*** ~ " I WASN'T A CHRISTIAN and THOUGHT I was DOING just FINE !!! " ~ ***

I'm so tired at this moment, but, my fingers remain tapping. I only hope it's worthwhile. Only God knows !

Becoming born-again in Jesus is TRUE Christianity with the absolute promise of ETERNAL LIFE with Him. ETERNITY is a LONG time. WHERE do you want to share your eternal destiny (THERE is such a one) ? In Heaven or Hell. We are each an individual soul. WE have to make the choice. It's a reality ! It says that in the Bible !

Have we become too complacent to the importance of guidelines that are in OUR best interest? I honestly think so. WHAT do you believe?? WILL you try to rightly change your mind WHEN it has become too late for you to do so (we are required to make the decision while we are living now on this Earth - NOT given the chance afterwards because as Jesus says we would have chosen to go with Him while we were currently here on this Earth if we were wanting to be with Him at all) ! He gives us enough chances/His grace to choose in ENOUGH time.

DIDN'T realise I was going to talk about the issue to THIS extent either yesterday, an hour ago or even at all. *Sincerely ask Jesus to come into your heart. YOU would have an earnest yearning to do just that if it's going to happen !

A true CHRISTIAN is/has become born-again in Him/Jesus God after making that accepting choice. It's that simple. IS there a problem with that practicality ?? It's your future your'e "gambling" with. It will be the most important decision you will ever make ! !

*I PERSONALLY wouldn't have survived this far if it hadn't have been for His patient encouragement along the way of my life's journey. I doubt very much whether I'd truthfully be here NOW at all (maybe there are a few people who have been reading this blog THAT 'wish' I wasn't) !!

LIFE is hard ENOUGH without allowing it to become more hard. Even harder. I often wonder now, how non-Christians cope. I wasn't a Christian once myself and thought I was doing just fine!

** THE Oyster !! **

"WHEN seemingly needless suffering invades our lives, we often ask ourselves, "Who needs all this grief?" But consider, for a moment, the origin of pearls!

EACH Pearl is formed by an Oyster's internal response to a wound caused by an irritant, such as a grain of sand. Resources of repair rush to the injured area. The final result is a lustrous Pearl. Something beautiful is created that would have been impossible without the wound.

IN today's Bible reading ("God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction" - GENESIS 41:52.), we see Joseph IN a position of influence, a position God soon used to feed surrounding Nations and Joseph's family during famine. But, how did he become influential? It began with a wound - being sold into slavery (Genesis 39) - which produced a pearl of usefulness. BECAUSE Joseph drew on God's resources when humiliated, he became better, NOT bitter. He named his second son Ephraim, which means "twice fruitful", and he said, "God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction" (Genesis 41:52).

Author Paul E. Billheimer says of Joseph, "If human pity could have rescued him from the sad part of his life, the glorious part that followed would have been lost". So, if your'e suffering, remember: No wounds, no pearls"! - JEY.

If we accept adversity,
Enduring every pain,
Then we will learn what we should know;
Our grief will turn to gain. - Sper