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.

“Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭6:19

The main point of the Parable of the Yeast is that just as a small amount of yeast mixed into flour causes the dough to rise gradually and unnoticed until a fluffy mound is formed, is the way the Spirit of God works within us. He slowly seeps into every level of our being, growing and spreading without being noticed, until we are changed at our core into children of God.

God’s Word may seem like a small dose that we feed souls, but don’t underestimate the power of His Word. His message works itself into our hearts gradually and silently but has great power and strength to change us completely.

Humans are impatient. We want change and we want it now! As we walk through our Christian journey, the most important aspect is not how quickly we’re moving, but that we’re moving in the right direction. We should always be seeking a deeper relationship with God, discerning His will for our lives and following as best we can. Continual small and imperceptible steps will get us where we need to be. Tiny steps, like a few specks of yeast, can lead to great things.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump is a metaphor the apostle Paul uses to compare the effects of false teaching in the church to the results of yeast in bread dough (Galatians 5:9). Just as a small amount of yeast will make a whole loaf of bread rise, a little bit of legalistic teaching will quickly spread, infiltrating the hearts and minds of individual believers until the entire church is contaminated.

I can relate to legalistic teaching, because I grew up under it.  The only way I can explain why our minister was so excessively strict in matters of rules and laws and why he was so condemning of the world we lived in is that he had never experienced grace.   He was a grace-killer. I have read that if someone spouts out dos and  don’ts is they have the sin they are condemning you for in their own  heart.    Jimmy  Swaggart, televangelist, had that problem.  It took me years to be set free from some of the teaching in my young life, but my quest in life was to fine truth;  I found it by reading the Bible and attending churches that swung the pendulum in the middle – not only one way.  Galatians 5:13-26 is filled with right and wrong ways to live.  Anyway, I am not God and I will let God direct the lives of others.  As a friend of my said when she was dealing with a problem “Life is too short….I need to accept people for who they are”.  Very wise statement.   

Just a thought by coppi

“Open my eyes that I may see” – 11Kings 6 —

The servant of Elisha, the man of God, has always been one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament.  Elisha, the man of God, would always inform the King of Israel when the Arameans were planning to mobilize their troops there.  King Aram was very upset.  He thought there was an traitor among his troops and demanded which was the informer.  When he was told and learned it was Elisha, the man of God, He sent his troops to kill Elisha.  Now this is the part I love—-11 Kings 6:15:  when the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning & went outside, there were troops, horses & chariots everywhere.  “Oh, sir what will we do now” the young man cried to Elisha.  “Don’t be afraid”.  Elisha prayed, “O, Lord open his eyes & let him see”.  The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, & when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses & chariots of fire!…..

The servant got a new perspective when his eyes were opened.  He went from panic to “bring it on” once he saw God had their backs, he was no longer fearful.  My prayer is “Jesus let me see every situation through your eyes – that I walk in faith, not fear”.  That I can face every obstacle with a “bring it on” attitude because I know, because I know you have my back”.  Thank you.

John 17. The Prayer of Jesus –

…..just as you sent them into the world….I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message ……Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am.  Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began….I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.  Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

John 17 became very meaningful to me years ago.  I remember being in Albuquerque, NM, years ago studying a new technique in art.   After a very long day that extended into the night, I would come back to where I was staying, take a bath & crawl into bed.  Before I turned the light out, I would pick up my Bible & read.  John 17, the prayer of Jesus, was the chapter that captured my heart.  Jesus was with the Father before the world began as was the Holy Spirit.  Both were sent into the world through a plan designed way before time.  Jesus was sent to redeem mankind through His death & resurrection; the Holy Spirit was sent in the world to teach, direct, guide & comfort us in our journey toward our Heavenly home.  It was a plan designed before time by our Father, Jesus, & The Holy Spirit, the three in one.  I would read & re-read John 17 – I so wanted to know & understand what Jesus was saying in this prayer.  “Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world…I am praying not only for THESE disciples but also for ALL (I was on His mind) who will ever believe in me through their message ……the message is laid out in the Bible – it is for our taking.

Ps 92:5-Lord, you have done such great things!  How deep are your thoughts……

Just a thought by coppi

 I’m reading “I Am: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are because of Who He Is” by Michele Cushatt and wanted to share this quote with you.

Just a thought by coppi

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us  (Timothy T. Keller, The Meaning of Marriage)..

Being “unreal” is a tasking job.  If you have never read The Velveteen Rabbit, I recommend it.  It’s a children’s book but reveals a truth of life, being “loved for who you are, warts and all”…

Just a thought by coppi  

Just a thought by coppi

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.  Lean not unto thy own understanding..

In all your ways acknowledge me and I will direct your path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Let your expectations come from me and not man.  

If you put your trust and expectations in man, disappointment will surely come.  I have done this in my life.  I trusted someone that I thought would never disappoint me.  He told me many times “why would I want to hurt you” and yet as he spoke those words, he had already started the downfall of our marriage.  Yes, you guessed it, it was my husband of many years.  I have no idea why anyone would intentionally lie and do wrong and think they can escape the consequences of sin, but they do.  The Bible is full of men who put their trust in themselves and not God – a few examples are Abraham, Moses, Sampson, David, etc.  they all had to come to their end and repent of their misdoings before restoration of their souls came about.  Today, the news is filled with “stuff” that take place in people who put their trust in gods of the world and  not the God of the Bible.  Yes, we read about them and the wrongs committed but we have no idea the wave of hurt that is encountered by the innocent connected to their wrong behavior.  I wish not to stand in judgement over anyone as we all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ….(2 Cor 5:10).  In my opinion, this life is a book of my learning to keep my focus on Christ and to let my expectation come from Him and not man.  If I do I will not be disappointed, but I will repeat “it’s a book of learning & trusting”….not easy but obtainable.

Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi

Lord, end my winter, and let my spring begin. I cannot with all my longings raise my soul out of her death and dulness, but all things are possible with thee. (Charles Spurgeon)

I receive Charles Spurgeon’s sermons daily.  When reading today’s sermon, the above excerpt lit up in neon lights.  I am sure we all have endured happenings in our lives that felt dark and dirty.  I have but the joy I felt after after the winter of pain & suffering ended and the light of spring began causing a beam of light to shoot through the constellations & give me hope.  I couldn’t help myself from bursting forth in the following song.

I SAW THE LIGHT 
(Hank Williams)

I saw the light, I saw the light 
No more darkness, no more nights, 
No more pain, misery and strife. 
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord 
Praise the Lord, I saw the light.

Jeremiah 29:13-14:  “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” 

Rev: 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”.

If you will seek me – behold I stand at the door and knock, you will find me.  I remember a painting I saw of Jesus standing at a door knocking that impressed me.  I wonder how long he had to knock before someone opened the door.  Doors are mentioned many times in the Bible.  One occurrence is when the resurrection had occurred, a glorious promise of God before the world begun (1 Cor 2:7 (NLT). Jesus had risen from the grave and was alive.  What did the disciples do, they ran and huddled behind closed doors because they were fearful of Jewish authorities. (John 20:19).  Even though the door was locked Jesus appeared before them.  Now, back to the painting – Jesus knocks at our heart, not a door as depicted in the painting, asking us to let Him come in.  We have a free wills, so it’s up to us to let him in.  And, as He said to the disciples “peace I give you”, He will say the same to us.  “Peace, peace, wonderful peace. coming down from the Father above!  Sweep over my spirit I pray in fathomless billows of love! (Lyrics: Warren D. Cornell).  Peace isn’t that what we all want……

“We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever come to the end of yourself and thought “I can’t handle this trial/suffering/heartache anymore” then you are among the many prophets in the Bible. Example:  I was reading about Gideon this morning and his struggles of inadequacies, “When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, & said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”  (Judges 6:12).  Gideon didn’t think he was a “mighty anything” but the Lord was not looking at Gideon’s inferiorities but what he could do through Gideon if he would turn his fears, etc over to the Lord and let him handle it.  When Gideon finally relinquished it to the Lord, he became the mighty warrior, the name given by the Lord.  

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

Ephesians 2:7-8 KJV

My prayer this morning after reading about the sacrifice of Jesus was as follows:

“Dear Jesus, when I read about God sending you, his Son, to die for me it overwhelmed me.  I cannot grasp in my finite mind just how that can be done. I know from reading the Bible it was always the sacrificing of something, sheep, doves, etc for sins before they, the followers of the law, sins were atoned for, and it was foretold many times in the Old Testament that the perfect sacrifice was coming, You, because the blood of animals and turtle doves could never take away our sins.  Finally. you were sent to finalize the promise before the foundation of time, you, Jesus, would be the perfect sacrifice.  Amazing and very hard for me to understand and accept what you offered in your sacrifice…forgiveness of my many sins, healing, plenty, love and grace.  What a gift.  Help me to  grab the significance of this gift.  Give me understanding and wisdom of the truths in the Bible.”

It was a simple prayer but from my heart.  

Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi

Stretcher friends…

Mark 2:4 – They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head.  Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus…….when Jesus saw their faith….after a confrontation with the scribes, He said to the man “arise & take up thy bed & walk…..he did and was healed!

Whenever I visit my friend in Vero Beach, we have a time of gathering on their back porch.  One time we were privilege to have her uncle visiting, who is a Methodist minister, speak on different topics of interest, I would jot down any that pulled my heart strings.  One in particular really jolted my being….”stretcher friends”.  He said they were your friends who stood by you no matter what debris the winds of life blew in.  They prayed, encouraged, listened & extended a helping hand.  He said if you have five or less, you are mightily blessed.  Yes, I do.  These friends have been with me through many storms & also rejoiced with me in the brightness of the sun.  I would label them “the hands, feet, ears, mouth, etc of Jesus” – God is a spirit & the body of Christ is his way of spreading his unconditional love.