"May everything good from God be yours" this Christmas! Grace and Peace multiplied to you! I Peter 1:3. "For a little while" you are grived by various trials like pulled muscles and pulled heart strings. I Peter 1:6. But I love knowing it is "genuine faith put through suffering, every kind of aggravation, comes out proved genuine. Oh to be a genuine Christian not preparing my mind for comfort but preparing my mind for action I Peter 1:13 - 16. You don't see Him, but you trust Him. "So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready for: "a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, 'I am holy; you be holy.' Call out to Him for help---He's good! So, clean house for you are chosen by God! I Peter 2:1, 9. This world is not your home. I Peter 2:11. "Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in." Make my goal: "let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperish beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." I Peter 3:4 "Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner." I Peter 4:12-13. So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you." I Peter 5:6-7.
In closing the book of I Peter, 66 LL has a quote that so speaks to where I am. "Don't deny those desires that nothing in this world can satisfy and embrace only those desires for which they have hope of satisfaction now, in this world, sooner than soon, in less that My little while. Following Me requires groaning, living as a stranger in a world that only can leave you disappointed. But know this: only in the felt and accepted tension of unmet longings will you prepare your mind, not for comfort but for action, for living as a stranger devoted to bringing My Kingdom to earth. Only in tension will you depend enough on My Word and My Spirit to enter the battle whose victory is guaranteed."
Just said a prayer for you and the other needs here. I am so sorry about your pain!
ReplyDeleteBev, praying you will feel better soon. I thought it was interesting the verses today were about cleaning, in light of your injury.
ReplyDelete1 Peter 1: 22 "Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life."
1 Peter 2
1 -3So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You've had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature..."
1 Peter 2: 11 -12 "Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives."
1 Peter 3:..."Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing."
Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here's what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you're worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he's asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.
13 -18"If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick."
1 Peter 4:7 -11 "Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.
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ReplyDelete1 Peter 1:18-20
ReplyDelete"Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought."
So true.
Only someone who has had to bury a child knows the depth of love God has for us. My sister knows this. She bristles when others start spreading the lie about various ways to heaven. God would not have sent His precious Son to die on the cross if there had been any other way to save sinners. The sacred blood is the sacrifice that cleanses us of sin.
Any goodness in us...no matter how good it is...is not enough to enter heaven. God sent His one and only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
A very precious Gift.
A very costly Gift.
A sacred Gift.
Oh gosh! Timing of an injury. Rest and visit like Mary instead of Martha. Saying a prayer right now for your healing.
ReplyDeleteHeaded to the doc this morning with Lauren. I'll let you know how she's doing as soon as I get a minute.
1 Peter 4:12-13 ~ Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.
The refining process is painful but Glory is in sight!
Did the follow up x-ray with Lauren but the radiologist was making rounds, so we will wait for the call. Just wanted to thank you for your prayers. All went very smoothly!
ReplyDeleteI was under the Christmas tree trying to fix the whatever you call those things that are scarves that grace the floor of the tree---oh a tree skirt (ok you can tell 'm out of it)----when, all of a sudden, without any warning whatsoever ever ever, I threw my back out. The WHOLE family arrived a short bit later but my back got worse and then the moment came when I thought I was going to faint. Couldn't stand up any longer. You know that fainting spell feeling. So I had to give up cooking and cleaning and caring for anyone. The heating pad helped me a lot and I'm back up again but giving up for a bit but not too far from the heating pad. At least I'm back upright for now. Grateful and cautious. Check you later.
ReplyDelete