My Success is About Him

FAITH:

With success comes a problem. Just ask Nadab, Elah, and Omri. Or interview Ahab, Ahaziah, or Jehoram. Ask these men to describe the problem of success. I would, you might be thinking, if I knew who they were. My point, exactly. These are men we should know. They were kings of Israel. They ascended to the throne...but something about the throne brought them down. Their legacies are stained with blood spilling and idol worship. They failed at success. They forgot both the source and purpose of their success.

You won't be offered a throne, but you might be offered a corner office, a scholarship, an award, a new contract, a pay raise. You won't be given a kingdom to oversee, but you might be given a home or employees or students or money or resources. You will, to one degree or another, succeed.

And when you do, you might be tempted to forget who helped you do so. Success sabotages the memories of the successful. Kings of the mountain forget who carried them up the trail.
The man who begged for help in medical school ten years ago is too busy to worship today. Back when the family struggled to make ends meet, they leaned on God for daily bread. Now that there is an extra car in the garage and a jingle in the pocket, they haven't spoken to him in a while. In the early days of the church, the foundingmembers spent hours in prayer. Today the church is large, well attended, well funded. Who needs to pray?

Success begets amnesia. Doesn't have to, however. God offers spiritual ginseng to help your memory. His prescription is simply, "Know the purpose of success." Why did God help you succeed? So you can make him known.

Why are you good at what you do? For your comfort? For your retirement? For your self-esteem? No. Deem these as bonuses, not as the reason. Why are you good at what you do? For God's sake. Your success is not about what you do. It's all about him--his present and future glory.
by Max Lucado

FRIENDS:

Father, We give thanks to You and we trust you and we feed on the truth. We know when we ask you will meet our needs, not our desires and for this we are thankful as Your understanding of our needs may be different from ours. We know you will supply us according to Your riches. We trust in You, Lord, and we look upon your supply with gratitude. In Jesus' name, Amen.


DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE

3. Luke 13:22-35; 1 Timothy 2; Proverbs 3; Ezra 4-5
4. Luke 14:1-14; 3:1-10; Proverbs 4; Ezra 6


!0 Things To Be Thankful For
1. Vacation pictures
2. A cool night breeze just as it gets dark
3. An evening playing bingo with friends
4. Friends who encourage you
5. Healing from asked and answered prayer
6. Friends that just drop by
7. Driving to the ocean for dinner
8. The smell of a meal cooked outdoors
9. Finding the right size at the right price
10. Loving your church

FOOD:

HINTS

Famed chef Julia Child preferred to call them “remains of the day.” To the rest of us, they’re just leftovers. It’s a term that can mean anything from half a pan of lasagna to a dab of mashed potatoes that sit in the ‘fridge until they turn green, at which time we feel a lot better about throwing them away. These days, that’s like throwing cash in the garbage.

The secret to stretching the food dollars is to find a delicious use for every last bit of what you buy. You need to see all leftovers as ingredients for new dishes, not just multiple go-rounds of the same thing in an effort to get rid of it. Here are some ideas that have helped me to see leftovers in a new way:

Coffee. Freeze leftover coffee in cubes to cool off hot coffee. Add black coffee to pot roast to create rich, brown gravy.

Halloween or Easter candy. Take all the chocolate candy and break it up into little pieces. Place the pieces into a zip-type bag. Many recipes call for a cup to a cup and a half of chocolate morsels. Use these to replace the morsels. Freeze until ready to use.

Cooked Ham. Brown the last bits of cooked ham in a small amount of butter or margarine in a skillet. Beat a few eggs with water or milk and grated cheese, if desired. Pour scrambled egg mixture into skillet with ham. Cook, as usual, over low heat.

Another option for ham is to thread chunks of it onto skewers, alternating with fresh pineapple chunks and squares of sweet red or green bell pepper. Brush kebabs with butter and grill until browned. Serve with rice and fresh asparagus.

Ground Ham. Mix together cooked ground ham, cold mashed potatoes and seasonings. Shape into oval cakes and roll in flour. Sauté in hot fat until brown on all sides.

Meatballs. Slice meatballs. Sauté bell pepper strips until crisp-tender. Add the meatball slices to skillet. Heat through. Use as a sandwich filling in French or Italian bread, adding warmed spaghetti sauce as desired.

Salmon. Combine chunks of salmon with chopped sweet pickles and diced onions for a great sandwich filling.

Spaghetti. Chop up cold pasta. Add diced raw vegetables and enough bottled Italian dressing to coat for a wonderful salad.

Biscuits. Split in half and spread each cut side with butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder, parsley, dill weed and shredded cheese. Bake at 400 F until the cheese is melted.

Cereal. Even if it has become stale, crush the cereal well. Dip chicken pieces into egg wash (one or two eggs beaten with a few teaspoons of water). Then, roll meat in crushed cereal. Bake according to your favorite oven-baked chicken recipe.

Chili. Reheat and spoon over cooked hamburger patties. Top with shredded Monterey jack cheese and sour cream. Or, warm leftover chili and spoon into taco shells. Add shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and sour cream.

Oatmeal. Add cooked oatmeal to pancake or muffin batter.

Pancakes. Sprinkle with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Then roll up and eat.

Roast beef. Put into a crock-pot with some canned green chilies, cumin, garlic, and a little water. Cook until the beef is easily shredded. Then, use as a taco or burrito filling.

Taco meat. Put a layer of tater tots in a baking dish. Bake according to package instructions. Top with taco meat and mozzarella cheese. Bake until the meat is heated through and the cheese is melted.

Turkey. Combine turkey, gravy and dressing. Put into a greased baking dish and bake at 350 F until golden.

Wine. Freeze leftover wine into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

So, are you getting the idea? Instead of trying to pawn off last night’s green beans or yesterday’s chicken, think of those things as ingredients in a new dish. No one will be the wiser while you become a kitchen magician.

FUN:

CURTAIN RODS----PRICELESS
She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.
On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water.
When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods.
She then cleaned up the kitchen and left. When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell.
They tried everything; cleaning, mopping and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned.
Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.

Nothing worked!!!
People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house.

The maid quit..
Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.

A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house.
Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls.
Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.
Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.
She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.
A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home..........
And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the curtain rods!!!!!!
I JUST LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU ???