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A Bouquet of Beautiful Thoughts

A BOUQUET OF BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS
Mike Cunningham
January 5, 2014
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Since the start this new-year there have been certain spiritual truths that have been flowing through my mind. So much so, that I’ve actually been bombarded by them. For instance, throughout the years I must have publicly quoted the following scriptures thousands of times on various occasions. They provide an awful lot of comfort, encouragement and hope for the followers of Jesus while they suffer in various degrees of intensity seemingly never-ending emotional/physical pain. Mingled in with the Sacred Scriptures in this morning’s message are some other biblical facts. I began sharing them every Wednesday on my blog starting on my birthday last year. It’s been my prayer filled hope that each of you folks will be blessed by my first sermon in 2014 as much as I was while I was crafting it. I urge each of you to read it and then make the time to ponder it carefully. Here goes.

1 Peter 5:8-10 (MSG)
8 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.
9 Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith.
10 The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good.

Luke 12:22-32 (NIV)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

iStock_000003267777XSmallPhilippians 4:4-9 (MSG)
4 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!
5 Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

John 16:33 (MSG)
33 I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

Matthew 5:10-12 (MSG)
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.
12 You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Luke 6:22-23 (MSG)
22 “Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable.
23 You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don’t like it, I do… and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.

Matthew 10:21 (MSG)
21 “When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family.

John 14:27 (TLB)
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

The Way Before Me

I know not the way before me,
But Jesus will guide me still;
And so, in His mercy trusting,
I patiently wait His will.

I know not the cares or sorrows
That into my life may fall,
But Jesus, my loving Savior,
Will give me the grace for all.

I know not the way before me,
But Jesus my Lord is near,
To shelter, protect and keep me;
Then why should I doubt or fear?

I know not the way before me,
But this to my soul is given-
The promise of life eternal,
A home and a rest in Heaven.

By Fanny Crosby

Psalm 55:5 (MSG)
5 I shake with fear, I shudder from head to foot.

Romans 12:12 (MSG)
12 Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”

PHOTO_19961574_148597_47521016_ap_730X550IN GOD’S TIME

Dear one, be still and wait on God.
He knows your tangled ways,
Your prayers He’ll answer, but sometimes
He does allow delays.
It does not mean God is unkind,
He wants what’s best for you.
He has a purpose in your trial
And in the waiting, too.

‘Tis hard for you to understand
This puzzle in your life,
One day the pieces all will fit
The hardship and the strife
That cause you so much heartache now
In God’s time shall unfold.
The tangled skein will brightly shine,
With blessings manifold.

So wait and rest within God’s care,
His grace He will impart;
And when you cannot see His hand,
Dear one, just trust His heart.
For it’s in love the Father shapes
Your beauty to refine
To be revealed a masterpiece
In God’s own perfect time.

Beverly I. Anderson

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:5 (NIV)
5 I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Proverbs 1:33 (NIV)
33 whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Philippians 4:6-9 (TLB)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.
7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.
9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.

Job 5:17-19 (MSG)
17 “So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you! Mind you, don’t despise the discipline of Almighty God!
18 True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound; the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
19 From one disaster after another he delivers you; no matter what the calamity, the evil can’t touch you.

GOD’S DISCIPLINE

Do you like to be disciplined? What about time out and being grounded? Not much fun, are they? Sometimes, God, just like our parents, has to discipline us to get our attention. We are doing something wrong or are weak in some area, and he wants to correct us and make us stronger. We can be stubborn and resist God’s work in our lives, just like sheep who don’t always follow their shepherd. But a shepherd will always go after that lamb and bring it back to the flock, even if it doesn’t want to return.

God might allow something painful to happen to you as a way to teach you something or draw you closer to him. But if God allows something like that to happen to you, he will also be there to help you. God loves you more than you can understand and what he wants most is for you to follow him.

By L. B. Cowman

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us!” Romans 8:18
As Though It Had Never Been!

Beloved, soon, O how soon! All that now loads your heart with care, and wrings it with sorrow–all that dims your eye with tears, and renders the day anxious and the night sleepless–will be as though it had never been!

Emerging from the entanglement, the dreariness, the solitude, the loneliness, and the temptations of the wilderness–you shall enter upon your everlasting rest, your unfading inheritance, where there is . . .
 no sorrow, 
 no sin,
 no suffering,
 no crying,
 no evening shadows,
 no midnight darkness!
 But all is one perfect, cloudless, eternal day–for Jesus is the joy, the light, and the glory thereof!

“And so we will be with the Lord forever!” 1 Thessalonians 4:17

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away!” Revelation 21:4

By, Octavius Winslow

Ephesians 1:3-14 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 4:6-9 (TLB)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.
7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.
9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.

I said in my opening remarks that it’s been my prayer filled hope that you folks are as blessed by my first sermon in 2014 as much as I was while I crafted it. I urged each of you to make the time to ponder it carefully. If you do, among other things, you will see that in today’s message I’ve arranged the aforementioned biblical truths in such a way to give each of you A BOUQUET OF BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS.

Lord willing, next week….

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January 5, 2014 Posted by Categories: Uncategorized 4 comments

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