Thought for the Day
Robert E. Chatfield
"Opportunities are seldom labeled." John A. Shedd
Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them Ann Landers
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."--Thomas A. Edison
Success results when preparation meets opportunity. Joseph B. Wirthlin (November 1989 Ensign, page 74)
MISSED
OPPORTUNITIES
The story is told of a young man who wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and responded, "Son, go stand out in that field and I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."
The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate.
The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life. It stood - pawing the ground, grunting, slinging slobber - as it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture, out the back gate.
The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed... but the bull had no tail!
Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass (often in hopes of something better), those opportunities may never again be available.
The same thing is also true of opportunities to serve Christ. God often opens doors -- opportunities to speak up for Him, opportunities to minister to someone who is hurting or in need, opportunities to make an influence on the world around us. If we allow them to pass by (perhaps because we are waiting for something easier to come along), we may miss out on them altogether.
"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." (Gal. 6:10)
May you take advantage of the doors God opens for you this day!
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Robert E. Chatfield
You were born an original. Don't die a copy. John Mason
"Few men during their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used." Richard Byrd, Explorer
"The biggest tragedy in America is not the great waste of natural resources - though this is tragic; the biggest tragedy is the waste of human resources because the average person goes to his grave with his music still in him." Oliver Wendell Holmes
"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astonish ourselves." Thomas Edison, Inventor
Born
to Fly
Dick
Innes
"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."1
From the book, Broken Chains, by Doug Batchelor.
A naturalist visiting a farm one day was surprised to see a beautiful eagle in the farmer's chicken coop. Befuddled, he asked, "Why in the world is that eagle living with chickens?"
"Well,"
answered the farmer, "I found an abandoned eagle's egg one day
and laid it in the coop, and a chicken adopted it and raised the
creature after it hatched. It doesn't know any better; it thinks it's
a chicken." The eagle was even pecking at grain and strutting
awkwardly in circles.
"Doesn't
it ever try to fly out of there?" asked the naturalist, noticing
that the bird never lifted its gaze. "No," said the farmer,
"I doubt it even knows what it means to fly."
The naturalist asked to take the eagle a few days for experiments, and the farmer agreed. The scientist placed the eagle on a fence and pushed it off, bellowing, "Fly!" But the bird just fell to the ground and started pecking. He then climbed to the top of a hayloft and did the same thing, but the confused bird spotted another eagle soaring on the currents high above the bluff, and a yearning was kindled within it. The naturalist threw the majestic beast up and over the edge, crying out, "Fly! Fly! Fly!"
The eagle began to tumble toward the rocks below, then it opened its seven-foot span of wings and, with a mighty screech, instinctively began to flap them. Soon it was gliding gracefully, climbing in ever-higher spirals on unseen thermals into the but blue sky Eventually, the mighty eagle disappeared into the glare of the morning sun. The bird had become what it was born to be.
Have you discovered your God-given purpose and potential--and have become or are becoming all that you were born to be?
1. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV).
2. Doug Batchelor, "Broken Chains," Pacific Press, 2004. Cited in WITandWISDOM, Richard Wimer. http://www.witandwisdom.org/.
Robert E. Chatfield
Every time we encourage someone, we give them a transfusion of courage.
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." Mark Twain
Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I will not forget you.
William Arthur Ward.
Edward Steichen, who eventually became one of the world's most renowned photographers, almost gave up on the day he shot his first pictures. At 16, young Steichen bought a camera and took 50 photos. Only one turned out--a portrait of his sister at the piano. Edward's father thought that was a poor showing. But his mother insisted that the photograph of his sister was so beautiful that it more than compensated for 49 failures. Her encouragement convinced the youngster to stick with his new hobby. He stayed with it for the rest of his life, but it had been a close call. What tipped the scales? The vision to spot excellence in the midst of a lot of failure.
Note
how good you feel after you have encouraged someone else. No other
argument is necessary to suggest that you never miss the opportunity
to give encouragement. George Adams
Robert E. Chatfield
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely..............Proverbs 1:33
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25
"For in the time of trouble he shall hide in his pavilion; in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock."1 Psalm 27:5
"The whole armor of God will keep the divine light of Jesus Christ inside and the darkness of evil outside." Bernard P. Brockbank
The Hiding Place
In her bestseller book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of the tense times in Holland during the German invasion. One night when there was bombing and shelling happening all around the house where she and her sister lived, Corrie couldn't sleep. Hearing her sister in the kitchen, she decided to go down and join her.
Long into the night after all the bombing ceased and all was silent, Corrie returned to her bed only to find that her pillow—right where her head laid—had been pierced with a sizable piece of sharp metal shrapnel from an exploding bomb! Going downstairs to the kitchen saved her life!
She rushed to tell her sister saying, "Betsie, if I hadn't heard you in the kitchen …." To this her saintly sister interrupted, "Don't say it, Corrie. There are no ifs in God's world. The center of his will is our safety."
Later through terrible trying times in a Nazi prison, Miss Ten Boom was to learn over and over this marvelous truth: "God's will is our hiding place."
Robert E. Chatfield
“Childbirth is an act of nature. Adoption is an act of GOD.”
“Family is not about blood. It is about who is willing to hold your hand when you need it the most.”
“From the moment they placed you in my arms you snuggled right into my heart.”
“Adoption is when a child grew in it’s mommy’s heart instead of her tummy”
“There are no unwanted children, just unfound families.” The National Adoption Center
A
couple from a circus go to an adoption agency, but social workers
have doubts about their suitability.
So
they produce photos of their 50 foot motor home, the back half of
which is a beautifully equipped nursery.
The
social workers then are doubtful about the education that would be
provided.
"We've
employed a full time tutor who'll teach the child all the subjects
along with Mandarin and IT skills."
There
are then doubts expressed about the child's healthy upbringing.
"Our
fulltime nanny is an expert in pediatric welfare and diet," they
reply.
The
social workers are finally satisfied, and ask what age of child they
were hoping to adopt.
"It
doesn't really matter," they say, "so long as he fits
nicely into the cannon."
Sorry! Life has just been too serious lately
Robert E. Chatfield
Hope makes today possible and tomorrow attractive, or at least less threatening. Hope makes death bearable...hope is the mainstay of our energy. We go forward - because we hope.
"Only Jesus Christ is uniquely qualified to provide that hope, that confidence, and that strength to overcome the world and rise above our human failings." Ezra Taft Benson
Never deprive someone of hope. It may be all they have.
"Hope is knowing that whatever comes, the Lord can whisper peace." Dwan J. Young
The Healing Power of Hope
"Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh it is a tree of life."1 – King Solomon
Norman Cousins was a doctor who treated leprosy and edited the Saturday Review magazine in the early 1960s. After suffering a painful and prolonged illness, he became fascinated on ways in which to fight against the "pain intensifiers" that he identified as negative emotions that increase the amount of pain a person feels.
"Cousins concluded that if negative emotions could produce chemical changes in the human body, then positive emotions such as hope, faith, love, joy, the will to live, creativity and playfulness could counteract the results of negative emotions and thereby reduce pain.
"Cousins began a research group at the UCLA medical school and studied the effects of positive emotions on health and pain. He surveyed 649 oncologists and asked them what psychological and emotional factors in their patients seemed important to them. Over 90 percent of those surveyed assigned the highest value to the attitudes of hope and optimism.
"Paul Brand writes about this research, 'One of the most important gifts we in the health profession can offer our patients is hope, thereby inspiriting in the patient a deep conviction that inner strength can make a difference in the struggle against pain and suffering.'"2
Interesting how the scriptures teach the importance of hope in health and well-being three thousand years ago. Modern medicine came to this conclusion through research 50 or so years ago!
And what greater hope can anyone ever have that the Christian whose hope is in the Lord—no matter what happens. As David, the psalmist, wrote, "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD."3
1. Proverbs 13:12
2. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Cousins.
3. Psalm 31:24
Robert E. Chatfield
"We learn to pray by praying. One can devote countless hours to examining the experiences of others, but nothing penetrates the human heart as does a personal, fervent prayer and its heaven-sent response."
God answers prayers. . . sometimes even before we have the chance to say them. Nellie Williams
"The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes." - Martin Luther
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.
"If we were granted all our prayers, there would be no death, no illness, no war, no trials, or no things to fear. To accomplish this, there could be no freedom and the purposes of the earth would be destroyed." Max B. Skousen
WHEN GOD SAYS NO
I heard a story about a young girl who wrote a letter to a missionary to let him know that her class had been praying for him. But evidently she'd been told not to request a response to her letter because the missionaries were very busy. So the missionary got a kick out of her letter. It said, "Dear Mr. Missionary, we are praying for you. But we are not expecting an answer."
I can't help but think that that little girl summarized the prayer lives of many Christians. Sometimes we pray without expecting an answer, even though God has assured us that He does indeed hear our prayers. David said, "I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications." (Psalm 116:1). But I think many of us struggle with the nagging question, "Is God really listening to me?" Yes, He heard David, He heard Elijah, and He heard the apostles. But does He hear me?
How do we really know that our prayers are answered? Sure, there are times when we see visible results. We may pray for someone who's sick and the next week they get well. But more often, our prayers don't produce flashing "neon" answers. We pray for help in financial problems, and we don't see things get any better. We pray for guidance in making right decisions, but the decisions don't get any easier. We pray for relationships with other people to improve, but they just seem to get worse. How do we as Christians account for that happening? How do we explain the fact that so many of our prayers seem to go "unanswered"?
The truth is, for a child of God there is no such thing as an unanswered prayer. Maybe you've heard it said before that God answers prayer in three ways. Sometimes the answer is "yes." Sometimes the answer is "no." And sometimes the answer is "wait a while." It's easy to accept an answer of "yes," but what about when God says, "no"?
Let me suggest three principles:
First of all, we need to trust God enough to realize that our all-loving, all-powerful Father loves us and has our best interest at heart. So when it seems that God says "no" to our prayers, we must trust Him enough to understand that there must be a good reason for it. It may be beyond our limited ability to understand, but we must simply trust God.
Maybe we haven't done all we could do in order to bring about the results we desire.
Secondly, we must not forsake God. Disappointment is a dangerous, powerful thing. When we get the feeling that God isn't listening to us, that He has said "no" to some prayer, we have a tendency to feel disappointed in Him. And Satan whispers to us, "God said He loves you, but He's not here." And if we allow that disappointment to harbor in our hearts, it can drive a wedge between us and God. We must continue to be faithful to our responsibility before God.
And thirdly, we need to realize that the answer may not be "no," but only "wait a while." God always answers our prayers immediately, but sometimes there's a delay in the giving of the answer and that can be a difficult thing for us to accept. The ability to wait for an answer is one of the marks of maturity. Be willing to let God answer in his own time, in his own way, and in his own power.
Many people see God as a divine vending machine in which you deposit one prayer and out pops a blessing. But what happens when you put your money in the Coke machine and nothing comes out? You get angry, you kick the Coke machine. So it's not surprising that such a view of God and prayer leads to disappointment when God says no.
I believe that we need to foster an entirely different view of prayer from that one. Our God is the Great God of the Universe, through His Son, the Creator of all things. For us to even venture to speak to Him is presumptuous. For us to ask Him to pay attention to our requests and then hope for Him to meet them requires bold expectation. In fact such would be arrogance if it were not for the simple fact that God tells us to do just that.
Looking from the proper perspective, we will not ask "What happens when God says no?" but rather "What happens when God says yes?" That the our Father in Heaven would listen to us and our needs is a great testimony to His great love for us. And it is that love that will lead Him to say no from time to time. At those times, we must trust Him knowing that he loves us and desires what is best for us. We must never forsake Him nor our duty toward Him. And we must realize that what we interpret to be an answer of "no" may just be God telling us to put a little more of our effort into the request, or wait a while.
"And his is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us." (I John 5:14)
Robert E. Chatfield
"You are so much a part of me, that when I die they will have to bury me twice. Once for who I was and once for what I have become because of you."
"To love and care for others is a decision. It is the answer to the Lord's exhortation, 'Come follow me'. " Hans B. Ringger
"The crowning attribute that leads to joy is love of God." Russell M. Nelson
"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give -- which is everything.”
Happy Valentine's Day
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."1
Every February, throughout the Western World (at least), romantic greeting cards, flowers, and specially packaged candy are given to our loved one/s as an expression of our love, all in the name of St. Valentine.
And who might St. Valentine be? One legend says that he was a priest in Rome during the third century AD at the time of the Roman Empire and that he may have been thrown into prison and killed for helping Christians escape the cruelty of Roman prisons where Christian prisoners were beaten and tortured.
According to another legend, "Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl—who may have been his jailor's daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France."2
If truth be known, there's probably a mixture of validity and make-believe in all of these legends. Nevertheless it's a good thing to show and tell our loved ones how much we love and appreciate them, not only in a romantic way on Valentine's Day, but every day of the year. As Jesus commanded us: "Love one another as I have loved you." That needs to be applied at all times—a big order and a goal we all need to strive towards.
In the words of John Oxenham, "Love ever gives, forgives, outlives, and ever stands with open hands, for while it lives, it gives. For this is love's prerogative—to give, and give, and give."
Robert E. Chatfield
Did you hear about the dyslexic agnostic insomniac who stays up all night wondering if there really is a Dog?
“…..............your poets have said, For we are also His offspring.” Acts 17:28
God loves everyone but probably prefers fruits of the spirit over religious nuts!
"Our relationship with God is not a goal to attain before we die. It is something to enjoy while we are still alive."
God's Valentine
|
|
||
|
|
||
Robert E. Chatfield
Teach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart, teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Alma 37:33
Enclosed in this attached talk is the means whereby one can control thoughts and avoid resulting temptations.
I can testify that when used properly, it really works
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1973/10/inspiring-music-worthy-thoughts?lang=eng
Cognitive Dissonance
"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death."1
How true it is that "what the mind dwells on the body acts on!"
Consider, for example, how temptation works. A seemingly innocent thought comes to mind from anywhere of a number of directions or, at times, from seemingly nowhere. We decide (mostly unconsciously) to dwell on that thought and, as we do, it hooks our emotions; and the more we concentrate on that thought, the stronger we feel about it, and the stronger we feel about it, the more we think about it—and then we begin to visualize in our mind what we desire and want to do. And then, unless we make a conscious choice to stop thinking about it, we are just as likely to give in to and act out the temptation.
The battle is won or lost in the mind before we ever act out the temptation.
One of many dangers in consistently giving in to temptation is that, as another has pointed out, "If we don't live the life we believe, we will end up unhappily believing the life we live."
We do this because as long as we don't live consistently with what we believe, our mind experiences what is called "cognitive dissonance"; that is, mental disharmony. Because we can't tolerate this mental conflict, we change our beliefs to match our behavior and then rationalize and justify what we do—an extremely dangerous path to follow. The end result is what the Bible calls having a dead conscience which ultimately leads to death—spiritual death.2
1.
James 1:14-15 .
2. See James 1:15.