Weekend Word

 Both from Beside the Still Waters...

We Get What We Build - Read: Matthew 7:15-27

"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell." - Matthew 7:2 

The story is told of Tom, who was a builder for many years, widely known for quality workmanship.  Finally the time came when he decided to retire.  After Tom told his employer of his plans, the boss said that he wanted Tom to build one more house.  Tom reluctantly agreed, but he was so weary of toil and so ready to retire that he cut corners and used inferior materials.  He knew how to do this in ways that could hardly be detected.  When the house was complete, Tom's employer congratulated him and gave Tom the keys.  He said, "This is your retirement home, free of charge."  Tom was dumbfounded, but he had to live with the results of his personal choices.

Are we, like Tom, tempted to cut corners?  No amount of good deeds will compensate for one act of dishonesty or other sin.  "But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live?  All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned" (Ezekiel 18:24).  Paul wrote, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption" (Galatians 6:7-8).

In this life we can make mistakes and repent, but things will be different when we stand before God to be judged.  Any hidden sin will condemn us because it's too late then to repent.  Let's make sure everything is cleansed by the blood of Jesus now.  Our labors must be "not with eyeservice, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God" (Colossians 3:22).  If we always carefully heed the Master Builder, we can be assured a safe and blessed home in eternity. 

Denver Yoder - Somerset, OH

"For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:14

From Be Still and Know...

"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word" (John 17:6).

In this scripture verse, Jesus is praying specifically for His disciples and all those who would come to a personal faith in Him down through the ages.  "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (John 17:20)

"I have manifested thy name unto them."  The word "name" has the meaning of person or character.  Jesus came to show people Who God is and what He is like.  "It is true no one has seen God at any time.  Yet the divine and only Son, who lives in the closest intimacy with the Father, has made him known" (John 1:18, Phillips).

He continued, "They have KEPT THY WORD."  One time Jesus said to His disciples, "Will ye also go away?"  Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  THOU HAST THE WORDS of eternal life.  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (John 6:67-69).

God has given us His Word and it is His special message to us.  There must be consistent reading of His Word, day by day that we may know His message for us.

We must not only know His word, but we must KEEP it.  We must be obedient to it.  "Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it" (Luke 11:28).  "If a man love me, he will keep my words" (John 14:23).

What place does His Word have in your life today?  Are you walking in obedience to it?  Can the Lord Jesus say of us, "They have kept MY Word?"

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Hebrews 11:6

On the home front...

 We've had some lovely Spring days...

from my walk this morning

Had a trip last week to Launceston with Marnie, and bought some fabric to do some sewing...

I bought this shirt from Michaela's Etsy store, along with some head coverings a few weeks ago...

Unfortunately, she (and her store) has now moved to Canada from South Australia, so I am going to try and cut a pattern from this one and make some more.  I really like it and it is so comfortable to wear.  But I don't do buttonholes, so that could present a bit of a challenge :))

I'm making slow progress on the little patchwork mats.  Hopefully I'll have them finished by the end of the year!

And working on sewing these blanket squares together...

Potting up a few cuttings...

And enjoying some colour in the garden...

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" 

- Colossians 3:17

Have a blessed week!

xx

Weekend Words

 Both devotionals from Beside the Still Waters...

Humbled and Hungering: Read Deuteronomy 8

"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger ... that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live " - Deuteronomy 8:3

When Moses spoke the words of today's Bible reading, his audience was mostly those who could remember the rigors of the wilderness journey.  Three times in Deuteronomy 8, Moses spoke of God humbling Israel (verses 2, 3, 16).  Other words that describe God's dealings are "chasteneth" (verse 5) and "prove" (verses 2, 16).  God wanted to prove what was in their hearts and if they would keep His commandments in adverse circumstances.  If they passed these tests, they would be prepared for "the good land" to which God was leading them.

God also allowed the Israelites to experience hunger pangs.  For this they accused God of bringing them into the wilderness "to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Exodus 16:3).  So God in mercy gave them wholesome manna every morning, six days a week.  But very soon they were craving meat.  They said, "there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes" (see Numbers 11:4-6).  And God graciously sent quails to meet their demand.

God's express purpose for letting them get hungry was to help them realize that people need both natural and spiritual food to maintain physical and spiritual life.  Today's key verse says this spiritual food amounts to "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord."  So as God takes us through adverse circumstances, let's be convinced anew of the importance of learning from the Word of God.  To reach our Promised Land in Heaven, we need to be well nourished spiritually until we die physically or until Christ comes in the clouds.

 Dennis Martin - Smithville, TN

Draw Near: Read James 4:1-17

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." - James 4:8

Wayward as we are, we become victims of our own choices.  Our human tendency is to gravitate towards our fleshly nature and thereby become estranged from our Saviour.  Following this path will lead to a sin-filled life, and the farther we travel, the greater the gap between us and the Savior.

"Oh, I had not expected to go this far!  This is costing me more than I want to pay.  The experience here is not pleasant and not what I had anticipated.  I didn't know that I would be so lonely and feel so estranged and forsaken.  Yes, materialism has been my god, and my carnal nature had led me into disputing, war and murder!  I feel despised, rejected, and cast out.  Is it possible to restore my broken relationship with my Savior?"

Then Jesus tenderly speaks to me: "Draw near!"  Is it actually true that He still has a strong and vibrant love for me?  Is there a possibility to restore the relationship?  And the answer gently resonates again: "Draw near!"

So I decide to move closer.  I discover that yes, it is real!  Through repentance I experience the amazing and remarkable grace of my Savior.  Forgiveness is granted.  Fellowship is restored.  Peace returns.  The warmth of fellowship and relationship is renewed.  Now I finally come to the realization that I was the one who turned cold.  Yes, it was my attitudes and my choices that caused the breach in our relationship.  How could I be so negligent?

Again today I am inspired to be extremely thankful and exceedingly appreciative to my Savior.  He never wants me to go off and wander in sin, but He constantly invites me to draw near!

Joseph Kuepfer - Newton, ON

When all around in this cold, dark land, 

Nothing encourages me to stand,

Jesus says, holding me by the hand,

"Come closer, my child, to Me.

- B. Elliott Warren

Weekend Words

 From Our Daily Bread...

Just Like Jesus: Read Romans 12:1-2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

In 2014, biologists captured a pair of orange pygmy seahorses in the Philippines.  They took the marine creatures, along with a section of the orange coral sea fan they called home, to the California Acadamy of Science in San Franscisco.  Scientists wanted to know if the pygmy seahorses were born to match the colour of their parents or their environment.  When the pygmy seahorses gave birth to dull brown babies, scientists placed a purple coral sea fan in the tank.  The babies, whose parents were orange, changed their colour to match the purple sea fan.  Due to their fragility by nature, their survival depends on their God-given ability to blend into their environment.

Blending-in is a useful defense mechanism in nature.  However, God invites all people to receive salvation and stand out in the world by how we live.  The apostle Paul urges believers in Jesus to honor God in every aspect of our lives, to worship Him by offering our bodies as a "living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1).  Due to our fragility as human beings affected by sin, our spiritual health as believers depends on the Holy Spirit "renewing" our minds and empowering us to avoid conforming to "the pattern of this world"' that rejects God and glorifies sin (v.2).

Blending into this world means living in opposition to the Scriptures.  However, through the power of the Holy spirit, we can look and love just like Jesus!

How have you been blending into the world?

How has God changed you?

Dear God , please make me more like Jesus each day.

I remember this little chorus that we use to sing in church sometimes:

To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus

All I ask - to be like Him

All through life's journey

From earth to glory

All I ask - to be like Him

From Be Still and Know...

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)

Growth is defined as "to increase in size, quantity, or degree, and develop towards maturity."

If there is life, there is growth.  If we have spiritual life, there should be evidence of spiritual growth.  There should be progress along the road to spiritual maturity.  Growth in two areas is emphasized here - growth in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As we grow in grace, we reveal His love and humility in our lives.  We are gentle and kind, giving preference to others.  We will reflect His spirit of graciousness.

We are to grow in our knowledge of Him; not just in knowledge ABOUT Him, but in knowledge OF Him.  "But grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18, LB).

Our Source Book for this knowledge of Him is the Word of God.  "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby" (2 Peter 2:2).

It is more than just knowledge, it is a knowledge that becomes real in our lives.  The Holy Spirit takes our knowledge of Christ and makes HIM real within us.  "But I will send you the Comforter - the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth.  He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about ME" (John 15:26, LB).

The process of spiritual maturity takes time.  We are living in an age of "instant" living when we want things to happen fast, but this is not true in spiritual development.

Paul wrote, "UNTIL we all ATTAIN oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God; that [we might ARRIVE] at really MATURE manhood" (Ephesians 4:13, Amplified).

God wants us to grow from spiritual infancy to maturity.

On the home front...

 

The Spring weather has been a bit unsettled, but that is typical. Sunny one day, cool and misty fog the next...

But with the warmer weather coming on, I've felt like doing some sewing.  Not that I particularly 'like' sewing, but I like the end results :)  So I had this dress, which I didn't wear much...

I cut it off just below the armholes...

Folded it over to make a casing...

Using wide bias binding, and added elastic...

and I now have a long skirt :)

Then I remembered this (cheats patchwork) fabric I'd picked up at the op shop a while ago...

Decided to make some little mats...

And I've finished 17 small scarves for the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes...

I enjoyed knitting them, but I'm now happy to move on to something else...

Knitting beanies for the Mission to Seafarers (Victoria) as requested by Knit 4 Charities...

Almost finished the book I mentioned in my previous home post and think I will read THIS one next.  It's been on my bookshelf for a while, and Part 2 of her life has just come out, so best get this first one read...

Work on the front fence is coming along (slowly). We just have around the letter box and the gate to do...

  and I think Marnie wants to paint it

And I must get these cutting I brought from the Deloraine house, and stuck in this old bathtub in the garden, into individual pots...

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Genesis 8:22

Weekend Words

 Internet back up and running as of yesterday :)

From Be Still and Know...

"Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You - affectionately and gratefully praise You; yes, I will praise Your name for ever and ever" (Psalm 145:2 Amplified).

This is a Psalm full of thanksgiving and praise, extolling the one who alone is worthy of praise.  David said, "I will bless YOU; I will praise YOU."  His praise was not just for what God gave him or did for him, but for God Himself.  He expressed his personal relationship to the one Whom he praises, "My God, the king."

His praise to God is continual - "EVERY DAY will I bless YOU - affectionately and gratefully praise you."  There is an interesting phrase in this verse - "Every day WITH ITS NEW REASONS."  That includes today.  Sometimes we feel that we have nothing to praise Him for.  But if we look for them there will always be new reasons for praising Him.

The psalmist's heart was full of GREAT PRAISE to a GREAT GOD.  "Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable" (Psalm 145:3 Amplified).  He is so great that we cannot explain or fathom it.  "How great he is!  His power is absolute!  His understanding is unlimited" (Psalm 147:5, LB).

Our praise is to be never ending.  "I will bless Your name for ever and ever" (Psalm 145:1 Amplified).

Regardless of our circumstances, conditions, environment, or needs, we have new reasons each day for praising Him.  We are assured of His unchanging love for us.  "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).  We are assured of His constant presence with us.  "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).  We are assured of His willingness to work out each circumstance in our lives for our good and His glory.  "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

The psalmist ends Psalm 145 with a great finale of praise. "My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless - affectionately and gratefully praise - His holy name for ever and ever" (v. 21, Amplified). 

PRAISE YE THE LORD!

I came across this lovely hymn recently...

Under His wings I am safely abiding;

Though the night deepens and the tempests are wild,

Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me.

He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!

How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!

Often when earth has no balm for my healing,

There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!

There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;

Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;

Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore

Chorus:

Under His wings, under His wings,

Who from His love can sever?

Under His wings my soul shall abide,

Safely abide forever.

- William O. Cushing

Weekend Words

Sorry this is late, but my internet is down and may be for a couple of weeks while they rectify the problem in the area. I’m posting this from my phone, which is rather difficult. Thankfully I had it typed up last week, but have just added the photos now. I’ll be back as soon as I can, but in the meantime there are plenty of back posts you can read through :)

Have a blessed week!

From Be Still and Know...

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. - Psalm 27:4

Late for an appointment, a man hurried out and hailed a cab.  Jumping in, he said to the driver, "get going and drive as quickly as you can."  After a few blocks, he impatiently asked, "Are we almost there?"  "Almost where?" replied the driver.  In his hurry the passenger had failed to give the driver the address of his destination.

That may seem an unlikely story, yet today many people are so busy trying to keep up with the rapid pace of living, they haven't stopped to consider what their goal in life is.

David had a goal in his life, a goal that his heart was set on achieving.  He said, "ONE THING have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after" (Psalm 27:4, Amplified).

Since David was in danger, helpless, and friendless, he might have prayed for his safety, but that was not the primary desire of his heart.

First, his heart's desire was "that I may dwell in the house of the Lord - in His Presence - all the days of my life."  He wanted to live in the presence of the Lord all the days of his life.  He longed for the constant companionship of God.

Next, his desire was "to behold the beauty of the Lord."  He wanted his vision filled with the Lord.

Then he wanted to "inquire in His temple."  He wanted God's answers to his problems, to know God's will, to become better acquainted with God.

He had his priorities right.  He longed for companionship with the Lord - to be occupied with God's person; He wanted to seek His will - to be occupied with God's guidance.

Jesus Christ came that through Him we might have the constant companionship of God, see Him with our eyes of faith, and walk in obedience to His will.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds  In a believer's ear;

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,  And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,   And calms the troubled breast;

'Tis manna to the hungry soul,  And to the weary rest.

From Beside the Still Waters...

Left Behind - Read: Matthew 24:36-25:13

"Then shalt two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." - Matthew 24:40

My sister and I were sitting in Chicago's Union Station.  I was reading and also listening for the announcement telling us it was time to board our train.  I checked my watch repeatedly as the time drew nearer, and finally I put my book away and just waited.  Surely any minute we would be called.

Five minutes before departure time, I could stand it no longer.  "Come," I told my sister.  "We need to walk down to the gate and make sure they're not boarding without us."  But I had waited too long, we arrived breathless at the gate only to see an attendant closing it.  "Sorry," he said.  "You've missed the train."

I stood there shocked and frustrated, refusing to believe this was actually happening.  Surely it was just a bad dream, and I would wake up to find myself safely on the train.  Dimly I thought, "Is this what it would feel like to be left behind when Jesus returns?"

I will never know whether the attendant failed to announce our train, or whether I was so absorbed in my book that I failed to hear the call.  It really didn't matter; we had missed our train, and there was nothing left to do but take another train.  Hopefully I've learned my lesson: I am personally responsible to ensure that I make it on the train.

If we are left behind when Jesus returns, the reason won't be important either.  Whether because of carelessness, unbelief, or false confidence, the result will be the same.  We are personally responsible for our own standing with God, and we can blame no one else.  Furthermore, if we miss the "train" to Heaven, there will be no other options.  We have only one chance.  Let's make certain we are ready.

Jeremiah Stoll - Ethel, MO

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your lord doth come." - Matthew 24:42