Going Viral

I suppose news reporters have always been a source of bad news, but these days it seems bad news is all that is being reported. I find myself not turning on the television  because I just do not want to hear it. I am simply attempting to dial back the bad and reset my world to zero. In any case I am trying to not fret the threat. 

 Going Viral

 When my world is in a downward spiral

And troubles seemingly going viral,

I need an uplifting reset-

A dial back to zero and forget;

Let God take care of the threat 

So I don’t fret.

When the world goes crazy

And ideals seem hazy;

When all appears unrightfully strange, 

I need a thoughtful change;

It’s clear I must be of good cheer, 

Dwell on the positive

Instead of the negative,

Seek gratitude

Over an ungrateful attitude, 

Develop thankfulness 

In exchange for selfishness.

Yet, these are hard in my sinful state,

Weighing heavily upon my plate.

They’re not my natural human trait.

So much I don’t understand

Across this land.

So, as in anguish, I stand,

I ask for a hug from God’s own hand.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson 6/9/2023 

 

“But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” Proverbs 1:33 KJV

 

What I Need To Know

As much as I wish I knew what to expect today and tomorrow, I know there is a reason I am not given full details on what could surprisingly occur at any time, even into the future. One thing I do know is that my purpose is to love Jesus everyday. I carry with me daily the knowledge that Jesus came to save me. He died and rose again in order to give me a permanent home in heaven. "For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."   John 3:16

In The Garden

Yesterday, I attended an old-time gospel singing at our church and requested a song, “In the Garden.” Asked why, I replied, “Because God walks with me every day.” No truer words could have been spoken. 

     Actually, I went to my garden this morning early, before coffee and a talk with my Lord, to pick a few tomatoes. It ended up being a bucket full. Returning I thought, “Lord, what am I going to do with all these today.” He spoke, “Forget them for now. Let’s talk.” At that, I grabbed my coffee and returned to my “quiet place” to find as the song states, “He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.” Oh my, how I love that song! It speaks to my heart just as God speaks to me. 

     In fact, I cannot be forgotten for as Isaiah 49:15b-16 (NLT) says, “I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” That tells me my name is engraved in the scars from the cross.  

     I would be remiss by not telling how we followed the song with another of my great favorites and one which was requested by my husband, "Love Lifted Me." That is exactly how I feel. Love from Jesus lifts me up when I take the time to let Him walk and talk with me. 

Grace

 The In Touch devotional today listed four things we receive through God's grace. They are: 

"1. Forgiveness
 2. Peace
 3. The Holy Spirit living within
 4. Accèss to God through prayer"

     I thank God for forgiveness of my sin. By coming to the Father and asking for forgiveness, I am able to be restored and refreshed daily. It helps to take away my guilt. 

     I treasure the uplifting peace God bestows in my heart; His peace calms my soul. 

     How could I ever live and make righteous decisions without the Holy Spirit guiding me every day! He intercedes on my behalf. 

     Access to God is what keeps me going; God is my strength, my assurance, and my hope. I strive to start and end each day with prayer while keeping it on-going throughout the day. Prayer is the way to the renewal of my heart; it is the way to set my eyes toward Jesus.

Dwelling Place

When I was first married, we rented a small apartment, and I dreamed of owning a home. That dream came true with the purchase of a very small, old two-bedroom house on a half-acre tract of land in a country community. After that I dreamed of building a new one. It happened! We were able to build a nice three-bedroom home on a corner lot in the city. Many years later, I worked several years drawing and planning my perfect next home, but it took me five years to find land, a five-acre tract in which to make my next home dream come true. As I enter my late 70’s, I suspect my next home may be a one-bedroom mini dwelling. Whatever the case, it will not be my last home. My next one will be a mansion with streets of gold. Through every move, One treasure has always moved with me.  Psalm 90, verse one tells me, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.” God will always be my dwelling place-the perfect home! 

Inconceivable

I am in awe when I stop and look at nature? How God can take a tiny seed planted in the ground and create a tall and stately tree! I am in awe at the wonder of how a tiny seed, nourished within a woman's body, produces an infant who grows into an adult. The wonder of creation and how God amazingly numbered it all and how He controls it all is beyond my scope of comprehension. God is sovereign and rules it all. I am even more awestruck over how a God who is so powerful and mighty can love a lowly person like me and continually want to protect and bless me. 

Inconceivable 

 

I cannot grasp;

I cannot comprehend

God’s greatness.

Yet, He wants me for a friend.  

He measured the waters.

He calculated the dust. 

He marked off the heavens.

And still, He loves me who lusts.

He knows the heights of mountains.

He weighed the hills.

He counted the specks of sand.

His awesomeness chills and thrills!

He knows the number of stars.

He sits above the circle of the earth;

None is His equal.

Even so, in birth, He gave me worth.

I cannot grasp;

I cannot conceive

A love for one who makes Him grieve. 

I cannot scratch the surface 

 Of His love for me,

One He constantly has to oversee. 

I cannot process

How He wishes to bless.

I do not understand 

A God who created the land,

Sitting on high

Loving enough and why 

He sent His only Son for such a one as I;

A Son who came to die.

 

Mary Crisp Jameson  6/29/2023

 

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor?” Isaiah 40:12-13

 

 

Breakfast Food

 Dad was raised a farmer, and he always had a garden. I remember as a young child going with him to his parents' to "dig potatoes." Actually he was going to plow the potatoes to the surface and I was to help pick up the potatoes afterwards. Grandmother always kept her leftover breakfast biscuits and bacon in what we called her pie safe. I asked for one after we arrived, and Dad said, "Sure, I never work a hungry horse and I wouldn't want you working hungry either."
     God, also, does not want his children to start the day hungry. That is the reason He provided "food," His Scripture! His Words are our body's sustenance and the spiritual food which provides daily hope. Scripture is Fatherly advice to get us through the daily battles of life. We need to feed on His Word, and let it dwell within us. The more we taste it, the more we want the comfort and hope it provides. 

     "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly." Colossians 3:15 NIV