Precious In His Sight: (Part 1…You And 2,265 Others)

January 30, 2011 at 7:39 pm (Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Guidance, Joy, Lighter Burdens., Love, Our Unchanging God, Peace, Praise, Restoration, Sovereignty of God, Thanksgiving, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture Reference;

Psalm 72

¹Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

²He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

³The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

⁴He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

⁵They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

⁶He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

⁷In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

⁸He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

⁹They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

¹⁰The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

¹¹Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

¹²For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

¹³He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

¹⁴He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

¹⁵And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

¹⁶There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

¹⁷His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

¹⁸Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

¹⁹And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

²⁰The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

I was feeling so lonely and sad this morning…even an hour ago. I had a great longing to be in the midst of other worshipers, but I wasn’t able to join them. I wept and I prayed. I sat down with a heavy heart full of burdens and decided to look at facebook. This is what I saw:

“JAN-30…WHAT IS YOUR PRAYER REQUEST FOR SUNDAY? Please “Comment”

I decided to comment and this is what I said:

” I need guidance, and wisdom, and comfort.”

Then I clicked on “Like”. Then I saw this:

“You And 2,265 others like this”

Then I clicked on “View all ?,??? comments (I can’t remember the number…only the number of digits.). When I did that I was taken to a page where I could view just fifty of them. The thing that I noticed as I scrolled down the page was that each comment was less than five minutes old. I marveled at the fact that on facebook alone there were that many voices calling on the Lord. Do we have any idea how vast our congregation really is? I also thought about the people that go to that site not to type a request, but to pray for one…or more.

We truly are not alone, but are forever surrounded by a cloud of many witnesses. To be numbered with them is an honor that I was taking for granted. The Lord has restored my joy, and I am smiling as I type. He is my portion and I will praise Him this very minute!

I found a version of one of my favorite songs on youtube that was so pretty. I hope it blesses you!

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go to http://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!

14 Comments

Evidence of Love: (Part 2 What Can Separate You?)

January 30, 2011 at 4:02 am (Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Guidance, Healing, Lighter Burdens., Love, Our Unchanging God, Peace, Sovereignty of God, When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying.)

Scripture References;

Romans 8

¹There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

³For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

⁴That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

⁵For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

⁸So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

¹⁰And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

¹¹But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

¹²Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

¹³For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

¹⁶The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

¹⁷And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

²⁰For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

²¹Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

²⁴For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

²⁵But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

²⁶Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

²⁹For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

³⁰Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

³¹What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

³²He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

³³Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

³⁴Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹ You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:1-18 NIV

Sometimes it is just best to share the word.

What Can Separate You By Babbie Mason

His love reached from the heavens to the far ends of the earth,
to give you life forever, He left no stone unturned.
And before the birth of time, Jesus had you on His mind,
so you never need to question His concern.

Chorus:
So what can separate you from the precious love of God?
And who could ever come against His strong and perfect love?
So when you’re in the valley, and your nights are cold and lonely,
The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
Remember nothing can separate you from God’s love.
He numbered each and every star and calls them all by name.
He counts them one by one and sees that they are still in place.
If He cares for every star, then He sees right where you are.
You can trust you’ll never fall from His embrace.

Chorus

So what can separate you from the precious love of God?
Who could ever come against His strong and perfect love?
So when you’re in the valley, and your nights are cold and lonely,
The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
Remember nothing can separate you…

Bridge:
Neither pain nor sorrow, not today and not tomorrow, nothing past or nothing present, nothing future, nothing ever.

Chorus

Remember nothing can separate you from the precious love of God.
Remember nothing could ever come against His strong and perfect love.
So when you’re in the valley and your nights are cold and lonely,
The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
Remember nothing… absolutely nothing, oooooooh remember nothing can separate you from God’s love.

Aren’t the words beautiful? Here is the link so you can here her singing it:

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=1MECJNNU

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

9 Comments

Evidence of Love: (Part 1 Something Old-Something New)

January 28, 2011 at 12:59 am (Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Healing, Holy Spirit, Joy, Lighter Burdens., Love, My Songs, Our Unchanging God, Peace, Praise, Restoration, The Greatest Commandment, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture references;

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 KJV

¹²But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:¹³Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:12-14 KJV

¹⁶And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. John 1:12-16 KJV

²²Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.²³For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.²⁴God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;²⁵Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;²⁶And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;²⁷That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:²⁸For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Acts 17: 22-28 KJV

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.²⁷And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. Ezekiel 36:26-27 KJV

⁹The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are overall his works. Psalm 145:9 KJV

¹⁰Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

¹⁶And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

¹⁹We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:10, 14,16, and 19 KJV

It really is something to pause and consider…that God so loved the world. He is forever using a multitude of ways to express it to us. His love never ends! I first heard this song in either 1994 or 1995…a long time ago. I still love it so much…sing it around the house a lot. I hope it blesses you as much as it has blessed me.

Evidence of Love by First Call

It is written in the colors
Of a thousand autumn twilights
Painted in the eyes of a child
Spoken as forgiveness
By an honest open hand
It’s the friend
Who will walk the extra mile

It’s the giving
Where there is not enough
There is everywhere
The evidence of love

Open your eyes
And look upon the handiwork of God
Open your soul
And feel the breath of glory all around
For everywhere there’s evidence of love

It’s living in the rich earth
Waving in the wind
It’s music that moves us to believe
And dying in a small town
Knowing where true life begins
It’s hope beyond what we can see

It’s the mercy
When tears are not enough
There is everywhere
The evidence of love

Repeat Chorus

A simple crucifix hanging on the wall
Everywhere
There’s evidence of love

Just click on the link below and listen to this beautiful song!

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=7PDDYPNX

So what do you think? If you were asked to write another verse to this song what would you say? The Lord’s love is continually woven in every work He does… in every moment of our lives. I am pausing just now to try to take that thought in, and appreciate it. If I could write another verse what would I write? Hmmm…

It was there in the beginning

And it came to dwell within

The new hearts it gave to you and me

And in the quiet moments

when we think we have no friends

It’s sweet and comforting, you see

He is present

He’s really quite enough

He fills the longing heart

With evidence of love

…Well, I’m a little out of practice. It has been awhile since I tried to write a song. I prayed for the Lord’s leading and that is the result. I hope it blesses you today.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

23 Comments

A Large Place

January 25, 2011 at 9:59 pm (Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Guidance, Lighter Burdens., Our Unchanging God, Peace, Praise, Restoration, Sins, Sovereignty of God, Thanksgiving, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture References;

⁵I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. Psalm 118:5 KJV

¹Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.²For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.³For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.⁵For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.⁶But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)⁷Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)⁸But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.¹¹For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.¹²For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.¹³For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:1-13KJV

²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.²⁹My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.³⁰I and my Father are one. John 10:27-29

Psalm 118

¹O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

²Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

³Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

⁴Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

⁵I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.

⁶The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

⁷The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

⁸It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

⁹It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.

¹¹They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

¹²They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

¹³Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.

¹⁴The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

¹⁶The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

¹⁷I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

¹⁸The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:

²⁰This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.

²¹I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

²²The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

²³This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

²⁶Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

²⁷God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

²⁸Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

²⁹O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 118 KJV

The Lord’s salvation is a very large place indeed! His right hand most certainly does valiantly. Like in Noah’s day ( all who entered the ark, the Lord shut them in)…it is the same today…we are in his hand and no one plucks them out from that very large place. How Large is the Lord’s hand? The Ark had specific measurements. The city in Heaven has specific measurements. The Bible lists them. His hand has measurements, too, but if there is a Bible verse that lists them I am not aware of it. That is okay with me. It’s a one-size-fits-all who call on him kind of hand, and I am so glad to be in it. Are you in it? Are you sure? Why don’t you make sure. Click on the link about salvation below (at the bottom of this post) if you are unsure.

Perhaps you have called on the Lord and have been born again. We might be in His hand, but all of the glory is due to Jesus. Where is your confidence? Is it in “Jesus” or “Jesus… and”. We are not to put our hope in “mixtures”. Be careful!… pride is deceitful. Yes, we are to follow. Yes, we are to obey. Yes, we are to confess our sins. Those are all very good works the Lord instructs us to do. However, we are NOT saved by works of any kind, but by grace:

¹And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

²Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

³Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

⁶And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

⁷That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10 KJV

We must guard against pride and never forget that we are His workmanship. Rest in that knowledge…and sincerely pray “Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory. Amen.

Jesus I come by William T Sleeper

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair, into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

12 Comments

Peace (Part 2…A Psalm And A Song Of Rest)

January 24, 2011 at 12:45 am (Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Guidance, Healing, Joy, Lighter Burdens., Our Unchanging God, Patience, Peace, Praise, Restoration, Sovereignty of God, Thanksgiving, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture reference;

Psalm 23 (King James Version)

Psalm 23

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Below is a song I used to sing as a solo special in church. I do not know who originally recorded it. I will look later and see if I can find a version of it on youtube to put up, so you can listen. I hope it blesses you today. Sing it. Meditate on it. Pray it….Rest and Rejoice in it! 🙂

Lord You Are My Shepherd Lyrics

Vineyard Music

Lord, you are my shepherd
And I shall not be in want
You make me lie down
In pastures green
You lead me gently
Beside quiet waters
And you restore my soul

Lord you lead me
In your paths of righteousness
And you lead me
Through darkness and pain
Because you lead me
I will fear no evil
Because you comfort me
I will not fear

You prepare my table
Though evil is close at hand
You have anointed me
My cup overflows
Surely your goodness
Will follow me all my days
And I will dwell with you

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

12 Comments

Peace (Part 1…Like a Little Child)

January 23, 2011 at 6:07 pm (Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Healing, Holy Spirit, Lighter Burdens., Love, Our Unchanging God, Peace, When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying.)

Originally posted on April 12, 2010 at 1:37 pm

Scripture references;

LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I do not get involved with things too great or too difficult for me. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself like a little weaned child with its mother; I am like a little child. Israel, put your hope in the LORD, both now and forever. Psalm131 HCSB

I just love Psalm 131! Sometimes we can go to a quiet place where we can literally be very still and bask in that comfort. Other times we just can’t. We have to get dressed, get in that car and go to places that are busy, that present us with tasks to be done, and so many things that require our attention. But we forget that the Lord goes with His children, and we can close our eyes for a moment and return to that place described in the above Psalm. I so often forget that. I might quickly send up a prayer, but I fail to truly avail myself of that privilege. It is my prayer today that I will remember to go there when I am feeling overwhelmed.

Below are a couple songs that I hope will bless you. If you will scroll way down you can play a beautiful and heart stirring version of “I Will Rest in You”. Please take a moment and experience a wonderful moment basking in the Spirit.

He Whispers Sweet Peace to Me

Sometime when misgivings darken the day
And faith’s light I cannot see
I ask my dear Lord to brighten the way
He whispers sweet peace to me (to me)

He whispers sweet peace to me (yes He whispers to me)
He whispers sweet peace to me (He whispers sweet peace to me)
When I am cast down in spirit and soul
He whispers sweet peace to me (to me)

He speaks through His word, assurance He gives
I’m His and I know He’s mine
And safe in the fold my soul He will keep
I’ll rest in His love divine (divine)

I Will Rest in You

Lord, I’m in the dark,
Seems to me the line is dead when I come calling.
No one there, the sky is falling;

Lord, I need to know.
My mind is playing games again,
You’re right where You have always been.

Take me back to You,
The place that I once knew as a little child;
Constantly the eyes of God watched over me.
Oh, I want to be
In the place that I once knew as a little child,
Fall into the bed of faith prepared for me.

I will rest in You,
I will rest in You,
I will rest in You.

Tell me I’m a fool,
Tell me that You love me for the fool I am,
[And*] comfort me like only You can,
And tell me there’s a place
Where I can feel Your breath
Like sweet caresses on my face again.

I will rest in You,
I will rest in You,
I will rest in You.

La la la la You.
La la la la la.
La la la la la-ah.
(You,) You la la la la You.
La la la la la-ah. (You.)

Take me back to You.
The place that I once knew as a little child;
Constantly the eyes of God watched over me
Oh, I want to be
In the place that I once knew as a little child,
Fall into the bed of faith prepared for me.

I will rest in You,
I will rest in You,
I will rest in You.

Oh, la la la la la
I will rest in You.
(I) I will rest in You. (in You)
I will rest in You. (Sweet caresses)
I will rest in You.
I will rest in You.
(So take me back to You)
I will rest in You (I, I)
I will rest in You.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

9 Comments

Shifting Gears-New Habits

January 22, 2011 at 2:58 pm (About Sin, Assurance, Contentment, Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Guidance, Holy Spirit, Homeschooling, Joy, Judging, Life, Lighter Burdens., Our Unchanging God, Parenting, Patience, Praise, Relaxed Homeschooling, Sins, Thanksgiving, The Greatest Commandment, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

originally posted on January 11, 2010 at 11:19 pm

Scripture References;

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2 HCSB

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. Psalm 37:23-24 KJV

The 10 Lepers

¹¹ While traveling to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As He entered a village, 10 men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴ When He saw them, He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were healed.

¹⁵ But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. ¹⁶ He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Then Jesus said, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19

I was thinking about habits and realized something.

I have had 6 different cars so far in my life, and they all had automatic transmissions. Some of them had bucket seats, and the shifter was between them. Others had the shifter that was up by the steering wheel. Every time I would get a new car that shifted differently I would find myself automatically making the motion that I was used to making when I had the car with the different shifter. It was a habit I had learned so well that it was automatic. Then after awhile I would get used to the new car and learn the new habit, and it would soon become “automatic”.

In life we learn so many habits, both good and bad, that soon become automatic responses to all kinds of situations. Many of our habits are ways that we think. We automatically follow certain paths of logic when considering things. But sometimes our logic is faulty, negative and unfair to ourselves and others, and even worse- to the Lord.

One terrible habit is thinking that we cannot change. We CAN change our thinking, and our habits! The Bible teaches this. Proverbs 3:5-7 sums it all up:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

Jesus CAN guide our paths which include our habits! Does this mean that Christians may reach some level of perfection this side of heaven where they will never again catch themselves in a wrong thought, word, or action? No, what it does mean, is that as we make it our habit to go to the Lord from time to time each day in prayer seeking his guidance and strength (acknowledging Him in all our ways), we will in time experience a degree of transformation that will be noticeable by both ourselves and even others, and when we do realize that we have sinned we will as a result, be more apt to run to Jesus than to try run from Him.

I am on a roll today and have one more thing to add. You know, in the day that Jesus had his earthly ministry there were those who were afflicted with leprosy, a devastating disease. They were considered “unclean” and had to cry out “Unclean!” whenever someone approached them, and they had to live away from others, quarantined. I’m sure it soon became a habit for them to cry out those words. I wonder if the lepers who had been healed ever found themselves beginning to speak that phrase for awhile until they became accustomed to their new condition?

We, too, can often forget that we have been cleansed, forgiven…”changed” in the Lord’s eyes, and behave in a way that just isn’t necessary or even desirable. We can even have memories of sins committed many years ago that we confessed and repented from and find ourselves once again “feeling” guilt and shame. Then consequently, we might “feel” like we need to confess them again as if we were never forgiven. But Praise the Lord! if we will go to Jesus in prayer and study, He really will renew our minds, and as a result, our self image and our habits (which might even included seeing “canceled” sin and doubting that we have been forgiven). He can help us exchange the habits of the flesh that bring guilt and shame with habits of the Spirit which bring peace, contentment, and joy! We can and should do this daily, and even throughout the day. Would I call this a duty? No, I call it a privilege!

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

24 Comments

Tablets: A Few Thoughts Regarding “The Greatest Commandment”

January 19, 2011 at 4:27 pm (Assurance, Devoted To My Daughter, Devoted To My Son, Devotional Thoughts., Family, Guidance, Homeschooling, Lighter Burdens., Parenting, Praise, Relaxed Homeschooling, Sins, The Greatest Commandment, Transformation., When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

originally posted on May 7, 2010 at 12:57 pm

Scripture References;

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-38 KJV

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 KJV

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 KJV

¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15 KJV

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Psalm 145:18 KJV

What if we got a small tablet and pencil and kept it with us each day? Then, what if we earnestly prayed first thing each morning that the Lord would have his way in our hearts, minds, and our lives?

Then, what if each time we noticed that we were about to dwell on something that we shouldn’t have been dwelling on, we confessed it to the Lord and thanked Him for showing it to us? Then, if the thought was about a person; pray that the Lord would have his way in their heart, mind, and life?

Then what if we wrote down briefly what we prayed about, and at the end of the day we read all that had been written, but instead of feeling ashamed about the number of times that we “started” to think something bad, we felt thankful and glad that the Lord made us able to turn those moments of thought into moments of prayer, and realized that this new pattern of behavior was the result of the Lord answering the first prayer we prayed that day?

Then finally, what if we thought about how wonderful it is that the Holy Spirit is really active in the hearts of those who have put their trust in Jesus, and be glad?

Why don’t you give it a try? It matters not who you are, where you have been, or what you’ve been up to, whether you are a church goer or not; the Lord is very near to all who call on Him. The message is so simple (John 3:16). If you have never prayed before just believe the message, and call on Him in prayer (receive Him). Go ahead…

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

18 Comments

A Song To Pray…And Some Thoughts About The Potter

January 16, 2011 at 11:29 pm (Assurance, Devotional Thoughts., Forgiveness, Guidance, Our Unchanging God, Patience, Praise, Restoration, Sovereignty of God, Thanksgiving, Transformation., When you are afraid, When You Feel Like Crying., Wisdom)

Scripture References;

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16 KJV

⁶But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.⁷And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.⁸But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.⁹Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Isaiah 64:6-9 KJV

¹⁶Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,¹⁷Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.¹⁸Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:¹⁹And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.²⁰And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.²¹But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.²²Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.²³And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.²⁴For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.²⁵Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.²⁶A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.²⁷And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. ²⁸And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.²⁹I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.³⁰And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.³¹Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.³²Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Ezekiel 36:16-32 KJV

The above passages of scripture demonstrate just how sinful and prone to go astray man is. We come into this world with absolutely no redeeming goodness of our own. Even after we are saved we still must not forget that anything good in us is only what the Lord provided for us. We must strive to follow the Spirit, and not our flesh, because our flesh will continue to be sinful as long as we are living our lives here on the earth. We must also know that even if we are striving to follow the Spirit there will still be moments in any given day when we will discover that we failed…that we sinned. But the passages also teach us some wonderful things about Christians. Those who have heard the message of the gospel and have placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord are called “The Children of God”:

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not.¹²But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:¹³Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:10-13 KJV

It is true that parents deal with their own children differently than other children. The role is different. It is the same with the Lord. He deals with His children differently than those who are not His children. The Lord protects, comforts, and encourages His children, but He also corrects, disciplines… “chastises” His children. His chastisement can seem harsh at times, but even what seems to be harsh in our eyes at the time is actually gentle, merciful and kind as described by King David in this verse:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psalm 23:6

He even at times delivers us from the messes we are in “before” we are aware of our sinful state. It is also true that we are to strive to obey the Lord, and whenever we realize that we have sinned we are supposed to confess that sin and then turn and follow the Lord again in obedience to Him. This is how we have our fellowship restored:

⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John1:8-10 KJV

…but we must not forget that the Lord is “outside of time”. I know this might seem odd to us, but His logic is not our logic, His ways are not our ways. They are immeasurably higher…past our finding out. Just know that God is always good. Here are some passages that illustrate the idea that I have been expressing today:

⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9KJV

¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:¹²For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Proverbs 3:11-12 KJV

³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. ^(D) ⁴ In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:

My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly,

or faint when you are reproved by Him;

⁶ for the Lord disciplines the one He loves,

and punishes every son whom He receives. ^(E) ^(F)

⁷ Endure it as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? ⁸ But if you are without discipline—which all ^[d] receive ^[e] —then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ^(G) ⁹ Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? ^(H) ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. ^(I) ¹¹ No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace ^(J) and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. ^(K)

Hebrews 12:3-11HCSB

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
³⁴ “ For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?”^[i]
³⁵ “ Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”^[j]

³⁶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans11:33-36 HCSB

¹²He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.¹³These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:¹⁵And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:12-15 KJV

It is true…The Lord is the Potter, and we are the clay. Below is a song that I hope will bless you. I believe if we are really sincere when we sing it the Lord would consider it a prayer “according to His will”. 🙂

Have Thine Own Way Lord by Adelaide A. Pollard

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

Here is a video where you can hear the piano playing this beautiful hymn:

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

27 Comments

Theology in Hymns

January 11, 2011 at 2:31 am (Devotional Thoughts., Guidance, Homeschooling, Our Unchanging God, Parenting, Praise, Relaxed Homeschooling, Thanksgiving, Wisdom)

There is a really neat blog that has been serving to teach us things about hymns and their writers. Starting on January 1st he changed the format to help us learn theology from them. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will have a short lesson that is devoted to a different hymn and and has a few questions at the bottom. He is also hoping to add a few topical articles on the week-ends. In one way it is even better than a book or course you might buy from a catalog; you can type your question(s) in the comment section!

Here is the link to his sight and the first lesson:

http://wordwisehymns.com/2011/01/01/standing-on-the-promises/

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord? Please click here:https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/category/about-salvation-very-important-words/ and make sure.

7 Comments

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Moore to Ponder

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Evidence of Love: (Part 1 Something Old-Something New)

Scripture references;

Evidence of Love by First Call

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Peace (Part 2…A Psalm And A Song Of Rest)

Scripture reference;

Psalm 23 (King James Version)

Psalm 23

Lord You Are My Shepherd Lyrics

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Peace (Part 1…Like a Little Child)

Scripture references;

Shifting Gears-New Habits

Scripture References;

The 10 Lepers

Tablets: A Few Thoughts Regarding “The Greatest Commandment”

originally posted on May 7, 2010 at 12:57 pm

Scripture References;

A Song To Pray…And Some Thoughts About The Potter

Scripture References;

Have Thine Own Way Lord by Adelaide A. Pollard

Theology in Hymns

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