How Healthy is Your Heart?

I also like Psalm 86:11, "Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear You name."

In the O.T. unity was spoken of in a sense of togetherness of persons (Gen. 13:6), fellowship (Judges 19:6) and praise (Psalm 34:3). In the N.T. the "word bespeaks the unity of faith that binds together the people of God (Ephesians 4:13). What I get out of this verse is that our hearts need to be united with the Lord's. We need to make sure our heart beat beats to the same rhythm of His. And that we, as Believers, need to be united. "and I (God) will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them." Jeremiah 33:29. If we're not united it could cause eternal damages not only to ourselves but also to the generations to come. Heart attacks can result from a heart that isn't beating right from sometimes an unhealthy lifestyle. I think the same thing applies to our spiritual hearts. When something unhealthy enters our spiritual bodies and is allowed to remain, we weaken our spiritual hearts and cause disease to damage it. It therefore doesn't work as God intended it too.

I am reminded about how unborn babies can hear their mother's heartbeat. Their ears must be filled with that constant comforting sound. As we know they also hear what's going on outside of the womb but it must be muffled and not as loud as mom's heartbeat. I've seen on TV how they have a machine that is suppose to recreate that heartbeat sound to give newborns a sense of security they lost once they were born. Therefore, in turn, it'll help them fall asleep (ah, a mother's dream!). We need to be like infants and have our ears filled with the sound of God's heartbeat. To now allow Satan to fill our ears up with meaningless things so we can't hear it. If we don't hear it we become detached from God and that leads to disunity amongst ourselves. The exact place Satan wants us to be. I pray that we may never loose the sound of our Lord's heart beat!

Krista Jones

Taking Possession of Our Own Soul

"By your patience possess your souls." Luke 21:19

When a person is born again, there is a period of time when he does not have the same vitality in his thinking or reasoning that he previously had. We must learn to express this new life within us, which comes by forming the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:5 ). Luke 21:19 means that we take possession of our souls through patience. But many of us prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, instead of going on to create and build our soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us. We fail because we are ignorant of the way God has made us, and we blame things on the devil that are actually the result of our own undisciplined natures. Just think what we could be when we are awakened to the truth!

There are certain things in life that we need not pray about— moods, for instance. We will never get rid of moodiness by praying, but we will by kicking it out of our lives. Moods nearly always are rooted in some physical circumstance, not in our true inner self. It is a continual struggle not to listen to the moods which arise as a result of our physical condition, but we must never submit to them for a second. We have to pick ourselves up by the back of the neck and shake ourselves; then we will find that we can do what we believed we were unable to do. The problem that most of us are cursed with is simply that we won’t. The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh.

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost For His Heighest"

We Dare Not Doubt

"I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron." Isaiah 45:2

This was for Cyrus; but it is evermore the heritage of all the LORD's own spiritual servants. Only let us go forward by faith, and our way will be cleared for us. Crooks and turns of human craft and satanic subtlety shall be straightened for us; we shall not need to track their devious windings. The gates of brass shall be broken, and the iron bars which fastened them shall be cut asunder. We shall not need the battering ram nor the crowbar: the LORD Himself will do the impossible for us, and the unexpected shall be a fact.

Let us not sit down in coward fear. Let us press onward in the path of duty, for the LORD hath said it: "I will go before thee." Ours not to reason why; ours but to dare and dash forward. It is the LORD's work, and He will enable us to do it: all impediments must yield before Him. Hath He not said, "I will break in pieces the gates of brass"! What can hinder His purpose or balk His decrees? Those who serve God have infinite resources. The way is clear to faith though barred to human strength. When Jehovah says, "I will," as He does twice in this promise, we dare not doubt.

By C.H. Spurgeon, taken from "Faith's Checkbook"

One Secure Place

"I will be with you always." Matthew 28:20

David, the man after God's own heart, said: "I'm asking Yahwey for one thing, only one thing; to live with Him in His house my whole life long." . . . Psalm 27:4

What is this house of God which David seeks? Is David describing a physical structure? Does he long for a building with four walls and a door through which he can enter but never exit? No. "Our Lord does not live in temples built by human hands" (Act 17:24). When David says, "I will live in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6), he's not saying he wants to get away form people. He's saying that he yearns to be in God's presence, wherever he is." - The Great House of God

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace For The Moment"

Quicken Us

"Thou, who hast showed us many and sore troubles, wilt quicken us again" (Ps. 71:20, RV).

God shows us the troubles. Sometimes, as this part of our education is being carried forward, we have to descend into "the lower parts of the earth," pass through subterranean passages, lie buried amongst the dead, but never for a moment is the cord of fellowship and union between God and us strained to breaking; and from the depths God will bring us again.

Never doubt God! Never say that He has forsaken or forgotten. Never think that He is unsympathetic. He will quicken again. There is always a smooth piece in every skein, however tangled. The longest day at last rings out the evensong. The winter snow lies long, but it goes at last.

Be steadfast; your labor is not in vain. God turns again, and comforts. And when He does, the heart which had forgotten its Psalmody breaks out in jubilant song, as does the Psalmist: "I will thank thee, I will harp unto thee, my lips shall sing aloud." -Selected

"Though the rain may fall and the wind be blowing,
And old and chill is the wintry blast;
Though the cloudy sky is still cloudier growing,
And the dead leaves tell that the summer has passed;
My face I hold to the stormy heaven,
My heart is as calm as the summer sea,
Glad to receive what my God has given,
Whate'er it be.
When I feel the cold, I can say, 'He sends it,'
And His winds blow blessing, I surely know;
For I've never a want but that He attends it;
And my heart beats warm, though the winds may blow."

Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert"

Evening and Morning Tid-Bits

Last night I came across a few verses that are my favorite: Psalm 84:10-12, "For a day in Your courts is better then a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God then dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You."

This is what I call a nutshell verse. It wraps everything up in a few sentences:

1. To yearn to be in the presence of God even if it's at the threshold of His house. Because it's better to be at His doorstep then hanging out with the wicked.

2. To know that the Lord is a sun that gives us light which reflects on our face, gives us warmth and helps us to grow.

3. He's a shield that protects us from the enemy and goes before us as we run through the fire. Reminds me to keep Him always before me. Not to say that I won't get a stray arrow glancing off or stinging me once in a while. But knowing He's in front of me brings a sense of security.

4. The Lord gives grace and glory - reminds me to extend grace to those who I don't deem as worthy of receiving it. I'm just as unworthy of His grace.

5. He doesn't withhold anything from those who walk uprightly. This speaks for itself.

This morning I read about Bazalel and Oholiab. It seems like these men were skilled in everything. They were the ones who oversaw the construction of the tabernacle. Exodus 36:1-2 says, "Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the Lord has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded. Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiah and every skillful person in whom the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it."

What jumped out at me was that the Lord put these skills and knowledge into these men and others. He did this so that they would be able to construct the tabernacle. And these men's hearts were stirred so much that they came forward to perform the work of the Lord. I'm reminded that we all have skills and knowledge that are given to us by the Lord. That we too, should go with a glad and willing heart to use our skills/knowledge for His kingdom.

Krista Jones
1.30.08

God Knows

"You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know thoroughly everything I do." Psalm 139:2-3

Perhaps the reason that God doesn't always give us the answer to the whys of our existence is that he knows we haven't got the capacity to understand the answer. In learning to depend on God, we must accept that we may not know all the answers, but we know who knows the answers.

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior"

Omnipresence

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Exodus 3:5

I walked the other day along a river
And watched the ducks and heard
some hawkings' cries;
Then suddenly the nearness of my Saviour
Brought tears of joy and wonder to my eyes.

Oh, praise the Lord!
"This earth is crammed with heaven!"
Oh, praise the Lord!
And, Christian, look around!
For every bush you pass with fire is flaming.
And every spot you treat is holy ground.

I stopped the other day to watch a fountain
And marvelled at the magic of its grace;
Then suddenly my heart was on a mountain
And worshiping Jehovah face to face!

I wept the other ay - oh, Christian, hear it!
I wept the other day without control,
But suddenly the blessed Holy Spirit
Spoke peace again and calmed my needy soul.

Oh, praise the Lord!
"This earth is crammed with heaven!"
Oh, praise the Lord!
And, Christian, look around!
For every bush you pass with fire is flaming.
And every spot you tread is holy ground.

Anne Ortlund

Taken from Women's Devotional Bible 1

Vital Intercession

". . . praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit . . . " Ephesians 6:18

As we continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from our close identification with God’s interest and concern for others and step into having emotional sympathy with them, the vital connection with God is gone. We have then put our sympathy and concern for them in the way, and this is a deliberate rebuke to God.

It is impossible for us to have living and vital intercession unless we are perfectly and completely sure of God. And the greatest destroyer of that confident relationship to God, so necessary for intercession, is our own personal sympathy and preconceived bias. Identification with God is the key to intercession, and whenever we stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with others, not because of sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our intercessory relationship with God, but sympathy will. It is sympathy with ourselves or with others that makes us say, "I will not allow that thing to happen." And instantly we are out of that vital connection with God.

Vital intercession leaves you with neither the time nor the inclination to pray for your own "sad and pitiful self." You do not have to struggle to keep thoughts of yourself out, because they are not even there to be kept out of your thinking. You are completely and entirely identified with God’s interests and concerns in other lives. God gives us discernment in the lives of others to call us to intercession for them, never so that we may find fault with them.

By Oswald Chambers, taken from "My Utmost for His Highest"

Expectations Beyond Us

"But prayer" (Acts 12:5).

But prayer is the link that connects us with God. This is the bridge that spans every gulf and bears us over every abyss of danger or of need.

How significant the picture of the Apostolic Church: Peter in prison, the Jews triumphant, Herod supreme, the arena of martyrdom awaiting the dawning of the morning to drink up the apostle's blood, and everything else against it. "But prayer was made unto God without ceasing." And what was the sequel? The prison open, the apostle free, the Jews baffled, the wicked king eaten of worms, a spectacle of hidden retribution, and the Word of God rolling on in greater victory.

Do we know the power of our supernatural weapon? Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that commands as well as asks? God baptize us with holy audacity and Divine confidence! He is not wanting great men, but He is wanting men who will dare to prove the greatness of their God. But God! But prayer! --A. B. Simpson

Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think. Each time you intercede, be quiet first and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, of how He delights to hear Christ, of your place in Christ; and expect great things. --Andrew Murray

Our prayers are God's opportunities.

Are you in sorrow? Prayer can make your affliction sweet and strengthening. Are you in gladness? Prayer can add to your joy a celestial perfume. Are you in extreme danger from outward or inward enemies? Prayer can set at your right hand an angel whose touch could shatter a millstone into smaller dust than the flour it grinds, and whose glance could lay an army low. What will prayer do for you? I answer: All that God can do for you. "Ask what I shall give thee." --Farrar

"Wrestling prayer can wonders do,
Bring relief in deepest straits;
Prayer can force a passage through
Iron bars and brazen gates."

Compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Desert"

Let your Light Shine!

Shortly after the Israelites sinned by worshiping the golden calf and God punishes them, Moses goes before God and receives the 10 Commandments again. Moses is so intimate with God that it says in Exodus 33:11 that, "the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend." Can you imagine being in God's presence like this? After Moses receives the 10 Commandments again (the first tablets were broken in his anger when he saw the Israelites worshiping the calf) his face literally shone from being in God's presence, "It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai, that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him." (Exodus 34:29).

It says in I John 1:5 that God is light, "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." If God is light and as Believers, He is in us, then we too should shine from His light. In fact, God wants us to be the light of the world, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16.

I pray that I may not be one who hides my light under a basket. That I will be so bold in my love for Jesus that others will see Him as my face reflects His glory. "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18

Krista Jones
1.29.08

Sowing Seeds of Peace

"Plant goodness, harvest the fruit of loyalty, plow the new ground of knowledge." Hosea 10:12

Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heart deep in a person's life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens.

An employee gets a compliment. A wife receives a bouquet of flowers. A cake is baked and carried next door. A widow is hugged. A gas-station attendant is honored. A preacher is praised.

Sowing seeds of peace is like sowing beans. You don't know why it works; you just know it does. Seeds are planted, and topsoils of hurt are shoved away.

Don't forget the principle. Never underestimate the power of a seed. - The Applause of Heaven

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

Faith and Failure

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1

Our collection of "pleasant stones" is composed of "green stone" verses which ring with the victory cry of God's redeemed ones. this "blue stone" verse above could rest easily among the green ones. But I have put it here among our verses pertaining to faith because it is so sure. In chapter 7 of Romans, Paul has described the depths of us all. He has laid his finger on every weakness and he has cried out in despair for every man and woman and young person who has ever tried to be consistently good under his or her own power:

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

And then Paul sighs deeply, relieved for all eternity to be able to say quietly and surely that he thanks God that Jesus Christ has delivered him from that "on-again, off-again" battle of ever-failing faith. And now the above verser reminds us that "there is therefore now no condemnation (no need to fail) to them which are in Christ Jesus." I'm glad, knowing how true is the description of myself in chapter 7 of Romans, that Paul adds here: " . . . to them . . . who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." We always choose. We can choose to walk after our own desires, or after the desires of the Spirit within us. If you and I choose to walk our way, we both know sooner or later, we'll stumble and fall. If we walk His way, we will get there. he is the way.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

By Eugenia Price, taken from "Share My Pleasant Stones"

Dealing with life's troubles

"No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." I Corinthians 2:11

A misconception people have in dealing with life's troubles is that it's wrong to ask why - that a Christian simply accepts and never questions. Abraham, Moses, and David all interceded and struggled to understand God. But the lives of these men model for us a total reliance on God, even in the midst of questioning."

By Max Lucado, taken from "Walking with the Savior."

A Place to Stand

"Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark." Genesis 8:8-9

A single lonely bird hovered over a submerged world. Below her were the results of the catastrophic flood. There was nothing to be seen but water. The world below her was desolate and seemingly without a future. Nowhere could she find a place to hold on to, to set down her tiny foot. She found no rest.

Yet the dove that fluttered around purposelessly was less lonely than she appeared to be. Noah - his name means "he who will bring rest" - had not forgotten her. He waited for her return. When the bird came, she found an outreached hand, ready to take her into the safety of the ark. Together they were on their way to a new future. The submerged earth would be habitable again.

We can be compared with this dove. We feel lonely and forsaken. We flutter around in a world that increasingly offers less to hold on to in every way. We see little hope for humanity. Spiritually and emotionally we find no rest.

Yet there is Someone who cares about us, who watches closely for each individual: GOD! Through Him we can find rest in spite of the catastrophes that harass the world. He offers us a place to stand, and hope, even in an apparently lost world. He offers a new beginning to those of us who return to Him.

By Gien Karssen, taken from "Women's Devotional Bible 1"

Where's Your Focus?

I've finally got through the part of Exodus where God finished giving Moses the 10 Commandments and regulations to live by. We come to chapter 32 to find that the Israelites lost control. Without their leader they lost their way and turned to the next best thing they could think of - a calf they crafted out of gold. Now I'm thinking, "Can you be any more stupid?!" Hello, do you not see that the mountain is still trembling and filled with smoke? Doesn't that give you a clue that God is still upon it? Didn't you just vow to follow God no matter what? Ah, but if I step back I wonder if I would have done the same thing. Sure, the trembling, loud thunder sound and smoke would have gotten my attention and scared me enough to realize God is in control and is all powerful. But after a while I probably would have gotten use to the sight and sounds and become desensitized to it. And being the weak person I am, I probably would have let myself wonder away from the awesome display. Which in turn would open myself up to wanting to fill myself up with something other then God. WOW, that just knocks the judgmental thoughts right out of my head!

Exodus 32:7 says, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves." Corrupted themselves - how often to I corrupt myself? It's not like God corrupted them. They brought it all upon themselves by turning their eyes off the mountain. Hebrews 12:2 says that we are to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and profecter of faith." Let us not become like the Israelites who fixed their eyes on what they wanted and away from God. It only takes one small thing to create spiritual cancer.

I like what Psalm 73:25-26 & 28 says, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever . . . . But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of Your works." When we take our eyes of Jesus and desire other things, we are unable to be effective for His Kingdom. I want to be able to say in my heart, "I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of Your works." How about you? Where do you keep your eyes focused?

Krista Jones
1.28.08

Changed Names

"Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego." Daniel 1:6 & 7

Some people assume new names to disguise their identity. For example, Samuel Langhorne Clemens took the pen name of Mark Twain. Mary Ann Evans took the masculine pen name of George Eliot. Other people change their names when they move to a new country to make them more pronounceable. For example, de Revoire became Revere, and Yitzchak became Hitchcock. Yet others feel a different name will make them more memorable. Thus, Erich Weiss became Harry Houdini, and Betty Joan Perske is better known as Lauren Bacall.

Ashpenaz, the chief of the eunuchs, also desired to change the names of the young men taken from Jerusalem. After all, it just wouldn't do to have people serving in Nebuchadnezzar's court with names like Daniel ("God is my judge"), Hananiah ("Jehovah was favored"), Mishael ("who is like God") and Azariah ("strengthened by Jehovah"). These names honored the God of Israel, so Ashpenaz changed them to reflect Babylonian gods. Daniel became Belteshazzar ("Bel protect his life"), Hananiah was called Shadrach ("command of Akur"), Azariah became Abed-Nego ("servant of Nebo"), and Mishael was renamed Meshach (a possible corruption of the name Maraduk, another Babylonian deity).

Society today is also good at changing the name of things that honor God. Having standards is now called intolerance. Taking a stand for what you believe is understood as fanaticism. The change works the other way as well. Adultery is called an affair. Drunkenness is now alcoholism. But don't be taken in by a change in names. God's principles haven't changed.

Guide your life by God's Word, and you will be pleasing to the Lord no matter what the world calls it. After all, what's in a name? Not much if God isn't in it.

Changing the name doesn't change the truth.

By Woodrow Kroll

Clothes of Salvation

"This body that dies must clothe itself with something that can never die." I Corinthians 15:53

Does Jesus care what clothes we wear? Apparently so. In fact, the Bible tells us exactly the wardrobe God desires.

"But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and forget about satisfying your sinful self." Romans 13:14

"You were all baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed with Christ. This means that you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:26-27

This clothing has nothing to do with dresses and jeans an suites. God's concern is with our spiritual garment. He offers a heavenly robe that only heaven can see and only heaven can give. Listen to the words of Isaiah: "The Lord makes me very happy; all that I am rejoices in my God. He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness." Isa. 61:10. - When Christ Comes

By Max Lucado, taken from "Grace for the Moment"

A Close Friend

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." - R. W. Emerson

A Blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; who knows the best and the worst of us, and who loves us, in spite of our faults: who will speak the honest truth to us, while the world flatters us to our faces, and laughs at us behind our backs; who will give us counsel and reproof in the day of prosperity and self conceit; but who, again will comfort and encourage us in the day of difficulty and sorrow, when the world leaves us alone to fight our own battles as we can.

"If we have had the good fortune to win such a friend, let us do anything rather than lose him. We must give and forgive; live and let live. If our friends have faults we must bear with them. We must hope all things, believe all things, endure all things rather than lose that most precious of all earthly possessions - a trusty friend. And a friend once won, need never be lose, if we will only be trusty and true ourselves." - Charles Kingsley.

There is a Friend, a Friend who sympathizes,
And in each sorrow, dries the falling tears;
His is the love, unchanging it remaineth,
Our lives to bless, to brighten, and to cheer.

F.B. (Ambassador Verse Cards. No. 1, G. F. Vallance, Publisher of Christian Literature, Goodmayes, Essex.)

By Mrs. Charles Cowman, taken from "Streams in the Dessert" Vol. 2

Invisible Blessings

"Our troubles are slight and short-lived, and their outcome an eternal glory which outweighs them far. Meanwhile our eyes are fixed, not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen" (2 Cor 4:17, 18 NEB).

Being very much of the earth--earthy--we always want tangible, visible things--proofs, demonstrations, something to latch onto. If we always had them, of course, faith would be "struck blind." When Jesus hung on a cross, the challenge was flung at Him: Come down! He stayed nailed, not so that spectators would be satisfied (that miracle, his coming down, would have been a great crowd-pleaser), but that the world might be saved.

Many of our prayers are directed toward the quick and easy solution. Long-suffering is sometimes the only means by which the greater glory of God will be served, and this is, for the moment, invisible. We must persist in faith. God has a splendid purpose. Believe in order to see it.

By Elisabeth Elliot

A Few Tid-Bits

I just literally have a few tid-bits to share out of my Bible reading.

Psalm 66:8-12: "Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad, who keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip. For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. You made men ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water, yet You brought us out into a place of abundance."

I like this verse because it speaks of what I've gone through lately. God has been trying and refining me to bring me to the point where I shine His likeness like silver shines when it's polished. Over the years I've felt like I've gone through the fire and water with the many trials that have come and gone. And yet, through it all He always brings me to a place of abundance. One of the definitions of abundance means "overflowing fullness as of abundance of the heart." That's how I feel after all these trials. I have a full heart even through it's been stabbed a few times.

Psalm 68:19: "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation."

How awesome it is that we have a God that bears our burdens EVERY day. I pray that as His children we can do the same for those around us. I tend to be selfish and want my burdens to be lifted up instead of listening and supporting those around me.

Krista Jones
1.28.08