Today's email from Max Lucado. I like it; hope you enjoy it too!

Worship Adjusts Us

"Worship adjusts us. It lowers the chin of the haughty and straightens the back of the burdened. It bows the knees, singing to Him our praise. Opening our hearts, it offers to Him our uniqueness. Worship properly positions the worshiper. And oh how we need it!

"We walk through life so bent out of shape. Cure any flare up of commonness by setting your eyes on our uncommon King. Worship lifts our eyes and sets them 'on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power' (Colossians 3:1).

"We worship God because we need to. But our need runs a distant second to the thoroughbred reason for worship. God deserves it. God would die for your sin before he'd let you die in your sin. What do you do with such a Savior? You lift up your gift In worship.

Something shared with me (and a few others) yesterday morning by Maureen Cameron from her prayer journal for the day:

Taken from Conrad Hilton's Autobiography:

"My mother had one answer for everything, PRAYER!"

"In the circle of successful living, prayer is 'the hub' that holds 'the wheel' (everything!) together.

Without our contact with God, we are nothing.

With it, we are 'a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor'."

***

Happy 4th of July!

Something written by Billy Graham for today:

"Fear God and honor the government."

~ I Peter 2:17 TLB

"On this Independence Day, we should be on our knees thanking God for all He has given us. The United States is a country in which everyone has an equal opportunity. Thank God for a country where there is no caste or class to keep a man from going to the top. If a man has a will to work and study, he can go ahead regardless of his background. In addition, thank God, He has given us freedom of religion. Whatever you may believe, no one can close your church because your religion does not coincide with his. A few people meeting in a small, out-of-the-way shack, worshiping God as they believe in Him, have the same right to religious freedom as people who worship God in the great cathedrals on the avenues of our greatest cities."

"Thank You, God, for allowing me to live in the greatest, grandest, and most free land the world has ever known."

*****

I hope that you had a wonderful 4th of July celebrating with family and friends!

I enjoyed every part of the day from enjoying a parade at a neighboring town to spending time with family members!

As I drove home last evening from just over the border in Minnesota, northwest of my farm home, I had the opportunity to view several fireworks by local towns. All the displays of celebration, in spite of the fact that it was raining.

The rains were accompanied by lightning!

In the distant, the community displays, while some colored, were small and not as brilliant as was the strikes of lightning! Fireworks, then lightning!

Lightning was larger. Greater. Brighter. Higher. Sometimes more sustained.

As I watched the dual, it appeared that God was winning!

God expects us to do some 'things'. But what God can do is far superior to what we can do!

Praise Him!

"Power belongs to God!

His majesty shines down on Israel (and all of us!);

His strength is mighty in the heavens."

~ Psalm 68: 34 LAB

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"O Lord, hear me praying:  listen to my plea,

O God my King,

for I will never pray to anyone but you.

Each morning I will look to you in heaven and lay my requests before you,

praying earnestly."

~ Psalm 5:1 - 3 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "The secret of a close relationship with God is to pray to Him earnestly each morning. Regular communication is fundamental to any friendship and is certainly necessary for a strong relationship with God. We need to communicate with Him daily. Do we have a regular time to pray and read God's Word?"

***

A couple of quotes shared at an ecumenical gals' Bible study led by Carolyn Bowman recently; taken from a November 2017 Guideposts magazine:

"Sometimes God makes better choices for us

than we could ever made for ourselves."

~  author Jennifer Hudson Taylor

*

"Positive thinking is not about expecting the best to happen every time

but accepting that whatever happens is the best for the moment."

~ Lori Schneider,

first woman with multiple sclerosis to summit Mount Everest

*

* Faith is a firm trust and conviction that sometimes

if God doesn't give you what you think you want,

it's not because you don't deserve it,

but because you deserve better."

~ David A.R. White

movie producer, from his book

'Between Heaven and Hollywood, Chasing Your God-Given Dream

***

JUST TURN ON THE LIGHT!

"You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of light."

~ Ephesians 5:8 NKJV

*

"I live in the southern part of the United States. During the warmer months in particular, if I leave the porch light on at night, all sorts of moths and insects swarm to it. The variety can be fascinating. Everything from large luna moths to beetles to strange green crawly things, beat and flutter their way to the light. I have never stood at the door and called these insects to come or set out bait for them. All I have to do is to turn on the light and they come of their own volition -- by the hundreds. Moths, in the midst of darkness, are not attracted to more darkness. They are attracted to the light.

"People today, living in the midst of 'darkness,' are not attracted to more darkness; they are attracted to the Light. So let your Light shine! Lift it high! You don't have to have a clever presentation to your witness or learn evangelistic formulas or take a course on communicating to postmodern man. For heaven's sake, just turn on the Light!"

~ By Ann Graham Lotz

***

Jesus teaching:

"Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right hand,

'Come, blessed of my Father,

into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world,

For I was hungry and you fed me,

I was thirsty and you gave me water;

I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes,

naked and you clothes me,

sick and in prison, and you visited me'.

Then these righteous ones will reply,

'Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?

Or thirsty and give you anything to drink?

Or a stranger, and help you?

Or naked and clothe you?

When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

And I, the King will tell them,

'When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me!'"

~ Matthew 25:34 - 40 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "This parable describes acts of mercy we all can do every day. These acts are not dependent on wealth, ability, or intelligence; they are simple acts freely given and freely received. We have no excuse to neglect those who have deep needs, and we cannot hand over responsibility to the church or government. Jesus demands personal involvement in caring for others' needs."

**

Today's entry by Sarah Young's 'Jesus Calling, Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

"Whenever you feel distant from Me, whisper My Name in loving trust. This simple prayer can restore your awareness of My Presence.

"My Name is abused in the world, where people use it as a curse word. The verbal assault reaches all the way to heaven; every word is heard and recorded. When you trustingly whisper My Name, My aching ears are soothed. The grating rancor of the world's blasphemies cannot compare with a trusting child's utterance:  'Jesus'. The power of My Name to bless both you and Me is beyond understanding."

~ Taken from Acts 4:12; John 16:24

***

Rarely, if ever, do I use something in Karen's Korner two days in a row. But I really liked today's entry from Sarah Young and her "Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence". Here you go:

"I want you to experience the riches of your salvation:  The Joy of being loved constantly and perfectly. You make a practice of judging yourself, based on how you look or behave or feel. If you like what you see in the mirror, you feel a bit more worthy of My Love. When things are going smoothly and your performance seems adequate, you find it easier to believe you are My beloved child. When you feel discouraged, you tend to look inward so you can correct whatever is wrong.

"Instead of trying to 'fix' yourself, 'fix your gaze on Me, the Lover of your soul'. Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me. Remember that I see you clothed in My righteousness, radiant in My perfect Love."

~ Ephesians 2:7 - 8; Hebrews 3:1; Psalm 34:5

***

Our minister has asked us to read through I John as many times as we can for an upcoming sermon series. So I am on my way!

Today I read a verse in chapter 4 that I thought was a good one and I am sharing it with you this morning:

"For though we have never yet seen God,

when we love each other God lives in us

and His Love grows ever stronger."

~ I john 4:12 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "Some people love to be with others. They befriend strangers easily and always are surrounded by many friends. Other people are shy or reserved. They have a few friends, but they are uncomfortable talking with people they don't know or mingling in crowds. Shy people don't need to become extroverts in order to love others. John isn't telling us HOW MANY people to love, but HOW MUCH to love the people we already know. Our job is to faithfully love the people God has given us to love, whether there are two or two hundred of them. If God sees we are ready to love others, he will bring them to us. No matter how shy we are, we don't need to be afraid of the love commandment. God never leads us beyond the sufficiency of his strength."

****

A short excerpt from "The Heaven Answer Book" by Billy Graham.

The chapter heading is "Why Must We Die?"

"Death is the penalty for sin---because we are all infected with the disease of sin, we are all subject to death. The Bible says, 'For the wages of sin is death' (Romans 6:23).

"Death is the common lot of every living thing; people, plants, and animals. Death afflicts all creation. From the moment a child is born, the dying process -- and the fight against it -- begins. But God, in His great love, made it possible for us to have victory over death, in spite of the fact that we must walk through it. The Bible tells us that death cannot separate believers in Jesus Christ from the love of God (Romans 8:38 - 39). The Bible also says, 'I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.....For the Lord is your life' (Deuteronomy 30:19 - 20).

The death of the righteous is not to be feared or shunned. It is the shadowed threshold to Heaven---the palace of God."

******

YOU WERE MADE FOR THE PART

"Listen to the way described the builder, Bezalel, 'I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence and skill in all kinds of crafts......' (Exodus 31:3 - 5). Can you hear the pleasure in God's voice?

"When you do the most what you do the best, you pop the pride buttons off the vest of God. In the movie, Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell defended his devotion to running by telling his sister, 'God made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure.'  When do you feel God's pleasure? When do you look up into the heavens and say, 'I was made to do this?' When it comes to being you, you were made for the part. So speak your lines with confidence!"

~ By Max Lucado

***

"Do for others what you want them to do for you.

This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell."

~ Matthew 7:12 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "This is commonly known as the Golden Rule. In many religions, it is stated negatively, 'Don't do to others what you don't want done to you.' By stating it positively, Jesus made it more significant. It is not so hard to refrain from harming others; it is much more difficult to take the initiative in doing something good for them. The Golden Rule as Jesus formulated it is the foundation of active goodness and mercy----the kind God wants to show to us every day."

***

I needed some sandwich storage bags for a project on which I was working; so I stopped at the store to buy a box of them yesterday.

Last night, I found sandwich storage bags. One was opened but nearly full. Another was up higher in my cupboards, unopened.

I had lots of bags, plus the ones I had just purchased.

It made me stop and think about all the 'bags of goodies' we have stored on the 'cupboard shelves' inside of us! When we become Christians and accept all of the things, Jesus' life and death gives us, we have:  peace, joy, love, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, grace, mercy, eternal life......and the list goes on and on!

Whether we 'feel' like it, 'act' like it, or not, we possess them! They are His gifts to us! For us to enjoy and share!!

Thank You, Jesus, for making us so special. We are rich because of You! Today I want to reopen my cupboard of blessings to enjoy all of the gifts You have given to me. Allow each of us to know just how special we all are to You! I am love and blessed beyond measure. Amen.

"Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,

'There's a youngster here with five barley loaves and a couple of fish!

But what good is that with all this mob?'"

~ John 6:8 & 9 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "The disciples are contrasted with the youngster who brought what he had. They certainly had more resources than he did, but they knew they didn't have enough, so they didn't give anything at all. The youngster gave what little he had, and it made all the difference. If we offer nothing to God, He will have nothing to use. But He can take what little we have and make it great."

****

This is today's email inspirational thought by Max Lucado. It made me think about my yesterday's 'post' on the small boy giving Jesus' disciples his lunch, wanting to share it with others.

Don't Despise Small Beginnings

"God does uncommon things through common deeds! A friend of mine related the story of Hurricane Katrina survivors. As water rose around one man's house, he swam out of a window with two children on his back, ending up on the rooftop of a tall building. Others joined them before being rescued. After an hour on the building, the man realized it was a church. Patting the rooftop he said to the others, 'We are on holy ground.' Another roof dweller proclaimed, 'My grandfather and grandmother helped build this church.'

"Do you think those grandparents ever imagined God would use their work to save their granddaughter? What difference will your work make? God's answer is this, 'Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin' (Zechariah 4:10)."

***

My good friend Butch has this saying:

"Young people talk about the future, because they have no past."

"Old people talk about the past, because they have no future."

We all know people who are afraid of what the future might bring. We also know people who live in a 'time warp' of their past. Either good or bad. Some recall often the ball game that helped them win the championship. Or when they became the cheerleaders and were part of the in crowd...40 years ago. Worse is for those who recall the things they did or didn't do that they should have done differently. They can't forgive themselves or can't put those negative thoughts out of their minds the offense.

I would like to add one more thought to our 'future' and our past, When we become Christians and invite Jesus into our lives, it's true we have a past, which He will forgive if we ask Him. We also have a future, regardless of our ages. And that future lasts on into eternity!

The Bible says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11 LAB). "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ did for us." (Philippians 3:13 LAB).

Thank You, Jesus, we have nothing for which to be ashamed and we have nothing for which to be afraid. You have taken care of everything. For all of us! You are worthy of our praise. Amen.

Extravagant Thanks

"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds,

he sacrificed burnt offerings on it."

~ Genesis 8:20 NIV

"Noah took one-seventh of all of his flocks and herds and offered them in an extravagant sacrifice to the God of his salvation! Surely the sacrifice was one:

* of praise to God for His faithfulness and greatness,

* of thanksgiving to God for His grace to save himself and his family,

* of repentance from anything that would not be pleasing to God,

* of rededication of his life to the One Who had saved it.

"Noah must have been totally overwhelmed by the awareness that out of all the people who had been living on Planet Earth, God had save him. Why" It was just God's grace! Noah had been righteous and blameless as he walked with God, but he knew that did not make him worthy of salvation. His heart must have felt ready to burst with the intensity of his gratitude. There could be no other way to express what was in his heart than to give back to God the life that He alone had saved.

"How can you and I do less?"

~ By Anne Graham Lotz

***

It was nineteen years ago tomorrow that Merry was killed in a car-semi accident.

Today is a good day to share an experience I had near that time.

I can count on my ten fingers the number of times (or less!) when I have 'heard from God' in this manner. It is always in a time when things that are happening or so terrible or confusing that all my thoughts are 'bad', 'negative'. Then a thought comes sailing through my mind that is so positive, it has to be from Him!

It was early evening of Merry's visitation at the funeral home, prior to her funeral the next day. The three-hour visitation was to begin at 4 p.m. Our daughter Jamie called us a half-hour plus prior to that time saying, "Mom, you have to get up here. There are people everywhere."

So began the extended amount of time of meeting and greeting lots of family and friends. We had known ahead of time that Ed, Merry's husband, had asked if he could be the last person to leave the funeral home.

As it was nearing 9 o'clock, I said to Jim, "We need to leave so Ed can say his good-bye to Merry!"

Going out the back door of the facility, I reached down to turn the door knob.

This thought crossed my mind, "You raised her. You educated her. You loved her. And you returned her to Me. What more could any mother want!"

And we walked out into the night. Into our new reality.

"For Christ entered into heaven itself,

to appear before God as our Friend."

~ Hebrews 9:24 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "Amidst references to priests, tabernacles, sacrifices and other ideas unfamiliar to us, we come to this description of Christ as our Friend. We can relate to this role and be encouraged by it. A friend stands with and stand for; Christ is on our side at God's side. He is our Lord and Savior, but do we also know him as our friend?"

***

I like to plant flowers around my farm home. This time of the year they become 'showy' and I enjoy them.

I have three colors of petunias planted along my sidewalk, leading up to my house:  white, pink and purple. At a glance, this flowing row is beautiful. But on a second look, there are holes. A couple of places, a petunia or two has died. Another couple of spots rabbits have chewed off the flowers, despite spraying them with 'rid-a-rabbit'!

I can see the flaws. Probably my friends can see the same thing, if they look closer. But the 'big picture' is 'looking good'.

God does the same thing to us. He knows all of our flaws. But He chooses instead to 'see' us as 'beautiful' and 'perfect'.

What a loving and kind God we worship and serve!

Thank You, God!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has set eternity in the human heart;

yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

~ Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

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