Wisdom & Understanding

Alexander Pope wrote "An Essay of Man" in 1733 and from it we get that famous saying " Hope springs eternal"...  In the human breast Man never Is, but always To be blest:  The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,  Rests and expatiates in a life to come."  To me Mr. Pope  wasn' t exactly giving us much "hope" when he wrote this,   because people usually use this phrase when they feel there is very little hope of what they want to ever happen and it is usually accompanied with a big 'ol sigh.   So what is Hope... the Bible has lot to say about it.  There are so many scriptures about hope; when you have hope, when you do not, even when hope is delayed.  So I would say that it is right up there with faith. Hebrews 11:1 states "For we know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...  S o actually you have to have hope to get to faith. I mean, what would there be (substance) to have ...

"Know Me...Know Me...Know Me..." Those were the words that I heard over and over in my heart one recent morning as I sat in my room after reading the Psalms and meditating on God's Word. As I closed my eyes, at first I thought that it was my heart's cry to Him...for Him to truly know me, my wants, my desires, my needs; but as the plea continued to echo in my heart I realized that it was Him, the Almighty God, my Father, saying to me..."Know Me...Know Me...Know Me..." It was at that moment that it dawned on me the magnitude of His love for me...His Love for all of us.  He wants us to Know Him, He desires for us to Know Him.  The whole purpose of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has taken on a more vibrant meaning to me now. The plan of salvation, the miracles, the parables told, the suffering, the death that Jesus was born for, lived for, shared and was recorded, was God's purpose, so that we could KNOW Him.  There is no greater love... It ...

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!"  Psalms 118:24 We quote that scripture all the time but the whole chapter of Psalms 118 is very encouraging. It is believed to have been written by David who had now finally become King after many trials and battles. He shares how he has overcome through hardships because God's "...mercy endures forever..." As I read each line it is filled with exuberance and gratefulness that only comes with experience.  He had experienced time and time again hardships yes, but he also experienced the merciful hand of God that rescued him through each trial. There is something about knowing who you really are that puts you in a position to know God better. On the contrary of what some teach, that we must realize how royal and mighty we are on our own; I believe that we must see how truly unworthy we are, but so loved by a Worthy God.  David knew this...he realized that he was just a shepherd with lot...

" For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6 My favorite time of the day is very early in the morning, I don't know, just seems like in the quietness in between night and day, I can sense God's presence more. Everyone is different, but for me that is my time to hear what He has to say to me and I can spill my "guts" out to Him.  :-) It is even more special this morning because it is Christmas...a time when even the world celebrates. All may not acknowledge Him as the "Reason for the Season", but I believe that God in His Love for mankind, the One that can see beyond all the crazy, silly and what some may call "paganistic" ways that some people may celebrate...and He stills yearns for all to understand and receive the true Gift. God searches the heart and offers th...

Jesus said...“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:    and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:   and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27 On a recent trip to Georgia , I had the opportunity to visit Stone Mountain. We had reservations to eat at the restaurant in  the  Stone Mountain Park that overlooked the mountain surrounded by a beautiful lake.  The scenery was awesome and something to behold. I kept thinking as we were driving up to our destination and looking around at the trees, rocks and lake, how beautifully God had made all of this f...

  " For by the grace given me  I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.   For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,   so in Christ we, though many, form one body,  and each member belongs to all the others.   We have different gifts,  according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,  then prophesy in accordance with your  faith;   if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;   if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;  if it is giving, then give generously;  if it is to lead,  do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." Romans 12: 3-8 Whenever I venture out to go on a trip to another state or as close as the store around the corner, I usu...

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27  Peace... a valuable state of being, something that many people have lost their lives for throughout the years of war. And yet I believe that the greatest battlefield is in our minds and thoughts. If everyone would apply God's peace to their minds and their way of thinking I do believe wars would cease. And before you even go there, yes... God has the power and ability to  supernaturally stop all wars BUT, He has given us a free will remember? If we, throughout time have chosen to settle things OUR way then war it is and at that point necessary. I have this thing that I have done most of my adult life...and it is called TRYING TO FIGURE OUT AND FIX OTHER FOLKS PROBLEMS...there I've said it. Hey don't look at me like I'm crazy, you have probably done it too.  I am just now finding out...