WONDER-FULL

O that men would praise

the LORD for his goodness,

and for his wonderful works

to the children of men!

Psalm 107:15

I am so totally blessed living where I do. Living where I do, I see a lot of families with children of all ages. Whether out on a trail or watching children tubing down the river, the new ones to our area show such a wonder as they look around at the mountains, trees, streams, trails, etc. No one shows a sense of wonder like a young child in a new and beautiful setting.

We should all have a special sense of wonder as we benefit from the working of God in our lives. Wonder is defined in places as “inspiring delight.” Anything wonderful is simply anything that is full of wonder as is our Heavenly Father. Scripture speaks of the wonders of God. The word can be a verb, describing the working of God on behalf of His people. But also, God's wonders are nouns in our lives...the benefits of His working on our behalf.

There were too many Scripture verses to list that I saw in my Bible, having to do with wonder, but one in particular struck me from Isaiah 9:6 that says it all:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is

given: and the government shall be upon

his shoulder; and his name shall be called

Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God,

The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Remember the old chorus we used to sing?

“Isn't He wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful?

Eyes have see, ears have heard,

It's recorded in God's Word.

Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful!”

Thank You Jesus for being so wonderful and for being such a wonder in our lives. We stand amazed in awe of Your doings and we love You more than words can express...In Your precious name...Amen 

BEING TEACHABLE

I will instruct thee and teach thee

in the way which thou shalt go:

I will guide thee with mine eye.

Psalm 34:11

Anyone who has ever taught others can almost tell right away those who are teachable and those who are not.  There will always be one or two who let a teacher know that they have no desire to be with the group. Such people almost dare a teacher to inspire them to learn the least little thing. 

In the above verse, it seems to be speaking of the same activity which is instruction and teaching. In the truest sense, the words are different. God promises to instruct and teach us. It seems like God is in earnest in both presentations. What better educator can we have other than God Himself. However, we must be determined to be teachable. When test time comes, I want more of myself than just a passing grade.

As of late, the Holy Spirit led me to Psalm 34:11.  Even though, many times, I was in my Bible hardly able to read the words because of tears, I determined, that I did not want to waste this time. I want to remain open to what the Holy Spirit wants to show me, however He chooses.

In most education circles, teaching and instruction are similar but not the same. Teaching will always present the basics of a subject, important information. For instance, a teacher may teach something about a new tool on the market. It's described and may even speak of it's intended function. Instruction takes that information and shows a student who has learned the name and function of the tool, how to use it...putting it into practical h is what usage.  

God wants of us.to  always be learning things about His Word.  We learn fact after fact as we read. The Holy Spirit ever so gently teaches us about His Word.,  but then, He takes us into the classroom of instruction. That classroom may take on the location of our church auditorium, Sunday school classroom, conferences...all where we learn how to make God's Word work in our lives. The Holy Spirit will still teach us in personal ways. God wants to pull out all the stops in teaching and instructing so we can be as strong spiritually as possible.

God promises to use all of this in leading us in the right paths and then says He will guide us with His eye. Did you ever have a parent who had a way of guiding you just with his or her eye. I could tell with just a look at my Mother in certain situations, if she was a happy camper with me or not. God's eye serves on our behalf and isn't meant to be stern but loving. He promises to be watching us and guiding us in a very personal way for our own safety and well being.

Can you believe we have such a Heavenly Father who is so vested in looking out for what is in our best interest? With all of this attention from our Father, we should be alert and teachable at every opportunity. May we stay teachable.

Father, thank You for your patience in teaching us when often we may not be paying attention. Thank You for Your consistent love, direction and patience with us. Keep us close for Your sake and our well being. Amen 

 

STILL A BELIEVER

For the which cause I also suffer

these things: nevertheless I am not

ashamed; for I know whom I have

believed, and am persuaded that

he is able to keep that which I

have committed unto him

against that day.

I Timothy 1:12

It's not unusual to hear from varied spiritual sources that Paul was perhaps the greatest Christian after Jesus there was. I wouldn't argue with that. It's amazing all he went through physically and every way for the spreading of the Gospel. In his humanity, I have wondered how he dealt with hardest of times of threat, imprisonment, physical difficulties and almost always being misunderstood. Despite it all, we see phrases in the above verse that shows us the nitty-gritty of who Paul was, such as: “I am not ashamed....I know....I am persuaded...I have committed.”

What a peace and joy I find in being a believer. All of us can cross our t's and dot our i's when it comes to how deep our believer-ship goes. I know I believe all that's contained in our Church Covenant regarding all of the basics of our faith found in Scripture. However, when the difficult times come, our beliefs can be put to some practical testing. I deeply believe what we fellow believers treasure in those elements of our faith. I've gone through some serious thinking as of late as to those special things that are having meaning in my life right now. They are in my own words, not someone elses. Some of these are:

*God is Sovereign. He's the boss of my life and totally in charge.
*God loves me beyond any love I can ever know.
*God loves our times of talking with one another.
*God is very capable in protecting and providing for me.
*God always has a plan for my life. I may not understand it all but can rest in His working.
*God never makes a mistake. He's never late nor does he ever say “oops.”
*God's Word is as true and accurate today in my life as it's been in any past days.
*God has reserved a place for me with Him in eternity.
*and, as the song goes, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.”

I'm sure there are even more things that have crossed my mind. I choose to believe that God does all things well and will continue to do so. Let me encourage you to think through in every day experience, what God means to you in common, ordinary ways. We are so blessed beyond measure. Trying times will come...none of us are exempt. God is faithful and we need to take eyes off of problems as much as we can and focus lovingly on our Heavenly Father.

How wonderful, Father, that You continue to love and teach us no matter our circumstances. Thank You for your keeping us close under Your wings no matter what's going on. We praise You for all You are and for Jesus, our Savior. In His name....Amen

NEVER SAY NEVER

Wherefore let him that thinketh

he standeth take heed lest

he fall.

I Corinthians 10:12

Recalling days gone by, and hearing the above title from folks as to what they would never do. The Corinthian church was for the most part a mess. That church didn't start out that way. I'm sure they could be referred to as a mega church like we would see mega churches in our day. Paul was doing his best to try to rein in this church that had given in to so many ways of the world. We could read both books written to those church folks by Paul and wonder how things could go so wrong.

In many cases, the word “never” comes into play in many such circumstances. When a church is new and growing, that church may have the best of intentions. All is new, fresh and exciting in those circumstances and the believers cannot imagine anything going wrong.

In our day, churches view each other, whether they are in the same community or denomination. Some churches begin to set what they consider worthy goals regarding church size, popularity, varied outreach ministries. Many may view that things will never change but will only get better and better. Because of pride and conceit, things can and often do change.

I've heard many personal “never” comments through the years, such as:

*I'll never forsake the Lord.
*I'll never miss Sunday school and church
*Our church will never turn liberal like others have
*I'll never miss even one day of reading my Bible
*I'll never talk bad about others.
*I'll never forsake my family
*I'll never turn my back on God.

There is nothing wrong in aiming to do things right that will honor the Lord, but we have to remember we are human beings and we must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit in us in fulfilling all those right things. Even in this case, we often try to do too many things in our own strength. Most days, our strength just won't be enough.

I pray we will come to be very knowledgeable about who we are with all of our frailties. It's a worthy goal to be always faithful to God in our spiritual walk. If a “never” ever comes to pass, I pray we will be quick to confront such sin and appreciate so much God's grace and mercy that will be EVER available to us.

Father, we're so grateful for Your grace and mercy in our lives. We are often pompous in our spiritual walk and fall flat because we don't rely on Your Spirit to steer us in Your directions. Thank You that Jesus would never turn His back on us...NEVER. In His name...Amen 

SWEEEEET!

How sweet are thy words

unto my taste! Yea

sweeter than honey to

my mouth!

Psalm 119:103

A dear friend in college came quickly into my dorm room one morning with her Bible. She had come across the above verse as she was reading her Bible. She was so excited in that she had never noticed anything about honey in the Psalms. It was exciting for her because on her family farm, there were several bee hives. She knew first hand the sweetness of honey.

If I didn't know it then, I know it now that the best honey we can use is that honey that has been developed within our own territory. Honey is different all over the place. It may taste about the same but there are anti-allergy components that build our resistance to local flora.

My friend and I began talking about that verse. To even sip on a teaspoon of honey is about as much sweetness I desire to take in at the time. It seems sweeter than any sugar or other sweetening products. Honey manages to survive even if left on a shelf until it turns to sugar. Dipping it's container in hot water brings that honey back to good use.

What I have to ask myself has to do with how I view God's Word. Through the years it has been instrumental in my salvation. From that point it has strengthened, supported, and comforted me. It has taught me...encouraged me and given me the sense of God's presence in my life like nothing else. There are times when I come across a passage in my Bible that suddenly warms me in a spectacular way. When that happens, I know the Holy Spirit is speaking to just me as if there is no other around. He wants to be just that personal to us and as He speaks through His Word...well, it's sweet, just so very sweet. When I eat honey in any form, I can't help but be reminded of the sweetest of all sweets...Jesus and His Word as well.

God's Word isn't just applicable to any certain territory as real honey might be. It can speak to us through the Holy Spirit no matter our circumstances or places of residence. Once we really taste the sweetness of God's Word, we will want more and more of it. There are scholars who have written books on the attributes of God. I've seen some. There's one attribute of God I've never seen listed...sweetness. How sweet our God is!

Dear Father, the sweetness of Your presence is beyond words and Your Word has the same effect in my life. Thank You for the sweetness of Your Word and Your presence. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

 

THE RING

And we know that all things work

together for good to them that

love God, to them who are the

called accordng to his purpose

  Romans 8:28

There has been some jewelry on my dresser that I've needed to put in my jewelry box. It's not much, but should be in the appropriate place. As I opened the lid of the jewelry case, there sat a small ring. It's the size to be considered a “pinkie” ring, mostly black with tiny engraving on it. For the life of me, I don't remember this ring, where it came from or the where and when's of it's being purchased. I don't think I have any jewelry Brian hasn't bought. It's just a mystery.

I've had a difficult last couple of days, still having the ups and downs of grieving. Despite days like that, I'm so grateful for the comfort and strength God continues to pour into my life. He has done that through His Word, through the love and concern of friends and then in very unexpected ways.

One of those unexpected ways came today in the form of that small ring. Perhaps it was purchased ages ago and got lost among chains and charms. It's hard to tell how I could have missed such a treasure, not remembering how it got into that jewelry box. The print on the ring is so tiny, it's hard to read what it says, but with some broad daylight, I managed to decipher the inscription. It says, “Serenity to accept, Courage to change.” It added the reference Roms 8:28-30 just like that.

In these days, I have been asking the Lord, “What now...what is life after Brian to be like?” We have all gone through drastic changes, some more devastating than others. It may not involve the passing of a relative or close friend, but no matter the change, it still seems to turn our lives upside down. It could be our lives will never again be the same. In God's wisdom, He has His reasons for allowing changes in our lives. We may not know until Heaven all the answers, but when we get there, I don't think any of it will really matter.

I have come to believe that when these drastic things come into our lives, it's too late to prepare spiritually for their coming. If I want God's strength and wisdom for the hard times, I need to be preparing day by day for such in my daily devotion to Him. We can't make up for all the sermons we missed, neglected devotional times in the Word or prayers unspoken. Our Father is so anxious to be a part of everything that comes our way. How sad if we have relegated Him to the back pews of our lives often leaving Him out of all consideration.

You may not find a small forgotten ring in your jewelry box, but God stands ready to minister in His own ways for those of us who are called according to His purpose.

Dear Father, thank You for Your presence and care for me in these days. I love You and so appreciate your love shown to me in unexpected ways. Thank You for this ring...what a blessing. I want to be all You want me to be for your glory. In Jesus' name...Amen

PRECIOUS

Precious in the sight of

the Lord is the death

of His saints.

Psalm 116:15

At our house, it was a REALLY big weekend...some called it Memorial Day but for my family and others among our friends and family, it was Decoration Day. My Mother had saved up tomato juice cans mostly from friends. We had some flower bushes in our yard. Mother went to the local greenhouse to purchase other flowers to make up the difference.

As a little girl, I remember going to three different cemeteries on Memorial Day. The last one we went to was where my Dad's family is buried. In fact, there on that day was also a huge dinner on the grounds after all the decorating was finished. The men had used their saw horses and planks to make the longest table ever. The women put out all of their country cooking. Coffee and sweet iced tea were both in abundance. We all ate, the adults sat around and talked while all of us kids ran around, just goofing off. We had been to three cemeteries, ate good food until we were about to pop and then returned home.

Today in most places, Memorial Day is just another day off of work. People decorate the graves of loved ones and may have family gatherings, but for me, for some reason, it it has always seemed lacking.

In one of my Bibles beside the above verse, I have names listed. At my age, there are many who have passed away but the ones I have listed are really dear saints who had an influence in my life. That list covers a lot of times and places. I've had to curtail the list though. When I look at that list, sometimes I've become teary, but most of the time, I smile.

This year is different. I can't even bring myself to add Brian's name to the list. As precious as all those folks are, it's just different now. I used to watch “old folks” put flowers on spouses graves, step back and dab their eyes with a wrinkled handkerchief. I didn't get that part of it back then, but this year is different. My precious one lies in a grave by a small town church in a mountain cemetery. It was his choices...the plot and even much of the stone/engravings. When I go to put my flowers on his grave, there may be families there doing the same thing but maybe there will be a little girl, curious about all of the goings on. That was me at one time but now it's her.

In a book I came across the neatest saying, that is designated as being from an unknown contributor. It says:

“How blessed I am to have known someone

who was so hard to say goodbye to.”

That's precious no matter how you look at it and just so very true. Take time to remember with fondness and perhaps even a big smile when someone's face comes to mind who has gone on before you. Don't forget the Jesus who always remains with us to whom we never have to say goodbye to. It's all precious...just so precious.

Thank You dear God for the memories of so many who have given to us in so many ways. Help us to be a grateful people by maintaining the faith, standards and generosity they left behind for us. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

 

AND WE KNOW

And we know that all

things work together for

good to them that love

God, to them who are the

called according to His

purpose.

Romans 8:28

My first acquaintance with the above verse was when I was in college. It was a Christian school which meant we had a few male students, walking around campus with their Bibles under arm, ready to pontificate on the Scriptures at any given moment. A favorite verse some liked to toss about was this one from Romans 8. Talk about translations ,,, there weren't that many back then, but usually those guys had own view as to how that verse was to be approached and used.

Low these many, many years to the present, I'm afraid the same thing often happens when well meaning folks wants to be an encouragement to one who is going through a negative episode in his or her life. This verse has often been misused and misunderstood.

Very often, the verse is reduced to just “now remember...all things work together for good.” The verse begins with “and we know...” that is questionable in itself because many people using the verse really don't KNOW much of anything about the verse. Most people have no idea about how things work for good in God's realm. No one knows how God does it all, but we sure are glad He works like He does.

In these past weeks, I haven't had anyone beating me over the head with this verse. I am sure that Brian's passing has certainly worked well for him. So happy for him to be breathing Heaven's air. Although dealing with bouts of loneliness, I know that the Lord is going to open up new avenues in my life for growth in Himself. I've learned how God can make something out of nothing as well as abundance from need. He loves His children and always has our best interest at heart. He continually works good on our behalf.

What an honor for we believers to have the privilege of “being called according to God's purpose” knowing He does all things well.

Thank You Father for taking such an interest in our lives. You know all of the ups and downs of our beings and You bring blessing into our lives despite it all. We love You and are so privileged to be Your children. In Jesus sweet name....Amen 

IN THE HALLWAY

I will instruct thee and teach

thee in the way which thou

shalt go: I will guide thee

with mine eye.

Psalm 32:8

Perhaps you are different from me,and I hope you are, in that I'm not very good at waiting. I don't like grocery store lines, waiting for the day of my wedding, expecting a baby that goes a full ten months or as simple as waiting for grass to grow in the mud that encircled our new house.

For some, waiting builds character. Many times for me, it has meant chewed off fingernails, restless sleep at night and wanting to eat anything that isn't nailed down.

However, there is much to be said about waiting and God's promises attached to those times of waiting. There are many listed in Scripture who were made to wait. I can't imagine sitting in a lions den for any length of time as was Daniel. Then there is Jonah, three days inside a fish...waiting in the smell and trash of his disobedience. There was a gathering of people waiting in the Jerusalem temple for the coming of the Holy Spirit. All of these and others we can read of were called on to wait. It took a faith beyond even their own understanding for God to open a door in their lives.

Has God ever called on you to wait? You may have known what you were waiting for or perhaps it was something quite vague in your eyes. Sometimes, change in our lives will cause us for a time to come in contact with a closed door. The door has no handle on the outside. It has to be opened from the inside. It is from the inside, only God can open that door. Our calling for the moment is to wait...wait in faith, knowing that God does all things well.

While we wait, what then....

UNTIL GOD OPENS THE NEXT

DOOR, PRAISE HIM IN

THE HALLWAY.

Doesn't sound logical, does it, but what better way to spend those times of waiting than to praise Jesus, the door opener, who always knows what He's doing.

Father, we are so grateful that You always know what You're doing in our lives. Give us the faith and patience we need out in the hallway. We love and praise You today. In Jesus name...Amen

“SOMETHING STINKS”

Now thanks be unto God, which always

causeth us to triumph in Christ, and

maketh manifest the savor of His

knowledge by us in every place.

For we are unto God a sweet savor of

Christ, in them that are saved, and

in them that perish.

II Corinthians 2:14,15

The human body is so full of miraculous wonders that most of them we can't even name. Most of us have learned what our seven senses are: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell and oh yes, as society would feel a further need of improvement, we have two others I didn't even know about until now....vestibulary (in short, balance) and proprioception (having to do with body movement). Now you have had your education in our physical senses for the week. For now, I am interested in only one of those senses mentioned.

Brian and I had been married only a short time when I got word that my Mother had been in a car accident. Mother only sustained a bump on her head. However, my Mother soon learned that she had something disturbing as a result of the bump...her senses of smell and taste had been affected. For a long time everything tasted like burnt coffee and she had little sense of smell. She felt terribly disabled. Eventually things came back to some normalcy.

When I was quite young, I caught on quickly that my Mother had a very strong sense of smell. She could pass a woman in church and some steps later could name the perfume the lady was wearing. She could walk into any kind of building and say immediately what it smelled like. She could smell a dirty diaper even at some distance. I've been with her when we would walk into our house together and she would say, “Something stinks” and she usually found the problem right away.

I love our verses above regarding God's expectations of us. Both verses refer to sweet smells....the sweet aroma of Christ. That's what you and I are supposed to be, for God's glory. I've been around the sweetest of Christians and am blessed and encouraged. God is glorified because of their lives lived for Him. I also have to say that I've been around some “stinkin' Christians.” They may or may not be believers but their conversations and life styles do not exude the sweet aroma of Christ.

Have you noticed how smells can rub off on you. I've been around ladies who I knew just came out of a kitchen after frying up some chicken. They reeked with that wonderful aroma of lovingly prepared food. Some ladies perfumes rub off on us. The most important scent that can rub off on us is that sweet aroma of Jesus we get when we consistently spend time with Him in His Word and in prayer. Spiritually speaking, what do we smell like to other people we meet? Do we give off a wonderful aroma just being one of God's children. I hope so. We live in a world that needs Jesus any way He can get to them and not that of a godless culture that out and out “stinks.”

Dear Father, how I enjoy the sweetness of Your presence and special touches in my life. May I be quick to express my gratitude for Your influence in my life that You desire to rub off into the lives of me and others. In Jesus' precious name...Amen