Sing the Truth!

"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice."
(Phil 3)

There is a melody that goes with these words and
I hum it as I write.

Rejoice: Strongs 5463 Happy or well off; cheerful,
to be glad, to joyfully rejoice.

ALWAYS? Rejoice cheerfully and be glad? In my
circumstances? No, not in the circumstances but in
the Lord of the circumstances. To rejoice in Him
when things are tough takes humility. It is
declaring that God is in charge and He is trust-
worthy. He defeated death. He declared, "It is
finished!" So, no matter what the circumstances,
God's victory is sure.

Reader, do you find this easier said than done?
I do. When things are going well, it is easy to
rejoice, but when my goals are blocked I tend to
tank. Somehow this rejoicing goes deeper than
my feelings. I can be sad at the surface while my
spirit is singing a song of rejoicing. So, don't
beat yourself up when emotions that go south,
just sing the truth!

A Monday Morning Word

John Darby writes:
The Christian is humble...because he has
given up seeking good in himself to adore
the One in whom there is nothing else.

Hope Deferred

It was graduation time from nursing school and
four of us rented a two bedroom apartment near
the hospital which resided in West Philly. Four
newly minted grads working odd hours, came
home with hilarious stories. We laughed through
dinner and left notes of encouragement, some of
which ended up on the wall. My favorite was:

"Hope deferred makes the 
        heart sick. 
But when the desire comes, 
        it is a tree of life."
(Prov 13:12)

The meaning was clear. One day a certain
prince charming would be found around the
next corner. He would fulfill all our dreams.

Fast forward fifty years and that verse takes
on a whole new dimension, a new flavor.
The desire is a longing for the real thing,
the True Prince, Himself.

Ah, reader, the best is yet to come!

Goatheads

Well, reader, after I uploaded the post yesterday, I
realized that many of you have not a clue as to what a
Goat head is. Spell check certainly doesn't get it! The
official name is Tribulous Terrestris, but it is  also
known as a bullhead, a devils thorn, devil's weed, a
puncture vine. It thrives in dry poor soil, can survive
in arid conditions as it spurns a well watered garden.
The beautiful tiny flowers become a nutlet with four
to five sharp spines within a weeks time. One thorn
can puncture a bicycle tire. Here in Idaho they grow
along roads, on dry paths, and invade unwatered
pastures.

I cannot but help comparing the goathead nutlet with
principle of sin which resides within every believer,
while not being part of the believer. Sin likes to
cause problems in the Christian who has withdrawn
from the Living Water and is content to reside in
a barren wasteland. Letting Sin reign gives rise to
sins.

Paul says this in Romans 6
"We know that our old self was crucified with him
in order that the body of sin might be brought to 
nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved
to sin. For one who has died has been set free from
sin...So you must consider yourselves dead to sin
and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Goat heads are such an invasive plant straight from
the enemy himself. Don't let goat heads take hold of
your life! Immerse yourselves in Him and in the
water of His Word.

A Walk at Sunset

We set out, Jake and I, just before sunset. As we turn
right onto the path beside the *Galloway Ditch, we
meet some chickens and some young chicks. Just
past the chickens is a grazing horse. On the left just
across the Ditch are half grown lambs with their
Mamas. A little further and we look down on the
soccer field beyond which we can see a herd of
cattle eating one last snack before bed. Jake runs
to and fro on the path, ends up encountering some
Goat Heads and comes to me to pull out the painful
stickers all ready deep into his paw. Ouch! (There
must be some sort of downside to this lovely place!)

The sun is now like a fire in the evening sky and is
reflected in the moving water as we head for home.


*This area is at 2,000 ft above sea level, has a dry
and a wet season. The land is watered by a series
of canals and wells fed by the snow pack. This
was a dry warm winter and there was no snow pack,
but there is water enough for the summer.

Yuk

Jesus kept the whole law so I don't have to
keep any of it. So, why do I strive to be
perfect and to be pleasing to God and man?
So, I can get the glory, that's why! Yuk.

Heart Stopper

Galatians 3:10 is a heart stopper:

"For all who rely on works of the law are

under a curse for it is written 'cursed be

everyone who does not abide by all things

in the law to do them.'"

So, when I rely on keeping the rules and

regulations, I am under a curse because

I can't just keep my favorite one? I have

to keep all of them? A curse? That's a

pretty strong statement. Fortunately I 

have the weekend to think it over. :)

Reader, have a wonderful weekend and

don't try to think too much!