Regrets

The two sides of regret - the doing and the not doing.

1)Not doing: that sickening feeling that a person feels when they realize that they missed an opportunity to do something and didn't take it

2)Doing: that sickening feeling a person feels when they realize they said or did something they shouldn't have said or done.

No matter which side of regret I fall on, that feeling can be like a wave crashing over me. Can you relate? Unfortunately I have felt both sides and with the same results... miserable feelings of regret. It is so easy to get stuck in that place, living in the past and reliving our sense of failure (whether perceived or real). May I encourage you today to look at these experiences through the lens of scripture?

Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." But praise be to God that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9

One of the redeeming qualities of life is that we don't have to live in the past, we can make amends and move forward to make different, better decisions. God knows our frame, that we are weak and sinful yet He has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Himself: through Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.

So next time you begin to get swallowed up by feelings of regret, remember that God has already made a way for you to be restored and get on the right path again.

One Thousand Gifts

Gratitude - thankfulness - joy.

I have been challenged to pursue these characteristics by a book I am reading. Currently I am barely at chapter 4 but I am challenged to make a list. Not just any list but a list that will cultivate an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness. A list that contains those things that bring joy and wonder from day to day, that reflect God and His creative genius, that inspire awe.

The lofty goal? To list one thousand gifts, everyday things that are gifts from God no matter how small or great. Day by day, one at a time, writing in a journal those things no matter how long it takes. No pressure, no limits, just opening my eyes to see all those things that bring joy and acknowledging them by putting them to paper as they capture my attention.

Here are a couple of things that are on my "One Thousand Gifts List":

1. the beauty of snow capped mountains

7. the sound of falling rain

9. my husband's heartbeat as I rest my head on his chest

16. a sky full of fluffy clouds

Would you like to join me? I believe that we may end up surpassing a thousand but let's not worry about that. Let's put one foot in front of the other and see where this journey takes us.

A Great Exercise in Praise

When I lay down to sleep and the thoughts in my mind are tumbling around like old shoes in a dryer I need something to bring my mind to rest. Here's one of my favorite things to do:

Think on the attributes and names of God and Christ in alphabetical order! (You know, I don't usually get past M before I fall asleep.) Here are just a few ideas that come to mind.... hopefully I won't fall asleep!
I'd love to hear other attributes that you come up or even other "slow your mind" exercises :)

A- awesome, Alpha, Adonai, Abba, author (of our salvation)
B - beautiful, benevolent, blessed
C- Creator, counselor, cornerstone
D - deliverer
E - everlasting, eternal, Elohim, El Elyon
F - Father, faithful, fortress, forgiving, friend
G - gracious, good, God
H- holy,
I - indescribable, infinite, invisible, immutable
J - just, justifier, judge, jealous, Jehovah
K - King of Kings
L- Lord of Lords, loving, living, longsuffering, Lamb of God, lovely
M - Master, majestic, magnificent, merciful, Messiah
N - near (to those who are His)
O - Omega, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent
P - perfect, patient, powerful, Prince of Peace, protector
Q - Qedosh Yisrael (had to look this one up)
R - (El) Roi, Rock of Ages, restorer, righteous
S - Savior, sovereign, self-existent, Shepherd
T - trustworthy
U - undeniable, unchanging
V - victorious
W - wonderful, wise
X - Xcellent ;)
Y - Yahweh
Z - zzzzz zzzzz.......

Yahweh Tsuri ~ The Lord My Rock Pt 2

There may be times when we are falsely accused or slandered, unfairly mistreated or rejected. During those times, we may be tempted to defend ourselves by fighting back, slandering in return, or retaliating in some other form.

If you have confessed with your mouth and believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again to save you from your sins then you have a powerful defense... you can forgive them and freely turn it all over to God.

Should you find yourself in a situation like the ones I described above, let me encourage you to consider that God is your rock - He is your deliverer, He is your defender. Take refuge in Him, He is your salvation. Trust Him with those people, with that situation, with your hurt.

Echo David's prayer in II Samuel 22:2-4:

"He (David) said,
'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
My savior, You save me from violence.
4"I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.' "

Yahweh Tsuri ~ The Lord My Rock

When the storms of life are raging or the troubles of life are overwhelming, remember that God is our Rock. He is steadfast, immovable, reliable, unshakeable. Meditate on these truths from the Word of God, make them your prayer and praise today.


"There is no rock like our God."
I Samuel 2:2

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold."
Psalm 18:2

"For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God,
The God who girds me with strength
And makes my way blameless?"
Psalm 18:31-32

"Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer."
Psalm 19:14

"Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me."
Psalm 31:2-3

"From the end of the earth
I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Psalm 61:2

"He only is my rock and my salvation,My stronghold;
I shall not be greatly shaken...
He only is my rock and my salvation,My stronghold;
I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God."
Psalm 62:2,6-7

"And they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer."
Psalm 78:35

Believer be encouraged today

Charles Spurgeon Morning Devotion, May 28

"Whom he justified, them he also glorified."
- Romans 8:30

Here is a precious truth for thee, believer. Thou mayest be poor, or in suffering, or unknown, but for thine encouragement take a review of thy "calling" and the consequences that flow from it, and especially that blessed result here spoken of. As surely as thou art God’s child today, so surely shall all thy trials soon be at an end, and thou shalt be rich to all the intents of bliss. Wait awhile, and that weary head shall wear the crown of glory, and that hand of labour shall grasp the palm-branch of victory. Lament not thy troubles, but rather rejoice that ere long thou wilt be where "there shall be neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." The chariots of fire are at thy door, and a moment will suffice to bear thee to the glorified. The everlasting song is almost on thy lip. The portals of heaven stand open for thee. Think not that thou canst fail of entering into rest. If he hath called thee, nothing can divide thee from his love. Distress cannot sever the bond; the fire of persecution cannot burn the link; the hammer of hell cannot break the chain. Thou art secure; that voice which called thee at first, shall call thee yet again from earth to heaven, from death’s dark gloom to immortality’s unuttered splendours. Rest assured, the heart of him who has justified thee beats with infinite love towards thee. Thou shalt soon be with the glorified, where thy portion is; thou art only waiting here to be made meet for the inheritance, and that done, the wings of angels shall waft thee far away, to the mount of peace, and joy, and blessedness, where,

"Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in,"
thou shalt rest for ever and ever.

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, if there are any of you out there who may still check out my blog, I am back in the saddle again. I am not sure how often I will post but I am ready again to pick up the "pen".

My youngest daughter and I are going through the book of Hebrews this semester. We are reading and rereading it, taking a bite of it at a time and inductively studying it. You know, it is amazing how much God has packed in to His Word... to think I only scratch the surface! Today we were in Hebrews 6:10-20. One of the questions that we asked of the text is, "How does this passage encourage believers?"

Here are a few of those encouragements:

~God is not unjust to forget your work or your labor of love shown toward His name (v. 10)

~God is unchangeable in purpose (v. 17)

~It is impossible for God to lie (v. 18)

Why is this encouraging?

~We who have taken refuge have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us (v.18)

~That hope is an anchor to our soul, both sure and steadfast (v. 19)

~Jesus is our forerunner, our eternal High Priest (v. 20)

Because God's Word is exactly that, God's Word, it is absolute truth. We can look to these verses and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Christ did come, did die for our sins, did rise again on the third day, and He now sits at the right hand of the Father. Be strongly encouraged to take hold of that hold and hold firm to the end.

God bless you today and you cling to Him and His Word.
~G