Deuteronomy Chpt. 9

¹ Hear, O Israel: Thou [art] to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,

² A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and [of whom] thou hast heard [say], Who can stand before the children of Anak!

³ Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God [is] he which goeth over before thee; [as] a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

⁴ Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

⁵ Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

⁶ Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou [art] a stiffnecked people.

⁷ Remember, [and] forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

⁸ Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.

How often do we think in our own lives that we receive blessings simply because of our own righteousness? How often do we inwardly think that we are blessed over others simply because of the "good" that we have done.


Moses was telling the Israelites here that God doesn't bless on the account of our righteousness. He warned them against becoming puffed up and self-righteous. He also reminds them that in actuality they are not really any better than the people that have turned their backs on the Lord. He reminds them of their past sins so that they would see the mercy of God on them in spite of what they had done.


The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8,9 and 11,12 that it is only by God's grace and mercy that He saves us from a much deserved fate. It has nothing to do with the good that we do but everything to do with the greatness that is in Him.


My questions to you today are:

• Have you been cleansed by the blood of Christ? Has He been made your Saviour today? It's only through Him that we will ever see the glorious Kingdom that so many await.
• Have you become a little self-righteous today? Do you tend to think more of the things that you do than you should?
• Have you pondered on what the Lord has saved you from? Do you look at your past, see where you are in the present and rejoice that Christ is your future?
• When was the last time you bowed your head and thanked the Lord for changing you and bringing you to where you are today?

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 8

These are verses that have probably spoken to my heart the most while reading the book of Deuteronomy.

¹ All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.

² And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

³ And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

⁴ Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

⁵ Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, [so] the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

⁶ Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

God desires our faithfulness. He lays that out in verse 1. He wants us to simply do that which He tells us. (Isn't that what we want from our own children as well?) The Israelites went through some tough times, some discouraging times but God gives the reason in verse 2. He allowed difficulties to humble His children-we can do nothing effectively for Him if we are proud and lifted up. He allowed difficulties to test them; their faith in Him and their obedience to His commandments. He wanted what was in their hearts to come out. He wanted to know the level of their faith and obedience to Him.

How often in our own lives do difficulties come our way that He has allowed so that we can be tested, so that our faith can be proven? I know that I'm going through some trials right now and I'm telling you my faith is really being put to the test! But look at verses 3 and 4.

Even though God's people were out wandering for years, they lacked nothing. Not food, clothing, shelter, nothing. Nothing ever ran out or got worn out. Why? Because it's by the Words of our God that we live. God may not have provided them with what they desired but He provided them with what they needed. They never lacked.

And neither will we. Oh it may seem at times like things are really dreary and we are being left to suffer on our own but as God's children, He will care for us. He will provide us with what we need exactly when we need it. Isn't God good?!

So what do we do? We simply be obedient. Verse 6 says it all. Simply trust and obey. He will take care of the rest.

My questions to you today are:

• Are you going through a trial today? Maybe it's one that God is allowing to purge you from self so that He can prepare you for something wonderful on the other side of your dark valley.
• Are you putting all of your trust in Him or are you trying to take matters into your own hands?
• Have you thanked Him for the good He has provided in your life thus far? Maybe you don't have what you want but surely He has provided you with what is right for today.
• Are you obeying His words, walking with Him daily and fearing Him today?

We have no idea the scope of blessings that the Lord has in store for us...but we can be sure that if we honor Him He will honor us.

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 7

In this chapter we find how strongly God stresses to His children to not take up the lifestyles of those around them. He stresses to not go after the gods that they were serving, to not desire their silver and gold, to not allow their children to marry with the children of the people that were living around them.

God desired and still does, for His children to live within this world but with a life that is set apart, separate and clean from the filth that is around those who call Him Father.

God promises in this chapter to be faithful to the promises that He gave to the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob if only the Israelites would stay faithful to Him.
⁶ For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that [are] upon the face of the earth.

⁷ The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people:

⁸ But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

⁹ Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

As I read this I can't help but reflect on my life and the life of our children and wonder if there is anything that we have allowed to creep in that God never intended. I pray that the Lord would give me and McPop discerning hearts and wise minds so that we are always aware of what comes in and out of our home. Whether it be the shows we allow our children to watch, the friends we allow them to keep or the things that we use during our homeschool day. My desire is that all of these things work together to continue to help us be a family that honors and pleases the Lord in all that we do.

¹¹ Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.

¹² Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

¹³ And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee:

What about you today? 

• Is your life pleasing to Him or are there things that you need to purge?
• Are you living a life that is wholly honoring to God or are you allowing more and more of this world to penetrate your home and the hearts of those that dwell there?
• Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and discernment. He is faithful to give all that we ask for, if we but ask.

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 6

Wow, this is a full chapter!!! Some very well known and awesome verses are found in Deut. 6. I'll quote my favorites:

⁵ And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

⁸ And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

⁹ And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

There's a lot there isn't there? I found it neat that so many times throughout this book God has Moses tell the Israelites the same thing over and over, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." I believe that maybe God knows that if we can remember and do that then the things that He asks us to do will be done because of the immense love that we have for Him. Also though, this shows that God wants ALL of our attention. He wants us to love Him with ALL that we have within us. That means that there would be no room for the things of this world, that HE would be our focus.

¹⁰ And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

¹¹ And houses full of all good [things], which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

¹² [Then] beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

¹³ Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

¹⁴ Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which [are] round about you;

¹⁵ (For the LORD thy God [is] a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

In these verses God is giving Israel a glimpse of the "good life" to come in the Promised Land. Everything will be there for them, already done. They won't have the back breaking work of preparing anything, He will have it there for them. But God, knowing His creation tells Moses to warn them to not get too comfortable in the "good life" and forget Who is was that gave them all of that. He knows our nature so well doesn't He? When things are easy and good we don't go to Him, depend on Him or cling to Him like we do when things are just a bit shaky in our lives.

But I see from verse 14 that God wasn't going to completely remove all temptations from the Israelites. He tells them to not go after the other gods that are around them. God could have, had He wanted to, erected a wall around His children so impenetrable that no temptation would ever infiltrate their land but He didn't. He left some temptations close by. Why? My guess is so that the faithfulness of the Israelites, who had seen miracles and wonders that you and I never have, could be put to the test. Remember, when it's too easy, we fail to depend on Him like we should.

So, my questions to you today are these:

• Do you love the Lord with all that is within you? Is He your focus day in and day out? Or is there something that has taken His treasured first place in your life?
• Have the blessings that He's so lovingly bestowed upon you today been the exact things that have caused your faith and dependency on Him to wane? 
• What temptations do you face today are those that He has allowed? Not all are from God, many are from our own wrong choices, but which were allowed by Him to grow you?
• Are you leaning on Him today?

Well, those are my thoughts on this awesome chapter. I really have fallen in love with the book of Deuteronomy. Thanks for reading.

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 5

³² Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

³³ Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye shall possess.

Oh that we would just keep going. Not looking to the left and wondering "what if I do this instead?" or to the right saying, "well, why can't it be this way?" Just keep going. Straight. Eyes right on. Not doubting. Not inwardly complaining.

Just.

keep.

going.


Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 4

Moses is reminding the Israelites that God wants them to follow the words that have been spoken through him to them so that they will be allowed to go into the Promised Land. He tells them that they are not to remove or add to any of the words which have been spoken to them. They are to take them just as they are and obey them. Moses also reminds them that those that turned from the Lord and followed after Baalpeor were destroyed from among them but those that stayed faithful and true to God were spared.

Moses says in verse 6, "Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." If the Israelites would only keep to the words of the Lord and obey them it would be within that obedience that they would be found wise in the Lord. What it really would have been is God blessing them and making them great because of their obedience.

This should be a reminder to all Christians that if we just do what is written in His word, if we just obey His voice God would give us the wisdom that we need to do what is required or desired of us.

Moses goes on to ask them who else has a God so close and ready when His people call on Him and what other people have a God whose statutes are so right and just? Our God is the only God who is quick to listen when we call.

The Lord understands His creation and their fallen nature however so He has Moses remind His children with the following important words, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons' and thy sons' sons." vs. 9

Oh that this would be the desire and goal of every parent and grandparent, aunt and uncle, brother and sister who believes in God. First that we would be careful about our own personal walk with God that we would guard our own hearts and spend time with Him alone to keep our spirits right, diligently, which means that it will  take work!! But then so that we would not forget about all of the great things that God has done through us and for us we should begin to teach them to our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, younger brothers and sisters. How important we are as individuals to this legacy for Christ!!

Moses then goes on to remind the children of Israel what happened at the base of Mt. Horeb when the Lord appeared to them in a fire and they were given the 10 commandments. Moses carefully and wisely tells them that it was not some spirit that they witnessed there but the one true God, the Almighty. He does this so that they would be warned to not go and serve after idols whether they be idols of spirits or idols of the earth. He warns them in later verses that if they go on in future years to create idols and follow after other gods that they would be utterly destroyed and perish from the land of Jordan. They would be separated and left in small numbers to suffer under the hands of men.

But as always there is a promise. Moses tells them that if they would stay faithful or even return to the Lord their God even in the day of their tribulation He would hear them for He is a merciful God and He would hearken unto them.

How wonderful a God we have that constantly pours out His mercy toward sinners such as us!

In the final verses Moses' message to God's chosen people is this:

³⁹ Know therefore this day, and consider [it] in thine heart, that the LORD he [is] God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: [there is] none else.

⁴⁰ Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong [thy] days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.

What a message and reminder that is for the people of God today! Our Lord, HE IS GOD!!

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 2

A verse that spoke to me from this chapter:
 "For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God [hath been] with thee; thou hast lacked nothing." vs. 7


So often we exert so much energy trying to attain that which we believe is needful, what we believe is necessary. Yet we question when that need isn't filled, often forgetting that God doesn't give us what we think we need but He gives us what He knows need...and only just enough to keep us from lacking but not so much that it keeps us from leaning on Him.

 "If we keep from what God forbids, we shall not lose by our obedience."

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy-chpt. 1

I just finished reading through the book of Deuteronomy. It took me just over a month but I am glad to have read through it. It is a book just full of events. I am going to *try* to sum up over the next few weeks some of the things that the Lord showed me while reading this book. But I warn you, don't expect anything profound!! :)

The books opens with Moses telling the children of Israel that there were so many of them that he couldn't alone possible lead them all. This is when the Lord sepearates them out and gives captains over differing numbers of them. He then procedded to tell the captains for judges how they were to rule the people, justly and if there was a situation too hard for them to deal with they were to come to Moses.

He continues by recounting the events of the twelve men who went to spy on Canaan. He reminds the Israeliets of how the Lord wanted to give them a wonderful place, a fruitful land but first there was going to be some "work." 10 of the 12 spies came back with tales of how difficult it would be to overtake the giants of the land, they focused on the impossible. Only 2 of them, Joshua and Caleb told of the wonderous things that were there. Moses had encouraged the Israelites to not fear that GOD had promised them the land. It was already done, they just needed to follow in obedience.

The Israelites were afraid. They were too overcome by their fear to see that if they would only continue in obedience God would do that which they thought was impossible. They refused. No manner of encouraging from Moses would deplete the fear, doubt and anger that had risen in the hearts of the people.

Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes" Deut. 1:29,30

The Lord became wroth with His people. He tells Moses that none of the adults would see the land except for Caleb, because he had "wholly followed the Lord" and Joshua, who was to lead the Israelites after Moses' death. The children of the time, those not old enought to discern between right and wrong were also allowed to see the Promised Land.

How sad it is to think that just a wonderful blessing was witheld because of the lack of faith in God's people. Reading through this chapter caused me to reflect heavily on my own life and wonder how many times I've missed out on the blessings of God simply because I would not trust in what God had already said He would done. It was a very convicting chapter to me. Since reading this chapter 1 o Deuteronomy a few weeks ago I have been more attentive to my own faith. I have strived to see God through things that I would have otherwise been afraid of or angry about.

I know that God holds so many great things in store for us, if we would only believe!

As many of you know the Israelites realized their mistake and decided to go and fight against the Canaanites. It was too late however. God had turned away from them. Moses warned them that they would receive no help from God but they refused to listen, went up to fight anyway and lost horribly. How sad to think that had they obeyed the first time this battle would have been a victorious one. But now they were left with heartache and loss. All for a lack of faith.

Lovin' Learnin'

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Deuteronomy 4:9

      In reading these first few chapters of Deuteronomy it's easy to understand why God told this, through Moses, to the Isrealite children. They often seemed to forget the awesome acts that God had done for them and instead focused on the obstacles that they found in their way. It's been frustrating to me to simply read about their lack of faith in Him...mainly because I see so much of myself in them. When things get tough, I too tend to forget. I too tend to focus on the obstacles instead of the Lord and what I know He has done and is capable of doing for me.

      What about you? Do you tend to focus too much on the troubles? I'm telling you-and myself-if we would just keep our eyes on Christ and remember the great acts that He has done our faith and trust will grow.

      How can we share the wonderful miracles in our own lives with our children if we are too caught up in the difficult? When the spies returned from sizing up the promised land, the Isrealites paid more attention to the report of giants than of the great things that were there...and the fact that God said He'd give it to them. They focused on the "impossibles" instead of the One Who can do all. It was a mistake which they later realized and tried to fix but paid for with their lives. I wonder though what impression that left on the children. There they were, getting ready to see the God of their fathers work a miracle, an "impossible" and instead their parents lost faith and the children missed out on seeing their God work.

      It's like that in our lives too. When we loose faith and think that "this" or "that" can't be done our children miss out on seeing God work. How sad that is.

      I feel challenge personally to have more faith in my God. To keep my eyes on Him and not on my circumstances, so that I can be reminded of what an awesome God I serve and can in turn tell it to my children.

      What about you? Do you need to take a step back and evaluate how your faith has been lately? Are you trusting in the Lord, knowing that He can do the impossible, or are you letting fear reign in your hearts?

      God's waiting to do miracles in our lives, to use us to show His mighty power. Let's not be like the children of Israel and miss out because we were too busy seeing the giants of this world to see the greatness of God.

Lovin' Learnin'

Weekly Word-Wisdom

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

James 1:5

Are you lacking wisdom this morning? Then get on your knees and seek the face of the One who gives to all who ask with pure motives. He joys in doing this for us. Don't delay, seek His wisdom today!!

upbraideth-  1. to find fault with or reproach severely; censure: The military tribunal upbraided the soldier   for his cowardice.

2. (of things) to bring reproach on; serve as a reproach to.


Lovin' Learnin'

Weekly Word-Surrender

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Luke 9:23

It's hard when the Lord is wanting you to do something that you don't really want to do isn't it? It's tough when you feel Him tugging at your heart to surrender some area of your life over to Him so that He can do more.

I know first hand how that feels. There are things going on in my personal life that makes this verse apply directly to me. I've struggled with something for a few years now and the struggle is getting tiresome. Honestly I'm not sure what the Lord wants but struggling between making my own decision and praying for the Lord's direction is hard. What if He is asking me to surrender myself to that very thing that I have thought for so long that He didn't want. What will I do then?

You know, as a daughter of the King, my life is not my own. I am here to live for Him, to do His work, to bring Him honor and glory. Yes, even if that means doing exactly what I'm not very thrilled about doing.

What about you? Is the Lord asking you to surrender some area of your life to Him? Maybe you need to make a change in your homeschool, in your relationship with your husband, a co-worker, a friend or family member. Maybe your Pastor has asked you to serve in an area that you are not really wanting to. There are hundreds of senarios that I could mention but the focus here is on surrendering to the Lord no matter what the senario is!

Why? Because the Bible goes on to say, "For whosever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." Luke 9:24

It does us no good to fight the will of God. What is He asking you to do today? Surrender your life to Him!!

Lovin' Learnin'

Weekly Word

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Wow! Listen, dear friend, whatever you're going through, no matter how dismal the situation may be please remember something. If you are a child of God then the God Who created the universe, put the stars in place, created your life

is.

with.

 you.

We have no reason to fear-place this situation in the hands of the Almighty and rest in knowing that you are not alone.

Lovin' Learnin'

Praying for Those Closest to You

This Weekly Word comes from Colossians 1:9-11.

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."

Wow huh?!! There IS power in prayer, but...

I admit it, I do not pray as I should, nor as often as I should. Not even for my children. I need to pray for them more. I need to pray more earnestly for them. I need to plead for them. I need to pray for them!

But I fail. I'm inconsistent. I'm hurried. I fail to see the real need for praying for them.

God, in His awesome wisdom, looks down on His wretched daughter, probably sighs, and says, "Here, let me help you out...again..." He has brought something my way that is wonderful and will help me to train myself to be more consistent in praying for these four precious babies He's loaned to us.

Krisit over at Clothesline Musings sent out this calendar entitled Pray for Children. Each day has a character trait, prayer and Bible verse that you can use to bathe your children in prayer for that day. It is not a month specific calendar but simply numbered from 1-31 so that you can use it over and over again. This is beautiful!

Print it out, use it, Pray for your Children I know that I will be.

And not to be forgotten, our dear husbands. They carry so much that they don't tell us. They provide for us, they lead, they are in Satan's sight. They need our prayers!

I found a wonderful post about praying for our husbands. You might want to print it out and pray it daily! No, don't forget your husband!


Lovin' Learnin'

I don't usually mess with the forwarded emails that people send me but this one, for some reason, I actually took the time to read. I have to say that this is honestly one of those very few emails that leave me better than it found me. I hope that it is an edifying to you as well!!

BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE!

Read this and then reread it. Especially the last part...

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories.

He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.

He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on.

Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two.

Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.

Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blonde, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket.. hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks.

She saw me watching her and she smiled. 'My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know.'

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.

'My husband passed away eight days ago,' I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. 'Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together.'

She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.

I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A Quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.

I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face was the brightest smile! I had ever seen. I would swear a soft halo encircled her blonde hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.

As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes.. 'These are for you,' she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. 'When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for.' She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision.

I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal.. How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear... I wasn't alone.

Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with tears in my eyes.. He was still with me, and she was his angel.

This story and what follows makes me think of the passage in Philippians where Paul exhorts his fellow brothers in Christ to be content; no matter what!!

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

Philippians 4:11

Every day be thankful for what you have and who you are.

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings. Thank you, Lord, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible. Thank you, Lord, that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising. Thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, tempers are short, and my children are so loud.

Thank you, Lord, for my family.. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the picture in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced..

Thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job..

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest. Thank you, Lord, for life.

Pass this on to the friends you know. It might help a bit to make this world a better place to live, right? A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift. A friend is someone to treasure.

For friendship is a gift. A friend is someone who fills our lives with Beauty, Joy and Grace and makes the world we live in a better and happier place.

YOU ARE MY FRIEND!

God bless you and your family.

Lovin' Learnin'

It’s In His Hands

This Weekly Word has to do with trusting all your fears to the Lord and leaving them in the hands of our Lord.

1 Peter 4:19

“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

Child of My Love

Child of My Love, lean hard,

And let Me feel the pressure of thy care;

I know thy burden, child. I shaped it;

Poised it in Mine own hand; made no proportion

In its weight to thine unaided strength.

For even as I laid it on, I said

“I shall be near, and while she leans on Me,

This burden shall be Mine, not hers;

So shall I keep My child within the circling arms

Of Mine own love.: Here lay it down, nor fear

To impose it on a shoulder which upholds

The government of worlds. Yet closer come;

Thou art not near enough. I would embrace thy care;

So I might feel My child reposing on my breast,

Thou lovedest Me! I knew it. Doubt not then;

But loving Me, lean hard.

- Anonymous

Whatever you are facing this week determine that with God’s strength working in you those fears, worries and concerns will be placed back into the hands of the One Who allowed the trial to enter your life.

Lovin' Learnin'

Think on these things

The Word for this week comes from two verses in the Bible:

Philippians 4:8

“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.”

Isaiah 26:3

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Determine this week that with God’s strength available to you, you are going to conquer this area of your life. You will consciously think on the right things while purposely fighting away the wrong kind of thoughts.

Our reward will be the kind of peace that only comes from the Lord above!