decluttering.....

We are STILL waiting to move, nearly everything is packed - REALLY! Things just keep coming up to hinder our move. And yesterday Chad and I were both convicted that maybe there is still something left here for us to do? I know that there are things that do not need to be packed up and taken with us. I came across this today and not by chance.......it appears that I still have some "cleaning" to do. With the Lord's help of course:)

Cleaning Out My Closet

I decided today was the day,
To take and cast out some old things.
Things I have kept far too long,
Things that no longer belonged.

I opened the closet door,
With determination inside.
I started to sort through things,
That were left hanging way to long.

First I came upon Bitterness,
Buried deep inside,
So I took it and cast it
Into my box of sin.

Next was envyness,
I needed that no more,
So I took and tossed
That envyness clear out the closet door.

Well my closet was looking better,
Yet more needed to go,
So I dug even deeper,
Deeper then ever before.

Hid deep into the middle,
I thought that was long gone,
I found unforgiveness,
It seemed to just hang on.

So I took that unforgiveness
Along with self-pride,
I took them both,
And cast them both aside.

I looked at my closet,
Looking good I had to admit,
Yet something was left there
Hanging, that needed to be cast.

I grabbed a hold of the hate,
Firmly I gave it a yank,
It was the hardest article,
More stubborn then the rest.

I knew if my closet was to be cleansed,
That this one above all the rest,
Had to be cast deep into the pit.
So with determination, hate was cast aside.

Now as I looked into my closet,
I had room for new things.
Like love, and happiness,
That had no room before.

Now my closet is only filled with
The Holy Spirit, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Isn't it amazing what our closet
Can hold, when we cast away Our sins,
Inviting Our Precious Lord Jesus Christ In
Author Unknown

Waiting.....

“It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:26
A believer may present a right petition in a right way, and yet he may not wait the Lord’s answer in His own time. He may appoint a time, and if the Lord does not answer within that period, he turns away, resigning all expectation of an answer.
There is such a thing as waiting for the Lord. The apostle alludes to and enjoins this holy patience, when he speaks to the Ephesians of “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” A believer may present his request- may have some degree of nearness in urging it- may press it with fervency- and yet, forgetting the hoping, quiet, waiting patience which ought invariably to mark a praying soul; he may lose the blessing he has sought. There is such a thing as “waiting upon the Lord.”
Oh; how long have we made Him to wait for us! For years, it may be, we kept Him knocking, and standing, and waiting at the door of our hearts, until His own Spirit took the work in His own hands, and unlocked the heart, and the Savior entered. The Lord would now often have us wait His time in answering prayer. And, if the vision tarry, still let us wait, and hope, and expect. Let the delay but stimulate hope, and increase desire, exercise faith, and multiply petitions at the mercy-seat. It will come when the Lord sees best.
A believer may lose the answer to his prayer, by dictating to the Lord the mode, as well as the time, of answering. The Lord has His own mode of blessing His people. We may prescribe the way the Lord should answer, but He may send the blessing to us through an opposite channel, in a way we never thought of, and should never have selected.
Sovereignty sits regent upon the throne, and in no aspect is its exercise more manifestly seen than in selecting the way and the means by which the prayers of the saints of God are answered. Dictate not to the Lord. If you ask a blessing through a certain channel, or in a prescribed way, let it be with the deepest humility of mind, and with perfect submission to the will of God.
Be satisfied to receive the blessing in any way which a good and covenant God may appoint. Be assured, it will be in that way that will most glorify Himself, and secure to you the greatest amount of blessing.



Octavious Winslow

Prayer....

"We are not to expect that God will give us everything we choose to ask for. We know that sometimes we ask, and do not receive , because we ask amiss. If we ask for that which is not promised - if we run counter to the spirit which the Lord would have us cultivate - if we ask contrary to His will, or to the decrees of His providence - if we ask merely for the gratification of our own ease, and without an eye to His glory, we must not expect that we shall receive it."


C.H. Spurgeon

God's Providence.......

"Providence prospers one, and frustrates the desires of another, in the same business and at the same spot, yet The Great Ruler is as good and wise at one time as another.....let us not envy the more successful, nor murmur at our losses as though we are singularly and specially tried."

C.H. Spurgeon

We will do well to accept and be pleased with the providence of God wherever that may take us.........let us always go in obedience to Him and Him alone.

"As I said before, I wish you success in your business. I would propose nothing inconsistent with a due regard to it. But can I bound my desires for you within such narrow limits? Allow me to wish you more lasting riches, greater honours, and better pleasures than this world can afford. Alas! what a poor acquisition to be what is usually called a thriving man for a few years, and then to drop unawares into an unknown eternity. How often do we see that when a man has just compassed his point, made his fortune, and is about to sit down to enjoy all his heart can wish, he is hastily called away! What a contrast between living to-day in affluence and pleasure, regardless of that great God who has made us, and to-morrow perhaps to be summoned away to appear, naked and alone, before his tribunal, to give an account what use we have made of the talents so long entrusted to us! I pray God to impress the thought upon your heart before it is too late. I cannot but think there will be something within you suggesting while you read, that what I hint may possibly be true."

John Newton

The Old Guys

Enemies.......

The Virtue of Having Enemies "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets." (Luke 6:26) It is no compliment to say about a Christian that he has no enemies, for that is the same as saying he has accomplished nothing. The apostle Paul had many bitter enemies, and they finally got him executed. In fact, almost all of the great heroes of the faith, through all the centuries since Satan gained his victory over Adam and Eve, have had to overcome bitter opposition from that wicked one. So instead of resenting our enemies, we should thank God for them, for they enable us to become more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Only through such experiences can we learn what it means to say, with Paul: "I am crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20). Only if we have enemies can we learn to obey Christ's difficult command to "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). The Lord Jesus easily could have called on twelve legions of angels to rout His enemies (Matthew 26:53). Instead, He submitted to their vicious insults and cruel tortures, even praying in His agony on the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). The enemies of Christ killed Him, but had they not done so, He would not have died for our sins, and we would be lost eternally. This is a mystery to ponder, and difficult to comprehend, yet, as the Bible promises, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee" (Psalm 76:10). The enmity of men can thus be a channel of divine grace to the believer, for "tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3), and "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17). HMM

Opposition......

The World’s Opposition To Christ’s Work

Let all who are attacked by the world for trying to do good, take comfort in the thought that they are only drinking of the cup which Christ drank. Their Master in heaven sympathizes with them. Let them work on patiently, and believe that, if they are faithful, their work will speak for itself. The world’s opposition is sure to attend every really good work. If the servants of Christ are to cease from every movement which the world calls in question, they will soon come to an entire stand-still. If we are to wait until the world approves our plans, and is satisfied with the propriety of our efforts, we shall never do anything on earth.

~ J.C. Ryle

Forsaking the World For Christ

True Christians must make up their minds to trouble in this world. Whether we are ministers or hearers, whether we teach or are taught, it makes little difference. We must carry “a cross.” We must be content to lose even life itself for Christ’s sake. We must submit to the loss of man’s favor, we must endure hardships, we must deny ourselves in many things, or we shall never reach heaven at last. So long as the world, the devil, and our own hearts, are what they are, these things must be so.

~ J.C. Ryle

March 4th.
	COULD THIS BE TRUE OF ME?
"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself." Acts 20:24 It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis. What do I really count dear? If I have not been gripped by Jesus Christ, I will count service dear, time given to God dear, my life dear unto myself. Paul says he counted his life dear only in order that he might fulfil the ministry he had received; he refused to use his energy for any other thing. Acts 20:24 states Paul's almost sublime annoyance at being asked to consider himself; he was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Practical work may be a competitor against abandonment to God, because practical work is based on this argument - Remember how 'useful you are here, or - Think how much value you would be in that particular type of work." That attitude does not put Jesus Christ as the Guide as to where we should go, but our judgment as to where we are of most use. Never consider whether you are of use; but ever consider that you are not your own but His. Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest

Privacy......

Someone recently asked me a very personal question and to tell the truth I was very offended by it. The question was, "have you been fixed?" First of all we are not animals regardless of what the evolutionary textbooks would lead us to believe. We are created in the image of God. So therefore, no I have not been "fixed". Secondly, it's no one's business. Period. Regardless of who you are in relationship to me. That is between my husband and me. Period. Our society has degraded the institution of marriage and family to such a degree that there seems to be no place for intimacy between a husband and wife. No respect or reverence for it. It's all so commonplace. And our children are viewed as a burden and not the blessings that God intended them to be. Whether or not my husband and I are blessed with anymore children is up to God. Period.


In Christ,
Sandy

"Free will I have often heard of, but I have never seen it. I have always met with will,and plenty of it, but it has either been led captive by sin or held in the blessed bonds of grace." 

C. H. Spurgeon

Fulfillment in the Rest of Christ

4 Feb

Be advised, everyone of you who is now seeking rest in the world. Be advised, and come and seek rest in Christ. You have no home, no refuge, no hiding place, no portion. Sickness and death will soon be upon you—and you are unprepared. Be advised, and seek rest in Christ. There is enough in Him and to spare. Who has tried and did not find? A dying Welsh boy said, in broken English, “Jesus Christ is plenty for everybody.” Know your privileges, all you who have come to Christ. You have something solid under foot and something firm under hand. You have a rest even now, and you shall have more abundantly.
~ J.C. Ryle
The Christian Race & Other Sermons, “Come Unto Me”, [Moscow, ID: Charles Nolan Publishing, 2002], 63.

Introduction and Acknowledgement of the Need for Lowliness before God

Of the Second Part of Prayer, which is Confession of Sin, Complaints Regarding Ourselves, and Humble Professions of Repentance

Having ascribed glory to God, which is his due, Psalm 29:2(ESV) we must next take shame to ourselves, which is our due, and humble ourselves before him in the sense of our own sinfulness and vileness; and herein also we must give glory to him, Joshua 7:19(ESV) as our Judge, by whom we deserve to be condemned, and yet hope, through Christ, to be acquitted and absolved.
In this part of our work,

1

We must acknowledge the great reason we have to lie very low before God and to be ashamed of ourselves when we come into his presence and to be afraid of his wrath, having made ourselves both odious to his holiness and obnoxious to his justice.

O our God, we are ashamed and blush to lift our faces to you, our God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our head, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. Ezra 9:6(ESV)
To us belongs open shame, because we have sinned against you. Daniel 9:8(ESV)
Behold we are of small account, what shall we answer you? We lay our hand on our mouth, Job 40:4(ESV) and put our mouth in the dust, for there may yet be hope, Lamentations 3:29(ESV) crying with the convicted leper under the law, “Unclean, unclean.” Leviticus 13:45(ESV)
You put no trust in your holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in your sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, man who drinks injustice like water! Job 15:15-16(ESV)
When our eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts, we have reason to cry out, “Woe to us, for we are lost!” Isaiah 6:5(ESV)
Dominion and fear are with you; you make peace in your high heaven: Is there any number to your armies? Upon whom does your light not arise? How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? Job 25:2-4(ESV)
But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? Psalm 76:7(ESV) You, our God, are a consuming fire; Hebrews 12:29(ESV) and who considers the power of your anger? Psalm 90:11(ESV)
If we claimed to be in the right, our own mouth would condemn us; if we said, “We are blameless,” you would prove us perverse; Job 9:20(ESV) for if you contend with us, we could not answer you once in a thousand times. Job 9:3(ESV)
If we were not aware of anything against ourselves, yet we are not thereby acquitted, for he who judges us is the Lord, 1 Corinthians 4:4(ESV) who is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 1 John 3:20(ESV) But we ourselves know that we have sinned, Father, against heaven and before you, and are no longer worthy to be called your children. Luke 15:21(ESV)

Motivators?

What are yours? I find myself many times doing things for the wrong reason - truly there should be only one reason. Period. To bring glory to God. Period. What are we doing here? Am I living a life of servant hood to bring glory to God? Am I serving my husband to bring glory to God? Am I raising my children to bring glory to God. The questions are seemingly endless. Whatever is done should be done for the express purpose of bringing glory to God. Let us remain mindful of our motivators.

"...for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1Corinthians 6:20 ESV

Consider your Evil Sins in Light of the Mercies and Warnings of God

8.3

The more mercies we have received from God, the greater has been our sin.

You have reared and brought us up as children, but we have rebelled against you. Isaiah 1:2(ESV)
We have ill repaid you, O LORD, as foolish and senseless people: You are our Father who created us, who made us and established us, yet our mark has not been the mark of your children. Deuteronomy 32:5-6(KJV)
We have not made return according to the benefit done to us. 2 Chronicles 32:25(ESV)

8.4

The fairer warning we have had from the word of God and from our own consciences concerning our danger of sin and danger by sin, the greater is the sin if we go on in it.

We have been often reproved, and yet have stiffened our neck, Proverbs 29:1(ESV) and have gone on backsliding in the way of our own heart. Isaiah 57:17(ESV)
You have sent to us, saying, “Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!” But we have not listened or inclined our ear. Jeremiah 44:4-5(ESV)
The word of God has been to us precept upon precept and line upon line; Isaiah 28:13(ESV) and though we have looked intently at our natural faces in a mirror, yet we have gone away and at once forgotten what we were like. James 1:23-24(ESV)

Let us search ourselves this morning and make our calling and election sure, so that the coming of the Lord may cause no dark forebodings in our mind. O for grace to cast away all hypocrisy, and to be found of Him sincere and without rebuke in the day of His appearing.
 C.H. Spurgeon

Nothing is more deadly than self-righteousness, or more hopeful than contrition.

C.H. Sprurgeon

September 27th.
	THE "GO" OF RENUNCIATION
"Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest." Luke 9:57 Our Lord's attitude to this man is one of severe discouragement because He knew what was in man. We would have said - "Fancy losing the opportunity of winning that man!" Fancy bringing about him a north wind that froze him and "turned him away discouraged!" Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to hurt or offend. Jesus Christ has no tenderness whatever toward anything that is ultimately going to ruin a man in the service of God. Our Lord's answers are based not on caprice, but on a knowledge of what is in man. If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you may be sure that there is something He wants to hurt to death. V. 58. These words knock the heart out of serving Jesus Christ because it is pleasing to me. The rigour of rejection leaves nothing but my Lord, and myself, and a forlorn hope. "Let the hundredfold come or go, your lodestar must be your relationship to Me, and I have nowhere to lay My head." v. 59. This man did not want to disappoint Jesus, nor to hurt his father. We put sensitive loyalty to relatives in place of loyalty to Jesus Christ and Jesus has to take the last place. In a conflict of loyalty, obey Jesus Christ at all costs. V. 61. The one who says - "Yes, Lord, but . . ." is the one who is fiercely ready, but never goes. This man had one or two reservations. The exacting call of Jesus Christ has no margin of good-byes, because good-bye, as it is often used, is pagan, not Christian. When once the call of God comes, begin to go and never stop going. Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest

'to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Acts 26:18

ESV

"The lives that have been of most blessing to you are those who were unconscious of it."

Oswald Chambers

My Utmost for His Highest

If you are not right with God.......

ARE YOU EVER DISTURBED?

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you." John 14:27 There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever "spirit and life." Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? "My peace I give unto you" - it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness. Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God's providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security. Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you. But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him, and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled." Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest

This Evening's Meditation

C. H. Spurgeon

"And they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall."—Nehemiah 3:8.

ITIES well fortified have broad walls, and so had Jerusalem in her glory. The New Jerusalem must, in like manner, be surrounded and preserved by a broad wall of nonconformity to the world, and separation from its customs and spirit. The tendency of these days break down the holy barrier, and make the distinction between the church and the world merely nominal. Professors are no longer strict and Puritanical, questionable literature is read on all hands, frivolous pastimes are currently indulged, and a general laxity threatens to deprive the Lord's peculiar people of those sacred singularities which separate them from sinners. It will be an ill day for the church and the world when the proposed amalgamation shall be complete, and the sons of God and the daughters of men shall be as one: then shall another deluge of wrath be ushered in. Beloved reader, be it your aim in heart, in word, in dress, in action to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the friendship of this world is enmity against God. The broad wall afforded a pleasant place of resort for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from which they could command prospects of the surrounding country. This reminds us of the Lord's exceeding broad commandments, in which we walk at liberty in communion with Jesus, overlooking the scenes of earth, and looking out towards the glories of heaven. Separated from the world, and denying ourselves all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, we are nevertheless not in prison, nor restricted within narrow bounds; nay, we walk at liberty, because we keep His precepts. Come, reader, this evening walk with God in His statutes. As friend met friend upon the city wall, so meet thou thy God in the way of holy prayer and meditation. The bulwarks of salvation thou hast a right to traverse, for thou art a freeman of the royal burgh, a citizen of the metropolis of the universe.

When there has been the slightest deviation from the will of God, we begin to ask - What is Thy will?

Oswald Chambers

"He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord." 

Micah 5:4

In the last days there will come times of difficulty. People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
2 Timothy 3:1-5

again....

^"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless."
James 1:26 ESV


"And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell."
James 3:6 ESV

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
Titus 2:3-5

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,  backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Romans 1:28-32

Renew your mind

"Give yourself to this. Immerse yourself in the written Word of God; saturate your mind with it. And pray that the Spirit of Christ would make you so new that the spillover would be good, acceptable, and perfect—the will of God."

JohnPiper
Desiring God

Listen to the sermon here

Blessings,
Sandy

"Often depression of spirit and great misery of soul are removed as soon as we quit our idols and bow ourselves in obedience before the living God." 

C.H. Spurgeon

"Christians must see children as gifts from God, not as projects. We should see marriage and parenthood as a stewardship and privilege, not as a mere lifestyle choice. We must resist the cultural seductions and raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and understand family life as a crucible for holiness, not an experiment in happiness." Read the entire article here

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

“It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others.”

C.H. Spurgeon

yet another Chambers.....

	THE GREAT PROBING
"Ye cannot serve the Lord." Joshua 24:19 Have you the slightest reliance on anything other than God? Is there a remnant of reliance left on any natural virtue, any set of circumstances? Are you relying on yourself in any particular in this new proposition which God has put before you? That is what the probing means. It is quite true to say - "I cannot live a holy life," but you can decide to let Jesus Christ make you holy. "Ye cannot serve the Lord God"; but you can put yourself in the place where God's almighty power will come through you. Are you sufficiently right with God to expect Him to manifest His wonderful life in you? "Nay, but we will serve the Lord." It is not an impulse, but a deliberate commitment. You say - But God can never have called me to this, I am too unworthy, it can't mean me. It does mean you, and the weaker and feebler you are, the better. The one who has something to trust in is the last one to come anywhere near saying - "I will serve the Lord." We say - "If I really could believe!" The point is - If I really will believe. No wonder Jesus Christ lays such emphasis on the sin of unbelief. "And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." If we really believed that God meant what He said - what should we be like! Dare I really let God be to me all that He says He will be? Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest

Be mindful of your conversations........

^"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless."
James 1:26 ESV


"And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell."
James 3:6 ESV

ONE OF GOD'S GREAT DON'TS
"Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing." Psalm 37:8 (R.V.) Fretting means getting out at elbows mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say "Fret not," but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret. It sounds so easy to talk about "resting in the Lord" and "waiting patiently for Him" until the nest is upset - until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish, is it possible then to rest in the Lord? If this "don't" does not work there, it will work nowhere. This "don't" must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else's case. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself. Fussing always ends in sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not "out" to realize His own ideas; He was "out" to realize God's ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God. Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all "supposing" on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God. Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest

Do it now....

June 30th.
DO IT NOW
"Agree with thine adversary quickly." Matthew 5:25 Jesus Christ is laying down this principle - Do what you know you must do, now, and do it quickly; if you do not, the inevitable process will begin to work and you will have to pay to the last farthing in pain and agony and distress. God's laws are unalterable; there is no escape from them. The teaching of Jesus goes straight to the way we are made up. To see that my adversary gives me my rights is natural; but Jesus says that it is a matter of eternal and imperative importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord's standpoint it does not matter whether I am defrauded or not; what does matter is that I do not defraud. Am I insisting on my rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ's standpoint? Do the thing quickly, bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must do it at once; if you do not, the inexorable process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure and clean and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will prevent none of the working of His spirit. Our insistence in proving that we are right is nearly always an indication that there has been some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit so strongly urges to keep steadfastly in the light! "Agree with thine adversary quickly." Have you suddenly turned a corner in any relationship and found that you had anger in your heart? Confess it quickly, quickly put it right before God, be reconciled to that one - do it now. Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

 Jim Elliot

self...

How long is it going to take God to free us from the morbid habit of thinking about ourselves? We must get sick unto death of ourselves, until there is no longer any surprise at anything God can tell us about ourselves. We cannot touch the depths of meanness in ourselves. There is only one place where we are right, and that is in Christ Jesus. When we are there, then we have to pour out for all we are worth in this ministry of the interior.

Oswald Chambers

"Modern American dating is no more than glorified divorce practice."

Voddie Baucham

What is first in your life? May 31st.
	GOD FIRST
Put God First in Trust. "Jesus did not commit Himself unto them . . . for He knew what was in man."  John 2:24-25 Our Lord trusted no man; yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, never in despair about any man, because He put God first in trust; He trusted absolutely in what God's grace could do for any man. If I put my trust in human beings first, I will end in despairing of everyone; I will become bitter, because I have insisted on man being what no man ever can be - absolutely right. Never trust anything but the grace of God in yourself or in anyone else. Put God's Needs First. "Lo, I come to do Thy will, 0 God."  Hebrews 10:9 A man's obedience is to what he sees to be a need; Our Lord's obedience was to the will of His Father. The cry to-day is - "We must get some work to do; the heathen are dying without God; we must go and tell them of Him." We have to see first of all that God's needs in us personally are being met. "Tarry ye until. . . ." The purpose of this College is to get us rightly related to the needs of God. When God's needs in us have been met, then He will open the way for us to realize His needs elsewhere. Put God's Trust First. "And whoso receiveth one such little child in my name receiveth Me."  Matthew 18:5 God's trust is that He gives me Himself as a babe. God expects my personal life to be a "Bethlehem." Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transfigured by the indwelling life of the Son of God? God's ultimate purpose is that His Son might be manifested in my mortal flesh. Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest

Noah Dalton...

compassion...

“Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.”

Francis Schaeffer

a sobering thought..........

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 5:21-22
NKJV

"Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions."

G.K. Chesterton

Early Light Devotional - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

Early Light Devotional - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

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Suffering...

	YE ARE NOT YOUR OWN
"Know ye not that . . ye are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19 There is no such thing as a private life - "a world within the world" - for a man or woman who is brought into fellowship with Jesus Christ's sufferings. God breaks up the private life of His saints, and makes it a thoroughfare for the world on the one hand and for Himself on the other. No human being can stand that unless he is identified with Jesus Christ. We are not sanctified for ourselves, we are called into the fellowship of the Gospel, and things happen which have nothing to do with us, God is getting us into fellowship with Himself. Let Him have His way, if you do not, instead of being of the slightest use to God in His Redemptive work in the world, you will be a hindrance and a clog. The first thing God does with us is to get us based on rugged Reality until we do not care what becomes of us individually as long as He gets His way for the purpose of His Redemption. Why shouldn't we go through heartbreaks? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us fall and collapse at the first grip of pain; we sit down on the threshold of God's purpose and die away of self-pity, and all so called Christian sympathy will aid us to our death bed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, and says - "Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine." If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.

Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest

Content.....

Be content to live unknown for a little while, and to walk your weary way through the fields of poverty, or up the hills of affliction; for by-and-by you shall reign with Christ, for He has "made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever." 

C.H. Spurgeon

On a mission....

Two members of our church family are currently in Vietnam. Please take a minute to say a prayer for them. Here is a link to the blog if you'd like to follow along. Going Back With God

Be on guard against false teaching.....

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:1 NKJV

No minor details...

April 15th.
	THE RELAPSE OF CONCENTRATION
"But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days." 2 Chronicles 15:17 Asa was incomplete in his external obedience, he was right in the main but not entirely right. Beware of the thing of which you say - "Oh, that does not matter much." The fact that it does not matter much to you may mean that it matters a very great deal to God. Nothing is a light matter with a child of God. How much longer are some of us going to keep God trying to teach us one thing? He never loses patience. You say - "I know I am right with God"; but still the "high places" remain, there is something over which you have not obeyed. Are you protesting that your heart is right with God, and yet is there something in your life about which He has caused you to doubt? Whenever there is doubt, quit immediately, no matter what it is. Nothing is a mere detail. Are there some things in connection with your bodily life, your intellectual life, upon which you are not concentrating at all? You are all right in the main but you are slipshod; there is a relapse on the line of concentration. You no more need a holiday from spiritual concentration than your heart needs a holiday from beating. You cannot have a moral holiday and remain moral, nor can you have a spiritual holiday and remain spiritual. God wants you to be entirely His, and this means that you have to watch to keep yourself fit. It takes a tremendous amount of time. Some of us expect to "clear the numberless ascensions" in about two minutes. Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest

Judge not....

The First Stone

April 10, 2010

 

"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

 

When the self-righteous men in the crowd surrounding the woman caught in the act of adultery were about to stone the woman (apparently indifferent to the man with whom she had been caught!), the Lord Jesus turned them all away with His suggestion that the privilege of casting the first stone should go to one who was without sin of his own (John 8:7). They realized that He knew the condition of their sinful hearts, and "being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one" (John 8:9).

 

This incident is a perpetual reminder that "the Father . . . hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5:22), not to any one of us. We are not qualified to judge others, since we ourselves are also sinners--saved sinners, perhaps, but sinners.

 

One of the most certain doctrines of Scripture is the universality of sin in human experience. "There is none that doeth good, no, not one," the Scripture says (Romans 3:12). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). "The Scripture hath concluded all under sin" (Galatians 3:22). "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). These and many other Scriptures tell us clearly that, while we urgently need to judge sin in ourselves, we are not qualified to condemn others, at least not on a personal level.

 

Only the Lord Jesus Christ, being Himself sinless (1 Peter 2:22), can judge a sinner. Thus it is only He who could be made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and thereby forgive sins and bring salvation. HMM
 
Days of Praise
Institute for Creation Research

Be on guard....

"Whenever a man is about to stab religion, he usually professes very great reverence for it. Let me beware of the sleek-faced hypocrisy which is armour-bearer to heresy and infidelity." 

From this morning's Spurgeon devotion.

so true...

..."when you come to the most beautiful places you are often too anxious and hurried to appreciate them"

C.S. Lewis
The Horse and His Boy

Master ambition?

March 17th.
	THE WORKER'S RULING PASSION
"Wherefore we labour that . . we may be accepted of Him." 2 Corinthians 5:9 "Wherefore we labour . . . ." It is arduous work to keep the master ambition in front. It means holding one's self to the high ideal year in and year out, not being ambitious to win souls or to establish churches or to have revivals, but being ambitious only to be "accepted of Him." It is not lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but lack of labouring to keep the ideal right. Once a week at least take stock before God and see whether you are keeping your life up to the standard He wishes. Paul is like a musician who does not heed the approval of the audience if he can catch the look of approval from his Master. Any ambition which is in the tiniest degree away from this central one of being "approved unto God" may end in our being castaways. Learn to discern where the ambition leads, and you will see why it is so necessary to live facing the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says - "Lest my body should make me take another line, I am constantly watching so that I may bring it into subjection and keep it under." (1 Cor. 9:27.) I have to learn to relate everything to the master ambition, and to maintain it without any cessation. My worth to God in public is what I am in private. Is my master ambition to please Him and be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how noble?

Oswald Chambers

Ready for spring.....

Can you pick and choose?

 No. But many people are doing just that. That is, taking certain parts of scripture and conforming it to man's ideas. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins should we not also believe the rest of the Bible? The text below is from The Institute for Creation Research. We dishonor God by not believing all of His Word.

The Beginning of the Creation

March 13, 2010

"But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." (Mark 10:6)

These words of the Lord Jesus Christ ought to settle once and for all, for those who take His words seriously, the controversial question of the age of the earth. The earth was created essentially at the same time, He said, as the creation of Adam and Eve. Christ was quoting from Genesis 1:27: "male and female created He them." This greatest of God's creative works was "from the beginning of the creation," not 18 billion years after the beginning of the creation, as modern old-earth advocates allege.

One can understand why atheists believe in evolution and an almost infinitely old universe, for they really have no other alternative. One who believes in a personal God, on the other hand, only dishonors God if he believes such humanistic speculations rather than God's Word. God is omniscient and omnipotent, as well as loving and merciful, and He would never do anything like this. The great ages assumed by evolutionary geologists supposedly involved billions of years of suffering and dying by billions of animals before man ever evolved. Surely this would have been the most inefficient, wasteful, and cruel method that ever could have been devised for "creating" human beings. Since man's creation was God's main purpose, there is no conceivable reason why He would waste billions of years in such a meaningless charade as this before getting to the point.

In fact, the only reason He took six days instead of an instant of time was to serve as a pattern for man's work week (Exodus 20:8-11). In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ was not only a creationist, but was Himself the Creator of all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; etc.). Therefore, He is the best possible witness as to when He created man and woman, and He said it was "from the beginning of the creation!" HMM

Institute for Creation Research  March 13th, 2010

Are you a good person?

The Good Person Test

Are you complacent?

com·pla·cen·cy

–noun,plural-cies.

1.

a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.

May we never  find ourselves here. But I think that for many of us this is exactly where we are. It is a dangerous place to be and one with eternal consequences. Really think about this. Are you satisfied with the way things are, with the way society is? What about yourself and those you love? Have you given into the  "that's just the way it is" mentality?

 

Take some time....

Please take a moment to look at the Joshua project for today. Please pray for unreached people everyday. This group is from Sydney's home province of Guizhou China. If you click on the sidebar it will take to the home page where you can learn more about this group and their beautiful country.

Blessings,
Sandy

Too much?

I think not.....

Deuteronomy 6:7
"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." KJV


We can never have too much of God - our problem is not having enough....

A bad eye?

"What does the bad eye refer to in Matthew 20:15? It refers to an eye that cannot see the beauty of grace. It cannot see the brightness of generosity. It cannot see unexpected blessing to others as a precious treasure. It is an eye that is blind to what is truly beautiful and bright and precious and God-like. It is a worldly eye. It sees money and material reward as more to be desired than a beautiful display of free, gracious, God-like generosity."


(from John Piper - Desiring God)

See the full article here.

Wordless Wednesday.....

 

 

 

Walking in the darkness....

We've all been there - stumbling around in the dark, trying to find our way through. Eventually though, our eyes become accustomed to the dark and we begin to feel pretty sure of ourselves. Pretty soon we feel confident walking in the dark - we don't even bother to turn the light on.

That's how it is spiritually - we've grown used to the darkness. It's become the new normal. We've walked around in the "dark" for so long we don't even bother with the Light. We need God's word to guide our way. Don't stumble your way through life in the "dark".

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path"
Psalm 119:105 NKJV

Blessings,
Sandy

Kitchen helper.....

I have several kitchen helpers - some are more eager to help than others. This particular day it  was Bert's turn to "clean" the peanut butter jar! You know how you just can't get that last little bit and I hate to waste it, so my helpers take care of that! After wards they all have a new toy to share - for a little while at least!

Happy Birthday Sydney!

Sydney turned 6 Feb. 9th! She has grown so much since she came home but in many ways is still the same little toddler.....She had a great birthday with lots of surprises! We love you, Syd!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Sydney's birthday! She shares her birthday with another sweet girl - Romy.  This picture was taken taken in December of 2006. My how everyone has changed! Happy birthday to both of you. Haley was SO excited.....

New friends....

The  numerous cardinals have taken up residence here! And of course, God has shown me another similarity between us and the birds. It's amazing how God teaches us if we will only listen! The birds realize that they have shelter here. They have food and water and an occasional treat. Once they realized this, they decided to stay - they like it here. The more time spent in their new sanctuary the less likely they are to leave. They have found a safe place. And so it is with us and God. The more time we spend with Him, the more we want to stay with Him. The more time we spend with Him, the more we come to know Him. Have you found a home with God or has He just become an occasional place to stop if you need something? Take time today and everyday to be with God. Set aside time - make time. Start your day with God. After all, He is the One that gave it to you. Spend time with your creator, find sanctuary in Him.

Blessings,
Sandy

Where have you fallen?

"And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it."
Luke 8:7 NKJV

We must guard ourselves against the thorns of this world. We must be careful how we spend our time. Are we spending it glorifying and worshiping God as we were created to do? Or have we found ourselves caught up in other things? Where does your time spent with God compare with your time spent watching TV or the internet? I would venture to say that many secular Christians spend more time picking out what they'll wear to church than they do reading God's word. There are thorns all around us, be careful not to let them choke out your time spent with God.

Happy Birthday Haley!

Haley "Bean" turned 8 Jan. 22nd! She had a great birthday with friends and family! The turtle cake  was her cute idea! How sweet! We love you Haley!

Fine feathered friends....

The ducks found themselves with a frozen pond this morning and decided to venture out to the creek. So, it's with a heavy heart that we say farewell - the dogs killed ALL 3 ducks and my sweet Neil is broken hearted .......

Do not worry.........

A wonderful devotion for today and always!

Chip In for Asher!

Happy Birthday Cole!

Cole turned 9 on January 3rd! What a privilege to be this boy's mommy! I've been blessed beyond measure. We love you Cole Parker!

Early Light Devotional - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

Early Light Devotional - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

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A Gift.....

When a man is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

The name...

It's been snowing here for the past few days. The other day while looking out the kitchen window I was struck by the most beautiful sight of a cardinal in the snow. The snow was coming down hard and all I could see was this beautiful bird. It came to me through this stark contrast that Jesus has saved me. By HIS blood - I am a new creation made white as snow. Hence the new name. It's still snowing and I'm finding more and more parallels with the birds in the snow and our lives. Whether we realize it or not we are looking for shelter, a safe place to go and be. We have that shelter through Christ and while we must endure the storms of life, God will not leave us, for we find our shelter in Him through Christ. One more thought that came to mind was the fact that like the "cardinal" in the snow, we should be seen. We should we set apart from the world. If we look and do as the world then we cannot look and do as Christ. We are called to be set apart - we should be "different" from the world.

By the blood....

of Christ we are made white as snow.......

New year, new name.....

As we have officially outgrown our "clown car",  I thought a new name was fitting - for now anyway......

Merry Christmas!

In Christ,
Sandy

sunset......

Thankful........

for everything we have! This week we've been learning about the 1st Thanksgiving and have done several cute projects. This was the favorite! I found this cute edible craft over at econobusters. These are Pilgrim's hats - the photo doesn't do them justice - I got a little too close.

The eyes have it.....

I love close up shots of eyes!

 

 

 

 

Roosters and chickens and EGGS! OH MY!

Neil's hens have started laying eggs!

 

 

 

 

Ducks in the pond!

 

 

Cousin It!

 

 

Crazy hair day!

This is what homeschoolers do after a Science lesson on hair.....