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Posted on 01/01/2022 11:37:54 AM PST by JustAmy
1/01/2021 | The Mayor; Luvie; JustAmy
Posted on 01/01/2021 6:43:29 AM PST by JustAmy
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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous; Poetry; The Poetry Branch; Click to Add Topic
KEYWORDS: amysplace; friendship; january2022; poetry; Click to Add Keyword
Bible in a Year:
He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
The first eight verses of Ecclesiastes 3 state a familiar, natural rhythm of the activities of life with some arbitrary choices. No matter what stage of life we find ourselves in, it’s often difficult to find time to do everything we want to do. And to make wise decisions about managing our time, it’s helpful to have a plan (Psalm 90:12).
Time spent with God each day is a priority for our spiritual health. Doing productive work is satisfying to our spirit (Ecclesiastes 3:13). Serving God and helping other people is essential to fulfilling God’s purpose for us (Ephesians 2:10). And times of rest or leisure aren’t wasted but refreshing for body and spirit.
Of course, it’s easy to become too focused on the here and now—finding time for the things that matter most to us. But Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has “set eternity” in our hearts—reminding us to make a priority of things that are eternal. That can bring us face to face with something of the greatest importance—God’s eternal perspective “from beginning to end.” Reflect & Pray
What different choices might you make about the way you’re spending your time? What did the author of Ecclesiastes mean about God setting eternity in the human heart?
Jesus, give me a glimpse of Your eternal perspective and help me to search for the right balance of time that better fulfills Your purpose.
Learn more about caring for your soul.
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Amen!
Happy Friday!
Another nice day here, in the 70s.
Hope you are having a good day!
🌝
Bible in a Year:
Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.
The story of the demon-possessed man closely parallels the hero’s journey. It’s interesting that in last scene the man begged Jesus to let him “go with him” (Mark 5:18). Yet Jesus told him: “Go home to your own people” (v. 19). It was important in this man’s journey to return home to the people who knew him best and to tell them his amazing story.
God calls each of us in different ways and to different scenarios. But for some of us, it can be crucial for our faith journey to go home and tell our story to those who know us best. For some of us, the call is “there’s no place like home.” Reflect & Pray
Who comes to mind that needs to hear what God has done for you? What does the first step in that journey look like?
Jesus, give me the courage to tell of Your wonderful works. Not just to strangers, but also to those who know me best—those at home.
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Happy 🐶 🐱 Day!
Nice cool day here, raining this afternoon. Got a few hours of gardening in.
Hope you are having a great day!
😄
A Great Day all around! :-)
Sounds like you had a great day! I’d love that rain!
Some fun, doggie! :)
It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes.
I love a good game of Scrabble. After one particular game, my friends named a move after me—calling it a “Katara.” I’d been trailing the entire game, but at the end of it—with no tiles left in the bag—I made a seven-letter word. This meant the game was over, and I received fifty bonus points as well as all the points from all of my opponents’ leftover tiles, moving me from last place to first. Now whenever we play and someone is trailing, they remember what happened and hold out hope for a “Katara.”
Remembering what has happened in the past has the power to lift our spirits and give us hope. And that’s exactly what the Israelites did when they celebrated Passover. The Passover commemorates what God did for the Israelites when they were in Egypt, oppressed by Pharaoh and his crew (Exodus 1:6–14). After they cried out to God, He delivered the people in a mighty way. He told them to put blood on their doorposts so the death angel would “pass over” their firstborn people and animals (12:12–13). Then they would be kept safe from death.
Centuries later, believers in Jesus regularly take communion as we remember His sacrifice on the cross—providing what we needed to be delivered from sin and death (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). Remembering God’s loving acts in the past gives us hope for today. Reflect & Pray
Who comes to mind that needs to hear what God has done for you? What does the first step in that journey look like?
Jesus, give me the courage to tell of Your wonderful works. Not just to strangers, but also to those who know me best—those at home.
Reflect & Pray
How can you celebrate what God has done on your behalf? How can you offer hope to others from your past experiences?
I thank You, loving God, for all the marvelous works You’ve done on my behalf. Please give me the strength to focus on Your mighty acts when I need hope to keep going.
Thank you.
[Elijah] looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
I once heard a businessman describe his years in college as a time when he often felt “helpless and hopeless” from bouts of depression. Sadly, he never talked to a doctor about these feelings, but instead started making more drastic plans—ordering a book on suicide from his local library and setting a date to take his life.
God cares for the helpless and hopeless. We see this in His treatment of biblical characters during their own dark times. When Jonah wanted to die, God engaged him in tender conversation (Jonah 4:3–10). When Elijah asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4), God provided bread and water to refresh him (vv. 5–9), spoke gently to him (vv. 11–13), and helped him see he wasn’t as alone as he thought (v. 18). God approaches the downhearted with tender, practical help.
The library notified the student when his book on suicide was ready to collect. But in a mix-up, the note went to his parents’ address instead. When his mother called him, distraught, he realized the devastation his suicide would bring. Without that address mix-up, he says, he wouldn’t be here today.
I don’t believe that student was saved by luck or chance. Whether it’s bread and water when we need it, or a timely wrong address, when mysterious intervention saves our lives, we’ve encountered divine tenderness.
Reflect & Pray
How has God come through for you in a time of desperation? Where else have you seen divine tenderness in action?
Loving God, I praise You for Your tender, practical care for the helpless and hopeless.
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Great. 2 guys fell into a vat on M & M chocolate, they had to cut a hole in the vat to get them out.
Did they check their pockets for contraband M&Ms?
I hope they were OK….but couldn’t resist the joke.
Oh that’s funny! We just ate a big tray of chips ahoy in 2 days. They weren’t even good, under-baked. We ate ‘em anyway. 🙃
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