You don't have to look too far these days to see the depths that some will go to harm and kill others. Suicide bombers, shooting rampages, brutal attacks seem to be the constant headline, only the numbers affected change.
What possesses someone to behave in such a horrid manner? What causes someone to reach a point that they feel that hurting others will make them feel better? What causes someone to believe that mass killing a certain group, a certain sect, a certain religious person is what GOD wants? Ah, I think the answer lies within the last question.
Today's word is John 16:3, ESV, which reads, "And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me."
JESUS was telling His disciples, and us through the scriptures, that we shouldn't be surprised that people do such heinous things because some folks have never known the One, True GOD. They are led by false teachings that promise them one thing but will earn them something entirely different. Without a compass, they are wandering lost. And, when you are lost, you will desperately try anything.
It is sad to continually see the desperation and deception of others play out in our world. It is difficult to watch the news without becoming angry and confused. Yet, we know that JESUS is on the throne, is on our side, and is our Defender. While these happenings concern us, we shouldn't be surprised. The ones committing these acts just don't know.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
3 Ts, more Zs
Mornings can be rough at our house. It isn't that anything abnormal happens; I am sure that we are the typical household with young children. Sometimes, they are up and raring to go WAY TOO EARLY; other times they want a few more minutes of sleep. Funny isn't it? Children are just like adults, just younger. I often tell Trish that we aren't raising children; we are raising adults. What we do now will follow them into their adult years.
Anyway, mornings can be rough. There are some mornings that we resemble a cat chasing its own tail. Yet, we usually manage to get where we need to go by the time we need to be there, which is in and of itself a small miracle.
So, for today's word, I wanted to share the 3 Ts that will help us all start each day with a positive plan. TRY your best; be TRUE to yourself and others; TRUST GOD for the rest.
In the midst of our chaos, we often lose ourselves. But, I really believe that if we would remember these three Ts: Try, True, and Trust, it could benefit us in ways unimaginable. I think having a goal, a plan, always proves beneficial.
If we go our each day and try our very best, and are true to ourselves and others, and trust GOD to handle everything else, I think we will go to bed at night knowing that it has been a successful day. And, if we practice these 3 Ts each day, maybe it will help us to get more Zs when we lay down at night.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
Anyway, mornings can be rough. There are some mornings that we resemble a cat chasing its own tail. Yet, we usually manage to get where we need to go by the time we need to be there, which is in and of itself a small miracle.
So, for today's word, I wanted to share the 3 Ts that will help us all start each day with a positive plan. TRY your best; be TRUE to yourself and others; TRUST GOD for the rest.
In the midst of our chaos, we often lose ourselves. But, I really believe that if we would remember these three Ts: Try, True, and Trust, it could benefit us in ways unimaginable. I think having a goal, a plan, always proves beneficial.
If we go our each day and try our very best, and are true to ourselves and others, and trust GOD to handle everything else, I think we will go to bed at night knowing that it has been a successful day. And, if we practice these 3 Ts each day, maybe it will help us to get more Zs when we lay down at night.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
Friday, May 26, 2017
Honor
The definition of honor is "high respect; esteem; to regard with great respect". It is Memorial Day weekend, which always makes me think of those that have sacrificed everything to give us the freedoms and liberties we enjoy.
To some, this weekend is simply a three day weekend. To others, it is the unofficial beginning of summer. Both of those are definitely a shared feeling for most but I am always cognizant that the reason my family and I enjoy this three day weekend, this unofficial beginning of summer, is because of those who were willing to lose it all to give it to me. They deserve our praise. They deserve our respect. They deserve honor.
Today's word is Romans 13:7, NIV, which reads, "Give to everyone what you owe them: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."
We should always pay others what we owe them. We are judged by how we repay our debts; thus, our Father in Heaven is judged by how we repay our debts. So, we should always be diligent to pay what we owe. But, this verse tells us that it is much more than making the mortgage payment or paying the utilities. Those things must be paid; it is a must. So, too, though, must our other debts.
We have debts to others that are not monetary. We should always treat everyone the exact same way that we want others to treat us. On top of that, there are people that deserve an extra measure of respect, and we should respect them. And, there are those who deserve an enormous amount of honor, and we should honor them. Thanks to all that have served to give us these freedoms. Thanks to all the loved ones who were equally serving. Thank you all for your great sacrifices. You deserve my sincere thanks and honor.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
To some, this weekend is simply a three day weekend. To others, it is the unofficial beginning of summer. Both of those are definitely a shared feeling for most but I am always cognizant that the reason my family and I enjoy this three day weekend, this unofficial beginning of summer, is because of those who were willing to lose it all to give it to me. They deserve our praise. They deserve our respect. They deserve honor.
Today's word is Romans 13:7, NIV, which reads, "Give to everyone what you owe them: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."
We should always pay others what we owe them. We are judged by how we repay our debts; thus, our Father in Heaven is judged by how we repay our debts. So, we should always be diligent to pay what we owe. But, this verse tells us that it is much more than making the mortgage payment or paying the utilities. Those things must be paid; it is a must. So, too, though, must our other debts.
We have debts to others that are not monetary. We should always treat everyone the exact same way that we want others to treat us. On top of that, there are people that deserve an extra measure of respect, and we should respect them. And, there are those who deserve an enormous amount of honor, and we should honor them. Thanks to all that have served to give us these freedoms. Thanks to all the loved ones who were equally serving. Thank you all for your great sacrifices. You deserve my sincere thanks and honor.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Growing Season
It is the time of year that people plow the ground and plant in hopes of a bountiful harvest. I will be the first to admit that I love fresh produce but I do not enjoy gardening at all. Well, the gardening isn't that bad, it is the weeding that I absolutely despise. I detest having to hoe and hoe and hoe. I know it is worth the effort but I still don't like it. But, I digress...
It is growing season. Folks will go out and plant okra and squash and tomatoes and potatoes and onions and radishes and beans and peas and corn, you get the idea. And, whatever seed they put into the ground is the vegetable that they hope to reap. You can't plant okra seed and hope to get anything but okra. You can't plant potatoes and hope to harvest tomatoes. It just doesn't happen.
Today's word is Job 4:8, NIV, which reads, "As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it."
Just as the seed we plant in our garden produces the fruit or vegetable that it came from, the seeds we plant physically and spiritually will produce the fruit or vegetable from which it derived. You cannot sow evil and expect to cultivate goodness. You cannot sow deceit and expect to cultivate truth. You cannot sow disrespect and disobedience and expect to reap respect and obedience.
It is sowing time; what are you sowing? Are you sowing goodness and mercy and love and joy? If so, your harvest should be bountiful in those things. If you are sowing sin and living in sin and cultivating sin, you can expect that sin will be your harvest. BUT, we have a merciful Father, a Master Gardner, Who can remove the weeds in our heart and cultivate that right spirit that we need. I pray He will remove the weeds from my heart and help me to produce a bountiful growing season.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
It is growing season. Folks will go out and plant okra and squash and tomatoes and potatoes and onions and radishes and beans and peas and corn, you get the idea. And, whatever seed they put into the ground is the vegetable that they hope to reap. You can't plant okra seed and hope to get anything but okra. You can't plant potatoes and hope to harvest tomatoes. It just doesn't happen.
Today's word is Job 4:8, NIV, which reads, "As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it."
Just as the seed we plant in our garden produces the fruit or vegetable that it came from, the seeds we plant physically and spiritually will produce the fruit or vegetable from which it derived. You cannot sow evil and expect to cultivate goodness. You cannot sow deceit and expect to cultivate truth. You cannot sow disrespect and disobedience and expect to reap respect and obedience.
It is sowing time; what are you sowing? Are you sowing goodness and mercy and love and joy? If so, your harvest should be bountiful in those things. If you are sowing sin and living in sin and cultivating sin, you can expect that sin will be your harvest. BUT, we have a merciful Father, a Master Gardner, Who can remove the weeds in our heart and cultivate that right spirit that we need. I pray He will remove the weeds from my heart and help me to produce a bountiful growing season.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Scavenger Hunt
Today is National "Scavenger Hunt Day". I like a good scavenger hunt. When we took the youth groups camping, there was usually part of one day spent on a scavenger hunt. It was always fun to walk the campgrounds and find small, intricate things for the others to diligently search for.
It seems that we are always searching for something: ways to lose weight, ways to get into better shape, ways to better communicate, the best prices on whatever we are looking for, etc. We are always seeking for something.
Today's word is Proverbs 8:17, ESV, which reads, "I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find Me."
Have you sought GOD the way you search for so many other things? I ask myself that question today: "Have I sought GOD as much as I have searched for things that don't really matter?" GOD isn't hard to find; He is right where we left Him. However, I think that we often are so engrossed in searching for everything else that we find it difficult to find GOD. And, it probably is, considering some of the things we search for.
I want to find what GOD wants me to do - every hour of every day of my life. I want to be whatever He wants me to be. I want to seek and do His good will. He tells us that if we diligently seek Him, we will find Him. Come join me on this great scavenger hunt.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
It seems that we are always searching for something: ways to lose weight, ways to get into better shape, ways to better communicate, the best prices on whatever we are looking for, etc. We are always seeking for something.
Today's word is Proverbs 8:17, ESV, which reads, "I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find Me."
Have you sought GOD the way you search for so many other things? I ask myself that question today: "Have I sought GOD as much as I have searched for things that don't really matter?" GOD isn't hard to find; He is right where we left Him. However, I think that we often are so engrossed in searching for everything else that we find it difficult to find GOD. And, it probably is, considering some of the things we search for.
I want to find what GOD wants me to do - every hour of every day of my life. I want to be whatever He wants me to be. I want to seek and do His good will. He tells us that if we diligently seek Him, we will find Him. Come join me on this great scavenger hunt.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Want to
We are trying, albeit with difficulty, to teach our two little ones that there are three stages of obedience. They, like all children, and like I was when I was a child, think that we just keep telling them, "No," and "Stop," just because we are trying to steal their fun and stop their joy. But, that is not the case at all.
We start out obeying our parents because we have to. I mean, if we don't, there are serious consequences and repercussions. I don't know about yours, but my parents were swift in meting out discipline. SWIFT! Then, you transition into obeying because you need to. As we get older, if we want to go to the movies, or hang out with our friends, or go to a friend's house, we must obey and do what we are told during the week (e.g., clean our room, do our homework, etc.). Finally, we begin obeying because we want to. We want to be pleasing to our parents. We want to stop worrying them and frustrating them. We begin obeying because we want to. We go through these same stages with our Heavenly Father.
Today's word is Psalm 40:8, NLT, which reads, "I take joy in doing your will, my GOD, for your instructions are written on my heart."
It is when we reach that final stage of obedience, because we want to, that we really begin to experience the joy of just obeying. We begin to take joy in doing the right things and in being the person that GOD created us to be and that our parents strove to mold us into.
As we mature physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, we begin to obey because we want to; we like the feeling of pleasing those we love. I want my parents to be pleased. I want even more for my SAVIOR to be pleased. I pray we all mature enough to see the joys of obeying because we want to.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
We start out obeying our parents because we have to. I mean, if we don't, there are serious consequences and repercussions. I don't know about yours, but my parents were swift in meting out discipline. SWIFT! Then, you transition into obeying because you need to. As we get older, if we want to go to the movies, or hang out with our friends, or go to a friend's house, we must obey and do what we are told during the week (e.g., clean our room, do our homework, etc.). Finally, we begin obeying because we want to. We want to be pleasing to our parents. We want to stop worrying them and frustrating them. We begin obeying because we want to. We go through these same stages with our Heavenly Father.
Today's word is Psalm 40:8, NLT, which reads, "I take joy in doing your will, my GOD, for your instructions are written on my heart."
It is when we reach that final stage of obedience, because we want to, that we really begin to experience the joy of just obeying. We begin to take joy in doing the right things and in being the person that GOD created us to be and that our parents strove to mold us into.
As we mature physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, we begin to obey because we want to; we like the feeling of pleasing those we love. I want my parents to be pleased. I want even more for my SAVIOR to be pleased. I pray we all mature enough to see the joys of obeying because we want to.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
True Friends
A research conducted in the past few years indicated that most of us have only two really close friends, those who will be there no matter what, no matter time or distance, no matter when. Can you think of two in your life that are true friends, those that will be there no matter what? It's difficult isn't it? Can you think of two people that you would be his/her true friend?
It's not difficult to see why this statistic may be true. We are all busy with our own lives. We have spouses and children, we have obligations and responsibilities, we have outside influences and internal challenges. It's really hard to find the extra time to build those deep, deep relationships.
Today's word is a quote about true friends: "Life is not about the people who act true to your face. It's about the people who remain true behind your back."
Obviously, JESUS is my closest Friend. And, Trish is as true and loyal and devoted as anyone could ever be; she is definitely my closest and dearest earthly friend. So, I married one of my two. JESUS will never leave us nor forsake us. He will lead us and guide us, directing each step we take if we will just let Him. He is truly the dearest and closest friend you could ever have. And, as I mentioned, Trish is the most loyal and devoted friend anyone could ever have. I am so blessed that GOD allowed me to marry my best friend.
So, how about you? Got close friends? Are you working to build and nurture those relationships? Have you been hurt by "friends" before and now are too leery to trust someone again? Well, you can't hold on to those that aren't true. Allow GOD to direct you to find your true friends.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
It's not difficult to see why this statistic may be true. We are all busy with our own lives. We have spouses and children, we have obligations and responsibilities, we have outside influences and internal challenges. It's really hard to find the extra time to build those deep, deep relationships.
Today's word is a quote about true friends: "Life is not about the people who act true to your face. It's about the people who remain true behind your back."
Obviously, JESUS is my closest Friend. And, Trish is as true and loyal and devoted as anyone could ever be; she is definitely my closest and dearest earthly friend. So, I married one of my two. JESUS will never leave us nor forsake us. He will lead us and guide us, directing each step we take if we will just let Him. He is truly the dearest and closest friend you could ever have. And, as I mentioned, Trish is the most loyal and devoted friend anyone could ever have. I am so blessed that GOD allowed me to marry my best friend.
So, how about you? Got close friends? Are you working to build and nurture those relationships? Have you been hurt by "friends" before and now are too leery to trust someone again? Well, you can't hold on to those that aren't true. Allow GOD to direct you to find your true friends.
Be Blessed,
Mickey T
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