Last time fflutterby closed off God Thought with a prayer from the "Meet Me In The Meadow" devotional by Roy Lessin. Beautiful and inspired a thought...What a great way to start this week's God Thought. Thank you fflutterby.
"Father, calm my restless spirit, quiet my anxious heart, still my troubling thoughts with the assurance that You are in control. I let go of my grip upon the things I have been hanging onto, with opened hands I come to You."
With OPEN HANDS is a lovely posture before the Lord and a lovely way to live.
Blessings of love, grace, peace, and healing! Hugs!!!
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Good Morning Friends!
flutterby,
I enjoyed the prayer you shared. Thank you for that.
MDW,
My heart was filled with joy as I read about your Birthday Blessings on last week's God Thought....
...how your family attended church with you making your BIG DREAM come true, how sweet little Kameron was so touched by God's love, and your special birthday dinner!!!
daisy,
What a lovely song, "Open Hands". Thank you, I enjoyed listening.
Psalm 34:4 (NASB)
I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Posted by fflutterby (Member # 28081) on :
daisyrlb and Dekrator48 ..I was so moved I had to share. I hope others will come to this thread and feel it as well.
Amen, when there is perfect love of Jesus, fear cannot exist.
Dekrator48 I haven't heard this song before, as I listen and type I feel the spirit of Jesus in me. I believe that His love can move mountains....Thank you so much for sharing it.
This is my favorite place on Lymenet.
God bless you all !!!! Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
fflutterby,
This is my favorite place on lymenet too!
I'm so glad you came here and shared also.
daisy is always coming up with new inspiring songs to post!
Friends,
Please pray for Angel and Paul...he is deployed with my son to Iraq and she is a young wife and mother of 3 small children, with all the home responsibilities.
She is feeling very overwhelmed and very insecure. She shared that she has been jealous and accusing without reason, other than he is away.
Please pray that their marriage will be strengthened and that each will find the strength they need to get through this. Pray that Angel can be supportive and encouraging to her husband.
I know her only through an online support group of my son's unit.
The inspiration and encouragement I find here has taught me how to better help her, so thank you to all.
God is so full of hope for all of us.
Posted by MDW005 (Member # 22706) on :
Dekrator... I shall pray for Angel and Paul. I hope daisy has another prayer for me to repeat.
Flutter...I enjoy Meet me in the Meadow, I read it often. Thank you for sharing.
Daisy... I need to stay out of Corinthians. A door wide open for guestions...christianity, freedom, spiritual gift, etc. etc. etc....whew!
I am still working on the post last week that Hens offered on Grace; another full of guestions wide open topic....whew!
speaking of Grace; is this not true...
Rather than to those who neglect what ways to grace they've been given, God is only offering grace to people who do not place obstacles in the way of salvation. God grants grace freely?
please...Lets say we have no hope, faith, humbleness, reaching out our hands and not letting go of the grip....we have no grace, salvation? When you say the wrath of God; are you saying He could be our enemy?
Hens wrote...A king rides down a city street in a chariot. He sees a beggar sitting on the side of the road. The king decides to present the beggar with a gift. He offers the beggar a room in the castle.
The beggar's response can be...
1. No thanks.
2. That would be super, thank you! You know, I always have told people how generous and kind you are. I can wash your shoes right now, and when I get to the castle, I can mow the lawn.
3. Good king, there is no other like you. Although I am completely unworthy of your gift, in my ragged clothes without a nickle to my name, I gladly accept.
That verse means that response #3 is the only one that pleases the King.
How come not #1 or #2, does it not please God to give these guys love and grace who obviously needs it? It's only a guestion. If Hens had not put all those scriptures in her grace post....well I would not be asking.
[ 10-25-2010, 07:40 PM: Message edited by: MDW005 ]
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
MDW,
I might have energy for a quick reply (took my DD to LLMD for an evening appt., drove an hour home in the dark and rain.)
I believe the Lord offers his grace to all people. We're all his creation and he loves us all.
But #1 didn't accept the gift so the Lord couldn't give it. (give as in the action verb)
And #2 wanted to trade works for God's gift which would keep it from being a gift. Trading works for the gift would make it an exchange, not a gift. God doesn't do exchanges. He wants ALL the credit (glory)!
You said, "If Hens had not put all those scriptures in her grace post" - sure, blame it on me...
Boy, I can't imagine what got into me last week. I wrote so many posts and listed so much scripture, no wonder you have more questions than when we started!
Sorry about that. I didn't mean to take over...
Hi Dekrator, fflutterby and Daisy! Have a good night everyone - I'm a goin' to bed!!! Posted by MDW005 (Member # 22706) on :
Hens please!! you did not take over at all. I think I did mention to you that I enjoy reading and studying everything that is posted.
I hope you are feeling alright friend. sleep well.
Posted by MDW005 (Member # 22706) on :
Dear God thought friends, I have had a deep mind tonight that will not rest. My daughter Jennifer was on FB with the same issue.
Jennifer is very analytical on "life"...To not be a sheep; to think for herself.
Jennifer was very angry and disgusted with human society. This discussion begins with, we both do not understand how people can hurt others so much.
Jennifer posted... "To change the world, start with one step. How ever small, the first step is the hardest."
We both found ourselves tonight. What does this paragraph mean? I will tell you.... You need to give in life to really live. If you stay closed minded from the world you will never experience it. Give back, give yourself, even if it costs you; because if you never give yourself, it really wasn't worth living anyway.
in conclusion of our thoughts tonight, this is written.....
We understand God has a plan for us. The big and the small. He can give us His gifts, His love can influence us. But ultimatly its our choice to take or spurn His love. Without hurt and failure we can never know the greatness of love and achievment. Yet still it hurts to see people hurting His children, through ignorance or intention. He has instilled in so many of us an empathy for the plight of this world. We take small steps in His name, knowing that He can take the big steps for us. God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Good night my dear God Thought friends. Diane
Posted by daisyrlb (Member # 15686) on :
Good Morning and Welcome to God Thought,
Dekrator, I think the verse you share is God Thought's motto verse...from Psalm 34:4 (NASB), "I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears."
That verse summarizes what God Thought is about...seeking the Lord, hearing His answer, and experiencing His deliverance...ESPECIALLY FROM FEAR. We really should try to avoid the fear-thoughts as much as possible...the affect on the body is so negative...Faith-Thoughts do a body good!
My heart goes out to Angel and Paul...and also my prayers. It IS hard to be apart and stressful when your loved one is deployed. May their love grow more deeply for one another each day. May they be filled with strength, hope, and joy...as the Lord's grace IS sufficient.
OK, so that reminds me...right now I am reading a missionary book. Oh, WOW, so inspiring. Couple who were missionaries to China when the Communists took over...as it turned out the husband was arrested and put in prison, however the wife and their five children escaped. They were separted for TEN years, and remained faithful to each other and faithful to God...I'm still reading the book...
What God did for that couple, He can do for Angel and Paul. May God's love abound in their hearts for Him and for eachother more and more.
"God is so full of hope for all of us" AMEN to that!!!
fflutterby, I agree with you...His love CAN move mountains! And I, too, pray that many people come to God Thought and receive the encouragement and support that we receive.
God bless us...ALL! And He has and does! AMEN!!
17hens, I truly appreciate all of your research and sharing what you find out with us. I'm sure we're all learning a lot, being challenged, and growing in our walk with the Lord. I look forward to you sharing more! You are our God Thought "Professor"...thank you very much!
Never a dull moment with Jesus, God Thought, or MDW.
MDW, For many years I did not like the "Serenity Prayer,
"God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
I'm not sure why I didn't like it...
Then later, after a lot of life and everything else happened, I actually started liking that prayer. Wisdom is wonderful and I need it A LOT!
God Thought Friends, that is it, from me, and now...
"...brothers (and sisters), stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word" (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, New International Version).
Blessed Day to All!!!
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Good Afternoon Friends,
MDW,
Thank you for the prayers for Angel and Paul...much appreciated.
I always enjoy reading your deep thoughts. Yep, you're right...God has a plan for us, and when we give, we always get even more in return.
Hi Hens, hope you had some good rest last night..You never know what Diane will ask next and you are so good at the explanations!
daisy,
Good idea...God Thought's motto verse!!
Thank you for praying for Angel and Paul. Wow, that missionary couple sounds amazing! What devotion they showed to each other and to God!
I hope to be able to encourage Angel to find peace and hope through our Lord.
Great verse you posted! 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17.
Sounds like a verse I should repeat everyday.
Friends,
Whatever you are going through today, may you find hope, encouragement and strength through God our Father.
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
A Praise Report Dear Friends...
Angel sent me a message today saying that she talked things out with her husband, Paul, and she is having a good day.
She said the encouragement has helped her alot!
Thank you for your prayers, friends.
God is Great!!!!!
Posted by daisyrlb (Member # 15686) on :
Dekrator, Thanks for the praise report about Angel. That is great news!
Our God is sooooooo Great!!!!
Count your blessings instead of sheep.
Sleep good everyone!
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
MDW, did you ever find out what to do with your wise men?
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
Going to a funeral today. Family friends.
Misty is now a widow at 46. Mike and Misty lost their only son, 21, in January of this year. He was a pedestrian hit by a car.
Four weeks ago, Mike got a mosquito bite which gave him bacterial spinal meningitis, fell into a coma, woke up and could only move his eyes, breathed thru a trac (sp?), then got pneumonia last week and died.
Mike owned a small construction company. Misty works part time at a home improvement store. After a month in ICU and with insurance paying only 75%, Misty is now $75,000 in debt jsut for hospital bills.
If you think of it, please pray for Misty and her daughters today. The Lord only knows what they are going thru. I can't imagine it.
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Oh 17hens,
I can't even imagine what Misty is going through.
How tragic to lose her son, and now her husband.
I will pray for Misty, Mike and their son.
May the God of all hope strengthen Misty and help her through this terribly difficult time.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Posted by TS96 (Member # 14048) on :
Hens, I will pray for that family. I have a simular prayer request. A friend 40yo was shot and killed by a robber in the city here.
He was a sweet man who cared for handicapped people and very dedicated to the Lord and to his church. I was shocked.
The whole situation has set my healing back and I seem to be in a "pit" sort of speak right now.
I remember the Lord's prayer and try to remember that even bad things happen for a purpose we may never know.
Our ways are not His ways, who can know and understand the mind of God. These are just a few parts of scripture that come to my mind.
Dear Lord give us this day our daily bread and be thankful for it.
Amen.
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Friends,
I have a prayer request today also.
Jenny and Carl are parents to infant, Autumn.
Carl is deployed with my son in Iraq.
Autumn was recently hospitalized with a platelet problem. She is recovering after treatment, and is being monitored closely for continued problems. There is talk of a possible bone marrow biopsy.
Carl's brother, John, died in Iraq in September. You may remember my previous post about that.
Please pray for Autumn, Jenny and Carl.
Thank you dear friends.
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
TS96,
I will pray for the man who was shot and killed, for his family, and for you, TS96.
How sad that things like this happen. I hope you start to feel better soon.
Romans 8:28 (NIV) 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
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Another prayer request friends,
The Dad of two of the children on my grandson's tee ball team died yesterday "after a brief illness".
Please pray for Damian and Kaila (the small children), and their Mom, Christa, and their entire family.
Thank you.
Posted by MDW005 (Member # 22706) on :
Hello Friends,
So sad the entry's today. I will pray for all that have requested prayers for there dear friends and family's.
Ummm...Daisy says that praying to God is just like talking to a friend. Well I can't pray the way Daisy and Dekrator pray. Daisy's and Dekrator words of prayer are so eloquent...they sing. If you pray like you are speaking to a friend then how is it that yours don't sound that way? They are beautiful worshiping voices.
I do not know if He hears mine, but I am praying anyway.
All have a peaceful evening.
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Dear friends,
If you haven't seen this post and want to add your prayers...
Here is the link to lightattheend's post in Off Topic, titled "lightattheend has brain cancer"
"Christ is risen from the dead Trampling over death by death Come awake, come awake Come and rise up from the grave
O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light The glory of God has defeated the night!
Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive!
Good night friends. Love and Peace.
Posted by daisyrlb (Member # 15686) on :
I wanted to come back and say a prayer before I went to bed.
Heavenly Father,
We rejoice in what you are doing in the hearts of Angel and Paul.
Our hearts are heavy for:
Misty-Comfort her...your specialty as You are the God of all comfort. Rally a group of family and friends to be a support and encouragement to her. Meet all of her needs...You are the God that provides.
Family of the 40 year old shot and killed...May You be the Shock Absorber this family needs right now and in the days ahead. Be close to the broken hearted as You've promised.
Protect Carl and Andrew and bring them home safely. Keep Your guardian angels around them while they are deployed...and always. Give them wisdom, even supernatural wisdom day in and day out. Give Jenny and Dekrator (all of the extended loved ones) Your peace, may they cast all their cares upon You knowing that You care for them.
Autumn...Your continued healing touch and grant this infant a long, blessed life of service for You.
Family of John, Comfort and help them remember the good times and find peace in You.
May Your grace be on the family of Christa, Damian, and Kaila during this time of grief. You said that You are a Father to the fatherless and a Husband to the widow. Father God, show Yourself mighty to perform Your word!
LightAtTheEnd, for a great report and speedy/miraculous recovery after surgery. You are the Great Physician!
We ask all of these things in the Almighty Name of Your Son, Jesus. AMEN!
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Good morning friends!
Dear daisy,
Thank you for all of your heartfelt prayers.
I am always touched when my son is included....thank you....he is doing well..says the days are going fast because he is working alot. He seems to be in a good state of mind.
"Christ is Risen" by Matt Maher...another lovely song that I had not heard before....thanks for posting it.
I am praying that everyone has a hopeful day knowing that our Lord, Jesus Christ is in control.
Psalm 29:11 (NIV) The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Posted by MDW005 (Member # 22706) on :
Dear God Friends,
My Father is on my mind....
My Father can choose some crazy moments, minutes, hours to chat with me. I can find myself becoming frustrated with Him. My Father is always on my mind.
I awaken in the morning, He is there to start my day. I find that I cannot be angry, sad, happy, silent, I can't even sit on the porcelain throne....He is there, always on my mind.
Some days I attempt to camoulflage myself from Father. It is an engenious idea, but He sees right through the cover. My dear Father is relentless and never gives up on me. He is always on my mind.
The days I wish to be left alone, are the times when Father's voice is amplified in my ears like thunder; encouraging my heart and supervising the intention He has chosen for me. He is always on my mind.
My Father is a faithful Father. Now it is my turn to give to Him; to be that trusting obedient child of His. My Father has a crazy love for me, and is always on my mind.
MDW, shares, "'it's because we were first and forever ALWAYS on His mind." Is that right?'" That was the Lord that revealed that to you. (FYI, You can use any word you want...we are mercy first! Halleloooo!)
Dekrator, You sure have a servant's heart!
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Good Morning Friends!
daisy,
Psalm 95:1...filled with joy and hope!
Beautiful song..."I Know My Redeemer Lives"!!!
Hope everyone has a joyous day filled with hope in our Lord!
Psalm 16:11 (NASB)
You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Good Sunday afternoon friends!
It's good to see lymenet is back up and running.
All praise and glory be to God our Father.
Hope everyone has a blessed and fun day filled with cute little trick or treaters.
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12 (NIV)
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
I received the following in an email today. I thought it "share worthy"! - hens
----------------------------------------
You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales.
This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life?
And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.
God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity..
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life..
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems: If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72 .
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism?
Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD..
Posted by daisyrlb (Member # 15686) on :
Good Morning Lymenetters:
So glad we're up and running again. Yahooo!!!! I didn't check last night to see if Lymenet was back up...as was doing some other things. Anyway...
Dekrator, I did have a very good weekend. Our seven year old grandson stayed with us. He is such a blast and, you know, kids say the darndest things. Friday night when we hit the hay (I had set up his little bed next to my side of the bed). He had a little "Prayer Bear" with him to sleep with. He pushed the "button"
Prayer Bear: "Now I lay me down to sleep..." Me: Where did you get your "Prayer Bear". Grandson: I've had him. Me: I like him. Grandson: You want to sleep with him? Me: No, you can. Grandson: Grandma, would you reach your hand over so I can hold it? Me: Yes...reached my hand over...awww...love my grandson!!!!
Great to count our blessings and remember such happenings!
17hens, So glad you posted that from Rick Warren. WOW... eye opening.
The part about, "When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do"....
AMEN!!! For some reason I am reminded of this verse, "Jesus answered, `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, `Love your neighbor as yourself''' (Luke 10:26-28).
What a great way to start out the week.
Blessings everyone!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
17 hens and daisy... loved what each of you wrote...
Rick Warren is pretty cool.
and so are grandsons!
--------
Our church had an awesome God and Country service yesterday afternoon. We called it "Here I Stand" in honor of Martin Luther's stand. (It was Reformation Day yesterday.) We had some terrific Christian professional singers there and a trumpet ensemble.
It was all focusing on God and bringing him back into our country. It was very inspiring and brought tears to my eyes!
The church was full and so were our hearts!!
Very proud of my husband, as he is the musical director of our church.
Have a good week everyone!! Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
17hens,
Thank you for posting that interview with Rick Warren. It was very interesting.
I liked the parts that said "In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven."
and..."Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD."
daisy,
Glad you had such a fun weekend with your grandson.
Awww, what a sweet memory you made when you reached out and held his little hand while he was going to sleep. So cute....makes me teary.
Our almost 7 yr old grandson asked my husband last week if he could retire so he could play with him even more. That made out hearts melt.
Have a great day everyone!!
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
Lymetoo,
The God and Country Service sounds great!
Congrats to your husband for all the good work he does.
Posted by daisyrlb (Member # 15686) on :
Lymetoo, "Here I Stand" sounds like a wonderful Lord's Day of celebration. "Full hearts!" I like that!!! You have every right to be proud of your husband.
It is good for us to remember those who have gone on before us...remember their lives and the sacrifices they made. It is inspiring and helps us keep our torch burning bright.
My husband preached Sunday, filled in at a church whose pastor is out of town, he preached a great message about "Our prayers being powerful and effective" from James 5:16. I, too, so proud of Him. And the Good News...God's word goes forth and accomplishes His purposes!
God bless each of you and God bless the USA and the world. Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
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