It Will Be Worth It All...

THE PARABLE (pages 9-13 of "Shattered Dreams" by Larry Crabb)

Deuteronomy 8:14-16

"the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage...Who

LED 
thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; Who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end"

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."

Romans 12:1

"Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight,

let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight... 

If Your presence does not go with [me] do not lead [me] up from here."

Exodus 33:13,15

Two Perspectives On Life

(“So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic…and they took him and threw him into the pit…and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.)

 

Then Joseph said to his brothers…

’Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God’

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!’

But Joseph said to them…

‘am I in God's place?

As for you, you meant

evil

against me, but God meant it for

good

in order to bring about this present result’”

Gen 37:23-24,28; 45:4,8; 50:15,19-20

"Be Still And Know That I Am God"

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

to the person who seeks Him.

It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.

Let him sit alone and be silent..."

Psalm 46:10, Lamentations 3:25-28

Ten Bravehearted Videos

Link:  Bravehearted Thots

"old fashioned, heroic thoughts, given without wax, and without the sheen of modern correctness"

I Hear Your Cry

"Dear child of mine, I hear your cry

 I know that oft you'd rather die

Than face the scalpel's steely touch

That reaches to your inner dust

I've planned dear child what you shall be

Thus leave the choices up to Me

I will not probe an inch too far

Or carelessly your beauty mar

Ah, child of Mine, please understand

My boundless love your path has planned

Your Potter's hand is never rough

He knows the time to say 'enough'"

- Jennifer Daniel

(from "Just a Whisper")

Hard Is Your Lot

"Hard is your lot, envy whispers each day
    Roses are strewn on the other's sweet way
Why should you struggle when they do succeed
    Why should they prosper when you are in need


Bitterness grows as it spreads its dark roots
    All of the aspects of life feels its shoots
Anger and discontent comes in their wake
    Your life is dismal, no more can you take


Soon faith is struggling within envy's grasp
    Hope has absconded - evaded your clasp
Bitterness creeps in with soft stealthy tread
    Joy lies prostrated - she seems to be dead

Envy Is Whispering Words In My Ear

Envy is whispering words in my ear
I should not listen but I like to hear
Drawing attention when others succeed
Their easy life is compared to my need 

Bitterness follows quite fast in her wake
Pointing to contrasts - not what is at stake
Godly contentment, she kicks to the side
While discontentment doth over her ride
 

'Envy', I spurn you, you murmur in vain
For 'in the Lord' rests my lot, joy or pain
Others? What matters if they seem more blessed

God only asks me to pass my own test

  

~ Jennifer Rene Daniel 

"So Peter seeing him said to Jesus,
'Lord, and what about this man?'
Jesus said to him,
'If I want him to...what is that to you? You follow Me!'"

John 21:21-22

"If anyone wishes to come after Me,
he must deny himself,
and take up his cross
and follow Me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.
For what does it profit a man to gain the WHOLE world,
and forfeit his soul?"

Mark 8:34-36 

"He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb,

And naked I shall return there.

The Lord gave

and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

Job 1:21  

"O what a happy soul am I!
   Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
   Contented I will be;

How many blessings I enjoy
   That other people don't!
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
   I cannot, and I won't."

~Fanny J. Crosby

You'll Meet An Old Lady

“Someday down the road you will meet an old lady.  Maybe 10, 30, or 50 years from now. She’s waiting for you - but you will catch up to her.  What kind of old lady are you going to meet?

 She may be a seasoned, soft, and gracious lady.

One who has grown old gracefully, surrounded by a host of family and friends - family and friends who feel blessed just knowing her because of her merciful, giving, and loving spirit.  Others are drawn to her kindness, gentleness, and diligence.

She may be a bitter, disillusioned, cynical old lady, without a good word for anyone or anything - soured, friendless, alone.

The kind of old lady you will meet depends entirely upon you.

She will be exactly what you make her into, nothing more…nothing less.  You will have no one but God to credit or yourself to blame.  Every day you are becoming a little more like her.  You are getting to look more like her, think more like her, and talk more like her.  You’re becoming her.  If you live only to please self, the old lady gets smaller, drier, harder, and crabbier.  If you live your life as a servant, - to please the Lord - doing God’s will and bidding, the old lady grows softer, kinder, greater, and more pleasant.

These little things, seemingly so unimportant now - attitudes, goals, ambitions, desires - are adding up inside, where you cannot see them - crystallizing in your heart and mind.  And scarier yet - these things don’t always show up immediately.  But they will, sooner than you think.  Some day they will harden into that old lady.

The time to take care of that old lady is right now…today.  Examine your heart’s motives, attitudes, and goals: compare them to the Proverbs thirty-one lady’s.  Change your heart no while it is still pliable.  The day when hardness sets in comes quickly and quietly.  When hardness does set in, it is worse than paralysis.  It would be wise to take an “inventory” of your heart.  When clean and right with God, your heart will make you into a beautiful old lady.  If left unkempt and far from the Father’s voice, your heart will make you into a dried up old lady.  The choice is yours.”

- Author Unknown