A Time for Everything

 

Have you ever thought about a season of a flower?  How it starts out as a seed and over time blossoms into a gorgeous flower and then it dies.  In Ecclesiastes 3:1 and following it notes there is a time for everything.  

 

Earlier this week, Psalm 119:35 was shared.  "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight."  As God is directing us and we are following his direction, there is a time for everything that God has in store for us.  In that, the Lord will have times where He will close doors and open others.  Those times may be filled with numerous emotions but as noted in Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." we can be confident in those plans and seasons put before us.

 

God knows how all the pieces will work out.  We will prosper through Him!  Follow His lead.  Follow His direction and if the Lord is closing a door for you, be confident He will open another.  There is a time for everything and God's timing is perfect!

 

Cheryl   

Bible Passage for the Week

Psalm 119:35 - "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight."

One thing I have learned over the years is "allowing" God to direct me in the path of His commands.  So many times I want to do what I want to do; yet that is not what God has in store for me.  In fact, He directs me and I don't "allow"/listen for that direction.  So, after being hit in the head a time or two or three, I have learned how delightful God's direction is.  I am truly amazed when I spend time in scripture how the Lord directs me and guides me through His word.  I am also grateful that God's plan always works out so much better than mine.   

Find delight in God's direction!  Spend time in His word discovering the great plans He has for you!

Cheryl

Bible Passage for the Week

1 Timothy 4:12 - "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

My kids start another year of school tomorrow and are quite excited!  It is an opportunity for them to get back together with their friends, to learn, and continue the maturation process.  It is also an opportunity for them to demonstrate God's love through their actions and words.  As noted in 1 Timothy, the young can be great examples of God's love!  We need to make sure we share with the next generation that Christ is our Savior and let them know they can pass along the Good News as well! 

Cheryl

Bible Passage for the Week

Psalm 117 - "Praise the Lord, all nations!  Extol Him, all peoples!  For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.  Praise the Lord!

I am not in my office this week with all of my resources to find a bible passage that would be fitting for the week.  Therefore, I opened my husbands Ipad, clicked on bible and fumbled my way through locating bible passages.  I finally found the the table of contents and decided to go with Psalms.  This is the one that came up.  It is always great to be reminded that the love we have from our Lord and the faithfulness He shows us is forever! 

Praise Him!  Extol Him!  So all can know of the great love we have been given!

Cheryl

Bible Passage for the Week

Philippians 4:19 - "And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

It truly is a comfort to know that God will supply our every need.  The struggle that appears for many is worrying about the needs in advance.  As I look back in how the Lord has provided for me, I have always received what I need when I needed it.  I did not get it earlier than I needed it and it never came too late.  The Lord has promised to supply our every need.  We need to trust that He will come through on His promise. 

Take some moments this week to look back at how the Lord has provided for you.  Who has He placed in your path at the right time?  Where did the money come to pay for something that was needed?  Look at all the little details in how the Lord takes care of you.  What some might say is a coincidence, we know the Lord is provided in many ways!  We truly are blessed to have a Savior that knows our every need and covers those needs at the perfect time!

Cheryl

Bible Passage for the Week

Philippians 2:5-8 - "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross."

This section of scripture makes me sit back in awe as I reflect upon what Christ really did for me and for everyone else.  He was in the form of God and made Himself nothing.  We live in a society where climbing the ladder is what makes us successful; yet, Christ diminished himself to a servant.  The beginning of Philippians 2 is entitled "Christ's Example of Humility".  This truly gives us something to ponder and consider as we go about our daily lives.

Cheryl 

Is Your Word Choice Gentle?

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  Proverbs 15:1

Have you ever truly sat back and thought about how you respond to your spouse vs. other people?  What is the response you give to other people and what is the response you give to your spouse?  Is your response filled with gentleness or is it filled with sarcasm, frustration, and unkind words.  I’m guessing most of us have a sense of gentleness when speaking to others and our spouses get the not so gentle answers.  I am not saying we never speak gently to our spouse; however, we probably tend to use more harsh words with our spouse than other people. 

Scripture says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  So if we adopt the assumption that we are saving the harsh words for our spouse, we are then extending the invitation for anger in our relationship.  Let’s take this to another level, Ephesians 4:26-27 notes, “In your anger do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”  If anger is present in the relationship and we are not to let the sun go down until the anger is taken care of there is going to be a lack of sleep for both.  When we lose sleep our ability to be gentle decreases.  It is almost a vicious cycle.

So instead of extending the invitation for anger we need to focus on extending the invitation for gentleness.  That invitation should not just include gentle words, but gentle actions as well.  Take a moment to think about what you are going to say or do before doing it.  Does your answer turn away wrath or bring it into the home?  This is not going to be an easy task all the time, especially when tiredness or frustration are present.  What we do have is a Savior that promises to guide us and we have forgiveness when we screw up. 

Cheryl