Unlimited Power

Shoshone Falls (212 feet high) near Twin Falls, Idaho

While reading the July 19, 2017, issue of Our Daily Bread, I found this quote, which really spoke to me:

Never measure 

God's unlimited power

by 

your limited expectations.

As I reflected on those words, I recalled Ephesians 3:20, one of my favorite Bible verses, which I'd memorized many years ago. 

Now to Him 

who is able to do 

far more abundantly 

beyond all that we ask or think, 

according to the power 

that works within us

(NASB)

As I reflected on those familiar words, I decided to look up that verse in the new Bible (The VOICE) a dear friend had given me for my birthday a few weeks prior.

(20) Now to the God 

who can do so many awe-inspiring things, 

immeasurable things, 

things greater than 

we ever could ask or imagine 

through the power at work in us, 

(21) to Him be all glory in the church 

and in Jesus the Anointed 

from this generation to the next, 

forever and ever. 

Amen.

Any way you say it, our God is mighty! Praise Him!

Not Dead--Again!

A column in our local newspaper was entitled “I woke up not dead again in [name of town].” Intrigued by that title, I read what else the columnist had to say. 

He said he had awakened at 6 a.m. (without his alarm having sounded) and checked his big toe to see if it had a tag attached to it. It didn’t.

Having concluded he wasn't dead, he proceeded to enjoy a day filled with blessings, such as: a delicious cup of coffee, a favorite breakfast, a free concert by backyard birds, a morning walk, a beautiful sunrise, a humorous e-mail from a dear friend, e-mails from his children, an inspirational sermon at church, a delicious brunch at a local restaurant, and a round of golf in the afternoon.

“Even though I know that none of us will get out of here alive,” he said, “…I rejoice whenever I wake up not dead.”

Dear Reader, let's join him in being grateful for every morning we wake up not dead again. Let's also join him in thanking our Father for all the other blessings He lavishes upon us.

Morning by morning, 

God wakes me up 

and

opens my understanding to His will

Isaiah 50:4

Sheltered

Since I enjoy knowing why and how certain songs and books were written, I was thrilled when I discovered an online site that features Dottie Rambo telling the backstory of how she wrote the words to Sheltered in the Arms of God.

As she walked on the beach, brokenhearted over being betrayed by a friend and struggling to write the first verse to the song, she watched various kinds of junk washing ashore. She thought, That’s kinda like life. Stuff surfaces. Sometimes we focus on it rather than on the good.

As she continued to walk and grieve, she slowly shifted her focus from her brokenness to the realization that God was walking with her and was taking care of her. Suddenly—and for the first time ever—she felt the gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder, though she saw no one around. Then the words to the song came to her!

I’m so thankful God gave her the words for they touch my heart every time I hear them. What a blessing it is to be reminded that God sees all that happens to us—the good and the bad—and that He does stay near us and care for us. As we sense His loving presence, we receive the strength to “carry on” even in heart-wrenching situations.

If you’d like to hear Dottie tell this touching backstory 

and sing the beautiful song, 

please click here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Q1mDT1QLM

Give a Rose

A friend of mine always prefaces a compliment by saying, "Now, [name], I'm going to give you a rose."

She prefers to "give roses" while her friends are living and can savor her sweet words and be uplifted by them rather than to give a wreath of roses after her loved ones have passed away.

The Bible says gracious words (pleasant words, kind words) are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (See Proverbs 16:24.)

Give a rose to someone today! 

Please, God!

The Sunday prior to July 4^th, our congregation sang the poem-turned-song, America the Beautiful. I noticed that the writer (Katharine Lee Bates) had included in it several prayers for America that are just as fitting today as when she wrote them in 1893. For example:

America! America! 

God shed his grace on thee.

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And every gain divine.

Will you join me in asking God to do these things for America and to enable her to once again become a nation filled with people who love the Lord God and seek to honor and please Him in all we do and in all we say? Only with His help will America be beautiful in every way—from sea to shining sea.

Water from the Well

Although this is NOT the well that was on our back porch,
it is similar to it.

When I was a young child, I’d watch my parents draw water from a well that was on the back porch. They’d let a bucket down into the well, wait a few minutes for it to fill up, and then slowly bring it back up by laboriously turning the crank on the windlass. The bucket would wobble in mid-air until they grabbed it with their free hand and set it on one of the wooden boards that surrounded the opening of the well. Then they’d pour the water into clean containers such as basins, jars, and pails. On “wash day” or “canning day” the bucket had to be lowered and brought up many times in order to provide adequate water for those tasks. Yet, despite the number of buckets that were drawn up, water was always available. 

Although I begged to draw water, I was never allowed to do so because that job was for people much stronger than I. Thankfully, Mama and Daddy were strong enough to bring the water up and were willing to share it with my sister and me.

Getting water is much easier these days. All my husband and I have to do to get water to quench our thirst or to wash whatever needs cleaning is to turn on a faucet, thanks to an electric pump and an assortment of PVC pipes that bring water into our house from a well deep inside the earth. Regardless of how the water comes forth, I'm thankful for it.

As I reflect on the blessing of having an abundant supply of thirst-quenching, life-sustaining water, I think about the term “filling the well” that’s used by writers and other creative people to refer to experiences that inspire and instruct them so that they, in turn, can bring forth something of value to share with others.

I pray that my well never runs dry, though I’ve been drawing from it for many years. To ensure that it doesn’t, I read the Bible and pray every day. As I do my housework and exercise my body, I listen to sermons and Christian music at www.bbnradio.org. When I sit down to rest, I read what other Christians have written. I’m deeply grateful for insights others have drawn from their well and shared with me so that I can fill mine.

O Father, create within me a clean heart so that the water from my well will always be pure and satisfying, as well as abundant.

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

~Jesus in Luke 6:64, NLT

A Sane Estimate

Are you amazed, as I am, how God speaks to us the very words we need to hear at a given time in our lives? He spoke directly to me this morning via words in a letter the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome centuries ago.

Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, 

but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities

by the light of the faith that God has given to you all.

(Romans 12:3, J. B. Phillips Translation)

I don’t usually have exaggerated ideas of myself or my importance. Instead, I feel inferior and inadequate much of the time. Those feelings cause me to shrink back from many things I could do and should do. Consequently, I’m asking God to give me a “sane estimate” of myself and my abilities, neither overestimating nor underestimating myself.

To accomplish that, He will lead me to the truths found in His Word. For example, “I can do all things [not in and of myself, of course] but through Christ, who gives me the strength I need.” (See Philippians 4:13.) Others have experienced the truth in those words, including the unidentified person who said, “If God brings you to it, He will see you through it.”

Therefore, I need to believe the truth about myself. As God gives me a sane estimate (His estimate!) of myself rather than a skewed one, I’ll live more confidently and make better choices. 

Faith

Sanibel Island, Florida (November 2014)

When Storms Rage

As I write this, I'm sitting alone in the basement of our house because everyone in this area has been strongly encouraged to seek shelter in a safe place since it's likely that a tornado will form. Before I came down here, I saw the rain coming down so hard and fast that it looks like a light gray curtain. The American flag in the front yard was flapping wildly. I'd heard that possible hail is expected in some parts of the county and surrounding areas.

As I sit in the safest place in my house, I pray.

Father, be with everyone during this widespread storm that has wreaked havoc in several states and is now speeding across Georgia. Shelter us as You display Your mighty powers all around us.

We cannot prevent the storms from coming. We can do nothing to lessen their severity. We cannot change their path. Neither can we do anything about the storms of life when they-- with Your permission--arrive, some predicted (as this one is), some not. In all storms, we can only cry out to You for saving mercies and for an awareness of Your presence with us.

As I reflect on this, I recall a Bible story (found in Matthew 8:23-27) about a sudden storm that savagely battered the disciples as they rowed from one side of the lake to the other. Fearing they were going to die out there, they woke Jesus up (for He was fast asleep on the boat) and cried out, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

Jesus immediately commanded the storm to cease and the waves to stand still. Amazed by His great power to calm the wind and the waves, the disciples asked each other, “What kind of man is this that even the storms and the waves obey Him?”

I realize that regardless of the kind of "storm" that rages in our lives, we can take great comfort in knowing Jesus is as near to us as He was to the disciples and that He will surely help us if only we’ll ask Him to. Whether He stills the storm or allows us to suffer through it, He will be right there with us.

This was taken in another state a couple of months before I wrote the above post.