Hey, Y'all,
Found this in my Inbox the other day and been thinking about it off and on since--thanks! (you know who you are :-) It's Ecclesiastes 11:4-6...
He who watches the wind will not sow
and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.
Just as you do not know the path of the wind
and how bones are formed
in the womb of the pregnant woman,
so you do not know the activity of God
Who makes all things.
Sow your seed in the morning
and do not be idle in the evening,
for you do not know
whether the morning or evening sowing will succeed,
or whether both of them alike will be good.
Here it is in another version...
When the clouds are full of water, it rains.
When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls.
Don't sit there watching the wind. Do your own work.
Don't stare at the clouds. Get on with your life.
Just as you'll never understand the mystery
of life forming in a pregnant woman,
So you'll never understand
the mystery at work in all that God does.
Go to work in the morning
and stick to it until evening
without watching the clock.
You never know
from moment to moment
how your work will turn out in the end.
Think about it for a minute...Now, ain't that the truth? Ya just gotta love Solomon...and his God--yours and mine as well :-)
You've been prayed for today, BTW.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Intercede --- Gently, Carefully.
Hey, Y'all,
Today's RST is short and sweet (but as usual, not a little thought-provoking). In his classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers said:
"God never allows us to see another person at fault so we may criticize them, but only that we might intercede."
Made me think of Galatians 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." How true is that? 'Course, in the process of checking out the context, verse 1 practically leapt out at me: "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
Hmmm..."gently"..."carefully"...is that your style?
You've been prayed for today.
Today's RST is short and sweet (but as usual, not a little thought-provoking). In his classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers said:
"God never allows us to see another person at fault so we may criticize them, but only that we might intercede."
Made me think of Galatians 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." How true is that? 'Course, in the process of checking out the context, verse 1 practically leapt out at me: "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
Hmmm..."gently"..."carefully"...is that your style?
You've been prayed for today.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Reply To "Let Nothing Perturb You" -- "Send Faith"
Hey, Y'all,
Heard back re: this recent RST from a good friend who I value not only for his sense of humor but for his depth--thanks, brother, for passing this on.
I am always impressed with the use of the word 'buttress', and you used it as a verb! You are the man!
Since learning the Serenity Prayer about 7 years ago, I have often used it to forcefully buttress my own faith. I often use it to remind myself to focus on acceptance when I am angry about something beyond my control. I more frequently repeat it as a kind of meditation when I am scared silly or very nervous. It can have a calming effect because most of my fear is about something outside of me that I cannot change or something I can change but just need some courage to do it.
There is a short saying that I really like that demonstrates the effect of the Serenity Prayer on my fear. "Fear knocked at the door. When Faith opened the door, there was nobody there." The Serenity Prayer reminds me to quit freaking out when Fear knocks at the door and to send Faith to answer the knock.
Words to live by..."Send Faith to answer the knock."
You've been prayed for today...
Heard back re: this recent RST from a good friend who I value not only for his sense of humor but for his depth--thanks, brother, for passing this on.
I am always impressed with the use of the word 'buttress', and you used it as a verb! You are the man!
Since learning the Serenity Prayer about 7 years ago, I have often used it to forcefully buttress my own faith. I often use it to remind myself to focus on acceptance when I am angry about something beyond my control. I more frequently repeat it as a kind of meditation when I am scared silly or very nervous. It can have a calming effect because most of my fear is about something outside of me that I cannot change or something I can change but just need some courage to do it.
There is a short saying that I really like that demonstrates the effect of the Serenity Prayer on my fear. "Fear knocked at the door. When Faith opened the door, there was nobody there." The Serenity Prayer reminds me to quit freaking out when Fear knocks at the door and to send Faith to answer the knock.
Words to live by..."Send Faith to answer the knock."
You've been prayed for today...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Love
The simple elegance of this passage makes any poor introduction or discussion on my part utterly superfluous;
1 Corinthians 13 says...
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—
and the greatest of these is love.
Thank God for that.
You've been prayed for today...
1 Corinthians 13 says...
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—
and the greatest of these is love.
Thank God for that.
You've been prayed for today...
Monday, February 11, 2008
The One Principle
Hey, Y'all,
Happy Monday (ahhh, sweet irony... :-)
Today, a short story.
So I'm in Anaheim last night, waiting for the train to take me back to SD after a great day of enjoying the company of friends (family, really) and especially one of my favorite little birthday girls (Stella-Bella!). We'd just gotten done talking in church the day before about reclaiming and redeeming these little "waiting" fragments of time--in line at the grocery store, in traffic, at the train station. So since we're reading James in men's group I gave it a quick gander and then let my mind wander--or, as we learned yesterday (thanks, Chip!) opened up my mind to His prompting as I meditated on the passage. Got to thinking about and praying for some of you, my people, dealing with the stuff you're dealing with.
So the train arrives, and I clamber aboard--long day--and grab a seat on the West side ('course no ocean to be seen 'cause barely a sliver of a new moon, oh well, still, it's the principle of the thing). So the train gets going again and the Lord and I do as well, once again just staring out of the window and mentally meandering through the James 1 stuff again--trials, joy, maturity, baseline lack of wisdom and God's generosity in supplementing it, doubting and not, standing firm versus getting tossed about, and then right back to my people and prayer. Funny, 'cause the very next thought after that prayer was clear as a bell, a quote I hadn't seen in a while but which came to mind with startling clarity (check out John 14:26 for more on that phenomenon--thanks Ellis!). Some of this we've talked about before here, but it's been a while, and the last line is what leapt out at me this time and stuck with me all the way home where I looked it up and started this thought. (Aside: to quote our brother Kirk Franklin: "To all my people in the struggle--here's some pain medicine." Righteous).
Worry is blind and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief.
"No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing.
Those who accept the one principle of making the service of God supreme, will find perplexities vanish and a plain path before their feet.
(Ministry of Healing p.480)
"Perplexities vanish and a plain path before their feet"...yeah, that sounds like a plan. Seek first...perplexities vanish. Seek first...plain path appears. Now if I can just remember that one little detail--seek first, "accept the one principle..." Anything you're seeking first that isn't "the one principle" or is it just me again? :-)
You've been prayed for today...
Happy Monday (ahhh, sweet irony... :-)
Today, a short story.
So I'm in Anaheim last night, waiting for the train to take me back to SD after a great day of enjoying the company of friends (family, really) and especially one of my favorite little birthday girls (Stella-Bella!). We'd just gotten done talking in church the day before about reclaiming and redeeming these little "waiting" fragments of time--in line at the grocery store, in traffic, at the train station. So since we're reading James in men's group I gave it a quick gander and then let my mind wander--or, as we learned yesterday (thanks, Chip!) opened up my mind to His prompting as I meditated on the passage. Got to thinking about and praying for some of you, my people, dealing with the stuff you're dealing with.
So the train arrives, and I clamber aboard--long day--and grab a seat on the West side ('course no ocean to be seen 'cause barely a sliver of a new moon, oh well, still, it's the principle of the thing). So the train gets going again and the Lord and I do as well, once again just staring out of the window and mentally meandering through the James 1 stuff again--trials, joy, maturity, baseline lack of wisdom and God's generosity in supplementing it, doubting and not, standing firm versus getting tossed about, and then right back to my people and prayer. Funny, 'cause the very next thought after that prayer was clear as a bell, a quote I hadn't seen in a while but which came to mind with startling clarity (check out John 14:26 for more on that phenomenon--thanks Ellis!). Some of this we've talked about before here, but it's been a while, and the last line is what leapt out at me this time and stuck with me all the way home where I looked it up and started this thought. (Aside: to quote our brother Kirk Franklin: "To all my people in the struggle--here's some pain medicine." Righteous).
Worry is blind and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief.
"No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing.
Those who accept the one principle of making the service of God supreme, will find perplexities vanish and a plain path before their feet.
(Ministry of Healing p.480)
"Perplexities vanish and a plain path before their feet"...yeah, that sounds like a plan. Seek first...perplexities vanish. Seek first...plain path appears. Now if I can just remember that one little detail--seek first, "accept the one principle..." Anything you're seeking first that isn't "the one principle" or is it just me again? :-)
You've been prayed for today...
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Let Nothing Perturb You
Hey, Y'all,
A few days ago I was telling someone ('sup, E :-) about this incredibly powerful little poem called "Nada Te Turbe" ("Let Nothing Perturb You") written by Teresa de Avila (also known as Teresa de Jesus--something to aspire to, no? :-), a Carmelite nun who lived in Spain in the 1500s. I read it years ago in a Spanish literature class and I don't think it would be overstating things to say that it changed my life--it's one of those seemingly insignificant little things that has surprisingly forcefully buttressed my faith through the fierce storms of doubt and impatience that we go through...'course I'm sure that it's just me who goes through 'em :-)
God is good, and that's the truth.
"Nada te turbe,
nada te espante,
todo se pasa;
Dios no se muda.
La paciencia
todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene,
nada le falta.
Sólo Dios basta."
(Let nothing perturb you,
Nothing dismay you,
All things pass;
God never changes.
Patience achieves all.
Whoever has God
lacks nothing.
He alone is enough.)
You've been prayed for today...
A few days ago I was telling someone ('sup, E :-) about this incredibly powerful little poem called "Nada Te Turbe" ("Let Nothing Perturb You") written by Teresa de Avila (also known as Teresa de Jesus--something to aspire to, no? :-), a Carmelite nun who lived in Spain in the 1500s. I read it years ago in a Spanish literature class and I don't think it would be overstating things to say that it changed my life--it's one of those seemingly insignificant little things that has surprisingly forcefully buttressed my faith through the fierce storms of doubt and impatience that we go through...'course I'm sure that it's just me who goes through 'em :-)
God is good, and that's the truth.
"Nada te turbe,
nada te espante,
todo se pasa;
Dios no se muda.
La paciencia
todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene,
nada le falta.
Sólo Dios basta."
(Let nothing perturb you,
Nothing dismay you,
All things pass;
God never changes.
Patience achieves all.
Whoever has God
lacks nothing.
He alone is enough.)
You've been prayed for today...
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Would Choose To Be Led, If...
Nothing like a birthday to get one contemplative, huh? :-)
Today's RST is short but powerful...
God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as coworkers with Him.
Desire of Ages, pp. 224, 225.
You've been prayed for today...
Today's RST is short but powerful...
God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as coworkers with Him.
Desire of Ages, pp. 224, 225.
You've been prayed for today...
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