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SPRING has really SPRUNG!
-even though we still have cold temperatures!
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Matthew 6:19-34
..." “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and wealth.
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not worth much more than they?
And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
And why are you worried about clothing?
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’
For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
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Luke 21:13
..."It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony."...
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Life is a steep climb, and it is always encouraging to have those ahead of us “call back” and cheerfully summon us to higher ground. We all climb together, so we should help one another.
The mountain climbing of life is serious, but glorious, business; it takes strength and steadiness to reach the summit. And as our view becomes better as we gain altitude, and as we discover things of importance, we should “call back” our encouragement to others.
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If you have gone a little way ahead of me, call back--
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track;
And if, perhaps, Faith's light is dim, because the oil is low,
Your call will guide my lagging course as wearily I go.
Call back, and tell me that He went with you into the storm;
Call back, and say He kept you when the forest's roots were torn;
That, when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook the hill,
He bore you up and held you where the lofty air was still.
O friend, call back, and tell me for I cannot see your face;
They say it glows with triumph, and your feet sprint in the race;
But there are mists between us and my spirit eyes are dim,
And I cannot see the glory, though I long for word of Him.
But if you'll say He heard you when your prayer was but a cry,
And if you'll say He saw you through the night's sin-darkened sky-
If you have gone a little way ahead, O friend, call back--
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony tack.
--December 19, Streams in the Desert
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Ephesians 2:1-10
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."...
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In my father's house and his back yard
There are piles of junk and two rusted cars
They remind him of his younger days
He keeps his memories all over the place
He's a packrat of some great repute
A fact that no man could dispute
Mom just shakes her head and sighs
And keeps her kitchen clean
Ahh there's a place for everything
So why can't he ever find anything
Still it comforts him just knowing
That it's always there if he needs it
He's built sheds and barns to house his stuff
There are shelves and bins and hooks and dust
His little empire fills him up with pride
The neighbors cringe, he just smiles
Ahh there's a place for everything
So why can't he ever find anything
Still it comforts him just knowing
That it's always there if he needs it
Well I must admit I understand
These traits we share with this old man
Dad's got higher piles of junk than mine
But I'm sure I'll catch up in time
Ahh there's a place for everything
So why can't I ever find anything
Still it comforts me just knowing
That it's always there if I need it
He's got buckets full of rusted bolts and two drawers packed with old remotes from TVs that died long ago and ashes from an old wood stove.
His work bench is piled with wires and screws and things he's not sure what they do, he's got stacks of shingles, he's got a perfect roof and old electric motors too...
Ahh there's a place for everything...
--Lance Cowan/Sam Gray
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Hat tip to Tim and own his dad :o)
And so much love, happiness, and joy in my memories of my own father...
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Show No Partiality
"My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."
James 2:1
A living faith is not only a listening faith but also a doing faith. True belief manifests itself in action--and, in some cases, in inaction. In other words, true faith is known not only by what it does but also by what it doesn't do--for example, as James points out, by not showing partiality.
Partiality--the sin of treating people differently due to their outward appearance, status, or usefulness--was a clear and present danger in James's day, and it remains so in our own. James was not condemning all acknowledgment of distinctions, or even preferential treatment for legitimate reasons. A young man who gives up his bus seat for an elderly woman is not running foul of James' teaching! Rather, what James was making absolutely clear is this: external characteristics, and especially those that indicate wealth, in and of themselves do not mean that someone deserves honor.
This is the point of the illustration in James 2: if two men enter our gathering, one in fine clothing and the other in shabby, and the wealthy man gets the place of honor while the poor man gets shoved aside, then we are guilty of the sin of partiality. To give such preferential treatment to the wealthy would be to make "distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts" (v.4). God does not judge us by such distinctions, and so neither should we judge others in this way.
In His life and ministry, Jesus displayed how impartiality ought to look. He was willing to allow a woman of ill repute to weep over Him and for her tears to wash His feet (Luke 7:36-50). And He was just as prepared to call a rich man down from a tree to take Him to his house (19:1-10). Why? Because He knew that great wealth and worldly honor do not and cannot make someone more valuable in God's eyes. He was well-acquainted with both the richest of riches and the lowest circumstances imaginable. In descending from heaven, exchanging honor for humility, Jesus set aside the glory which was His due in order to draw near to and save sinners like us--rich and poor alike.
When we grasp the wonder of this reality, we begin to see the true ugliness of judging others on the basis of the external and superficial.Partiality should have no place among the people of God because if we know God at all, it is because He dealt with us impartially. Be honest with yourself, then, and ask the Lord for the grace to see others in the way He does and to show others the mercy and grace He has shown you.
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Both of my Bible studies are teaching, studying anxiety and trusting the LORD through it all.
Thankful :o)
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Got to go....I have pill containers to fill....
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In1854 the Republican Party was formed in Wisconsin to fight against Slavery.
America still has brave people choosing to be good citizens.
The Brave are still out there.
Be Brave for America.
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