Today's Seed Water

Today’s Seed Water

(January 2002)

 

“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,

for this sums up the Law and the prophets.”

 --Matthew 7:12

 New International Version

 

 

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE...

 

The Golden Rule -- golden because it’s genuine, lasting, and

valuable. Imagine how different our world would be if we

practiced this principle -- not just in our “church life” but

in our daily life with our family, with our coworkers and

employer, with the people we manage, with the folks on the

freeway and in the neighborhoods where we drive, toward the

waiters and waitresses who serve us. What a wonderfully

different world it would be if the Golden Rule were to be

practiced. I think I’ll start changing my world with it today!

 

How about you?

 

 

MY PRAYER...

“Generous Father, you have blessed me with so many rich and

wonderful gifts. I can never repay you. One thing I want you

to know, dear Father, is that I especially appreciate the way

you have treated me with grace and not with justice or

judgment. Give me the power to do the same with the people my

life touches this week. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

 

===============================================================

 

THE FRUIT OF A DEEPER ROOT

 

“A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be

successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets

another chance.” (Proverbs 28:13, TLB)

 

Problems. Nobody is immune from them. However, often the

problems we see are not the problems that are! For instance,

a problem, whether it is emotional, spiritual or physical,

is often the symptom of a deeper problem…”the fruit of a

deeper root.” The root cause may be an unresolved emotional,

spiritual or moral problem which can express itself in any

one or more of ways such as the following: relational

conflicts, worry, stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression,

addictions, spiritual dryness, physical sickness, abuse,

etc., etc.

 

Many physical symptoms can be symbolic. Ulcers, for example,

sometimes can be caused not so much by what we eat but by

what is eating us. Tension headaches can be caused by

“jamming up” anger in our head. Aching shoulders may be

caused by our feeling that we are burdened by a heavy load.

And if I have a pain in the neck, I may be one or feel that

someone in my life is!

 

Acknowledgment and confession open the door for recovery:

not only from the symptoms but also from the causes.

 

After David confessed his sin, he said, “What happiness for

those whose guilt has been forgiven! What relief for those

who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their

record. There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner

I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my

days with frustration. All day and all night your hand was

heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny

day until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped

trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess them

to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”

(Psalm 33:1–5, TLB)

 

A good example to follow.

 

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, here’s the symptom/s (be

specific–name it/them) in my life. I confess these to you.

Please give me the courage to face the cause/s of these and

lead me to the help I need to resolve them. Gratefully, in

Jesus’ name. Amen.”

If You Have...

IF YOU HAVE...

(January 2002)

 

If you have food in the refrigerator,

clothes on your back,

a roof overhead and a place to sleep…

you are richer than 75% of this world.

 

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet,

and spare change in a dish someplace…

you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

 

If you woke up this morning with more health than

 Illness…

you are more blessed than

the million who will not survive this week.

 

If you have never experienced the danger of battle,

the loneliness of imprisonment,

the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation…

you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

 

If you can attend a church meeting

without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death…

you are more blessed than three billion people in the

 world.

 

If your parents are still alive and still married…

you are very rare,

even in the United States.

 

If you hold up your head with a smile

on your face and are truly thankful…

you are blessed because the majority can, but most do

 not.

 

If you can hold someone’s hand,

hug them or even touch them on the shoulder…

you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.

 

If you can read this message,

you just received a double blessing

in that someone was thinking of you,

and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two

 billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

 

 -- Submitted by Paul E. Marrs

 

Have a “God” week and a great forever!

 

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.”

Opportunity

OPPORTUNITY

(January 2002)

 

“‘King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you

do believe.’ Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me

to become a Christian.’” (Acts 26:27–28, NKJV)

 

The author of an article in U.S. Catholic magazine tells of

the time when he was not ready for the opportunity of a

lifetime. Like many young men, he dreamed of playing

baseball in the big leagues but never really thought the

opportunity would come his way. Suddenly, it materialized as

he was scanning the want ads for a summer job. The Toronto

Blue Jays were having tryouts in his hometown. His baseball

cleats were rusty and his pony league uniform was layered

with dust, but he decided to go for it! Why not!

 

After arriving at the tryout site, his anxieties soared.

“How long ya been practicing for this?” one hopeful asked

another. “ ‘Bout six months. Wished I started sooner,” he

moaned.

 

Our would-be big leaguer had already struck out. He knew it

and it was too late to do anything about it.1 He simply

hadn’t prepared for his day of opportunity.

 

One of the things I learned in the Boy Scouts many years

ago, something I’ve never forgotten, was their motto:

“Be prepared.”

 

Other mottos I’ve never forgotten are these: “It’s better to

be trained and not called than to be called and not trained”

because “Opportunity comes to pass—not to pause!”

 

It’s extremely important that we prepare ahead of time for

this life including … getting an adequate education to

prepare for a meaningful life work (and preparing for a

second and even a third profession if necessary in our

rapidly changing world) … get training for marriage …

for parenting … and for old age.

 

It’s even more important and critical that we prepare now

for the hereafter. In Bible times King Agrippa had the

opportunity of a lifetime when the Apostle Paul invited him

to believe in and accept Jesus as his Savior. As far as we

know he never did do this and he missed not only an

opportunity for a lifetime but for all eternity. “He was an

Almost Persuaded.”

 

Don’t be an “Almost Persuaded.” If you have never accepted

Jesus as your Savior, be sure to do that today … it is your

day of opportunity. “Behold, now is the accepted time;

behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2,

NKJV)

 

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see that life

is full of opportunities—opportunities to serve you in a

myriad of ways…to reach out and help others…. Help me to

always be ready and use these opportunities to glorify you.

And above all, help me to be sure of my salvation and not

end my life as an ‘almost persuaded.’ Gratefully, in Jesus’

name. Amen.”

 

1 From www.sermons.com

We Are Where We Are Because Of...

Imagine this happening to you.

 

 

One Sunday morning before Holy Mass, two men

surprised a church that had 2000 people in it

as they entered, both covered from head to toe

in black and carrying sub-machine guns. One of

the men proclaimed, “Anyone willing to take a

bullet for Christ remain where you are.”

 

Immediately, the choir fled, the deacons fled,

and most of the brethren fled. Out of the 2,000

there only remained around 20. The man who had

spoken took off his hood, looked at the priest

and said “Okay Father, I got rid of all the

hypocrites. Now you may begin the Mass.

Have a nice day!” And the two men turned and

walked out.

 

Too deep not to pass on…

 

Funny how simple it is for people to trash

God… and then wonder why the world’s going

to hell.

 

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say,

but question what the Bible says.

 

Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven

provided they do not have to believe,

think, say, or do anything the Bible says.

 

Funny or is it scary? Funny how someone can

say “I believe in God” but still follow Satan

(who, by the way, also “believes” in God).

 

Funny how you can send a thousand ‘jokes’

through e-mail and they spread like wildfire,

but when you start sending messages regarding

the Lord, people Think twice about sharing.

 

Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene

pass freely through cyberspace, but the public

discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school

and workplace.

 

Funny, isn’t it? Funny how someone can be so

fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an

invisible Christian the rest of the week.

 

Are you laughing?

 

Funny how I can be more worried about what

other people think of me than what God thinks

of me.

Divorce Is Never Good For Kids

From FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, Today, 28-Mar-2008 edition

 

Divorce Is Never Good For Kids

By Dr Bill Maier

 

As a psychologist, I’ve counselled a lot of divorced parents

and it’s amazing how many say they broke up for the sake

of their kids.

 

The fact is, unless there is emotional or physical abuse involved,

kids are always bettor off when parents stay together.

 

Mums and Dads may think they are doing their kids

a favour when they break up. But if they truly care

about their children, they would get counselling

and learn how to work their problems out.

 

Studies have clearly shown how difficult divorce can be

on kids. Many grow up angry and have trouble getting along

with their peers.

 

They often enter adulthood with self-esteem issues,

and may have difficulty establishing healthy  relationships.

And when they marry, their risk of divorce is much greater

than kids from intact homes.

 

If you’re considering divorce, don’t fool yourself into thinking

that you’re doing it for the kids. Get help now before it’s too late.

Inspirational Stories

Inspirational Stories

(Short Readings; January 2002)

 

 

In 1962, four nervous young musicians played their first

record audition for the executives of the Decca recording

Company. The executives were not impressed. While turning

down this group of musicians, one executive said, “We don’t

like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.”

The group was called The Beatles.

 

*****

 

In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book

Modelling Agency, told modelling hopeful Norma Jean Baker,

“You’d better learn secretarial work or else get married.”

She went on and became Marilyn Monroe.

 

*****

 

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry,

Fired a singer after one performance. He told him, “You

ain’t goin’ nowhere… son. You ought to go back to drivin’

a truck. “He went on to become the most popular singer in

America named Elvis Presley.

 

*****

 

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876,

it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential

backers. After making a demonstration call, President

Rutherford Hayes said, “That’s an amazing invention,

but who would ever want to use one of them?”

 

*****

 

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over

2000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter

asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, “I

never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just

happened to be a 2000-step process.”

 

******

 

In the 1940s, another young inventor named Chester

Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some

of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down.

In 1947 - after seven long years of rejections! He finally

got a tiny company in Rochester, New York, the Haloid

company, to purchase the rights to his invention an

electrostatic paper-copying process. Haloid became

Xerox Corporation we know today.

 

******

 

Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born

prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was

4 years old, she contacted double pneumonia and scarlet

fever, which left her with a paralysed left leg. At

age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been

dependent on and began to walk without it. By 13 she

had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was

a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner.

She entered a race and came in last. For the next few

years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone

told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she

actually won a race. And then another. From then on

she won every race she entered. Eventually this little

girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on

to win three Olympic gold medals.

 

*****

 

The Moral of the above Stories: Character cannot be

developed in ease and quiet.

 

Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the

soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired

and success achieved.

 

You gain strength, experience and confidence by every

experience where you really stop to look fear in the face…

 

You must do the thing you cannot do.

And remember, the finest steel gets sent through the

hottest furnace.

 

A winner is not one who never fails, but one who

NEVER QUITS! In LIFE, remember that you pass this way

only once! let’s live life to the fullest and give it our

extreme best…!