Discovering God's Will

 In Touch presented some good scriptures on "Discovering God's Path. I copied a few below that were meaningful to me for reference and added my captions. I did this because I truly want to know why God created me for this planet, and I want to fulfill my purpose. I thank Him so much for loving me and caring for me regardless of my failures.

Ask-Call upon the Lord—
    Psalm 25:4 “Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.”

 

Believe on Jesus and Receive the Spirit–

    John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever he hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

 

Study the Scripture—

    2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

 

Pray always --

    1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

 

Obey and Walk with the Lord --

    Psalm 36: 9 “For with You is the fountain of life; In your light we see light.” 

 

Wait for answers --

    Psalm 37:34a “Wait for the Lord and keep His way.”

 

A Little Twist

 In Touch gave a verse, "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewardship of the manifold grace of God." (In other words-Use your gift to serve) In my  Daily Hope the verse was Luke 6:38, "Give, and you will receive...The way you give to others is the way God will give to you." ( In other words, to reap a great harvest, you must plant generously.)
     Putting these two devotionals together, I am to use my gift to plant and to serve. To twist the meaning just a tad, I have gotten my garden planted between the rains and the cool weather. I planted it generously, and I do plant to share (serve others with its product). Now, I am waiting to see the harvest.  
     I suppose I can twist God's word into anything I please, but, I am sure, God desires that I  really seek to delve into His Word to find the true meaning of Scripture.  He wants me to find the true gift He has bestowed upon me and to use it to serve and love others. 

     Maybe planting a small garden is one of my gifts, but I know there are others I need to use in order to serve and to serve generously.

Goals

 I am a firm believer in setting goals, although they often may change or never get accomplished, but when they do I find fulfillment.

     My devotion with "In Touch" stated that goals are a part of the Christian life: "First is salvation.  Next God gives us an opportunity to serve.  Then comes frustrated inadequacy which  leads into dependence on Jesus and brings us closer to our ultimate goal: becoming a reflection of Christ."

    The inadequacy part hit home.  Many times when I crawl into bed, I get this sensation of restlessness.  "What have I missed today?" or "What have I left undone?"  Maybe my thoughts on missing the mark for the day should go something like:  

                                                        G oing
                                                        O n
                                                        A ltered
                                                        L ongings

     And my prayer should be: What goals should I have changed to meet God's intended purpose.  Let me find and seek to fulfill them.  

Interceder

     The In Touch devotional reinforced the need to schedule daily prayer time and set it as a priority.   I truly cannot develop a loving relationship with God by only giving Him a fly-by-the pants quick sentence or two.  He deserves much, much more.  This is not only important in forming a loving relationship with God, but it is also important in being an interceder for others. 
     What would become of my peace of mind if I did not have Jesus interceding for me?  

Romans 8:26 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." 

Romans 8:27 "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God."

Hebrews 7:28 "Therefore he is able to save completely, those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

     I am so thankful to Jesus providing for me the words I cannot properly express myself.
     When I think about how Jesus intercedes, I also see that I can also be an instrument for others.  My prayer life needs to lift up the names of others to God.  Why? Why when God sees all and knows all, do I need to pray?  I believe God wants to join with me as one in my requests.  He wants to hear from me. He wants to share time with me in all my concerns.  He wants to see that I love others enough to pray regarding their struggles, their sicknesses, and their losses.  God wants to know I am concerned enough about the leaders of my country, my friends and family members, my community, and my church enough to pray for them.  
     God hears, heals, and sees all.  He listens to the voices of His children.  God will take action in His way and in His timing, but I must continue to pray. 
    

Galilee

    Yesterday, I wrote about some events surrounding the Sea of Galilee.  I wanted to remind myself of some of them, mainly because I have just had the wonderful experience of being there.
     To my amazement, the IN TOUCH devotional this morning was about another event which  happened upon the Sea of Galilee.  This one was found in Matthew 8:23-27 where we read about how Jesus calmed the waves crashing over the deck of the boat.  The disciples were frightened while Jesus was sleeping. They asked, "What kind of man is this that sleeps while the boat heaves and pitches?"  The writer tells us,  "The One who created the seas. Jesus knows how a storm brews and what energy causes a wave to stay in motion.  He is a divine Being cloaked in humanity, who can rebuke the winds and sea so they become calm... The big picture is that He is the only man worthy of glory, honor, and praise."
     This led me to write the following praise for the day:

Lord, you are worthy and noble,

calming the crashing waves,

commanding them to be quiet and mobile.

You speak to the waves and the winds-

all that transcends.

As then, in the great Galilee,

even now, protecting your own, including me.  

Lord! You are worthy of glory and honor.

Let me praise you now and longer.  



The Door

     When I think of a door, I think, "something that opens and closes."  Maybe it opens to let in the welcome or else closes to keep away the unwelcome. 
     Scripture refers to a door over the lips in Psalm 141:3 (NIV)  "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips."  Here we are cautioned to watch our words.  We can choose to close the door to our lips in order to retain either gossiping words that could "injury and kill" or retain unspoken, unkind words.  Maybe we could also open the door of our lips to speak only kind, considerate, and uplifting words.  The choice and the rewards are ours.  
     If I have a problem shutting the door of my lips, I might need to consider the words written in my In Touch devotional,  "Instead of talking about someone, it's wise to pray for that person.  Getting into this habit will help train the mind to replace sinful patterns with God-pleasing ways."

God's Will

     I never claim to be a good writer, but I enjoy the challenge to present some helpful thought that will make someone's day and help bring them closer to God.   My thoughts and writings are often a spin-off from something I have seen, heard, or read. 
     Today, the writer of the daily devotional I read shared two thoughts that will help me and I am passing them on.  I plan to consider them often and tuck them into memory so they can sink deeply into my heart. 
     I have often wondered, "How do you truly know God's will in everything?"   Number one is to seek God's Word daily in order to get insight into His will.  But here are two thoughts the author of In Touch shared which will help make daily choices easier:

"1.  Will Christ be glorified in this choice?
  2.  Can I do this in Jesus' name?"

To quote the author further, "If the answer is no, then don't follow that path."


    

Joy

     There is no greater feeling than having joy in my heart.  For those who walk around with a frown, disgrumbled with life, and have no joy or great pleasure and happiness, let me just say, I will strive to avoid you at all cost. 
     Why?  It is not that I do not like you, but the fact is, you have the ability to remove my joy if I let you.  It is, in some cases, human nature to take on the feelings of others. 
     Let me explain.  When I was working, I often went into the office with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.  I would walk past a co-worker and say, "Good morning!"  I often received a grumbled back, "Good morning..." but I could tell there was no joy to that greeting.  That person just did not want to be there.  I instantly knew I would get no laughter that would lift my spirits further but rather a dissertation on something like, "what's good about the day?"   If I allowed that feeling to pass on to  me or stop and listen to the negatives of life, my joy was going to "fly out the window."  I much preferred to seek out someone who was enjoying what life had to offer.  

      One of my favorite verses is Psalm 118:24, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." 
There are so many other verses that tell us to rejoice; among them are:

     Psalm 96:11  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is it."     
     Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!"

     To quote the writer of IN Touch, "When we, through wisdom, allow God to do His work in our life, we will begin to experience blessings, see His power, and feel His love in new ways,  And this new growth brings great joy?"

 

 

Timing

     In the final days of the first week of this new year, I am still reminded of my blog a few days ago on being "too late."  However, my thoughts were taken another direction on the subject this morning as I read In Touch regarding how "timing is critical."  
     I thought back to last year and wondered how many times I missed an opportunity to serve as Jesus did.  How many times did I fail to say, "I am sorry," when I should have?  How many times did I walk past a needy person in need of a simple hot cup of soup or provide a friendly smile to someone having a bad day?   How many times did I fail to ask forgiveness and lost a close relationship?  How many times did I ignore my fellowman when they had lost a loved one?
     Psalms 130:2 cries out, "Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications."  I know God hears me when I call out to him, yet, how often do I sit quietly in praise listening for His voice?  I should be calling out, to quote In Touch, "God, what would you have me do? God, I am willing to do as you direct."
     The right timing begins with listening and hearing God's quiet nudge.  So today, I pray for a listening ear, a discerning mind, a loving heart, and courage to action. 

I Did It My Way

     I believe the popular song, I Did It My Way, was sang by both Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. The lyrics went like this: 
                                          And now, the end is near
                                          And so I face the final curtain
                                          My friend, I'll say it clear
                                          I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
                        
                                          I've lived a life that's full
                                          I've traveled each and every highway
                                          But more, much more than this
                                          I did it my way.
   
     I like the song as well as most other people, and I remember it best from Elvis.  Yet, when the final curtain comes for me, I really don't want people saying, "Well, she did it her way."  I would prefer they say, "She brought light to her life and others because she did it God's way."
     In one of the recent devotionals of In Touch,  the author writes, "God tells us, 'Don't give me a schedule- trust me.  Watch me do it My way and in My time, and see what happens.' "
     Further, The Gospel Project, reminds me that "God's presence is the highest good.  What distinguished the Israelites from others was that God was with them."   So, as a Christian, what distinguishes me is that God is with me, and if I can rid myself of my own stubborn self-will, I will try to do it God's way.   
     My prayer today is, "Lord, forgive me when I do it my way.  Help me trust in you, your way, and your time.  Thank you for being willing to continue to guide me even when I want to do it my way." 

New Year Resolutions

        I did not sit in "A Friendly Shade" and prepare a list of new resolutions for 2016.  "Why do them?" I thought.  I never keep them anyway.  So out with trying to lose weight, eat healthier, and exercise more.  Instead of reshaping my body,  I will simply work on reshaping my mind and thoughts.  Let me just be thankful for waking up to God's presence and going to bed with thoughts of Him.  I believe if I will put God first in my life then all the other lists of improvements that I could strive for may just fall into their proper place. 
     The In Touch devotional for January provided some good ideas to replace goals, along with scripture verses.  Below is a condensed version, and I used The Living Bible version:

* Do A  Clean Sweep - Rid the mind of attitudes and behaviors that hinder spiritual growth and relationships.
      Colossians 4:5  "Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust and shameful desires; don't worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry."
* Talk Less, Listen More- Listen to understand others rather than listening to simple respond.
     James 1:19 "Dear brothers, don't ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry;"
*Bark Less, Wag More - Replace complaints and criticism with thanks and praise.
     Philippians 2:14 "In everything you do stay away from complaining and arguing," 
     Philippians 4:4 "Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again, rejoice!"
*Celebrate Each Day- Find something special to rejoice over each day for every day is a gift from the Lord.
     Psalms 118:24  "Blessed is the one who is coming, the one sent by the Lord.  We bless you from the Temple."




    

Beatitudes

     For my retirement days I made a bucket list, not only of places I would like to see and do, but also a daily list of goals.   They are:

1.      Spend time with my Savior

2.      Do something for myself

3.      Do something for someone else

4.      Accomplish at least one thing. 

    Sounds simple, but as most of us know, it is often hard to reflect back on the day and see what we really accomplished or if there was a purpose for the day.   

     When I was reading my “In Touch” devotional this morning I found some examples the writer gave which I thought would be helpful.  The devotional for the day was actually applying these in terms of the One who never changes and teaching about God’s nature with five examples:

     1.  Jesus forgave others.  He showed mercy, not judgment.  The example was the woman at the well.

     2. Jesus comforted the hurting as shown by his visit with Mary and Martha when they were mourning the loss of their brother.

     3. Jesus provided for needs.  We all remember how he fed the 4000 followers instead of sending them away hungry.

     4.  Jesus interceded for His disciples.  The example was how He asked the Father to protect and sanctify His followers just before He was crucified.  

     5.  Jesus strenthened believers and gave them power to do God's work. 

 

     So how can I use these to help me with my daily goals?  Maybe, the good deed for someone else could simply be to forgive someone or pray for someone.  I could offer comfort by just taking time to visit them, call them on the phone, or even attend a funeral.  I could provide for needs by baking a cake or use the example of my neighbor who fries extra fish to take a meal to another neighbor or friend. 

     What about bestowing power to do God’s work?   I am not supernatural, but I can pray to the One who is All Power.  I can pray for God to strengthen a friend or family member in need.  I can pray for a blessing where a blessing is needed.  I can strengthen my children and grandchildren by teaching them God’s love and by showing them an example of Christian living.   

     As far as accomplishing a project or talking with God, it may be as simple as turning off the television set, the computer, or smart phone and getting off that couch or out of the recliner long enough to have extra time to get the job done.   
     Probable the easiest goal would be doing something good for myself.  I believe nothing does a soul better than enjoyment and a good laugh, even if it is at myself.   

Proverbs 15:13  A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance…

Proverbs 15:15  … but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

Proverbs 17:22  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: … 

     In ending, let me just say that I thank God for the career I have just completed, and I thank Him for the opportunity for a new vision that will be pleasing to Him.   I pray I catch His vision for my life, and I believe it just may just stem from what I call the Beatitudes or as another author, Robert H. Schuller, called them, "The Be-Happy Attitudes" found in Matthew 5:  

² And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
³ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
¹² Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

Why Pray?

     It’s almost Fall!  The tell tale signs surround “A Friendly Shade.”  The leaves are beginning to fall; some even have a hint of changing colors.   Even though I don’t always enjoy the weather in any given season, I do love the changing of the seasons.  I am so glad that God is in control.  How do I know this?  He tells us in Isaiah 40:7 “ The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them…”
     My next question is  the same as the author from In Touch, “If God is in control of all things why does He ask us to pray?"  We already knows that God knows all, controls all, can do all, and give all?
     Since I am not a Bible scholar, I went back and reviewed my weekly IN Touch devotional for an answer and found in the September, 2014 publication a few things the author wrote, as follows:
     "God desires to involve His children in the work He is doing.  Prayer helps us maintain a sense of dependence upon our Father and leads to a deepening intimacy with Him. God desires to bring us into agreement with His will.  The more our plans line up with His, the more He is able to accomplish in and through our life.”
     I also found in Matthew 26:41 that Jesus says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”   
     On further reflection, even Jesus prayed, and He knew the Father’s will.  He prayed in a solitary place.  Mark 1:35 tells us, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”  Luke 5:16 says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”  Then in John 17:1 we are told he asked, “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”   
     Jesus actually gave us so much insight into what and how we should pray.  He even gave us examples of His own prayer life.    He prayed when even- “He knew!”

 

The Model Prayer

     As I was reading my IN Touch devotional I came across good insight on how to pray.  Most all of us, at some time or the other, feel like we really do not know how to pray and what to pray for in our lives or the lives of others.   The author refers us to Luke 11:1 when even one of Jesus’ disciples said to Jesus, “…Lord, teach us to pray…”
     The writer of the devotional tells us that “when we use Scripture to speak to the heavenly  Father, our conversation contains His own divine authority.”  The author gives us some scripture references:
    
     (NIV) Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
     (NIV) Colossians 1:9-14   ⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you  to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The writer provides bullet points on what Paul prayed for the Colossian church:

     Understand God’s plan for their lives
     Conduct themselves in a manner worthy of Christ and pleasing to Him
     To bear fruit in every good work
     To grow in the knowledge of God
     To be strengthened according to His power
     To walk in gratitude

     *Above taken from In Touch – August 2014 publication- Devotional for August 22 and weekend version

      After reading this as I sat in “A Friendly Shade” I had to go back to what I consider the perfect model prayer given to us by Jesus himself in Matthew 6 and the advise He gave:

       ⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.⁷ But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.⁸ Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye:
     Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.