HALLELUJAH!

"For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" ~ HALLELUJAH!

"And He shall reign for ever and ever, King of kings, and Lord of lords" ~ HALLELUJAH!

He is still in control!  What a relief!  What a great and mighty God we serve!

Who can find a virtuous woman? - part one

The Proverbs 31 woman is at the forefront of my mind today.  Am I that woman?  I am disappointed to say that I'm sure I have failed in many aspects.  That is why I am meditating on this passage, to learn what the Lord would have me be, to my husband, my family, and those around me.  Am I up to the challenge?  I certainly hope so...  (Lord, I need Your help desperately!)

"Who can find a virtuous woman?  for her price is far above rubies."  This woman is strong, dignified, multi-talented, caring, loving, educated, business-minded, compassionate, organized, efficient, trustworthy, etc.; that is why she is so precious, her price far above rubies.  Wow!  Am I still up to the challenge?  

How does she do all of this?  God's will is her primary goal in life.  She looks to Him for guidance in every task, in every job, in every responsibility.

"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil."

I want my husband to safely trust in me, knowing that I will always do what's best for him and my son, knowing that I am trustworthy, knowing that I love him with all my heart.  I believe that it is as much my responsibility to take care of him as it is his to take care of me.  May God be able to use me in my home to take care of my husband, child, and my various responsibilities.

"She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."  Praying that I will have that steadiness in character to do my husband good 'till death do us part'.  Why is it that, some days, it is just sooooo much easier to do evil?  I think that is a very important tool in Satan's toolbox, and a well-used one at that!  If he can sneak in a home, even a Christian home, and turn husband and wife against each other, or children against parents or vice versa, then he can distract us from serving the Lord as a family.  Is it a surprise then, that the US has a 50% divorce rate?  Our "Christian nation" has a much higher divorce rate than most other countries around the world.  Our Pastor was preaching on this last week and mentioned the statistics.  Our country is at 50%, while Japan and India, what we might call "heathen nations" hover around 1 to 2%.  Stark differences there are in these numbers.  Maybe it's because we have left our first love...  Dear God, help our nation!  May the Christians turn back to You with their whole hearts.  May we see revival in our homes, in our churches, and in our land once again.  Revival must first start in our hearts which will bring a change in our homes.  Then our churches will be different, serving God instead of being served.  And God could use us to turn our country around!  Think of what a difference we can make!  If not for us, then for our children...

Well, that's all the time I have for today.  (I guess I chased that rabbit far enough...)  I will continue reading and meditating on Proverbs 31.  Maybe tomorrow I will continue this post with my challenge.  

I hope and pray that this finds everyone well and having a good day.  Even if you are not having a good day, ponder the many blessings that you do have in your life.  God never said it would be easy, but He does promise that he will be with us no matter what the circumstance!

Love you!

~Denise

Wisdom

Just remembering Senior Bible class ~ Proverbs with Mr. Thomas

What wisdom was in that class about wisdom!  (No pun intended...)

Proverbs 4 (select verses):

5~Get wisdom, get understanding:  forget it not;

6~Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee:  love her, and she shall keep thee.

13~Take fast hold of instruction;  let her not go:  keep her;  for she is thy life.

14-15~Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

20~My son, attend to my words;  incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21~Let them not depart from thine eyes;  keep them in the midst of thine heart.

STAY IN THE WORD!!

22~For they are LIFE unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

23~Keep thy HEART with all DILIGENCE;  for out of it are the issues of life.

GUARD MY HEART, LORD!!

24~Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

GUARD MY MOUTH, LORD!!

25~Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.

HELP ME KEEP MY EYES ON THEE!!

Thank you, Lord, for my salvation, for my family, for my Godly friends, for my possessions, for my health, for my needs, for my church, for my freedom in Christ to serve Thee, for my country, for my freedom...

"Happiness is to know the Saviour, living a life within His favour.

Real Joy is mine, no matter if the teardrops fall!"

Guard My Heart, Dear Lord!

This weekend has been very busy!  But enjoyable.  Here is the run-down of the past couple of days:

Friday ~ Grocery, errands, laundry, Indians baseball game (It rained, so we didn't stay for the fireworks.)

Saturday ~ Rob had to work ALL DAY.  Booooo!  Ran some errands with my mom (She helped with Levi so I could get shopping done.)  After naptime, mom and dad took Levi to the Fair again.  This gave Rob and me some time in the evening to get some things done, like going to get me a new cell phone because mine decided to give up the ghost!  Bath for church, packing up stuff for a whole day at church.  BUSY!

Sunday ~ We stayed at church all day since we live about 35 minutes away and had nursing home ministry from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.  (Not enough time to go home)  Left the house at 8:15 a.m. and returned home at 9:45 p.m.  BUSY!

Monday ~ Levi and I attended Jonathan Byrd's funeral this morning.  It was a nice memorial service celebrating the fact that he is "Finally Home".  (I like that song; it just came to mind.)  Among the speakers were Dr. Dixon, Pastor Dixon, Dr. Lampe, and David Byrd.  Several hymns were sung, too.  I was able to see Jon and Ginny as we arrived and gave them each a hug, telling them that we were praying for them through this difficult time.  They looked very strong and comforted, a testament to the Lord for His mercy and strength in time of need.  What a blessing!  Just a reminder to me to be thankful for my family that I still have with me and for my Lord who is ever gracious and loving!

I was reading in Psalms this weekend and thought I would write a few thought down here.

Psalm 139

vs. 1 ~ O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

*There is NOTHING hidden from God!  Reassuring and yet sobering at the same time...

vs. 4 ~ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

*Guard my lips today, Lord!

vs. 7 ~ Whither shall I go from thy spirit?

*You are with me ALWAYS!  Help me to follow Your lead in my life.

vs. 23 ~ Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

*Clean my heart, Lord.

Thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness!

Have a blessed day!

GOD MOVES IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS...

God moves in mysterious ways

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are bog with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence,

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour.

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind belief is sure to err

And scan his work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.

~ Author Unknown 

"Oh, What a Beautiful Morning... "

Now that the rain and storms have ended, it is a beautiful day.  The wind is blowing, the sun in shining, so much to be thankful for...  I guess that even if it was still storming, I still have so much to be thankful for, that's for sure!  

It is just so easy to base our happiness and joy on our circumstances.  But that's not what the Bible teaches.  We are to be content in whatever state we are in, good or bad.  When the storms come into our life, be content.  When we have mountains to climb, be content.  When we are suffering, be content.  

Why?  Because He will deliver us, walk beside us, carry us through it.  Praise God for His unending love, His great mercy, His provision, His grace, His abundant blessings.  Need I say  more?  (By the way, I feel like I'm preaching to myself.  Boy, do I need this encouragement!  Hopefully, I can be an encouragement to you, also.)

On a more personal note (as if the previous paragraphs weren't personal enough), Levi is really starting to repeat things that he hears us or others say.  It's really cute when we say our prayers, either at eating time or bed time, he tries to repeat what we say.  It is so much fun to hear his little voice try to say some of the bigger words.  In fact, the other evening on the way home from church, we were listening to the Hallelujah Chorus in the car (Yes, I know, it's a little early for Christmas songs. ~ We have begun practicing for our choir's Christmas cantata.), and Mr. Levi started "singing" Hallelujah, Hallelujah...  So CUTE!  We had quite a laugh over that!  

Hopefully, we are going to the Fair again this evening if the weather holds out.  We still have 2 free tickets from the Indy Star that we would like to use.  Tomorrow night, we are planning to go to the Indians game and staying for fireworks after the game (more free tickets).  We really enjoy FREE entertainment!  Saturday, we might try to go back to the Fair again.  Crazy, I know, but my brother is giving us 2 more free tickets.  Hey, it only comes once a year.  Gotta get as much summer in as we can!  It is almost over, isn't it?

I will post more pictures when I take more.  Hope everyone enjoys today!  And remember to be CONTENT!

~God Bless!