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.

2023

Just a thought by coppi- 

The power that raised Christ from the grave is the power that resurrects hope in our hearts.

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

‭‭Heb 11:6

Hope is existential for me.  Without it life would be vacant and void.  Many times in my life, I felt hopeless wondering around in darkness and fear.  It’s only when I came back to the One who loves me and only wants good for me that the brightness of the sun (Son) yanked me out of my gloom and dismal way.  His power is great – so great that the grave could not hold him.  There is a condition though – I must believe He exists and He rewards those who sincerely seek him. (He. 11:6) “Lord, I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief”.  (Mark 9:24)

Timothy Keller was right when he wrote this in The Meaning of Marriage: “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.”

Being fully known and truly loved is what I desire – I have quoted this before when I have been asked to speak at different events. I usually start with “When two people meet there are three different people you are trying to let that person know about you 1) who you are trying to impress that person with who you are. (2)who that person thinks you are. (3) and who you really are.  Speaking before people is not one of my enjoyments as when I was a child growing up I stuttered and was very fearful of who I was.  But I told the Lord if He opened a door, which He did many times, I would face the fear and darkness and not close the door.  Not easy, but can be done with Jesus holding your hand.  If you run from the darkness of fear, it will engulf and swallow the life out of you.  I am not a fake nor do I pretend to be someone I am not;  I will take the risk of not being loved or accepted to be the person God created me to be.  It was a hard lesson to learn, still is at times, but certainly worth the effort. 

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2017

I am moving to a new location closer to where I will not have to drive so far to activities I am involved in such as church, golf, bridge, etc. so, I am cleaning out all the ‘stuff’ in my house that I do not need to simplify my move. I had to laugh as I was purging my physical belongings, etc, I thought that is exactly what I need to do to keep my soul from wasting away with garbage that I have accumulated through the years. Following are some of my soul throw aways:

Hidden sin:
Psalm 32:3-5
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Re-new my mind:
2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Deep clean my mouth and soul inside and out:
Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.

Get rid of negative thinking:
Ephesians 4:31-32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as I have forgiven you.

Open your life, let the light of God’s presence shine into every part and you’ll have no need for a yearly spiritual cleansing. Instead experience daily, moment to moment refreshing of your spirit.

The secret to having the sun (son) shine brightly in your life is to make sure you stay away from accumulating garbage in your soul. John 10:10: I have come to give you life, and to give it to you more abundantly. And, that’s the life Jesus wants for us.

Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi

Gal 6:4 let everyone be sure to do their very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work done well & won’t need to compare himself with someone else.

Gee, do you ever feel inadequate?  I am an avid reader of devotions.  They make me think & want to know more about Jesus.  But when I write “my just a thoughts”, I feel very inadequate.  When I play golf with someone who makes my game look very “sad” I wonder why I even play.  I then have to have a “good” renewing of my mind.  I play golf because I love being out & being with my friends & I write my thoughts from my heart & experiences in life.  I read: “Lord, when I feel tiny & insignificant, lost in vastness of everything, remind me that in your eyes I am special.  Special is being true to yourself – who He made you to be….satisfaction comes from doing your best, not comparing yourself to others.  Jesus help me to be me.

Alfred North Whitehead suggested that great people plant trees they’ll never sit under. When you help someone live and pray in God’s will, you are planting such trees that will bear harvest for eternity.

As most of my Just a Thoughts readers know, I write thoughts about my hardships and triumphs in life so that “maybe just maybe” there is someone out there that can be helped through reading them.  I pray I am planting trees of help that I will never sit under.  My thoughts are now on WordPress blog where I have approximately 1,600 views thus far,  Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, which tells me I have planted trees I will never sit under. Please know, I write from my heart and wish not that a crown be placed on my head; I truly and sincerely want to help people, and if that can be done through being vulnerable about my life that is “dayenu” (a Jewish term)- it would have been enough.

Just a thought by coppi

“Prayer makes the darken’d cloud withdraw;

Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;

Gives exercise to faith & love;

Brings every blessing from above”……

If you are around me any length of time, you will hear me say..”prayer is laying hold of God’s willingness not his reluctance.  I have embedded those ten words in my mind because they were very meaningful to me when I went through a very difficult time in my life.  In 1997, I can remember being in Corpus Christi, TX feeling like chicken little, the world falling down on my head.  It was during that period I came upon God’s willingness not His reluctance.  I prayed diligently for Jesus to guide & direct my steps, & gradually He pulled me out from under the rubble.  It didn’t happen overnight but His peace covered me until I could stand strong in Him.

Just a thought by coppi –

Hebrews 4:7. God announced through David, today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts…

Have you ever heard God’s voice? Do you want to? I certainly did & tried every facet I could think of to hear His voice. I would read the different ways ministers & people heard him speak to them…..being the person I am, I would do exactly what they said they did. Nothing. One example I shall share with you….Ruth Carter Stapleton (Our past President’s sister), had purchased a piece of land & built a beautiful lodge thereon near Dallas, Tx, where I lived. It was to be a place where people gathered to work out deep seeded areas of pain in their life. Oh yes, I definitely signed up but I did not want to stay in places near the lodge. I was going to rent a room in a motel…be by myself & really seek God & try to hear His voice. I did. I sat in that room nightly all alone while everyone else was mingling with others. I prayed. I mediated, & sat still, which is very hard for me to do. Nothing. The gathering was nice but I left without the reason I was going for….to hear God’s voice. Years later and many tough goings & being terribly weary, I found myself with my head on my desk praying about something I did not want to do….I heard “you won’t have to”…I jotted the date down & reason I was praying. Sure enough it never happened. Then I sat & thought about my journey in life – yes, I was guided by a very quite & still voice starting at the age 7 when I heard standing in a room in our old farm house…”go kneel & pray by your bed & I will filled you with my Holy Spirit”….I obeyed & it happened. I guess sometimes the Mighty Lord does move in the miraculous but for me, it’s in the unexpected times, I feel this urging in my being…..I am here guiding you…..don’t harden your heart….listen sometimes I speak very low……..listen.

Ecclesiastic 11:5…As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all things.

The wind blows where it wishes, & you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8

Just a thought by coppi

F. B. Meyer was right when he said, “The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.”

“The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Do you ever feel as though you are bound with chains?  Bound between 

anxiety and worry or fear and hopelessness.  Whatever your chains are Jesus can and will break those chains. He wants to set you free to live an abundant life.  Following is some thoughts I gleaned in my readings:

1. Don’t figure things out by yourself. …
2. Be real with how you feel. …
3. Be OK with some things being out of your control. …
4. Practice self-care. …
5. Be conscious of your intentions. …
6. Focus on positive thoughts. …
7. Practice mindfulness.

How do we send our anxiety to God? First, Conclusively: “cast” refers to “once and for all, throw our burdens to Jesus!” When the worries of life press us down, we do not have to bear them! Thank God, He is willing to carry our load. Thirdly, notice “all your anxiety.” He tells us to give Him everything – he will carry our load.

“We don’t always know how or when God will answer our prayers. But continue praying for those in need, and trust that God will hear and answer you. We may never know on this side of heaven the eternal consequences of such faithfulness.”  (Jim Denison 1/18/23)

For myself, I journalize my feelings—truthfully.  Even though I am ashamed to admit them, I come to Jesus humbly with an honest heart.  I also have a secret place I go, kneel, and pray.  I would like to say I leave it there all the time,but I don’t.  I pick up my prayer requests and load them back on my wagon of hurts/anxieties, and go on with my fretting and hurting.  Jesus said “Cast – once and for all throw our burdens to Him”.  Yes, that’s where they belong.  On Him.  Not me.

Just a thought by coppi

A cosmic game of hide and seek is often how many view the search for God. “Where are you?” is the question that echoes throughout the ages as human beings seek for God in a vast universe often filled with inexplicable mystery- Margaret a Manning Oct 19, 2020
Have you ever wondered where God was when the storms of life blow into your life. I did. And, as I read the scriptures in the Bible I note that the Apostles did too. Not only the Apostles, but the prophets, Kings, and the Israelites. No one is exempt from problems. Why God do you hide your face from me when I am in need? Where are you? How long before you answer my prayer? These are just a few questions thrown toward God. His answers are not always the way we want, but He will answer your prayer. It may seem like forever before you see a glimmer of the answer, but it will come. I went from different training periods in my life before I realized the importance of my answered prayers. Yes, training is difficult, but the end results is the catalyst God is after. He wants you to know Him and His love. He wants a relationship with you.

Isaiah 41:10

In this passage, God reminds us in comforting words that He will always be with us. He encourages us not to be fearful, as He will uphold us with His righteous right hand, allowing us to stand firm.

The Bible tells us that even as we walk through hard times, God is with us (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10). Hard times are never pleasant; however, God can teach us a lot through hard times. During hard times, we will face trials, temptations, and tribulations, yet the Lord never leaves us during these times.

Today I had an email from a dear friend after reading my thought yesterday, January 14th, 2023, within it she said “I have heard you talk about your mother and her deep faith, but I have never heard you speak of your father.”  I replied “I really never new my father as when he died I was very young and could not recall a memory of him”.  What I knew about him was what my oldest sister, Ruth, told me.  One of the things she told me was that he loved us very much and was proud of his ten children.  Now he was gone and my mother was left to raise us by herself.  It was a difficult time for her and us.  Ruth told me that daddy moved us from San Antonio, Tx where we lived in a nice home and went to a church not inflamed with hell and damnation, but my father wanted us out of the city because he feared the boys would to get in trouble there.  To be very truthful, as years went by and we were older, I always wondered what if he left us in the San Antonio, Tx where there were more opportunities for us and life would not be so hard and difficult for my mother and her crew of ten children.  My father was in World War 1 and was inflicted with mustard gas which affected his lungs and caused his life to end sooner than necessary.  I guess he thought it better to move us away from the city lights to a place where we could survive on the land if anything happened to our country.  Note: remember he fought in World War 1.  My life began here in  Fredericksburg, Tx on a small farm situated between Fredericksburg and Kerriville, Tx.  There began the journey of what made me who I am today.  We walked through difficult times, but God was true to his promise – “He would always be with us.” —-He was. 

Just a thought by coppi