“Cease striving and know that I am God"

 -Alistair Begg

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Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,


A very present help in trouble.


Therefore we will not fear, 

though the earth should change


And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;


Though its waters roar and foam,


Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,


The holy dwelling places of the Most High.


God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;


God will help her when morning dawns.


The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;


He raised His voice, the earth melted.


The Lord of hosts is with us;


The God of Jacob is our stronghold. 

Come, behold the works of the Lord,


Who has wrought desolations in the earth.


He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;


He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;


He burns the chariots with fire.


“Cease striving and know that I am God;


I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth.”


The Lord of hosts is with us;


The God of Jacob is our stronghold. 

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Be Still And Know             by Jay Stocker

Be still my soul

Be still and know that He is God

Rest quietly

Rest in His loving arms for--

He is watching over you

Ever faithful, ever true

So be still my soul

Be still and know that He is God.

Be still my soul

Be still and listen for His voice

Rest in His peace

Knowing how much He cares for-- 

He is watching over you

Ever faithful, ever true

So be still my soul

Be still and know that He is God.

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Psalm 37

7a "...Rest in the Lord 

and wait patiently for Him..."

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Choosing to be Kind

Living our lives among unfriendly, unkind people is difficult, to say the least.

If certain people claim to be Christians, for us, it can be extremely hurtful.

Even so, We can choose to rise above their words and hurtful attitudes of us--the LORD is our comfort: He is our strength.

Colossians 3:12-17

..."So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."...

Ephesians 4:17-32

..."So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

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Rest and Wait Patiently in the LORD

-a friend's beautiful quilt 

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If God says no to our prayer, dear heart,

And the clouds hang heavy and dull and gray;

If the rough rocks hinder and block the way,

While the sharp winds pierce us and sting with cold;

Yet, dear, there is home at the journey's end,

And these are the trials the Father does send

To draw us as sheep to His Heavenly fold,

If God says no to our prayers, dear heart.

-unknown

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Psalm 37:7-11

..."Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;

And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.

But the humble will inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity."...

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Waiting on the LORD will be a Blessing

 -Kinsman, Purple and Yellow Cone Flowers

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"Believers who have a proper reverence

 

for God will wait for Him to carry out

 

His will in His timing."

-unknown

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Psalm 37: 4-11

..."Delight yourself in the Lord;


And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,


Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light


And your judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord, 

they will inherit the land.

Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;

And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.

But the humble will inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity."...

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My Gracious Master!

~Yellowstone FB

..."My gracious Master and my God,

assit me to proclaim,

to spread through all the earth abroad

the honors of thy name."...

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Mark 16:15

Jesus said: ...“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."...

2 Timothy 4:1-5 

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God 

and of Christ Jesus, 

who is to judge the living and the dead,

and by His appearing and His kingdom: 

preach the word; 

be ready in season and out of season; 

reprove, rebuke, exhort, 

with great patience and instruction.

For the time will come when they will not 

endure sound doctrine; 

but wanting to have their ears tickled, 

they will accumulate for themselves teachers 

in accordance to their own desires,

and will turn away their ears from the truth 

and will turn aside to myths.

But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, 

do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."...

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In the Presence of God

 2 Timothy 4:1-5

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God 

and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living

and the dead, and by His appearing and 

His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in 

season and out of season; reprove, 

rebuke, exhort, with great patience 

and instruction.

For the time will come when they will 

not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to 

have their ears tickled, they will 

accumulate for themselves teachers 

in accordance to their own desires, 

and will turn away their ears from 

the truth and will turn aside to myths.

But you, be sober in all things, 

endure hardship, do the work 

of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

*

This is the way the LORD planned it to be.

Colossians 3:12-17

..."So, as those who have been chosen of God, 

holy and beloved, 

put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, 

gentleness and patience; 

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other,

 whoever has a complaint against anyone; 

just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, 

which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 

to which indeed you were called in one body; 

and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, 

with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another 

with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, 

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks through Him to God the Father."...

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KINDNESS, CARE, & LOVE

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Be True to God's Truth and so Be True to You

Own Yourself

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. 

If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened ─ but no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

Rudyard Kipling

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2 Timothy 4

"I solemnly charge you in the presence 

of God and of Christ Jesus, 

who is to judge the living and the dead, 

and by His appearing and His kingdom:

preach the word; 

be ready in season and out of season; 

reprove, 

rebuke, 

exhort, 

with great patience 

and instruction.

For the time will come 

when they will not endure sound doctrine; 

but wanting to have their ears tickled, 

they will accumulate for themselves 

teachers in accordance to their own desires, 

and will turn away their ears from the truth 

and will turn aside to myths.

But you, 

be sober in all things, 

endure hardship, 

do the work of an evangelist, 

fulfill your ministry."...

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Thankful for our Freedom!

The preamble to the Declaration states:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government …

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What did you say? I can't hear you...

To this day I still can not fathom how insensitive and arrogant some people behave to those who can not hear or hear well. 

Our world is full of people losing their hearing. Unfortunately we know people who continue to be 

rude

hurtful

impolite

alienting

cruel

       

offensive

                                            uncaring

                                            uncharitable.

Most of these people claim Jesus' Name! and yet they mock and degrade those who have hearing loss.

Why does this happen?!

Where are their manners?!

Why don't they have proper decorum?!

Where is their compassion and understanding?!

Psalm 51:17

..."The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."...

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It is very true that those who can not hear well - even with hearing aids - do often ask to have words repeated, for something to be explained again, or they may interpret your words incorrectly. 

A solution:

Please try to understand what their world is like. 

Don't be indifferent.

Don't be discouraging.

Do practice understanding.

Do practice compassion and patience.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

..."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

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What did I say? I will gladly repeat it for you :o)

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Patriotism in the MidWest, but Freedom in Christ Jesus!

We love America. It has been a safe haven for innumerable peoples for way over 200 years. 

We who love the LORD God of the Bible cherish our freedom in this country. We love the LORD and we love America.

These two things seem to go hand in hand, but that is not the real case.

To love the LORD God of the Bible, to trust in His Son, Jesus as our Savior, to look for comfort from the Holy Spirit is universal around the world in every country, free or oppressed. 

Our love, trust, and devotion to the LORD is primary to us no matter where we live.

It is God we trust - not people. Let us live vibrantly for the LORD where ever we are!

Colossians 3:12-17

"So, as those who have been chosen of God, 

holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, 

kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, 

whoever has a complaint against anyone;

just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, 

which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 

to which indeed you were called in one body;

and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, 

with all wisdom teaching and admonishing 

one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, 

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

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Everyone needs a hug now and then.

Reach out to others. Let them know you are thinking of them. 

Real hugs are wonderful, but it is really quite easy to give a hug with sweet, caring words. 

Try it, you may like it-- someone may give you a hug someday.

Ephesians 4:32

..."Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

Colossians 3:12-17

..."So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."...

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