Lazy Day

I had a lazy day today.  I can’t remember the last time I took a day and did absolutely nothing. 

I got lots of sleep and rest.  I needed it.  The cast on my leg is very heavy and my arms and wrists are sore from the wheelchair and crutches. 

It was felt good to just have a quiet lazy day.  I watched some TV.  I read some.  I worked on a jigsaw puzzle.  I listened to some music.  I watched my daughter rearrange stuff in her room and enjoyed time with her. 

I have some school work I could have done today but I decided that I was actually going to take a day off.  It was wonderful.

Today was exactly what I needed.  I’ve been tired and a little down.  The cast is exhausting.  I need the joy and the strength that only God can provide.

“the joy of the LORD is your strength”  Nehemiah 8:10

“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Isaiah 40:31

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. “ (Psalm 51:10-12)

Lent

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday (today) and ends at Easter. Ash Wednesday is typically celebrated by Catholics. They apply an ashen cross on their foreheads. The ash is to remind them that they come from dust and that some day they will return to dust.

The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, discipline, repentance, Christian growth, and self-denial.  These disciplines are suppose to help transform our entire being – body, soul, and spirit.

These disciplines are to point us to Christ.  They are to help us become more like Christ.

Many churches don’t focus on Lent. They don’t want to turn people off.  They view it is too ritualistic. 

The truth is everything you practice during Lent can be done year round.  You don’t have to wait for Lent to repent of your sin, to fast for a change in your life, to focus your life on Christ.

So I asked my daughter what she was going to give up for Lent.  She replied, “being nice to my Mom.”  Then she laughed …..  Some days it just doesn’t pay to get up.

Trials

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  (James 1:2-4 )

Sometimes things don’t go exactly as you planned.  How you react to those situations shows who you trust in.  I have been having trouble with my foot for over a year.  I have been through therapy, medications, splints, shots, and now I am in a cast for six weeks.

I can choose to be miserable or I can choose to make the best of a bad situation.  I am choosing to try to be upbeat and positive.  I am really praying that this will solve my foot problem.  I have no guarantees.

Life is full of trials.  We need to believe that all things work together for the good for those who love the Lord.  The trials come into our lives produce perseverance and character.  They teach you to trust Christ with everything.

Look at the trials in your life as an opportunity to trust God.

 

“we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”  (Romans 5:3-5)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  (Romans 8:28)

Faithfulness of God

I had a couple of hard days.  I needed to be reminded of the faithfulness of God tonight.

Deuteronomy 7:9 - Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Deuteronomy 32: 4 - He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Psalms 33:4 - For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

Psalms 36:5 - Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalms 89:2 - I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Psalms 119:89-90 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.

Lamentations 3:23 - They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 - He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 - The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 - But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

2 Timothy 2:13 - if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

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Relationships

Relationships take time, effort, planning, scheduling, and patience.  You have to communicate and spend time together.

My husband and I were able to get away for the weekend.  Just the two of us.  Our daughter was away for the weekend and so we took advantage of the opportunity.  We had a great time.  It took effort though to plan the weekend, to make the reservations, and to adjust his work schedule. 

As a couple we needed that time to strengthen our relationship.  We needed to talk, to laugh, and to just spend some time together (without a child).

We also need to work on our relationship with God.  It isn’t automatic.

Our relationship with God should be deliberate. God created us to have a relationship with Him.  We should plan time with him.  We should communicate with Him often and spend time with Him daily.   It’s not always easy or convenient but it is necessary.  The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. 

Take the first step, plan time in your schedule for reading the Bible and praying.  Be faithful and do it.  Then trust God to change your heart and your life.  Soon you will be to the place where you won’t want to miss that time. 

Try it.  What do you have to lose?

Grumpy

My 16 year old daughter had a case of the “grumpies” this morning.  She was moping on the way to school and I looked at her and smiled and said, “This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  She replied, “MOM! You just ruined it.  I really wanted to be grumpy.”

Isn’t that how it is with all of us from time to time.  We just “want” to be grumpy.  We know that God loves us.  We know that everything is going to be fine.  We just don’t want to get up.  We don’t want to go to school or to work.  We don’t want to be obedient.

God doesn’t ask us what we want to do.  He simply requires us to obey Him.  And we should do it with a good attitude. 

Do you think Jesus “wanted” to go to the cross and suffer and die for us?  I don’t think so.  In Luke 22:42, Jesus says "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."  Jesus was willing to be obedient even to death. 

He requires so little from us and yet it is so easy for us to get the “grumpies.”  And we get them from the smallest things.

So the next time you get up early and you are tired and you don’t want to go to work (or school), remember how much Jesus loves you.  Put a smile on your face, rejoice, and press on.

Psalm 19

I really wanted to write something tonight but I am struggling.  I am so tired I am having trouble thinking clearly. 

I read Psalm 19 tonight.  The end of that psalm is my favorite part.

Here are verses 7 – 14:

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
       reviving the soul.
       The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
       making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
       giving joy to the heart.
       The commands of the LORD are radiant,
       giving light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
       enduring forever.
       The ordinances of the LORD are sure
       and altogether righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
       than much pure gold;
       they are sweeter than honey,
       than honey from the comb.

¹¹ By them is your servant warned;
       in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his errors?
       Forgive my hidden faults.

¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
       may they not rule over me.
       Then will I be blameless,
       innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
       be pleasing in your sight,
       O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

 

My thoughts on this passage:

There are 6 synonyms listed for the Word of God

• The law of the Lord
• The statutes of the Lord
• The precepts of the Lord
• The commands of the Lord
• The fear of the Lord
• The ordinances of the Lord

There are six descriptions of the Word of God

• perfect, reviving the soul.
• trustworthy, making wise the simple.
• right, giving joy to the heart.
• radiant, giving light to the eyes.
• pure, enduring forever.
• sure and altogether righteous.

How valuable is God’s Word - more precious than gold

What can God’s Word do for you?

• By them is your servant warned;
• in keeping them there is great reward.

What’s our ultimate goal – that the words we speak and the things we think about would be pleasing to God.

That goal is something we all should strive for and also something we all need help in achieving.

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