Memorial Day...

Monday Musings - Life Management for Busy Women

John 15:5 Without Me u can do nothing.

Isaiah 40:31 With Him u can mount up with wings as eagles.

Life Management is Spiritual life management.

1. Time is first on the list: Our time is always well spent when we spend it looking to the Lord through his Word.
2. Frist Time: We're blessed in our spirit and in our practical life when we make it a point to give God the first portion of time from the harvest of each fresh new day, of each new measure of 1440 minutes.
3. Early Time: Many of the great heroes of the faith sincerely sought communion with God early and earnestly in their day. (Abraham, David, Jesus...) U and I need the spiritual food only the Word of God can provide... and that takes time. We need to gather that food first thing each day, before life presents its daily demands on our hours and our energy. We need to do it early, before the rush and clamor of the day begin. Making time for anything of value always require a hard commitment to discipline!

The Power of God's Word 

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,

for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16

Behind the passionate life of every passionate saint is a passion for God and His Word.

1. God's Word is the heart of God

Everything that God wants to say to u is recorded in your Bible... straight from His heart to yours...

Just pause, pick up your cherished volume of the Bible, and do the best thing u can do with you time - behold the Word of the Lord!

2. God's Word is a good use of your time

If u're impatient, sit down quietly and commune with Job.

If u're strongheaded, read of Moses and Peter.

If u're weak-kneed, look at Elijah.

If there is no song in your heart, listen to David sing.

If u're a politician, read Daniel.

If u're getting sordid, read Isaiah.

If your heart is chilly, read of the beloved disciple, John.

If your faith is low, read Paul.

If u're getting lazy, watch James.

If u're losing sight of the future, read in Revelation of the promised land.

In joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, in poverty and in riches, in every condition of life, God has [something] stored up in His Word for u.

~D.L. Moody

3. God's Word teaches u

There's no reason for our faith to be anything less than firmly grounded.

4. God's Word reproves u

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

5. God's Word corrects, mends, and instructs u

Cheer up!

His Word is constantly correcting & resetting the direction of our lives, preparing us for living our His plan & purpose in future service.

6. God's Word equips u

Whatever it is, God's Word will more than adequately equip u to perform the work & the ministry God has for u at home & in the church.

God's Word will give u the power to meet the demands of serving the Lord & living in righteousness.

7. God's Word guides u

Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

8. God's Word cheers u

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." Jeremiah 15:16

The same joy & rejoicing of heart - along with God's peace and perspective - is available to u when grief & gloom are a part of each day.

~Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George

Monday Musings - Go & Conquer

∵"For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." ~Deuteronomy 30:11-14

AND

∵"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:" ~Romans 1:20

∴"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." ~Deuteronomy 31:6

AND give the world an opportunity to say

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me;

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's hosts to save me

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today

Against wounding

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through the mighty strength

Of the Lord of creation.

Monday Musings - Finding True Peace

Monday Musings - Respect

Do you have a respect for the rulers of our country? Even though they may not have made wise choices? I do not mean respect in the way as if he has earned it. But in respect of the One who has placed him in that position.

God has been working on my heart in the area of respecting the authorities in my life especially those who don't deserve it. During my quiet time, the verse "Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people" have caught my attention.  

We may not have literally cursed anyone, but I wonder how many times we may have looked down upon President Barak Obama because of the bad things he has done.

The Bible also says, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grieve."

We may not like the way he is leading our country, but we should still honor him because of the position God hath placed him in. We ought to pray for him frequently as one Baptist church I have visited with my family in Florida. 

“Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you've got to give it.” -R. Risch
Give respect though the person may not deserve it!!

Monday Musings - Whiter Than Snow

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18

"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Psalm 32:1

Compassion, as a ray of light,

making the darkest soul bright.

Compassion, as a layer of snow,

covering the sin’s deepest woe.

Compassion, as a gentle rain,

watering the soul’s dryest plain.

(by Akina Y. Hall)

Monday Musings - The Prayer of Manasseh

Recently I have read Chronicles of the Kings written by Lynn Austen, in those books I learned a lot about King Hezekiah, Rabbi Isaiah, Eliakim, King Manasseh, and Joshua... There's a lot of great stuff in there, here is The Prayer of Manasseh that I read from the last book in the series "Among the God":

O Lord Almighty, God of our ancestors,

of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and of their righteous offspring;

you who made heaven and earth with all their order;

who shackled the sea by your word of command,

who confined the deep and sealed it with your

terrible and glorious name;

at whom all things shudder, and tremble before you power,

for your glorious splendor cannot be borne,

and the wrath of your threat to sinners is unendurable;

yet immeasurable and unsearchable is your promised mercy,

for you are the Lord Most High, of great compassion,

long-suffering, and very merciful,

and you relent at human suffering.

O Lord, according to your great goodness

you have promised repentance and forgiveness

to those who have sinned against you,

and in the multitude of your mercies

you have appointed repentance for sinners,

so that they may be saved.

Therefore you, O Lord, God of the righteous,

have not appointed repentance for the righteous,

for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against you,

but you have appointed repentance for me, who am a sinner.

For the sins I have committed are more in number than
the sand of the sea;

my transgressions are multiplied, O Lord, they are multiplied!

I am not worthy to look up and see the height of heaven

because of the multitude of my iniquities,

I am weighted down with many an iron fetter,

so that I am rejected because of my sins, and I have no relief;

for I have provoked your wrath

and have done what is evil in your sight,

setting up abominations and multiplying offenses,

And now I bend the knee of my heart,

imploring you for your kindness.

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,

and i acknowledge my transgressions.

I earnestly implore you,

forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!

Do not destroy me with my transgressions!

Do not be angry with me forever or store up evil for me;

do not condemn me to the depths of the earth.

For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent,

and in me you will manifest your goodness;

for, unworthy as I am, you will save me according to

your great mercy,

and I will praise you continually all the days of my life.

For all the host of heaven sings your praise,

and yours is the glory forever. Amen.

Monday Musings - Family Love

Monday Meditations - A Friend Loveth at ALL Times

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

Monday Musings - Be Ye Kind

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;" Colossians 3:12

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32

Tea Leaves - Invisible Blessings

Psalm 56

With a peace my heart’s o’erflowing-

 Peace the world can’t understand.

I have a few of earth’s possessions.

 I’m a stranger in the land.

No, they can’t see why happiness

 Should all my being thrill.

But I have some hid possessions

 God has shared, my life to fill.

He gave peace and joy, contentment

 When He took away my sin.

Cleansed me by His precious Son’s blood.

 Guild’t all gone. He lives within.

They know not why I am singing

 While the mighty billows roll.

They can’t see I’m safe with Jesus.

 He’s the anchor of my soul.

They can’t see the hand I’m holding, 

 Which belongs to God in heaven.

Nor the Shepherd who is leading,

 Though the journey’s all uneven.

I thankYou, God above me,

 For the peace the world can’t give,

And for constantly abiding

 By my side while here I live.

As I endeavor to train my children these few short years they are with me, I want to concentrate on teaching them that the invisible blessings which God has os abundantly given us are those which can never be taken away if we cling to them in faith. May they have the kind of faith which sees and knows the invisible better than the visible.

Compiled by Nancy Stutzman

Monday Musings - They won't miss me...

They won't miss me, said the mother as she repeatedly left her children for rounds of teas and parties. The devil did not "miss" the children either.

They won't miss me, said the soldier as he went A.W.O.L. but he spent thirty days in the guard house after that.

They won't miss me, said the sentry as he slipped away from duty. But the enemy surprised and massacred his comrades that very night.

They won't miss me, said the man on the assembly line, as he slipped away without permission. but the airplane crashed and killed his brother or the lack of a single part.

They won't miss me, said the Christian worker as he shed his responsibilities in a day of crisis, and then he wondered why his country gave way to softness and demoralization.

They won't miss me, said the church member as he omitted worship one Sunday, and then another, for trivial reasons, and then wondered why he no longer enjoyed a victorious Christian life.

~The Baptist Outlook

Monday Musings - The Board of Absentees

"We are the Board of Absentees;
We attend our church about as we please;
We judge it will run of itself, you know,
And, Sundays, we're just too tired to go!

We are the Board of Absentees;
At business meetings our chance we seize
to tell exactly how things should be run, but we fit not a finger to get them one.

We are the Board of Absentees;
we like our drive in the morning breeze;
Of course the budget should all be paid,
"But privately now, I'm in the red."

We are the Board of Absentees;
Men and women of all degrees;
"Shall we give up the church, O never, never!"
"Shall we go today?" Well, scarcely ever!

We look for a world far better than this,
A world of peace and of moderate bliss,
A day of right through the Seven Seas-
Just now we're the Board of Absentees!"

~The Christian Register

Tea Leaves - Calling In

God,

Your daughter calling again,

ringing in on II Timothy 1:7,

Take away the spirit fear,

fear of our unknown future-

where? when? what from here?

fear of people not liking me,

fear of rejection,

of disappointments,

of smashed dreams.

And replace it with Your power;

power to keep the victory.

power to be a Proverbs 31 woman,

a pleasing wife,

and a patient mother-today.

power to maintain a cheerful spirit

to all door callers

(as of it were Jesus at my door).

power to show kindness to children

who call or come to play.

-and Your love:

love for Your Word

and You.

love for Your precious gift to me-my husband.

love for Your blessings to us-our children.

love for myself-(instead of condemnation)

for I was Your idea.

love for the unlovely.

love for my brothers and sisters in Christ.

love for the souls of all men.

-and a sound mind:

a sound mind wen I feel frazzled

and worn every whit;

a sound mind when my emotions are screaming

at the seams for release;

a sound mind when I’ve had “too much”-

too much of exposure,

too much of people,

too much of demand,

too much of pressure.

God, I need You today:

with all of my weary being,

I lift my tired hands

and reach out to accept,

not fear,

but power

and love

and a sound mind.

Compiled by Nancy Stutzman

The Beauty of Friendships

Tea Leaves - Delighted

"Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast." 

-Psalm 36:5

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." 

-Psalm 37:4

"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." 

-Psalm 37:11

"I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." 

-Psalm 40:8

"Delight thyself also in the Lord..."

Lord, I will delight my self in You,

I am delighted with Your boundless supply of love.

I am trilled with Your patience.

I am glad for the privilege of being Your daughter.

Your faithfulness reaches the clouds (so high!).

Your righteousness is like the great mountains.

Your judgements are a mighty deep.

I am delighted, Lord, for the privilege of knowing you personally.

I am delighted 
with the abundance of peace.
Peace - release from friction between me and another.
Release from tension, from burdens, from physical illness.
Peace with myself (who and what I am is good because God made me that way).
Peace with my brothers and sisters in the church.
Peace with You through the blood of Jesus.
I am delighted, Lord, with the abundance of peace You've given me.

I am delighted with doing Your will.
Your will - 
a request fro help with sewing a dress, 
a drink for a traveler passing by, 
and enforced rest through illness,
a stubborn vehicle or one out of gas or one with a weak battery or no vehicle.
I am delighted with doing Your will, Lord. 
(I'll have to confess, Lord, I haven't always been delighted. But I am willing to be.)

I will delight in Your commandments, Lord.
You ask me to love, to forgive, to preserver, to grow, to be kind, to give, to rejoice, 
Lord, I am delighted with Your commandments. 
Aid me, Lord, in doing them.

"...and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

My desire: to love Thee more deeply and to love my fellowmen generously, without prerequisites.
My desire: a pure heart, untarnished attitudes, sincere and upright motives.
My desire, Lord: a closer, more intimate walk with You.
This, I know, You have promised. 
And I am delighted!

~Rose Mary Jason

Morning and Evening - With the King

"These were potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work." 1 Chronicles 4:23

Potters were not the very highest grade of workers, but "the king" needed potters, and therefore they were in royal service, although the material upon which they worked was nothing but clay. 

We, too, may be engaged in the most menial part of the Lord's work, but it is a great privilege to do anything for "the king;" and therefore we will abide in our calling, hoping that, "although we have lien among the pots, yet shall we be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold." 

The text tells us of those who dwelt among plants and hedges, having rough, rustic, hedging and ditching work to do. They may have desired to live in the city, amid its life, society, and refinement, but they kept their appointed places, for they also were doing the king's work. 

The place of our habitation is fixed, and we are not to remove from it out of whim and caprice, but seek to serve the Lord in it, by being a blessing to those among whom we reside. These potters and gardeners had royal company, for they dwelt "with the king" and although among hedges and plants, they dwelt with the king there.

No lawful place, or gracious occupation, however mean, can debar us from communion with our divine lord. In visiting hovels, swarming lodging-houses, workhouses, or goals, we may go with the king. In all works of faith we may count upon Jesus' fellowship. It is when we are in His work that we may reckon upon His smile. 

Ye unknown workers who are occupied for your Lord amid the dirt and wretchedness of the lowest of the low, be of good cheer, for jewels have been found upon dunghills ere now, earthen pots have been filled with heavenly treasure, and ill  weeds have been transformed into precious flowers. 

Dwell ye with the King for His work, and when He writes His chronicles your name shall be recorded.

~ Charles Spurgeon

Morning and Evening - Fight on!

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." Galatians 5:17

Are you fighting with the adversary to-day?
Are Satan, the world, and the flesh, all against you?

Be not discouraged nor dismayed.

Fight on! For God Himself is with you;
Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah Rophi is the healer of your wounds.

Fear not, you shall overcome, for who can defeat Omnipotence?

Fight on, "looking unto Jesus;" and though long and stern be the conflict, sweet will be the victory, and glorious the promised reward.

~Charles Spurgeon