MONDAY MEDITATION TRUNCATED!

A prep for tomorrow's book study to keep me from talking more that listening or even talking in circles!

Pain Drains                    Drained!? Fill up with Fellowship

 

Don’t Live Digital Distracted Life (5 words or less)

 

Listen more to talk less. (5 words or less)

 

Travel Light      Lay aside every encumbrance

 

Fix Eyes on Jesus    Focus More on Jesus   

 JESUS + 0 = EVERYTHING!

 

More of THEE—Less of me   THINE—not mine

 

Jesus’ life: Paragon of Righteousness (5 words of less) 

(Blackaby. Experiencing God, p.235)

 

Get Daily Nourishment from Scripture (5 words of less)

 

Feed your faith and your doubts will starve. (David Stevens (1/28/24)

 

HOPE: journey to right destination. (5 words of less) Chuck Swindoll

 

Hope springs from truth rehearsed. (M. Vroegop, T.Billings Incurable Cancer 14)

 

HOPE: not wishful thinking, BUT…CONFIDENT EXPECTATION!

 

trUst       Do you trust me, Dotsy? 

 

Thrust of trust answers meandering thoughts.

 

A heap of worry staggers you.

 (Me, or us…choose own pronoun)

 

Meek is power under control. 

(Not an “in you face” encounter to another)

 

Move from Petition to Praise-----“ACTS” as in Tony Evans NOG  (5 words or less)

 

 

Dotsy THOTS--Trusting Him On This Subject

HOLDING MY PLACE!

I won't be on-line tomorrow for much of the day. In case T.H.O.T.S. come to mind, I'll share..... 

Trusting 

Him

On

This 

Subject

......my T.H.O.T.S. "jottings" later. 

"Jottings." Those paper and pencil types. Mine with a freshly sharpened #2 pencil!

A magnetic bookmark is perfect for holding my place. 

Living Expectantly, even in waiting

Wordsmith Bernie's slug mail enclosure was a timely delivery.

It was an affirmation of yesterday's Blue Skies blog THOTS (Trusting Him On This Subject) 
Joy and suffering can both be a part of the equation of life, existing side by side. 

Taken from INTOUCH 3/26 devotional these "gems" jumped out at me. 

• .....letter from a friend struggling between the already but not yet. (Hm-m-m, "not yet" sounds like waiting to me. Dotsy) 
• “All I can do,” he wrote, “is live each moment as it comes and be aware of God in it.” His conclusion: “I want to let struggle, grief, and hurt exist side by side with joy, peace, and hope.” 
• It may not be easy to live expectantly between present and future realities, but I believe it’s the best approach. A mom grieving the death of her son explained, “I’m discovering how grief and hope dance together, often exchanging the lead. Yet without Christ’s sacrifice, there would be no hope—and what a cruel dance that would be.” (emphasis mine)

Now, that’s living expectantly and a great adverb for waiting----my toes are tapping expectantly as I type!

"Grace, Grace, God's Grace"

5/31/09 GRACE THOTS

• Grace precedes peace in scriptures.

• Resistance to accepting God’s grace is pride.

• Not much grace evident if we don’t let go, and instead keep trying to control.

• If more “doing” than “being” in our faith walk, we could be missing grace.

• Self-sufficiency can detour/sidetrack us from the benefits of grace.

• Pain avoidance can slam the door on grace---blocking God’s provision.

• His grace in the midst of pain and suffering can allow us to discover more of Him---result = life with meaning and purpose---it’s a deep level of intimacy.

• By God’s grace, potential problems can be avenues for blessings and the result = growth.

• His grace empowers my weaknesses. It is amazing!

“My grace is sufficient for you, My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Today’s entry in My Utmost for His Highest said, “ Put God first in trust. If I trust in human beings first, I will end in despairing of everyone, I will become bitter because I have insisted on man being what no man can ever be----(perfect) Never trust anything but the grace of God in yourself or in anyone else.

BTW, tomorrow’s Monday. Find a grace verse and meditate on it. Let me know what you find---and learn.

Grace and peace to each of you. I will probably be off-line for next 10 days due to both planned and possibly unplanned events---will write when I can, but posting could be difficult.

BATTLE FATIGUE

5/29/09 Battle weary............
Up since 4:15 a.m. with anxious thoughts whirring in my head. How’s that for a confession from someone others have been extolling lately because of her faith in hard situations. It’s a battle folks. I know many people prefer to read my dance and tea type entries---they’re usually more fun to write too. But today the dance that is looming seems to be the old avoiDANCE. I’m not quite out there dancing on my own yet but I have been assuming the “wallfower” position---just not even wanting to get on the floor. That dance floor is slick with reality. I don’t want to stumble. I don’t want the world to rate me and thus rate the Lord because I miss a step. This isn’t “Dancing with the Stars” but I feel as if there’s an entire world out there watching. I don’t want to be relegated to the “So You Think You Can Dance” segment of life either---the cynics jeering and thinking, it wasn’t real after all. It is real---God is always faithful. I’m just the one struggling at the moment. In my head I know I can dance because I know Who has chosen me as His partner. I’m just having some heart difficulties right now.
After tossing in bed with prayers turning every which way but upward (mainly inward), I went to my prayer chair and began to pour out to the Lord. For me, that meant writing a list. I wrote “Dreads and Worries.” The list was long. I looked at it and thought about it and tried to ask the Lord about it and my stomach just churned and I even felt shaky. Finally---I “chose” to fret and stew far too long---I wadded up said list to throw it away. I walked all the way out to the curbside trash (Herbie Curbie, my mother used to call it) and deposited my list very glad our pick-up day is Friday----that’s today. I need instant “pick-up” to keep me from going back and physically retrieving THE list and focusing on it again---maybe even checking off items taken care of. This was a list I really didn’t need to “stew” over any longer.
The hard part was going to be not mentally retrieving the list. That’s were most of my battles are---in my mind. I need to take the good thoughts captive and regard the other thoughts as the enemy seeking to rob me of my joy. First line of defense began as I returned to my prayer chair and opened my grandmother’s Bible to Jeremiah. That’s where my summer connections group will be studying this summer. The first thing I noticed was the tidy 52 chapters----great for a chapter a week study for a year. It’s also home to one of my all time favorite verses, chapter 15, verse 16. Since that deals with eating God’s word, I began to nibble. I didn’t get very far---just chapter one---but that’s all I needed.

I’m not sure how theologically sound my interpretations are but God---did you hear that, But God………met me right where I was and these are words that jumped off the page along with ideas I gleaned from His word----mostly THOTS right now as I Trust Him On This Subject. Jeremiah Chapter 1

• “To whom the word of the Lord came”----my marginalia, 52x that is mentioned—I highlighted 4x in chapter 1, not sure if "came also" counts---that’s a THOT

• “Before formed in womb, I knew you---before born, I consecrated you, I appointed you” (God knows me too and has set me aside---just for a different purpose.)

• “Go where I send, speak what I command” (feel not qualified, He qualifies and provides the message)

• “Put my words in your mouth…..to build and to plant” (His word is power, not mine)

• "Gird up loins….arise….speak all I command. Do not be dismayed before them, lest I dismay you before them.” (I’m typing, I’m typing.)

• “They (my thoughts) will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” (verses 17-19 sound like “fighting” words. I told you it was a battle.)

I can dance! I can dance when I “choose” to join Him in the dance of life, even though the floor is slippery!

I can dance!!