Destination Hope

Revelation 21:1-7, 10-27  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.  And the sea was also gone.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people!  He will live with them, and they will be His people.  God Himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever." And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!"  And then He said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true."  And He also said, "It is finished!  I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End.  To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.  All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.....So He took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.  It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone--like jasper as clear as crystal.  The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels.  And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.  There were three gates on each side--east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates and its wall.  When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long.  In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.  Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick. (according to the human standard used by the angel).  The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.  The wall of the city was built on foundations stones inlaid with twelve precious stones:  the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.  The twelve gates were made or pearls--each gate from a single pearl!  And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.  I saw not temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city , and the Lamb its light. The nations will walk in its light and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.  Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.  And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.  Nothing eveil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty--but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  

Revelation 5:11-14  Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders.  And they sang in a mighty chorus:

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered--to receive power and riches and wisdom 

and strength and honor and glory and blessing."

And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea.  They sang:

Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and 

to the Lamb forever and ever." 

And the four living beings said, "Amen!"  And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.  

You

I've been writing this blog for a while now.  I started it because I got tired of hearing myself say things like "God, You never work in my life, You never help me...."I wanted a record of His work in my day to day existence.  I also wanted to encourage others to see the ways God was touching their lives.  I pray it has done that, been an encouragement and helped people feel God's love for them.

I've seen and shared God's communion with me in my everyday walk around this life....His love has come through in so many ways, both familiar and extraordinary, encouraging and correcting. Through nature, an stunning display of clouds or a gentle breeze.  Through music, so many, many songs at just the right time, saying just the right thing to sooth my heart. Through the object lessons of the daily grind. Through quiet Bible study times, and wonderful devotionals, teachings, sermons and of course those intriguing and inspiring little questions the Lord throws at me from time to time. What an eye opening experience to see the Lord interact in such intimate and specific ways.

A couple of days ago I had a thought flash in my mind.  I was to begin challenging others to open their hearts more fully to God's touch in their lives.  To get you guys to go beyond what I am writing to actively looking for His communication with you.  Specifically, His presence in your day.  I mean that was one of the original intents of this blog.  So I'm throwing it out there today, asking my readers to dig a little deeper, see through faith instead of the senses of the flesh or fear, and open your heart to God's handiwork in your day.  Maybe someone said something nice to you today, blessing you just when you were feeling really low. Perhaps God sent a colorful sunset to remind You He was still making beauty in a sometimes very ugly world.  Has a song playing on the radio made you feel as if you were being wrapped in His care, spoken to directly?  Listen!  See!  God is all around us and desires us to know how much He cares for and loves us.

How am I going to do this?  Well, I'm not really sure but I felt the Lord may want me to put some topic specific question for you to ponder as you read and then go about your day.  We'll all see where this goes together!

I pray Lord that we will be even more open today than yesterday....I need it, all of us need that....to be more aware of Your reaching out to us.  Open our eyes more fully.  We need more of You each and every moment.

Today's challenge?   2 Corinthians 5:7  For we live by believing and not by seeing.  Where and how can we apply this verse more fully today?

Got Joy?

God's been creating a joy necklace over the last week.  How sad is it that a lot of us Christians walk around with anxiety, anger, despair, annoyance, sadness.....Myself included.  Not the best witness in the world, huh?  I know we all have problems, things that we struggle with....whether major difficulties, or just a series of minor concerns or inconveniences.  Most of us probably have a especially annoying mix of the two !! LOL

For some reason (hmmm,  the Holy Spirit maybe?), the word JOY has been on my heart for about a week now.  And it seems to keep popping up here and there in readings, and teachings, keeping it forefront in my mind.

I've written about my quest to give up complaining for Lent.  And I am still going with that!  Well, as I was listening to a Joyce Meyer teaching as I exercised the other day she spoke on maintaining our joy.  One of the things we do, according to Joyce (and I can attest to it in my own life) is rehearse and rehash our problems over and over and over.  To ourselves in our own mind, and especially to others....we talk and talk and talk an issue to death....complaining to anyone who will listen about bad circumstances.  This is a joy stealer!!  Joyce had a little saying she made up.  "Pray and say."  Instead of praying about a situation and then going out telling everyone how bad it is, or how we are having such hard time with it, we should be praying and then talking about how God is working in our difficulty, how we trust Him to work things out in the best possible way.  What a great concept! What a way to fan the flames of joy in my heart instead of giving into the anxiety of living by sight only.

I was reading a book by Nancy Mehl called "Unbreakable."  It's set in a the fictional Mennonite town of Kingdom.  The characters practice non-violence.  Some were struggling with this belief in the face violent attacks against their townspeople.  Could they really live out what they say they believed? And this was the second gem on my necklace.  I say I believe that God gives us joy, that its a fruit of the Holy Spirit that lives within me.  I say I am joyful about my salvation and having a relationship with God....but can I live it out in the day to day?  Do I live it out in the day to day?

And then the third jewel came this morning.   During the night, I feel like I awoke a few times with Bible verses about joy in my head....I can't pinpoint them, they are just out of reach, you know, like the shadow of a dream that vanishes with the morning light.  But I woke up with the verse I have been saying aloud upon waking each day....Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.  I then checked my Daily Bible app on my phone for their verse of the day....John 16:24  You haven't done this before.  Ask, using my name and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.  And you want to know the really strange part....I just looked at it again to get the location of that verse, and it has a completely different verse as today's "verse of the day!"   Although, it's a great verse and kind of fits in here....Matthew 6:33  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

So not only did God make a necklace of joy for me to wear....it almost feels like He is making one of those charm bracelets for me this year as well.  You know the ones where you get a new charm on special occasions, each representing something special or important in one's life.  On my bracelet is a charm for gratitude (God want's it to be my byword for the year), then came the charm for "NO MORE COMPLAINING".    And now a new one to hang on my bracelet...JOY.   These definitely seem strung together to make a beautiful story of how my life is supposed to look.

Abundant joy.  Overflowing, overfilled.  That is the joy You promise Lord.  And this is the joy I want to show the world.  Joy, being what I operate out of when things are so wrong around me.  Joy that comes from being in Your hands and being Your child.  Lord, help me to live this truth out in each step I take today, and everyday.  Zechariah 4:6 ....it is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies.   Joy is a fruit of Your Spirit.  Galatians 5:22-23  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, love JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...I pray to see evidence, and that others will see evidence of this fruit in my life.   Lord, thank You for this joy.

God's Friend

We are coming to the close of a study on Exodus at my church.   The study includes a workbook with questions for us to think about, answer and discuss.  One of the questions struck a chord in me, actually two because they are related to each other.  The first question was "Describe the relationship between Moses and the Lord."  And the second, "How has Moses gained the Lord's pleasure so much that his request to see God is granted?"

The answer came to me in the form of another Bible verse.  John 15:14-15  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves.  Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told Me.

Jesus said obedience makes us friends with Him.  Moses became God's friend and found God's favor because He obeyed.  I think I see a common thread here, from Old Testament to New.

Obedience does not mean I will be perfect all the time.  Moses wasn't perfect.  When the Lord told him to speak to the rock to bring forth water for the Israelites, in anger and frustration Moses instead struck the rock twice. (*Numbers 20:1-12)  The Apostles Jesus was speaking to in John 15 were not perfect either.  They dealt with issues like pride, fear, and greed.  Yet the Lord called all of these friend.

I've noticed this week, as I've striven to be obedient to the Lord's command of  ceasing my complaining, I've been rewarded with more peace, and more of an awareness of His presence.  I feel like God's friend instead of walking around feeling like His enemy.   Have I been perfect in this? Of course not....when I get off track I feel the gentle tug of the Holy Spirit to change complaints to thanksgiving.  This friend of God things seems to flow from an obedient heart, not a perfect performance.  Wow, what a beautiful gift from the Lord this revelation has been.

Lord, thank You.  Please continue to create in me a heart and a desire towards obeying and pleasing You.  I pray that each of us will join in with Moses in asking, "If it is true that You look favorable on me, let me know Your ways so I may understand You more fully and continue to enjoy Your favor." (Exodus 33:13a)  Help us to be more and more obedient.   Amen.

*Numbers 20:1-12  In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.
There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?  Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”   Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle,where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”   So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord.  Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.  But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” 

Prayer

Lord, please bless my readers today.  Give them strength and courage, comfort and peace to face their day, whatever that may entail.  Our lives may be very different, but we are all the body of Christ, walking together on this path towards are true home, heaven.  And so, I hold up my brothers and sisters in prayer, asking You to keep them in Your hands today and wrap them in Your love.  Provide for their physical needs and well as their spiritual needs.  Keep them safe in the dangers of this life.  I know some face extreme  circumstances that I can't begin to fathom.  But even there, You never leave us nor forsake us.  Thank You.  In Jesus name, amen.

Lent

Lent.  The Lenten season is upon us.  I hadn't given it much thought, to be perfectly honest. (shame on me).  Actually being pretty sick last week when the season started kind of took up the whole of my mind, as well as my poor body and I was thinking of nothing by feeling better!!  LOL  But then a friend asked me, "What are you giving up for Lent?"   Hmmmm, I had to be honest and say that I really hadn't thought about it.   I can blame it on not being Catholic. I mean that's something done in another branch of Christianity, right?  Not my non-denominational sect......But I've been celebrating the Lenten season for years in one way or another....so that wasn't it.  No, it's because I was too caught up in myself to honor the Man who gave His life for me.

So, let's get back to the question, "What are you giving up for Lent?" I thought for a moment, and the answer came in an almost bubble like pop in my head, "Complaining." (Instant God visit!)  It wasn't a favorite food, or some tv time that God wanted me to forego, wasn't spending an extra half hour a day in prayer, but the complaining that goes on in my head, and comes out of my mouth.  He has been dealing with me for some time on this issue, as most of you well know.  And being this is to be the "year of gratitude" for me, "lose the complaining for lent," comes on the heels of that New Years goal the Lord gave me.  I am finding they are two sides of the same coin.

Fasting complaining?  Sounds crazy right.  I mean we fast food, right?  Skip a meal, or fast for a few days, don't eat meat on Fridays, as was the practice in my family growing up....but the Lord had something different in mind.  He is always outside of our box!!  He gave me to task of giving up complaining, and not just the words that come out of my mouth or pop up in my head....but the eye rolls, the wrinkling up of the nose, pursing the lips, and the hands on hips sighs that are telltale signs of a annoyed, disgusted, or grumbly attitude!  Wow Lord, all that!?!   This complaining thing has a whole lot of components.  And you know what, I am getting called on every one of them this week!  A little nudge from the Holy Spirit when I go off track.  And I am so thankful for that.

I am honestly so excited to be walking towards the freedom of gratitude.  How much more peaceful will my insides be if I am not walking around judging, condemning, murmuring and complaining....it's all turmoil.  YUCK!!  Gratitude is peace.  Gratitude is joy.  Complaining is NOT.

Honoring God.  Drawing closer to Him.  Being thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made on the Cross. All beautiful reasons to give a little of ourselves, whether it's a food we love (dare I say chocolate for some?) one meal each day (or more if you are led in that way), a bad habit or attitude or even our cherished time in extra prayer or service.  I believe that whatever we choose to do, when done with a heart that desires to love God and show it,  will be pleasing to Him.  And we will be changed by it! An added bonus!!

Just an added note on food fasting, I've found when I've done this, that I feel especially close to the Lord during the fast...it's really very cool, so you may want to give it a try if you are healthy enough to do so....as the Lord leads you.  The idea of food fasting is to exchange that time of eating and  food preparation for prayer and added time with the Lord.  There is plenty of resources out there that discuss and advise on different fasting techniques. Check them out!

I look forward to this new part of my journey with the Lord.  I am so grateful for this God visit in the form of one thought, one seed planted in my mind.....And I am so honored by the sacrifice made on the Cross for me, and for you....Easter season is a truly blessed and is a wonderful time to draw nearer to Lord, rekindling and deepening our relationship with Him as we walk to Golgotha with Jesus.

Lord, thank You, first and foremost for the reason behind this season.  Your sacrificial love that brought You to die on the Cross for us.  Let us honor that, remember that, and be filled with gratitude.  Thank You for the invitation to draw nearer to You in these days.  By sacrificing of ourselves we can understand a little more Your sufferings.  Be pleased with the gift our our hearts.  In Jesus holy name.  Amen

Down to the River---Loving this song!!

Me by the Mississippi River...lol  just thought I'd throw it in for fun....it's the only river picture I have as I live by the ocean...:)

                                       

Too Funny!

Okay, so right after I publish the two post from Mom, I go on KLOVE's (Christian Radio Station) website just to poke around and here was the encouraging word of the day:

Psalm 27:14  Wait patiently for the Lord.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Whaaaattt!!!  That is too crazy and too wonderful and too, too God!!  Gotta love it!!!   God, right on point as always!!

Discourged (Blues, Heart), By Mom Part Two

Hebrews 4:16  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.  

Have faith.

Psalm 62:1-8  I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.  So many enemies against one man--all of them trying to kill me.  To them I'm just a broken down wall or a tottering fence.  They plan to topple me from my high position.  They delight in telling lies about me.  They praise me to my face, but curse me in their hearts.  Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.  My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.  O my people, trust in Him at all times.  Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.  

Pour our your heart to God through prayer when overwhelmed.

Philippians 4:6-7  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  

Take your anxieties to Him in prayer.

Psalm 46:1  God is our refuge and strength always ready to help in times of trouble.

Romans 12:2  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way your think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Read God's Word everyday.  Let His truth challenge, permeate and transform your thinking.

Hebrews 10:25  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. 

Do God's will, worship and serve Him.

Psalm 62:7-8  My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.  O my people, trust in Him at all times.  Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.

Turn to Jesus when darkness begins to close in on us.  He is our refuge and strength.

Joshua 1:2, 5-6  I promise you what I promised Moses;  Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.....No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.  For I will be with you as I was with Moses.  I will not fail you or abandon you.  Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.  

God keeps His promises.  He will not leave nor forsake us.  Be strong and of good courage.

From me:

Wow.  Heavy in Scripture!!  But oh so beneficial to our spirits.  Discouragements comes so often in life...whether it's just the small daily doses, or long-term ongoing problems. Our picnic gets rained out or we lose a job.  We get disheartened.  I love the Psalms where the writers are so human about their feelings.  Mom had the right formula to combat this heart weighing emotion.   Jesus.  Through Scripture, through prayer, through sitting quietly in His presence, through the love and encouragement of godly brothers and sisters....we grow in faith, and overcome our discouragement.  Through His power we can go forward, whatever the circumstances and press on to victory in Him.  I guess my favorite verse in all these (well, lots of favorites really, but.....) is Philippians 4:6-7  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  It sets my focus squarely on the Lord, drops my concerns in His lap, and then in faith I thank Him for the answers....HIS answers.  It's a position of trust and the blessing of peace.  Whatever form our discouragements takes, whatever its root cause (others, illness, job loss, our own sin.....), it's all remedied through our Lord.  Life may seem and indeed be overwhelming, but it is not now, nor ever bigger than our God.  Like the Psalmist says, "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.  My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me."   Hard to do, I know.  I want to rail against many a circumstance in my life....some extremely heartbreaking, most of my own making....but I will give these all to Him in faith, and thank Him for His answers, whatever they may be, and whenever they may come.  Oh, and how beautiful is it that we have a God who desires us to turn to Him, to hide in Him and who yearns to help His children.

Lord, help us to not be discouraged but to be filled with faith.  Help us to understand that adversity doesn't mean You don't love us, it just means we need to draw closer to You.  Help us to hide ourselves in You when the storms come.  Give us Your peace, even in sadness.  I ask You to lift us those who are reading this today, encourage their hearts, hold them in Your arms.  Wrap them in Your love Lord.  Let them know Your are with them, always.  Thank You.

Discouraged (Heart, Blues), From Mom Part One

Psalm 31  Oh Lord, I have come to You for protection, don't let me be disgraced.  Save me, for You do what is right.  Turn Your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly.  Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe.  You are my rock and my fortress.  For the honor of Your name, lead me out of this danger.  Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in You alone.  I entrust my spirit into Your hand.  Rescue me, Lord, for You are a faithful God.  I hate those who worship worthless idols.  I trust in the Lord.  I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul.  You have  not handed me over to my enemies but have set me in a safe place.  Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes.  My body and soul are withering away.  I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness.  Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.  I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors--even my friends are afraid to come near me.  When they see me on the street, they run the other way.  I am ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot.  I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror.  My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life.  But I am trusting You, O Lord, saying, "You are my God!"  My future is in You hands.  Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.  Let Your favor shine on Your servant.  In Your unfailing love, rescue me.  Don't let me be disgraced, O Lord, for I call out to You for help.  Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave.  Silence their lying lips--those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.  How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You.  You lavish it on those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world.  You hide them in the shelter of Your presence, safe from those who conspire against them.  You shelter them in Your presence, far from accusing tongues.  Praise the Lord, for He has shown me the wonders of His unfailing love.  He kept me safe when my city was under attack.  In panic I cried out, "I am cut off from the Lord!"  But You heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.  Love the Lord, all you godly ones!  for the Lord protects those who are loyal to Him, but He harshly punishes the arrogant.  So be strong and courageous all you who put your hope in the Lord!

I pray Lord, for remembrance to go directly to this Psalm for strength.  Your strength Lord, to be able to stand up against Satan's attacks in my mind and to try to draw me away from You.

1 Peter 5:6-7  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for He care about you.  

I humble myself unto You, Oh Lord.  I cast all my cares (my present situation) upon You, O Lord, because I know You care about and for me.

Psalm 34:15-22  The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; His ears are open to their cries for help.  But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil; He will erase their memory from the earth.  The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help.  He rescues them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.  The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!  Calamity will surely overtake the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.  But the Lord will redeem those who serve Him.  No one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.

The Lord is near to me (us) who have a broken heart, who are hurting and saves those who have  a contrite heart, who are crushed in spirit.

Do not give in to the negative feelings of discouragement, defeat, hurt, et al.

Philippians 4:1a  Therefore, my dear brothers and sister, stay true to the Lord.
Philippians 4:13  For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.
1 Samuel 17:47  And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues His people, but not with sword and spear.  This is the Lord's battle and He will give you to us!

Rely on God's power, assume victory, pray continually.  Be obedient to His Word.  Wait for His leading, act on it and just do it...HIS way.  Be steadfast, be assured of God's promises.

Read:  Psalm 31 (see above) adversity
Psalm 42  As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God.  I thirst for God, the living God.  When can I go and stand before Him?  Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, "Where is this God of yours?"  My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be.  I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!  Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise Him again--my Savior and my God!  Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember You--even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.  I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me.  But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.  O God my rock, I cry, "Why have You forgotten me?  Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?"  Their taunts break my bones.  They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?"  Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise Him again--my Savior and my God!    (see through the eyes of Jesus)

2 Corinthians 4:8-9  We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.  We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.  We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

Do not lose heart, remain faithful.  Ask the Lord to strengthen you.  Keep looking to Jesus--give it all to Him

Perspectives

Correction.  Ugh.  You know, I want to say I don't like correction, but that would not be entirely true.  I so much want to be like Jesus, following His footsteps, that I see God's correction as healthy and helpful....I want Him to search my heart and see if there is any wrong ways, attitudes, desires.  David said in Psalm 139:23:  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Correction, although often painful and difficult to hear, is good for us.  It also proves out the fact of our adoption as children of God.

When God pointed out an offensive attitude this week, I felt my heart sink at this correction.  It broke my heart to find out that this was how the Lord was seeing my attitudes and behavior.  The Lord brought me to Matthew 18:21-35.  The parable of the unforgiving debtor.

     21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”  22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.  29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.  31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Oh my.  That is certainly not a complimentary passage to be compared to,  Lord, is that really me? And it just cut me to the core to answer that question with a "Yes."  Forgive me Father.   This was the way I thought and acted whenever anyone else did something I didn't like.  This was the garbage that was in my heart.  I have been forgiven so much....imagine I couldn't do the same for others.  I have been battling a long time with a critical and judgmental spirit and I believe the Lord is really asking me to step it up and fight harder against this heart sickness.  He wants it gone. I am pretty sure He is sick of it in my life.  And so am I.   Jesus said in Matthew 9:13  No go and learn the meaning of this Scripture; I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.   And then He went on to say in verse 14, "For I have come to call  not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."   Well, I certainly fit that bill....but how many times to I walk around in my self-righteousness, condemning those around me for being less than I think they should be.  Whether it's because they don't do the job I think the should, (and maybe they don't work hard or do the right thing....but that's between them and God, and I don't know what's in their hearts, what brought them to the place they are in life), or because someone doesn't see as important the same things I do....whatever....IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO BE JUDGE AND JURY AND SENTENCER.  In other words, "get over myself.

This was a really hard correction to hear.  But I am glad the Lord brought it.  My goal is to actively and consistently walk out 2 Corinthians 10:5  We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.  We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.  All rebellious thoughts in me, actions and attitudes that may keep others from knowing who God is and how much He loves them, have to GO!  I never want to be stumbling block to someone, preventing them from seeking the Lord, because they see a Christian who is judgmental instead of walking in love.

Lord, this was definitely hard to hear.  But I am thankful.  I pray that You will continue to work with me in this area.  I am so sorry to be an offense to You.  Lord, forgive me.  Please redeem my heart and mind attitudes, replace those that are selfish and self righteous with ones that display Your everlasting love and sweet mercy.  You are a good, good Father.  And thank You that correction need not bring condemnation....I am not condemned, but growing in the grace of the Savior that loved me and died for me.  And because He is risen, I can move forward and walk in victory.  Praise God!!

 Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

    because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion,

    blot out the stain of my sins.

2 Wash me clean from my guilt.

    Purify me from my sin.

3 For I recognize my rebellion;

    it haunts me day and night.

4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;

    I have done what is evil in your sight.

You will be proved right in what you say,

    and your judgment against me is just.

5 For I was born a sinner—

    yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

6 But you desire honesty from the womb,

    teaching me wisdom even there.

7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;

    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Oh, give me back my joy again;

    you have broken me—

    now let me rejoice.

9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.

    Remove the stain of my guilt.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.

    Renew a loyal spirit within me.

11 Do not banish me from your presence,

    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

    and make me willing to obey you.

13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels,

    and they will return to you.

14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;

    then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

15 Unseal my lips, O Lord,

    that my mouth may praise you.

16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.

    You do not want a burnt offering.

17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.

    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

18 Look with favor on Zion and help her;

    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—

    with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.

    Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

Proverbs 16:32

The other day I got angry at work....I know, I know, hard to believe.  I'm usually so calm and even tempered and my workplace so peaceful and joyful....LOL.  Yeah, I'm going to say neither of those statements is exactly accurate.  So, yes I had rather a rough time at work one day last week and needed to call my boss to clarify some details about how we are supposed to load trucks (yet again), as one of the other employees had decided that my co-workers and I didn't do it to their satisfaction.  I thought we had this matter all resolved but once again this same driver came up and started criticizing.  This resulted in one of my fellow workers having to do double work.  I can see the progression of missteps each person took that led down this road to disaster.   If this person had done this, if that person had done that....all the drama and consequences could have been avoided.  It's amazing how so many factors played into this night that ended up getting a person fired.   Once again, the way I handled the situation could have been a lot better and I feel like a contributing partner (I called the boss in) to this person' hardship. Ultimately, each of us is responsible for our own behavior, as the person who got let go is, but it's funny because I can see how if  just one of the components had changed the outcome may have been very different.  Like I said, this was a very hard night.

So the next day I awoke feeling burdened and saddened.   I got out of bed and set upon doing my morning chores....feeding the cats, emptying the dishwasher, litter box duty.....and then I checked my Bible app for the daily verse.  The Lord sent a verse of admonishment my way.

Proverbs 16:32  Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self control than to conquer a city.  

Well, that says it all doesn't it.  Had I had patience.....self-control, maybe confronted the situation head on instead of calling in my boss....if I had played my part in this drama differently....I have a problem confronting directly, I sometimes get upset easily....Sometimes speaking up doesn't mean getting angry and calling down fire....it means asking questions and working towards solutions peacefully.  This requires patience, self-control and a willingness to cooperate and compromise.  I've learned a very hard lesson....one I believe God has been trying to teach me for a long time.

Lord, I pray that this night changes my behavior.  I am sorry for any part I played in this.  And I pray that this person gets their job back, if that is your perfect will for them.  I also pray for their salvation. Lord, help me to take this lesson with me each day.  I want to glorify You as always.  Thank You for teaching me.