Monday, March 31, 2014

The Absolute Best!!!

 "For I create Jerusalem 
to be a JOY
and its people to be a delight..."
Isaiah 65:18

There is so much misconception about God.
But the surest way to get to know Him
is to go back to the truth...
His Word.

And He said that He created 
His people to be a joy to Himself,
a delight, a source of pleasure and happiness.
No way is He a distant God,
a vengeful far off being
intent on punishing us or watching 
everything we do to count it against us!

Instead, if we TRUST Him,
we will realize that everything that happens to us,
every senseless (to us!) thing,
every painful, hard circumstance in our life
is an opportunity for change, transformation,
growth and thus for thanksgiving!

 "The Lord looks into the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7

No one can see our hearts better than God!
And that should be a comfort to us!
Because if people could see our hearts,
uh oh!!!
Condemnation to the max!
But God is most loving, kind, 
compassionate and He only wants the
absolute best for us!

What a wonderful truth to start our week with!!!


 
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Friday, March 28, 2014

Paint Party Friday: Within You!

One of the scribes asked Jesus a question,
and at the end of the exchange Jesus told him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
Mark 12:34

If only that scribe knew!
He was literally, NOT FAR from the Kingdom of God!
Jesus was probably just a foot and a half away from Him!

How about us?
Do we realize how near to us heaven could be?

 In different versions of Luke 17:21,
we can read that the Kingdom if God is
in our midst, already among us, within us,
is with us!

The Aramaic Bible interestingly translates this verse
"The Kingdom of God is within SOME of you."
I think I prefer this translation!

Some people have the gift of 
bringing the presence of God
with them even in the mundane, 
ordinary, tedious tasks of every day life.
I would like to be like Brother Lawrence
a uneducated lay brother with the 
Discalced Carmelites,
who practiced infusing his work 
in the kitchen with love for God.

This from Wikipedia:
For Brother Lawrence, "common business," 
no matter how mundane or routine, 
could be a medium of God's love. 
The sacredness or worldly status of a task 
mattered less than motivation behind it. 
"Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . 
We can do little things for God; 
I turn the cake that is frying on the pan 
for love of him, and that done, 
if there is nothing else to call me, 
I prostrate myself in worship before him,
 who has given me grace to work; 
afterwards I rise happier than a king. 
It is enough for me to pick up but a straw 
 from the ground for the love of God."

 "Let us come into His presence 
with thanksgiving..." Psalm 95:2
If we want more of God's power, 
victory and fullness in our life, 
we need to praise and thank Him!
David praised His way into God's heart! 
He prayed three times a day but 
praised God seven times a day! 
 And God called him a "man after my own heart." 
(1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22)

If we want to be like Brother Lawrence,
I think the easiest way to start
is to begin by praising God!!!



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Thank you for dropping by!
You are appreciated!

Patsy

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

WOYWW: Teach Your Children

Here is my desk this morning.
On the WOYWW stand is a postcard for
Art in the Park,
which I joined last Sunday.

Here is my part of the "Sheer Joy" booth
of the annual Art Fair.
I was quite happy selling my canvases 
and prints, and talking to a lot of people,
encouraging them not to give up painting!

 Today my reading was from the 
4th Chapter of Deuteronomy.
"Take care and be earnestly on your guard
not to forget the things which 
your own eyes have seen,
nor let them slip from your memory
as long as you live,
but teach them to your children
and to your children's children."

 Whether we intend to or not,
we will teach our children
our values, priorities, attitudes, work ethic,
the way we treat others, the way we handle money, etc.
So it's a good thing to be
intentional and purposeful about it.

It is 40 days since my mom 
left us to transfer to our Father's home
in heaven, and I remember 
the unique way she brought us up.

This will seem extreme and absurd to most of you,
but it was a rule in our home to have a chaperone
when we went out on dates.
I have 3 sisters and once, none of them
wanted to come out with me.
So I brought my dad!
I found it hilarious,
and my date said,
"Why did you do this to me?!!!"

I got married at 37 years old.
We had a double wedding with my sister Meldy,
after our double dates with our spouses to be!
What I got from this was that
we were precious, and my parents
wanted to take care of us very well.
My mother actually told Meldy's husband-to-be,
"Don't go after Meldy if you like
a girl who has been around."
And he stuck around even if he thought
it was so archaic to be chaperoned!
Meldy and I got the very best husbands!
And so did my sister Peggy,
who was chaperoned even after she was widowed!

 "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your Word." 
Luke 1:38

How could Mary, 
after receiving the most mind boggling,
shocking news that her life was 
going to be turned upside down,
be so calm and unruffled?

I've never experienced anything 
half as earth shaking, and yet many times
I have been anxious and filled with questions.

JC Ryle writes-
"Faith never rests so calmly and peacefully
as when it lays its head on the pillow of
God's omnipotence."

 I guess we may be anxious sometimes 
about the way we are bringing up our children
After all, there are so many factors to consider.
We may be intentional and purposeful,
and do the very best we can,
and still something goes wrong!

Like Mary, we need to really trust in God.
That after we pray and study His Word
and obey what He says in it, 
the very best we can do
is leave it to Him.
After all He promised that
He would finish the work He has started
in each and every one of us!
(Philippians 1:6)




Blessings!
Patsy