HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

How grateful I am to live in a nation whose motto is, "In God we Trust!" Blessed is the nation whose God is Lord. (Psalm 33:12)

How blessed I am today to share it with grandson, Andrew.

FULLNESS IN CHRIST!

IN CHRIST!

How does one receive fullness in Christ?

The answer is through salvation in Christ Jesus.

How do others know that answer is true?

They see it in your life.

When JoLynn changed the page on the desk calendar at church today---I saw the answer!

JOY! In the life of a believer.

The above wrapped up an earlier meditation from a Puritan's prayer, "Fullness in Christ" in Valley of Vision.

"Christ has all fulness"....."to give me fullness" 

"It is my duty, out of a sense of emptiness, to go to Christ, possess, enjoy his fullness as mine, as if I had it in myself, because it is for me in him; that when I do this I am full of the Spirit,"

FULLNESS IN CHRIST!!!!!

How about "going to school of meditation" on that---it is Meditation Monday after all!

TRUTH TRUMPS!

Festivals reign in the summer months in America. Music. Wine. Cherry blossom. Mystic. Beale Street.

Our word is filled with cultural ideology and belief. People certainly think differently---often wanting to state ideas and opinions as truth.  

This year a festival of IDEAS is being held in Aspen, CO this very week.

I am not opposed to ideas, beliefs or opinions. 

I certainly have plenty. But.......one needs to be careful that opinions don't blur the truth.

And you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

Sanctify them by thy truth; thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

The Lord is near to those who call upon him; to all who call upon him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)

Truth Trumps!

THANKFUL THURSDAY!

WOW! What an auspicious beginning to may day!!

So concerned (not worried, that sounds like SIN).....but this morning I questioned if I had chosen to lead devotionals at 2 assisted living places without undeniable leading from the Lord.

But God..."showed up" as I was adding honey to my toast.

Certainly I have use this honey often, maybe with sleepy 1/2 closed eyes because I had never seen the verse underneath the WILDFLOWER label.

God graciously opened my eyes today, right when it was needed, as an answer to my heart's prayer. I had eyes to see! Scripture! 

My teaching was on meditative prayer---that I might allow them to understand the importance of using God's Word to make prayer sweet to the soul and healthy for the body in accordance with God's will and purpose for our lives as we wait expectantly for His answer.

I think I got my answer! I am thankful as I was the one blessed beyond measure this Thursday! 

R AND R

R & R!

R & R!

R&R!

Ever need a little R & R?

The letters are the same but what they represent can be so-o-o different.

What comes to your mind? 

Most folks think of rest for the first R......followed by recreation, relaxation or recuperation. 

• Doctor RX--Rest and Recoup
• Late night study--Ritalin and Redbull
• Psychology--Reflect and Re-evaluate
• Authors--Revise and Resubmit
• Carpenter Corey--Remove and Replace

Rest, as in stoppage, came to my mind

R and R!

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1

R and R!Jeremiah 31:25

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

1 Corinthians 16:18 For they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men.

2 Timothy 1:16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.

Exodus 31:17
“‘It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
.

Ever need a little spiritual R & R?

R + R = Rescue and Redemption

Rest in that truth!

JESUS IS LORD!

Jesus is Lord...........truly

Jesus is Lord..........boldly

JESUS IS LORD!!........truly, boldly & in ALL CAPS!

Any way you put it or any where you place it, it is true.

JESUS IS LORD, AND SAVIOR! (ROMANS 10:9)

CHOOSE THIS DAY....FOOD FOR THOUGHT FRIDAY!

How great it would be if all decisions made today would be as easy as choosing my morning cuppa!

All my tea options are good ones to me. I don't even have to choose caffeine free if it's only 7am. 

Other choices throughout the day are more difficult because of the ramifications. Such choices can be important or complex, nothing like deciding on loose leaf or tea bag for my morning cuppa.

How would my choice affect someone else. Physically?  Emotionally? Monetarily? Spiritually? (Romans 12:10)

• To encourage. (Ephesians 4:29) 
• To build up. (Romans 15:2) 
• To motivate to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)
• An encouraging word cheers a person up. (Proverbs 12:25)

Each day our choices count! 

That's real food for thought this Friday and everyday.

ROAD TO NOWHERE?....ROAD TO SOMEWHERE?

Have you ever wondered where a road would take you?

An unending highway of sorts. A road to nowhere.

Is there such? 

According to a road sign in Bryson City, North Carolina there is!*

What about biblically?

There is a road that the wise travel and a road that the unwise travel. There is a road that SEEMS right (Proverbs 14:12) and there is a road that IS right (Proverbs 12:28).

As we stand at crossroads seeking directions for life, often bystanders are luring us to turn toward popularity and self-pleasure. That is a road to nowhere. A life apart from God.

Reconsider. 

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

Choose the way of the Lord -- the narrow path. Jesus is there and He is the way that leads to Heaven.

Is there a right path to choose? 

Yes! A road to somewhere! Eternal life with the Triune God.

*I saw it as I was having a "walkabout Wednesday" down Everett Street in North Carolina last week.(6/14/23)

I BELIEVE!!!!!!

"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

The desperate man cried out in Mark 9:24.....knowing that Jesus said, all things are possible to him that believeth.(Mark 9:23)

This morning's reading from Henry Blackaby's, Experiencing God p.171 had me with the first sentence. 

You can say prayers in your mind but doubt in your heart.

Is it possible to be a "person of prayer" and yet not have faith?

May it never be in my life!

As I align my will with His in prayer, I can wait expectantly to see how God will answer.

Today I am meeting with other prayer warriors at FEC to pray for revival. But....am I preparing for its coming? A reflective life of absolute trust?

I need to look for His hand at every turn. A God wink. A God sighting.

May I not miss His response to my requests..........or I'll miss the joy of praying faith!!

FRIDAY FOCUS!

Friday Focus, again!?

MORE OF THEE. LESS OF ME!

Pithy with a punch. A heart issue.

Easy to know in my head....harder to overflow from my heart & live out.

I must be a slow learner as refocusing is a daily, even hourly occurrence.

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want but i do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)

Be gone, self-centeredness! Self-pity stinks!

Today's New Morning Mercies (6/16) entry zeroes in on obstacles of our faith focus.

Self-focus sins that can permeate our actions:

• Nasty retort
• "Me-first pride"
• flash of lust at the mall
• addictions to little pleasures
• impatience with a loved one

.....to name a few. I could lengthen the list as I wait for doctor to return my call....as if I'm his only patient.

O Lord may I refocus....and allow you to rescue me from me!