GOD'S WAY TO PROSPER

"Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of

the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and in his law does he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that brings forth his fruit in his season,

his leaf also shall not wither, 

and whatsoever he does shall prosper."

Psalms 1:1-3 I LOVE JESUS (UKJV)

GOD'S TONIC

GOD'S TONIC

"tonic n. ...

b: something that invigorates, restores,

refreshes, or stimulates"

-Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary

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The last time I read through the book of Judges

something stood out to me.

At least two times the entire nation of Israelites

"sat before the Lord".

See Judges 20:26 & 21:2

And we know about king David sitting

before the Lord in 2 Samuel 7:18

And of course Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus

in Luke 10:39

And we all know the Scripture that says,

"but they who wait for the Lord

shall renew their strength,"

-Isaiah 40:31 (RSV)

Yes, I have read the various definitions of

waiting on the Lord.

But do you suppose that waiting and sitting

before or on the Lord might be close to

the same thing?

You know, wait as in "wait...

1 a: to remain stationary in readiness or expectation...

b: to pause for another to catch up."

-Webster

or,

"It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord."

-Lamentations 3:26 (RSV)

It seems that our definition of wait is,

"Do other things while we are waiting 

for the Lord."

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Below I have included some random quotes or 

comments from or about that old exemplary

saint Andrew Murray.  These have been taken

from the book,

Andrew Murray one of God's choice saints

by W.M. Douglas

These have been an encouragement to me in

spending time with God.

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"The quiet, contemplative life led to a deeper,

truer knowledge of God..."

-p. 110

"but above all, it was prayer and quiet waiting

upon God that gave him the confidence to step

out in faith on this new venture."

-p. 126

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"I think in the present day there is not enough

retirement to seek teaching from above,

there is too much human teaching."

-p. 154

"And it is in secret that we must begin to give

ourselves to the power and working of the Holy

Ghost.  What we need are two things.

The one, faith that He is in us,

and will do a Divine work in teaching

and sanctifying us.

The other, is quiet waiting to realize

His presence, to hush our own thoughts,

and to crush all our natural activity, 

so as to give Him time and opportunity 

to take possession, and become

the new principle in our lives."

-p. 160

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"It was during this time of trial he learned the value

of silence, as practised by the Friends (Quakers)

which counteracts one of the central weakness

of Protestantism"

-p. 181

"When not writing he spent much time on the broad

stoep (verandah) in front of his study.

There he would sit and pray and meditate."

-p. 234

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"How I love your law!
I think about it all day long.
Your commandment is with me
all the time
and makes me wiser than my enemies.
I understand more than 
all my teachers,
because I meditate on your instructions.
I have greater wisdom than 
those who are old, 
because I obey your commands.
I have avoided all evil conduct,
because I want to obey your word.
I have not neglected your instructions,
because you yourself are my teacher.
How sweet is the taste of your instructions -
sweeter even than honey!
I gain wisdom from your laws,
and so I hate all bad conduct.
Your word is a lamp to guide me
and a light for my path."
-Psalms 119:97-105 (GNB)

WHAT'S THE POINT?

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One Sunday

the pastor was out of state holding meetings.  That's a good thing.

The pulpit was filled (Is that the proper way to say it?) by one of the other ministers.

That's a good thing.

I don't remember the way he said it, but this brother had something that was bubbling up in him.  Something that was burning.  Something that would not let go, and he was wanting to share it with us.

Now that is a great thing.

Bring it on brother, I was in need of something from the Lord.

What was it?

I DO NOT KNOW.

The sermon must have been a good one.  I did not go to sleep.

The sermon filled about the normal amount of time, or a little more.

Plenty of time to get a point across.

But at the end of the sermon, I did not know what the point of the sermon was.

The next day (Monday)

early in the morning while mulling the sermon over in my mind - I still did not know the point of the sermon.

My point.

I strongly suspect that the reason was,

the point of the sermon was buried under an avalanche of words.

You know, like too much water for one tea bag.

The tea is diluted to the point you cannot tell what the flavor is.

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"Think before you speak, 

and don't make any rash promises to God.

He is in heaven and you are on earth,

so don't say any more than you have to."

-Ecclesiastes 5:2 (GNB)

"The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin.

If you are wise, you will keep quiet."

-Proverbs 10:19 (GNB)

PATH TO PEACE

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"Lord, 

I have given up my pride

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and turned away 

from my arrogance.

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I am not concerned with 

great matters

or with subjects too

difficult for me.

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Instead,

I am content and at peace.

As a child lies quietly in its

mother's arms,

so my heart is quiet 

within me.

Israel,

trust in the Lord

now and forever!"

-Psalms 131 (GNB)

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HELP LORD

  

 

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"I call to the Lord for help;
I bring him all my complaints;
I tell him all my troubles."
-Psalms 142:1,2 (GNB)







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"Leave all your worries with him
because he cares for you."
-1 Peter 5:7 (GNB)

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"This poor man cried,

and the Lord heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles."

-Psalms 34:6 (RSV)

LEARNING SOMETHING

It started off like this.

The granddaughter had a handful of books on my desk down in the shop office.

They had been there for several weeks.

Being the kind, loving, caring grandfather that I am,

it made sense to give her a place to put her books and "stuff" that she could call her very own.

She grasp that concept in an instant.

Of course concepts tend to grow.  The personal space became one of my two desks.

And of course one of the office chairs.

Then one of the computers became her own personal computer

Followed by one full shelf in my library.

And now the west wall of the shop office.

I must confess, 

when I am reading a book, or working at one of the computers.

And she is setting at HER desk,

 humming and singing -

doing what ever little girls do at desks.

Grandpa loves it.

But it makes me wonder.

How long will she let me share HER office with her?

Now she is almost 100% angel.

But is that the way we let the Devil take over?

Start with something small and innocent.

And it grows until it consumes too much of us.

THE HAPPY CHRISTIAN

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THREE STEPS TO BE HAPPY

"Be joyful always,

pray at all times,

be thankful in all circumstances.

This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus."

-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (GNB)

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