7 - Ups!

7 - Ups!
 

  Wake Up!

Decide to have a good day.

"Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalms 118:24

  

Dress Up!

The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is

an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.

Man looks at outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7
 

Shut Up!

Say nice things and learn to listen.

God gave us two ears and one mouth so He must have

meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.

"He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3

"Gossip betrays confidence; avoid men who talk too much." Proverbs 20:19

"Listen to advice, accept instruction and in the end, you will be wise."

 Proverbs 19:20

Stand Up!

Stand up for what you believe in.  As the saying goes,

stand for something or you'll fall for anything.

"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,

we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good . . ."

Galatians 6:9-10

          Look Up!

Look up to the Lord.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:13

Reach Up!

Reach up for something higher.

Always try to better today than you were yesterday.

"And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye

when you have a log in your own?"
Matthew 7:3

Lift Up!

Lift up your prayers.

"Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything."

Philippians 4:6

Hope these "7-Ups" lift your day!

Be sure to pass them on.

  

"When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him,

He will lift you up and make your life significant!"
James 4:10

Forgive Me When I Whine

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Today upon a bus I saw a girl with golden hair 

I envied her her loveliness and wished I were as fair. 

And then I saw her struggle up and hobble down the aisle -

She had one leg and a metal crutch
and a dazzling, friendly smile.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine

I have two legs -  THE WORLD IS MINE!
  

And then I stopped to buy some sweets from 

a lad who had such charm, 

I stayed to chat a while - If I were late, what harm?

And when I turned to leave, he said,
 "Thank you; you've been so kind.

It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."

Oh God, forgive me when I whine

I have two eyes - THE WORLD IS MINE!

Farther on down the street,
 I saw a child with eyes so blue -

He stood and watched the others play,
 as though puzzled what to do.

I stopped a moment,  said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"

He looked ahead without a word,
and then I knew he could not hear.

Oh God, forgive my words of woe -

I've eyes to see the sunset glow

And ears to hear what others say

And legs to take me on my way.

 Oh God, forgive me when I whine -

How blessed I am - THE WORLD IS MINE!
 

Author Unknown

 

Through the Storm

The Blessings of a Storm

 
I did not know His love before,
The way I know it now.
I could not see my need for Him,
My pride would not allow.
I had it all, without a care,
The "self-sufficient" lie.
My path was smooth, my sea was still,
Not a cloud was in my sky.

I thought I knew His love for me,
I thought I'd seen His grace,
I thought I did not need to grow,
I thought I'd found my place.
But when the way grew rough and dark,
The storm clouds quickly rolled;
The waves began to rock my ship,
My anchor would not hold.

The ship that I had built myself
Was made of foolish pride.
It fell apart and left me bare,
With nowhere else to hide.
I had no strength or faith to face
The trials that lay ahead,
And so I simply prayed to Him
And bowed my weary head.
 

 
His loving arms enveloped me,
And then He helped me stand.
He said, "You still must face this storm,
But I will hold your hand."
So through the dark and lonely night
He guided me through pain.
I could not see the light of day
Or when the storm might wane.

Yet through the aches and endless tears,
My faith began to grow.
I could not see it at the time,
But my light began to glow.
I saw God's love in brand new light,
His grace and mercy, too.
For only when all self was gone
Could Jesus' love shine through.

It was not easy in the storm,
I sometimes wondered, "Why?"
At times I thought, "I can't go on."
I'd hurt and doubt and cry.
But Jesus never left my side,
He guided me each day.
Through pain and strife,
Through fire and flood,
He helped me all the way.
 

 
And now I see as never before
How great His love can be.
How in my weakness He is strong,
How Jesus cares for me!
He worked it all out for my good,
Although the way was rough.
He only sent what I could bear,
And then He cried, "Enough!"

He raised His hand and said, "Be still!"
He made the storm clouds cease.
He opened up the gates of joy
And flooded me with peace.
I see His face now clearer still,
I felt His presence strong.
I found anew His faithfulness,
He never did me wrong.

Now I know more storms will come,
But only for my good,
For pain and tears have helped me grow
As naught else ever could.
I still have so much more to learn
As Jesus works in me;
If in the storm I'll love Him more,
That's where I want to be.

Written By:
Wendy Greiner Lefko
© 1996
Visit the author's web site here.

My Ten Angels

My Ten Angels
 
 Ten angels walk beside me, each and every day.
Ten angels help to guide me, to give comfort and protect.
They have been my companions since I was very young.

Now you ask me, "Why ten?
 Do you think you are special?
Why not one, or two, or three?
Why ten?
 Surely you don't need so many."

Well, each and every angel has a special job to do.
Yes, it seems that even angels specialize.

All of us know Faith,  Hope  and Charity. They are wonderful angels, and all so overworked!

But there are seven more you see,
and each and every one gives comfort and protects.

The fourth angel is the angel I call  Tolerance,  whom I fear we do not use enough, for if we did there would not be any bigotry or hate.

The next angel is the one I call  Forgiveness, who is under utilized as well.  Who among us could not do with more Forgiveness in our hearts.

Then we have the angel I call Beauty.  We all see so much ugliness in life. I don't know a single soul who couldn't do with more Beauty in their life.

The next two angels are the twins I call Joy and Happiness. They are the most often seen walking hand in hand.

My favorite angel is the one I call Friend. This little angel is the one who can bring real riches to our lives.  I have often heard her saying, "To have a friend, one must first be a friend." And do you know, it works !!

And last but in no way least, is the angel I call
 Love.

 Sometimes she seems so shy and it seems like she is sleeping.
But she is always near.
If we would only open up our hearts
and just see her standing there.

For if we did, then all the other Angels would be easier to see.

It is my belief that we all have Ten Angels walking beside us.
They are sent from God , to see us through,
to guide, comfort and protect us
until the day we join Him
in the place we call Heaven.


Written By:
  Diana Thompson
©1997

Visit the Author's Web Site


Take time to notice
the angels around you!

Pass this on to a friend.
We all need to know our angels!

THAT'S GOD!

Have you ever been just sitting there and all of a sudden
you feel like doing something nice for someone you care for?

THAT'S GOD!

He talks to you through the Holy Spirit.




Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems
to be around for you to talk to?

THAT'S GOD!

He wants you to talk to Him.




Have you ever been thinking about someone that you
haven't seen in a long time and then, the next thing
you know, you see them or receive a phone call from them?

THAT'S GOD!

There is no such thing as "coincidence."



Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn't
even ask for, like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously
been cleared, or a coupon to a department store where you had
just seen something you wanted but couldn't afford?

THAT'S GOD!

He knows the desires of your heart.



Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue
how it is going to get better, but now you look back on it?

THAT'S GOD!

He passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day.


 

In all we do, if we remember to give total thanks to God,
our blessings will continue to be multiplied...

And I count you among my greatest blessings!

Thinking of you and
hope it brightens your day!

And I will send showers, showers of blessings,
which will come just when they are needed.
  Ezekiel 34:26 (NLT)

What Are You Worth?

 

  What Are You Worth?   

A well-known speaker started off his seminar
by holding up a $20.00 bill.





                          
                                                                                                               In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

 
He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this!"
  

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, 

"Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

 
Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

 
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because
it did not decrease in value.  It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt
by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or will happen,
you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased,
you are still priceless to those who do love you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,
but by who we are and whose we are.

You are special... don't ever forget it!

Please pass this simple message on. . .
you may never know the lives it can touch,
the hurting hearts it can speak to, or the hope that it can bring.

And remember, always
count your blessings, not your problems.

 If God brings you to it,
He will bring you through it.

Jesus Whispers

Jesus Whispers

Never think you are not important
You must believe that is not true
There is a reason you were born
And I will always care for you.

 

Do not think about tomorrow
Trust your fate to me
For tomorrow will come
And today will be a memory.

 

Never spend time wondering
If your happiness will last
Take me into your heart today
And all your doubts will pass.

 

 Read my Father's Bible very slow
Study the words as you go
And gently turn the pages
This book has lasted through the ages.

  

Written by:
Glenna M. Baugh

Dancing With God

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will
is a lot like dancing.  When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.  The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.  When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.  One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.  It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G", I thought of God,
followed by "u" and "i".
"God", "u" and "i" dance.
God, you and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.  Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you on this day and every day.  May you abide in God as God abides in you.  Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.  If God has done anything for you in your life, please share this message with someone else, for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.  There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance!
 

Author Unknown

Hello, God. . .Please answer my call

Hello, God. . .

Hello, God. I called tonight To talk a little while... I need a friend who'll listen To my anxiety and trial. You see, I can't quite make it Through a day just on my own. I need your love to guide me, So I'll never feel alone. I want to ask you please to keep My family safe and sound. Come and fill their lives with confidence For whatever fate they're bound. Give me faith, Dear God, to face Each hour throughout the day, And not to worry over things I can't change in any way. I thank you, God, for being home And listening to my call; For giving me such good advice When I stumble and fall. Your number, God, is the only one That answers every time. I never get a busy signal, Never had to pay a dime. So thank-you, God, for listening To my troubles and my sorrow. Good-night, God.  I love You, too. And I'll call again tomorrow! ~ Author Unknown ~