Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

“I cannot think of a single advantage I’ve ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing…. Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away.” – Ann Voskamp

Back in my other life, I thought I had to hurry up and be everywhere. I am surprised I didn’t run into myself in all my haste. I have told myself,  I want to stop and smell the roses, and really enjoy what I am doing.  My mother used to tell me “Haste makes Waste, and she also said “If I was running from pain etc, remember wherever I ran, I would have to take myself with me.”  A lot of my mother’s wisdom I did not want to hear, but now in my golden years, I understand what she was trying to tell me. I did not want to miss out on anything – did I enjoy the moment – probably not, because of the rush to get to the next interest.  Anyway, I did  accomplish many things in my life, but I also know in my haste to do so, I missed the joy of those moments.

just a thought by coppi

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Ps 27:13-14

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Psalms‬ ‭27: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Mt 6:9-13 and Luke 11:-11-4

I have come to give you life, and give it to you more abundantly. John 10:10

Jesus wants us to have joy and happiness in this life.  We do not have to wait until we get to heaven. There are many scriptures in the Bible on the joy of the Lord to back up His desire for us to be happy on earth as well as when we get to heaven. Growing up with too much wrong teaching, I was unaware of all what the Lord wanted for me. It wasn’t until I picked up the Bible and started searching scriptures myself for truth. I also sought out Bible-teachers, who didn’t teach fear, but kept  the pendulum swinging in the middle of the scriptures.   I also did what Jesus said to do “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Mt7:7.  I will add, I have not arrived totally from misguided teachings, but Jesus has been faithful in opening doors for me to find His love and joy right here on earth as well as in heaven. 

Just a thought tby coppi

American novelist Edith Wharton said, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” In our relationship with Jesus, He’s the candle. We are the mirror that reflects His light to the world. The deeper the darkness, the brighter we shine.

”looking unto Jesus. the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.“

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭

Not only is the verse a challenge, it’s an encouragement. We aren’t running alone. Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith, and he made a way for us. We can look to him as our example and our source of strength. 

.The Greek word translated “perfecter” in Hebrews 12:2 appears only this one time in the New Testament. It means literally “completer” or “finisher” and speaks of bringing something to its conclusion. Putting the two words together, we see that Jesus, as God, both creates and sustains our faith. We know that saving faith is a gift from God, not something we come up with on our own,  and that gift comes from Christ, its creator. He is also the sustainer of our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) meaning that true saving faith cannot be lost, taken away or given away. This is a source of great comfort to believers, especially in times of doubt and spiritual struggles. Christ has created our faith and He will watch over it, care for it, and sustain it.

When I read “Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith” and “Jesus creates and sustains our faith”, much joy filled my being.   Why?  If He is the author and perfect-or of my faith, I need to rest in His love and guidance to the finish line, and throw fear and torment out of my psyche, and trust Him to do exactly what He said He would. Why do I feel as though I have to do everything myself – which is control and not letting the worries of life, etc be with the source of life, Jesus.  It’s been a learning process for me, and a hard one too.  Control is something I want to turn loose of, and replace it with trust and the sustainer of my faith…..which is my source of great comfort.

Just a thought by coppi

PRAYER

As a deer yearns for running streams,

so I yearn for you, my God.

In you is the source of life, by your light we see the light.

[Psalm. 42:1; 36:9]

A deer will seek water after being chased or hunted by predators. In the heat of the day, the watering hole becomes the assemblage of many different types of animals seeking the same relief in the cooling water. The deer will pant or cry for the water, knowing his survival depends on it.

We can’t see our future, direction, or destination, but Jesus can. Like the lighthouse guided the ship, Jesus directs us toward God’s light. The light of Christ guides us through the darkness of sin, life, and struggle both spiritually and literally.

For me, Jesus has been the ‘go to’ source in my life.  I have walked through many different light and darkness situations running from pain and hurt , which would crop up from my past, and daily life.  . The light of Jesus, and running streams were the source of protection from the predators of darkness in my life.  I have no idea where this camper would be if I didn’t have faith and belief in the God of my childhood – so I sought the cool streams of water, Jesus, and His guiding light for help. He was enough, and still is. 

Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi

Believe in the One who has redeemed you. And in that, step out in freedom from all those things that kept you in chains. (John 8:36 – so if the Son sets you free, you are truly free).

I can remember years ago saying to our Lord “set me free so I can free others”. Now, you must remember I grew up in a very legalistic church & was chained in the dos & don’ts of man-made religion. It will suffocate you from the joy of the Lord. John 10:10 says “I have come to give you life, & give it to you more abundantly” & life isn’t being chained – but redeemed. The pendulum swings both ways – my prayer is to stay centered in Jesus and walk in the wisdom of His word. (Ps 43:3 – send out your light & truth; let them guide me).

A prayer by Henri Nouwen 

Dear God,

I am full of wishes,

full of desires,

full of expectations.

Some of them may be realized, many may not,

but in the midst of all my satisfactions

and disappointments,

I hope in you.

I know that you will never leave me alone

and will fulfill your divine promises.

Even when it seems that things are not going my way,

I know that they are going your way

and that in the end your way is the

best way for me.

O Lord, strengthen my hope,

especially when my many wishes are not fulfilled.

Let me never forget that your name is Love.

Amen.

Following is a word from Max Lucado on July 20, 2018 

Jesus repeatedly escaped the noise of the crowd in order to hear the voice of God! Which presupposes a decision on his part.  I need to get away…to think…to calibrate my course. With resolve, he pressed the pause button on his life.

Richard Foster hit the mark when he wrote,  “If our Adversary can keep us engaged in ‘muchness’ and ‘manyness,’ he will rest satisfied.” The devil implants taxi meters in our brains.  We hear the relentless tick, tick, tick telling us to hurry, hurry, hurry, time is money—resulting in this roaring blur called the human race.

Follow Jesus into the desert.  Accept your Master’s invitation to  “Come aside by yourself to a desert place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

Most of my life I have been a human doing – not a human being.  I am trying to change this.  When I read Max Lucado’s thought today, I liked the words ‘muchness’ and ‘manyness’ so I am going replace my words ‘doing and being’ to these words.

“Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.” — Rudyard Kipling

I have been stymied by my own fears most of my life.  Fear was a dark cloud looming behind me.  I told myself as long as I hide behind this darkness and not turn around and face the fear of whatever was holding me captive; light was blocked.  Do you know how hard that is when you live under the circumstances of low self-worth and thinking that accomplishments is the way to acceptance.  If you fail in what ever it is that has a grip on you, devastation moves in like a tsunami and if you succeed, the pain that comes from struggling to learn something hard followed by the delight in knowing that I can still surprise myself through learning is satisfying.  It’s a dichotomy.  “The division of two things that are completely different:   The dichotomy between what people think they are and what they do.”  To simplify me, I had to dig up the root that was choking my life.  Face the reason, acknowledge it, work at uprooting it, (I am a believer in Christ) and asking Jesus to help me move on with Him as my guide and director.  I gave up being the ambassador of my life.  I wanted to walk in light – not darkness.

Just a thought by coppi 

”Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭61‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We are not King David running from his enemies and King Saul – but what are the enemies we are running from?  Mine are the enemies that block abundant life from me. Dwelling on my past is an enemy….worrying about things that might never happen….envy . …Insecurity. …Indecisiveness. …Intolerance. …Fear of Failure. …Impatience….etc.  Jesus said in John 10:10 …”The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.“

My prayer is Psalm 61:1-4….”I will trust in the shelter of Your wings”…..”Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Just a thought by coppi