Let’s Play Hide And Seek

Published on by Joan Category: Lessons Learned From My Grandchildren

My grandson loves to play hide and seek.  He’s two years old and doesn’t really understand the whole concept of staying hid.  He will go hide and then I will start saying something like, “Where’s Hudson?  I wonder where he can be?”  Of course, the whole time I already know where he hid.  He will reply, “I’m in here under the table!”  He won’t come out, mind you.  He will stay right where he is until I find him.  There are a lot of giggles and hugs when I stoop down to come face to face with him.  Then he will want to immediately play again and will go right back to the same place he hid before.  I guess he loves the game of hiding, as long as he knows for sure someone will find him.

I’m sure the day will come when he is older and he will hide, not letting anyone know his whereabouts.  He’ll really understand the idea behind the game and will be creative in the places he chooses.   We will really have to seek for him without his voice to lead us to himself.

I have to admit I enjoyed the game myself when I was younger.  I enjoy playing with Hudson as well, just because of seeing the enjoyment he gets from receiving my attention.

Did you know God enjoys playing hide and seek with us?  Life gets so busy that we often lose the joy of everyday living.  Many times it’s our quiet time with God that we omit from our schedule because of all the things we are involved in.  We all need to learn to make our time with God a priority, not something we do only after everything else has been handled.  We need to spend time one-on-one time with our Father.  It’s a time of refreshing and yes, enjoyment, to be in His presence and hear Him speaking and teaching from His Word.  David understood what it meant to seek to spend time with his God.  As we seek out time with Him, we receive His protection and all the blessings of a close relationship with Him.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  Psalm 91:1

David went on to tell us God’s point of view of us searching Him out.  God promises as we call out for Him, He will answer.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.  Psalm 91:15-16

Just like Hudson craves the attention and wants to share an enjoyable time with me, we need to desire to spend time seeking the presence of God.  Sometimes as we go through certain things, it is us that calls out to God, seeking His comfort and help, just as Hudson will call out to me to let me know where he is so that I can easily find him.  At other times, it is God calling out to us, wanting to teach us His truth and to guide us to do His will.  When that happens, we need to be willing to answer Him and go straight toward the direction He is calling from and leading us to.

When Hudson gets older he will not let us know where he is hiding.  As we mature in Christ, we learn that it is just as important to seek time with Him and just be silent.  We ought to go into His presence not for the purpose of asking for something from Him, but just to listen to Him, to praise and worship Him simply for Who He is.

When I play with Hudson, I always know exactly where he is.  God also knows where we are all the time.  There is nothing hidden from Him.  We can be assured of the fact that He always will meet our needs exactly where we are.  Another Psalm I really like that speaks about this is Psalm 139.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

 

So yes, God loves for us to hide in His presence, to seek after Him.  And He will seek us out as well.  On the negative side, sometimes we try to hide from Him when we have sin in our lives.  Those times are not enjoyable.  I remember when I was young and I played hide and seek, there were times when I hid too well.  No one could find me.  It wasn’t nearly as fun to sit and wait in my hiding place only to have no one come.  I eventually would reveal myself to find that the “seeker” had stopped seeking.  Although God will never “lose” us, He will allow us to do things on our own for a time until we realize that the joy and peace we long for can only be found in Him.  When we once again seek Him out, He is ready to allow us to hide under His wing.

I love spending time with my grandchildren and cherish the fact they desire my attention.  So many things I do with them remind me of the truths of having a relationship with God.  So take the time to hide and seek with God.  Hide in the shadow of the Almighty and seek time enjoying His presence.  God deserves the attention and we reap the blessing.

Nine Eleven

Published on by Joan Category: Poems

Fire burning

People falling

Smoke billowing

Voices calling

Heroes respond

Go beyond

Common duty-

What beauty!

Lives lost

Huge cost

Lives given

Never forgotten.

 

9/11 is a date that will never be forgotten by those whose lives were impacted and by anyone who watched the horrific images shown again and again in the media.  The sights shown, knowing that people were dying right before our eyes, left a sick feeling within us.  But the one thing of beauty, the only good I saw at that one awful moment, were the heroes rushing to the aid of all the people facing imminent dome.  Ultimately and sadly, many of them lost their lives as well, as they put the lives of others before the welfare of themselves.  It’s hard for many of us to fathom that kind of courage.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 (NIV)

I wish to thank and honor those who are in the service, the armed forces, law enforcement, firefighters, medical personnel and all of those who daily put the safety and health of others in the forefront.

We also need to remember that our Lord Jesus laid His life down for us all. None of us deserved it, but yet God loved us so much that He willingly offered His Son to die for our sins.

On the anniversary of that terrible day, I think it very fitting to pause and remember, to pray for the ones who personally were affected by the death of a loved one, and to remember the sacrifices made by those willing to lay down their life for the lives of those they didn’t even know.

Labor Day Rest

Published on by Joan Category: Devotions

I enjoy the Labor Day holiday.  A free day off of work where I can do whatever I want to do.  For some reason to me it feels completely different from being off on a Saturday.  On Saturdays I do all the house cleaning and grocery shopping and it really is not a very relaxing day.  I always feel like that is a day that I have to catch up on all the work I can’t seem to get done during the week.  Then Sundays are a day or worship.  A time to join with fellow believers at church to hear God’s word and enjoy a spiritual refreshing.  Before I know it, the weekend is gone and it’s back to work.

But Labor Day seems like a bonus.  The house work is done and I get to choose to do something enjoyable.  It’s a day for cook-outs and get-togethers with family and friends.  Did you know God also initiated a Labor Day?   It was a day the people were to do no work.  Now, many are probably thinking that the day of rest I am referring to is the Sabbath, or now, our Lord’s Day.  Yes, God commanded people to remember the Sabbath because He had created the world in six days and on the seventh He rested.

However, there are other times that God told the people not to work. If you read in the Book of Leviticus, God gives in detail a list of festivals the people were to observe.  To be honest, I never really liked the book of Leviticus because I would think I didn’t really need to know about all of the laws the people had to observe.  There were specifics about everything and frankly, I found it difficult to keep my mind on what I was reading.  Until a certain phrase suddenly started to get my attention.

“You must deny yourselves and do no work.”  Leviticus 16:29 NIV.  The KJV says, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all.”

I had to read that a second and then a third time.  I know some people really love their jobs, but me, if I’m told I need to take a day off, it doesn’t feel like I’m denying myself of very much.  “Deny yourselves,” to me would mean not having that bowl of ice cream that I’d really like to have.  So I thought that passage deserved a little more contemplation.

I read chapter 16 and chapter 23 of Leviticus and then the same thing is mentioned again in Numbers 29.  These passages, as I have already said, talks about various feasts the people were to observe.  The first festival was for the Day of Atonement.  The whole chapter of Leviticus 16 is devoted to this event.  This festival was when the people gathered together and offered blood offerings for the forgiveness of their sins.  But there was so much more to it.  This is what Leviticus 23 says about the Day of Atonement.

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.”  Leviticus 23:26-32 NKJV

It was a very serious and solemn occasion, not to be taken lightly.  Verse 27 says it’s a holy time.  When it says to “afflict your souls,” the people were to come before a holy God, with a spirit of deep repentance and in fasting.  Also, because this was considered a holy time, the people were to treat the say as if it was a Sabbath and not do any work.  God also gives a warning in verses 29 and 30.  Those who did not come in deep repentance or the person who performed work, which would signify they did not consider the day holy, would be cut off, or killed.  It wasn’t just the offering of an animal, but the offering up of themselves in repentance.  Then as they repented, the sacrificial offering of blood was made.  Sound familiar?  It’s not enough for us to come before a holy God with an offer to follow Him.  In order to really be forgiven, we come in complete brokenness and repentance, and then the blood of Christ will cleanse us of our sins.

Some of the other feasts written about in Leviticus 23 were feasts to commemorate and celebrate various events.  Such as the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Tabernacles and a couple more.  Even though these were more of a time of celebration, God still told the people that they must deny themselves of any work and take the day to rest and reflect on the provisions and faithfulness of God.

When I stopped and really studied on the requirement from God to rest from the labor of work, I realized it was more than just a day off.  Just like our Sundays should be more than just a day to go to church.  God created us and He knows the need for us to have physical rest.  But He is also wanting us to take time to dwell on His goodness and graciousness.  To remember the times that He has faithfully provided for all of our needs.  To praise Him for the gift of His Son and the forgiveness of our sins.

But there is one more great, big Labor Day coming.  Just as God rested from His labor of creating the world; and just like Christ completed His task on earth and now lives with the Father, one day we will enter into that rest, too.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”  Hebrews 4:9-11 NIV

Those of us who are Christians will one day have a day of rest that will last for eternity.  A day when all of our cares and problems will be no more.  And feasting?  There will be a wonderful supper that we will share with Christ that we cannot even fathom in our human minds.  I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to that day off of work.

Cry Out

Published on by Joan Category: Lessons Learned From My Grandchildren

I have a granddaughter who will soon be 1 year old.  Of course, she is the most precious and sweetest child ever!  She likes being held and will lay her head on your shoulder and say, “Um, um.”  That’s her way of showing her love to the one holding her.  But she does not want to be held for long at a time.  She wants to be down and moving, exploring everything around her.  It’s fun to watch her amazement and interest in things that are new to her. 

Like most children her age, though, she also likes to put things in her mouth.  The other day she was outside and my husband and my son-in-law were watching her walk around.  There were some flowers next to a walkway and she squatted down next to them.  Then she picked up a small rock and proceeded to put it in her mouth.  My son-in-law immediately got the rock out of her mouth.  He popped her little bottom and told her she should not put rocks in her mouth.

She wasn’t happy with being corrected.  And it wasn’t even because of the little spanking, which was not hard enough to hurt.  It was being told, “No.”  She began to cry and then she called out for her beloved grandfather and said, “Paw Paw!” 

None of us like to be told that we have done something wrong.  When discipline comes, it’s not the “spanking,” but the voice of correction that hurts us.  It’s never pleasant to be told by our Heavenly Father, through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, that we have sinned.  It brings hurt and shame to our hearts.  Yet it is necessary for our own good.  Just like my granddaughter must learn what is not right to do, we also must be corrected when we are out of the will of God.  We are told in Hebrews 12:11, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” 

We have to be trained just like a child.  Just as a child should be taught the difference between right and wrong, we as children of God also have to be taught.  Just as a child learns from their parents when they spend time with them, we learn about God’s requirements for living a righteous life by spending time with Him in prayer and from reading His Word.  The older a child grows and the more they learn, they should be doing more right than wrong.  The longer we are Christians, the more time we spend following Him, the less we should be sinning. 

When my granddaughter was hurt, she cried out to her Paw Paw, knowing that she is loved by him. We can do the same.  When we cry out to our Father, the one who loves us above all others, He will pick us up and love on us.  We are assured that He will forgive us in 1 John 1:9 where it says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

My granddaughter knew her Paw Paw would not fail her.  She has been around him enough already, even at 1 year old, that she knows with him she is loved and protected.  Again, this is like our relationship with God.  We can have the assurance that He is always there for us.  He never leaves us or forsakes us.  David said in the Psalms that his help was from the Lord.  “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2.  And because we are His, we can cry out to Him.  1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Correction is never pleasant, but it is a necessary part of learning to walk a righteous life.  We have the assurance, though, that along with forgiveness, we are loved by our Father.  We also know that He will always hear our cry.  Galatians 4:6 says, “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”  I’m sure my granddaughter will face additional discipline as she grows, just as we all will in our daily lives.  So when we are being corrected or when we are hurt, we just need to cry out to Him. 

A Child’s Prayer

Published on by Joan Category: Devotions

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I shall die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen. [1]

Do you remember this little children’s bedtime prayer?  I remember saying it when I was a child and then I taught it to my children when they were young.  It was wonderful listening to their young voices saying the prayer, yet I wondered if they really understood what they were saying.  Then as they matured and began to understand what God had done for them through Christ, their prayers also matured.  No longer was the child-like prayer said out of habit, but their hearts truly started communing with their Savior.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

One day as I was reading in the Psalms, I came across a verse I had never really seen.  Isn’t it amazing how you can read the Bible over and over and still see something new after reading a passage for the hundredth time?  The verse that stood out to me was Psalm 3:5. “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.” (NKJV)  I immediately thought of that children’s prayer when I read that verse.  Another verse is Psalm 4:8 says, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

When we have a personal relationship with Christ, we can lie down in peace, knowing that He will take care of us.

Proverbs 3:24 (NKJV)

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.”

And the reason we can have that assurance is because our God never sleeps.  Notice this Psalm.

Psalm 121:1-8 (NKJV)

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.”

I Pray The Lord My Soul To Keep

Not only can we lie our heads down in peace, we can be assured that He is the keeper of our souls.  We don’t have to be anxious of what may come.  We can rest knowing that the God that watches over our night, is the same God who patterns our day.

Psalm 62:1-2 (NKJV)

“Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.”

 

Psalm 94:19 (NKJV)

“In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.”

 

Psalm 116:7-8 (NKJV)

“Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.”

If I Should Die Before I Wake

One of the blessed hopes about being a Christian is knowing that we don’t have to fear death.  Not that any of us are in a hurry to experience it, but we can have the assurance that when we die, we will spend eternity in heaven.  Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we are His forever.  Nothing can keep us from going to heaven, so we can lay our heads down at night knowing that God could bless us with another day here on earth, or He will bless us by allowing us to wake up in heaven with Him.  Either way, we win.

John 10:27-29 (NKJV)

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”

 

Psalm 116:15 (NKJV)

“Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.”

 

I Pray The Lord My Soul To Take

The older I get, I find myself many times longing for heaven.  It seems to get harder and harder to live in this sinful world.  God’s favor has really been on the church I attend.  Many times, especially on Sunday nights, the presence of the Holy Spirit is so strong that the congregation will stand and sing praise song after praise song, truly worshipping the Lord.  I love those moments of real worship, but I also realize that those times here on earth are not even a drop in the bucket to what being in the actual presence of the Lord in heaven will be like.  It’s in those moments that my heart is “praying the Lord my soul to take.”

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 (NKJV)

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

 

Revelation 14:12-13 (NKJV)

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

 

I think as adults we think that those simple little prayers that we teach our children to pray are only prayers for childhood.  After we grow up we are supposed to have grown-up prayers.  Right?  Yes, our prayers can be more in depth, more encompassing, but the value of the children’s prayers are the simple, amazing truths that the words convey.  We don’t need to have a lot of words or flowery language.  God just wants us to commune with Him.  So as we lay down our heads tonight, may we simply pray with simple child-like faith, knowing He hears every word.

 

White Exteriors

Published on by Joan Category: Devotions

I have a white car.  I have always heard people say that white cars do not show dirt as well as other colors.  I have never really thought that, but I guess from a distance the car still looks white even when it’s not clean.  However, on closer inspection, the dirt can clearly be seen.

I washed my car this past Saturday morning.  I had not washed it in several weeks and after the rain and storms we had for several days, it looked quite unclean from all the dirt spraying up off the road.  I generally keep the inside clean.  I make sure any trash I have in the car is cleaned out every time I return home.  I even use towels to cover the seats to protect them if I have worked out and have become dirty and sweaty.

As I washed the car and began to see the big difference between the brightness of the white, clean parts and the dirtiness of the unclean parts, I began to think about spiritual things.   As Christians, when we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, He washes away our sin and we become white as snow.  Our hearts and souls are forever sealed.  He is continually sanctifying us, just as I continually keep the inside of my car clean.  His blood covers and protects us just as my towels protect my seats.

But the outside is a little different.  We still have our sinful nature that we have to deal with every day.  We still sin and get dirty.  Storms come and when we have to fight the attacks of Satan, we can get “muddied” up.  That’s like my white car.  It’s always going to be white, but it gets dirty through daily travels and storms that cause dirt to splash on it.  From a distance, we may appear to others that we have things all together, just like my car looks clean from a distance.  But up close, we know when things are not right, not clean.  It’s then that Christ can wash us as we keep returning to Him for cleansing.

Peter was taught this in the following passage.

John 13:1-11  (NKJV)

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.  2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”  7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”  8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”  Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”  9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”  10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

Scofield’s Reference Notes says this about verse 10:

[1] “So the believer is cleansed as before the law from all sin “once for all” Hebrews 10:1-12 but needs ever to bring his daily sins to the Father in confession, that he may abide in unbroken fellowship with the Father and with the Son 1 John 1:1-10. The blood of Christ answers forever to all the law could say as to the believer’s guilt, but he needs constant cleansing from the defilement of sin;”

(The verses referenced above are at the bottom of the page.)

Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we are His forever.  Our insides, our hearts, are covered in His blood and when God the Father sees us, He sees His Son’s blood.  Therefore, we are free and clean from our sins before Him.

But on the outside, we still get dirty.  We have to continually come before Christ asking for forgiveness.  It’s an on-going process, just as I have to keep washing my car to keep it clean.  So the next time you see a white car, stop and ask yourself – “What does my exterior look like?”

 

 

Hebrews 10:10-14 NKJV

10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

 

1 John 1:5-10  (NKJV)

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Fencing In The Garden

Published on by Joan Category: Lessons Learned From Gardening

The year we moved into our current home, it was in the middle of July.  One day as I was washing dishes in front of the kitchen window, I again noticed rabbits playing around in the yard and squirrels running up into the trees.  There were several different types of birds that made their nests in the many trees around our property.  We would also see deer in the evenings coming into the yard.  I appreciated all of the beautiful flowers in full bloom the previous owners had planted.  There were plum trees, fig bushes, pomegranate trees and muscadines also bearing fruit.  I felt like we had our own little Garden of Eden.  Until the next summer.

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Job – Blameless and Upright

Published on by Joan Category: Devotions

Job 1:1-3, 6-8 (NKJV)

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”  So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”  8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

I have often been fascinated with the Book of Job.  Every time I read through it, I find more lessons to learn. 

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Preserving the Harvest

Published on by Joan Category: Lessons Learned From Gardening

My family plants a garden every year.  Although it is a lot of work, we think the fresh vegetables and fruits are so much better than what is bought in the store.  I usually try to can and freeze whatever I can.  One year we had so many green beans, that I opened a jar and served them almost every Sunday for over a year.  I usually freeze corn and squash.  I also make a lot of jelly from the fruit we grow.  Our plum trees were especially plentiful this year.  I also use figs, blackberries and muscadines to make jelly.  The only thing about jelly is that it takes a lot of sugar.  I also have persimmons that I mash and freeze for persimmon pudding. 

We were talking the other night about how much work goes into dealing with all the produce.  If we would sit down and add up all the cost, it probably is much more costly to grow and preserve the produce instead of just buying prepared foods at a grocery store.  However, the quality and taste I think is better with home grown food.  Knowing how much it costs monetarily and the physical work involved contributes to the appreciation we have for the food.

When I get ready to prepare the food for canning, I pick out the best.  Beans have to be checked for bug bites; bad spots on fruit has to be cut away; some kernels on the ears of corn are not filled out completely so the good kernels are cut off and the rest of the cob thrown away.  Depending on what I am working on, I may use a pressure canner for raw vegetables, or cook the food before it is put into containers to freeze.  Fruit for jelly is peeled or chopped up, cooked, strained and then boiled with pectin and sugar before putting into jars to seal.  Each process is done carefully so that the best product is preserved and sealed until such time it will be open and used.

After another night of hours in the kitchen making jelly, I started thinking about how God is also into preserving. 

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Being Slack

Published on by Joan Category: Devotions

Do you ever find yourself being constantly busy but feel like you can’t get anything done?   I once thought that when my kids were grown that life would slow down.  Nope.  Didn’t happen.  It seems that there is always something that has to be done, some problem that needs attention, some unexpected task or obligation arises or just anything can occur that takes up time.  Some of those things are necessary, such as a job duty or household chores.  Some things, like an unexpected visit with family and friends, are welcome.

Since I’ve been busy, there are certain things I have had to let slide.  Like writing.  When I started my blogs, I was so excited.  I planned to post something new at least every week.  Then the things I had let go as I took the time to get the web sites set up started demanding attention.  (My family seems to like to eat, have clean clothes to wear and be able to walk through the house without tripping over something).  My love of writing hasn’t lessoned, I just had other things to occur that seemed to take priority.  The age old dilemma of how to balance time is a never ending struggle.

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