Laughing at My Tears

I received a much-prayed-for answer to prayer today.  Someone I love very much needed to see the kindness of God shown in specific ways.  That had been my prayer for the last year.  Today, a specific recognition award was given to this loved one. 

When the news came through, I rejoiced with tears of joy.  My kids laughed at me, "Mom's crying," they commented, as if surprised that I would cry over the award.  That's okay; they can't understand.  They were all sound asleep those many early mornings that I spent praying.   The joyful, awaited answer to prayer had not come at a cost to them, nor is their love for this deserving individual as intense as mine.

TV~
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. [Psalm 27:13]

The Marriage Continuum

Think of your marriage as being on a dynamic continuum in which you and your spouse are never stuck in one place.  There is always movement either towards one another or away from one another.

Little decisions... like reaching out to touch him on the arm, like asking her how she is doing, like putting away the smartphone and listening, like snapping in anger, like turning away... become big decisions as they cause you either to grow towards one another or away from one another.

Christ is our example in that we love Him because He first loved us.  Let us be the first to show love, even if our spouse is undeserving at that moment.

TV~
 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.
[Titus 3:5]

Let Your Feelings Come Last

This comes from www.cru.org...

Do not depend upon feelings. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. This train diagram illustrates the relationship between fact (God and His Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word), and feeling (the result of our faith and obedience) (John 14:21).



This train will run with or without the caboose. However, it would be futile to attempt to pull the train by the caboose. In the same way, we, as Christians, do not depend upon feelings or emotions, but we place our faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God and the promises of His Word.

TV~
 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. [2 Corinthians 4:10]

"Spring Thou Up Within My Heart"

We sang this in church today.  Spring thou up within my heart, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

 

The link tells the story of when it was written.  Scroll down to the white box for the words.  Enjoy.

 

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/j/l/m/jlmysoul.htm

TV~
Above everything else guard your heart, because from it flow the springs of life.
[Proverbs 4:23]

 

 

   



A List to Pray

This what Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians. 

He prayed that:

1.  God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him
2.  The eyes of their understanding would be enlightened
3.  They would know what is the hope of His (Jesus') calling
4.  They would know what are the riches of glory of His inheritance in the saints
5.  They would know what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward those who believe

Let us pray these same things for ourselves and our fellow Christians.

TV~
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.
 [Proverbs 18:15]

Flashlight

When was the last time you needed a flashlight?  When groping around in the darkness, it is a relief to lay hold of a flashlight and turn it on.  In the U.K., flashlights are called torches. 
The path of life always requires a torch, whether night or day.  What is that torch?

TV~
Thy word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my paths.  [Psalm 119:105]

Remembering

Today marks the anniversary of  a day of tears for me.  A source of daily love, friendship, and help  that I'd had for many years was taken to do those very things somewhere else.  I had come to rely on those things, a result of many years of hard work.  I believed I had earned them...  Not so.

My devotional that day spoke of the cutting down of one of the great cedars of Lebanon; a tree that had been a source of beauty, shade and repose for many. Then in a matter of hours, the steady work of an axe took the tree, leaving but a stump.

But the story doesn't end there.  That great tree was taken to another place, where it underwent preparation and eventually became a glorious polished beam in the temple of God.

Now, I just need to wait and trust God to show how the loss of that tree is going to benefit the remaining trees in the forest...

TV~
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."  [John 13:7]