CHOOSE: PURPOSE

An oft asked question is what is my purpose on earth?

The Westminster Shorter Catechism identifies "the chief end of man is to glorify the Lord and enjoy Him forever. "

Pondering "my purpose" these few weeks was an exploration of thoughts that went down many trails. 

This morning, the Lord helped me condense my whirring thoughts as I applied my moisturizer. 

Purpose ®, no less. 
A closer look showed me it had a dual purpose---which it took me a while to figure out. 1) Long lasting moisture prevents long -lasting dehydration. For me the  One who is the "living water" keeps me hydrated eternally. (John 4: 14)

2) Provides protection from sun exposure. My protection is lots of exposure to the Son of God. Just like Purpose ®, my purpose is dual as well. Pleasing God is my purpose with two components;to love God and to serve others well!

May my choice please Him.

"May He be pleased by all these thoughts about Him, for He is the source of all my joy." (Psalm 104: 34 (TLB)

Captivi-TEA

A cuppa captivi-TEA is needed if I'm to serve a little positivi-TEA to others. I have to live it before I can serve it.

Yea, yea, I know----tea blogs were for last year ----but cut me a little slack because "tea thinking" is a part of who I am. And a cuppa captivi-Tea is about one's thought life.

If I'm concerned about thinking positive thoughts about Memphis town, surely I can work on eliminating negative aspects about my self.

Replacement thinking. Sounds like something one would hear from a therapist's couch. Replacing my thoughts with His thoughts is from the "good book" not a psychology book. My thoughts are not His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8) so I need to "bring every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5) out of obedience to the Lord.

This week, partly in response to my husband's request to "quit being so hard on my wife," I have tried "replacement thinking."

• ADD Reality---Always Distracted Dotsy---(similar to my often "Ditsy" typo-label) Replacement Response---God knows me by my "real" name---(Exodus 33:17)

"Dotsy(s)" on the cuppa mark it as really mine! CF knew that!

--Reality (what I think)---It's so-o-o hard being me.

**Replacement Response--I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

--Ineptness Reality---What I think when unable to conquer my PowerPoint for upcoming Exodus lesson.
**Replacement Response--God's power is made perfect in "my" weakness. Go God! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

--Most common self-inflicted diatribes---I haven't a clue and I can't remember squat.
**Replacement Response--To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

WHOOPS---how pitiful are those diatribes for one whose desire is to please Him---God gives wisdom to those who please Him. 

My "personal pursuit" for 2015 is to please GOD. I'd better bring that reminder front and center---a cuppa Captivi-TEA of thoughts and actions to please Him.

Life's Puzzles

I can't even do a 48 piece puzzle without help from a 4 yr. old. My defense is....it was double sided so I never quite had a clear picture.

Today my journal work on "pleasing God" included an anagram search on the word, "please." One that caught my attention was palese---which is Italian for obvious or clear.

Certainly many life lessons are not always clear to me, especially as I age. Most of the time they only become obvious when I'm looking in my rear view----then I see that God's hand was in it all along. It's that double sided-view that confuses me.

I've always heard that God's view is from the top-side of the tapestry of our life. We just see all the strings and undone pieces as we view it from the underside.

It should be "clearly obvious" to me by now----when I please God, my life lessons whether they look-like or feel-like blessings....or if they are just plain painful---all of those puzzles, even the unsolved ones, are for my benefit. 

RPs

The parking lot was packed at the Germantown Athletic Center this past Friday. Jane Chittick said the drivers were mostly RPs and they would be gone in about 6 weeks.
Not knowing that acronym, I raised a quizzicle eyebrow.

RPs=Resolution People. According to Jane, they are easily recognizable ---wearing all the best togs, especially shoes. The outer display is all "show" and hides the inner lack of perseverance.

First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. (Matt. 23:26)

Resolved---I do not want to be a spiritual RP---I want my insides as clean as my outsides. Inner cleansing with God's word is key, if I am to persevere in my spiritual goal of pleasing Him.  

Dig to Discover

Spiritual Goal for 2015---Pleasing God.

Lots of digging required. Patience. Persistence. Protection. Fellowship, maybe. Relationship strengthened.

May I be as diligent to discover what pleases God as John Parker and Andrew are to discover fossils in the clay. 

Obviously, the appropriate tools are important when digging is required.

Sharing the pursuit also aids in the discovery.

I, too will need to "Look for it* as for silver and search for it as hidden treasure," (Prov. 2:2) For me, the "it" is the wisdom of knowing how to please God.

Digging deeper in His word will help me deepen my relationship with the Lord.

migh-TEA BIG cuppa

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

Why blog? 

Maybe because it will have lasting value for my grandchildren. Tweets, Instagram and even FB seem more ephemeral. Tweets evaporate almost instantly and Instagram and FB too follow into an almost black hole within a month. I want my "grands" and great grands to know of my faith---after I'm long gone. A faith that anchors my soul.

Why blog daily? 

Certainly not to add more cobwebs to the "blogosphere." But God seemed to "compel me" to daily blogging this year.

Is blogging hard work? 

Yes......Though it's not as hard as building a temple would have been for Zerubbabel in the above verse, it's beyond my own strength. If my blogging is not Spirit led, it is rubbish with no lasting value. Often, I wonder if the time to quit is drawing nigh, especially when I don't "feel" His power and and the writing seems "toilsome." (Ecclesiastes 2:26) 

How does one know if her blogging pleases God?

The other day I asked myself the same question. And tho the "drop and plop" method is not spiritual, recently I did just that---finding 1 Corinthians 10:13 and a Harriet Beecher Stowe quote that I hope explains my purpose.

I did not write it. God wrote it. I merely did His dictation.

Stowe's writing coupled with God's word would be a "migh-TEA BIG cuppa to digest....but hopefully even my small blog is sincerely written in wholehearted service to the Lord in order to glorify Him.

Possibili-TEA: a 2nd cup

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13, NLT)

Mulling the possibility of change of any kind, can have one second guessing every decision. When one is pondering a change concerning spiritual matters, second guessing seems to intensify. 
Desire to do God's work, God's way? Desire to edify believers and glorify the Lord? Desire to change?

The change must be His work. "...apart from me you can do nothing."(John 15:5) Apart from God, there is no good thing. (Psalm 16:2) "not adequate in ourselves but our adequacy is from God. He is at work in us." (2 Corinthians 3:5)

Those were my ponderings this morning over a cuppa of possibili-TEA, sipped and savored during my "Time with Thee."
The desire is there. Now the power will come.....if it pleases Him. 

What a thought!

What a possibili-TEA!