WHAT IS THIS? It is a FREE electronic book, entitled Gracious Speech, Seasoned With Salt, by yours truly, Eldon Degge, probably delivered to you as an attachment to an email message. It is a collection of blessings suitable for saying hello, goodbye, or for generally encouraging others. My mission with this book is to provide every computer-using Christian in the world with blessings which they can copy-and-paste into their communications, as appropriate, to encourage others. Create a file folder in your email application called SALT or BLESSINGS, or whatever name you like, and store this electronic book there; then as you communicate with someone else, select a blessing from it suitable to the person and occasion, then copy and paste it right into your message. Place a copy with your word-processing application so that you can use the blessings to insert in your snail-mail communications. The Bible says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because TO THIS WERE YOU CALLED (emphasis mine) so that you might inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9 Christ intends ultimate blessing for us, and on the way he intends for us to extend blessings to others. Blessings speak even to unbelievers. Who can get angry when someone is pronouncing a blessing upon them? If you choose to keep this file to use, I ask you one favor. Our Lord said, "Freely ye received, freely give." Matthew 10:8 KJV Pass it on to your Christian friends who you think will find it useful. First send them an email, asking them if they want it. [There is sample letter at the end of this book-file that you can copy and paste and edit as your communication by which to ask them.] When they say they do, just forward this document intact to them. Although this material is free, any donation will be humbly accepted and appreciated. This would be a very gracious act on your part. Please know that it will help support my efforts to produce other materials by which to bless people. Please make your check or money order payable to: Eldon Degge c/o HALLELujah Writings and Designs, 828 Byrd Dr., Abilene, TX 79601, or send cash if you like. Please enclose your email address so I can send you thanks. MOST IMPORTANT: Please send this book-file to as many of your acquaintances as have email. It needs to go to every networking Christian in the world. Let's encourage all of them to practice the beautiful art of "blessing others" with their GRACIOUS SPEECH, SEASONED WITH SALT. (Colossians 4:6) The copyright you see below retains all rights to the author for publishing this material in other forms and expressly forbids anyone else from publishing it for profit. It is the author's desire, however, that it receive worldwide dissemination as a free resource to all Christians who want to use this material for devotional or encouragement purposes. At first I intended to compile an index by which one could easily find a blessing specifically appropriate to the occasion, but ... I decided not to. I want you to be blessed by reading the blessings over and over as you search for the one that's just right. May God bless you as you bless others! Three final notes: 1. If you want to obtain or give a hard- copy version of this book, or if you have friends who do not use a computer and would want a printed copy, please let me know. That's edegge@bitstreet.com or Eldon Degge at (325) 676-7513. 2. I have another book entitled PRAYING DAILY WITH PAUL which was published in June 1997 by Meridian, Grand Rapids, MI, in a beautiful paper back gift edition format. It has 366 prayers, one for each day of the year, based on the thoughts and language of Paul's Epistles. When you pray these prayers, you will be saying to God, "Your will be done" specifically as you hear Paul telling you what it is. A few sample prayers are included in Appendix 1 at the end of this file. I'll mail PRAYING DAILY WITH PAUL to any place in the US (including shipping & tax) for $10. The ideal gift! Address: HALLELujah Writings and Designs, PO Box 3242, Abilene, TX 79604-3242, 915/676-7513 email: edegge@bitstreet.com. 3. For any computer user who does not have email but wants this electronic file: Send exact name and address wording where you want it sent and $3.00 to pay for handling, blank diskette and postage and we'll send it back loaded with the blessings. (Sorry, the charge is necessary because mailing is a lot more trouble than forwarding by email.) If you have this file and want to copy it to diskette for a friend, do it! ====== HERE COMMENCES THE BOOK ====== For letters, speeches and just plain talk GRACIOUS SPEECH, SEASONED WITH SALT BLESSINGS FOR SAYING HELLO AND GOODBYE AND FOR ENCOURAGING by Eldon Degge (c) Copyright, 1997, Eldon Degge. The right of hard copy publication reserved. Right to distribute and use in electronic form freely bestowed on every other disciple of Jesus. ====================================== May these blessings bring honor, glory, and praise to our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and communion with the Holy Spirit to all who read. This book is dedicated to Peggy, my lovely and loving wife of 31 years. Thanks for all you've done and for who you are! ======================================= INTRODUCTION Many trends in our society have tried to secularize us to the bone. It shows even in our language. If you could double-click on the word "goodbye," just open it up like you do a file, you would find its fuller meaning: God be with you. It is a statement of blessing! Was it out of embarrassment about setting forth our faith in God that we trimmed it down to "goodbye"? I for one would like to urge you to accompany me in swimming against the current of secular- ization. Let us have sacredization instead. Paul talked about "taking every thought captive to obey Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5 For some time I have made it my practice to end my letters and e-mail communications with a blessing, preferably couched in the very language of the Bible itself. The blessings which follow are ideal for inclusion in one's correspondence, particularly to end with. I hope you will find them useful. May you and the person you write be blessed by them. Use them unsparingly. Eldon Degge, 10/30/97 ================================================= 1. May you never bow your knee to Baal, Molech or Mammon! May your strength come from the Lord! Never trust in yourself alone! Power, power, be upon you, holy soldier of Christ. 2. May you be full of visions of superb possibilities. May you have a firm resolve to achieve these by relying on Christ and by walking by the Spirit. 3. May you never forget this promise of Jesus Christ, "Remember, I am with you until the end of the age!" Matthew 28:20 4. May you exercise your body and exercise good judgement. 5. May you be enriched in all knowledge and then in everything you say! May you be an unending source, not just of information, but of truth and wisdom! 1 Corinthians 1:5 6. May you work out your salvation with fear and trembling! May God work in you both to work for him and to want to work for him! Philippians 2:1-13 7. May you be one of those of whom the world is not worthy. May you scorn the plaudits and baubles of a culture gone mad. May you put your trust entirely in Jesus Christ and your hope in the honors he will bestow on you when he comes again. Hebrews 11:38 8. May God give you such strength to endure that nothing can tempt you to veer from the magnificent course God has appointed for your life! 9. May you uphold God's unchanging principles of fair play by exercising personal responsibility! 10. Grace, mercy and peace. May they be yours in abundance. May they fill your cup and overflow it. 11. May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him! May he give you enlightened hearts that you may know what is the hope to which you have been called! Ephesians 1:17-18 12. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope! Romans 15:13 13. May the soil of your soul be well-watered with the gentle rains of parental love, loyal support from your spouse, [respect from your children,] and loving concern from your friends. May it then bring forth a fruitful harvest to God. 14. May you know God's forbearance and patience toward you! May you wait for your inheritance as an heir of God. 15. May you come to know yourself fully, to discover and value your own God-given uniqueness, and lift it as an offering to your God and as a blessing to the world! 16. May you believe that God still performs miracles! May he give you the miracle you need for your life! Today! 17. May you acknowledge the Lord in all your ways. He will make your paths straight. Prov. 3:6 18. May your life be free from the love of money. May you be content with what you have and have full assurance that God has said, "I will never fail you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 19. May you dream of things that never were, and say, "Why not?"! Your God sets to naught the things that are by the things that are not. He speaks and things spring into existence! 1 Corinthians 1:28 20. May you always bear witness to our Lord by the sweet reasonableness of how you live. May everyone perceive you as fair, equitable, gentle, moderate and forbearing. May joy and peace surround you as you entrust yourself fully to your loving God! Philippians 4:4-7 21. May you live so that your ways please the Lord, for then even you enemies will be at peace with you. Prov. 16:7 22. May you put your trust in God's power, not your own! 23. May you ever bless the Sovereign God, Lord of Creation, Sovereign of Space, Traverser of Times! May you be a vessel of adoration to him who is worthy of praise, honor and glory! And may I join you at this very moment, no matter how far apart we are! 24. Bon appetit! May have a great appetite for God's righteousness. May it be food for your soul, truly satisfying. Matthew 5:6 25. May God set you high after you humble yourself to him! May all sorts of blessings overflow you! May all that you do prosper! May all that you do be according to his will! If it is, in this alone you have prospered! 26. May you honor the Lord but not only with praise and prayer, but with your substance and the first fruits of all your labor. May you be a good steward for him. May he find you faithful, and may he reward you with the true wealth! 27. May you overflow with thanksgiving to Christ, who gave his life to save your life. May your thanksgiving explode into zealous obedience. 28. May our Lord Jesus himself immerse you in his Spirit! May you be in the Spirit, and may it be in you! Through the Lord, the Spirit, may rivers of thirst-quenching water flow from you to others to give them life! 29. May you be blessed with the disposition to practice day-by-day bit-by-bit improvement in everything! (What the Japanese call "kaizen.") May you by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality! May God give you everlasting life! Romans 2:8 30. May you know peace-in-the-midst-of-war. When everything around you is falling apart, may you be absolutely unflappable, holding yourself together in God. 31. May you never feel abandoned! May you walk with God in obedient trust! He will be your strength, your power! 32. May you sing of God's steadfast love forever. May you proclaim his faithfulness to all generations. 33. May you discern the truth and focus on what really important! What you believe is true and what you consider is important are your real religion! 34. May God feed you with the Bread-of-Tomorrow this very day! May you be filled with eternity's joy this very moment! Matthew 6:11 35. May the growing complexity of our technology and our culture be counter-balanced in your life by childlike simplicity. Success is so simple. Seek first God's kingdom and all else falls into place. Matthew 6:33 36. May your faith produce steadfastness. May you become perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:3-4 37. May God bless you to see reality clear, not for what it seems but for what it means! 38. May you have a wonderful life! May you strip away all clutter and strife! May you just love it, and how! May no cares furrow your brow! May you junk all your junk mail! Don't fritter away life with stupid detail! Bypass luxuries, baubles and rings! Focus your life on higher things! May it be pure joy in Christ! 39. If the crucible is for smelting silver and the furnace for purifying gold, may you under- stand what the Bible means when it says, "The Lord tries hearts." Prov. 17:3 40. May you understand the painful trials of your life as discipline from God, which will finally yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to anyone who is willing to be trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 41. May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace in entrusting yourself to him, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope! Romans 15:13 42. May you be blessed with true faith and real obedience to God, who is our eternal dwelling place. Under him are the everlasting arms! Deuteronomy 33:26-27 43. May God equip you with bank bags that will never wear out or get lost. May you have them filled with hope in God and in the friends of your God. 44. The name of the Lord is a strong tower of refuge. May you run there for safety, and be safe. Prov. 18:10 45. May you enjoy your native talents, letting them flower in beauty and brilliance! May God grant you the gifts and fruit of his Spirit, things of even greater worth! 46. May you lift up a true liturgy of constant praise to God, by your lips, by your body, by your soul, by your spirit! 47. As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, may you live in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught! May you abound in thanksgiving! Colossians 2:6-7 48. A cheerful heart provides a man constant feast. May you have a cheerful heart -- and eat well! Prov. 15:15 49. May you have a tranquil mind which will give health and vigor to your body and joy to your spirit. Prov. 14:30 50. May you attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:13 51. May you involve yourself with needy people. God will use you as a channel of blessing for them. In blessing them you will be blessed. 52. May you fully trust our trustworthy God! May you rejoice in the God of your salvation! May the God who wants to be your strength enable you to walk safely in high and dangerous places! Habakkuk 3:16-19 53. May you have a God-given seed of faith, even if it's as small as mustard seed! May God give it such growth that it will become a tree of discipleship! 54. Despise the shame that men may heap upon you because you wear the name of Christ. May you keep your eyes on the joy that is set before. Press to the goal and receive the prize of victory! Hebrews 12:2 55. May God's wisdom teach you to discriminate between courage and fool- hardiness. May the course you choose be the best one! 56. Know that the trouble you are bearing is but a light affliction compared to the eternal weight of glory that is to be yours. Blessed are you! 1 Cor. 4:17 57. May you be an overcomer through Christ! May you be like a green olive tree planted in the courts of God's house! May you entrust yourself to God's steadfast love, his eternal kindness! May you give thanks to him forever for what he has done! Psalms 52:8-9 58. (From a parent to a child, even a grown- up one.) May your father's instruction and your mother's teaching be fair garlands for your head and pendants for your neck! Proverbs 1:8-9 59. May you always stand secure in God's grace, rejoicing in your hope of sharing the glory of God. Romans 5:2 60. May happy memories always turn you toward home and family. May your faith and hope ever turn you toward heaven and God. 61. May you always turn to God! Acknowledge him, not yourself! May you cast yourself solely on the merits of Christ's redeeming love. And may you be blest, because God will hear, he will forgive, he will guide. 62. May the Lord give you prudence. Don't believe everything you hear. Prov. 14:15 63. May you ascend the hill of the Lord! May you stand in his holy place! To do so, may you have clean hands and a pure heart! May you never lift your soul to what is false! May you never practice deceit! May your blessing come from the Lord, your vindication from the God of your salvation! May you and all your generation seek him! Psalms 24:3-6 64. How blest you are -- if you trust in the Lord! How blest you are if you give heed to God's word, for you will prosper! Prov. 16:20 65. May you express your gratefulness so graciously! May you let others know the ways in which they have benefitted your life! 66. May you entrust yourself to the Lord. Submit to him in doing good according to his will. Though you stumble, you will not fall on your face. The Lord will be the stay of your hand. Blessed are you, even if you suffer a little while, for he is preparing you for an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison. Psalms 37:9-11, 1 Peter 4:19, 2 Corinthians 4:17 67. May you heart be strengthened by grace, not by material nourishment for the body! Hebrews 13:9 68. May you be alert to every danger. Better, may you refrain from walking through dangerous places, or doing things that are unsafe. 69. May you be encouraged! May the hearts of you and all your Christian brothers and sisters be knit together in love! May all of you be rich in understanding, in the knowledge of God's disclosed secret, Jesus Christ the Savior! In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2 70. When you sit down, may you know no fear. When you lie down, may your sleep be sweet. Prov. 3:24 71. May God rescue you from evil and save you for his eternal kingdom! 2 Timothy 4:18 72. May you, like Jacob, be called "Israel, one who strives with God." May you wrestle with him. May he wound you with his touch of sovereign grace, so that you ever limp before him, as a sign of your dependence on him. Genesis 32:24-31 73. May God's Counsellor, the Spirit of Truth which the world cannot receive, constantly give you the best advice. And may you follow it, and know this Counsellor, for he dwells with you and is in you. John 14:16-17 74. May your fuse be long, your explosions be controlled or averted. May you be slow to anger, quick to hear, quick to listen. May you be unflappable! Prov. 18:11, James 1:19 75. May you have the spirit of a little child. May you be trusting, teachable, forgiving, and humble! May you love life! And so by this may there a joyful entrance for you into God's kingdom! Matthew 18:3 76. I have one wish for you. In and through Christ may you be an encourager! 77. May the Lord crown you with wisdom dress you in royal robes of righteousness. Prov. 14:24 78. May our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our ways to each other very soon! 1 Thessalonians 3:11 79. May you not keep silence when God's purpose is being challenged. He can always bring deliverance from some other source. But better that it should be brought it about through your faithful response in the hour of need. Then you will be blessed. Esther 5:13-14 80. May your midnight hours be filled either with sweet sleep or with earnest prayer. 81. May you decide for yourself what is right and do it! May you long for a world in which justice rolls down like waters, and righteous- ness like an overflowing stream! Amos 5:24 82. May you not run aimlessly but with high purpose! May you have great endurance! May you not box as one who beats the air, but with telling punches, striking down every evil opponent! Especially, pommel your body. May you bring it under the subjection of your mind and spirit, making it obey! May you be a spiritual athlete for God! 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 83. May God [continue to] fill you with the knowledge of his will. May you bear fruit in every good work. May you serve victoriously in his kingdom. Colossians 1:9-13 84. May you desire truth in your inward being! May you cry for wisdom in your secret heart! May the Lord purge you, cleanse you, wash you whiter than snow! And fill you with joy and gladness! Psalms 51 85. May you be one of those kind of people who lifts the drooping knees, who makes straight paths for the feet, so that others may walk in God's way! Hebrews 12:12-13 86. May you be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God! Colossians 1:9-10 87. May you accept the kingdom of God with the simplicity of a child. Otherwise, you cannot enter it. Avoid the pedantry of academia and the callous equivocation of the business world. Just trust God, just please him, simply obey him. 88. May you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain! No one who gives even a cup of cold water in Jesus' name will lose his reward! 89. May you be strong and of good courage, not frightened, neither dismayed, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go! Joshua 1:9 90. May you day by day and every way get better, better and better! May it come about, not by your will and work, but by God's willing and working through you! 91. May you find the magnificent meaning that entrusting yourself to God can give! May you be empowered to do what you otherwise cannot do! May you be ennobled by everything you suffer for Christ's sake! May you be enriched by having God's own Holy Spirit as the earnest, the guarantee, of your inheritance! May you set your hope fully on God! 92. May you plow a straight row! May you never look back! May you be found fit for God's eternal kingdom! 93. May you take full responsibility for your actions, for our God grants you dignity of choice. Choose wisely! 94. May you believe in what you cannot see, so that some day you may see what you believe! Based on St. Augustine 95. May you have a passport to glory! May it show that you are a citizen of heaven! 96. May you know that the possibilities for your life come more from your vision of the future than they do from the experience of your past! 97. May you know peace, not the kind that the world gives, but the kind that Christ gives, the peace that passes all understanding. John 14:27; Philippians 4:7 98. May you by your good life show your works in the gentleness of wisdom. James 3:13 99. May the power of Christ rest upon you! May you stay upbeat -- if it comes to it -- even in the presence of insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities! May you understand that if you are weak for his sake, then you are strong! 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 100. May you entrust yourself to the Lord and apply yourself to good deeds, which are excellent and profitable to all! 1 Peter 4:19 101. May you make objective, realistic judgments, thinking soberly, according to the measure of faith that God has given you! Romans 12:3 102. May our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you very soon! 1 Thessalonians 3:11 103. May nothing ever come in your life that will keep you from taking hold of the grace of God. May no root of bitterness spring up to sour you on life. Hebrews 12: 15 104. May your e-mail have lots that is addressed to thefather@heaven.net. 105. May you know the power of Gideon's God! May you come to the altar called "God is Peace." May you fully understand what Jesus Christ did when with his own bleeding body he bashed down the wall of hostility between people! May there be no barriers for you to knowing and sharing his love! Ephesians 2:14 106. May not fear change. May you doggedly hold on to everything good from the past, and preserve it! And may you jettison everything that has become inappropriate and unworkable. May you help forge styles that are shaped by God's mighty acts in the past and by our glorious future with him. 107. May you have that for which every heart secretly longs! May your home be with God! May you dwell with him all the days of your life, to behold his beauty and to inquire in his temple! May you hide in his shelter in the day of trouble! In his tent may you offer your sacrifice of love with shouts of joy, and sing praises to him evermore! Psalms 27:4-6 108. May you know God's compassion! He can tread your iniquities under foot. He can cast all your sins into the depth of the sea. There is no one like him, for in Christ he does just that! 109. May you be a chosen vessel for God's word. May you be a conduit for the Spirit's power. May you mirror the character of the Lord. 110. May you be the best of listeners! May you hear what others really say. May you "hear" the wrinkled brow or the slight smile! May you "hear" tone of voice and drape of body! May you "hear" the wordless pleas of the distressed! May you in listening blend heart with heart, as well as mind with mind! 111. May your clouds part and let the glory of God's sunlight come in. 112. May you be the person who lifts his good intentions to God, and then acts, totally reverent, totally obedient! 113. May you know without any doubt that God wants to bless you. He invites you to come drink if you're thirsty, to eat if you're hungry, to buy without money if you're broke. He invites you to come and listen, that your soul might live. He wants to make an agreement with you, sure and unfailing! Isaiah 55:1-3 114. May you always leave gleanings for others in every activity of your life. May there be some fall-out in your pursuits which will nourish others in their need. Leviticus 19:9-10 115. May your soul magnify the Lord! May your Spirit rejoice in God your Savior! May he exalt you! May all generations call you blessed! Luke 1:47-48 116. May you be more concerned with what is right than what will happen to you. May you be a free person, not a slave! 117. May you and I know -- in our deepest heart of hearts -- that God has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light! He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred from the kingdom of his beloved Son. Let us live in the light! Colossians 1:11-13 118. May you see every weakness as a chance to be stronger, every problem as a chance to overcome, every strength and opportunity as a chance to do even better! May you excel -- through Christ, your ever-present help. 119. May you take God's hand and as his child just tell him what you want. 120. Get ready! May you always be ready to walk in God's way, regardless of hindrances and opportunities! May you be fully persuaded that God sees the readiness in your heart as if it were the completed obedience! 121. May my God supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19-20 122. May you have enriched speech, great knowledge and wonderful spiritual gifts, but may you absolutely pursue love! l Corinthians 1:7 123. May you, through our Lord Jesus Christ, always and continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. For if you acknowledge him, he will acknowledge you. Hebrews 13:15, Matthew 10:32-33 124. May you know that you have been blessed in believing. Your faith is not in vain. Your sins have been forgiven through Christ. Through his resurrection, even to fall asleep in death is all blessing in him! 1 Corinthians 15:14-18 125. May you fully know the Lord, who has called us to share his own glory and excellence! 1 Peter 1:3 126. May you hold on to unshakable things! Our God will shake not only the earth, but heaven too, that the unshakable things may remain! "So let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer up to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:27-29 127. May you rejoice in the Lord always! May your moderation be visible to everyone, as you put away all anxiety! May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus! Philippians 4:4-8 128. May God be your hiding place. May he preserve you from trouble. May he encompass you with deliverance. 129. Draw near to God, that he may draw near to you. May you always be a friend of God's. May you never be a friend to this world. James 4:8,4 130. May you conquer a continent for yourself and your descendants! May you march to a different drum than the most of mankind. May you think deeper thoughts, strive for higher things, see broader vistas, and never settle for the mediocre! 131. May you hear the words of Jesus, and simply do them! 132. Since death and life are in the power of the tongue, may you exercise great care about the thoughts that come to your lips. Speak with truth and graciousness. Prov. 18:21 133. May you be wise about what is good! May you be guileless as to what is evil! May the God of peace crush Satan under your feet! May the graciousness of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you! Romans 16:19-20 134. Know that you, because of your faith, are one to whom God imputes no iniquity. Blessed are you! Psalms 32:2, Romans 4:7-8 135. May you use your considerable gifts to give glory to the Father, to build up your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to have in yourself a heart of service! 136. May you always rejoice! May you pray constantly! May you give thanks in all circumstances! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 139. May God give you wisdom (knowledge with understanding). May he be your shield and cause you to walk in integrity. May he guide you to paths of justice and preserve your way. Prov. 2:6-8 140. May you be sensitive to God's purpose for your life! May you set your eyes on that one goal, and never swerve from it! May such singleness of mind give health to your body! May your youth be renewed day by day! 141. May you yield yourself to the power of truth, so that truth will yield itself to give power to you! May you prove the truth that you have by making if work to honor God and serve your fellow man in the market places of the world! 142. May you let God be the G-iver O-f D-estiny for you. Count on blessings, not on luck. Don't knock on wood! Pray! 143. When afraid, may you squarely face your fear. But first arm your mind with prayer. 144. May your soul thirst for God and may your flesh faint for him, as in a dry and weary land without water! May you look upon God in his sanctuary to behold his power and glory! May your lips constantly praise and bless him as long as you live! May you lift up your hands and call on his name! Psalms 63:1-4 145. May the Father bless you so that you may leave upon no one the impression that you have done enough to deserve what he has done for you in his Son. May you bless others through him that they may see your humility and thankfulness and generosity. May they praise him because of you! 146. May you have the inward strength to with- stand stress in order to accomplish God's best! 147. May you have a fine sense of what is appropriate. May you speak words that fit the occasion. May you love people, and be sensitive, to lift others in their time of need. 148. May this day, the only day we've got, be one for doing what glorifies our God! May it be a day of joy, a foretaste of heaven! May it be a day to bless everyone and every good thing! May it be a day to give ourselves to Christ our King! 149. May you understand that the discipline that the Lord lays upon you is because you are a legitimate son, an heir of his. His scourge is there to make you worthy of receiving an inheritance which you will manage. Hebrews 12:7-8 150. May you not be overcome by evil but may you overcome every evil with good. Romans 12:21 151. May you always be aware of what is taking place so that you can make the right responses to it! May you be an exhibit of God's wisdom! 152. With you may God's kingdom come first, may the Holy Spirit indwell your being, may your influence for good never cease! 153. May God grant you to be the instrument by which he blesses others! 154. May you build your hopes on this solid rock: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Men may be faithless. He will not. May you be faithful to him. Hebrews 13:8 155. May you have genuine love! May you hate what is evil and hold to what is good. May you stretch goodness to its limits! In the face of evil may you accept persecution and cursing, returning good for evil. May you overcome evil with good! Romans 12:9-10, 17-21 156. May you be a letter of recommendation for Christ! May anyone who sees you be able to know him through you, by what is written in your heart. May you be a letter from Christ to the world, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God! 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 157. May your soul sing constantly the King's song, the one for travelling the royal road to heaven: "Make me a servant, Lord, make me like you. For you are a servant. Make me one too! Make me a servant, do what you must do to make me a servant. Make me like you!" 158. "The cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones." Prov. 17:22 May you take good medicine and avoid noxious fumes. 159. May you stir up within yourself all those gifts which you have from God. Then may you stir others up to love and good works! 1 Timothy 4:14, Hebrews 10:24 160. May you live your life fully aware that you are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, those servants of God from the past who have now passed the baton to you and who are cheering you on, that God's kingdom may be victorious! Hebrews 12:1 161. May the Lord prepare you every day and in every way for the time of his appearing. May you be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour unexpected by most! Matthew 24:44 162. May never eat the bread of wickedness or drink the wine of violence. May you seek right living and peace. Prov. 4:17 163. May God our King prolong your life, may your years endure to all generations! May you be enthroned forever before God! May steadfast love and faithfulness watch over you! May you sing praises to God's holy name, day after day! Psalms 61 164. May you know just how blest you are! You belong to a God who is able to keep your from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing. Jude 24 165. May you always desire to act honorably in all things. May your conscience always be clear. May you stand before God blameless! Hebrews 13:18 166. May all walls of separation come down in your life. May you have open access to your neighbor, to your family, to your fellow Christians, and from God himself. 167. May you live by the Bible's royal rule, "Love others as you love yourself." May you never play up to so-called important people and ignore the down-and-outs. May your kindness reach to all alike. James 2:8-9 168. Understand that God can accomplish his promises without you. But may you place yourself at his disposal so that his wonders may happen through you, that you may obtain a blessing! 169. May you experience the renewal of your mind, in which you prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect! May you express these things openly and genuinely to everyone! Romans 12:2 170. May long life, riches and honor, pleasantness and peace be yours because wisdom dwells in your mind and heart. May wisdom be a tree of life to you. Prov. 3:17-8 171. When you fall, may the Lord lift you! When your are entrapped, may the Lord free you! When you are depressed, may the Lord give you hope and joy! When you are in darkness, may the Lord be your light! 172. May God put the heavy burden of your rebellion against him on your heart to grant you the grace of repentance! My he put the light and easy burden of his grace on you so that you may bear fruit for his glory! 2 Corinthians 7:9-11, Matthew 11:28-30 173. May you hold in dear memory those who lead you to Christ, who spoke the word of God to you. "Consider the outcome of their lives, and imitate their faith." And may their victory be yours! Hebrews 13:7 174. Promise me this. Just let the peace of Christ reign in your heart. May you never doubt him! 175. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live together in such harmony with one another, in accord with Jesus Christ, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Romans 15:5-6 176. May you and I be partners with God. May we build on the one foundation, Jesus Christ our Lord! 177. May you not despise the day of small beginnings! May you believe that God can make a bush from a mustard seed, carpet a forest floor from a single spore, ignite a prairie fire from a single spark, and start a worldwide enterprise from your single good intention! 178. May you have a long and good life. May the days come when you will have a crown of glory, a hoary head full of wise advice. Prov. 16:31 179. May you find favor and good reputation in the sight of God and men. Prov. 3:4 180. May you be faithful to Christ, who has called you to faith and faithfulness! 181. May God give you a faith that will be proclaimed throughout the whole world. May your entrustment to God be a contagion that will engulf the planet in an epidemic of love and good works in the name of Christ! Compare Romans 1:8 182. May you be out-of-step with the popular culture, out-of-step with greed and glamor, and politically incorrect. May you be in-step with God. 183. May you be one of those who say, "The Lord is my portion!" Blest you are by hoping in him! 184. May the eternal Spirit of Meaning who created the cosmic order by his power and wisdom and became flesh in baby Jesus, may that Spirit come into your being to empower you, like Jesus, to increase in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. John 1:1-2, 14, Luke 2:52 185. May you search for the true treasure, the blessing that makes life worth living, the things that last into eternity! 186. May today be your day to soar with God! If not, walk with him. 187. May you never hate your neighbor in your heart, nursing a grudge, but may you approach him in gentle reasoning. May your friendship with him deepen by this. Leviticus 19:17 188. May nothing ever deceive you into believing that man in his vaunted boast about the human spirit has achieved anything without God. "Every good endowment 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."What has man that he has not received? Nothing. May you open yourself to receive his blessings. James 1:16-17 189. Now may the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 190. May you be one of those persons who freely gives, yet grows all the richer, not like those who pinch pennies and still suffer want. Prov. 11:24 191. May you entrust yourself to the Lord, and do good! May you dwell safely in your home and enjoy security! May you delight in the Lord, letting him give you the desires of your heart! May you not fret over those who advance by devious ways! They will meet their proper end. May you not fret at all, since it only tends to evil! Psalms 37:1-8 192. Between you and me, may trust count more than contract, reality more than show, excellence more than credentials! May our friendship endure forever! 193. May you like Gideon, like Barak, like Samson, like Jephthah, like David, like Samuel have a faith that is powerful enough to conquer kingdoms, enforce justice, receive promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench raging fire, escape the edge of the sword, win strength out of weakness, become mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. May God be your victory! Hebrews 11:32-34 194. May you be an ambassador for God. May he make his appeal to the world through you. May you be an instrument of his grace. 195. Blessed are you who listen to the words of your Lord, to the sounds of people's pain, to the call for giving aid, to the summons of heaven's promise. Blessed are you when you listen, when you really hear, when you really obey! 196. Blessings on you today! May prayer and praise to God fill your mouth and God's teaching fill your mind! 197. May you never be hardened by the deceit- fulness of sin. May you always have the capacity to find the good and to be made new. 198. May God's wisdom teach you to discriminate between mere facts and real wisdom. May the course you choose be the best one! 199. May you devotedly serve one master! May your love for good things, your love of beauty, your care for family and country always be subordinate to your love for God! 200. May you be strengthened with all power, according to God's glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father! Colossians 4:11-12 201. May you enjoy the many-colored splendors of life without being seduced by them. May you be fulfilled and faithful. 202. May your love be real! May you love not only in kind words that you say, but also in deed and in truth! 1 John 3:17 203. May you have no worries about tomorrow! Rejoice in Christ today! Tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Don't let anyone or anything rob you of the possible joy in every moment of life! 204. May you have a fine memory about your family, about their sacrifices that they have made for you, and amnesia about their mistakes. 205. May you be willing to go forth to Jesus outside the camp, outside of your zone of comfort, and bear abuse for him. May you realize that here you have no lasting city, no invulnerable situation, but that God wants you to seek that city which is to come. Hebrews 13:13-14 206. May you be thankful in all circumstances. May you know, no matter how trying or absurd the situation, that God is shaping you for ultimate perfection! 207. May you know for sure that you know the Lord! May the proof be in the way you keep his commandments! May you so treasure his word and keep it that the love of God is perfected in you! May you walk in the same way that he walked! 1 John 2:1-6 208. May you clothe yourself in righteous deeds done through Christ! Philippians 3:8-11 209. May the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will. May he work in you what is pleasing in his sight! Hebrews 13:20-21 210. Keep to your good course! May you swerve neither to the right or the left. May you turn your feet away from evil! Prov. 4:27 211. May God bless you with this certain knowledge: God loves you as if you were the only person in the world. 212. Make your plans as you will, but may you remember that it is the Lord who controls the outcome. So be in prayer that his will will be done. Prov. 16:9, Matthew 6:10 213. May you be better tomorrow than you are today whether step by step or by leaps and bounds. May God ultimately make you whole, beautiful, perfect and holy! 214. May you always be zealous to confirm your call and election so that you need never fall! 2 Peter 1:10 215. May you never follow the advice of the ungodly! May you never stand in the way of sinners! May you never sit in the scoffer's seat! Rather, may you delight in God's teaching! May you think about it day and night! May you be like a tree planted by a stream of water, yielding fruit in due season, dropping not one leaf! In all that you do, may you prosper! Psalms 1:1-3 216. Though your ways may be pure in your own eyes, may you realize that the Lord weighs your spirit. He knows your motivation. May you! Prov. 16:2 217. May good things you have not thought of surprise you on your way, a phenomenon called "serendipity." Travel well and serendipitiously! 218. May you find blessing everywhere! Look inward, outward, downward and upward! 219. May your obedience to the Lord be so complete that in you his will is done on earth, even as it is in heaven! In you may his kingdom be fully present! Matthew 6:10 220. May you always willingly confess your faith in Christ before an adulterous and sinful generation! May you always submit to our Sovereign Lord, who will come with power to save and to judge. 221. May there be in you a fulness of the Spirit -- the flame of creative mind, the irridescence of intuition, the glow of wonderful feelings, the fire-power of action! May these flames merge into a marvelous miraculous mixture, ascending to the Father as your offering delivered by the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus! 222. Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the eyes of the Lord. How much more the thoughts and dreams of your heart! May you live with integrity! Prov. 15:11 223. May your hunger be to be hungry for God! May your thirst be to be thirsty for God! May your every thought be to think about God! May your delight be to delight in God! May your search be to find God! And may you find him who has already found you! 224. May you, at the Master's bidding, head out to deeper water! May you cast your net in again despite having caught nothing before! May you discover that with unquestioned obedience to him, your net can be filled and overflowing, ready to burst from the sheer abundance of blessings! 225. May God give you a generous heart. May you then receive full measure, poured back into your hands, for the measure you use for others is the measure that God will use for you. May you use this golden key to unlock many blessings for you and everyone! Luke 6:38 226. May you know that God is waiting for a chance to be gracious to you. For in showing mercy to you he exalts himself. May you find strength in him in quietness and in trust! Isaiah 30:1-18 227. May you be one who understands that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the good and the evil. May you understand that he will call all acts into judgement. Live your life accordingly! Prov. 15:3 228. May you take sabbath rest every week to renew body, soul and spirit and to honor God who is perfectly able to provide for you without your keeping your nose to the grindstone. 229. May you see God everywhere -- in the golden dawn, in a glowing sunset, in green landscapes, in falling rains and flowing water, in scented woods, in your spouse's kisses, and in the loving service of God's holy people. 230. May you fully set your mind on the things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. Why? Because our God chooses the hidden things of the future, even things do not yet exist, to bring to nothing the things that are! Colossians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 1:28 231. May you sow the seeds of the Spirit! May you cultivate their growing vitality in yourself! May you have a fantastic harvest! 232. May you truly love God! May you surrender to him again and again your obedient self! 233. May you walk on your way securely. May your feet not stumble. Prov. 3:22 234. May you ponder just what to say. May your words and comments be appropriate and timely. May they impart joy to those who hear! Prov. 15:28,23 235. May you be filled with such a tender heart that you will forgive your brother not seven times but seventy times seven! May you have such a perceptive mind that you will understand that God has forgiven you not seventy times seven but more than the stars of heaven! 236. May our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct your way to us very soon! 1 Thessalonians 3:11 237. May beautiful music flow all through you, just like God said, angels singing, joy-bells ringing, inside your head! May you be lost inside his love, loving him, our Lord above! [from a song by Amy Grant] 238. May a crown of righteousness be yours on that day when the Lord, the righteous Judge, awards victory to all who have love his appearing. So love him and long for his coming, no matter what! 2 Timothy 4:8 239. May you find exhiliration in the assembly of God's holy people, lifting heart and hands, lifting prayer and praise, reaching out and sharing, encouraging, being encouraged, participating in bread and wine, aglow with Christ's spirit. Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice! 240. May the God of peace be with you all. Romans 15:33 241. May God give you work to do in his vineyard today. Remember the law of gleaning. You are free while there to partake of all of God's luscious fruit you can eat. It is free and you get rewarded for your work as well. 242. May you be a real man [woman], holding fast your Christian ideals regardless of how they may make you look to those who do not share your faith! 243. May you strive for peace with all men, and for holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 244. May you be generous person, one who gives lots of gifts. When you do this, people will seek your favors and friendship. May you be given wisdom as to whom you ought to trust. Prov. 19:6 245. My free advice if you want to blessed: Get wisdom. Whatever you do, get insight. Prov. 4:7 246. May the Lord bless others even as he blesses you! And may he bless you richly! 247. May there be richly provided for you -- and me -- an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! 2 Peter 1:11 248. Let the Lord be your Sun and Shield, for he bestows favor and honor. No good things does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. May you walk uprightly! 249. Folks who are slack in their work are kinfolks to those who destroy. May you never be slack in your work. Prov. 18:9 250. May you always ask the Lord for wisdom when you need it, for he always gives it graciously without reproaching you for not already having achieved it. James 1:5 251. May you know the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. May you know how to be abased and how to abound. May you be able to do all things through Christ, who is your strength! Philippians 4:11-13 252. May you be perfect in Christ, perfectly loved, perfectly saved, perfectly protected, perfectly perfected! 253. May you be a people person! with open heart and sharing hands! 254. May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 255. Let the world go after its passing fads, but you, may you steer straight for heaven's harbor. 256. May wisdom flow into your mind like a life-giving waterfall. May pleasant words come to you, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Prov. 16:22,24 257. May the testimony of Jesus be confirmed among you! May miracles happen! May you see that his way works in your everyday affairs! May you see the faith of untold brothers and sisters lived out in their lives! 1 Corinthians 1:6 258. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you! 2 Corinthians 13:14 259. May you seize this day for starting the next step of life's adventure! Carpe diem! Vaya con Dios! Go with God! 260. May you always do your very best and share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God! Hebrews 13:16 261. Know that you, because Jesus himself has baptized you in his own Holy Spirit, have become a cell in the living body of Christ, to live with his life and function according to his purpose. Blessed are you! 1 Cor. 12:12-13 262. My God the Lord be your ever-present protection, your shield and your sword. 263. May you be as sure-footed as the mountain goat, holding the high ground through your faith in God! 264. May God grant you the moral excellence that will radiate from your life as you obey God's will. 265. May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to all your brothers and sisters in Christ and to all men everywhere! May he establish your heart unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints! 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 266. May your love abound more and more,with knowledge and all you find courage in Christ, the incentive that is in love! May you share in the Holy Spirit, the affection and sympathy! May you come to have the mind of Christ, emptying yourself to serve! May you, with no one overseeing, work out your own discernment, so that you approve what is excellent! May you be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come from Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God! Philippians 1:9-11 267. May the Lord sustain you to the end, guiltless in his day of appearing! 1 Corinthians 1:8 268. May you dwell secure and be at ease, without dread of trouble, because you listen to wisdom's promptings. Prov. 1:33 269. May you be blessed with richer return because you do not consume the income from a new venture too soon. Try to plow its profit back in for three years, give bountifully to God from its success in the fourth year, and in year five consider it a stable on-going enterprise. Leviticus 19:23-25 270. May brotherly love fill your heart. May hospitality be your practice. The Bible says that many have entertained angels unaware, as they have practiced it. Hebrews 13:1 271. May you hate evil, love good, and do everything you can to establish justice all around you. Perhaps then for such as the likes of you the Lord will be gracious. May you be one of those of whom it is said, "You are the salt of the earth." May you be one of those who helps preserve our world from destruction! Amos 5:15, Matthew 5:13 272. May you, as a child of God, fully hope in him. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but when he appears, we shall be like him. For we shall know him as he really is. May you hope for this, because this hope will make you pure, even as he is pure! 1 John 3:2-3 273. May you be one of the true descendants of Abraham, with a true readiness to believe and obey God! May you understand that this kind of faith gets counted for obedience even before you carry out your good intentions! 274. May you ask, seek and knock for everything that really matters in life. Since the Lord said to seek the kingdom of heaven first, that's what really matters! Let's pursue it together. See you in the new Jerusalem, if not sooner! 275. May you glorify God in your body! "Your body is a member of Christ." You are united with the Lord. You are one Spirit with him. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Worship God in it! 1 Corinthians 6 276. May you take refuge in the faithfulness of God to his people in ages past! May you call to mind the faithfulness of Christ to his church from that first Pentecost to this very day! May you rehearse the power and purpose of God in your life to others! 277. May you come to know the immeasurable greatness of God's power in us who believe, something like the power he displayed in all that he accomplished through Christ when he raised him from the dead and exalted him to the highest of the heavenly places! Ephesians 1:19-20 278. May you understand that ease and luxury are really your foes! They are the wide and easy way that leads to destruction. To enter the way of life one has to enter the narrow gate and walk the more difficult way! May you know that the Lord expects the you to walk the way that is best for you -- and he will walk it with you! 279. May you come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, to dwell there and worship with innumerable angels, and with the sirits of just men made perfect, and with Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant meant for you. Hebrews 12:22-24 280. May you respect every decision of the Lord! May you hold together what he has joined, keep divided what he has separated, tread under foot what he has brought down, hold up what he has lifted! Blessings on you -- and me -- as we thus seek to serve him! 281. May you [continue to] build your life on the one foundation which is laid for us, Jesus Christ. May you never build with wood, hay or stubble [the transient and hedonistic things of life] but with gold, silver and precious stones of the Spirit! 1 Corinthians 3:11-14 282. May you know God's steadfast love! Everything else passes away! Love abides forever! 1 Corinthians 13:8 283. May God empower you to handle the contradictions of life. Be patient. Trust him. 284. May the God of all graciousness, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, may he himself restore, establish and strengthen you. To him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11 285. May you be fully awake, ready to cast off the works of darkness and to put on the armor of light! Romans 12:12 286. May you welcome others as Christ has welcomed you, to the glory of God! Romans 15:7 287. May you explore nature and come to know its secrets. May you in doing so think God's thoughts after him. And may you be overawed by it all. 288. May you never pass up an opportunity for doing good, or to share whatever good you have. Such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16 289. Live with joy. It is the surest sign of God's presence. - Source? 290. May you claim all of God's benefits! May he forgive every iniquity! May he heal all your diseases! May he redeem your life from the pit. May he crown you with steadfast love and mercy! May he satisfy you with good as long as you live, so that your youth is renewed like eagles! Psalms 103:1-5 291. May you have the blessing of the fulness of Christ! He is the author and heir of all creation. May you be a joint-heir with him! And you will be, if you are his! 292. May you never shrink back and be destroyed! May you keep faith with Christ and preserve your life! Hebrews 10:39 293. May you do all things without grumbling or questioning, and so hold fast the Word of Life, blameless and innocent. May you walk without blemish among a crooked and perverse generation! Philippians 2:14-16 294. May following God's wisdom bring you long life, riches, honor, pleasantness and peace. May this wisdom be in you a tree of life for others! Proverbs 3:16-18 295. May you be salt and light! May you preserve peace, kindness and freedom in a world gone mad. May you shine in a world of darkness! Matthew 5:13 296. May you ever hold fast to Christ, who is the head of the body! From him it holds together by the presence of every member and is nourished for a growth that comes from God! Don't forget that you are one of those members! You are important to the Lord and to all the rest of us! Colossians 2:9, 12, 19 297. May you recognize and do what needs to be done before being asked! 298. Because God is an unfathomable abyss of possibilities, you are created in his image, but totally unique. You are blessed, because in expressing your uniqueness, you will glorify his fulness. 299. Bon Voyage! May your trip be safe, successful, even blest! 300. Grace, mercy and peace to a gracious, merciful and peace-making person. 301. May you be entirely unashamed -- of having what little you have, of sharing with common people who struggle hard, of working at whatever is required, and -- of Christ, who is the meaning of our lives! 302. May you never try to live by bread alone but by every that proceeds from the mouth of God! Matthew 4:4 303. May you be guarded by the Lord! May he be your shade by day and your light by night! May the Lord keep you from all harm and all sin! May he keep your life! May he keep your coming out and your going in, from this time forth and forever! Psalms 121 304. May you keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life. Prov. 4:23 305. May fellowship with God be your passion. More than knowledge or understanding, may you love him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. And may you love your neighbor as yourself, for if you cannot love him, whom you have seen, how will you love God, whom you have not seen? 306. What glory you'll know when God's pronouncement will show that your talents did grow. Matthew 25:19-30 307. For you, may clamor stop and noise be quiet, may you trust in God and get things right. 308. May you hold the word of God up before yourself, letting it be the mirror of your life. Remember what it discloses to you, and you will be a very wise person. Don't be a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word. James 1:23-25 309. May you give every man his due! But may you remember that the smartest scientist in making a discovery can only re-think thoughts that God has already thought! 310. - + / x May trouble be subtracted from your life! May goodness and honor be added to you! May every Red Sea of no-retreat be divided in your path! May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ! 2 Peter 1:1-2 311. May you be a wise person, building your house on a rock-solid foundation! When the floods and winds of life beat upon you [and they will], may your house stand because you hear and do the words of Christ! Luke 6:46-49 312. May you know that God understands and that he will lift you up and bring you to victory! 313. Boil and bubble. Blessings double. Be on fire with Spirit's power. Be bold as a lion. Never cower. 314. May you trust the Lord, understanding the weakness of man. May you abide with God forever! 315. In the midst of great success, may you also accept the Lord's reproof. For he reproves every whom he loves, as a father reproves a son in whom he delights. Prov. 3:12 316. May your life be a valley graced with trees and colorful flowers. May there be just enough rainstorms to keep it lush and green. 317. May your life be neat and orderly, but with enough surprises to keep you on your toes and with enough adversity to keep you on your knees. 318. May find, woo, and marry wisdom! Prize her highly and she will exalt you. Embrace her and she will crown you with honor. Prov. 4:8-9 319. May you, with the prowess of Olympian athlete, bring your own body and soul under subjection to God, that you may receive the imperishable wreath of everlasting life! Have dominion in the name of Christ! 1 Corinthians 4:25 320. May our loving Father create and instill in you a pure love! May it spill over your being as good intentions! And may he make you able to carry them out, every one! 321. May you possess true spirituality in Christ! May you receive and understand the gifts of the Spirit of God, which are spiritually discerned. And may you be so blessed that you can judge all things, while being judged by no one! May you have the mind of Christ! 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 322. May you seek first the supreme blessing, God's rule in your own heart, so that as He supplies your every need, you may never put your trust in things, but only in Him! 323. May God's wisdom teach you to discriminate between passing pleasures and lasting joy. May the course you choose be the best one! Some more polarities might be: [between infatuation and caring love] [between affluence and real wealth] [between human pride and boasting in God] [between talk and performance] 324. May you be sensitive to people, alert to ideas and implications of what they say and do. May you be sensitive to God, ready to act at his command. 325. May you receive what you ask for, find what you seek for, have opened to you every door you knock on. But first may you have the courage to ask, seek and knock! Matthew 7:7 326. May God bless you with new perspectives. When something is ho-hum, zoom in to get the amazingly intricate details, zoom out to get the big picture of God's real purposes. 327. May you be a world-class Christian! May your compassion circle the globe! May your prayers be for all peoples! May your door be open to every race! May your mercy be boundless! May you speak of Jesus to everyone! For he is the "peace" which mankind seeks! 328. May you, as you continue to send forth the word of Christ, remember your ultimate aim: to I produce the love that springs from a pure heart, to bring forth a clean conscience, to nurture genuine faith, and to bring forth the kind of ordered living that results when people entrust themselves to God! 1 Timothy 1:4-6 329. May you be wet clay in the hands of God, the master potter! May he mold you into a vessel of beauty and usefulness, to give and receive honor! 330. May you be one of God's singers! May you lift others with your songs of cheer! When you rejoice, may others abandon dreary days and, with you, sing songs of praise! May melodies of joy form themselves in your heart day by day, night by night! 331. May your sleep be sweet, your waking be refreshed, your rising be blessed, you tasks be fulfilling, your success sure. 332. May you walk faithfully with Christ. May you never turn away from him, not only now, but forever! 333. May sound wisdom and discretion be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Prov. 3:22 334. May you stuff your requests to God in envelopes of thanksgiving, stamped with love. Expect personal and prompt attention. 335. May God rescue you from all the storms of life. But by going through them may you learn to put your trust in your heavenly Father. 336. How blest you are! God has prepared great works of goodness for you to do. If you will find and do them, they will stretch your imagination and all your resources. You will walk away from them closer to the perfection to which the Father calls you. How blest you are! Ephesians 2:10 337. May you be a person of faith and valor. May your report be that the land can be taken -- that it is reliance on the Lord that will carry the day. Numbers 13:30 338. When wisdom cries aloud to be heard, may you be among the first to pay attention. May you have the full benefit from her gifts. Prov. 1:20-21 339. May your heart be filled with gratitude for all that Christ has done for you. And may you have a big heart! 340. See you later, but not much later. May our paths cross again very soon, so we'll see the sunshine of God's joy on each others' faces. 341. May you be a person of humble standing, working for yourself, instead of playing up to a rich employer, yet still lacking basic needs. Prov. 12:9 342. May you never exalt yourself, leading to downfall. May you humble yourself, that God may exalt you! Matthew 23:12 343. God bless you, you don't owe your sinful nature any obligation. And don't owe any man anything. Your only obligation is to walk in the Spirit and to love others. Romans 8:12, 13:8 344. May our good Lord grant you many helpers to help accomplish the good intentions which seem impossible for you to do! There's a cloud of witnesses who can testify that God does just this! And he can give help to you. May you just believe it! 345. May the Lord, before whom I walk, prosper your way this day! May he send his angels to guard you! Genesis 24:42 346. May you trust in the Lord! May you never rely solely on your own insights and resources! Prov. 3:5 347. May you know and believe this with all your heart: God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything so that you may provide in abundance for every good work. 348. May your particular gifts from God bless you and others through you. May you never feel vain pride about them but may you use them to build up the body of Christ! Remember, love is the more excellent way. Earnestly desire the gifts, but pursue love. May you remember that among Jesus' disciples, the greatest is the one who serves! 1 Corinthians 14, Mark 10 349. May your sleep be sweet, may you always rise refreshed, may vigor and joy fill your working hours. 350. May you maintain a spirit of cheerfulness despite all difficulties. 351. May you do everything you do to reflect honor on the holy name of God! May you do everything you do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit! 352. May you give full expression to your enthusiasm for good things! May you show with body, soul and spirit the joy, strength and goodness of God your Savior! 353. May you just know how blest you are to be a servant of God! May you eat and drink, rejoice and sing -- for gladness of heart! Isaiah 65:13-14 354. May you always walk in the way of good people and keep to the paths of the righteous. However crooked others may be, may you be upright. May you have great integrity. May you inherit all that God intends for you. Prov. 2:20-21 355. May you perceive the Spirit of God at work within and without -- within your spirit, bearing witness that you are God's child, and without, in the creation which is pregnant with expectation, hoping to be delivered along with us. Romans 8:14-23 356. May you sojourn in the tent of the Lord! May you dwell on his holy hill! May you walk blamelessly and do what is right! Psalms 15 357. May you prepare yourself and your surroundings so that the greatest good and the greatest efficiency may be achieved! 358. May you have the patience to accept a difficult situation from God without giving him a deadline to remove it! 359. May you and I be among the first to pound the hammer blows which will turn swords into plowshares and make spears into pruning hooks! May we make peace by means of a simple apology, a needed explanation, a granting of forgiveness, and embrace of restoration, a commitment to peace- making behavior. May there be peace in our world, and may it start with you -- and me! 360. May you and everything that God has created give him glory and eternal praise! May you live forever for this purpose! 361. May you live in full conformity to this truth: "The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." May you never cause someone else to stumble. May you keep between yourself and God your own high sense of what's right. And may you obey your own conscience so that there will never be a reason to despise yourself for what you approve. But may you please notjust yourself, but also your neighbor, for his good, to build him up. Romans 14:17-22; 15:1-2 362. May God destroy your every enemy! May they be swallowed up with your love when they approach to harm you! May every enemy disappear as a vapor of the morning! May there be standing there in their tracks only the friends they have become through the superior firepower of Christ's love in you! 363. May you never despair about disreputable ancestors! Read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter 1. He had four questionable women up-line: Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Ruth, and if the charges of neighbors had stuck, Mary! Make your life all that it can be in the holiness of God. Character is not necessarily inherited. 364. May you claim every promise that God has made you! May you take him at his word! May you just be patient in doing what's right, knowing that in due season you will reap the harvest! Galatians 6:9 365. May you not set your affections on ideas or plans which could be changed by God or others. May you be flexible about things of little importance! May you be doggedly determined about what really matters! May you set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth! Colossians 3:2 366. May your life have the right tune, the right meter, the right tempo, the right quality! May you be a song of praise to God! ================== HERE ENDS THE BOOK =============== * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ======== APPENDIX 1, 4 EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK ====== ============== PRAYING DAILY WITH PAUL ============= === PUBLISHED BY MERIDIAN, GRAND RAPIDS, MI, 1997 === === PAPER BACK GIFT EDITION, $9.99 IN BOOKSTORES ==== ----------------------------------------------------- A LIVING SACRIFICE Romans 12:1-2 47 Dear Father, all worthy God, I present my body to you, O Lord, as a living sacrifice. May it be holy and pleasing to you. Let this be done as my spiritual act of worship, not done at set times of remembrance, but constantly, moment by moment, day by day, night by night. Let me not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, which is doomed to pass away. Instead, let me be transformed by the renewing of my mind, so that I may be able to test and approve what your holy will for me is -- what is good, pleasing and perfect. By the authority of Jesus and in his name I ask for this growth in grace. Amen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTHING BETWEEN GOD AND ME 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 107 Dear Father, Never let an idol stand between me and you. I am not stronger than you. I don't want to provoke you to jealousy. Help to understand that while "all things are lawful," all things are not helpful. Let everything that I do, whether working or resting, eating or drinking, be done for your glory. May I never worship myself, live for myself, or strive to please myself. I want to worship you, to live for you, to please you. In the name of Jesus and in reliance upon his example I ask this. Amen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MY NEW NATURE MADE ALIVE Ephesians 4:17-21 300 Dear Father, righteous and holy God, Help me never be tempted to live as worldly people live: futile in their thinking -- darkened in their under- standing -- alienated from you because of the ignorance with them -- hard-hearted and calloused -- given over to licentiousness -- greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. I did not learn of a Christ like this! I learned of a righteous and holy Christ! Help me ever to aspire to live as your holy people live: clear and decisive in thought -- illumined in their understanding -- reconciled to you by knowing your Son -- tender-hearted and supple -- self-controlled -- hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Help me to follow him just as I was taught in him -- as the truth is in Jesus. In his precious name I pray. Amen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A BRILLIANT STAR Philippians 2:14-18 326 Dear Father, Help me to do what is needed without complaining or arguing, so that I may be blameless and pure. Let me be your child without fault, a child of God, in a crooked and perverse generation. Let me shine like a brilliant star in the night skies of your universe, as I hold out the word of light. Make me a source of pride to those who led me to the Lord, so that they may know that their efforts were not in vain. Let me rejoice together with all your saints and let them rejoice with me! Now and forever! In the name of Jesus, our star of hope. Amen. [There are a total of 366 prayers in the book, covering the entire gamut of Paul's writing. Although Paul may not be the author of Hebrews, it is included because some do think he wrote it.] ===== APPENDIX 2, A SUGGESTED E-MAIL TO YOUR ======= ====== FRIEND, ASKING IF THEY WANT THE BOOK ======== [Be sure to copy both the message and the excerpts into your message.] I have just been given an electronic book-file by Eldon Degge entitled Gracious Speech, Seasoned With Salt. It is a collection of blessings suitable for saying hello, goodbye, or for generally encouraging others. Eldon wants to give this book in electronic form to every computer- using Christian in the world in order to equip them with blessings which they can copy-and-paste into their letters, e-mail or word-processing, as appropriate, to encourage others. Eldon has authorized me to pass this file on to you FREE. All you have to do is send me an e-mail saying you want it and I'll forward it to you. Eldon has pointed out that the Bible says, "TO THIS WERE YOU CALLED (emphasis his) so that you might inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9 Christ intends ultimate blessing for us, and on the way he intends for us to extend blessing to others, both in tangible acts and by our GRACIOUS SPEECH. Blessings speak even to unbelievers. Who can get angry at someone who is pronouncing a blessing upon them? ======== HERE ARE SOME EXCERPTS SO YOU CAN SEE ========= =========== IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOUR WANT ============= For letters, speeches and just plain talk GRACIOUS SPEECH, SEASONED WITH SALT BLESSINGS FOR SAYING HELLO AND GOODBYE AND FOR ENCOURAGING by Eldon Degge (c) Copyright, 1997, Eldon Degge. The right of hard copy publication reserved. Right to distribute and use in electronic form freely bestowed on every other disciple of Jesus. SAMPLE BLESSINGS 13. May the soil of your soul be well-watered with the gentle rains of parental love, loyal support from your spouse, [respect from your children,] and loving concern from your friends. May it then bring forth a fruitful harvest to God. 19. May you dream of things that never were, and say, "Why not?"! Your God sets to naught the things that are by the things that are not. He speaks and things spring into existence! He can answer you need in ways you cannot conceive. 1 Corinthians 1:28 23. May you ever bless the Sovereign God, Lord of Creation, Sovereign of Space, Traverser of Times! May you be a vessel of adoration to him who is worthy of praise, honor and glory! And may I join you at this very moment, no matter how far apart we are! 45. May you enjoy your native talents, letting them flower in beauty and brilliance! May God grant you the gifts and fruit of his Spirit, things of even greater worth! 95. May you have a passport to glory! May it show that you are a citizen of heaven! 104. May your e-mail have lots that is addressed to thefather@heaven.net. 106. May not fear change. May you doggedly hold on to everything good from the past, and preserve it! And may you jettison everything that has become inappropriate and unworkable. May you help forge styles that are shaped by God's mighty acts in the past and by our glorious future with him. 156. May you be a letter of recommendation for Christ! May anyone who sees you be able to know him through you, by what is written in your heart. May you be a letter from Christ to the world, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God! 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 177. May you not despise the day of small beginnings! May you believe that God can make a bush from a mustard seed, carpet a forest floor from a single spore, ignite a prairie fire from a single spark, and start a worldwide enterprise from your single good intention! 186. May today be your day to soar with God! If not, walk with him. 188. May nothing ever deceive you into believing that man in his vaunted boast about the human spirit has achieved anything without God. "Every good endowment 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."What has man that he has not received? Nothing. May you open yourself to receive his blessings. James 1:16-17 190. May you be one of those persons who freely gives, yet grows all the richer, not like those who pinch pennies and still suffer want. Prov. 11:24 201. May you enjoy the many-colored splendors of life without being seduced by them. May you be fulfilled and faithful. 218. May you find blessing everywhere! Look inward, outward, downward and upward! 225. May God give you a generous heart. May you then receive full measure, poured back into your hands, for the measure you use for others is the measure that God will use for you. May you use this golden key to unlock many blessings for you and everyone! Luke 6:38 252. May you be perfect in Christ, perfectly loved, perfectly saved, perfectly protected, perfectly perfected! 298. Because God is an unfathomable abyss of possibilities, you are created in his image, but totally unique. You are blessed, because in expressing your uniqueness, you will glorify his fulness. 310. - + / x May trouble be subtracted from your life! May goodness and honor be added to you! May every Red Sea of no-retreat be divided in your path! May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ! 2 Peter 1:1-2 327. May you be a world-class Christian! May your compassion circle the globe! May your prayers be for all peoples! May your door be open to every race! May your mercy be boundless! May you speak of Jesus to everyone! For he is the "peace" which mankind seeks! 329. May you be wet clay in the hands of God, the master potter! May he mold you into a vessel of beauty and usefulness, to give and receive honor! 366. May your life have the right tune, the right meter, the right tempo, the right quality! May you be a song of praise to God! ============== THE END OF SAMPLE LETTER ============== === APPENDIX 3 .. INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR AUTHOR ====== ELDON H. DEGGE . 828 Byrd Drive . Abilene, TX 79601-5411 915 / 676-7513 . E-mail: edegge@bitstreet.com MY STORY I could tell you the chronological story of my 65 years of life, but I've done so many things, it might be tedious and might not convey what my life has really been about. God blessed me at a young age with a great thirst for knowledge and wisdom. And I have diligently searched for these all my life. I managed to complete ten years of higher education in the fields of language, Bible and history, and taught at the university level. I am a Ph.D. drop-out {not just once but twice during my life). I get called Dr. Degge occasionally, but the title is not deserved or desired. God blessed me by putting me in the most exciting industry of modern times -- computers. I started with the IBM Corporation back in 1958. Back then it took a lot of educating to get anybody interested. I am about to be a 40 year veteran of this industry. Right now, I am using my computer skills for writing books and creating graphic design products. Nearly all of these are for the purpose of teaching people about the Bible and inspiring people to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. This is my passion in the mature years of my life. Although I have been in the a minister by profession and have taught religion at the university level, this self-employment of mine -- the writing and the designing -- is my ministry now, how I seek to glorify God. During much of my life (from ages 22 through 52) there was great tension between my religious commit- ment and my desire for intellectual honesty and spiritual integrity. This led me into a study of most of the beliefs that mankind has ever held. At times it was difficult to keep my compass pointing to Christ, especially when the allurements of scholarly achievement and the spirit of the modern age were pulling me to go a different direction. With God's help I have survived the bombardments of comparative religion, form and source criticism, evolution, demythologization, New Age teachings and other faith-destroying theological shrapnel. With heartfelt sincerity and complete intellectual honesty, I am more deeply loyal to and in love with Jesus and the teachings of the Bible than ever. God also taught me to depend on him through a period of prolonged illness. If you have questions about these or other issues of faith, I'll be glad to share with you some of my experiences and perspect- ives. If they could prove helpful to you, I would be very glad. The message I want to promote is the Bible's message: that God sent his only Son to rescue human beings from destruction, to keep all his promises made through the prophets, and to provide us a glorious future. For this I live. I know that this is the path to eternal life and joy. Come go with me. ==================================================== NOW FOR A STANDARD STYLE VITA Eldon Degge currently divides his time between writing and graphics arts designing. He has a business called HALLELujah Writings and Designs. When asked what he does, his answer is, "I sit at my computer most of the day and write books and draw pictures." Some people would call that playing. He has authored other works entitled: The End of the Jewish Kingdom, 604-586 BC; A Computer-Generated Concordance of the Coptic Text of the Gospel According to Thomas; Up and Down the Glory Mountain a three-act-play version of the Gospel of Mark); Networking for Christ (unpublished); A Book of Blessings, Book 1; and was featured in the Brownlow publication, A Bouquet of Blessings. Other works being readied for publication right now include: Anti-Depressants; An Ancient Search for Excellence; How Blest You Are, Just To Be You; Understanding and Standing; Live Life to the Fullest; On Calloused Knees; Heaven on Earth; Worship, a Living Sacrifice; Days of Dress Rehearsal; Lyrics in Search of Music. and of course Gracious Speech, Seasoned with Salt, Book 2. Most of his writings are what he refers to as "form-transformations." Most of the time he is taking biblical material in one form (e.g., a parable, a story) and transforming it into another form (say, a drama, poetry, lyrics for songs, etc.). This way of dealing with scripture material is life-transforming, both for the author and the reader. In midlife Eldon Degge was blessed with a rekindling of his faith in and his love for Jesus Christ. Ever since that time he has tried to bring all of what he had experienced in a very diverse career into useful service for Christ. He has had career stints as a soldier, minister, salesman, systems engineer, teacher, systems designer, computer programmer, technical writer, consultant, teacher, training director, professional manager and graphics design artist. He is a 40 year veteran of the computer industry. He has done inde- pendent study of the Bible for 57 years. He served eight years in ministry and counselling, and has taught at a guest lecturer at Lamar State University, Pepper- dine Extension, Rice University, Texas A&M University, and Abilene Christian University for total of over 10 years. Mr. Degge holds a B.A. in New Testament Greek from Abilene Christian University, 1951, an M.A. in History from Eastern New Mexico University, 1954, did a year of study in a B.D. program at Harvard Divinity School, and completed all course studies toward his Ph.D. in New Testament at Claremont (CA) Graduate School. The qualification exams and dissertation were not completed. Eldon lives with his wife, Peggy, in Abilene, TX. They have five children, eight grandchildren,and five great grandchildren. Eldon is a deacon at the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene and is in charge of its jobs ministry . ============== END OF ENTIRE FILE ==================