Thoughts of Grace

Tilling done, racking, leveling, seeding, watering on the Farmer’s to-do list

Good Morning

…for I am God, and not man;
the Holy One in the midst of thee: …Hosea 11:9

‘I am God and not a human; I am the Holy One,
and I am among you.’   Hosea 11:9 NCV

Before you read any further,
reflect on those last four words:
“I am among you.”
Do you believe that?
Do you believe God is near?
He wants you to.
He wants you to know he is
in the midst of your world.
Wherever you are as you read these words.
he is present.
In your car.
On the plane,
In your office, your bedroom, your den.
He’s near.
God is in the thick of things in your world.
He has not taken up residence in a distant galaxy.
He has not removed himself from history.
He has not chosen to seclude himself
on a throne in an incandescent castle.
He has drawn near.
He has involved himself in the carpools,
heartbreaks, and funeral homes of our day.
He is as near to us on Monday
as on Sunday
In the schoolroom as in the sanctuary.
At the coffee break as much as the communion table.
Max Lucado~~And the Angels Were Silent

Draw near to God . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Every Thursday, the Farmer does his ‘walk around’.
He walks around the sanctuary, the hall,
the parking lot, tree pits and flower beds
checking for weeds, broken branches and trash,
diligently as a good steward of the church property.

Good Morning

Like as a father pitieth his children,
so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame;
he remembereth that we are dust.
Psalm 103:13-14

If the village house in Nazareth
which they show tourists nowadays is anything
like the one where the little boy Jesus lived,
it was not much to speak of,
by comparison with the ivory palaces He had left.
He at whose word creation sprang into being
was subject to the word of His mother Mary.
He whose hands had made the worlds
learned obedience in a dusty carpenter shop.
When Joseph showed Him how to use a tool,
did he hold the little hands in his and say,
“Like this, Hold it this way”?
The boy had to learn.
He did not make tables and benches by divine fiat.
He made them with tools held in human hands.
He had to lean the skills,
learn to be thorough, dependable, prompt, faithful
If He was ever tempted to cut corners.
He did not yield to the temptation. . . .
Surely He was gracious with the customers.
He grew “in favor with God and man.”
The cheerful acceptance of humble work,
the small testings of any boy’s home life were a part of His preparation
for the great testings of His public years,
a part of the road which led Him to the cross.
Elisabeth Elliot ~~ The Path of Loneliness

Let us accept our preparation . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

I live these early white bells in spring.

Good Morning

Out of the south cometh the whirlwind:
and cold out of the north.
By the breath of God frost is given:
and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Job 37:9-10

In the winter, when the world is simplified
the subtler and humbler beauties can appear to us.
White snow and the dull grays and browns of winter vegetation
let anything with a bit of color show up more clearly.
Red holly berries, or rose hops on their dry canes,
or the enduring green of pine trees call us to closer observation.
Even a blue jay stands out.
The simplicity and starkness of a winter scene bring
to our attention creatures we overlook in other seasons.
The beauty of such small and humble things
is an especially important expression of holiness for us,
who are so easily impressed by size and ostentation.
Sometimes we see new things in truly unlooked-for places.
One day I was standing by a hole
in the ice on a small frozen river.
Glancing underneath the ice,
I saw an icicle hanging down toward the water.
It was short and squat, but clear as glass,
with a beautiful and perfect swirling shape.
It had never occurred to me that there was anything
at all on the bottom side of ice sheets. . .
Much of the holiness of winter (and of all the seasons)
is in such hidden places,
where God for a Creator’s own delight
has left a beauty seldom found by human eyes.
David Rensberger~~The Holiness of Winter

LOOK. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Brother Bob’s Ol’ Red sleeping in the sun.

Good Morning

God’s great love let Him
to send send His only begotten Son
as a sacrifice for our sin,
that we might escape
the punishment we deserve.
He did this because He loves us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

How tenderly God must look upon
those who have lost a beloved son or daughter.
What compassion He feels for those with
lifelong physical deformities and diseases.
This identification with the woes of mankind is
a major theme of scripture.

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

In God’s value system we are all important.
He loves every one of us the same.

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: . . .for the LORD delighteth in thee, . . .Isaiah 62:4

One of the most breathtaking concepts in all
of scripture is the revelation
that God knows each of us personally
and that we are in His mind both day and night.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Psalm 8:4

There is simply no way to comprehend the full
implications of the love
the King of kings
Lord of lords
has for us.

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Psalm 139:1-2

God continues to love us–even
when we are angry at Him.

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 107:1

Never assume God’s silence
or apparent inactivity is evidence
of His disinterest.

Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. Psalm 37:34

Admittedly, the Lord doesn’t always
solve our problems instantaneously,
and He sometimes permits us to walk
through the valley of the shadow of death.
But He is there with us even in the darkest hours,
and we can never escape His encompassing love.

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Psalm 73:23

Every description given to us in scripture
depicts God as infinitely loving and king.
tenderly watching over His earthly children
and guiding the steps of the faithful.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, Psa 95:6-8

God hears the faintest cry of the sick,
the lonely, the despised of the world.
And He care–deeply–about each one.

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

God’s heart is especially tender
toward the downtrodden and the defeated.
He knows your name and
He has seen every tear you have shed.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

Who can know how often the Lord quietly protects us,
redirects us, or leads us on safer paths?

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. Proverbs 16:1

Remember God loves you. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Seedlings be a growin’

Good Morning

For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me,
and have believed that I came out from God. John 16:27

I often see,
shining in the deep blue of the sky just before dawn,
the morning star.
At twilight the sea sometimes reflects
the pale rose and daffodil colors of the sunset.
At night I awaken to find the room flooded
with moonlight reflected from the sea,
from the glass top of my desk by the window,
and from the mirror of the dressing table.
Flying at thirty thousand feet,
I have seen glorious light shining
on the towers and castles of thunderheads.
What gifts are these lights of heaven!
The same Father who gives them
also gives us all other good and perfect things.
It is God’s nature to give.
He can no more “help” giving than He can “help” loving.
We can absolutely count on it
that He will give us everything
that can possibly help us to be and do what He wants.
How can He not do this?
Elisabeth Elliot, Discipline: The Glad Surrender

Look for God’s gifts . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Not only resisting the clamor, but ignoring it completely!

Good Morning

Seek the LORD, and his strength:
seek his face evermore. Psalm 105:4

Relax in my healing presence.
as you spend time with Me,
your thoughts tend to jump ahead
to today’s plans and problems.
Bring your mind back to me
for refreshment and renewal.
Let the Light of my Presence soak
into you as you focus your thoughts on me.
Thus I equip you to face whatever the day brings.
This sacrifice of time pleases Me
and strengthens you.
Do not scrimp on our time together.
Resist the clamor of tasks waiting to be done.
You have chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from you.
~~~Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:39-42

Take time. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie