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.

“it’s easier to relax today when we remember the greatness of the one who is working when we are not”………..”God loves us because He loves us.  As a result, we can be people of grace, not grades.  We can work because our father loves us – not so he will.”  Dr. Jim Denison

“I plan to stare long at the trees – really taste my toast & coffee.  Read my Bible not with a prescribed amount in mind, but letting a verse or two sink slowly into my heart until special meaning comes up like tiny bubbles to delight me”.

When I read the above this morning, immediately I was convicted by the words.  I was labeled by a dear friend years ago as a hyper-thyroid grasshopper.  She was right in her analysis, as being still was an impossible task for me.  However, now in my golden years, I am better but I still have to convince myself I don’t have to be everywhere & everything in the universe.  I can be “just” me.  

            “I love the person I’ve become, because I fought to become her”

And Hosea says, “I will be delighted to answer your question if you will first answer a question of mine. How can a holy God like this love such a harlotrous people like us?”

The first thing about the nature of God’s relationship with us is that God gives to us a love that we do not deserve. We do not merit it. But not only is the love of God unmerited, it is also a love that grows and is sustained by relationship. The longer we walk with God, the more we understand how much of a gift this love is.  (Ravi Zacharias 8-8-19)

Who would ever think that the God of Israel would tell one of his prophets to marry a prostitute but He did – He told Hosea “to go marry a prostitute”.   Why?  Hosea’s marriage to Gomer, a prostitute, was a example of Israel’s turning from God and worshiping idols.  Even when Gomer went back into her lifestyle of prostitution. God told Hosea to go buy her back, which he did.  Hosea took a lot of criticism from the the Israelites as to his decision to continue his love for Gomer.  However, when they were criticizing him, he came back with “I will be delighted to answer your question if you will first answer a question of mine. How can a holy God like this love such a harlotrous people like us?”  Our God is a God of love, and is relentless in gathering us under his wings of protection as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings for protection against the storms of life.  It is the same way with us, God loves us.  And, as Ravi Zacharias states it “God gives us a love that we do not deserve. We do not merit it. But not only is the love of God unmerited, it is also a love that grows and is sustained by relationship. The longer we walk with God, the more we understand how much of a gift this love is.”  Relationship, not religious activity, is what God wants.  Spending time with him and allowing him to be your constant companion.  And, you will find how much this gift of love is.

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.  We heap up wealth not knowing who will spend it.  And so, Lord where do I put my hope?  My only hope is in you. Psalms 39:6-7 NLT

“Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest— a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.”

Psalms 39:12 NLT

As time drifts by at a high speed and life as i knew it is only a shadow of days gone by, I realize I am just a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.  When I look back on my life, of course I regret some of the things I did and would like another change to redo some of my regretful decisions and actions.  But no that part of my life is over and now I am traveling on the latter part of life.  But Hallelujah i don’t have to carry all the hurts, uglies, etc of my past because of Jesus.  I find forgiveness and hope in Him.  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Cor 5:7 NLT.  Jesus let my life make a difference and may your light in me not be a shadow but a beam of love, brightness and hope to another sojourner passing through.

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. (Howard Thurman)

Can a world of posers tell you to do anything but pose itself (John Elredge)

You can lose your soul, by the way, long before you die. (John Elredge)

Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:14 says, “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” 

C.S. Lewis: “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. 

But what about you? Who do you say I am?  For me, life without Him, would not have brightness, love, joy, peace and a reason to plod onward.  Having the truth of who God is — and who I am because of Christ — deeply embedded in my mind and heart positions me for joy and peace regardless of my circumstances.  Having a relationship with Him will make you come alive.  And, as Howard Thurman stated, that is what the world needs to see, people who are alive in Him.  But, it wasn’t until I fell at his feet and called him Lord and God did my life have meaning.  One can’t be a “poser” with Jesus – He knows your heart and motivation.

Tebow quote:  “we never become who God created us to be by trying to be like everybody else”.

If you are a people pleaser, as I am, (I am better at this as in years passed) but gee what a road to grind.  I am a gypsy at heart – the more I can hang on me the better I feel.  Many have tried to change that part of me…be more classic, you look better.  I am an artist & have always leaned to expressionistic work.  Again, be a realist. More people like realism than expressionistic art.  I grew up in a very legalistic religion, I wanted to be free from the dos & don’ts & prayed diligently to God to set me free so I could set others free.  People under legalism will try & cage you.  When I would take one step forward, I would meet up with someone who would confront me with “I like you better the way you were”.  So many encounters of have, have not, should, should not, do, don’t, be, on & on it went.   Being accepted & loved by others & not loving yourself can cause one to leave behind the one God fearfully & wonderfully made.  Through lots of great counseling, lots of prayer & reading what Jesus said in the Bible. Inch by inch I gradually inched my way out to be me….the snow flake God created…not like anyone else just me.  It was a fight &, still is to some degree, to stay on the path of healing but I am so glad I started this process many years ago……..being me was worth the fight.

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” ― Frederick Buechner

Enough said.

I was led to believe that doubt is the opposite of faith.

But the older I get, the more I realize that couldn’t be further from the truth. I recently saw an amazing quote from Cole Arthur Riley of @blacklituries that said, “Doubt is not a threat to faith: it’s faith that has finally taken off its mask.” Rachel Denison 6/23/21

“As God’s people, we’ve got to become comfortable with holding doubt and belief in tension. God never once asked us to be anything more than human. He doesn’t even have one unrealistic expectation of us, though we have many for ourselves and others. And when we shy away from the questions, when we hide our truest selves from others and the Father, when we numb out and silence the doubt within, we are left pretending. We are left stagnant, never moving forward, and we strip our faith of the mystery, beauty, and wonder it was always meant to hold

May you know that you will always be met by love no matter how it is you approach him. You can come before him just as you are.” 

Mother Teresa said, “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” 

Brother Lawrence said, “There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.” Meeting with God consistently is the foundation of everything God desires to give you in this life. All of the abundant life stems from a place of intimate and continuous encounters with your heavenly Father. May your ears and heart be opened to receiving the knowledge of your Father’s love, grace, and purpose for your life. May you experience to greater levels the joy of intimacy with the God of love. And may your heart come alive in the stillness of meeting with the God who dwells in all of eternity.

When we begin our days, prayers, worship, reading, and fellowship with a heart of thanksgiving, we live out of a place of faith and reality found in the kingdom of God come to earth.  Greg Denison, First 15, September 19, 2017

Ronald Reagan said it well: “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.”

I have been attending a discipleship course on Wednesday nights at Temple Terrace United Methodist church which will come to an end in two weeks.  It is an 8 week course.  We have a different teacher every two weeks teaching on a different aspect of the Bible.  Discipleship courses are designed to bring one into a closer walk with Jesus, and I have been blessed to have taken several in my lifetime.  And, each one has been a venue of growth.  But truly and honestly the most important truth for me  – and there are many certainties in God’s word – but the one I come away with is God is love, merciful and wants a family that will worship him, walk with him, spend time with him and truly get to know Him and  the wonder of his plan for humanity.  God is love.  And, he wants our love too.