Thank YOU....
Psalm 50:14, 23 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Over thirty-five years ago, this lesson of thanksgiving was imbedded into my soul...not that I wanted to say thanks by any means, but it was a loud voice, not a still quiet voice...I can remember the place, the time, the reason...we were living in the mountains, with only one phone for a whole camp of workers...my grandfather was dying....I had just read the Philippians verses for morning devotions...and I didn't want to give thanks in all circumstances...but, through tears, I acted on obedience and did it...
There have been innumerable times since then that I didn't want to give thanks, but was reminded over and over again of that scene, those circumstances, those emphatic words...."with thanksgiving", "give thanks"... With the peace that followed....honoring the God who alone gives the peace that is only from Him....
Thank YOU....
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Sunday, August 28, 2016
You've got mail...life...
You've got mail....life...
I was watching the "chick flick", "You've Got Mail". The scene where Meg Ryan closes her store, she envisions she and her mother dancing like they did when she was a child with the sign hanging on the closed door, "we are closing after 42 years, we loved serving you" came after a weekend of reminiscing with family and long ago friends...a reunion on many levels...
Stories were told that some remembered and had forgotten, laughter over antics done, cars driven, couples of long ago, teachers dreaded and liked, classes of interest and disinterest, who looks like they did or not after so many years, lives lived well and not so well, memories of those who lives have ended...body changes, acceptance or not of who we are after 50 years of life after high school...are we still asking the question-what will I be when I grow up.....now it is, " how do I do this retirement?"... "How do I take care of aging parents"..."how do I enjoy my grandchildren or more free time?" ... All kinds of questions....but, going back to the movie, I saw the "dancing with mother" in the memories that were shared, the "what were's" of life...the doors have closed in those years and we are marching ahead into new chapters in all of our lives...
Thank YOU for friends and family through the years...through growing up times, the hard times, the paths we have taken, lives lived....let them glorify You in some way....
Psalm 47:1-9 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.
He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
I was watching the "chick flick", "You've Got Mail". The scene where Meg Ryan closes her store, she envisions she and her mother dancing like they did when she was a child with the sign hanging on the closed door, "we are closing after 42 years, we loved serving you" came after a weekend of reminiscing with family and long ago friends...a reunion on many levels...
Stories were told that some remembered and had forgotten, laughter over antics done, cars driven, couples of long ago, teachers dreaded and liked, classes of interest and disinterest, who looks like they did or not after so many years, lives lived well and not so well, memories of those who lives have ended...body changes, acceptance or not of who we are after 50 years of life after high school...are we still asking the question-what will I be when I grow up.....now it is, " how do I do this retirement?"... "How do I take care of aging parents"..."how do I enjoy my grandchildren or more free time?" ... All kinds of questions....but, going back to the movie, I saw the "dancing with mother" in the memories that were shared, the "what were's" of life...the doors have closed in those years and we are marching ahead into new chapters in all of our lives...
Thank YOU for friends and family through the years...through growing up times, the hard times, the paths we have taken, lives lived....let them glorify You in some way....
Psalm 47:1-9 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.
He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Facing fears...
Facing fears....
I know that for some facing fears is no big deal, but for those of us who have lived with various fears it is a foreboding task...
My mother was filled with fears and anxiety. She did face most of them, but as I was growing up, I thought fear was a way of life, fearful of this and that...
So over my life time, especially in adulthood, facing fears has been an issue, which I have both ignored and met head-on...
-getting married after being sexually attacked as a preteen
-Having children after being an only child
-simple walks in the woods
-Flying
-crowds, I am a one on one person, as well as my husband or father would carry the conversations, while I observed/listened...I became a very good questioner and listener ...
-not wanting to try something new if I thought I would fail
-not feeling worthy of anything...
-not wanting to get out of my comfort zone
As years go buy, I am finding that God really wants me to face those fears...whether I wanted to or not...the nudging to move forward becomes a large push rather than a simple tap...move into the fear, examine it, face it with His help...gain His peace over it...give it over to Him...move forward....
He gave me a wonderful understanding husband, four terrific children, grandchildren, time to heal in the surrounding woods, courage to fly, friends to go into crowds, ability to listen, worthiness, larger comfort zones...and so much more
No, I am still not over all the fears, but I have a God who goes before, with and after me through each one...thank YOU....I am sure there are more to conquer ....
Psalm 46:1-11 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
I know that for some facing fears is no big deal, but for those of us who have lived with various fears it is a foreboding task...
My mother was filled with fears and anxiety. She did face most of them, but as I was growing up, I thought fear was a way of life, fearful of this and that...
So over my life time, especially in adulthood, facing fears has been an issue, which I have both ignored and met head-on...
-getting married after being sexually attacked as a preteen
-Having children after being an only child
-simple walks in the woods
-Flying
-crowds, I am a one on one person, as well as my husband or father would carry the conversations, while I observed/listened...I became a very good questioner and listener ...
-not wanting to try something new if I thought I would fail
-not feeling worthy of anything...
-not wanting to get out of my comfort zone
As years go buy, I am finding that God really wants me to face those fears...whether I wanted to or not...the nudging to move forward becomes a large push rather than a simple tap...move into the fear, examine it, face it with His help...gain His peace over it...give it over to Him...move forward....
He gave me a wonderful understanding husband, four terrific children, grandchildren, time to heal in the surrounding woods, courage to fly, friends to go into crowds, ability to listen, worthiness, larger comfort zones...and so much more
No, I am still not over all the fears, but I have a God who goes before, with and after me through each one...thank YOU....I am sure there are more to conquer ....
Psalm 46:1-11 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Downcast .....
Downcast...
This summer has found me, even though busy, on the downcast side...there are stresses of still dealing with business things that I really have no control over, activities that fill time, lack of purpose, re-editing my grief blogs-which, Though needful, has dredged up and opened past wounds and the loneliness of widowhood. The Griefbook is finished and published, a remarkable journey of odediance...travels for business taken, times filled, family visited as fall approaches with its exciting events to which to look forward...so the "downcast" is fleeting in and out of life...
I have been reading slowly through the book of Psalms...42 and 43 repeat the same verse three times, coming to the same conclusion each time..."put your hope in God". Not just any god, but "my Savior and my God"...
Then fast forward...to the road to Emmaus, where Jesus joins the downcast men who walking away from the city discussing the cruxifixction events...He enlightens them with His Word....giving hope in the God in whom they need to trust.
He Always brings us back to his Word...through His Spirit who teaches us truth in our lives...in the up times and the downcast times...or sending us those with whom we are encouraged as in Corinthians, Titus came...
thank YOU...for your words of encouragement, those who sometime travel with us, encouraging us along our path...
2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
Psalm 42:5, 11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
From the Bible Panorama , the comment was made that even though the psalmist was downcast, he knew he could put his trust in a personal God, "my Savior and my God"...
Psalm 43:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Luke 24:17, 27, 32, 36 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
H While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
"Thank you, Lord, that you have called me to walk by faith and sometimes that means in acting in ways that make no sense to the world around me. Help me to trust that you will establish your word and show yourself faithful."
Ray Stedman...
This summer has found me, even though busy, on the downcast side...there are stresses of still dealing with business things that I really have no control over, activities that fill time, lack of purpose, re-editing my grief blogs-which, Though needful, has dredged up and opened past wounds and the loneliness of widowhood. The Griefbook is finished and published, a remarkable journey of odediance...travels for business taken, times filled, family visited as fall approaches with its exciting events to which to look forward...so the "downcast" is fleeting in and out of life...
I have been reading slowly through the book of Psalms...42 and 43 repeat the same verse three times, coming to the same conclusion each time..."put your hope in God". Not just any god, but "my Savior and my God"...
Then fast forward...to the road to Emmaus, where Jesus joins the downcast men who walking away from the city discussing the cruxifixction events...He enlightens them with His Word....giving hope in the God in whom they need to trust.
He Always brings us back to his Word...through His Spirit who teaches us truth in our lives...in the up times and the downcast times...or sending us those with whom we are encouraged as in Corinthians, Titus came...
thank YOU...for your words of encouragement, those who sometime travel with us, encouraging us along our path...
2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
Psalm 42:5, 11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
From the Bible Panorama , the comment was made that even though the psalmist was downcast, he knew he could put his trust in a personal God, "my Savior and my God"...
Psalm 43:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Luke 24:17, 27, 32, 36 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
H While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
"Thank you, Lord, that you have called me to walk by faith and sometimes that means in acting in ways that make no sense to the world around me. Help me to trust that you will establish your word and show yourself faithful."
Ray Stedman...
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Realease....
Release...
"When you release loved ones to Me, you are free to cling to My hand. As you entrust others into My care, I am free to shower blessings on them. My Presence will go with where ever they go and I will give them rest. This same Presence stays with you as you relax and place your trust in Me. Watch to see what I will do..." Jesus Calls, August 23...
Exodus 33:14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
It seems like I have had to release a lot of things, people, expectations, dreams in the last few years...possessions have just become "stuff"... Dreams have faded or had to be discarded....expectations/ plans which were "mine" have changed or been exposed as false...people who were to "live forever" have died....past decisions were not as good as I thought...I am not the person I thought I was...my faith has been tested and found small...false ideas exposed...filthy rags...I have been enabling, instead of empowering...I realize how much I wanted things to go "my way"...of course it had to be the right way...which may or may it be God's way...so much laying things at the cross for Him to carry as His burden instead of mine...thank YOU...You put your hand of heart healing on life , You hold those around me more closely than I could ever hold...I am so undone...
Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Psalm 94:18-19 When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Lion King....
Lion King....
The play, Lion King, came close to my home for a time this summer. it was a pleasure to take some of my family to see it during this time.plus another family with children. It is too much for children under 4 or 5. A friend and I saw it in New York four years ago and I wanted timeshare it with others ..the puppetry, the colors, the story, the music...what fun...
Watching it again gave me pause to the many life stories that unfold in the story line, even Biblical ones...I am not saying that it is a Bible story nor that it totally depicts The Bible...no....no...
But there are the depictions of good and evil, temptations, lying , the fleeting pleasures of sin, the passing on of values from one generation to another, parenting with love and vision, following the right or wrong paths, the effects of evil, doing the right things, turning away from evil, the contrasts of the wicked and good .....a really good discussion story for families....
Thank YOU for the opportunity to spend time with family, but also to see the lessons You can portray in everyday things...to show Your Light....
Psalm 36:1-12 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good.
Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise!
The play, Lion King, came close to my home for a time this summer. it was a pleasure to take some of my family to see it during this time.plus another family with children. It is too much for children under 4 or 5. A friend and I saw it in New York four years ago and I wanted timeshare it with others ..the puppetry, the colors, the story, the music...what fun...
Watching it again gave me pause to the many life stories that unfold in the story line, even Biblical ones...I am not saying that it is a Bible story nor that it totally depicts The Bible...no....no...
But there are the depictions of good and evil, temptations, lying , the fleeting pleasures of sin, the passing on of values from one generation to another, parenting with love and vision, following the right or wrong paths, the effects of evil, doing the right things, turning away from evil, the contrasts of the wicked and good .....a really good discussion story for families....
Thank YOU for the opportunity to spend time with family, but also to see the lessons You can portray in everyday things...to show Your Light....
Psalm 36:1-12 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good.
Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise!
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Gardens ...
Gardens...
Yesterday, I spent part of my day at the Oregon Gardens. A plot of land that had nice been a simple field which became someone's dream of beautiful gardens with descending ponds down a sloping hill overlooking the Willamette valley. There are many kinds of gardens within a huge 100 acre plus garden all with different themes but connecting pathways, five venues for weddings or gatherings, thousands of plantings, changing seasonal plants...peaceful...
My question this morning was, "what refreshes you?" One of my answers has to be, gardens...not working in gardens, but the well tended gardens that others open to me and my wanderings wherever I roam..from China, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Central America, Canada, various states in the United States, the Caribbean....where ever we have traveled, I have desired to see the gardens. Whether for just the peacefulness or the beauty, it refreshes my soul in the quietness of the beauty found there....the intricacy of the flowers reminding me of the Creator who designs with order and precision...the minute details He cares for...as He care for me...
Thank YOU for the opportunity to walk amongst your designs, your quiet gardens amidst the hecticness of life..You speak words of care and love to me...
Genesis 2:8-9a Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.....
Genesis 3:8a Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day....
Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
Gardens ...
Gardens...
Yesterday, I spent part of my day at the Oregon Gardens. A plot of land that had nice been a simple field which became someone's dream of beautiful gardens with descending ponds down a sloping hill overlooking the Willamette valley. There are many kinds of gardens within a huge 100 acre plus garden all with different themes but connecting pathways, five venues for weddings or gatherings, thousands of plantings, changing seasonal plants...peaceful...
My question this morning was, "what refreshes you?" One of my answers has to be, gardens...not working in gardens, but the well tended gardens that others open to me and my wanderings wherever I roam..from China, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Central America, Canada, various states in the United States, the Caribbean....where ever we have travelled, I have desired to see the gardens. Whether for just the peacefulness or the beauty, it refreshes my soul in the quietness of the beauty found there....the intricacy of the flowers reminding me of the Creator who designs with order and precision...the minute details He cares for...as He care for me...
Thank YOU for the opportunity to walk amongst your designs, your quiet gardens amidst the hecticness of life..You speak words of care and love to me...
Genesis 2:8-9a Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.....
Genesis 3:8a Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day....
Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
The guitar makers...
The guitar makers...
Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring a local, but internationally known handcrafted guitar studio/manufacturing business. What fun...
In the group of nine people, there was one who played these beautiful instruments, so he tried each out that the guide gave him to handle from the five hundred dollar ones to the multi-thousand dollar ones...each resonating with its mellow, rich tones...
There is such science in making these instruments; the kind of wood, the thickness of the woods, the curves, the hole sizes, the humidity, the neck length/width, the type of strings, the sizes, etc.. It is an art to handcraft each one of these with its many layers of time, design...so that the artist is pleased with the end instrument...this is no half hour craft...they send out about two hundred a month after days and days of work, many using American woods in their design as well as abalone shells from California...
Anyway, it was an interesting tour...the buildings hidden away on a back street for privacy...
What craftsmen made the stringed instruments talked about in the Bible? Where did they get their wood? Who designed them? Who all played them?
Who was blessed by their music?
Genesis 4:21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.
David played for Saul to sooth his mind..
many of the psalms were written with stringed instruments for accompaniment ...
Isaiah 38:20 The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.
Habakkuk 3:19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
We have at least two to four guitarists leading the song part of worship at church every week...
So stringed instruments have been around a long time....touching the soul of man, reaching the heart of God with melodies of praise...thank YOU that you have blessed us with music for our souls...with instruments or not...
Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring a local, but internationally known handcrafted guitar studio/manufacturing business. What fun...
In the group of nine people, there was one who played these beautiful instruments, so he tried each out that the guide gave him to handle from the five hundred dollar ones to the multi-thousand dollar ones...each resonating with its mellow, rich tones...
There is such science in making these instruments; the kind of wood, the thickness of the woods, the curves, the hole sizes, the humidity, the neck length/width, the type of strings, the sizes, etc.. It is an art to handcraft each one of these with its many layers of time, design...so that the artist is pleased with the end instrument...this is no half hour craft...they send out about two hundred a month after days and days of work, many using American woods in their design as well as abalone shells from California...
Anyway, it was an interesting tour...the buildings hidden away on a back street for privacy...
What craftsmen made the stringed instruments talked about in the Bible? Where did they get their wood? Who designed them? Who all played them?
Who was blessed by their music?
Genesis 4:21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.
David played for Saul to sooth his mind..
many of the psalms were written with stringed instruments for accompaniment ...
Isaiah 38:20 The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.
Habakkuk 3:19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
We have at least two to four guitarists leading the song part of worship at church every week...
So stringed instruments have been around a long time....touching the soul of man, reaching the heart of God with melodies of praise...thank YOU that you have blessed us with music for our souls...with instruments or not...
Monday, August 15, 2016
The Lamb....
The first week of August or even the month of August is the culmination of many agricultural projects for 4H's, FFA's, livestock production people who come together for county or state fairs...there are barns of pigs, beef cattle, dairy cattle, rabbits, ducks, chickens, meat or dairy goats, sheep...
At the end of the week, many of these animals are sold at auctions and then led into trucks for slaughter to be made into meat for private individuals or markets...so as you wander through the pens looking at the awards, the animals, talking to the owners you know that within a few days these animals which were so lovingly cared for will be meat packages in someone's freezer or simmering in a crockpot.
So innocent...are the poor animals...raised for our appetites...no wonder people become vegetarians, they don't have to look into the eyes of their future food...
I thought of this as I was looking at the lambs, baaing away, or lying calmly in their pens...the Lamb of God...Jesus came for each person who ever lived or whoever will...bearing our guilt on the cross... God provided, chosen, given over, worthy, unblemished, dying on my behalf, innocent of any guilt...to carry my sins and all sin....to raise again, glorified, ....what an awesome gift, a lamb...
Thank YOU....
Genesis 22:8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Leviticus 14:25 He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Luke 10:3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
John 1:29, 36 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
1 Peter 1:19-21 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Revelation 5:12 In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
Revelation 21:22-23, 27 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Molding...
Molding....
I was reading my former hometown paper last night just for fun and found a not so fun article about a family which we knew, Whose son has gone missing since the end of July. He left early one morning to scout out his hunting area and never returned home. Day and days of searching by many people and prayers from many more have only recovered his vehicle, some personal items and now the search is suspended... How one day changes lives of families...that molding process we, as clay, don't really like...we wonder at the potter's ways sometimes, but are molded still into vessels that glorify the potter...not ourselves...
The molding is not easy many times, and the vessel may not look like we thought we should look...the turning can make us dizzy by its rotations, changing events in our lives...but he adds water to soften us, making us more moldable...He adds design, color, heat for hardening, purpose...some are put on shelves for their beauty, while others are used often or for particular purpose....the potter knows just what he is doing ...we as clay, are formed by His hands...
In Psalm 31:14-15a, David writes, "But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands;...."
More than time, but our very lives are in His hands...as we trust that He, the Potter, forms us for good, for his glory, for Himself...and rejoices when we are in his presence...at home...
Thank YOU for your molding of us, each day, a turn, a spin, a design, a color, a firing, a use...even a change...for your eternal purpose...
Immeasurably More
The Potter and the Clay
A daily devotion for August 14th
From your friends at RayStedman.org
Read: Jeremiah 18:1-23
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message. So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:1-4
We have commented in previous messages about the many things God uses to teach his people, these remarkable visual aids which appear from time to time in this book whereby God imparts lessons to this prophet. Jeremiah was sent down to the potter's house, and there he saw three simple things, conveying to him a fantastic lesson. You may have observed the same things that Jeremiah did, for the art of making a pot has not changed through the centuries. The wheel is now turned by an electric motor, but that is about the only difference. Even this is still controlled by the foot of the potter. The clay is the same as it has always been. The potter is the same, with his capable hands, working to mold and shape the clay into the vessel he has in mind.
What did Jeremiah see in this lesson? First there was the clay. Jeremiah knew, as he watched the potter shaping and molding the clay, that he was looking at a picture of himself, and of every man, and of every nation. We are the clay. Both Isaiah and Zechariah, in the Old Testament, join with Jeremiah in presenting this picture of the potter and the clay. In the New Testament we have the voice of Paul in that great passage in Romans 9, reminding us that God is the Potter and we are the clay. So Jeremiah saw the clay being shaped and molded into a vessel. Then some imperfection in the clay spoiled it in the potter's hand, and the potter crumbled it up, and began anew the process of shaping it into a vessel that pleased him.
Jeremiah saw the wheel turning constantly, bringing the clay against the potter's hand. That wheel stands for the turning circumstances of our life, under the control of the Potter, for it is the potter's foot that guides the wheel. The lesson is clear. As our life is being shaped and molded by the Great Potter, it is the circumstances of our life which bring us again and again under the potter's hand, under the pressure of the molding fingers of the Potter, so that he shapes the vessel according to his will.
Then, Jeremiah saw the potter. God, he knew, was the Great Potter, with absolute right over the clay to make it what he wanted it to be. Paul argues this with keen and clear logic in Romans 9: Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, Why did you make me like this? Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? (Romans 9:20b-21) Of course he has. The vessel is shaped according to the image in the potter's mind.
So Jeremiah, by watching, learned that an individual or a nation is clay in the Great Potter's hands. He has a sovereign right to make it what he wants it to be. He has the skill and design to work with the clay and to bring it to pass. If there be some imperfection in the clay, something which mars the design, spoils the work, the potter simply crushes the clay down to a lump and begins again to make it yet a vessel according to his own mind.
Thank you, Father, for creating me and shaping me. I trust that you are sovereign in all that you do, and that your purpose for me is good.
Life Application
What are three principles we may learn from the visual aid of potter and vessel? Are we learning to be grateful for the Potter's molding of our earthly vessels?
Copyright © 2016 Ray Stedman Ministries — This daily devotion is from the book Immeasurably More: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman, compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet.
I was reading my former hometown paper last night just for fun and found a not so fun article about a family which we knew, Whose son has gone missing since the end of July. He left early one morning to scout out his hunting area and never returned home. Day and days of searching by many people and prayers from many more have only recovered his vehicle, some personal items and now the search is suspended... How one day changes lives of families...that molding process we, as clay, don't really like...we wonder at the potter's ways sometimes, but are molded still into vessels that glorify the potter...not ourselves...
The molding is not easy many times, and the vessel may not look like we thought we should look...the turning can make us dizzy by its rotations, changing events in our lives...but he adds water to soften us, making us more moldable...He adds design, color, heat for hardening, purpose...some are put on shelves for their beauty, while others are used often or for particular purpose....the potter knows just what he is doing ...we as clay, are formed by His hands...
In Psalm 31:14-15a, David writes, "But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands;...."
More than time, but our very lives are in His hands...as we trust that He, the Potter, forms us for good, for his glory, for Himself...and rejoices when we are in his presence...at home...
Thank YOU for your molding of us, each day, a turn, a spin, a design, a color, a firing, a use...even a change...for your eternal purpose...
Immeasurably More
The Potter and the Clay
A daily devotion for August 14th
From your friends at RayStedman.org
Read: Jeremiah 18:1-23
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message. So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:1-4
We have commented in previous messages about the many things God uses to teach his people, these remarkable visual aids which appear from time to time in this book whereby God imparts lessons to this prophet. Jeremiah was sent down to the potter's house, and there he saw three simple things, conveying to him a fantastic lesson. You may have observed the same things that Jeremiah did, for the art of making a pot has not changed through the centuries. The wheel is now turned by an electric motor, but that is about the only difference. Even this is still controlled by the foot of the potter. The clay is the same as it has always been. The potter is the same, with his capable hands, working to mold and shape the clay into the vessel he has in mind.
What did Jeremiah see in this lesson? First there was the clay. Jeremiah knew, as he watched the potter shaping and molding the clay, that he was looking at a picture of himself, and of every man, and of every nation. We are the clay. Both Isaiah and Zechariah, in the Old Testament, join with Jeremiah in presenting this picture of the potter and the clay. In the New Testament we have the voice of Paul in that great passage in Romans 9, reminding us that God is the Potter and we are the clay. So Jeremiah saw the clay being shaped and molded into a vessel. Then some imperfection in the clay spoiled it in the potter's hand, and the potter crumbled it up, and began anew the process of shaping it into a vessel that pleased him.
Jeremiah saw the wheel turning constantly, bringing the clay against the potter's hand. That wheel stands for the turning circumstances of our life, under the control of the Potter, for it is the potter's foot that guides the wheel. The lesson is clear. As our life is being shaped and molded by the Great Potter, it is the circumstances of our life which bring us again and again under the potter's hand, under the pressure of the molding fingers of the Potter, so that he shapes the vessel according to his will.
Then, Jeremiah saw the potter. God, he knew, was the Great Potter, with absolute right over the clay to make it what he wanted it to be. Paul argues this with keen and clear logic in Romans 9: Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, Why did you make me like this? Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? (Romans 9:20b-21) Of course he has. The vessel is shaped according to the image in the potter's mind.
So Jeremiah, by watching, learned that an individual or a nation is clay in the Great Potter's hands. He has a sovereign right to make it what he wants it to be. He has the skill and design to work with the clay and to bring it to pass. If there be some imperfection in the clay, something which mars the design, spoils the work, the potter simply crushes the clay down to a lump and begins again to make it yet a vessel according to his own mind.
Thank you, Father, for creating me and shaping me. I trust that you are sovereign in all that you do, and that your purpose for me is good.
Life Application
What are three principles we may learn from the visual aid of potter and vessel? Are we learning to be grateful for the Potter's molding of our earthly vessels?
Copyright © 2016 Ray Stedman Ministries — This daily devotion is from the book Immeasurably More: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman, compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Perseid meteor showers....
Perseid meteor showers...
Last night on the news, the meteorologist was talking about the meteor showers which are at their peak tonight and tomorrow night. I went out before I went to bed last night and again early this morning, 4am, and stood and watched the sky. This morning there were a few showers, but I plan to watch tonight again. It is so amazing to watch the brilliance of the stars in the darkness...these past few years, we have had so many fires that they obscured the sky with smoke, so it is a pleasure not to have fires as well as to see the meteor shower this time of year...
What gifts of light God has given us to watch...and to think that each star is named by God himself... For our delight and pursuit ...
I was thinking this as a well known Christian, Franklin Graham is speaking many places this summer. He, as well as his father, Billy, will go down as stars who have lead many to righteousness, with their world wide ministries.
Others have gone before, DL Moody, Charles Spurgeon, the Wesleys, to name a few...they led many to the throne of grace...plus the unnamed men and women who daily work in the thousands of ministries sharing Christ across the globe in a multitude of positions...stars, each one, using their talents and lives to forward the cause of Christ...shining in dark places...and God knows each by their name as well..
Thank YOU for the showers of blessings....
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/perseid-meteor-shower-aug11-12.html
1 Corinthians 15:41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Genesis 1:16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
Psalm 136:9 the moon and stars to ilgovern the night; His love endures forever.
Daniel 12:3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever
Last night on the news, the meteorologist was talking about the meteor showers which are at their peak tonight and tomorrow night. I went out before I went to bed last night and again early this morning, 4am, and stood and watched the sky. This morning there were a few showers, but I plan to watch tonight again. It is so amazing to watch the brilliance of the stars in the darkness...these past few years, we have had so many fires that they obscured the sky with smoke, so it is a pleasure not to have fires as well as to see the meteor shower this time of year...
What gifts of light God has given us to watch...and to think that each star is named by God himself... For our delight and pursuit ...
I was thinking this as a well known Christian, Franklin Graham is speaking many places this summer. He, as well as his father, Billy, will go down as stars who have lead many to righteousness, with their world wide ministries.
Others have gone before, DL Moody, Charles Spurgeon, the Wesleys, to name a few...they led many to the throne of grace...plus the unnamed men and women who daily work in the thousands of ministries sharing Christ across the globe in a multitude of positions...stars, each one, using their talents and lives to forward the cause of Christ...shining in dark places...and God knows each by their name as well..
Thank YOU for the showers of blessings....
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/perseid-meteor-shower-aug11-12.html
1 Corinthians 15:41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Genesis 1:16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
Psalm 136:9 the moon and stars to ilgovern the night; His love endures forever.
Daniel 12:3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
The voice of the Lord.....
The voice of the Lord.....
The question is asked, "what storms are blowing through my life right now?" Am I giving God the glory even in those storms, letting His voice rule, am I finding His peace through the storm...or am I in an uproar listening to the storm rattle its fury???
Reading Psalm 29 this am was again a reminder to lay the storms at His feet, because only He has power over the storms of life...my job is to listen and seek His face....seek His strength and not my own...listen to his gentle answer and not the roar of the world....walk in His way, not my own...He alone gives peace.....
Thank YOU....
Psalm 29:1-11 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Isaiah 28:23, 26 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
Isaiah 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Psalm 95:7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,
1 Kings 19:12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
The question is asked, "what storms are blowing through my life right now?" Am I giving God the glory even in those storms, letting His voice rule, am I finding His peace through the storm...or am I in an uproar listening to the storm rattle its fury???
Reading Psalm 29 this am was again a reminder to lay the storms at His feet, because only He has power over the storms of life...my job is to listen and seek His face....seek His strength and not my own...listen to his gentle answer and not the roar of the world....walk in His way, not my own...He alone gives peace.....
Thank YOU....
Psalm 29:1-11 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Isaiah 28:23, 26 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
Isaiah 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Psalm 95:7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,
1 Kings 19:12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
The grass is greener...
The grass is greener...
My oldest daughter and family just put in new grass this spring and summer. It is growing well in a dry place. The cows are theoretically fenced out in their own pasture which doesn't look quite so green.
I caught this picture of one steer looking longingly at the new greens, seemingly wondering how to taste the fresh grass...
It really embodies the saying, "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.."
I have known lots of people over the years who "church hopped", "town hopped", "house hopped" looking for various new venues, whether it be different preaching styles, bigger and better, more amenities, more comfortable chairs, better youth groups, different leadership, even better buildings or landscaping...each with their own merit. Nothing is inherently wrong with hopping unless it is due to lack of contentment...there is spiritual discontent or physical discontent or whatever...
The steer was looking for more moist, green, tender grass on the other side of the fence, even though he had that on his side of the fence...eyeing it with Covetous eyes..."greener grass"= better food...
Just like we may look covetously to other greener "pastures" as well meaning "I will be more content with something else"...I have been there many times over many things...my discontent keeping my attitude in poor shape and not listening for the lessons I should be learning in my life...greener pastures are not necessarily really greener...
Thank YOU that you can even let animals teach lessons for the soul....
Ecclesiastes 4:8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business!
Philippians 4:11-12 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
My oldest daughter and family just put in new grass this spring and summer. It is growing well in a dry place. The cows are theoretically fenced out in their own pasture which doesn't look quite so green.
I caught this picture of one steer looking longingly at the new greens, seemingly wondering how to taste the fresh grass...
It really embodies the saying, "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.."
I have known lots of people over the years who "church hopped", "town hopped", "house hopped" looking for various new venues, whether it be different preaching styles, bigger and better, more amenities, more comfortable chairs, better youth groups, different leadership, even better buildings or landscaping...each with their own merit. Nothing is inherently wrong with hopping unless it is due to lack of contentment...there is spiritual discontent or physical discontent or whatever...
The steer was looking for more moist, green, tender grass on the other side of the fence, even though he had that on his side of the fence...eyeing it with Covetous eyes..."greener grass"= better food...
Just like we may look covetously to other greener "pastures" as well meaning "I will be more content with something else"...I have been there many times over many things...my discontent keeping my attitude in poor shape and not listening for the lessons I should be learning in my life...greener pastures are not necessarily really greener...
Thank YOU that you can even let animals teach lessons for the soul....
Ecclesiastes 4:8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business!
Philippians 4:11-12 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
The otter...
The otter....
The other morning as I was driving, I witnessed something so exciting it made me later than expected...a river otter crossed the road in front of me going from one of the ditches into a pond next to the road...it slithered into pond, keeping out of sight except were it was moving among the tall reeds...then finally swimming in the open water to cross the small pond to a wooden raft where it groomed itself, played on and around the raft. My camera was clicking all the while to document this event to show my family that it REALLY took place...
I have only seen river otters in zoos plus oceans ones in Alaska ...so this was a fun moment in time...what a gift...
I was thinking of this as I read in psalms again this morning..seeing the goodness of the Lord..
Psalm 27:13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Not that seeing an otter is anything like seeing God, but it was a gift that moment in time...
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Thank YOU for reminding me that you are the Author of creation...you bestow so many amazing things on us to see and delight in besides yourself whom nothing compares...
The other morning as I was driving, I witnessed something so exciting it made me later than expected...a river otter crossed the road in front of me going from one of the ditches into a pond next to the road...it slithered into pond, keeping out of sight except were it was moving among the tall reeds...then finally swimming in the open water to cross the small pond to a wooden raft where it groomed itself, played on and around the raft. My camera was clicking all the while to document this event to show my family that it REALLY took place...
I have only seen river otters in zoos plus oceans ones in Alaska ...so this was a fun moment in time...what a gift...
I was thinking of this as I read in psalms again this morning..seeing the goodness of the Lord..
Psalm 27:13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Not that seeing an otter is anything like seeing God, but it was a gift that moment in time...
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Thank YOU for reminding me that you are the Author of creation...you bestow so many amazing things on us to see and delight in besides yourself whom nothing compares...
Monday, August 1, 2016
"From sticks to beauty ".....
"From sticks to beauty...."
All three of my kitchen window plants are "rescues". I wrote this the other day to a friend, "found this in the trash, one day. Couldn't pass it by. So brought it home, fed and watered it...and voila..." All three plants happen to be blooming right now...adding beauty to my day...both in thought and array.
She wrote back,
"Just a second thought: how quick we are to toss things, people that appear to have no worth or use, or have lost their beauty for a time. We aren't willing to wait, nurture until the season for bloom returns. How wonderful that God doesn't do that to us. He knows how to wait and nurture until we bloom again. "
What a wonderful thought!!! Thank you, Carolyn...
Thank YOU for not tossing us out, but You Renew us, you plant us to bloom wherever we are...You care and nurture us with infinite patience....
Isaiah 61:3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 71:20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
John 12:24-25 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
All three of my kitchen window plants are "rescues". I wrote this the other day to a friend, "found this in the trash, one day. Couldn't pass it by. So brought it home, fed and watered it...and voila..." All three plants happen to be blooming right now...adding beauty to my day...both in thought and array.
She wrote back,
"Just a second thought: how quick we are to toss things, people that appear to have no worth or use, or have lost their beauty for a time. We aren't willing to wait, nurture until the season for bloom returns. How wonderful that God doesn't do that to us. He knows how to wait and nurture until we bloom again. "
What a wonderful thought!!! Thank you, Carolyn...
Thank YOU for not tossing us out, but You Renew us, you plant us to bloom wherever we are...You care and nurture us with infinite patience....
Isaiah 61:3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 71:20 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
John 12:24-25 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)