I just finished a new series. It doesn't have a "happily ever after". (sniff, sniff) I'm actually feeling rather melancholy at the moment. As I've been processing the story, and trying to distill and process the worldview, I remembered that "you are what you read". In one series I read a few years ago, the same thought is expressed something like this: you leave a piece of yourself between the pages. What you read changes the way you think about things, the way you feel about things, the way you respond to things. So what you read MATTERS! I love reading fiction, particularly the fantasy genre, because anything is possible (Therefore, happy endings are possible. -- I like feeling happy, so happy endings are important to me.).
So here's the admonition for the day. Read the Bible. Engage in the stories. Learn about the God who IS, and who loves His broken creation so much that He sent His Son for us! And don't stop with learning about God, move beyond intellectual assent to KNOWING! Leave pieces of yourself within the pages of Scripture, and let the Living Word change the way you think, and feel, and respond. Soli Deo Gloria!
Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Psalms 33:1-22
Friday, January 31, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Focus on the Goal
I've been playing Candy Crush recently. And I have noticed a detrimental tendency of mine with regards to this game... I don't read the goal! I've been stuck on a level in which the purpose is to bring all the "ingredients" down so they can fall off the screen. And it occurred to me as I was playing a few minutes ago that I've been getting distracted from the goal. You see, there is chocolate on this particular level, and the chocolate spreads. I get so busy trying to get rid of the chocolate that I completely forget the ingredients! And so I lose.
Then I started thinking about how this relates to my spiritual life. God has given us a goal. We are to spend our lives, and all the resources He entrusts to us, spreading the gospel and building up His church (That is, the people He has redeemed). But I'm so easily distracted... I can be distracted by focusing too much on my sin, rather than Christ's payment for my sin and obedience in my place. I can be distracted by good things which my heart insists on making ultimate things. I can be distracted by the humdrum, mundane of everyday life. And I end up wasting what God has entrusted to me. So I need constant reminders to focus on the goal.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
Then I started thinking about how this relates to my spiritual life. God has given us a goal. We are to spend our lives, and all the resources He entrusts to us, spreading the gospel and building up His church (That is, the people He has redeemed). But I'm so easily distracted... I can be distracted by focusing too much on my sin, rather than Christ's payment for my sin and obedience in my place. I can be distracted by good things which my heart insists on making ultimate things. I can be distracted by the humdrum, mundane of everyday life. And I end up wasting what God has entrusted to me. So I need constant reminders to focus on the goal.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
Thursday, January 23, 2014
The Standard
A few years ago, one of my daughters was struggling with the standards that Shorty and I, (and God in His word, through us) set for her. She would even make comments like, "Sometimes I wish Jesus wasn't the King." When we asked her why, her response was, "Because I don't like Him telling me what to do." During this time, when I had to correct her, she would stab back at me saying that I didn't do the things I was telling her to do. If I told her not to yell, her response was, "But YOU yell at us!" If I told her to be kind, it was, "YOU weren't kind when you were talking to Daddy last night!"
The first few times this happened, I was unsure how to respond... so I acknowledged that she was right. But later I realized that I was not the standard to which she should be comparing herself. And I told her so. The next time that she threw my own sin in my face, I calmly replied that, yes, I am guilty of that sin. But that I was NOT her standard, Christ is. Then I asked her if Christ had committed that sin. I got a reluctant no.
I've said before that I learn the most about God, and myself, and my relationship with Him, through parenting. This has been no exception. Now when I am tempted to compare myself to others, I am drawn to Christ. Christ is the standard of perfection.
Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, "What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me." Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:5-18
The first few times this happened, I was unsure how to respond... so I acknowledged that she was right. But later I realized that I was not the standard to which she should be comparing herself. And I told her so. The next time that she threw my own sin in my face, I calmly replied that, yes, I am guilty of that sin. But that I was NOT her standard, Christ is. Then I asked her if Christ had committed that sin. I got a reluctant no.
I've said before that I learn the most about God, and myself, and my relationship with Him, through parenting. This has been no exception. Now when I am tempted to compare myself to others, I am drawn to Christ. Christ is the standard of perfection.
Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, "What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me." Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:5-18
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Grading
I love being my kids' first teacher! At least, most of the time. ;) I enjoy seeing the new information "click" in their growing brains. I delight in all the things that "click" for me as I prepare for, and instruct them. I don't even mind writing lesson plans (although it's not my favorite). But I hate grading. Grading is the bane of my teaching existence! I would almost rather vomit than grade papers (and I HATE to vomit! =P ). So I am perpetually behind...
But even for a homeschool mom, grading is necessary. Although I am aware of a lot of what they know and haven't quite got yet, there are still things I miss. If I were to stack up the papers that need to be graded from this year, the pile would be near mountainous. And the longer I put it off, the taller my paper mountain grows. And just today, as I attempted to climb said mountain, I realized that I am actually cheating my Crew when I DON'T grade their papers. They need to see what they're doing wrong, or don't know, to motivate them to work a bit harder. They need to see where they are doing well to encourage them to keep trucking-- even when it's boring! ;)
And then I thought about sin. Do you know that sin is inevitable? This side of death, or Christ's return, we will all have sin. We will struggle with sin. We will, many times, fail in our battle against sin. We will see deeper and deeper into the sin that has corrupted our souls. And we could try to ignore it. I know that I do sometimes. Honestly, sometimes facing my sin is about as pleasant as vomiting. But if I ignore my sin, it will grow. And the more it grows, the more it will negatively impact the people around me. So I encourage you, Reader (and myself). Fight your sin. And I'll fight my sin of laziness with regard to grading! ;)
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6:11-18
But even for a homeschool mom, grading is necessary. Although I am aware of a lot of what they know and haven't quite got yet, there are still things I miss. If I were to stack up the papers that need to be graded from this year, the pile would be near mountainous. And the longer I put it off, the taller my paper mountain grows. And just today, as I attempted to climb said mountain, I realized that I am actually cheating my Crew when I DON'T grade their papers. They need to see what they're doing wrong, or don't know, to motivate them to work a bit harder. They need to see where they are doing well to encourage them to keep trucking-- even when it's boring! ;)
And then I thought about sin. Do you know that sin is inevitable? This side of death, or Christ's return, we will all have sin. We will struggle with sin. We will, many times, fail in our battle against sin. We will see deeper and deeper into the sin that has corrupted our souls. And we could try to ignore it. I know that I do sometimes. Honestly, sometimes facing my sin is about as pleasant as vomiting. But if I ignore my sin, it will grow. And the more it grows, the more it will negatively impact the people around me. So I encourage you, Reader (and myself). Fight your sin. And I'll fight my sin of laziness with regard to grading! ;)
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6:11-18
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
I'm Selfish
I was struck again today at my tendency to be selfish. When someone in my life wants to change my plans (for the hour, morning, day, week, year...) my VERY FIRST thought is about how it will affect ME. Not how it may bless someone else, or how necessary it is to the well-being of another person, or even how it will please (or displease) God. It's all about me.
Yesterday, Shorty and I were having a discussion about a certain aspect of parenting, and he mentioned changing my plans. (CRINGE!!!) And my first thought was, "That will take away YEARS that I have plans for!" I recognized my selfishness for what it was almost immediately, but it was a rough day. As I was doing my devotions this morning, I was reminded that Jesus stepped into time to give me, and the rest of His people, 33 YEARS. That's many times more than the years I was unwilling to share with my children. And then I was convicted again over my selfishness. It began to seem very foolish. Like comparing a smashed finger to a broken leg. But Jesus was never selfish. And with the Spirit, I can become less so until Christ returns and makes all things right.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:4-8
Yesterday, Shorty and I were having a discussion about a certain aspect of parenting, and he mentioned changing my plans. (CRINGE!!!) And my first thought was, "That will take away YEARS that I have plans for!" I recognized my selfishness for what it was almost immediately, but it was a rough day. As I was doing my devotions this morning, I was reminded that Jesus stepped into time to give me, and the rest of His people, 33 YEARS. That's many times more than the years I was unwilling to share with my children. And then I was convicted again over my selfishness. It began to seem very foolish. Like comparing a smashed finger to a broken leg. But Jesus was never selfish. And with the Spirit, I can become less so until Christ returns and makes all things right.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:4-8
Friday, January 17, 2014
What are you thinking?
Happy Friday! We all have days that we look forward to. One of mine is Friday. (Sometimes I dread it too, but that's a different post.) Why is Friday one of my favorites? Because we don't do school, but Shorty does go to work. So this is my day to get things done-- with minimal distractions.
I've been in a bit of a slump since the year rolled over. I didn't feel like I really got any rest over our Christmas break, and while I LOVE to be busy, I do get to points where I crave down time. Also, my devotions have been a bit dry. So this morning, I slept in a bit. Then I really enjoyed my devotions. And our day went from being "rush rush" to "whatever". So when Shorty came in at lunch I was really happy. =)
As I was pondering this just a few minutes ago, I realized that it has a bit to do with what I've been thinking about. There is a plethora of opportunity to share what you're thinking via social media, and to be honest, a lot of what I think is not worth sharing... But during our visit with my Mommy and Auntie this morning, we spent a good deal of time talking about the Bible and it's trustworthiness. I was also struck during my devotions about the way God orchestrated the Exodus of His people from Egypt in the Old Testament. So I've been thinking about the greatness of my God-- and it makes me happy!
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19
I've been in a bit of a slump since the year rolled over. I didn't feel like I really got any rest over our Christmas break, and while I LOVE to be busy, I do get to points where I crave down time. Also, my devotions have been a bit dry. So this morning, I slept in a bit. Then I really enjoyed my devotions. And our day went from being "rush rush" to "whatever". So when Shorty came in at lunch I was really happy. =)
As I was pondering this just a few minutes ago, I realized that it has a bit to do with what I've been thinking about. There is a plethora of opportunity to share what you're thinking via social media, and to be honest, a lot of what I think is not worth sharing... But during our visit with my Mommy and Auntie this morning, we spent a good deal of time talking about the Bible and it's trustworthiness. I was also struck during my devotions about the way God orchestrated the Exodus of His people from Egypt in the Old Testament. So I've been thinking about the greatness of my God-- and it makes me happy!
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19
Monday, January 13, 2014
Satisfied
satisfied: adjective 1. content
satisfy: verb 1. to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of (a person, the mind, etc.); give full contentment to
We are about three weeks removed from Christmas. Many of the new "toys" we acquired over the holidays are already gathering dust somewhere. My son has been saving for a kindle fire since just before school started. He's done a few odd jobs for family, saved every dollar that came his way from Grandma, and asked everyone for cash (for Christmas and his birthday) toward his goal. It was really fun to see him set his goal and then reach it! So when Amazon ran a deal last week on the kindle fire, my son bought one. Since it arrived, he has talked of little else. I swear he would sleep with it if we would let him! The problem with his "toy" (and my "toys" for that matter) is that they are unable to satisfy. They give a little, but leave us feeling hungrier than we were before we started! We were made for so much more than "toys"! We were created to be in relationship with the Creator of the universe!
As I was reviewing my memory verses today, this one really stood out to me.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6
Generally, when we use the word hunger, we are talking about food. But in a broader sense, anything that we want desperately can be called a "hunger". The same applies to thirst. Hunger and thirst are both feelings of need driven by the lack of something necessary to life. So in this verse, we get to picture a person who is starving for righteousness.
Righteousness is one of the attributes that makes God, God. That hungering for righteousness comes from the Spirit, giving us a desire for fellowship with God. This verse promises that when we have this hungering, WE WILL BE SATISFIED! God is infinite, and therefore infinitely able to make us content. To make us feel that we don't need anything else! And that's great news! =)
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
Psalms 65:4-8
satisfy: verb 1. to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs, or demands of (a person, the mind, etc.); give full contentment to
We are about three weeks removed from Christmas. Many of the new "toys" we acquired over the holidays are already gathering dust somewhere. My son has been saving for a kindle fire since just before school started. He's done a few odd jobs for family, saved every dollar that came his way from Grandma, and asked everyone for cash (for Christmas and his birthday) toward his goal. It was really fun to see him set his goal and then reach it! So when Amazon ran a deal last week on the kindle fire, my son bought one. Since it arrived, he has talked of little else. I swear he would sleep with it if we would let him! The problem with his "toy" (and my "toys" for that matter) is that they are unable to satisfy. They give a little, but leave us feeling hungrier than we were before we started! We were made for so much more than "toys"! We were created to be in relationship with the Creator of the universe!
As I was reviewing my memory verses today, this one really stood out to me.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6
Generally, when we use the word hunger, we are talking about food. But in a broader sense, anything that we want desperately can be called a "hunger". The same applies to thirst. Hunger and thirst are both feelings of need driven by the lack of something necessary to life. So in this verse, we get to picture a person who is starving for righteousness.
Righteousness is one of the attributes that makes God, God. That hungering for righteousness comes from the Spirit, giving us a desire for fellowship with God. This verse promises that when we have this hungering, WE WILL BE SATISFIED! God is infinite, and therefore infinitely able to make us content. To make us feel that we don't need anything else! And that's great news! =)
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
Psalms 65:4-8
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Common Uncommon
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
2 Corinthians 1:2-5
Sometimes life really sucks. The farther along the continuum of suffering you go, the more it hurts. And death, or pending death, ranks pretty high up there. One of my grandmas is dying. And she is miserable. And it hurts me that she is miserable, because I love her! At the same time, I feel almost guilty because a close friend of mine is facing the death his mother. But while death hurts differently, it ALWAYS hurts.
That's the bad news.
Last night, I mentioned my grandma at prayer meeting. And I was so blessed because a previously unknown to me sister in Christ prayed for my grandma and my family. This morning I was thinking about how glorious it is that God uses people who are strangers passing through our lives to give us comfort. And how sometimes those "strangers" become incredibly dear. So as I pondered this morning, I became very thankful for this common, uncommon faith. Common as in shared. There have been thousands upon thousands upon ten thousands upon ten thousands (maybe even millions upon millions and more) of believers throughout history. Only God knows the exact number. And we share faith in Him. But uncommon because of its content and result.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
1 Corinthians 1:27-28
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:1-5
2 Corinthians 1:2-5
Sometimes life really sucks. The farther along the continuum of suffering you go, the more it hurts. And death, or pending death, ranks pretty high up there. One of my grandmas is dying. And she is miserable. And it hurts me that she is miserable, because I love her! At the same time, I feel almost guilty because a close friend of mine is facing the death his mother. But while death hurts differently, it ALWAYS hurts.
That's the bad news.
Last night, I mentioned my grandma at prayer meeting. And I was so blessed because a previously unknown to me sister in Christ prayed for my grandma and my family. This morning I was thinking about how glorious it is that God uses people who are strangers passing through our lives to give us comfort. And how sometimes those "strangers" become incredibly dear. So as I pondered this morning, I became very thankful for this common, uncommon faith. Common as in shared. There have been thousands upon thousands upon ten thousands upon ten thousands (maybe even millions upon millions and more) of believers throughout history. Only God knows the exact number. And we share faith in Him. But uncommon because of its content and result.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
1 Corinthians 1:27-28
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:1-5
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Juggling
So I've been thinking about juggling off and on since yesterday morning. I have never been able to juggle (or do cartwheels-- but that's another story!). But I have watched many a juggler, both in person and on screen. It looks like a lot of fun. Toss, catch, repeat... And you can juggle several more of something that you can easily carry. Here's the thing about juggling, though; if your timing slips, even a little, everything comes crashing down. I thought about that with my various responsibilities. I wondered if I'm balancing, or juggling. Because, like I posted yesterday, you can balance A LOT of things as long as you have a solid Foundation. And balancing is more about diligence than timing. (Which is good since my timing has NEVER been awesome!;)) I still don't know if I'm juggling or balancing... or maybe it just depends on the day. The comforting thing for me whenever I'm faced with my limits is that God is in control. =)
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
Psalms 47:1-9
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
Psalms 47:1-9
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Foundation
I've started back into the swing of our "normal" routine. Exercise, cooking, cleaning, school... among other things. Shorty says that I just like to be busy (read that "over-commit"). He's probably right! ;)
But every once in a while, I get to feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed, and wonder if I can, or should, cut something out. And I started thinking about balancing... and comparing it to juggling. (Juggling may be a post for another day! ;)) And as I was thinking, balancing led me to foundations. With the right kind of foundation, you can even balance spheres. But with the wrong foundation... "We all fall down."
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Matthew 7:24-27
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Ephesians 2:19-21
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
But every once in a while, I get to feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed, and wonder if I can, or should, cut something out. And I started thinking about balancing... and comparing it to juggling. (Juggling may be a post for another day! ;)) And as I was thinking, balancing led me to foundations. With the right kind of foundation, you can even balance spheres. But with the wrong foundation... "We all fall down."
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Matthew 7:24-27
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Ephesians 2:19-21
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
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