Best Offer

I want to apologize for the whining in my last post.

Since then I was told I DON"T have to have surgery (contrary to the first report),
son qualified for another student loan, and I am trying to take advantage of my "free time" to get cards written and other misc. things.
 I watched "Annie" (among the many other movies my sweet friends brought me to help pass the time) and, of course, she sang "Tomorrow," which made me laugh at myself, and yes, count my blessings!
Anyway, our sermon Sunday was on one of my favorite psalms--no, "favorite" is too light a word, like ice cream flavors. Psalm 46 has been a lifeline for me. In the "Matched" trilogy, the totalitarian govt. has determined that only 100 poems would to be preserved and viewed by the populous, the rest were (presumably) destroyed.

 Psalm 46 would definitely be among my 100.

 

"God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear."

 

Later in the psalm the writer says

 

"Be still and know that I am God"

 

 God shows me (AGAIN!) that

HE

is in control of the situation, and that HE is, indeed, very present.

I need to be still, acknowledge HIM

and remember that HE

"will be exalted among the nations."

 

With or without their consent.

That is the kind of power God invites me to take refuge in.

 

 

Wouldn't it be crazy NOT TO take advantage of such an offer?

 

 

 

 

Growing Weary

 I have to admit, I'm a a bit weary.

The "reality" of my life is this: Finances are at a breaking point, college wants more money than last year and is threatening our son's expulsion if  we don't come up with it soon, we badly need a new roof, a new car . . .  and  I just broke my leg. And won't be working.

This morning, however, the Lord nudged me back to HIS reality:

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all . . ."   Galatians 6:9

After reading it three times, I got it:

while doing good

 

Sometimes God is so subtle (or not) that I miss the real point.

 

As long as I am doing good I will not grow weary and lose heart!

I don't think it's even possible to do so!

 

As long as I am helping others, seeking their good, encouraging, edifying, praying for others, my problems are not at the forefront of my mind. Plus, while doing good to others everything falls into the proper perspective. Now, my problems are not nearly as bad as those around me, my prayers change from whining to praising and

rather than losing heart,

 

my heart is strengthened.

 

For such a loving, caring and wise God I am eternally thankful.

 

 

 

 

 



Duped

"The Bible calls Satan 'the accuser of our brothers.'
It's the Devil's job to blame, complain, and criticize members of God's family. Anytime we do the same, we're being duped into doing Satan's work for him. Remember, other Christians, no matter how much you disagree wtih them, are not the real enemy. Any time we spend comparing or criticizing other believers is time that should have been spent building the unity of our fellowship."
 
                         ~Rick Warren from The Purpose Driven Life

Good point, huh?

Being "duped" into doing Satan's work is not something I want to fall prey to! But, I must confess, I have.

LORD, help me remember the great commandment,

to LOVE as you have loved me.

 

 

And to spend my time building the unity of our fellowship.

 

 

(That even sounds kind of fun, doesn't it?!)

 

 



The Law of Kindness

It has always been my goal to emulate the proverbial woman described in Proverbs 31. I had hoped I would get better and better at it, but as time goes by, I'm afraid I see myself farther away instead.
Maybe it's perspective, maybe it's the wisdom of age that says, you're don't know nearly as much as you THINK you know.

When I was young and idealistic I knew exactly how I did and didn't want to parent my own children.
Now, in retrospect, I see things I WISH I had done differently. I didn't have all the answers after all, and some of the answers I thought I had were wrong.

 Talking with other empty-nesters seems to confirm this truth:

 This is all part of the HUMAN CONDITION.

 

 

Anyway, I digress.

 

 I still turn to Proverbs 31 now and then, and on a recent occasion I noticed the word LAW in verse 26 and it intrigued me.

 

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is

 

the LAW OF KINDNESS.

 

 

 

 A bit of study showed me that here, she has BOUND her tongue to a LAW. No outside power could force this binding, it was her doing.

 

 This was not a casual, Well, I'll try to be nice if I can thing!  To be bound by a law implies several things:

• it is compulsory, not optional
• under obligation
• not an option to operate outside the terms

So, I am, of course, forced to ask myself :

 

Have I bound my tongue to the law of kindness?

 

Like most things, I don't think it's a one-time decision. It's a daily, hourly, moment-to-moment decision I must make.

 

Could it be part of our LORD'S admonition to take up our cross daily and follow HIM?

 

Thank you, my proverbial friend, for continuing to show me who Jesus wants me to be!

 





 

Artistic

The more I think about it,

 

the more I realize there is

 

nothing

 

more artistic than

 

to love others.

~Vincent Van Gogh

Pursue Love

Paul tells us to pursue love (I Cor. 14:1)
W.E. Vines says that pursue, in this case, is to "follow after, as one would a calling".

I am to pursue Love as a career?

Hmm.

Why DO I pursue a career?

To receive compensation

To share my gifts and talents with others

To feel a sense of accomplishment

To stretch myself to continually grow

I see it!

Pursuing a career in Love IS the same!

To receive compensation (my reward in Heaven)

To share my gifts and talents with others

To feel a sense of accomplishment

To stretch myself to continually grow

Wow! I sat down today to write a quick blog post and then work on my online school for my new career, having no intention of tying the two together. I guess God had other plans.

As I pursue my new career in Home Staging I am going to simultaneously pursue a serious career in Love.

I'll keep you posted!

Increase and Abound in Love

Every now and then a verse jumps out at me and says

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

And I wonder why I never realized it before. But I believe that is the living and active part of the Word: God knows where I'm at in my walk with Him and He knows what I need at this moment and He always provides it. GOD IS GOOD.

So, the jumped-out verse is:

"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all . . . so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints."  I Thessalonians 3:12-13



W.E. Vines also paraphrases the passage like this:

"The Lord enables you more and more to spend your lives in the interests of others in order that He may so establish you in Christian character now, that you may be vindicated from every charge that might possibly be brought against you at the Judgment seat of Christ."

Maybe "love covers a multitude of sins" comes into play here.


So, I guess the ah-ha moment for me here was this:

The exercise of LOVE is the means God uses to develop Christ-likeness in His children

SO THAT we are covered at the Judgment.

It's like an insurance policy!

Somehow, that perspective makes it easier to love in ALL circumstances.

I want my heart to be established blameless in holiness.

So Lord, please make me increase and abound in love.

Because with you, all things are possible.