Weekend Words

 From Be Still and Know...

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

When the Lord Jesus issues an invitation to "Follow Me," it is accompanied by certain conditions.  First, it requires a total commitment of our lives to Him.  He said, "IF any man will come after ME."  Committal has the meaning of deposit.  When we deposit money in the bank, we leave it there for safe keeping.  In committing (depositing) our lives to Him, we give them to Him unreservedly.  

Jesus said that we must deny self to follow Him.  We must give up all rights to our lives, relinquishing our interests, ambitions, goals, desires, even our own ability.

As we deny self, we must take up the cross of submission to his will for our lives.  Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Jesus said there must be consistency in following Him.  We must follow Him daily; not just when we want to, or when we feel like it.

It costs something to deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him.  However, He doesn't force this commitment on us, the choice is ours.

One day George Mueller was asked the secret of the power of God working in His life.  He replied, "There was a day when George Mueller died, died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will: died to the world, its approval or censure, died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends.  Since then I have studied only to show myself approved to God."

Jesus' invitation is to all.  "Then He spoke to them ALL: If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, he must give up all right to himself, carry his cross every day and keep close behind me" (Luke 9:23, Phillips).  God can use anyone who is willing to do this.

"Great peace have those who love your law, 

And nothing causes them to stumble." 

Psalm 119:165

From Amish Peace...

Like Morning Fog

"Your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone.  what you ought to say is. "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."  Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil." - James 4:14-16

In our American society we value order, organization, planning.  We create systems and charts.  We fill in calendars and create schedules.  We create five-year plans, set life goals, and make bucket lists.  We believe in "doing" for the sense of accomplishment we get.  Even though we may not admit it, our plans help us to excel - to compete with others - and even compete with the goals we've established for ourselves.  And sometimes we've become prideful in our sense of self-sufficiency.

We may not boast outwardly, but our deeds speak loud and clear.  We are so certain of what we've planned for tomorrow that we become discouraged and overwhelmed when unexpected sickness, injury, natural disasters, and loss force us to change our routines.  The Amish are not immune to trouble.  Like the rest of us, they make plans and then find themselves disappointed too.  What the Amish understand, though, is the beauty of sacrificing time to the Lord.  Everything they do takes more time, but that means they have more time to spend with God as they do it.

Do you feel as if your life is a morning fog, here and then gone?  Only the things we do for God will last for eternity.  Everything else will fade to nothing.  "You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.  My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath," says Psalm 39:5

This is a good reminder to slow down and cherish the time we spend with loved ones.  Put aside your five-year plans, life goals, and bucket lists, and instead, refresh your soul and cherish your family and friends.  Do not boast about what you think is to come.  Instead, be thankful for the moments you have today with those you love and with God by your side.

Random snapshots from home...

 Hello! :)  

Finally, back again to give you a bit of an update. Hope all is going well with you. Every day I think I'll get a blog post to you, but then other things come up, and it doesn't happen.  Determined to get it done today because tomorrow my daughter Natasha arrives for a week, visiting from the USA.  Hopefully next home post I'll have some photos to share :)  

But for now, here are some random pics of what's been happening...

Still getting out for my morning walks most days...

And a couple of weeks ago Marnie and I did a trip to Wynyard (via Penguin) as she wanted to do a photo shoot for her Campfire Beanies...

Two pics of Penguin Beach...

Fossil Bluff, Wynyard.  Looking west, towards Table Cape...

Looking east to Wynyard township from the Fossil Bluff lookout...

A Campfire Beanie...

Marnie on the rocks :) ...

You can see her Campfire Beanies on Instagram and Etsy

An early morning sunrise from my kitchen window...

A lovely new book...

Yummy fried rice...

And the 'colorful blanket' I've been working on forever (I can only take this much color in small doses!) is finally sewn together.  Just needs an edging/border...

In between times, I rediscovered this...

Lovely yarn to work with (Patons Sierra 8ply - 20% wool/80% acrylic)

And my 'Deloraine blanket' is growing slowly...

Books on the go...

Still doing my 'Bible Word a Month'.  And just to recap... January was 'peace', February was 'joy', March was 'trust', and my word for April is 'light'.  

Here are some verses...

"Then God said, "Let there be light", and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness." - Genesis 1:3-4

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." - Psalm 119:105

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." - John 8:12

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light." - Ephesians 5:8

I'll leave you with this quote I came across recently...

"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor - such is my idea of happiness." - Leo Tolstoy (Family Happiness)

I hope I can get back with another update sooner rather than later, but in the meantime...

Shine your light!! :)

xx

Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

Jesus Said, "I Am the Bread of Life" - Read: John 6:30-58

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." - John 6:35

Jesus stated in today's Bible reading that "the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world."  Jesus is the one who came down, so He is our bread.  How can Jesus be bread for us?  Consider what bread does for our natural bodies.  It nourishes us and sustains our life when we take it in.  It strengthens us and becomes part of our body.  Jesus does the same in a spiritual sense.

The life that Jesus gives to the world is not the breath of natural life, but rather the new spiritual life that He breathes into our souls when we believe in Him as our Saviour.  The Holy Spirit also comes in to do His work in our life when we put our faith in Jesus.

Eating natural bread satisfies our natural hunger.  Jesus satisfies the hunger of our soul.  The devil tempts us to eat the bread of the world by indulging in the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21.  However, that does not bring satisfaction to our soul as Jesus does.  We feel empty without Christ.  We feel guilty, condemned, and fearful.  But when we ingest the bread of life, Jesus, we feel loved and accepted by Him.

To eat the bread of Jesus, we need to take in His teachings in such a way that they become part of us and how we live.  This is done by studying the Word of God, memorizing it, and obeying it.  If we take the bread of Jesus into our soul as we take natural bread into our body, over and over again, we will have eternal life.

Joseph Sharp - Adams, NY

The sins of the flesh leave an unfulfilled hole;

The bread of Jesus gives peace to our soul.  

Jesus Said, "I am ... the Truth" - Read: John 8:12-18, 31-47

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32

Jesus Himself is the truth.  Therefore, Jesus is always faithful to His promises and does not change.  Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."  We can be assured that what Jesus taught is true.  He is the only One who perfectly represents the heavenly Father.  If we become followers of Jesus, we will experience the blessings of obeying Him.  We can have our sins forgiven if we confess them (1 John 1:9).  We can live in victory when we are tempted (key verse).  We can trust His promises for eternal life (Revelation 2:7).  Jesus saves!  Jesus loves!  Jesus cares!

In today's Bible reading, Jesus clearly said that He came from His Father.  He also stated who He is and who the devil is.  The devil is a liar, which is the direct opposite of being the truth.  The devil cannot speak the truth; there is no truth in him.  He cannot save us, for he wants only to destroy.  He does not love us, for if he did, he would not try to deceive us and would not want us to be cast forever into hell.  In fact, the devil has no capacity for love, because that comes only from the Father.  He does not care if we have pain and misery, for he is a hard taskmaster.  His wages are death and destruction.

Romans 1:25 says that some people have actually changed the truth of God into a lie.  The succeeding verses describe the downward course of sin and debauchery followed by these people.  Let us rather follow truth, for it sets us free from sin and destruction.  Jesus is "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

Joseph Sharp - Adams, NY

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. - John 1:17

From In Green Pastures...

The Peacemaker's Beatitude.

It is very easy, if you are talking to one who has a little distrust of another or a little bitterness against another, to say a word which will increase the distrust or add to the bitterness.  We like to approve and justify the one with whom we are speaking, and in doing so we are apt to confirm him in his bitterness or sense of wrong.  Let us be on our guard that we do not unintentionally widen little rifts into great breaches.  Let us seek ever to be peacemakers.  there is no other beatitude whose blessing is more radiant than that of the peacemaker - "they shall be called sons of God."

Weekend Words

From Beside the Still Waters...

Who Are the People of God? - Read: 1 Peter 2

"Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God" - 1 Peter 2:10

In today's key verse, do the people of God include all who profess to follow Christ?  Simply being zealously involved in religious activity does not make one a Christian.  Who then are God's people?  Here are some descriptions that we find in Scripture.

The people of God have been born again.  They give evidence of it by being so transformed that they "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).  They turn away from sin and the ungodly world, are led by the Spirit of God, and have their focus on spiritual things.

The people of God accept the entire Bible as the inspired, infallible Word of God, to be believed and obeyed without reservation.  The Bible is their rule even when others are following "enlightened" thinkers.  They are fully convinced that God's Word will never change.  Living by faith, they are not overwhelmed by fear when things seem to spin out of control, but they have abiding peace and restful assurance that the secular world knows nothing of.

The people of God seek to follow Jesus' command to love - that we love one another, love our neighbor, and even love our enemies.  They show divine love by deeds of kindness, acts of compassion, and other practical ways.  God's people do not resort to physical force to gain what they want, whether it involves vengeful actions or political methods.

Have we surrendered our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ?  Are we living in the light of eternity and in readiness for our Lord's soon return?  If so, we can have the wonderful blessing of being assured that we are part of God's people.

Mark Kropf - Halsey, OR

The people of God are they ...

Who search the Scriptures and hasten to obey;

Who hear the Shepherd and follow Him all the way;

Who love the Lord and serve Him every day.

From Amish Peace... (I posted this back in 2021, but I thought it was worth revisiting)

Open Your Hands and Give

"Don't worry about these things, saying, "What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?"  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. (Matthew 6:31-31)

Recession has hit our country in recent years.  Friends have lost their homes.  Others have whittled down their savings.  Many are out of jobs.  But the Amish are a segment of society that has hardly been touched with financial trouble.  When the world around us uses advertising and promotion to urge consumers to buy more, the Amish raise their children to get by with just enough. "Waste not, want not" is a common saying.  Amish are consumers, too, but they consume in different ways.  They don't purchase products to make them look good or to bring comfort, ease, or beauty to their lives.  They purchase food, clothing, tools, or other supplies because they have a specific need.

The Amish live by common sense, and they foster contentment with what they have.  They also open their hands and give to those who are in need.  Giving to others as a top money management technique may seem foolish, but the Amish received this advice from the One who owns everything.  Jesus said, "Give and you will receive.  Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.  The amount you give will determine the amount you get back" (Luke 6:38).

If you want to live in peace, throw away your long shopping list and learn to live with less.  Do you want to be unruffled and content?  Cease focusing on what you don't have, and instead consider what you can give to someone who has less.

Those who don't believe that God is there - and that He cares for them - have reason to worry and fret.  But our heavenly Father not only knows our needs but also brings others into our lives to help meet them.  He also brings people in need into our lives because He knows we will be blessed when we open our hands to give.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for all You've provided - in unexpected ways and through the care of others.  Show me someone who needs something I have to offer.  I open my hands today.

From In Green Pastures...

As Thy Days

There is in the Bible no promise of grace in advance of the need.  God does not say he will put strength into our arm for the battle while we are in quiet peace and the battle is yet far off.  When the conflict is at hand the strength will be given.  He does not open the gates for us, nor roll away the stones, until we have come up to them.  He did not divide the Jordan's waters while the people were yet in their camps, nor even as they began to march towards the river.  The wild stream continued to flow as the host moved down the banks, even until the feet of the priests had been dipped in the water.  This is the constant law of divine help.  It is not given in advance.  As we come up to the need the supply is ready, but not before.  Yet many Christians worry because they cannot see the way opened and the needs supplied far in advance of their steps.  Shall we not let God provide and have faith in Him?

"Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distance scene; one step enough for me."

Weekend Words

 From In Green Pastures...

A Beautiful Life

A life need not be great to be beautiful.  There may be as much beauty in a tiny flower as in a majestic tree, in a little gem as in a great mountain, in the smallest creatures as in a mammoth.  A life may be very lovely and yet be insignificant in the world's eyes.  A beautiful life is one that fulfils its mission in this world, that is what God made it to be, and does what God made it to do.  Those with commonplace gifts are in danger of thinking that they cannot live a beautiful life, cannot be a blessing in this world.  But the smallest life that fills its place well is far lovelier in God's sight than the largest and most splendidly gifted that yet fails of its divine mission.

"Far better in its place the lowliest bird

should sing aright to Him the lowliest song,

Than that a seraph strayed should take the word

And sing his glory wrong."

From Our Daily Bread...

Five Good Things - Read: Psalm 107:1-9

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1

According to research, people who are intentionally grateful for what they have report better sleep, fewer symptoms of illness, and more happiness.  Those are impressive benefits.  Psychologists even suggest keeping a "gratitude journal" to improve our well-being, writing down five things we're grateful for each week.

Scripture has long promoted the practice of gratitude.  From meals and marriage (1 Timothy 4:3-5) to the beauties of creation (Psalm 104), the Bible has called us to see such things as gifts and to thank the Giver for them.  Psalm 107 lists 5 things Israel could be especially grateful for: their rescue from the desert (vv. 4-9), their release from captivity (vv. 10-16), healing from disease (vv. 18-22), safety at sea (vv. 23-32), and their flourishing in a barren land (vv. 33-42).  "Give thanks to the Lord," the psalm repeats, for these are all signs of God's "unfailing love" (vv. 8, 15, 21, 31).

Do you have a notepad handy?  Why not write down five good things you're grateful for now?  It might be the meal you just enjoyed, your marriage or, like Israel, God's rescue points in your life to date.  Give thanks for the birds singing outside, the smells in your kitchen, the comfort of your chair, the murmurs of loved ones.  Each is a gift and a sign of God's unfailing love.

- Sheridan Voysey

From Amish Peace...

Words Alone

"The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.  He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.  He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the ocean in vast reservoirs.  Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him" - Psalm 33:6-8

When I pull out my favorite Amish cookbook, I immediately read the ingredients.  Do I have everything I need?  It doesn't matter if I have the desire or the skill to make the recipe; if I don't have the right ingredients, I'm not going to get anywhere.

When an Amish wife cooks a meal, she turns to the pantry for supplies.  When Amish men prepare for a barn raising, they order supplies from the hardware store.  We understand how things come from other things, yet it's hard to wrap our minds around the fact that with God everything came from nothing at all.  Words created the world.  God's breath hung the stars:  "By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen" (Hebrews 11:3).

In our world, many put their trust in science and the knowledge of humanity.  They attempt to explain the world without figuring God into the equation.  They ignore the beauty of creation's design.  But everything is different when we see the world as the handiwork of a Creator.

"Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing whom to thank," the Amish say.  What do you see when you look at the world around you?  Whom do you thank?

Today when you step outside your door, look around and let your heart be filled with awe.  Take time to thank your Creator.  His Word, the Bible, is something you can stand on.  And the world, created by His words, is something to marvel at. 

Let us join together and stand in awe of Him.