Another sunrise...

Another sunrise....

This morning I quietly left my motel room, drove to the beach for another picture of the marvelous sunrises we have been having on this quick trip to Florida...

Each morning my oldest grandson has been accompanying me to the beach about six miles away for some spectacular views of the beach on the east side of Florida at the Cocoa Beach pier...

This morning to let this poor teenager rest, I went alone...I wasn’t going to go, but was drawn to do this last shot before departing...

The radio was tuned to local Christian station, playing “Blessings “ ...the tears start...I heard this song for the first time driving away from my former home as my husband was quickly dying from brain cancer...memories....

The next song, “Only Jesus”...reminded me that this is all about Jesus, not me or anyone else...not me....not someone famous or rich...”only” Jesus...

Arriving at the pier, with a quiet group of sunrise watchers, fishermen, strolling families and a boisterous group of surfers...to find not a spectacular colorful display as before...but a soft, silky gray cloud cover with breaks in the clouds...the sun silently slid into view...shining it’s brilliant light onto the sea in silvery glimmers....

Sometimes life is brilliant with noise and color, other times is it quiet and soft...we need both to balance our lives...the noise of life, and the silence for our soul...to listen...the energy and the rest...the roar of thunder, the peacefulness of the gentle stream ....

Thank YOU....

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. 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.

Psalm 46:10-11,47:5-7

Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 98:7-9

This is what the Sovereign  Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.

Isaiah 30:15 

Jabez’s prayer....

Jabez’s prayer...

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10

The pastor spoke of the prayer of Jabez yesterday....

My husband and I were driving across the salt flats on the way to Salt Lake City, not sure why...but we were reading this booking by Bruce Wilkinson...”The Prayer of Jabez”...we discussed it and then we were challenged to pray it ourselves there in the car as we were traveling...

It wasn’t for monetary gain as some have taught, but for growth in whatever direction God saw fit...my husband’s gifting was in giving, administration...he desired to give more to the kingdom...mine more in serving and encouragement...we simply wanted to increase our “territories “ in the services He had for us...

As I sat listening yesterday, I was overwhelmed with how the answers that I have seen have come...
Yes, now I am a widow...these territories have not been without pain...
But, God answered....

We were able to do some short term mission trips, now my grandchildren are doing them as well...
The legacy of giving is continuing on...
Service of some kind or other is continuing on...
God has indeed blessed in ways I can’t even imagine....or even foreseen as we prayed in that vehicle so long ago...

Then it hit me as we were reading yesterday, one answer that wasn’t even touched on, wasn’t even really thought about...”that I will be free from pain”...God even answered this...my husband had no pain from his brain cancer as others do...that was huge....

God is a God of the big things as well as the small...nothing goes unnoticed...

He increased my husband territories in blessings....thank YOU...help me to seek all that you have for my life...as we sought this in the past...

Play ball....

Play ball....

40 years ago, my oldest son played T-Ball....the beginners baseball game...

At the time it was the only sport in our area for little ones...

Successively, our children swam on the swim team, played Soccer, endured piano and drum lessons, wrestled and tried football, each with varying degrees of success...

One went on to play well in soccer and another still plays the piano well...while the others play the radio well or have switched to biking or walking...

We tried out a lot of possible interests as they were growing up...

For the last few years, I have watched my grandchildren do the same thing....4H, Boy Scouts, swim team, and now T-Ball again, a full circle...

Those little girls and boy, ages 4-6, swing that bat over and over again, sometimes actually hitting a ball, then run toward first base and finally around the bases, no scores are kept, cheering parents and grandparents as they come into home plate...two complete rounds of play and the game is over...treats for the team..and home with tales of success and “winning”...

There maybe some future baseball “hall of famers” there, but not sure yet...but there  are excellent “grass pullers”, rock throwers, dreamers,  cheerleaders, visitors....as several of the team are doing  more than keeping an eye on the ball...

They are “infants” to this game...but are learning a new skill or interest....

We all start somewhere...there is not usually instant success in learning a new skill...we start as babes...and must practice and mature, going from milk to solid food...crawling to walking, unskilled to skilled....learning new techniques, adding to our knowledge and skills as we grow, age...perseverance...or a need to accomplish...

In  spiritual lessons, we as parents and grandparents have the opportunity to teach about God as well...Both with our actions and words...help us to teach well and that which is needed...helping us to bring our children into maturity...help me to continue to grow in Your grace no mater the age...

Thank YOU...

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 11:19

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Psalm 34:11

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

Proverbs 17:6

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

1 Corinthians 13:11 

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:11-14

Hearing the birds sing...

Hearing the birds sing...

Recently, I went to a community which was having multiple garage sales.  I could park in one place, walk around the area, perusing the various sales...the birds were singing in the trees, the smell of roses permeated early morning air...

It struck me, that I was missing my early morning walks...I had gotten lazy and just used my treadmill lately and not gotten out ....you know all the excuses—-I can tread in my pjs, weather, new neighborhood, etc, etc, etc..— but, I was missing some life outside my domain...

I was missing the morning smells, the bacon, the burned toast, the roses, the blooming trees, the new mown lawns...the fresh air before the drivers hit the road...

I was missing the wildlife, the squirrels running to and fro  gathering their meals, the red-winged black bird scolding me for nearing her nest, the mother duck hiding in the rushes, the quail quickly camouflaging into the weeds...

I was missing out...on the joy...that all these bring...they may seem inconsequential, but they lift my spirit in a way I can’t even describe...the newness of each day...the creation which the Creator made for my enjoyment...

Thank YOU...

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31

In the morning,  Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 59:16 

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

Psalm 65:8 

Habakkuk times....

Habakkuk times....

The pastor spoke about Habakkuk yesterday...three short super long chapters...the questions, the answers, the conclusions...

I may not have lived in those ancient times, but I sure lived those days...

“How long,  Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”

Habakkuk 1:2-4

The cancer diagnosis, the suicidal calls, the runaway teen, the affair, the  aging process, the emergency hospital visit, the violence, the futility, the emotional/physical/sexual abuse, the broken lives/families...how long?....these may or may not be judgment, but they swoop down as the Babylonians did...laughing at our “fortified” lives...

And again we ask as Habakkuk did... 

“Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord , have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”

Habakkuk 1:12-13

Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. “Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, 

“Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ 

“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! 

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! 

“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”

Habakkuk 2:2-3,6,9,12,15,19

The Lord spoke of greed, violence, idolatry...which we live in as well...it hasn’t changed over the eons of time...those people of long ago had the same battles we do...

The Lord encourages...

“....— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness —

Habakkuk 2:4b

Habakkuk finally declares...

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, 

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.....

Habakkuk 3:17-19a

When I read the newspaper, watch the news, listen to friends weeping/anguish, a relative’s cry for help, acquaintances’s prayer requests, a stranger’s comments....I know that God has a plan, it may not be mine, but He reigns supreme...He is in control...

I want to live by faith...

I want Him as my strength...

I want to be joyful in God my Savior...

I want to rejoice...

Th ancient words of Habakkuk can be read as current....God is the same yesterday, today and Tomorrow...

Thank YOU...

Little things...

Little things...

Just watched a Luci  Swindell dvd from the “Joy filled Life” series...

She is amazingly humorous, open, vulnerable about life happenings...

One of her statements in this particular dvd is, “ notice the little things in your life, God is always working through, always planning forward in your behalf. Each day God in His goodness has given us His grace”.

There are times when we are just annoyed at the little things that seem to add up into a big annoyance...the neighbor mowing his lawn at 9:30 at night, the traffic at noon, the person in line who forgets something and has to “run” get it.....such “life changing annoyances”....”little foxes”

Song of Solomon 2:15 “catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards that are in bloom”...annoyances....

So I looked up little, small, tiny...

Patience....The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.

Deuteronomy 7:22

Envy....but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

2 Samuel 12:3 

Provision, obedience....“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

1 Kings 17:12-14

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:29-31

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 15:34-38

Care in times of trouble....“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage.

Ezra 9:8

Value....Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;

Psalm 37:16

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.

Proverbs 15:16-17

Kindness...I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

Hosea 11:4

“Who dares despise the day of small things,....”

Zechariah 4:10a

A Savior...“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Micah 5:2

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:8-12 

Grace is a big thing, but sometimes it comes wrapped in small things...the daily grace moments that we oftentimes overlook...that favor that tends to go unnoticed...

Open my eyes to see the little things, the favor YOU have bestowed...help me not to caught up in annoyances but the thanksgiving....

Thank YOU...

I found this flower...these little flowers are less than 1/2 inch, but add up into a huge stock about 5 feet tall...of glorious color...but notice the little detail...

Lean on me...

Lean on me...

That song kept playing in my mind as I awakened this morning...we all need friend to lean on...but, we each may have the ultimate friend in Jesus each moment...

He loved his friends when he walked on his earthly mission....he ate with them, he taught them, he admonished them, he washed their feet, he prayed with them, he showed them servanthood, he prayed for them, he spent time with them, he healed them, he encouraged them, he died for them...he arose for them....

They went on to tell the world of that special friendship...

Thank YOU...

"Lean On Me"

“Sometimes in our lives

We all have pain, we all have sorrow.

But if we are wise,

We know that there's always tomorrow.

Lean on me when you're not strong

I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on

For it won't be long

'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on.

Please swallow your pride

If I have things you need to borrow

For no one can fill those of your needs

That you won't let show.

You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand

We all need somebody to lean on.

I just might have a problem that you'll understand,

We all need somebody to lean on.

Lean on me when you're not strong

And I'll be your friend I'll help you carry on

For it won't be long

'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on

You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand

We all need somebody to lean on.

I just might have a problem that you'll understand,

We all need somebody to lean on.

If there is a load

You have to bear

That you can't carry

I'm right up the road

I'll share your load

If you just call me.

Call me if you need a friend

Call me, call me, uh-huh

Call me when you need a friend

Call me if you ever need a friend

Call me, call me

Call me, call me

Call me, call me

Call me, call me

Call me if you need a friend

Call me, call me

Call me, call me

Call me, call me

Call me, call me

Call me”

By Bill Withers..

A friend loves at all times....

Proverbs 17:17a

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

John 15:15

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.

Proverbs 27:9

6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 

9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’

Luke 15:6,9 

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

When You Need A Friend

A daily devotion for June 6th

From your friends at RayStedman.org

Read: Genesis 14:1-16

He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. Genesis 14:16

The Holy Spirit would drive one thing home to our hearts through Abram's experiences in this passage. We do not lead our Christian lives in isolated seclusion—we are members of one another, and in circumstances of this nature, one Christian can often be the means of deliverance of a weaker brother or sister. There was nothing Abram could do to deliver Lot from Sodom. Sodom represented an inward choice in Lot's heart to live in the materialistic, sensualized atmosphere of Sodom. If a child of God chooses to be materialistic, sensual, commercial, and greedy for things of the world, not much can be done for him or her. Only Lot could take himself out of Sodom. But from this circumstance that threatened Lot's very life and liberty, Abram's resources were amply sufficient through prayer. James 5:16b tells us, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” There is a Chinese translation of that verse that is excellent: “The earnest, hot-hearted prayer of a righteous man releases great power.” That is certainly the case in this incident. “The prayer offered in faith,” we are told in the same chapter of James, “will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:15). Many have been puzzled by this verse, but if we read the context, we see clearly that the affliction here is one that has arisen because a child of God has become involved in deliberate sin. Such a one is to call the elders of the church together and confess his or her faults, and then the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him or her up again. It is a wonderful experience, this power of prayer for someone else. The history of the church is replete with instances of such deliverances through faithful prayer. A wise and experienced missionary leader, speaking to a group on the subject of prayer, addressed the matter of overwhelming sin that so grips the heart as to enslave the life and frustrate all activity for God. He gave some very wise words of advice. “Perhaps some younger Christian,” he said, “may find himself in such a circumstance, and the thing he is doing is so shameful that he cannot bring himself to confess it publicly; then let him seek out some older man of God, someone he can trust, and lay the whole matter before him and ask him to pray concerning this.” It is wise counsel, indeed. When Lot could not possibly help himself, Abram, separated in heart from the Sodom-like attitudes that rendered Lot so powerless, was able to lay hold of God and affect a great and mighty deliverance. Lord, help me to stand ready to help a friend in time of need, even if it means simply being there to listen and to pray.

Life Application

Are we able to aid our brothers or sisters in Christ with helpful counsel from the Word of God? Have we engaged in faithful prayer for those in sinful circumstances?

Related Message

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When You Need a Friend

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