Waiting…not my cup of tea…

 Waiting…not my cup of tea….

In the ESV version of the Bible, there are 133 instances of the use of the word, “wait”….plus several more that are coupled with the word, “patient or patience “….none  of which was I born with too much of…”let’s get it done”….move, forward…

We use the phrase, “pray for patience” glibly…yuck…when we pray for patience it seems as though we get more trials to learn more patience…the circle continues….round and round…

But, patience is listed as part of the fruit of the Spirit…

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24

So waiting seems to be a discipline that is part of our lives…a learned one for some…not something that comes automatically….we wait in lines, we wait for permission, we wait for others, we wait for an answer….we wait…wait…wait…and as we wait we can choose to be totally frustrated, annoyed, angry, or chalk it up for another “waiting experience “…or be at peace with the wait…I want the latter, but probably exhibit the former more…

As Paul,says in Romans….

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Romans 7:15

But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

2 Peter 3:13-14

I was reading still in Isaiah when the word “wait” jumped out…so hence the thoughts on waiting…so I got bogged down in the waiting game yet again…

 A few encouraging verses…

Noah waited…

He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

Genesis 8:10-12

Jacob waited…

I wait for your salvation, O Lord.

Genesis 49:18

Moses waited…

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”

Exodus 24:12 

Ruth waited….

She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

Ruth 3:18

Hannah waited…

Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

1 Samuel 1:23 

David waited….

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. 

May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

Psalm 25:5,21

Thank YOU, yet again on lessons on waiting….help me to be still and wait to see how You will work…not moving ahead on my own…. 

…on what do you rest this trust of yours?……Isaiah 36

…..On what do you rest this trust of yours? ….Isaiah 36

The king of Assyria sent his chief cupbearer to Jerusalem to give a message to King Hezekiah…taunting him with boasting of the Assyrian conquests…

This passage in Isaiah so brought to mind the taunting, the temptations of Satan toward Jesus…

Or Jesus in the garden praying the night he was betrayed…

He knew all of what was to happen before He came, but yet He came for our sakes…walking an earthly path for us to follow, to trust, to show the way…he was with all of these men, women through the ages, through time…teaching trust…

The Philistines did the same with David…boasting In their arrogance and stature…

Satan does the same to us, now…in this age…taunting doubt, unrest, deception, lies…

We all have to decide…where do we rest our trust…

Queen Esther…

Joshua…

Abraham…

Noah…

Moses…

Daniel and his friends…

Elijah…

Paul….

The disciples…

Etc…..

Down through the ages, men and women have been asked that same question…..

In scripture, we are told it is vain to trust in “ chariots”…giants… fortified walls, ourselves, riches,multitudes of horses…etc…as all this passes away…

Where do we lay our trust?   In a world that will pass away…in a world that really isn’t getting any better…

Or in Jesus…

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:15-20 

Thank YOU that You alone are worthy of our trust….

Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:5,8 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:7

I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

Psalm 31:6,14-15

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, 

but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! 

And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.

Isaiah 31:1-2

The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

Luke 9:20 

Wheat and harvest….

Wheat and harvest…

Yesterday, I drove out through fields ripe for harvest…lines of trucks waiting the thrashed grains, lines of harvesters working their way through the huge grain fields…the crackle, crunch of stocks being cut, thrashed and blown in the waiting trucks…the dust, the chaff fluttering in the wind on a dry, hot day…

Came home to my mail to find another harvest…A picture of Bibles being delivered to a remote village in Papua, Indonesia…

I was reading about this as I was attempting to do a painting of a wrapped gift….

I thought how ironic that these science would all fit together for the day…

The work, the layers, the preparation going into each…the dream, years of translation, the hundreds of hours of listening, writing, redoing, reviewing, the printing, the field prep, the seeds sown, the equipment care, the workers, the teamwork, the directions, the steps going into each….and finally the delivery, the harvest…the finished product….

 a harvest, a changed life, a picture…diligence, prayer, work

God, You are so good to be involved with it all…thank YOU…

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Mark 4:26-29 

35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

John 4:35-38

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: 

It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:10-12 

 

Conspiracy….

 Conspiracy …

Definition of conspire

transitive verb

: PLOT, CONTRIVE

: to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or an act which becomes unlawful as a result of the secret agreement

: SCHEME

: to act in harmony toward a common end…

The first time I really remember hearing about conspiracies was after President Kennedy was killed in the early 1960’s.  That word was really not on my radar.   And now we still see the tabloids promoting various conspiracy theories near the checkout stand at the grocery stores…President Kennedy’s assassination is still being speculated almost 50 years ago…

With our instant information life, more and more conspiracy theories abound….some true and others not so true…it behoves each of us to search for truth…not to be driven by speculation, fear, panic, lies on any subject…

The Word even addresses conspiracies…several times it is mentioned…

But, it really jumped off the page as I was reading this passage in Isaiah…

For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

Isaiah 8:11-13 

It was a gentle reminder that I want truth to be prevalent in my life, not be driven by this or that, the shifts in the winds of time…not to live in fear of the next speculation…living  at peace with those around me…exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit…

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:17-18 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law. 

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 5:22-23,25-26,6:9

Some would say, I have my head in the sand, not really aware of this world’s troubles.  But I am aware…I just don’t want the fears to rule my life…

Thank YOU that you are my peace…

Go….send me….

 

Go….send me…

Am up to Isaiah in my Old Testament reading for this year…

Reading this passage about Isaiah declaring/asking God to send him to the people…not an easy task…

It made me recall to mind the missionaries/mission organizations our family has been involved with over the years…

My grandparents supported missionaries, my parents supported missionaries and we, as a family, supported missionaries and now my children and grandchildren support missionaries…

Our first was a family going to South America with New Tribes…another to Papua, then Africa…not any of were these easy assignments..the list goes on to people on all continents, many organizations, many ministries reaching a variety of people in a  variety of ways from Bible translation to pilots to day to day helps, water wells,  building churches/hospitals, working with children, veterinary services, sports teams, counseling, sharing the Jesus Film, helping rebuild villages, medical, offering a shoebox of children’s gifts….living life…sharing Jesus….or simply talking to the people next door…

Their lives have not necessarily been easy….lives lost on the field, wars, relocations for safety, mental stresses, cultural shifts, weather emergencies, medical emergencies….the list goes on…

But the Word goes on….in miraculous ways…

This is what our family has been called to do…God provided the resources to do His bidding…we all have a calling and we need to follow it, not comparing ours with others….even within our family, there are different manifestations of that calling…different responsibilities…giftings….

When I  think of the awesomeness of seeing God, the song of “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with his glory”….I, too, cry, I am so Unworthy…that He would choose me to do any of His bidding….it is such a gift to be used in places He has chosen beforehand…we all get to partake of this, if we, like Isaiah say,”send me”…

Thank YOU…

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 

Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 

With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for. ” 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ” 

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Isaiah 6:1-8

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 

38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Matthew 9:37-38

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:6 

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage —with great patience and careful instruction. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:2,5

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:6-8l.

 

Victory…

 Victory….

It seems sometimes that we live a defeated life…we are tired, over worked, emotionally down….a myriad of things bombarding us from all directions…we can choose to be victims, victimized by thoughts, those around us, history, fears…whatever…but there is another choice…to be victorious….it may take time, energy, counsel, encouragement, changed thought patterns….

The following are a few verses that are an encouragement from the Bible…we need to let the Word steep within our soul…cling to His everlasting promises…know the the Word does not come back void…it produces life….breath it in…

Thank YOU….

He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. ”

Deuteronomy 20:3-4

May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. 

May the Lord grant all your requests. 

Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:5-7 

but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.

Psalm 44:7

“They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” let Israel say; “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me. 

Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long. 

But the Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”

Psalm 129:1-4 

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

Psalm 149:4-5

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57 

for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:4-5 

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. 

To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 

Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Revelation 21:6-7 

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:26 

 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. 

But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. 

Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, for evil finds lodging among them. 

As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. 

Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. 

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 55:12-18,22 

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10 

Proverbs 31…women…

Proverbs 31….women

Finishing the book of Proverbs again…

Every time I read through the last chapter of Proverbs, I can’t help but think of women I have known who exemplify these traits and the longer I live, the more I meet…

My grandmothers, my mother, my aunts, cousins, friends from childhood, friends down through my lifetime, Bible study leaders, Sunday school teachers all through the years, women who have touched my life near and far, professors, missionaries, my daughters and my daughters-in-laws…and now my granddaughters….each adding a glorious piece to my tapestry of life…

They are all have learned or are learning that noble character….

As I was canning apricots this week, a neighbor commented, “ I wish I knew how to do that “…it made me think about my lifetime and things I took for granted…I can’t remember a time when we didn’t put aside food for the winter…my grandmothers did it, my mother, my mother-in-law did it and then I did it for my family…I grew up doing it…and that is just one trait…

Each woman I have met through life has had different talents, abilities, giftings manifesting a multitude of encouragements and ministries in the lives of others…some have been for a short season while others a lifetime…some have challenged, torn apart, criticized, or built up…while others have come along side…each a gift…some,  the conversation never ends, while others offer a single comment…

Thank YOU for the people You filter through our lives…each adding depth to our souls….love and encouragement to our lives….

A wife of noble character who can find? 

She is worth far more than rubies. 

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 

She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 

She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 

She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 

In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 

She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 

She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. 

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31:10-31

 

Gardens along the way….goatheads…

 Gardens along the way…goatheads….

One of the earliest plants I learned to identify was “puncture vines”…

We lived in central California when I was 3-9 years old, barefooted as much as possible, running through pastures, corrals, gardens, lawn…I quickly learned about puncture vines …they covered the ground in many places…so I avoided those areas like the plague….they not only hurt bare feet, they made bicycle tires flat! Quickly…

When we moved north into the mighty redwoods, those vines did not follow, then I learned about nettles…stinging leaves which “jumped” out to sting your arms and legs.

I didn’t see puncture vines again until my husband and I moved into northern Nevada where they seemed to flourish in the heat. We taught our children to quickly avoid them with feet and bikes…

Now, Two of my walking paths have these awful weeds…one being an empty field, overgrown with a variety of weeds and puncture vines…the other is a school running track…I learned here they are called “goatheads” for whatever reason…so I looked them up…called both…

Just think the Garden of Eden did not have these awful plants…they came with the “fall”…

thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 3:18-19 

The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.

Proverbs 15:19

thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.

Proverbs 24:31

Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Proverbs 26:9

For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Hebrews 6:7-8 

These vines cling to and run along the ground reminding me of the curse that God pronounced about Satan…

So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:14 

Satan, whom we are to resist….as well as these thorny vines…both are something to avoid…

Thank YOU, even in thorns are there lessons to be learned….

http://www.idahoweedawareness.net/vfg/weedlist/puncturevine/puncturevine.html