consider it :)

today's bouquet of thankfulness

before i jump in bed, i like to savor the good moments of the day and thank God for them.
here are a few from today:
-my co-worker Ann. when i dove into today's tasks at work i needed some training from Ann. for about 6 weeks now, she's exemplified gentleness, patience, encouragement, and overall warmth & welcome. how many people get to work with coworkers like her (and Laura too - more on how great Laura is later!)
-i ate the yummiest peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. it's the simple pleasures.
-i finished two projects i had been working on for some time at both my jobs and it felt great to check off those items... finally!
-more donations came in for the weekend garage sale! praise God for putting generosity in people's hearts. and 3 more people decided to help out on the day of the event too. yay!
- my family had a good-bye dinner for my second-cousin who's returning to Colombia after visiting for a few weeks. i'm thankful for her visit and hoping it was good (on various levels) for her too.
- at dinner another relative from Colombia called. it had been 20 years since we saw each other and we had such a lovely phone conversation. as children we had such a blast together! we've reconnected and it looks like i have a new friend.
- from dinner i headed over to the last half of life group. it's wonderful how letting your guard down and praying with women who genuinely care can be so refreshing - both on the giving and receiving ends. it was really good tonight.
- when i got home, i had a delightful little card from a dear friend on my desk waiting for me with a verse that has been reoccuring over the past few weeks. (from psalm 27)

So, there's the bouquet you gave me to enjoy throughout the day, Lord, and now I offer it back up to you with a grateful heart.

goodnight.

Gozo

Joy is a weapon.

Am I using that weapon?

"the joy of the Lord is your strength"

Nehemiah 8:10b

This hit home this morning.

no blurry vision

I'm reading Elisabeth Elliot's book, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, (it's EXCELLENT!) and wanted to share a little quote with you:

"Her great longing was to have a 'single eye' for the glory of God. Whatever might blur the vision God had given her of His work, whatever could distract or deceive or tempt others to seek anything but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself she tried to eliminate. Why waste precious time, painful effort, on lesser things?" (pg. 84).

Father, thank you for truly holding the world in your hands. Please lift us on your shoulders to get your perspective. Stamp eternity on our eyes, please Lord!

what matters most

"Each of you has put to flight a thousand of the enemy for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised. So be careful to keep on loving him" (Joshua 23:10-11, The Living Bible).

Joshua is addressing the Israelites near the end of his life. He recounts to them where God has taken them and their forefathers and instructs them about what matters most: "keep on loving him".

My devotional this morning encouraged me to communicate what I would say in a "farewell address" to the world. It would come straight from Matthew 22:37-40:
-Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
-Love your neighbor as yourself.
-All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commands.

Oy! I have to leave for work, but there's a bit of a summary :).

Father, please help us to love you and others in the way that you intend us to.

"Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus... Just from Jesus simply taking life and joy and peace...Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh, for grace to trust Him more!"

He keeps His promises

"So in this way the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had promised to their ancestors, and they went in and conquered it and lived there. And the Lord gave them peace, just as he had promised, and no one could stand against them; the Lord helped them destroy all their enemies. Every good thing the Lord had promised them came true" (Joshua 21:43-45, The Living Bible).


At any given point in our lives we are standing on one side or the other of God's promises and provision. I look at some of the answered prayers that have very specifically come to pass and those instances remind me that God is faithful and does not disappoint. This gives me hope for the unanswered prayers that still linger in my heart. I believe they are actually already answered, but since we operate in a linear timeline, they are simply not revealed yet. I'm thankful, though, because I know I couldn't handle all the joy, grief, and every other emotion in between all at once.


All in all, I'm hanging on to the truth that God's will is "good, pleasing, and perfect" (Romans 12:2).

So, Lord, please continue to take us to the "land" you've given each of us to possess in all respects: spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and mental. We want to dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture as we trust in you and do good (Psalm 37:3). Please help us to move forward with courage, boldness, and confidence in You as we face the opposition of the enemy and our own flesh. Please help us to endure with you as our focus and your glory as our goal. I love you, Father. Amen.