Friday slowdown (praise day 15)

Yesterday we looked at the blessing that Christian friends can be . . . our greatest blessing is the Friend that we have when Jesus is in our hearts and lives.
I hope that you enjoy this Friday's song:

Praise day 14

The Bible tells us as Christians, that it is very important to choose our friends wisely in this life. The Bible tells us to walk with wise people, to refrain from being "yoked" with unbelievers, and to help other saints with accountability and prayer. God's highest aim is to sanctify and transform us, and our friends can be a vital part of that, either to make it happen, or to make it more difficult!  He wants us to grow spiritually, and to mature in our walk with Him.

If we have good, solid Christian friends to share this journey with, we can accelerate our growth and relationship with God. We can learn about God from our own adventures with Him, but then we can also learn from our friends' experiences with Him, too.

We can find some inspiring examples of friendship in the Bible. I encourage you to look up these passages and think about the relationships you see here:

Ruth and Naomi were friends, as well as relatives: Ruth chapter 1, especially 16-17

David and Jonathan: I Samuel 18:1-3

Elijah and Elisha: II Kings 2:2

Proverbs is a well-spring of advice concerning our choices of friends:

Proverbs 12:26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 14:6-7 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
Proverbs 22:24-25 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
Proverbs 12:26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 14:6-7 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
Proverbs 22:24-25 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Our friends can be such a blessing! Let's praise God for them today!

Praise day 13

 

We tend to take good health for granted, don't we? That is, at least until our bodies fail us, and we start to lose that good health.
When our health takes a nosedive, we quickly begin to look for answers in our habits and our diet. God designed our bodies as finely tuned instruments, and they are the most resilient on earth. Our bodies can withstand fractures and pain, tedium and excitement. But they are not built to handle extremes -- whether that is too much food or too little, too much stress, etc.
Our bodies are not machines, but like machines they can choke down on poisons and poor fuel. God has provided us with an owner's manual, with instructions on proper maintenance.
One of the most key teachings for our health is found in these verses:

                     “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in
                      your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring
                      you prosperity . . . This will bring health to your body and nourish-
                      ment to your bones”   (Proverbs 3:1-2, 8)

Many other passages mention our health, as well. We must be careful to care for these bodies -- they are temples of His Spirit!

                     Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food
                     and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will
                     miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
                     (Exodus 23:25-26)

                     Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in good
                     health, even as your souls prosper. (III John 2)

                    Then will your light break forth as the morning, and your health will
                     spring forth quickly; and your righteousness will go before you, and 
                     the glory of the Lord will be your reward. (Isaiah 58:8)                  

Praise Him today for good health!

Praise day 12

A comment from a faithful follower on a recent post really set me to thinking, and convicted me of an attitude that I needed to change. Everyone has a favorite season, ay? Some people love the springtime, when the daffodils sprout up cheerfully to welcome the newly-green leaves that are popping out on the trees, and the breeze is warmer; the world is reborn after the winter time.

Some love the summer; absolutely everything is blooming and growing, including the veggies in the gardens. The warmth of the sun is mixed in a recipe that includes thunderstorms and swimming, holiday fireworks and family picnics.

Then there are those that sigh with relief when autumn arrives. Their favorite season shows the glorious paintbrush of God, as the leaves turn from green to golden, red, purple, and more. The temperatures are brisk, and invite us to happy times around a campfire.

And there are those hardy souls who truly enjoy the winter. For them, the cold and wind are wonderful, and the possibility of a snowfall fairly fills them with glee. Of course, winter brings us the wonderful time that we humans celebrate the birth of Christ, and families gather to count their blessings.

 

So, what’s amiss here?

Well, perhaps I’m the only one in this study group, but I will have to admit I’ve been a complainer. Here God is, showing us the intricacies of His awesome design for creation, and I’ve been just as much a grumbler as the children of Israel in the wilderness. I really don’t like winter at all! Too cold! I don’t like it when the forecast mentions frozen precipitation, since in the Southland, it is often the freezing rain variety – ice everywhere! Autumn is pleasant, but it actually makes me a little sad, since I know winter is coming!

And there are those who complain bitterly about the summer heat – I often overhear people in the grocery store, saying they just can’t go outdoors in the summer!

And yet, if we examine things with our heads, instead of our comfort levels, we know that the summer time is vitally important to allow us time for growing crops and harvesting them. And the winter is an integral part of controlling the bug populations, since they get reduced by the cold temps. These are just two of many reasons why God created the seasons.

I guess we (me, really) need to embrace all of the seasons, and praise Him for them!

Praise day 11

Praise Him for our freedom, and the nation we live in. I know that we have readers from all over the globe, and we may enjoy varying degrees of freedom. But the Bible has much to say about citizenship, and being a testimony for Him in our country, whichever it may be:
There are reminders for selecting leaders of vision:

                    Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps
                    the law, happy is he.  (Proverbs 29:18)

And leaders with discipline:

                   Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes
                   eat at a proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
                   (Ecc. 10:17)

                   When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with
                   discernment and knowledge maintains order. (Proverbs 28:2)

There are reminders to be fair, especially to the poor:

                   If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be
                   established forever.   (Proverbs 29:14)

And exhortation to be people of integrity:

                 For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will
                 remain in it;  (Proverbs 2:21)

Peter also noted our responsibilities as Christians:

                 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:
                 whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors,
                 who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend
                 those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you
                should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free people,
                but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
               ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God,
               honor the emperor.  (I Peter 2:13-17)

This brings up the question of civil disobedience when the law of the land is against the Law of God as revealed to us in the Word. If we look at Acts 5, we can find the answer. I hope you will go and read this chapter, for it is an inspiring one.  The apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin and the high priest was questioning them: why were you preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus, when we told you not to do this?
Peter and the others replied that they must obey God, rather than men. So it is clear that as long as the law of the land doesn't contradict the laws of God, we are bound to obey man's laws. But as soon as the law of the land contradicts God's commands, we are to disobey man's laws and obey His commands. But let's be clear -- we should accept the government's authority over us, even then -- look at Peter and John's response to their punishment: they rejoiced that they were suffering for obeying God.            
In all cases, we should be a people of prayer:

                 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and
                 thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in
                authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness
                and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants
                all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
                (I Timothy 2:1-4)                
                If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and
               pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear
               from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
               (II Chronicles 7:14)

Friday slowdown (Praise day 10)

We are focusing on praising our God, and this familiar song is one that truly expresses our thoughts as we contemplate all that He has done for us:

Praise day 9

Praise Him, for He has a plan for us!

One of the things that kept coming back to me as I was writing these posts is the picture that we see of God being our true heavenly Father. There are so many verses in our Bible that paint a beautiful picture of God loving us so much that He will provide for us in all areas of life. He will take care of us just like He takes care of those sparrows in flight, or like He cares for the lilies of the field.

We can depend on the fact that He is the best Father ever! He knows what our needs and our wants are. Sometimes we get those mixed up, ay?
As a parent, we can recall the times that our children have pleaded, begged, wheedled and connived to get something they thought they "had to have." They WANTED it, right? But did they NEED it? That is what we were required, as parents, to decide.

We can trust God to know what we need, and what we want. And we can rest in the knowledge that He has a plan for us. In fact, He knew us and planned for us before we were even born, just like He did for the prophet Jeremiah:

                “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,  before you were born
                 I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

And He didn't just wind us up like a toy and let us go on our own; He is still watching over us and has His plan in mind:

                 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to
                 prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
                 (Jeremiah 29:11)

Look at that! It's all in present tense; He knows, He has, He plans. That's not just in the past. That is happening today, even as you read this study blog. Pause for a moment and let that sink in. That is how much He cares.

                 The Lord will guide you always;
                 he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
                 and will strengthen your frame.
                You will be like a well-watered garden,
                like a spring whose waters never fail.  (Isaiah 58:11)

Maybe today we are in a bad situation in life, and don't know where to turn. Perhaps we are in "over our heads" either financially, emotionally, or spiritually. We are not in it all alone. I hope these verses will encourage all of us that God knows what is going on in our lives, and has a plan for us.

We don't always know why something is happening. We may beg and plead and wheedle (and maybe even connive a little) asking God to change things. Instead of that, we should trust Him to have a plan that is far better for us than we can know -- He is the greatest Father ever! He is still in the business of making beautiful things out of our messes.
Talk to God today and praise Him for the plan He has for you!