Category Archives: Wisdom & Guidance

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November 17, 2014

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Holy Spirit, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

FITTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be. [Jeremiah 17:9-10 (MSG)]

At times, life is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. It gets muddled and disconnected; nothing seems to fit together and we can’t see the whole picture. Puzzle pieces will never fit together if they are the wrong shape and size. Have some parts of our lives become so important that other elements have been crowded out? Or, have certain areas of our lives been neglected and become too small, leaving an empty place in our hearts? Moreover, if pieces are missing, no matter how hard we try, the puzzle simply won’t be complete; we’ll never feel fulfilled. Have areas of our lives been lost or forgotten? Today, let’s look at our own personal puzzles and analyze how the parts of our lives fit together.

Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we can make sense of the confusion of our busy lives. Help us examine our priorities. Show us what parts of our lives are out of proportion and help us find any that have been misplaced. Let us never forget the most important and largest pieces: You, prayer, and faith.

When we can’t piece together the puzzle of our own lives, remember the best view of a puzzle is from above. Let Him help put you together. [Terri Guillemets]

What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. [Romans 1:21-23 (MSG)]

 

 

 

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November 12, 2014

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Church & Worship, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

THE FRAUD

If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. So watch out. I’ve given you fair warning. [Mark 13:21-23 (MSG)]

Last spring, thrilled to see a beautiful goldfinch gracefully perched on a decorative bird feeder, I turned on my camera and moved closer. Surprised that the bird remained so still, I knew why it didn’t fly away once I’d focused in on it; it was a fake! I’d been fooled briefly but recognized the bird for what is was, a fraud, and quickly walked away. Yesterday, I walked by the same house and noticed that the summer storms had knocked the feeder on its side and the once bright yellow bird is now faded and covered with mold.

My experience with the phony bird reminds me of the Biblical warnings about false prophets. Like the fake goldfinch, they, too, can be appealing and look quite authentic. When browsing through a bookstore or channel surfing the TV, it’s easy to come across today’s false prophets. Their messages are often about self, not selflessness; being spiritual, not the Holy Spirit; and wealth in this world instead of riches in the next. They may refer to Jesus as a good man instead of Jesus being God as man or speak of Him as a prophet instead of the fulfillment of prophecies. There may be just enough truth in their ideas to make them appear believable and correct. Before accepting anything, we need to examine their message closely to see if it breathes of God’s word. Beware of false prophets and their messages; they may look good at first glance. Like the fake bird, however, they won’t hold up to the test of time. Storms will batter them, the bright light of day will fade them, and they’ll eventually decay and rot.

Frauds! Isaiah’s prophecy of you hit the bull’s-eye: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy. [Matthew 15:7-9 (MSG)]

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October 6, 2014

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Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Wisdom & Guidance

SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES

DSC09563WEBAnd while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. [Genesis 4:8b (NLT)]

I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. [Albert Einstein]

I recently visited the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. While I enjoyed learning about the past, present, and future of nuclear science, I left the museum deeply saddened. No nuclear science presentation would have been complete without exhibits about the politics of World War II, the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cold War, and various weapons of destruction; it was these exhibits that so troubled my heart. We live in a fallen world and man’s capacity for horror boggles my mind. I read the stories, saw the pictures and viewed the weaponry; I thought of the billions of dollars and hours of brain power that went into finding ways to kill one another and was horrified. Since the beginning of time, we’ve tried to solve our differences with bloodshed. When will we ever learn? God, help us!

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love; so mightily spread abroad your Spirit that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, a children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen [Book of Common Prayer]

The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise! [Micah 4:3-4 (NLT)]

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October 2, 2014

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Holy Spirit, Wisdom & Guidance

MAPPING OUR WALKS

I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. [Galatians 5:16-17 (TLB)]

Realizing that my power walks had become more like leisurely strolls, I recently got an app called “Map My Walk” that keeps track of my mileage and pace. Now that I’m using it, I’m walking faster and farther and enjoying it more. The app knows exactly where I’ve been and how long it took me to get there; there’s no more fooling myself about how far I’ve walked or how much effort I exerted. Moreover, the app doesn’t care if I’m tired or the weather is hot and humid. It’s made me accountable! Of course, I do have to remember to turn it on before I go walking.

Let us never forget that we don’t need to have an app on a Smartphone to map our daily walk in life. We have the Holy Spirit within us and He will, indeed, make us accountable. If we’re wandering off course, He’ll tell us. If we’re lingering when we should be jogging or rushing when we should take our time, He’ll either prod us to get moving or slow us down. He’ll even point out the errors in our ways and, like my walking app, the Holy Spirit isn’t much interested in excuses! We just have to remember to listen to His voice and follow His instructions!

Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. [Ephesians 3:20 (TLB)]

 

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September 8, 2014

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God's Grace & Love, God's Word: The Bible, Wisdom & Guidance

THE BOOK OF LOVE

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.” [Matthew 11:25 (NLT)]

“Who, who-oo-oh, who wrote the book of love?” we all sang while listening to the oldie station on the car radio. Then a small voice from the back seat piped up, “I know who wrote the Book of Love: Jesus!” I’m pretty sure The Monotones didn’t have this interpretation in mind when they sang the song back in 1958, but there was wisdom and understanding in the child’s simple statement. We all probably have the Book of Love sitting on our book shelves, although we call it the Bible. Best of all, we all know its author! Now, whenever I hear this song (and since my husband loves old rock ‘n’ roll, I hear it often), it has become a song of praise and thanksgiving for me. Why not pick up the Book of Love and read a bit today!

The Book of Love
[Warren Davis, George Malone and Charles Patrick]

I wonder, wonder who, who-oo-ooh, who
Who wrote the Book Of Love
Tell me, tell me, tell me
Oh, who wrote the Book Of Love
I’ve got to know the answer
Was it someone from above
(Oh, I wonder, wonder who, mmbadoo-ooh, who)
(Who wrote the Book Of Love)

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)]

 

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July 23, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

LOOK INTO OUR HEARTS

Jesus told this story to some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else: “A Pharisee and a tax collector both went to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee stood alone and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people who steal, cheat, or take part in adultery, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give one-tenth of everything I get!’” [Luke 18:9-12 (NCV)]

Sometimes we’re more interested in appearing good than being good. Sometimes we’re more concerned about besting our neighbor than being our best. Sometimes we’re more interested in pointing out the failures of others than admitting our own shortcomings.

Lord, forgive us; we are sinners all.

“The tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even look up to heaven. But he beat on his chest because he was so sad. He said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you, when this man went home, he was right with God, but the Pharisee was not. All who make themselves great will be made humble, but all who make themselves humble will be made great.” [Luke 18:13-14 (NCV)]

Everyone with a conceited heart is disgusting to the Lord. Certainly, such a person will not go unpunished. [Proverbs 16:5 (GW]