Weekend Words

 From Our Daily Bread...

The Winning Goal - Read Acts 11:19-30

"A great number of people were brought to the Lord." (Acts 11:24)

On February 5, 2023, Christian Atsu kicked the winning goal for his football (soccer) team in a match in Turkey.  A star international player, he learned to play the sport as a kid running barefoot in his home country of Ghana.  Christian was a believer in Christ: " Jesus is the best thing that ever happened in my life," he said.  Atsu posted Bible verses on social media, was outspoken about his faith, and put it into action by helping finance a school for orphans.

The day after his winning goal, a devastating earthquake shook the city of Antakya, once the biblical city of Antioch.  Christian Atsu's apartment building collapsed, and he went to be with his Saviour.

Two thousand years ago, Antioch was the fountainhead of the early church: "the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch" (Acts 11:26).  One apostle, Barnabas, said to be "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit" (v. 24), was instrumental in bringing people to Christ: ' a great number of people were brought to the Lord" (v. 24).

We look at the life of Christian Atsu not to idolize him but to see in his example an opportunity.  Whatever our circumstances in life, we don't know when God will take us to be with him.  We do well to ask ourselves how we can be a Barnabas or a Christian Atsu in showing others the love of Christ.  That, above all, is the winning goal. 

- Kenneth Petersen

From Be Still and Know...

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5).  

As Paul's life was coming to a close, he encouraged Timothy to continue on in the ministry of serving Jesus Christ.  "For yourself, keep your mind sane and balanced, meeting whatever suffering this may involve.  Go on steadily preaching the gospel and carry out to the full the commission that God gave you" (2 Timothy 4:5, Phillips).

Paul outlined some guidelines for Timothy in fulfilling his ministry.  These same principles can be directives for us as we serve as "workers together with God."

First, we are to "stand fast".  We are to be stable, not to be swayed by people, opinions, ideas, or feelings.  "Be calm and cool and steady" (2 Timothy 4:5, Amplified).

Then we are to "do the work of an evangelist."  Every person without Christ is a mission field.  This gives us a large field in which to serve.

Lastly, we are to "fully perform all the duties of your ministry" (Amplified).  We may feel insignificant and unimportant; we may think others better qualified; but God has a place for us to serve and He enables us to fulfill it.

It is easy to become weary and discouraged.  We may want to quit.  But God's Word says we are to "be instant in season, out of season" (v.2).  In Galatians 6:9 we are reminded, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

God's workers come and go but His work continues throughout the centuries.  The plan and purpose of God will continue until the return of Jesus Christ.

May each of us "make full proof of the ministry," so that when we stand before Him, we will hear his "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

From In Green Pastures...

Pass On Your Blessing.

God does not like to bestow his blessings where they will be hoarded, but he loves to put them into the hands of those who will do the most with them to bless their fellows.  The central object of true living is to be helpful to others.  Lay every gift at the Master's feet, and then, when it has been blessed by him, carry it out to bless others.  Bring your barley loaves to Christ, and then, with the spell of his touch upon them, you may feed hungry thousands with them.

Let the wind blow...

Keep in mind we are in winter here in Australia, so this excerpt fits perfectly for us...

"The emergency shelves are stocked with staples, the freezer is full, the fruit closet has its jams and jellies and relishes.  So when the furnace begins to purr, we are settled in.  Books laid aside for winter appear on the cobbler's bench.  I favor books like Edwin Way Teale's North with the Spring for January days.  Mr. Teale evokes spring perfectly and his poetic strong prose is a joy.  And although Mr. Teale is a naturalist, he never talks down to a lay reader.  He teaches a great deal, but in a casual easy way.

Autumn Across America, a companion volume, is another favorite.  This is the time too for books such as Bruce Catton's A Stillness at Appomattox, or James Gould Cozzens' By Love Possessed.  There are few interruptions on a snowy day so you can give yourself over to a long book and not be jumping up every few minutes when someone comes to the door.

This winter, I plan to re-read Shakespeare, taking time to savor the majestic sweep and eternal beauty of the lines.  I often wonder what it would be like to come suddenly upon Shakespeare after growing up.  What an experience that would be.

I also like to re-read Peter Fleming's Brazilian Adventure, one of the most delightful books I know of and not widely known, unfortunately.  Wuthering Heights is a February kind of book and fits a stormy February day.  Every third winter, I pick up The Forsyte Saga and it never disappoints me.  Jill, of course, reads Dorothy Sayers' The Nine Tailors again, although she almost knows it by heart now.  She also reads parts of Cothren's Ancient History of Woodbury, but this has to be in small doses for the print is so fine and the pages so yellow that a headache is inevitable.

Katherine Mansfield fits any season but the Letter and Journals are particularly fine now, for her translucent prose brightens any day.  Books that take to reading aloud are scares.  There is Thurber.  And there is Thurber.  Otherwise we find an occasional gem such as The 101 Dalmatians.  I had trouble reading that however, as I laughed so hard I cried and then I could not see the words.

A good book, a cup of very hot tea, a fire burning well, ... and let the wind blow!

(From the Winter chapters of Stillmeadow Sampler by Gladys Taber)

Do you have favorite books you re-read each winter?  I confess I haven't read any of the ones she mentions, but perhaps it's time I broadened my horizons.  Favorite re-reads of mine in winter are the Little House books... and the Miss Read books.

Be careful what you wish for...

I wished I had more time to get some of my knit/crochet projects finished.  

I got my wish.

I got the flu!?!  

Feeling better now :)

And I did get quite a few projects finished, and others a step closer to being finished. 

But I also started a couple of new ones.  Ooops...

This one has gone in the mail to be sent to fistula patients in Ethiopia

This is one I started awhile back.  Have all the squares done and am now edging in blue...

And doing the edging on this one so it can go to a charity at the end of the month...

Two weeks later...

Back again!

It's raining today, so no walk...

But I've been busy...

making tomato relish

and Anzac biscuits 

to enjoy with my $2 op shop find (Amish Country) and coffee

Denver had his first exhibit at the Lego convention in Ulverstone...

And last Tuesday Marnie, Tom and I had a trip to Boat Harbour for Marnie's birthday lunch...

Still working on Hazel's vest, but must get it finished and in the mail next week for her birthday...

And while I was weaving in the last ends on this blanket and reading Above Rubies magazine...

I came across this poem...

Your Haven

Home is such a cozy word

Made up of letters four, And oh, the satisfaction

When your key turns in the door!

The chairs, the table, walls and hearth,

They are yours to touch,

No matter if they're shabby,

They mean so very much.

Whether you've a stately home

For which some people yearn,

Or whether it's a tiny place

with not much room to turn,

Home is a blessed haven,

It holds the very core

And the secret of your pleasure

When your key turns in the door.

~ Miriam Eker

"Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."

Have a blessed week!

xx

Weekend Words

 (I'm sorry the print/spacing may be a bit hard to read, but I'm still having intermittent problems with my laptop and had to type the post up in pdf form.  Hope you are still blessed by what you read)

From A Year’s Journey with God…

Blocked Goals

I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Gerhard Tersteegen lived in the 1700s and gave up life as a successful businessman to live completely alone with God in an isolated cottage. He hoped for a life of solitude in which to find peace for prayer and writing hymns and books. Obviously that was not God’s plan for his life! In 1727 the revival for which Gerhard had earnestly prayed actually broke out, and suddenly people started coming to his hideout in their hundreds, seeking spiritual help. Before long he was giving personal counsel from morning to night and eventually had to move to larger premises to make room for so many visitors. Life had become the very opposite of what he had hoped for, but something he wrote gives us a clue to how he reacted:

Oh take this heart that I would give,

Forever to be all thine own;

I to myself no more would live, -

come, Lord, be Thou my King alone.

God tells us that He has wonderful plans for all our lives (Jeremiah 29:11), but sometimes they are far from the plans we would have chosen! This faces us with a choice: we can either try to manipulate God into changing He ideas, feel resentful and sorry for ourselves, or react as Gerhard did.

From Behold the Lilies…

“...that there be no complaining in our streets. Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.” - Psalm 144:14-15

Are you one of the happy people or are you a person who complains? God’s Word has much to say about the common sin of ungratefulness.

The children of Israel complained when they were thirsty and there was no water. They murmured against Moses when the water was bitter and undrinkable. They complained because they grew tired of manna to eat. There were those God punished with death because of this.

I have to ponder how I would have responded. More important, I need to think about how I respond to my present unpleasant situations. As I consider how God so bountifully blesses and cares for me, I know why ingratitude displeases Him.

In Matthew 20 we see employees murmuring against their employer. They thought they were unfairly paid. Do we sometimes think that life is unfair? If we see someone with more of something than we have, can we rejoice or are we covetous? Maybe we think the past was better, and we forget to count the blessings of today.

The queen of Sheba’s testimony of King Solomon’s kingdom was, “Happy are thy men, happy are thy servants, which stand continually before thee” (1 Kings 10:8). Is this the testimony of those who observe our walk of life? Can they see our faith in God and a calm, quiet happiness? The queen of Sheba also said to Solomon, “Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee” (1 Kings 10:9). We must express contentment and gratitude so people can say the same of us and our God.

From Water My Soul…

Happiness Is

John 13

Everyone is seeking happiness in some way. The U. S. Declaration of Independence, written in 1776, promises “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” to every citizen and permits each of us to decide how to find it.

Where do you look for happiness? Where do I pursue it? Is it found in having lots of money? If it is, why are some of the wealthiest people also some of the unhappiest?

Is it found in fame and popularity? If so, why have so many famous people, perhaps in an attempt to flee the profound emptiness of their existence, taken their own lives?

Some believe power and authority translate into happiness. Others think good looks and many possessions will make them happy. Still others search for some sense of happiness in addictions that leave them more miserable than fulfilled.

I searched my Bible and found a different understanding of happiness. In John 13:17, Jesus says, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

It’s the only place I can find where Jesus made any promise of happiness to his followers. The verse tells us that if we know the things he asks us to do (they’re in the Bible) and we do them, we’ll be happy. And this happiness comes quietly as peace, tranquility, and hope.

I found only a few more references to happy in my King James Version. Here are three:

Behold, we count them happy which endure. (James 5:11)

But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye. (1 Peter 3:14)

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)

Obviously, as Christians seeking to be citizens of heaven someday, our understanding of happiness is not quite that which we find in any dictionary – or the Declaration of Independence.

We’re happy … if we endure to the end, for that is when the crown of life will be presented.

We’re happy … if we suffer for righteousness’ sake. Instead of turning away from God, how much am I willing to suffer?

We’re happy … when reproached for the name of Christ. Will I stand strong for my convictions even when serving Jesus Christ would cause me to suffer as the earliest Christians did?

Some translations use the word blessed instead of happy in these verses.

So to be happy, to be called blessed, we endure. Whether it’s suffering or reproach or ridicule o something else entirely. We endure to the end.

Jesus endured the cross for me. I endure for him whatever he ask of me.

Prayer: Lord, when I want to be happy, remind me to seek it in your way, and not necessarily mine.

Weekend Words

From Our Daily Bread...

Search My Heart, God

Read: 1 Samuel 16:4-12

"People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

To reduce food waste, a supermarket chain in Singapore sells slightly blemished fruits and vegetables at lower prices.  In one year, this initiative saved more than 850 tons (778,000 kg) of produce that previously would've been thrown out for not meeting aesthetic standards.  Shoppers soon learned that outward appearances - scars and quirky shapes - don't affect flavor and nutritional value.  What's on the outside doesn't always determine what's on the inside.

The prophet Samuel learned a similar lesson when he was sent by God to anoint the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1).  When he saw Eliab, the firstborn son of Jesse, Samuel thought he was the chosen one.  But God said: "Do not consider his appearance or his height .... People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (v. 7).  Out of Jesse's eight sons, God chose the youngest, David - who was tending his father's sheep (v. 11) - to be the next king.

God is more concerned with our hearts than with outward credentials - the school we attended, what we earn, how much we volunteer.  Jesus taught His disciples to focus on purifying their hearts of selfish and evil thoughts because "what comes out of a person is what defiles them" (Mark 7:20).  Just as Samuel learned not to consider outward appearances, may we, with God's help, examine our hearts - our thoughts and intentions - in all that we do. 

-Jasmine Goh

From Be Still and Know...

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).

What do we do if we are hungry?  We eat.  What do we do when we are thirsty?  We take a drink.

Jesus used the everyday experience of eating and drinking to illustrate a spiritual desire.  Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness."

Very little happiness is registered on the faces of people today.  An emptiness in their lives has not been filled, and they are hungering and thirsting for something more than what they have.  The accumulation of things, material possessions, or attainment of position in society cannot satisfy the heart.  "Happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for true goodness, for they will be FULLY SATISFIED!" (Matthew 5:6, Phillips).

This verse promises that our inner hunger and thirst can be filled, but only filled with the righteousness of God.  Phillips calls it the "goodness of God."  Righteousness is being right with God.  It is being right with God through Jesus Christ.  In 1 Corinthians 1:30 we read of Christ that "He made unto us ... righteousness."

Some fill their lives with possessions, homes, family, clothes, bank accounts, fame, talent.  But none of these things satisfy.  Satisfaction and fulfillment come to those who fill their lives with the righteousness (or goodness) that only God gives.

The psalmist wrote, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee" (Psalm 63:1).

Paul reviewed his life, sharing that which gave it reality and satisfaction when he said, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8).

Only in turning to Him can our lives be fully satisfied.  Jesus said, "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).

Are you hungering for peace and contentment?  Are you longing for joy and satisfaction?  Then let Him fill you with Himself today. 

 "O taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).

From In Green Pastures...

Grace for the Day

God does not give us his grace as he gives his sunshine - pouring it out on all alike.  He discriminates in spiritual blessings.  He gives strength according to our need.  His eye is ever on us in tender, watchful love, and what we need at the time he supplies.  He gives us grace for grace.  When one grace is exhausted another is ready.  The grace is always timely.  It is not given in large store in advance of the need, but is ready always on time.  It may not always be what we wish, but it is always what we really want.

What God Hath Promised

God hath not promised skies always blue, flower strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain rocky and steep, never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day, rest for the labor, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love.

- Annie Johnson Flint

Weekend Words

From Be Still and Know...

"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:19)

Have you experienced a day when you had the "blues"?  You seemed weighed down with the cares of life?  Suddenly you heard someone singing or whistling and your spirits were lifted.  What therapy music is!

When Jesus Christ enters a heart, along with a new relationship comes a new song.  It may not be an outward song, but it is a song of joy that comes from the heart.  Even though we may not be able to sing aloud, the inward song of the heart will lift our spirits and the melody of it will catch the ear of the listening God.

The hearts of the early Christians were full of song because the presence of the Saviour was so real in their lives.  Paul and Silas were able to sing this song when in prison.  "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and SANG PRAISES unto God: and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25).

We are to make melody to the LORD.  This turns the eyes of our heart to Him.  One of the blessings of the Christian faith is that it enables Christians to sing under all circumstances.  Our song of the heart comes from the confidence we have of knowing God is adequate in spite of outward circumstances and He is in control regardless of our situation.

Every Christian should have a song of joy overflowing from the heart as a fountain of joy.

Are you a member of the heavenly "singing company"?  Is your heart singing and making melody to the Lord?  If not, begin singing even though you may not feel like it.  Soon His song will well up and overflow from your life, blessing those about you.  "O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer's praise; the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace."

"Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [and instruments], making melody with ALL your HEART to the LORD" (Ephesians 5:19, Amplified).

From Behold the Lilies...

"Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." - Matthew 6:34

One time I was sharing with a friend my concerns about a situation I was facing.  I was afraid that real problems would develop from that situation.  She merely smiled and said, "Just take one day at a time."  What good advice!  I quickly discovered that I could cope with the situation - today.  What happened with the problems I felt could develop in the future?  The Lord took care of the situation and the potential problems, and proved there was no need for me to worry.

All the challenges and responsibilities of life are much easier to handle one day at a time.  After all, today is God's gift to us.  He has not yet given us tomorrow, and if He does, He will see to it that it will be a good gift.  So, let's thank the Lord for today and trust Him for tomorrow.

I owe the Lord a morning song of gratitude and praise,

For the kind mercy He has shown in length'ning out my days.

He kept me safe another night; I see another day;

Now may His Spirit, as the light, direct me in His way.

From In Green Pastures...

Finding the Good in God's World.

Thankfulness or unthankfulness is largely a matter of eyes.  Two men look at the same scene: one beholds the defects, the imperfections; the other beholds the beauty, the brightness.  If you cannot find things to be thankful for today, every day, the fault is in yourself, and you ought to pray for a new heart, a heart to see God's goodness and to praise him.  A happy heart transfigures all the world for us.  It finds something to be thankful for in the barest circumstances, even in the night of sorrow.  Let us train ourselves to see the beauty and the goodness in God's world, in our own lot, and then we shall stop grumbling, and all our experiences shall start songs of praise in our heart.