Out In The Sea

I'm floating along in a little boat in the middle of the great big sea...
I can't see land on any side... I don't have any oars to paddle... I'm drifting and being tossed about... and I don't know where I'll end up...
Out in the far off sky it is dark... I don't know which direction anything is going because I forget which way the sun sets and rises... just drifting
There is a mist in the air but I can't tell if it's coming from the water or if it is starting to rain... I have no shelter from the storm and the boat is becoming tumultuous...

Peter was out in the boat when the storm was raging... He saw something coming walking on the water... he realized it was the Lord...
Jesus called him out onto the water... he stepped out... in faith...
Do you believe this really happened? Have you ever been by the seashore and stepped out... did you walk on the water?
Peter stayed afloat while he kept his eyes on Jesus... then suddenly he turned away and looked at the storm... the raging sea... the impossibility of it all... and he started to sink immediately...
"Master, master, I perish... save me!" Peter cried out!

Jesus simply held him up and said, "Oh ye of little faith..."
How it must have grieved Him... here Peter was walking on the water... it should have been exhilarating... but he caved in, shall we say.

How do we stop from caving in?
How do we keep our eyes on Jesus when the storms are bashing so hard and all the walls are crashing in?
How do we keep the faith...

"Master, master, I perish... save me!"
Until next time,
Jean

Looking Beyond

"Still Moment", by Jean Smith

An elderly woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.  One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.  Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. . .
  After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.


'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'

The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?
That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.  For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.  Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'


Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding..   You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Until next time,
Jean

RISE ABOVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES

Old Jim was such a faithful horse,
But he was growing old;
And Uncle Lem made up his mind
The horse should not be sold

But turned out in the pastureland
To roam and feed at will.
Or rest beneath a shady tree,
Down by the waters still.

Lem loved his faithful servant, Jim,
And watched him day by day;
And when he whistled for his horse,
Jim gave an answering Neigh.

One day the horse had disappeared,
And Lem went out to see
What had become of faithful Jim,
Where could the creature be?

Lem thought about an abandoned well,
Which had uncovered been;
Lem hurried down the path to see--
Yes! Jim had fallen in!

If he should try to pull him out.
A leg might be broken be;
So he would go and fetch his gun
And end Jim's misery.

He brought his gun, but couldn't bear
To shoot old faithful Jim;
So brought his shovel and his pick
With which to bury him.

He took a shovelful of dirt
And rolled it in the well;
It rolled onto the horse's back
And to the bottom fell.

As fast as every load was sent,
Old Jim would stamp it down;
And as they both thus worked away,
At last the well was gone!

Out jumped the horse, all whole and sound,
Kicked up his heals and ran.
Let's get from out this simple tale
A lesson, if we can.

When people try to crush us down
And cover us with dirt,
Let's stamp it underneath our feet
And never let it hurt.

Let's be like Jim and rise above
The troubles that beset;
If we are on the side of right,
We'll gain the victory yet.


Author Unknown

Heart Conditions...

“And I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

Charles Spurgeon is such an inspiration to me.  I love reading his devotions and sharing them with my readers when I feel led.  This was one of my devotion's  yesterday and I just had to share.  Gods word talks about when we are so distressed and know not what to pray, that the Holy Spirit will intercede with moaning's... our Heavenly Father knows our every need and He is there each day as we seek Him...
I pray you will be as blessed by this as I...

"A heart of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a foul imagination, or to have allowed a wild desire to tarry even for a moment, is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but not so the heart of flesh.

“If to the right or left I stray,
That moment, Lord, reprove;
And let me weep my life away,
For having grieved thy love”

The heart of flesh is tender of God’s will. My Lord Will-be-will is a great blusterer, and it is hard to subject him to God’s will; but when the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers like an aspen leaf in every breath of heaven, and bows like an osier in every breeze of God’s Spirit.

The natural will is cold, hard iron, which is not to be hammered into form, but the renewed will, like molten metal, is soon molded by the hand of grace. In the fleshy heart there is a tenderness of the affections. The hard heart does not love the Redeemer, but the renewed heart burns with affection towards him. The hard heart is selfish and coldly demands, “Why should I weep for sin? Why should I love the Lord?” But the heart of flesh says; “Lord, thou knowest that I love thee; help me to love thee more!”

Many are the privileges of this renewed heart; “‘Tis here the Spirit dwells, ‘tis here that Jesus rests.” It is fitted to receive every spiritual blessing, and every blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to the honor and praise of God, and therefore the Lord delights in it. A tender heart is the best defense against sin, and the best preparation for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its watchtower looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Have you this heart of flesh?"
                                 Charles Spurgeon

Until next time,
Jean

The Lord Reigneth

"My Bleeding Heart" by, Jean Smith

The Lords day is my day of relief... I know that I can go to church and be fed of from His eternal word and that the Holy Spirit will minister to my weary soul...

Here are a few words from Charles Spurgeon... one of my daily devotional today

"The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice."
- Psa_97:1
"Causes for disquietude there are none so long as this blessed sentence is true. On earth the Lord’s power as readily controls the rage of the wicked as the rage of the sea; his love as easily refreshes the poor with mercy as the earth with showers. Majesty gleams in flashes of fire amid the tempest’s horrors, and the glory of the Lord is seen in its grandeur in the fall of empires, and the crash of thrones. In all our conflicts and tribulations, we may behold the hand of the divine King.
"God is God; he sees and hears
All our troubles, all our tears.
Soul, forget not, ‘mid thy pains,
God o’er all for ever reigns."
In hell, evil spirits own, with misery, his undoubted supremacy. When permitted to roam abroad, it is with a chain at their heel; the bit is in the mouth of behemoth, and the hook in the jaws of leviathan. Death’s darts are under the Lord’s lock, and the grave’s prisons have divine power as their warder. The terrible vengeance of the Judge of all the earth makes fiends cower down and tremble, even as dogs in the kennel fear the hunter’s whip.
"Fear not death, nor Satan’s thrusts,
God defends who in him trusts;
Soul, remember, in thy pains,
God o’er all for ever reigns."
In heaven none doubt the sovereignty of the King Eternal, but all fall on their faces to do him homage. Angels are his courtiers, the redeemed his favourites, and all delight to serve him day and night. May we soon reach the city of the great King!
"For this life’s long night of sadness
He will give us peace and gladness.
Soul, remember, in thy pains,
God o’er all for ever reigns."  Charles Spurgeon.

The Lord is ever faithful to those who trust in Him.  I long to do His will in my life that it may one that tells all around my deep adoration for Him...
Although I know I have failed so miserably in this, I trust that I can keep pressing on, trying to do His perfect will in my life...
I long to do good and be what I know He has designed me to be... Christian woman, wife and mother.
How do I accomplish all that is required of me and yet thrive in my spiritual life the way I long to?  This is my everyday challenge. When all the have to's are racing around me, and then my deepest yearning to have quiet study in His word... as my friend often says... this too shall pass...

quiet reflections of my heart,
Until next time,
Jean

Intercessory Prayer

This is one of my devotion's that I received several months ago, but I thought it was very fitting for life as I am living today... 

We need to be constantly in this state of mind for those that we love... for those in our family... for that homeless person as they stand on the street corner...

Where are our thoughts during the day... Let them be in this, for there can we do a small work for His glory... 

Until next time, 

Jean

 

Intercessory Prayer

I pray for them . . . which thou hast given me.
John 1 7:9

When our congregation meets for midweek prayer meeting, someone often requests prayer for ”each other." I am sure this request is given with noble intentions, but I often think this is a rather impersonal way to pray for the brotherhood. Granted, we might not pray for each person in our prayer group by name because there are certain rules of conduct we should follow, such as considering our allotted prayer time and allowing others in our group to have enough time for prayer, also. How then should we pray for "each other"? In John 17 we see Christ praying to the Father for his disciples (and for us). His prayer provides guidelines we do well to follow.

In John 17:15, Christ prayed that His followers would be kept from evil. Every Christian faces temptations to sin. We must intercede for others, so that they can also be kept from the results of those temptations. In verse 21, He prayed that we would have unity, as He had with the Father. Since disunity hinders our walk of faith and our witness to the unsaved, we must pray for unity among the brotherhood.

Other New Testament passages give us more guidelines for praying for each other. Ephesians 5:20 tells us to give thanks always for all things, and we certainly ought to thank God for each of our brothers and sisters in Christ. James 5:14 tells us to pray for each other’s healing: physical, spiritual, and emotional.

Finally, James 1:5 tells us to pray for wisdom, and this is a request we should make not only for ourselves, but for each member of the brotherhood.

Marcus Yoder


Bible Reference: John 17

This was my devotion the other morning... It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord works in my life... He is always so quick to give me the tender, as well as chastening words that I need to get me on.  May this bless you as it blessed me...

...a few word's from Charles Spergeon

“The Lord our God hath shewed us his glory.”  Deuteronomy 5:24
"God’s great design in all his works is the manifestation of his own glory. Any aim less than this were unworthy of himself. But how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we are? Man’s eye is not single, he has ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted; and this is the reason why he bringeth his people ofttimes into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when he comes forth to work their deliverance. He whose life is one even and smooth path, will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of self-emptying, and hence, but little fitness for being filled with the revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks, know but little of the God of tempests; but they who “do business in great waters,” these see his “wonders in the deep.” Among the huge Atlantic-waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man. Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road: it is this which has given you your experience of God’s greatness and lovingkindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means: your trials have been the cleft of the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as he did his servant Moses, that you might behold his glory as it passed by. Praise God that you have not been left to the darkness and ignorance which continued prosperity might have involved, but that in the great fight of affliction, you have been capacitated for the outshinings of his glory in his wonderful dealings with you."

Until next time,
Jean

Speech

 "I...did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

†

So send I you
To take to souls in bondage
The Word of Truth that sets the captive free,
To break the bonds of sin, to loose death's fetters
So send I you, to bring the lost to me.

"He said to me,

'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'  

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

†

So send I you
 My strength to know in weakness,
 My joy in grief, my perfect peace in pain,
 To prove My power, My grace, My promised presence-
 So send I you, eternal fruit to gain.
 

Life in General

When you look at life it's kind of like this photogragh...
... in one spot you see the beautiful, lush green fields and then directly in the distance the cold snow covered rock face...
Life is filled with beauty and well as harshness... that's what life is about...

That is why we must keep our eyes focused on things above... we cannot let ourselves get distracted by the ugliness all around us... especially the ugly people in our lives...  they are there for a reason...
some days I can't quite figure out why... but life must go on...

so on I go,
Until next time,
Jean

Our Soul's...

"But God made man in His own image and He keeps the longing after eternity and a desire after everlasting life there within the hearts of men." Tozer

Someone has said, God created man with a God shaped void, and only God can fill that void.

It is certain that we can never be fully satisfied until we have surrendered to Jesus Christ and then what peace and what a glorious hope! To know what the future holds is precious!

The words of the songwriter, Lelia Morris say it so well.

I’ll include the whole song, the 4^th stanza is especially what I have in mind.

For God so loved this sinful world,

His Son He freely gave,

That whosoever would believe

Eternal life should have.

Refrain

’Tis true, O yes, ’tis true,

God’s wonderful promise is true;

For I’ve trusted, and tested, and tried it,

And I know God’s promise is true.

I was a wayward, wand’ring child,

A slave to sin and fear,

Until this blessèd promise fell

Like music on my ear.

The “whosoever” of the Lord,

I trusted was for me,

I took Him at His gracious word;

From sin He set me free.

Eternal life, begun below,

Now fills my heart and soul.

I’ll sing His praise forevermore

Who has redeemed my soul.

Until next time,

Jean

He Knows...

He Knows...

This was a poem a dear sister in the Lord gave to me today... she is a blessing and such a help.

He Knows
Author Unknown

He knows it all - the winding path,
The sky o'ercast and gray,
The steepness of the mountainside,
The roughness of the way.

He knows it all - the haunting fear,
The doubtings that distress,
The wond'rings and perplexities,
And all the strain and stress.

He knows it all - each troubled thought,
Each anxious wave of care,
And every burden, every grief,
Or cross that you must bear.

He know it all - your weight of woe,
Your often tear-dimmed eye,
The stabbing pain, the slow, dull ache,
And sorrow's broken cry.

He knows it all - He understands
The struggles that you face.
He knows it all!  He'll clasp your hand,
And help you win the race! 

Until next time,
Jean

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

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.

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

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