Tag: #Thankful

Safe….?

“(10) The Name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe. (14) The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit? (19) An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars. (24) There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:19‭, ‬24 NLT

A crushed spirit. That’s what happens in a relationship and a marriage when one leaves, physically or emotionally. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to study on this; too many opportunities. Currently, I find myself again feeling betrayed by a friend, a person I took at his word that he would not abandon me. A crushed spirit. Knowing a person for almost 20 years, being friends and going through good and bad times, helping each other through emotional times, doesn’t guarantee anything. I wanted to believe the best, but everyone lets down their friends at times. Why do we do this? Why make promises we know we won’t keep? Why do we lead others on, letting them believe something in error? Safe? No, there isn’t anyone on earth who is safe, who won’t disappoint you.

No matter how long or how much effort we put into the study of human behaviour, I believe we will always be disappointed, simply because we are human and full of flaws. Knowing that, studying that, doesn’t make it any easier to get past the hurt. The only way to really get past it, to find forgiveness for those who hurt us – and that includes forgiving myself for the hurt I have caused myself and others – and that way, the only way, is through Jesus Christ. Can I still forgive while being treated with disrespect and disdain? Do I want to? I study the scriptures for guidance, because I cannot find forgiveness in my heart. Instead I find sarcasm and anger flooding me, along with the hurt and the disappointment. All of those feelings come straight from the enemy, and they don’t help me at all. In fact, if I let them go, these negative thoughts and feelings can overcome and actually, physically, cause me to be ill.

With Jesus, and through the healing of the Holy Spirit, I can get through this. Study the words of Jesus for forgiveness. He taught us this: “But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” – Matthew 6:15 NLT

Jesus was betrayed by a friend, a close friend who He loved, one who gave Him over to be tortured and killed in the most horrific ways know to man…. and before He died, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:34 NLT

Even while dying; beaten, bruised, and humiliated, Jesus forgave us. Are we beater than the Son of God, that we can hold judgement and unforgiveness over another person? Let the chains of hatred, unforgiveness, anger, and hurt go. Let God have it. He can handle it.

Proverbs

PRO-VERB
ˈprävərb/
noun
plural noun: proverbs
a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.
synonyms: saying, adage, saw, maxim, axiom, precept; words of wisdom

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;
for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young –
let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance –
for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:1-7

Good advice, from the man called the wisest man (and also the richest!) ever to live on earth…. I began reading these, again, a few years ago while I was involved in a Christ-centered recovery program. There was a lot of emphasis for my healing on Proverbs 16:9. It kept reminding me that I am not in control of my life; that in spite of my pride and controlling attitude, my idea that “I’ll do it myself,” God was – and IS – the One in control. That’s a hard thing to acknowledge for a person who has suffered emotionally and physically at the hands of others. I had to drop the pretense that I was perfect and recognize that I wasn’t always right. This is a battle still being fought today and every day, as the enemy seeks to pull me away from my LORD, Jesus Christ.

“We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives. Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. …. Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest. We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” – Proverbs 16:1‭-‬3‭, ‬8‭-‬9 NLT

We are all in the battle against the enemy Satan. He wants us to believe that we have it all together, that we know better than the GOD of the Universe. Sounds a little silly, especially when we consider that this amazing, all-powerful God knew us before any man even imagined our existence. He knew me in my Mother’s womb, as I was being knit together in the fabulous way He designed. ( Read all of Psalm 139, and Job 10:11). I struggle with verse 8 of Proverbs 16. America is a land of riches, and I see the people around me adding to their “stuff” on a daily basis. If you disagree, take a look outside on trash day at the full-to-bursting trash receptacles and the overflowing recycle bins. Stuff. As I grow older, I find myself yearning for a simpler life…. but I have so much “stuff” I can’t seem to let go of, so how does life get simpler? Ridiculous. Pray for me as I continue to seek the way God wants me to go, as I pray for you.

Genesis

Have you ever just sat down to read Genesis? It’s fascinating to read how everything we know of came into existence, and I love the description of the garden. Sure, the chapters of “begats” can be a little tedius, but it’s a beautifully written history text. (As is the rest of the Bible!)

“Then the LORD GOD planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He placed the man, Adam, He had made.
The LORD GOD made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden He placed the tree of Life and the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The LORD GOD placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD GOD warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” “

{Note: Adam could eat from the tree of Life, but not from ONE tree out of all the many trees, only the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One tree forbidden, and that was one too many! He and Eve had to have the fruit of that one tree. Everything surrounding Adam was beautiful and good, and he – like us – just had to have that ONE thing that is off limits. WHY do we persist on, and INSIST on, the one thing we “can’t” have???}

“Then the LORD GOD said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
So the LORD GOD formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one.
He {Adam} gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals.
But still there was no helper just right for him. So the LORD GOD caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep.
While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.
Then the LORD GOD made a woman from the rib, and He brought her to Adam.“At last!” Adam exclaimed.
“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
because she was taken from ‘man.’ “
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.” – Genesis 2:8-22,15-25 NLT

Like Adam and Eve, we continue to push the limits, to have that thing we know is wrong. Don’t know about you, but I’m getting anxious to see Jesus and live in that breathtaking garden with Him!

“Seek the LORD while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that He may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our GOD, for He will forgive generously.” – Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT

Yes, turn to God, and let HIM do the forgiving. As humans, we are incapable of the type of forgiveness God has. We try to forgive on our own (“I can do it!”) but the best we can do is to relegate the hurt to a dark corner of our minds, where it can resurface at the most inconvenient and inopportune times. In recovery, a very common phrase is “Let go and let GOD.” Not easy, but it is necessary – it is VITAL – in order to have inner peace.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.
The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.”

“It is the same with My Word. I send it out, and it ALWAYS produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in Joy and Peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the LORD’S Name; they will be an everlasting sign of His Power and Love.” – Isaiah 55:8-13 NLT

God always provides for His children. He provides for me on a daily basis, and He is always here to support me. He doesn’t always provide our WANTS; He will always provide our NEEDS, even though we often can’t tell wants and needs apart. One day, maybe today, and maybe in a hundred years or more, Jesus will return to live on earth again. This is why we share the Gospel. He said He will return when everyone has heard His Word; His Good News. When that day comes, there will be a reformation of the earth. I can hardly wait!

BAM!

“But Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their Hope and Confidence….. The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve….. But if you do not listen to Me and refuse to keep the Sabbath holy, and if on the Sabbath day you bring loads of merchandise through the gates of Jerusalem just as on other days, then I will set fire to these gates. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out the roaring flames.” – Jeremiah 17:7‭, ‬9‭-‬10‭, ‬27 NLT

Does this scare anyone else, or is it just me? Aside from medicine or medical care, do we really *need* stores to be open on Sundays? It seems to me that merchants could take their cue from Hobby Lobby, Mardels, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out….. the list goes on, and includes both national chains as well as the Mom-and-pop stores that have been doing it since historic times. It’s just as easy to run out for a loaf of bread or milk during the week as it is on Sundays, or Saturday, if that is your Sabbath. Whatever happened to keeping our Sabbath holy? I walked away from a really good job at the Home Depot because a new manager refused to let me have Sundays off to worship with my family. For the previous 3 years, I had been off on Sundays, and my particular job was well suited to having them off. I was (and still am) convicted that Sundays need to be God and family time.

How do you stand? I’m well aware that there can be extenuating circumstances, and I am not trying to foist my beliefs on anyone else; neither am I standing in judgment of anyone. I am simply sharing some verses that convict me. It makes me wonder how different would the world be, if we dedicated one day out of seven to spend with family. It could be a spouse, or a parent, or children, or to include both relatives and friends in our extended families. Whatever day you choose for your Sabbath, my prayer is that you will spend it worshipping the LORD, the Creator and Master of the Universe, and connecting with loved ones. It’s my prayer for me, too.

Give Thanks to the LORD

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is Good! His Faithful Love endures FOREVER.” – Psalms 107:1 NLT

Read the whole chapter if you are feeling discouraged. Even better, here are some selected verses:

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is Good! His Faithful Love endures Forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has redeemed you from your enemies. For He has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the LORD for His Great Love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of GOD, scorning the counsel of the Most High. Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent out His Word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land. He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there. But He also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water.” – Psalms 107:1‭-‬11‭, ‬17‭-‬20‭, ‬33‭-‬35 NLT

Where do you stand today? Things can change in a moment of time, and we can think we are standing on firm ground when we have actually stepped onto quicksand. It is OUR choices that put us on the quicksand, when we make decisions without seeking GOD’s will first, before our own; it’s when we let go of His Hand and venture out on our own. He will never let go or leave us, but we can – and do – let go of Him. Have you been a fool; in rebellion against Him and miserable in your gloom and darkness? I’ve certainty been there. I kept myself busy having “fun” so that I didn’t have to see how truly miserable and despairing I was. Read that last verse again.

“But He also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water.”

All we have to do is open our clenched fists and our closed hearts and minds to the Savior, JESUS. He will lift you out of the muck and the mire and carry you to solid ground. He will carry you until you can stand and walk again, however long it takes. The LORD may not deliver us from a financial situation, or keep us from losing a job or things, but He will be there to comfort you. I stand on that promise today as I face a very uncertain future. I know what I would like to see happen, but I have to content myself that my LORD knows the path and will lead me on it. By myself, I cannot see the way at all! Again and again,“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is Good! His Faithful Love endures Forever.” Amen.

Tough Day?

I can relate to having a tough day. In fact, I’m in the middle of several all strung together, and I’ve had a lifetime of disappointment and shame. I have been relying on a man for 2 years instead of relying on my Lord, and find myself betrayed, lied to, and disrespected…. again. Still, I choose to believe in and hold on to these verses in the psalms:

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our LORD! His Power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!” – Psalms 147:3‭-‬5 NLT

Knowing this doesn’t make my life, or my day, better. It does, however, bring me a measure of peace. You can know this peace, too, if you want it. Jesus came for everyone, even the ones who have hurt us. He suffered horrible things, and He allowed Himself to be brutally murdered for those who hurt, AND for those who hurt us. That’s hard to hold on to, especially when the wounds (physical or emotional) are fresh.

“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” –
2 Corinthians 5:15‭-‬17 NLT

There are many seasons in life, and it seems that some of us are stuck in the muck and mess of this world when others just seem to skate over it, unaffected. (I know they are affected, bjut it’s difficult to see sometimes when you are trying hard to just keep your head above water.) I’ve stated many times over the past couple of years how blessed I have been to have a man in my life who loved me and (seemly) wanted to spend his life with me. It’s rough to be told it’s over. Despite my feeling of hurt and betrayal, I am compelled to pray peace for him. My human point of view is flawed, so in order to keep from spewing ugliness in my hurt, I have to look through God’s eyes to see His child. Feelings will change and the hurt will recede, eventually.

“King David said this about Him: ‘I see that the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts His praises! My body rests in hope. For You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of Life, and You will fill me with the Joy of Your Presence.’ ” – Acts of the Apostles 2:25‭-‬28 NLT

Amen.

It’s Snowing!

In central Oklahoma, snow is not the norm for the cold winter months. We have lots of ice, generally, and cold, windy days, but not much snow. Today, it is snowing gentle flakes, coming down with hardly a breeze, and there is a light dusting sitting on my holly bushes by the front windows. I am sitting on the couch, cozily situated with a blanket, my two pups sprawled across my lap, and a steaming cup of coffee at my elbow. The Christmas tree is sparkling across the room, and a fire dances merrily in the fireplace. Cozy and warm. Does it get any better than this?

There won’t be enough snow for a snowman ⛄, and it shouldn’t affect the roads. The kids will be sad, and the adults will be thankful the roads probably won’t be slick. Not like the mountain states with feet of snow, or back east where they have been having blizzard conditions. I am thankful for where I live.

Days like this have me checking my gratitude list. Notwithstanding my lack of a job and the dismal state of my finances, there is much to be grateful for. I have a home that has heat and running water. There is my vehicle, sitting in the garage (I have a garage!), food in the pantry and refrigerator. I get to care for my pups and my cats, and I receive unconditional love and acceptance from them. I have a man who loves me, and family and friends who love me in spite of myself. Most of all, I have a Savior Who gave His Life in order for me to spend eternity with Him. Does it get any better than this? I don’t think so…..

Why December?

Why NOT December? Scholars and theologians debate the month, date, and year that JESUS was actually born, but really, why do they think it matters? Do YOU think it matters? For myself, it doesn’t. His actual birth date is irrelevant. The thing we should be focused on is the FACT of Jesus’ birth. Historically, we know He was born in Bethlehem, we know that He entered Jerusalem (triumphantly!) when He was 33 years old, and that He was hung on a Roman cross like a common criminal. History supports His empty tomb, and the multitude of eyewitness accounts support His resurrection from the tomb.

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” ” – Matthew 2:1‭-‬2 NLT

“Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” – Luke 1:1‭-‬4 NLT

No matter when you choose to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, what counts is that you celebrate it. It could be as simple as a single candle for His Birth day, and it can be an all-out decorated extravaganza, as long as we remember the reason we are celebrating. The food and trees, the lights and decorations and presents are all great fun, but the WHY…. that is what truly counts.

Merry CHRIST-mas!

The Blessings of Christmas – Day 3

“Oh, how Great are GOD’s Riches and Wisdom and Knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice? And who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him and exists by His Power and is intended for His Glory. All Glory to Him FOREVER! Amen.” – Romans 11:33‭-‬36 NLT

Celebrate His Power, His Mercy, and His Grace this Christmas season! Give Praise to the Father for His Gift, His sacrifice, and His Glory! Without all of these, there wouldn’t be a holiday season, Or anything to celebrate. What can we give Him; what can we give JESUS during this season to celebrate His birth day? We may be the shepherd, who had nothing to offer the new baby except their homage. We could be like the wise men, the Magi, who brought the little King of Heaven the most precious, most expensive gifts. Maybe you are like the angels and the heavenly host, singing in perfect voices, “GLORY to GOD in highest heaven, and Peace on earth to those with whom GOD is pleased.” (Luke 2:14 NLT) – or the little drummer boy, who had nothing to give except his music.

Whatever we offer the baby boy Jesus, let it be the most important gift of the season. The thing He wants most from us – the ONLY thing He wants from us – is not the most expensive thing we can find. Remember, Heaven is His home, and He already is in the midst of the most beauty and wealth that you can imagine. MORE than you can imagine! Riches don’t impressive Him. All He wants is to know that you love Him above all else; that you accept His sacrifice and let Him into your heart. Then we can worship Him with Thanksgiving and Hope. Gratitude.