Seek him now!

• Ever notice that when a catastrophic event occurs, many either seek God or blame Him? At such times, how many do you see who trust Him regardless of what happens? Not as many? (It is not easy to do!)
  
  You know some of the things that have happened to us, so know that these are not flippant, idle words. We have "lived" them.
• I would rather seek God "out of desire rather than in desperation". Then, when something unexpected occurs, I can better respond out of relationship than react out of panic or fear.
• Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:26-30 NIV)

He Got Up!

• In a few days, Believers around the world will be celebrating Jesus' death and physical resurrection. It happened: His death is one of the most well-documented in ancient history, as is His resurrection by reliable, contemporary eye-witness testimony.
  
  But greater than all the facts is the relationship you have with Jesus. Do not allow anyone or anything to compromise what you believe--and what you KNOW.

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But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. (2 Cor 11:3-4 NIV)

Look deeper than the skin!

• It has been said, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." To me, that means something's value can be what someone sees in it.
  
  I also recently heard a story of an early Picasso painting that was discovered handing in the kitchen of a factory worker in Italy. It had been there for decades, the family unaware of its value.
  
  Sometimes, our lives are like that. We do not realize our value--and we may not feel valuable at all. But Jesus has a different idea of what we are worth: in His opinion, we were worth dying for.

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"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Mat 6:25-30 NIV)

I'm glad we don't have to depend on technology for this

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For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (Rom 8:15-16 NIV)

Be strong in the power of HIS MIGHT!

So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. (Zec 4:6 NIV)

Make a choice to be happy

• The excuse: "I'm not happy." What is it used for? To end marriages, ruin careers, quit on life, betray relationships...
  
  Happiness depends on circumstances, however, joy, like love, is a choice. While I cannot control all the circumstances of my life, I can control my choices. In fact, they are the only things I can truly control, and unlike circumstances, I am accountable for them.
  
  Two millenia ago, the Macedonians had joy that no external circumstance could affect. They knew it was a choice. They chose wisely.
  
  Two thousand years later, we can too--regardless of circumstances.

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Now I want to tell you, dear friends, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. (2 Cor 8:1-3 NLT)

Work Jesus

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. (Jer 18:1-3 NIV)