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.

Corrie Ten Boon – “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow.  It empties today of its strength.”

Have you ever worried about something & it never happened.  I have.  All that energy wasted for nothing.  One can’t help but worry when the storms of life engulf you – yet, Jesus said trust me & have faith.  I think of John, the forerunner of Jesus.  While everything was fine in his world, he loudly proclaimed who Jesus was..the Son of God, who taketh away sin, when you see the Holy Spirit descend upon Him in baptism, He is the Son of God..etc.  but, when John was sitting in a dismal & dark dungeon waiting for his execution, he sent his disciples out to find Jesus & ask Him if He was the Son of God or should we look elsewhere.  Jesus disciples who saw & witnessed miracles by Jesus – even the transformation – questioned his deity.  As soon as they were in the high sea in their boat with havoc whipping around them & Jesus was calming sleeping in the back, they became worried & fearful.  They awaken Jesus with “don’t you care as to what is happening” – Jesus calms the sea & says “yea of little faith”.  Then they proclaim to each other “who is this person that can calm the sea”.  We are not deity. neither were the disciples so when the world feels like it is tumbling around us, questions arise within us.  I have heard myself say when I thought the sky was falling on top of me “are you there” – “please, Jesus, be real to me” – “why” – & so forth.  Jesus told John’s disciples “go back & tell John – the dead are being raised, the sick are being healed & the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed throughout the region….”.  Faith…..unseen Faith…Hope that Jesus is in control & all will be well…..is indeed difficult to believe as John, the disciples, you & me will/have experienced as we mossy our way through life.  Look up our Redeemer lives!   He is risen!  

Ezekiel 35:10 – whereas the Lord was there

Jehovah Shammah: “The Lord is there”

“How often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith defiles the power of hell’s fiery darts; they are not only turned aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for “the Lord is there”…”

Sometimes when life gave me lemons & i wondered how do I make lemonade out of this situation, I would utter “Lord are you there”.  Today, as I read different happenings in the Old Testament when the saints were facing the “ites” of war & all seemed hopeless, Jehovah Shammah showed up & was there.  The “ites” of life come, they discourage us, try to destroy us, make us want to give up and the list goes on & on.  And, yes, sometimes I do have questions as to the “whys” but when it is all said and done, I come back to the one true source for me “Lord you are there”.

1 John 4:7:  Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  Anyone who loves is a child of God & knows God.  But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Anytime I read anything on love, it reminds me of the time in my life I worked as a volunteer for the Chaplain at the V.A. hospital in Dallas, Texas.  I was assigned the critical floors where people needed to hear God loves them even if they did not understand the whys of life.  One patient I would see whenever I was scheduled to work was dying of cancer.  He was skin & bones, he would be lying on his stomach & when he saw me, he would lift his boney body with arms that had very little flesh on them, & say “nobody loves me”.  I would answer “that is not so Jesus loves you”.  He had a son but evidently they had a fall out – I don’t think the son ever came to see him. I managed to get his son’s phone number & address from his records & called – no answer.  I wrote him & pleaded with him to come see his father.  I don’t think he did.  I was with him when he died & heard him utter those painful words “nobody loves me” – I would reply “you ARE loved, Jesus loves you”.  Love, Agapae love, implies to love with selfless & unconditional love & Phileo love implies to love with human love.  When Jesus asked Peter do you love me more than theses, he was searching for Agapae love, Peter could only answer with Phileo love. (John 21:15-17).  The third time Jesus accepted the apostle’s recognized  & imperfection & graciously charged Peter to care for his flock.  Perhaps at long last Peter had learned that he cannot follow Jesus in his own strength but needed to rely more on the power & enablement of Jesus.  I know in my humble case, I prayed “not my words but yours Jesus” when I entered the doors of the VA hospital in Dallas Texas & headed for floors 4 & 5, the critical units.

Just a thought by coppi

EvANGELism- have you ever noted right in the middle of the word evangelism is the word angel.  How appropriate.  Angels, messengers of God.  Angels brought the good news to the shepherds of the birth of our Lord.  Angels brought good news to Zachariah & Elizabeth, & Mary that the “dispensation of our Messiah, Jesus is here”.  I love to go through the Bible & read about the messengers of God, Angels, & how they ministered to different ones.  I have never seen an angelic being but I know I have been sent angels unaware at different times in my life to help & guide my path.  How do I know – I might not know the person sent or will ever see them again but the thought they placed in my heart was right & good.  Evangelism is to spread the good news & who knows an angel might deliver it to a wondering lost soul.

Just a thought by coppi….written in 2020

Don’t allow your past to dictate the possibilities of your future.

Don’t look in the rear view mirror, focus on the windshield- -go forward, the past is gone. Focus on the present.

My past was a crippling experience for me. Yes, there were mountain top experiences but oh those valleys were painful. I just returned from my class reunion in Fredericksburg, TX. It has been a very long time since I have seen any of them. I went because my twin sister, Joan, asked me to go with her or I would not have gone. I had no desire to experience feelings of the past, and I knew by going I would. it is amazing how time and age takes care of woes. I did not recognize anyone and they did not recognize me. But, I was greeted with much love and joy. Everyone was so thrilled I made the trip to Texas to be with them, and to celebrate a reunion of our time together in Fredericksburg High School so many years ago.
I was asked to say the prayer before we ate. Whatever i said was well received. My boyfriend back then, grabbed my arm as I passed by him, and said “who taught you to pray”‘, to which I responded the many valleys I walked through in my long life. He said “that’s where I learned to pray also”. Amazing how Jesus takes us back and through life to learn the meaning of living. I am glad I went.

Just a thought by coppi

Pope Francis’ five finger prayer – try this simple method from Pope Francis to enhance your spiritual journey

Here is a simple way to pray using your five fingers as an aid. You may already know it, as it was written years ago by Cardinal Bergoglio before he became Pope Francis! 

Using the fingers on your hand, start with the thumb and pray these intentions in this order: 

1. The thumb is closest finger to you. So start praying for those who are closest to you. They are the persons easiest to remember. To pray for our dear ones is a “Sweet Obligation.” 

2. The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need the support and wisdom to show direction to others. Always keep them in your prayers. 

3. The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders, the governors and those who have authority. They need God’s guidance. 

4. The fourth finger is the ring finger. Even though it may surprise you, it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick or those plagued by problems. They need your prayers. 

5. And finally we have our smallest finger, the smallest of all. Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. When you are done praying for the other four groups, you will be able to see your own needs but in the proper perspective, and also you will be able to pray for your own needs in a better way. 

It is such a secret place, the land of tears – Antoine De Saint

Ps 56:8 – Hold you…..weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning..

Ps 56:8 you have kept count of my tossing, put my tears in your bottle

My flesh & my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my portion forever…. 

As I read the above scriptures & sayings, I thought why does everything seem to magnify during the night?  I speak for myself, if I am overly concerned about something, you better believe it, when I turn the light off at night, my concerns become bigger than life.  Tears & fears overwhelm me until I get a grip and pray “Jesus, I have laid this problem at the foot of the cross…I keep picking it up again…I ask your forgiveness…please know I believe in you and your mighty power.  Take this concern.  Give me your peace, love, & guidance….I am your child & I take refuge in you.

Morning comes & joy does comes in the morning….so hold on…..weep no more.

just a thought by coppi

God made 2 great lights…the greater light to govern the day & the lesser light to govern the night. (Gen 1:16)

Praise him that made great lights: For His mercy endures forever. (Ps 148:3-5)

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in heaven. James 1:17)s

The City hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it.  (Rev 21:23

 “Here the Angels bring us blessings, but we shall want no messengers from heaven then.  They shall need no Gabriel’s there to bring their love notes from God, for there they shall see him face to face”.

C.L. Lewis, “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’; aim at earth and you will get neither.”

There shall not be any dark-casting shadows there only the great light, Jesus.  If you are in the dark here wondering around looking for the light at the end of the tunnel read Zephaniah 3:17 – For the Lord your God is living among you.  He is a mighty Savior.  He will take delight in you with gladness with His love, He will calm all your fears.  He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.  We are sojourners here but not without the Great Shepherd, the light of the world, but there we we will need no shepherding; we are there basking in the light of heaven.  No candles, flashlights, generators, etc. only the eternal lights of heaven.

Proverbs 14:12. There is a way that seems right to a man but it’s end is the way to death.

Jer 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare & not for evil, to give you a future & a hope.

Proverbs 16:20 commit to the Lord whatever you do, & your plans will succeed. 

Choice – not chance – determines humans destiny.  Every choice you make has an end result.   Zig Ziglar

When I read quote by Zig Ziglar, I said to myself “very true” indeed.  I wish I could take back some of the choices I have made in life.  True, our Lord can take my wrong choice, help me as I untangle the cobweb of the choice & teach me a lesson from it.  But, I first had to come to the end of myself & surrender all to Him before the cobweb could be mended.  The right decision would be to ask for his guidance & direction before jumping into the spider web.  I guess I am afraid of what He may say,”aye” or “nay”.  Because, I want it my way – “aye”!  God did not make us robots but gave us a free will to make choices.  I have learned even through some of the wrong decisions I have made, the Lord my God took the lemon & make lemonade.  But not before, I went through the “ugly” of the choice.

“Life is not a straight line, it is filled with highs & lows & looking back never moves us forward”.

“Moving forward in faith is about trusting God to make a path in desolate places”.

My friend told me before she married her husband, she started to tell him all the “uglies” that occurred in her past.  He stopped her and said, “all of those things that happened in your past made you who you are today and that is whom I love”.  

Jesus said the same thing about us in 2 Cor 5:17 – therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old has gone, the new is here!

Let’s move forward knowing that we are new creatures in Christ…leaving the past behind & trusting God to make all things new.