I Am Like That Deer....

As the deer panteth for the water, so panteth my soul after thee, Oh God. My soul thirstiest for God, the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:1-2

Imagine you are watching a deer that has been running to get away from the sounds of the wolves that are pursuing her, hungry to get to her. It is a hot, squelching day, and she is tired and thirsty. In need of finding water to drive away her dry throat,That is what David is crying to God about here in these verses. He is thirsty for God, His heart, his very soul cries out for his God to give him the living water that he so needs. 

Have you ever felt that way. So weary. So in need of something deeper then what you have and you cry out to God for his help?

I think most people have. Whether they realize it or not. They are crying, running, searching for something that will satisfy their hunger for life. It might be more money, nicer material goods, or a spouse. It might be problems that are going on in the home. However,  many never find though what they really need.

And what is that? 

It isn't a what. But a who.

Jesus

Jesus is who they need. Because that is what God created man to do. To want to go to their creator and love him, because he first loved them. 

Sadly, not every one ever finds him. But those that do, will find his very living water springing up even in the worst of times. That is, if we let him. All we have to do i ask.

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Until next time....

  

Today's Scripture

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,that whosoever believes in him should not perish but    have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him, is not condemned; but he that  believeth not is commended already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

John 3:16-18

Do you feel condemned today because of past things that have gone on in your life?  Are you weeping because things happened that you could not control, or maybe that you could have controlled but didn't? If you are a child of the King, do not despair and do not give up! You are not alone. Back in February of 2018, I wrote a post of called: Our Tears in a Bottle. If you have never read it, or maybe would like to read it again, please go to:  Our Tears in a Bottle or search for it in another of my posts. I encourage you to do that for today if you need or want to.  Because sometimes it is good to go back and read things again, as I myself did this morning with that post. I needed to. In the mean time, things here for today are going to be quite busy, but I will be back tomorrow with a brand new post for you. 

Thanks for coming and may God bless the new week for you. 

No Fear, Only Trust

What time I am afraid,  I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word; I will not fear what flesh can do to me.

Psalm 56:3-4

Friends, did you know that we are living in crazy times? No doubt you do. I think we are living in the craziest of times that I have ever known. Not that there haven't been them before. What with past wars and other kinds of viruses and sickness and civil unrest. But somehow, this seems different to me. Is it really the beginning of the end for the time when Jesus comes back to take the church back home to live with him? Or it just another part of having to live here and endure until he does, or until we ourselves pass and go into eternity. Whether that be to heaven or hell? Will things of this world have to get even worse then they are now, before he comes back? 

Some are saying we are in the last days. But then we have heard that from the beginning of time. That Jesus is coming back at anytime now. And I wonder if things will have to get worse before he actually does. Even though it sure feels like the times are bad enough for that to happen. 

However, even when we think it could be at any moment, Isaiah 55;8-9 tells us that his thoughts and ways are not our ways. His are higher. So really. Could it be that he is going to come back real soon?

The fact is that no one really knows. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about the day or the hour, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son but only the Father. Mathew 24:35-36.

That scripture goes on to say in verses 37-39, that it will be like the day of the flood that took out many people during Noah's time, when Jesus will come back. They were eating, and drinking, and marrying, and yet the people did not even realize what was about to happen. Because they would not listen to Noah as he built the ark. They just figured he was an old fuddy duddy. Their lives were on the line and they weren't paying attention. 

Should we then, understanding that Jesus is  coming back, ignore the signs in these days we live in as if things will have to get worse before he does? Not pay attention to them?

Absolutely  not!. Because we do not know the day or the hour. He might come back next week, next year or a hundred years from now. Or he might come back before I am done with this post. Because, we don't know. 

We don't want to miss it, Friends. His coming. Like those of Noah's days that perished because they ignored the message that he was preaching to them. And so as verse 42 in that same chapter says: Watch therefore; for you do not know what hour your Lord will come.  And verse 44: Therefore be ready. For in such an hour that you think not, the Son of man will come. 

We don't want to miss his coming, Friends. Are you ready? Are you watching? Are you listening? Or are you instead just all caught up in what is going on in the world and not paying attention? 

It is good to know what is going on around us. But we also should not dwell completely on that but take comfort in the fact that in what time we are afraid, we can put our trust in God and not worry about what man can do to us. Because that is his promise to us in times like this. And you know what?

We meed that promise. No matter what is going on in the world.

Thanks for coming, Friends. God bless you in this his day!

What is My Speech Like?

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer anyone. Colossians 4:6

What does salt have to do with one's speech or conversation?

Conversation between people can be sweet, or sour, dripping like honey, or bitter tasting. It depends on what the conversation is about and who is doing the talking. In the Apostle Paul's time, salt was a preservative for meat and a commodity in which it could be used as a type of currency. What he was trying to convey was that the believers of the day should preserve the message that Jesus Christ had come to give us. Plus, as believers, we should always be uplifting, loving, helpful and more, to other people. 

Another notable aspect is that of another scripture: A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

Yeah, but what do I do when I am living with a person that thinks he/she is right all the time, and everyone else is wrong all the time? Isn't that like letting a person walk all over me?

Know anyone like that? Believe me, I do.

It could be letting the person walk all over you. If you don't stand up for your self in doing so. A soft answer does not mean that you let the person get away with putting you down, or that you can't tell them they are wrong. With a person like that, you may need God's wisdom of what to say in those moments that will turn away their wrath rather then to fuel it. Because as Proverbs 15:1 says, their anger can only stir up an even bigger blow up. 

God knows what words to give you at any given time, that will soften the blows of the other person. He can give them to you in an instant. Without making you feel defenseless. But you have to be ready  You have to be willing to listen to him. By reading his word. By knowing what he is saying to you. By willing to be soft instead of angry yourself and wanting that person to be wrong and you be right.

It is better to give a soft but short answer, and the walk away, I have found. To let them think about what you have just said. And then address it later in a more quiet conversation. Easy? Not usually. But it does work. And it is much better then getting into a big fight that lasts for hours or even days. 

Conversations between people should be preserved like salt does food. God does not want us to break down communication with those around us, whether with our families, our neighbors or other believers. Because then the unbelievers watching us can have reason to look  at us and wonder why we call ourselves Christians when we act just like them. Why would they want that?

No, it isn't easy. And believe me I know that for a fact. But I also know that as God is teaching me, I am learning some valuable ways that I wish I had known years ago in my communication with other people. In my family and others alike. 

I have not yet got a full grip on it, but I am willing to keep learning, and I have seen what happen when I turn away with a soft answer, rather then with an angry one, or worse yet, none at all. Because there have been those times in my life, when I have not given an any kind of answer and that makes it look like I am either agreeing with the person or easy to step on for them to get their own way

Jesus says this in Mathew 15:28-30  Come to me, all you that are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light...

Preserving the message of Jesus Christ, also is to preserve the relationships of our families and those around us. They go hand in hand. And sometimes we take them for granted, because of our own anger.

If your yoke is heavy due to the conversations that are affecting your daily life, learn from the Best. Jesus only needs to be asked. And he will give you the answers you need to deal with those in your life that complicate it with misery because they are always right and everyone else is always wrong. Oh, they might not change overnight, but gradually as you seek God's wisdom, they begin to. And I will take that over nothing in hopes of gaining changes in their attitudes.

Thanks for coming today Friend. Have a blessed Saturday!

Slowly Getting Back

Hello Friends. I know I have considerably let down on my blog, but only because it has been extremely busy for me the last few weeks. I am slowly getting back, although there is still a lot to do. A lot that I will not even try to go into. In the mean time, I will start trying to do what I had intended to do awhile back and at least post a scripture of the day, or something of that sort. So please continue to bare with me as my life for this season of my life continues. Thanks again for your support in that you continue to check back here.


Today's Scripture:


O come, let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:1-3


Can we honestly say we make a joyful noise unto our Great King? I know that I can't. Especially in the days when it seems that the process of moving has taken very much a front seat in my life. Being a senior makes it even harder then it ever was, Our kids for the mot part had all moved away to raise their own kids, and it had been hard seeing each of them leave until who was left, just hubby and I.

Life. It had never been easy. But, even so, that is no excuse for the times that I did not make a joyful noise unto God, or read his word. Because, if we let it, his word brings us renewed life. Renewed hope. And renewed healing.

And yet, God understands what we go through that, it is sometimes tough.But he is  patiently waits for us to remember him because he loves us and wants to forgive us of things that get in the way of thinking of him first.

However,even during the midst of the things that troubles and causes us stress, when maybe we aren't thinking of him, he can and does sometimes bless us. I know this because of the countless times over the past times of extreme stress or when I couldn't see my way out, and my thoughts of him aren't on my mind, let alone singing to him with joy in my heart.  And yet, I find that I am on his mind anyway and he blesses me, and sometimes even surprises me.

Because, you see. It is not enough for God to just love and forgive us. Although don't get me wrong, they are the most important things he does for us. Without them, we would be lost.

But, he loves to bless us as well. And when we least expect it, he brings something or some one into our lives, that is meaningful to us and reminds us that....

....he is a great God and a great King and desires for us to go to him with our joyful noises and songs of praise to him and.....

....he inhabits the praises of his people. (Psalm 22:3) Who but God would wholly want to bless his children when they don't shout for joy, let alone those that do.

Even so while we have to endure the hard things of life, it is best to remember God.  Because he does come when we call on him, and even....sometimes when we don't or can't always have him on our minds.

The Blessing of the Sock

How can God bless someone with one sock, you might ask. Well, let me tell you, God can do anything he wants to and especially for those that trust in him. And that means that even a single sock can become a blessing from him. 

It happened a few short days ago. June 15th, to be exact. Some of you know that we have moved from our home state to Florida. About a 2/3 of our furniture, household goods etc came down last summer and until that date, the rest of it stayed at our home in Ohio. There are some reasons why, which I won't go into because they don't pertain to this story. 

So last summer, we had left a lot of personal items that we didn't need at the time, there. Clothing, bath towels....that kind of stuff along with other things. It had been a grueling couple of days.On Friday the 12th we had help getting the furniture out, (into a U haul trailer) from 2 young men from our local church who was a part of a youth ministry there. Without them, we wouldn't have made it. But, over the weekend, it was just my husband and myself trying to pack the rest of our stuff, and load the trailer

And believe me, we are no spring chickens, in our late 60s, and early 70s!

. We still had had a lot to pack and load even tho we had brought down most of it last year. So we trudged on. Mostly me packing and carrying it out to our porch and hubby helping some inside but mostly loading it. 

Both of us are not in the best of health and all of it was being a real challenge to us at this point. 

But thankfully, we had gotten it almost gotten it all done, and we had a time when we were going to be starting out for the last time.

After all the work though, I needed to do one more thing.And that was to take a shower. So I went to gather the clothes that I had kept out. 

A pair of jeans, a t-shirt, undies, socks and...oh no, no washcloth!

Everything else had been packed, I wasn't about to try to find one in all the stuff hubby had loaded! He wouldn't have appreciated it and besides, who knew where they were even at!

So I went through the house, looking for one. Just hoping against my hope that one had been missed somewhere. To tell you the truth, I wasn't optimistic, because we had literally gotten everything out.

But then, I had not considered what God can do. 

And so through the house I went, asking Jesus to show me where I might find one that had been missed.

Yet there was none.

And then I saw it. One lone and clean sock laying in the dining room in some things that we were leaving in the house. We probably would have missed it, if I hadn't need that wash cloth so badly. After inspecting it to make sure it was clean, I used it to take the place of what I had needed.

You might think this is a silly story. But it is the truth behind it that stands. That when we need something the most, and even in the smaller things of our lives...God can and will provide what we need, when we need it.

Even in situations that are less then hopeful, or perhaps when we have no hope at all. 

Because as we pray with faith, even just the faith of a mustard seed, he can do much with it. And frankly friends, that day, that was about all I had, when I looked at the situation after several days of trying to get ready to leave, and now everything personal had been taken out. It was all the faith I had, and yet it had been enough. Sure there was no real wash cloth, but that sock had satisfied a need. Had I just given up and not used that sock, it wouldn't have made me feel good physically for sure.

And more importantly, what it had done for me, was that it made me feel good spiritually. Because God had heard my less than hopeful prayer and guided me to a sock that we would have other wise not found because we already knew the stuff that it was in, was not going with us.

Jehovah Jireh, 

It is one of the many names of God that means: My Provider. Sure it wasn't as big a deal as it had been to Moses in Genesis 22. But it was a big thing to me, that God had seen my need and was my provider even so, at a time when I might have left feeling dreadful for not having had a shower. . 

A mustard seed of faith coupled with Jehovah Jireh, who is a big God that provides even the little matters of life. Now that is who I want to depend on in all situations!

Hello Friends. Thanks for coming by. I pray your summer is going well, after all of the situations we have found ourselves in with the virus that closed most businesses etc, God is good and he will see us through it

I will be posting as much as I can now that I am back. It might not be everyday because there is much to do here still. However, I will do the best I can and hope you will continue to check my blog out as often as you can. Until next time......