Singing to the Lover of my Soul

COVER-Music-thumbMy heart with all its vulnerabilities reaches for you and  sings to the lover of my soul , the God of heaven and earth. The strings of my heart tremble and vibrate, then rise up in loving strains. From earth to heaven, from my heart to yours, my spirit to yours. Transcending worlds, my song spreads its laughter and sighs and rests in you. Be ever my song.

Lord, I went to some friends’ house and they had a beautiful new carpet. It was lush and deep and soft to walk on. I keep thinking about it and wondering how I could get such a carpet for myself. How selfish and greedy.  There are orphanages struggling to stay open. There are preachers who have trouble supporting their families. How can I think about carpet when their needs are so great? Forgive me please.

Thank you, God, for making me move to an area where not as many people believe in you. I will no longer take your church for granted. I have struggled so much here trying to expand your kingdom. It’s been so hard. Now I understand their struggles. I thank you for your strength that keeps me on course in a wilderness. I thank you for your example of courage and concern. You went everywhere seeking and saving the lost. And thank you for the church around the world, both small and large. They are your crown jewels.

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Scripture for Tuesday, June 20 (6/20)

The scripture for today, June 20 (6/20), is Matthew 6:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-cover-kindle-medium-new“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In describing heaven, terms are used like pearls, diamonds, emeralds, gold, and so on. So, certainly, God is not against riches. Otherwise, he would not have described heaven with those terms.

So, what is the problem? We must ask ourselves, “If I lost everything tomorrow, could I face life?”. We may say yes, but what about friends who are now unsure they want to associate with someone with nothing? So, it is not only a greed problem, but a social problem. It is a problem of losing both our possessions and our friends.

We could solve this problem by moving out into the country where possessions and social status don’t mean so much. Or we could stay where we are and just change our choice of friends. Our new friends may be truer friends than we ever had before and may need us more.

Lastly, if we lost our job, our car, our home ~ our identity ~ would we be so devastated that we would contemplate suicide as some have done? Or would we be able to look around us and see what we can do without having possessions and without having a job to occupy our time?

There are always things we can do for others. Is that truly where our heart is? In that case, loss of everything will not bring catastrophe. Rather, it can give opportunities to reveal what stuff we are made of deep down inside where our true treasure is ~ in our heart.

 

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#greed, #lust, #power, #treasure, #heart, #job, #car, #home, #friends, #identity, #contentment, #satisfaction, #peace

Scripture for Tuesday, June 6 (6/6)

The scripture for today, June 6 (6/6), is 1st Timothy 6:6f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-PAUL COVER-Medium-“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”

Still, don’t we all do it? Compare what we own with what our neighbor owns? Work and strive to gain more and more? A long time ago, a man wrote a book called, How to Want What You Have. He emphasized that, to people who are never content with what they have, happiness is always right around the corner.

 If we could just buy that object, or get that house, or obtain that promotion we would be happy. But once we get it, we are only satisfied briefly before happiness slips away again, and we decide we would truly be happy if we could buy yet another object, or get yet another house, or obtain yet another promotion. And so we live our lives.

Let us dare to look around us today and tell ourselves, “I have all I need.”

 

website……https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com
monthly newsletter+free book……http://bit.ly/katheryn
free kdp select & discounts (Searcy)……http://bit.ly/PaulUnstoppable

 

#contentment, #godliness, #happiness, #enough, #blessings, #satisfaction, #greed, #PowerHunger, #selfishness, #thanksgiving, #humility, #gratitude

Scripture for Monday, June 20 (6/20)

 

The scripture for today, June 20, is Matthew 6:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE Medium“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In describing heaven, terms are used like pearls, diamonds, emeralds, gold, and so on. So certainly God is not against riches. Otherwise, he would not have described heaven with those terms.

So what is the problem? We must ask ourselves, “If I lost everything tomorrow, could I face life?”. We may say yes, but what about friends who are now unsure they want to associate with someone with nothing? So, it is not only a greed problem, but a social problem. It is a problem of losing both our possessions and our friends.

Some have solved this problem by moving out into the country where possessions and social status don’t mean so much. Or we could stay where we are and just change our choice of friends. Our new friends may be truer friends than we ever had before and may need us more.

Lastly, if we lost our job, our car, our home ~ our identity ~ would we be so devastated that we would contemplate suicide as some have done? Or would we be able to look around us and see what we can do without having possessions and without having a job to occupy our time?

There are always things we can do for others. Is that truly where our heart is? In that case, loss of everything will not bring catastrophe. Rather, it would give opportunity to reveal what stuff we are made of deep down inside where our true treasure is ~ in our heart.

The scripture for today, March 8, is Philippians 3:8 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-COVER-KINDLE“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.”

Wow! Paul, who wrote this, considered everything he had previously owned and every position he had ever held as rubbish ~ garbage ~ compared with belonging to his Lord.

Paul apparently came from a well-to-do family since he was born in today’s Turkey but went to school in Jerusalem. He also apparently held a position in the Jewish ruling body, the Sanhedrin, since he could vote on whether to execute someone. So he probably owned a lot of things and had an honored position. The King James Version of the Bible says he considered it all as dung ~ manure.

Where are your priorities? What do you spend most of your time on? The things you just have to own, physical pleasures you just have to have, the power you just have to claim? All to enhance the little inch of your life on earth? Or the deep and unconquerable love of Christ Jesus your Lord who will enhance your eternity?

The scripture for today, June 6 (6/), is 1st Timothy 6:6f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”

Still, don’t we all do it?  Compare what we own with what our neighbor owns?  Work and strive to gain more and more?  A long time ago, a man wrote a book called, “How to Want What You Have.”  He emphasized that, to people who are never content with what they have, happiness is always right around the corner.  If we could just buy that object, or get that house, or obtain that promotion.  But once we get it, we are only satisfied briefly before happiness slips away again, and we decide we would truly be happy if we could buy yet another object, or get yet another house, or obtain yet another promotion.  And so we live our lives.

Let us dare to look around us today and tell ourselves, “I have all I need.”