In the Palm of His Hand

"Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." (Prov. 30:8,9)

In these two verses I see an author simply asking God for a simple life. Nothing more; nothing less. This plea for merely the basic elements in life shows a heart seeking to humbly enjoy all things the way the Lord created them to be and credit all to Him. Simple devotion. Simple trust. Simple life. (Not simple as in "ignorant", but as in "not complicated".) This man's desire was to set aside all earthly distractions, from wealth to poverty, that he might simply glorify God.

He asks the Lord in verse 8 to remove vanity(the passing things of this world) and lies FAR from him. "Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches...When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors" (Ps. 73:12, 16-19).

This brings to mind the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30-31. "The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, 'O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee...' "

Now there is an example of some serious vanity due to pride and faith in riches!

Look at the outcome: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase" (vs. 37).

In the New Testament, those on the other end of the spectrum (the poor) are instructed to "be obedient...Not purloining, [stealing] but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:9,10).

What simpler thing is there to ask the Lord for than your allotment in life as He sees fit? When you find yourself searching, ask Him for simple contentment with what He has been pleased to give you.

"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works" (Ps. 73:25-28).

If I could have the world and all it owns
A thousand kingdoms, a thousand thrones
If all the earth were mine to hold
With wealth my only goal

I'd spend my gold on selfish things
Without the love that Your life brings
Just a little bit more is all I'd need
'Til life was torn from me

If I should walk the streets no place to sleep
No faith in promises You keep
I'd have no way to buy my bread
With a bottle for my bed

But if I trust the One who died for me
Who shed His blood to set me free
If I live my life to trust in You
Your grace will see me through

I'd rather be in the palm of Your hand
Though rich or poor I may be
Faith can see right through the circumstance
Sees the forest in spite of the trees
Your grace provides for me

My family

~~Country roads, take me home~~

Recently we've had some awesome thunder storms. These are some pics my sister took after a particularly amazing one last Saturday night....

~ Sunset outside my bedroom window ~

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

~Psalm 19:1-3

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth,

Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

~Psalm 147:7-8

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

~Psalm 19:7-10

What is "Falling in Love?"

I was attempting to sleep through the hot, humid night....morning actually, because my clock said 1 a.m. Somewhere between conscious thought and dreams, I became aware that what I just came up with was the long overdue inspiration for a blog post.....

I was contemplating the fact that love is not something you fall into; it's a decision you must make and follow up with. So then it isn't possible to biblically fall in love, right? That's what I was trying to figure out.

Observe these two scenarios so you can see where I'm coming from.

First, look at it from this perspective: there are two people who haven't known each other for very long, but they are strongly attracted to each other. Neither has ever felt that way before about someone, so this must be it. Should they marry because they are madly in love with each other???

Now, look at it this way: here we have a man and a woman who know each other well, both are walking with God, and both believe they will serve the Lord better as a team, so they marry. Should they not, as a married couple, be in love with each other???

Then what is "falling in love?"

In the world's mind, it is being infatuated with a person's looks, personality, etc. Although few would readily admit it, this type of love is rooted in selfishness. It is living for the minute -- doing what makes you feel good.

To Christians, falling in love entails something much higher and nobler. Falling in love is the mutual joy of a man and a woman in giving their hearts to each other. This means each one's wildest dreams, highest hopes, deepest convictions, greatest fears, acutest pains, strongest affections, and fullest confidence is all committed to the other's trust, to be shared between them for a lifetime.

Obviously, no human can fully give his/her heart to more than one other human, so the goal is to save it for the one and only. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." What better way to keep your heart for your spouse than to give it first to the Lord? "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one" (2 Thess. 3:3). Surrender yourself entirely into His hand, a nothing can snatch you out. He will guard you and guide you and give you more than you could ever imagine!

(Eph. 3:20; Jude 24,25)

"The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands."

~Psalm 138:8

Fear, Faith, & the Object Thereof

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

(Mark 4:35-41).

***************************************

Our Lord does care when we are struggling (1Pet.5:7). The reason behind our fearful doubt of His care is that we trust ourselves too much. We put God in the little box labeled "what I can comprehend." When we stumble and fall, we then expect that God will do the same. But He doesn't.

When God seems far away, the problem is not Him; it's us. Our sole focus is self and some desperate situation (storm). Then when He does answer our prayers, we are shocked and fearful because we didn't really believe He would do it. If we have faith in the first place, He not only delivers us, but also guides us along the path.

"Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song;

He also has become my salvation"

(Is.12:2).

This is the object: God is my salvation. Therefore, I will trust Him and not fear (worry). He is the purpose of my life - beginning, middle, and end - I must run the race on His strength. He is shall be my song all the day.

The Lord Jehovah has freed me from perishing in the darkness of sin now and in eternity. For what more could I ask?

"My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

~Ps.73:26

Your Face

"If you live close to God

And His infinite grace,

You don't have to tell;

It shows in your face."

~Anonymous

This little rhyme brought to mind a few questions that really challenged me.

>Is this what everyone sees in me? In other words, am I consistent?

>If so, do unsaved people know what they are seeing? Sure, they may see something different & even good; but do I tell them what (or Who)?

>How am I sharing the "joy of serving Jesus" with others?

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?...So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"(Romans 10:14,17).

Thank you to the friend who gave me the idea for this.