How to Get all You Need

         To see You more clearly, my God,                                                                                                           To love You more dearly,                                                                                                                         To follow You more nearly.

       That's all I need. My God will do the rest.

10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.

      17Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 20For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.  Philippians 3:10-20

FEAR NOT

If you must, allow yourself a few seconds just to remember what fear does--paralyzes you, cripples you and ruins you day if you allow it to linger, so kick it to the curb before it takes hold of you. Help is on the way.

Actually, Help is right beside you--you do have your Bible at your side, right? Think again--Look inward. That's where your Savior resides, right? I hope you're not one of those out of sight, out of mind folks, because fear is lurking just around the next corner you pass, but keep on walking right by. Your Companion, the Holy Spirit, is undefeated by fear, adversity, hatred, threats of every kind and Hell itself. So, like I said, kick it to the curb and its author Satan with it! Help is with you--you never leave Home without it, right? 

Just in case you left home in a hurry, stick these verses in your go-pack (and be more careful tomorrow so you're not caught up short again! Your enemy is strong and will not give up this world, or you, without a long, bloody battle)

 ... But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.   Luke 12:5   

... Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. Psalm 34:9

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you  will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. Psalm 54:4

But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.   Psalm 53:5

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthiew 10:28

will be Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God with you to keep you from sinning.”  Exodus 20:20

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”  Isaiah 35:4

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.    Isaiah 54:4

Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Isaiah 44:8

Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, ... Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, .Ecclesiastes 8:13..

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword. Job 39:22

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

    note: I'm sure you are aware that God repeats an important message 2-3 times. Looking at the references above, you think this must be a VERY important thing to carry with you?

The Bride's Cookbook

 Amongst the pile of shower gifts was a cookbook from Mom--a very thick book. "I'll save it for a rainy day when I'm stuck at home alone ", she promised herself.  "For now, there's a stack of thank you cards I've got to write, and he's taking me somewhere special tonight."

                                                 fast forward

"He says he loves me but he's tired of burned toast and instant coffee for breakfast. Lately he hints that he's growing tired of holding my soft, delicate hands across a restaurant table and perhaps we should start saving a little money for our future. Well, I can take a hint," she said, thumbing through Mom's precious pristine cookbook, vowing to wow her beloved with something exotic to impress him--how hard could it be?

Apparently, pretty hard, as it turned out, she decided--as she watched him bravely choking down the casserole dish she had thought would impress him. Oh, well, tomorrow's another day--his birthday, in fact, and she had found a yummy cake recipe, but perhaps she should go back to the first chapter "Basic Rules for Brides or Idiots".  

 Alas, her fluffy 3-layer special cake clearly looked more like a stack of pancakes, and deserved a dollop of syrup instead of the thin icing, dripping across the table. Oh, well, tomorrow's another day! And another, unlike the others, except for the growing lack of smiles and excuses of: "I had a late lunch" or "I had to take a customer out."

                                                fast forward

"My poor Sweetheart seems to be losing weight--I wonder if he's coming down with something," she wondered, removing his barely-touched dinner plate from the table. " She followed him to the living room couch where he sat quietly, thumbing through a book--her cookbook? Meekly, she waited to find out what was on his mind. 

"You know I love you and try to give you anything you need to be happy and healthy, but I can't be sure you love me, though you keep telling me. Love is not something you feel--it's something you do" Shocked and hurt, she assured him she wanted nothing more than being his wife and someday mother to his children. "Then why won't you put more effort into the stuff you put on the dinner table? You have a great cookbook that covers beginner to gourmet recipes, which you refuse to use."  Shocked, she defended herself. He didn't see that there was so little time before he came home to do dinner and make herself beautiful, so he would see her at her best. 

He took her hand and led her to the kitchen where the dreaded cookbook lay waiting. "Many brides are lousy cooks," he said, " but they resolve to change. Most spend hours learning to offer their husbands a nourishing, tasty meal for his health and appreciation. They invest their time working to please their husbands.  Practice makes perfect, and you have an excellent reference book to guide you in learning a little each day as you become more skilled. I guarantee, before you know it, you will become proud of your effort. You have an expert to guide you--trying to ad lib can't compare"

Many of us are like the inexperienced or misguided bride, drinking in the new experience of being loved totally, yet forgetting that great love deserves love in return to please our God. He gave us His personal instruction book, which does not belong gathering dust in the bookshelf, but instead should become worn and wrinkled from daily use, as we become ever closer to our God's ideal.  Remember, after all, He calls us the Bride of Christ!

 9For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,     10so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;    11strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously    12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:9-12

The Good Old Days

A good memory is a gift from God. When you reach the point of spending your days at home when everyone else is out--still earning a living--and you're free to review (and enjoy if you outgrew any bitterness, preferring to filter what were painful days unto growth days as you learned the benefit gained from those "life lessons" as you look back at all wisdom and maturity gained.)

Free from any pressure as a child, we never had to choose for ourselves our future, our identity--when we couldn't yet decide whether to go for the softball team or the spelling bee. Can you imagine the freedom we had left time for things now legally blocked from our children's agenda. Can you imagine being responsibility for who or what you will become at an age when you couldn't decide what to have for lunch? All we had to complain about was having to memorize what we often considered boring.

And the funny thing is, what we thought then would be boring actually ended up as pleasant memories. It probably pleased our parents when we performed in public as we learned a new skill, Choral Speaking! Like a speaking choir, but no music. Memorizing long passages of scripture and performing in public--school auditorium, local churches enjoyed our performances and so did we.

And would you believe, most of the scriptures I ever memorized were these same scriptures and I still remember now, some 75 years later! Even now I find myself quoting them and feeling joyful.  Those very words answer lots of grown-up's questions many people struggle with throughout their lives. Not me. Tucked away in my heart, these words helped lead me to the great love from our Creator, Savior and Life Coach, who gave us this temporary world to grow wisdom and maturity to ready ourselves to share His kingdom and His love throughout eternity.

What are your kids learning in school?  Probably most will earn to Follow the Leader--he's always right, Don't make him angry or you will be sorry.  It's up to you to introduce them to the true Leader, a loving Master who can guide each of us through the muddy streets of this world and give each of us the key to the golden celestial door to His kingdom, avoiding the death waiting for the "Leaders" who control this world and think they will control the next!

 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.2Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.3There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Psalm 19:1-3

choral readings of scripture, and we were filled with pride 

we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  

2 Cor. 4:18    

 

We on the ocean in a boat, safe unless we let water in or if we leave the boat                                    "The burden that you are carrying can be a blessing if you trust in God. He can turn your burden into victory. He can turn your trials into triumph. We can rest easy at night, knowing that our Father holds our tomorrow in His hands." Dr Michael Youssef

  

Look Up

 A popular bit of wisdom today warns us 

"Don't look back--been there, done that--                                                                                   Don't look down, you will never get anywhere in life--                                                                 Don't look around and copy what seems to work for others--                                                         Don't look in your mirror, beguiled by the perfection you seem to see--                                         Look up to your perfect Lord and Savior, so you don't lose your way                                          t to truth and wisdom and life."

 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.           Psalm 55:22

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.                                Proverbs 3:5

Don't do God any favors, okay?

 No, really. He wants your ear, your heart and your hands, working in the special area He prepared for your obedience service. He created you and prepared a path for your life before placing you in your mother's arms. He doesn't need your help or planning with the heavy lifting on your worst days ahead----just your attention. and cooperation.  

It's no accident you were equipped with two ears and two eyes, but only one mouth, knowing the world will fill your eyes with its many bits of pseudo-info on life designed to drown out that still, small voice that led you this far.  His quiet yet strong voice speaking eternal truth, straight from His throne, knows every twist in the road ahead, needs no advice from you. Ever.   

All He wants is space in your heart, which He will handle with great care, as He leads and prepares a safe path ahead, leading Home. Leave the planning to your Coach--he has your route and future already--all you need to do is follow Him.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21

Getting Even--Is That What You Really Want?

For a minute you may feel better, but soon you will realize you are looking at him eye-to-eye and you can no longer look down on your opponent--you have sunk to his level and that's embarrassing, right?  You're better than that. You should know not to cross swords with an enemy (or a friend) --nobody wins! 

And it's even worse to argue with another Christian over some little difference of opinion on an issue you read about in the Bible--the same Bible you both are reading from! You surely know there are parts of the Scripture none of us will fully understand this side of Heaven--table your difference of opinion with your brethren for now. If the question has any future effect for your life, or your friend's, God will make it clear, if and when you need to know!

In a disagreement, you may soon learn that revenge isn't sweet, but a bitter pill to swallow. Next time you give a sharp reply to someone who deserves it, remember now you're no better than the one who offended you. Now it's on! You can no longer rest on your laurels as a harmless, loving Jesus-follower; you are no better than your enemy who offended you. Will you win if you get down in the dirt to battle someone else? Who will win this encounter? 

 MATTHEW 5:44-45“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  

19This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20

 From the fruit of a man's mouth he enjoys good. But the desire of the treacherous is violence.  One who guards his tongue reserves his life. The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.  Proverbs 13:2-3

     

Romans 12:19, 38-42

Lev. 19:18