something to ponder...

Psalm 3:3

But you are a shield around me, O LORD;

 you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

 Psalm 3:3

Father, I am grateful that:

1) You are a shield around me.  You keep me safe from more than I will ever know or realize. 

2) You bestow glory on me.  I don't have to strive for accolades for myself.  Your glory on me is my deepest desire.

3) You lift up my head. Discouragement or shame might cause my head to hang low...but You give me a reason to face each day head on.

Meditating on Psalm 4:4

In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Psalm 4:4

Reading this today led me to three thoughts:

1) Reacting and responding from anger does not bring about the righteous life I seek to live.

2) Searching the heart is not a morbid introspection...it is examining my alignment with Christ's will.

3) Silence leads to listening, which in turn allows God's voice to be heard more clearly.

something to ponder

Faith after Surrender

I am currently reading The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith.  This line stood out to me tonight...still need to meditate on it to fully hear what it is saying to me.  

 this graphic was created by using a background from MyMemories.com and adding text with Picasa.

saying yes to God

We proclaim Him,

admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, 

so that we may present everyone

fully mature in Christ.

Colossians 1:28

Each week I research commentaries, read various versions of the same passage and type up notes so that I can prepare a lesson for the Women's Bible study at our little church.

 Some weeks I also have a  message to prepare for the Sunday service...once a month I get asked to fill the pulpit.


Time spent in study is rewarding yet arduous.

There are days when I want to give up.

However, my desire to understand it better so I can admonish and teach overcomes me and I give in to going on.  

Taking a deep breath and whispering a quick "help me, Lord, to comprehend" I trudge on.

Trusting.  Knowing.  Believing.  It will be worth it.  It is worth it.

I am learning.  I am growing...

and 

He is proclaimed.

Something to Ponder

"Just as the potter, however skillful, cannot make a beautiful vessel out of a lump of clay that is never put into His hands, so neither can God make out of me a vessel unto His honor unless I put myself into His hands."

~Hannah Whitall Smith, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, pg.33

My prayer:
God, I wholeheartedly place myself into your hands...I trust You to make out of me a vessel that will honor You.  I know it may not feel good.  And I understand I may not enjoy the process...but, I am willing to endure it.  I am willing to let You shape me, make me and use me for Your divine purpose.

Amen.

something to ponder

Delight in God has a transforming power and lifts a man above the gross desire of our fallen nature.
~Charles H. Spurgeon


Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; Trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:4-6

Delight.  Commit.  Trust.

Each day I pray that we will  learn more about how to delight ourselves in the Lord.  I commit myself and our marriage anew to Him each morning.  I trust in Him and Him alone to be Lord of my life and of our home.

We have learned to live without owning much in the past five years.  Even more so these past few months here in Belize.  We have minimal furniture; 6 chairs, a table and a futon to sleep on ...all borrowed. We only have the clothes that were in our suitcases. Our boxes are on their way here from Russia but we have no idea how long it will take for them to arrive.   We are still waiting for payments to come through from the sale of our apartment.

All we have is God and each other. 

That is enough. 

Don't get me wrong... we both would love to have a real bed.  Waking up each morning with pain wracked bodies from a flimsy futon mattress is not something we take delight in.  We would love to have a car so that we could explore more of this beautiful new land that God has called us to. But all of those things will come in time.

We have committed ourselves to serving Him.  We trust in Him.  He truly is our source of delight. 

Something to ponder

We are in a hurry; the vision of the blessings excites our desire and hastens our longings; but the Lord will keep His appointments. He is never before His time; He is never behind. ~Charles Spurgeon

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV


Maybe this comparison will sound a little silly. For me it fits. The other day as I waited for my bread dough to rise I wondered if it would happen or not. I began to question " did I do something to kill the yeast?", "is this day too humid or perhaps too dry?", "how long has it been?" I tried to occupy myself with other thoughts. However, I caved and set up a steam bath for the bowl of rising dough to stand in. And then resorted to peeking under the towel every 15 minutes or so to see how much further it had to go.

I am human. I worry. I fret. And sometimes I even make attempts at manipulating the outcome.

However, God is faithful.

God is punctual.

If He said it He will do it.

Waiting may not be my favorite thing to do but some things, events, and people are worth waiting for.

God is always worth the wait.

your turn...

Each time I go through a new phase of life I look for someone to model after.

The slogan Each One Teach One comes to mind. While reading my Bible I came across this verse:

And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 1Thess 1:7

Each one of us has a something to offer. Even if we are just one step ahead... we become the model for someone else.

leaning on Him

As I was sitting in church last Sunday looking at this drum I was grateful to see this scripture.  I am leaning heavily on Christ's strength right now.  Getting used to this new country we live in and its culture can be stressful some days. 

I am thankful for the promises that I can look to in God's word... His word never fails!

Point of Grace

 I love Point of Grace... and this song has been on my heart and I feel blessed each time I sing along.


I have no doubt
Sometimes I don't know where I'm going
Where the road this leading me
Life can be full of so many changes
So many uncertainties
But there's one thing that's constant in this heart of mine
It's knowing that You're gonna love me, come rain or shine

(Chorus)
I have no doubt
That you will never leave me
That You'll be there to keep me safe and warm
I have no doubt
No matter where you take me
That nothing can separate me from You, Lord

I don't know what You've planned for tomorrow
Or what lies up ahead for me
Pleasure, pain, worry or sorrow
Today is as far as I can see
You may see fit to take me through the valley, Lord
Or on the mountain
It makes no difference where I go

(Bridge) 1
I wanna run away
From that voice that I hear calling
But I'll be quick to answer and obey

(Chorus)
Nothing could separate me
Nothing could ever separate me

something to ponder

While reading an old issue of Discipleship Journal from 2002 I came across this story:

The famed 19th-century evangelist D.L. Moody was once asked if he was filled with the Spirit. "Yes," said Moody, "but I leak."

Several paragraphs later it goes on to explain:

To speak of "leaking" doesn't mean the Holy Spirit somehow seeps out through our pores; it is an acknowledgment that operating in a fallen world wears on (our) relationship with God.


I can acknowledge that sometimes I leak.  I am so grateful that when I am weak, or leaking, He can make me strong.  Only He can fill the cracks in my armor that come about from daily use. 

Something to ponder...

"Do you think things always have to have an explanation?"
"Yes. I believe that they do. But I think that with our human limitations we're not always able to understand the explanations. But, you see, Meg, just because we don't understand doesn't mean that the explanation doesn't exist."

excerpted from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle