From: "Dwayne Savaya" <[email protected]> God's Work Ministry E-mail
Dear Friend, Many times we allow our past hurts and heartbreaks to keep us from trusting again and from living life to its fullest potential. What we must realize is that no person will escape being hurt in this life. It is all a part of living and being alive. As long as we have breath in our lungs, we should expect to get hurt at some point in our lives, but getting hurt should not keep us stagnant in life. Just because we have suffered heartbreak does not mean that we should give up on all people and not allow ourselves to trust again. Life is all about second chances. God offers second chances to us so we should also give ourselves a second chance to live life to its fullest potential. That entails getting past what has happened to us and using it for our benefit to become better, wiser and stronger than we were before. We must always keep in mind that past hurts can do two things; they can make us bitter or they can make us better. We can either become stagnant and stay in that negative state of mind, or we can rise up, learn from that situation and use our life to be a blessing to ourselves as well as to those around us. Be encouraged and know that your heart has a resilience like none other. The Lord can heal every brokenness that our hearts have suffered and give us a strength that we never thought was possible. Do all that you can to move your life in a positive direction using all that you have learned and experienced to better your life and don't be afraid to trust again. You may have suffered at one time, but your latter end is sure to be much brighter and much more victorious than any of the former miseries that came your way in times past. (Romans 8:28) (Ecclesiastes 7:8-10) I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to see that you can get past any old hurts that you have suffered before. You can become better because of that negative situation and use what you've learned to set your life towards a blessed and bright future. BROKEN HEARTS My new neighbors gave me a nice gift the other day. It was a set of beautiful, white, patio stones. They had been using them to create a walk-way to their back door but decided a natural lawn would be easier to maintain. I was happy to take them and thought of using them to create a walk-way to my own front porch. My hill was a bit too steep and the plaster stones were a bit too slick for it to work, though. I soon found a home for them, however, around the flower box in my front yard. They were the perfect replacement for the rotting timber beams and their heart shapes made the flower box stand out even better. I was able to use every single one of them and even pieced a few broken ones together instead of throwing them out. As I look out on them now, I think that the broken ones are the most beautiful of them all. They may have a few cracks in them, but they reflect the sunlight just as brightly as the others. I love those cracked hearts because I know that in this life no heart ends up undamaged. This world is full of hearts that have been bruised, battered, beaten, and broken. There isn't a single heart in this world that hasn't been cracked at least once from pain, suffering, and loss. Still, with all of their cracks, our hearts continue to love. They continue to share love and to reflect the sunlight of God's love just as brightly as ever. They don't let a few missing pieces or tiny cracks stand in their way. They keep beating and they keep loving for all that they are worth. If your own heart has been bruised and broken, don't despair. God loves you and is always ready to heal it with His love. All you have to do is let Him. You may have a few cracks left over, but they will just let His light shine more deeply inside you. They will help you as well to touch other broken hearts with your own love. We all may have a few cracks in our hearts, after all, but they only help the love to flow in and out. By Joseph J. Mazzella Read and meditate on these scriptures: Psalm 34:17-19 "The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." Psalm 118:4-6 "Let them now that fear the LORD say, that His mercy endureth for ever. I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" Psalm 146:5-9 "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: The LORD preserveth the strangers; He relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked He turneth upside down." 1 Peter 3:8-11 "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: THE RIGHT WORDS Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem173.htm Today's Selected Testimony: TERRY GABURO'S TESTIMONY Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony134.htm ============================================= God's Work Ministry E-mail Dear Friend, When life seems overwhelming as it sometimes does, we should remember to keep things in perspective. Many times we focus so much on the bad that we are currently going through that we don't take time to realize how temporary that situation is. We must remember that in life we will experience all emotions. We will have good times and bad, laughter and tears, happiness and sadness, feelings of optimism and pessimism and moments of triumph and despair. We will experience all of these emotions in life, but what we must always remember is that the good times will greatly outweigh the bad. We just have to be steady and know to be patient because whatever bad is trying to discourage our hearts will soon pass away. Never give in to those negative feelings even if life seems too much to handle in that moment. Life is never too much to handle because God is able to take our heavy burden and ease it with His gentle Spirit. (John 16:33) All we have to do is simply call upon the Lord and ask for His ever-present help. The Bible declares in Psalm 103:8 "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." The Lord is our strong tower and our solid rock. He is our portion for peace even when everything else around us is crumbling. The Lord can restore unto us peace like we've never felt so let us remember His goodness and know that life can be lived to the full if only we keep our remembrance that the good times will come again and will greatly overshadow any bad that came our way in times past. Be encouraged to remember to take it easy if you are going through a rough time right now. It will get better; that is a guaranteed promise. Just be patient and see what great things will soon come your way. (Isaiah 26:3-4) I hope this message challenges your heart to see that no matter what overwhelming situations come your way, you can get past it and in time become better because of it. WHAT DID I EVER DO? This is a true story. That's all I will say. Enjoy! Many years ago when my children were very little, I asked the question, "Oh Lord, what did I ever do?" It was a very rainy day and rained right through the night. We awoke fairly early in the morning to one of the most memorable mornings of our lives. It started normal enough until I opened my boy's door, then everything became disoriented and I felt like I just entered the Twilight Zone. My husband said I screamed but I don't remember that, all I remember is what was right before my eyes. A disaster area, one like I have never seen before. The room was totally destroyed. The Bedspreads, sheets and pillowcases were off the bunk beds. The closet doors were off the hinges and propped up against the top bunk bed, like a sliding shoot. The curtains were down and out the window along with all the bedding, their clothes out of the opened drawers, and about twenty-five pairs of high-heeled shoes that I had stored in their closets. At that point, I don't even think I realized it was raining outside and the mess I had waiting for me out there. I only knew the one I had in front of me. The room was unrecognizable. My two little boys sat there looking at me like I lost my mind. They loved their new room and were having a ball sliding down the new shoot. Very inventive but I didn't think of that either. How in the world did they lift those huge closet doors off the track and onto the bed? But I wasn't impressed with that either, at least not then. My husband was just as stunned and speechless as I was. All we could do is take it all in and try to keep our shock and horror in check. He stood both boys in the corner and told them, "don't move, until we get this room cleaned up." "Can you leave the doors there daddy?" our oldest son asked. "AND don't talk either," he replied. It took us hours that day to get the room back to normal. I had to wash everything that was thrown out the window. The poor shoes couldn't be saved; they were completely ruined along with every nerve in my husband's body and mine. Oh yes, I asked that question that day and a few others along the way until their adulthood. But not once did I ever wish for a life without them, for it wouldn't have been a life at all. By Bonnie May Read and meditate on these scriptures: Psalm 34:1-4 "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Isaiah 40:28-29 "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength." Psalm 34:17-19 "The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." Psalm 103:1-5 "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: WISDOM OF THE SOUL Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem182.htm Today's Selected Testimony: SAND OR GRAVEL? Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony101.htm ============================================= God's Work Ministry E-mail Dear Friend, We should always believe in ourselves and know that our happiness lies in our own hands. We should never believe the falsity that we can never be happy in life or that our best days are behind us. What we must remember is that with each new day given to us, we have new opportunities to fulfill our life's destiny and find happiness in our successes. Many times we get down on ourselves because of past shortfalls and failures and we give up on ourselves. We don't see ourselves as worthy to be happy in life, but that is not how God wishes for us to see ourselves. The Lord wants us to be confident because He is able to give us a new beginning no matter how many times we have failed in times past. A quote I think of often says "Fall down seven times, stand up eight." We must stand up again and believe that we are meant for greatness. (Philippians 1:6) (Isaiah 43:18-19) No matter our shortfalls, we can be successful and be happy in life. We simply must believe in ourselves and know that God does not create mistakes. We are not mistakes and we never were. We must change our self image into one of mighty warriors in Christ who are able to overcome old hurts and be triumphant in every area that we put our minds to. Be encouraged to strive for excellence. Don't give up on yourself. Believe that you are meant to accomplish great things. Love yourself as God loves you and know that your happiness is waiting for you to attain it. I hope this message ministers to your heart and shows you that your happiness can be attained by simply believing in yourself and knowing that a new beginning is always possible. HAPPINESS HAS TWO DOORS It was by chance I discovered this. Discovering things is what I do. A friend once called me a "scavenger" and in doing so, finally gave me the answer I longed for when someone asked, "What do you do for a living?" "I am a scavenger!" I now declare proudly. Miners dig for gold and precious gems. I rummage through lives and words in search of the same thing. Yesterday I discovered that "Happiness has two doors." I believe it would be safe to say that everyone wants to be happy. Some want it to last forever and more realistic dreamers would appreciate even a moment or two in each day. Perhaps even, if they should be so bold as to dream so big, would like much longer periods mixed throughout the reality of life's ups and downs. Moments turn into hours and days into one greatly appreciated week. It is with this realization I discovered that there are two doors that lead to happiness. You always enter one and leave through the other. Some enter the door at the speed of light skipping past others in pursuit. They do anything they believe will make them happy without taking the time to understand the consequences. They gamble, they lie, they dive right into an opportunity without thinking, simply because they see it as a "chance of a lifetime," when in fact, God provides a lifetime of chances. They step on and over others to get to the head of the line. They profit little but spend more than they have in order to give the appearance of success and the illusion of being happy. This happiness is short lived and the door they exit leads most times to pain, depression and much longer periods of regret. Sometimes it simply leads nowhere. The door to true happiness opens easy for those who believe that happiness is a choice. Everything need not be perfect in their life in order to be happy. They don't need to have fancy clothes to feel properly dressed for any occasion. They don't need an expensive car to make a statement. They need a car to get them to work. How they live speaks volumes. They may not come from a story book family or have a perfect marriage, but they see themselves as a mosaic portrait of God's plan for their life. They remember the joy of playing with an old rag doll or stick of wood for hours because their parents could not afford better. They have witnessed love in the eyes of the elderly because they stopped to say hello and share their time. They have fallen down, but their faith has never let them down. Although at times, happiness may be short lived, the door they exit always leads them to another and another, for when God opens one door...oh, you know the rest. You find happiness there, too, right? By Bob Perks Read and meditate on these scriptures: James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." 2 Corinthians 4:15-17 "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD..." Joshua 1:8-9 "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: WHAT IS FAITH? Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem118.htm Today's Selected Testimony: JESUS IS THE FAITHFUL PROVIDER Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony96.htm ================================== God's Work Ministry E-mail Dear Friend, We should always go through life with a fresh outlook eager to learn new things with enthusiasm and zeal. The time that we have on this earth is short even though it may seem long to us in this present time. Years pass by us that seem like only moments ago and it is for this reason that we should look forward to each new day with excitement, hope and an expectancy to become better, wiser, stronger and more able than we were yesterday. Life is all about learning, growing and becoming better. When we look forward to our tomorrows, we will be receiving from it all the blessings that it has to offer. Tomorrow offers us new opportunities, a new chance to learn, a new chance to teach, a new chance to build relationships and mend broken ones. We have tomorrow to become more than we are today, but we must give ourselves that chance to learn, grow and change into all that God wants for us to become. (James 4:14) (Galatians 6:9) (Psalm 37:23-26) Never give up on yourself and think that you have no hope. Don't allow yourself to become so lackadaisical in life that you face each new day with boredom and with no appreciation for the gifts that you've been given. Recognize your blessings and make up your mind to face tomorrow with new appreciation. Learn from it, grow from it and become better because of it. Use every chance you have to better your life and when you do take every opportunity before you, you will see great things take place. Believe in yourself again as God believes in you and great changes will begin to happen in your life. (Psalm 146:5) (Psalm 138:7-8) I hope this message encourages your heart to learn all that you can each day that you can and become better today than you were yesterday. PROFESSOR OF LIFE When I was in college I had a professor who taught me a lot not only about English, but also about life. He taught with a joy, energy, and enthusiasm that touched everyone in his classes. He made us laugh, he made us learn, and he made us think as well. Here are just a few of the things that he taught me. He taught me that work isn't about getting a paycheck at the end of each week, it is about loving what you do and doing what you love. He taught me not to take life so seriously and that laughter is good when facing life's difficulties. He showed me that life is best when lived with zest and vitality and that what you put into life is what you get back from it. He showed me that the school of life is never out and that we keep learning everyday of our lives. He explained how everything from music, to books, to people, to experiences can be our teachers if we are only willing to learn. He explained too that it is always best to learn with enthusiasm and to live with joy. I was truly blessed to have had such a great teacher at such a young age. He opened my mind and started me on the path of a lifetime's worth of learning. I have tried to stay a good student of life since then. I have also tried to be a decent teacher as well by passing on what I have learned in my writings and in my life. Only time will tell how good a one I have been. In this life we are all students and we are all teachers. What we learn and what we teach, however, is up to us. May you always learn in enthusiasm and in joy then. May you always teach with energy and with love as well. May you never stop learning what God needs you to learn and may you always teach what God wants you to teach. I hope that you graduate this life with honors as a Child of God and I hope that you spend all of your years here as a Professor of love and of life. By Joseph J. Mazzella Read and meditate on these scriptures: James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Psalm 23:1-4 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 37:23-26 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed." Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: THE PROMISE Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem182.htm Today's Selected Testimony: ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony27.htm In Christ's Service, Dwayne Savaya God's Work Ministry Please feel free to visit the Website to read more Encouraging and Inspirational stories, poems and testimonies. Our E-mail Archives are available as well to read the messages that have been sent in the past. You can also send Free E-cards to friends and loved ones with the many choices available. You are also welcome to post your prayer requests in our Prayer Forum. All this and more available at --- http://www.Godswork.org You can also send prayer requests to --- [email protected] Add your E-mail address if you'd like correspondence with the prayer partners.
