Well, phooey.  I wanted to blog every day this week, but hey, what I've done so far is an improvement.  I almost posted on Friday.  It still feels like Friday, only it's after midnight so it's officially Saturday.  My hubbie and I had a great time sitting at the table this evening, drinking smoothies (him) and eating yogurt (me), and discussing "stuff."  Now we should be in bed, but it feels good to just have some fun online for a few minutes.

I'm still new enough to blogging that I'm not sure what proper netiquette is, but I saw a wonderful poem on another blog last night (okay, make that Thursday night).  I wanted to share it with you, but so that I didn't steal it from her, I wrote her first for permission.  She responded:

She sounds like a gem!  So without any further ado, here is her poem:

(written by Ann at Holy Experience blog)

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I was listening to a CD tonight by Gary Ezzo, entitled "Speaking Life."  He gave two fictitious scenarios, each dealing with the same man who had fallen into sin during a tough time in his life.  In the first scenario, Word of Truth Community Church passed judgment on him and disciplined him, permanently crushing him.  As Gary Ezzo said, this church spoke words of death to this man.

In the second scenario, Words of Life Community Church spoke words of life as they reached out to him, attempting to find out why he was struggling, praying for him, and loving him back to Jesus.  His vertical relationship to God was restored through confession and forgiveness, and his horizontal relationships were strengthened and confirmed.  This church chose to speak words of life.

Which church would I rather attend?  Yes, we must have "standards" of righteousness.  But I'm reminded of Jesus' words about forgiveness in Matthew 18, especially in verses 15-17.  If someone sins, we are to go to him.  (Galatians 6:1-3 reminds us of the correct attitude to have!)  We might have to return with a friend or two, with the purpose of restoration (see 2 Corinthians 2).  In the worst-case scenario, we will have to treat this brother as a heathen man and a publican. 

But how did Jesus treat the heathen and the publicans?!  He ministered to them.  He ate with them.  He showed them love!  See a beautiful example of this in Luke 7:36-50.  He spoke words of life. 

I'll close with the stern warning to speak only words of life that is given in James 4:11-12:  "Speak not evil one of another, brethren.  He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law:  but if thou judge the law, thou are not a doer of the law, but a judge.  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destory:  who art thou that judgest another?"

Lord, may I speak only words of life today!  Amen.

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There's something funny about doctrinal statements.  We write them, quote them, and believe them because they're supposed to be based on the unchanging Word of God.  Why, then, if they are so rock-solid, are there so many different ones?  Why do genuine believers have so many differences (albeit in small ways)?  Why didn't God just spell it out for us in His unchanging Word?  "Turn to Hezekiah 16:4 for a concise doctrinal statement..."

Or do we really have as good of a grasp on dogmatic doctrine as we claim to have?  Am I the only one who sometimes wrestles with issues late at night?  Free will versus predestination... whether Christ was fully man and fully God or if and how much He emptied Himself of His deity when He became a man... what the filling of the Spirit means... law versus grace....  

Oh, don't worry.  I'll solve some problem today, enough to give me peace, but a new problem will crop up tomorrow.  I'll be back in the shower, hogging all the hot water, while my brain tries to figure out the complexities of God.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Is. 55:8-9).  

It's good to wrestle with God in our minds.  By doing it, we acknowledge that He is God and we are not, but that we're striving to know Him.  But the danger comes in thinking that our thoughts should reign supreme.  God's ways don't need our thoughts.  He is quite capable of doing His work in His way, sometimes with methods that seem to contradict our tidy systems.  

"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:  it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Is. 55:10-11).

Lord, I need wisdom.  I need wisdom to know You personally, not just in my head.  I need wisdom to know how to show Your love to others, even when I don't agree.  I need wisdom to know what things I need to fight for, and which things I need to forgive.  Lord, thank You for filling my mind with Your mind, and by doing, superseding all my thoughts and using me in spite of them.

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by Paul Gerhardt (listen online at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/s/osacredh.htm)

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I've noticed something about myself. Let's say I have a problem, an impossible problem, something I can't fix by myself no matter how hard I try.  I have two options.  My tendency is to stay up half the night worrying and trying to fix it anyway.  This just makes me feel yucky the next day, and it doesn't help anything at all.  My other option is to let God fix it. 

How does that work?  Well, when my "problem" wakes me up in the middle of the night, I first talk to my Lord.  I pour out my heart to Him.  But then, when I've prayed, I begin to think of all the verses that tell me how He will answer.  Has He promised to forgive?  I claim those verses.  Has He promised to see me through?  Has He promised to lead me?  Has He promised to provide?  To heal?  To comfort?  To encourage?  To work it out?  To provide grace?  Whatever promise He brings to mind, I quote back to Him.

As I say amen in my heart (which means so be it), I know that I have the requests I have asked and I know which verses give those promises.  The amazing thing is that as soon as I say amen, He immediately begins to fill my heart with songs.  The moon is shining bright, the stars are twinkling, and my husband is snoring... but in my heart, I'm singing praise songs to my King.  I wonder where the worry went!  It's gone!  In its place is the Bible's promised indication of being filled with His spirit, in that my heart is filled with songs of praise to Him (Ephesians 5:18-20).  The songs continue until morning and through the day; in fact, they continue until I wonder astray.  Then He's faithful to prompt me to start the process of prayer and supplication (and thanksgiving) all over again.  Isn't He good?

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Psalm 23 says that the Lord is my shepherd.  He is a good shepherd, John 10:11 and 14 say.  I've been doing a lot of thinking about what my Good Shepherd is really like.

When He leads me, I do not want.  I lack no good thing (Ps. 84:11).  Think of what that means!  See also Matthew 6:25-33 and Phil. 4:6-7, 19.

When He leads me, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul."  As I meditate on each of these truths, I see that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17).  Praise God, Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8).

All of these benefits are provided for me because of the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS mercy he saved us..."  Sometime, take a peek at the meanings of the word "saved" in that verse!  "...by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed abundantly [overflowing!] through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7).  Wow!  As Psalm 23:3 says, "he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE." 

But when I take the lead, things aren't so pretty.  "Yea, though *I* walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."  Sometimes I choose to walk in disobedience.  My paths always lead to death.  Even then, however, "I will fear no evil."  Why?  "For thou art WITH me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."  Again, Hebrews says, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (13:5). 

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ..." (Phil. 1:6).  What a comfort! 

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor. 1:20).

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

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Isaiah 65:24 says, "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."  What a precious promise!  This verse has been filling my head the last day, and God has been fulfilling this promise in my life, too. 

How sweet it is to know that God loves me and is anxiously waiting for me to commune with Him.  He loves to answer prayer.  He loves to be a good heavenly Father who gives good gifts to His children.   He delights in giving us the desires of our hearts.

So He waits for me to ask.  And when I ask, His answer is already coming.  It has been coming since the beginning of eternity, and it only waits for my heart to voice the request.  How can we do anything BUT pray without ceasing? 

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One of my favorite email lists that I receive (almost daily) is a small note filled with ideas on how to be a generous wife.  This is what it said yesterday:

"I've talked about this before, but it bears repeating as an idea.  Buy a small notebook to tuck in your purse.  Pull it out when you are waiting for an appointment or standing in line somewhere and have a few minutes.  Use it to keep a record of your prayers for your husband.  It's a nice reminder to pray for him and it's also a great record of God's faithfulness in answering prayer."

Isn't that great?  If you'd like to find out more, visit The Generous Wife's website.

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Yesterday our pastor preached from Luke 24.  I was struck especially by verses 44-45:  "Jesus said to [the disciples], 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." 

I often feel proud of my biblical knowledge, yet my knowledge doesn't even compare to that of the Pharisees in Jesus' day, who knew all the prophecies of the coming Messiah.  Yet until Jesus "opened their minds," it was impossible for anyone to understand the Scriptures and how He was its fulfillment.  Why would I think that this is no less true today?  Can merely reading the Bible give me the light I need to live?  No, He must still open my mind so that I can understand. 

Lord Jesus, please open my mind!  Supernaturally illuminate Your Word by your Spirit.  Don't let me become a Pharisee -- a blind leader of the blind.

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The fields are white unto harvest.  We know that, don't we?  But we have a hard time seeing how we could help.  Here is a list of missionaries needed in just a small sampling of the thousands of opportunities available:

• Argentina -- camp workers, ladies ministry, sports evangelism, crisis pregnancy centers
• Australia -- Scripture class teachers (public schools permit Scripture to be taught as part of the regular curriculum.  Personnel are needed to carry on a ministry with free access to hundreds of public school students!)
• Benin -- music teachers, youth ministry developers
• Bosnia -- women interested in working with younger women who are victims of the war and rape
• Cameroon -- urgent need for workers to focus on university and high school students, who are able to do small group Bible studies and discipleship, sports, and coordinate church youth activities

There are so many more.  Read more about them at ABWE's website.  Then pray about how God could use you!

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