Category Archives: My Life

My Life

God’s Preservation

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     There are so many things that we can thank God for….things that others might call a “coincidence”. But how much better to see God’s preserving hand in these mishaps that we experience.

    I remember one time when I was setting off down the hill from our place, out onto the road and speeding up as the road opened up. The road was narrow and windy, and to take the corner at the bottom, I cut across the corner and then saw another car approaching.  
I automatically put my foot on the brake so I could navigate back to my own side of the road, when horrors! The car spun around about three times out of control, flew across a deep ditch and landed up against a large tree facing the way I had come, with a gentle thud. It had all happened so quickly that I hardly realised what had happened!

   The other car passed by (he must have seen it all happen), and backed up and asked if I was alright. By this time, I had felt around and decided that nothing was broken on me, and there were no obvious breakages on the car. The windows  were all intact, the  motor turned off, and the door opened. But outside was a different story….the wheels didn’t look right, and horrors, the tyres were torn off! So when the man asked if was alright, I asked if he could run me back up the hill so I could find my husband and tell him what had happened which he did. I never saw that man again, and often wondered if he came that way regularly!

    That was the end of my part in the story….the men folk got the car back across the ditch, and put new tyres on it and it was able to be driven home without a scratch on the body. Amazing!

    It often gave me the shivers thinking about what could have happened to me…I could have ended up in a wheelchair with a broken back, or been in the hospital for weeks recuperating from injuries, or even worse, could have been killed. Truly the Lord sent His angels to preserve me that day!!

    Needless to say, I never went too fast down that hill again! But what a way to learn a lesson I should have known anyway!

    There are many ways that God preserves His people, and we should never cease to give Him thanks for this every day….we have no idea how many times He keeps us safe from things that we don’t see coming.

My Life

Goodbye!

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    This last weekend, we went to the farewell of a dear friend who is leaving the district. She has faithfully served on committees and helped wherever she could, but now is moving to a retirement home right away from our area. Another family of three have left not only our district, but our country and gone back to Canada where they came from a little over twelve months ago. They too, will be missed although we didn’t know them as long as our other friend. It was also the anniversary of our beloved sister-in-law this last week who passed away with cancer two years ago.

    Over the years we have seen many people come and go, and this is how it is for each one of us. Some have stayed several years, while others have only been with us for a few months, but none the less dear. We are meant to interact with each other….this is a God given gift, one of the signs that we are made in His image. Has it ever occurred to you, that God wants to have fellowship with you, His creature? That is the reason that His Son, Jesus Christ came to earth, to show us what God is like and how much He wants us to talk with Him and to live His ways. He has told us that those who seek Him will find Him! What a wonderful thought.

   Of course, modern technology makes it possible to keep in touch so easily, and even see each other. Especially when there are small children involved….how else would they get to know their grand-parents in another country?  Another wonderful thought is that one day there will be no more partings. That we will be able to fellowship with our friends and with our Lord forever with nothing between. Let’s find out the truth of these matters and DO something about it. Don’t put it off as so many do, we have no guarantee of tomorrow, and one day it may be too late.

My Life

Keeping a Diary.

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     I’ve kept a diary for years, and I must say that it has been the means of solving many an argument! Dates and events are often otherwise forgotten. I’ve got several different styles of diaries, and one I often refer to is my diary of events. These are just the headlines of different things that happen in the month and the family often refer to it as well. Then there is my normal diary which has more detail of day to day happenings, conversations and weather etc.

     Another one that is useful is the garden diary….this one is laid out four pages to a month labelled Week One, Week Two etc, and divided into sections down the page…each one corresponding to a year. This means that you can see at a glance how various plants have been doing from year to year at the same time.

    Then there is the Diary of Items Bought. How often do we remember exactly how long we’ve had that appliance that has suddenly given trouble, and wondered if it is out of its guarantee or not! Or how many years we’ve had a certain machine and what we paid for it?

   Finally there is a Spiritual Journal. Here is where you write precious thoughts that have come to you during the day and times of reflection. Things you have thought of as you have read devotional writings, and perhaps things that puzzle you, the whys of life and eternity. Don’t let these thoughts slip away, but write them down. As you read them later, jot down further thoughts you have had on similar topics. As you do a daily reading of the Bible, write down the thoughts and questions that come to you and ponder them further. Never be too busy to make time for this, even if it is only fifteen minutes a day….what is that out of twenty-four hours? Surely we can make that much time to deal with this, the most important side of our being!

My Life, Uncategorized

My Heart, God’s Home, Part Eleven.

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    Have We REALLY Handed all to Him?

On one of my morning trysts with my Lord in the living room before anyone else was stirring, we were reading together His promises about me in abiding in Him. I was sure I WAS abiding in Him….after all, here we were together enjoying fellowship together over His Word weren’t we?

Then He turned me to that verse in the Old Testament where the psalmist was asking God to search his heart, and know his thoughts, and try him to see if there was still some wicked way in him (Psalm 139:23-24).

I started to squirm as I thought how scary it would be if He turned those pure and holy eyes on my innermost being! I couldn’t trust myself to be totally one hundred percent honest. I knew what I ought to be, and I knew that I wanted to be that, but WAS I? I knew that my heart was deceitful above all things and desperately wicked  and that only God could know it (Jeremiah 17:9-10).  I didn’t even know it myself!                                                                                                                      ” I know that you want to follow Me with all your heart”, Jesus said, “Would you mind giving me your smart phone for a while?”

What would I do without it? I shrunk back, keeping it in my pocket. What if he went on to the log, and saw what I’d been looking at? And read those catty comments I’d put onto Facebook? And read some of those suggestive remarks my friends had sent to make me laugh?

Suddenly those things didn’t seem quite so clever or witty as I’d thought they were when I got them! Besides, what would I do without the phone there at my fingertips? Someone might try to get hold of me, or worse still, maybe the Lord would answer for me! What would my friends think if they got Him on the phone?

It came on me in a flash, that He already knew all those things! There was nothing at all that I could hide from Him! He didn’t need to get the phone to know those things…the point was, was I ready to hand all those things over to Him too? Those little resentments and excuses that I always made, refusing to take the blame. Being offended if I thought I was being overlooked?

“Oh Lord”, I cried in repentance, “You can see me through and through, you know every little rotten thought I’ve ever had. Help me to walk in Your way everlasting, beginning now so I won’t be ashamed before You as I go into eternity!”

“My child”, He said with that beautiful smile of His, “That is what I’ve been wanting to hear from you all along!”

He handed me my phone back again, “Now use this for My glory, speaking of the things of Myself to build others up, sending words of encouragement to them, and praising others”.

My desires were now what He desired, and He was giving it all back to me! What joy! What blessings He bestows!

“Oh Lord!” I cried, “Help me to be each day what You want me to be, and to do only what You want me to do!”

My Life, Uncategorized

My Heart, God’s Home (Part Ten)

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                                                    The Garden.

   Things settled down and everything seemed to be going smoothly. I was having my daily morning times with the Lord when He opened His word to me and I talked with Him. They were precious times and I wouldn’t have missed them for anything. I had banished all the doubtful things from the study of my mind, and I was feasting on the good and pure things that He delighted in.

He was teaching me how to make the best use of my time and to make useful contacts with others. My cupboards were all clean and I had nothing to be ashamed of, or so I thought.

One day, the Lord came to me and said with a whimsical smile, “Um, have you looked at the garden lately?” I glanced out the window, and said hastily, “But Lord, You know how busy I’ve been doing Your work, and taking time to be with You each day!”

“Ah,” He said, “But you cannot afford to get slack in anything that belongs to Me. I know I could do this work for you with a single word, but that is not  how I have ordained things. It is up to you to weed and tend this garden, or you will not be able to totally enjoy the beauty I have provided. The plants will be covered in weeds, and the dead heads on the flowers will prevent new growth and continual flowering!”

“Oh”, I said somewhat shamefacedly, “I’m sorry Lord, I’ll get onto it straight away and promise I won’t let it get away from me again!”

I was beginning to realise that serving the Lord is a lifelong task, and something that needs constant attention!

 

My Life

My Heart, God’s Home…..Part Nine

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                                   Transferring the Title.

    A thought came to me one day. I asked Him, “Lord, is there any chance that You would take over the management of the whole house and operate it for me as You did that hall cupboard? Would You take the responsibility to keep my life what it ought to be?”

His face lit up as He replied, “I’d love to! That is what I want to do. You cannot be a victorious Christian in your own strength. Let me do it through you and for you. That is the way. But,” He added slowly, “I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed, since the property is not mine.”

Dropping to my knees, I said, ‘Lord, You have been a guest and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the owner and Master.”

Running as fast as I could to the strongbox, I took out the title deed to the house describing its assets and liabilities, location and situation. I eagerly signed the house over to Him alone for time and eternity.

“Here,” I said. “Here it is, all that I am and have, forever. Now You run the house. I’ll just remain with You as a servant and friend.”

Things are different since Jesus Christ has settled down and has made His horne In my heart!

 

My Life

My Heart, God’s Home (Part Eight)

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The Rumpus  Room…… 

One evening, Jesus  asked me if I had a rumpus room, where I went for fun and fellowship. I was hoping He wouldn’t ask about that! There were certain associations and activities that I wanted to keep for myself.

One evening when I was on my way out with some of my buddies, He stopped me with a glance and asked, “Are you going out?”

I replied, “Yes.’

“Good” He said, “I would like to go with you.”

“Oh,” I answered rather awkwardly. “I don’t think, Lord Jesus, that You would really enjoy where we are going. Let’s go out together tomorrow night. Tomorrow night we will go to a Bible class at church, but tonight I have another appointment.”

“I’m sorry,” He said. “I thought that when I came into your home, we were going to do everything together, to be close companions. I just want you to know that I am willing to go with you.”

“Well,” I mumbled, slipping out the door, “we will go someplace together tomorrow night.”

That evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt rotten. What kind of friend was I to Jesus, deliberately leaving Him out of my life, doing things and going places that I knew very well He would not enjoy?

When I returned that evening, there was a light in His room, and I went up to talk it over with Him. I said, “Lord, I have learned my lesson. I know now that I can’t have a good time without You. From now on, we will do everything together.”

Then we went down into the basement of the house to the rumpus room. He transformed it. He brought new friends, new excitement, new joys. Laughter and music have been ringing through the house ever since !

 

My Life

My Heart, God’s Home, Part Seven

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 AI150The Workroom……

 Before long He asked, “Do you have a workroom in your house?”

Out in the garage of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some equipment, but I wasn’t doing much with it. Once in a while I would play around with a few little gadgets, but I wasn’t producing anything substantial.

I led Him out there. He looked over the workbench and said, “Well, this is quite well furnished. What are you producing with your life for the Kingdom of God?” He looked at one or two little toys that I had thrown together on the bench and held one up to me. “Is this the sort of thing you are doing for others in your Christian life?”

“Well,” I said, “Lord, I know it isn’t much, and I really want to do more, but after all, I don’t seem to have strength or skill to do more.”

“Would you like to do better?” He asked.    

  “Certainly,” I replied.

“All right. Let me have your hands. Now relax in me and let my Spirit work through you. I know that you are unskilled, clumsy and awkward, but the Holy Spirit is the Master Workman, and if He controls your hands and your heart, He will work through you.”                                     

Standing around behind me and putting His great strong hands under mine, He held the tools in His skilled fingers and began to work through me. The more I relaxed and trusted Him, the more He was able to do with my life. And so I have found it to be….in the years since, I have been surprised myself at what I have been able to make with His help!         

All glory to Him!!