America

      I love America.  For me, it has been known as the land of the free, and nothing would make me happier than to keep it that way.  God blessed us with America.  So how do we make America greater still?  How do we keep America great?  Below are a few ideas: 

A rm America with the Armor of God
M ade in the U.S.A.
E nter into prayer
R ecognize God as the leader 
I gnite goodwill 
C hoose God first
A lign American laws with God's word

See, Hear, Speak No Evil

      Do you ever feel like the three monkeys who “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” but in reverse? 

     As sinners, we constantly do hear, see, and speak evil.  It reminds me of the verses in Romans 7:15-20, “I do not understand what I do, For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”   This all sounds so confusing, but it illustrates how we live.  For this reason, God sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for our sins.  Praise the Lord!

 

Actions I do not wish to do, 

But Jesus carries me through.

I hear, enter in, get side-tracked-  

My sins go on, piled and stacked.

I look -get enticed-

But, before me, walks my Christ.

My talk profane-gossip with my speech-

A sinless life simple not within my reach.

Evil deeds, I do not want;

They taunt, they haunt.

I hear, “Don’t look. Don’t touch.” 

My rebellious nature- just too much.

I instantly reach to seek. 

I’m just too weak.

Yet, before me lies forgiveness

Within the witness. 

Before me the silent judgment keep

As I repent and weep.  

I know, in guilty woe,

My sins are heaped upon a sacrifice.

In which Jesus paid the price. 

 

Humble

     I supposed most would call February the month of love.  However, love exist every month, and Jesus shows us the full extent of love. 

     I find in Philippians 2:8, “He humbled Himself.” Yet, in the verses between 5 and 8, Jesus existed in the form of God before humbling Himself to become man.  By doing so, He showed us what love really is, for “God is love,” and within love there is a humbleness.  

     I know that I am called to be humble and to love, but my fleshly desires and self-will hinders this action.  Only by a desire to follow Jesus’ example can I truly accomplish the act of being humble and showing love.   However, love does not stop with being humble, because within love there is also forgiveness.  In the final example and in His final hours, my Jesus exclaimed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”   

     My prayer today, is that God remove my selfish desires and help me see others in the light of love.  May God help me to rid my judgmental thoughts and ways in order to humble myself to recognize the hurts and feelings of others.  May He also help me be forgiving even when not asked to do so. 

      On a humorous note, I may be able to accomplish some of my prayer today.  I have a few advantages.  I am retired and since it is stormy weather, I will be inside at home today with possible only one contact, a caring, gentle, and undemanding husband who is also very forgiving of my ways.    

Heavenly Buffet

February is noted for a month of love and romance with Valentine’s Day designated as a special day of love.  However, every day of every month should be a time of showing love for God is love.  It was God who created the world, the months and the days.  It was and is God who creates us all.  And, it is through His love that He invites us to join Him in His Heavenly feast. 

 

Heavenly Buffet

 

God molded me from a hard chunk of clay,

Then prepared a heavenly buffet.

He formed my hands, feet, and heart;

Just a bit of His almighty art.

He breathed life into my chest,

Making me a mortal guest.

Yet, He didn’t stop with that.

He sent His Son to walk a lonely street,

To cleanse my sin, to wash my feet.

I was to learn by Jesus’s example

And taste His love within the sample.

A pathway to God’s heavenly buffet was laid

While His only Son was beatened and betrayed.

My wicked deeds and all I lack,

Jesus took upon His back.

My flesh should have returned to cold, hard clay

As Jesus hung from the cross that day.

But, that wasn’t in God’s plan for me.

He gave His Son to set me free.

No more would I be a hunk of clay.

God wanted me at His heavenly buffet.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 2/13/2022

 

“Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the 

Lamb…”. Revelation 19:9a KJV

 

 

 

C.O.U.R.T

     Changing a path of regret takes adhering to God's guidance.  I was reminded about H.A.L.T. which stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired when I read one of my devotionals this morning.  The devotional was using H.A.L.T to make us aware of the mental state we do not need to be in when approaching choices.  The devotional stated that "it is well worth waiting until a more favorable time."  

     After that I read a different devotional which talked about how our thoughts effect our life decisions.  Since the H.A.L.T. acronym hit home, I decided to come up with one about my thoughts and the renewing of my mind into a spiritually, life-changing thinking pattern.  What I came up with was C.O.U.R.T.  First, I will start with Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your affections.  For they influence everything else in your life."  Another version is, "Be careful how you think, your life is shaped by your thoughts."  
     So, I have to think about my thoughts and how they make me feel in order to change them.  Talk it over- Do my thoughts make me feel bad? Do I like my thoughts?  Do I want to change my thinking? 

My acronym is C.O.U.R.T. my thoughts.

 

C- onfront, challenge, change your thoughts

O-bey God’s Word in your thinking
U-tilize God’s Word instead of the World’s
R-ework, renew negative thoughts into positive ones
T-hink about how your thoughts make you feel- Transform them.

Dialogue with God

All through Scripture I have found there is an open dialogue between Man and God whether it be in the form of praise or in the form of desperate need.  God wants our communication.

 

David did it,   “Hear my prayer, O Lord, let my cry come to you.”

 

The Israelites did it, “They cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.” 

 

Hannah did it when she prayed, “O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid…”

 

In every dialogue with God, He hears.  He wants us to cry out to Him.  Even negative dialogue is better than none at all.  I believe God wants to hear us lift up our burdens and complaining to Him.   God is not an indifferent God.  He hears our frustrations, and by sharing we gain the peace of God- a peace we cannot find anywhere but through Him.

No Room

      In my Bible study about fear, our leader made a statement that struck home.  She said she often asked God to fill her so full with His presence that there was no room left for fear.  I would like to take that same request to God, but also ask Him to fill me so full there is no room for loneliness, no room for disappointment from others who fail to make me feel good about myself.  Fill me so full, Lord, there is no dissatisfaction with life.  My only thirst should be for you, Lord. 

Letting Go - Moving Forward

     There is a lot we can learn as we walk across the wilderness with the Israelites.  They did not want to be in bondage in Egypt, so they stepped out in faith and followed Moses in order to escape.  During their first trial, fear came upon them and they wanted to turn back, although they knew they would, once again, face enslavement.  In fact, every encounter with a problem left them complaining.  Their wandering in the wilderness was not an easy adventure.  Every trial left them complaining and rather than preparing themselves for a future of hope and joy, the Israelites kept looking back with regret for leaving an undesirable life of imprisonment.

      We do the same today when we leave the undesirable.  When loneliness, hardship, discouragement, and other emotions come along we develop a fear of the unknown instead of letting God take the wheel to lead us forward.  We lose our hope and our joy when we fail to rely on God.  We often just want to turn back and do a repeat although we know the past was undesirable. 

     So what can we do?  We can let God be the center of our focus instead of circumstances.

                                       We can look forward with hope instead of backward with regret.  

                                       We can take the focus off ourselves 

                                       We can discover new talents, new abilities by leaving fear behind.

                                       We can continually look forward with happy expectations and joy 

God is walking right by your side, just as He gave the Israelites a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.