January 7, 2009

Boundless Joy

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  2 Corinthians 4:7

Know in your heart that your vessel has been formed for the purpose of shedding abroad the glory of God, and the Spirit ministers in you to the end that this may be accomplished.  Lo, I stand at your side to help, and you shall never need to rely on your own strength or wisdom.  As long as you bless and honor Me, the rivers of life shall flow forth and your joy shall be boundless.

/As I reread those thoughts I am reminded that God made each of us as individuals and non of us are alike, he broke the mold after each birth.  We were each made to be a vessel of honor, honor to God our Father.  God made you with your special abilities and talents, your special desires.  That is probably why we don't really understand each other and why we function as we do.  But let us take the person that God has made in us and use that life to be all that we can. Yesterday I was reading a book written by the man who leads Compassion.  Compassion is an organization that encourages people to sponsor children in other countries.  He explains that children are born into these situations have a very defeated attitude and they don't believe they can be anything of value.  It is a story of a lady, a teacher who sponsored a child in Kenya.  He would write to her, but he always expressed that he was a nobody, she would reply that he was a somebody, and that he could do good.  He was finally so encouraged that he started to think positive of himself.  He found that his talent was in running, first to be the best runner in his class of 5, then in his school, his town and then his country.  He went to the Olympics and there he earned a silver medal.  She actually watched him on TV.  On his way him, he went by her country, England, he went to her cottage,  There he stooped to enter her humble home, and met this elderly lady in her wheel chair.  He wanted to give her his medal because he couldn't have done it without her.  I was very touched by that story, and was reading it in the study hall(4 students) so I read it to them.  I hope that they are touched and challenged, and today I challenge each of you, who can you encourage today? don't forget that first God gave you maybe a spouse and children, co-workers, parents,  customers. God wants to use us.  Maybe you are the one who feels defeated......


Father in Heaven, we come to you this day.  We ask you to place in our heart the seed of encouragement, Father, that first we would be encouraged to be and do all we can,  Father help us to see ourselves the way you see us, help us to see that we are in Christ Jesus a person of worth.  Father, help us to be sensitive to those about us, who do you want us to encourage today, and when we do, may we feel your presence encouraging us in our inter being.  Thank for hearing and answering us.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Yesterday,  It was a normal day at school.  I help Ken from Taiwan, and was there after school helping him get his studies done,  I stopped by the center in Hampden and hung a map.  It is from 1911, and I had matted and framed it.  I stopped at Julie Ann's for a bit and actually Jerry walked over in the evening.  I am cutting out quilt blocks, I really desire to put an end to some fabric.
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