Praise

In life everyone wants praise for what they do. Shortly after we are born, we want to be praised. When we began to talk and walk, our parents praised us and we have come to expect it ever since. In school and eventually in the workplace we were praised.

In Psalm 113:3, we read, "from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun, the name of the Lord is to be praised". Why should we praise the Lord? For one reason, throughout the book of Psalms, the psalmist reminds us - He is the one to be praised.

In Psalm 115:12, it specifically says, "the Lord is mindful of us". This means He has us on His mind all the time. So, when He blesses us, why would we not want to praise Him? He deserves our praise all day long, twenty-four seven.

Ed Unruh

Nothing

Nothing ever happens by itself - either you make it happen or God allows it to happen.

Oswald Chambers says, "we should be ready for God's surprises". So, how do we do that? The best way to experience God's surprises, is by living a Godly life. Then, concentrating on God Himself and living a life that is pleasing to Him.

If we go about our business in our own way, we might not see all the blessings God has for us on this earth, In fact, it is possible we could miss out on the very best He has to offer. However, nothing in this world will ever compare to the surprises God has planned for us in Heaven.

Ed Unruh

God's Will

How do we find out what God's will is for our lives? The answer is, we need to commit ourselves to Him through prayer and meditation. In Jeremiah 20:11, we read, He, "gives each one of us a future and a hope". So, He actually has plans for each one of us.

Each day, with all the things we have to do, we have to be careful that these things do not interfere with God's will for our lives. If they do, we need to take a second look and ask God for His guidance and direction.

We are also told in I Peter 1:7 that "God cares for us" and because He does, it should give us the desire to please Him all the more.

Ed Unruh

Grace

The definition of grace is favor. Favor, itself means to support and sustain. In the Bible, Jesus told Paul that His Grace was sufficient for him when he was struggling with a thorn in his side (II Cor; 12:9).

The grace Jesus was referring to at that time is available to us today whenever we go through difficult situations.

No matter what our problem is, there will be enough grace to comfort us in our time of need today, two thousand years later.

Ed Unruh

Is it Possible to Grow in Faith?

What is the best way to overcome difficult situations that have plagued us in the past? One thing is for sure, it will take a whole lot of faith to overcome them.

Oswald Chambers says, "many of us have no faith is God at all, but only faith in what He has done for us".

So, because, our faith has grown with God's blessings in the past, our faith will continue to grow even more in the future.

Ed Unruh

Is Anybody Listening?

When you have a conversation with another person, there will be a lot of talking and Listening.

When a person speaks in front of an audience, they speak on a specific subject. And because everyone in the audience has an interest in that subject, they will all be listening.

God, Himself is able to do all things (Eph. 3:20) and because He can, He knows what you're thinking. So, what kind of thoughts are you thinking? Are they pure and clean? What is your conversation like? And, Is Anybody Listening? One thing we know for sure and that is, God is listening.

Ed Unruh

Identity

We all have our own identity and personality. Each of us is different including how we think and act. Except for the thoughts we share with others, God is the only one who knows them (Psalm 94:11).

God's hands fashioned us, see Psalm 119:73. God has given each of us our own identity and knows each of us by name, just as a shepherd knows his sheep by name (John 10:3). Today each individual can be identified by DNA.

Our identity is special for each one of us, and aren't you glad it is? Just imagine what it would be like if God had cloned us! But He didn't, Yes, our God is an awesome God.

Ed Uhruh

Thy Will Be Done

In Matthew the sixth chapter, the Christian has been given a guideline for prayer. In the tenth verse it says to pray, "Thy will be done."

When we say, Thy will be done, we are trusting God to do what is best, no matter how long it takes.

There will be times when we will have to wait longer than we want to, but if we wait for His will to be done, it will be on time and done right.

Ed Unruh

I Apologize

How many times have you told someone, I apologize? It happens more often than we care to admit. There are many times we say I'm sorry to the one we love, in order to keep our relationship from falling apart.

Of course, if you never make any mistakes, you'll never have to apologize. However, everyone makes mistakes once in a while because no one is perfect. The only one who was perfect on this planet was Jesus Christ. Because Jesus committed no sin (I Peter 2:21-22), He has never had to apologize or say, I'm sorry. Yes. He was a perfect living example for us to follow.

Ed Unruh

Justification

When everything goes wrong and problems build up, when you don't know which way to turn, that's when frustration becomes the order of the day.

When this happens, and quite often it will, who takes the blame? When you are willing to accept the responsibility if things in life go wrong, maybe that's a good thing. Robert Schuller says, "accepting yourself with your imperfections gives evidence that your faith has achieved a remarkable level of maturity".

The apostle Paul says, "therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). So justification definitely is a source of blessing. Have you been justified?

Ed Unruh

Endless Love

Almost everything in life has a beginning and an end to it. Everything that is manufactured has a beginning and an end. Life itself has a beginning and an end.

There is a saying that says that "Love makes the world go around". Maybe this is a clue as to when love began. We know that the world was created by God and God's love began before the world was created (John 17:23-24).

God is love and because He is eternal, His love will continue throughout all time and eternity. Yes, love began with God, but it has no ending. LOVE IS ENDLESS and it will go on forever.

Ed Unruh

Thinking Ahead

Remember to be positive in all you do and you will attain that goal you have set for yourself. Take a look at how you got where you are today. If you are honest with yourself, you will admit you are where you are today by God's grace.

The truth is - God created man (Genesis 1:27) and He knows what is going on in his heart and mind (Psalm 139:2).

Are you thinking ahead? God does - and He knows what you are going to do before you do it. So, don't hesitate to look to God for His guidance and direction. You will find Him to be there for you each and every time.

Ed Unruh

Faith

On the 12th of October, 1492; Christopher Columbus discovered America. In order for him to do that, this great explorer had to have faith. Along with his shipmates he wanted to prove the world was round. He did that and a lot more, and his motivation was his faith.

In life today, there are a lot of challenges and decisions that have to be made. As long as we know where we are going and how to get there, we don't need a whole lot of faith, just like in Columbus' situation. When he didn't know where he was going, he needed a lot of faith.

When we need faith , where does it come from? In the Bible in Romans 10:17, we read, "Faith comes from God". So, how is your faith? If you use it wisely, you will find it holds a lot more power than you realize.

Ed Unruh