Thy Kingdom Come

Lord, help me till thy Kingdom come-

  Sins abound I need kept from.

    Keep away this n that,

      Things I can't take back or shouldn't look at.

 

Forgive me Lord till thy Kingdom come-

  A bit, a few, a whole lot of some,

    Actions come, both good and bad,

      A mix of black n white n plaid.

 

Guide me till thy Kingdom come-

  Worldly thoughts, please keep me from.

    Things I need to end,

      Help me make amend,

        Mold my will to yours and blend.

 

Walk with me till thy Kingdom come-

  All offenses, deeds n words, keep me from.

    Temper, tame, humble what you find,

      Bundle and confine.

 

Oh Lord! Love me till thy Kingdom come-

  Forgive the sins you warned me from.

    Let me please you now,

      Lead the way- show me how.

 

Hold me tight till thy Kingdom come-

  Keep away what I need be kept from.

    Place your love in me,

      Make me pure for all to see.

 

Thy Kingdom come,

  Thy will be done.

                                  Amen…

 

                                                                                                              Mary Crisp Jameson

Wonders of The Mind

     There are so many projects I would like to kick start here in A Friendly Shade.  Some I know I can do myself.  There are also other dreams and goals I have set.  Some have been accomplished, and others are still waiting, but with a strong will and a mind to get the job done, I know those will be completed in due time. 
     The mind is a powerful tool.  I guess that is why so many authors have written on the subject.  Among my favorites are: Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer and The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Poole.  However, my first initiation to the power of positive thinking came from my mother who never read a book about it, other than her Bible.  She always told me, “Can’t never could do anything.”  She showed me how true this was by the way she lived her life.  She was a strong Christian lady who would attempt most anything that was needed.  She got her wisdom from Biblical learning. 
     Matthew 15:18-19 “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts…”
     Matthew 19:26… “With God all things are possible.”
     Matthew 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine…”
     Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
     You see, the way we allow our minds to control us can alter our lives.  To quote an unknown author: 
     “Watch your thoughts, they become words. 
      Watch your words, they become actions.
      Watch your actions, they become habits. 
      Watch your habits, they become character. 
      Watch your character, it become your destiny.”
     Another good quote I read was about HOPE :  
            H- Have
            O- Only
            P- Positive
            E- Expectations
     I also like, “Life is like a roller coaster.  It has its ups and downs, but it’s your choice to scream or enjoy the ride.”   We must adjust our minds and make a mental choice to be enjoy life and be happy.   
     Basically, we are what we think.  From the words of Norman Vincent Poole, “Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.”  
     So I say try to, “Think yourself healthy, think yourself successful, and think you can fulfill your goals and dreams.”  In fact that reminds me of The Little Engine That Could.  All the way up the mountain the train kept saying, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”  Then as it neared the top, it said, “I can! I can!
     Above all, include God in your decisions.  Let Him control the steering wheel to successful attitudes and goals.     

 

Heaven Is For Real

      Lately, my “Friendly Shade” has been getting a lot of rain, and I mean a whole lot of rain!   The ground is saturated, but I am determined not to complain for I know that in just a few weeks the ground could dry up and I will again be wishing and praying for rain. I really hope I am not often caught “wanting what I don’t have and not wanting what I have.”

      You know, when I think about the heavens and all the rain we have been getting, I can’t help but consider that God created and controls the heavens. (Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens…) God owns it all, so why worry about how much or how little the rain falls?   Who am I to question the God who controls all the elements sent from heaven.   ( Deuteronomy 10:14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens…)    Actually the Lord “opens the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands….” Deut. 28:12    I can just imagine the humor He gets out of watching and listening to His people as they get excited over the sunshine after a long bough of rain, or the rain shower after long months of dry spells and even the rainbow that shows out as God sets the bow over the land.  

    God's abundant storehouse in heaven is used by Him when needed, often to accomplish a purpose.  When the Israelites demanded food, the Lord told Moses, “I will rain bread from heaven for you….Exodus 16:4) When Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, it came out of the heavens. (Genesis 19:24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens.) Our dew comes from heaven. (May God give you heaven’s dew… Genesis 27:28) When Noah was instructed to build the Ark, it was because God was about to “bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens.” Genesis 8:2 Afterwards, God set His “bow in the cloud.” Our sun, moon, and stars are set in the heavens. (Deuteronomy 4:19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the heavenly array….) It is from heaven that our winds are created. (Jeremiah 49:36 I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven…) From heaven comes the thunder and lightning. (When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roars; he makes clouds rise from the ends of earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouse. Jeremiah 10:13 ) It was from heaven that a bright light descended upon Saul and blinded him. (Acts 9:3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.) In 2 Kings 1:10 Elijah asked God to send down fire. (“If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven” …)

     Even though there is a storehouse in heaven, we are warned not to bow down to any of them. God is the One in control of it all and it is to Him we should bow and worship. (“… do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”)

     Heaven is God’s throne, and it is the place we should all seek. (Matthew 5:34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne.) (Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
     Truly, “Heaven is for real!”    Although in terms of the distance heaven is from the earth, God is always near and available.  The wonders we have seen and read about are only a glimpse and a tiny taste of what we will experience eternally in heaven.   In the time between now and then God is waiting for us to seek Him daily and to praise Him for the heavenly show of abundance sent to earth. 

Mother's Day Love

     There is no greater joy than having my daughter come to visit on Mother’s Day.  What is so precious is not the gifts or flowers, but the love and fellowship we share together  as we enjoy each other’s company over a simple cup of coffee here in a “Friendly Shade.”  
     Actually this past Sunday was filled with families enjoying the same.  There were so many good posts on Facebook about moms.  Many were loving comments, appreciative comments, and thankful comments. 
     Love was in all those that I read, even though most children would have to admit they really didn’t appreciate their parent’s love until after they matured and left home.  It is then they realized all the rules, all the restrictions, and all the hovering over how they dressed, who they saw, and where they went was an act of lovingly teaching and guiding them toward the path of being able to make wise and mature decisions.   It was a form of protection.  Most would have to admit they never really appreciated the amount of forgiveness bestowed when that child probably “got on the parents nerves" about as much as the parents frustrated the rebellious soon-to-be adult until they had children of their own.
     How tragic it is when we all forget the number of times God has to forgive us when we pull away from his guidance and direction.  He is a Father who wants our companionship.  More than even a parent, God has such an awesome unconditional love regardless of where we have been or what we have done.  
     Let us never fail to realize that there is only one unforgiveable sin, and that is not believing in the “only begotten Son of God”  who died for our sins.  If we believe, God is willing to forgive us of any previous sin we have committed.  By believing, we can move forward, we can grow, and we can find love and be able to show love. 

Being Selective

     I just returned from a mini vacation and admit that I am one of those travelers who like to snack.  I found myself shuffling through a can of mixed nuts trying to pick out the ones I liked the best, leaving the others for someone else.  I had already come up with an excuse if I got caught.  “I am practicing the fine art of being selective.  In fact, I was taught to be selective.” 
     Well, I might be missing the mark here a little with my application, but everyone does need to be taught, at an early age, to be selective in life. 
     Often times, being selective does not come naturally.  It has to be thought out and practiced.  We need to choose wisely how we treat others.  We need to be selective with the language we use.  We need to be selective in the people we choose to become involved with.  Not only do we need to choose how we treat others, but, most importantly, we need to choose how we use God’s name.   Our selective behavior not only affects others, but it is what builds our character and also affects how we grow spiritually.       

     James 3:3-5 “Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.  Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.  Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things.  Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!”

    Psalm 39:1  “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.”

      In closing, let us also remember that in the end, God will also be selective. 

      Psalm 75:7 “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

     Revelation 22:12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”