TAKE TIME TO BE STILL....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Take time to be still in My Presence.  The more hassled you feel, the more you need this sacred space of communion with Me.  Breathe slowly and deeply.  Relax in My holy Presence while My Face shines upon you.  This is how you receive My Peace, which I always proffer to you.

Imagine the pain I feel when My children tie themselves up in anxious knots, ignoring My gift of Peace.  I died a criminal's death to secure this blessing for you.  Receive it gratefully; hide it in your heart.  My Peace is an inner treasure, growing within you as you trust in Me.  Therefore, circumstances cannot touch it.  Be still, enjoying Peace in My Presence.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

Difficult Times....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord.  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Difficult times are pregnant with glory moments — moments when we see God just waiting to be birthed in the lives of those willing to labor through the pain. The key is to not allow bitterness and anger to make our hearts infertile to God’s gifts. One way to avoid the darkening of the soul is by constant communication seasoned with thanksgiving — a continual acknowledgement of His presence.

He is far more interested in developing our character than doling out a life of comfort and ease.

Sharon Jaynes - Proverbs 31 Ministries

God Gets Us Through Stuff

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from us, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Whatever it is—you’ll get through this! You think you won’t. But we all do! We fear the depression will never lift, the yelling will never stop, the pain will never leave. We wonder, will this gray sky ever brighten? Will we ever exit this pit?

Yes! Deliverance is to the Bible what jazz music is to Mardi Gras— big, bold, and everywhere. Out of the lion’s den for Daniel, the prison for Peter, the whale’s belly for Jonah, the grave for Lazarus, and the shackles for Paul…God gets us through stuff! Through the wilderness, through the valley of the shadow of death– through is a favorite word of God’s! Isaiah 4:32 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned…” You will get through this!

Max Lucado

A Bruised Reed Will He Not Break

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

"A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench:  he shall bring forth judgment unto truth."          Isaiah  42:3

     To what end is pain?  I do not clearly know.  But I have noticed that when one who has not suffered draws near to one in pain there is rarely much power to help.  There is not the understanding that leaves the suffering things comforted, though perhaps not a word was spoken.  I have wondered if it can be the same in the sphere of prayer.

     Does pain accepted and endured give some quality that would otherwise be lacking in prayer?  Does it create sympathy which can lay itself alongside the need, feeling it as though it were personal, so that it is possible to do just what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said,  "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body"  (Hebrews  13:3)?

     "A bruised reed shall he not break"  (Isaiah  42:3).  The poorest shepherd boy on our South Indian hills is careful to choose, for the making of his flute, a reed that is straight and fine and quite unbruised.  But our heavenly Shepherd often takes the broken and the bruised, and of such He makes His flutes.

Antidote For Bitterness

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Just because I’ve been hurt doesn’t mean I now have to live hurt. I can get mad and bitter and spread more hurt around. Or, I can choose grace and gentle responses and spread more hope around.

Hurt people, hurt people.
Healed people, heal people.
And I want to be in that latter group
.
There’s nothing we can do to eliminate the pain of rejection. Oh, how I wish there were. With every fiber of my being, I wish I could remove it from my world and yours. But I can’t. The only thing to help my heart heal from these deep wounds is the constant pursuit of the sweetest grace.

To love God is to cooperate with His grace. And since I’m so very aware of my own need for grace, I must be willing to freely give it away. Each hole left from rejection is an opportunity to create more and more space for grace in my heart.

From: "Proverbs 31 Ministries"

Calming Faith

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."  Psalm  23:2

     The sweet psalmist David sang of calming faith.  Lean in and listen to a line of this beloved recital:  "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."

     Notice David sang of how the Lord "maketh" and the Lord "leadeth."  In other words, young David didn't come up with the idea to stop and rest in the lush pastureland.  His youthful vitality probably vied for  higher ground.  David was probably humming bee-bop, and the Lord was saying,  "Stop."  The Lord knew that the shepherd boy and the sheep needed a break.

     David then points out that he had to be led by the Lord to the still waters.  I wonder if David had to be led because he was naturally drawn to the excitement of the rushing waters?  It certainly is that way with us. Left to our own agendas, we either run at breakneck speeds right past the pasture, enamored with our frenzied pace, or sit in parched misery.  The Shepherd, who understands our naivete and our humanity (not to mention our sheeplike stupidity), intervenes on our behalf to guide us with a strong hand onto a quiet path and into a calmer faith.

     Yep, a calmer faith.  That's the quiet place within us where we don't get whiplash every time life tosses us a curve.  Where we don't revolt when his plan and ours conflict.  Where we relax (versus stew, sweat, and swear) in the midst of an answerless season.  Where we accept (and expect) deserts in our spiritual journey as surely as we do joy.  Where we are not intimidated or persuaded by other people's agendas but moved only by him.  Where we weep in repentance, sleep in peace, live in fullness, and sing of victory.

     Ultimately our life in Christ makes us winners.  And being winners in the Lord means that nothing we go through is for naught.  There is just something about knowing that my failures, others' failures, hardships, mistakes, losses, and pain have meaning.  For me, that understanding eases some of the agony of life and encourages me to keep on keeping on.

     If you asked those who know me well, they would tell you I am a reactive woman.  Often overstated in my responses, I have knots on my cranium from bouncing off ceilings.  I've always admired laid-back people (when I wasn't aggravated by their seeming lack of gumption).  I know I need to settle down, but I'm wired tightly.  Even though some of those wires seem frayed (like the ones that connect my thoughts), I can't nestle down in the green pastures long enough to enjoy the feast of His provision.  It's also difficult for me to stay at the water's edge to quench my thirst because I'm busy splashing around in the shallowness of my own agenda.  Imagine giving up Niagara Falls for a dripping faucet.

     I'm grateful the Lord maketh and the Lord leadeth, for I needeth in a big way!  I needeth the One who madeth me to holdeth me together.  When I am irrational, irksome, or irate, I need the Shepherd of this willful sheep to maketh me still and sane.  That way, instead of telling off tellers, I can extend courtesy.  Instead of setting my husband straight, I can extend understanding.  Instead of having all the answers, I can extend a listening ear.

     Perhaps that is why the Lord brought David to the pasture and the water's edge.  He knew this young boy would one day be an influential king, and he would need to know how to be still, understanding, attentive, courteous, and calm.  The Lord knew David would have to deal with critical issues both politically and personally.  He knew the king would need to know where to go when life became too much, when he needed to be restored in his soul, when he just plain needed a break.

     When you need a break, where do you tend to go?  The mountains?  A valley?  A pastureland?  The water's edge?

     Wherever each of us chooses, we all know what it feels like to be at rest.  And we all long for that more sane life-style rather than being overwhelmed.  But are we willing to leave the press long enough to lie down in the soothing green pastures and to be led by the still waters of His provision?  That, my friend, is not resort living but restored living.  And each of us needs it!

"Joy Breaks"

Revelation 21:4

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

That Wonderful Book

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

           ". . .  give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies."  Psalm  119:125

     The Bible is the only eternal Book, and it shall never perish.  How important then to know what it contains.  David prayed,  "Give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies."  But you cannot know it - unless you read it.  Have you done so?  In my notebook I came upon the following paragraph from an unknown author, which I pass on to you:

     "The Bible is our greatest national asset, the masterpiece of God.  It comes to us drenched in the tears of millions of contritions, worn with the fingers of the saints of the ages, expounded by the greatest intellects, and stained with the blood of the martyrs.  It is the fountain in which dying believers cooled their hot faces, the pillow on which saints of all ages have rested their heads.  It breaks the fetters of the slave, takes the heat out of life's fierce fever, the pain out of parting, the sting out of death, and the gloom out of the grave.

     "The Bible is the old-time Book, the new-time Book, the all-time Book.  It will demonstrate its own character and its own power.  This is the Rock of all ages, and they who build upon it are as eternal as God.  The Name of Jesus, the Supreme Personality, the center of the world's desire, is on every page in one form or another.  Pierce the Book anywhere, and it bleeds with His priceless blood, shed for our redemption. The divine Book has all the answers to man's every need.  To find them is our greatest privilege and opportunity."

     In the Scripture for today (Psalm 119) David says that the Word teaches, gives understanding, directs, cleanses, establishes, turns us and quickens us.  The importance of this Book outweighs all others!

"Bread For Each Day"

I AM ABOVE ALL THINGS....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians 4:31

I AM ABOVE ALL THINGS:  your problems, your pain, and the swirling events in this ever-changing world.  When you behold My Face, you rise above circumstances and rest with Me in heavenly realms.  This is the way of Peace, living in the Light of My Presence.  I guarantee that you will always have problems in this life, but they must not become your focus.  When you feel yourself sinking in the sea of circumstances, say  "Help me, Jesus!"  and I will draw you back to Me.  If you have to say that thousands of times daily, don't be discouraged.  I know your weakness, and I meet you in that very place.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace In His Presence"