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.

written in 2015…………..

Ps 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me & delivered me from all my fears

Confidence is a word that alludes me.  My life growing up was lacking self confidence.  I stuttered & shook if I had to say anything in front of people.   School was not a good time in my life. I was haunted by fear.  It was my constant companion.  Competing in anything gave me indigestion….terrible time to say the least. I clung to my belief that I could do all things through the power of Jesus Christ.  Later in life, I pushed myself to do what I thought was impossible.  I also took a course on “a way out” which was very helpful.  Anything that would propel me through fear – lack or whatever you might label it, I was enrolled.  Through the years, every step I took to conquer the taunting darkness of fear brightened my life.  I read: “as long as you run from darkness, it will follow you – turn around and confront it by a power greater than evil…you will be amazed at what will happen.”

(Written in 2015……………)

Romans 18:1:  (Abraham) Under utterly hopeless circumstances he hopefully believed, so that he might become the forefather of many nations…..

Yes, I would say, Abraham was under the circumstances.  God told him he & Sarah, his wife, were going to have a baby.  One would be excited over that news but they were very old well beyond the years of having babies, but, hopeless as they were, Abraham crawled out from under doubt & hopefully believed that what God said to him would come to pass.  Today, I let myself crawl under the circumstances with news from my wonderful Dr Moreb, who treats my myeloma, that the MRI I had done on my shoulder, due to much pain I was enduring, the results suggests myeloma & he needs for me to come there for more testing.  I not only crawled I sunk with concern of what I was going to have to face.  Until, I heard a very quite voice within say to me “trust me”.  All I can say is, I was faced with many difficulties throughout my life & trust is all I had……was Jesus enough.  Yes, he was.  I did a painting of Jesus hands holding mine & titled it “In His hands”…..that is where I am always – in His hands.

I read the following today by Roberta Rogers – as I read I thought of a friend who lost her son tragically & will be buried today:

“But in the losses & worries, we began to find treasures…..the greatest of them were people, both known & unknown to us, who would pray us all the way through to calmer waters….thank you, Lord, for the living strength of prayer & the love that sustains us in times of crisis, I think of_______who desperately needs your touch right now.

Unclogging The Shofar….

“The most uniquely Biblical musical instrument was the shofar, the Hebrew trumpet from a ram’s horn.  The word shofar comes from a word that means clear.  To make a sound you have to be clear.  You can’t blow through something that’s all clogged up.  You’re called to be the Lord’s shofar-a vessel of God, an instrument for His purposes…..in order for God’s Spirit to blow through you have to be clear, you have to be free of obstructions & clogged up stuff like bitterness, un-forgiveness, pride, lust, anger or anything that’s going to stop the blowing….”Jonathan Cahn

Anytime I read about a shofar, I think of Standish, my deceased husband.  He loved the sound of the shofar.  Our dear friends, Ralph & Diana Stinson, so graciously gifted him with one.  Standish was an Episcopalian & blowing the shofar in the church we attended was not acceptable.  However, when we visited the Messianic Jewish Synagogue or the Light House Gospel Ministries, out came the shofar.  It takes a lot of breath to blow a shofar & Standish would give it his best…..many times another “shofar blower” would come stand by Standish (he was much younger than Standish) & together they made beautiful music for the Lord.  I remember at Standish funeral in the  Episcopalian Church, his “shofar buddies” stood in the back of the church & blew the shofar…..The Episcopalian church had not planned for shofars to be blown, but I am sure Standish planned it, as he wanted all to know part of the music in heaven is the clear trumpet sound of ram’s horn, the shofar.

“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.”

Acts 12:5-7 KJV

“And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.”

Acts 12:12-16 KJV

I was talking to my very good friends, Ralph & Di, when Ralph mentioned above scriptures  regarding when Peter was in jail and his dear friends were together praying for him to be released from prison.  And, when Peter was released and went to where his friends were gathered praying, they didn’t believe it was him.  We laughed because we related to the group huddled together praying and how astonished they were when God answered their prayers.  I don’t think I have shut the door in anyone’s face but I have felt more comfortable on my knees praying than when I heard my prayers were answered.  I was/am so totally blessed & overwhelmed of the mighty force of prayer that i could/can only utter “thank you Jesus”or “praise the Lord”.  As you have heard me say before, I think when we get to heaven we will regret we have not prayed more.  The old saying “If you build it, it will come”….I like to add in prayer “if you build it in prayer, it will come”.  Remember Coppi answered prayer is like any other gift it has to be received.

II Kings 6:17:  And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

” To the servant there was need of a more manifest vision, and for this Elisha prays, and God vouchsafes to grant it, that the servant may become as confident as his master. It is not that the troops may be gathered that Elisha prays, they are there already, but that the servant may have a seeing eye bestowed upon him to discern how well he and his master are protected.”

I read the above scripture years ago and it was one of those “awakening” moments for me!   I was fearful and afraid of the “mountain” I was facing.  How was I to handle this looming situation – anxiety engulfed me.  My prayer turned away from me to the Reality of God.  “Jesus, help me to surrender this problem to you – open my eyes to see and hear you say Coppi, I am already there – trust me”.

When we come home to God it is not a leap into darkness.  It is a magnificent leap into light – the light of God is for us!  Jesus said “I am the light of the world: he that follow me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life” – John 8:12

God doesn’t love you because you are good but because He is good.

A thought to ponder & remember.

My husband and I were listening to Pastor Tony Evans who is the pastor at Oak Hills Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Tx  this morning.  He was teaching on 2 Kings : 5 about Naaman the commander of the army of the king of Aram and  how He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.  What interested me was how Dr Evans did an analogy on leprosy and whatever we have that is eating away on us.  Leprosy eats away skin and your extremities just as jealousy, greed, bitterness, etc will eat away your joy, peace and love..  Dr Evans gave a very detailed and excellent teaching on this and I thought how true the analogy was.  I used to relate jealousy, greed, bitterness, and whatever ugly was in me to cancer but I like the word leprosy better as it slowly eats away your being and is contagious.  Jealousy, greed, bitterness, etc is also contagious as it affects not only you but others.   Naaman was eventually healed by relenting and going to the muddy Jordan river and bathing in it.  He ‘kicked against the pricks’ (a biblical phrase) when the man of God, Elisha, told him that is what he would have to do to be healed.  Sometimes God will ask us if we are really ready to be free from something that has held us captive for days and years to come to Him, not friends, husband, family but Him.  Go to Him with a honest heart and sincerely seek the deep reason of this ‘whatever’.  He might have you go dip in a muddy river but it will be worth it to be free from the thing that has held you captive for days or years. 

C.S. Lewis said, “All joy emphasizes our pilgrim status; always reminds, beckons, awakens desire. Our best havings are wantings.” As pilgrims on the journey to boundless communion with our heavenly Father, we are called to be marked by a sustaining and transcendent joy. Our God is a God of joy. He is the creator of fun and the giver of abundant life. He longs for his children to taste and see his goodness (Psalm 34:8). He longs for us to open our hearts, cast off the cares of this world, and receive the joy that comes from living for heaven.  Craig Denison 10/31/20

John 10:10. – I have come to give you life more abundantly.

Those who look to God for help experience radiant joy.

Have a joyful day and week….filled with unspeakable joy.!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Our God who is love (1 John 4:8) calls us to love each other, to grieve with each other, and to stand with each other.

Love – hate big difference in the meaning of those words.  News, Internet, radio, etc is filled with hate and negativism.  I want to keep up with what is going on in our world today but then again, I don’t.  I heard someone say years ago “if you want to read about mens failures, read the front page – if you want to read about their achievements, read the sports page”.  Definitely some truth in those statements. So, I find myself surfing the channels for stations that will lift my spirits in lieu of programs that pull me under the circumstances.  “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” – “1 Cor:13:4-8 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away”.  Human love is limited to natural abilities but with God’s love you will surpass your human ability.  There are many “unlovable events, people, places & things” that are impossible for me to generate love, but if I will give it to Jesus and say “the Jesus in me can, I give the impossible to you for the possible”.  He will not fail you because He is love.