Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... January, February and March, 2016

January 2, 2016 | JustAmy; Meg33, The Mayor; Trisham; St.Louie1, Friends, MamaBear

[pollywog]

Good Morning Kitty Mittens.
Sweet sweet graphic and HUGS and LOVE to you.
I need to stay over here on Amy’s Place and bask in God’s Love for His Children.
Have a good day.

[pollywog]

Good Morning Mayor. Such wise words from Our Daily Bread.

God Bless all here today.

[The Mayor]

Thank you

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you, Dear Polly!

(((((Hugs and Blessings, Sweet FRiend)))))

[MEG33]

A Happy Warm Fuzzy Wednesday
To Amy's Place

They watch the candidates debate, study their plans and positions in areas of concern and have chosen their favorites.

HATE THE WAIT*****HURRY PRIMARIES!
HURRY NOVEMBER!!

Up All Night....Time To Get Some Sleep....LOL

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Jesus Over Everything

February 10, 2016

He is before all things.

Colossians 1:17

My friend's son decided to wear a sports jersey over his school clothing one day. He wanted to show support for his favorite team that would be playing an important game later that night. Before leaving home, he put something on over his sports jersey--it was a chain with a pendant that read, "Jesus." His simple action illustrated a deeper truth: Jesus deserves first place over everything in our lives.

Jesus is above and over all. "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:17). Jesus is supreme over all creation (vv. 15-16). He is "the head of the body, the church" (v. 18). Because of this, He should have first place in all things.

Jesus deserves the best of our time, energy, and affection.

When we give Jesus the highest place of honor in each area of our lives, this truth becomes visible to those around us. At work, are we laboring first for God or only to please our employer? (3:23). How do God's standards show up in the way we treat others? (vv. 12-14). Do we put Him first as we live our lives and pursue our favorite pastimes?

When Jesus is our greatest influence in all of life, He will have His rightful place in our hearts.

Dear Jesus, You deserve the best of my time, energy, and affection. I crown You King of my heart and Lord over everything I do.

How can you put God first in your life today?

Put Jesus first.

Insight:

In today's passage--packed with significant theological morsels--the word all stands out. In these six short verses Paul uses it seven times, and he uses a similar word in verse 18--everything. Paul underscores Jesus's supremacy. He is the Source (v. 16) and Sustainer (v. 17) of everything.

[MEG33]

Amen to this wonderful message, Rus. Thank you
for starting our day off right every day.
You Are A Blessing

[left that other site]

Happy Warm and Fuzzy Wednesday!

And May the BEST Human Win!

( I know that is a Species-ist Remark, but it DOES eliminate a few contenders and narrows the field a bit! LOL!

ML/LTOS

[MEG33]

LOL! So cute, (((ML))). Thank you!

[luvie]

Happy Warm and Fuzzy...
....and Bossy...Wednesday!

[The Mayor]

How cute! Thank you Meg

[MEG33]

Thank you so much for your comments and cute graphics.
I Wish You A Lovely Evening
*HUGS*

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you, Dear Meg! Your Wednesday Graphics are So Cute.
(((((Hugs!))))

Thank you to Everyone for the Daily Pings & Posts.
(((((Goodnight, and God Bless)))))

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Turn Off the Scoreboard

February 11, 2016

Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

At his son's wedding reception, my friend Bob offered advice and encouragement to the newlyweds. In his speech he told of a football coach in a nearby town who, when his team lost a game, kept the losing score on the scoreboard all week to remind the team of their failure. While that may be a good football strategy, Bob wisely advised, it's a terrible strategy in marriage. When your spouse upsets you or fails you in some way, don't keep drawing attention to the failure. Turn off the scoreboard.

What great advice! Scripture is full of commands for us to love each other and overlook faults. We are reminded that love "keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Cor. 13:5) and that we should be ready to forgive one another "just as in Christ God forgave you" (Eph. 4:32).

God doesn't simply forgive when we repent; He removes our sin.

I am deeply grateful that God turns off the scoreboard when I fail. He doesn't simply forgive when we repent; He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). With God, forgiveness means that our sin is out of sight and out of mind. May He give us grace to extend forgiveness to those around us.

Lord, thank You for not holding my sins against me and for granting me a second chance. Help me today to forgive others just as You have so freely forgiven me.

Forgive as God forgives you--don't keep score.

Insight:

After we become followers of Christ, our lives are to be characterized by holiness and purity. We are to "put off [our] old self . . . and to put on the new self" (4:22, 24), which changes the way we communicate. Christians are to "put off falsehood and speak truthfully" (v. 25); stop using unwholesome, foul, or abusive language (v. 29); and get rid of bitter, angry, harsh, slanderous, and malicious words (v. 31). Instead we are to speak graciously, using words that edify, build up, encourage, and benefit those who listen (v. 29).

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Lord, thank You for not holding my sins against me and for granting me a second chance. Help me today to forgive others just as You have so freely forgiven me.

Forgive as God forgives you—don’t keep score.”

Good lesson, Russ.

[The Mayor]

Amen! Thank you

[trisham]

Oh, Lord, I thank you for the privilege and gift of living in a world filled with beauty and excitement and variety.

I thank you for the gift of loving and being loved, for the friendliness and understanding and beauty of the animals on the farm and in the forest and marshes, for the green of the trees, the sound of the waterfall, the darting beauty of the trout in the brook.

I thank you for the delights of music and children, of other people's thoughts and conversation and their books to read by the fireside or in bed with the rain falling on the roof or the snow blowing past outside the window

Louis Bromfield

Have a wonderful thankful Thursday, everyone!

[MEG33]

Amen I am thankful for your beautiful prayer and graphic.

[trisham]

Beautiful MEG, thank you so much.

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Undigested Knowledge

February 12, 2016

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

John 8:31

In his book on language, British diplomat Lancelot Oliphant (1881-1965) observed that many students give correct answers on tests but fail to put those lessons into practice. "Such undigested knowledge is of little use," declared Oliphant.

Author Barnabas Piper noticed a parallel in his own life: "I thought I was close to God because I knew all the answers," he said, "but I had fooled myself into thinking that was the same as relationship with Jesus."

Faith is not accepting the fact of God but receiving the life of God.

At the temple one day, Jesus encountered people who thought they had all the right answers. They were proudly proclaiming their status as Abraham's descendants yet refused to believe in God's Son.

"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do what Abraham did" (John 8:39). And what was that? Abraham "believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). Still, Jesus' hearers refused to believe. "The only Father we have is God himself," they said (John 8:41). Jesus replied, "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God" (v. 47).

Piper recalls how things "fell apart" for him before he "encountered God's grace and the person of Jesus in a profound way." When we allow God's truth to transform our lives, we gain much more than the right answer. We introduce the world to Jesus.

Father, thank You that You receive anyone who turns to You in faith.

Faith is not accepting the fact of God but of receiving the life of God.

INSIGHT:

John 8 is a chapter filled with conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel. In verses 1-11 the conflict is based on whether a woman caught in sin should be publicly executed or shown compassion. In verses 12-20 the point of friction focuses on whether Jesus is who He claims to be: the "Light of the world" and the Son of God. The religious leaders dispute Jesus's claim that God is His Father, even accusing Him of being born illegitimately (v. 41). When Jesus says that He existed before Abraham was born (vv. 56-58), His antagonists respond by attempting to stone Him to death.