A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

 

                                                                                      i.pinimg.com

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging your hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV)

Words of the Apostle Peter to those who were dispersed into five regions of Asia Minor.

His words speak of the inner beauty of the believers of Christ. Per his thought, the inner person is what God sees and deems as our true selves.

I am concerned that our world has worshiped youthfulness, forgetting that people age. Madison Avenue (the advertising industry) has caused us to forget the fact that we are aging. Several of my lady friends have aged gracefully. I have a picture of one of them and her husband in our living room.

Now, please do not misunderstand, there are things we might need to do to our skin. However, there are things we need to do to keep our inner self presentable before God.

#Reading God’s Word

# Applying what it says to our heart

# Living out His Word to others

# Seeking His guidance through prayer

Father God, Please help each one of us to be gentle and humble as we go through our days. In Christ’s Name, I pray. Amen

Pledges

node01flagstat.net

 I gave this message at church this past Sunday.  I didn't realize that some of this information was new to some of the adults. 

Children’s Moments Message

September 25, 2022

I have been thinking about promises lately, sometimes we call them pledges. A pledge is a sincere promise we make. We make one to our nation’s flag, another one to the Bible, and one to the Christian flag.

In all three pledges, we promise to be loyal to each of these.

Pledge to the American flag

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which is stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

mediaistockphoto.com

Pledge to the Bible

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It’s words I will hide in my heart, that I might not sin against God. ⁽¹⁾

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Pledge to the Christian flag

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands, one Savior, crucified, risen again, and coming again with life and liberty to all who believe. ⁽²⁾

We have those items in our sanctuary here at Cross Roads. I discovered something I did not know about the Christian flag. I knew there is a cross in a blue section, and the rest of the flag is white. Here’s what I learned:

#The shade of red in the Cross reminds us of Jesus’ blood that He shed because He took our sins away.

#The blue reminds us of the water of baptism. It also reminds us of Jesus’ loyalty to God.

#The white reminds us of Jesus’ purity. He was without sin until He went to the Cross for us. ⁽³⁾

^{________________________}

^1.http://www.ccabrazil.org/uploads /4/3/5/9/4359809/christian_flag__bible_pledges.pdf

2. IBID.

3. http://en.wikiepedia.org/Christian _Flag#:-text=The Christian Flag was first to arrive for the event/

Serve One Another In Love

 

                                 

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 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

 

Paul writes to the Galatians that we are to serve one another in love. He warns them, and us, that our freedom should not be used in a questionable or sinful way.

 

How can we keep from causing hurt to others when we serve them? We should ask the LORD to guide us in our actions and our speech as well as our attitudes.

 

Sometimes we must engage what some call filters in our speech. (Gauge how something might sound if we spoke certain things.)

 

Other times, we must just do our jobs and choose not to listen to things that cause us to slip up and fall into the ‘world mode’.  This takes some maturity in Christ.

 

We must remember that God loves those we serve and those who serve with us as much as He loves us.

 

 

Book Review: Flooded

 

By Nicki Korziarz

                            (The 5 Best Decisions to Make When Life is Hard and Doubt is Rising)

 

Ms. Nicki Korziarz has written a book dealing with the tough issues of life. She divides her book into what she calls five decisions, each of which has three chapters.

In each section, she shares with the reader some of the times she felt swamped and even inundated by the events that touched her life. She also relates these decisions to the life of Noah.

 

Each of us have had times of uncertainty as we try to deal with difficulties that life throws our way. We see that Noah displayed obedience and followed God’s directions.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who seems to be ‘hemmed in’ by stresses that seem unbearable. I would also recommend this book to those who are Christian counselors or pastors.

 

I received this book from Bethany House, free of charge. All they asked of me was that I give an unbiased review.

 

January Reflections

 

Amazon.com

 

January started off with a different feel to it. I was wondering what 2021 would bring us. It was just under a week and we found out.

 

I spent some time planning further about my blog entries. I thought my NEO, portable word processor quit on me. I still have not got that figured out yet. I will have to experiment with it. I tried the “dictate” feature of my word processor on my laptop. It does not recognize certain phrases. My NEO straightened itself out; maybe it was something I did to cause the original issue.

 

I had some personal maintenance I had to take care of. I saw my audiologist and had a hearing test. I will be receiving my new hearing aids in early February. I had to have lab work done ahead of my Wellness Visit with my primary care doctor. One week later, I had that appointment. I learned a lot during that visit. I came away with paperwork for two more tests. I am scheduled for those tests this week.

 

She, my doctor, took a lot of time with me. I had three questions I wanted to ask her and explain my feelings about what I thought about certain issues I faced.

 

I had a goal of reading at least 12 books this year. As of this initial writing, I have finished Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. I may want to re-read this at least once a year. Also, reread one called, God, I don’t Understand. I presently am reading three devotional books each day. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, Daily Guideposts 2021 by Guideposts, Mornings with Jesus also by Guideposts. Reading them helps me with the COVID issues of sadness.

 

I was able to get appointments for us for our COVID vaccines. This first week of February is terribly busy for us. More on that later. We had a weekend of what the weathermen call, “Winter Mix”, this was in three waves, Snow, Rain, and More Snow.

 

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Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

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Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:1 (NIV)

What does Jesus mean when He says this?

I know a woman and two of her sisters who are poor by the standards of society, but I have heard of this Christian woman going out of her way to help others who had less. I also witnessed this same Christian woman console one of her sisters at a memorial service for one of their brothers.

           

I read of a Christian speaker and author tell of preparing to speak at a writer’s conference as he recovered from cancer treatment. He sent up a prayer to God saying, “Lord, I can’t do this.” The answer he received was simply, “You can’t, but now I can.”

As I compose this essay, I am reminded of times when I have ventured out ahead of the LORD and then got into trouble. Was that being poor in spirit? Definitely not.

Being poor in spirit simply means that we realize that we can’t do anything without the LORD guiding us.

As we await the time for re-opening our local church, some of us are hearing from different sources of information giving us conflicting dates. Some of us have decided we need to leave that decision up to the LORD.

 

How many times have we felt that we were in control and could do something without the LORD’s guidance? I know I have thought this and acted like I knew what I was doing. Only, my ‘plans’ failed.            

All our plans must go through God. It is His decision that is paramount in all our lives.

The Choice We Have

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:16 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul pens these words to the believers at Rome. What he says to them, he also says to us.

We have a choice as to how we align our lives. We can choose to be obedient to our sinful nature and have a life of constant upheaval or we can decide to follow God and gain righteousness.

God gives us free will to decide what we want to do. When we choose to live our lives without Him, we open ourselves up to many difficulties-health issues, relationship problems, and financial concerns.

We can live for the world or we can live for the LORD. While living for the LORD may not always seem easy, if we obey God and His word, He works out those difficult circumstances as He intends.

Sometimes, we have to abide what He tells us and seek new ways to serve Him. As age and infirmity can change our activities and our work for Him. He leads us down different paths that He chooses for us.

As I initially typed these words, the hymn, “Trust and Obey” came into my mind.  These words are especially comforting:

“When we do his good will, he abides with us still. And with all who trust and obey.”

Lord Jesus: Thank You for Your guidance. Thank You for abiding with us. Help us. Your children to always be obedient and to follow your direction as we live for You.
____________________________
Trust and Obey, James H. Samiss, Daniel B. Towner found in Hymns for the Family of God number 454.

Looking at Our World

https://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/11/17/

            And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28

           

            As we go through our daily activities, we sometimes wonder why we do tasks in certain ways. I have concluded that we, as children of God have been assigned to care for our earth.

            I recycle what I can. Our town has a curbside pick-up program that helps the citizens in this effort. Some people participate because they believe their actions in recycling will keep the landfills from filling up as quickly.

            Several sites around town have dumpsters provided by a company that collects and recycles newspapers, magazines, and office paper. The company pays the site owners for the paper collected.

A school in a town to the immediate north of ours collects plastic caps and those caps eventually are reprocessed and become park benches. An interesting sidelight about this process is there are six memorial benches in Northern Indiana made from recycled plastic bottle caps and lids. This project was done by Girl Scouts. (http://fox59.com/2017/05/17/424975/)

            An elderly man in our immediate area collect pop can tabs and donates them to our state’s children’s hospital. His efforts have received stories in our local paper and news coverage on television. People bring these tabs to him and he scouts around the area for empty pop cans to assist the hospital in their mission to aid children who are ill.

            I have concluded that we have a greater reason to recycle. In reading Genesis chapter one, we see God and His Spirit forming the world out of nothing. On the sixth day, God told man to have dominion over the fish, the birds, and every living creature on the earth.

            What does have dominion mean? Simply stated, it means we have a responsibility for what God had given us. A friend of mine has creative ways to apply the guideline, “recycle, reduce, reuse.”

            One of my friends estimates they recycle, reduce, or reuse 90% of what they have. If they don’t recycle through the city program, they compost what most of everything else. Because of what I have read in the Bible and learned from my friend, I realize anew I need to expand my recycling efforts from just newspapers, kitchen and grocery items to include items I toss into my waste basket in my computer room/office. I plan to be more diligent with my recycling because it is my responsibility.

Obedience

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 “But Samuel replied: ‘Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of the rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.’”

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NIV)

o·be·di·ence

əˈbēdēəns,ōˈbēdēəns/

noun

1. compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority.

   "children were taught to show their parents obedience"

   synonyms:

   compliance, acquiescence, tractability, amenability; More

   • observance of a monastic rule.

     "vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience"(1)

               Samuel carries a message to King Saul. This message is at least two-fold. The prophet relates that obedience is better than sacrifice.

This comes across that God does not want any gifts from His people; rather, He wants His people to obey His direction and His Word. Samuel compares the people’s heeding to being better than any offering they can give.

               The second part of this message speaks of rebellion against God being on the same level as seeking knowledge of the future—a pagan counterpart of prophecy. ^2. Samuel also equates thinking too highly of oneself equal to idolatry-paying divine honor to any created thing.3

               What does this mean to us who live in the 21st Century? We see actions taken and deeds done that are not according to God’s word or His direction. We see people choosing to honor ‘things’ rather than God. We hear of people taking lives, for no reason. We also read of others who set themselves above others just because it is their choice.

               We need to approach God’s throne and beg His forgiveness for these sins by our society. Moreover, we need to learn to practice obedience.

___________________

1.www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=obedience%20definition

2.            The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, Chicago, revised 1988, page 313

3.            Op. Cit., page 602

Trust in the LORD

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“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” Ps. 37:1-3 (NIV)

               I find this passage very interesting. The message here can be timely. David tells us not to worry about those who do evil to others. He magnifies his guiding words by further saying we should not envy those who break laws—God’s laws or man’s.

               The shepherd king reminds us that evildoer’s time here on earth—as is every man or woman’s—is limited. People become weak through disease, lifestyle, or habits.

               Then David turns a corner in his message and advises his readers, including us, to trust in God. In addition, he tells us to do helpful, admirable, and uplifting things. He then, tells us to live in the land and appreciate the protection we have.

               In our 21^st Century world, we do not see a lot of safety in the world. We have to trust in the LORD for the protection we do have. The world desires peace; lasting peace will come only when Jesus returns to reign on earth 

Jesus and His Love

Scripture: John 13:1-7

Warner Sallman painting

Focus Scripture: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1b (NIV)

               Jesus, possessor of all authority of God, washed the disciples’ feet. We wonder why He would do something that servants would do. He knew of His upcoming betrayal. He knew the hearts of the eleven others. Jesus modeled love to them. I am sure they were humbled because of this deed. It was very personal to each of them. 

               When we read this as new believers, we focus on the main action, the foot washing. As we mature in Christ, we look at Jesus’ motivation.

               Only one of the disciples, Simon Peter, spoke up and asked Jesus if the He was going to wash his feet. Jesus responded with, “You do not realize now what I am doing but later you will understand.” (John 13:7)

               We all have had times where someone did something we did not understand. Usually, it is someone in authority. Even in our relationship with Jesus, conditions come to us that are beyond our comprehension. Sometimes, we have to spend quantity time in prayer and in listening for God to give us direction.

               We should be ready to hear God’s words and allow Him to work out the condition in which we find ourselves. Jesus’ reason for all He does is that He loves each of us deeply.

Jesus to Be Glorified

Scripture Reading: John 12:20-28

Scripture Focus:

                              “Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

                                             John 12:23 (NIV)

               What did Jesus mean by saying “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”? My research has shown me something I should have learned a long time ago but didn’t. “The Greeks and Jews took it to mean that subjected kingdoms would grovel before the conqueror’s feet; by glorified he meant crucified. When the Son of Man was mentioned they thought of the conquest of God’s armies of God; he meant the conquest of the cross.” ¹

               Jesus told the people, including the disciples, that he would die several times but they chose to interpret his words to their liking. Is it any wonder the disciples felt betrayed and disillusioned when Jesus’s words came to pass?

               The people who heard Jesus say these difficult things are no different from those of us who live in the 21st Century. We have something in us that sometimes makes us hear what we want to hear.

               King Solomon gives us sage advice when he tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding.”(Proverbs 3:5, NIV) Think on this thought as we go through the Lenten season. Have we watered down God’s message to us by applying our thoughts to the message God has for us?

Should we wait and look at these words, as He would want us to?

_____________

1. Daily Study Bible, the Book of John, Vol. 2 by William Barclay Westminster Press © 1975 page 123

Book Review: The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

Rachel Stoltzfus, a young woman living in an old order Mennonite community, made a mistake. The citizens of that society began to notice the change in her. She was not alone in her sin. The newly appointed bishop of the area wanted to banish her from the community. Her sin, like all sin, touched others beside herself. Her twin sister and her sister’s husband felt the sting of undealt with sin.

When the health of an innocent child comes to the forefront, the people who have been party to and victim of the sin, as well as the ones who set the stage for it have to admit their part in it.Rachel’s story is told by Rachel and Amos King, the deceased bishop.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes to read stories about the Amish or the Mennonite people. Although this is Ms. Petersheim’s first novel, I believe she will write more about her Mennonite heritage. I look forward to reading her books in the future.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishing and Jolina Petersheim through the Book Club Network. All I was asked to do was read this and give an unbiased review.


Graphic: jolinapetersheim.com

Free from Worry

   

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.

 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

Recently, my devotional reading was about worry. The author, Sarah Young, (Jesus Calling), used the phrases “form of unbelief” and “anathema to me.” (Each devotion is written from the point of view of Jesus.)

In my Christian walk, I learned that worry was the opposite of or shortage of faith. As I read the words “form of unbelief,” I felt my heart quicken; had I been worrying about something that needed to be given to the Lord?

Quite possibly, I had been worried about some health issues my husband has been dealing with.

Whenever the weather forecast for our son’s area, Hubby tells me I should be in prayer about him. Sometimes this causes me mild anxiety. A week before his trip home the region south of him had tornadoes. Three of our friends called to inquire how he was. All three of us felt touched by the kindness shown by these close friends.

On a recent Sunday, our pastoral assistant spoke during our church’s two worship services.

My “Saturday Night Insomnia” struck me hard. I had set my alarm to give me enough time to try to attend the early service. I believe I was worried about getting up in time because an hour before my alarm was to go off; I turned on the television and watched a program. Resetting the alarm, I dozed but when it did ring, I woke in a stupor. Again, I changed the time for the alarm to ring. I still felt almost drugged when I awoke.

The next afternoon, a friend and I stopped in at the church office. I had earlier emailed our pastoral assistant and explained my absence. While we were there, I told the pastor I needed to apologize for not being in worship. I told him what had happened. He told me he understood and that I didn’t have anything to apologize for.

I believe my worry was over the fact that our pastoral assistant is a friend and, on the Sunday before, she had asked me to pray for her. When I saw her on that Monday, I asked for a copy of her message which she gave me. It was an excellent message; God was in it.

I have been a believer in Jesus for several years and He still teaches me, every day.

__________

 graphic from conscious-manager.com

Growth In Faith

www.faith-methodist.org -

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so,

because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you have

for each other is increasing.”

2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)

Paul writes to the Thessalonians about their growth in their faith. He realizes he and his ministry group should thank God for the growth of faith in the church at Thessaloniki  Because Paul could see their faith as it grew, their love for one another deepened.

One of our local pastors has said the best way to get to know other people is to work on a project with them. I decided several years ago that a friendship grows deeper when people pray with one another. I felt closer to a certain lady after we prayed and cried at the altar.

When we read the writings of Paul, we have several thoughts come to us.

               He learned to love the Lord.

               He spent time spreading God’s word.

               He encouraged the believers in the churches he established.

               He came to realize the Christ was the most important person in His life.

We, as God’s children, would do well if we applied these goals to our hearts. Please help us, Lord, to live for You.

Creation Museum and Unplugging

Seven "C's"in God's Eternal Plan - Creation,Corruption,Catastrophe,
 Confusion, Christ ,Cross ,Consumation

As I prepared for drama practice this morning, I realized I hadn't posted my pictures from my trip to the Creation Museum. What am I saying? I hadn't uploaded them to my laptop. Here are some of the better pictures from that day.

Adam and Eve on one of their walks in the garden.

There are signs like this throughout the  path  through the areas.

T

Imagine walking through Noah's Arc.
They have a huge replica of  it that people can walk through.

Because of some commitments with the upcoming Christmas play and the desire to get things done for Christmas,in my home and for my blog,  I will be unplugging from this blog until December 3^rd.

Thank The Lord for Veterans

In deciding a topic for today’s blog entry, I was reminded of the reason for the holiday. Our nation has been blessed with people, men and women, who heeded our country’s call to protect our land.

We have had people give their lives for our nation. A former high school,now a medical training magnet school,  in Indianapolis bore the name of the first casualty (death) of the Revolutionary War. A highway in Indiana was named for a fallen World War II war correspondent, a Hoosier. A reserve Air Force base in the north central part of our state was renamed for an astronaut who died on duty when a fire broke out while awaiting lift off of a rocket.

On the yard of our city hall sits a monument to the local men who lost their lives in Vietnam. On the west side of town is a relatively new bridge named Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Two of the larger cemeteries here will have an avenue of flags lining their entry drives, in honor of those who are buried on their grounds. Our church will have flag poles set up, with the American flag waving from each one, on the hill where the church sits overlooking the intersection. The sight of multiple flags almost takes one’s breath away.

As I become older, I am aware of the importance of Memorial Day. Having had a grandfather who fought in World War I, a father in World War II and during the Korean War, and a husband who served in the Vietnam era, I have become mindful of the sacrifices the veterans have made.

At least two sets of friends of mine have grandsons who are planning to enlist in the military, one in the Marines, one in the Navy. They are or soon will be high school graduates.

My dad died last June. When the local newspaper published his obituary, there was an image of the Stars and Stripes below his picture. All veterans receive this recognition from the paper from the editorial staff as an honor to those who served our country.

On my mental “to do” list on Saturday was the task of purchasing some flowers and going to the cemetery and honoring him. Hubby and I bought flowers for Dad and for one of our brother-in-laws. I also hoped to borrow my son’s digital camera and take a picture of the flags at church. There is a group of men who put them up for Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veteran’s Day.

Have you thanked God for a veteran, today? Have you ever taken the time to thank a veteran?

Spiritual Winter

I am reading FACING YOUR GIANTS, by Max Lucado. In this book, he talks about David and how he faced Goliath. He uses a term I hadn’t heard before. He said the looseknit tribes of Israel, in One Thousand BC, were going through a bad era. He then states the people went through three centuries of spiritual winter.

The phrase ‘spiritual winter’ set me to thinking.

Do we, as modern day Christians, have spiritual winters in our Christian life? Are we, as a nation, experiencing a form of this phenomenon? If we are, can we break through this ordeal?
It seems the answer to my first question also works for the second one.

1. We stop reading our Bibles. We are a people who can give many excuses. “I don’t have time.” Our pastor reminded us in one of his sermons that we all have 168 hours a week. “I’m too tired at the end of the day.” “I can’t understand what I read.” I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “It’s not what I don’t understand when I read the Bible, it’s what I do.”

2. .We start watching TV shows we know we shouldn’t. We justify our viewing habits by saying or thinking “ But the newspaper said it was good.” “But my friend said it didn’t have any bad language in it.” or “I like this actor/actress, it won’t hurt to watch it.” As a writer, I have sometimes claimed to myself, “It’s research.”

3. We begin to exhibit inconsistencies in our behavior and we justify it. We call our closest friend and tell something that we were told in confidence. Again we try to make our actions seem right. “I can trust her/him. She won’t tell anyone.”

4. . We don’t pray as we once did. There again we make excuses. “I’m too busy.” I saw a sign years ago, “If you are too busy to pray, you are TOO busy.” “I don’t believe God hears my prayers.” If we think God doesn’t hear your prayers, then we need to look at our lives and see what we’ve done to cause it.

5. We look to other gods, forgetting the one true God. We have a plethora of things that can take the place of the God of Abraham, if we let them. Yes, it’s nice to have a new car. . . once in a while. Yes, it’s cool to have a nice home. . . we can afford it. It is nice to have a beautiful yard. . . if we don’t forget how we got it and it doesn’t own us.

Now, how do we get back to where we need to be–come out of that spiritual winter? We need to follow the directions of God in II Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Desires

(Psalm 37:4)

What do we want in life? Our answer to this question molds how we view things in its different areas.

In the Bible, King David tells us to 'delight. . . in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart.” In this passage a priority is established. We have to align ourselves with God and His Will first.

Also in the Bible, Matthew writes in Matthew 6:33. “Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” This passage tells us our priority should be to seek God and His guidance for all our plans. This takes a bit of discipline on our part.

In order to know God and His Will, we have to spend time with Him through prayer, Bible study, and reading Christian literature–again discipline is required.