this week...hope

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 ESV

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1 ESV 

Yes, patience is a virtue...but He continues to give us the strength to keep on. Praises for a week filled with glimmers of hope for the everyday, continued reminders of our ultimate hope, complete in Him.

why I love swishing diapers in the toilet...

...Well, actually I don't really love swishing diapers in the toilet...it might be quite the opposite actually.  But it was a funny thing that swishing of the diaper the other day. So first, if you have no idea what I am talking about, I will spare you the details, it is one of the simple joys of cloth diapering if you have neglected to attach a sprayer to your toilet (are you getting the gist of it?) For those of you familiar with the cloth diapering, are you sympathizing with me, especially considering it is a two year old who is wearing them? But back to the point. As I sat there and swished the other day, feeling the woe-is-me pity party coming on I began to sing "Oh how I love..." and swishing was going to come out with sarcasm but what came out, "Jesus." And by His grace, I kept singing "oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me." And how quickly my perspective changed.
He reminded me:
~how I had so earnestly wanted to use cloth diapers
~how an old college roommate (and friend) had sent me an entire box of new cloth diapers because she had never used them, only because she saw I was hoping to use them in a random Facebook post
~how we had held on to these diapers and not gotten around to selling them
~how even though these diapers had caused an allergy earlier in this little one, were now working beautifully when our finances were tight
~how I was blessed with sweet ones
~how I was blessed to have a bathroom
~how I was blessed to have water
~how I could and should praise Him even in the swishing of diapers
...and I sang with joy that day and I continue to each time I swish...because He blesses.

Perspective through a heart of gratitude...not in my own strength but by His grace, as I ask Him to renew my mind, to fill me with His Spirit and to give me His perspective. Humbly, day by day, treasuring each joy He fills me with, seeing it through His eyes and not my own and with the world's perspective. He is faithful.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

love thy neighbor (linked post)...being content

(From Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotional)

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour."
Matthew 5:43

"Love thy neighbour." Perhaps he rolls in riches, and thou art poor, and living in thy little cot side-by-side with his lordly mansion; thou seest every day his estates, his fine linen, and his sumptuous banquets; God has given him these gifts, covet not his wealth, and think no hard thoughts concerning him. Be content with thine own lot, if thou canst not better it, but do not look upon thy neighbour, and wish that he were as thyself. Love him, and then thou wilt not envy him.

Perhaps, on the other hand, thou art rich, and near thee reside the poor. Do not scorn to call them neighbour. Own that thou art bound to love them. The world calls them thy inferiors. In what are they inferior? They are far more thine equals than thine inferiors, for "God hath made of one blood all people that dwell upon the face of the earth." It is thy coat which is better than theirs, but thou art by no means better than they. They are men, and what art thou more than that? Take heed that thou love thy neighbour even though he be in rags, or sunken in the depths of poverty.

But, perhaps, you say, "I cannot love my neighbours, because for all I do they return ingratitude and contempt." So much the more room for the heroism of love. Wouldst thou be a feather-bed warrior, instead of bearing the rough fight of love? He who dares the most, shall win the most; and if rough be thy path of love, tread it boldly, still loving thy neighbours through thick and thin. Heap coals of fire on their heads, and if they be hard to please, seek not to please them, but to please thy Master; and remember if they spurn thy love, thy Master hath not spurned it, and thy deed is as acceptable to him as if it had been acceptable to them. Love thy neighbor, for in so doing thou art following the footsteps of Christ."

This might be one of my favorite devotionals. The gift the Lord gave Mr. Spurgeon in his ability to write so eloquently and with such truth touches my heart. 

Thinking on this devotional...remembering to be content where you are at (no you don't have to stay there, but if that is where you are to be, be content) and you are not better than anyone else. The Lord has a plan for each of us and a refining process, and He knows just how to get to those weak, unfruitful areas in our lives. We praise Him through it all. Isn't that what we are called to do? To love and worship Him. Paul praised Him with little and much. He praised Him in the most beautiful of places and in the pits of prison. Can't I do the same? Yes, by His grace and mercy. He has shown me so much this winter...weak areas, prideful areas and more of who He is and how I can trust Him. I am humbled and thankful. I am praying we are going into a restful season, it's not easier but more of a time feeling a bit more secure financially. No matter what though, I know His provision, faithfulness and grace is sufficient for this mama. I love my Father with all my heart!

Praying your day is blessed!

Words of truth (linked post)...

"It reminds me of the Lord....you see I'm His daughter and there are countless times that I have a desire, one that wouldn't really amount to anything if it came true, except to put a smile on my face.  And the Lord does it for me.  Not because I deserve it, because I sure don't.  But, because He loves me.  What a thought!  The Creator of the Universe loves me and gives me the desires of my heart!  And I can't help but think that as I smile for His wonderful gifts He showers on me,  that it makes Him happy that I'm His girl."
~Kami- A Day in the Life of a Missionary Wife (blog)

Beautiful words that we should all be remembering as His children :)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”~Joshua 1:9 ESV

Reading about fear this morning and knowing He is right here with us, trusting Him on this journey for His glory, because we are His.

Him, and not the world...

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 

~1 John 2:15-17

Food and nourishment for the soul...

A blessed and happy week to you, keeping our eyes on Him :)

In His Word Sunday-the love of money (part 1)

I've decided to pick a word on Sundays that the Lord has been working on my heart with...today is Money.  Leave me a note if He is doing the same in your heart and you write about it-how we can learn from one another!  Blessings!

The Lord is continually teaching us.  Teaching us who He is, who we are, who we are in Him...
This week, I sat down with our boys to begin a study on money.  After hearing, "I want..", "can I have...", "can we go to...", "when I get..." continually, woo-wee it starts to wear on you precious nerves.  And I will admit it isn't just the continual asking for more and more and the seemingly ungrateful attitudes...it is also the part of having to say no majority of the time.  But dear ones, can I say how good our God is, when we say (or type) it out loud (confessing, if you will), He sure is awesome in revealing sinful nature there.  For me to be able to say yes to everything, would we be able to teach a grateful heart?  Would we be able to teach a content spirit?  Would we be able to teach a generous hand?

He is good :)

Okay, so that was a some what side note but, praise the Lord-I have to share what He reveals!  Anyhow, we started to read about God's money.  I took the big concordance out and we found verses on money.  Where did we end up?  Here:

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.


The earlier part of the verse speaks foundational wisdom and roots:  1 Timothy 6:6-10


 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

We will be studying this for a while.  Not only for them but for myself as well.  I didn't learn how to handle money well and it has been an ongoing lesson (and sometimes battle) for me.  I can't emphasize enough the amazing gift and responsibility we have as parents to teach our children how to handle God's money.  When we instill in them the truth of being God's stewards when they are young, prayerfully they will continue on that path as adults, avoiding unneeded hardships that come with unhealthy views and handling of finances.

Deuteronomy 15:6

6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

Psalm 37:21

 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, 

   but the righteous give generously;

Romans 13:8

 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

Also,

Here is a great series on Revive Our Hearts (Calling Women to Freedom, Fullness and Fruitfulness in Christ):  Financial Wisdom for God's Glory with Jan Thompson (a 4 part series that is downloadable, I believe.)


Praying for the Lord's hand upon you, learning His ways, teaching them to your young, and being good stewards of what He has entrusted to your care.

Most importantly,

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

to be continued...