I hit a milestone. I turned 50 years old. I am thankful that I don't feel 50. I am thankful for things God has taught me throughout those 50 years. . I have learned that God loves mercy and when I feel a sense that justice needs to happen over mercy, all I need to do is remember that I am thankful for when God gives me mercy instead of a just punishment. (Micah 6:8 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.) ( Luke 6: 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ) I have learned that hurt people end up hurting people. When I am able to see that I didn't hurt them but I am bearing the results of that persons hurt inflicted by other people, it helps me forgive whatever hurt they pushed onto me and move on. (Romans 12 : 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ) I have learned that anyone who thinks they have God
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Stones..revisited...
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When life feels rocky, I again have to remind myself to look for the stones God has placed in my life. You see, in Joshua 4, 12 men placed 12
stones..to remember how God had brought them into the promised land. Moses and
the others of the former generation had chosen not to trust in God..and to
disobey. Joshua choose to be strong and courageous. .. Joshua trusted God.... even when
it didn't make sense. In Joshua 1, God tells Joshua and the others..that He was
taking them into the promise land. . God tells them that they will take the
land from the Hittites. (This is one bad, scary people). Joshua had reason not
to" be strong and courageous". But....he obeyed because he knew God was strong and
loving (Psalm 62). They placed those 12 stones so they could remember a time
when they KNEW God was with them...and remembered HIS faithfulness and their own
obedience...and willingness to trust...even in a scary situation.
Friday ..while I was out running alone, I was listening to David Crowder Band's song.. Oh, How He Loves..
The lyrics go like this:
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
I was just overwhelmed with emotions. I wanted to KNOW that He loves ME.. I wanted to KNOW that He is jealous for me. I prayed that He would just reveal His love to me. Struggling with hard things..... Then, I finished my run... and went about the chores of the day. I went to Learning Things to buy some things I needed for the school year and looked for a "rock collection" that John-Michael has asked me to buy for him for several months. I have looked for a rock collection at Target, Walmart, etc. They just haven't had a rock/science kit. I thought .."Here is my chance... Learning Things has to have it..after all it is a warehouse full of school materials". I looked... and looked again. No rocks. With a sigh, I yielded to defeat.... to the fact that I would likely have to order it online. Yesterday (Saturday) we had to take the van in to have some minor repairs so I went to take out the things in the trunk. I had some frames that I had purchased for some paintings I had completed, some old mucking boots, a few cloth bags (for groceries)..and then, I noticed something I had not noticed before. Three weeks ago, I picked up some school supplies from a friend who teaches at Perimeter School, Liz. She often gives me their old supplies that they are going to just throw away. A few weeks ago, she gave me some 2nd grade Science books, a couple of globes, a few reading books, etc. Now, I noticed a paper Macy's bag that I had not noticed before. I bring it into the house (figuring this had to be a bag of supplies from the stuff that Liz gave me). .. As I open the bag, this is what I find on top. ... Rocks!!! Rocks for John-Michael. I immediately realized this was God's love gift to me.
So now I have another "stone" story for the times when I NEED to look back to the "stones" in my own life...the
times I can CLEARLY see God's hands... Those times will help me trust when I can't clearly see
God's hands. The stones from the past remind me of His Goodness....that He will
never leave me or forsake me.
It is so reassuring when you can see God's fingerprints on your life. You know
He is working, but you can't always see it. You know He sees you, but you can't
always see Him. You know that He loves, but you can't always feel this love.
That's when you have to remember to look for the stones.
Psalm 61.
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint;
I have a large round stone that I brought from NY when we moved here, as a reminder to me that God provides.Very neat story. I love how God reveals those little things to His children. Little insights into how He is moving daily in our lives. The sad thing is when we get too consumed with other things to notice them.
Before you jump to the conclusion that I am saying Christian are "brainless" sheep, read this post completely. If you still aren't sure, read this post: Are Christians brainless? Why does He call us SHEEP? ( The Bible makes reference to sheep no less than 220 times). A few of the more notable passages that come to mind are the 23 rd Psalm, Isa. 53:6 and John 10. There are many references to His People being sheep. So why not something more powerful, like a ram or horse? Why not something more graceful and valued, like a prized bird? Well, God chose to use the word sheep to identify His followers, as we are "His sheep." Our shepherd, Jesus, is leading the way, so let's look at the facts about sheep-the nature of sheep. Let's look at the facts about sheep- *Sheep aren’t intelligent . Sheep are not known to be smart or cunning animals when it comes to safety; rather, they are susceptible and tend to wander away from the prote
I hit a milestone. I turned 50 years old. I am thankful that I don't feel 50. I am thankful for things God has taught me throughout those 50 years. . I have learned that God loves mercy and when I feel a sense that justice needs to happen over mercy, all I need to do is remember that I am thankful for when God gives me mercy instead of a just punishment. (Micah 6:8 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.) ( Luke 6: 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ) I have learned that hurt people end up hurting people. When I am able to see that I didn't hurt them but I am bearing the results of that persons hurt inflicted by other people, it helps me forgive whatever hurt they pushed onto me and move on. (Romans 12 : 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ) I have learned that anyone who thinks they have God
The Fellowship of the Believers (Acts 2) 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. How cool! God shows us in Acts the need for the church to devote itself to “fellowship.” What do you think about when you hear the word fellowship? If you are a good old Baptist, you probably think of food. :) We expect the church to ’ teaching” and “to prayer”... but we have to equally expect fellowship. Notic
That is such a neat illustration. He always cares. Always
ReplyDeleteI have a large round stone that I brought from NY when we moved here, as a reminder to me that God provides.Very neat story. I love how God reveals those little things to His children. Little insights into how He is moving daily in our lives. The sad thing is when we get too consumed with other things to notice them.
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