You Decide If There Is A God

A lady went to a beauty shop to have her hair cut and her nails painted and trimmed. As the lady began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the beautician said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked Sheryl who has MS.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

Then Sheryl thought for a moment, but didn't respond because she didn't want to start an argument. The beautician just finished her job and the customer left the shop. Just after
she left the beauty shop, she saw a woman in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and not groomed at all. She looked dirty and unkempt.

Then Sheryl turned back and entered the beauty shop again and she said to the beautician: "You know what? Beauticians do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised beautician. "I am here, and I am a beautician. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" Sheryl exclaimed. "Beauticians don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and be very unkempt, like that woman outside."

"Ah, but beauticians DO exist! What happens is people do not come to me."

"Exactly!"- affirmed Sheryl. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!

What happens is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
~Unknown, contributed by my wonderful sister, Susan.

I challenge each of us to go outside this Spring and notice every new birth sprouting up from the earth and convince me that there is no God!

1Co 8:6 - "yet for us there is {but} one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we {exist} for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we {exist} through Him."

"The very act of planting a seed in the earth has in it to me something beautiful. I always do it with a joy that is largely mixed with awe."
~Celia Laighton Thaxter

Stand in awe of God today and serve Him in all that you do.

Mike

You can view Mike's Daily Blessings at http://www.TheWoods.phpbbnow.com

Please invite Mike to your friends list here:

 http://community.adlandpro.com/go/papaof7/ 

"I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." Martha Washington

Ouch, this one hits home. This morning as I lay, too long, in the comfort of my bed I started to think of how difficult it was going to be to make all the joints cooperate in the task of removing my aching body from the warmth of the blankets. This sort of thinking soon began to escalate into thoughts of “how bad I have it.” Mentally slapping myself in the face, I turned my thoughts to those whose plight was much worse than mine. I began talking to God and pleading with Him to grant a blessing of relief to those that have little hope of even getting out of bed today at all, even with assistance. Soon, I had a long list of people that I knew needed a special blessing just to get through today. Then I realized that there had been a number of people that I had “promised” to take before God’s throne and plead for mercy, hope and relief from their suffering. Even after I had finished my requests I felt there were so many more that need Him so badly. He remembers those I forgot.

God knows what we need even before we ask. He wants us to ask anyway. You see, He wants us to communicate with Him. He wants a relationship with us. No, He demands a relationship with us. After all, He is the creator of heaven, earth, you and me.

After finally humbling myself enough to ask God to forgive me for beginning the day feeling sorry for myself, I commanded each body part to work together and escape the cocoon of self pity.

With that victory won, I’m reminded of this line from Henry Ward Beecher; “Your greatest pleasure is that which rebounds from hearts that you have made glad.”

If you have enough strength to find this message today, be thankful and focus on assisting someone else to be made glad.

Make an inspiring day,

Mike

You can view Mike's Daily Blessings at http://www.TheWoods.phpbbnow.com

Hi Sharon,

I must thank you for sharing Mike's Inspirational and Meaningful Blessings. I checked out his forum site and was fully inspired with renewed strength to work for the glory of our almighty Father and the peace of the world and mankind.

I wish we can all live to encourage each other especially those at the low side of life.

I've invited Mike to my friends' list
God bless you.

 When God Says No! God Says No, Then What?

I heard a story recently 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."




Does this sound familiar? This small girl represents a lot of “believers” in a mighty God. Often prayers are uttered without a thought as to getting an answer, let alone the one we are seeking. Too often we pray idly without expecting an answer at all. The sweet Palmist David said, “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.” (Psalm 116:1). While reading through the Bible, people many times wonder if God is tuned in to them. Oh, we read that he heard great men in the Old Testament and are familiar with the New Testament’s teaching on prayer, but somehow we disconnect when trying to put the concept on a personal level.

Can we actually know that our prayers are answered? Sometimes our prayers are offered for problems we expect an immediate answer to. We pray for the sick expecting them to fully recover. A bad relationship seems hopeless and we ask for a complete turnaround, today! Our debt is more than we can bear so we ask God to “fix it.” If these petitions and similar ones do not turn out as expected, how do we react or explain that?

I have heard all my life that there are three ways in which God answers prayer. First, He may reply by answering “yes.” Then comes the dreaded “no” answer. Finally the confusing, “maybe, in My time, not yours” reply is received. The yes answer we quickly jump for joy over. The “wait awhile” answer allows us to remain hopeful. What about a “no” response? What then?

For the active, believing Christian there is not such thing as an unanswered prayer. Surprised? A clear “no” simply implies that God knows what is best better than we.
When it seems we have received a “no” it is often actually a “wait a while.” We are so disappointed that we are infuriated with God and fail to see His plan. We become instantly vulnerable to the evil one. He pounces with statements like; “where is your God now? Has your God forsaken you? Why do you trust Him even though He is not here? Resist the Devil. Allow God to work in His own time and trust His judgment.

It is highly likely that many of you are fighting a battle right now with this very issue, even as I am. It has been days, weeks, months or even years and we seem to think it hopeless for ever getting an answer.

We mustn’t view God as a buffet line or put Him in our “fast food” category. This will only breed disappointment and resentment. "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (I John 5:14)

He is listening. Are you waiting and listening properly for His answer?


Make a great day,

Mike