Tomorrow Charles and I celebrate our 33rd Wedding Anniversary! What’s our secret?…
Loving the Lord, Living out our faith and Laughing…a lot! That sums it up pretty well!
So today in celebration of 33 years of “wedded bliss” I came across some Friday Funnies for all you Happily Marrieds out there! Enjoy!
I know it’s long past Valentine’s Day, but as the dandelions are sprouting up all over our acreage, I am reminded of the game I used to play when I was a girl about picking pedals off of daisies to determine whether a boy liked or did not like me. “He loves me…” I’d pick off a pedal, “He loves me not…” and I’d pick off another pedal. Dependant on whether I liked the boy in question, determined what I would do when I was down to the last few pedals. Knowing I had to land on “He LOVES me”, I’d accidentally (on purpose) make sure I doubled up on pedals as necessary to make sure that the last pedal worked out in my favour.
Now admit it girls…you did that too! Yeah, it’s cheating, but sometimes you just had to make sure that “fate” was in your control, not the other way around.
Fate…it’s an ugly word for Christians. We never leave things to fate, we leave it up to God…or do we?
Occasionally…okay, I’ll fess up…repeatedly…I try to manipulate God to see things my way. If I use the flower pedal analogy, I make sure the last pedal I pick off benefits me, rather than the other way around. My prayers seem to be geared towards me and my wishes rather than discovering what God’s Will is for me. I suppose I do that out of fear. I’m just not sure He totally understands what I’m going through at any given time. I figure giving Him a little nudge in the right…I mean, MY direction, so He understands the circumstances better is totally okay.
Are you cringing yet?
I want my prayers answered MY WAY. I want God to give me what I WANT. I want God to be quick about it too! I want, I WANT…
How arrogant.
No wonder God is slow to answer my misguided prayers, and silent when I need to hear His voice.
When will I ever learn?
I attended a Women’s Worship evening the other night at my church. “Offer Up!” was a chance to join with other women to offer up our worship whole-heartedly to our Father. I knew the moment I entered the sanctuary that my heart was not right with God. I was too busy comparing myself to the other women first. Then I had difficulty with the fact that there were a few visitors from other churches who obviously worshipped in a manner I found strange. My conservative Baptist sensibilities like “spidey senses” were “tingling”. I was distracted by the other ladies, even a little judgmental I’ll admit. I almost thought about leaving, thinking to myself that my church was becoming far too charismatic for my liking! Then a still soft voice whispered, “Stay.”
I don’t know when it happened exactly, but as we lifted our voices to Worship, I knew I HAD to be there. Soon I forgot there were other women around me and all my attention was fixed exactly where it should have been all along…on Jesus. Soon I found myself on my feet, arms outstretched, eyes closed, singing my heart out to God and my heart broke wide open.
I gazed at the Cross and discovered once again that HE LOVES ME !
“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stout hearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great. Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138
If you’ve been reading my Journey Thoughtsrecently, you will know that we’re going through a few challenging trials right now. God’s Word speaks directly to the stress in our lives. Here are 25 encouraging scripture verses that helps us deal with stress, I hope that you will find that they help with the stressors in your life as well.
1. John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”
2. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
3. Isaiah 40: 30,31 “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
4. Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
5. Philippians 4:6,7. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
6. 1 Peter 5: 6,7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
7. Psalm 103: 1-5 “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
8. Psalm 100 “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
9. Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
10. Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
11. Jeremiah 17: 7,8. “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water and sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
12. James 1: 2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
13. Matthew 11: 28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
14. Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
15. Psalm 9: 9,10 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
16. Psalm 16: 8 “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
17. Psalm 46: 1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and mountains quake and with their surging.”
18. Psalm 37: 3-6 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
19. Proverbs 3:5,6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
20. Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
21. John 15: 4, 5 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
22. Psalm 34: 17-19 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
23. Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
24. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
25. Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Here is another website for my reader’s perusal: http://www.faithandentertainment.com/77-bible-verses-about-faith-to-encourage-you-today/ May these verses also strengthen and encourage you as well.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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