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.

”Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He will make your righteous reward shine like dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”

I have read this Psalm many times in my life. I love it.  Today , skimming through the text to grasp the main idea, the latter part “popped”  brightly from the pages. If I/you have been praying for a miracle and it finally comes forth as a brightly shining star,  “it will shine like dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” I am always digging into my life to see why there are different happenings that cause me to re-act in a way that is not desirable, which causes me sorrow. In Psalms 23, a phrase therein I quote many times “He restores my soul” – which Jesus will do if I really want that part in me restored.  This morning as I was praying about an angst in me, I said “I am unable to do this, but you are able – I want my reward to shine.”

Just a thought by coppi

Take time to place your hope in the nearness of your heavenly Father. Place your trust in him that he will always be with you through thick and thin.

 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”Isaiah 41:10

2023

“One of the most notable characteristics of worrying is that it fragments our lives. The many things to do, to think about, to plan for, the many people to remember to visit, or to talk with, the many causes to attack or defend, all these pull us apart and make us lose our center. Worrying causes us to be “all over the place,” but seldom at home. One way to express the spiritual crisis of our time is to say that most of us have an address but cannot be found there.” Henri Nouwen

Above words from Henri Nouwen rings so true for me.  At times when I am reading the Bible or Meditations l will have to stop myself and say “you have read words, but they were words without meaning.”  I will stop myself and pray – Jesus if it’s only a word or phrase I need to hear, please still my mind so I can hear you.  “All over the place” – what will that mean in forty years or maybe even tomorrow.  Worrying and doing has always been a problem for me – worrying about something that might not happen or trying to be a doing person in lieu of “having an address and being there”.  

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Just a thought by coppi

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭42‬-‭46‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.8.46.NIV

“Who touched me”.  

“Shackled by a heavy burden

‘Neath a load of guilt and shame

Then the hand of Jesus touched me

And now I am no longer the same”

The women with the issue of blood was crushed among the crowds of people wanting to get to Jesus for healing, she did not give up— she kept crawling through the drove of people saying to herself “if I can only touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed”.  She had great faith in the power of this man, Jesus, the Son of God.  Finally she reached him and reached to touch Him but was only able to touch the hem of His garment.  Jesus stopped and said “Who touched me”!!!  Fear probably rose within this frail women but she knew something happened to her.  The healing power of Jesus touched her and she was healed. When Jesus proclaimed “Who touched me”, and with all the people pushing against him, Peter tried to convince him that it was impossible for him to think a touch would awaken Him of such a thing as a touch’.  But, no, Jesus proclaimed again “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone from me”!  He then noticed this small fearful women who was healed looking up to him with gratitude, and said “your faith has made you whole”.  

He touched me…..among multitudes of people pressing in on Him; a small touch on the hem of His garment laced with much faith, she was healed.  “Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” From this particular passage we see that the central feature of faith is confidence or trust. In the Bible, the object of faith is God and his promises.”

Reach out to Him in faith….even small faith….and touch the edge of His cloak.  

Just a thought by coppi

Christmas is the renewed invitation not to be afraid and to let him—whose love is greater than our own hearts and minds can comprehend—be our companion. Henri Nouwen

Merry Christmas to all my Just athought readers…..Jesus has been my companion for many years. You can Trust Him.   Coppi

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4: 18

“Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, “Prove you are a good person.” Another voice says, “You’d better be ashamed of yourself.” There is also a voice that says, “Nobody really cares about you,” and one that says, “Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful.” But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, “You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you.” That’s the voice we need most of all to hear.

To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence,

and a strong determination to listen. That’s what prayer is.

It is listening to the voice that calls us “my Beloved.”  Henri Nouwen 

I loved the meditation by Henry Nouwen. I will share. 

Just a thought by coppi

Heavenly Father, every moment You have given us is an island ,an isolated thing of beauty.  May we live within the beauty of this moment and leave tomorrows worries for tomorrow.  Linda ChingSledge

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, God is already there”…these words were given to me by the person who was moving me back to Dallas from Oklahoma years ago. I left Dallas due to a very hurtful, disappointing, thirty-two marriage that ended in a disgraceful divorce.  But, that was then and this is now, and I was now returning with a promise given to me by a man who was moving me back to Dallas –  “Don’t worry about tomorrow, God is already there”.   Trust and believe. 

Just a thought by coppi

“Christmas means not just hope for the world, despite all its unending problems, but hope for you and me, despite all our unending failings.” – Tim Keller

Enough said

Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi 

As Pastor Buddy Owens said, “When you fix your thoughts on God, God fixes your thoughts

As you go about your day, say to yourself, “I am strong in the Lord. I am not afraid. For God has not given me the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7)

Thoughts if not based on truth can mess one up.  Why?  I speak for myself, but I know my thoughts are tainted by different happening in my journey in life so I have to fix my thinking on God for truth, directions, and let Him fix my thoughts.  My only problem is I have to have patience & wait on God to erase my wrong thinking which He will do if I will be still and patient.  God has never given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.  God will fix your wrong thinking and thoughts – go to Him for help.

Choices – just a thought by coppi

This is the voice to listen to. And that listening requires a real choice, not just once in a while but every moment of every day and night. It is you who decides what you think, say, and do. You can think yourself into a depression, you can talk yourself into low self-esteem, you can act in a self-rejecting way. But you always have a choice to think, speak, and act in the name of God and so move toward the Light, the Truth, and the Life.  (Henri Nouwen)

Choices are always circling around for me to make.  I have lived a long time, and have made good and bad ones. One of my grateful prayers is “Jesus, thank you for letting me live long enough to look back on my life, and correct some of the ones that were wrong.”  In my former life, I belonged to four Country Clubs at one time. I have always been a person that wanted to walk with God thus spending time being still and searching truth in His word. That all ended when golf took over my life.  I was going in all directions doing and being what everyone thought I should be doing. I was a people pleaser and was drained of energy to do anything but please the world. When that life ended, I was thrown out in a world of survival.  It was a very difficult time in my life.  I returned and leaned heavily on prayer and seeking guidance from Jesus.  He brought me through that horrible time in life.  Today, I pray I can re-evaluate choices I have to make – make ones that are pleasing in God’s eyes.  

Just a thought by coppi