Weblog

Wednesday, 16 May 2012

  • Seekers

    It seems to me that almost everyone is seeking after something. I look at the youth, and I see that many of them are seeking for thrills and new experiences. Many of them collect stuff like CDs and high scores in games. Some of them collect sexual conquests and brag about it. We see all these outward things that they do. But, I believe they are also seeking for acceptance, love, and meaning. They just don't know yet that these qualities cannot be found where they are looking.

    I have been around people who worship science. They are seekers of knowledge. They collect facts just because they can. They find some kind of validation and comfort in this. They feel superior. They feel in control because they know a lot about a lot, and they like to demonstrate that they do. They dominate most conversations. Most people call them "know it alls" behind their backs.

    Some people seem to be seekers of comfort. They want to do what feels good. They want to have what will make life easier for them. They want to spend their time "enjoying." Fine wine. Lovely restaurants. Taking a luxury cruise. That's what it's all about! Oh, they are "living the good life." But, I wonder if, when they are in their beds at night, they ever feel empty. I wonder if they know that they cannot fill up that emptiness within with recreation.

    (Jer. 29:13 KJV) And you shall seek and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

    A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of going to a youth retreat in N. Ireland. My son in law is the leader of an awesome group of young people in Dundonald. There were kids from other youth groups as well. I saw them worship. I heard their testimonies, and I was SO BLESSED! At the evening meeting, I wanted to just go down to the front, stand in a corner and watch the way these kids were reaching out to God. It was amazing!  I cried because I knew these young people were seeking THE RIGHT THING! They were seeking God's heart.

    You hear a lot about "kids today." You hear people say that the world is spinning out of control and this generation does not care about anything but pleasure. Well. Maybe some young people. But not all. I looked at the shining faces of these kids with their hands and hearts lifted up to God and I cried. I heard them talk about praying for classmates and parents, and my heart was thankful.

    There are so many things demanding our time and attention. There are so many voices telling us what we "need" and what we should spend our money on. It is mostly a big waste. None of it will fulfill. None of it will satisfy. None of it will last.

    (Psalm 42:1-2 NLT)  ... As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him?

    But, if you will be a seeker of God's heart -- if you will make it your goal to KNOW HIM. If you will give Him your life and your love, you will be making the right choice. You find a deep peace and joy. Your life will have a meaning that transcends any material thing; any experience or dream you could have.You will have a purpose that is ETERNAL! HE is the only thing that will truly satisfy the longing of our hearts.

    Be a seeker of God's heart.

Monday, 14 May 2012

  • The Lower Place

    A lesson I have learned which has served me well not just in the church setting, but in many other areas of life is the principle of taking the lower place. This is usually quite a struggle for us because our society has trained us so well that we have RIGHTS! ---"Doggone it! I have a right to this, and a right to that. And he has no right to treat me that way.........Grrrrr!!!!"

    Yeah......about that.......... As individuals in society, we are told we have rights, but for those who call Jesus Christ LORD, our "rights" are laid at His feet. This is yet another aspect of that struggle between our flesh and our spirit. The ME in me says I deserve to be treated a certain way. The Christ in me reminds me that it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

    When facing conflicts with other people, we really only have two choices. (1) Go on the defensive, or, (2) Humbly listen to what they have to say and perhaps even find something in their comments with which you can agree. You might ask them to suggest what they think you could do to make things better. I have found that whenever I choose (1), the situation usually escalates. Words are often spoken that we will probably later regret.   When I take the lower place, (2), I have found that the person confronting me usually calms down, and we are able to talk about the problem, and even come up with some constructive ideas.

    Please let me clarify something here. Taking the lower place is not the same as being a doormat. I do not feel that God ever intended for us to let everybody wipe their dirty feet on us. There is a difference between someone being abusive and bullying, and someone who disagrees with you. When you are being bullied, it is best to leave. I believe it is usually possible to remain calm and polite, but you can’t reason with a bully. Their agenda is to put people down. In these cases, you are better off to say "I am not going to listen to this."  and walk away.

    When you take the lower place, you choose not to be offended. Psalm 119:165 "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." Hmmm..... The NLT says, "Those who love your law have great peace, and do not stumble." OK. So, becoming offended when we are criticized and misunderstood is equated with stumbling. Oh! That can’t be good, can it?

    Galatians 5:13 "For you have been called to live in freedom--- not to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love."

    Now, you may be thinking---"Well, that’s all well and good for ministers and missionaries, but it sure wouldn’t work for me." Hey! It’s worth a try, isn’t it?

Friday, 11 May 2012

  • The Wonder of the Cross

    I kind of have a "thing" for photographing crosses. It seems that more and more the significance of the cross is being pushed aside. I have even heard of people in the workplace being told they could not wear a cross at their job. Why is the cross offensive to some people? It would be discriminatory to tell someone they could not wear a burka or a yamaka.

    It also seems it is not "fashionable" anymore to talk about sin. Well, fashionable or not, we are all sinners. Our sin had separated us from God. But, Jesus sacrificed His own, perfect life to pay the price for our sin.


    He paid a debt He did not owe;
    I owed a debt I could not pay;
    I needed someone to wash my sins away.
    And, now, I sing a brand new song,
    “Amazing Grace.”
    Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

    In one way, a cross is nothing special. It is just a short board nailed across a longer board. Yet, for me, whenever I see a cross, it reminds me of the great sacrifice my Savior made for me. I cannot look at it without feeling grateful. I cannot look at it without remembering.

    (John19:18 NLT)  There they nailed Him to the cross. Two others were crucified with Him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.


     
    Thank you for the cross Lord. Thank you for the price You paid
    Bearing all my sin and shame, in love You came
    And gave amazing grace

    Thank you for this love Lord. Thank you for Your nail pierced hands
    Washed me in Your cleansing flow. Now all I know
    Your forgiveness and embrace

    Worthy is the Lamb
    Seated on the throne
    Crown You now with many crowns
    You reign victorious
    High and lifted up
    Jesus Son of God
    Darling of Heaven crucified
    Worthy is the Lamb



    (Gal. 6:14 NLT)  As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.



    On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
    The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
    And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
    For a world of lost sinners was slain.



    The cross is, not only a symbol of Christ's love for me, but also a symbol of my value to Him. He knew I was worth this price He paid. You were, too. Think about it! Believe it! There was a time when I did not think I was worth anything, but Jesus saw me through eyes of love.



    My Savior paid the price so I could know a perfect love.
    My Savior paid the price so I can sing of freedom.
    My Savior paid the  price so I can live a life of joy and peace!

Wednesday, 09 May 2012

  • Back Home! Pictures and more

    I am back from N. Ireland now. I had such a lovely time with the kids and sweet little Sianna! She has grown so much since I last saw her, and is a lot of fun.



    She knows a lot of words for her wee 15 months, and is a very sunny but determined little person. I often look at my grandchildren and wonder how God will use them in His kingdom. I have SO many pictures, but these two are favorites. She loves her dolly, Phyllis.

    There is a lot going on with the economy these days, isn't there? I think pretty much everyone has felt the pinch. Gas prices alone are incredible. Here in Denmark, we are paying over $9 a gallon for the stuff. I have been thinking about the word "prosperity." It is mentioned often in the Bible. Most of the time, when we hear this word, we think of monetary wealth. If one is prosperous, he has money. We all like the sound of that! Yes! Amen, Lord! I want to prosper! Bring it on!

    However, I think there is more to it than a fat bank account. We tend so often to see things from our own point of view and not God's!  Could it be that prosperity means something different to Him?

    (3 John 1:2 MKJV) Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

    I have heard this scripture quoted so many times and often preachers make it sound like God wants all His children to rich and well. Hmmm.... Sounds good. But, most of us are not rich, and many of us are not well, either. Is this what it really means? Here it is from the Amplified Bible.

    (3 John 1:2  AMP) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.

    Take a look at these well known verses. (Psalm 23:1-3) NIV) "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake."

    The word "prosper" here means to succeed in reaching. This would seem to imply a goal of some sort, right? My life goal is not to be rich, but to please the Lord in all things. I want to someday stand before Him and hear Him say, "well done." In this, I want to prosper.
     
    Could it be that God's idea of prosperity is to see that we have what we need to succeed in what He has called us to do? My husband often says to me, "If we need it, God will make a way." I do not think God gives us blessings just so we can get a bigger house and more stuff. I believe His blessings come with a responsibility to use it to honor Him..

    These verses imply that we need to care for our soul. It needs to be refreshed. Our ability to succeed in what we do seems to depend on its well being. OK. So, what is a soul, and how do we take care of it?

    We humans are three part beings. We live in a body, and possess a soul and spirit. We all know what the body is. It is that part of us everyone sees. We have to wash it, dress it, feed it, etc. Our soul is the seat of our mind, will and emotions. Our spirit is that part of us that is in contact with God. Understand this is a very simple explanation.

    Our mind, will and emotions certainly do need looking after. When you think about it, that is where most of our troubles start, isn't it? Where does the enemy attack? The mind. He tries to manipulate our thoughts with fear, anger, or any number of slimy tricks. Where do we struggle to submit to the will of God? Our own will. What often leads us around and makes us feel things and react in ways that are not God honoring? Our emotions. We need to control what goes on in our souls.

    (Psalm103:2 KJV)   Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:

    We often see that David speaks to His soul and tells it what to do. If we want to have a healthy (and prosperous) soul, we need to make sure it does the right things. We must think the right way, we must make the right choices, and we must govern our emotions. We should not allow them to control what we think, do or say. (Unless you are a toddler, and then you go right ahead!)

    (Phil. 4:8  NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

    Let us care for our souls.

     

    Scrabo Tower, N. Ireland

    Sunset over the mountains. N. Ireland

Monday, 23 April 2012

DanishDoll

  • Visit DanishDoll's Xanga Site
    • Name: Mae
    • Location: Denmark
    • Birthday: 12/3/1951
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 4/14/2006
    • True Lifetime

Archives

Don't worry - your calendar is here… to see it in action just click "Save" above and refresh the page.

About Me

  • I've got the joy down in my heart!

Pulse