Weekly Spiritual Meditations - March 17

[bluidkiti]

"Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him." - Oswald Chambers

God’s ways lead to wholeness and life every time. Today let's rely on God instead of ourselves.

Our Creator knows the struggles we face. God has known us from the moment our lives began and knows us better than anyone. We can fight through life’s challenges on our own, or we can battle them with God. God longs for us to call for the strength we need to fight our battles. God, who knows our inmost being, is always ready to give us the strength we need. Today let's ask God to be our strength.

God’s love does not run out.

Take your heart's desire to God in prayer.

Peace comes from knowing that we belong to God.

Now and then I like to lift my eyes up from the details of daily life and remember the bigger picture, and take a breath of God, and feel and remember that ultimately, it's all okay. --Dan Millman

Go now, and enjoy your day, remembering that every blessing, everything that happens today, comes through the Grace of Our Heavenly Father who always knows best, and whose will is always done. --Bunny

************************************************** *********

Understanding the Source of Anger by Os Hillman
"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control." - Proverbs 29:11
The workplace can be a pressure-packed world. The demands that are often put on us can bring out things that we never knew were there. Sometimes we begin to think that the source of that pressure is to blame for our response to the pressure. It could be an event, a spouse, a boss, a client, a child, or even a driver who cuts us off in traffic.
I recall responding to a close friend one time, "If you had not done that, I would never have responded that way." Later I learned that this response had little truth to it. We all choose to get angry. No one else is to blame for our anger.
"The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am" [Dr. Sam Peeples].
This simple quote has had a profound impact on how I view my anger now. Anger only reveals what is inside of me. I can't blame anyone but me for my response to a situation. I have learned that anger is only the symptom of something else that is going on inside of me. This quote now resides on my refrigerator door as a daily reminder of the truth about my response to life's situations.
It has been said that anger is like the warning panel on the dash of your car. It is the light that tells us something is going on under the hood and we need to find out what is the source of the problem. I discovered that the source of anger is often unmet expectations or personal rights. We believe we are entitled to a particular outcome to a situation. When this doesn't happen, it triggers something in us. At the core of this is fear, often a fear of failure or rejection, fear of what others think, fear of the unknown.
If you struggle with anger, ask God to reveal the source of that anger. Ask Him to heal you of any fears that may be the root of your anger. Ask God to help you take responsibility for your response to difficult situations.

************************************************** *********

The Glue by Lynne Phipps
I had received a commission to do a large, framed, stained glass mosaic of an eagle and had worked diligently on its creation until it was completed and ready for framing. I was very pleased with the result and heaved a sigh of relief, for it was the largest glass undertaking that I had ever attempted. In fact, I felt that I had perfectly captured what the buyer had requested — until I broke it.
During the framing, a new process for me, I pressed a little too hard, and the glass underlying the mosaic snapped in one corner. I was horrified. All that time and effort, not to mention the cost, and I had broken the piece. And yet, I decided not to stress about it. God would show me what to do, and of course, He did.
I had learned, when another, much-smaller piece had slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor, that a glue wash on the back of the glass was an effective way of restoring the work. Thus, I decided to try this same technique, and indeed, it held, strong and secure. As the glue dries clear and the coloured glass on the front portion of the work covers over the crack, the scene not only looks exactly as it should, but also the whole piece is in fact stronger than it was before it became broken.
Likewise, sometimes, our hopes and dreams, our families and relationships, our health or other aspects of our lives become broken. When that happens, we can be horrified, thinking, perhaps, that all is lost. Yet, when we place our dilemma in God's hands, nothing could be further from the truth. For with God, all things are possible: He is the healer, the restorer, the comforter, the glue that not only holds all things together, but increases the strength of our character amidst it all.
So today, no matter what happens or what you may be going through, remember God's promise:
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)
Allowing God to be your glue wash today is preparation for taking flight tomorrow!
Prayer: Lord God, thank You that in You, we always have hope amidst the most hopeless of situations. Encourage us, through Your Holy Spirit, to continue to place our trust in You, that we might see the miracle of Your loving restoration. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.

************************************************** *********

See How They Run by Sharon Y. Greer
I am back with the continuing saga of the black squirrels. Although I thought that they hibernated for the winter, I guess nobody told them about that, because I see them every day busily running back and forth, and up and down the tree across the road, regardless of the bitter cold and blowing snow.
All of this activity provokes many questions in my mind, and more so because of my concern for the well-being of these squirrels that I have come to know and care about over this past year.
First of all, where do these busy little creatures find food to eat? I am sure that they cannot remember where they hid all of the nuts that they spent the summer continually burying. Even if they could remember, how could they manage to get at them in the frozen ground underneath all that snow? Where do they hide in the bitter days of winter? As I pondered these "earth-shaking matters", a light suddenly went on in my brain. I was forgetting something very important:
Matthew 6:26a – Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. (AMPC)
If I truly believed that Scripture, why did I have all of these questions?
It struck me that there is much that we believers can learn from my questions about these furry little creatures. What they do by natural "instinct" — created in them by our heavenly Father — we human beings must learn and then choose to do.
Matthew 6:31 – Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear? (AMPC)
Verse 32b clearly answers this concern: "Your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all." (AMPC)
God has His part to do, and we have ours, which is clearly stated:
Matthew 6:33-34a – But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow. (AMPC)
While I have been writing about my concern over the squirrels, I realize how well these verses apply to the concerns that I have in my own everyday life. I know from experience that God provides for my every need, so there is never any need to worry. Jesus understands how destructive those worries can be in our lives. In these verses that I have quoted, His Word commands us to look at God's sure and faithful provision as the antidote to our worry.
How amazing are the simple ways that our Lord chooses to teach us! What might seem so complicated to us has already been solved by Him. All we have to do is listen for His whispers and obey His instructions.
Prayer: Father in heaven, how we love You! We thank You for Your Word and how it teaches us to trust in You and Your plans for us as Your children. Teach us how to pray and to seek Your guidance in Your Word every day. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

************************************************** *********

God's Never Failing Love From Lucado Inspirational Reader
God will not let you go. The big news of the Bible is not that you love God but that God loves you! He tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, or flee his thoughts.
You need not win his love. You already have it. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him; he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and has reached his verdict: he loves you still! No discovery will disillusion him. No rebellion will dissuade him. He loves you with an everlasting love. God’s love--never failing. Never ending.

************************************************** *********

Serving at Any Age
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. - 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
Following a series of major surgeries, my older brother, Lewis, reminded me that growing old “ain’t for weaklings.” Many of us will eventually have to deal with the struggles of aging. But there can be a silver lining. Generally, in our later years we retire or work less and have more time to devote to our spiritual life. So aging isn’t necessarily something to fear because it is a time when we can flourish in serving the Lord.
At the age of 82, Lewis is a good example of serving others as his body will allow. He works with various charities at his church and in his neighborhood and recently took a seriously ill friend to the hospital and waited while he underwent surgery. Everyone can serve no matter the circumstances. Even if we have to use a cane or a walker, we can visit an ailing friend or make hospital calls, and we can always pray for others. When we share the love of Christ by caring for those who are sick or disabled and by encouraging their caregivers, God blesses all of us.
If we make it a point to be aware of the many needs around us, we can find many ways to serve our Lord. God has equipped each of us in some way to be an agent of grace.
Thought for the Day: Regardless of my age, I can serve the Lord.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to love and care for others as you care for us. Amen.

************************************************** *********

Letting Others Help
A shared burden makes a lighter load.
Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 (NRSV)
I was housebound for a week following minor surgery. Every morning my husband got my son off to school. Every afternoon my son went home with a friend. Every evening a friend brought dinner to our home. It was harder than I thought to accept so much help. I was dependent on many people for assistance, and I felt guilty because I wasn't doing my "fair share" of the work. I wanted to get up and do my work as wife and mother; but because I forced myself to be still and rest, I healed in a week. My job was to stay in bed and rest so healing could take place.
Usually when I read the verse from Galatians about sharing each other's burdens, I see myself as the strong one carrying the load. But this time I received help from others. I'm glad I had people in my life to help ease my burden. I am also glad for the lesson it showed me: to allow others the opportunity to carry my burden. We are in this world to help one another. Sometimes we will carry another's burden, and sometimes others will help us. Both roles need to be filled. We are blessed in whatever role we play.
--Lisa Bogart
Thank you, God, for carrying all our burdens. Thank you for the community of believers who share our burdens here on earth. Amen.

************************************************** *********

Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
To those who have struggled to break through difficult circumstances and dark times of the soul, you will be able to step into the light with a fresh, new beginning. The effort that you put forth at this time to gain that freedom will all be worth it. You can now look forward with a new and hopeful perspective, says the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Watch for opportunities to extricate yourself from hindrances that have kept you from achieving your short-term destiny. Be willing to let go of problems of the past and reach forward to new possibilities that will cause your soul to prosper, says the Lord. If you can do this successfully, you will be delighted with the new version of your life. Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

In your efforts to let go of the past and move on, you must be cognizant of the fact that I am going before you to prepare the way. So, it will be to your advantage to allow Me to lead you into all that I have prepared for you and not get ahead of Me through impatience. My timing is perfect, and I know where I am taking you, says the Lord. Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.

The restlessness that you are beginning to experience is the moving of My Spirit to wake you up spiritually and bring you to a new level of awareness. It would be a mistake to try to satisfy this sense of boredom externally by trying to satisfy the flesh. Rather, I would have you to pay closer attention to spiritual activity, says the Lord, and discern what I am doing. Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Many of you, My people, feel as though you have stagnated and have no ability to move beyond your current difficulties. I tell you honestly that it is not your ability that matters; it is the strength of your faith in My ability to do what you cannot. You must stop relying on your own efforts and common sense and begin to rely on Me, says the Lord. Rise up to walk and live in the Spirit. Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing will be impossible."

Keep your emotions in check and stand fearless in the face of adversity. Fear is the antithesis of faith and will interfere with your ability to trust Me, says the Lord. Know that I am for you and that I will give you the wisdom necessary to lead you out of your current quagmire. You will again stand on solid spiritual ground, says the Lord. Psalm 18:19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

************************************************** *********

The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
Find yourself in a position of faith where you can believe Me. Ask for wisdom that you can walk in from this day forward. Come and walk with Me. My ways are not your ways. My ways are always empowered by wisdom. My ways always establish the truth. My ways will lead you out of the valley of the shadow of death and through the darkness of whatever the enemy brings upon you. Come and receive this mantle of wisdom so that it might lead you into the days that are ahead, says the Lord.

If you will but step out and walk with me the realm of My kingdom will open to you in a fresh and new way. For, the virtue of My house is hidden to most, but as you walk with Me it will be revealed; your eyes will be opened. I will not only to walk with you, but I will lead you, guide you, and teach you. Take that step of faith now. You will indeed be changed from glory to glory, from encounter to encounter, from touch to touch and from faith to faith, says the Lord Most Holy.

************************************************** *********

Keep Me Calm by Terri McPherson
Keep me calm and still I pray,
throughout the storms of this rough day.
A tempest cannot stir and brew
when all my heart is filled with You.
With confidence, "This too shall pass",
confusion cannot mount and mass.
Whatsoever comes this day,
keep me calm and still I pray.

************************************************** *********

Take time to smell the flowers, and hear the birds sweet song;
Take time to watch a rippling stream, and the coming of the dawn.
Take time to watch the bluebird flash his colors on the wing;
Take time to hear the crickets in the evening as they sing.
Take time to see the rainbow stretch across the sky;
Take time to say I Love You before another day goes by.
Take time to watch the sunset at the closing of the day,
And then take time to thank the Lord as you kneel and pray.
Author Unknown

************************************************** *********

Psalm 80:7 – Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. —Isaiah 41:13

Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The LORD's unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. Lamentations 3:21-23

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

"If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25

************************************************** *********

A Sermon Walking
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (James 1:22).
In 1953, reporters gathered at a Chicago railway station waiting to meet the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. He was a big man, well over six feet tall, with bushy hair and a large mustache.
Reporters were excited to see him and expressed what an honor it was to meet him. Cameras were flashing, compliments were being expressed when, looking beyond the adulation, the visitor saw an elderly black woman struggling to carry her two large suitcases.
"Excuse me," he said as he went to the aid of this woman. Picking up her cases, he escorted her to a bus and then apologized to the reporters for keeping them waiting.
The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary-doctor who had invested his life helping poor and sick people in Africa.
A member of the reception committee remarked to one of the reporters, "That's the first time I ever saw a sermon walking."
The measure of any man or woman is not their name, nor their fame, nor what they say, but what they do. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says!" (James 1:22)
"I'd Rather See A Sermon" By Edgar Guest
I'd rather see a sermon
Than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me
Than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil
And more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing,
But example's always clear;
And the best of all the preachers
Are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action
Is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it
If you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action,
But your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver
May be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons
By observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you
and the high advice you give,
But there's no misunderstanding
how you act and how you live.
And all travelers can witness
That the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them,
But the one who shows the way.
Though an able speaker charms me
With his eloquence, I say,
I'd rather see a sermon
Than to hear one, any day.

************************************************** *********

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

************************************************** *********

Read Through The Bible
Psalm 58
1 Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? 2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. 3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. 4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; 5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. 6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. 7 Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. 8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. 9 Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. 10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

************************************************** *********

Thank you, God, for giving us gifts and talents. Help us to use them to honor you. Amen.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130 .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.