Thursday Thoughts

"In that day you depended on the weapons of the house of the forest, 

And you saw that the breaches  

In the wall of the city of David were many;
         And you collected the waters of the lower pool.
    Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem
         And tore down houses to fortify the wall.
    And you made a reservoir between the two walls
         For the waters of the old pool.
         But you did not depend on Him who made it,
         Nor did you take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.
    Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing,
         To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth.
    Instead, there is gaiety and gladness,
         Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep,
         Eating of meat and drinking of wine:
         "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die."
    But the LORD of hosts revealed Himself to me,
         "Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you
         Until you die," says the Lord GOD of hosts."

 ~Isaiah 22: 9-14

I was reading this passage the other day and it really struck me just how much I don't depend on God.  I mean, especially with the small stuff.  The things that I think really don't matter, but....they do.  If I can't let God handle the petty situations in my life, can I still let go when it comes to the big ones?  The Lord planned it long ago.  That just makes me feel secure.  HE planned my life.  I just need to stop worrying and start living the life He's given me!

 

A Very Merry Christmas...

...to you all!

(I was going to do a nice post with pictures but we're having computer problems so I just grabbed one from online!)

         "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

 

Luke 2: 8-11

 

 

I hope that your Christmas is filled with the joy of our Savior!

....now I'm off to finish some presents....

I've learned...

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.

Psalm 101:3

The fight for purity and righteousness is a constant battle. It is so important for Christians to be aware of what we watch and see. Be on your guard at all times and don't associate yourself with things of the world. Keep on and don't give in!

Blessed Assurance

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What do we have to worry about? What more do we need?
Nothing.

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7

It is so easy to judge others by what they say, do, or wear. Having found friends in people I had previously discarded with contemptible pride, this lesson has been taught me many times. On the contrary, a few people I know have committed horrible acts I never believed them possible of. Years later, I now regret these mistakes, but I am thankful for the Lord's teaching.
While we cannot see into the heart of man as God does, we can look farther than skin deep. Appearances mean nothing to God, for the importance of a man's character far outweighs all other traits. The life application of this verse is, I believe, neatly summed up in a quote from a popular children's book:
"Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins."

~ Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech


Later today I'll do my first Secondhand Fashion post!

Guess who turned three?

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Psalm 107:8

Unseen Glory

The Crystal Ball, John William Waterhouse

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

When thinking of any hardships that we suffer on this earth, always remember the minuscule qualities of anything worldly! And keep your mind on heavenly things.

Living well

James 4:13-15

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'"

So often it feels like my life is all about planning, preparing, waiting, looking forward to - all future events.While this is not inherently bad, what James is saying in vs. 14 is that we are not guaranteed even our next breath. We should prepare, but with the knowledge of God's complete sovereignty. This reminds me of a quote I once heard:

"Learn as if you were going to live forever.
Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."
~unknown

Very well said! So focus on the important things ~ those of eternal value.

Peace of God

The Lady of Shallot , John William Waterhouse

This week - Philippians 4:6-7

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses
all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Anxious for nothing. It's hard, isn't it? Hardly can we let a day pass without worrying over something or other. And does it improve the circumstances? Of course not, for "which of you can by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?" (Matthew 6:27) None can. Anxiety only increases life's troubles, deepens sorrow, and compromises physical health.
So bringing our requests to God remains the only thing to be done. However, this supplication must be accompanied by thanksgiving. For what is ours that has not been given to us? (I Corinthians 4:7) Be thankful that you have family or events or things to worry about! Just giving it all up to the Lord takes a load of cares away. And what could be more comforting than 'the peace of God'?

Hope Deferred

"Boreas," John William Waterhouse

Today's verse is Proverbs 13:12, another personal favorite.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick;
But desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

In Hebrew, the usage of the word hope (towcheleth) translates as expectation. When a strong expectation is deferred or put off for a long period of time, it will cause heartache. For young people such as myself, applying this verse to my life means not setting my heart on any specific person, place, or thing. Because of this verse, I know that it is extremely important for me to guard my heart, for the sinking feeling of not receiving something long hoped for will make the heart sick. But when my desire is fulfilled, that is a tree of life. So I must delight myself in the Lord and He will give me the desires of my heart.
~ Proverbs 37:4