Resolve…I will…

 Resolve-I will….

: to reach a firm decision about, 

: fixity of purpose : RESOLUTENESS , 

Synonyms: Verb

• choose, conclude, decide, determine, figure, name, opt, settle (on or upon)

Synonyms: Noun

decidedness, decision, decisiveness, determination, determinedness, firmness, granite, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, stick-to-itiveness , Merriam Webster 

There are 3,000 places where the phrase “I will”  or “will” is used throughout the whole Bible… I was  thinking of this as the world watches a small country resolves to stand up to the aggression of a dictator…who in turn has declared what he wills…

Noah…Genesis 6-9, 9 “I wills”

So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Genesis 6:7

When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

Genesis 9:16

Abraham…Genesis 12-25….many “I wills” ….God’s pledges…

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:2-3

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Genesis 28:15

I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

Genesis 43:9

Moses…

So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty,

Exodus 3:20-21

I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’”

Exodus 6:7-8

Job…

David’s resolve over and over in Psalms…

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Psalm 7:17

Isaiah…

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord  God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 12:2

Satan…

You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

Isaiah 14:13-14

Reading through the book of Habakkuk again…he declares…

I will take my stand…

I will quietly wait…

I will rejoice…

I will take joy in the God of my salvation…

Habakkuk….

I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. 

I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. 

Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. yet I will rejoice in the Lord; 

I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

Habakkuk 2:1,3:16,18a

 As I watched the news of the Ukraine making a stand…asking for prayers, gathering in groups to pray and fight, asking for help…i was struck by the  “I wills “…the resolutions,  the resolves found throughout scripture, spoken by God, spoken by men of old…that determination to stand…people from all over the world are standing with them…are praying for them…helping them hold the line…

One reporters comment, “Do they have the will to back their demonstrations?”

Only time will tell…

Was reminded of this passage Paul wrote to Timothy…thank YOU…

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

2 Timothy 1:6-12

Where is my resolve? And In what or whom?

In moments like these…

 In moments like these…. A song from  a play about Joseph, Jacob’s son…

Yesterday I received a letter from a well known worldwide mission organization asking for prayer, “specific and urgent requests” for those in the Ukraine…

The leaders in the Ukraine, the workers in the Ukraine, the decisions each makes, 2-4 am Ukrainian time for strength…the staff and their families, etc….

Another shared letter -From a Missionary on the field in Ukraine:

“For us this is no surprise. We all knew it was coming.

But even still, to officially announce you are in a full-scale war with a delusional dictator in 2022 is a horrific thing. So many people are going to die. And for what? Please don't forget us, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Don't despair and don't grieve like those who have no hope. Instead stand firm on the promises of the Lord.

Reading and praying over Psalms is really getting me through right now. It's good to remember that God always gets justice in the end. Eternity is waiting.

Fellow believers, I beg of you, cry out to God to save the Ukrainian people! Open a map of Ukraine on

Google and pray over it. Ask the Lord to put His hand of protection on Mariupol, on Kharkiv, on Sumy, on Dnipro, on Kherson, and on and on and on. If you hear a news report please pray for the city mentioned.

There is no greater weapon you have to help us than your prayers.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not

the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

Cry out to God for a spiritual awakening among the Russian and Belarussian people. Pray that God would do a miracle in the Slavic nations who call themselves our brothers and that they would cast off their chains.

Pray that evil will be defeated.

May God bless and keep Ukraine!”

The pictures  that keeps coming to mind are Moses with his arm held up during a battle…or David and Goliath…

Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Exodus 17:11-12

1 Samual 17…

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. 

For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”

1 Samuel 17:45,47

I don’t pretend to know what the outcome of these battles in the Ukraine will be… or for that matter the wars that are less talked about around the world that are ongoing…

So…

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2 

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Ephesians 6:16-18

But we know this….

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord  that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21

Thank YOU….

Firsts and lasts ….2….written in 2022

 

Lasts and firsts….2… written in 2022

There are over 500 times the word , “first” is used in the Bible…a very few follow…

My very finite mind cannot comprehend being there on the first day of creation…day and night…nothing else, an open canvas on which to create…

God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:5

Or always seeking first the kingdom of God….as we are told by Jesus…we need Him to lead and help us maintain that focus in today world…

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

Or thinking right thoughts before others filter in or take our minds captive…

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 3:17-18

Or realize that we are soooo loved…and we can love because of His Love…

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Or be confident that God has been, is and ever will be…

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Revelation 22:13

Thank YOU…

“Lasts and firsts.....written in 2013
 
Two years ago, my husband had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He had surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, recovered quickly, no pain, but radiation and chemo to go through, still not pain.  We had Thanksgiving dinner with some longtime friends, their family and grandchildren.  Our  last thanksgiving.... 


in the following months, we celebrated our last Christmas, our last anniversary, our last Easter.....lasts.....so precious.....so meaningful....so ........last.....
 


We talked, visited, not willing to let any time be wasted.....we even praised....telling stories, reminiscing ....with family...but all along it was lasts.....and firsts....first time through all of this new territory which no one wanted to travel ...this was us, not someone else...us...not some stranger we read or heard about....us, our family ....firsts in this journey of lasts and firsts.....


 
I read Psalms at night before we went to bed, we cried, we prayed, we smiled...praise of still no pain....
 
I didn't want to think of lasts and firsts. But it was always there in the forefront and the background...."make good use of these times"...praise for those times....until it was the last....
 
So many memories, so many years, so much and so few all wrapped into life....through it all, God has been there. He is good even in the lasts and the firsts. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end....
 


Now, as I watch others on their journeys in life, it is personal...it may be lonely at times and it is, but I want to say enjoy, enjoy those firsts and lasts....laugh, love, tell stories, hug, live while you can....
 
Praise, God takes those firsts and lasts....laughs with us, cries with us…loves us.....takes the pain, holds  the tears...gives us new life in Him...somehow....
 


Thank YOU, the tears are still there, the pain eased, but You are still here in the firsts and the lasts...I am yours....your love endures forever, and your faithfulness continues.....
 


Revelations 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
 


Psalm 100
 
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
 
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanksgiving to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.”


 
  

the only scars in heaven song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCdevloDE6E

Thank you…

 Thank you…

I loved this little video of a rescue…it appears that even an elephant can say thank you…how convicting…saying thank you for the big and little things in life…

I was reminded that our mental health is affected by our gratitude…we think on the positive more…less depression…and as we see in Philippians, God’s peace is a result…

Thank YOU….

https://mvotd.com/wild-elephants-salutes-the-men-who-rescued-their-baby-elephant-from-a-ditch-video_cb4624842.html

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 

And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,  who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 

When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. 

Now he was a Samaritan. 

Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 

18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 

And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:11-19 

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Psalm 7:17

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

Psalm 109:30 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. 

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/gratitude

Walking away….2…

 Walking away …2…

I can remember the place where I first heard Laura Story’s song, “blessings “ for the first time…I had to pull the car over, catch all the words and then find the station and find out the name of the song playing, all the while crying…

I was driving back to our apartment after leaving our home…had been on a slight break from 24 hour care of my husband.

We hadn’t been able to return to our home after his cancer treatment…too big, too many steps…so I was “puttering” at “home…”

We/I never again moved back there…my family and I cleaned it out a few months later when our family came back for his memorial service…and I moved closer to family…now it is the the hands of other ministry minded people…a gift to many…

But, the song brought sorrow and tears as well as reminders that all of our “blessings” may not be what we plan or expect…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xRNrnh__SE

“Walking away....
 


Time to walk away, knowing that this is God's will....the house is in another’s ministries hands. Others are being raised up....the office is moving forward...things are sorted, packed...tossed. ....tagged.....waiting their next destination....

.
 
I don't know why this route...but help me not to look back and become a pillar of salt because of longing, but to hold dear the things to hold dear, let go of the things to let go...to not be afraid to cry when needed, to laugh when my heart rejoices… to hug when I need a hug or those around me do…to be thankful in all things even when it is hard....to take time to heal...to take time to enjoy others… to find the next path. ...to find  the right way.....to listen… to pray.....to persevere......to add to life rather subtract......to be a friend.....to be a Mom.....to be a grandmother.....just to be.....
 


Knowing that You, the creator of all, know all things from the beginning to end....You know the destination, the path....the way....
 
Thank YOU.... 

 

 Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
  

Writings…

 Writings…

You can study, read through the Word a multitude of times and always learn some new…word studies, people studies, time studies, topic studies….the studies are only limited by time and finite man’s ideas, questions…there are mysteries, outright commands, promises, words of wisdom, life…and so much more…we can gain wisdom, knowledge, but most important-the Way to salvation…people have questioned it, burned it, hidden it, banned it, denied it and accepted it over the ages…

I was looking up “writing”…times when it speaks of God’s direct writing…times of the commandments, judgement, promise…

I so appreciate the comfort  knowing I am engraved on the palms of His hands…but also knowing that, it is reminder that his hands were pierced fo my sin, my folly…

Or that He has a plan, which we can ponder, meditate and learn from…

What did Jesus write on the ground before the woman’s accusers? The Ten Commandments again, the list of the accusers names, the litany of their complaints…or simply his Forgiveness…as the men drifted away one by one, convicted…

Or the writing on the wall, during Daniel’s time…judgement came swiftly…

Or our lives are “letters” to others, as Paul said…our hearts taught by the Holy Spirit…what a gift and responsibility…

And finally, in Revelations, the Lamb’s book of life…names written by God…known by Him…

Thank YOU…You are the Author, the writer, the finisher of our faith…

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 

The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

Exodus 32:16 

“All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord, all the work to be done according to the plan.”

1 Chronicles 28:19 

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:16 

“Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene , Tekel , and Parsin . This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Daniel 5:24-28

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.

Psalm 143:5 

This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

John 8:6 

And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:3 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 21:22-27

Spiritual gifting …2…

 Spiritual gifting …2…

My husband and I had the amazing honor to facilitate classes in spiritual gifting…both to mixed group settings and I, to women…we loved it as it gave others an understanding of how God had gifted them for ministry and helped them see where they and their partners fit into the body of believers…which brings joy….

After the death of a loved one, there can be loss of purpose, hope, depression…a multitude of negative things …but we do not lose those spiritual gifts…we do not lose hope, and we really don’t lose purpose…but it may take time to find our niche again…..we have changed… our gifting may manifest itself differently that before…or not…

I have friends who have gone into more ministry as they have more time…one became a chaplain for Samaritan’s Purse, another is now  a missionary in Africa…both weaving new patterns into their lives, new chapters using their gifting differently than before…

Thank YOU for your leading….your gifting…

 Spiritual gifting......

We were asked this last weekend what our spiritual gifting was...and,if we didn't know it, to go to the sites and take the "tests" that would help us to decide that information...

Putting that with the Griefshare small group, my question is, "what was the spiritual gifting of your loved one/one's?"  How did you complement one another?  And how is God using that now or how do you see that being used in the future?

Or the question "how were your lives woven together" as brought out in the Griefshare lessons. I loved that "woven together " phrase....

When  you watch a weaver, there are the strands of yarn, set in the loom, and the others moved back and forth weaving in and out, in and out, each combining to make a pattern set by the designer...intricately working together  to make a whole...a complete...

                                               





With the loss of our loved ones, we may think the design is finished, but it really goes on and on, weaving the strands of life into our lives and those around , making a new pattern ...a design for others to see and us to live out...

Our spiritual gifting doesn't change, but the direction may...our loved ones are still woven into our lives, we aren't working together anymore, but we are still being molded , woven into another realm which was well thought out by our Creator...

My husband's gifting was giving, administration...mine are high in those areas as well...I didn't work in his office as our administration skills were very different, but that was okay...I saw them and now I look back and see where our lives complimented one another, how we worked in giving, how we prayed over the gifts, how we rejoiced in giving...how it brought joy to our whole family...and still does...we haven't forgotten the giving, as it is still an integral part of our lives...it is just different now...

Or encouragement, which we both did....it didn't end with his death...it looks different without him, but it goes on and on in many people's lives...woven into the pattern, not forgotten, but lived...

So again, I ask, how did/do your gifting complement one another?  How is 
God using that to His Glory?

Thank YOU for intricately weaving, forming  my loved one and myself...putting us together, complimenting one another.....help those of us who are left to move forward still embracing that gifting for Your glory..

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

 Romans 12:5-8 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

1 Corinthians 12:1-24, 26 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.