[Brazilian Cardinal On Coconut Shell On Hawaiian Beach]
Some time ago, from my reference photograph above, I completed an oil painting of this cardinal and titled it "Slim Pickin's". Although the coconut contained sand from the beach, somehow the bird was finding some "slim pickin's" to nibble on.
It occurred to me just now that many people are surviving on just slim pickin's in their life, with no real "meat" of truth or hope to sustain them. It's even true with some Christians who never read their Bible and seldom pray.
What to do?
First of all, we must have a vibrant and living faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior. Without that, you are dead....spiritually dead, and will not make it to heaven.
Secondly, we must die to self. Yes, in an age where people are always thinking of themselves first and love to take selfie photos and the like, we must learn to put the heavenly Father and Jesus first in our lives.
"Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in." - C.S. Lewis (from his book, Mere Christianity)
Let us consider some Christian quotes and, most importantly, some Scriptures which follow that will enrich our soul and mind and heart.
"God always gives His very best to those who leave the choice with Him." - James Hudson Taylor
"Life is not about how long you live, but whether you are living intentionally and devotedly to Christ." - Dr. Charles Stanley
"Your life helps paint your neighbor's picture of God." - unknown
"Being at peace with yourself is a direct result of finding peace with God." - Olin Miller
"The safest place in all the world is in the will of God, and the safest protection in all the world is in the name of God." - Warren Wiersbe
[Haleiwa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii]
Lately, quotes by Christians on this blog have been more rare, as I think we should focus primarily on God's Holy Word. Following are some verses from Psalm 40, which all Christians can relate to:
Psalm 40:1-3 : (1) "I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. (2) He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (3) And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."
"For the joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10 b
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13
"And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13
[Waterfall At Waimea Bay Botanical Gardens, Oahu, Hawaii]
Please ponder over the above Scriptures; let them sink deep into your heart. But nothing compares to actually opening the Bible and pouring over God's Holy Word daily for yourself. As has been stated here before, the Bible is God's love letter to us, as well as His instruction manual to guide us along life's paths as we endeavor to do His will. When you read the Bible daily, you learn more about God and His Son Jesus, and you appreciate their attributes and that they personify love.... a love beyond our finite understanding. You will grow to love the Lord more and more as you read His Holy Word..... you will draw ever closer to Him.
The same applies to daily prayer. The good Lord wants to fellowship with us. He loves us. You cannot develop a good relationship with anyone if you never communicate with him. As you read the Bible and pray daily, you will find that you will grow in your relationship to the Lord. It will become a close, intimate, personal, ongoing love relationship. Isn't God awesome!
So do not live a life of "slim pickin's". A life without Jesus is a failure. True success is a life lived in obedience to Him.
".... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." - Jesus at John 10:10
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" - John 11:25-26
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend...... and life !!
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