A Load Too Heavy
Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others.
Ephesians 4:31

Oh, the gradual grasp of hatred. It's damage begins like the crack in a windshield. With time the nick became a crack, and the crack became a winding tributary.
Hatred will sour your outlook and break your back. The load of bitterness is simply too heavy. Your knees will buckle under the strain, and your heart will break beneath the weight. The mountain before you is steep enough without the heaviness of hatred of your back. The wisest choice-the only choice-is for you to drop the anger. You will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you.
In The Grip Of Grace

Imagine Seeing God
May the Lord bless you from Mount Zion, He who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 134:3

The Hebrew writer gives us a National Geographic piece on heaven. Listen to how he describes the mountaintop of Zion. He says when we reach the mountain we will have come to "the city of the living God.... To thousands of angels gathered together with joy.... To the meeting of God's firstborn children whose names are written in heaven"(Hebrews 12:22-23).
What a mountain! Won't it be great to see the angels? To finally know what they look like and who they are?...
Imagine the meeting of the firstborn. A gathering of all God's children. No jealousy. No competition. No division.... We will be perfect.... sinless..
And imagine seeing God. Finally, to gaze in the face of your Father. To feel the Father's gaze upon you. Neither will ever cease.
When God Whispers Your Name

The Best Is Yet To Be
I will also give to each one who wins the victory a white stone with a new name written on it.
Revelation 2:17

Makes sense. Fathers are fond of giving their children special names. Princess. Tiger. Sweetheart. Bubba. Angel....
Isn't it incredible to think that God has saved a name just for you? One you don't even know? We've always assumed that the name we got is the name we will keep. Not so.... The road ahead is so bright a fresh name is needed. Your eternity is so special no common name will do.
So God has one reserved just for you. There is more to life than you ever thought. There is more to your story than what you have read...
And so I plead..... Be there when God whispers your name.
When God Whispers Your Name

In The Arms Of God
Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
John 11:26

We don't like to say good-bye to those whom we love. Whether it be at a school or a cemetery, separation is tough. It is right for us to weep, but there is no need for us to despair. They had pain here. They have no pain there. You and I might wonder why God took them home. But they don't. They understand. They are, at this very moment, at peace in the presence of God...
When it is cold on earth, we can take comfort in knowing that our loved ones are in the warm arms of God. And when Christ comes, we will hold them, too.
When Christ Come

Trust God With The Future
Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me.
John 14:1

Our [little] minds are ill-equipped to handle the thoughts of eternity. When it comes to a world with no boundaries of space and time, we don't have the hooks for those hats. Consequently, our Lord takes the posture of a parent..... Trust me....
Don't be troubled by the return of Christ. Don't be anxious about things you cannot comprehend....For the Christian, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated.
When Christ Comes

Great posts! :thumbsup:

Radical Reconstruction
Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven.
Matthew 5:12

Matthew 5 describes God's radical reconconstruction of the heart.
Observe the sequence. First, we recognize we are in need (we're poor in spirit). Next, we repent of our self-sufficiency (we mourn). We quit calling the shots and surrender control to God (we're meek). So grateful are we for His presence that we yearn for more of Him (we hunger and thirst). As we grow closer to Him, we become more like Him. We forgive others (we're merciful). We change our outlook (we're pure in heart). We love others (we're peacemakers). We endure injustice (we're persecuted).
It's no casual shift of attitude. It is a demolition of the old structure and a creation of the new. The more radical the change, the greater the joy. And it's worth every effort, for this is the joy of God.
The Applause Of Heaven

God Knows What He's Doing
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too
wonderful for me to know.
Job 42:3

It's easy to thank God when He does what we want. But God doesn't always do what we want. Ask Job.
His empire collapsed, his children were killed, and what was a healthy body became a rage of boils. From whence came this torrent? From whence will come any help?
Job goes straight to God and pleads his case. His head hurts. His body hurts. His heart hurts.
And God answers. Not with answers but with questions. An ocean of questions.
After several dozen questions... Job has gotten the point. What is it?
The point is this: God owes no one anything. No reasons. No explanations. Nothing. If He gave them, we couldn't understand them.
God is God. He knows what He is doing. When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart.
The Inspirational Study Bible

The CEO of Heaven
Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.
Proverbs 4:23

[God] wants you to "think and act like Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). But how? The answer is surprisingly simple. We can be transformed if we make one decision: I will submit my thoughts to the authority of Jesus....
Jesus claims to be the CEO of heaven and earth. He has the ultimate say on everything, especially our thoughts. He has more authority, for example, than your parents. Your parents say you are no good, but Jesus says you are valuable, and He has authority over parents...
Jesus also has authority over your ideas. Suppose you have an idea that you want to rob a grocery store. Jesus, however, has made it clear that stealing is wrong. If you have given Him authority over your ideas, then the idea of stealing cannot remain in your thoughts...
To have a pure heart, we must submit all thoughts to the authority of Christ. If we are willing to do that, He will change us to be like Him.
Just Like Jesus

What Heaven Holds
There is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner changes his heart and life.
Luke 15:10

Why do Jesus and His angels rejoice over one repenting sinner? Can they see something we can't? Do they know something we don't? Absolutely. They know what heaven holds...
Heaven is populated by those who let God change them. Arguments will cease, for jealousy won't exist. Suspicions won't surface, for there will be no secrets. Every sin is gone. Every insecurity is forgotten. Every fear is past. Pure wheat. No weeds. Pure gold. No alloy. Pure love. No lust. Pure hope. No fear. No wonder the angels rejoice when one sinner repents; they know another work of art will soon grace the gallery of God. They know what heaven holds.
Just Like Jesus

Do Something
Faith that does nothing is dead!
James 2:26

Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. Faith is the belief that God will do what is right. God is always near and always available. Just waiting for your touch. So let Him know. Demonstrate your devotion:
Write a letter.
Ask forgiveness.
Be baptized.
Feed a hungry person.
Pray.
Teach.
Go.
Do something that demonstrates faith. For faith with no effort is no faith at all. God will respond. He has never rejected a genuine gesture of faith. Never.
He Still Moves Stones

A Crisp View Of God
Lord, even when I have trouble all around me, You will keep me alive.
Psalm 138:7

There is a window in your heart through which you can see God. Once upon a time that window was clear. Your view of God was crisp. You could see God as vividly as you could see a gentle valley or hillside.
Then, suddenly, the window cracked. A pebble broke the window. A pebble of pain.
And suddenly, God was not so easy to see. The view that had been so crisp had changed.
You were puzzled. God wouldn't allow something like this to happen, would He?
When you can't see Him, trust Him.... Jesus is closer than you've ever dreamed.
In The Eye Of The Storm

In A Word
He who overcomes, and keeps My words until the end, to him I will give power
over the nations.
Revelation 2:26

Think for a moment about this question: What if God weren't here on earth? You think people can be cruel now, imagine us without the presence of God. You think we are brutal to each other now, imagine the world without the Holy Spirit. You think there is loneliness and despair and guilt now, imagine life without the touch of Jesus. No forgiveness. No hope. No acts of kindness. No words of love. No more food given in His name. No more songs sung to His praise. No more deeds done in His honor. If God took away His angels, His grace, His promise of eternity, and His servants, what would the world be like?
In a word, hell.
Just Like Jesus

It's Called "Choice"
To choose life is to love the Lord your God, obey Him, and stay close to Him.
Deuteronomy 30:20

He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground...
All were silent as the Creator reached in Himself and removed something yet unseen. "It's called 'choice.' The seed of choice."
Within the man, God has placed a divine seed. A seed of His self. The God of might had created earth's mightiest. The Creator had created, not a creature, but another creature. And the One who had chosen to love had created one who could love in return.
Now it's our choice.
In The Eye Of The Storm

No Secrets From God
If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone;
everything is made new!
2 Corinthians 5:17

Have you been there? Have you felt the ground of conviction give way beneath your feet? The ledge crumbles, your eyes widen, and down you go.
Now what do you do?... When we fall, we can dismiss it. We can deny it. We can distort it. Or we can deal with it...
We keep no secrets from God. Confession is not telling God what we did. He already knows. Confession is simply agreeing with God that our acts were wrong.....
How can God heal what we deny?.. How can God grant us pardon when we won't admit our guilt? Ahh, there's a word: guilt. Isn't that what we avoid? Guilt. Isn't that what we detest? But is guilt so bad? What does guilt imply if not that we know right from wrong, that we aspire to be better than we are.... That's what guilt is: a healthy regret for telling God one thing and doing another.

Everyone Will See Him
After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me so that you may be where I am.
John 14:3

Someday, according to Christ, He will set us free. He will come back.
In the blink of an eye, as fast as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, He will come back. And everyone will see Him-you will, I will. Bodies will push back the dirt and break the surface of the sea. The earth will tremble, the sky will roar, and those who do not know Him will shudder. But in that hour you will not fear, because you know Him.
When Christ Comes

A Heart Like His
From this time on we do not think of anyone as the world does.
2 Corinthians 5:16

Ask God to help you have His eternal view of the world. His view of humanity is starkly simple. From His perspective every person is either:
Entering through the small gate or the wide gate (Matthew 7:13-14)...
Heaven called or hell bound (Mark 16:15-16)....
Our ledger, however, is cluttered with unnecessary columns. Is he rich? Is she pretty? What work does he do? What color is her skin? Does she have a college degree? These matters are irrelevant to God....
To have a heart like His is to look into the faces of the saved and rejoice! They are just one grave away from being just like Jesus. To have a heart like His is to look into the faces of the lost and pray. For unless they turn, they are one grave away from torment.
Just Like Jesus

God's Faithfulness
My God will use His wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.
Philippians 4:19

God's faithfulness has never depended on the faithfulness of His children. He is faithful even when we aren't. When we lack courage, He doesn't. He has made a history out of using people in spite of people.
Need an example? The feeding of the five thousand. It's the only miracle, aside from those of the final week, recorded in all four Gospels. Why did all four writers think it worth repeating?... Perhaps they wanted to show how God doesn't give up even when His people do..
When the disciples didn't pray, Jesus prayed. When the disciples didn't see God, Jesus sought God. When the disciples were weak, Jesus was strong. When the disciples had no faith, Jesus had faith.
I simply think God is greater than our weakness. In fact, I think it is our weakness that reveals how great God is...
God is faithful even when his children are not.
A Gentle Thunder

I just wanted to say that I liked the first one best. I wish there were more discussion of Grace because it is such a thing to behold - such a gift. And everyone is entitled to it, no matter what! The man who wrote Amazing Grace had quite the evil track record.. yet he was the one who wrote the best known song about Grace.. therefore demonstrating that yes, EVERYONE is entitled to Grace!:)

Thanks for your post. Sincerely, Karen

some great reading.. thanks to y'all for taking your time to share that I enjoed it and needed the energy boost

Thank you for posting all of this encouragement!!! God Bless you!!!

I was listening to a tape of a sermon. the minister said something that stays with me about faith and hope. He said hope was okay. It was better to have hope than to be hopeless, but faith was differet. When you have hope, you don't have to do anything. Yo can sit in your chair and think, "I hope I get a call from my honey." If you have fiath, you are sure your noney wants to talk to you and you do whatever it takes so he can hear your voice. You call or you visit. When you have faith, you are a person of action.

Aikya