Saturday, July 24, 2010
July 25 ... Ecclesiastes 5 - 8 "Am I Alive for God's Glory?"
Eccl. 5:1 - God is in charge, not you...the less you speak the better. Silenced by a holy God. Haunted by the thought He wants to find me leading a quiet life, not the big bang I want. I want to make the most of everything. What are the questions Solomon asked but couldn't answer? The wisest person who ever lived configures that life amounts to a heap of smoke. "Many churches declare the truth that living for My Glory answers those questions but they repeat it glibly with all the depth of a sales clerk wishing you a good day as you exit the store." What really changes people to make them live for God's Glory? What is really going on in the depth of my heart? "I know the right answer to Solomon's questions---it's what You said: Living for Your Glory by depending entirely on You for my acceptance and satisfaction is the answer Jesus taught me to believe." 66LL Has it reached me as deeply as I wish it would? Am I following my Christ or following strong people?
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Sitting in a hotel lobby in Shreveport, Louisiana. Just had dinner with my daughter and her new husband. Unexpected. Delightful. On my way to Florida but we had an unexpected health detour that landed us here in a hotel to get some medical help for my relatives. Eccl 7:2 really captures my heart..."you learn more at a funeral than a feast." Sages invest in hurt and grieving. Do I embrace all that God has brought my way? Or do I minimize the hurt and miss out on Him. So grateful tonight for wisdom from Above. My love to you all. Hopefully we will make it to Florida tomorrow---will let you know.
ReplyDeleteMy love to you Bev. I prayed for you earlier...He is hearing you and moving the Spirit for you to be prayed for. What a blessing that you got to eat dinner with the newlyweds. It is so true that we learn more at a funeral than a feast, but oh, how our flesh just wants the feast and never the funeral. Thanks for the question for me to ponder as I go to bed...Do I embrace all God has brought my way? Or do I minimize the hurt and miss our on Him? I am finding out that sometimes He doesn't let me minimize the hurt and miss Him. I am experiencing this in part with my son and him going thru some rough rough consequeces of his past sin(his going thru them,not me). But all of us mama's know that our hearts "feel" pain when we know they are. Trusting him to the One who loves him more than I do. Today was his 36th b'day.Blessings on you tonight and all that is going on in your life...update me soon. Love you in Him, Mary Lou Blessings on you for taking the time and effort to post the new reading in the midst of all you are going thru.
ReplyDeleteBev, I know God has great plans for you two! May the lessons from the book of Ruth comfort you through these days of righteous bitterness?, uprooting, gleaning, and reward. Asking Jesus to be your Boaz.
ReplyDeleteProv 8:16 -17
"When I determined to load up on wisdom and examine everything taking place on earth, I realized that if you keep your eyes open day and night without even blinking, you'll still never figure out the meaning of what God is doing on this earth. Search as hard as you like, you're not going to make sense of it. No matter how smart you are, you won't get to the bottom of it."
I am the first to admit that my God is so much more brilliant than I can even begin to understand! I love to be able to make sense out of life. But this writer is right. The good do suffer and the wicked get by with murder.
I choose to keep on that narrow road. I loved the writings from Dr. Crabb for this book. Getting to the end of things...where only Christ matters...that is a place where sacred meets our unknown and critical searchings. I don't know why I feel a sense of "this world hurts" unless it is to make me cross-minded. The cross is the bridge to understanding God. That is the place of healing, equality and great wisdom. Brilliant, even.
Who in the world would have thought Jesus would have had to DIE for us? He could have done things differently...but THAT is what changes my heart. Loving HIM today with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind today because of what HE did for me.
Wisdom is a God who bought me back...and I say to Him...I believe. Everything else is smoke.
By the way, I have a funeral for a friend's mother to go to today. How fitting. Please pray for my sweetest prayer warrior friend, Angie. She's lost her mom this week and her daddy passed away about a year ago. Life is smoke except for the cross.
Lots of smoke today... that's all. Blessed Sunday, everyone.
ReplyDeleteLots of smoke today... that's all. Blessed Sunday, everyone.
ReplyDelete...sorry for the double post again!
ReplyDelete"I'm realizing that the examined life can be pretty tough to live." 66 LL
ReplyDeleteI agree. It wears me out to live in reality, especially when I am surrounded by people who create their own convenient reality. Sometimes I wonder why I can't be wired that way - it sure seems easier. But in my heart, I know it's not. "I can't make myself settle for the shallow happiness and contrived excitement that too many churches and most of secular society provide." 66 LL I have been guilty of avoiding the narrow road to life that Crabb talks about - with distractions, sociability, and busyness.
In answer to your question, Bev, I know that I've minimized the hurt and missed out on God. I don't like to feel hurt, so I just move on. Or so I tell myself. These past few years have been filled with God teaching me how to live in the hurt and trust Him in the midst of it.
Chp. 6 - We work to feed our appetites; Meanwhile our souls go hungry." The story of my twenties, until Christ found me. Since then, it's been a process of discovering what my subtle appetites are and allowing God to reign over those.
Chp. 7 - You'll get more from the rebuke of a sage than from the song and dance of fools. Another reminder that I need to be aware of who is influencing me and who I am listening to. Am I just hearing what I want to hear, or am I allowing godly people to speak truth into my life?
Chp. 8 - Even though a person sins and gets by with it hundreds of times throughout a long life, I'm still convinced that the good life is reserved for the person who fears God, who lives reverently in his presence, and that the evil person will not experience a "good" life. Hmmmm. I want to believe this with all my heart. Since I can't change others, all I can do is focus on being the person who fears God and who lives reverently in His presence. Others will have to answer for their actions and attitudes.
Bev, you guys have been on my mind non-stop. Know that we love you and continue to pray God's richest blessing on your family. Ephesians 2:10 keeps coming to mind as I think of you and Bob.
Enjoy your time in Florida! Glad you got to see Blair and Patrick.
Deborah, I always appreciate your perspective! Thank you for your thought-provoking comments.
Praying for your son and for you, Mary Lou.
I don't even know you, Annette, but I adore you! :-)
In today's reading, Eccl. 5:2B "God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few," is the passage that jumped off the page to me. I just couldn't help but sing "Let My Words Be Few" by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. Oh, how I love that song.
ReplyDeleteMay this song bless you today, as much as it has blessed me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12z4dvc2kjo