Isaiah 47:11 (NIV)Disaster will come upon you, & you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. 2 Kings 22:20 Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, & you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place. Isaiah 51:1-2 The righteous perish, & no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, & no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. — There is calamity in this world & we have absolutely no control! However, we serve a God that does! He loves us so much that He sent us His only son to save us from this evil! And He even brings us home early to protect us from the evil plans! Love Mel
I say all that to ask for prayers for my friend, who’s husband was killed by a robber at a gas station in Decatur AL. He was a strong Christian, & at 54 his life was cut short. The family needs our prayers! Please all stay safe, times are changing! ❤️
Renewing Your Mind
ROM 12:2 (KJV)” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” I watched an “After Skool” special the other day by David Foster Wallace – it was a commencement address and the the topic was the mind as a servant not a master. In it he talked about “the skull sized kingdom”. He said the Jesuits were famous for the saying “give me a child until age 7 and I will show you the man”. WOW. You are programmed by age 7. And for most of us that is not good news. So, we have to “reprogram”. How do we do it? Repetition. Of what? Of scripture. You have to do it. If you do it enough you will begin to think better and your mind will be your best friend. But it takes effort. Phil 4:8 (KJV) tells us “8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Change the Way You Think – By Repetition of Scripture Reading and are Reciting
PURSUE PEACE! Phil 4:8 (KJV) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, & if there be any praise, think on these things. Rom 14:17-19 For the kingdom of God is not meat & drink; but righteousness, & peace, & joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, & approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, & things wherewith one may edify another. —Newsmax Health listed how The happiest people spend time helping family, & friends. They focus on positive things in life. They are confident, optimistic, & resilient. They are willing to forgive & are great full. They make time to take care. & They are passionate! — Isn’t it interesting how closely the Bible states the same things that bring peace! Peace is truly the one thing that stops the fear from the evil in this world! Love Mel
Keep Your Perspective
James 4:14 (KJV)Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, & then vanisheth away. Psalm 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, & cometh not again. — What is life? Short! We must remember! —John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Gal 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, & temperance: against such there is no law. —These fruits are worth developing for they will last forever! —Gal 5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love Mel
Lessons from Simeon and Anna
Luke Chap 2 (KJV): 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Sometimes when we compare our devotion to God to that of people like Simeon and Anna, it can be pretty daunting. There are people all over the world today whose every waking thought is of God. Simeon and Anna were among them – many years ago. They lived their entire lives focused on Jehovah God Almighty. How magnificent. Do you think that pleased God?
They serve as a good example to us. Do we forget God and put Him last on the list of things we care about? Or is He involved in everything we do. I submit the goal should be that He be with us in spirit at all times and that we be ever conscious of Him. There is a booklet by Brother Lawrence called “The Practice of the Presence of God” in which he describes washing dishes in the monastery imagining that God is standing there beside him. He lived his whole life with that thought in mind.
God is worthy of our full attention. The gift of His presence and the gift of eternal life is what this life should be all about. It is the pearl of great price and treasure in the field worth selling everything to get.
While we don’t want to ever think that works, effort or suffering will gain eternal life for us, it is wise to evaluate ourselves to see if we really take God seriously. If you think you are failing the test, ask Him to give you a greater love and desire for Him. And begin to “practice the presence” daily.
