As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By Your favor, O Lord, You made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face; I was dismayed. - Psalm 30:6-7
I've always known that God had set things in motion; I've either suppressed the truth (see Romans 1:18) or embraced it, even though I may not understand it all. At this stage, I certainly don't understand God's will, but I know it's for my good and that He'll be glorified in it. There are times when I'll go "kicking and screaming", but I do realize my errors and confess them before Him.
I feel that, at times, I may say to myself that I'd never move, but I know it's foolish thinking; God has a way of changing my mind and changing my perspective on things. Regardless of what I do think, the Lord should be at the forefront of it and may He be praised in spite of what I have done, do now, and will do.
3/19/12
This Week in Scripture; joy comes with the morning!
Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. - Psalm 30:4-5
Joy comes with the morning, especially if weeping came with it the night before!
When we do sin, our hearts should grieve; after all, we do commit an offense before an amazing, awful, and awesome God (Who had claimed us as His children.). That alone should make us bend our knees and cry out before Him! Therefore, we should be thankful and sing praises to Him, since He saved us from our wretchedness.
The fact that His favor lasts for a lifetime is so sweet to a hardened heart; His anger may break the hard stone away, but it's His love that softens the heart of flesh.
Isn't it great to worship a God such as He?
I'm often amazed at how much my daughter grows; it seems, as if, she's growing right before my eyes! Today, she learned how to walk up the stairs unassisted (Saying, "Bye, Mommy! See ya later!" as she climbed up the stairs.); all I can do is sniffle and cheer at the same time.
This little milestone reminds me that, even if I do get angry over the things she does, she doesn't earn my favor because she does well; she gets my favor because she's my daughter.
Think about that when God disciplines you; He does it because He loves you, not because He despises you.
Joy comes with the morning, especially if weeping came with it the night before!
When we do sin, our hearts should grieve; after all, we do commit an offense before an amazing, awful, and awesome God (Who had claimed us as His children.). That alone should make us bend our knees and cry out before Him! Therefore, we should be thankful and sing praises to Him, since He saved us from our wretchedness.
The fact that His favor lasts for a lifetime is so sweet to a hardened heart; His anger may break the hard stone away, but it's His love that softens the heart of flesh.
Isn't it great to worship a God such as He?
I'm often amazed at how much my daughter grows; it seems, as if, she's growing right before my eyes! Today, she learned how to walk up the stairs unassisted (Saying, "Bye, Mommy! See ya later!" as she climbed up the stairs.); all I can do is sniffle and cheer at the same time.
This little milestone reminds me that, even if I do get angry over the things she does, she doesn't earn my favor because she does well; she gets my favor because she's my daughter.
Think about that when God disciplines you; He does it because He loves you, not because He despises you.
3/12/12
This Week in Scripture; I cried and You healed me!
I will extol you, O Lord, for You have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You have healed me. O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. - Psalm 30:1-3
When things go right, we're willing to praise God for them; we see the sunshine and the tulips and happily hop, skip, and jump through them (It's a nice field of tulips; I'd be happy to scamper around as well and I'm in my 30s!). It's when the clouds come, the rain falls, and the storms hit that we tend to grumble and complain against the very same Creator that gives us these things to make those tulips grow and the sunshine to peek through.
It's something that I've recently learned: I grow best during the stormy trials that come my way; I learn to lean on God since He is much stronger than I ever could be and He is much more merciful to me during those times as well. Praise God for such experiences!
For instance, Bee has been enrolled in physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech therapy (ST) every week for the past three months or so; since we started, we managed to cut back OT to every other week last month. Today, I was given the news that Bee can graduate from ST; tomorrow is her last day!
Speaking of Bee, she's currently enjoying Frank Sinatra (and tries to say his name and dance along to him singing). :)
God is so good!
When things go right, we're willing to praise God for them; we see the sunshine and the tulips and happily hop, skip, and jump through them (It's a nice field of tulips; I'd be happy to scamper around as well and I'm in my 30s!). It's when the clouds come, the rain falls, and the storms hit that we tend to grumble and complain against the very same Creator that gives us these things to make those tulips grow and the sunshine to peek through.
It's something that I've recently learned: I grow best during the stormy trials that come my way; I learn to lean on God since He is much stronger than I ever could be and He is much more merciful to me during those times as well. Praise God for such experiences!
For instance, Bee has been enrolled in physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech therapy (ST) every week for the past three months or so; since we started, we managed to cut back OT to every other week last month. Today, I was given the news that Bee can graduate from ST; tomorrow is her last day!
Speaking of Bee, she's currently enjoying Frank Sinatra (and tries to say his name and dance along to him singing). :)
God is so good!
3/5/12
This Week in Scripture; don't forget your instructions!
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. - Proverbs 3:1-2
We, as parents, teach our children; whether or not we're recognizant of it is a different story! Little children have this keen ability to parrot what a parent says; whether it's "Hi, Larry [the Cucumber from Veggie Tales]!" or something that shouldn't be uttered to begin with, the child will pick up on it.
Case in point: My daughter loves Veggie Tales (I don't blame her; I loved it as a teenager!) and loves music even more; in the car, she requests "The Song of the Cebu" or "The (New and Improved) Bunny Song" and is trying to sing along with them. She realized that Mama really likes these songs by singing along to them; she since picked up humming along to Sousa marches and singing "say-BOOOO!" in time to "Song of the Cebu".
Here's what I'm getting to: when they're young, it's best to start teaching them the basics (Drawing lines, walking, potty training (Egad!), etc.); this includes teaching them about our God. Later on, the child grows up and starts a family of his (or her) own; they, in turn, must teach their child or children of God and His mercies. In the meantime, we can pray for them and teach them diligently.
We're not guaranteed a long life; we are guaranteed, however, with a tough road that is endured due to Christ. In order to do that, we must learn to be like children in that regard and learn from our Father.
We, as parents, teach our children; whether or not we're recognizant of it is a different story! Little children have this keen ability to parrot what a parent says; whether it's "Hi, Larry [the Cucumber from Veggie Tales]!" or something that shouldn't be uttered to begin with, the child will pick up on it.
Case in point: My daughter loves Veggie Tales (I don't blame her; I loved it as a teenager!) and loves music even more; in the car, she requests "The Song of the Cebu" or "The (New and Improved) Bunny Song" and is trying to sing along with them. She realized that Mama really likes these songs by singing along to them; she since picked up humming along to Sousa marches and singing "say-BOOOO!" in time to "Song of the Cebu".
Here's what I'm getting to: when they're young, it's best to start teaching them the basics (Drawing lines, walking, potty training (Egad!), etc.); this includes teaching them about our God. Later on, the child grows up and starts a family of his (or her) own; they, in turn, must teach their child or children of God and His mercies. In the meantime, we can pray for them and teach them diligently.
We're not guaranteed a long life; we are guaranteed, however, with a tough road that is endured due to Christ. In order to do that, we must learn to be like children in that regard and learn from our Father.
3/4/12
On the military, and some thoughts on that.
This isn't what I normally blog about, but it's always on the back of my mind; it's also one thing that I normally don't feel comfortable talking about, but I believe that I should.
The husband's deployments.
With the war in Iraq over and the war in Afghanistan dwindling down (At least on our ends.), people are being assured that the dangerous stuff is done with. That's not true at all. Men and women are still getting injured or dying over there and it's possible that the husband will be sent back there in the near future. Obviously, I'm not too thrilled with that prospect.
That said, God told us not to worry:
I shouldn't be anxious for it, for God has it covered already.
If you haven't done so, remember to pray for those that wear the nation's uniform, regardless of how you feel about the troops being there; pray that they return safely to their families and for the chaplains that minister to them while they are in harm's way.
The husband's deployments.
With the war in Iraq over and the war in Afghanistan dwindling down (At least on our ends.), people are being assured that the dangerous stuff is done with. That's not true at all. Men and women are still getting injured or dying over there and it's possible that the husband will be sent back there in the near future. Obviously, I'm not too thrilled with that prospect.
That said, God told us not to worry:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.- Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
I shouldn't be anxious for it, for God has it covered already.
If you haven't done so, remember to pray for those that wear the nation's uniform, regardless of how you feel about the troops being there; pray that they return safely to their families and for the chaplains that minister to them while they are in harm's way.
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