Posted in Life Inspiration, Uncategorized

Rest, Reasoning and Relaxation with God’s Word

chick ponderingEvery time I pick up God’s precious word it speaks to me. Sometimes like a child in Sunday School class who wants to tell you everything that happened at the house this week. They need to catch you up on the latest and greatest; and other times in commentator form… slow and detailed. And then I realize, no, that’s how I read it. And guess which one I’m apt to be reading as. There’s nothing usually slow and detailed about me. More likely than not I’m a “Let’s skip to the chase” kind of gal.

Skipping details can, if you’re not cautious, gets you into trouble. It may not be coincidence that fast talkers are slow learners.

My morning began about 4:30 a.m. as I lay in bed with my mind rushing to and fro like an intersection at rush hour. I need to get this done and this done and this done. I want to do this, but I have to make sure this is done first and wait… I’ll have company this morning so… GET UP!!!

So I do.

I brewed the coffee, picked a couple of tunes on the guitar, worked out a fiddle lesson for my niece Phebe, ate some cereal and settled in on the couch. And when I finally stopped trying to write my day for me, God said… shssshhh. Let’s just be still for a minute and so I was…

And there in the stillness I heard the songs I’d been practicing lately

Peace be Still

There is a Time

Come as You Are

Each one of those songs preaches a sermon to my heart, each one has made me shed tears. This morning His word brings them together. The world is chaos. Between the political mayhem and the arrogance of anti-God rhetoric on the television my mind is often tumultuous; and that’s not good for someone who’s mind already runs like a race horse. I feel like I’m about to wreck!

PEACE BE STILL

Mark 4:39 

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

I love the song, I love the scripture, and I love the Lord Jesus who calms the chaos in my mind with just three small words. Oh what power there is those words though! No matter the turmoil Isis and other political parties try to stir they cannot un-calm the peace of God. They do not have the power over the ocean.  They can stir no more than a puddle. Thank you Jesus for that peace this morning!

THERE IS A TIME

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

The seasons work in perfect harmony for creation. In West Virginia we’re in Autumn, the leaves have fallen to the ground and the earth is gray and barren around our home. But if I just wait a few more months, the earth will come back to life and a new season will begin. This chaos that we experience on earth… it too is a season.  The arrogance and anti-God rhetoric will die and God’s purpose will be fulfilled.

We read of a city John saw coming down from God out of Heaven,
The walls are of Jasper, the gates are of Pearl, the streets of pure gold;
He tells of a pure river of life that flows from the throne,
And after we’ve reached that beautiful place we’ll know as we’re known

Lyrics from “Let’s meet by the River”

COME AS YOU ARE

My new guitar piece that I’m working on is a song by Crowder called “Come as you Are.” Oh my stars… the lyrics to this song are just beyond! I don’t know of anyone in my life who’s not been broken in one form or another, but recently my heart breaks in two as I see the anguish on the faces and I know that I have the answer but they refuse to listen. They’re trying to fix their own life, scrubbing and buffing the fenders of the car until they shine, not noticing that the engine is missing. They want their lives to look perfect to the world, and to the world it just might… but God looks inside. And what He sees is an empty space that He longs to fill and provide the peace that they desire, but aren’t willing. And I am not of this world… so I see it too. That’s the spiritual discernment that God affords His children.

Matthew 11:28

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

I am so grateful to serve a God Who is Able to

Calm my storm

Give reason for ever season

And give rest to the weary…

Posted in Life Inspiration, salvation

Exercise Don’t Come Easy

exercise

Ecclesiastes 1:13 ~ And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Ol’ Solomon. Or so tradition has it. Some believe Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon in his youth, the book of Proverbs in his middle age, and the book of Ecclesiastes when he was old. His entire life he’d given to search out the wisdom of God, and it was often a burdensome feat.

I get that. Especially this week, only it’s not a burdensome feat, but rather burdensome feet that have got me in sore travail. Another crazy antic in the life of Shari found me in nothing less than a Physical Education teacher class with PE teachers being trained to implement SPARK curriculum. Shari… the blogger… who exercises her mind, not her body, although I should have been. Shari… the out of shape blogger has had 3 six hours days of jumping, dancing, hoola hooping… (don’t go there, not a pretty image) and now has a sore heel due to the “cute” little flat sandals I wore the first day, not knowing I was going to be actually in this class, not just helping to set it up.

How much better it would have been had I been studied up. Or at least thinner.

I fear there will be those taking the tests of life, and especially the final, unprepared and sore vexed for answers from their lack of exercise of faith. Solomon himself said it was a hard task to study the things of God, even before the days of Facebook and Twitter and all the other gadgets and activities that consume our time. How much more now… are these gadgets and activities a trial or blessing. We need time to prepare.

It’s not only preachers who need to “study to show themselves approved” (2 Timothy 2:15). Studying scripture is not for the bible scholar, although they need it, but for every common man, woman and child so that when the trials of life come upon them they’ve had an exercised faith that’s ready for the work out. Someone dies, someone’s ill, financial struggle, broken hearts and all of life’s frustrations are covered in the training manual. And practiced in the lives of saints if you’ll watch them every day.

During this training a young man sat down at our breakfast table before the day started and out of the corner of my eye I watched him bow his head and bless his food. He not only had trained his body, but trained his mind in Spiritual things as well. I was so grateful! I had wondered that morning if my own faith would be understood that day, and God sent another of his warriors to the table as if to say… you’re not alone Shari.

Perhaps to day you’re in the midst of exercise of faith. Train on. God will strengthen you in the trial.

So… what if today you stood before God taking the final, are you prepared? Would you have the answer if He ask, “Why should I allow you to enter Heaven?”

I’ll even give you a cheat sheet. The answer would be given by Christ when He said, “They’re mine. They’ve claimed Me as their Savior, trusted me for their Salvation. They ask me into their heart at the age of _____.”

Could you fill in the blank? If not you’ve failed, and that’s one exam you can’t afford to fail, because there’s not a do-over. Eternity in Hell will be the penalty.

A loving God will not make you prepare, it’s your choice. I hope you’ve made it! If you’d like to know more or you’re unsure, follow this link: https://thejesuschick.com/the-road-to-salvation/