OUR BIG AND GREAT GOD

The Fern and the Bamboo

One day I decided to quit....

I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality..

I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. "God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit? "His answer surprised me.."Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again,nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo". He said. "In the the 2nd year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. He said. "Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it couldnot handle."He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others."He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful.""Your time will come," God said to me. " You will rise high!" "How high should I rise?" I asked. "How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return. "As high as it can?" I questioned. "Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can".

I left the forest and brought back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you........

Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you Happiness. Bad days give you Experiences. Both are essential to life. Keep going...Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrows keep you Human, Failures keep you Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But Only God keeps You Going!

Have a great day! The Son is shining!!

God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

Let Your Heart Be Established By Grace

Hebrews 13:9 9… it is good that the heart be established by grace…

God does not want your heart full of worries and fears, tossed and turned by every challenge that comes yourway.

He wants your heart at rest and established by His grace towards you.

But when you think that the breakthroughs to your challenges depend on your ability to obey God, then your heart will never be at rest. It will be full of worries and anxieties. Why? Because you can never obey God perfectly.

But when you depend on God’s grace, that is, His undeserved, unmerited favour, the opposite happens —your heart becomes established. When you know that the only thing that qualifies you to receive God’s blessings is faith in the finished work of Christ, your heart becomes established. Then, you will walk without fear of your troubles swallowing you up. You will walk with full assurance that His blessings will be manifested in your life.

My friend, God wants your heart established, knowing that His righteousness, healing, protection and prosperity are yours — all paid for by Jesus’ finished work at the cross. God’s blessings are sure in your life because they are not dependent on your ability to keep His laws. You see, under the old covenant, you receive God’s blessings only if you keep all His laws. (Deuteronomy 28:1–2) If you sin and fail to keep even one law, you are disqualified from receiving His blessings. But today, under the new covenant, your sins no longer disqualify you because God Himself has said, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and theirl awless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

So let your heart be established by God’s grace.

Because of His grace, you have full access to His blessings.

You no longer have to worry about whether you are good enough. You can stand firm on the promises made in His Word and enjoy His blessings today because Jesus has paid the price.

Your part is only to believe and receive!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

TODAY'S INSPIRATION

THE GIFT

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautifulsports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing hisfather could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father hadpurchased the car. Finally, on the morning of hisgraduation, his father called him into his privatestudy.His father told him how proud he was to have such afine son, and told him how much he loved him.He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young manopened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said,"With all your money you give me a Bible? and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.Many years passed and the young man was verysuccessful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before hecould make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to comehome immediately and take care of things.When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it yearsago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began toturn the pages. His father had carefully underlineda verse: Matt 7:11, "And if ye, being evil know howto give good gifts to your children, how much moreshall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, giveto those who ask Him?" As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tagwith the dealer's name, the same dealer who had thesports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... PAID IN FULL.How many times do we miss God's blessings becausethey are not packaged as we expected? I trust youenjoyed this.
Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have bydesiring what you have not; but remember that whatyou now have was once among the things you onlyhoped for...

IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'SBECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYSAPPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOUTO ATTACHMENTS!