The World Is Scared

 

My devotions today... thought this would bless many...
The truth of God's word is so enlightening... when we trust and obey He will continually lead and direct our paths...
...but there is that looking up in faith... lifting our heads to Him who will redeam our lost and weary souls as we cry unto to Him that is faithful...
... look up and believe...

Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28

"A fear-stricken church cannot help a scared world; and it needs to be said that surely a fear-ridden Christian has never examined his or her defense!
No one can blame humans for being afraid. Beyond the continuing times of crisis and terror and violence, God has also warned that the world is in a baptism of fire, sooner or later. God has declared this by the voice of all of the holy prophets since time began—there is no escaping it!
Bible-reading Christians should be the last persons on earth to give way to hysteria. We have been given a prophetic preview of all those things that are to come to pass upon the earth. Can anything take us unaware?
We who are in God's secret place of safety must begin to talk and act like it! We, above all who dwell on the earth, should be calm, hopeful, buoyant and cheerful. We will never convince the scared world that there is peace and assurance at the cross if we continue to exhibit the same fears as those who make no profession of Christianity!" Tozer

 

 "Lord, I pray that Your peace will show through my behavior today. Give me an opportunity to help someone who is dealing with fear or pain." Tozer

 

See how the Word show's this truth and gives light to those who seek it...

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJV)
^{1Th 4:13} But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

The Lord is coming to gather His saints home. It could be any moment.

Be ready and watching!

It is a time of joy and comfort for those who are ready.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-12 (KJV)
^{1Th 5:1} But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
² For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
³ For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
⁴ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
⁵ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
⁷ For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
⁸ But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
⁹ For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁰ Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Until next time,
Jean

Random Thoughts...

You know sometimes when I look at my life here on our farm, I start to wonder where it is all going...
Our children are growing... the days just seem to go by so much more quickly and I just don't seem to have the energy I use to... I'm 43 now as of August 13th... my two year old little bundle of boy joy really keeps me moving... some say he is what is keeping me young... some days I feel like I am 63 because of all the chasing...

But what would I do without my little men... life would be withoug meaning I think... no I don't put my life into my children, my husband or my farm...my life has to be centered in Christ... as a Christian I must remaine focusd on the goal I have here in this time we call 'now'...

What is 'now'?  When is 'now'?  It all seems to drift past in a world of haze... each day blending with the next and the previous...  The blue sky and sunshine keep me moving... the autumn breeze is now coming through the heat waves of summer... cooling the morning's and evening off... too cold for me... I am an August baby... bring on the heat and sweat... I would rather sweat any day of the week as opposed to have to be bundling up... my hands too cold to even do anything... I am not a beleiver in Winter... by bones long for the sun and warmth to shine down and infuse themselves into my being... Winter is a sad time for me... my beauty that surrounds me in the gardens dissappears and all I have to remember them by is my photo's... teasing me with sweeter days gone by...

My children are like the rays of sunshine as well... but sometimes they are the stormiest of skies in my life... the ups and downs of life they say... I dream of a day when they will be grown, serving the Lord faithfully in their adult lives... living fully the Christian life in a way that will bless others as well as themselves... life is filled with hopes and promises... dreams and death of dreams... where do you go with that?  where do we find the peace and hope that we need to go on every day? 

... only in HIM!
Until next time...

Jean

Waiting on the Lord...

The Thirty-seventh Psalm has always been very precious to me. The Lord has taken me there many times in moments of distress... Sunday at church our minister concluded the sermon with the reading of this psalm... once again it was such a blessing... here are a few verses that especially touch my heart...

A Psalm of David
Psalm 37...

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 1

 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." 2

...we see so much evil in this world it is hard to understand how the wicked can prosper and move forward, yet His word does tell us that He sends rain for the righteous and the wicked...
as we pass through the valleys in life we can't see to the mountain tops...
hidden high up in the clouds... but they are there...
we've been on them before... soaring high like the eagle, mounted on His wings...
gliding... eyes closed, simply trusting... there I am with Him...always safe in His arms...

 "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 3

  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. "4

...trusting needs to come naturally... a swallow glides on the wind without anticipation...
gliding along peacefully and without seemingly a care...
as we allow our faith to be built upon the Rock and make His perfect ways the foundation of our lives,
then all else will fall into place... trust... like a butterfly that drifts through the open fields... it lands...
it drinks the nectar that He provided in that blossom... the wild flowers as they sway in the breeze...
lighted upon... sun beams glistening in the early morning dew... so our faith has to be this pure and rich...
pure and undefiled must be our hearts cries unto Him who hears each whisper...
to Him who treasures each tear... to Him that answers each cry...

 "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 5
 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 6
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,
 because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." 7

It is so hard to remember when we are in the midst of the storm that we need to commit it
all unto Him... He alone knows our hearts... our fears and torments...
He alone can calm them as we lift them to Him... casting all our care upon Him,
 for He careth for you...
As we commit each care to Him...  trust Him with it... He will see it through...
So often we just want things when we want them and take matters into our own hands...
not letting Him do His good and perfect work...
He whispers, "My child, I will never leave nor forsake thee... trust me to care for you...
I have chosen you and I will see you through...I will never give you more than you
can bear... this is my promise..."
Why is it so difficult to leave it at the foot of the cross?

 "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 8
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth." 9

...waiting... waiting... waiting...
His time is not our time, nor His ways our ways... that's what can make the wait so hard...
waiting for His work to show form, waiting with eyes closed in faith and trust...
waiting for Him will always prove worth while; trusting in Him will never be in vain...
...wait on the Lord and He shall direct our paths...

Until next time,
Jean

 

 

Meekness

"Meekness is the ability to react wisely when provoked." John Coblentz

What a challenge wouldn't you say?  I know that when I heard him say this, I was marvelled to discouragement! Not in a bad way really, just humbly, I guess that would be the best way to describe how I felt.  I just had to think, "Wow, I fail at that!"  But I know we all fail and fall short, but this one hit home p-retty hard! 

We all know that Moses was considered to be the meekest man on to ever live... John Coblentz gave a suggestion to do a study of the life of Moses through the books of Exodus through Numbers. As I thought on what I know off the top of my head there were two particular instances that I could think of that Moses gave way to his temper.

The first was of course when he killed the Egyptian guard while still in Egypt and the second was when God told him to speak to the rock and he smote it.  Every other instance that I could think of he prayed for those ever complaining Isrealites. 

Do I pray for my enemies? Do I look at them with a heart of love and compassion even when they are being down right mean to me?

That was the example that Moses gave... He was provoked from every side, yet he trusted in God.
What a challenge for me...

Until next time,
Jean

Confidence in God

 

Our lives here at the farm are filled with days of peace and joy as well as choas and misery...
That probably sounds pretty harsh... but it is the truth. We are all humans here and the trials that some days present to us can seem overwhelming...
That is when I have to look up... to Him who knows... to Him that will never give me any more than I can bear... My trust must be stayed and focused on Him...
I know that I can do all things through him that strengthens me...
But it is ultimately up to me... will I trust? will I obey? will I know and beleive that He means all for good to those that love Him? 
Life's challenges are ever present... life with a family continually presents complexities that we never in our wildest imaginations thought we would encounter... but He did... He knew. 

What we often fail to realize in the heat of it all, is more often than not, we reap what we sow...
and so here is one of my devotions that I recieved this week... as always... He knows...

A few words from wise Tozer...

"If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. " 1 John 3:21

"This is surely one of the great realizations that can come to us in the Christian life—we can put our complete confidence in the God who has revealed Himself to us!

It was a gracious day in my early Christian experience when I realized that it was not in God's character to pounce upon me in judgment. He knows that we are dust, and as our God He is loving and patient towards us.

If it were true that the Lord would put the Christian on the shelf every time he failed or blundered or did something wrong, I would have been a piece of statuary by this time! (Amen!)
It is surely true that God will bring judgment when judgment is necessary, but the Scriptures say that judgment is God's strange work. Where there is a lifetime of rebellion, hardened unbelief and love of sin, judgment will come.

But God watches over us for spiritual growth and maturity, trying to teach us the necessity for fully trusting Him and coming to the place of complete distrust of ourselves.

We have met God and can now say with Paul, "That the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7)."  Tozer

Emphasis mine!

Until next time,
Jean