Be Still

be
I do not believe that we have begun to understand
the marvelous power there is in stillness.
We are in such a hurry–we must be doing–
so that we are in danger of not giving God a chance to work.
You may depend upon it,
God never says to us,
“Stand still,” or
“Sit still,” or
“Be still,”
unless He is going to do something.
This is our trouble in regard to our Christian life;
we want to do something to be Christians
when we need to let Him work in us.

Do you know how still you have to be
when your likeness is being taken?
Now God has one eternal purpose concerning us,
and that is that we should be like His Son;
and in order that this may be so, we must be passive.
We hear so much about activity,
may be we need to know what it is to be quiet.
–Crumbs

Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 Amplified

Published in: on February 6, 2017 at 4:55 am  Comments (1)  
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The Gospel, The Rod of thy Strength

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The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion:
rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Psalm 110:2

The rod of thy strength – The Gospel –
the doctrine of Christ crucified;
which is the powerful scepter of the Lord that bought us,
is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword;
and is the power of God to salvation to all them that believe.
The kingdom of our Lord was to be founded in Zion,
and thence, by gradual conquests,
to be extended over the whole earth.
It was in Zion the preaching of the Gospel first began;
and it is by the Gospel that Christ rules,
even in the midst of his enemies;
for the Gospel extends a moralizing influence over multitudes who do not receive it to their salvation.
Clarke’s Commentary

Christ is the Word, the Gospel,
the same yesterday, today and forever.

The power of the Gospel,
who can describe the power of the Gospel.

The Gospel brings comfort, Psalm 23:4,
. . . thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The Gospel brings peace, Romams 10:15
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

The Gospel brings help, Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The Gospel brings salvation, Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The Gospel brings everlasting life, 2Timothy 1:10
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

These scriptures show the power of the Gospel to those who believe.

I was stirred by Clarke’s statement, ‘for the Gospel extends a moralizing influence over multitudes who do not receive it to their salvation’. We surely have seen the effect of removing the Gospel from our schools and our government.
JUST the reading of the Gospel to children,
JUST being thankful for all things,
JUST knowing the Gospel is sitting on the shelf,
JUST honoring our God has a power we do not comprehend.

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;
and what doth the LORD require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God?
Micah 6:8

Published in: on February 4, 2017 at 1:42 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Thoughts from Malachi 3

mal1

Malachi was writing to God’s people, who for the most part were going thier ways, picking and choosing which of the commandments they would follow.

Chapter 3 begins by telling the people, God would send a messenger, John the Baptist, to prepare the way so people could receive the fulfilling of the promise, the arrival of the Messiah.

1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord,

John came preaching strong of repentance and being cleansed. His words showing the need of a refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap for a cleansing deeper than sorrowful words, but real turning from their old ways to obedience to God.

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

The God of the fathers, of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob , the God of Moses, Joshua, Samuel and David, the unchanging LORD was saying again to His people, return/

6 For I am the LORD, I change not;
Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts

Give me, bring to me all that I ask, not more of your what you think I want, or less because of your selfishness. Bring and I will pour out a blessing. Bring, and I will protect your future prosperity.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Those people of God who believed his words acted daily in specific ways:

16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

They that feared the Lord

1. They feared the Lord. They had that reverence for Jehovah that caused them to depart from evil, and to keep his ordinances.
2. They spake often one to another. They kept up the communion of saints. By mutual exhortation they strengthened each other’s hands in the Lord.
3. They thought on his name. His name was sacred to them; it was a fruitful source of profound and edifying meditation. The name of God is God himself in the plenitude of his power, omniscience, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth. What a source for thinking and contemplation!
See how God treats such persons: The Lord hearkened to their conversation, heard the meditations of their hearts; and so approved of the whole that a book of remembrance was written before the Lord – all their names were carefully registered in heaven.  Clarke’s Commentary

17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, . . .

Published in: on January 24, 2017 at 4:35 am  Leave a Comment  
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The Living God

 old-woman-1st  old-man

O Daniel, servant of the living God,
is thy God whom thou servest continually,
able to deliver thee?
Daniel 6:20

How many times we find this expression in the Scriptures,
and yet it is just this very thing
that we are so prone to lose sight of.
We know it is written “the living God“;
but in our daily life there is scarcely anything
we practically so much lose sight of as
the fact that God is the living God;
that He is now whatever
He was three or four thousand years since;
that He has the same sovereign power,
the same saving love towards those who love
and serve Him as ever He had
and that He will do for them now
what He did for others two, three, four thousand years ago,
simply because He is the living God, the unchanging One.
Oh, how therefore we should confide in Him,
and in our darkest moments never lose sight of the fact
that He is still and ever will be the living God!

Be assured,
if you walk with Him and look to Him and expect help from Him,
He will never fail you.
An older brother who has known the Lord for forty-four years,
who writes this, says to you for your encouragement
that He has never failed him.
In the greatest difficulties,
in the heaviest trials,
in the deepest poverty and necessities,
He has never failed me;
but because I was enabled by His grace to trust Him
He has always appeared for my help.
I delight in speaking well of His name.
–George Mueller

For I am the LORD,
I change not;
Malachi 3:6

Published in: on January 21, 2017 at 4:03 am  Leave a Comment  
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Rejoice Evermore

cup

Deuteronomy 26:11
And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing
which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee,
and unto thine house, . . .

Gratitude consists in a watchful, minute attention
to the particulars of our state,
and to the multitude of God’s gifts,
taken one by one.
It fills us with a consciousness
that God loves and cares for us,
even to the least event
and smallest need of life.
It is a blessed thought,
that from our childhood
God has been laying His fatherly hands upon us,
and always in benediction;
that even the strokes of His hands are blessings,
and among the chiefest we have ever received.
When this feeling is awakened,
the heart beats with a pulse of thankfulness.
Every gift has its return of praise.
It awakens an unceasing daily converse with our Father,
–He speaking to us by the descent of blessings,
we to Him by the ascent of thanksgiving.
And all our whose life is thereby drawn
under the light of His countenance,
and is filled with a gladness, serenity, and peace
which only thankful hearts can know.
H. E. MANNING.

italics-mine

Published in: on January 19, 2017 at 4:15 am  Leave a Comment  
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Life Has a Way

At times life has a way of pushing us around.
At times the response is to hide and protect.
This piece is about that hiding and protecting;
and about letting go and healing.

 

dark-sn

“Life has battered us down.
Life had heaped refuse upon our heads.;
and we have sealed it in a vault;
where is is safe
where no one will know it is there
a protected place, a dark place, a place alone.
But you know,
you know the hurt and the disappointment,
you know the betrayal and the casual promises,
never fulfilled.
you know the coldness of the fault,
you know the aloneness,
you know the numbing power of grief.

Turn us again, O God,
and cause thy face to shine;
and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80:3

The warmth of God’s eyes
looking on with compassion –

melting the icicles,
melting the snow packs,
melting the protective barrier.

Let that melting water run to sweep away the refuse and lies.
Let that melting water run to cleanse the blueness of the wound.
Let that melting water run free to refresh and make new.

Let the tears flow to soften numbness
Let the tears flow so eyes see clear
Let the tears flow to heal the broken hearted”

Psalm 80:17-19
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,
upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
So will not we go back from thee: quicken us,
and we will call upon thy name.
Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts,
cause thy face to shine;
and we shall be saved.

Published in: on January 18, 2017 at 4:25 am  Leave a Comment  
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Help thee? Fear not!

“I will help thee, saith the Lord.”
Isaiah 41:14

Let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us:
“I will help thee.”
“It is but a small thing for me, thy God, to help thee.
Consider what I have done already.

What! not help thee?
Why, I bought thee with my blood.
What! not help thee?
I have died for thee;
and if I have done the greater,
will I not do the less?
Help thee!
It is the least thing I will ever do for thee;
I have done more, and will do more.

Before the world began I chose thee.
I made the covenant for thee.
I laid aside my glory and became a man for thee;
I gave up my life for thee;
and if I did all this,
I will surely help thee now.
In helping thee,
I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already.
If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help,
I would give it thee;
thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give.
‘Tis much for thee to need,
but it is nothing for me to bestow.

‘Help thee?’
Fear not!

If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help,
it would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat;
and thou art nothing but a tiny insect
at the door of my all-sufficiency.
‘I will help thee.’“

O my soul, is not this enough?
Dost thou need more strength
than the omnipotence of the United Trinity?
Dost thou want more wisdom
than exists in the Father,
more love than displays itself in the Son,
or more power than is manifest
in the influences of the Spirit?

Bring hither thine empty pitcher!
Surely this well will fill it.
Haste, gather up thy wants,
and bring them here-thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs.
Behold, this river of God is full for thy supply;
what canst thou desire beside?
Go forth, my soul,
in this thy might.
The Eternal God is thine helper!

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismay’d!
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.”
F. B. Meyer

 

p-c

Don’t you find it interesting that Meyer says
‘Bring hither thine empty pitcher!’?
A glass full will take care of my needs.
A pitcher full satisfies my needs and those of others.

Isaiah 43:1-2
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob,
and he that formed thee, O Israel,
Fear not: for I have redeemed thee,
I have called thee by thy name;
thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters,
I will be with thee;
and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

(emphases, italics, spacing and bold, are mine)

Published in: on January 16, 2017 at 11:39 am  Leave a Comment  
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The Savior and Three Prayers

There is a beautiful story told of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others in prayers. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.

As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace wiith a smile full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music.

1-woman_praying

Leaving her, He came to the next but only placed His hand upon her bowed head, and gave her one look of loving approval.

6pray

The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a work or glance.

3-woman-praying-at-church1

The woman in her dream said to herself, “How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gace the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a pssing look.

I wonder what she had done, and why He made so much difference between them?” And she tried to account for the action of her Lord.

He Himself stood by her and said: “O woman! how wrongly hast thou interpreted Me. The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of My tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way. She needs My love, thought and help every moment of the day .Without it she would fail and fall. the second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things may go and whatever people may do.

“The third whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick drastic processes for the highest and holiest service. She knows Me so intinately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstance through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel,–because she knows that I am working in her for eternity and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she shall understand hereafter.

“I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to my My love, without the spur of anything ourward to call it forth.”
Streams in the Desert
Pittsburg Bible Institute Publications

I love this story.

I first thought the third woman’s experience
was place when reached never changed.
I do want that strong faith and love for my Savior.
I also know I am human, with emotions and feelings.

Some days, I have run through a troop
Some days, I have leaped over a wall
Some days, I have fallen flat on my face.

Every day, I need much help to walk this way.
Every day, I need help on every leaning side
Every day, I need God’s anchor and strong chain to hold me fast.

Always I know His Presence is near.
Always I know His Grace is sufficient.
Always I know His Hand is holding mine.
Always I know His Word is tried and sure.

Psalms 18:28-35
For thou wilt light my candle:
the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by thee I have run through a troop;
and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect:
the word of the LORD is tried:
he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
For who is God save the LORD?
or who is a rock save our God?
It is God that girdeth me with strength,
and maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet,
and setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war,
so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:
and thy right hand hath holden me up,
and thy gentleness hath made me great.

Published in: on January 13, 2017 at 5:22 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Abide With Me

usa-map38

from Jesus Calling, Sarah Young

And he said,
My presence shall go with thee,
and I will give thee rest.
Exodus 33:14

Let me prepare you for the day
that stretches out before you.
I know exactly what this day will contain,
whereas you have only vague ideas about it.
You would like to see a map,
showing all the twists and turns of your journey.
You’d feel more prepared if you could some how
visualize what is on the road ahead.
However, there is a better way
to be prepared for whatever you will encounter t0day:
Spend time with me.

I will not show you what is on the road ahead,
but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey.
My living Presence is your Companion each step of the way,
Stay in continual communication with Me,
whispering My Name
whenever you need to redirect your thoughts.
Thus, you can walk through this day
with your focus on Me.
My abiding Presence is the best road map available.

John 15:4-7
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Published in: on January 12, 2017 at 3:55 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A Happy Life

Isaiah 26:3-4
You will guard him and keep him
in perfect and constant peace whose mind
[both its inclination and its character]
is stayed on You,
because he commits himself to You,
leans on You,
and hopes confidently in You.
So trust in the Lord
(commit yourself to Him,
lean on Him,
hope confidently in Him) forever;
for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock
[the Rock of Ages].
Amplified Bible

growing-4612-002

A happy life is not built up of tours abroad and pleasant holidays,
but of little clumps of voilets noticed by the roadside,
hidden away almost so that only those can see them
who have God’s peace and love in their hearts;
in one long continuous chain of little joys,
little whispers from the spiritual world,
little gleams of sunshine on our daily walk.
Edward Wilson

Published in: on January 10, 2017 at 4:26 am  Leave a Comment  
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“I will never let go your hand!”

hand

Psalm 9:9-10
The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:
for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

The Father cares when He sees His children
in the teeth of a blinding storm,
but He knows that faith grows in the tempest.
He will hold our hands bidding us not to try
to see the next step we are to take.
He knows the paths of a hundred million stars,
know the way through the whirlwind and the storm,
and has promised, “I will never let go your hand!”

There is unquestionably a grave danger
of many becoming spiritually paralyzed by depression.
The forces of darkness are so imminent,
the magnitude of the crisis is so great
that many are tempted to cry out with the disciples,
“Lord, carest thou not that we perish”
Yet He who may appear to be “asleep upon a pillow”
is riding upon the storm in all His divine majesty.
The great need is for more faith in the omnipotent God.
from Streams in the Desert, Mrs. Charles Cowman

How many times in the midst of trouble
big, overwhelming, very real trouble
or small, piddly things
that have been exaggerated in our minds;
have we thought as the disciples,
“Lord, carest thou not that we perish”

We must not cast away our confidence in our God.
God is not as one of us.
God is not limited by human undertanding.
God is not bound by time.
moses
Moses,

even after seeing the burning bush
even after seeing deliverance from Eygpt
even after seeing the cloud by day and pillar of fire  by night,
even after seeing water fresh come from a rock,

Moses still questioned God.

And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Exodus 33:12 (italics are mine)

God, is his great love and pity for the man
He created and called to lead His people,
reassured Moses with these words:

And he said, My presence shall go with thee,
and I will give thee rest. Exodus 33:14

God also assures us today.
Lean hard on these promises in Isaiah.
Don’t depend on our own understanding

sheep

In all their affliction he was afflicted, ( I love that thought)
and the angel of his presence saved them:
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:9

God, in His compassion, feels our afflictions,
and as a father who pities his children.
God cares.

And even to your old age I am he;
and even to hoar hairs will I carry you:
I have made, and I will bear;
even I will carry, and will deliver you. Isaiah 46:4

Troubles
Big or Little,
Yes, they will come.
It’s called life.
Our comfort –
We are not alone.

Published in: on January 7, 2017 at 9:43 am  Leave a Comment  
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Think Write Thursday – Hello January

think-write-thursday-button

Hello January
January – the month that is in the middle of my favorite seasons, fall and winter.
Some count down until summer
I look at how long willl this last.

A time for cloudy overcast skies
with a bright sunny morning thrown in to affirm promises
A time to wear tights and layers o fshirts and sweaters
with the cold wind in my face
A time to cozy in
when it isn’t outside.

It is also a time for
looking back and considering.
for relishing today
and for peering ahead

January thoughts
What am I going to ocntinue?
What Will I give up?
What will I start or add to my life?

Things in my life I will hold to tightly

I will hold fast my confidence in God
I will keep looking to Jesus –
I will remember my key words – accept, commit and surrender

Things in my life I will give up

I will eliminate Diet soda – I know the unhealthy attributes
(It’s been FIVE days and counting!)
I will decrease time on social media.
I will quit being tardy,
planning on leaving at the last minute
then something comes up ALWAYS
and it is past the last minute

Things in my life  to add or to start new
Oh where to begin
I see so much I need to improve

I will add – do the first things first
I will add – finishing the many things started
then left to hibernate Impluse starting leads to not finishing.
So I must carefully consider the beginnings
I will acknowledge the box – open the lid and glare out.
IT’S  a start!

Leaving behind and gathering together
will make a change in the whole of my life.
I am very afraid of what that unknown looks like,
feels like,
what holes leaving things will leave,
how to fill those holes and
I doubt my ability to sustain the changes
How many times I’ve tried . . .

So I do the little steps
like no diet soda –  on the way to healthier nutrition
while asking God for help.
One day in January as I was arguing with myself
coke or tea,
coke or tea,
coke or tea,
‘A large tea, please’ came out of my mouth
THAT was not what I meant to say, and
THAT voice did not quite sound like mine,
but I was encouraged.
I hadn’t started the change alone.

helloAccept the Changes
Goodby Hinderances
Cleave to the Good

Hebrews 12:1-2
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Romans 12:9
. . . cleave to that which is good.

First time joining with Carole

 

Published in: on January 6, 2017 at 1:52 pm  Comments (4)  
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Little by Little

Sometimes when we think about our habits,
the things we would like to see changed
fills our to-do list
and discouragement steps in
before we even know where to start

This is my true story.

God began leading me to make changes
in my housekeeping habits.
My critical eye was so harsh
and my mountain of changes so high.
I cried out to God
“I don’t know where to begin!”
In His kindness He led me little by little.
God asked me “Do you get up every morning?”
(He really spoke to me just like this in these words.)
I said, “Yes.”
He said, Today after you get up and dressed,
make your bed,

unmade-bed

pick up any laundry,
shut any dresser drawers,
and close the closet doors.”
So that is what I did.
As I left the room with laundry in my arms,
I turned to look back at my room.
I was amazed at how neat and tidy
and clean it looked.
Even though no actual dusting, vaccuming,
or putting away the accumulated piles was done.

AND that was ALL I was asked to do,
God didn’t add anything more to my list
of have-to-do-to-make-a-change.
For three or four days,
that was the BIG change in my housekeeping routine.

Of course, then God said,
“Today we are going to do the dishes.”

dirty_dishes_in_a_kitchen_sink_royalty_free_clipart_picture_100223-032403-324042

I said, “I can’t do the dishes”

You see,
I would wash one sink full of dishes,
rinse them,
put them in the drainer,
put another group of dirty dishes
in the sink to soak and walk off.
I’d finish later. yeah!

So I knew God meant to wash ALL the dishes,
dry All the dishes, even the pans,
put away ALL the dishes,
wipe out the sinks,
put away the dish drainer
and wipe off all the counters.
I knew I couldn’t do it.
I hadn’t done that in so long.
but I knew how God had helped me
with my bed and room, so I trusted Him.

I got the dishwater ready,
the first sinkful in the bubbles
and washed them
and rinsed them
and put them in the drainer
and held on to the sink to keep from walking away.
(TRUTH)
When I felt sure I wouldn’t walk away
I finished the dishes completely,
even to wiping the counters.
I looked back at my kitchen,
it looked so clean and big.

No the floor wasn’t mopped,
the stove wasn’t clean,
the refridgerater still had science projects flourishing,
but I had done what God asked me to do.

And you know what,
once those two things were accomplished.
The mountain just kind of melted
and I was able to organize my duties.

Was I always perfect after that? No
Did I still struggle from time to time? Yes
Did discouragement still show up? Yes
But I wasn’t alone with my struggle;
because God made it plain to me
“I will be with you, I will never leave you”

Even with a sink full of dirty dishes.

To this day, I feel undone if my bed isn’t made
first thing in the morning.

Habit definition –
a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior
a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things
[which He has called me to do]
through Him who strengthens and empowers me
[to fulfill His purpose—
I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency;
I am ready for anything
and equal to anything through Him
who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]

Amplified Bible

Published in: on January 3, 2017 at 4:43 am  Leave a Comment  
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Day by Day

dont-judge-each-day-by-the-harvest-you-reap-but-by-the-seeds-you-plant

Daily Habit

Habit definition –
a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior
a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition

We are in charge of our habits.
Habits don’t accidently happen,
even though we may not consciously
be aware we are making a habit.
Many times we find habits after the fact.

We think this is just the way I am.
Step back
Look
Consider
Would I glorify God more without this behavior pattern?
Can I change this pattern?

“A nail is driven out by another nail;
habit is overcome by habit.”
Desiderius Erasmus

Habits can be changed.
Only by replacing that habit with another habit
with frequent repetition.

‘. . . spending time each day with God–in His Word, in prayer, in reflection of His love and plans for –will make a tremendous positive difference in your life. . .”

What a habit this would be.
What power this habit would open up to us
What grace would be available for our needs
What Comfort and Love
we would be able to share with hurting souls.

God’s mercies are new every single day. Lamentations 3:20
God’s strength is provided for us each day to meet
the challenges of that particular day Deuteronomy 3:25
We are advised to put each of our days
in proper order Psalm 90:12
Jesus call us to follow Him daily Luke 9:23

Published in: on January 2, 2017 at 4:25 am  Leave a Comment  
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Glorify God Today

 

444_jesus_teaching_disciples

Christ taught his followers how to glorify God by His example.

John 17 is Christ’s prayer for his disciples before He goes to Gethsemene. From Christ’s words we find how He glorified His Father; we also find how we can glorify our Father.

John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth:
I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

Christ was always obedient to the will of the Father.

Joh 17:6-7 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

Definition – Manifest – readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight: easily understood or recognized by the mind
Christ showed his followers plainly by words and actions how to glorify God

John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

Christ spoke differently than the people of the day.
His speech glorified God.

John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Definition – Declare – to make evident: show, to state emphatically: affirm, to avow one’s opinion or support
Christ showed openly that He was doing the will of the Father

Scripture text and most of the thoughts from December 29 evening lesson.
I added definitions.

Published in: on December 30, 2016 at 7:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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