Solomon wrote, "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long" as one of his many proverbs (Proverbs 23:17). This is beautiful, but when seen in light of the fact that his father was David, it is even more so. Years before as a shepherd alone in the fields tending unpleasant-smelling, wandering sheep, David had penned beautiful words unto his God. Although this psalm does not specifically denote who wrote it, perhaps it was David that said, "Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day." (Psalm 71:8). Whether David wrote this or not, even when all alone in the pasture, David knew that the Lord was worthy to be praised. His love and devotion carried over into the life of his son who similarly took note of the fact that Lord was to be feared all throughout the day. What an amazing legacy! It is crucial that I cultivate a personal, dedicated relationship with my Precious Lord! Already I am laying the foundation for the woman (and hopefully wife and mother!) that I will be in years to come.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Friday, September 25, 2015
Five Minute Friday: Doubt
The day is Friday.
The word is Doubt.
The time is starting...
Right Now!
What alot I could say about the savage Doubt!
It's like a slave-driver, relentless, pursuing, evil.
What a horrid bondage the Lord has realeased me from!
I once was held captive by this foe! For years I struggled with wondering the most important question of a soul's existence: Am I right before the eyes of my Creator?
I had had "an experience" when I was a child, but at the age of twelve I began to wonder what had happened in those childhood moments. I was without rest: I did not know whether I had truly repented of my sins before Jesus Christ, whether I had believed as I should have. The Bible says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord in repentance for their sins and in faith in Jesus Christ's death on the cross and resurrection, can be saved. For some reason though, I grappled with question after question. I worried, I dreaded church-related activities. I could get so sick emotionally, but one day,
the Lord showed me that "the hour I first believed" He had saved me.
You see, it wasn't up to me whether I was strong enough in faith to believe, or whether I had said the right words in a prayer to Him.
It was all His doing.
He had reached down and saved me and there was no need for me to struggle against that monster Doubt any longer!
Christ freed me from his grip and what a relief I felt!
Yes, there are days that I have still wondered, still struggled, but what a victory Christ won for me once and for all on the cross and then in my new life against Doubt!
Stop.
I have to say, one of the reasons that I did struggle with doubt was because of my being so young when I had "that experience". During my time of questioning and unrest, I would pray over and over, "Lord, please save me! Forgive me for my sins!" I believed in Him, but I had so many questions. The journey was not an easy one; at times I would wonder when (or if) I would ever be free, whether I would ever know that my eternal destiny was secure and safe, whether I could move forward with life, calm in the fact that I had been forgiven of my sins against the Righteous Holy God and that I was His.
If you are struggling, I would like to encourage you, as I was encouraged all those years ago, to read the book of 1 John in the Bible. It has such great comfort for the wonderer and gives peace and direction whether you struggle with doubt or not. The Bible says that faith to believe in Jesus Christ is something that the Lord gives. Ask Him for it; He wants you more than you could ever want Him. Run to Him! He is gracious and ready for you right now!
The word is Doubt.
The time is starting...
Right Now!
What alot I could say about the savage Doubt!
It's like a slave-driver, relentless, pursuing, evil.
What a horrid bondage the Lord has realeased me from!
I once was held captive by this foe! For years I struggled with wondering the most important question of a soul's existence: Am I right before the eyes of my Creator?
I had had "an experience" when I was a child, but at the age of twelve I began to wonder what had happened in those childhood moments. I was without rest: I did not know whether I had truly repented of my sins before Jesus Christ, whether I had believed as I should have. The Bible says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord in repentance for their sins and in faith in Jesus Christ's death on the cross and resurrection, can be saved. For some reason though, I grappled with question after question. I worried, I dreaded church-related activities. I could get so sick emotionally, but one day,
the Lord showed me that "the hour I first believed" He had saved me.
You see, it wasn't up to me whether I was strong enough in faith to believe, or whether I had said the right words in a prayer to Him.
It was all His doing.
He had reached down and saved me and there was no need for me to struggle against that monster Doubt any longer!
Christ freed me from his grip and what a relief I felt!
Yes, there are days that I have still wondered, still struggled, but what a victory Christ won for me once and for all on the cross and then in my new life against Doubt!
Stop.
I have to say, one of the reasons that I did struggle with doubt was because of my being so young when I had "that experience". During my time of questioning and unrest, I would pray over and over, "Lord, please save me! Forgive me for my sins!" I believed in Him, but I had so many questions. The journey was not an easy one; at times I would wonder when (or if) I would ever be free, whether I would ever know that my eternal destiny was secure and safe, whether I could move forward with life, calm in the fact that I had been forgiven of my sins against the Righteous Holy God and that I was His.
If you are struggling, I would like to encourage you, as I was encouraged all those years ago, to read the book of 1 John in the Bible. It has such great comfort for the wonderer and gives peace and direction whether you struggle with doubt or not. The Bible says that faith to believe in Jesus Christ is something that the Lord gives. Ask Him for it; He wants you more than you could ever want Him. Run to Him! He is gracious and ready for you right now!
Friday, September 18, 2015
Five Minute Friday: Celebrate
The word is celebrate, and 'though there are SO MANY things I could write about celebrations and celebrating, I decided on the idea that first came to mind...
Go:
My mother's cousin passed away. It was unexpected. A shock. The details were disturbing and made me think about a dear friend of mine, the mother of some acquaintances, who died through mysterious events a few years ago around this time of year.
I think about her every year as fall comes on and miss her.
But then, {as I pondered it today} I thought, what a grand celebration for both my cousin and friend! Wow! My cousin has been suffering in a fragile body for so many years. My imagination can't even do Heaven justice as I think about the grandeur that he must be experiencing now reunited with his parents, grandparents, my grandmother, and Most Important of All, his Savior Jesus!
I think too about Mrs. C., a pastor's wife, vibrant, a godly mother... She's still rejoicing in Heaven! After all these years, 'though the details {of her passing} are still no more easy to think on, she is pain-free, continuing to drink in joy after joy and experience upon wonderful experience of being blissfully with her Lord, without sin, without regret. Now that's a celebration!
I can hardly wait sometimes as I think about it!
So, while we mourn the passing and absence of dear ones, we celebrate those of them that were redeemed through the Precious Blood of Christ and are forever celebrating with Him in His glorious Home!
Stop.
{Yes, I did editing, as you might have guessed from the decorative parentheticals above. There was also some inexcusable misspelling and much needed punctuation that I simply could not let lie!}
For other wonderful thoughts about the word celebrate, visit my friends over at the Five Minute Friday blog party!
Go:
My mother's cousin passed away. It was unexpected. A shock. The details were disturbing and made me think about a dear friend of mine, the mother of some acquaintances, who died through mysterious events a few years ago around this time of year.
I think about her every year as fall comes on and miss her.
But then, {as I pondered it today} I thought, what a grand celebration for both my cousin and friend! Wow! My cousin has been suffering in a fragile body for so many years. My imagination can't even do Heaven justice as I think about the grandeur that he must be experiencing now reunited with his parents, grandparents, my grandmother, and Most Important of All, his Savior Jesus!
I think too about Mrs. C., a pastor's wife, vibrant, a godly mother... She's still rejoicing in Heaven! After all these years, 'though the details {of her passing} are still no more easy to think on, she is pain-free, continuing to drink in joy after joy and experience upon wonderful experience of being blissfully with her Lord, without sin, without regret. Now that's a celebration!
I can hardly wait sometimes as I think about it!
So, while we mourn the passing and absence of dear ones, we celebrate those of them that were redeemed through the Precious Blood of Christ and are forever celebrating with Him in His glorious Home!
Stop.
{Yes, I did editing, as you might have guessed from the decorative parentheticals above. There was also some inexcusable misspelling and much needed punctuation that I simply could not let lie!}
For other wonderful thoughts about the word celebrate, visit my friends over at the Five Minute Friday blog party!
Friday, September 11, 2015
The Faces of Worship
A fellow blogger shared this on her blog. I am not able to listen to the song tonight, but look forward to doing so in the morning. I was drawn by the quality of the photography, and then was struck with the different faces the worshipers have as they sing to their Lord. I have never heard of this group and obviously can't see inside a person's heart, but I just imagine what they are thinking as they sing...
The girl on the left in the red cap is praising God as she watches her brothers in Christ, marveling that her Lord can save sinners and so dramatically transform lives so that they will praise Him.
The man in the collared black shirt closes his eyes as he strums and thinks about his praise-worthy God.
In the background, a brother in Christ drops his head in humility, feeling unworthy to lift his voice in song but, knowing his worth through Christ's shed blood, holds his life out to the Lord to use however He desires.
His sister in Christ in the plaid shirt sings with her head back, resting in the Capable and All-Powerful arms of her Mighty God. She cannot even express how tired she is, but she knows how Able He is.
To her left in the "middle ground", the second guitarist in the sock cap focuses on getting the notes right, squinting as he prays that somehow Christ might be glorified through his weak effort.
And all the other believers in the picture, whatever their state, have one desire: they must meet with the Lord, must find Him, despite all that is taking place in their personal lives and in the world. He is their Hope and He is More Than Enough.
These are just my thoughts about this picture. I have no idea where these worshippers' hearts really are, but I've been in almost all of "the shoes" I've described. I want to know Him more and what a glorious thing it is to be on the journey with others who desire the same!
If you have a minute, why don't you hop over to Tasha's blog where I found this picture and link and read her great post about "Same" from Five Minute Friday!
The girl on the left in the red cap is praising God as she watches her brothers in Christ, marveling that her Lord can save sinners and so dramatically transform lives so that they will praise Him.
The man in the collared black shirt closes his eyes as he strums and thinks about his praise-worthy God.
In the background, a brother in Christ drops his head in humility, feeling unworthy to lift his voice in song but, knowing his worth through Christ's shed blood, holds his life out to the Lord to use however He desires.
His sister in Christ in the plaid shirt sings with her head back, resting in the Capable and All-Powerful arms of her Mighty God. She cannot even express how tired she is, but she knows how Able He is.
To her left in the "middle ground", the second guitarist in the sock cap focuses on getting the notes right, squinting as he prays that somehow Christ might be glorified through his weak effort.
And all the other believers in the picture, whatever their state, have one desire: they must meet with the Lord, must find Him, despite all that is taking place in their personal lives and in the world. He is their Hope and He is More Than Enough.
These are just my thoughts about this picture. I have no idea where these worshippers' hearts really are, but I've been in almost all of "the shoes" I've described. I want to know Him more and what a glorious thing it is to be on the journey with others who desire the same!
If you have a minute, why don't you hop over to Tasha's blog where I found this picture and link and read her great post about "Same" from Five Minute Friday!
Five Minute Friday: Same
It has been too long since I got to do Five Minute Friday and I have been missing it! To find out more about Five Minute Friday, check out Kate Motaung.
So, without further ado, let's start the timer!
I'm not the same as I used to be.
About eight years ago or more I underwent a drastic change. I found out that I was a sinner, guilty before my Righteous Holy Creator and that I was worthy of punishment. I also discovered that my Creator had sent His Son to this earth to die and take the punishment that I should receive and that if I would put my trust in Him and repent of the wrongs I had committed against Him, I could have forgiveness, mercy without charge. Now things are completely different.
I'm still the same me, but I'm also so different.
"What has changed?" you ask. I still have the same blonde hair, the same chubby cheeks, but inside my heart, Jesus, the Son of God, is King and reigns. Therefore, I'm not the same as I was.
What He desires for my life is good and I have begun to desire those things, too. What He deserves is right; I have begun to want to give Him what He is worthy of.
He has changed me. Like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly over time and is still the same insect, but completely different, I have been made new and beautiful by the King of Glory. And anyone who wants this transformation can receive it, too!
Stop.
So, without further ado, let's start the timer!
I'm not the same as I used to be.
About eight years ago or more I underwent a drastic change. I found out that I was a sinner, guilty before my Righteous Holy Creator and that I was worthy of punishment. I also discovered that my Creator had sent His Son to this earth to die and take the punishment that I should receive and that if I would put my trust in Him and repent of the wrongs I had committed against Him, I could have forgiveness, mercy without charge. Now things are completely different.
I'm still the same me, but I'm also so different.
"What has changed?" you ask. I still have the same blonde hair, the same chubby cheeks, but inside my heart, Jesus, the Son of God, is King and reigns. Therefore, I'm not the same as I was.
What He desires for my life is good and I have begun to desire those things, too. What He deserves is right; I have begun to want to give Him what He is worthy of.
He has changed me. Like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly over time and is still the same insect, but completely different, I have been made new and beautiful by the King of Glory. And anyone who wants this transformation can receive it, too!
Stop.
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