Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... April. May and June. 2018

April 1, 2018 | Meg33, The Mayor, Trisham, JustAmy

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you for the Beautiful Pings & Posts, Dear FRiends.
(((((Hugs, and God Bless)))))

[The Mayor]

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A Change in Perspective

May 3, 2018

It troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God. Psalm 73:16–17

My hometown had experienced its heaviest winter in thirty years. My muscles ached from hours of shoveling the unrelenting snow. When I stepped inside after what felt like a fruitless effort, weary as I kicked off my boots, I was greeted by the warmth of a fire and my children gathered around it. As I gazed out the window from the shelter of my home, my perspective of the weather shifted completely. Instead of seeing more work to do, I savored the beauty of frosted tree branches and the way the snow blanketed the colorless landscape of winter.

I see a similar, but much more poignant, shift in Asaph when I read his words in Psalm 73. In the beginning, he laments the way the world seems to work, how wrongs seem to be rewarded. He doubts the value of being different than the crowd and living for the good of others (v. 13). But when he enters the sanctuary of God, his outlook changes (vv. 16–17): he remembers that God will deal with the world and its troubles perfectly and, more importantly, that it is good to be with God (v. 28).

Lord, help me to see the way You do.

When we’re chilled by the seemingly ceaseless problems in our world, we can enter God’s sanctuary in prayer and be warmed through by the life-altering, perspective-changing truth that His judgment is better than ours. Though our circumstances may not change, our perspective can.

Lord, I admit I quickly become frustrated with the way things appear. Help me to see the way You do.

God gives us the right perspective.

INSIGHT

In Psalm 37 David addresses the same perplexing issue Asaph writes about in Psalm 73—the wicked prosper while the godly suffer unjustly. David tells those who suffer unjustly not to fret or be envious, for God is just and will one day make all things right (Psalm 37:7–11, 35–38). Instead, those who fear the Lord are to rest fully in God and to continue to live holy lives (vv. 3–6). For the Lord “will not forsake his faithful ones” (v. 28).

Are you weighed down because of injustice? How can the hope expressed in these psalms encourage and strengthen you?

[luvie]

Thankful for Clinging Vines
Happy Thankful Thursday!

[left that other site]

Happy Thankful Thursday!

I am Thankful For Springtime!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[The Mayor]

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Before the Beginning

May 4, 2018

You loved me before the creation of the world. John 17:24

“But if God has no beginning and no end, and has always existed, what was He doing before He created us? How did He spend His time?” Some precocious Sunday school student always asks this question when we talk about God’s eternal nature. I used to respond that this was a bit of a mystery. But recently I learned that the Bible gives us an answer to this question.

When Jesus prays to His Father in John 17, He says “Father, . . . you loved me before the creation of the world” (v. 24). This is God as revealed to us by Jesus: Before the world was ever created, God was a trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)—all loving each other and being loved. When Jesus was baptized, God sent His Spirit in the form of a dove and said, “This is my Son, whom I love” (Matthew 3:17). The most foundational aspect of God’s identity is this outgoing, life-giving love.

God, thank You for Your overflowing, self-giving love.

What a lovely and encouraging truth this is about our God! The mutual, outgoing love expressed by each member of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is key to understanding the nature of God. What was God doing before the beginning of time? What He always does: He was loving because He is love (1 John 4:8).

God, thank You for Your overflowing, self-giving love.

We are created in the image of a God who is loving and relational.

INSIGHT

Love has always defined God; it is at the core of everything He does, now and in eternity. But today’s text urges us to think about an aspect of God’s love we might not typically consider.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit spend eternity in a perfect relationship—giving and receiving love. It’s important to remember that genuine love not only gives love but also receives it. It wouldn’t be loving of the Father not to accept the love of the Son and the Spirit. It’s easy to say we love someone and to show it with what we do for them, but part of loving them is receiving their expressions of love too. That takes humility and trust.

Do you need to receive the love of someone else today? Or do you need to receive the love of God again and remember the reason we love Him is because He first loved us.

[MEG33]

Amen

[MEG33]

Good Morning To Amy's Place

We Wear Red On Friday To Support
Our Troops
Ready For Kentucky Derby Day!
Wishing Everyone A Great Weekend

[left that other site]

Happy Friday!

It's rainy, but that makes the flowers grow!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Chris DeBurgh~Lady In Red

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you for the Beautiful Pings & Posts, Dear FRiends.
(((((Love to Everyone, and God Bless)))))

[luvie]

Nighty-Night, Kitty! (((hugs)))

[trisham]

Sweet Violets

You are brief and frail and blue-
Little sisters, I am, too.
You are Heaven's masterpieces-
Little loves, the likeness ceases.

Dorothy Parker

Happy caturday and dogurday, all!

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Keeping Close

May 5, 2018

Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Deuteronomy 6:8

My mile-long walk home from dropping off my daughter at her school gives me the opportunity to memorize some verses from the Bible—if I’m intentional about doing so. When I take those minutes to turn over God’s Word in my mind, I often find them coming back to me later in the day, bringing me comfort and wisdom.

When Moses prepared the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, he urged them to hold close to God’s commands and decrees (Deuteronomy 6:1–2). Wanting them to flourish, he said they should turn these instructions over in their minds and discuss them with their children (vv. 6–7). He even said to tie them to their wrists and bind them to their foreheads (v. 8). He didn’t want them to forget God’s instructions to live as people who honored the Lord and enjoyed His blessings.

Surround yourself with God's Word.

How might you consider God’s words today? One idea is to write out a verse from Scripture, and every time you wash your hands or take a drink, read the words and turn them over in your mind. Or before you go to sleep, consider a short passage from the Bible as the last act of the day. Many are the ways of keeping God’s Word close to our hearts!

Lord God, thank You for giving us the Bible, which is a wellspring for life. Help us to read and digest it today.

Surround yourself with God’s Word.

INSIGHT

Today’s reading contains the Shema—the centerpiece of Israel’s belief in one God. It’s based on the Hebrew word for hear: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Verses 6–9 emphasize how we are to make the Scriptures a vital part of our lives so they will affect what we do and what we think about. It’s the meditation of the mind and application of the heart that translates divine truth into transformed living.

[left that other site]

Good Morning Everybody!

Enjoy this Beautiful Spring Day!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[MEG33]

Happy Caturday Dogurday Bunnyday

Sweet opening, trish!
Growing up...we had a bed of violets in the backyard...I loved
making little bouquets!
*HUGS*

[trisham]

Beautiful, MEG! :)

[MEG33]

Thank you, (((trish))).

[luvie]

Happy Caturday!
[Dust bunnies got the dog!]

[luvie]

Sooo adorable!

[luvie]

Sweet. I haven’t seen a violet since I was a kid. I guess it’s too dry here now. :(