam said…

“I heard your voice and I was afraid.”

God created Adam and Eve to have a relationship with Him in Paradise…

He did things with them…

He walked with them in the garden…

He was always anxious to spend the day with them…

But, one morning, He finds them hiding…

They’re afraid of Him…

How it saddened God…

To lose that close intimate relationship…

Their sin had separated them from their God!

Jesus can restore the relationship…

Between you and God!

Don’t hide from God…

Even when going through a difficulty…

Come back…

Ask for forgiveness…

Do what it takes to be in a right place to hear His voice…

Don’t fear God’s voice…

Draw near to God!

You’re perfect together!

Psalm 139:1-18 NIV

“You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.”