Forgiveness

You mustn't be revengeful

You have to be strong

To offer good for evil

Return right for wrong

We must not hold a grudge

And we must learn to endure

Then as God is your judge

At least your heart will be pure

Forgiveness is the mightiest sword

Forgiveness

Of those you hate

Will be your highest reward

When they bruise you with words

When they make you feel small

When it's hardest to bear

You must do nothing at all

Forgiveness is the simplest vow

Forgiveness

Of all their crimes

Is your deliverance now

Bless those souls

Who would curse your name

When the last bell tolls

You'll be free of blame

You can continue to grieve

But know the gospel is true

You must forgive those who lie

And bless them that curse you

Forgiveness is the mightiest sword

Forgiveness

Of those you fear

Will be your highest reward

The time will come

When we will leave this world

And the injustice and the pain and the sin

Will fall away from us

And only the spark of the spirit will remain

Returning to God who created it.

You must never lose Faith

You must never lose Heart

God will restore your trust

And I know you're afraid

I'm as scared as you are

But willing to be brave

Brave enough for love.

Healed and whole

Don’t allow yourself to become consumed by life’s problems;

become consumed with life’s joys instead.

One day I dug a little hole

And put my hurt inside

I thought that I could just forget

I'd put it there to hide.

But that little hurt began to grow

I covered it every day

I couldn't leave it and go on

It seemed the price I had to pay.

My joy was gone, my heart was sad

Pain was all I knew.

My wounded soul enveloped me

Loving seemed too hard to do.

One day, while standing by my hole

I cried to God above

And said, "If You are really there --

They say, You're a God of Love!"

And just like that -- He was right there

And just put His arms around me

He wiped my tears, His hurting child

There was no safer place to be.

I told Him all about my hurt

I opened up my heart

He listened to each and every word

To every sordid part.

I dug down deep and got my hurt

I brushed the dirt away

And placed it in the Master's hand

And healing came that day.

He took the blackness of my soul

And set my spirit FREE!

Something beautiful began to grow

Where the hurt used to be.

And when I look at what has grown

Out of my tears and pain

I remember every day to give my hurts to Him

And never bury them again.

(by Carol Parrott)

You're being watched

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change. '

The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'

'Yes', he replied.

'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- & remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself a 'Christian.'

Miracle Workers

This world is full of miracles from the rising of the sun at dawn, to the first flower in the Spring, to the colors of the leaves in the Fall. The miracles that touch my heart the most, though, are the tiny ones. These are the ones that go unnoticed by most people, but they are the ones that make life worth living.

One of the best of these tiny miracles is preformed by a local miracle worker everyday. Her job in this world is ringing up and bagging groceries, but her job from Heaven is bringing a little more joy to each heart she meets. I saw her hard at work just today. It had been a rainy morning with cold air and gray skies. Everyone who walked into the grocery store had a shiver in their walk and a frown on their face. I was no exception to this either. It had been a long, hard Winter and I felt tired as I bought extra bread and bananas to get me through the next coming storm. As I got to the check out line, however, the miracle worker went to work. She greeted me with a warmth that went straight to my heart. Her kind smile caused one to appear on my own face as well. Her shining, compassionate eyes reminded me once again that this is God's world and that it is full of loving souls like her. We chatted briefly as I paid for my food. As I left she told me to enjoy the day and I promised that I would. As I was walking out the store she was already uplifting the spirit of the next person in line. It occurred to me too that in all the years I had shopped there I had never once seen someone leave her counter without a smile on their face.

I thank God for that miracle worker and all the miracle workers of this world. The truth is we all can become miracle workers if we choose. We all can lend our strength, talents, hearts, and souls to making this world a better place. We all can bring a little Heaven down to Earth with our joy, laughter, and smiles. And we all can share the miracle of God's love every single day.

Be a Miracle-worker today!

(by Irma Raymond)

Following Jesus

I have something nice to share with you.

My neighbour's pet dog by the name Tiger, always accompanies me or my dad when we go to the shop nearby. There are two shops near my house, lets say shop1 and shop2. We usually go to shop1. Usually, when Tiger sees us, he will come running behind us and accompany us all the way to the shop. For the past 2 months or so, Tiger was so sure that we'll go to shop1 that he'll run before us to the shop and wait for us over there.

Yesterday, the same thing happened. Tiger saw me come out of my house, and for sometime he came walking behind me. Then he started running to shop1 and overtook me. But it happened that I needed to go to shop2. I went. When he went to shop1, he turned back and saw that I wasn't there. He came running back and stopped at one place for some time. Then he started running back again and finally saw me going to the other shop. He came running behind me and when we came back home together, he was walking behind me.

Though Tiger's behaviour is common, I was thinking about this incident for a long time. Doesn't that happen with us too? We walk behind Jesus for some time when we've met Him newly. Then we think we can go forward on our own, we think we know everything, that we can take care of ourselves. The suddenly we meet with trouble and we turn back to see that we're alone.

But I like what Tiger did. Like him, we too have to stop and reflect on our problem. We have to see where we went wrong. Tiger did not stop there. He started running again, and found me. We too must pray for God's grace and sincerely take measures to find Him. Once we have found Him, we can continue walking behind Him, and let Him be our guide. We will not have to fear anything when He walks before us. Its simply a great feeling to follow Him.

Walking with God

Dana and Rich went out for an afternoon bike ride expecting to come home refreshed. Instead, their lives were changed forever. As Rich rode down a hill, he lost control of his bike and crashed. His body was mangled, and he barely made it to the hospital alive.

Dana faithfully kept vigil by her husband's side. He couldn't feed himself, and he couldn't walk. One day, as the two of them sat under a shade tree outside the hospital, Rich turned to his wife and said, "Dana, I don't know if I will ever walk again, but I'm learning to walk closer to Jesus, and that's what I really want."

Instead of shaking his fist at God, Rich reached out and grabbed His hand.

Sometimes in the midst of our trails, we need to think about someone like Rich to help us adjust our perspective - to remind us of the remarkable relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ. This is the relationship we need most when the going gets the toughest.

We are not equipped to handle all the problems we face, but God is. That's why He told us to give them all to Him - to "cast your burden on the Lord" (Ps. 55:22). As Rich found out, walking with Jesus doesn't depend on our legs. It depends on our heart.

(by Dave Branon)

We can walk through the darkest trials when we walk with God in the light.

It's up to you

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,
You see, IT'S UP TO YOU!

Faith will conquer...

A time of Prayer can lift you up on the wings of God’s Spirit,and help you see the big picture. It puts things in perspective.

If you are going through a trial

And the burden is heavy for you

Surrender it all to God

He knows what to do.

Increase your Faith every day

Keep pressing on and be strong

Faith will conquer every fear

God can fill your heart with song.

Even when you are so weary

And when tears dim your eyes

Trust in God to bring you through.

He is with you and hears your cries.

When discouragement touches your mind

And your heart aches with pain

God will lift the hard times from you

Be patient as He restores you again.

Pray to God for every moment

Lift your voice up in praise

It will help to lift your spirit

Let Him guide in all your ways.

( by Leona M)