tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3797590171341626302024-03-14T17:33:31.271-07:00Gracegreater than my sinSharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-61493402056607582482022-12-19T09:45:00.001-08:002022-12-19T09:51:52.941-08:00The Gift of Gifts<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Every good gift and every perfect gift </span></p><p style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">is from above, coming down from </span></p><p style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">the Father of lights with whom there </span></p><p style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">is no variation or shadow due to change. </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">James 1:17</span></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARsrbx5dO-rBnxa5ai7C-TcRz4FyGU9gsHi7HGEGhbSSA8mD0fJaMotxxl2B8IeBsoB_4MNmketqUabrDr_4ZdujTZPENRNlaSTo07GQK806UZ6cqMXgnONoCyCpgozjlLcU5O-brVqlZ8AO8DXY0kodD9PYPE2er5_wV4-v3Bp3GDULXINJoEvb5/s1500/And%20the%20Word%20became%20flesh%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1500" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARsrbx5dO-rBnxa5ai7C-TcRz4FyGU9gsHi7HGEGhbSSA8mD0fJaMotxxl2B8IeBsoB_4MNmketqUabrDr_4ZdujTZPENRNlaSTo07GQK806UZ6cqMXgnONoCyCpgozjlLcU5O-brVqlZ8AO8DXY0kodD9PYPE2er5_wV4-v3Bp3GDULXINJoEvb5/w640-h334/And%20the%20Word%20became%20flesh%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Sedgwick Ave"; text-align: left;">Of all of God's gifts, the most highly acclaimed</span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">Came on the first Christmas, by the angels proclaimed</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">When they sang "Glory to God in the highest of places."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">To the shepherds below, as they fell on their faces.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">"For to you this day there is given a Savior."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">And He is the Gift to those whom God favors.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">Yes, He is the Gift that was sent from above</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">He was wrapped in humanity and destined to love</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">All those who now come to the manger to see</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">God in flesh now appearing, and on bended knee</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">They rejoice that the Gift came to loose captive's chains</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">To free those who know of sin's terrible pains.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">The Gift went to Calvary, the Gift bled & died,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">On a cross that was splintered, two thieves at His side.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sedgwick Ave";"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sedgwick Ave";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Gift went to Calvary, He went there in love,</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">To pay for our faults and transgressions thereof</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sedgwick Ave";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">That kept us from God, in His sinless perfections.</span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Gift died to bring us God's love & redemption.</span></span></p><p style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1lVSJLu0T_oXJ7SJ7-pH-8jS-MaT0UXVC5wYuV185j-dHlG5_JdH0ELmrgRQWVw5nEHbHtiH1hLItGpqVhzaC5KpQJSi3DZ1I4I2BfaOVEKpLgMUK8uIJF2ZRZHJ-EnWJlq6OP_lzEVHCqWoWn4x3o2tvbnTy89bT3K9aSWbXMIc4glhpEM7yshr/s1350/God%20has%20given%20us%20eternal%20life.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1350" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1lVSJLu0T_oXJ7SJ7-pH-8jS-MaT0UXVC5wYuV185j-dHlG5_JdH0ELmrgRQWVw5nEHbHtiH1hLItGpqVhzaC5KpQJSi3DZ1I4I2BfaOVEKpLgMUK8uIJF2ZRZHJ-EnWJlq6OP_lzEVHCqWoWn4x3o2tvbnTy89bT3K9aSWbXMIc4glhpEM7yshr/w640-h333/God%20has%20given%20us%20eternal%20life.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sedgwick Ave";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Gift was then buried but was raised from the grave,</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">For us to be sure that our sins God forgave.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sedgwick Ave";"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sedgwick Ave";"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Oh, let us rejoice as we think on the reason</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Sedgwick Ave; font-size: x-large;">This Gift came below to restore us to Eden.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Copyright sharonKaufman.com 2022</span></p>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-2084154565526405122021-10-07T00:00:00.011-07:002021-10-12T13:32:05.018-07:00A Well Rested Soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uC_Ihu8TgQc_LNV19lyLS2bgFthVT7bFreRJAKU4QPUfKHnVqhR2sp4yv1R5lqqG4QsgUHaqc0kUpSbOL6VdsIas7O3bAhP3PUW_2eNCqdkF-qUGfuKz1toIEdZsBtGmT1s-FDyI-Tw/s2048/aaron-burden-fgmf2Eyrwm4-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="2048" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uC_Ihu8TgQc_LNV19lyLS2bgFthVT7bFreRJAKU4QPUfKHnVqhR2sp4yv1R5lqqG4QsgUHaqc0kUpSbOL6VdsIas7O3bAhP3PUW_2eNCqdkF-qUGfuKz1toIEdZsBtGmT1s-FDyI-Tw/w640-h454/aaron-burden-fgmf2Eyrwm4-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@aaronburden?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="text-align: left;">Aaron Burden</a><span style="text-align: left;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/girl-reading-bible?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="text-align: left;">Unsplash</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.</i> Luke 10:38-42</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">From this passage of Scripture, do you generally identify more with Mary or Martha?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am both women. I can easily become distracted and frustrated because of my busyness. When this is the case, I <b>always </b>experience a sense of loss - an opportunity to sit and listen to Jesus that's lost and gone forever. I regret this and must confess it as sin. </span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnnfPXBnejTqEU8m7g9njkRdikMoA6d5D3mh1gH_JsVlTjV8VKzEOjZIxp0N0u9Dxrh1VogkdT1E0vHx1pSzcqwUHKgkQ_RTOBaJ8dwOmwTHbOWfbO4Oonhz6DE0u-V0T1Mp5QVI8JSE/s540/Welcome+as+Christ+welcomed+you+2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnnfPXBnejTqEU8m7g9njkRdikMoA6d5D3mh1gH_JsVlTjV8VKzEOjZIxp0N0u9Dxrh1VogkdT1E0vHx1pSzcqwUHKgkQ_RTOBaJ8dwOmwTHbOWfbO4Oonhz6DE0u-V0T1Mp5QVI8JSE/w400-h400/Welcome+as+Christ+welcomed+you+2.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">But as for the times when I sit at Jesus' feet, I never regret those times, nor do I feel like I missed out on anything the best of my busyness holds out to me. It all has to do with the difference between the eternal and the temporal.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>As far as sitting at Christ's feet daily in devotion to listen for the purpose of love for the Savior and the rest He gives, others have said it better than I: </span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">"We Christians must simplify our lives or lose untold treasures on earth and in eternity. Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today." A. W. Tozer<br /><br />"This perpetual hurry of busyness and company ruins me in soul if not in body. More solitude and earlier hours!... Surely the experience of all good men confirms that proposition that without a due measure of private devotions the soul will grow lean." William Wilberforce<br /><br />"A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God's boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it." D. L. Moody</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxe4IPhWVsP5xRhPsnTfQlTIPiPJy1jxdGw3LMPIjFqrRXvuLyJy0taf-1iPbSkQi51d-TUq2BzFNaXcYlMpU1RG8JSiivkKzXnM8KuHGrYVebVh9ICMRh07yMqc-mZF7i5_NEHpbvlc/s596/Mary+and+Martha2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="545" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxe4IPhWVsP5xRhPsnTfQlTIPiPJy1jxdGw3LMPIjFqrRXvuLyJy0taf-1iPbSkQi51d-TUq2BzFNaXcYlMpU1RG8JSiivkKzXnM8KuHGrYVebVh9ICMRh07yMqc-mZF7i5_NEHpbvlc/s320/Mary+and+Martha2.png" width="293" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">"Nothing can be more healthful to the soul of the believer than feeding upon the Word, and digesting it by frequent meditation." C. H. Spurgeon</span></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br />"There is greater rest and solace to be found in the presence of God for one hour, than in an eternity of the presence of man." Robert Murray M'Cheyne<br /><br />"Remember that it is not hasty reading, but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul." Thomas Brooks<br /><br />"He who lives with little prayer - he who seldom reads the Word - he who seldom looks up to heaven for a fresh influence from on high - he will be the man whose heart will become cold and barren." C. H. Spurgeon</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But of course, Jesus said it best in Matthew 11:28-30, and who would want to refuse such an invitation?:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">In searching for the encouraging quotes listed above, I also came upon this anonymous hymn that so aptly describes the wonderful exchange that is made while sitting at the feet of our Savior. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">At the Feet of Jesus</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sitting at the feet of Jesus,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Oh, the words I hear Him say!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy place! So near, So precious!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">May it find me there each day;</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sitting at the feet of Jesus,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I look not upon the past;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For He’s been to me so gracious,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m forgiven, cleansed at last.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sitting at the feet of Jesus,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where can mortal be more blest?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">There I lay my sins and sorrows,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">And, when weary, find sweet rest.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sitting at the feet of Jesus,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where I come to weep and pray;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">While I from His fullness gather</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grace and comfort for each day.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bless me, O my Savior, bless me,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As I sit here at Your feet;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now look down in love upon me,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let me see Thy face so sweet.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lord, give to us the mind of Jesus,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">At His feet we long to live;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">With Christ's love, now kindly seize us,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So we His welcome freely give.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">From the hymnal </span><i style="font-size: small;">Select Hymns</i><span style="font-size: small;"> from 1911 (slightly revised)</span></p>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">Don't miss another opportunity to come to Jesus for the rest your soul so desperately needs!</span></div>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-50589059323754906922021-07-13T09:27:00.004-07:002021-07-26T11:55:11.867-07:00Lessons from Sophie - Dwelling in Safety<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRoYBAwxRFDxIbMifAKIkSEM3pTZayiAdfhZdrEcW8vNBd-BY9CcfT3ia1omls_ik6Y9syKZcDRu6tta5yhgbB6MyOOohJvQifo61ve2e5xLLX-UDA3IF0GEDnMnHfAwgzTlO78szh9c/s1600-h/Hi_myname+is+sophie.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220726330781949282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRoYBAwxRFDxIbMifAKIkSEM3pTZayiAdfhZdrEcW8vNBd-BY9CcfT3ia1omls_ik6Y9syKZcDRu6tta5yhgbB6MyOOohJvQifo61ve2e5xLLX-UDA3IF0GEDnMnHfAwgzTlO78szh9c/s320/Hi_myname+is+sophie.png" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Note:</b> We said 'goodbye' to our sweet Sophie the day before yesterday (July 11th, 2021). In memorium, I decided to look back on three posts I added to my blog when Sophie was very young, with the tag "Lessons From Sophie". These posts, inspired by our little dog, were demonstrations to me that Sophie modeled regarding what my relationship to Lord should look like.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After reading these, I've decided to update and repost them. May Sophie encourage you the way she has continued to encourage me. And now, after having left us, these memories from her are also a sweet comfort to me. </span></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the first of the three articles, originally posted on May 24th, 2008, when Sophie was a little more than a year old: <i>Lessons from Sophie - Dwelling in Safety:</i></span></span></h4><div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><em>"Do not fear for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."</em><span> Isaiah 41:10</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />One of the first posts I wrote was about my cute little dog, Sophie <a href="http://the-good-woman.blogspot.com/2008/01/looking-unto-jesus.html"><strong><em>(click here to go to that post).</em></strong></a> She provided a great lesson for what it means to wholeheartedly love the one who feeds and cares for her (me).<br /><br />Now she has again impressed upon me what it means to trust and depend upon her master (again, that's me; though to be accurate, I really am her mistress).<br /><br />I have noticed an interesting behavior that Sophie displays when she is frightened of something - the vacuum cleaner, for instance. The first time I became aware of this behavior was when Robert and I were in the garden working. Robert was operating the rototiller and, of course, Sophie was afraid of it.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOZ_g3eOD65iJyCLcJ8ApQwwT0nC-8liIY4mk7Vyol-pyN2na9lPd2c7EcYT_1I4dxZZe2Hg6xPWicmJDzVWw2nYc-ssGBhvAGVl9czVvYLhrBUUkLgkf_-tdsbEEcmfpX4crQqSZOLE/s1920/Isaiah+4110+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOZ_g3eOD65iJyCLcJ8ApQwwT0nC-8liIY4mk7Vyol-pyN2na9lPd2c7EcYT_1I4dxZZe2Hg6xPWicmJDzVWw2nYc-ssGBhvAGVl9czVvYLhrBUUkLgkf_-tdsbEEcmfpX4crQqSZOLE/w640-h426/Isaiah+4110+%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">How she handled her fear is how I want to handle myself with the Lord when I am tempted to be afraid of any created thing. Instead of running away from what she feared in the garden that day (the rototiller), she got up as close to Robert and me as she could without getting tangled in the rototiller. As fearful as she was of the threatening raucous monster, she was more sure of my protection of her. She seemed to know where real safety was - right beside me.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Sophie does the same thing in the house when I am vacuuming. She gets up as close to me as she can, sandwiching me between herself and the dangerous suction machine. She doesn't try to tackle the intruder herself, in fact, she doesn't even offer warning barks. Sophie just knows that she will dwell in safety if she is next to me.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4sNntxMcXE71Gig1AgrKu8fvldZ544y83KluNSgIpF4vdz-tHlh_d34wQAL8Bwq2rPwTr2It2a_9qzcR7VNlDi6Z3EvGB7uU_JPFmnen3w9KUgTj757pWhvcSod5uiWkiU47lY-wGUE/s1000/fear+not.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="786" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4sNntxMcXE71Gig1AgrKu8fvldZ544y83KluNSgIpF4vdz-tHlh_d34wQAL8Bwq2rPwTr2It2a_9qzcR7VNlDi6Z3EvGB7uU_JPFmnen3w9KUgTj757pWhvcSod5uiWkiU47lY-wGUE/w504-h640/fear+not.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">For me, this doesn't always come naturally. The enemy's design is to use my fears to separate me from my beloved Savior. But, oh, how I want that trouble to draw me to the Protector of my soul instead. When I am tempted to be anxious about what is in front of me, I desire to instinctively run to Jesus and put Him in between me and the peril. This is what will truly bring great comfort to me and great glory to my heavenly Father.<br /><br />Besides, knowing this wonderful truth, isn't God good to put the examples before us in such delightful ways? I see my little dog do this thing easily, like it is her only option. May running to my Lord be the only thought in my head also. Only in His presence will I find rest and safety.<br /><br /><em>"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety."</em> Psalm 4:8</span><br /></div></div></div><script src="https://www.biblegateway.com/public/link-to-us/tooltips/bglinks.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-51920790950609378002021-06-30T07:22:00.037-07:002021-07-03T10:45:32.368-07:00Why Does He hear Me?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM34L7bOV4hZ2oxhVTcQJC4LNSvePYa5SydaLhfZY0s2xWRURG9D1xaO6pn9nhZtl1FXUKdD346JHyuIwoQyMqNjQCS_pw-P1Ags-JgX4TWLD5u-oTkBM_S43VfrmY8z7ZLR4T8pIDHvE/s2048/kelly-sikkema-1hUldA7n5Yw-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Raleway; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM34L7bOV4hZ2oxhVTcQJC4LNSvePYa5SydaLhfZY0s2xWRURG9D1xaO6pn9nhZtl1FXUKdD346JHyuIwoQyMqNjQCS_pw-P1Ags-JgX4TWLD5u-oTkBM_S43VfrmY8z7ZLR4T8pIDHvE/w640-h426/kelly-sikkema-1hUldA7n5Yw-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Raleway; font-size: xx-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@kellysikkema?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Kelly Sikkema</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/woman-praying?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Raleway; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><div><span style="font-family: Raleway; font-size: medium;"><i>"</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-size: x-large;">...the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and believed that I came from God." </i><span style="font-size: large;">John 16:27 </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Struggling with a self-focus in prayer</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In my praying, I am constantly battling the thought that I am earning "merits" so to speak - the thought that because I pray, God is pleased with me and rewards my good behavior by answering my prayer. The negative side of that thinking is also present - that if I could word my prayer just right or pray longer or more often, then I could move God's heart to act.<br /><br />Nothing could be further from the truth! God's answer does not depend on how good I can make my prayer or how often or long I pray. I am not earning kudos every time I bend my knee. <b>The only reason He hears me in the first place is because of Christ's goodness and grace</b>. Jesus has made me righteous and acceptable in God's sight (Phil. 3:9). I cannot come to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6) and His unmerited grace.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>So then, why does God hear and answer me?</b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>He answers for His Son's sake</b> - to glorify Himself in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. God is pleased to hear and answer me because I come in the name of Jesus. What I do will not impress God. <b>How can I compete with the perfection of Christ</b> or why would I want to? He hears me because I love His Son. That is what pleases God.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlFRd25xsCix_tgIs40Hx-cYwYQZWvLdLDSafCe4O1v3RAagfJKMGilWJzBqwf9b5xEPCvnM3Isz0lFcRZ7LC_qfI4UxejG_IP5A8iOIKqMbVXMuIy6Ug87eApMMUe39slYYSQBvNU-Q/s1004/love+for+JESUS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1004" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlFRd25xsCix_tgIs40Hx-cYwYQZWvLdLDSafCe4O1v3RAagfJKMGilWJzBqwf9b5xEPCvnM3Isz0lFcRZ7LC_qfI4UxejG_IP5A8iOIKqMbVXMuIy6Ug87eApMMUe39slYYSQBvNU-Q/w640-h382/love+for+JESUS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Then when I come into God's presence with adoration for my Savior, that gets God's attention. And I cannot fake that love. <b>God knows when my heart is fervent with love for Christ</b>. He also sees when I come with self-gratifying motives. Jesus said in John 16:27, <i>"...the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God."</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><b style="font-size: xx-large;">How absurd is it to think that I can impress God?</b></div><div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Furthermore, a completely different thing happens when I come into God's presence. He is not at all impressed by my "devoutness in prayer". The truth is that when I come into God's presence, <b>I am changed.</b> I am impressed. No! I am astonished by Him! <span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"...In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore."</i> Psalm 16:11</span></span><br /></div><div><span style="color: white;">there are pleasures forevermore. </span><span style="color: white;">there are pleasures forevermore.</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Being at His throne of grace, praying to a God who should never have loved me - according to my own faulty standards of how to earn favor with others - transforms me. He turns my gloom into rejoicing. He turns me from my self-focus to His sovereign and gracious purposes. <b>He forgives my sin, again</b>. I become aware once more of His glorious and eternal grace for my messy soul. I am reminded of God's love for me which fuels my adoration for my Savior.</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLW8c1vpUUSyDnY3W3baCt4ehGxAu32SycbDHKC5b7zUQX5B5l8Y89epz9WaGsrgAnfQKlMvZ1r0mM3rIpmqwanmVFaL37qqTLPm5H7NzhEsIVa62HBW4gLEBwRjSmdTegivo4HsIWNg/s1920/PLEASURES+FOREVERMORE.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLW8c1vpUUSyDnY3W3baCt4ehGxAu32SycbDHKC5b7zUQX5B5l8Y89epz9WaGsrgAnfQKlMvZ1r0mM3rIpmqwanmVFaL37qqTLPm5H7NzhEsIVa62HBW4gLEBwRjSmdTegivo4HsIWNg/w640-h426/PLEASURES+FOREVERMORE.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">What absurdity it is then to think that I can impress God? To think that I can gain His favor by "behaving" a certain way! <b>How silly to think that I could be in league with the sinless Savior.</b> I am actually, without realizing it, trying to prove to God that I am more transcendent than my Savior.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">But how can I impress God when Jesus is beside Him, seated at His right hand - <b>the flawless, glorious, magnificent and incomparable Son of God?</b> In truth, my effort to impress God with my "devotion" is really an effort to marginalize my Savior. What a flagrant sin that is when understood in this way!<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>God hears me because I love Jesus</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">God's love for me is real. He loves me - the Bible tells me so! He delights to hear from me when I come to Him with sincere devotion to Christ. Would you not love the one who adores your own child, the one who desires to see your child benefited and spoken well of to others? Would you not love the one who avails himself to see that your aspirations for your child are carried out because he recognizes that they are good, needful and important? Would you not then offer to that friend your resources knowing that your child would be greatly honored ultimately?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqidsu99csroHxEBq7rSoMlGOetPbjWodA3eLUPBcXLiNeBmoGxqUE_KqiO9_NeazIo_WakNrAduX9MJAS1ixCM6y8yR38m_iqhdlbESXMeRvTH1PPUztDA6C37Zt5GIh6x9PR2eGNYxE/s2048/tim-cooper-0RUG8KJy0pw-unsplash+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqidsu99csroHxEBq7rSoMlGOetPbjWodA3eLUPBcXLiNeBmoGxqUE_KqiO9_NeazIo_WakNrAduX9MJAS1ixCM6y8yR38m_iqhdlbESXMeRvTH1PPUztDA6C37Zt5GIh6x9PR2eGNYxE/w640-h426/tim-cooper-0RUG8KJy0pw-unsplash+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@tcooper86?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Tim Cooper</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/piano?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is why God avails His resources to me. I long to see Christ glorified, lifted up, benefited through my life, my body and my all. <b>This is why God hears me</b>. He knows when my heart is truly set on loving His Son and that is when I pray according to His glorious will. <br /><br />And He answers the prayer that is according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). When I pray this way God sees that my heart's motive is love for Christ. <b>He answers my prayer for His Son's sake</b> - for His glory. He loves to hear and answer the prayer that is carried into His presence on the wings of love for Christ. It is music to His listening ear.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviVsP2qpCyXAqy7g9ZpsZvoXDtbFuNv6mi0cZpiABkFmnBAUl3T8-ZDmruUqPG8OK8Lz6VcniwhdKQAcUS4jN9rDkAccmRBYnxsiQtgbfoCA46Gg14ESWXkdt-3SMSzrRFG4Rh8y8s3M/w426-h640/the+Father+Himself+loves+you+because+you+have+loved+Me+and+have+believed+that+I+came+from+God.png" /><div></div>
</div></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Praise be to God for this precious truth! Lord, may I love Your Son in this manner. May my every prayer be influenced, permeated and saturated with sincere adoration for the One through whom I come.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><script src="https://www.biblegateway.com/public/link-to-us/tooltips/bglinks.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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No snacking allowed! If we chose to “take it”, that meant that we ate everything on our plates. I don’t remember ever choosing the menu option to “leave it”.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Sitting <b>at the table</b> daily with my dad and mom, older sister and younger brother (yes, I was a middle child), profoundly influenced me for good. <br /><br />One of the most important things I learned <b>at the table</b> was respect for God, for the various people and their functions in the family, as well as respect for the family unit in general. Eating family meals together taught me:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCNhPowBgHzI6BBRHjVO5wTQuu2LnZAFERdQPGhGbHfcMOAoxmBRTJZ6SRoseLbomJvLV3xsgLmUOaZW2r3t5biMBfgYlQC9tTSoDGv-AZLsWuGjXGTUYDfdxkDbmS6TADTi_rraOHGM/s400/lunchbox.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="301" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCNhPowBgHzI6BBRHjVO5wTQuu2LnZAFERdQPGhGbHfcMOAoxmBRTJZ6SRoseLbomJvLV3xsgLmUOaZW2r3t5biMBfgYlQC9tTSoDGv-AZLsWuGjXGTUYDfdxkDbmS6TADTi_rraOHGM/w302-h400/lunchbox.jpg" width="302" /></a></div></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Respect for my mom </b>who prepared three meals every day. Lunches were packed daily for Dad to eat at work and for us kids to eat at school. Breakfast and supper were eaten <b>at the table</b>. Now that I prepare meals for my own family and realize what hard work it is just to get good food put on <b>the table</b>, I stand in awe of my mom who committed to serve her family in this very basic but extremely important way. <a href="http://www.franziskaspantry.com/2010/07/serving-our-husbands-through-nourishing.html">(Learn here how we can serve our husbands and children by providing nourishing meals as did my mom.)</a></span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Respect for my dad</b> who went to work every day to bring home "the bacon" and insisted that we all spend time eating that bacon together <b>around the table</b>. My father had some priorities as the head of the home and seeing that we all came together for meals was one. He knew that it was important that we connect with one another and also that we commune with one another. He understood the value of family "community". He was a wise man and I thank God that he was my earthly father.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Respect for the way things were done in our home for the well-being of all in our family.</b> I learned that a family functions together. My dad, a Christian man, was committed to leading the family, even in this seemingly minor way. He grew up on a farm and knew the importance of real food, ie, eggs for breakfast rather than sugary sweet breakfast cereals, etc. As a Christian husband, he took the lead in this and my mom, being his complimentary counterpart, made the meals happen three times each day, every day. They functioned like a left hand helping the right more dominant hand. The example of how a husband and wife can work together in the home was lived out daily for me.</span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Respect for the food itself</b>, as it was real, nourishing and was provided by God’s creative and loving hand. I learned that one of the first gifts God gave to Adam and Eve was food - delicious, nutritious food. <span style="background-color: #a2c4c9;">Food is God's love made edible.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>He gave plant foods to man in the garden of Eden before man chose to disregard God's one directive. Later, after the flood, God also added animal foods to man's diet. This is what real food is and this is what we ate every day <b>at the table. <br /></b><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Respect and gratitude toward God </b>for having provided for us. We never went hungry, though occasionally we ate a meager but filling meal of beans, etc. However, Mom always made it seem like a meal fit for a king as she worked her magic in the kitchen turning even that meager meal into a delicious gift to her husband and children.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ5OxP6kegMZSIhUPiZTAzVWOqff3oq4h02HSeiB-hzYMcmd-uAjEmRmyw3abQLTSVlmSGaD-WApsCYUwvpGnwDQJr8Jg1mLIonpk_ChycP6zN-c7IC0n34bx4sve5eJtSV5Ug6TPxvc/s800/God+will+supply+1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="800" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZ5OxP6kegMZSIhUPiZTAzVWOqff3oq4h02HSeiB-hzYMcmd-uAjEmRmyw3abQLTSVlmSGaD-WApsCYUwvpGnwDQJr8Jg1mLIonpk_ChycP6zN-c7IC0n34bx4sve5eJtSV5Ug6TPxvc/w640-h358/God+will+supply+1.png" width="640" /></a></span><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Respect for the health of my own body and the health of my future children.</b> That may sound a little strange. But again, my dad had his priorities and he was wise. One of the reasons we always had breakfast <b>around the table</b> was Dad wanted us to start out the day by being nourished so that we would have the nutrients needed to excel in body and mind. He would tell us that it was important for our health individually and for the health of the next generation, "What you eat now will have an impact on the health of your children in the future." And he was right. (<a href="http://www.groundedapproach.com/2017/11/how-your-diet-now-affect-the-health-of-your-future-children/" target="_blank">Link here to read an article about this.)</a></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a href="http://www.groundedapproach.com/2017/11/how-your-diet-now-affect-the-health-of-your-future-children/" style="font-family: Quicksand; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="800" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLmca9HzdqRya3pOpIee6O535zB1jgULAr5ICQPk8na4x7vbbMY0MoT8qPlSN-xaKQIHASS6dqSEgFn-SYWgNewTAVYnUKIpO_cPGgqzo8gc2O6kSvlUAv-FIjrakHHjJPxqoS3HzA34/w640-h358/future+children+3.png" style="text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br style="font-family: Quicksand; font-size: x-large;" /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">How I’d love to see families cooperating like this again. I fear that this simple, slow-paced, thoughtful way of living has been hijacked by the almighty dollar and a general busyness that is ultimately unproductive. It saddens me that we may never recover such wise and skilled parenting.<br /><br />Thank you, Dad and Mom! I’m so glad that you taught me to respect others <b>at the table</b>. And I’m so thankful that there were only two options on the menu for each meal. Your hard work and dedication will never be forgotten.</span><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span></div></div>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-22691507784612438832020-10-24T07:59:00.034-07:002021-07-03T10:49:15.143-07:00Five Truths About Being Thankful All Year Long (by Sandi Kailey)<h3><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Quicksand; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDaJL73nVlxFZR26WCRxS6GPOzp8KDavz_ytXWCwsfE_AVKc8w335BYNLaZxFGkstJ2u3jO0rSHdTAhsXyfsoETL3ESIFBoZ4MKeoLEy9Q-a-35eEMYkiJ5gv9mmAUihV-BTG9V12Yw0/s1500/Thankful-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDaJL73nVlxFZR26WCRxS6GPOzp8KDavz_ytXWCwsfE_AVKc8w335BYNLaZxFGkstJ2u3jO0rSHdTAhsXyfsoETL3ESIFBoZ4MKeoLEy9Q-a-35eEMYkiJ5gv9mmAUihV-BTG9V12Yw0/w640-h480/Thankful-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;">First, a note from Sharon:</span> This post was written by Sandi Kailey, a young woman who came to the Lord several years ago. Sandi lives in our home and has been a breath of fresh air for Robert and me. Having been redeemed and transformed by the saving grace of God, Sandi is living in response to that grace. I asked her to write a post concerning giving thanks and I have been blessed by what the Lord put on her heart. It's now time to share it with you:</span></span></div></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #814256; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalms 107:1)</span></div></span></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #814256;">1. God’s people should be the most thankful people on the planet</span><span> </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As Christians, we should be giving thanks to God every day. The word "thanks" and related words come up 102 times in the Old Testament and 71 times in the New Testament. Seems that the Lord wants us to be thankful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The beauty and joy of thanksgiving becomes evident when remembering our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our commitment to be under His authority regarding all aspects of our lives. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Giving thanks is good for us, both in our trials and in our comfort (James 1:2-4). When we profess our gratefulness in all circumstances of life, we can be assured that we are living according to our heavenly Father's will. His will is for us to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18)! Obeying God not only brings joy, a fruit of the Spirit, but also strengthens our relationship with Him. And gratitdue easily allows God to continue transforming us into the image of Christ.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Christians should not only <b>be the most thankful of all people, but will be the most thankful</b> when we pause to remember our Triune God, not only what He's done for us but for who He is. This is why we celebrate with a grateful heart!</span><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9B-omj3mkHYdzYQF-DIjT_N58Lp3ia6bgTZUMrkVzUgE4vcmveLnh-2UltUrSp1hVPHUB1-oG5Cu6yNbqy9bg8Qj0_hlpf3LTFU14G7Lg-gXgooYKoZgVlWCJsvEF93sf1lPMZvnEYs/s2048/Family+meal+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9B-omj3mkHYdzYQF-DIjT_N58Lp3ia6bgTZUMrkVzUgE4vcmveLnh-2UltUrSp1hVPHUB1-oG5Cu6yNbqy9bg8Qj0_hlpf3LTFU14G7Lg-gXgooYKoZgVlWCJsvEF93sf1lPMZvnEYs/w640-h480/Family+meal+%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></p></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #814256; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">2. Gratefulness for God's sovereignty should be our mindset</span></h4><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Giving thanks is a reminder every day that God is in control. No matter how shaky the ground is beneath us, we can remember that God holds all things together and is not flustered by a world gone wrong. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Max Lucado wrote about God’s sovereignty and control; “Is an eagle disturbed by traffic? No, he rises above it. Is the Whale perturbed by a hurricane? Of course not, he plunges beneath it. Is the lion flustered by the mouse standing directly in his way? No, he steps over it. How much more is God able to soar above, plunge beneath, and step over the troubles of the earth! What controls you does not control God. What troubles you does not trouble God. What fatigues you does not fatigue God.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">God is at work in a suffering world, He is bigger and more powerful than your obstacles. We may ask, "Does this mean then that God isn’t moved by what troubles me? Does it imply that He has no time to be bothered by what shakes me?" Of course not! He is not like other little wanna-be-gods that cannot be sympathetic to our struggles (Hebrews 4:15-16). </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhF53dThNULDt_JTpPN87g8VrXBeWxVewNJrj0RBfpQoHx9fDXYBpFkjQwt1-hrBUPSTQnty94RQulZzauc5g-IK10XdfqlAw6ClVJr1Ait49thf8LIgza0HYupP5uNpLieXL5VWk0gY/s528/Copy+of+thank+you%252C+Lord%252C+for+being+so+patient+with+me.+For+it%2527s+hard+to+see%252C+when+my+eyes+are+on+me.+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="528" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhF53dThNULDt_JTpPN87g8VrXBeWxVewNJrj0RBfpQoHx9fDXYBpFkjQwt1-hrBUPSTQnty94RQulZzauc5g-IK10XdfqlAw6ClVJr1Ait49thf8LIgza0HYupP5uNpLieXL5VWk0gY/w640-h358/Copy+of+thank+you%252C+Lord%252C+for+being+so+patient+with+me.+For+it%2527s+hard+to+see%252C+when+my+eyes+are+on+me.+%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So how does God’s unshakable, sovereign character work for our good? An example that speaks volumes to me is the account of Peter walking on the lake to get to Jesus in Matthew 14:25-31. Peter says, <i>“Lord if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.”</i> Jesus said, <i>“Come”</i> to Peter.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Peter then got out of the boat with his eyes on Jesus and walked on the water toward Him. But when the wind distracted him, Peter began to sink. In his fear, he cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!". The text tells us that Jesus “immediately” reached out His hand to Peter and caught him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Jesus didn’t panic when He saw Peter sinking. He did not begin to sink Himself. He remained on the water, unshaken by the storm. And because He was immovable and unshakeable, He was able to save Peter from sinking to his death. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Jesus responds “immediately” to our struggles. Yet being God and sovereign over all powers, forces, circumstances and obstacles, without being at all influenced by them, He is able to rescue us when we cry out to Him as Peter did. Though He was not disturbed by the storm, He was sympathetic to Peter’s human tendency to fear and demonstrated love and care for Him by saving him from a potential disaster. His unshakable sovereignty works in concert with His love and compassion for His children. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Just imagine if our Lord cowered as we do or panicked as is our tendency. He cannot for He is above and before all things. <i>Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost both body and soul</i> (Hebrews 7:23-24). Is this not something we can be enthusiastically thankful for?" (A quote from one of my mentors.)</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #814256; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span>3. To be real, t</span><span>hankfulness must happen when the rubber meets the road.</span></span></h4><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-RqVxn7AvYSihA94ilfnKxWdv28uv1aPdDinpdOJzfje2ms6yYj7yUJIYS_xl15u2by5wjY9bVKOnES8uI1_Ea0ewmZ_d6hW21iAy86RgOhv9HxhJk4AY6gVLjmtkFSHT_D30Q1ik8U/s528/Slump+gone.png" style="font-family: "Josefin Slab"; font-size: xx-large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="528" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-RqVxn7AvYSihA94ilfnKxWdv28uv1aPdDinpdOJzfje2ms6yYj7yUJIYS_xl15u2by5wjY9bVKOnES8uI1_Ea0ewmZ_d6hW21iAy86RgOhv9HxhJk4AY6gVLjmtkFSHT_D30Q1ik8U/w640-h358/Slump+gone.png" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, let me ask you, Christian, are you thankful for the control and authority God has over your life? Are you completely trusting His plan for you? I recently had to ask myself these questions. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In June of this year, I lost my job due to Covid19. It was very sudden. I wasn’t expecting it. I had to scramble to figure out what I was going to do until I could find another job. How will I deal with being home all day? Staying home and not working is not what I’m used to. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This was a perfect time for me to put all my trust in God and know that I am exactly where He wants me. I had to thank God, even in my frustrated, confused and discouraged state. God reminded me to “take heart and have peace; Jesus has overcome the world” (John 16:33). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Yes, we will have trials. For me, it has been a job loss. But Jesus wants His people to have peace in loss. Our God is in complete sovereign control so in our distress we can look to Him for help.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">God also tells us in Isaiah 43:2 <i>“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you: and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned and the flame will not consume you.”</i> We have an assurance that the promise of God’s protection and His help is available for all who trust in His name. Can we praise Him and express our gratefulness in worship </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">to </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Him for providing such comfort and aid?</span></p><h4><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #814256; font-size: x-large;">4. It's helpful to look to those who are an example of giving thanks in all things.</span><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQeGM1CARddulrbtGpO5-hCmmSeq8o9vu_tO3wGIRAKLwekp828J_fWr_7E-EE5JdpyoEf4VwK63zDrAUoCDox8F1RW8robfwz6JjOWOmqdH595AA77Sxnt4rDMpG42DQW_AhVw5xzdw/s528/Thank+God+for+the+reality2+.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="528" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQeGM1CARddulrbtGpO5-hCmmSeq8o9vu_tO3wGIRAKLwekp828J_fWr_7E-EE5JdpyoEf4VwK63zDrAUoCDox8F1RW8robfwz6JjOWOmqdH595AA77Sxnt4rDMpG42DQW_AhVw5xzdw/w640-h358/Thank+God+for+the+reality2+.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">By way of inspiration concerning being thankful, I am including this brief story of a godly man who thanked God for what he had and even for what he didn't have.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In the late 1800s, George Mueller operated an orphanage in England that at one time housed 1,000 orphans. One morning there was no food to eat, but he called all the children and staff together and prayed, thanking God for the provision of food, even though no food was on the table.</span></p></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A few moments later a baker knocked on the door. He told Mr. Muller that God had led him to bake bread the night before and give it to the orphanage. Before the bread was given to the children, a milkman knocked on the door. He said that his milk truck had broken down and he wanted to give the milk to the orphanage. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">George Muller gave thanks, even when it took faith to do so. We too can trust God to keep His promises and provide for our needs (Isaiah 49:13).</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #814256; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">5. It's necessary to be intentional in thanking God</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">God is a God we can always trust and lean on in any trial we face. For many now in 2020, this means trusting and thanking Him during the current Covid19 lockdowns, etc. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For me, this meant that I had to put my entitled pride aside and call out to God. I had to commit to pray with gratitude for this season He has me in. Thankfulness in prayer is an expression of our desire to work with God’s grace to face our problems, confident that He cares about us and will not stop loving us. The cross reminds us that this may involve hard work and hard times, but Jesus' resurrection assures us of ultimate victory. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Unfortunately, giving thanks is too often demoted to a secondary place in the prayers of Christ’s people. We are quick to make our requests and slow to thank God for His answers. Because God so often answers our prayers, we come to expect it. We forget that it is only by His grace that we receive anything from Him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Josefin Slab; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpG7J-05nTd45jtCwyGLAYtAmPDyQgo_FGfhwxKE__FyXr7nJMJbf-mYDQg3-Fww9Vi39DAvGu3Gm2v9fjPyUuk11_EGv4XTwucu81q5HoraR6rsl8oXyqyXYnEHd-b5fjLnhrAGeZtc/s528/Truly%252C+we+have+much+to+thank+God+for2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="528" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpG7J-05nTd45jtCwyGLAYtAmPDyQgo_FGfhwxKE__FyXr7nJMJbf-mYDQg3-Fww9Vi39DAvGu3Gm2v9fjPyUuk11_EGv4XTwucu81q5HoraR6rsl8oXyqyXYnEHd-b5fjLnhrAGeZtc/w640-h358/Truly%252C+we+have+much+to+thank+God+for2.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We should be giving thanks to God for what His Son has done for us on the cross. His sacrifice was the ultimate gift! Let us praise God for loving His children so deeply!</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">With Thanksgiving around the corner, let us focus on thankfulness to our Savior. No matter how busy or hectic our schedules may be, let us pledge our obedience to start purposefully, daily, giving thanks for how He has blessed us and for who He is. Start right now where you sit! </span></p><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span><span style="color: #814256; font-weight: normal;">Let us adopt George Muller's </span></span><span style="color: #814256; font-weight: normal;">mindset of gratitude </span></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #814256; font-weight: normal;">by giving thanks </span><span style="color: #814256; font-weight: normal;">even when there seems to be </span></span></h4><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #814256; font-weight: normal;">nothing</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="color: #814256; font-weight: normal;">before </span><span style="color: #814256; font-weight: normal;">us to be thankful for!</span></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To assist in being intentional in thanksgiving to the Lord, take a look at this post from Revive Our Hearts website: </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.reviveourhearts.com/pdf/uploads/30DayGratitude.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">Growing in Gratitude: A 30 Day Challenge</span></b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #5a6278;">(this is a printable download, intended to cultivate a more grateful heart over a period of 30 days).</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #5a6278;"> </span></span></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><br /></h4><p><span style="font-family: Josefin Slab; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div><br /></div><script src="https://www.biblegateway.com/public/link-to-us/tooltips/bglinks.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is the second post on the <b>Art and Heart of Hospitality </b>(<a href="https://www.sharonkaufman.com/2020/06/the-art-and-heart-of-hospitality.html" target="_blank">read the first post here)</a>. What you'll read below about partiality is crucial to truly being hospitable. As you read, ask the Lord to renew for you His heart of love and welcome to you when He drew you to Himself. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;"><b>A sad exhibition of partiality</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most of you, by now, have heard about Susan Boyle and her incredibly beautiful singing voice. She stunned the </span><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">Britain's Got Talent </span><span style="font-size: large;">judges and audience </span><span style="font-size: large;">on April 11, 2009. </span><span style="font-size: large;">If you haven't seen the video, please see it YouTube at the following link: </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk"><span style="font-size: large;">Click here to view the video on YouTube.</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You may wonder what this video has to do with the topic of this post. To answer that question, I decided to post about Susan Boyle based on a text in James. That text, James 2:1-5, confronts the sin of partiality or favoritism:</span></center>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i>"My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After having seen the reaction from the judges and the audience when Susan Boyle appeared on stage for her audition for <span style="font-style: italic;">Britain's Got Talent</span>, it became even more clear to me how fickle the human heart can be. It was only after she began to sing that everyone who had disgracefully judged her just seconds before, changed their opinion of her and instead displayed their approval. It really was a sad exhibition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some apologized. But what if she had croaked out her song? The following comment, from a <b>secular blog</b>, pretty well sums up what I am thinking also:</span><br />
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">"The unspoken message of this whole episode is that, since Susan Boyle has a wonderful talent, we were wrong to judge her based on her looks and demeanor. Meaning what? That if she couldn't sing so well, we were correct to judge her on that basis? That demeaning someone whose looks don't match our impossible, media-reinforced standards of beauty is perfectly okay unless some mitigating circumstance makes us re-think our opinion?"</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">As a Christian, would you even speak to this individual, let alone eat with him as did Jesus when He dined with sinners? Or would you and I shun him as one who is not worthy of love? Think about the fact that we were in no better condition when Christ welcomed us. Apart from His compassion, we all would still be in our sins, doomed to a life apart from anything good.</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;">A crucial question: does this happen in our churches?</span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">It is sad to say that we, in our churches, do this very thing. If someone does not come up to our preconceived idea of what a person should look like, talk like, dress like, etc. <b>we have no intention of going any further to discover who that person really is</b>. We remain in our comfort zones, excluding that individual from the grace God would display through us, were we willing. <b>And then we are relieved and think we are vindicated if that person turns out to be what we judged them to be in the first place.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;">God does not look at the outward appearance</span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">The sin of partiality is wrong no matter what. We become judges with evil motives when this happens. God is no respecter of persons, </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">"for God sees not as man sees, for man looks and the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart"</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> (1 Samuel 16:7b). He looks upon the heart. Since we cannot do that, we must give way to love, compassion and mercy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And consider what it means that </span><span style="font-size: large; font-style: italic;">God looks at the heart</span><span style="font-size: large;">. What a very frightening truth! He saw me for who I really was before I knew Him. I was unlovely to Him, as are we all. All of us were guilty in His sight. All of our works were like filthy rags. We were altogether unclean, haters of God, lovers of sin. This is the condition we were all in when He chose to redeem us from our vain manner of life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;"><b>Our example, a compassionate Savior</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Had God been a partial being, such as we are, He would never have chosen to save any of us.</b> We would all face His wrath. And He would have been justified, judging us rightly. But God saved us in spite of ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Knowing that, can we as followers of Christ, learn from what we saw in Susan Boyle's appearance? Can we learn to look at others with compassion and kindness as our Heavenly Father looked upon us in our forlorn and ungodly state? Can we then decide to offer mercy and Christ-like love to the ones we find unlovely?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus did this very thing when He <i>"went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When He saw the crowds, <b>He had compassion on them</b>, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."</i> (Matthew 9:35-36)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The "crowds" Jesus saw represented every human condition. People like ourselves, sick people, demon-possessed people, beggars, wealthy people (like Zacheus), prostitutes, government officials, criminals, various races, men, women, i.e., people from all walks of life. Two things they had in common was that they were all 1) all created in the image of God and thus were to be "image-bearers" of the God that gave them life, and 2) they had all been separated and alienated from God because of their utter disregard for Him (universal and personal sin). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is why Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He was/is the Good Shepherd and they were without Him, though they followed Him. And He had compassion on them immediately, by healing them, by feeding them, by preaching the gospel to them and ultimately, by being crucified to pay the price that their disregard for Him cost. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The word I am using here, "disregard", is a very mild term for how we all feel and think about God before we bow our hearts to Him. But our flagrant "disregard" for Him resulted in His condemnation and crucifixion on the cross. This is the greatest indictment of and proof for our inherent sinfulness - we brutally slaughtered the Lord of Glory, God in the flesh, when He visited us*. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #45818e;">So, how can we have the same compassion that the Lord Jesus Christ had upon us?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As for me, I have been very convicted by all of this and am stunned when I think of it in terms of my acceptance before God. He has taken a poor, ragged, sinful wretch, welcomed her into His heaven and given her all the blessings in the heavenly realms. In Him, I have redemption through Christ's blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on me with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:7-9)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I pray like Paul for those of us making a claim to know Christ:</span><br />
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">"For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)</span><br />
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<span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Once this kind of knowing is a reality, there is no telling what would come of it in our churches, homes and neighborhoods and who we would welcome, just as our Lord has indeed welcomed us!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">*Note: If you do not believe this about yourself - that you took part in Christ's violent death, let me ask you, how do you think about God, in particular, Jesus? Have you ever resisted/disbelieved the truth about Who He is? This unbelief of Who He was in the flesh is what put Him on the cross. He was crucified because He claimed to be the Son of God which meant He was equal with God (John 5:18). Jesus was crucified because He was hated and called a blasphemer - He claimed to be God - and those who killed Him did not believe Him! We are all guilty for we are born alienated from Him and in enmity to Him. We all, because of our unbelief, were guilty of putting Him to death.</span><br />
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</div>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-78034582768717014322020-06-28T16:22:00.001-07:002020-10-01T11:00:24.280-07:00The Art and Heart of Hospitality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoN_Yuah3IgB-4JfUj4nwXk2i28ho_5ti3VkmM60BcIdQKotzZhnZaC9geKmlWwXkrOkX41opMhlXzP5xlEYTJVWnpRy7vmfGq3p-Maugh_jJBoWF0yNSm5b3Ay2kAIyO72St8KYaCloY/s1600/welcome+mat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoN_Yuah3IgB-4JfUj4nwXk2i28ho_5ti3VkmM60BcIdQKotzZhnZaC9geKmlWwXkrOkX41opMhlXzP5xlEYTJVWnpRy7vmfGq3p-Maugh_jJBoWF0yNSm5b3Ay2kAIyO72St8KYaCloY/s640/welcome+mat.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">We have no idea how wealthy we are just to have a roof over our heads. I take so much for granted. This struck home so profoundly to me today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And it also struck me that our homes must be shared at all times, even (or maybe especially) when they look lived in. This is how these thoughts came to me:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My neighbor had texted me to ask for ice. When she came to my door, I gladly handed the frozen cubes to her. </span><span style="font-size: large;">She then told me that she needed to drive her truck to the store just down the street so she could use the restroom there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I know you think that you read that last sentence wrong, but you didn’t. You see, this neighbor and her husband, though they live across the street from us, do not live in a house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Instead, these friends live in their tarped, broken-down truck. It runs, but barely. They have been our neighbors for three years, parked on the curb across the street from our house (though we’ve only gotten to know them better in the past two years or so).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My husband and I love these dear people. They are good friends and good neighbors. They are part of the “homeless” population by today’s standards though they themselves consider their truck to be home. But they do long to have a real roof over their heads as soon as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But back to the story. Knowing that Estelle (not her real name), needed to leave quickly to get to the store to relieve herself, I promptly invited her in to use our restroom. She was so grateful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we entered the front door of my house, I apologized that the house was a little messy. And this was Estelle's response, “Please don’t worry about how your house looks. I would give anything to be able to say that.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Did you get that? Estelle was saying that she would give anything to be able to make such an apology - to have a house that was a little messy to invite guests into, apologizing as I was. I can’t tell you how her response has sobered me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Lord has been impressing this message on me heavily for well over a year now. So what Estelle said has been that same message personified by the Holy Spirit through my neighbor. I must not ignore this!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My home (dare I say “our homes” since we are commanded to be hospitable many times in the Bible) must be open to others. We are even commanded to be hospitable to strangers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our homes are not museums where a janitor is constantly cleaning to make sure that the antiquities there remain dust-free so they can be admired by the visitors. A museum is a place where non-living things - even dead things - reside and people stare at them, awestruck, in order to connect with the past. Those who visit, walk through the museum till they reach the exit, never having rested all the while because museums are not made for resting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Instead, my home should be a place where <b>living beings reside</b>, a place that is not constantly being cleaned but rather where people are productive and fruitful and also where they can rest from the living that happens there. Our homes exist for those who are living, not for the dead and/or inanimate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our homes should be fruitful and restful, and not just for us. They should be open for others to come in, sit down and find rest from their weariness (even if that means finding rest in the most humble room in our home - our bathroom). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our homes should also be a place where others can partake of the home-based fruits of our labors. Perhaps this would be lived out by providing a meal. And that does not have to be hard. It could be a meal of leftover soup from the day before (don't we say that the soup is always better the next day anyway?). Or that shared fruit could be a simple cup of coffee and an encouraging truth, ie., a spiritual fruit, that the Lord impressed upon you earlier in the day as you communed with Him through His written word. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But back to the museum analogy, do I mean to imply that it’s wrong to clean my home? Of course not! It would be wrong for me to let my house go. What is wrong, however, is to operate under the misconception that my house must be “museum-clean” in order to have “guests” in. It’s wrong to think that my home must be picture-perfect for those who enter so that they can gaze in awe at the well-dusted, cared for and cherished </span><span style="font-size: large;">furnishings </span><span style="font-size: large;">(</span><span style="font-size: large;">exhibits?) t</span><span style="font-size: large;">herein</span><span style="font-size: large;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The account of Zaccheus in the gospel of Luke helps me think deeper about how available my home is and, more to the point how available I am personally to serve others. This short little man, with a name that was bigger than he was, climbed up into a tree so that he could see Jesus above the crowds that obscured Him as He passed by.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We read in Luke 19:5, "When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, 'Zaccheus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.'"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh my! In reading this, I can't help but wonder what Zaccheus’ house looked like when Jesus invited Himself over to stay there</span><span style="font-size: large;">. </span><span style="font-size: large;">My knee-jerk reaction would have been to panic, race home and try to get things in order. But what does the little tax collector do? Luke tells us, “So Zaccheus came down at once and welcomed Jesus gladly.” (Luke 19:6)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"So Zaccheus CAME DOWN..."! I would have been tempted to climb higher to get out of sight. </span><span style="font-size: large;">But Zaccheus came down. In fact, the text continues</span><span style="font-size: large;"> to tell us, </span><span style="font-size: large;">"So Zaccheus came down AT ONCE..."! He hurried down that tree. But that's not all, "So Zaccheus came down at once and WELCOMED JESUS..."! He didn't stress that Jesus was coming to stay at his home. It was quite the opposite. He welcomed Jesus and it wasn't just any halfhearted welcome. Not at all! Read his entire response to Jesus: "So Zaccheus came down at once and welcomed Jesus GLADLY"! Zaccheus was thrilled that Jesus had invited Himself to his house. Knowing that your house was a little messy, would you have responded so enthusiastically? Would I have?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At this point, I am thoroughly in awe of the dramatic, comprehensive and instantaneous heart change that the Spirit of God makes within this one who has been so enamored with and enslaved by money. Neither the Lord nor his fellow man was on Zaccheus’ radar until Jesus transformed him. Now he was all about Jesus instead, with his enthusiastic, joyful welcome to the Savior.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Should not this be my response, your response as well? If we are each a child of God, has He not transformed our hearts also? And when we welcome weary ones into our home, do we not likewise welcome the Lord Jesus in? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At this point, there are so many challenging thoughts swirling through my mind. There is so much to explore and my heart needs a constant transforming tuneup. I want to explore this further so that I do not forget and so that I do practice the art and heart of hospitality in my place of fruitfulness and rest - in my home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the next few weeks </span><span style="font-size: large;">(God willing)</span><span style="font-size: large;">, I will be posting more about hospitality as it is practiced and commanded in the Bible. But for now, I have been so blessed to have shared with my neighbor the smallest, most humble room in my home, a room where she found rest in her weariness. Thank You, dear Savior, for this unforgettable opportunity! And thank You that when Estelle came for this short visit, You came with her and spoke to my heart.</span><br />
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-91453605577753987152019-11-26T07:18:00.001-08:002020-10-01T11:05:14.024-07:00Thankfulness - It's a Miracle!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some thoughts from my husband, Robert, concerning the account of the ten lepers that Jesus healed in Luke 17:12-19, and encouraged by a book called The Everlasting Word by Hans Bakker (see *note below): </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">"Then Jesus answered and said, 'Were not ten cleansed? But the nine - where are they?' Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?' " (Luke 17:17-18)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ten lepers were healed but only one came back to give thanks to the Lord Jesus. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Where are the nine?</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">* </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Where are the nine?</b> Oh, they are at home with their families, eating turkey and stuffing, having a wonderful time, happy that they were healed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But none of the nine thanked the Lord Jesus. <b>Only one</b>, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back glorifying God with a loud voice. <b>Only one</b> fell on his face at the feet of Jesus giving Him thanks. (from Luke 17:15-16)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">May the lesson of the lepers be for our personal instruction; it is for our warning...It is to show us that by nature we belong to the nine and that </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>it would be a great miracle if we would be the one who returned in thankfulness to the Lord Jesus.</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">*</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let this day of Thanksgiving 2019, be a day spent not just expressing what we are thankful for among our loved ones, but a day in which we return to the Lord Jesus in worship for what He has done for us. And may it be that we, the ones He has healed from sin-sickness, fall at His feet, glorifying God with all our being. <b>May we be His great miracle of thankfulness! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">*Note: These portions of this post were taken from the devotional book, The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, from November 24's entry. </span><br />
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-7358791466284911392019-08-31T05:29:00.002-07:002019-09-02T00:08:58.354-07:00A Beautiful Design Video SeriesMatt Chandler has a YouTube series on Biblical manhood and womanhood called A Beautiful Design. There are ten videos in this series and you will find all ten posted here.<br />
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Take your time. Each sermon is a typical sermon 45+ minutes. Listen to one each day for the next ten days when you have your devotional time with the Lord. Be praying that, as a wife, you will fully cooperate with God's beautiful design for you as a woman of God.<br />
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A Beautiful Design (Part One): In the Beginning<br />
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A Beautiful Design (Part Two): In His Image</div>
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A Beautiful Design (Part Three): Man's Purpose<br />
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A Beautiful Design (Part Four): Man's Hurdles</div>
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A Beautiful Design (Part Five): Man's Redemption</div>
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A Beautiful Design (Part Six): Incomplete</div>
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A Beautiful Design (Part Seven): Woman's Purpose</div>
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A Beautiful Design (Part Eight): Woman's Hurdle</div>
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A Beautiful Design (Part Nine): Woman's Redemption</div>
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A Beautiful Design (Part Ten): Together for the Gospel</div>
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<br />Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-57926249002960970742019-08-20T18:28:00.001-07:002022-07-26T19:03:55.863-07:00She Does Him Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>“She does him good…all the days of her life.” Proverbs 31:12</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This article was written nine years ago. I don't know why it took so long to post it, but it's still great information for doing your husband good!</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">A Very Important Education for Women</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Studies have found that married men live longer than bachelors. There are many reasons, but diet is a very significant factor. “According to a study presented at a meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society, married men eat a healthier diet than bachelors. Analyzing the eating habits of 29,728 male health professionals between the ages of 40 and 75, researchers found that married men eat more vegetables and less fried food…”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Another study showed that: ''Women traditionally take more responsibility for the home than men do, and, as a consequence, women's education might be more important for the family lifestyle - for example, in terms of food habits…(this) could have a substantial influence on the health and mortality of the partner.”</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Time to Wise-up!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">That “education” for me commenced about 6 years ago, after my husband and I began to experience health problems. No doctor could tell me what my problem was so I began to look into nutrition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">After discovering <a href="https://www.westonaprice.org/" target="_blank">The Weston A. Price Foundation</a>, which is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism, I realized that I knew very little about nutrition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">These “nutrient-dense” foods have been demonized by today’s diet gurus and also by the medical field – butter, eggs, whole raw milk, cream, saturated fats, red meat, organ meats, etc. These are foods that God created and has sanctioned in Scripture for the human diet, as 1 Timothy 4:3-5 says, “…foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good…”. If God says it’s good, who is to say otherwise? It all made sense.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">As these foods were restored to our diet, and all the processed so-called “health foods” (low-fat-this, cholesterol-free-that, etc.) were eliminated, our health began to improve dramatically. Within a few months, we were discarding many prescription drugs because the health issues associated with them no longer existed (high blood pressure for instance). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Helping My Husband</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">As my husband’s helper, I remain committed to putting densely nourishing foods on the table. It is a very real way I can assist my husband in regard to his physical well-being so that he can continue to advance the kingdom of God, serving as God has called him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Robert has taught the Bible for many years – in the pulpit (though he is not a pastor), at mid-week Bible study, to seminary students abroad, etc. In June he is traveling with 2 other men from our church to conduct several Pastor’s conferences in Southern Sudan. His health is crucial to these ministries. I want to do what I can to help him continue to minister God’s word for the good of His people for His glory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">As wives, we have the opportunity to help our husbands enjoy good health. Food should do what God intended – build and support a strong immune system, build and repair our bodies, satisfy our taste buds and satiate our hunger. Only real food can do that. Fake foods do just the opposite – damage and tear down our bodies and weaken our immune system. And even though those foods may taste good, they are toxic (containing chemical flavors, preservatives, pesticide residues and more) that cause bodily damage.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Real Food Really Makes a Positive Difference</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">A few months back Robert saw his doctor for a routine visit. His blood pressure was 123/72. The doctor said, “You are a rarity – the only man your age (63) that I’ve seen recently with such great readings without medication.” Wow! I was there and heard this. I thought to myself, “If I told the doctor that it’s all the wonderful saturated fat and cholesterol (along with all the good veggies and fruit), he’d never believe me!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">However, I must also remember that though real food definitely makes a difference for health, God is still sovereign. He can and does use illness at times for our spiritual growth and benefit. But I am still committed to doing what I can to help my husband’s health (and mine). But if God decides to use cancer for our good and His glory, I know that it would be His sovereign and gracious design for our lives and not because I was serving chemical-laden faux-foods.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Getting Back To The Past</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">We live in a world where we can have anything in an instant, including food. We no longer have to plan meals. Just a quick trip to the grocery store provides us with a fast-fix for dinner (breakfast or lunch). We think that getting out of the kitchen in a flash improves our lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">But women in the past knew better. They had a wisdom about food that has long since been lost to the younger generation. Wives were always on board to support their men with hearty, healthful meals from early morning to suppertime. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Proverbs 31 woman “…rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household and portions to her maidens.” Notice here that feeding her loved ones was such a priority for this excellent wife that she did not delegate the job to her servants. She did the cooking herself and even served her maids breakfast!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">My father was more educated than most modern brides. When Mom continued to make eggs for breakfast, after cold, boxed cereal had made its way onto the grocery shelves, Dad told us (his three discontented kids) that the health of our future children depended on our eating nutritious foods in the present, especially for breakfast which he proclaimed was the most important meal of the day. Now, as I read books like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-Mother-Baby-Fertility/dp/1632864592/ref=asc_df_1632864592/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312136634064&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4031657269059837218&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032050&hvtargid=pla-467303923173&psc=1" target="_blank">Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck</a>, I marvel at his homespun wisdom. That “wisdom of the ancients” is far superior and accurate to what we are told today by the food industry.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>But What if My Husband Objects?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">It is not unusual for the man of the house to offer a few objections. The best way for me to deal with this issue has been submission, prayer and a respectful appeal (in order to come to an agreeable solution if need be). Here are some typical and reasonable objections your husband might offer:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“I really don’t care to eat that stuff.”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Personally, I would love to serve seafood once a week, but Robert simply does not care for it. In fact, he loathes it. But I know that the Omega 3’s that fish provide are vital to health. What to do? After putting it before the Lord, the answer came – <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Carlson-Omega-3s-Norwegian-Sustainably-Sourced/dp/B003B3P4PO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=4HXNV467JW9D&keywords=carlson%27s+cod+liver+oil&qid=1567205781&s=gateway&sprefix=carlson%27s+cod%2Cstripbooks%2C248&sr=8-4" target="_blank">COD LIVER OIL</a>. Can you believe that? My husband would rather go hungry than let one morsel of mackerel (or salmon, etc.) pass through his lips, yet he will gladly slurp down a spoonful of cod liver oil every morning. That’s because it’s flavored with real lemon and has absolutely no fish taste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">One lady I know tried numerous times in numerous ways to get her husband to eat unrefined coconut oil, but he could detect it no matter how she disguised it in his food. Finally, she relented and put her gallon of coconut oil to rest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Subsequently, one evening after retiring for bed, her husband leaned over to kiss her goodnight and gagged as he said, “Do you mean to tell me that I cannot even give my wife a kiss goodnight without tasting that stuff?!” Since she no longer had any culinary use for the coconut oil she had begun using it as a skin moisturizer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">But that’s not the end of the story. My Bible study group met at this lady’s house weekly. One evening I provided popcorn – popped in coconut oil and slathered with good butter – as the snack. I stayed a little afterward, just long enough for her husband to waltz in and ask for something to nosh on. Not remembering the coconut oil debacle, I handed him a bag of popcorn. He gobbled it down with relish, commenting about how scrumptious it was. When I realized what he was eating, it was all I could do to keep from laughing. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“We cannot afford organic.”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">This is where it really pays to know your stuff. If you have educated yourself, you can respectfully appeal to your husband. Pray first, then approach him with ideas to make whole food work within your budget. Here is a sampling of what you might present:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Many foods are safe to eat that have been grown conventionally. Thick-skinned produce such as citrus fruits, melons, avocados, bananas and many, many more. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Growing food organically helps to stretch the food dollar also. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Serving economy meals is helpful – soups, legumes, etc. that are inexpensive to make. Of course, this requires planning.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Money will be saved by not buying expensive convenience faux foods or eating out nearly as often. (My husband and I have lived on a very small income since eating this way and we have never had to compromise at the grocery store.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Making cleaning and beauty products from common household ingredients will save money that can then be directed toward the food budget. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“What about dessert?”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Your husband may feel like his sweet tooth will be starved out (actually, that’s not a bad thing). Assure him that you will be making his sweets from scratch (perhaps this is yet another way to budget for whole foods). Use healthy alternative sweeteners – palm sugar, raw honey, organic maple syrup, Rapadura, stevia. (<a href="https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/modern-foods/agave-nectar-worse-than-we-thought/" target="_blank">Follow this link</a> to understand why agave is one of the most unhealthy sweeteners.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Personally, I have never been a baker. Instead, our sweet treats include puddings, baked apples, peaches or strawberries and cream with honey, parfaits, homemade ice cream, etc. Most of these sweets offer fewer carbs than baked goods and also some nutrition in the form of eggs, cream and milk. Still, these types of foods should be served occasionally rather than daily since they are not the most nutritious of foods. Also, try serving salty snacks as an alternative treat, such as popcorn, popped as mentioned above, peanut or almond butter on celery or salty nuts prepared for optimum nutrition.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>“I don’t at all want to change the way we’re eating.”</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">If this is your situation and your husband will not be persuaded otherwise, if it concerns your husband’s tastes rather than the budget, there are many things that you can do to make his meals more nutritious. Here are some ideas:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Switch from toxic fats and oils to those that are nourishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Switch from processed sugar to healthy alternatives.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Make your own salad dressings (the ones your hubby really likes) and mayonnaise.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Buy bacon and wieners, etc. that do not contain nitrites and nitrates.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Make hamburgers from grass-fed beef instead of conventional beef.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Buy snacks (potato chips for instance) that are made with cold-pressed monounsaturated oils instead of polyunsaturated heat-extracted oils.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>God is Honored </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">When it is your desire to help your husband in this fashion God is glorified and He will provide in ways that you never dreamed of. Hasn’t He commanded us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If it is your desire to help your husband eat well, but you believe that your budget will not be adequate to buy whole foods, don’t give up before you ask your Heavenly Father to make it possible.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Some Practical Ways to Nourish Your Husband</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Make breakfast. After fasting for 10 hours or more and with the full day still ahead, breakfast is vital for energy and general health. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Pack a lunch if your husband eats away from home while working</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Serve the salad as a first course. If your husband leaves most of his salad because he fills up on the main course, give him his salad (alone) first with his favorite (healthy homemade) dressing. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">• Provide plenty of good fat with each meal. Good fat satiates hunger better than carbs or protein. Your husband will go longer without needing snacks. Slather cooked veggies in butter (it also assists in the delivery and metabolizing of nutrients to your body). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><b>Now go and do your husband good just like the Proverbs wife did!
</b></span><script src="https://www.biblegateway.com/public/link-to-us/tooltips/bglinks.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-84053369446938081632019-08-05T22:10:00.000-07:002020-01-17T20:17:24.496-08:00Eight Reasons for Memorizing Scripture<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "new york" , "times" , serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">In this short video clip, John Piper presents eight reasons why the Christian should memorize Scripture. Take a few minutes to let the Spirit of God challenge you in this regard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you need help memorizing Scripture, I highly recommend an app that is available for both Android and Apple devices called "Remember Me". It is free and though I have tried other apps for Bible memory, Remember Me is head and shoulders above them all (in my opinion.)</span></center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by NilsStahl on Upsplash</td></tr>
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You can find Remember Me at Google's "Play Store" or Apple's "App Store". Just type in the name of the app in the search bar, download and enjoy!</span></center>
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Meantime, here's a brief video showing some of the features of the Remember Me app:</span></center>
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-31593370460329279452019-07-09T05:53:00.002-07:002021-01-06T10:32:37.477-08:00God's Sovereignty and Goodness in Adversity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes." (Psalm 119:71)</i><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Our Good and Sovereign God Sees What We are Blinded to</span></b></i></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This Psalmist humbly understood both the sovereignty of God and his own sinful state. He did not rail against the Lord for having ordained difficulty, nor did he think he deserved only what he deemed as "good" from the Lord.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are so blind to our sinful hearts, even as Christians, that we fail to see that God, our Heavenly Father, is good in ordaining trials for us. Though the trial is not pleasant, we must acknowledge that God sees our every flaw and through trials reveals those flaws and sins to us for the purpose of making us more like Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Psalmist understood this about God and about himself. He had no problem continuing to trust God, confident that His goodness was still in tact. He had no problem because he did not despise the difficulty, pointing an accusing finger back at God Who allowed that difficulty (yes, and even personally ordained it for him).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He was actually thankful that God had put the trial on him and in not struggling against that trial, the writer of this Psalm came to understand exactly what it was about his life that was not glorifying to the Lord. He saw his sin and God's working to extinguish that sin and reveal more of Himself to His child.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Likewise, Job, understood both God's goodness in ordaining great heartbreak and his need to receive it with a worshipful spirit. He told his wife, <i>"Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" </i>And we are told in the same verse that in all of his grief, Job did not sin with his lips.
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sin is Master at Hiding Itself</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Do we think that we are only deserving of good things from the Lord? I think we most certainly do! We believe we are doing just fine and that we do not need correction from our God. We cannot see that sin still dwells in us and how it manifests itself, though we are no longer slaves to it because sin is no longer so open and blatant and evident to us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And therein lies the problem with our spiritual eyesight. Our hearts, so deceitful, learn how to refine sin so that we do not see it. Sin becomes more and more adept at masquerading itself and we, all the while, are congratulating ourselves on our spiritual maturity. So when God decides we need correction, we pour out complainings and despise His sovereign care over us. We believe that we should be given some award for having come so far in our faith.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Our Father Knows </i></b><b><i>Best</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">May we refuse to think this way. God forbid that we remain in our blinded state. We must learn to say, like the Psalmist, that it is for our good that God ordains difficulties and adversity. It is for our good! We will, by understanding that our Heavenly Father is only and always good, and that we are so very, very far from good, that we need His kind corrective hand upon us at all times. Simply put, He sees and knows what we need.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">A Humble Example in King <span face=""helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif">David</span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">David, also, received adversity when cursed by an ungodly man, Shimei, knowing that too was from the Lord. In 2 Samuel 16:9-11 we read, "Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, 'Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.' But the king said, 'What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’' And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, 'Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.'"</span><div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Man Means it for Evil, but God has Purposed it for Our Good and our Joy</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">David was pliable before the Lord. He knew what was good for him and he trusted that the Lord would provide that "good". David even says in verse 12,<i> "It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good from his cursing."</i> He, like Joseph, knew that what was done to him by man was done out of a motive of evil and a desire for his demise. But David also knew that God meant it for good and He would, by His absolute sovereign power and grace, accomplish that good. That is what David expected - God's good gifts as His reward - namely God's very presence and David's own fullness of joy.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">God, the Perfect Disciplinarian</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where would we be if God only gave us what we deemed as good? We would become more and more intolerably spoiled and like little children who throw temper tantrums when they don't like what mommy or daddy do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">God, as our Father, is a good disciplinarian, in fact, He is the only perfect disciplinarian. <span face=""helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif">He never makes mistakes! His love for His children is flawless and all discipline flows from that gracious heart of love for us. So, may we stop despising His good and sovereign hand in His training of us. Trials, difficulties and adversity are from His loving hand, a hand that is good and kind and the difficulty is for our good, to conform us to the image of His Son.</span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Don't Waste Your Trial - Rather, Give Thanks</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though we do not have to find pleasure in our trials, we must, if we are not to waste the trial, thank Him for His loving sovereign purpose for us and receive the trial with a prepared mind, asking God to accomplish His good purpose. He will most definitely bring about His goodness in us through any trial He ordains for us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And He will make Himself so precious to us in that trial, if we will let Him. If we face the trial as David and Job and Joseph did, knowing that we need such disciplines from our God and worship Him in that trial, we will experience the added benefit and blessing of a joyful heart. God's presence will be evident.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">If Our Sinless Savior Suffered, shall We be Exempt? </span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Besides all of that, if God ordained that His own Son would suffer because of sin (not His own, but because of OUR sin), the only man who was not deserving of that suffering, how dare we think that we sinful children will escape any suffering! The thing here is that we do not have to suffer for the sins of others, as Jesus did for us, NOR do we even have to suffer <b>for our own sins</b>. Jesus did that for us on the cross.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">God is not punitive with His children because He punished Christ for our sins. But we do have a Heavenly Father who disciplines His children. He uses adversity for our training in righteousness. Let us not despise this grace to us. May we thank Him and say along with the Psalmist, <i>"It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes."</i></span></span><br />
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"And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.' It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."</i> (Hebrews 12:5-11)</span></span><br />
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-51674786393787412692019-07-09T05:52:00.000-07:002019-10-21T19:58:36.702-07:00Teach Me, My Lord!<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" </i>(Luke 11:9-13)</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">
What an invitation! What an opportunity! </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And the book of James tells me, <i>"You do not have because you do not ask"</i> (James 4:2b). There is far too much truth in that. So once again, this morning, I am asking of the Lord, as did the disciples, to teach me to pray (Luke 11:1). Notice that they did not ask Jesus to teach them "how to pray", but simply "to pray". I am asking Him to increase my faith so that in my asking, I know He will answer since He is not only able but also so very willing because of His great goodness, mercy and love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am asking Him to burden me with His purposes and call me to pray for those very things that He has determined will be accomplished through prayer (Matthew 6:10). I am asking Him to call me to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) so that I may see Him and His answers also without ceasing and be filled with joy in glorifying Him in those prayers (John 16:24; John 14:13).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, and I am asking Him to teach me to pray so that I may behold His beauty (Psalm 27:4). Sitting at my Savior's feet I am thereby made rich all the day with His presence and His unbounding joy. I am asking Him to teach me to pray so that, by beholding Him, I may become transformed into His likeness and be less like myself (2 Corinthians 3:18). I am asking Him to teach me to pray because, most of all, I want more of Christ, I want more of my kind Father and I want more of the sweet Spirit filling me with their fullness each and every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want more of this incomprehensible Triune God, who, out of His great heart of love, mercy and grace has poured out upon me such a kindness that can never be known apart from Him. It is not possible to describe the love I find in His presence when I commune with Him. He is love! So my heart swells with great waves of affection heaped so generously within me and upon me that I am filled to overflowing with Him and all that He is.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">But distractions abound when I ask Him to teach me how to pray!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And yet, with this effusive beneficence found at my Savior's feet, I can actually get so distracted in the wee hours that I miss out on Him. I can listen to the demanding needs of the day and forsake time spent at the throne of grace for the sake of doing some menial task, which is soon undone, only to have to be done again. And can I not do that task after I meet with the Lord? Will it not be there for me then? Of course, it will!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">By neglecting time with the Lord, I remain in my poor, forgetful, drowsy state for the remainder of the day. I am not rich with His love or kindness toward others, especially in my thoughts. Since I have not partaken of His wisdom (James 1:5), I will be prone to my own discretion, which is simply moral and so ordinary and most of the time just plain wrong. Any ethical unredeemed man or woman could produce and does produce this lowly wisdom. But I want the wisdom from above that "is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (James 3:17). This is not ordinary earthly wisdom, which is all I am capable of without having invited Wisdom Personified into my day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And what else will I lack having had no time for my Lord? When temptation confronts me, I may not even be aware (sleepy, as were the disciples in the garden with Jesus) for I have not watched and prayed with Him. I will cave in, or at best, I will crave that which is set before me (though I will probably say "no" to it), instead of possessing a passion and love so significant for my Savior that nothing touches my joy in Him. Temptations lose their power when I abide with Christ and He with me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, joy will be absent, as will peace, contentment, patience, a soft answer, assuming the best of someone, thoughts that honor Christ. But most of all, I give up the sense of His sweet, empowering presence and my overarching love for Him.</span><br />
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So I continue to ask, "Lord, teach me to pray!"</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: large;">Obviously, I must continue to ask Him and never cease to ask Him to teach me to pray (this is a request that can never end for me). And in my asking of Him, often that sounds like, "Dear Father, keep my heart focused on You. Help me to not be drawn away from You right now." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And herein, I believe, is the key to learning to pray - to never come to a place in which I think I've learned to keep this divine and divinely appointed communion. For, reiterating, every morning, without exception, I am assaulted with the demands of the day, which, if I heed them, will rob me of the <b>one essential thing</b> - meeting with my God.</span></div>
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Father, how good You are! You give Your child Your ear so graciously and freely. You have nothing but good ordained for me. And as You said, Lord Jesus, as a parent, I delight to give my children what they ask for. How much more, then, do You delight in giving me that which I request, for You are completely free of any heart defect. You are perfect and holy and the very definition of LOVE. It is to You that I pray; it is to You that I come; it is in You that I trust; it is You that I want.<br />
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Teach me, my Lord, to pray! Yes, teach me to pray!</span></i><br />
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-76768461731896867232015-06-16T15:09:00.000-07:002020-01-17T20:14:50.542-08:00Only One Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few months ago Robert and I attended the funeral for a dear brother in Christ - Ray Christopherson. He was 88 when he departed this world. The funeral was such a testament of his love for Christ and the life he lived in response to what His Savior had done for him on the Cross.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The following poem was printed in the program. Perhaps you are familiar, as was I, with the very last line of each stanza of this poem: "Only one life - 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." I've read that one line and heard it spoken from the pulpit many times, but did not realize that it was just one of many lines of an entire poem. It was written by C. T. Studd, a missionary who gave up his life savings (and his will) to further the Kingdom of God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This poem so typifies Ray's life. He led all nine of his siblings to the Lord and his father and mother also. He was an evangelist and spoke with anyone and everyone (without fear) about Christ and His sacrifice for sinners. He was a constant encouragement to all he came in contact with, showing us by his own life how to never cease serving the Lord and to never give into discouragement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ray is sorely missed. He brightened everyone's day with his contagious smile. But he is now having "the time of his life" (a phrase he used often to express his delight with living). He is worshiping His beloved Savior now, face to face, and forevermore. I am sure he is hearing from the Lord of Glory, "Well done, good and faithful servant".</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Only One Life</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #444444;">by C.T. Studd</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Two little lines I heard one day, traveling along life’s busy way;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bringing conviction to my heart, and from my mind would not depart;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life, yes only one, soon will its fleeting hours be done;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, and stand before His Judgement seat;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life, the still small voice, gently pleads for a better choice;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Bidding me selfish aims to leave, and to God’s holy will to cleave;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life, a few brief years, each with its burdens, hopes and fears;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each with its days I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life - 'twill soon by past. Only what's done for Christ will last.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When this bright world would tempt me sore, when Satan a victory would score;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When self would seek to have its way, then help me, Lord, with joy to say, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life - 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Give me Father, a purpose deep. In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Faithful and true what e'er the strife. Pleasing Thee in my daily life;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life - 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh let my love with fervor burn. And from the world now let me turn;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Living for Thee, and Thee alone. Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life - 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life, yes only one. Now let me say, "Thy will be done"'</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And when at last I'll hear the call, I know that I'll say "'Twas worth it all";</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Only one life - 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.</span></div>
<br />Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-87695473524287885432014-12-24T10:12:00.000-08:002020-01-17T20:32:52.052-08:00Think On These Wondrous Things!<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">"But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4qacideS7c43SBkBx5Pl1_Va6NDYxz5k8NgO2BgoSoMGZqgQ40OxuKGJCUd6niDhykuiAioB7XCDFIxsTBtc3YhDERHJMP12hrn2DcMVl3l0bqdZ0hyphenhyphen6Qd7YrY5pfTJHIrY__FYmNVg/s1600/home+bible+tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4qacideS7c43SBkBx5Pl1_Va6NDYxz5k8NgO2BgoSoMGZqgQ40OxuKGJCUd6niDhykuiAioB7XCDFIxsTBtc3YhDERHJMP12hrn2DcMVl3l0bqdZ0hyphenhyphen6Qd7YrY5pfTJHIrY__FYmNVg/s640/home+bible+tea.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Mary Had a Mindset Beyond Her Difficulties</b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Regardless of the stigma society placed on Mary for having been pregnant out of wedlock, and the shame that others connected to her as the babe grew within her, regardless of the scorn she received from onlookers, she choose not to think on those things. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rather Mary treasured in her heart what was true - she had given birth to Messiah and was now seeing God confirm for her, through the shepherds, that it was indeed so. She was thrilled at what God was bringing to pass. She thought on these miraculous and marvelous happenings which were unfolding before her very eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>What About Me?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Should it be any different in my own life? Should I not ponder and treasure how God is at work within me to sanctify me, to change me daily into the image of His Beloved Son? Every day, every moment, Christ is abiding in me. The Holy Spirit teaches me the things of God and comforts me in any affliction. Every day, my Triune God speaks truth into my life. Everyday He walks with me and tells me that I am His own. He is actually my Father; Jesus is my friend, brother, Savior and Lord; the Holy Spirit dwells in me and reveals these glorious details to me. Every day He is proving Himself to be more than I ever dreamed or imagined.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Mindset That Leads to Worship</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are the things that I should be thinking on and when they are, worship just happens. With every thought that Mary treasured, her mind was taken upward to behold her amazing God. This is worship. This is adoration. This is pure delight in the Lord's presence!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16.3636360168457px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Mindset That Reveres Scripture</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And this treasuring of the things of God as they unfold in my life is exactly what I am commanded to think on in Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: helveticaneue, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, "lucida grande", sans-serif;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Certainly, we can say, "God is truth (John 14:6). He is just, Who died for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). </span><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">He is right and righteous altogether (1 John 3:7). He is pure and holy without any taint of sin (</span><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Habakkuk 1:13), (1Peter 1:15-16). He is the loveliest of ten thousand and more (Psalm 135:3). He is of the most glorious repute, having been bestowed with the Name which is above every name (Philippians 2:9). He is excellent in greatness (Psalm 150:2) and in name (Hebrews 1:4). And is there anyone or anything more worthy of praise than our gracious and kind God (Psalm 146:1)? Absolutely not!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Mindset That Becomes a Way of Life</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The command in Philippians tells us to dwell on these things, to let our minds be governed by what is true, etc. So when are we to think in this way? Is it to be just at Christmas time? We see Mary dwelling on these things at her Son and Savior's birth, but did that mindset change once Jesus was walking, growing older, becoming a man? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In Luke 2:51-52 we see Jesus at the age of 12. He had grown and was now considered a man by Jewish culture. He had gone with His parents to Jerusalem for Passover. When they left to go back home to Nazareth, He stayed behind at the temple, unbeknownst to them. Luke 2:46 tells us, "...after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions." </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After finding their Son, they left with Him to travel back home. Once more in Luke we read, "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; <b>and His mother treasured all these things in her heart</b>. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Twelve years after His birth, we find Mary still pondering on the wonderful workings of her God as they unfolded in her life. This mindset had become her habit. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">This mindset would be the very thing that would enable Mary to face the crucifixion of her Son and continue to trust God when her life would otherwise have fallen apart.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>A Mindset That Speaks of the Very Heart Of Christmas</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And so it should be for me and anyone else who knows the Savior. He is so very personal to His beloved ones, to those who trust and revere Him. How can we fail to let our minds think on those things He shows us? And then how can we not worship this precious One who came, as a lowly babe in human flesh, the Just One, Who died for the unjust so that we might know and love Him and be loved by Him?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;">Surely this is the true meaning, the very heart and essence of Christmas!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif;"><i>"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth." (Colossians 3:2)</i></span></span><br />
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-45729313794793472112014-05-13T09:30:00.002-07:002022-04-20T14:02:58.383-07:00God is Not Only Able, He is Also Willing<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." </b></div>
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<b>A. W. Pin</b>k</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Matthew 15:21-28, is an account of a woman who refused to give up asking Jesus to rescue her daughter, who suffered greatly. We read, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.' </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, 'Send her away, for she is crying out after us.' He answered, 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>But she came and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, help me.' </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And he answered, 'It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>She said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.' </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Then Jesus answered her, 'O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.' </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>And her daughter was healed instantly."</i></span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Who was this woman?</span></h4>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This woman was not a Jew. In fact, she was a Canaanite, a people who, historically in the Old Testament, were bitter enemies with the Jews. These gentile people were idolaters, known, in the Old Testament, for sacrificing their children to their gods. But this woman was pleading for her child to be made whole.</span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">
How and what did she know about Jesus?</span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">It is quite amazing then that she would even approach Jesus. In reading the story, Jesus <i><b>seems</b></i> to be very reluctant to respond favorably to her and her request. She <i><b>seems</b></i> to be a bother to Him, in fact. But this is simply not the case, as we shall see.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Somehow this woman knew some very basic facts about Jesus. She must have seen Him healing others and heard the many accounts about Him that swirled about the region - accounts of those who had not been refused by Him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She knew He was the "Son of David", a title that acknowledged Him as the Messiah, for she cried out to Him by that name. She also called Him "Lord" indicating that she regarded Him as her master. She implored Him for His mercy, knowing that she needed that for her soul and for her life. She knelt before Him in worship, recognizing Him as One who was sovereign over her.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">
What made this woman so confident in approaching Jesus?</span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">This woman knew who Jesus was. And in knowing who He was, she also knew His character. She knew He never refused those who came to Him. She knew <i><b>and believed</b></i> that He would not refuse her either, even though she was a gentile of the vilest reputation (being a Canaanite) and even though she was a woman (regarded by men at this time as mere chattel with no rights whatsoever). <b>Above all else, she knew and believed that Jesus delighted in giving to those who loved Him the deep longings of their hearts. </b>She knew how very good and willing He was and so she approached Him with great confidence.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This Canaanite woman knew Christ was willing and therefore would not give up asking of Him even when it <i><b>appeared</b> </i>that He was refusing her. She was not seeking to overcome His <b><i>perceived</i></b> reluctance <span style="color: #45818e;">but was undertaking to lay hold of His gracious willingness. </span></span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">
Am I as confident and persistent as the Canaanite woman?</span></h4>
<span style="font-size: large;">Our understanding of the Lord's willingness is crucial to actually receive what we ask for. In this story, it is a foregone conclusion that if this woman had not persisted in her asking, had she walked away dejected because of what <b><i>seemed</i></b> to be a refusal by Jesus, she would not have been commended for her faith, nor would her daughter have been healed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, how willing are we to persist in prayer? Are we as determined as this woman? Are we as desperate for Christ as was this tenacious mother? We must not give up asking what we know God is willing to give, which is just another way of thinking about what it means to pray according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). He is able and willing to give when we pray in this way. </span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">Moving Mountains</span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">We don't believe You're able.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We don't believe You would. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We don't think You are willing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Don't think that You're that good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"All things are possible", said Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Through Me, so just believe."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"A mountain moves because you ask</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And know that you'll receive."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So why do we not ask of You?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Your promise to fulfill;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We think, "Yes, God is able,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But is this thing His will?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We might think You are able.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But we don't believe You would.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We don't think You are willing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Don't think that You're that good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, like every yesterday,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lord Jesus, You're the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You preached Good News, healed all the sick</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Who called upon Your name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of those who came and asked of You,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not one was turned away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is mountain moving harder now?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is God not good today?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, we believe You're able.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We think You surely could.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But we don't think You are willing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Don't know that You're that good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our God moves mountains with great ease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He's done it from the start.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He moves a mountain every time</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He tames a rebel heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No, mountain moving is not hard;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It causes God no grief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The thing that's hard is my own heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lord, help my unbelief!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">O, I believe You're able.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I want to know You would.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want to know You're willing -</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To know that You're that good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">O, move this mountain in my heart -</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This mount of unbelief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Through You all things are possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Please, Lord, help me believe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">O Savior, may I from this day,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, from this very hour</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Trust fully and completely in </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Your mountain-moving power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">O, yes, I know You're able.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I know You surely would.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You are so very willing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You are so very good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If I could simply comprehend</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The goodness of the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'd understand His willingness</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And prayer would be out-poured.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He'd answer each petition</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For His glory, then I would</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">See that He is so willing, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That He is so very good!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's not that You are willing, Lord;</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nor even that You would.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that You do move mounts each day</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For Your glory and my good.</span><br />
<br />
SKK </div>
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</div>
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-27447107248134813242014-01-01T09:43:00.000-08:002020-04-26T09:25:49.762-07:00About Me - Just Some Random Particulars<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Just some random particulars about my life:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been in church from the time I was conceived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Robert, my husband for 43 years, is still telling stories about his "pre-Sharon" days that I've never before heard (how can that be?).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of the best gifts that the Lord has given me, four are my children, now grown with their own children (more gifts).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the present time, my "grand-gifts" number 10.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And there are the "great-grand-gifts" - three darling little girls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When it comes to doing laundry, I am an accomplished procrastinator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is what my husband and I would like to see accomplished in our marriage: <i>May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. </i>Romans 15:5-7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For me, organic gardening is an avenue to observe - with my eyes, my ears, my sense of touch, my tastebuds, and my nose - the Creator's magnificent designs fashioned to delight me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Amazingly, at 70 years of age, I am still kept in the love of God because of my Savior. Though I sin, His love rules our relationship and He continues to forgive and cleanse me daily (1 John 1:5-7).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The books I read convict me to get off my comfort zone to love and serve God more fervently. I need this!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Garage sale-ing" and "thrift-store-hopping" are two of my favorite pastimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A serious goal for me is that my home will emulate the body of Christ - the church - in miniature. May Jesus be found here, welcoming, comforting, delivering and providing both physical and spiritual refreshment and sustenance, even when the house it is a bit or even a lot messy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Bible Project videos fascinate me and so effortlessly teach me about the Bible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My little dog Tucker makes me laugh with his crazy-horse antics. I see in him God's wonderful sense of humor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> A favorite pursuit is to share a meal around the table with whoever the Lord brings our way - our homeless neighbors, a friend that is ill or a daughter that God just snatched from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of His beloved Son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Listening to John Piper consistently moves me to pursue a more surrendered life to the Lord Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The YouVersion Bible provides Bible reading plans that put me at Jesus’ feet daily, gazing on His beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About the time I was conceived, my great grandmother, Franziska, went to live with Jesus, leaving behind a legacy of love for her Savior. I discovered this treasure 17 years ago in a family history book. Read about this inspiring woman of God <a href="https://www.sharonkaufman.com/search/label/Franziska" target="_blank">here</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Five years of my early Christian were lived as a legalist, yielding an “inside-out righteousness”, with my "legal lists" of dos and don'ts. Unmitigated pride was the fruit. BUT God delivered me and showered on me His love. A book, "A Legal Night" was born as I “unlearned” all I had erroneously believed and discovered again God’s amazing grace and Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jamin' is one way I preserve the fruit harvested here on our little farm, The Yarden of Feedin'. Find my recipes here on my food blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">How encouraged I am by City Alight! The Lord used their song lyrics, rich with precious doctrinal truths, to transcend my physical pain while recuperating from a very tough surgery earlier this year.</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How thankful I am that God loves and forgives sinners. I can get pretty messy at times. And here on "Grace, Greater than My Sin", you can read about my struggle to bring God glory. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's my hope that you will be encouraged through the truth of God's word, which includes the very relevant and soothing promise found in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess ours sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My, oh, my! Where would I be without His grace?!</span><br />
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-43749966954737225532013-10-29T20:47:00.002-07:002021-07-03T10:55:03.435-07:00God's Grace for My Messy Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I am beginning to understand (after much perplexity), why I just cannot seem to get this
Christian life together. After all, I’ve been a Christian now for 39 years. By now, I should have
figured it out - you know, “practice makes perfect”, right? <b>WRONG!!!</b><br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Camping in the Dirt </b></span></span><br />
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Before I go any further, you must know about a camping trip I went on with my entire family 31
years ago. This story will help both of us (you and I) sort out the spiritual truths I’ll be referring to
later in this post.<br />
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First, let me set the scene for the camping trip. Our youngest child was 2 years old at the time.
My husband and I had four children in tow. Also, camping with us were both of my siblings - my
sister, Kate, her husband and their three children and my brother, Richard, his wife and their
three children. Our parents also joined us. As an added point of interest, all three of us siblings
had daughters born in 1980 who were, all three of them now two years old (or very
close to being 2).<br />
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We camped up in the mountains, surrounded by beauty. You know the scene - an infinity of
pungent pine trees in countless shades of green, a beautiful glassy indigo lake, big billowy white
cotton-like clouds. You’ve been there, right? But there was more dirt, more fine brown powdery,
yet clingy earth than there was anything else. Dirt was absolutely everywhere - on the ground, in
our tents, in the trees hanging over our heads, in our shoes, on our picnic tables, and all too
often on us as well.<br />
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The three two-year-olds had a blast! Laura, my brother’s daughter, was the oldest. Next in line was our daughter, Bethany, and youngest was my sister’s daughter, Stephanie.<br />
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Can you imagine three toddler girls, all dressed in pretty pastels, looking so cute, hanging close
to their mommies in this new, unfamiliar and strange place? Well, imagine again. Two of the
toddlers did just that. Two of the three barely took a single step away from Mom. Two of the three
stayed clean because they didn’t venture out.<br />
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But one of the three decided she just had to take in more of the campsite and the mud puddles and, well, more of the dirt. Can you guess which toddler? Of course, it
was my munchkin! Bethany was all over the place. As a result, dirt followed her everywhere.
Cute, demure little thing - blond hair, blue eyes, button nose, sweet smile, dressed in pink -
<b>covered in dirt!</b><br />
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So I gave her a bath, as difficult as that was in a place that had no showers. But scrubbing the
dirt off only gave her new opportunity to refashion herself with fresh muck all over again. Off she’d
go, tumbling to the ground, and of course, that meant the front and back of her clean clothes,
her hands, face and other surrounding body parts were once again gritty and grimy. She
reminded me of “Pig Pen”, the Peanuts character that has the “air” of dirt always floating about
him whenever he walks. Dirt followed my toddler. It hung like a dark cloud above her. But
she had fun, and she also had so many baths!<br />
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<br />
Bethany and I got to know each other more on that camping trip than in the previous two
years since her birth. She was continually in my arms as I scrubbed her clean all over again. She
loved to explore and discover and I wanted that for her as well. But I also wanted to her to be
clean, though I knew a little dirt wasn’t going to hurt her. After all, we were camping and dirt
happens when you camp. It is just so very prolific. <br />
<br />
<h4 style="color: #45818e;">
Living Below in This Old Sinful World </h4>
Now that you have that picture of my toddler daughter, you’ll also have a picture of me, here
below in this sinful world. Not only am I surrounded by sin (dirt), but I still have a remnant of sin
within me - a propensity to sin, buried deep in the recesses of my heart that is inextricable.
Though Christ has delivered me from a lifestyle of sin, which I loved, I do still sin. And I sin
everyday.<br />
<br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>My Sin is Different Now That I Know Christ </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span>
<b>My sin is different now</b>, however. No longer am I running after sin and embracing it. I now run
after Christ and embrace Him. No longer do I love my sin. I now hate it and I adore my Savior. I
want so much to bring Him glory. I want so much to do His will and be used of Him. I want so
much for His love through me to impact others so that they too can know Him and His
extravagant grace. And how I long to worship Him!<br />
<br />
<b>My sin is different</b> <b>now</b>. My sin is much more inward now rather than
outward. (Of course, lest you get the wrong idea, I also sin outwardly. Just ask Robert. No don’t,
on second thought!) Now my sin consists mostly of grumbling about some silly thing that has
annoyed me; or an attitude toward my husband that is disrespectful (there, I said it); I am
ungrateful; and pride rears it’s hideous head every day in my heart. When I am obedient, I
congratulate myself - pride. When I worship in song with the saints, my thoughts are elsewhere,
not on the Lord. Or, worse, I am thinking how others, hearing me sing, must be so blessed. (Oh!
I said that too - so prideful and blasphemous!). Oh, how I hate that! So even my obedience is
tainted with sin.<br />
<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>My sin is different now</b>. It seems so much worse than ever before. Shouldn’t I be sinning less
and less? I always thought so, but my experience tells me otherwise. So am I not a Christian?
These kinds of thoughts can even become sinful when I choose to focus on me, instead of on
my redeeming Savior.<br />
<br />
<b>My sin Is different now.</b> Though it seems like I sin more than ever, I also confess more than ever
and quicker. Quick to sin, quick to confess and be cleansed from all my unrighteousness. Then,
clean, like my two-year-old munchkin camper, I go and get dirty again. Ugh!!! It seems like the
cleansing I experience is just a new opportunity to get dirty all over again. Oh, may it never be!<br />
<br />
<b>But my sin is different now</b>. I no longer make so much of my sin, though I take it seriously. My
sin never has the last word. My Savior and his matchless grace always have the last word to my
heart. Where sin abounds, God’s grace much more abounds! How that gladdens my soul! I
make much over His grace, not over my sin. My sin simply points me all the more to God’s love,
patience, mercy, forgiveness, grace and compassion for me. And my love for Him increases daily because of His greater grace.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qhC3RHlOSvXrfOrwYOSjsGq2rtG6X8XpS0rR7kwKcv2Yam2P-HQ2dKqPkdoU6VUfuDEcsZcgSoIF19IRONRWBKBzOHn7LHn3Hg8wMpXvj2lMWitIQzbnUswUUd9KOKJKDS4KbJFPdSg/s1600/paradise.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qhC3RHlOSvXrfOrwYOSjsGq2rtG6X8XpS0rR7kwKcv2Yam2P-HQ2dKqPkdoU6VUfuDEcsZcgSoIF19IRONRWBKBzOHn7LHn3Hg8wMpXvj2lMWitIQzbnUswUUd9KOKJKDS4KbJFPdSg/s640/paradise.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>Sinless Perfection - Not God's Will for His Child</b></span><br />
<br />
When He saved me, my Heavenly Father could have transformed me in an instant to be sinlessly
perfect. But He did not. He allowed that remnant of sin to remain deep down in my heart, never
to be extricated by me in this life (or by Him). But why? Because God uses our sin to demonstrate His
superfluous grace to us sinners. I keep on discovering how deep and dark my sinful tendencies
are, how depraved I really am and how I need the Savior. And that is exactly what God wants so
that I can continually be rediscovering His grace toward me - so much more encompassing than
my sin, so much more startling than my sin, so much more abounding than my sin. In continuing
to come to grips with these two opposing realities - my sin and His grace - God has made it
clear that all glory rightfully goes to Him. Without Christ, I literally can do nothing of any eternal
value! There will be no bragamonies in heaven.<br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>So What Hope Do I Have of Freedom From Sin?</b></span><br />
<br />
Oh, I am just a camper here below. God continues to bathe me, clean me, and show His
glorious, compassionate face to me in those cleansings. And then I get dirty again. And again
my Savior cleanses me. He is so precious. He is so close.<br />
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<br />
Like Paul said in Romans 7:24–25a: “I am absolutely
miserable! Is there anyone who can free me from this body where sin and death reign so
supremely? I am thankful to God for the freedom that comes through our Lord Jesus, the
Anointed One!”<br />
<br />
Freedom comes through our Lord Jesus Christ! Freedom from the guilt of sin. How I used to
beat myself up over my sin, so depressed because I could not change. But each time I sin, His
grace for forgiveness shines and I see Him more clearly. I do not sin because of that, but when I
do sin and confess my need for Him, He becomes even more precious to me. Seeing Him in that
way, I apprehend more grace and strength by His Spirit to combat my sin. In that “depending”
process of leaning on the Everlasting Arms, I am becoming more like Him. He is my hope
alone! And He is working my sin together for my good (Christ in me) and for His glory.<br />
<br />2 Corinthians 3:18 says it so well: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of
the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For
this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” <br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>Humility, Dependence and Gratitude</b></span><br />
<br />
So, obedience or the “victorious Christian life” is not what I am focusing on now, or more
importantly, that is not what God is focusing on for my sanctification. How proud I would be if,
setting my mind to be obedient, I actually was (fat chance!). No, God’s broader desire for me is humility, and
a greater and greater sense of my dependence upon Him, and a heart of gratitude. That comes by me beholding my Savior.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIa0iCBrstOrq9d9aR8lljGdf5rXJ9kBcpUh2jfKy9owki2hRwW2DdB8B3LzRS5W9JRvjZT6iEL8s_JMPu_6bm_D7fbFaB8WuXL6NeE3WeyL9C0W09hjmspyMnUNEiz3G4u1hSyqUZ7I4/s1600/daiga-ellaby-3beArYu-mUo-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIa0iCBrstOrq9d9aR8lljGdf5rXJ9kBcpUh2jfKy9owki2hRwW2DdB8B3LzRS5W9JRvjZT6iEL8s_JMPu_6bm_D7fbFaB8WuXL6NeE3WeyL9C0W09hjmspyMnUNEiz3G4u1hSyqUZ7I4/s640/daiga-ellaby-3beArYu-mUo-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Obedience isn’t my focus for when it is, I simply find that it
evades me. And if I do somehow manage to obey Him outwardly, I will have a heart full of pride.
When, instead, I focus on God’s grace and mercy because I so desperately need it, I see more
and more of Jesus and, by His Spirit, I will be more and more transformed into His likeness.
Obedience then becomes a byproduct, not something I accomplish because I set my mind on it.<br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #45818e;"><b>Set Free to Worship Without Disturbance </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span>
One day, when I see Him face to face, His glory will permanently cleanse me from all remaining
sin. He will wash me whiter - inside and out - than any garment can be bleached in my washing
machine. Oh, oh, oh, what a glorious day that will be! No more will the hindrance of sin interrupt
worship! No longer will obedience be a struggle. No longer will I sing, “I long to worship Thee”. I
<b>will</b> worship without any disturbance to my soul. Never again something I long for, worship will
be realized - effortless and glorious when I behold His precious face. What a Savior!!!<br />
<br />
But for now I am camping here below, keeping my eyes up, off the dirt and on the beautiful
scene of my Savior’s love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness for me at the cross. And
oh, what a magnificent view it is!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMDbifZmiQdw-zdlIuDu0XKX3T3D7F-MeMc1WNdOvm9xCAioXvRpMjl3di9V78pZhV2SN5OCspG4wPWn0wuR4-qTLT7dtXlGUoenqPjcYdvyE64kuCkYrrowfvQFVcsAWPN11Nq_1LOE/s1600/beautiful+fall+scene.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMDbifZmiQdw-zdlIuDu0XKX3T3D7F-MeMc1WNdOvm9xCAioXvRpMjl3di9V78pZhV2SN5OCspG4wPWn0wuR4-qTLT7dtXlGUoenqPjcYdvyE64kuCkYrrowfvQFVcsAWPN11Nq_1LOE/s640/beautiful+fall+scene.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-39618203465661180302013-06-16T06:35:00.000-07:002019-10-21T22:11:07.324-07:00Be Thirsty! Be Satisfied!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BmM-4Q9auZiK2cEdZrYVAw2mY_1Cwv1ETCO9fyPLP03dMhJiLhCSk9qJwBCn-IaTW7jS71BivXpyvD5ksqRctcsc7gqkH7irY0gDys6the1jocR5C2EcuVwqlk5EyjDwCL2udyNWSQc/s1600/mountain-springs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BmM-4Q9auZiK2cEdZrYVAw2mY_1Cwv1ETCO9fyPLP03dMhJiLhCSk9qJwBCn-IaTW7jS71BivXpyvD5ksqRctcsc7gqkH7irY0gDys6the1jocR5C2EcuVwqlk5EyjDwCL2udyNWSQc/s640/mountain-springs.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a beautiful truth expressed wonderfully by John Piper. Please be encouraged.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"God is a mountain spring, not a watering trough. A mountain spring is self-replenishing. It constantly overflows and supplies others. But a watering trough needs to be filled with a pump or bucket brigade.<br /><br />If you want to glorify the worth of a watering trough you work hard to keep it full and useful. But if you want to glorify the worth of a spring you do it by getting down on your hands and knees and drinking to your heart’s satisfaction until you have the refreshment and strength to go back down in the valley and tell people what you’ve found.<br /><br />My hope as a desperate sinner hangs on this biblical truth: that God is the kind of God who will be pleased with the one thing I have to offer — my thirst. That is why the sovereign freedom and self-sufficiency of God are so precious to me: they are the foundation of my hope that God is delighted not by the resourcefulness of bucket brigades, but by the bending down of broken sinners to drink at the fountain of grace."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKrYdF24mg6VSTJKkw1AO7zAvWq5ywl_LJa0M6kO5yWLaKSRxefUHPoZwPDokU4cgMvUBcEnRDgydodD5snoiQ5u533bOEuPZjjjDYB9IiGw3otpybHODUE1O_I_Je466fSNeVcveX_I/s1600/MP900448383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKrYdF24mg6VSTJKkw1AO7zAvWq5ywl_LJa0M6kO5yWLaKSRxefUHPoZwPDokU4cgMvUBcEnRDgydodD5snoiQ5u533bOEuPZjjjDYB9IiGw3otpybHODUE1O_I_Je466fSNeVcveX_I/s1600/MP900448383.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But what I've found, as I am sure you have too, is that though I am satisfied when I drink, it isn't long before I am thirsty again. So, I come to drink, again and again.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus said that if we embrace Him, He will be a spring of living water and we will never thirst again, which is true. We will have discovered what quenches our thirst - the thirst that made us run after a thousand watering troughs that we found empty and stagnant and that could not come close to satisfying our thirst. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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Now, we no longer thirst like that. We know the One Who satisfies. Yet we remain thirsty for Him, so we drink Him in over and over. We must, for we live in a lowly, barren land. But now we know where that Mountain Spring is and have become springs of water ourselves - Christ overflowing through us - to those around us who are still so desperately thirsty.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"...whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-1627289832230443582013-05-25T07:28:00.001-07:002019-10-12T06:33:10.231-07:00A Ballad of the Soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4Miby9SseHseI9UipBaF2nfXDm_BYHhcuFPOc9a82PNNa8JGuvAEjPNOAjrMjcqRQmE8iGLeb9pf4unYzxINN8e5MXTEy_V6M0OGoxe6s4isBYoWlPDYg57LrR1bQk4zvnGnaIjmdMY/s1600/digging.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4Miby9SseHseI9UipBaF2nfXDm_BYHhcuFPOc9a82PNNa8JGuvAEjPNOAjrMjcqRQmE8iGLeb9pf4unYzxINN8e5MXTEy_V6M0OGoxe6s4isBYoWlPDYg57LrR1bQk4zvnGnaIjmdMY/s640/digging.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This poem tells the story of a bit of digging that the Lord did in my soul recently. First, a brief history. It is important but should also bring a bit of a smile to your face, as it did mine:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Some weeks ago, my dear husband and I were working in the yard together. I did not like an idea he had concerning an element that we were changing there. So what did I do? I defaulted to the flesh and criticized him. It was so unkind of me. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Convicted of this immediately, I confessed it. But as I sat the next morning in prayer, the incident came back to my mind. I confessed it again, but what the Lord wanted was for me to see the depth of that "little" sin. So the digging began. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He revealed that my harsh reaction indicated that the garden was way too important to me. My heart was still tied up with earthly things. Had this not been so, I would have responded kindly to Robert. After all, when things are not important to us, we have no problem letting go of them to prioritize what is eternal.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
God opened my eyes to see that I had not yet counted all things loss as Paul had when he wrote in Philippians 3:8: <i>Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ...</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The word that Paul used for "rubbish" actually means "dung". I had not yet considered all things to be "dung" in comparison to knowing Jesus. And to show you how appropriate and timely it was for the Lord to convict me of this, I'll let you in on the fact that it was the compost bin that I criticized Robert about - the housing for the compost, which is just a pile, mostly of chicken dung (we keep chickens)! The Lord wanted me to count our garden dung as "dung" (as well as every other created thing) so that I would be freed up to have more intimacy with Christ, one result of which will be to display Him more authentically in my living. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Lord not only convicts us, but He does it in such creative ways! </div>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
This Morning With the Lord in Prayer - A Ballad of the Soul</h4>
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This morning with the Lord in prayer,</div>
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My soul was laid before Him there.</div>
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His tenderness brought to my mind</div>
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Some words I'd spoken - so unkind.</div>
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So I confessed my need for grace</div>
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And asked the Savior to replace</div>
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My harshness with His tender ways</div>
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So Christ would reign and Him be praised</div>
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With sin confessed, God then revealed</div>
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A problem that had been concealed</div>
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From my poor dull and careless heart.</div>
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"Please show me, Lord. Your light impart."</div>
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Then light He gave and to me showed</div>
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My treasure was still here below,</div>
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In this dark realm with things unworthy;</div>
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Not Christ above and His great mercy.</div>
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Just then Paul's words came to my head.</div>
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He yearned for Christ and this he said,</div>
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"The loss of all things I've sustained</div>
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So more of Christ will be my gain,"</div>
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On this I thought with new conviction.</div>
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And then I saw a ghastly vision - </div>
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A life the opposite of Paul's:</div>
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No sacrifice for Christ at all!</div>
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No sacrifice for Him, I fear</div>
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Is not more earthly things revered,</div>
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But less of Christ and more of me...</div>
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If "things" I crave and to them cling. </div>
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Oh dreadful thought, from me depart! </div>
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Not more of my poor wandering heart.</div>
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No! Less of me, so often failing.</div>
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More of Christ, His grace availing.</div>
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More of Christ, my refuge here.</div>
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More of Christ, my heart to cheer. </div>
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More of Jesus, precious friend;</div>
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More of Him to apprehend.</div>
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More of Christ, who loves the rebel;</div>
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Less of me, may I not wrestle</div>
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Against His grace so full and free.</div>
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Just give me Christ, my heart's one plea.</div>
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He is my joy, my strength, my song.</div>
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He paid my ransom. I belong</div>
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To Him, the One who loves my soul.</div>
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The Lamb, who died to make me whole.</div>
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If not for Jesus, life would be</div>
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Hopeless, heartless, dismal, bleak.</div>
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Sin would reign in days so grim.</div>
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My heart would follow every whim.</div>
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But give me Christ! His mind within;</div>
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And I will be much more like Him.</div>
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For He transforms my heart's desire.</div>
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His love is my consuming fire.</div>
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So let it all be sacrificed,</div>
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Since this will gain me more of Christ.</div>
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Yes, loss of all things, just like Paul;</div>
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My soul, with Jesus, be enthralled!</div>
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Yet this, my sacrifice is naught,</div>
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Compared to Christ's, with blood He bought</div>
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My forgiveness on the Cross.</div>
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Yes, it is nil, what I count loss.</div>
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So! Idols from my soul depart!</div>
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Please, more of Thee, Oh, Christ impart.</div>
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It's You I want, You are my life.</div>
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And death is gain, much more of Christ!</div>
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-81928421314930381952013-05-03T18:47:00.002-07:002021-07-06T05:35:28.325-07:00The Living Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">The Story in Brie</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">f</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This morning I read, again, the account of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well when she came to draw water (John 4:3-42). You know the story (if you don't, read it now). She was a Samaritan. The Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. They were the result of intermarriage between the Hebrew people and Gentiles. And now, centuries later, they were still considered impure, to put it mildly.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So hated were the Samaritans that normally Jews would not go through Samaria to get to Galilee. Though it was out of the way, they would go around Samaria to avoid these people, which made for a much longer trip. So it was unusual to see a Jew in Samaria.</span><br />
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But Jesus made a point of traveling through Samaria on His way to Galilee. He had an appointment there that only He knew about. So He and His disciples stopped on the outskirts of town by the well. The disciples left to go into town to find something to eat while Jesus remained at the well, waiting for the one He had come there to see.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpB6GN9mEShswZTSc4tau9fctKKxv2tFlpqxXy5vuNSarDRgBln0Y3hcieO-iF-j6w7q_R_yLQ0E6iSpMG-Zfa-HwWBz3D4sPlAt8LF14ppbnYt5d2pfxrZTaLmJVHVlb-2Ret-mVShc/s1600/Samaritan+Woman+at+the+Well.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1182" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpB6GN9mEShswZTSc4tau9fctKKxv2tFlpqxXy5vuNSarDRgBln0Y3hcieO-iF-j6w7q_R_yLQ0E6iSpMG-Zfa-HwWBz3D4sPlAt8LF14ppbnYt5d2pfxrZTaLmJVHVlb-2Ret-mVShc/s640/Samaritan+Woman+at+the+Well.png" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Rembrandt's rendering of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at the well.</span> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As He sat, wearied from the journey, a woman approached the well. It was late in the day to be drawing water, but because of her tarnished reputation, she avoided being there with other women from her city. Ashamed, she did not want to risk confrontation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When she arrived at the well, Jesus asked her to give Him a drink. She was surprised that He spoke to her, Him being a Jew and a man at that. It was unheard of for Jews to speak to Samaritans, but it was even more unheard of for a man to speak to a woman publicly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The conversation continued and Jesus revealed Himself to her as the long-awaited Messiah. They talked about worship, "living water" and her life. Well, Jesus talked about her life. She was surprised again when he laid out her biography to her, having never met her before. She had been married five times and now lived with a man that she was not married to. He knew everything about her. He knows everything about all of us. He is omniscient. There is nothing that He does not know.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After Jesus revealed Himself to her, she left Him to run into town to tell others that she had met the Messiah and she invited them all to come and see for themselves.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Then the woman left her water jar and went away to the town. And she began telling the people, "Come see a Man Who has told me everything I ever did! Must not this be the Messiah, the Anointed One?" (John 4:28-29)</span></i></span><br />
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<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">An Odd Message </span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">In proclaiming this message to the people of her village, this woman was basically saying, "Come see a man who knows what kind of woman I am, who knows how immoral I've been - five ruined marriages and now living with a man I am not married to. Come see this man who knows all about my lifestyle of sin and shame!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This must have made the townspeople curious. For they immediately left everything they were doing and sprang up to go and see this man who had so graciously confronted her. She was so stunned by the Messiah: His gracious way of revealing His knowledge of her sad life and yet the LOVE He displayed toward her; His winsome heart for her; His offer of water that would satisfy eternally; and His claim to be the Messiah she had waited for. She was so stunned, that she happily announced all of this to those who had previously shunned her for the very sins she was now openly admitting to. It's all so ironic and fascinating and even humorous.</span></span><br />
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<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">Free, at Last!</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">She was not crushed that the Messiah knew all about her sin. She did not linger over her guilt, berating herself. She saw Jesus now. She knew in a moment that He loved her like no man ever had. Her eyes were on Him, not on her wasted life. She was not paralyzed in knowing that this compassionate man was completely aware of her deepest, darkest secrets. No!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Rather, she was repentant and joyful. She was humbled and honest. She was ecstatic that she had come face to face with such a Savior as Jesus - kind, offering hope, calling her to be His own, finally quenching her thirst, confronting her with the fact that He knows all about her sin, yet is so generous in grace that she did not feel destroyed. In fact, she was greatly enlivened, filled with wonder and jubilant of heart at the man and the message of hope that He had delivered to her open ears.</span></span><br />
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<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">
Changed in a Moment</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">She had now been changed in a moment by Jesus. She no longer had self-conceived ideas about God; but suddenly she knew and believed The Word of God made flesh. Transformed, she was no longer a rebel but had become the very worshiper Jesus had just told her that His Father was seeking. She would never again worship the Lord in a place - the mountain. Now worship sprung forth from her innermost being - in spirit and in truth.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Her motivation for living had turned from self-gratification to glorifying Christ. She was suddenly relating happily with the very people who had turned her away for what seemed like an eternity. In fact, without being told, she had begun a one-woman campaign of evangelism to these townfolks. She now witnessed to them of the Messiah.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">She was brand new. She was joyful after having been downcast and derided by herself and others for as long as she could remember. She was free! A great burden had been removed from her. She was no longer thirsting for something elusive to her, working in vain for some created thing to quench her fierce longing. She was satisfied completely now in her Creator and Redeemer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">By drinking in the Living Water this woman had become a <i>"spring of water welling up to eternal life"!</i></span></span><br />
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<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">
Who is Like You, Oh Lord?</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh, who can do such wonders? Who else can quench the thirst of the sinner but the Living Water? Is it any mystery then why this woman so eagerly ran to the very people who had condemned her, to tell them of this wonderful and long-hoped-for Messiah?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After this, Jesus graciously stayed with these despised people. The result was that they came to love and embrace Him also. How could they not since He had revealed Himself to them? They told the woman, <i>Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.</i></span></span><br />
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<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">
My Longing and Prayer</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Lord Jesus, You cannot be explained. I struggle to understand Your grace - it is so foreign to the human experience. Your love is nothing any of us mortals could ever have imagined on our own. Your mercy is beyond describing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Thank You for coming to me and revealing Yourself to me, just as You did for this woman so harassed by her sin. You are precious, dear Savior. Oh thank You, Living Water, for quenching my thirsty soul.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Please show me more and more of Yourself day by day. I yearn to have more of You, to love You with a greater heart of love; to serve You with a passion that is fueled by that love. Only You can do this in me. I want to overflow with joy in You so that each day I am renewed by that joy (that only You can give). It is Your joy which so energizes me to do what pleases You, kind Lord - to do Your magnificent will and love You in return.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">May it be so, Oh Lord, for this is Your will for me and I thank You.</span></span><br />
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-33522167427891800802011-07-24T23:16:00.001-07:002021-07-06T05:37:57.283-07:00Rising Above Food Wars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pJ2xZMG19YLLtYTZ5G9gM4-X__c8gsjixS-P44bBImfinycDhyphenhyphenMiVV4XpIQOBAV4ORMJX82cEqNoSIkwOAFiILTsTlyKWlnzzaLBxgBV5g58yTvnUm57OnZrvHuI9NuBmtec2JEj9q4/s1600/eating-with-friends1-1024x682.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" id=":current_picnik_image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pJ2xZMG19YLLtYTZ5G9gM4-X__c8gsjixS-P44bBImfinycDhyphenhyphenMiVV4XpIQOBAV4ORMJX82cEqNoSIkwOAFiILTsTlyKWlnzzaLBxgBV5g58yTvnUm57OnZrvHuI9NuBmtec2JEj9q4/s640/eating-with-friends1-1024x682.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A question - "How do I keep the issue of personal food choices in godly perspective?"</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">A few weeks ago, I received an email from a young woman asking me how to avoid alienating people who choose not to eat a diet of whole foods. Here, in part, is her email to me:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><br />I wanted to know your thoughts about living a lifestyle of eating optimum whole foods and avoiding processed foods. I've been trying to refrain from telling people what I've learned from my research about nutrition, but sometimes the topic comes up amongst my peers. At times I get the impression from others that they think my hope is not fully in the Lord. I get offended by this.<br /><br />Isn't it considered a Christian liberty to have a lifestyle based on good nutrition principles? But even for me to mention anything about sprouted grains or pasteurization, people get sensitive and easily offended. I understand their sensitivity because I'm that way also.<br /><br />I don't want something like this to ruin my relationships with other believers, but at times I get to the point where I refrain from saying anything about what I know and have learned concerning nutrition. I want to avoid others feeling uncomfortable.<br /><br />What are your thoughts?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My response:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Self-Examination - Am I judging others?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Eating very conscientiously is important to me also. It is a liberty that no one should judge you about. Yet it happens. <b>But nutrition is also something that I personally never talk about unless someone asks me about it.</b> In fact, I most often take a very light-hearted approach if the subject happens to come up and joke about it to ease the other person's discomfort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I blog about my food choices and post recipes that are healthy, but I would not post on Facebook</b> (or other social networks) about this topic. Anyone of my friends from church can read that and people just do not understand how such food choices could make a difference. They tend to become defensive and often offended. I used to be the same way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It's important to me that I make no one feel like I am judging them based on their food choices.</b> I just don't take it so seriously in front of others that they feel an intensity from me, like it's all-important, though it is. That is what I am more concerned about rather than others judging me. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Prioritize - unity, love, ministry and Christ's glory are crucial</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There should be freedom for any woman to come to me for counsel (regarding any topic) or fellowship, so I don't want food standing in the way of that. I don't want anyone feeling intimidated by my food choices. Loving others has to be first. <b>My food choices are hidden behind my love for others, so to speak.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is important what we eat, but unity is more important. <b>The unity of the church has everything to do with Christ's glory, the gospel message and eternity. </b>Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"All people" - both in and out of the church - "will know that you are my disciples". <b>If we, as the body of Christ,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F63IUEMWkk7MGoda9NmpSiHAFI0T2Q7utHoa0ePoq1Y6v3Rw3v3e7vYzt8TThKzpVxlt3UyMC-f7ZyG0Wlu2Jugqgv19QAZEjKSO9WkFEiqdynCQuAQyIVwqv-ZzcUGzF4BHdf8QvG4/s1600/potluck.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F63IUEMWkk7MGoda9NmpSiHAFI0T2Q7utHoa0ePoq1Y6v3Rw3v3e7vYzt8TThKzpVxlt3UyMC-f7ZyG0Wlu2Jugqgv19QAZEjKSO9WkFEiqdynCQuAQyIVwqv-ZzcUGzF4BHdf8QvG4/s640/potluck.jpg" width="426" /></a></b> are constantly bickering over disputable matters (see note below) like food, to outsiders we will look just like the world. As a result, the gospel message will be invalidated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And inside the church, Christ will not be glorified either. Paul tells us in Romans 12:9a-10, "Let love be genuine...Love one another with brotherly affection. <b>Outdo one another in showing honor.</b>"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Philippians, Paul tells us to be of the same mind and same love. "Do nothing from rivalry...but in humility <b>count others more important than yourselves</b>" (Philippians 2:2-3). And of course, we all know the wonderful description of love found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. <b>The church thrives when the love of Christ is the core motivation for all we do.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Understand that food choices are important for health but insignificant spiritually speaking</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Consequently, I will not say a word about any food that is in front of me at church potlucks or when we are invited to someone's home.</b> I eat everything I can get away with at those times. Yet, I will not eat anything that I know will cause me to be ill; however, I would never draw the host's or hostesses' attention to that food as an unhealthy choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a time when I could hardly crawl out of bed and ministry was impossible. But when I began eating whole foods my health greatly improved. <b>For me to now intentionally eat foods that put me back in bed would be sin unless I had absolutely no other choice.</b> People can ask if they'd like and I'd be happy to tell them that in <b>whatever I do, even in what I eat or drink, I will do all for the glory of God</b> (First Corinthians 10:31), both in showing love by not judging others and in not eating foods that keep me from ministering to others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Though I am better off physically, however, regarding my food choices, I will never be better off spiritually speaking.</b> Again the apostle Paul puts it well, "Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do" (First Corinthians 8:8). <b>God does not hand out spiritual "kudos" for the types of food we choose to eat.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Respond in the opposite Spirit</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>As for those people who think I look down on them because of the way I eat as opposed to the way they eat, I yearn that they would know how insignificant this important part of my life is compared to my love for them.</b> Could they see my heart, they would drop all their defenses and just enjoy the fellowship we have in Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>One person, in particular, asks me on a regular basis why I won't eat sweets at church functions.</b> I tell that person, "Because I like to sleep at night". I'm also asked by this dear saint why I would ever get sick (presently) if I eat such a healthy diet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>First off, in answering these questions, I don't get offended. I love this person, so I respond in the opposite spirit. </b>In a light-hearted way, laughing, I say, "If you think I get sick often now, you should have seen me seven years ago." I don't lecture about why sprouted grains are a better choice for me than whole or refined grains. I don't discourse on why raw milk has helped me, etc. I just answer that I can now function and minister when I couldn't seven years ago and laugh when I say it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When another saint was critical, I invited that family over for dinner and fed them the most delicious meal I could that was organic and locally grown, etc. </b>Their taste buds were delighted and surprised I think, but the topic never came up in our conversation. We just had such a great time and the subject of food has ceased to be an issue. In fact, <b>that family's love for us has grown and there is absolutely no tension regarding this subject now.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Never harbor a hidden agenda</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is also of the greatest importance that you not have a hidden agenda in your relationship to others. <b>Are you ministering with the thought that you might be able to influence others as they get to see how loving you are? </b>God forbid it! Love then takes a back seat to your agenda and Christ will not be honored, nor will you in the long run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If it should happen that the ones you minister to ask you for information regarding nutrition, let it not be because you had an agenda, but because you didn't. <b>Your agenda must be love alone or it's not love at all.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Pray about all of this</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ask God to give you the ability to let any judgmentalism just roll off your back like water off a duck's back. <b>Ask Him to give you an intense love for the saints, <strike>even</strike> especially for those who judge you. Make it a reason to love them all the more.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>This is also something you can pray for - that your love would far exceed any important lifestyle choice to the point that you felt that choice was totally insignificant compared to your love for others. </b>Your food choices are important, but compared to your love for others, your relationship to that choice should feel like hatred.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Keep a God-honoring attitude and eat for health</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's really all about your attitude. Love always wins the day as does humility. <b>Consistently take the low road and think of others as better than yourself, especially those who are critical.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Keep up the good work of feeding your family in a way that produces the best health. God will never fault you for that. </b>But He will fault you when food's importance exceeds your love for others, though He will not require that you eat differently, just that you think differently - for His glory.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>How have you shown love to those who are critical of you regarding your food choices (or other "disputable matters")? How have you, as a guest in another's home, lovingly opted out of eating foods that are detrimental to your health?</b></span><br />
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Note: "Disputable matters" are matters that are not essential to the Christian faith. We are not defined as Christians by such matters, nor do such matters make any difference in one's standing before God. As the apostle Paul wrote in First Corinthians 8:8, "Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off (spiritually speaking) if we do not eat and no better off (spiritually speaking) it we do." (Parenthesis added are mine.)<script src="https://www.biblegateway.com/public/link-to-us/tooltips/bglinks.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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</script>Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-91389213755160524722011-05-24T11:11:00.000-07:002019-08-20T12:46:35.073-07:00Mother's Day and Other Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Though this poem really should have been posted for Mother's Day, I figure that for those of us who are mothers, we're mothers every day of the year and so we need encouragement every day of the year as well as on our special day in May.<br />
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I found this poem in a little book about mothers when Robert and I went away for our anniversary last December and stayed in a very nice vacation house located in the midst of grape vineyards and cow pastures. We had a wonderful time. Finding this poem was just one of the little jewels that made the trip so special.<br />
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The one thing that stands out to me about the author of this poem, is that he obviously had a mother who prayed for him.<br />
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Here is <i>Mothers and Others</i> by Amos R. Wells:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mothers and Others</span></div>
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Others weary of the noise,</div>
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Mothers play with girls and boys.</div>
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Others scold because we fell,</div>
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Mothers "kiss and make it well".</div>
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Other work with patient will,</div>
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Mothers labor later still.</div>
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Others' love is more or less,</div>
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Mothers love with steadiness.</div>
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Others pardon, hating yet,</div>
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Mothers pardon and forget.</div>
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Others keep the ancient score,</div>
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Mothers never close the door.</div>
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Others grow incredulous,</div>
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Mothers still believe in us.</div>
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Others throw their faith away,</div>
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Mothers pray and pray and pray. </div>
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by Amos R. Wells
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379759017134162630.post-8479692421943885872011-05-17T11:35:00.014-07:002021-07-06T05:49:35.230-07:00The Terrible Thirst of Depression<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>First, My Hesitanc</i></span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>y</i></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Depression is not only a dessert-tsunami of the soul that seems to sweep away everything good in one's life, it also carries such a stigma that, even after being resolved, it inflicts a great deal of shame upon its victim.</b> For that reason, I have to admit that I've been hesitant about publishing this post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>We tend to keep depression hidden even from ourselves</b>. It's uncomfortable to talk about or even admit, especially for a Christian. When I finally opened up, it was remotely, through a blog I contribute to once a month. So though this post was first published on <a href="http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/01/the-terrible-thirst-of-depression.html">Keeper of the Home</a> back in January of this year, I have been tentative about putting it on my own blog. <b>Many of the women who read this blog are from my own church and I've wondered how it would be taken.</b> Fears about what they would think crop up and I shrink back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, what I'm beginning to realize is that <b>every time I get up the nerve to share this story with women I'm close to, I see tears welling in their eyes and hear them say things like, "Sharon, you're describing my life."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So I'm putting myself out there. <b>I pray that God can use the period of depression He allowed in my life to edify, minister to and encourage other women.</b> Here's my story...</span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>An Unquenchable Thirst</i></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">Some months back, in a conversation over lunch, a younger woman (mid-thirties) confided to me how severely depressed she had been. I empathized with her, <b>"I know what that feels like. I was depressed, until recently, for about four years."</b> This woman - I'll call her Liz - responded, "YOU!? I never would have guessed it!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">She and many others never knew because I had covered it up. <b>You know, Christians are not supposed to get depressed.</b> As an older woman and leader among the women in my church, I was ashamed that such a thing could happen to me. I just kept smiling and saying things were fine. I wouldn't even admit the depression to myself, thinking of it, instead as "a time in the wilderness".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like so many, I had experienced the terrible, unquenchable thirst of depression.<b> I thirsted for God, but at the same time I wanted nothing to do with Him;</b> I thirsted for joy, for the tears of sorrow that just wouldn’t come, for life, for death, for isolation, for comfort, for cleansing, for hope, for complacency, for passion, for sanity, for any kind of escape from the numbing prison of desolation I felt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My friend, Liz, asked me, "How did you get better? Please tell me everything." The following is what I related to her and now to you, dear reader.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>An Attempt to Resolve the Depression Through Diet, Sleep, Supplements, etc.</i></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I first began to realize that my melancholy wasn’t just a slump that would pass, <b>I tried to treat it by adjusting my lifestyle.</b> I recommitted to eating an optimum diet and faithfully took my supplements, which included, cod liver oil, vitamins D3, E, C, CO-Q10, magnesium and a once daily multi - all of which were high-quality pharmaceutical grade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sleep evaded me. <b>Falling asleep was no problem. Staying asleep was, waking by 1 AM.</b> I made changes to my schedule, consumed no caffeine, made sensible adjustments to the times we ate meals, etc., and of course consistently asked God to allow me to sleep. But it was not to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">By dinnertime I was dead on my feet, "Surely", I would think, "I'll crash and sleep well tonight". But that was never the case. And taking a nap was an exercise in futility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I read good books such as <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Rescue-Repair-Rejuvenate/dp/0425184595">Tired of Being Tired</a></i> implementing the suggestions for depression. But this approach was of no avail. <b>Though I maintained the changes, I knew there was something deeper going on.</b></span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>Thirsting For a Silent God</i></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Worst of all was the alienation I felt from God.</b> </span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">For many years, I had tasted of the goodness of the Lord on a daily basis - so connected to Him. I thought that nothing would ever change that. I so wanted that intimacy back.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I read the Bible all I felt was the sting of a silent God. I thirsted for Him, but found no help for my parched soul. Guilt weighed heavy on me as a result of failing to connect with Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At one point I decided to read John Piper's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Dont-Desire-God-Fight/dp/1581346522"><i>When I Don't Desire God, How to Fight for Joy</i> </a>but I couldn't work up the desire. Sounds funny, but there I was caught in that spiritual-oxymoron. I wanted God, but I didn't.<b> It made me frustrated and angry that He would not disclose Himself to me.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDqyv4_Wh2mPFKq0KskysFfcj9C-ZUStAxnCVs0HJHSL_SR8vasAxhH5ZMHGi2cdYgVOnRpz4AeJgGXjcwJ170YdUckL5iAg1daxkjDMItQbt6Be8zFx9QO3TKTosc1PKqNFPduZK7iE/s1600/home-bible-study4.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDqyv4_Wh2mPFKq0KskysFfcj9C-ZUStAxnCVs0HJHSL_SR8vasAxhH5ZMHGi2cdYgVOnRpz4AeJgGXjcwJ170YdUckL5iAg1daxkjDMItQbt6Be8zFx9QO3TKTosc1PKqNFPduZK7iE/s640/home-bible-study4.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During this four-year period, </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I continued to teach a women's Bible study,</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> not by choice, but because the Lord simply would not allow me to step out of ministry. Though it was extremely difficult to stay put, it was definitely God's tool for keeping my head above water, so to speak.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I absolutely dreaded teaching and who knows what the women got out of it. But as I studied, God encouraged me just enough to not give up on life. <b>He fed me for others, but He was silent in the times I sought Him for myself.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ministry became my lifeline.</b> I remained connected to God’s people and to His word. But there was no joy in it and I felt like such a phony, such a hypocrite, which added more guilt to the depression.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>Things Got Worse – Distractions and Cynicism</i></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">As this all progressed I began to discover many "good distractions". Blogging, digital photography and scrapbooking were some. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>I actually preferred the distractions.</b></span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"> I knew this was nothing short of idolatry, but there seemed to be no way out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Like David, I cried, “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?</b> </span><span style="font-size: large;">How long will You hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death…” (Psalm 13:1-3).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">An ugly cynicism swept over my mind and <b>I doubted that I was even God's child.</b></span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: inherit;"><b><i style="background-color: white;">What's Wrong Lord?</i></b></span> </span></h2></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>That gave me a little hope.</b> I knew I could look nowhere other than to Jesus. Like Peter, I told Him, “Lord, to whom shall we [I] go? You have the words of eternal life…”.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">David's prayer became my own, “Search me, O God, and know my heart...see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was the prayer God had been waiting to hear. It became my continued cry and He began to expose my heart. <b>Over a period of several years, He revealed to me what I had not seen in myself – attitudes of unforgiveness, bitterness and pride.</b> These were slow-burning, subtle attitudes that had formed over a period of years, so none of it had been obvious to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Along with these revelations, <b>God granted me repentance and restoration. </b>As He peeled back the layers of my offenses, I thanked Him for His sanctifying work. But it seemed like joy would never return.</span><br />
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<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: #073763; font-size: x-large;"><i>A Book, Childlikeness and Joy</i></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Though I had been forgiven for harboring bitterness, etc., I had not been able to reconnect with the Lord.</span><b style="font-size: x-large;"> </b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I yearned for sweet times of fellowship, but I just couldn't seem to make it happen. My mind wandered, distractions prevailed and guilt compounded.</b></span></span><br /> </p>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then, in the spring of last year, <b>God directed me to a book</b> during the time my husband was in Uganda on a short term preaching and teaching mission. <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Praying-Life-Connecting-Distracting-World/dp/1600063004/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305212951&sr=1-1">A Praying Life – Connecting with God in a Distracting World</a></i> by Paul Miller, caught my eye. Just the title ministered to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>For the next two weeks, I cried and prayed my way through the book.</b> God used it to release me from my prison of self-imposed guilt. With this book, He reminded me that I simply needed to come to Jesus messy, like a little child comes to his parents.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuhm8E7kLe7KOCq3WidZA_faDoAKM6q-RlN5b1-8X9CvLNAFhXR3e1RxhpYnYRREzikE7JlSryT7NHhVX5ZqWpVxumcp9GgSnuktmgXkZsYqggiNyZN8_XnVeBALcAivREVDguwr8-50/s1600/snowfun048.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuhm8E7kLe7KOCq3WidZA_faDoAKM6q-RlN5b1-8X9CvLNAFhXR3e1RxhpYnYRREzikE7JlSryT7NHhVX5ZqWpVxumcp9GgSnuktmgXkZsYqggiNyZN8_XnVeBALcAivREVDguwr8-50/s640/snowfun048.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by usmcmorningstar</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Miller writes, little children, "...come just as they are, totally self-absorbed. They seldom get it right...God cheers us when we come to Him with our wobbling, unsteady prayers...<b>Don't try to get the prayer right; just tell God where you are and what's on your mind.</b> That's what children do. They come as they are, runny noses and all. Like the disciples, they just say what is on their minds. <b>Come overwhelmed with life. Come with your wandering mind. Come messy...Jesus opens His arms to His needy children..."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, with all my messiness, I ran to Jesus. And, O, how my soul soared. And the joy that came flooding in! I am now more tender toward the Lord than ever and He continues to make Himself known to me day by day in His word.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." (John 7:37)</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are no words to express my thanks to God for His goodness. Even in His silence, He was shepherding me, leading me in His paths of righteousness, drawing me unto Himself and beside the streams of Living Water whereby my thirst was finally quenched.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Spurgeon said, "Thirst is terrible, but Jesus can remove it. Though the soul be utterly famished, Jesus can restore it."</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes! He can and He does.</span><br />
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<i style="color: #073763; font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large;">Have you recovered from depression? If so, how did that happen?</i></div><script src="https://www.biblegateway.com/public/link-to-us/tooltips/bglinks.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
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Sharon Kaufmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319849171142603466noreply@blogger.com4