God sends His love....

I talked to God this morning....

....and He sends His love!

"...God sends His love and His faithfulness." Psalm 57:3 NIV

~~~HAVE A GREAT DAY!

You are my Shepherd
I will not be afraid
You make me dwell in peace
You are my light
And the Lord of my journey
Your rod and Your staff
Comfort me
So I'll sing in the valley
Shout from the mountain
Drink from the river
Dance near the fountain
Of Your everlasting life
And Your eternal love! ---

--God's Greatness

THOMAS Aquinas, the famous medieval theologian, created one of the greatest intellectual achievements of Western civilization in his 'Summa Theologica'. It's massisve work: thirty-eight treatises, three thousand articles, ten thousand objections. Thomas tried to gather into one coherent whole all of truth. What an undertaking: anthropology, science, ethics, psychology, political theory, and theology, all under God.

On December 6, 1273, Thomas abruptly stopped his work. While celebrating Mass in the Chapel of St. Thomas, he caught a glimpse of eternity, and suddenly he knew that all his efforts to describe God fell so far short that he decided never to write again.

When his secretary, Reginald, tried to encourage him to do more writing, he said, "Reginald, I can do no more. Such things have been revealed to me that all I have written seems as so much straw."

Even the greatest human minds cannot fathom the greatness of God.
~~~~~~
---Don McCullough
(Human Limitations, Insignificance)
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD! INDESCRIBABLE!

-ONE BEAUTIFUL
MOMENT ~~~

Isaiah 40:6-11
---
All flesh is grass, and
all its loveliness is
like the flower of the
field. --Isaiah 40:6
---
One snap of the shutter, and there it was...one beautiful moment capatured in time for eternity. The late summer sun reflectecd in the breaking wave made the water look like liquid gold splashing onto the shore. If my friend had not been there with his camera, the wave would have gone unnoticed, like so many others that have come and gone, seen only by God.

Who can imagine how many waves Lake Michigan has sent rolling onto the shoreline? Yet each one is unique. As seen in every wave, God makes extravagant beauty out of seemingly mundane things. Using water and air, He makes wondrous works of art. We enjoy His gallery in skies above and on earth and sea below. But most of earth's beauty remains invisible to us; it is seen only by God.

God uses another gallery to display His glory--humans. We too are made out of something ordinary--dust (Gen. 2:7). But to us He added an extraordinary ingredient--His very own breath (v.7). Like waves of the sea and flowers of the field (Isa. 40:6), our lives are brief and seen by few. Yet each one is a beautiful "moment" created by God to say to the world, "Behold, your God!" whose Word will last forever (v.8).
---
-WE FULFILL OUR PURPOSE WHEN WE SERVE OUR CREATOR. ~~

--ODB/JAL
<http://youtu.be/twuLr5rQmp0> / HE REIGNS! Newsboys!

--GLORY! GLORY! HALLELUJAH - HE REIGNS!

--God's Glory

During construction of Emerson Hall at Harvard University, President Charles Eliot invited psychologist and philosopher William James to suggest a suitable inscription for the stone lintel over the doors of the new home of the philosophy department.

After some reflection, James sent Eliot a line from the Greek philosopher Protagoras: "Man is the measure of all things."

James never heard back from Eliot, so his curiosity was piqued when he spotted artisans working on a scaffold hidden by a canvas. One morning the scaffold and canvas were gone. The inscription? "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:4)

Eliot had replaced James's suggestion with words from the Psalmist. Between these two lines lies the great distance between the God-centered and the human-centered points of view.

--Warren Bird

-Trusting His Love to Provide

-BIBLE MEDITATION:
"And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee." Psalm 9:10
---

-DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
After World War II, a group of humanitarians placed orphan boys in tent cities to care for them. But the boys would wake up in the night from nightmares. A psychiatrist surmised that their fear was because they had such an uncertain future.

He decided to feed the boys a big meal each night, then give them each a piece of bread. He instructed them to hold the bread in their hands so it could be their breakfast. Somehow just holding in their hand a piece of bread helped them to sleep all night.

When you go to bed tonight, I want you to have bread--not in your hand, but in your heart. He is the Bread of Heaven and His name is Jesus!

-ACTION POINT:
Take a walk with the Lord today. Tell Him your fears. Confidently place them before the Lord. Trust in His love to provide.

--Adrian Rogers
"JESUS IS AS CLOSE AS THE MENTION OF HIS NAME!

"When asked to describe the width of His love, He stretched one hand to the right and the other to the left and had them nailed in that position so you would know He died loving you."
-- --
--ML

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation.
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness."
--- (Isaiah 61:10)

-How to Experience God's Amazing Grace

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
--1 Peter 5:10

John Newton was raised in a godly home the first seven years of his life before he was orphaned and put out on the streets. At 15, he enrolled in the Royal Navy of England. But it wasn’t long before they kicked him out because of his conduct. So he ended up in the African British colonies and was captured and enslaved.

One day, he escaped and made his way to the coast where he hopped aboard a slave ship back to England. It was the beginning of his life as a slave trader. But more poor conduct eventually resulted in Newton being thrown overboard, harpooned, pulled back on the ship, and put below deck.

There in the darkness, bleeding and wounded, John Newton remembered the prayers of his mother and the message of Jesus Christ. He prayed, “Jesus, if You’re there, come into my life. Save a wretch like me.”

Jesus saved Him, an event which prompted him to write the words,....
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.John Newton experienced God’s amazing grace and went on to fight for abolition of slavery. You can experience that grace as well if you’ll only trust Him. Turn your life over to Him and you’ll find forgiveness no matter what!

EXPERIENCE GOD’S AMAZING GRACE BY PUTTING YOUR LIFE INTO HIS HANDS AND FINDING FORGIVENESS NO MATTER WHAT YOU’VE DONE!

---AN ICE CREAM SOLO~~
******
--By: Barbara Baumgardner
---
I FLUNKED my first night out alone--my first solo movie since I'd become a widow. It wasn't too hard buying the ticket and the popcorn. Even sitting alone in the big theater was all right. I became so engrossed in the movie that it surprised me when the lights came on and I discovered I was all by myself.

On my way to the car, the tears welled up. I didn't have anyone to have an after-the-show ice cream cone with. Suddenly that seemed very, very important.

I stepped through my garage door into the kitchen and burst into tears. Loudly, I wailed to God. "When is it going to end? How much longer, God until I can learn to enjoy doing things without having a companion?" The waves of loneliness again washed over me and for a few minutes, I gave in to an incoming tide of sorrow.

When I stopped crying, I felt better but I still wanted some ice cream. Feeling a little foolish, I offered an invitation, "Lord, will you have some ice cream with me?"

Feeling even more foolish, I piled two cereal bowls high with rocky road ice cream from my freezer, and through the giggles asked myself, "I'm really doing this, aren't I?"

Outside on my deck, under a million blinking stars, I leisurely consumed the entire contents of both bowls, savoring each bit in the companionship of the Lord. And I was reminded of His promise, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." ~~~~

--SWEET FRAGRANCE~~

--2 Corinthians 2:12-17
-----
'We are to God the
fragrance of Christ
among those who
are being saved
and among those
who are perishing.'
---2 Corinthians 2:15
------------
SOME scents are unforgettable. Recently, my husband mentioned he was running low on shaving cream. "I'll pick some up," I offered. "Can you get this kind?" he asked, showing me the can. "I love the smell--it's the kind my dad always used." For Tom the fragrance had brought an emotional response and pleasant memory of a person he loved.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel."

So, what if our lives were a fragrance that attracted people to God? Second Corinthians 2:15 says that "We are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." Our fragrance is pleasing to God, but it also attracts others to Him or repels them. We have the opportunity to be the "fragrance of Christ" --a reminder of Him--to others.

-The sweet scent of the likeness of Christ can be an irresistible pull toward the Savior.
----------
--When we walk with God, we leave behind a
sweet fragrance that can inspire others to follow.~~

--ODB/CHK
'Jesus is as close as the mention of His Name.'

--A LOVE LETTER FROM JESUS~~

Please relax, and listen, meditate on the words of this awe-inspiring video with beautiful music. ~~

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7phiWTPtLpA>

--A HINT OF HEAVEN~~

-'Since you are eager
for gifts of the
Spirit, try to excel
in those that build
up the church.'
-(1 Corinthians 14:12)
---
-THE WORLD-CLASS botanical garden across the street from our church was the setting for an all-church community gathering. As I walked around the gardens greeting people I have known for years, catching up with those I hadn't seen recently, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings cared for by people who know and love plants, I realized that the evening was rich with symbols of how the church is suppose to function--a little hint of Heaven on Earth.

A garden is a place where each plant is placed in an environment in which it will thrive. Gardeners prepare the soil, protect the plants from pests, and make sure each one receives the food, water, and sunlight it needs. The result is a beautiful, colorful, and fragrant place for people to enjoy.

Like a garden, Church is meant to be a place where everyone works together for the glory of God and the good of all; a place where everyone flourishes because we are living in a safe environment; a place where people are cared for according to their needs; where each of us does work we love--work that benefits others (1 Cor. 14:26).

Like well-cared-for plants, people growing in a healthy environment have a sweet fragrance that draws people to God by displaying the beauty of His love. The Church is not perfect, but it really is a hint of Heaven.~~

-Hearts fragrant with the love of Christ display His beauty.~~
--
-ODB/JAL