Could This Be *The* Year For You? “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” —John 14.15 O, sisters in the LORD—could this be *the* year for you? This is when the real change will occur… when we finally seek to know and to live the truths of God’s Word…when we lay our lives at His feet, when we give Him everything we’ve held on to: hands down… when we accept and apply the teaching of the Lord Jesus—demonstrating our love for Him by our obedience to Him… When we finally reckon with: If you love Me you will obey Me.…
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I read a letter from a dear sister and at the end of her letter she enclosed a quote: “Self-pity is like super glue from hell that keeps us stuck to the past.” (Love & Thank you, Jenny) As I’ve worked in our home today I’ve been mulling this quote over in my mind. I’ve been thinking of other angles on this one and I’ve come to see another angle on what keeps us stuck in the past — it seems to me that guilt is the “super glue from hell” that keeps us stuck to the past. Even confessed…
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I know you might be snickering at that title — as if it were written: “[She’s] Thinking. Thankfully!” Well, I am working diligently at really t-h-i-n-k-i-n-g before I write, t-h-i-n-k-i-n-g before I speak and even t-h-i-n-k-i-n-g before I think on things. If I’ve learned nothing else in the past year it is to t-h-i-n-k. Think. Think. Think… before I do or say anything. Still, I don’t get things right. But tonight the thinking I’m referring to is thankful thinking — or, thinking thankfully. Just as it’s very hard — almost impossible — to praise and complain at the same time,…
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Facing the woman in the mirror… and getting her to do what she ought: O, what a challenge, sometimes!! I know this. I know this painfully well. And so… I want to share with you some things you might do to help the woman in the mirror. Don’t “muddle” through life… there is help and there is hope.Your tomorrows do not have to be like your yesterdays. I’ve sometimes thought, with dread, that things will never change. I’ve sometimes thought, again with dread, that I will never change… that I will never get a handle on this or that struggle.Every…
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Significant to me are the milestones in my life that were either turning points or celebrations or decisions. Some of the turning points were simply changes in direction of thought or action; simple things like: from this day forward, I will________. I have marked many of the “I will’s” in my Bible or on stones in our garden or in journals I’ve kept over the years. Sometimes I didn’t realize that specific decisions would have such strong or lasting implications—nor, did I realize that God would use decisions as springboards for others. But I do now. Only looking back do…
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As I was reading my Bible, I began to pray specifically for one of my boys. This often happens as I am reading along and am inspired by the text to stop and pray or to make personal application to a particular situation or for a particular individual or family. Well, the other day as I was reading and praying, I was greatly comforted by God’s gracious love toward us and how, though occasionally quite painful or difficult, the Lord works all things for our good and His glory. Each trial or difficulty seems (perhaps not till long after the…
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Enthusiasm’s contagious! Isn’t it interesting how quickly our mood or emotions can change by being around someone who’s enthused about something? Or, someone who’s elated over accomplishing some great thing? It’s kind of like the bible verses in Luke 15: 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. I…
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It happens every year. I resolve to do this or that thing – more or less or better or not at all. In addition to those resolves, I always think there’s something unique or particularly inspiring about the New Year. New Year. New calendar. New date book. New pages for the notebook — yes, as antiquated as it is and it remains, my palm pilot, my blackberry, my iphone, my lapbook, etc., etc is, simply: a spiral bound notebook of lined paper in which I write notes, message, recipes, web addresses, grocery lists, quotes, Scripture verses. And doodles. Another thing…
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At its very best. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the value of a life, the influence of a life, the consequence of a life, the purpose of a life, and the final testimony of a life. As I have been studying for a Titus2 meeting I’ve been mulling over this month’s topic (from 2 Peter and the list of character qualities) and this month’s topic is charity. We know from 1 Corinthians 13 that without this — without charity, we are nothing. So one of the questions that continues to be before me is this: what is…
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It’s been a week since our daughter, Kathryn, came home from Uganda. It’s amazing to me all that this past week has held. I’ve learned a great deal more about the love of God, the fellowship of the saints, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and faith — faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says/said: That will He will do and that has He done. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem:…