You are who you are for a reason....

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb.
You're just what He wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones He chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into His likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

by Russell Kelfer

God Does Nothing in Vain

"I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain." John Henry Newman

Fishers Follow Him

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)

Only by coming after Jesus can we obtain our heart's desire and be really useful to our fellow men. Oh, how we long to be successful fishers for Jesus! We would sacrifice our lives to win souls. But we are tempted to try methods which Jesus would never have tried. Shall we yield to this suggestion of the enemy? If so, we may splash the water, but we shall never take the fish. We must follow after Jesus if we would succeed. Sensational methods, entertainment, and so forth -- are these coming after Jesus? Can we imagine the Lord Jesus drawing a congregation by such means as are now commonly used? What is the result of such expedients? The result is nothing which Jesus will count up at the last great day.

We must keep to our preaching as our Master did, for by this means souls are saved. We must preach our Lord's doctrine and proclaim a full and free gospel, for this is the net in which souls are taken, We must preach with His gentleness, boldness, and love, for this is the secret of success with human hearts. We must work under divine anointing, depending upon the sacred Spirit. Thus, coming after Jesus, and not running before Him, not aside from Him, we shall be fishers of men.

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook"

A Pardon is an Act of Grace

In 1826, two men named were sentenced to hang for robbing the US Postal Service. One man, Porter, was hanged in July 1830. Three weeks later, President Andrew Jackson pardoned the second perpetrator, named Wilson—his death sentence was lifted. But in a bizarre twist, Wilson refused the pardon. It sent the court system into confusion and took three years to resolve. Finally, in the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice passed a historic decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a pardon:

“A pardon is an act of grace . . . which exempts the individual on whom it is bestowed from the punishment the law inflicts for a crime he has committed . . . A pardon is a deed to the validity of which delivery is essential, and delivery is not complete without acceptance. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered, and if it be rejected, we have discovered no power in a court to force it on him.”

The Abundance of God's Pardon

“God’s pardon is abundant because it wells up from an infinitely deep fountain. Our sins may pile as high as the tallest mountains, but Jesus’ blood, like Noah’s flood, drowns them all.” -- Charles Spurgeon

Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past – Poem by C.T Studd

“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.


Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.


Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.


When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.


Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.


Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”

— extra stanza —

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”

C.T Studd

Antidote for Fear

Oswald Chambers said, "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else."

"This is a wise, sane Christian faith: that a man commit himself, his life, and his hopes to God; that God undertakes the special protection of that man; that therefore that man ought not to be afraid of anything." (George MacDonald)

F. B. Meyer said, "God incarnate is the end of fear; and the heart that realizes that he is in the midst... will be quiet in the midst of alarm."

Where do you invest your time?

Jesus... set time aside for the training of the twelve. With a world of millions to reach, Jesus budgeted the majority of His time to be with just a few simple men.

Prime time was invested in taking them through the Scriptures and sharing His heavenly insights. Key moments were spent sharing ministry with individuals and permitting them to watch every action and hear every word. Special days were set aside to explain to them the deeper meanings of His talks to the crowds. And valuable hours were seized in order to debrief them when they returned from assignments, to rebuke them when they failed, and to affirm them when they succeeded.

We might have been tempted to ask more than once why Jesus was spending so much valuable time with a group of simple-minded men when He could have taught men who could have intellectually appreciated His theological expertise. But Jesus was aware of where true importance lies, where the priorities are. And where your priorities are, there your time will be. (pp. 71-12) -- Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald

Inestimable Blessing

"A tender conscience is an inestimable blessing; that is, a conscience not only quick to discern what is evil, but instantly to shun it, as the yield closes itself against the mote." (Pastor Nehemiah Adams, 1806-1878)

It is the broken heart that pleases God

"The best things of life come out of wounding. Wheat is crushed before it becomes bread. Incense must be cast upon the fire before its odors are set free. The ground must be broken with the sharp plough before it is ready to receive the seed. It is the broken heart that pleases God. The sweetest joys in life are the fruits of sorrow. Human nature seems to need suffering to fit it for being a blessing to the world." (Steams in the Desert) -- L. B. Cowan

A Meek Person is ...

"He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. IN HIMSELF, NOTHING; IN GOD, EVERYTHING. THAT IS HIS MOTTO." -- A.W. Tozer

That thing is sin

If you wish to determine the lawfulness of a pleasure, follow this rule:

"Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God,, or takes away the relish of spiritual things; whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin." -- Mother of John Wesley

"Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God" 1 Cor. 10:31

Test for our love of God

"You shall not be known by special rites or habits, not by a special form of dress or manner of speech; not by special austerities and unusual customs, like the Pharisees, the Essenes or the scribes, but by deep, genuine, and tender affection. And it is well known it was this which eminently distinguished the first Christians, and was the subject of remark by the surrounding pagans. 'See,' said the pagan, 'see how they love one another! They are ready to lay down their lives for each other.' " (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005 by Biblesoft)

Look to the "Faithful One" for Victory

J. Hudson Taylor, the great missionary often said, "It is not by trying to be faithful, but in looking to the Faithful One, that we win the victory."

Doing God's Work--God's Way

"Yet another way of working is to begin with God; to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes." -- Hudson Taylor (Emphasis supplied). Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 243.

'My name is I AM'

"I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking. 'My name is I AM.' He paused, I waited. He continued. 'When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets it is hard. I am not there. My name is not, I WAS. When you live in the future with its problems and fears it is hard. I am not there. My name is not, I WILL BE. But when you live in this moment, it is not hard. I am here. My name is I AM.'" - Helen Malacoat

Faith and Hope

"…Faith looks backward—hope looks onward and upward. Faith is concerned with the Person who promises—hope with the One and the things promised. Faith accepts—hope expects. Faith appropriates—hope anticipates. Faith believes and takes—hope desires and waits. Faith comes by hearing—hope comes by experience. Faith the root—hope is the fruit." -- G.H. Knight

Kindness is the "common-language" of Love

"One time Paul Harvey spoke about a man named Carl Coleman who was driving to work when a woman tried to pass him with her car and got too close and dinged his fender with hers.

They both pulled over and when she saw the damage she started crying. She admitted that it was her fault, but it was a brand-new car, it had only been out of the showroom two days!

How was she ever going to face her husband?

Mr. Coleman was sympathetic but explained they had to exchange their licenses and registrations.

When the woman reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the papers the first paper was a note, obviously written by a man; it read: "In case of accident, remember, Honey, it's you I love, not the car." (Paul Harvey Jr., Paul Harvey's for What It's Worth, 1992, p. 31)

Attributes of God

"There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, no not even for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is sorely tried, our eyes bedimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace the outworkings of His love. Our ears are distracted with the noises of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan, and we can no longer hear the sweet accents of His still small voice. Cherished plans have been thwarted, friends on whom we relied have failed us, a professed brother or sister in Christ has betrayed us. We are staggered. We sought to be faithful to God, and now a dark cloud hides Him from us. We find it difficult, yea, impossible, for carnal reason to harmonize His frowning providence with His gracious promises. Ah, faltering soul, severely tried fellow pilgrim, seek grace to heed Isa. 50:10..." (A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God, pp. 53-54)

Meeting God in your prison of circumstances.

"Whenever you get into a prison of circumstances, be on watch. Prisons are rare places for seeing things. It was in prison that Bunyan saw his wondrous allegory and Paul met the Lord and John looked through heaven's open door and Joseph saw God's mercy. God has no chance to show His mercy to some of us except when we are in some distressing sorrow. The night is the time to see the stars." -- F. B. Meyer