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Psalm 1:2-His Word

by Twinkle Mom @ Wednesday, June 9th, 2010. Tags: scripture, Word-Filled Wednesdays
Filed under Word-Filled Wednesday

There is really no subsitute for God’s word…No taking of anyone else really, over what is in the bible and for anyone and not just a select few, but anyone to read, to cherish, to hold close to heart and to seek.

From the Matthew Henry Commentary it is shared:”To meditate in God’s word, is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with close application of mind and fixedness of thought. We must have constant regard to the word of God, as the rule of our actions, and the spring of our comforts; and have it in our thoughts night and day. For this purpose no time is amiss. (Ps 1:4-6)”

It’s not about what we think or feel, because feelings change and can often lie to us what is really there, but His word, is a strong foundation that never changes, has never changed and will never change.

In a reality, there really is just two ways of life…God’s way or our way, and from what happen with Adam and Eve, we already have seen what happen that choice led to.

From,”Psalm 1: Two Ways of Life“, it is shared,

“Passivity toward God and His Word leads to activity in sin and finally to overt activity against God. That is a law of life.

How do people scoff at the Word of God? (a) By blatant ridicule or rejection. But there are other ways. (b) By indifference. We think we have better things to do with our time. (c) By substituting one’s own ideas, experiences, emotions, feelings, or traditions for the Word and its principles. (d) By listening to the Word proclaimed, but then ignoring it. In essence we scoff at the Word when we fail to obey it and order our lives accordingly (cf. Prov. 1:22 with 29-33).

These verses pose a warning to us. They teach us how little by little we can step out of the place of blessedness and into the place of misery and cursing with horrible consequences.”

It is shared though later that,there is hope and it is in and through His word….as the article continued,

“The man who experiences great blessing is one who has a love affair with God’s Word. He/she is a person of the Scriptures. I would emphasize how remarkable this is. Note that that quality which characterizes the life of the blessed above everything else which could be mentioned is one’s relationship to the Word of God.”

“…..one’s relationship to the Word of God.”

He wants to have that relationship and for us to really know what Him and His word has to say and what He desires for us and the blessings that it offers….

Boils down to a simple choice.

One way.

Or the other.

Welcome back!

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Bearing Fruit-Matthew 13:22

by Twinkle Mom @ Wednesday, May 19th, 2010. Tags: Matthew 13:22, scripture, the 160 acre woods, Word-Filled Wednesdays
Filed under Word-Filled Wednesday

What is unfruitful in your life? It’s funny the things that we discovered are unfruitful when we take the time to check our lives and the world along with the ultimate truth, His word.

Not too long ago, I read and review a book called, “Present Perfect” in which the author shared the following:

From, “Present Perfect” ,
“For us ordinary Christians, trying to remain aware of God’s presence moment-by-moment seems like a hyperspiritual pipe dream. If you’re inclined to feel this way, it might be because like everyone else in modern Western culutre, you’ve been brainwashed by what is called “the secular worldview”.

In this view of the world, what’s real, or at least what’s important, is the physical here-and-now. When we’re brainwashed by this worldview, we experience the world as though God did not exist, for we habitually exclude Him from our awareness. We may still believe in God, of course, but He’s not real to us most of the time.

Because of this we go about our day-to-day lives as functional atheists. We may pray and worship God on occassion, but these are “special times,” isolated from our “normal,” secular day-to-day life.”-Chapter One, Mere Christianity, “Present Perfect” .

I hate to think that despite anything and everything that I read and feel, that I maybe a “functional atheists”, after all, that has to be very harsh words, but this verse, Matthew 13:22 (NKJV), convicts and challenges us to ask ourselves, “What in our lives, in what we do, say, read and see” bearing either good fruit that is a praise to and in our Heavenly Father, or bears bad fruit that only deadens and numbs us from His Glory and who and what He is.

From the MHC is shared the following thoughts on this passage:

The parable of the sower.

Jesus entered into a boat that he might be the less pressed, and be the better heard by the people. By this he teaches us in the outward circumstances of worship not to covet that which is stately, but to make the best of the conveniences God in his providence allots to us. Christ taught in parables. Thereby the things of God were made more plain and easy to those willing to be taught, and at the same time more difficult and obscure to those who were willingly ignorant.

The parable of the sower is plain.

The seed sown is the word of God. The sower is our Lord Jesus Christ, by himself, or by his ministers. Preaching to a multitude is sowing the corn; we know not where it will light. Some sort of ground, though we take ever so much pains with it, brings forth no fruit to purpose, while the good soil brings forth plentifully. So it is with the hearts of men, whose different characters are here described by four sorts of ground.

Careless, trifling hearers, are an easy prey to Satan; who, as he is the great murderer of souls, so he is the great thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob us of the word, if we take not care to keep it. Hypocrites, like the stony ground, often get the start of true Christians in the shows of profession. Many are glad to hear a good sermon, who do not profit by it.

They are told of free salvation, of the believer’s privileges, and the happiness of heaven; and, without any change of heart, without any abiding conviction of their own depravity, their need of a Saviour, or the excellence of holiness, they soon profess an unwarranted assurance. But when some heavy trial threatens them, or some sinful advantage may be had, they give up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system.

Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in with sin, and are a fruit of the curse; they are good in their place to stop a gap, but a man must be well armed that has much to do with them; they are entangling, vexing, scratching, and their end is to be burned, Heb 6:8.

Christ does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns;but none that could hinder its fruitfulness. All are not alike; we should aim at the highest, to bring forth most fruit. The sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing God’s word; and let us look to ourselves that we may know what sort of hearers we are. (Mt 13:24-30)

I hope and pray and seek and give myself to our Heavenly Father, that my thoughts, what I seek, what I am, is not determined or measure by what the world condones or desires, but by what our Heavenly Father desires.

For our lives to bear true fruit, it should seek, not after the world, but after Him, and part of that, is not going with the world, that often, like bad soil that is everywhere, doesn’t allow a plant to grow and eventually bear fruit, but instead, wither and eventually become part of unfruitful bad soil, but instead, going with that of our Heavenly Father, though there maybe patches here and there, at least, we know we can grow and be nurtured with nutrients, that will strengthen and help us grow in His light and in the process bear fruit

The purpose of Word filled Wednesday is to share God’s word (no famous quotes or other literature — only the beautiful word of our Father) through photo’s & a Bible verse!

If You’d like to join us for Word Filled Wednesday,post your photo and Bible verse and hop on over to AmyDeanne’s @ The 160 Acre Woods to share the link to your blog.

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Psalm 56:8-Bottle of Tears: Word Filled Wednesday

by Twinkle Mom @ Wednesday, May 5th, 2010. Tags: scripture, the 160 acre woods, Word-Filled Wednesdays
Filed under Word-Filled Wednesday

A dear friend shared this during a discussion we were having and I couldn’t take my mind off of this verse.

It was just a reminder to me, how much our dear Abba, our Father in Heaven, loves us so much that in times when we, any of us, are in pain, in sorrow, in grief, He is there.

Our tears collected and brushed from our eyes and Him, yearning, calling, pulling us close, telling us there is hope, there is love, there is a promise that He does and will deliver.

There were times when I thought the tears would never end and there are times when I see Him, seeing me through, and through it all…a reminder…we’re never alone through anything.

“You have collected my tears…….” a vivid reminder. The full scripture is:

⁸ You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book? (Psalm 56:8, New King James Version)

Matthew Henry Commentary shares:

The heavy and continued trials through which many of the Lord’s people have passed, should teach us to be silent and patient under lighter crosses. Yet we are often tempted to repine and despond under small sorrows.

For this we should check ourselves. David comforts himself, in his distress and fear, that God noticed all his grievances and all his griefs.

God has a bottle and a book for his people’s tears, both the tears for their sins, and those for their afflictions. He observes them with tender concern.

Every true believer may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and then I will not fear what man shall do unto me; for man has no power but what is given him from above. Thy vows are upon me, O Lord; not as a burden, but as that by which I am known to be thy servant; as a bridle that restrains me from what would be hurtful, and directs me in the way of my duty. And vows of thankfulness properly accompany prayers for mercy.

If God deliver us from sin, either from doing it,or by his pardoning mercy, he has delivered our souls from death, which is the wages of sin. Where the Lord has begun a good work he will carry it on and perfect it.

David hopes that God would keep him even from the appearance of sin.

We should aim in all our desires and expectations of deliverance, both from sin and trouble, that we may do the better service to the Lord; that we may serve him without fear. If his grace has delivered our souls from the death of sin, he will bring us to heaven,to walk before him for ever in light.

Sounds like what we all seek in our lives.

We have good days and we have bad days. No one is perfect but it also doesnt’ mean that we have license to continue to sin or to be bound in sin. Instead we should place our hope, not in anyone else but our Heavenly Father and not put the world or it’s petty wants before Him.

He holds us close. He seeks to free us from the bondage of sin. It can’t get any better than that.

I invite you to join and participate in Word Filled Wednesday. Right now it’s being hosted at Penny @ http://pennyraine.com/blog/

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Be Still—Mark 4:39–Word Filled Wednesday

by Twinkle Mom @ Wednesday, April 14th, 2010. Tags: scripture, the 160 acre woods, Word-Filled Wednesdays
Filed under Word-Filled Wednesday

Photobucket How easy in the busyness of life we forget to just….be still.

Not many of us can go away on a retreat but during “A Women Inspired”, I was inspired to create a personal retreat in my own home using inspiration from “5 Minute Retreats” shared on “Marsha Musings“.

I have a small wicker basket that I keep my bible, life journal a candle and “My Upmost for His Highest” in while looking for a hymn book to add to it, but the biggest thing is just embracing the importance to take time for ourselves and really learning to slow down.

More than anything, just learning to take time when time is needed.

Be it away from blogging, facebook, twitter, and just learning to establish boundaries and manage commitments so it doesn’t overwhelm but rather balance.

Peace.

Still.

Funny how the simplest thing is always the hardest thing for us.

Feeling a bit tired?

Overwhelm?

Constantly on the go?

Maybe it’s time to take a breather…find and carve a little personal retreat at your home, even if it’s just at the kitchen table, pour a cup of coffee or hot tea, and re-energize yourself by having some quiet time with our Heavenly Father and His word.

Peace.

Be Still.

Listen.

Instead of being on the go, use this time instead to stop and listen to what our Heavenly Father. Five minutes. Hour. Sometimes, part of simplifying life is simply….being still.

Today’s hostess is Lori @ www.allyouhavetogive.com . If you’ll like to participate in WFW, it’s pretty simple. The purpose of Word filled Wednesday is to share God’s word (no famous quotes or other literature — only the beautiful word of our Father) through photo’s & a Bible verse!

So find a scripture that touches your heart and drop by this week’s hostess to leave a link to your blog.

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Matthew 13:31-32Word Filled Wednesday

by Twinkle Mom @ Wednesday, March 24th, 2010. Tags: scripture, the 160 acre woods, Word-Filled Wednesdays
Filed under Word-Filled Wednesday

Photobucket

Matthew 13:31-32 (New International Version)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

What a reminder of Spring.

The promise of new life and not far from now, we will be reminded of our Heavenly Father’s Son’s Ressurrection.

I did a little look into the signficance of why a mustard seed? After all…it is beautiful, it captures the heart, but it’s not roses.

I mean, when we are brought flowers from our loved one, it’s usually roses or something more ornate, but the mustard seed? When it blossoms…it is everywhere, it’s so ordinary and sometimes easy to miss, but for the birds, it is attractive and gives them a place to rest and it stands out from everything else.

Why?

From,”Parables of Jesus”, the writer shared,” …the message in the parable was hidden to many. Human nature looks for great things. It looks for self-importance, esteem of fellow men, pride and grandeur. Not so the kingdom of heaven. Even the disciples were not entirely free of this human trait, as they debated among themselves who should be the greatest. Jesus reproved them and made clear that the greatest were those who served. [Luke 9.46-48]

Our Father does not say, build me a tower and I will love you. Our Father does not say, if you’re not missing any teeth, I will love you. Our Father does not care what degree we do or do not have, or how well, or not so well we can speak.

Our Father loves us for us. All of us. Our imperfections. Our gifts (and we all have gifts, we just have to see them from His eyes and not from side to side eyes).He just loves us.

Just like we just love our kids for who they are, but His love, really. His love is just bigger, grander but simple.

What is humbling about what our Father’ Son did for us is as the writer shares,”Jesus, without whom the kingdom of God could never be established, was despised and rejected and finally crucified by his generation. They looked for glorious things and he offered them a mustard seed!”

It’s kinda like, waiting for a celebrity to pull up in a stretch limosiune, but instead He shows up in a beat up truck and saying, “Here I am”.

Wouldn’t you get that all too human,”Oh, not really what I expected”.

Yet…this is what He shares with us how simple and yet grand His kingdom would be. I was humble by a conversation I was privy to. Everyone was talking about the mansion they were getting when they got to Heaven and what type of crown they might get and one person said,”I’m just happy if I go to Heaven and clean the toilet. It doesn’t matter what I get because at least I’m going to be in Heaven”.

Oooo.

Talk about missing the point.

What if we go to Heaven and the mansion we have there, doesn’t match up to what we thought either. What if we don’t even get a mansion, but maybe just a humble home. Are we going to go. “Oh”.

Or are we going to just be thankful to just be in Heaven, with Him, our Father.

Have faith like a mustard seed and see what blossoms.

It’s not roses but that’s okay.

The thing is…it’s not about what we are going to get or have that is the whole point. It’s about Him. Our Father.

When you think about it…a mustard seed. When it grows….it’s a wildflower. A humble, lost among many simple wildflower, but to the bird…it’s everything.

So should be our Father’s kingdom, so should, just be our journey and passion to with Him.

It’s not about what are going to gain in the long run, but, really just about being there with Him. That should be enough.

Nothing can really compare to the glory and joy of our Heavenly Father.

‘To see a world in a grain of sand
                  And a heaven in a wild flower;
                  Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
                  And eternity in an hour.’-William Blake

Welcome to this week’s “Word Filled Wednesday”. If you would like to join up, drop by this week’s hostess: Susan @ http://susan2956.blogspot.com/