Answer the Door....

How do we know God's will?

Roberta Hromas, a noted Bible teacher said, "Simply answer your door, answer your phone, and answer your mail. The Lord will put in your path the opportunities that He desires for you to pursue."

Sound too easy?

Teach us good Lord, 

to serve thee as thou deservest,

to give and not to count the cost,

to fight and not to heed the wounds,

to toil and not to seek for rest,

to labor and not to ask for any reward

save that of knowing that we do your will.

St. Ignatius

Doing God's will gives us true meaning in life.

We feel a sense of accomplishment.

We feel we have a purpose.

How do we know we are doing God's will?

I.

Commit yourself to the Lord each day.

Start your day by stating:

Lord, I put my life in Your hands.

Do with me what You will.

II.

Trust the Lord to send you the work

and the relationships you need

for His purpose in your life to be accomplished.

******

The name Esther means "star."

Let's talk about ESTHER--a Jewish orphan who became a Persian queen.

We could compare Esther to Joseph and David.

God had her hidden away to work out his purpose--until the day He needed her.

Esther 4:14: 

     And who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?

Why has God allowed me to live at this particular time..

and in this particular place... and with these

particular people?

Because Esther lived at her particular time, in her particular place, and with those particular people, she was a significant link in reestablishing the Hebrew nation in their own land in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. 

You may not be a Joseph, or a David, or a Hannah, or a Mary; however, open the door, answer the phone, answer your mail, do what is righteous, leave the rest to God, and give Him all the glory!

Amen

Worry--like a rat!

When I googled the definition for worry, the phrase
"720 results" popped up along with the words depression, anxiety, stress and the question,
will anyone be normal?

We live in a world fraught with work stress, family stress, health stress, relationship stress, financial stress. Is it possible to be "normal?" And what is normal after all?

Give God your worries.

When I kept things to myself,

I felt weak deep inside me.

Psalm 32:3

Give all your worries to him,

because he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7

 

The German word for worry

means "to strangle," and

the Greek word means

"to divide the mind."

In COFFEE BREAK WITH GOD, I read the following:

Worry Is a Rat

      Years ago, a pilot was making a flight around the world. When he was two hours from his last landing field, he heard a noise which he recognized as the gnawing of a rat.

...the rat could be gnawing through a vital cable. It was a serious situation. ...Then, he remembered that the rat is a rodent. It is not made for heights; it is made to live on the ground. ...the pilot began to climb. At about 20,000 feet, the gnawing ceased. The rat was dead. ...

     Worry is a rodent. It cannot live in the secret place of the Most High. It cannot breathe in the atmosphere made vital by prayer and familiarity with scripture. Worry dies when we ascend to the Lord through prayer and His Word.

     Honor Books

      Tulsa OK 

REMEMBER:

Give all your worries to him,

because he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7 

Pessimism, negativity, doubt, worry are Satan's tools.

Choose to shed pessimism, doubt, worry and 
accept grace so that you can stand in God's light.

Uphold me according to Your promise, that I may live.

   Psalm 119: 116 

 

Christ be with me.

Christ before me.

Christ in me.

Christ under me.

Christ over me.

Christ on my right hand...

Christ on this side... 

     pg. 84, COFFEE BREAK WITH GOD 

This is what Christ wants your "normal" to be.

  

Dearest Heavenly Father, 

   You have created this day. 
When the worry starts, let me remember that you created me to be filled with joy as I think of the many gifts you have given. Let me share this goodness with others for you truly are with me, before me, in me... Giving you the glory. 

Amen and amen. 

Horizontal Thinking

Think about your thinking.



If you're like most,
you move along your mental surface
from the moment you get out of bed until you climb back in at night.



Thinking about breakfast,

what should I wear, are the kids up?,
are we on time?, work-related issues,
do I need to stop for groceries?,
Johnny still has a cough, and,
oh, the appointment at 3:00.


Stop.
Sit still.
Erase all the above from your head.
Stare out the window...
or, better yet, go outside.
And, go deep with your thoughts...
Or, soar high with your thinking.

Communicate with God

Through prayer

and thanksgiving.

I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me.
                   Psalm 40:1

Your mind needs a break.

God needs your attention.

You can do both at the same time :)

What Every Young Wife Ought To Know

The young wife should take not less,

but more pains to make herself as attractive

after as before marriage. (1901)

Emma F. Angell, a physician, 

wrote What Every Young Wife Ought To Know in 1901.  

What else did she have to say?

*The nervous system is a little more highly organized than in man.The heart and blood vessels adjust to swifter work.The brain is quicker.The muscles are not so hard and tense.In place of the logical, she possesses the intuitive mind which makes her capable of reaching a conclusion while man is thinking about it.

*She has less strength but greater endurance. She is less daring in achievement, but more patient. She is less forceful but possesses quiet insistence.

*On the subject of obedience? Each seeks willingly the opinions and wishes of the other. Each must acknowledge the individuality of the other and respect differences of opinion. 

*What shall the young wife expect to be to her husband? First, his equal, but not his counterpart.

Eighty years later, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, 1982, published an article, "The difference (you thought you knew?) between men and women."

Let me share; please?

David and I, married 5 years, 1975

Women:

-better night vision

-more acute hearing

-stronger immune system

-higher ratio of fat

-lower metabolic rate 

       (we've always known it is harder to lose weight!)

Men:

-color blindness more common

-stutter more

-higher ratio of muscle

-more red blood cells

-less heat tolerance

David and I, married 40 years

Why can't women be more like men?

Or why can't men be more like women?

Genes and hormones affect human development and our general health.

Well, it's 2013.

What else have we learned about the differences?

And how much of it really matters.

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God

he created him;

male and female

he created them.

Genesis

What does the Bible say about males and females?

-We were created equal.
-We were created to be together.
-We were created to be different.

Our differences

can be sources of bitterness and division

or....

as part of the way

we complement one another.

Consider human dignity.

Let us all treat each other as sacred persons made by God for God.

And, then, give Him the glory.

   Amen.