Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

Plowing, Sowing, Threshing - Read Isaiah 28:23-29, Hebrews 12:5-17

"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." - Job 23:10

Plowing, sowing, and threshing are common agricultural terms that appear many times in the Bible.  Isaiah used these words for analogies to God's disciplines in our lives.  

Plowing (verse 24).  The purpose of plowing is to break up the soil.  Once the plowing is finished, does the farmer turn around and keep on plowing?  No, it is a means to an end.  When the end is achieved, his plowing ceases.  For many years the plowing of Egyptian tyranny ripped through the soil of the Hebrew nation, but in it God saw the potential of a rich harvest.  God is discerning in the duration of our disciplines.  He will not plow longer than necessary.

Sowing (verse 25).  After the plowing is done, the ground is prepared ("made plain").  It is then that God can sow the seed.  The farmer calculates what will bring the greatest returns by planting high-quality seed that is best suited for the soil.  God regards our lives as seed plots for eternity.  He pays close attention not only to the soil but also to the seed He sows.  His choices are always sovereignly correct.

Threshing (verses 27-29).  The farmer adapts his threshing technique according to the nature of the harvested grain.  God uses similar discretion and moderation in our lives to produce the results He desires.  His object in threshing is not to crush or destroy, but to purify and preserve.

The chastening of the Lord is often wrought with pain.  While we would not choose these trials, God sends then to perfect and purify us, and to produce fruit in our character that is worth more than gold.  This harvest of peace follows if we allow ourselves to be disciplined by God's plowing, sowing, and threshing.

Jonathon Kropf - Halsey, OR

"Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties." - Charles Spurgeon

From In Green Pastures - J R Miller...

Not In Vain in the Lord

We must not measure by an earthly standard in testing the failure or success of life.  There are lives which the world crowns as successful, but which heaven rates as failures.  Then there are others over which men drop a tear of pity, but which in God's sight are put down as noble successes.  

All earnest Christians do many things which they hope will prove blessings to others, which yet in the end seem to fail altogether of good result.  But we do not know what good may yet come out of our true work that has appeared to fail.  "Your labor is not in vain in the Lord."  It may not show any result at once, but somewhere, sometime, there will be blessing from everything that is done truly for Christ.  

The old water-wheel runs around and around outside the mill.  It seems to be accomplishing nothing, but the shaft goes through the wall and turns the machinery inside, making flour to feed the hunger of many or driving spindles and weaving beautiful fabrics.  Our lives may seem, with all their activities, to be leaving no results, but they reach into the unseen; and who knows what blessings they become, what impressions they leave on other lives and in eternity?

Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

Loving as Christ Loved - Read: John 13:16-35

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" - 1 John 4:11

Unlike our modern-day emphasis on percentages, Jesus' focus was not on returns.  He gave His life for all, knowing that most people would reject His extreme sacrifice.  Think of the small percentage of faithful Christians, in relation to the masses of the unsaved.  Yet Jesus gave His best.  He gave Himself and all He had, even though only a "remnant" would respond (Romans 11:5).  He cares more about quality than quantity.  To save a few is still worth the cost.

Jesus cheerfully taught and deeply loved a ragtag band of diverse, uneducated men known as the twelve disciples.  Out of this group came the most notorious traitor the world has ever known.  Yet at the Last Supper, Jesus showed no trace of ill towards Judas.  Rather, He gave Judas the honorary sop.  By so doing, Jesus recognized Judas as the honored guest that night.  This loving gesture was one of the last kind acts Judas would ever receive.

The words of the songwriter B. Elliot Warren come to mind: "Such love cannot be fathomed, 'Tis like the boundless sea; His broken heart so wounded, Is bleeding now for thee."  Oh, the love of Jesus!  It will continue to the end of time.  Even today "he ever liveth to make intercession" for us - a ragtag band of disciples, if you will.  Oh, the weaknesses and hang-ups we have!  Oh, the forbearance and kindness He has!

No wonder God asks us to love one another.  It is the least we can do after all Jesus has done for us.  May we be willing to pour out our lives for other people, knowing that many will not give much of a return.  It is what our Lord did.

Marvin Joel Eicher - McArthur, Ohio

From Be Still and Know...

"Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." - Colossians 1:27

Paul wrote of our hope as believers which he called "the blessed hope."  He said, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13)

At the Ascension of Jesus to heaven, two men in white apparel appeared to the disciples, saying, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Today we live in expectation of the promised return of Jesus Christ.  We do not know when He will return but we look up in anticipation of it.

Not only is His return a living hope in a believer's life, but it has an effect on the way he lives.  When we are expecting company, we make preparation for their arrival.  We clean our homes, setting everything in order.  As we await His return, we need some inner preparation.  Our lives must be kept clean.  There may be some things in them to be put in order.  "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:3).

The return of Christ is our hope for the future, but what about hope for today?  Many are without hope because they are without God.  One definition of hope is "that in which we place our confidence."  The Lord Jesus is the object of our hope, the One in whom we have placed our confidence.  "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

With His presence within, we know that He is our hope for a consistent life of victory.  Sometimes we try to live the Christian life; we struggle to achieve victory, and over and over we go down in defeat.

When a puppet is being manipulated, it moves in perfect harmony with the hand within.  When the Lord Jesus lives within, and has complete control of our lives, we will move in perfect harmony with Him.

Our hope for the future - Christ will return.  Our hope for today - the presence of the indwelling Christ giving victory in our lives.

Snapshots from my week...

Autumn has definitely arrived in the garden...

I made these blankets awhile back.  Mostly small baby blankets from when I was selling at a craft shop in Deloraine.  No point in keeping them packed away, so I found a worthy cause to donate them to: 

Hope in a Suitcase, and there is a drop off point in Latrobe, which saves me postage...

Made a batch of chicken stir-fry which has lasted me three days...

served with brown rice

And I came across this lovely poem by Mary Oliver...

I Worried

I worried a lot.  Will the garden grow, will the rivers

flow in the right direction, will the earth turn

as it was taught, and if not how shall

I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,

can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows

can do it and I am, well,

hopeless.

Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,

am I going to get rheumatism,

lockjaw, dementia?

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.

And gave it up.  And took my old body

and went out into the morning,

and sang.

 

A few photos from this morning's walk...

As well as a couple of other projects I'm working on, I started knitting a scarf (for charity) with this pure wool yarn that Marnie didn't want...

I finished reading the Eastward Trails Trilogy (that I mentioned in a previous post) last night, so this is my new bedtime read...

Judith

The sky has got very dark, even though it's not even 4pm, and looks like a storm coming...

Glad I went for my walk this morning when the sun was shining as I don't think I'll be venturing far this afternoon.

A cup of tea and some knitting sounds like a good idea...

xx

Weekend Words

From The Bible Promise Book Devotional...

Worldly Peace vs. God's Peace

And the peace of God. which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus - Philippians 4:7 KJV

What do you consider your most peaceful place?  A serene beach with salty breezes and the soothing sounds of the ocean?  A scenic mountainside with crisp air and near silence?  Relaxing on a porch swing, or even just wrapped in a cozy blanket in your own living room?  Whatever the places and circumstances that bring you a sense of peace, they don't compare to the peace of God that passes all understanding.

Worldly peace is temporary and conditional, based on circumstances and feelings.  The peace of God is constant; it keeps (guards) your heart and mind, protecting them from the worries of the world.

The scripture prior to the one above says that prayer and thanksgiving are the way to get the peace of God.  If you aren't feeling the constant, unexplainable peace that God offers, ask yourself: "How are my prayer life and my time in the Word?"  You can't receive anything from someone you're ignoring.  Draw near to God this moment and during this week...  Then stay in constant communication with your heavenly Father who loves you dearly and wants you to experience His wonderful peace!

Whenever my world is spinning with stress, Lord, whisper to me.  Remind me to stop and spend time with You.  You are my only source of peace.  Amen.

From Amish Peace...

Learn It.  Live It.  Share It.

Commit yourself wholeheartedly to these words of mine.  Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.  Teach them to your children.  Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. - Deuteronomy 11:18-19

Growing up Amish reminds me of what it would have been like to live in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  When I was a fifth grader, the Little House series of books was my favourite.  I loved the passages about Ma making simple oil lamps of buttons, scraps of calico, and axle grease.  Or about Pa hanging a wild boar in the smokehouse.  I liked the idea of waking at dawn, riding in a horse-drawn wagon or buggy, and sitting as a family by lantern light.

History - the kind Laura lived - is still being lived out in some ways.  Today, Amish families not only sit around the living room at night, sewing and reading by lantern light, they also live by many values modern progress has forgotten.  What lessons from the past are worth embracing?  Sometimes the best person to ask - it seems - is an Amish man or woman.  In some ways, our past is their present.

Here are some values to consider: common courtesy, family togetherness, neighborliness, service, and putting others before yourself.  These values are based on the Scriptures, and the reason they don't get passed down is that parents neglect to teach and train their children by them.

Teaching scriptural values should be even more important than teaching our children to brush their teeth, turn off lights when they leave the room, or recycle.  Do we forget to teach these values because we've forgotten their worth?

Spend time reading God's Word.  Ask Him what values He desires you to live out in your own life.  Ask His Holy Spirit to work through you.  And then pass those values on to the children and young people in your life.

I'm back!

Finally getting myself organised in my new house in a new town, with a new river.  The house is not actually mine, but Marnie's, and the town and river are not really new, as I've gotten to know them from visiting Marnie here.  But it's been nice to be able to explore them in more detail. 

 Still getting the house organised (it's half the size of my previous house!) and settling in, but one of my priorities was to establish some new walks.  Plenty of choices.  Here are a few random photos...

This one is part of the garden outside my kitchen window...

Freya is settling in...

and is very happy to have lots of trees to climb

And I'm happy to have a new local library...

And this amazing yarn store...

Just before I moved, I managed to get this blanket finally finished and mailed off to Wrap with Love...

So now I've started a new project...

And reading my way through this Eastward Trails Trilogy...

fiction, but based on factual Anabaptist history

There's a bit of a catch up. I'm hoping to get back once a week with a general post.  But you've heard that before, so... :))

xx