How poor we are!

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the
trip?'
'It was great, Dad.'
'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.
'Oh yeah,' said the son.
'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father

The son answered:
'I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'

The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing?

Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
'Life is too short and friends are too few.'

When you Pray, Give God Your Worries "

“Give us today the food we need” (Matthew 6:11).

Once you have given God your love and your life, Jesus teaches you can give Him your worries by asking God to provide for your needs and then trusting that He will provide.

For instance, we can ask God to give us the food we need each day. Some translations say, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
What is “daily bread”?

It’s the necessities of life—our physical and material needs that we’re always worrying about.

God wants you to ask Him to provide those things so you don’t have to worry about them.

He’s promised to provide all your needs: “My God shall supply all of your needs”(Philippians 4:19 ).
What do you need today ?

Energy to make it through the day? Finances? Wisdom?

You have two alternatives: panic or pray.

Philippians 4:6 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (NIV).
Do you really believe this verse?

God says you can pray about everything.

Nothing is too great for God’s power.

Nothing is too insignificant for his care.

Anything worth worrying about is worth praying about. If we prayed as much as we worried, we’d have a lot less to worry about ! Give God your worries.

When you talk to God about your needs, you need to be specific.

When you pray generically—“God, bless me”—how are you going to know if He answered it or not?

What’s a blessing? Sometimes blessings come in the form of problems.

You’d better be careful when you pray, “God, bless me.”

Notice the Philippians verse also says, “By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.”

When you pray, be specific and do it with thanksgiving. Psychologists say gratitude is the healthiest emotion you can have.

The more you develop an attitude of appreciation for God, your family, and other people, the healthier you are emotionally.

You worship God through prayer when you give Him your love (praise), your life(purpose), and your worries (provision)

Refiner's Fire !!!

Once a woman was puzzled and wondered what the Bible verse "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Mal.3:3) meant about the character and nature of God. She offered to find out the process of refining silver and called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you and, no matter whatever you are going through now, you will be a better person in the end!