All We Can Do Is Pray

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Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.



I'm sure you've heard people say this after they have exhausted all other resources, and tried by their own efforts to change an outcome that just doesn't want to change no matter what efforts are placed against it. Perhaps it is regarding a bad workplace situation, or a terminal illness of a loved one, or a child that is bent on destruction...all efforts to make the problem go away have failed, and now all that is left is to give up, and pray, and maybe God will grant a miracle.....or maybe not.

 James 5:16 
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.





Why do we think when a situation doesn't turn the way we think it should that it is because: 1. God isn't watching or listening 2. God isn't there, He's busy with other things or 3. God doesn't exist (atheist)? From having paid attention to events as they have occurred in my life, I see that God has always been faithful, that the things that haven't turned out the way I wanted ended up being for the best anyway, and that God does have a plan for each of us and often the things that happen (or don't happen the way we want them to) occur because the Lord is using those situations to prune us, to dig around our hard soil, so that proper growth can take place. David went through terrible hardships. His thoughts and prayers, his sorrow and shame, are recorded for us in his Psalms that were sung to the Lord as he patiently waited on the Lord, knowing that no matter what happened God is good and knows what He's doing, and that in the final end it is all for the best.
 Psalm 34:8,15  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

When I pray I do have a "this is how I want it to turn out, Lord" in mind, but the Lord sees more than I do. He sees long-term and I only see immediate short-term benefits. Plus I don't see how all of the pieces are to fit together. The fact that I want rain to make my flowers grow might interfere with the fact that a family a couple of doors away is praying it doesn't rain until they are able to repair their roof that is in very bad shape (as a poor example, but you get the idea; what is a blessing for me might be a curse for someone else and the world does not revolve around me).

So the next time you are tempted to say "All we can do is pray" instead say "How wonderful it is we can talk with the Lord about this in prayer!".

Watch Therefore

This week some strange events have been taking place on the west coast that have resulted in Los Angeles International Airport diverting it's flight paths. Please I hope you realize that it is no small thing for an airport to have to alter it's operations this way, so we should pay attention to this "small matter".

I'll link to an ABC news article which mentions this odd occurrence:

http://abc7.com/news/secret-military-operations-to-divert-lax-planes-for-a-week/1072890/

Whether this leads to all out war with the Asia and Russia is up to the Lord, certainly, however it needs to be said that we must keep on the watch, be diligent to watch and pray as Jesus cautions us to do.

Matthew 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.(KJV)

 Matthew 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (KJV)

As my husband always reminds me: "No man knows the day nor the hour..." (Matthew 24:36) and indeed every generation since the time of Jesus thought they would see the return of Christ...and indeed every generation WILL see the returning of Jesus because those who have gone "to sleep" will not precede those who are still alive at the time of the Lord's returning:

 1Thessalonians 4:15  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. (ESV)

So we all are correct in maintaining that vigilance, and would be wise to "watch and pray" that we will be strong in the Lord's strength to endure what is yet to come. I personally believe Jesus is coming within my lifetime, but whether He does or not is truly up to Him. I believe that before He comes things will have gotten so bad that MANY will have given up on His returning, and that times will get much, much darker...as the saying goes, it is always darkest just before the dawn. Mary, the sister of Lazarus thought Jesus came too late, and was sorrowful that He did not come in time to save her brother...was He really too late? It certainly appeared so, but as often is the case, what appears to be a certain thing to our human understanding often is not what really is going on. That is why we need to remain in prayer while we see things going from bad to worse, and not give in to the temptation to give up on what Jesus said to us. Remain vigilant. Keep speaking the truth in love. Watch for His appearing....and of course, always, rejoice in the salvation of our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer, our God Jesus Christ, Lord of all.

Realizing Time is Short

September we had the opportunity to take a trip out west. It was beyond wonderful. While drving along my husband would often pull to the side if there was a good pull out spot. One of the times he did so, I noticed something that looked like a cross at the other end of this lookout spot.

so of course I had to investigate this...

and a closer look revealed...

None of us knows when our time is up. I pray that when the time comes for the Lord to call you home that you will join Him gladly full of thanksgiving for all the goodness He provides, and for the glad moment when He brings us home to be with Him, forever.

In Real Life...Update

A couple of updates on what is going on in my "real life" world, outside of cyberspace...

My love for the Lord seems to ever increase, even with (especially with?) the terrible things I see going on, people who maintain they were "true Christians" and now say they don't believe in Jesus or the Bible and even post on Hinduism (for crying out loud) when you don't believe the truth you'll fall for anything, eh? I get so much peace and comfort from reading the scriptures, a peace that truly goes beyond my intellect or understanding, and I am truly thankful and content with life, and pray that no matter what happens, with everything going down the tubes so quickly anymore, that the Lord will be my strength and my shield when tshtf, that I won't give in to save my flesh...

So anyway, here are a couple of things that are going on here at our house...

Recently there was a townwide yard sale...but as these things sometimes go, it poured rain all day of the event. We were thinking of participating in it, but my husband decided to put it off for next year, and good thing because it was quite a rain and we have no tent...some diehards were out there in the rain with tents and I did go to a couple of their homes...I purchased a nice shelf for eight bucks!

At another house there was exercise equipment...I asked hubby about it, he said he already had plans for my exercise equipment and surprised me with a gift a few days ago...

Yeah, ok, very funny honey... :)

The garden is doing nicely however the weeds are doing best of all...I had decided last year that I would try my hand at doing it all from cuttings and seeds, so my plants, although they are doing well, are still small:

 The two scraggly looking plants are herbs: rosemary, watercress, basil, chives and cilantro (the tallest plant), okay they don't seem to be doing so great....started the herbs from seeds.

These are mostly all from seed, a few are from cuttings, my petunias (from seed) are growing well however still have not flowered...an aunt who has a gorgeous flowering garden credits Miracle Grow plant food...may have to go get some of that, been using an off brand plant food, some things just require spending the extra bucks.

These by our front door are also from cuttings, the red flowers are begonias that I rescued when they were hanging plants downtown. They are doing very well! The Dutch in me loves the fact that they were free! Bonus!

Yesterday I found this dead mole in our grass...

I truly never knew they have such an ugly snout!

And all that gardening leaves my joints more achey than ever, so when I saw an article promising relief from joint discomfort by drinking gelatin in water I had to give it a try. I had some last night; used half a packet in a glass of water, and had some again first thing in the morning. I must say that I noticed relief in my hands and feet this morning. Yesterday my feet were so stiff I hobbled around the house like I was 80 years old (sorry to any 80 year old who doesn't hobble that may be reading this). I have arthritis and joint pain from the wear and tear on my body from pushing heavy x-ray equipment and heavy patients; back pain, shoulder pain, pain in my hips...so I thought I might notice a slight benefit and any slight benefit would be a wonderful and welcome thing. This morning I walked down our staircase without having to brace myself compared with yesterday when I had to hang on to the walls as I painfully descended them....and my hands, I was barely able to close them yesterday, today I even can clench my fist tightly which I was unable to do yesterday because of the previous stiffness. I do still notice slight stiffness in my fingers but nothing like it was before starting this. Thank the Lord for this find! As a side note, the joint  cartilage which wears away as we age is made of the same material that makes up the myelin sheath which encase our nerves, so I also see this having potential benefit for nerve pain.

Anyway, you have been updated! Praise the Lord for His goodness, mercy and grace! He is worthy of our thanksgiving and praise! :)

Powerfully Saved

So much has been happening in the news lately, of course the much anticipated Supreme Court decision is being talked about everywhere, many on Facebook are altering their profile pictures to show their support of the same sex marriage decision...I was considering altering my profile picture on Facebook to have a Bible or a cross or perhaps an open tomb, but decided to keep my profile pic the way it is. I don't want to cause people to jump to conclusions from a picture before hearing me out, and it all seems like a childish "whose side is bigger" game to me. It doesn't matter what people (including Supreme court justices) decide or do, it is what God has done, does, and will do that matters most.

Looking around on youtube on the topic of LGBT I found a wonderful testimony by a former lesbian activist. She has many insights into the "lifestyle" and the LGBT movement, how they infiltrate, the truth about LGBT tactics, and the difficulties that plague those caught in this way of life from behind the scenes, and how the Lord saved her and changed her "ministry".

Charlene is not a pastor, but she does mention a woman pastor that spoke words of life to her. I hope you won't get sidetracked on the woman pastor issue.  True that the office of pastoral leadership should not be held by women, however I also know from scripture that God can even use a donkey to keep a person from heading for destruction.

Also she mentions that it was her choice to allow Jesus to save her, yet she mentions  that the Lord saved her when she was 12 years old...the Lord obviously had a plan for Charlene's life and He brought it to completion. It doesn't matter if we think we chose Him, what makes anything we do real or not is if God ignites and infuses His Spirit into whatever decisions we make. Many think man's power to decide is what saves us and of course we can do nothing unless the Lord first grants us the ability to see that choice and then give us His power to choose the right thing. She might be a bit confused about who chose whom, but I can see that she has been powerfully saved by the Lord truly intervening in her life.

This video is about 25  minutes in length. Please have a very uplifting and inspirational coffee break time out with Charlene:

Enjoying the Summer

So the first official weekend of summer just passed us (first day of summer is the 21st...22nd?...of June), and it was a gorgeous weekend indeed, and of course I thank the Lord for all circumstances good or seemingly bad...

We went out for dinner near the water in Brockville (if you don't know where Brockville is, don't feel bad, I didn't either until my first visit there a few years ago, but if you ever find it you will love it there...

there was a festival going on, 

I've forgotten what the festival was called

there were lots of food stands...

my dear hubby offered me a beavertail

but I was so full from dinner...

don't you love the pac-man shaped lemonade stand?

the water, the sky, the clouds, just beautiful...

such a nice day for boating...

and Irish folk music :)

festival seating, hahaha

they were fantastic!

God's Timing, and God's Will Vs. Man's Will

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A recent discussion in the comments section of a blog post from a few months ago ....
 http://susanflutterbys.blogspot.ca/2015/03/another-post-on-hell.html
 had me marinating over the topic of God's will and man's will...again...I mean it is a topic that I often think about, and it had me go to that place once more.

The Bible likens the believer's relationship to a child and a Father. A child can demand all kinds of things at every whim or fancy, but does that obligate the father to give in to the child at that moment of the request? I think of the people that Jesus healed...some had been waiting for a healing for many years, begging that God would relieve their misery. Why didn't He? When Lazarus, beloved by Jesus, died, Lazarus's sister Mary complained that if Jesus had been a little bit sooner her brother would not have to have died. Why was He late? Or was He?

We have a timetable of when we think things should happen. There are many charlatans who will promise you that God will give you everything you want IMMEDIATELY and if He doesn't, it is because your faith is lacking, so show your faith by sending in all your money to the ministry....blahblahblahblahblah....

When looking for an image for this post, I found the one above, and interestingly, the story of the Doomsday Clock dovetails nicely with my thoughts about God's timing, God's will, and man's (and woman's...that is, mine included) impetuous nature. God answers when He does and the way He chooses to show us that it is His will, not ours, that causes what He does in our lives at the appropriate times, which often is not when we wanted it (immediately, whether it was yesterday, a week ago, or 20 years ago). Joseph had to wait in prison in Egypt MANY YEARS, having been falsely imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. When he explained a dream to two fellow inmates the one who lived promised to tell Pharaoh about Joseph's plight, but then it wasn't until another 2 years passed before he remembered Joseph when Pharaoh had a dream. How mean of God to keep Joseph in jail all that time for a crime he did not commit!!! How dare He! What an evil God! No, actually, it ended up all being for good (if you know the rest of the story, I know you would agree with me). But God could have done things differently. Why did people have to suffer in order for God's good to have to come so late? Ahh, is it to teach us patience? Perseverance perhaps? Maybe...but it is for God to do what He does for the reasons He knows are the correct ones. We would only be guessing, but a good God who has the welfare of His chosen ever in mind, does what He does for those who love Him.

This is a quote I ran across yesterday, it sort of tells part of this equation:

" Now God sometimes allows people to treat us unjustly. Sometimes He even allows their actions to seriously affect our careers or our futures viewed on a human plane. But God never allows people to make decisions about us that undermine His plan for us. God is for us, we are His children, He delights in us (see Zephaniah 3:17). And the Scripture says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We can put this down as a bedrock truth: God will never allow any action against you that is not in accord with His will for you. And His will is always directed to our good. "
Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts

The Bible says the fiery trials purge us and refine us like gold in fire. The book of Job explains it beautifully.  God has made available all these things: warnings, rebukes, admonishings, wisdom, explanations, comforting passages, praises, love, and much more, and we can foolishly find ways to discredit what He says to us, or we can take it to heart and pray for His timing in the performance of His will in our lives. His will is to save the lost. Are you lost?

 Oh, and regarding the Doomsday Clock article...it's an old article...the time has been moved up to 3 minutes to midnite. The closest it has ever been to midnite was when they put the time at 2 minutes to midnite, and then after the cold war it was reset to 17 minutes to midnite....but God knows what time it is by His timetable. The disciples in Jesus day thought that the end of the world would be in their lifetime, and look at the patient endurance of God who is waiting for more people to save. He is patient...but are you patient, to the saving of your soul, with Him?

A Little R & R

I recently returned from an amazing trip with my husband...I will share a few photos in this posting, maybe to go into more detail at a future date...or maybe not, God knows :)

This was taken at a rest stop, we did quite a bit of driving, it was good to get out and stretch our legs...

...it was a huge rest stop,

and the view was spectacular;

we were somewhere between Phoenix and Flagstaff...

these images don't do it justice

I don't know those people, 

they just happened to get in my shot...

the cacti are just beginning to blossom

I can only imagine how beautiful the desert will be

in a week or two...

Our little road trip was so amazing, we decided on the spur of the moment to go west, and it was so wonderful! I only wish we could do it more often...but oh so thankful we could do it at all...

Well, that's all I have time for today :)  <3

Spring!

Today I had to do a couple of errands so I took a walk and went downtown...and on the way I saw

crocuses!

and

a nice scene for a future needlepoint project? maybe...

and a reminder....

the beauty of the day was offset 

by

this reminder

that this world is cursed with 

death

and

corruption

and then in my own garden...

yellow crocuses

I hope I have purple ones also...

I planted bulbs last fall...

they were a mix of yellow, purple and white...

these are the first to bloom! 

I love them <3

There have been a few things that have been heavy on my mind and heart, but I am still ruminating

over them, perhaps they will be the subject of a post in the near future. In the meantime 

I'll be thankful for these blessings and reminders, and will pray about the other things....

Today....

Today was such a gorgeous day...beautiful, truly, a lovely blessing from God, reminder that spring is just around the bend...

a couple miles down that way is our house :)

a nice farm...

what a cool barn!

 another nice farm, reminds me of autumn....

 however, it was taken today,

 I spy with my little eye...

another farm!

the snow is melting...

hubby says there will be one more storm

maybe two

I hope he's wrong...

I was afraid to get more than a couple

I thought they would turn out to be dry...

they are delicious...

wishing I bought more :)

and I bought this little gift for our kitchen window

a little violet...so cheerful!

The Lord blesses me in more ways than I can count, how often do I take Him and His gifts to me for granted? How many seconds are there in a day? Thank you Jesus for loving me and forgiving me and for helping me understand that your ways are higher than my ways...than man's (and woman's) ways. Thank you for teaching me about your way.

Harbouring Unforgiveness in My Heart

 Taking a little break from the Calvinist study to share something from my daily life...

 

"Cell Division" by Seliora

link to photo 

 

This Morning's Dream:

Interacting with many people in the hustle bustle of daily life, but I was noticing a change. People were becoming "more of what they are", like their inner lives were coming out into the open more and more, many seemed to be losing their minds. A few, like me, seemed to be outside of this transforming development. We were the truly thankful ones who had forgiven those who had hurt us in the past. The others that were changing ....became, or rather allowed themselves the freedom to exhibit their hatefilled self-centeredness, anger and their coldness. They still had a huge amount of anger, rage, and unforgiveness in them. Some didn't seem as bad, they still seemed to have a form of "goodness" but were quietly seething on the inside while appearing very haughty and still putting up an appearance of what looked like love, but it was only love for themselves and those they approved of. I tried to reach out to a man who seemed to be struggling in the middle. I told him to let go of all unforgiveness in his heart, to be truly thankful to God for the good things, for life. He looked at me and understood.

When I awoke from this dream this morning, I felt as though this world is like a cell in the process of cell division with the Lord's people on one side and the rest on the other, getting separated out, like the tares from the wheat, I didn't feel anxious or panicked about it, just very thoughtful, thinking over Jesus words about the unforgiveness and hatred I was seeing displayed in those who were not His:

 Matthew 18:23-35  "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 

 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'  

And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.  But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.'  So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'  

He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.  

When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.  

Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."(ESV)

 Matthew 6:15  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (ESV)

There are a couple of people that come to mind that I have never fully resolved an irritating issue between us, still harboring anger towards them, but keep  "it" in a hidden part of my being, so others won't notice it, and once in a while, that monster pops it's ugly head out and I shove him back into the dark corner where no one will notice him. He is a part of my flesh, and am thankful for this (above) parable.  I have given this problem to the Lord and He will do the delicate surgery required to heal everything in His time....but that doesn't let me completely off the hook. Sanctification is something that often gets confused with justification. Sanctification is a process that the Lord does in the life of a true follower of Jesus who is filled with His Spirit. All the ones perfecting themselves through their own "goodness" and own "abilities" will find themselves eventually on the wrong side of the spiritual war that is going on even now. 

Like faithful Lot we can pray with the Lord about these lost ones, but in the end, like with Lot, the decision rests with God. Does He transform them into the likeness of His being?..... or will they go on "perfecting themselves", still unrepentant, haughty, self-satisfied, hellbound....

  

Resolution to Do Better

On New Years Day I committed to reading the Bible every morning and evening....especially trying to do that first before anything else in my day, and the last thing I do at night. I've messed up a couple of times but on the whole it has been a successful endeavor.

I've noticed that no matter what happens throughout the day I am much more relaxed and in control in a good way. In control used to mean wrestling control back when I felt I had lost my hold of a situation. Now it is simply resting on the fact that I know God has this....and everything...and He really does know what He's doing...however previously I would have to work hard at keeping that understanding in mind, and now the difference is that it just is that way without me having to work that into my thinking processes.

Psalm 65:8b ...Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.


and to those who do not regard Him:



Job 4:17-21  Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
  Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
They are destroyed from morning to evening:
They perish for ever without any regarding it.  
Doth not their excellency which is in them go away?
 They die, even without wisdom.


As I get older I understand more and more deeply the wisdom of God's word to us...and it is meant for blessing and health in our bones and for that true peace that persists no matter what terrible things happen, because everything in this world is temporary and going away anyway. But the ones who are called of the Lord are with Him forever.

The Battle

This morning I awoke thinking about what people have been saying on the various "social media" outlets about Robin Williams. It is indeed very sad what happened to him. I found something that included some quotes of his, that shed light on what was actually going on in his life.

Excerpt:

“Yeah! Literally, it's like possession ‑ all of a sudden you're in, and because it's in front of a live audience, you just get this energy that just starts going…But there's also that thing ‑ it is possession. In the old days you'd be burned for it…But there is something empowering about it. I mean, it is a place where you are totally ‑ it is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where you really can become this other force. Maybe that's why I don't need to play evil characters [in movies], 'cause sometimes onstage you can cross that line and come back. Clubs are a weird kind of petri-dish environment. I mean, that's where people can get as dark as they can in comedy ‑ in the name of comedy, be talking about outrageous stuff and somehow come out the other side. I mean, that's one place where you really want to push it”
 (Robin Williams, "Robin Williams,” by James Kaplan, US Weekly, January, 1999, p. 53).
 Article link click here

The article goes on to say that many in the entertainment industry admit to having made such unholy alliances, otherwise known as "having made a deal with the devil" like in the story "The Devil and Daniel Webster", and of course even that can be repented of...however the devil won't make it easy. We were all once the devil's property, in some sense having been in alliance with him, but Jesus provided the way out.

This morning I was thinking about my flesh, my selfishness, my pride, my hypocrisy...and it made me think of Jesus seeing all of it and saying "I forgive you". Do I deserve that? Does anyone? No, of course not.

The devil is always there to temp us, to try to dissuade us from following the truth, and Jesus is ever there to give us the strength to follow Him, however it requires the one thing that many do not want to do: it requires renouncing this world and all of the deceptions and foolishness and arrogance etc in it, and also the fame and fortune it offers in exchange for a life of poverty in Christ. That doesn't mean I am to throw all my possessions away and live on the streets homeless, but it might...in that if I do find that I like Job have everything taken away from me, that I do not curse God but remember that even if I only have my life left, and my body is covered with sores and am in agony, it is still more than I deserve because how can I who came from nothing (before I was created) deserve anything?

I've listened to the Pilgrim's Progress excerpts on Sermon Audio before, and listened to this one again this morning. It describes our battle very well:

Battle with Apollyon

Despite all the wonderful things people are saying about Robin Williams he was a human being and one that we should not be elevating onto a pedestal. He was unhappy with his life, and if he could have surrendered that to Jesus we might have seen a different outcome. I've heard people say "He was a Christian"...but I'm not convinced, and that isn't the point anyway. We shouldn't idolize anyone, and we shouldn't make a martyr out of him. Jesus is the only one who is allowed our worship, He alone paid the price for our sins.

 I hope you who read here will live a life of gratitude to God no matter how horrible you think your life is, and if you think your life is extremely blessed all the more reason to thank Him.

What is Faith?

This question: "What is faith?" ; was posed to me by someone who says he is struggling with his Christian faith. The Bible answers this question truly and enough:

  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.
 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,
so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous,
God testifying of his gifts:
and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death;
and was not found, because God had translated him:
for before his translation
                             he had this testimony: that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him:
 for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, 
and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently
               seek
                      Him.

Hebrews 11:1-6 (KJV)

I must admit that lately I've been losing my patience with those who claim they once were saved and that God failed them by causing them to lose their faith. Is that truly so? I think they believe it to be so but I believe they are deluding themselves in their false belief of things that are not so. They state various reasons as evidence that God isn't real, yet the Bible confirms the evidence that abounds all around us that God is indeed real and true and that everyone who says He is not is a liar, because deep down we all know there has to be a Creator, and the first things out of an atheist's mouth are curses to the God he doesn't believe in when things do not go according to their plans.

I just finished the Jeffrey Archer book "Paths of Glory". George Mallory had a desire to conquer Mount Everest and he let nothing stand in his way of doing that which was uppermost in his desire. Can someone desire Jesus with that kind of passion that would risk life and limb and then suddenly say: "I just don't believe in Him anymore" ? That kind of desire and passion led to George Mallory's death while he diligently pursued his object of his desire. That kind of desire and passion has led many to face lions, persecutors, and death, while still singing praises to God for His mercy. Then there are these who say they too followed Him with this same passion and it led them to apathy and lack of faith??? Is that truly what God does to those who love Him and seek Him with all their heart?

I say the proof is in the pudding. If they truly love God with that kind of love, the love that says "I love God above all else, even above my own mortality" it follows that this love, this commitment to God, lasts their entire lifetime and into all eternity. If their faith is only a "said faith" spoken with their mouth and one that is  sometimes felt in a "mountaintop experience" then it can fade because their faith is based on these highs of experience instead of on God through thick and thin. If their faith dwindles into nothing it isn't God who let them down, it is that they themselves are in denial of the fact that they never loved God more than they loved themselves.

So when those who claim that they once loved Jesus and now have decided it was all just a fairytale which caused them great pain, I try to reason with them and then soon lose patience with the fact that every reply shows that they desire not Him, they have no need for Him, they love their own reasoning ability which says "There is no God" more than they love God, so where is their searching going to lead, and will my defense of faith in Jesus in my attempts at countering their defiance of God help them in any way? If God indeed wants to save them as He did Saul/Paul He surely can do it without my help. I am not almighty to save, He is. It isn't up to me to convince anyone of the Truth. If I fail at reaching some (any?) is God so small that He cannot reach them in His time using His means which might not include me in that plan? And if they are vessels that were made for destruction, can I override God's purpose in this matter?

Faith is a gift from God to those who believe, His grace unmerited because we all are made from dust, and what does dust deserve? This little spark of intellect that fires our being, is it something we own?; something we deserve?; something we ourselves originated within ourselves?; having created ourselves to be who we are? Or is it something on loan from God? Something that should cause the response of thankfulness to God in how we live? To be faithless, is to be dishonouring to God in how we live and talk and the evidence for that faithlessness is hatefulness and is ungrateful and arrogant...this is bountifully clear to anyone whom God has opened the eyes of understanding. How often have I witnessed those who put on the "humility" act pretending they are something while blaspheming the God that made them, by saying He is untrue? That is arrogance to the maximum.

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 1 John 2:22 (KJV)

God will provide faith but you've REALLY got to want it with all of your heart. Remember the centurion who sought Jesus out to heal His daughter? He said "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief" Mark 9:24 Now an atheist will say: " I prayed the same for a family member who died, so why didn't God do for me like He did for that centurion? It must be because it is just a fairytale, therefore they are completely untrustworthy fables with which to placate children". The thing is that God's answers happens on God's timetable, not ours. Mary thought Jesus failed because He came too late to keep Lazarus from dying. We will all die. It may seem at times like He has forsaken us and that He failed to answer a prayer for safety or other noble requests for others wellbeing. But He is the resurrection and the life, and what appears to us as being too late is right on schedule according to God's infinitely larger time table. Jesus chided people for being "Oh ye of little faith" and if we confess with Him that we indeed are impoverished in this and continue seeking Him to supply us with the faith we need, He is faithful to supply what is needed as the situation requires.

  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.   Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)  

                                                    Hebrews 10:22-23 (KJV)

Matthew Henry's comments regarding this Hebrews passage:


He is faithful that hath promised. God has made great and precious promises to believers, and he is a faithful God, true to his word; there is no falseness nor fickleness with him, and there should be none with us. His faithfulness should excite and encourage us to be faithful, and we must depend more upon his promises to us than upon our promises to him, and we must plead with him the promise of grace sufficient.


Let us live lives of thankfulness to God, serving Him, ever seeking His guidance and having the faithful character that doesn't give up or give in to the lies of "the enemy" of our souls.

On Being Forgiving, Should We Forget?

"When I was a little older, I noticed my dad did not express his feelings as openly as some people, and I remember my mother trying to explain to me that as a young boy, my father learned to hide his feelings. He had learned that his persecutors in Germany were less abrasive if he didn’t respond to their actions against him.
When I was a teenager trying to “find myself,” I realized much of my personal insecurities could be traced directly back to the fact that I was the child of a Holocaust survivor."
 ---Jonathan Bernd—Why I Cannot Keep Silent
 http://thatjewdiedforyou.com/jonathan-bernd-son-of-hans-bernd/

My parents also suffered atrocities during WW2. My dad didn't talk about it but my mom did. My mom was angry and bitter, and held on to her resentment for many years. When my mom came to Christ, she learned her need to forgive the people that hurt her in her past. God provided wonderful opportunities to her to heal that anger. 

All of us have had things happen to us with which we struggle to find that place of forgiveness. I like what Jonathan Bernd says in the above piece, that forgiveness is not the same as forgetfulness. We can forgive and still remember, in fact we must remember. The two (forgiveness and forgetfulness/remembrance) are not intertwined, and can both be handled separately. I am sure Jesus remembered what was done to Him on the cross at Calvary, He remembers all things, and yet He forgives.

The Weatherman Was Right

Yep, it snowed last night, in fact it is STILL SNOWING!

this looks like January, NOT mid-April!

I was so hoping to enjoy our meals outside by now...

1Timothy 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Upsidedown

This life is topsy-turvey sometimes (often times?)...I've been posting about the gifts of the Spirit on my other blog, and it seems to me like the world is getting crazier and crazier...someone posted this on Facebook:

Interesting that when I first was saved it seemed my whole world turned upside-down and for a while I had a horrible time coping. One day I was doing a bit of gardening. The soil where I lived was hardened clay, it was as hard as concrete. I tried everything, soaking it for days on end, but I couldn't dig deeper than a few inches. The only things I could grow were my rosebushes and, well, weeds. Then, as the sweat poured from me, and covered in dirt, trying to get this little piece of ground to obey me, it dawned on me how upside-down everything is in this world is. The plants that are good and beautiful and for food, are so difficult to keep alive, and the brambles and weeds grow like, well, like weeds. It is just like we learn from the book of Genesis. The way the earth is isn't how God created this earth to be. It is upside-down and backwards.

After watching a few videos about how badly some (many?) people mangle the truth of God's word, which I post a little on at my Bible Treasures blog, I needed to get some air. It is such a beautiful day here, after all that snow and such a cold and long winter, it was good to get out for a stroll....

...just down the street...

...it almost seems like I can get away from it all....

...so close and yet so far away....

...it's hard to believe this is right by our home, 

it almost seems like another world from another time...

...truly I am blessed to have such beautiful and quiet neighbors (trees) ...well, it's time to start supper :)

Guard Your Heart

 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.   But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13  (ESV)

Hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. The worst sin is pride. It caused satan to think he was superior to God Himself, and cause others to come with him and join him in his falling from grace.

If a person is truly saved, changed from the inside, born again, it is impossible for such a one to lose their salvation (Jesus said so)...and some may lose their way temporarily, but will return to Him because He draws His own to Himself (John 6:44) however there are those who have an "appearance of godliness", they appear "good" but it isn't the goodness that comes from God because they deny His power, and we are to turn away from those.

2Ti 3:1  But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2Ti 3:2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
2Ti 3:4  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5  having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2Ti 3:6  For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,
2Ti 3:7  always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

However there are warnings in the Bible. There are things to avoid, just as we would avoid anything icky and disgusting and horrid. In the Old Testament there were rules for how to deal with lepers. They had their own area that they had to be in so the healthy would not be in contact with them. They had to remain "outside the camp" until they were deemed cleansed.

I have been reading the Old Testament beginning from the beginning. I'm now in the book of Numbers. There is a scene in the text where Aaron and Miriam stand against Moses, and God punishes Miriam (I wonder why not Aaron? oh well) with leprosy. Moses pleads for Miriam but God says she has to endure the disease for 7 days after-which she

Happy Thankful Giving :)

Contradictions??? or all just part of God's immense and perfect plan for the elect? God knows it all perfectly, we only see in part...(1 Corinthians 13:12)

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,...

A Little Bird Told Me....

Today as I approached the entrance to the hospital where I work, I noticed a tiny bird crouched near the doorway; on the ground. I thought that surely it would fly away as I approached, however it remained there, even letting me touch it's wings and stroke the top of it's tiny head, and touch it's tiny beak. She looked up at me as if to say, "Isn't it a lovely day? ...and  how are you today?" I thought perhaps it was injured or ill, and that someone might do something mean to it if I left it there, so I gently tried to scoop her up, and as I started to lift her off the ground she decided that our visit was over, and flew away.

 link

She looked quite a lot like this except she had some burnt-orange color on her breast.

This little encounter set the mood for my day, and my first patient, a tiny old woman who seemed so fragile and gentle and trusting, reminded me of my little bird friend. I treated her very gently, and then let her go on her way after we were done with her exam and might never see her again, just as I may never again see that tiny bird. Such tiny encounters that we can easily overlook for their humble insignificance, and yet, if we would stop, and look, and touch, and feel, and receive the blessing, it didn't cost us anything but a few moments of our time, and all the money in the world could not purchase the sweetness of those moments. How often do I overlook them? Everyday....several hundred times a day. Thank you Lord for helping me to see this one, this time.