Prayer...

 "I ask You neither for health nor for sickness, for life nor for death; but that you may dispose of my health and my sickness, my life and my death, for Your glory....  You alone know what is expedient for me; You are the sovereign Master; do with me according to Your will.  Give to me, or take away from me, only conform my will to Yours.  I know but one thing, Lord, that it is good to follow You, and bad to offend You.  Apart from that, I know not what is good or bad in anything.  I know not which is most profitable to me, health or sickness, wealth or poverty, nor anything else in the world.  That discernment is beyond the power of men or angels, and is hidden among the secrets of Your Providence, which I adore, but do not seek to fathom."   - a prayer by Blaise Pascal

Such faith as this... what a challenge to try to live this out in our lives... a total self denial and sacrifice.  But is it?  As a Christian isn't this the truth of what our heart should be longing for?  To say that I believe the Father only wants the best for me is to totally live this prayer out. 

I found this prayer over ten years ago... I have either had it posted on my fridge or a bulletin board, always close by... I am trying so hard to live this... although I fail miserably more often than I care to admit... He knows my heart and as David of ole' He loves a broken and contrite heart.

Until next time,
Jean

     

Forgiveness

What a beautiful word... one that all that claim the name of Jesus and repent can have... a beautiful and precious gift...

This was a song we sang at church today... it is one of my very favorites... one that brings tears to my eyes as I take in the words... deep into my soul and know what pit the Lord carried me out of...

Jesus! Lover Of My Soul,
author unknown

Jesus! Lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the raging billows roll,-
While the tempest still is high!
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm of life be past;
Safe into the haven guild-
O, receive my soul at last!

Other refuge have I none-
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me;
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want,
All in all in Thee I find!
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name,
I am all unrighteousness;
Vile and full of sin I am,
Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to pardon all my sins-
Let the healing stream abound,
Make and keep me pure within
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.

... the beauty of His perfect love reaches to all,
Until next time,
Jean

Faith

"Faith is a force that is greater than knowledge or power or skill, and the darkest of defeat turns to triumph if you trust in God's wisdom and will, for faith is a mover of mountains- there's nothing man cannot achieve, if he has the courage to try it and then has the faith to believe."   Helen Steiner Rice

Faith is in believing and not in the seeing... this is what faith is about...
Faith is looking into a dark stormy sky and believing that there's still the beautiful blue sky behind it...
Faith is looking at a tightly bound rose bud and understanding that it must break free on it's own to be a beautiful full bloom...
Faith is in planting a tiny seed, waiting for the harvest to bear...
Faith is seeing a homely caterpillar and imaging the beauty of the Monarch it will become...
Faith is looking up to the top of the mountain and believing you can climb to the top...
Faith comes from within, where only you can believe it will be ...
Faith is the builder of courage when all around looks dim...
Faith will lead you to peace, which can only be understood with time...
Faith can be a healer when applied to the hearts mind...
Faith can easily be seen in the eyes of a child, when holding dear father's hand...
Faith can be felt in an upward glance, knowing He's right by your side...

Faith is believing in prayer...

Do I show this faith in my everyday life... to those who live and breath with me... to my friends and loved ones... Are my children learning to live by faith from me... does my spouse feel my faith for us... 

A life lived for Him is the only real faith worth living...
Until next time,
Jean



     

The Tounge Is An Unruly Evil

"Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: keep the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3).

I know that I am so weak in this area and I am so thankful for the promises that His Spirit is always there for me as I need it... He is always there to see me through the trials of life... to lead and direct me.

"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: (Psalm 39:1a).

Here again He promises that so long as I give my 'thorn in the flesh' to Him, He will lead the way... showing me His tender mercy and love... always there to forgive as I fail... always there to pick me up and lead me on again.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

He alone knows my heart... He alone knows my thoughts... He alone knows my love for Him... my constant struggles and concerns... He is there every shielding me against the storms of life... leading me under His wing of protection.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).

He is my hope, my only hope in this life... He will give me all the desires of my heart as long as I give Him my life and my heart.  I long to be with Thee everyday... close to You... serving You with all my heart.  I know that my ways are not Your ways and my thoughts are not Your thoughts... create in me a clean hear... a servants heart...

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen.

Until next time,

Jean

    

Christ Receives Sinners

Christ Receives Sinners

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance... and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31

What a gracious thing for us that Jesus Christ never thinks about what we have been. He always thinks about what we are going to be!

The Savior who is our Lord cares absolutely nothing about your moral case history. He forgives it and starts from there as though you had been born one minute before.

The woman of Samaria met our Lord at the well and we ask, "Why was Jesus willing to reveal so much more about Himself in this setting than He did in other encounters during His ministry?"

You and I would never have chosen this woman with such a shadow lying across her life, but Jesus is the Christ of God, and He could sense the potential within her innermost being. He gave her the secret of His Messiahship and the secret of the nature of God. Her frankness and her humility appealed to the Savior as they talked of man's need and the true worship of God by the Spirit of God.

In Jesus' day, His critics said in scorn: "This man receives sinners!" They were right—and He lived and died and rose again to prove it. The blessed part is this: He is still receiving sinners!

Lord, I have many family, friends, and coworkers who need You as their Savior. Will You receive them into Your family today?

Mornings with Tozer.

The Masterpiece

The Masterpiece
By Helen Steiner Rice

Framed by the vast, unlimited sky,
Bordered by mighty waters,
Sheltered by beautiful woodland groves,
Scented with flowers that bloom and die,
Protected by giant mountain peaks-
The land of the great unknown-
Snow capped and towering, a nameless place
That beckons man on as the gold he seeks,
Bubbling with life and earthly joys,
Reeking with pain and mortal strife,
Dotted with wealth and material gains,
Built on ideals of girls and boys,
Streaked with toil, opportunity's banner unfurled
Stands out the masterpiece of art
Painted by the one great God,
A picture of the world.

...thought provoking...

Until next time,
Jean

Fathers Day

If anyone out there that may be reading this is familiar with the Christian group 'Charity' they would be familiar with the sermon, "Where are the fathers?" 

I appreciate the question... there are a lot of children out there that don't have a dad around... some don't have a mom around either...

America is falling apart because fathers and mothers have given their children over to others to raise and teach... to give them morals and life lessons... As parents it is our responsibility to do these and give these things to our children.

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it;

except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,

to eat the bread of sorrows: for o he giveth his beloved sleep.

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord;

and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man'

so are children of the youth.

Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them;

they shall not be ashamed,

but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127

Until next time,

Jean

Utterly Alone

"Alone", photograph by Jean Smith

Have you ever felt so utterly alone that you don't know where to turn to?

"I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE NOR FORSAKE THEE."



...so sad that even when the sun is shining all you can see is darkness?

"TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART,

AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UDERSTANDING." Proverbs 3:5

...so betrayed that you can't see past the hurt?

"THE LORD HATH DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US,

WHEROF WE ARE GLAD." Psalms 126:3

...your shoulders just don't feel like you can take another weighty burdan

"WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE" Mark 10:27

 

Until next time...

Jean

Lies

Why do people lie... seriously, I just can't figure it out...
You think you are friends with someone and then you come to find out they are total liers...

I don't quite get it to be honest... especially when they are a professing Christian.
I don't think that Christians are excempt from sinning or never make mistakes,
but the Bible is so clear on lieing...
noone can say it's a 'legalistic' law or rule on that one.

I thought this photo was interesting...
You got the dogs that are going to go no matter what it takes...
Then you got the ones that say this looks too hard...

Life is like that.
Telling the truth isn't always the easiest thing to do,
but it is always the best thing to do.

Until next time,
Jean

The Value Of A Friend...

Vitamin F......Why do I have a variety of friends who are all so different in character?  How can I get along with them all?  I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part of me. With one of them I am polite. With another, I joke. I sit down and talk about serious matters with one. With another I laugh a lot. I listen to one friend's problems. Then I listen to another one's advice for me.

My friends are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When completed, they form a treasure box. A treasure of friends! They are my friends who understand me better than I understand myself.
They're friends who support me through good days and bad.

We all pray together and for each other.

Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health.
Dr. Oz calls them Vitamin F (for Friends) and counts the benefits of friends as essential to our well being. Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes.

If you enjoy Vitamin F constantly you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your most intense moments, it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%. I'm so happy that I have a stock of Vitamin F!

In summary, we should value our friends and keep in touch with them. We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together and pray for each other in the tough moments

Thank you for being one of my Vitamins!

A poem by Helen Steiner Rice

"Love One Another As I Have Loved You"

Love one another as I have loved you
May seem impossible to do,
But if you will try to trust and believe,
Great are the joys that you will receive
For love makes us patient, understanding, and kind,
And we judge with our hearts and not with our minds,
For as soon as live entered the heart's open door,
The faults we once saw are not there anymore
And the things that seem wrong begin to look right
When viewed in the softness of love's gentle light
For love works in ways that are wondrous and strange,
And there is nothing in life that love cannot change,
And all that God promised will someday come true,
When you love one another the way He loved you.

Until next time,
Jean

Let The Healing Steams Abound

Things can seem to be going just pretty good and then all of a sudden you hit a wall. 
These walls can come into your life wearing many different disguises...  
You know life is filled with challenges that don't get easier when ignored... they just get bigger because one mess keeps piling itself on top of the last one. 

Sometimes people like to put a band aid over festering open wounds that actually require stitches... but the band aid just keeps falling off because it never stops bleeding...
Wounds need to have the proper care taken to have the proper healing happen...

some people are too prideful to accept the healing that is needed and offered...
some people are too stupid...
some people just like to be victims and entertain them selves with self pity...
some people try but just can't stop picking at the scab...
some people try but just can't get over the pain...

Jesus is the ultimate physician and all you need to do is accept the healing balm He offers... but all healing is a choice...

Until next time,
Jean

"Two Hearts That Beat As One", photograph by Jean Smith

He Is All I Need

This is a song we sang in church the other day...

Jesus, Thou are the sinner's friend,
As such I look to Thee;
Now in the bowels of Thy love,
O Lord, remember me!

Remember Thy pure word of grace.
Remember Calvary!
Remember all Thy dying groans,
 And then remember me.

Thou wondrous Advocate with God,
I yield myself to Thee,
While Thou art sitting on Thy throne,
O Lord, remember me!

I own I'm guilty, own I'm vile,
But Thy salvation's free;
 Then in Thine all-abounding grace,
O Lord, remember me!

Howe'er forsaken or distressed
Howe'er oppressed I be;
Howe'er afflicted here on earth,
Do Thou remember me!

And when I close my eyes in death,
And creature helps all flee,
Then, O my great Redeemer God,
I pray, remember me!

Author unknown.

Until next time,
Jean

We Can't, But God Can, a poem by Helen Steiner Rice

We Can't, But God Can

By, Helen Steiner Rice

Why things happen as they do

we do not always know,

And we cannot always fathom

why our spirits sink so low.

We flounder in our dark distress,

we are wavering and unstable,

But when we're most inadequate,

the Lord God's always able-

For though we are incapable,

God's powerful and great,

And there's no darkness of the mind

God cannot penetrate...

And while He may not instantly

unravel all the strands

Of the tanglesd thoughts that trouble us,

He completely understands-

And in HIs time, if we have faith,

he will gradually restore

The brightness to our spirits

that we've been longing for.

So remember there's no cloud too dark

for God's light to penertrate

If we keep on believing

and have faith enough to wait.

Life is filled with conflicts and confusions and can take some real faith in the everyday stuff... but I know with Him ever leading the way, I will have peace as I trust in Him...

 

Until next time,

Jean

Responsibilities

My response is my responsibility...

Now if you really look deep into this statement you will have to do some serious soul searching. Before you can say, "Well of course it is", stop and really think about this...  It indicates quite clearly that no matter what anyone does to you, how you respond to it cannot be blamed on another person.  That can be a lot to take in when you really think about it.

...'Well if she wouldn't have said that, then I wouldn't have....'  ...'Well if he would have just done it the way I asked, then I wouldn't have had to do...'  'Well he hit me first so I...'  Nope... no passing the buck on what my reaction was. We are so accustomed to blaming others for this or that, but in essence no one can make you do anything.  We have been created to make choices... allowed to decide which road we will go down... which person to call our spouse... what church to go to... and so on and on and on... the choice is ours.

Well you say, some people just rub me the wrong way! Oh yes I totally understand that one... know several, trust me.  But it's still my choice how to react to those people... in one ear and out the other, turn the other cheek, repay evil with good... choices.

Ya know, really in the long run even when we are hurt, cheated, lied to or whatever, it is more hurtful for us to hold onto those hurts... it hinders our spiritual growth, not theirs...
Let go and let God...
Until next time,
Jean

Higher is better... Let God take you to a height of peace that only He can give...