Today's Sarah Young: 'Jesus Calling; Enjoying Peace in His Presence'. Many of you have her book or flip calendar. They are all good each day. Some hit home more than others.

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Hear Me saying, 'Peace, be still, to your restless heart. No matter what happens, 'I will never leave you or forsake you'. Let this assurance soak into your mind and heart, until you overflow with Joy, 'Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea', you need not fear!

"The media relentlessly proclaim bad news:  for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A steady diet of their fare will sicken you. Instead of focusing on fickle, ever-changing news broadcasts, tune in to the living Word---'the One who is always the same'. Let Scripture saturate your mind and heart, and you will walk steadily along the path of Life. Even though you don't know what will happen tomorrow, you can be absolutely sure of your ultimate destination. 'I hold you by your right hand, and afterward I will take you into Glory'.

**

Taken from Mark 4:39 (NKJV); Deuteronomy 31:6; Psalm 46:2; Psalm 73:23-24

I recently received a Bible bookmark from Samaritan's Purse titled "The Gospel Alphabet". Each letter of the alphabet begins a known Bible verse.

I am going to share four of them - A, B, C, D - today (and all of them over the next few weeks):

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

~ Romans 3:23

*

"Behold The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

~John 1:29b

*

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

~ Matthew 11:28

*

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

~James 4:8a

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"O Lord, from the depths of despair I cry for your help:

Hear me! Answer! Help me!"

~ Psalm 130:1 & 2 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "In depths of despair, the psalm writer cried out to God, 'Hear me! Help me!' Despair makes us feel isolated and distant from God, but this is precisely when we need God most......When we feel overwhelmed by a problem, feeling sorry for ourselves will only increase hopeless feelings, but crying out to God turns our attention to the only one who can really help."

*****

"It is Finished"

 ~ By Ann Graham Lotz

"He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.'

~ John 19:30 NKJV

"After nine hours of standing on His feet, after being scourged, slapped, and manhandled, after six hours of hanging on the Cross, the average person would have barely had enough life and breath left to even whisper. But Jesus, the Lamb of God, with life still fully flowing through His body, shouted out in a clear, ringing, triumphant voice, 'It is finished.' The price for our redemption had been paid! The sacrifice for our sin had been made! Sin was forgiven! Guilt was atoned for! Eternal life was now offered! Heaven ha been opened! It is finished!

"You don't have to do more good works than bad works.

"You don't have to go to church every time the door opens.

"You don't have to climb the stairs to some statue.

"You don't have to be religious.

"You don't even have to be good!

"It is finished. Sin is forgivable for everyone! The price has been paid!"

Something emailed to me by my Uncle Bud, who is a retired Baptist minister and the youngest brother of my mom's. A family of fifteen kids!

Written by Jody Wade:

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory."

~ Romans 5:1 NLT

*

"Faith that is motivated by Jesus Christ and His Finished Work of Calvary, allows us to be made right with God. It's a gift that He bestows upon us; not because of our good works or righteousness, but because we have repented and trusted in the Savior. Joy surely comes in the morning when we have Jesus as the number One spot where He belongs. Be blessed dear brothers and sisters. Be joyful about your relationship with Him; for He desires for us to be a light in this dark world."

Some quotable quotes to take us into the weekend.

"God takes our 'mess' and turns it into our 'message'.

~ Joel Osteen

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"Friendship fills up all the little ruts in life's roads."

*

"If you haven't asked the Lord to help you study,

don't ask Him to help you pass the test."

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"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't,

you're right."

~ Henry Ford

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"Love has to hurt to be true.

"It hurt Jesus to love us.

It truly hurt Him."

~ Mother Teresa

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"It is better to trust the Lord than put confidence in men."

~ Psalm 118:8 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "Pilots put confidence in their planes. Commuters put their confidence in trains, cars, or buses. Each day we must put our confidence in something or someone. If we are willing to trust a plane or car to get us to our destination, are we willing to trust God to guide us here on earth, and to our eternal destination? Do we trust Him more than any human being? If not, why not?

**

Father God, we trust You, whether we feel like it, act like it, or not! You love us and care for us. We are blessed. Thank You! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Here's is today's Max Lucado, in my inbox this morning:

Turn Your Eyes to Jesus

"It does no good to obsess yourself with your trouble. The more you do so, the bigger it grows. Begin with God. Celebrate His goodness. 'Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!' (Philippians 4:4)

"Turn your attention away from the problem, and for a few minutes celebrate God. The more you look to God, the quicker your problem is reduced to its proper size. Listen to the strategy of the psalmist.

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills..

"From whence comes my help?

"My help comes from the Lord,

"Who made heaven and earth.' (Psalm 121:1-2)"

"Do you see the intentionality in those words? 'I will lift up my eyes." You gain nothing by setting your eyes on the problem. You gain everything by setting your eyes on the Lord. If you're sinking, it's because you are looking in the wrong direction!"

****

Lots of bad things happening in our world; sometimes being caused by bad people. We learn about most of them by listening to various forms of media.

But I wonder if there are more good things happening; many times by good people, which are left unreported.

My sister Jan made me aware of Mason City's Youth for Christ group; she sent me a clipping of what they had done. Some readers who live in the Mason City area may know the story better than I do.

The group was recently given The Campus Impact Award, a national recognition which is hard to meet its standards. It hadn't been awarded for several years.

What had their organization done? Most of us in north central Iowa, and maybe beyond, recall hearing of a fiery car crash in Mason City about a year ago.. Five young people died in that early morning accident when their vehicle hit a utility pole. Tragic is probably an understatement.

Their Youth for Christ group raised the funds to pay for all five funerals! "Raising finances for the funerals was a drop in the bucket compared to the emotional support the Youth for Christ team provided for the friends, family, and schoolmates," the article stated.

The Mason City based group meets weekly with about one hundred kids, enlisting numerous volunteer leaders. They meet to 'play games, hear about Jesus, and talk about the hardships of life.......a safe place for our high school students to find someone to pray with, have a volunteer listen about their struggles, or find a source of encouragement rarely found in the world (quoted from this clipping).

It has to be a 'praise God' story; group!!

Something written by Billy Graham and taken from a "Day by Day" devotional guide:

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go in to the house of the Lord."

~ Psalm 122:1

"A lot of people get what I call 'Sunday-itis' on Sunday mornings. Do you know what Sunday-itis is? It attacks the victim shortly before breakfast on Sunday morning. It is accompanied by a feeling of weakness and lethargy. Sometimes the victim has a slight headache which is aggravated by the ringing of the church bells in the community. But the disease is or short duration, usually disappearing about noon, when the victim is able to eat a full dinner and play golf in the afternoon. But the symptoms usually appear again about 7:30 Sunday evening (just before evening church services), and then disappear until the next Sunday morning."

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

"May I always have the gladness that David had, as each Sunday I prepare to worship You in Your house, Heavenly Father."