talent

Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful. Harvey MacKay

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

beloved

“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.” Brennan Manning

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us,. . . Ephesians 5:1,2

starting

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.   Mark Twain

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.      Philippians 3:13,14

hardship

“Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.” C. S. Lewis

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

prayer

“It is God’s will through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of His saints should be one of the great principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world. When God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people.” Jonathan Edwards

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!” Joseph Scriven