Thankfulness and the Lord’s Holiness

Last Monday, I was on my way to work. It’s a 10 km (around 6 mi) distance via the main road, and about 11 km (close to 7 mi) if I take the back way. When there is plenty of light still, I take the main road because it’s sealed all the way—the back road is mostly gravel. The main road is dangerous—being the only direct north/south road on this side of the mountains, it’s traveled a lot. But since it’s quicker and easier to travel on, I stay to the side of the road as far as I can and pray for protection.

Going to work (heading south), I have to go around many curves, up three fairly steep hills, and then I reach the big hill—the fun one, because it’s all down. It is a little nerve-wracking when a bigger vehicle tries passing me while I’m going down in between a cut. Generally, I try to wait at the top until all vehicles have passed me before going down. And I keep my brakes on as I go, because losing control in that area would be deadly.

At the bottom of the big hill there is a bridge. It’s two lane, but still pretty narrow—you wouldn’t want to stay on there long. This particular Monday, I got to the bridge and was still going fairly fast from coming down the steep hill. I knew someone was behind me, but I decided to go ahead anyway instead of stopping to wait for them to pass me—if I hurried, I’d get across before they got to the bridge.

That was my mistake. About half-way across the bridge, trying to stay to the edge so I wouldn’t be in the way of the vehicle behind me, I skimmed the guard rail. I don’t think any part of me or my bike touched the rail, just my bag that I had hanging on my left handle. That was enough, though, and it upset my balance. Before I knew it, I was in the middle of the lane, with a vehicle coming from both ways—the south-bound behind me, the north-bound in front of me! I could feel the bike tipping under me, and I remember thinking one of those thoughts that take about a quarter of a second to process.

“I’m going to go on over. That vehicle coming will hit me.”

I really don’t know what happened next. Somehow, I stayed on my bike, and managed to get back to the very edge of my side of the road—just in time for both vehicles to pass safely. I grazed the guard rail again, but once again although I thought I must have REALLY dinged my bike up good this time, in retrospect I don’t think either of my tires or my pedals actually touched the rail. Shakily, I pedaled on as fast as I could and turned onto the much quieter road the place I work on is located. There, I inspected my bike, and was thankful to realize there was not a scratch on it. And I received no bruises from the incident.

I feel so thankful that I didn’t go on over. If the car behind me had been just a few seconds closer, I would have been hit (and I do feel sorry for the driver—I’m sure they had a heart attack seeing me in the middle of their lane!). I could have crashed into the guard rail, and that would have tipped me over. I know God had His hand on me, and kept me safe. The incident made me very thankful for guardian angels!

Thursday, when I went to work again, I made sure to stop and look behind me before going over that bridge. I was going slower, and as I went across I happened to see a light by the side of the road, where people generally don’t drive. When I went back to look, it was my back bike light—one I use for riding in the dark. It is generally attached right behind my seat (on the seat bar), and somehow snapped off Monday. That was the only thing that broke in the whole ordeal, and I really don’t know how it was hit. (Oh, and by the way—the way it broke made it very easy to fix, as well.) All I know is that God was keeping His eye on me!

So this Sunday, I come to share a thankful heart with you. God certainly does take care of us, and protects us—even when we can’t see the danger.

I am very thankful. But yet, as I think of it, I’m reminded of the age-old truth that says that it takes something big to direct our attention back to God. What a sad statement! How quickly we drift away from Him! How easy it is for the devil to come in and make us ungrateful of all the things the Lord has blessed us with! The lack of gratitude to the Lord for the little things of life reminds me of a powerful statement I heard recently. I can’t remember the exact wording, but it went something like this:

“The lack of strength in the church we see today is a direct result of the church disregarding the holiness of God.”

The men who were talking pointed out that if people would stop to realize for a moment how holy God is, and how His holiness affects us, modern Christianity as we know it would be completely different. People would be more on fire for the Lord.

I’m reminded of the words of Paul when he said,

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience….” (Romans 5:3)

Today, we as modern Christians have a major problem facing us. We have forgotten how holy the Lord is. We have forgotten that He is to be praised in everything, the little things as well as the big things. Paul calls us to praise the Lord even when we are in serious trouble—not just when big miraculous things happen! The same word “glory” here is also translated as “joy” and “rejoice” in other verses.

Even when the world is collapsing around you, hang onto the lifeline—Jesus Christ, our Lord. He can turn the impossible into possible. He can get you to the side of the road, even when you feel you’re going to tip off at any second.

How the Lord has shown Himself mighty in your life lately?

~Esther

Praise God - Even When You Don't Want To

Psalm 150: 1-6
"Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."

The Bible (particularly the Psalms) is chock full of bits like the above passage, telling us to praise the Lord. Yay! I love praising God! Once we know why we should worship God, it becomes a joy to bless Him and extol His marvellous name.

But what about when we don't want to? What about when is life is difficult, when there is pain or suffering or we're going through difficult times? Should we stop praising God?

The Bible tells us of this awesome guy named Paul and his friend who was called Silas. Here is what happened when they praised God when I'm sure they certainly didn't feel like it.

Acts 16:23-26

"After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose."

Paul and Silas had just been 'severely flogged'. I am sure they felt like sitting in their corner of the jail and moaning to each other about how bad their situation was and how much their wounds hurt. Maybe they felt like God had abandoned them. Maybe the other prisoners told them how long they had been in jail for and in so doing discouraged Paul and Silas. I don't know. But what I do know is that they put aside how they felt and praised the Lord anyway.

It's hard to praise the Lord when you don't feel like it! But try it. If Paul and Silas had not praised the Lord but sat moaning I wonder if the earthquake would still have happened. There is something in praise that is powerful. It binds Satan and gives the authority the Jesus.

Psalm 115:1

"Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."

Luke 19:37-40

"When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” "

Do you praise the Lord anyway? Do you praise Him not just when things are going well? Do you praise Him when the hard times come? Do you keep trusting Him and worshipping Him even when it's hard?

Blessings to you all!

(All Scripture passages in this post are from the NIV translation.)

Unbelief and Forgetfulness

I’ve recently been reading though Kings and Chronicles, and while Elisha is my favorite prophet so far I think Elijah falls a close second (beside Isaiah). One story in particular hit me hard this time through—it was the story of the widow who Elijah lived with for several years during the years of famine (read the story for yourself in 1 Kings 17:17-24).

If you’ll remember, Ahab was king of Israel at this time, and because of his wickedness God sent a famine on the land of Israel. After warning Ahab of the coming famine, Elijah escaped into the desert, by the brook Cherith. He lived there until the brook dried up, at which point the Lord told him to get to Zarephath. You’ll remember how, once arriving at Zarephath, he met a widow and lived with her and her son (on miracle food!) for quite a while. Without him going there on God’s command, that widow and her son would have died—when he arrived, she was planning their last meal!

Then, after he had settled in, the widow’s son died—a tragic loss. Especially considering the fact that this son was her only son, and with him dead it meant no income for the household (or very little, anyway—and I’m not considering the fact that there was a famine going on), and no one to continue the family name or keep the family inheritance. All her hopes for a better future were dashed. And who did she blame it on? Elijah.

“What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?” (1 Kings 17:18)

One version says, “What do you have against me, man of God?” She was questioning him, almost seeming to doubt that he was there for a good reason after all. She could have been saying, “What have I done? I don’t deserve this! Have I offended your God and that’s why my son died?”

Then she continues, even more accusing: “Did you come t o remind me of my sin? Did you come to kill my son?” (paraphrasing mine) She had obviously completely forgotten the fact that if Elijah had not come, both she and her son would have been dead long since. Instead of being thankful for the Almighty’s intervention in saving her and her son, she was charging Elijah with bringing more misery down on her head.

Ah, isn’t that how we are, all too often? Forgetting the wonderful gifts God has given us in the past—those times when He stepped in at the last minute to help us, having someone give us that word of encouragement that pushed us through our day, and the many other things that He does for us each day? We are so forgetful of His goodness! And so prone to believe that yes, while He did it back then He won’t be able to come through and do it now!

Surprisingly, this time Elijah didn’t blow his top like he did other times. With gentleness, he said, “Give me your son.” Picking him up, he carried the boy to his bedroom and laid him on his bed. Then he prayed, stretched himself on the boy three times, prayed again, and the boy came back to life. Picking up the child again, he brought him down and gave him to his mother saying, “See, your son is alive!”

Then, utterly astonished, she replied, “Now at last I’m certain that you are a man of God, and what you say about the Lord is the truth.” (paraphrasing mine) It took the raising of her son from the dead to show her that. She didn’t take into account the oil and flour being there each day for the months since Elijah came! Oh, how soon do we forget what God has done for us!

Unbelief. Forgetfulness. They’re really the same things, all boiled down. One is not believing that something is possible and the other is completely forgetting that something ever happened. And both are terrible. Both are things that are warned against repeatedly in the Bible.

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)

“…so are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish….” (Job 8:13)

I thought this video fit with today’s topic. How forgetful we can be!

Now it’s your turn. What is one way God has helped you lately? How has He shown Himself mighty to you this last week? Was there a time in your life recently when you knew that something that had happened was something that only our Father can do?

Let us remember His goodness, and not forget.

Why Worship?

Why should we worship God?

Well, here are the answers to this important question that come to mind.

The First Reason

What is the chief end of man? 

Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

(Westminster Shorter Catechism)

We were created to glorify God. God made us to glorify Him and enjoy Him. That is our main purpose for existence.

Psalm 100:3

 "It is he that made us."

The Second Reason

We owe Him so much! 

Without our Lord, we would be still sinners and condemned to eternal punishment on Judgement Day. But He took the punishment for our sins and died on the cross so that we could be forgiven and go to be with Him one day.

Romans 5:8

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Isn't thankfulness for all He has done an admirable reason to worship Him?

The Third Reason

We are commanded to worship Him.

Revelation 14:7b

"Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

1 Chronicles 16:23-31
"Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” "

There are many, many other reasons why we should worship our great, loving, kind Heavenly Father. If you aren't convinced by now, here are some more verses on this subject. I think Scripture itself is such a powerful way to convey information! :) God's Word says it so much better than I can.

Luke 19:37-40

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Isaiah 55:12
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

(Even nature glorifies God!)

John 4:23
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."

Blessings to you all!

~Bonnie

(All quoted Bible verses are from the NIV version unless specified.)

Thoughts for Tuesday

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

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What have you thanked the Lord for today?


(I'm sorry this is so short and to the point...I'm kind of running low on inspiration today. ;) Blessings!)

Encouraging our Siblings

As a big sister to five of the most wonderful brothers and one precious sister, I have plenty of opportunities to encourage my siblings. Each day the Lord gives me with my family is a priceless gift – and I thank him for both.

Abigail and Micah

Here are some practical ways sisters can encourage their siblings.  There are so many avenues you can travel down, but I hope my ideas and thoughts will only be a starting point for you.

-Memorize Scripture with your siblings.  Encourage them in personal Bible reading.  I know many of you are already doing that.  One way my siblings and I like to get into God’s Word together is by participating in the National Bible Bee.

-Praise them!  “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” (Prov. 25:11). Words are so powerful – we can’t take them back after they have been spoken – why not say words that will build them up?!

-For siblings of younger ages, tell them stories or read to them.  My 2 year old brother, Micah, loves to cuddle in my lap have me read a story to him. Sometimes even my siblings that are older will gather round to hear also!  You can also play with them.  Micah loves for me to build him big train tracks or chase him in a game of tag.  It’s also fun to sing together.

-Have a party, just because!  Invite them to a special time together – it could be one-on-one or all together. Have a special snack and drink, maybe play a game they enjoy.

-Take an interest in their activities. A building project with the brothers, a little bread loaf your sister made or even a simple drawing your 2 or 3 year old sibling made are opportunities to praise them!

-Including them in your activities is another wonderful way to build relationships. They will be thrilled to be doing “big people things”. If you’re washing windows, get them a rag and let them help!  Letting a little sibling help you with a baking project would make them so happy.

-Give them little letters and notes. I like to write little notes with scripture or a word of encouragement or praise to them. Put them somewhere where they’ll be surprised – like on their pillow.

-Do a special project or activity together. For brothers, this might mean playing baseball or Frisbee with them, building towers together with Popsicle sticks and hot glue, going with them on hikes or ATV rides in the woods… And for sisters, you could do a baking project together, card making or do her hair a special way.  If you do not sleep in the same room, let her “camp out” on your floor once in a while.

-Give them hugs and tell them “I love you” often. You never know how much more time you have with them – treasure the moments! It’s so precious to have them return the smiles and hugs.

There are many, many more ways to encourage and bless our siblings. Branch out and find new ideas and activities and make lasting memories with them.

May Jesus bless you abundantly – Press on, sisters!

Why I Love Doing the Dishes

     Each person in a home has their own job or chore.

     Mine is doing the dishes.

     One of the worst jobs, I used to think. Because no matter the time of day, the day of the week, no matter whether the day was busy or quiet, no matter the place in infinity, no matter how I feel - there are dishes to do!
     Thus, having the job of keeping up with the dishes of seven people may have helped me learning some responsibility. And although I am thankful for that, it’s not the reason I enjoy the chore.

     The reason is time.

“The kitchen sink” by Alan Cleaver is licensed under CC BY 2.0

     Time to think, reflect, consider, remember. Time when my hands are busy and my mind and heart are free to fly as they will. So they do.
     They fly through the memories of the day. Little memories and large memories. Sweet and bitter.
     Then, running over the memory, my mind considers.

     It draws its conclusions.
     And plans the future.

     Trying to look past my reflection in the window to see the stars at night, and past the soap spots to see the seagulls by day, my heart is singing.

     This is wonderful.

-Rhoda

I Am Not Skilled to Understand…

This morning, I’m remembering a beautiful song written by Dorothy Greenwell, “I Am Not Skilled to Understand”.

I am not skilled to understand
What God hath willed, what God hath planned;
I only know that at His right hand
Is One Who is my Saviour!

I take Him at His word indeed;
“Christ died for sinners”—this I read;
For in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my Saviour!

That He should leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die,
You count it strange? So once did I,
Before I knew my Saviour!

And oh, that He fulfilled may see
The travail of His soul in me,
And with His work contented be,
As I with my dear Saviour!

Yea, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this Spring;
That He Who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Saviour!

This song became especially dear to me right after we moved here to New Zealand. Some of our friends had come with us, and they came two months before us. When we got here, we soon found out that during those two months they had changed some of their doctrines. We did not believe the same as they did, and they were not willing to work with us if we had different doctrines. In the end, even though we were willing to work with them, they moved away.

During that turbulent time, we began going to a gospel assembly an hour north of where we live. This was one of the songs that we sang a lot during that time. We sang about “I am not skilled to understand/What God hath willed, what God hath planned…” while the upheaval over clashing doctrines was going on. We couldn’t understand why God had willed this to happen. We were new to a country, half way around the world from home, and experiencing difficulties hardly two months into our stay.

Looking back, though, I can see (at least partially) why God allowed it. We learned a lot during that time. Most important of all the things we learned, I think, was the fact that if we trust God, He is well able to bring us through. But it takes faith. Faith in the fact that God does have a plan for our lives, a reason for why He’s letting us go through the thing that we’re going through.

The only reason He lets us go through the valley is so we can praise Him—and trust Him more—on the mountain.

You know the really neat thing about this song, though? While we were going through that time, we sang it a lot. Since then, we’ve only sang it a few times. I think God had us sing that song, at the perfect time, as an encouragement.

Now, it’s your turn. Have you ever had a song affect your life like this? In what way? What did God teach you through that? Share it in the comments; I’m sure it would be encouraging for other people as well as me!

Because of Him,
Esther

The Kite

Once on a time a paper kite

Was mounted to a wondrous height,

Where, giddy with its elevation,

It thus expressed self-admiration:

“See how yon crowds of gazing people

Admire my flight above the steeple:

How would they wonder of they knew

All that a kite like me can do!

Source

“Were I but free, I’d take a flight

And pierce the clouds beyond their sight.

But ah! Like a poor prisoner bound,

My string confines me near the ground.

I’d brave the eagle’s towering wing

Might I but fly without a string.”

It tugged and pulled while thus it spoke,

To break the string-at last it broke!

Deprived at once of all its stay,

In vain it tried to soar away;

Unalbe its own weight ot bear,

It fluttered downward through the air; Unable its own course to guide,

The winds soon plunged it in the tide.

Ah, foolish kite! Thou had’st no wing;

How could’st thou fly without a string?

My heart replied, “O Lord, I see

How much this kite resembles me!

Forgetful that by Thee I stand,

Impatient of Thy ruling hand,

How oft I’ve wished to break Thy ruling hand,

For something more or something higher!

And, but for grace and love divine,

A fall thus dreadful had been mine.”

             -John Newton

My Identity in JESUS

Source


Click on the image to make it larger :)

Just a thought...

Wow...that's really convicting! And true!

What "everyday thing" are you grateful for today?

The Most Precious Gift in the World...

Source: Pinterest 

What an AMAZING Gift!!! :) I'm SO thankful for it!!

Have you received it?

Meditations on Monday :: Give Thanks!

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.  Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.  Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

1 Chronicles 16:8-12 NIV

What are you giving thanks for today?

Thoughtful Tuesdays :: Thank you God, for....

COLORS....

LITTLE SISTERS TO DO CRAFTS WITH....

BLUE SKY...

PRETTY FLOWERS....

LITTLE BROTHERS AND SWEET SMILES...

BRIGHT SUNSHINE TO MAKE SHADOWS WITH...

Thank you God for all these things, and for much, MUCH more! 

What are some things you are thanking the Lord for today?

Blessings, Rachel