He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Isaiah 40:29
Category: Encouragement
Monday Bible Promise – Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:11
Monday Bible Promise- Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3
Motivation Monday
“It costs something to bring children up in the way of God. It costs a mother’s tears and a father’s prayers. It calls for unflagging effort, for patient instruction, here a little and there a little. But this work pays. Parents can thus build around their children bulwarks which will preserve them from the evil that is flooding our world.”
Child Guidance, 479
Growing In the Garden – Zucchini Squash Blessings
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
I was feeling a bit down this morning, as I considered some challenges that have recently come into my life. Determined not to start a pity party, I decided to count my blessings instead. As I started to count, my eyes lit on my pile of gifted squash and I was reminded that the blessings of God are as endless as my current supply of zucchini.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Despite making eight loaves of zucchini bread so far this week, I still haven’t made a dent in this pile of homegrown squash! None of these beauties came from my garden. I did not plant a single squash. You guessed it- these came from my gardening friends and neighbors who are currently drowning in an abundance of zucchini and the like. It seems like every time I use a zucchini, more gets dropped off at our house. As a matter of fact, my husband met a local farmer this week who practically begged him to come take some excess squash out of his field!
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.*
Be encouraged, friends. When you stop and think about it, we’ve been gifted with more blessings than we know what to do with! My challenges are nothing that God can’t handle. God is good!
PS- Can I offer you some peppers or onions from my garden? I seem to have an abundance of both….
*Lyrics from the hymn, Count Your Blessings by J. Oatman Jr.
Motivation Monday
“There is something for everyone to do in this world of ours. The Lord is coming, and our waiting is to be not a time of idle expectation, but of vigilant work. We are not to spend our time wholly in prayerful meditation, neither are we to drive and hurry and work as if this were required in order that we should gain heaven, while neglecting to devote time to the cultivation of personal piety. There must be a combination of meditation and diligent work. As God has expressed it in His Word, we are to be “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” Worldly activities are not to crowd out the service of the Lord. The soul needs the riches of the grace of God, and the body needs physical exercise, in order to accomplish the work that must be done for the promulgation of the gospel of Christ….”
Our High Calling, pg 221
Choose Your Path
“I once read of an “old man who stood upon the border of the closing year, and looked forth from his window upon the blue heavens bright with stars, and upon the cold earth white with snow, and he thought no heart could be so hopeless and joyless as his. He saw the open grave before him, and behind him the sins and sorrows of a wasted life. He had followed the path of his own choosing for happiness, and he found it not. He was wasted in body, and his soul was filled with remorse.
“The days of his youth came back to his memory like reproachful specters, and he saw himself again at the point where two paths met,—the one leading to the heavenly home of peace, and the other leading to darkness and despair. He saw, he felt, the fearful mistake he had made in choosing the dark path, and following the leading of Satan, when angels of God were waiting and anxious to show him the path of light. Life to him was a failure. Distracted with grief and disappointment, he cried in agony, ‘O my Father, give me back the 
days of my youth! Let me stand once more at the dividing ways, that I may choose the path of light.’ But there was no Father’s voice to answer, and the days of youth would not come back at his call. He thought of the companions of his youth who had chosen the better path, and he wished that he had gone with them. He wished that he had died in his infancy rather than to have lived a wasted life as he had done. With bitter remorse and blinding tears, he bowed his head and cried again, ‘Oh that the days of my youth would come back! oh for a touch from the guiding angel’s hand that once was put forth to lead me in the path of peace and holiness.
days of my youth! Let me stand once more at the dividing ways, that I may choose the path of light.’ But there was no Father’s voice to answer, and the days of youth would not come back at his call. He thought of the companions of his youth who had chosen the better path, and he wished that he had gone with them. He wished that he had died in his infancy rather than to have lived a wasted life as he had done. With bitter remorse and blinding tears, he bowed his head and cried again, ‘Oh that the days of my youth would come back! oh for a touch from the guiding angel’s hand that once was put forth to lead me in the path of peace and holiness.“And his youth did come back; for all that he had seen and said and felt was only the prophetic dream of one who was still young in years, yet had been rapidly growing old in sin. In an hour of sadness and weariness with the world, he had seen, by anticipation, the remorse and disappointment to which he was hastening in his wanderings from God; and he awoke with joy to find that there was yet time for him to choose the path of peace, of happiness, and of Heaven.”
I hope that the youth who read this will reflect in regard to the past, the present, and the future. Decide now, at the commencement of the new year, that you will choose the path of righteousness, that you will be earnest and true-hearted, and that life with you shall not prove a mistake. Go forward, guided by the heavenly angels; be courageous; be enterprising; let your light shine; and may the words of inspiration be applicable to you,—“I write unto you, young men, because ye are strong and have overcome the wicked one.” Listen to the words of the great apostle, echoing down the ages: “Quit you like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13. Men who are in the battle against falsity and wickedness, are found true and noble. They are men who will fight to the last rather than yield the contest. I close by wishing you a Happy New Year.”
Youth’s Instructor, Jan. 5, 1881
The Adventist Home Educator 