Thoughts of Grace

Good Afternoon

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Forgetting ills behind me, the sorrows past and gone.
Forgetting all my wandering, too sad to dwell upon.
Remembering God’s great goodness, in times of stress and strain ,
Remembering His restorings, I praise my God again.

We stand together at the gateway of another year . It may be a year of may blessed experiences. Follow Him who goes before—the One who went before His people of old—a guiding light, a constant protection, an unfailing Friend and Counselor, and almighty Savior.
When shadows deepen and fear rides on the moaning wind; when joy comes, and we wander in the misty vaie of grief; when joy beckons, and our way is sunlit—“remember” His past leading and know that all is well. When specters rise hauntingly from the past, when old heartaches and sorrows seem to weigh us down and blot out the sunshine forget “those things which are behind,” and reach forward to the joys before us. Paul says, “I press toward the mark”—here there is urgency, and nothing must be allowed to hamper the runner’s progress.
We make our own hindrances many times—our Master has done all He can to free us from every weigh, giving us forgiveness for the past, help in the present, and assurance for the future. So, dear pilgrim, as we face the coming days of a new year, knowing that each one brings our Master’s return nearer, let us “lay aside every weight . . . and press toward the mark,” with singleness of heart “looking to Jesus.”

Forgetting all my doubtings, which dimmed faith’s vision bright,
Forgetting all the earth-clouds, the darkness, gloom and night,
Remembering God’s bright sunshine, and radiance of His face,
Remembering His long patience, I praise my God for grace.

Forgetting all unkindness which friends and foes have shown,
Forgetting and forgiving the wrongs that I have know,
Remembering God provided, unsought, each faithful friend,
Remembering loves devotion, I’ll praise Him to the end.

Forgetting all my pinings, when disappointments came.
Forgetting all the murmurings, which filled my soul with shame,
Remembering God was ever true to His Holy Word,
Remembering He was faithful, I praise my sovereign Lord. A.G.

Deuteronomy 8:1-2 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Thou shalt remember all the way – The various dealings of God with you; the dangers and difficulties to which ye were exposed, and from which God delivered you; together with the various miracles which he wrought for you, and his longsuffering towards you. Clarke’s Commentary

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Boo, WordPress wouldn’t download my picture for today.

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Now all this was done,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:22-23

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
who orderest all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory over the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times once gave the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
an ensign of thy people be;
before thee rulers silent fall;
all peoples on thy mercy call.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Words: Latin, twelfth century;
trans. John Mason Neale (1818-1866), 1851

Emmanuel is come . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Burney Falls, California, Thanksgiving, November 23, 2012

Good Morning

And our hope for you
[our joyful and confident expectation of good for you]
is ever unwavering (assured and unshaken);
for we know that just as you share
and are partners in [our] sufferings and calamities,
you also share and are partners in [our] comfort
(consolation and encouragement).
2Corinthians 1:7 Amplified Bible

Half past Twelve, and little Wendy still hadn’t come home for lunch. I called her friend’s house and asked her mother to please send my daughter home. A few minutes later, Wendy came dragging dejectedly into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why didn’t you come home at noon when you were supposed to?”
“Donna lost her birthday dollar,” Wendy replied.
“Oh, I see. Did you stay longer to help her look for the money?”
“No, Mother, I just stayed to help her cry.”
As I kissed Wendy’s sweet cheek, the word empathy came to mind. More than “sympathy” which is looking down and p;itying, empathy gets down and shares. ~~Rosalyn Hart Finch

Trust God for your day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

the Farmer has his ‘hens and chicks’ all in a row.

Good Morning

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

— Sibelius

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Hebrews 10:35-36

Hold fast your confidence in God. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

This winter’s first. . .

Good Morning

Your heavenly Father knoweth. Matthew 6:32

A visitor at a school for the deaf and dumb was writing questions on the blackboard for the children. By and by he wrote this sentence: “Why has God made me to hear and speak, and made you deaf and dumb?”
The awful sentence fell upon the little ones like a fierce blow in the face.They sat palsied before that dreadful “Why.” And then a little girl arose.
Her lip was trembling. Her eyes were swimming with tears. Straight to the board she walked, and picking up the crayon, wrote with firm hand these precious words: “Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight.”
What a reply! It reaches up and lays hold on the eternal truth upon which the maturest believer as well as the youngest child of God may alike securely rest–the truth that God is your Father.
Do you mean that?
Do you really and fully believe that?
When you do,
then your dove of faith will no longer wander in weary unrest,
but will settle down forever in its eternal resting place of peace.
“Your Father.”
~~~Arthur Bacon

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo! above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Saviour’s birth:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And God send us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

When I am a seeker,
I seek both night and day;
I seek the Lord to help me,
And He shows me the way:
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

He made me a watchman
Upon the city wall,
And if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, Tell It On The Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Luke 2:15-20
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Trust God for your day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Mowing and raking at the same time.

Good Morning

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their prayers: 1Peter 3:12

~~~Marion Bond West:
When I was about four years old, my mother made arrangements for our next-door neighbor to keep me while she worked. When my mother came home to lunch each day, she would go next door to see me. But I began to cry when she had to return to work.
So she stopped coming to see me during the noon hour, I did all right as long as there wasn’t that middle-of-the-day reunion and separation again. Only much later did I learn that my mother continued to come home, but sat at our kitchen window and watched me playing next door.
Sometimes there are days when God seems far away. I’m sure that He’s close enough to touch me when I feel the most alone but, for some reason I can’t understand. He doesn’t always reveal Himself to me.
Nevertheless, He’s close by–watching and loving me, His child.

Remember God is near to you . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Juicer pieces and jar of juice

Good Morning

Nevertheless Afterward. Hebrews 12:11

“Rain, rain
Beating against the pane!
How endlessly it pours
Out of doors
From the blackened sky–
I wonder why!

“Flowers, flowers,
Upspringing after showers
Blossoming fresh and fair
Everywhere!
Ah, God has planned
Why it rained!”

You can always count on God to make the “afterward” of difficulties, if rightly overcome, a thousand times richer and fairer than the forward, “No chastening. . . seemeth joyous. . . nevertheless afterward. . .”
What a yield!~~~~from Streams in the Desert

Duck raindrops with the Lord. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

the Farmer on a cruise(2010)

Good Morning

“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 (KJV)

An invitation has been extended from the High Court of Heaven. It was not sent out to a select few, but was posted for all who hunger for something higher, something better, something more real than the hoopla and hullabaloo of the world’s surface traffic.
We have been granted access to the Throne of Grace, and the invitation does not require any dress code. “Come as you are,” it says. No need to rehearse what you will say, no need to primp on appearance — no cause to try and impress. And, what’s more, you don’t have to have it “all together” either.
“Come as you are IN YOUR TIME OF NEED,” it says. What this means is that when you feel the least acceptable, THAT”S when you are the most welcomed!
Come broken, come dirty, come troubled, come fearful, come confused, come undone — the Lord waits for you! He will meet you — and change you! You will not leave the same way you entered. What a privilege!
The Bible says, “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need!” (Hebrews 4:16).
The old Gospel song puts it this way, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!
“Have you trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
“Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer; in His arms He’ll take and shield you — you will find a solace there!”  Rylie

Continue to Pray during your day . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours,   Leslie