Many people probably do not realize that everyday they honor something or someone. Honor is to place high value or high importance on someone or something. It is an attitude, or a response of the heart toward someone who is deeply treasured. When we honor someone we are saying that they carry great weight with us. In our eyes they are extremely valuable. One Greek word for honor is time. It occurs many times in God's Word and it means: weight; a holding worth; to deem or hold worthy; an estimate of the value or price of a thing. Romans 12:10: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another. God wants us to see each other as extremely valuable, to place honor, or high importance on one another. When we got born again, God gave us a new nature. This new nature carries value. Romans is instructing us to hold one another in high regard. To honor someone is a decision. We decide by our own freewill that someone is highly valuable, and then we treat him or her as such. Honor isn't always something that is earned. It is sometimes given as an act of grace to someone who doesn't deserve it, as evident in the following scripture. Ephesians 2:1-5: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) It is clear that God has placed great value on us by making us alive together with Christ. God saw us as valuable even when we didn't deserve it. Even when we walked according to the course of this world,

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference. It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house." The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow. She said "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you... remember, when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

From Daily Encounter by Dick Innes
In 1949, my father had just returned home from the war. On every
American highway you could see soldiers in uniform hitchhiking home to
their families, as was the custom at that time in America. Sadly, the
thrill of his reunion with his family was soon overshadowed. My
grandmother became very ill and had to be hospitalized. It was her
kidneys, and the doctors told my father that she needed a blood
transfusion immediately or she would not live through the night.

The problem was that Grandmother' s blood type was AB negative, a very
rare type even today, but even harder to get then because there were
no blood banks or air flights to ship blood. All the family members
were typed, but not one member was a match. So the doctors gave the
family no hope; my grandmother was dying. My father left the hospital
in tears to gather up all the family members, so that everyone would
get a chance to tell Grandmother good-bye.

As my father was driving down the highway, he passed a soldier in
uniform hitchhiking home to his family. Deep in grief, my father had
no inclination at that moment to do a good deed. Yet it was almost as
if something outside himself pulled him to a stop, and he waited as
the stranger climbed into the car. My father was too upset to even ask
the soldier his name, but the soldier noticed my father's tears right
away and inquired about them.

Through his tears, my father told this total stranger that his mother
was lying in a hospital dying because the doctors had been unable to
locate her blood type, AB negative, and if they did not locate her
blood type before nightfall, she would surely die. It got very quiet
in the car. Then this unidentified soldier extended his hand out to my
father, palm up. Resting in the palm of his hand were the dog tags
from around his neck. The blood type on the tags was AB negative. The

ar Lord,
Every evening,
As I'm lying here in bed.
This tiny little prayer,
Keeps running through my head.

God bless my mom and dad,
And bless my little pup.
And look out for my sister,
When things aren't looking up.

And God, there's one more thing,
I wish that you could do.
Hope you don't mind me asking,
But please bless my computer too?

Now I know that's not normal,
To bless a motherboard.
But just listen a second,
While I explain to you 'My Lord'.

You see, that little metal box,
Holds more to me than odds & ends.
Inside those small compartments,
Rest a hundred of my 'BEST FRIENDS'.

I know for sure they like me,
By the kindness that they give.
And this little scrap of metal,
Is how I travel to where they live.

By faith is how I know them,
Much the same as you.
I share in what life brings them,
From that our friendship grew.

"PLEASE" Take an extra minute,
From your duties up above.
To bless this scrap of metal,
That's filled with so much love!

One evening a man took a small candle from a box and began to climb a
long winding stairway. "Where are we going?" asked the candle.

"We're going up higher than a house to show the ships the way to the
harbor."

"But no ship in the harbor could ever see my light," the candle said,
"it is so very small."

"If your light is small," the man said, "just keep on burning brightly
and leave the rest to me."

When they reached the top of the long stairs, they came to a large
lamp. Then he took the little candle and lit the lamp. Soon the large
polished mirrors behind the lamp sent beams of fight out across the
miles of sea.

We are God's candle! Our job is to keep on shining. The success of our
work is in His hands. A tiny candle or match can start a forest fire.
The little flame of your good example can actually change the lives of
others without you knowing it. Be a light to them like the beacon
light in the story which guide the ship to safe harbor.

Once there was a young captain assigned to an old ship. The day the captain arrived, he could tell that his new ship was in need of some work and that the morale of the crew was low. And he was not surprised when he was told that the ship had not left port in a long time. The hull of the ship was rotting. The deck was stained and some of the planks were gone. The sails were torn and old, repaired with large patches. Some of the crew members had jumped ship, looking for another ship on which to serve, a ship that was going some place, any place. The very next day, the captain called the crew together. He ordered the ship to be dry docked so the hull could be scrapped, sanded and then painted. Over the next weeks and months, the deck was repaired. The cabins were cleaned and many improvements made. New sails were sewn and hoisted to the yards. The old ship was coming back to life! Then the day came when the captain called the crew together. Some of the old crew members who had jumped ship had returned because they heard and saw what was happening. And other members were new, bringing with them great excitement and love for the sea. The captain said, "It is time that we made plans to leave this harbor." The crew looked around at each other. The captain, knowing that some of them were fearful, said, "This ship was not made for the safety of the harbor... but for the horizon," and he pointed to it. "But you are the crew. You must decide. Will it be the harbor or the horizon?" For what seemed an eternity there was silence. The sounds of wind and waves were all one could hear. Then, one crew member in a hushed voice, said, "Horizon!" And another, "Horizon!" And others joined in, "Horizon!" Until the winds and waves were drowned out with the shouts of, "HORIZON!" The captain, so proud of them that he could barely speak, gathered with members of the crew to plan their first voyage. The excitement grew until the day arrived that they had planned to haul up anchor and

By: Daphne Harrington
Christiana was the smallest of all the snowflakes. It seemed she and
her family, along with many other snowflake families, had been
floating always through the long day as she tumbled delightfully about
with her friends. But their journey took them as well through
seemingly endless freezing cold and darkness. Sometimes the north wind
blew them along their way so hard she could scarcely breathe. At these
times, as much as the bracing wind would permit, Christiana huddled
close to her parents, Celeste and Chaucer, completely unaware that
they were as uncomfortable as she.

At other times they were assailed by a gust of warmer air up in the
atmosphere that threatened their very lives. Afraid, the little
crystalline beauty would bow her minuscule head and cry. Celeste and
Chaucer tried to shield and protect their little progeny as best they
could.

Sometimes however, it was all they could do to hold on themselves. The
beloved but naive little snowflake was oblivious to everything but
observances from her youthful perspective and her own unreliable
emotions and feelings. Life seemed to her a series of events: those
that made her feel good, the ones she relished with great glee, and
those that were so traumatic they drove her to despair. These ups and
downs were punctuated with exasperating periods of sheer boredom.

Between the frigid wind that blew them, forcing them along in their
descent to the earth, and their greatest foe, the warm counter-winds
that swished by occasionally and threatened to dissolve them, the
snowflake life was much more treacherous than observers might perceive
it to be.

On their flight to the earth, the snowflake highs were very high
indeed. It was almost like a symphony as they floated along together

in life that, once gone, never come back:
Time
Words
Opportunity

Three things in life that may never be lost:
Peace
Hope
Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable:
Love
Self-confidence
Friends

Three things in life that are never certain:
Dreams
Success
Fortune

Three things that make a man / woman:
Hard work
Sincerity
Commitment

Three things in life that can destroy a man / woman:
Alcohol/Drugs
Pride
Anger

Three things to give away everyday:
Love
Smiles
Hugs

Three things that are truly constant:
Father
Son
Holy Spirit

I ask the Lord to bless you,
As I pray for you today;
To guide you and protect you,
As you go along your way.

His love is always with you,
His promises are true.
And when you give Him all your cares,
You know He'll see you through.

Pass this along to People you want God to Bless...
I Just Did.