Stories of Old

 I love stories of old; stories that are not fairytales but those that are real; stories that provide how to live and be bold for Jesus, how to seek truth and love. 

Stories of Old

 

Stories about the bold never grow old. 

Daniel had one to tell about the lion’s den

And being rescued from the evil of men.

Moses’ story was not all roses.

He walked for forty years but didn’t feast upon his fears.

Joseph had high dreams but not all was as it seems.

He was sold into slavery, yet, demonstrated bravery.

Noah was a faithful man but laughed at throughout the land.

Not one believed what he told.

His stories of rain and flood just got old.

As Samson’s story was spun, his strength could not be outdone.

Ruth found courage leaving the family of her youth. 

Job lost a lot, but look at how much more he got. 

Jonah’s story didn’t pale when he got swallowed by a whale. 

David tended sheep, but a kingship was what he would reap.

Abraham followed the great, I Am, and was family blessed.

In that, the Scriptures do attest.

There’s one story of old and the greatest ever told. 

It was of Jesus, the Son of God-

How He lived, unflawed,

How He died for all,

And how He pleads for man to answer His call. 

Stories of Old are told and retold;

They’re stories of the past and made to last.

There’s a glory within them all to behold;

Stories of Old, of men living bold;

Bold for God,

And they never get old.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 10/30/2023 

 

“The Wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1

Sugar

For those who read my writings, you know I often enjoy doing acronyms. The following was not done by me. I read it this morning in Daily Hope; whereby, the writer was telling about a good sugar which will "refuel you and not make you depressed, give you a sugar high, or make you gain weight." His acronym follows: 

God's        Steadfast love
God's        Unfailing mercy
God's        Great faithfulness
God's is    Always kind
God's is    Real hope 

I need to remember this so that I reach for my Bible more often than I reach for my dark chocolate. It would give me a better "fix" on life. 

The Hug

No matter what day we wake up to, God is standing ready to give a lasting embrace. We read in scripture that, "I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable of unthinkable - absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because or the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (Romans 8:38-39 The Message)
     That is the Good News! Can you imagine a hug from God that no one can release us from? Arms that surround us, comfort us, and hold us tight through any situation? It's glued on!
     A Hug from God is a: 

H appy Holding                    H eartwarming Harmony
U nconditional Unity            U plifting Understanding
G enuine gift                         G lorious Gain

Pray

It not hard to talk to God. He waits to hear from us. Even when we know not what to say, God hears our heart. 

PRAY 

Let us pray.

Some may ask how? 

In what way?

It may seem daunting

In the early morning dawning.

Yet, God just wants to talk;

Show a path to walk.

Prayer does not have to be clear.

Whatever is said, God will hear.

He connects;

He listens to what comes next.

There is no measuring stick.

It is not a tradeful trick.

With up-lifted heart and nail-scarred hand,

God waits to hear from man.

He holds no scorecard.

To talk with God is simple not hard.

Give prayer an attempt

On the cross, 

It was you, He died to represent.

Let us pray!

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 10/26/2023

 

“This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9

Never-Changing

 No two days are ever quite the same. We change. Others change. Events happens, There is sadness one day, happy hearts the next. I could go on and on, but this I know: I have a Friend who never changes.

 Never-Changing 

 All people change

And thoughts re-arrange.

But, there’s One who will never change

And stays within range.

He has a love, to humans, strange.

He always has a plan for man. 

He cares in every detail,

Sees every trail,

Always in control,

And willing to cleanse man’s soul.

He understands,

And holds every willing hand.

He protects though life’s ship-wrecks.

He never changes,

Though His sheep travel wayward ranges.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 10/24/2023 

 

“He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from heaven is above all.” John 3:31 KJV

 

 

The Difference Between God's Voice and Satan's Voice

Since my blog is my personal thoughts and record of things I want to remember I have to post something I just read in the Baptist Trumpet dated October 18, 2023 by Susie Edgar. She wrote what an elderly lady once told her in answer to a question she posed. "How do you know when you receive a word that it's from God or from Satan?" The reply was simple!
     God's Voice: stills you, leads you, reassures you, enlightens you, encourages you, comforts you, calms you, and convicts you. 
     Satan's Voice: rushes you, pushes you, frightens you, confuses you, discourages you, worries you, obsesses you, and condemns you. 

In The Rut

Do you ever fill like you are in a rut? Life if just rocking along? You are bored and accomplishing nothing? Or…

 

R oaming but going no where

U nable to get an uplifted spirit

T ime just passing by  

 

We can get out of the rut by: 

 

R emove self-Add Jesus

U se time in prayer and put Jesus in the boat

T ake minutes, hours, days and give Thanks 

Woke Up Rich

 I woke up this morning to a funny text message showing the image of a little girl with a sleepy face holding a cup with the quote, "Really had my heart set on waking up rich today." It seemed funny, and I instantly had the negative thought, "That's the story of my life." 
     After that I flipped to my morning devotional which was about the man who was so rich he had to build bigger barns for his abundant crops thinking that now he could take his ease, eat, drink, and be merry but lost his soul that very night. 
     My negative thought about the funny text changed, because I am rich. I have Jesus, and He is the greatest treasure I could ever hope to gain. Therefore, I would have to change the quote with the little girl holding the cup to, "I woke up rich today!" 

     God works in wondrous ways to set a happy pace for our days! We just have to look for it.

How to Pray

Many hesitate to pray because they think, "I don't know how." Yet, God gives us an example in the Lord's Prayer. More than that, God just wants us to have a simple conversation with Him and tell Him what is on our hearts. He hears, and He listens no matter how we choose to talk with Him. We just need to be humble and use His name with respect and in gratitude, then we are to believe.

Prayer 

 

I was given a way to pray.

God gave an ample example:

To begin with: 

“Our Father who art in Heaven.”

 

Jesus said, 

“Whatever you ask in My name.”

 

The names mean the same.

They are One!

And, I must believe for it to be done.

Though I stumble, 

I must come humble. 

 

When I pray, 

I’m to remember, 

When all looks improbable, 

With God, 

All things are possible.

Apart from Him,

I can do nothing

But He does something.

 

In prayer

And in every aspect, 

His name I am to respect

And let it set my heart aflame;

 

When I pray, let me give praise

To the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Let their names be within my fingertips

And on my lips. 

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 10/11/2023 

 

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be gloried in the Son.” John 14:13 KJV

Daily Vitamins

I am not big on taking pills although I know there are certain vitamins needed. 

Below are some of the ones I will strive to take today: 

 

Vitamin A – Attention to others 

Vitamin B – Be kind to all

Vitamin C – Compassion to those in need

Vitamin D – Direction from God  

Vitamin E – Enjoy the day God gave 

Vitamin K – Kindle friendships

 

If I can take all these this morning and let them work during the day, I believe I will have taken a big dose of health. In other words "Love", a prescription given by the great Physician and Healer, God. 

 

The Test Question

 This is a test question worth 100 points: 

What does not heal, never solves a problem, and only hurts self? Here is a hint- What festers and disrupts the mindset? 

The answer is: Unforgiveness

We all know that forgiveness heals and helps us move forward. In Mark 11:25 we are told: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." 

How Do You Want To Respond?

For those of us who knew our Dads, they were not perfect. They made mistakes. They had both strengths and weaknesses. Mine could be harsh, but he was loving as well. 
     In my devotional this morning, it asked the question, "How do you want to respond to your Father? Of course, the question was referring to the perfect Father, and Jesus gave us that image. He held children tenderly, ministered to the sick and showed compassion to the undeserving. The Father loves unconditionally and listens to our prayers. He is a forgiving Father. 

     My answer to the question of how I want to respond to my Heavenly Father is: I want to love you, listen to you, talk to you, study about you, praise you, obey you, and thank you. I also look forward to meeting you face to face, kneeling before you, and praising you in person. I long for my Father's eternal hug.

     I would say that I want to praise Him in song, but I will only be able to do that if God gives me a singing voice and an ear for music; however, I can still do that in heart. 

The Reset

It is amazing how our feelings can change when we take the time to pray. 

The Reset

 

I did a reset.

I knew God wasn’t done yet.

I just needed to rest

And get rid of a tad of stress.

I had time to spare,

So I said a prayer,

Took a deep breath,

Sucked in God’s fresh air,

And trusted the Lord to remove my despair.

 

It’s a blessing to reset,

Remove the fret,

And feel God’s embrace in His loving net. 

 

Never forget!

There’s nothing to regret 

In doing a reset.

Prayer opens the eye to a new sunset. 

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 10/6/2023 

 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 KJV

 

 

 

 

 

Wisdom

Solomon was given great wisdom, and he had much to say regarding it. Solomon was the one who said, "Vanity, Vanity, all is vanity." However, he went on to tell us about looking to the Lord for happiness. As I was considering all this, I wrote the following. 

Wisdom

 

I asked for wisdom

But God gave me more.

He promised to walk before.

He gave me understanding

That wisdom is to fear God

And, in Him, be awed. 

With wisdom, 

I did not find riches, silver, or gold

But a Holy Spirit living within my soul;

A God too great to behold.

I could not look upon His face

But I found grace.

With wisdom

I did not find an exciting career

But a God standing near,

Listening, ready to hear.

I did not find contentment with increase or what was built,

But found forgiveness in my guilt.

I did not find delight in desires,

But rather pleasure doing what God requires.

With wisdom, 

I found the world full of vanity

But was led to Christianity.

I prayed for wisdom,

But God promised more;

An eternal home when I enter Heaven’s door.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 10/4/2023 

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Proverbs 1:7

 

 

Follow Me!

Jesus said, "Follow me." 

     I read in someone else's writing that Jesus said, "Follow me" thirteen times.  He used those simple words to call some of His disciples, and they followed. We are given these same words today. Here are a few ways we can follow Jesus: 

F all in love with Jesus 
O bserve Jesus' example and do the same
L et go of self-will to do God's will
L eave Satan's ways
O bey God's commands
W orship God and praise His name
     

     

He--continued...

 Yesterday I wrote about "He".  One of my readers and dear friends pointed out a song, He, sang many years ago by the Righteous Brothers. I had never heard the song but looked it up and really liked it. The lyrics begin like:  

    He can turn the tides and calm the angry sea.
    He alone decides who  writes a symphony.
    He lights every star that makes the darkness bright.
    He keeps watch all through each long and lonely night.

Upon further research the music was written in 1954 by Jack Richards and lyrics by Richard Mullan. It was first recorded by Al Hibbler in 1955. The McGuire Sisters recorded it in 1956 followed by the Righteous Brothers in 1966.  I hope this gospel song continues and is not one that will simply disappear with the ages. 

HE

In today’s world, the fuss is about pronouns. But since I try to stay away from politics, I will not get into that topic. I am just glad I know which pronoun is Godly appropriate.

     As far as pronouns go, "He" is important. He rules over the noun "I", because it is not  about “I”. I have never done or accomplished anything. It has always been “He”.

     He planned. 

     He created.

     He walked by my side.

     He led and guided.

     He loved.

     He stayed.

     He watched.

     He forgives.

     He gave.

     He saved.

     He knows all.

Thank you, God.