July 28, 2010 (he must pass over)

he must pass over
photo by Lee Keefer

“Who is a God like You,
Who forgives iniquity and passes over
the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He retains not His anger forever,
because He delights in mercy and loving-kindness.
He will again have compassion on us;
He will subdue and tread underfoot our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
- Micah 7:18,19 AMP

“He that cannot forgive others,
breaks the bridge over which
he himself must pass
if he would ever reach heaven;
for everyone has need to be forgiven.”
- George Herbert

July 27, 2010 (everyday life)

everyday life
photo by Ron Warner

"Most of us have been taught about the need
to appropriate by faith what is already ours through grace.
We all desire to have more joy in our Christian life.
The keys to experiencing joy are available to all of us.
We need to understand the gospel
of the grace of God as revealed to the Apostle Paul.
Then as we put Paul's instructions into practice,
we will come to know God experientially.
This will cause us to know Him better
which will cause us to want to obey more,
and on and on it goes.
Then as we learn and obey God
and become focused on spiritual things
instead of earthly things,
we will become thankful for everything
that God has provided for us in Christ.
Knowledge, obedience, and thankfulness
will then lead to abundant joy in our everyday life!
In the words of the old hymn: Trust and obey,
For there's no other way, To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey."
- David Havard

July 26, 2010 (the word glory)

“O LORD, our Lord, how excellent
(majestic and glorious)
is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory on
[or above] the heavens.
When I view and consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have ordained and established,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
and the son of [earthborn] man
that You care for him?”
- Psalm 8:1,3,4 AMP

“Nature never taught me
that there exists a God of glory
and of infinite majesty.
I had to learn that in other ways.
But nature gave the word glory
a meaning for me.
I still do not know where else
I could have found one.”
- C. S. Lewis

July 25, 2010 (goes on as fruit)

“I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.”
- Dawna Markova

July 24, 2010 (the right road)

the right road
photo by Lee Keefer

With hope and faith,
we rely on the Holy Spirit
for our guidance and direction.

Avoid turning off the path…
keep from turning left or right,
and aim for the light
of His truth.

Trust and obey.

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord
with all your heart and mind and do not rely
on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know,
recognize, and acknowledge Him,
and He will direct and
make straight and plain your paths.”
- Proverbs 3:5,6 AMP

"The Christian is not one
who has gone all the way with Christ.
None of us has.
The Christian is one who
has found the right road."
- Charles L. Allen

July 23, 2010 (law of love)

law of love
photo by Lee Keefer

“It is the law of love that rules mankind.
Had violence, i.e. hate, ruled us
we should have become extinct long ago.
And yet, the tragedy of it is
that the so-called civilized men and nations
conduct themselves as if
the basis of society was violence.”
- Mohandas Gandhi

“So God said to Noah,
‘I am going to put an end to all people,
for the earth is filled
with violence because of them.
I am surely going to destroy
both them and the earth.’”
- Genesis 6:13 NIV

July 22, 2010 (stream of adversity)

stream of adversity
photo by Lee Keefer

“Beloved, do not be amazed
and bewildered at the fiery ordeal
which is taking place to test your quality,
as though something strange
(unusual and alien to you and your position)
were befalling you.
But insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings,
rejoice, so that when His glory
[full of radiance and splendor] is revealed,
you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].
If you are censured and suffer abuse
[because you bear] the name of Christ,
blessed are you[--happy, fortunate, to be envied,
with life-joy, and satisfaction
in God's favor and salvation,
regardless of your outward condition],
because the Spirit of glory,
the Spirit of God, is resting upon you.
On their part He is blasphemed,
but on your part He is glorified.”
- 1 Peter 4:12-14 AMP

“If we study the lives
of great men and women
carefully and unemotionally
we find that, invariably,
greatness was developed,
tested and revealed through
the darker periods of their lives.
One of the largest tributaries
of the RIVER OF GREATNESS
is always the STREAM OF ADVERSITY.”
- Cavett Robert