The Key

     I have some keys I have no idea which lock they fit.  I just leave them in a drawer and forget about them until, finally, I decide to toss them in the trash.  Then, there are my important keys.  If I lose my car key or my house key, I will, frantically, search high and low until they are found.  Keys can be an important asset.  There is one key I absolutely cannot do without.  Being in possession of the right key makes all the difference in opening the door to truth and life.
     I pray I am found, peacefully, searching for it daily.  I pray I never lose my grip on this key.  I pray I keep it close to my heart at all times.      

Proverbs 4:13

"Take hold of my (the Father's) instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life."

 

Deuteronomy 30:20

"You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life..."

 

Matthew 16:19

"And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

 

Revelation 1:18

"I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

You Know Me

I often wonder if I will ever get to where God wants me to be?  I was reassured today as I read Psalms.

Psalms 138:8 "The Lord will work out his plans for my life-for your faithful love O Lord, endures forever...."

God truly knows me.

Psalms 139:1-18   A psalm of David.

¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
² You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
³ You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
⁴ You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
⁵ You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

 ⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave,^[a] you are there.
⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
¹²     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.
 ¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.
 ¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me,^[b] O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
¹⁸ I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

A Model

     When I was growing up, I wanted to a be a model.  My idea of the perfect model was being tall, slim, and beautiful.  Well, I was medium height, skinny, and not beautiful.  But, one out of three was not bad.  However, I can't even say I am thin any more.  Time, age, and a desire to eat has eliminated my one thing that could have helped me become the model I thought I wanted to be.
     Yet, I can still be a model, only in a different context.  I can be a model for Christ.  It does not take outer beauty, slimness, or height to do this. 

 

 

Let Me Be A Model

Let me be a model, not in the way I walk or waddle, but

in my poise, dignity, and joy;

Not in my size, for I'm no longer trim as some have surmised.

Let me be a model in my words and what the Spirit affords.

Let me be a model, not in my un-inherited beauty, imperfection, or duty,

but in action.

Let me be a model, not from haughtiness, impatience, or pride,

but from setting all malice and anger aside.

Let me be a model, not from selfish wonderings,

but, for others, in prayer ponderings.

Let me be a model, not from fashion,

but from seeking God with passion;

Not from pearls or diamonds that attract,

but from a Christian walk, for impact.

Yes, Lord, artfully create me into a model's mold-

fearless, dauntless, bold;

A model for your ways

through all my days.

                                                                                   --Mary Crisp Jameson

 

The Purse

     I first wrote about a woman's purse a few years back while contemplating how any business could neglect placing a purse hook in a woman's bathroom.  A woman's purse, quite often a large satchel of necessities, is with her at all times and should be given a place of honor. 
     As I was packing for a recent vacation and wondering how I could get all my necessities into my oversized handbag for a long air-flight, I remembered my post and decided it was still worthy of sharing. At the time, I was too busy to repost it so it is here again, my revised version of Proverbs 31 about a virtuous woman:

     Who can find a virtuous woman? For her purse is always with her. 

     The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, for he has no need to carry her lipstick.
     She will do him good, and he can trust in her for she carries what she needs in her purse.
     She seeks the best leather, and worketh willingly to shop for the best handbag.
     She is like the merchants’ ship; she fills her large satchel with necessary snacks and food items.
     She rises also while it is yet night, and selects the best shoulder bag for the day.
     She considers different sizes and colors; with her hands she fills her purse to meet the needs of the day.
     She girdeth her arms with strength to support the strap of her bag.   
     She perceiveth that her satchel is good and strong to carry the heavy load.
     She layeth her hands securely around the strap of her handbag to protect it from thieves.
     She stretches forth her hands for money, check books, and credit cards to place into her purse.
     She is not afraid for her household; they will be well taken care of from the contents in her satchel.  She maketh coverings of silk and linen to protect glasses, notebooks or whatever is found inside her purse.
     Her husband is known in the gates for he often has to hold her large bag. 
     She always takes her purse wherever she goes; to sells, to work, on vacations. She is prepared!
     Strength and honour are with her, and she carries her shoulder bag with dignity.
     She opens her mouth with wisdom and reaches for just the right items from her purse; things that will calm a crying baby, wipe a snotty nose, or cure a headache.
     She looketh well to the ways of her household and is never negligent in keeping up with her large bag.  
     Her children call her blessed, her husband also; they praise her for meeting their needs from items found in the bag she carries everywhere she goes.     
     Many daughters have done the same; there are few who surpass each other when it comes to their satchels.    
     Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman who maintains a full handbag, she shall be praised.
     Give her of the fruits of your hands, and she will store them in just the right place-her purse.

   

    

Joyfulness

     I just finished reading the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119 in the New Living Translation version.  It is filled with loads of insight for discernment.  Actually, it tells us how to find joy, and if we miss joy in our lives it is our own fault.  I believe God wants me to live a joyful life.  It is a gift that I, personally, do not want to miss.  Below are a few verses about JOY but don't just take them out of context.  Read the whole chapter to get the full meaning.

     Verse One: "Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of His laws."
     Verse Two: "Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts."
     Verse 35: "Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found."  I have joy through Christ, but to find happiness increases my joy.
     Verse 43: "Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope."  This one does not include the word JOY, but if I had no hope I would have no joy.
     Verse 92: "If your instructions hadn't sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery."
     Verse 162 "I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure."  Who does not rejoice when they find treasure?  I rejoice even when I win a "free" prize, but I can have "free" joy everyday through my Christ who died for me.  Oh, let me rejoice!

     I simply cannot leave out one of my favorite verses.  But this one is from the KJV which is the one I always fall back to:  Verse 105: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
    

Carpenter or Stone Mason?

     According to Wikipedia, Tekton is an ancient Greek term for an artisan/craftsman, in particular a carpenter or wood worker or builder.  The term is frequently contrasted with an iron-worker, or smith and the stone-worker or mason.   
     Why did I look this up?  When I visited Israel, our tour guide stated that Jesus' earthly father, which referred to in the Bible as a carpenter, could very well have been a stone-mason.  After seeing the ruins in and around Israel, I found this to be an interesting concept. 
     Most of the houses during that time were constructed with stones chiseled or carved or stacked in building blocks.  Also, in and around the area where they lived, there was very little access to trees and wood. 
     I decided to go further and look up information on typical homes which were built during that time.  I found that most smaller homes were little more than a square, stone structure covered with a whitewashed sort of stucco.  Some houses in hilly regions were partial cave dwellings.  Still another source stated homes were made with a rough stone foundation and mud-bricks on site with a minimum of wood used in the roof structure.
     I looked for information on furniture but found little.  We know there were tables from scripture readings.  Seating was probably some chairs or maybe cushions.  I have no idea.
     Whether Jesus learned His father's trade with hammer and nail or by hammer and chisel is, I suppose, really irrelevant.  We are not told much about that simply because it is not what is important.  What I do know is that Jesus was a Master Craftsman of the heart and the Cornerstone of my life.  He knew His Father and He was willing to sacrifice His life for me.  He knew the pain of rejection , as well. 

Matthew 13:55 "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? ..."

 

Mark 12:10-11 "And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:  This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." 

Acts 4:11 "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the corner."

Ephesians 2:20  "...Christ himself being the chief corner stone."

 

 

Joy and Laughter

     Psalm 90:12  "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom."  Thinking on this verse, I decided that much of what gets us through the brevity of life is joy.  Not only that, but joy is good medicine, and joy in the Lord is required. 

Psalm 98:12 "May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise His holy name."

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."

     God is truly the essence of my joy, and the reason for my gratitude.  However, somewhere along the way I had to develop laughter, that true "belly laugh" which gets me through the daily chores of the day.  I am not an expert on emotions or behavior but for me laughter goes full circle.  By that I mean, when I committed to following Christ, I was given the gift of joy which brings about a desire for laughter of the soul which connects my inner-person to my joy which increases my gratitude to God.  Often, in life laughter has be to practiced in order to find it when it is truly needed.     



                 
     In an article written by a Laughter Yoga Teacher, he writes, "Think of yourself like an ocean; underneath the storm, deep down, the sea is calm and peaceful.  Your emotions are like the waves on the surface, turbulent or calm and peaceful.  Deep down is where your "authentic joy" is sitting."

     For me, laughter is fun and it's free.  Even though laugher can be contagious, it would be rather embarrassing for anyone to be around me when I really want to exercise or practice my "belly laugh."  Most of us have heard that infectious baby laugh or giggle which goes on and on until everyone around is also laughing.  In the privacy of your alone-time try it sometime. 
     What does this do for me, you might ask? It removes the frown from my face.  It relieves my tension and stress, and I believe it helps connect my true inner-self to my joy.  If nothing else, it makes me laugh at my own silliness. 
    Life is brief!  I want to treasure my joy, mixing in a measure of laughter which can circulate throughout my body from my toes and up into my mind and spirit. 

O, Lord! Thank you for my joy and help me laugh through the brevity of life.

The Journey

     When I read, I like to highlight meaningful thoughts.  In Billy Graham's book, The Journey, he provides a list of seven gifts God gives us when we commit to Christ.  I have changed the "us" and "we" to "I" and "me" in order to make it personal.

     Rev. Graham's list is broken down as follows:
1.  God gave me a new relationship.  I am now His friend and He is mine.
2.  God gave me a new citizenship.  I am a citizen of the kingdom of God.
3.  God gave me a new family. I am now a member of God's household.
4.  God gave me a new purpose.  Now I live for Christ and not just for myself.
5.  God gave me a new power.  God, Himself, came to live within me by His Holy Spirit.  I am never alone. He is my helpmate.
6.  God gave me a new destiny.  Once I was headed to hell, now I am headed for heaven.
7.  God gave me a whole new path to follow until He comes to take me home.

     Rev. Graham goes on to say, "When we make a decision for Christ, it isn't an end but a beginning."                                                       When we commit to God, the best is yet to come! 

Easter Is Not Over

      Easter is not over:

 "Jesus died! Jesus was buried! Jesus arose!" 

      Past, present, and future, Jesus is the good Shepherd. 
     Jesus arose!  He remains there for me, because I am among a flock of sheep; weak, wandering, and foolish.  He knows I have need of a shepherd to lead and guide me.  John 10:14-15 gives more insight into my Shepherd. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.  Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep."  You see, Jesus does not just lead and guide, but He was willing to lay down His very life for His sheep.  
     Billy Graham in his book, Till Armageddon, breaks it down in simple language:
1. " He (Jesus) owns the sheep: they belong to him.
2.   He guards the sheep: He never abandons them.
3.   He knows the sheep, knows them by name.
4.   He lays down His life for the sheep, such is the measure of His love."

No, Easter is not over.  He arose!  He remains the good Shepherd.

Psalms 23:1-2 "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lay down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet water, He refreshes my soul."

The Cup

     What's in your cup?  Is it the stale leftover coffee from yesterday? Or the hot steaming inspiration for what God has in store for the day?

 

     Matthew 26:39 "And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed saying, O my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will."

 

     We know what was in Jesus's cup.  It was our lives.  He came to save, and that is what He did.

He came.  He died.  He was buried.  He Arose!