Preparing for Christmas,
Every year I say" I'm not going to get caught up with the hustle and bustle of Christmas.  Every year, it goes well for a while, and then at as time draws near for to mail the cards (which I love, by the way),  family gatherings, travel, overwhelming anxious thoughts set in, no matter how determined I am to be stress free and relaxed.

Expectations of what a perfect Christmas should be take over and the true meaning gets pushed aside.  This is the time to remember that Jesus came as a baby, He gave up his heavenly home  obeyed his Father's will in order  for our sins to be forgiven. That's what it's all about.  I say it, I think it, I believe it..... my prayer is that I live it.

Giving in or Giving Up

What is the difference? I don't want to give up, but how do I determine if it is God who is closing a door, and it is  time to move on and let go and I need to yield to God's new plan.   Or am I allowing discouragement to take over and I'm giving up.   I will continue to be praying about this situation. I don't want to give up, but I do want to follow God's leading and guidance. More to come...…….

I'm Back Again

I began this blog, excited about being diligent about sharing my thoughts with others who could benefit.  Now, seven years later, I’ve only written a few thoughts here and there…. very sporadically. It’s not that God has not been working; it’s just that I have not been diligent in writing about how He is working.

 So much has happened in the years since I started this endeavor.  A few health issues for an aging couple and wonderful trips together across our beautiful country are part of the list.   A granddaughter graduated from a good Bible college; and married a wonderful Christian man.  Another granddaughter has started high school, doing well and excited about what she would like to do in the future.  Grandsons are working, attending college, and family members are growing in the Lord.  Of course there have been disappointments along the way, but everything that God sends into our lives is for our good, our growing and His glory. 

God is teaching me that all along the way.  A few months ago I stumbled upon this song written many years ago by John Newton, which addresses this thought. I found this hymn at a time when God was answering a prayer, but definitely not in the manner in which I thought He should.  The words to this hymn, found below, blessed and convicted me, and still bring tears to my eyes.

I Asked the Lord  

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and ev’ry grace,
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

‘Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer,
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He’d answer my request
And, by His love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in ev’ry part.

Yea, more with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe,
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Humbled my heart and laid me low.

“Lord, why is this,” I trembling cried;
“Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”
“’Tis in this way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.”

“These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly joy
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”


Credits:
Words by John Newton (1779), music Traditional
Public Domain

According to scripture, music is very important.

Sing/Singing is mentioned 121 times in the Bible.  It is the most recorded of the commandments,; “sing to the Lord”. The count rises to 209 if you use the New English version of the Bible.

Over 1150 verses in the Bible reference a form of

 words, which may be related to music.

 David, was the great musician in scripture having written 150 songs recorded in Psalms, He was the official musician in Saul’s court helping soothe his anxiety.  During David’s own reign, he organized the Levitical musicians with more than one in ten Levites in the temple served as musicians.

Music was used in conjunction with all manner of activities in scripture.  Music was used at feasts, coronations, celebration of victory, guidance, mourning, and soothing anxiety.

In addition it is a command, found in Colossians 3:16.

 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

An Empty Glass, Clean or Dirty

I wrote this in September of 2009 in response to a prompt  assigned to a writing group.

On occasion an empty glass is found, left behind in the living room, bedroom or family room after someone has carried it with them as they were consuming its contents.  It may have been there for a long time.  Remains of what was once inside have dried on and while the glass sat hidden, it was of no use.  Extra effort might be needed to get it clean.  The glass may have once held ice water that quenched a thirst, cold milk that nourished a child, sweet tea, that comforted the sick, or soda that provided enjoyment.   The empty glass must first be washed before it is ready to be used again.

Another empty glass may be clean, waiting on the shelf, ready and prepared to be used to meet a need, bring enjoyment, or give comfort.  Perhaps it will be filled with water so that an elderly person can take their medication, or perhaps with milk to drink with cookies for  a child or lemonade for a party.  A clean empty glass is ready to be used.

The dictionary states that a glass is a “tall handle less container used to hold liquids”.  Some glasses might be clear, some colored, and some very elegant.  At picnics we use paper or Styrofoam “glasses. “ Nevertheless, no matter what they look like, glasses have a purpose, and the plan for them is to be filled with liquid to be consumed by the one who holds them. 

The spiritual application to this illustration is limitless.  In 2 Timothy 2:21 we read,

 “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work”.

As believers in Christ, we are His vessels, containers, to a certain extent like a glass.

In order to be “ready for every good work” we must be clean.  Just as we shy away from using dirty silverware, glasses or cups, God is not able to make use of dirty vessels.  

Sin makes us unclean and must be avoided and confessed and absent from our lives.  Once clean, we must not sit empty, or idle.  We must be ready to offer encouragement, furnish reproof, and provide enjoyment for those with whom we come in contact.

 The Holy Spirit will keep us filled with His fruit when we are clean and willing so that we can be a benefit to those around us, perhaps to give refreshment to the weary, nourishment to the weak, and encouragement to those who are floundering?  Just as the person holding the glass determines what is placed  inside, God who holds our vessel guides us toward the work he has for us to do. 

As believers, we need to take care that we keep our lives clean every day.  Never hidden away, but always sparkling and pure, “ready for every good work”

On Contentment

I am going through an exercise called "Prompts for your first 30 Days of Prayer Journaling". Today I was prompted to respond to Psalm  37:16 which says
"Better is the little of the righteous
than the abundance of many wicked."
This is what I think of when I read the word

Contentment

Satisfied, submissive to where you are and what you have, and the situation in which you find yourself. 

Looking at previous verses in Psalm 37 can be a way we can help keep contentment in our lives

Verses 1- 5

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
² For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it. NASB

My prayer is to be satisfied and submissive to where I am and what I have, and most of all satisfied with the situation in which I find myself. 

Five and half years later

I have cleaned out my freezer many times since my last post. I have written many newspaper articles, and studied many lessons for ladies Bible study, and traveled many miles for fun, and visiting with family.

I am praying about how to continue to write in 2017 with thoughts and prayers for myself and anyone who might happen up it. 

Look carefully and notice the dew on the petals of the rose in the photo sent to me from someone special.
 

Dew is described in the dictionary as "something moist, fresh, pure, or renewing". I continue to desire my relationship with the Lord to be like that. Just like the Lord’s mercies, that are ”new every morning.  Lamentations 3:23



 It reminds me of the passage in Romans 12, where we are to offer our "bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect will of God"

The Reason for God

I am reading a heavy duty book called the Reason for God by Timothy Keller.  I have to savor and let each part sink in before I go on to more pages.  He gives much to think and ponder concerning one's belief in the Bible, creation,  working out for ourselves who we are as believers and why we believe what  what we have been taught through our lives. Like eating a steak dinner, savoring every juicy bite, and then digesting it slowly. Keller includes cheesecake, and salad, wonderful tidbits, to chew on....like: " if we let our unexamined beliefs undermine our confidence in the Bible, the cost may be greater than we think"   (Keller, page 117)  It is taking a long time to finish this book, but it just gets better and better, and challenges my thinking, and increases my desire to stay true. 

Decluttering our Hearts.... Filled with God's Love

Today, I read in Ephesians 3:17 (NLT)  that Pauls prays that  Christ would be more and more at home in our  hearts as we trust Him. King James uses the word "dwell".  

 What must we do for this to happen?  Declutter.  Get rid of all the stuff that would make Christ uncomfortable.  "Stuff "that would keep Him from feeling at home in our heart/life.   Like quarreling, selfshiness, jealousy, lustful pleasure, judging, pride. (Gal 5:19,21) ......all those items which not only displease our heavenly Father, but don't do us any good, either.  Then dust off the tables and shelves and place better items there , like love, joy, peace, longsuffering.....
(Gal. 5:22,23)
But there is more ......when Christ is at home in our hearts, dwells in our hearts..... our roots will go down deep into God's marvelous love, and we have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high and how deep God's love really is.  Even though it is so great that we can never understand it, we can be filled with the fullness of life and power from God and begin to experience it.   (Ephesians 3:17-19) 
paraphrased by RJR 

Cleaning out my Freezer

Cleaning out a freezer can be like cleaning out our heart.  I recently took on that disagreeable task and learned something about myself.  I found alot of old stuff in there, items that  were no longer useable or desirable. Raspberries that had been picked several years ago were buried in the back.  Something like the sin that lurks in a heart.  Or, emotions, and attitudes that should have been taken care of long ago.  Yes, I did find items from the past, and they had taken on the odor and flavor of the freezer.  Sometimes we take on the odor and flavor of the world around us, and we cannot be used  in God's service. 
But among those unrecognizable blobs and outdated raspberries, I did find a really nice piece of recently purchased roast that I had forgotten.  What a nice surprise!  God tells us in his word to search the scriptures  and search our hearts.  Guess I should be checking my freezer more often, and checking my heart daily.

 Search me, Know my heart: Try me,  Know my thoughts, Oh, God.

Psalm 139:23

 Hosea 6:4 the New Living Translation says: "O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?" asks the LORD. "For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.

My desire is that my love and loyalty to the Lord would not dissapear like dew and mist in the sunlight amidst the annoyances, harships, and trials of life. 

Pam is helping me

My friend Pam W. is helping me to create this Blog.  I am so grateful for her help.  Today I ventured into this scary unknown world and explaining the reason for the title of this Blog.  I seek to honor the Lord with all I do and write, hoping to make a difference in a life, even if it is only my own.