When reading the Bible, a good habit to get into, or to stay in, is to search for what God has to say to you in the passage. The criticism of doing this is that things can easily get ripped out of context, or you may read into the Bible what you want it to say. Still, if we ask God to speak to us, would he refuse to do so?
As an example, I Chronicles 14 has David leading a fight with the Philistines. In verse 10 and again in verse 14 (two different battles) he consults with God as to what to do. Both times God answers him. This could be easily overlooked as one tries to read through the long texts in the Old Testament. But what I see is that David sets an example for us to follow, to consult God. What God is saying to me here is to not leave God out when making decisions. Honor him and help oneself by accessing His wisdom.
Not a lot of in-depth study is involved in the above example. To me, the message for me from God is laying right there on the surface, like a gemstone exposed to just pick up.
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Proverbs 22:6 English Standard Version (ESV)
6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
The young man who lives in my house but doesn't want to be blogged about will too soon be returning to the university. I guess I have some smothering mothering to do!
38 For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, 39 or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.
I'm never more excited about nothing than I am when I read this passage from Romans. God's nothing is my everything, when it is a matter of His love for me. So Praise God, I've got nothing!
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. Charles R. Swindoll
...made me think of my father and because this song did also, I'm missing my dad tonight. I don't know who Jack Lee was but I hope he knew and enjoyed both God's love and the love of his children.
14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Philippians 4:13 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.
Ephesians 3:7 New King James Version (NKJV)
7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
...even if it sounds like I'm bragging. I do want to boast in Christ alone but something about this makes me smile. That God can use a scarred and sick woman like me for His kingdom really is an amazing, wonder-working power.
John Everett Millais, The Return of the Dove to the Ark
Genesis 8:8-12 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.
2 Timothy 3:15 New King James Version (NKJV)
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 6:7 New King James Version (NKJV)
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
We Christians have gotten upset over what appears to be a hijacking of the rainbow, the symbol of God's judgment and His promise. While it truly is a promise from God and not a symbol of pride; the rainbow has been hijacked before, any child who grew up eating Lucky Charms can attest to that, and will be again. Knowing this, we should continue to teach the true meaning of that bow in the sky to our children and our children's children.
So tonight I will consider the dove and the hope it bring with that olive leaf in its mouth. The branch meant the waters would recede; this time of trial and testing would soon be over; they would leave the ark; they would walk on dry land. If you are floundering in the midst of great waters, look up; your deliver is coming.
Rich Mullins & The Ragamuffin Band - "My Deliverer..."
...by C.S. Lewis, because we get to follow in the footsteps of the Lion!
1 Peter 2:21 Living Bible (TLB)
21 This suffering is all part of the work God has given you. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps:
Revelation 5:5 New English Translation (NET Bible)
5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
The things I saw beggar description…The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were…overpowering…I made the visit deliberately in order to be in a position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to ‘propaganda.’
— General Dwight D. Eisenhower, April 15, 1945, letter to General George C. Marshall following the liberation of Ohrdruf, a subcamp of Buchenwald
I search for words to describe how I feel about Planned Parenthood aborting children in such a way that their reusable parts aren't crushed, and disgust, evil abhorrent, depraved come to mind. How did this country get a line of reasoning that wouldn't offend Hitler? Now that these words have come out of the mouths of Planned Parenthood doctors have been recorded and taped, I've read that there are those who want to attack the organization that filmed it in order to discredit them. They may indeed find fault, but there's no way to take back what was said.
My father saw the Nazi death camps after they were liberated, and the horror of what he saw never left him. Colonel Eisenhower wanted his army to bear witness less history forget it and repeat it. So should we also regarding our country's legal genocide of the unborn bear witness.
We have heard what we have heard and we have seen what we have seen. We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Phil. 3:12
Just prior to this verse, Paul admitted that he wasn’t perfect. What a relief!
If Paul couldn’t do it, how can we?
The problem, though, in using Paul as a model (which he says to do in v.17) is that he says he presses on anyway. He puts forth effort to grow spiritually. Effort is, well, effort, work, energy. Rats.
Growth along spiritual lines isn’t something our society uses as a yardstick for success. And I suspect we believers all too often borrow the world’s yardstick as our measuring unit for our daily grind. How often do we say “Well, I didn’t complete my to-do list today, but God did build something into my life that was more than I had when the day began”? I fear my response is to focus on the unfinished list.
When we do take stock of our spiritual lives, we find our own stumbling. As Richard Foster says in Streams of Living Water we learn that by “starting again and again and again something firm and lasting is being built in us.” And so we are to press on.
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]
Colossians 1:16 English Standard Version (ESV)
16 For by[a] 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.
1 Corinthians 2:14 English Standard Version (ESV)
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
John 1:3 English Standard Version (ESV)
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass “We're all mad here.”
― Cheshire Cat
I found myself today defending my faith to an atheist who considered religious loons kooky and a threat to our country; plus he believed the founding fathers would back him up on his truth. He thought it good that our government doesn't support Christianity because it keeps America great.
It was a little strange, indeed, don't you think? I found myself thinking of Alice in Wonderland. At what point during my lifetime, did such nonsense become truth?
Yes, I am a religious loon who believes in the only God, The Ancient of Days. He has always been and always will be God no matter if one believes in Him or not.
John 14:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.
1 Samuel 17:47 English Standard Version (ESV)
47 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.”
2 Chronicles 32:7 English Standard Version (ESV)
7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.
Exodus 14:13-14 English Standard Version (ESV)
13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Psalm 119:71 English Standard Version (ESV)
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
I've become so enamored of the truth that the battle is the Lord's that I'm forgetting that I belong on the battlefield as well. I am a warrior not just a cheerleader. I have my orders, I have my commission, I have my commander, so why so passive, why so silent? Illness and age are no excuse when my power is from God himself. So I'll stay in the fight.
2 Corinthians 10:4 English Standard Version (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
So I stayed up late tonight watching "American Ninja Warrior" with my family and this will be me at work tomorrow if I don't go to bed now. If it does turn out to be me tomorrow, I'll just have to blame it on the ninjas. Goodnight. Sleep well.
Our old, senile cat left us for a few days. Tonight our young man found her in the neighbor's yard, whose house she tried to gain entry into last night. We brought her inside and she immediately curled up in my arms as if to say, "Oh, now I remember where I belong! I belong next to your heart." It has me thinking of the hymn, "Near To the Heart of God," and I found a version on Youtube.
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Matthew 7:16-17 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. Galatians 5:22-23 Fruit is the identifier of what kind of tree you are growing. I know enough about fruit trees to be able to identify them by their foliage, but I'm not expert enough to do it every time. However, if the tree bears fruit, then I can more confidently say what kind of tree it is. Jesus and Paul essentially say the same thing about people. If fruit is a metaphor for good actions toward others, then those actions help identify whether the person is a true believer or not. They don't make the person a Christian, but show whether the person is one. As John Piper says, good deeds don't earn salvation, but they exhibit it. How to bear more fruit? Take care of the tree. In Streams of Living Water Richard Foster says to practice the Disciplines of the spiritual life so God can build deeply ingrained habits of fruit bearing into our lives. There is considerable parallelism between the growth of a tree and the growth of a Christian. If you try, you may come up with your own analogies. by Beanscot's husband
It's been a long, hard work week, so here's two little girls playing the accordion. They make me smile. I'd like to make God smile too. In fact, I'd like to play for God like the second girl is playing for her father. I love their expressions of mutual love and enjoyment. It's how we can be in the presence of God our our Abba Father, our loving Daddy. Luke 12:32 King James Version (KJV)
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
Our pastor used to say we got "played out". That is, the demands of everyday living had worn us out, with our spiritual reservoir suffering from a drought. Hence, our overall vitality was lacking. On the other hand, Jesus withdrew from his ministry efforts, even after success, and talked to God. And he went to "lonely places" to do this. This is where Jesus refueled. Rather than stay with people all the time and rev them up, he worked on his relationship with God, and if you will, got revved up. It was in the solitary places that he did this, not places with lots of colorful, loud stimulation, but solitary places. He wasn't seeking an adrenaline rush, but real power from his Father. I've been reading recently about the human aspect of Jesus, how he was human like us, with power and wisdom coming from the Father via times of spiritual connections. The point of stressing this is that, like Him, we can get the power and wisdom from the Father in the same way. Just as Jesus relied on the Father, so can we. I suspect our approach may be quite different. Sometimes we go to the adrenaline generators, things that provide their own stimulation, but aren't quite the same as going to God. Our reliance is on activity or technology to "do it" for us. Jesus may very well have used electronic technology had it been available in his day, but he would not have allowed it to interrupt his times of solitude. That, I think, is how Jesus avoided getting "played out". By beanscot's husband
BLESSED QUIETNESS - Union Chapel Missionary Baptist - Men of Union
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
A good song for these times is Needtobreathe's "Won't Turn Back." I pray that when my next turn comes to suffer, and it will, that I will stay faithful.
The lyrics:
"Won't Turn Back" Lonely like a sailor Who's left his girl at home No storm could overtake the love he knows So tell me why I should run for cover At the sound of the coming thunder All I hear is the cry of my lover So take your shot I won't turn back Faithful like a soldier Who's answered to the call Even when his back's against the wall So tell me why I should run for cover At the sound of the coming thunder All I hear is the cry of my lover So take your shot I won't turn back So tell me why I should run for cover At the sound of the coming thunder All I hear is the cry of my lover So take your shot I won't turn back
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Psalm 111:4-5 English Standard Version (ESV) 4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
An unusual thing happened to us this last week. On a family outing to our windy beach my husband spotted something strange in the grass and asked our young man, "What's that?" What it was turned out to be a one hundred dollar bill. God's provision came to us in the wind! How exciting is that? Exciting enough that I held out open hands as if to say, "OK, God, Bring it on!"
As we all looked at the bill in amazement, I wondered out loud, as it had been some time since I've seen one, "Is that what they look like now?" If it could only always be so easy, even me of little faith could have a great trust in God's provision....Sigh...I know God expects me to work and has provided work for me. I will be thankful and find my treasure in Him. I don't think He minds though, if I yet give a little yippee for unexpected grace. My husband still has the bill; and, as it makes for a great show and tell, he may be carrying it around for a while yet. God does move in mysterious ways, his wonders to behold.
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[a]
The sky was hazy overhead as we left church this morning and there remains a red moon above. Smoke from wildfires (not the fire pictured) north of us have altered what was expected to be a bright and sunny day. The air quality is bad and our normal sea breezes aren't enough to dissipate the smoke. So this Scripture from Acts and these Leonard Ravenhill quotes seem especially appropriate for this Fifth of July. It is far better to live in the fire of God's moral authority than in the smoke of cultural tolerance; for it is there that the church, the bride of Christ, is being made ready.
Ephesians 5:27 English Standard Version (ESV)
27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.[a]
