God's timing

I was reading today in Esther. It was really amazing to see how God timed the edict to destroy, to kill, to annihilate the Jews. The edict was written on the 13 day of Nisan (the first month). It would have started to be sent out on the 14 which was the Jewish day of Passover. It would have been a reminder to the Jews of God's great ability to deliver. It would give them hope that God could have a huge deliverance planned . The edict was not to be carried out until the 12 month so the Jews would have time to pray, etc.

I love how God ordered the timing of this.

Self examination help from Mark Lawrence (Bishop sc)

Something to do during lent


"These steps are part of the process of self-examination and repentance. As St. Paul counsels in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves...." There are two fundamental sources of help for practicing self-examination. The first and most important help, which seems almost superfluous to mention, is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit indwells us as believers. The Holy Spirit knows us thoroughly and searches the deep things of our lives. (Read for instance such passages as Psalm 139, John 7:37-39, John 14:16-26, Romans 8:26-27). To invite Him to search your heart is an invitation not merely to compile a list of sins to be gotten through; it is an opportunity for growth, learning, discovery, making new connections, receiving insight and to seek His help in putting things in order. The second help for self-examination is a written list to be worked through with self-honesty. Some people use the Seven Deadly Sins--(Pride, Envy/Jealousy, Anger, Sloth/Melancholy, Greed, Gluttony and Lust), others, the Ten Commandments, or the Litany of Penitence in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy (BCP, p. 267). One possibility that is often forgotten is to use not those lists that accentuate the negative dimensions of our lives but to ask the question about the place and pursuit of virtue. After all we have spent, as a culture and Church, far too much time with the clarification of values and given too little attention to the cultivation of virtue. So to take the Beatitudes, or the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:19-26, or even Seven Saving Virtues (Justice, Courage/Fortitude, Prudence/Wisdom, Temperance, Faith, Hope and Love) as the focus, after scrutinizing our sins of omission, can be a profitable exercise indeed. Such written forms might nudge us into areas we might be unconsciously avoiding and yet towards that which God would have us go. "

Thanks

This is the tree outside my FIL assisted care place. It was nice and orange in a gray sky.

I am thankful for:

The brightly colored leaves that make gray days quite wondrous

Hot baths

pumpkin biscuits (gluten free)

safe travel for my son

a quiet evening with no meetings

a nice visit time with the inlaws

blogs to visit

peppermint tea

Thanks

Thankful this morning:

for the sun peeping through

for the glory of the Fall flowers

for the comfort of Bishop Boots (our cat)

for the birds at the feeder

for hot oatmeal

for God's patience

for God's tenderness

for quiet times

divine romance

NOTE: MY SPIRITUAL SUNDAY POST IS THE ONE BELOW THIS




The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beautys all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, Im completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah its filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God Im completely satisfied
Category: Music

Beautiful

My son shared this song with me today and it really spoke to me. It is called Beautiful. This is for Spiritual Sunday





As I look into the stars
Pondering how far away they are
How You hold them in Your hands
And still You know this man
You know my inner most being, oh
Even better than I know, than I know myself
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I, what am I
As I look off into the distance
Watching the sun roll on by
Beautiful colors all around me, oh
Painted all over the sky
The same hands that created all of this
They created you and I
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I
That You might die, that I might live
What am I, what am I, what am I, what am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I


THIS TIES IN WITH THE QUOTE BELOW THAT I HAVE BEEN REFLECTING ON THIS WEEK:


"There is only one place where your heart can be healed, restored, satisfied, and protected. ...It will only be filled, satisfied, and at rest when it is filled with the beauty of the Lord." Paul David Tripp

The rejection of rejection

It is spiritual sunday at spiritual sundays


I have been reading Paul David Tripp's little book called -- A Shelter in the Time of Storm. It is a small study on Psalm 27:10

His book really speaks to me and he has just some 2-3 page little devotionals, but they are very thought provoking. Here is one of them--they are sometimes poems (don't worry this is short because of the short lines):

My father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. Psalm 27:10

Unthinkable
irrational
impossible to conceive.
The Trinity
torn asunder.
The Son
wrenched from His Father.
Salvation realized.
I am
the thief.
I am
the gossip.
I am
the rebel.
I have wanted
my own way
in
my own time
at
my appointed place.
I have rebelled
against Your law
and I have
set up my own.
I deny
Your kingship
while building
a kingdom of my own.
I think
my wisdom
is wiser than You.
I think
my plan
is better than Yours.
I crave
the sovereignty
that only You should have.
But You did
the inconceivable;
You accomplished
the undoable.
You stood
in my place
and You satisfied
God's wrath.
But
in the process,
the Three in One
was torn in two.
in the process,
the Father
did the most painful thing
that has ever been done.
He turned His back
on You.
You withstood
this pain
so that I would never have to.
You took my
rejection
so that I would only ever have
acceptance.
So, I can
rest assured,
I can
live in hope,
I can enjoy true peace,
because I know
that You are always with me.
For long ago
on the cross
Your rejection
was for me
the final rejection of rejection.

Take a Moment

1. In what ways would your practical, daily living change if you lived with a deep and lively sense of appreciation fr the horror of the rejection Jesus faced for You?

2. Where is God calling you to offer to others the same love and grace that you have been given?

Why bad things happen if God is good and powerful

This was very helpful--he has humor but then part of it is seriously powerful

dancing in the rain

a God wink about fear

I was feeling fearful about certain things and prayed about it and God let me read this:

Fearless Forever

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1


In a world that is held
In such deep darkness
Where the light of truth
Often seems more of a flicker
Than a flame,
In a world where
Deceit
Dishonesty
Falsehood
And foolishness
Divert and distort
The lives of so many,
In times when a myriad
Voices
Say so
Much
About so many things,
Where confusion seems readily available
And clarity seems hard to find,
In a world where opinions
Rise to a place
Where only truth should be,
And every voice
Seems to get an equal hearing,
In the constant cacophony
Of ten thousand
Contradictory voices,
It is a wonderful
And amazing thing
To be able to say
With rest and confidence,
The Lord is my Light!
My heart has been lit
By the illuminating
And protective glory
Of His
Powerful and transforming grace,
My mind has been renewed
By the luminescent presence
Of His truth-guiding
Holy Spirit,
And my life has been guided down straight paths
By the ever-shining lamp
Of His Word.
I am not afraid,
But it is not because
I am strong
Or wise.
I am not afraid,
But it is not because
I have power
Or position.
I am not afraid,
But it is not because
I have health
Or wealth.
I am not afraid;
But it is not because my circumstances
Or relationships
Are easy.
I am not afraid
For one glorious reason:
I have been lit by the
Lord of Light.
In the darkness
Of this fallen world,
I no longer walk
In the night,
But I have been given
The Light of Life.
I am not afraid
Because light lives in me.
This one amazing reality
Gives me rest;
I have been rescued from
Darkness
And transported into the
Light
And I am not afraid.


Paul David Tripp