tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88329211903098872852024-03-13T09:14:43.104-07:00My Life Essentials My personal blog which incorporates things I find essential to life and chronicles all the things I love... Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-16923197716667307242013-05-17T02:19:00.000-07:002013-05-17T02:19:43.767-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Behold, thou lovest truth in the inward affections: therefore hast thou taught me </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wisdom in the secret." Psalm 51:6</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-84831766275556698472013-03-14T14:52:00.000-07:002013-03-14T14:52:46.726-07:00<div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"In the fear of the Lord is an <u>assured strength</u>, and his children shall have hope."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Proverbs 14:26</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the fear of the Lord is "strong refuge." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am so thankful that I get to live in the fear of the Lord and walk in this life by His strength and not my own. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is my shield and buckler and my strong tower. (Psalm 144:2) </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-42308448704751096942013-01-05T11:47:00.000-08:002018-04-05T11:47:55.598-07:00this is a test potsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-44069516660560417652012-11-07T07:11:00.002-08:002012-11-07T07:21:16.177-08:00Noah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Fret not thyself because of the wicked men, neither be envious for the evildoers. For they shall soon be cut down like grass, and shall wither as the green herb. Trust thou in the Lord and do good: dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed assuredly. And delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give thee thine heart's desire." Psalm 37: 1-4</div>
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How do we "fret not" at the wicked men?<br />
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We live in a society out of control. How do we find our security and peace?<br />
Noah lived in such days. The Word never says that he stumbled in all those years of preaching to non~responsive ears but kept walking with the Lord in obedience~ and was safe during the judgement of the unrighteous.<br />
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"But the evil men and deceivers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. <u>But </u><u>continue thou in the things which thou hast learned</u>, and which are committed unto thee, knowing of whom thou hast learned them." II Timothy 3:13-14<br />
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"For the mountains shall remove, and the hills shall fall down; <u>but my mercy shall not depart from</u> <u>thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace fall away, saith the Lord, that hath compassion on</u><u> thee.</u><br />
O thou afflicted and tossed with the tempest, that hast no comfort, behold, I will lay thy stones<br />
with the carbuncle, and lay thy foundation with the sapphires, And I will make thy windows of<br />
emeralds, and thy gates shining stones, and lay thy borders of pleasant stones. <br />
<u>And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and much peace shall be to thy children.</u><br />
<u> In righteousness shalt thou be established, and be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear it: and</u> <u>from fear; for it shall not come near thee</u>. Behold, the enemies shall gather himself, but without me: whosoever shall gather himself in thee, against thee, shall fall. Behold I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and him that bringeth forth an instrument for this work, and I have created the destroyer to destroy. But all the weapons that are made against thee, shall not prosper: and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement, thou shalt condemn. <u>This is the heritage of the Lord's servants</u>, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Isaiah 54:10-13<br />
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Such beautiful promises for such troubling times. Take up the heritage of those gone before and walk in righteousness in the midst of a perverse and wicked generation; the Lord is with all those who cry out to Him in holiness and we can take comfort in His promises to us and to our children. <br />
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Whatever lies before us is already in the Lord's hands. We will carry on with the work of our hands to bring Him glory, to find out His ways and to seek His face~ now more than ever. Let us find peace and security in "<u>the heritage</u> (the heirloom; estate) of the Lord's servants."<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-22098942579407473432012-11-04T05:12:00.002-08:002012-11-04T05:16:22.395-08:00Wisdom and Knowledge"The mouth of the just shall be fruitful in wisdom..." Proverbs 10:31<br />
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"The beginning of <u>wisdom is the fear of the Lord</u>, and <u>the knowledge of holy things is</u> <br />
<u>understanding</u>." Proverbs 9:10<br />
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To fear the Lord is wisdom and knowing holy things is understanding. <br />
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"In the lips of him that hath understanding, wisdom is found..." Proverbs 10:13<br />
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May I re~quote these verses together......<br />
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The mouth of the just shall be fruitful in (wisdom) "the fear of the Lord." <br />
In the lips of him that hath (understanding) "a knowledge of holy things" the fear of the Lord is found.<br />
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"Through wisdom, (the fear of the Lord), is an house built, and with understanding, (a knowledge of holy things) it is established." Proverbs 24:3<br />
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Let us always be mindful to "walk in the way of understanding." Proverbs 9:6<br />
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Have a Blessed Sunday. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-44272446853113325032012-11-03T05:56:00.001-07:002012-11-03T06:02:15.287-07:00Peace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"And <u>let</u> the peace of God, rule in your hearts, to the which ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful." Colossians 3:15<br />
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Bible memory has long been on my mind to incorporate into my life. Recently the Lord led me to start memorizing Psalm 37. This is such a timely chapter for today's world and I am truly thankful that I have begun to put this to memory. <br />
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"Fret not thyself because of the wicked men, neither be envious for the evildoers. For they shall soon be cut down like grass, and shall wither as the green herb." Psalm 37:1-2<br />
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This is what I have put to memory so far...but how sustaining these two verses are. Two verses a week until I have the whole chapter to memory. I put the verses on an index card and carry it with me to practice anytime I think about it. Eventually I will have the whole chapter on these index cards and will practice the whole chapter in two verse intervals. The pattern is: review and then work on the new. <br />
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With the problems of today's world and the anxiety it can bring I can think of no other better time to begin to "hide God's word in my heart" and to meditate on His promises so I can <u>"let"</u> the peace of God rule in my heart. This is a battle, hard fought, but it will bring forth the fruit that God is looking for. <br />
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"Behold the fowls of the heaven: for they sow not, neither reap, nor carry into the barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26 <br />
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We mustn't, <u>let,</u> anxiety, stress, anger, worry, confusion, etc... <u>rule</u> in our hearts; instead, <u>let the peace</u> <u>of God rule.</u> As we change our focus from the cares and troubles of this day and put it into His promises we can <u>rest.</u> <br />
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"Casting down the imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." II Corinthians 10:5 <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-48124961223117902692012-11-02T09:50:00.003-07:002012-11-02T10:13:47.023-07:00The Least in the Kingdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"For the Lord hath called thee, being as a woman forsaken, and afflicted in spirit, and as a young wife when thou wast refused..." Isaiah 54:6</div>
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Feeling forsaken? Unseen? Tired and Lonely ~ as if you can't face another day in the same situation? </div>
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The Lord does see ~ ever beholding your every breath. </div>
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"The Lord is near unto them that are of a contrite heart, and will save such as be afflicted in spirit." Psalm 34:18
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"And blessed is he that shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to speak unto the multitude of John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see?a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold they that wear soft clothing, are in kings' houses. But what went ye out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a Prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them which are begotten of women, arose there not a greater than John Baptist, notwithstanding, <u>he that is least in the kingdom</u> <u>of heaven, is greater than he."</u> Matthew 11:6-11
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Greater than John the Baptist? The least in the kingdom?</div>
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Let us not measure our 'worth' by the size of our audience, but by the quality of our service. We may not have multitudes at our feet, but what we do have matters in the kingdom and it's what we have been called to do with the work of our hands. </div>
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"I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come. Mine help cometh from the Lord, which hath made heaven and the earth." Psalm 121:1-2</div>
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"Let us not be weary of well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galations 6:9</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-90106734335482075122012-11-01T07:46:00.000-07:002012-11-01T10:25:54.779-07:00Life"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is the fullness of joy: and at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11<br />
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"Jesus said unto him, I am that <u>Way</u>, and that <u>Truth</u>, and that <u>Life</u>." John 14:6<br />
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He is that Life...and that path... <br />
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"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affections (mind) on things which are above, and not on things which are on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is <u>hid</u> with Christ in God. When Christ <u>which is our life</u>, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, the inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry. For the which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. Wherein ye also walked once, when ye lived in them. But now put ye away even all these things, wrath, anger, maliciousness, cursed speaking, filthy speaking, out of your mouth. Lie not one to another: seeing that ye have put off the old man with his works." Colossians 3:1-9</div>
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Life is <u>hidden</u> with Christ...and as we seek Him, we find that 'path of life'.<br />
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"And ye shall seek me, <u>and find me</u>, because ye shall seek with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-87328553403279003772012-10-30T06:33:00.001-07:002012-10-30T06:33:55.932-07:00Home~Makers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In May of this year my youngest daughter graduated from our school at home. Sixteen years and four daughters later I was faced with life without the hectic schedule of school. I was honestly overwhelmed, I loved our school time together. I had been so satisfied in those years doing what I knew the Lord had called me to and now I felt swallowed up with no direction of purpose. My daughters also were facing similar struggles with the need for purpose. I began to seek the Lord, fervently. I wasn't interested in finding something to 'fill' my time, but needed to hear His voice about what His will was for both myself and my daughters. I had long read opinions from every source out there about what was labeled "right and wrong", but I needed to hear for myself what steps to take from here and how to lead my girls. <br />
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"But, speak thou the things which become <u>wholesome</u> doctrine, The elder women likewise, that they be in such behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not subject to much wine, teachers of honest things. That they may instruct the young women to be sober minded, that they love their husbands, that they love their children, that they be temperate, chaste, keeping at home, good, and subject to their husbands, that the word of God be not evil spoken of." Titus 2:1,3-5<br />
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Not very popular of an idea in today's culture...I was floored and needed to get before the Lord. My calling was already written out and I had been missing it. Over the next months the Lord began to do a work in my heart and re~create my ideas and solidify who I am exactly in Him. I first must be living these things out and then teaching them to those around me. <br />
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~Keeping at home~ Guardians of the home This is my call no matter what the stage of life I am found in. The Lord has called me, as a woman, to be at home. The conviction was now solid and it is so, "that the word of God be not evil spoken of." <br />
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I have committed to read and study Proverbs 31 with Nancy Leigh DeMoss from "Revive Our Hearts" radio for 30 days. I am on day eleven now. I must admit the first few days were very repetative, but after a few days the verses began to come alive and I began to see deeper into this "virtuous woman." She is very industrious...in every aspect. As long as I am being led by the Lord with my industry and under my husband's leadership and my home is not slack, I also can be industrious, but we, as women, cannot forsake our first and true calling as ministers to the Lord, our children and our husbands. As single, widowed or divorced women, Isaiah 54:5 says, "For thy Maker is thine husband: the Lord of hosts is his name." As young, unmarried women learning the ministry of helpmeet, mother, overseer of the household and even being the very industrious woman is a call that will fulfill. <br />
Let us seek the Lord, to know Him and His ways. ~It is a beautiful path~<br />
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"Homes are the springs among the hills, whose many streamlets, uniting, form like great rivers society, the community, the nation, the Church. If the springs run low the rivers waste; if they pour out bounteous currents the rivers are full. If the springs are pure the rivers are clear like crystal; if they are foul the rivers are defiled. A curse upon homes sends a poisoning blight everywhere; a blessing sends healing and new life into every channel. Homes are the divinely ordained fountains of life. It is not by accident that men live in families rather than solitarily. The human race began in a a family, and Eden was a home. The divine blessing has ever rested upon nations and communities just in the measure in which they have added to these original institutions and have kept marriage and the home pure and holy; blight and curse have come just in the measure in which they have departed from these divine models, dishonoring marriage and tearing down the sacred walls of home." Rev. J.R. Miller from his book <u>Home-Making</u> written in 1882. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-68285675025809452452012-10-25T07:14:00.000-07:002018-03-02T08:47:20.500-08:00Change My Heart...Change my heart oh God, make it ever true,<br />
Change my heart oh God, may I be like you,<br />
You are the potter, I am the clay,<br />
Mold me and make me, <br />
This is what I pray...<br />
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Courageous truly describes our Rachel</div>
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Rachel is our special needs daughter. Her life has examplified courage and strength. She has been very downcast lately, which is not like her. During our talk last night I felt to remind her of our eternal hope that in heaven there will be no more sickness, sadness, burdens, pain...the list goes on; </div>
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....no more curse. I would like to think about having: no more politics, wars, abortion, slavery and evil in general. </div>
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II Corinthians 5:4-5</div>
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"For indeed we that are in this tabernacle, sigh and are burdened because we would not be unclothed, but would be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. And he that hath created us for this thing, is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit."</div>
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Clothed upon~with immortality...life.</div>
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Earnest money or property holds the purchase until the rest of the money is paid. No one can legally buy or take the property while the earnest is in place. God has given us the "earnest of the Spirit" as a security for the eternal. We are "being held" by this earnest until the eternal is complete. I thank God for this truth and realization. </div>
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Eternity holds the truth of no more evil...</div>
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Psalm 37:11 "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." </div>
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Whatever burdens (cross) we carry now will seem worth it all....there. Is this why Paul said, "We sigh and are burdened" to be clothed upon with immortality? What is your burden, your cross? Lay it down in the light of eternity and know; it will be worth it all when we see the other side. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-48596250888005187412012-10-24T05:46:00.001-07:002012-10-24T05:46:40.204-07:00Teach Us..."Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."<br />
"Let thy work be seen toward thy servants, and thy glory upon their children.<br />
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and direct thou the work of our hands upon us, <br />
even direct the work of our hands." Psalm 90:12, 16-17<br />
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Teach us oh Lord... My prayer oh Lord, is that I will live my life according to your ways and your original plans of creation so that when I stand before my God you can be pleased. <br />
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Apply our hearts unto wisdom...as you teach me I will (with your strength) apply it to my life.<br />
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Dear God, let thy work be seen upon thy servant and my heart's cry...upon my children and <br />
grandchildren. <br />
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Direct thou the work of our hands oh Lord, so that the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.<br />
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This is my prayer today for my home and my posterity. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-31552602208511794382012-10-23T06:52:00.001-07:002012-10-25T07:16:32.164-07:00Meditation "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of mine heart be acceptable in thy sight , O Lord my strength, and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">M</span></strong>editation- to think about something deeply; reflection; contemplation.<br />
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Proverbs 22:17-19<br />
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v. 17 "Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge."<br />
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There are three different instructions in this verse:<br />
1) Incline thine ear- bend away; including moral deflection<br />
2) Hear the words of the wise<br />
3) Apply thine heart unto my knowledge- place your mind, will and emotions under His knowledge<br />
Proverbs 23:19 "...<u>guide</u> thine heart in the way."<br />
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v.18 "For it shall be pleasant, if thou keep them in thy belly, and if they be directed together in thy <br />
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v.19 "That thy confidence may be in the Lord, I have showed thee this day: thou therefore take<br />
heed."<br />
Confidence- refuge, security, hope, trust <br />
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As we apply these instructions, intentionally, to our lives we will see that the Lord becomes our refuge, security and hope. Our trust in Him will grow and we will become more like the woman of God that He has created us to be. In a world of "easy" choices to be whatever we would want to become it is increasingly difficult to "see" what it is that the Lord wanted when he created us. It has to be "on purpose" that we find Him and when we do His beauty is overwhelming and all the confusion from the worldview of a woman is not to be compared. <br />
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"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of mine heart..." If we will turn our ear, hear the words of wisdom and apply them to our heart, then it will be pleasant (sweet) to our belly, which is the place of healing and life in every aspect; in our body, our soul and our emotions. This will lead also to our lips being directed in His knowledge and wisdom. <br />
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What do we meditate on? I found that the Lord wants me to clear my mind of the things that everyone is doing...that He wants me to live according to the call He has placed on my life and not clutter my walk with Him. He wants me completely; to be able to hear from His heart and not be affected with the daily clutter of...things. He wants me to be set apart and declutter to be able to serve Him; to rebuild my trust. I have found that when I am consistently seeing all the busy-ness of others that I am not building my faith to be able to give to anyone. I had almost let my feet slip...<br />
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I have been working through a devotion on Psalms and in studying Psalm 73 discovered that as long as David's focus was either on, everyone else or himself, that he ws struggling and almost completely let his faith slip away. It wasn't until he turned his focus to God that he was helped and his faith and vision were restored. <br />
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Let's be very prudent in what exactly is filling our time and energies. If the Lord calls us to a cleansing, to step aside and examine our lives and hearts, it is because of His great love for us and eternal preparations. <br />
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"Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." Matthew 22:37-38<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-51363486707390444612011-05-08T04:44:00.000-07:002012-10-10T16:34:58.778-07:00My Mother<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I recently just finished a book which encouraged me so much to learn to live thankful and grateful to the Lord instead of complaining or only seeing the things in life that needed fixed or what was 'wrong'. God has used this message 'to help me see' again. In the book she started a journal to write 1,000 'gifts' from God that she could be thankful for even in the midst of imperfection. I started my own journal after finishing the book and have been so blessed by this. It's not just a journal to write down things to be thankful for, but a way to learn how to see life from God's perspective because when we start looking for His gifts in our daily lives we start to see differently. Psalm 100:4 <br />
There are two specific things I would like to share that I put in my journal that have had such a tremendous affect in my life. The first entry is "The faith I have seen and learned in my mother's life." I have learned such an enduring faith from watching her life and it has been that faith that I try to both imitate and pass on to my own children. I am deeply thankful that Mom has walked with the Lord through severely difficult times and yet her faith has not faltered. Thank God for that example of faith and endurance. I am so humbled by her testimony and her life. <br />
The other entry is "Mom's wedding ring." This past Christmas Mom and Dad decided to pass down their original wedding bands because of the arthritis in Mom's fingers kept the ring from going on her finger anymore. My parents have been married almost 50 years! Again, I was so humbled... I really can't even find the words to express what is in my heart every time I look down at my finger. I would have to write a whole book here to even begin to capture their life, marriage and faith. How blessed I have been as a daughter and my own children to see their life of <span style="background-color: yellow;">commitment </span>to the Lord. Thank God for that heritage of faith, roots. I have tried many times to really convey back to them how much this ring means to me and I just seem to not be able to find any words good enough. I wear it with the deepest respect and honor that can live in any heart. I love them both very much. <br />
Mom, I love you. I deeply honor and respect you and pray that my faith will endure and my life will bring honor back to you. Happy Mother's Day!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-70029264035420318632010-08-30T06:27:00.000-07:002010-08-30T07:10:22.212-07:00Upright...I am still learning that life is all about choices. I can look at all of life and see that our lives are made up of the choices that we make, from big decisions to small daily ones. It is quite odd to think that our lives can be so controlled by our own choices. This makes me realize why it is so critical to walk in the ways of the Lord. He is seeking "truth in the inward parts." If we are living and breathing in Him then He will show up in our daily choices and our bigger decisions. Our thoughts will become one with His, if that is our vision and focus in life. Every day, every moment, every breath; His. As my oldest daughter was sharing what God had been showing her about His judgements and laws these thoughts only became more clear. She was sharing how she had seen in scripture how His judgements are already in place. We 'choose' to walk in His ways or not now and then we have His blessing or judgement, now. The laws of God were put into place at creation and are still in place and will be forever. How beautiful this thought was. This is why He requires of us to walk in His ways and be upright. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths." As long as we are choosing to walk in our own ways or thoughts we are not walking uprightly, but leaning. To choose to walk upright with Him is to choose His thoughts and ways in every detail of our lives, not our own. When God told Israel if they would do what He was telling them then they would be blessed and if not they would have curses, He was telling them that His laws and judgements were already in place and the choice was theirs. He is telling us the same... His laws are already in place, the choice is ours. I am so thankful that she shared this with us. It has given me a whole new outlook on choices and how our lives are so affected by details, daily. This must be why Joshua said in chapter 24 and verse 15, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." Let us not continue to blame Him for the outcome of our own choices, if we are not choosing to walk with Him. He cannot take away His laws and judgements that are already in place, but He can forgive and help us find our way back to Him when we realize where we may have gone wrong. His ways are perfect and worth searching, for they are eternal.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-53932258813540469882010-07-11T03:22:00.000-07:002010-07-11T03:43:09.271-07:00Good and Evil<span style="color:#663333;">While reading from one of my very favorite C.S. Lewis books I was very much inspired to share an excerpt from his writing. This comes from his "The Great Divorce". </span><br /><span style="color:#663333;"></span><br /><span style="color:#663333;">Blake wrote the Marriage of Heaven and Hell. If I have written of their Dovorce, this is not because I think myself a fit antagonist for so great a genius, nor even because I feel at all sure that I know what he meant. But in some sense or other the attempt to make the marriage is perennial. The attempt is based on the belief that reality never presents us with an absolutely unavoidable "either -or"; that, granted skill and patience and (above all) time enough, some way of embracing both alternatives can always be found; that mere development or adjustment or refinement will somehow turn evil into good without our being called on for a final and total rejection of anything we should like to retain. This belief I take to be a disastrous error. You cannot take all luggage with you on all journeys; on one journey even your right hand and your right eye may be amoung the things you have to leave behind. We are not living in a world where all roads are radii of a circle and where all, if followed long enough, will therefore draw gradually nearer and finally meet at the centre: rather in a world where every road, after a few miles, forks into two, and each of those into two again, and at each fork you must make a decision. Even on a biological level life is not like a pool but like a tree. It does not move towards unity but away from it and the creatures grow further apart as they increase in perfection. Good, as it ripens, becomes continually more different not only from evil but from other good. </span><br /><span style="color:#663333;">I do not think that all who choose wrong roads perish; but their rescue consists in being put back on the right road. A wrong sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply "going on." Evil can be undone, but it cannot develop into good. Time does not heal it. The spell must be unwound, bit by bit, "with backward mutters of disservering power"- or else not. It is still "either-or." If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832921190309887285.post-20407582985241780172010-05-08T18:56:00.000-07:002012-10-10T16:36:22.201-07:00I Live in the Country<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I live in the country and I love it! </div>
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The stillness of the night air.</div>
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The sound of crickets and whip-poor-wills.</div>
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Birds' songs that awaken me each morning.</div>
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Wind blowing through the trees and lightning bugs lighting up an entire field.</div>
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Dogs barking in the distance and laughter of children across the field.</div>
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I love to watch the girls run carefree through the grass; wind blowing through their hair;</div>
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barefoot on a tree swing. :) </div>
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This is the life I love...</div>
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Homemade bread, raw milk and fresh homegrown vegetables. </div>
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All of our family around the table, giving, loving and growing together<span style="color: #cc66cc;">. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0