The 179th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 178th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 179th day of 2013, I'm thankful for the promise that no matter what I go through in life, I never go through it alone. My Lord and my God is always by my side . . . ==> "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” [Deuteronomy 31:6] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 178th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 177th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 178th day of 2013, have you discovered the most important thing to God! If you want to see it, then run and take a look in a mirror! . . . ==> “This is love: not that [you] loved God, but that He loved [you] and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for [your] sins." [1 John 4:10] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 177th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 176th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 177th day of 2013, I once again invite you to follow me (but only as I follow Christ), and stay with me as I dwell "under the shadow of the Almighty" . . . ==> “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” [Psalm 91:1] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 176th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 175th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 176th day of 2013, excuse me while I remind someone that prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen . . . ==> "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." [Psalm 73:28] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 175th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 174th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 175th day of 2013, I simply want to remind you that you are NEVER alone. And I really do need you to remember that . . . ==> "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." [Isaiah 41:10] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great week.]

The 172nd Day . . .

~ . . . So the 21st of June 2012 to the 21st of June 2013 was the 51st year. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! As I begin walking into my 52nd year, I thank Him for 51 years. And I invite you to join me as I strive to walk yet closer to Him . . . ==> "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." [Psalm 73:28] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a fabulous Friday.]

The 171st Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 170th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 171st day of 2013, I need to remind you that so often a change of self is needed more than a change of scenery . . . ==> "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." [2 Corinthians 5:17] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a terrific Thursday.]

The 170th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 169th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 170th day of 2013, as big as God is, have you ever wondered: "Can He still be small enough to hear me, to feel me, to hold me? Now?" . . . ==> ". . . As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." [Joshua 1:5] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 169th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 168th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path!  On this 169th day of 2013, it makes me feel good to know that I am God's masterpiece. His prized possession. And so are you . . . ==> "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." [Genesis 1:31] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 168th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 167th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 168th day of 2013, I feel the need to remind someone that if falling down is "Just Life", then getting back up is "Just Living" . . . ==> "I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength." [Philippians 4:13]  [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a wonderful week.]

The 165th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 164th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 165th day of 2013, might I suggest to you that no road is a dead end if it takes you somewhere you may need to go . . . ==> "But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." [Job 23:10] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a wonderful weekend.]

The 164th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 163rd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 164th day of 2013, I suggest that not only is God greater than our struggles, but our struggles can prove just how great God is . . . ==> "Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you." [1 Peter 5:7] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 163rd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 162nd day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 163rd day of 2013, I gotta remind you again that our Savior is always just as close as the mention of His Name . . . ==> "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." [Psalm 145:18] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a wonderful day.]

The 162nd Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 161st day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 162nd day of 2013, as I once again consider all that I am in respect to all that He is, what naturally comes next is worship . . . ==> “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” [Psalm 95:6-7a]  [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 161st Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 160th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 161st day of 2013, I send out another message to the hurting and concerned. Believe in your heart that you're stronger than you think . . . ==> "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" [Psalm 27:1] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a safe week.]

The 158th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 157th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 158th day of 2013, might I suggest that you would see the sun is always shining if you would only dare to rise above the clouds . . . ==> "Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." [Micah 7:8] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a safe weekend.]

The 157th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 156th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 157th day of 2013, it's okay to own an issue now and then. But don't have a subscription to the problems of this life . . . ==> "I have told you these things so you may have peace in Me. In the world you will have much trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the world!" [John 16:33] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

The 156th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 155th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 156th day of 2013, can I just remind you that the one thing Blind Bartimaeus COULD see was that there was a God nearby who could change things . . . ==> "And when he heard it was Jesus of Nazareth, . . . many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" [Mark 10:47-48] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a great day.]

"Lessons After Glass"

I recently had the unfortunate occurrence of having a window broken in my home. I stood and stared at the broken pieces on the floor for a moment, waiting for God to provide me with a giant eraser so that I could make it NOT to have happened. And HE DID!!! . . . . No, He didn't. So with the strength He gave me for the day, I strolled my happy self over to get a waste basket and a pair of thick gloves. Then I ever so merrily (Not!) glided (Not! Not!) myself back to the place where all the little broken things were demanding my attention.

In light of another painful issue I was already dealing with, I began picking up the pieces and wondering why the window had to brake in the first place. Then I spoke to the situation, as Pastor Wisdom (his real position/title and name) had one Sunday reminded us to do. I said, “You’ll be back together again real soon. Right back into the old routine of up’s and down’s.”  I chuckled to myself (I live alone, so I'm allowed to), only to stop when I saw the message in the madness . . .

I remembered reading Psalm 139, a psalm of wisdom and praise. It’s a wonderful psalm to dive into for a few minutes of reading and studying. It’s also a psalm of enlightenment, as it brings to the surface a big part of 1 Samuel 16:7b which says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” His looking at the heart and everything we were and will be is surely brought to light in verses 1-16 of Psalm 139. But in verses 23 and 24 the invitation is given for Him to continually reveal our sins to us. Not so that we would continually be put to shame, but so that we can stay on the straight and narrow road that leads to the Throne. Listen:

Psalm 139:23, 24 [NIV]

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23, 24 [The Message]

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me;

Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about;

See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—

then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Looking again at the pieces of that shattered window, I was reminded of how shattered my life once was. And realizing how we Christians cut to the quick in blaming Satan, thereby giving him the credit for destroying our lives, I began to wonder how much of it was my own fault-- how many sins were in the deepest parts of my heart, just left there simmering and unaccounted for. When was the last time I had asked God to “search me, investigate my life, find out everything about me, and know my heart”? And when was the last time I had asked Him to reveal to me those fragments of sin that I could not see?

Recognizing now a purpose for my shattered window, I saw the big pieces as issues or sins that everyone could see. We try to clean those up quickly. The small pieces are issues or sins that those close to us can see. We get around to cleaning those up next, but in a “by-the-way” manner. The still smaller pieces are issues or sins that others can see, but only if we reveal them. And the tiny pieces are the issues or sins that must be revealed to us.

“See if there is any offensive way in me . . .” “then guide me on the road to eternal life”. [24] Is there anything in me, Lord, that I can't see? Anything in me that puts a strain on our relationship, and threatens my walk to the Throne?

As I vacuumed away the tiniest pieces of glass, I asked the Lord to release His Holy Spirit into my present being, to reveal to me those issues or sins I could not see that had been left simmering and unaccounted for, to vacuum them out of their hiding places, and to cast them into the Sea of Forgetfulness. Then I asked Him to somehow remind me daily to say,

“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.”

[vsm]

PS: I eventually did finish cleaning up all the glass. Anyone want to help me buy another window?

The 155th Day . . .

~ . . . So the evening and the morning were the 154th day. Good Morning, Blogger, G+1, Twitter, FB and Path! On this 155th day of 2013, knowing myself pretty well, I know that it truly IS amazing that God would consider me His friend. How about you? . . . ==> "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" [Psalm 8:3-4] [As you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, please play nice, pray for one another, and enjoy a safe week.]