The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health. -- Psalm 41:3 (NLT)
The original recipe for this came to me from my friend Meg when we both lived in North Carolina.
Friendship Tea
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." --James 5:16b
My Word-Filled Wednesday was written in response to a situation I was told about Tuesday evening that immediately caused me to jump on the emotion roller coaster (btw, I do NOT ride roller coasters voluntarily, real or emotional!). In early morning I went back and added a request for prayer...then I had to go into town to pick up my grandson. As I was heading there, my heart started to settle. By the time I got to our daughters' house, I had a strategy for addressing the situation. When I got home, I was calm and peaceful about everything. And...when I logged on to my blog I saw that my blogosphere friends were praying for me."...always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." --Colossians 4:12I was also blessed to see that God had prepared the WFW posts to affirm my trust in him. At least 2 others that I went to had used God as a strong tower for their pictures/verses. (Lisa @ Pockets of Time & Christy @ Critty Joy) Isn't it a wonderful God we serve that can take believers from all over and give them a spiritual like-mindedness?
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." --Proverbs 3:5I have time today to finish going through the WFW posts and to read today's TT posts as the Dynamo and I are both laying around drinking juice and inhaling medicated air from the vaporizer. He has a cold...and I'm not sure if I caught mine from him (he gives wonderful, sloppy kisses right on the mouth--even if he has to hold your head between his two little hands--no turning a cheek to him) or because I kept visiting Laurie Ann's blog while she was sick. ;->
"I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus." --1 Corinthians 1:4My Thankful Thursday list includes, but is not limited to:
"But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him." --Psalm 32:10bThank you...friends who prayed. The comfort came as promised. Please keep this unspoken situation on your prayer list. It may take some time to resolve. I am confident of this: however the resolution comes, God is faithful and, as He has proven in the past, He protects my loved ones. I can trust Him.
"Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness." --Psalm 37:3
"It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to trust in people." Psalm 118:8
While all along, a still small voice reminds me: "Patty, I love you." John 3:16a
For thus says the LORD God, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved." Isaiah 30:15a
"In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15b
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7a
"Great peace have those who love Your law."
Psalm 120:165a
"And nothing shall cause them to stumble."
Psalm 120:165b
"He gives His beloved sleep." Psalm 127:2d
"Friends, if we be honest with ourselves, we shall be honest with each other." ~George MacDonaldI am a gadget gal. I like fast computers, smart phones, kick-butt mixers (I
my Bosch!), cappuccino machines."Sometimes it praises our Lord and FatherPaul discussed this duality in Romans 7:
~and~
sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God." --3:9 (NLT)
"...the trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." --verse 14b (NLT)Thankfully, the story doesn't end on that depressing note. There is victory:
"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.Today's quote is a great check-point for me:
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death." --7:24-8:2 (NLT)
"If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness." --3:13-18 (NLT)
I asked my sister what meal said fall to her family and she gave this one to me. We had to discuss it quite a while to get the measurements close, as she is one of those "dash of this" kind of cooks. ;->
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Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasing God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.I wanted to post today's Selah early...but I found myself heavy with fatigue from the goings on of the whole week. I needed to rest. Thankfully, a little extra sleep and a morning spent with a cup of coffee and the Word have refreshed me for my day ahead.
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
The shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. --Isaiah 40:28-31
God can use fatigue:Thank You, Lord, for slowing me down so I can hear Your voice. Thank You for hard lessons in obedience. I know You only give them because You love me. Amen.God has promised to satisfy fully the weary soul and replenish faithfully the sorrowful heart.
- to cause you to look to Him for satisfaction.
He said before, "This is the time and place to rest, to give rest to the weary. This is the place to lay down your burden." But they won't listen.
So God will start over with the simple basics and address them in baby talk, one syllable at a time—"Da, da, da, da, blah, blah, blah, blah. That's a good little girl, that's a good little boy." And like toddlers, they will get up and fall down, get bruised and confused and lost. -Isaiah 28:12-13 (The Message)- to administer correction as He pulls back His hand of strength to force your body to slow down for refueling
"And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.'" -Hebrews 12:5-6 (NKJV)- and, to prepare you for a greater challenge.
"So, Jeremiah, if you're worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses? And if you can't keep your wits during times of calm, what's going to happen when troubles break loose like the Jordan in flood? -Jeremiah 12:5 (The Message)
"For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul." -Jeremiah 31:25 (NKJV)
Sometimes that means,
"He makes me to lie down" -Psalm 23:2. (NKJV)
Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.Next, from 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 --
Don't team up with those who are unbelievers.And, from Proverbs 18:10 --
How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness?
How can light live with darkness?
What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil?
How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
And what union can there be between God's temple and idols?
For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
"I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.
And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty."
Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.
The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe.Finally, beloved, from Exodus 14:13-14 --
Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.Thank You, Father:
Amy is hosting In Other Words at her site In Pursuit of Proverbs 31. If you want to participate, write a blog about the quote in the box below on your site then click on the link to Amy's blog and leave your URL in the Mr. Linky box. You will also find links for the other participants' blogs."A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself." ~A.W. Tozer~Discipleship training is so important for people young in their walk with Christ. A spiritually mature Christian's perspective is crucial in helping a new Christian sift through all the doctrine preached, i.e. lifestyle choices (clothing, to watch movies or not, etc.), to get to the real meat of walking with the Lord.
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith...forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth...If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness." --1 Timothy 4:1-7As a young wife, I went through a time of thinking like a pharisee. Although I had been a believer for eight years, I had never had my faith stretched or challenged. My husband's military career moved us all over the country and to many different churches. I was raised in a church that taught the freedom a believer has through grace.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." --Romans 5:8I want to be the person who makes others feel safe and loved--
"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. --Ephesians 4:32
"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away." ~George Eliot~Believers, we have the responsibility to see through Love's eyes.
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." --John 15:12
"Let us look at our own shortcomings and leave other people's alone; for those who live carefully ordered lives are apt to be shocked at everything and we might well learn very important lessons from the persons who shock us. Our outward comportment and behavior may be better than theirs, but this, though good, is not the most important thing: there is no reason why we should expect everyone to travel by our own road." ~Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)~
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"Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." ~~Jeremiah 33:3
I've been led toward having a specific, organized prayer time. I started using Beth Moore's prayer journal, Whispers of Hope. It is a lovely 10-week journey to commit to 70 days of consistent prayer."Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10I really crave more than a dashed prayer with breakfast. I do most of my Bible study and writing at night. I am inspired by a fellow blogger, Ann Voskamp @ Holy Experience, to set aside a spot in the house specifically prepared for an organized prayer time.
"I kneel, strike a small halo at bench’s edge, and watch lights, one slight and wavering, one full and rising, seep through blackness.Beautiful picture isn't it? Go, visit her blog (click on her name above), soak up the blessing the Lord gives just from reading her words.
And in a bit, in the glowing, fingers find leather bookmark, and eyes find passage, and heart finds it’s way home.
I linger there. Verses from Philippians push back the dark; light." ~~from A place for everything, 09-12-2008
Prayer should occupy a place in the heart; it also needs a place in the home. While every believer does not need a prayer closet (Matthew 6:6), all believers should have a place of solitude free from distraction in order to pray in private.Becoming still and listening to the Lord, through His word first and then as He guides our thoughts to "great and mighty things," is our way to express our love and reverence to the One who created us for fellowship with Him.
To help make prayer a priority, you may want to use a prayer journal or devotional book or write out a prayer list and revise it often. Share your commitment to prayer with others, both to encourage them and to hold yourself accountable for praying regularly.
"[Sisters], pray for us." ~~1 Thessalonians 5:25
Amazingly, I have all day today to myself. I'm going to spend most of it doing all those little things I've put off all week (like cleaning the bathroom and washing the linens). I thought while I sit here eating a bacon, egg, and cheddar bagel and drinking coffee with Chocolate Mint Truffle creamer for lunch, I'd blog something fun. I found this meme by Kiki @ Friday Fun in a Google search.
"I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people."~~Psalm 35:18
I bake bread for my family regularly and for me there is great pleasure in this basic task. Everything about it from measuring the ingredients to forming the loaves to tasting that first bite fresh out of the oven is sensory bliss for me. And the bonus is that I am doing something truly good and healthful for those that mean the most to me.Minhah. The Hebrew name for the grain or cereal offering simply means "gift." This offering expressed the worshiper's spontaneous gratitude to God. No specific requirements regarding its time and frequency were given. The gift involved the product of a woman's daily activity in the home: flour or baked cakes. Dedication of life expresses itself in the simplicity of everyday activity. This offering also produced a "sweet aroma" to the Lord. ~~The Woman's Study Bible, Thomas Nelson PublishersDone with a servant's heart, every action becomes an offering of gratitude to God. It is not really something one can plan. It is an overflow of the abundant grace the Father has given us through His Son, Jesus. In this way He uses us to bless others.
"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." ~~2 Corinthians 2:14-15I am so very thankful for
Do you want to know your purpose in this life? Go, seek out the One who made you."Seek the LORD while He may be found, call on Him while He is near." ~~Isaiah 55:6He knows you and has a plan for your life.
"For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~~Jeremiah 29:11He has been planning for you since before you were born.
"My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."~~Psalm 139:15-16
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." ~~Psalm 119:105
"Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart." ~~Psalm 119:111Praise Him on His holy mountain!
"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth...this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself...how my heart yearns within me!" ~~Job 19:25, 26b-27
