Guilelessness

"Love thinketh no evil."

This is the grace for suspicious people. The possession of it is a great secret of personal influence. You will find, if you think for a moment, that the people who influence you are people who believe in you. In an atmosphere of suspicion men shrivel up; but in an atmosphere of guilelessness they expand and find encouragement. Love imputes no motive, and sees the bright side.

Part 7 of 9

Little things

Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.

G.C. Marshall

"Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."
Mark 9:41

"...here a little, and there a little."

Isaiah 28: 10

Isaiah 40:31

"They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk, and not faint."

The eagle that soars in the upper air does not worry itself

as to how it is to cross rivers.

Honest contentment...

What makes any calling noble is its being commanded by God, and what makes anything good is its being given by God; and that honest contentment consists not in persuading ourselves that our things are the very best in the world, but in believing they are the best for us, and giving God thanks for them.

ER Charles

"He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

Psalm 23:3

Apples, apples, apples!

Oh the joy of biting into a crisp, red apple...of cutting and cooking them to fill the house with smells of applesauce and pie filling...and lining our basement shelves with quarts and quarts of canning to enjoy this coming winter. Hmm-m-mm!

Courtesy

"Love does not behave itself unseemly."

This is love in society, love in relation to etiquette. Politeness has been defined as love in trifles. Courtesy is said to be love in little things, and the one secret to politeness is to love. You know the meaning of the word "gentleman." It means a gentle man - a man who does things gently, with love. The gentle man (or woman) cannot in the nature of things do an ungentlemanly thing. The ungentle soul, the incosiderate, unsympathetic nature, cannot do anything else.

Part 6 of 9

Unselfishness, Generosity, Sincerity, Kindness, Patience

One thing

"I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ,

and Him crucified."

1 Corinthians 2:2

You don't have to know alot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world. But you do have to know one great thing, and then be willing to live and die for it.

The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered by one great thing.

If you want your life to count...you don't have to have a high IQ. You don't have to have good looks or riches or come from a fine family or school.

Instead you have to know one great, majestic, unchanging, obvious, simple, glorious thing -- and be set on fire by it.

-John Piper

Just a picture

To the glory of God

" Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.

While I live will I praise the Lord:

I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being."

Psalms 146:1-2

The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. If heed is not paid to this, it is not true music, but a diabolical* bawling and twanging.

-Johann S. Bach

*diabolical: "extremely malicious; devilish; outrageously wicked"

-- Webster's Dictionary of 1828

Unselfishness

"Love seeketh not her own."

Observe: seeketh not even that which is her own. We are not summoned to give up our rights. Love strikes much deeper. It would have us not seek them at all. It is not hard to give up our rights. The difficult thing is to give up ourselves. The most obvious lesson in Christ's teaching is that there is no happiness in having and getting anything, but only in giving. He that would be happy, let him remember that there is but one way - "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Part 5 of 9

God doesn't love me because I am beautiful.

I am beautiful because He loves me.

G. L. Glaser

The question

It isn't so much "Do you know Jesus?", but rather, "Does Jesus know you?"

Head knowledge in Jesus will not save us, but it must be from the heart, an entrusting my life unto. As Jesus Himself said -- "Many shall say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "

These were men who were preaching, prophesying, healing and doing mighty acts -- in Jesus' name! And Christ said there would be many of them. Yet Jesus responded:

"I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlesness."

Lawlessness?! These 'good deeds?' Good deeds can't save us, knowing factually about the salvation message can't save us. Yes, we need to know the salvation message to share with others and believe, but it is more than just a head knowledge. It is something to base my life upon; something that will determine how I make decisions, how I live my life.

Does Jesus know you? For it is "he who does the will of my Father in heaven" that will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

And for those of us who know Him and are known by Him, what a glorious day that will be.

Scripture excerpts taken from Matthew 7:21-23

Generosity

"Love envieth not."

This is love in competition with others. Whenever you attempt a good work you will find other men doing the same kind of work, and probably doing it better. Envy them not. Envy is a feeling of ill-will, a spirit of covetousness and detraction to those who are in the same live as ourselves.

Part 4 of 9

Sincerity

Kindness

Patient

And ect...

It's been a busy couple of weeks -- my family and I were able to experience more prison sights last week, then we were home and away again, heading east this time. And to top it all off, yesterday we were able to prepare corn for the freezer. Go check out the pictures to see what we've all been up to!