Sunday Scripture

As I mentioned some time ago, I'll be posting each Sunday for awhile about a simple study of Psalms that I worked on last summer.  It was such a good one to be working on in 2020 -- and some of it was done at picnic tables as we camped at places like Grand Canyon and Coral Pink Sand Dunes.  There just couldn't have been a better backdrop --so awe-inspiring and so many great reminders of how amazing God is!

This Psalms study is another from Good Morning Girls.  These are simple studies but I got so much from them.  I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find it a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, and I hope that you will give this method a try if you haven't ever done so.  

Today's study is from Psalm 117.  The verse we were to focus on was verse 1, but since Psalm 117 is only two verses long, I opted to study both of them.

S= "Oh, praise the LORD, all ye nations; praise Him, all ye people.
      "For His merciful kindness is great toward us; and the truth of the LORD endureth forever.  Praise ye the Lord."  (Psalm 117)

O= In the Scofield Reference Bible, C.I. Scofield has titled this psalm "The universal praise of God".  A cross-reference is found in Romans 15:11 -- "[As it is written,] Praise the Lord, all ye nations; and laud Him, all ye peoples."

The psalmist directs that all nations and all peoples praise the LORD.  What are they to praise Him for?
* His merciful kindness is great toward us.
* His truth endures forever.

A= I'm sure that the truth of this psalm will not be fully realized in this life.  But it did occur to me that if all peoples, in all nations, were focusing on praise to God, and seeking to live their lives in ways that praise and glorify Him, that we would not be having the problems that we do between nations.  

Still, individual believers can praise Him for His merciful kindness to them, and also for the enduring truth of His Word! 

P=  "Lord, I am so thankful for Your merciful kindness in drawing me to Yourself!  I praise You also for the enduring truth of Your Word.  It is such a blessing to be reminded that Your truth endures forever and that we can continually rest on Your unchanging Word and character.  I pray for the day to come soon when all people and all nations will praise You together.  Even so, "haste the day when our faith shall be sight", as the hymn writer has said.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

This study also had a Reflection Question which I answered.  Here is the question:

God is faithful and worthy of all our praise for many reasons.  One of those reasons is His love for all the nations.  How have you seen God's love for the nations displayed?

And my answer:

I have seen God's love for the nations displayed in His sending His Son to die for all.  In addition, He has given each nation the natural beauty of His creation, and the heavens declaring His glory, to point them to Him.  In many instances, He has also sent missionaries and Bible translators to give the nations the truth of His Word in a language they can understand.

Let's praise the Lord together for His merciful kindness and enduring truth!

Keeping a cheerful heart

I've been thinking a lot lately about the importance of keeping a cheerful heart regardless of all that we may be dealing with in life.  My thoughts are all over the place, but I hope to corral them and write a coherent post.

One of the character flaws in my own life that I pray about regularly is a tendency to be negative.  With God's help, I've come a very long way in this area, but I still keep it before the Lord on a regular basis.

My scanner would not scan the entire page from my prayer journal, for whatever reason, but you get the idea.  Although I do have a natural tendency to be negative, I am so thankful that God is changing me from the inside out and inclining me to keep a cheerful heart regardless of circumstances.

Lately I have read some very encouraging thoughts that others have shared.  Abby at Little Birdie Blessings wrote, "Our life circumstances don't have to decide for us if we are going to have a cheerful outlook.  I choose to look for my blessings each day.  Family that loves me, my home, my church, snuggling with my grandchildren, flowers in the garden, a friend dropping by.  If your trials are consuming you, ask God to help you rise above them.  He may not take them away, but He'll help you get through them.  He's there for you, just reach out and He'll give you inner peace which in turn will show a cheerful countenance."  

The daily news can be terrifying, but I can consider it in the light of God's sovereignty and know that He is working all things after the counsel of His own will.  (I also don't watch or listen to mainstream news, preferring to follow the injunction of God's Word to think on what is true [Philippians 4:8].)  I have been thinking since Day 1 of this "pandemic" that in spite of all that is happening around us, our children and grandchildren need to see us keeping a cheerful heart and remaining unafraid as we trust in God.

Sarah Beals wrote this on Instagram: "Cultivating beauty is an act of defiance in a world that fixates on strife, violence and hate.

Beauty,
even small acts of beauty,
in the form of a bouquet of flowers, a line of verse, a beautiful painting, delicate lace curtains, tea in a crackly, glazed chintz patterned cup, a sunset walk,
slow us down and remind us that there is more to this life than the ugly, painful aspects we experience.
Beauty reminds us of Heaven and hope and points our minds upward to Christ and outside of ourselves.
Curating beauty is the job of every mother, making her home a peaceful, joyful place to dwell.
And though sin inevitably invades all of our homes and no family is perfect,
Beauty is an antidote to heal wounds and inspire hearts.

What we take into our minds,
How we interact in our homes,
Who we surround ourselves with,
How we talk to others and to ourselves,
(And how we allow others to interact with us)
all speak of our dignity, worth and value.
As much as you can, show your children beauty by your life and by what you love. Show them the beauty of sacrificial love. It may take work as setting a table or inviting someone in often does, but it's a work that reminds us all that no matter what the culture says, no matter how others value or devalue you, whether you are cancelled or celebrated, God values and loves you and God's assessment is your *actual* worth, no matter what anyone else says...

Kingdom living can start today in your home with little glimpses of daily beauty, gracious community, place-making, warm-hearted friendship and loving communication around your kitchen table. Don't underestimate it."

 You may read Sarah's entire post here, and see her lovely photo.   These are such wonderfully encouraging thoughts, don't you think?  I loved the thought that cultivating beauty is an act of defiance in this world that is so fixated on violence and hate.  I know it's true.  You must know, too, that I also loved the emphasis in the last paragraph on our kitchen tables being a place where we can share "little glimpses of daily beauty" and much, much more.

My friend Deanna at Creekside Cottage shared this insightful quote from Sally Clarkson:

  Oh, isn't that so true?  Should we as Christians ever have pervasive fear settling in our hearts?  Celebrating, laughing, and enjoying life are some sure ways to push back against it -- along with remembering that God has not given us the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).

Deanna added,  "This is why I share good news with you. This is my way of fighting against the darkness of the world. I don't want to be filled with fear, I want to keep my eyes on the Lord, and to keep celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, family, good friends, events."

 I loved both of these quotes as well as Deanna's thoughts.  Cultivating beauty is an act of defiance in a world filled with hate.  Celebration is an important and effective weapon against the powers of darkness.  But there is even more to consider as things in our world appear to grow ever more threatening.

Annie Holmquist noted in this Epoch Times article, "If totalitarianism wants us to erase our memories of history, community, morality, and faith, then we must cling tightly to those very things." Cultivating beauty in everyday life and continuing to celebrate each day will surely help us to cling tightly to those things. 

When I think of how frightened we could be if we allowed ourselves to look at world events rather than Jesus, I'm often reminded of the scenario we see in Matthew 14:22-27.  Jesus had sent His disciples to a ship, to cross the Sea of Galilee, while He went into the mountains to pray alone.  Verse 24 tells us what happened next:

"But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary."

But then we see in verse 25:

"And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."

The "fourth watch of the night" is between 3 and 6 a.m.  The disciples were terrified.  Verse 26 tells us,

"They were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear."

But then!

"Straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; It is I; be not afraid."

What a great reminder for us in the storms of life, be they storms in our own personal lives, difficulties in our country, or even tragic and frightening events in our world.  Jesus sees all that is happening.  His heart goes out to His children who are in the midst of storms.  He draws near and reminds us that He is with us.  He even tells us to be of good cheer!

William MacDonald comments, "How true to our own experience!  We are often storm-tossed, perplexed, in despair.  The Savior seems far away.  But all the time He is praying for us.  When the night seems darkest, He is near at hand.  We often mistake Him even then and push the panic button.  Then we hear His comforting voice and remember that the waves that caused us to fear are under His feet."

I don't know about you, friends, but this encourages me.  He loves us, He is with us and all is under His control.  He will help us to keep a cheerful heart, to nurture beauty and to celebrate everyday life,  no matter what we are facing.  Let's purpose to do just that, with His help.

Sunday Scripture

 

As I mentioned a little bit ago, I'll be posting each Sunday for awhile about a simple study of Psalms that I worked on last summer.  It was such a good one to be working on in 2020 -- and some of it was done at picnic tables while we were camping at places like Grand Canyon and Coral Pink Sand Dunes.  There couldn't have been a better backdrop --so awe-inspiring and so many great reminders of just how amazing God is!

This Psalms study is another from Good Morning Girls.  These are simple studies but I got so much from them.  I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find it a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, and I hope that you will give this method a try if you haven't ever done so.  

Today's study is from Psalm 116.  The verse to zero in on was verse 15, but I chose to meditate on verses 7 through 9 as well as verse 15.

S=  "Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
"For Thou has delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
"I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living ...
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints."  (Psalm 116:7-9; 15)

O=  Scofield titles this psalm "The gratitude of the redeemed."  Certainly we are filled with gratitude that God has heard our voice and supplication, as is the psalmist.  In this short psalm he enumerates many wonderful things that God has done for him:
• heard his voice and supplications;
• inclined His ear to him and helped him;
• delivered his soul from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet from falling.
And, when his death comes, it will be precious in God's sight. 

A=  As one whom God has redeemed, I too am filled with gratitude.  I will call upon Him as long as I live, offer thanksgiving to Him, and walk before Him as long as I am in this life.  I can trust Him to deliver my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.  When death comes, I know that my passing will be precious in God's sight.

P=  "Lord, I am so thankful for Your bountiful dealings with me.  In Your grace and mercy, You have inclined Your ear to me and helped me when I called upon You.  I thank and praise You for loosing my bonds and delivering my soul from death.  I pray that You will help me to faithfully walk with You every day of this life, in Jesus' name, Amen."

This week's study also had a reflection question that I answered.  Here is the question:

"Death is no small thing for God.  He knows the number of days we will live.  Are you fearful of death?  How does knowing that God is close to you until your last breath and will see your death as precious, a comfort to you?"

My answer:

I am not fearful of death, although I will admit to an occasional concern as to how I will leave this life.  It's very comforting to me to know that God is with me to my last breath and beyond.  He will oversee every aspect of my passing from this life, and will be there to comfort me and others.

And there is the Sunday Scripture for this week.  Hope it was a blessing to someone!

Making space ...

 

August 16 — Wow, it has been awhile.   Becki at Field Lilies has been making space again and she's been inspiring me.

Even though I haven't posted about it, I’ve been accumulating things for the thrift store:

Three ziplock bags with filled with greeting cards that I will never use.
Assorted small frames
Assorted magnets I’ll never use again
Some booklets of iron-ons for crafting
Several books we won’t finish reading
A nice navy blue checked shirt of my husband’s; it’s a very large XL and makes him look as if he’s lost 50 pounds.  (He keeps pulling it out of the closet and wearing it and someone invariably asks him if he’s okay.)
A blue glass swan
A Power Mate Jr. attachment to a vacuum cleaner we no longer own
A white glass vase with a motif of pink roses

These things came from here, there, and everywhere around our house, but the last three above -- swan, vacuum attachment and vase -- came from the linen closet, which I am focusing on this week.  Everything listed below came from there, too. 

To our cottage —

A package of green mesh shelf liner
A towel rack we aren’t using here

To the trash —

A huge bag of assorted towels, baby blankets, etc. that got stained with some unknown substance while stored on the lowest shelf of the linen closet.
An old shower curtain I’d been saving to use at the beach — it got stained too
A tapestry rug with a fun design of lighthouses; barely used, but the rubber backing has disintegrated, so …

I have the lowest shelf of the linen closet now fully decluttered.  There are three or four more to go.  I've snatched things off them here and there, but hopefully I can get the rest of the closet completely decluttered this week.  We will see!

Sunday Scripture

 

As mentioned,  I'm posting every Sunday for awhile from a simple study of Psalms that I worked on last summer.  It was such a good one to be studying in 2020 -- and some of it was done while we were visiting places like Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.  As I've shared before, there couldn't have been a better backdrop; it was completely awe-inspiring and there were so many great reminders of just how amazing God is!

This Psalms study is another from Good Morning Girls.  These are simple studies but I get a lot from them.  I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find it a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, and I hope that you will give this method a try if you haven't ever done so.  

Today's study is from Psalm 115.  The suggested verse for meditating on was Psalm 115:1, but I chose to study Psalm 115:1-3 and Psalm 115:18.

S = "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake. 
"Wherefore should the nations say, Where is now their God?
"But our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.
"We will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.  Praise the LORD." (Psalm 115:1-3,18)

O=  Scofield's title for this psalm is "To God alone be the glory".  Verses 1 through 3 rehearse this statement and allude to God's mercy, truth, and sovereignty.
Verses 4 through 8 describe the ineffectiveness of idols.  Verses 9 through 11 urge God's people to trust in Him, their help and shield.  Verses 12 through 16 begin with the words "The LORD hath been mindful of us" and describe how God blesses His people.

A= God's plan is for each of His children to bring Him glory.  Bottom line, that is His purpose in saving us.  Bringing Him glory, living out His purpose, may look different in each of our lives because of the various skills, abilities, and spiritual gifts He has equipped us with.  He has blessed me so abundantly.  May I take seriously the exhortations to glorify His name!

P=  "Lord, I cannot even begin to adequately thank You for all that You have done in my life.  Not only have you saved me from hell and a sinful life, but You have equipped me for life and service.  I know that You would have me use all that You've given me to bring glory to Your name.  I pray that You will help me to do just that in every area of life.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

There is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I hope it's a blessing to someone today.

From a North Country garden

 There's no time for a lengthy post today -- and probably not really time for this one.  But I wanted to share just a few photos of our friend Charlotte's glorious flowers.  We just got back from a quick two-day visit to her home in the Great North Woods.

One might think the growing season would be limited so far north, and one might be right.  But I have seen flowers blooming in Charlotte's gardens right into October.  

This visit I was extremely blessed in that Charlotte was in the midst of moving some of her plants around, and she gave me quite a number of them to bring home.  We hope to get them into the ground at our camp today.

 Most readers realize that I have a brown thumb.  I'm not good at keeping plants alive, especially houseplants.  But these will be outdoor perennials, so I'm hoping for better success.

The photo above may be my very favorite.  It looks down the slope of this hillside garden to the pond below.

 

I'm so thankful for the blessings of friendship and flowers!

Sunday Scripture

 

So I'm posting every Sunday for awhile from a simple study of Psalms that I worked on last summer.  It was such a good one to be working on in 2020 -- and some of it was done while we were visiting places like Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.  As I've shared before, there couldn't have been a better backdrop; it was completely awe-inspiring and there were so many great reminders of just how amazing God is!

This Psalms study is another from Good Morning Girls.  These are simple studies but I get so much from them.  I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find it a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, and I hope that you will give this method a try if you haven't ever done so.  

Today's study is from Psalm 114.  The verse we were to meditate on was Psalm 114:7, but I chose to consider both verses 7 and 8.

S= "Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
"Who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters."  (Psalm 114:7-8)

O= This Psalm is titled by Scofield "In praise of the Exodus".  Verse 3 reminds us that the Red Sea saw God's power and fled before it; the flood-stage Jordan River was driven back.  

Verses 4 and 6 speak of mountains and hills skipping like sheep in the presence of the Lord.  Verse 8 speaks of how God brought water out of rocks for His people and how He makes springs in the desert.  All creation trembles at the presence of this mighty, majestic God (verse 7).

A= We must never forget God's majesty and might.  I think that can happen at times because we have such an intimate, comfortable, secure Father-child relationship with Him.  Yet we must always maintain that respectful awe: the fear of the LORD.  

And we must never underestimate His power.  As we remember all that He has done for His people in the past, and are reminded of His amazing power in creation, we know that He can prevail in any situation.

P= "Lord, the entire earth cannot help but tremble at Your mighty, majestic presence.  You are the God who drove back mighty seas and rivers, the One who moves mountains and causes water to gush out of rocks.  Truly, there is none like You!  That You love me deeply, that You are with me and will never leave me, should strengthen my faith and make it unshakable.  I thank and praise You that You are at work in our world, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Here's the reflection question:
"The Lord is the Lord of all the earth.  Not only are we called to fear Him, but all creation trembles at His mighty and majestic presence.

"Imagine being in the presence of the Lord in heaven.  What sorts of emotions do you think you will feel?  How does knowing that the God who causes the whole earth to tremble loves you deeply and is with you and for you?"

My answer: 
1) I think the prevailing emotion would be awe, fear and trembling at His majestic presence.  There would also be thankfulness, insignificance and humbleness .... likely more.

2) Knowing that God, who causes the whole earth to tremble, loves me deeply and is with me and for me, is the most amazing thought!  As I consider the potential difficulties ahead for God's people, I am truly encouraged as I consider His might and majesty -- and how these might be manifested in our situation. 

There you have it!  Hope you've enjoyed this simple study as much as I did.

Sunday Scripture

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I'll be posting each Sunday for awhile about a simple study of Psalms that I worked on last summer.  It was such a good one to be working on in 2020 -- and some of it was done while we were on vacation at places like Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.  There couldn't have been a better backdrop --so awe-inspiring and so many great reminders of just how amazing God is!

This Psalms study is another from Good Morning Girls.  These are simple studies but I got so much from them.  I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find it a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, and I hope that you will give this method a try if you haven't ever done so.  

Today's study is from Psalm 113.   The reflection question this time is important to look at before we begin.  It notes: "Morning, noon and night, our God is worthy of praise.  He is unchanging and always worthy of continual praise.
"List 5 things you can praise the Lord for today, and then pause and give Him praise right where you are.  He is worthy!"

My list of 5 things:
* His sovereignty
* His omnipotence
* His goodness
* His omniscience
* His faithfulness

The verse to focus on was verse 3, but I chose to study Psalm 113:1-3.

S= "Praise ye the LORD.  Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.
      "Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.
      "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the LORD's name is to be praised."  (Psalm 113:1-3)

O= It is the LORD that we are to be praising -- the self-existent One who has always been and always will be.  His servants are to be praising Him! 
    This praise and blessing of God's name is to continue forever -- unceasingly.  And it will!
    God's name is to be praised from sunrise to sunset every day -- and as the earth turns, it is always sunrise somewhere!

Two cross-references for verse 3 are: Isaiah 59:19 -- "So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun."

and

Malachi 1:1 -- "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, My name shall be great among the nations, saith the LORD of hosts."

A= God is worthy of my continual praise.  Just considering the 5 things I jotted down to praise Him for ... just those 5 things alone -- make Him worthy of continual praise.  In fact, even the simple truth that He is God makes His name worthy of continual praise.  May I be continually praising Him with my lips and glorifying Him with my life!

P= "Lord, I praise You today that You are God alone!  I am so thankful that You are sovereign over all things in this crazy world.  You know everything that is happening, and You have a good purpose in all that you allow.  You are faithful to Your children through every situation in life.  Truly, Your name is worthy of my continual praise!  May I be doing just that with both my life and my lips.  In Jesus' matchless Name, Amen."

I hope that today finds you praising our wonderful Lord!