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Posted on 07/01/2019 12:03:00 AM PDT by JustAmy
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(((((Hugs!)))))
Thanks, any and all help is appreciated.
Sleep
Sleep sleep sleep
deep magnificent sleep
cradles me like
a mother holding
her newborn
for the first time.
I close my eyes and feel
the warm sensation
of precious pure sleep
immortal sleep outside
of a mixed up world.
Sweet vanilla scent
from dreams of beauty
holding me forever,
brings me everything
I need to stay a
sleep sleep sleep.Charles Lara
Happy Caturday, Dogurday and Beachday!
Bible in a Year : Psalms 116–118; 1 Corinthians 7:1–19
Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7 “You must relax,” pronounces a doctor crisply in Disney’s Rescuers Down Under, attempting to treat the injured albatross Wilbur, a reluctant patient. “Relax? I am relaxed!” a clearly not relaxed Wilbur responds sarcastically as his panic grows. “If I were any more relaxed, I’d be dead!”
Can you relate? In light of the doctor’s dubious methods (such as a chainsaw dubbed an “epidermal tissue disruptor”), Wilbur’s misgivings seem justified. But the scene is funny because it captures how we tend to feel when we’re panicking—whether or not what we’re facing is actually life-threatening.
When we’re terrified, encouragement to relax can feel ridiculous. I know when I feel life’s terrors piling up around me, and when painful “cords of death” (Psalm 116:3) tighten my stomach into knots, my every instinct is to fight back, not to relax.
And yet . . . more often than not, my panicked attempts to fight back only tighten anxiety’s vice-grip, leaving me crippled by fear. But when I, albeit reluctantly, allow myself to feel my pain and lift it up to God (v. 4), something surprising happens. The knot inside me relaxes a bit (v. 7), and a peace I can’t understand rushes through me.
And as the Spirit’s comforting presence surrounds me, I understand a bit more the truth at the heart of the gospel: we fight best when we surrender into the powerful arms of God (1 Peter 5:6–7).
What struggles do you think of as “cords of death” in your life? How could you grow in surrendering to God’s love and care in the hard times?
God, help us surrender our desperate attempts at control and let go of the burdens we weren’t meant to bear to find rest in Your grace and goodness.
LOL!! So cute!
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Thank you.
We now have three dogs on the bed with us. 90 pounds, 95 pounds and 100 pounds. Our little 50 pounder prefers to sleep in a soft-sided crate next to the bed. Waking-up time does not involve gentle patting from a cat with soft paws. :)
That’s adorable.
Bible in a Year : Psalm 119:1–88; 1 Corinthians 7:20–40
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! Romans 11:33 “It seems like the older I get, the wiser you become. Sometimes when I talk to my son I even hear your words coming out of my mouth!”
My daughter’s candor made me laugh. I felt the same way about my parents and frequently found myself using their words as I raised my kids. Once I became a dad, my perspective on my parents’ wisdom changed. What I once “wrote off” as foolishness turned out to be far wiser than I had thought—I just couldn’t see it at first.
The Bible teaches that “the foolishness of God is wiser” than the cleverest human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25). “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness” of the message of a suffering Savior to rescue “those who believe” (v. 21).
God always has ways of surprising us. Instead of the triumphant king the world would expect, the Son of God came as a suffering servant and died a humbling death by crucifixion—before He was raised in unsurpassable glory.
In God’s wisdom, humility is valued over pride and love shows its worth in undeserved mercy and kindness. Through the cross, our unconquerable Messiah became the ultimate victim—in order to “save completely” (Hebrews 7:25) all who place their faith in Him!
When have God’s ways left you confused? How does it help to know His ways are not our own?
Heavenly Father, I praise You for the wisdom of Your ways. Help me to trust You and walk humbly with You today.
Thank you.
Love the cat pics from Caturday!
Cool cats.
Thank you! Hope you’ve had a good weekend!
Bible in a Year : Psalm 119:89–176; 1 Corinthians 8
Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! Micah 7:19 nlt
At the Second Chance Bike Shop near our neighborhood, volunteers rebuild cast-off bicycles and donate them to needy kids. Shop founder Ernie Clark also donates bikes to needy adults, including the homeless, the disabled, and military veterans struggling to make it in civilian life. Not only do the bicycles get a second chance but sometimes the recipients get a new start too. One veteran used his new bike to get to a job interview.
Second chances can transform a person’s life, especially when the second chance comes from God. The prophet Micah extoled such grace during a time the nation of Israel groveled in bribery, fraud, and other despicable sins. As Micah lamented, “The godly people have all disappeared; not one honest person is left on the earth” (Micah 7:2 nlt).
God would rightly punish evil, Micah knew. But being loving, He would give those who repented another chance. Humbled by such love, Micah asked, “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people?” (v. 18 nlt).
We too can rejoice that God doesn’t abandon us because of our sins if we ask for forgiveness. As Micah declared of God, “Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!” (v. 19 nlt). God’s love gives second chances to all who seek Him.
What sin will you repent of and gain a second chance from our loving God?
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the grace of second chances.
Thank you.
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