Living a Truly Balanced LIfe...series... trust

This will be our shortest installment from this book- but is certainly one of the most important ones. It is a major that I have been seriously learning - honestly... for a while now.

 

Our next remedy is trust in divine power. Trust is a synonym of faith. In fact, it's probably the best definition of faith. Where does it come from? It's a fruit of the Spirit. Everyone is given enough to begin with. And Ephesians 2:8 reminds us that it is a gift: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God." If your faith is the fruit of the person, then all you have is positive thinking. If your faith is the fruit of the Spirit, then what you must have is a relationship with God from which trust comes. And it's always trust in Jesus, not in ourselves and what we can do. The genuine Christian, living close to God, distrusts himself, even though he knows he is of value, eternal value in the eyes of heaven. And he trust only in Jesus. He who trusts in is own heart is a fool (see Proverbs 28:26). But the one who trusts in Jesus will be strong and will do mighty things.

Come to the Garden....series

Transcend

 

worldly cares.

 

Seek the kingdom first.

 

Peace lies within;

 

It is for Me you thirst.

 

 

 

Where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:34

 

The kingdom of God is within you.

Luke 17:21

 

My peace I give to you,

not as the world gives do I give t you.

Let not your heart be troubled

neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

 

Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst.

John 4:13

 



Living a Truly Balanced LIfe....series..peace

Speaking of peace or rest. From this great book:

 

Next I'd like to remind you of another fruit of the Spirit in the list of Galatians 5 called peace. Elsewhere in the list of preventive remedies it is called "rest." In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." It's a gift. And exercise demands rest.  

I have a friend who was right up where he should be on his diet, and right up where he should be in terms of exercise. He thought he was in top shape until he went in for an examination and discovered that he had to have three to for bypasses. He was in trouble! Why? Because he lived a life of constant stress, and stress can do that to your heart. Our world is full of it. Think of it in the physical realm. Californians are known as people who always drive in the fast lane. Californians still exist for he same purpose that god California started - the gold rush.

I've had the privilege of moving a time or two from California to Oregon and to Colorado. In Oregon, if someone misses a day of work, they don't worry about it. They have some canned fruit down in the cellar. They can sit on the back steps and watch the sun go down . They have time.

I remember the first day I was in a town in Colorado. I found myself waiting behind a man who waited for the green light to turn red! I about had a heart attack. Suddenly it hit me. It was beautiful that someone could do this. The pace was slower. People could see people on the street and say Hello. So I tried waiting through a green light for a red one, but that caused more stress, because there was someone behind me, and I think he was from California.

We ought to have the privilege once in a while of slowing down and getting away from the mad race. All of us need that. But we need it most in the spiritual realm.

What is spiritual stress? The heaviest stress that plagues Christians everywhere, including our own subculture, is: "Am I going to make it?" "Is my eternal destiny certain?" "Will I be in heaven?" "How can I know that I am right with God?" And this kind of stress, we are told, is not necessary. Did you know that? We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we will be saved. If a person gets bogged down in whether or not he is going to be saved, he is making self the center. We've done a great deal of that - wondering whether or not we can be certain of our own salvation. All this turns us away from the Source of our strength. Lets commit the keeping of our soul to God and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committee o Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than a conqueror through Him who has loved you.

So, if we pay attention to the first four remedies, personal fellowship with Jesus, time in His Word, and time on our knees, and time day by day in service and outreach, the Holy Spirit will give us the certainty that all is well, that Jesus has made a more than adequate sacrifice, that the cross is the assurance of God's love for each one of us, ad that He is more interested in getting us into Heaven that He is in keeping anyone out. Do you have rest on that level? Have you accepted that rest? Isn't this what Jesus is inviting us to? Don't labor and be heavy laden concerning this one. Rest is a gift.  And it's yours, as long as you keep yourself in His hands day by day.

The other aspect of rest come from knowing that God is able to finish what He has started. It is the security and the peace that we can have knowing that God is still in charge, that He is still the One who sits on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers, when it come to hindering His plans. It is knowing that God's plans still know no haste and no delay.

This includes His plans for the church as well. I'd like to remind you of the deep conviction some of us have that God is still in charge o this work. I think that I have been as cynical as anyone about the great white elephant called organization. But I've been watching it, and more and more I am convinced that God is in charge, and tat we can trust Him. Here's something from the days of our pioneers:

"Do not worry. The work is under the supervision of the blessed Master....All parts of the work - our churches,  missions, Sabbath schools, institutions- are carried upon His heart. Why worry? The intense longing to see the church imbued with life must be tempered with entire trust in God, for "without Me," said the great Burden Bearer, "ye can do nothing."

Let no one overtax his God-given powers in an effort to advance the Lord's work more rapidly. The power of man cannot hasten the work; with this must be united the power of heavenly intelligences.... Man cannot do God's part of the work....He is not to feel self-confident, for thus he will exhaust his reserve force and destroy his mental and physical powers. Through all the workmen now bearing the heaviest burdens should be laid aside, God's work would be carried forward"(Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 298).

That's interesting.

You can trust God. you can have peace. It's a gift of the Spirit if you keep close to Him. Accept His peace, and rest concerning HIs power and ability to finish what He has started.

The 5 Steps to an Action Plan

Several weeks ago my sister and I started going to a 6 weeks Diabetes Workshop. It has been interesting and we have learned a few things that we are implementing in our lives. One of the things that we learned is how to make an action plan. Today I would like to share these steps with you so that you, too, can implement an action plan.

Before I do share the 5 steps, I would like to share an example of why making an action plan is a great idea. Last Tuesday my action plan was to do my rehab exercises at least 3 times a week. Well ever since I have injured my knee I knew that I needed to figure out a way to still get exercise in without damaging my knee any more. The only problem is that I had a hard time following through. I hadn't even gotten myself to look up my little packet of papers that gave directions of what exercise to do and for how long. Once I had put that as my action plan, and I knew I would have to report to the class the next Tuesday I became more serious. Well to be honest - I did put it off until Sunday when I knew that in order to accomplish my action plan I had better get busy. So I did it Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning. They had also handed out a little tool that told of exercises that could be done from a chair- and I decided to add that to what I did. And I ended up getting a good work out. And it is something that I will be working to continue even after my knee heals up - at least here and there.

Ok - so now to the steps of making an Action Plan:

1. Pick something that you WANT to do

2. Make this goal achievable

3. Make your goal action specific

4. Answer the question:
What?
How much?
When?
How often?

5. Set a goal that you have a confidence level of 7 or more (from 1-10)
If you are not at least 70 percent sure you can accomplish the goal change the details to something you have a good idea that you can accomplish.

Next week I will share some Problem Solving Steps.

Why don't you set up an action plan for yourself. You may want to share this information with a friend and see if they will make an action plan - that way you can be accountable to one another. I think it really helps to have someone - or a group to be accountable.

Oh and my 50 by 50 is a great example of an action plan. It is something I want to do, It is achievable. I have answered all the questions that deal with my goal and I have a pretty high confidence level that I can accomplish it. I gave myself several years to reach this goal and that way I just have to conintue working towards my goal.  

Living a Truly Balanced Life ....series ... Abstemiousness(Temperance or Self-control)

"When you try to treat yourself, whether it's in the realm of physical medicine or in the realm of spiritual medicine, it doesn't go so well. We need the great Physician. And really, that's what part two of this study on preventive religion is about. Our premise is that the same eight simple remedies that the school of health and the preventive-medicine people use have their counterpart in the spiritual life. In physical life these eight simple remedies, God's remedies, are the simple agencies of nature: pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, and trust in divine power.".... This week "we will cover the spiritual counterparts of abstemiousness, rest, trust in divine power, and sunlight."  

 

 

Abstemiousness

"Abstemiousness is a tough word. Let's face it, a better word is temperance, and perhaps an even better word that that would be self-control. Abstemiousness or temperance and self-control are significant. We understand that self- control is the highest evidence of nobility in the Christian. It gets high marks. But what is self-control? Is it something we do ourselves, or is it the result of something else? This is a practical question to consider.

If you turn to Galatians 5, you'll discover at least three of our remedies for today in the list called the fruits of the spirit: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance(or abstemiousness, or self control) against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). We notice in this list these three: temperance; rest, or peace; and faith, or trust. They are called "fruits of the Spirit." One of the first things we notice when we consider fruit is that fruit is the result of something else. You don't really work on fruit. You work on what produces fruit, and the fruit comes. That's why we've divided our list of eight remedies in the spiritual realm into two sections. The first four, which we discussed in the previous chapter, have to do with the cause, and the last four, which we refer to in this chapter, have to do with the result o time spent with God and fellowshipping with Jesus.

 

So, self-control is a fruit, or fruit from the Holy Spirit. It is not so much something that we achieve as it is something we receive. I wonder how many of you have worked hard to develop more self-control. I wonder how many of us understand the difference between what we really have control over and what we don't! May I remind you that everyone in this world is either under the control of God or under the control of Satan. There are no other options. There is no third choice. The only control we have is which one of these two powers we want to control us. And that is hard for some people to accept, but it's still the truth. Romans 6 makes it clear that we are either servants of God r of the enemy, and we are only servants. So how much deliberate control do we have over our lives? All we have is the choice of deciding to come into fellowship with the Lord Jesus, and choosing to continue or discontinue that relationship. If we choose not to put ourselves under God's control, we will automatically be under the control of the enemy of souls.

 

The result of choosing to come under God's control, which is always ours and is never taken from us, is something we should rather call "God control" than "self-control." It's true that Go never bypasses our capacities. He works through us and never outside of us. But God's control allows people like Paul to say, It is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me(see Galatians 2:20). and, "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure"(Philippians 2:13). Therefore there are two kinds of control. One is the only kind we can choose, and we have to use whatever grit, backbone, determination, and self-control we have toward that. This choice is toward which of the two powers we want to control us. The other is something that is a fruit of the Spirit, the results of that choice. If we choose God's control in our lives, we will receive something better than self- control. God will control our appetites, our passions, our thoughts, words, actions, our motives, our purposes, and all the rest of it.

 

The example of self-control tat people bring up most is appetite. It would be well for us to take a look at how the control of our appetite really works. I wonder how many of you have ever tried to control your appetite. That is a foolish question, isn't it? I suppose that even some skinny people are wiling to admit that appetite can be a problem for them. I've heard a few of them admit it.

 

People will never be truly temperate until the grace of Christ is an abiding principle in the heart. All the pledges in the world will not make you health reformers. No mere restriction of your diet will cure your diseased appetite. You will not practice temperance in all things until your hearts are transformed by the grace of God. Circumstance cannot work reforms. Christianity proposed a reformation in the heart. What Christ works within will be worked out under the dictation of the converted intellect. The plan of beginning on the outside and trying tow work inward has always failed and always will fail. God's plan with you is to being at the very seat of all difficulties, the heart, and then from out of the heart will issue the principles of righteousness. Reformation will be outward as well as inward.

 

So of all the things, health and diet and appetite are classic categories in which we see that our only hope is in the fruit of the Spirit. If the self-control you have been using for years is the fruit of the person, then the person gets the glory. Strong people who live a lie apart from Jesus, and whose whole religion is made up of trying to do what's right and thinking they succeed- these people will discover sooner or later that that kind of self-control is not enough. It will not carry them through. But when we accept self-control as a fruit of the Spirit instead of a fruit of the person, then we discover the kind of control that comes from God, which deals not just with outward actions, but with the inward heart and motives and purposes and feelings and inclinations as well. Then it's worth something.

 

I'd like to invite you to circle this whether you're talking about Peter's ladder in 2 Peter 1, or temperance, which is part of growth in the Christian life. Whatever you call it, it is a fruit of the Spirit, not a fruit of the person. Let's also allow for growth. Baby Christians who discover problems with their self-control probably ought to remember that babies in the physical realm don't have much self-control, either. That's why we have Pampers and things like that, and that's why babies are forgive when they thrown things. Self-control is part of the growth in the Christian life, and I'm thankful that God understands that as well, aren't you?"

 



Working Towards Who God Wants Me To Be....

I had fallen into an old familiar trap. I wasn't happy. I felt like something was missing, like I needed something in order to continue to be successful. I didn't quite know what the problem was, but I knew that things needed to change. 

I had been moving along in a good pace. I had my schedule all figured out - I would have quiet time and then my exercise time. It all worked so well together. And it seemed like every week I was able to lose about a pound. Then I injured my knee and was put on restriction. And that is when I really fell into that old trap. That trap was wanting approval from other. I had felt a tad bit of the desire before but when my circumstances got to the point that I had to slow down and could not push myself in the area of physical exercise I began to really feel the need. I wanted a "Way to Go!" or "Good Job" anything to reinforce that what I was doing was working and that there were results. But it seemed that (insert the sound of crickets here) compliments and encouragement seemed as a dry creek bed...

 

 

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil

 walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8

 

When we work towards better physical, mental, and spiritual health, Satan is not very happy and he will do what ever he can to discourage us. When he knows that we really desire approval from others- he works hard to keep that from happening. We really have to get to the place of not needing other peoples approval. When we are living up to the light that Jesus has given us then His approval is all we need. Yeah - it's great to get the compliments and encouragement but we can't depend on those things to encourage us along our journey and give us momentum to continue on. God supplies all of our needs, we can depend on Him.

 

¹⁹ And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

 

 

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PS - This has nothing to do with todays post- but I just wanted to mention that I am still having issues leaving comments at  some blogs- even responding to comments left on my blog- so I wanted to take a minute to say I really do appreciate all comments and I am enjoying your blogs as well- even if I haven't left a comment lately. I will figure out the problem - hopefully soon. I had thought that I had it figured out - because I had been able to leave some comments and then this morning went to a blog that I wanted to leave a comment at and tried the same thing and it would not let me leave the comment.  Hoping to figure this all out soon....

LIving a Truly Balanced Life ....series...water

 

Water

 Exercise makes you thirsty and drives you to water. Notice what Jesus said as HE talked about the spiritual life:

 

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth in me, as the scripture have said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified)

 (John 7:37-39).

 

When Jesus sat down at His Father's right hand, the Holy Spirit stood up and went into action in a new way, as the Comforter whom Jesus had promised. And the Holy Spirit is likened to water in the Scripture. The Holy Spirit brings righteousness. The Holy Spirit is involved in the latter rain- water, refreshing- and the loud cry of Revelation. The Holy Spirit is all through the Christian life, from conversion to the end. But it's exercise, reaching out in service and witness, that drives us to the water. And as we're driven to the water for deeper drafts of the mighty resources of God through the Holy Spirit, we grow in grace. If you want to know the mighty power of the Holy Spirit in your life. I'd like to give you a few steps that will help you to understand it better.

 

1. Accept Jesus again every day as your only hope of salvation (see Galatians 3:2-5).

 

2. Receive the gift of repentance that Jesus has to give, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:37,38. 5:31)

 

3. Obey! But this obedience is primarily continuing service instead of laying down the torch, continuing to reach out towards others (see Acts 5:32).

 

4. Admit that you're thirsty; tell God you're thirsty; accept His promise that at whatever cost, you want to have the Holy Spirit in your life, giving up on all other methods to experience the vibrant Christian life (see John 7:37-39).

 

5. Ask God for it. Ask Him for Him. Sometimes we call the Holy Spirit and 'it." I guess that's all right, but the Holy Spirit is also a Him, and, more important, a Person. Jesus has promised Him, and He said that if we ask, He'll give Him. He's willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask (see Luke 11:13). Why should we not seek for the Holy Spirit, when this great gift brings all other blessings with it?

 

In the next chapter we'll talk about the last four preventive- religion remedies, which are more results of the first four than they are cause themselves. The last four are self- control(or temperance), rest, sunlight(of God's presence), and trust in divine power. But in the meantime I'd like to invite you to break the bread of life every da, to breathe every day- for you can't go long without either one - and to exercise every day in a spiritual sense. This will make you thirsty for the Holy Spirit.

 

Break Thou the bread of life,
Dear Lord, to me,

As Thou didst break the loaves

Beside the sea;

Beyond the sacred page

I seek Thee, Lord;

My spirit pants for Thee,

O living Word.

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See you on Wednesday as we continue to learn about the health laws and how they pertain to our spiritual lives.

 

 

Come to the Garden~ An Invitation to Serentiy...series

 

 

Come

 

to the Garden,

 

The secret place we share.

 

My essence is in the Garden;

 

Come to Me in prayer.

 

I will not leave you desolate;

I will come to you.

John 14:18

 

Come to me.. And I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

 

When you pray, go into your inner room.

Matthew 6:6

 

Ask and it will be given to you ;

see and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

 



Living a Truly Balanced Life...series.... exercise

Exercise

If you are able to exercise - be sure to get out there and do it - because there are those of us like me- who would love to be able to exercise.

 

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The third element in living the Christian life, to keep us from losing our faith is exercise. Exercise, of course, is more and more in the foreground these days. Some people are overdoing it. I had a doctor told me that just recently. It made me feel good. Exercise, as far as bodily functions are concerned, is more and more considered a top priority in our world today. But it had gotten to be such a fad among any that the Reader's Digest had t publish and article entitled, "Why Not Not Jog." They

were suggesting a new fad of not jogging.

 

Now let's move from bodily exercise to spiritual. Paul made a very interesting statement to Timothy which, I suppose, would make the physical-education people thrown him out in a hurry. "Refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness if profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:7,8). SO what is Paul's appeal? I am sure he must have gotten a lot of exercise himself, what with all the camping, walking, and traveling he did. But he said that in comparison, the most important exercise is exercising ourselves unto godliness. The book Steps to Christ, pages 80 and 81, makes a very good application of this in these words:

 

"Strength comes by exercise; activity is the very condition of life. Those who endeavor to maintain a Christian life by passively accepting the blessings that come through the means of grace, and doing nothing for Christ, are simply trying to live by eating without working. And in the spiritual as in the natural world, this always results in degeneration and decay. A man who would refuse to exercise his limbs would soo lose all power to use them. Thus the Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength that he already had."

 

I'm going to make a bold statement. Anyone, regardless of how much he reads his Bible, and how much he prays, how much he breathes, and how much he eats, spiritually, who does not become involved in exercise as well, is going to lose spiritual health. It always happens that way, and it always will. Every once in a while the phone rings, and someone says, "I've been reading my Bible, I've been studying the life of Christ, and I've been praying, but I have he religious blahs. God doesn't even know my address. My prayers go no higher than the ceiling." They were excited at first, but now there's nothing. As I probe a little bit with these people, I inevitably discover that they have not become involved in Christian service, witness, and outreach. And without exercise, eating and even breathing can kill you.

 

I admire those people that I see early in the morning and late at night getting their exercise. It reminds me of something I learned when I was the one o'clock classes, right after lunch. We'd sit there and doze and try to take notes. At the end of the class we'd do stumbling drunkenly down to the room for a three- hour nap, only to wake up feeling worse than when we went to sleep.

 

Then one day it dawned! Our problem wasn't that we were physically tired. Our problem was that we were nerve tired. So we went off to the gym instead and threw some baskets, or jumped on the trampoline. After thirty minutes we were feeling fine again. Don't miss it, you people with the white collars; you can be tired and exhausted all the time, not because you don't get enough sleep, but because you don't get enough exercise. That's true, isn't it? Have you discovered it? And if you get the proper amount of exercise, you don't have to sleep as much.

 

But exercising- Christian service and witness and outreach - will make us thirsty. And that brings us to the fourth of these eight preventive remedies for spiritual life.

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On Monday we will talk about water and what it represents in the Christian life. Please be sure and join me. :O)

Can't fall off the wagon...If you never get on

In July things got real. I finally realized the importance to adopt a healthier lifestyle. There are many things I want to accomplish by changing the way I do some things and changing what I eat and drink. I had known that I needed to make this change for quiet some time, but in July I was convicted of the importance to do it now.

It's true that I had attempted to get back to a healthier lifestyle a time or tow and failed. But over the last several month's God had lead me to understand that a healthier lifestyle was light and I needed to live up to the light I had been given. It was truth, the way God intended us to live. It was best, our minds and bodies function much better when we go by the health principals of sunlight, water, fresh air, exercise, rest, healthy diet, and last but certainly not least- trust in God.

The last couple of weeks since my knee injury I've had to take it easy. No more working out with Jennifer Webster on Rise Up program. No more 2 + mile walks at the park. And sadly no more hikes at the state park with my sister. Nope.... I had to take it easy.

It has caused me bouts with discouragement. I have been working towards losing weight and when I could incorporate exercise into my routine I seemed to lose about a pound a week, maybe not every week - but the scales were gradually going down. So now that I am not able to exercise I have been concerned- that I would not continue to lose weight. And even concerned that I may fall off the wagon-what I have fallen off more times than I would like to admit. That's when I was reminded that I hadn't gotten on the it this time. Getting on the wagon would mean that what I am doing is just riding a healthy lifestyle till I got the results that I wanted and then getting off. IT would signify a temporary journey of some sort, but that's not what this is about. This is about me living up to the light that God has given me. This is about my health. This is about my well being. And right now this is about me really acting out all those health principals to the best of my ability. Right now the "trust in God is seriously being put to the test. Sometimes we need to be put to the test not only for us to see where we really stand in that area, but also in order to grow us in that area. I know that this is an area that I've lacked in the past. I believe that God has been working on showing me the importance of this truth.  Trust in God is very important in every area of our lives.

In order to trust God we need to have a relationship with Him. We need to prioritize our time with Him.

Today I would life to leave you with an awesome quote from the book that I just finished reading:

"One of these day soon heaven will open and we will see Jesus coming at the right hand of God. He will be surrounded by millions of angels among whom will be the one that has followed you from your earliest moments. As you look into the face of Jesus, won't it be wonderful to be able to say, "I know you!" ...But greater yet will be the thrill as He looks into your eyes and says, "I know you too!"
In that day, that will be the only thing of importance. Everything else will be nothing without that experience...but it is also true for today as well."

excerpt from Morris Venden's " Hard to be Lost...Good news: God won't give you up without a fight"

Living a Truly Balanced Life...series ...Diet

The following is from Morris Venden's "Hard to be Lost ~ Good News: God won't give you up without a fight."

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Diet

What do we think of when we think of proper diet in the spiritual sense? Of course, we are talking about eating the Word of God. "Thy words were found, and I did eat them" (Jeremiah 15:16). Jesus said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) In John 6:53-56, Jesus said,

 

Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whose eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him." 

 

 

This was a mystery to those people who heard it, but if they had thought a little further along some of the lines that their Old Testament prophets had written, they wouldn't have been as confused. We have insights as to what this is all about today. It is by receiving the life poured out for us on Calvary's cross that we can live the life of holiness. And this life we receive by receiving His Word.

 

Let's dwell for just a minute on the illustration. Jesus said that we need to eat His flesh and drink His blood. When we think of His flesh and His blood, we think of HIs spilled blood and broken body. And when we think of that, we think of the cross, we think of death, and we think of our Substitute. So to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God is to take into our lives what He has done for us. We accept into our lives, our hearts, our minds, our very existence, what Jesus had done for us. Now, a person does this when he first comes to Jesus, after reaching the end of his own resources and accepting Jesus as his personal Saviour. But that isn't enough, any more than the baby's first meal is enough. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood must be a daily matter. Jesus is the One who used the similarity between the physical and the spiritual. Genuine conversation is a needed, not once, but daily. This conversion brings man into a new relation with God, but this work must be continual. No renewed heart can be kept in a condition of sweetness without daily application of the salt of the Word. Divine grace must be received daily, or no one will stay converted. I suppose that's why Jesus had something to say about iniquity abounding and the love of many waxing cold. "but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved"(Matthew 24:13).

 

So let's accept Jesus' own analogy that eating is a daily matter. What are we going to eat? We are going to accept nourishment from His Word. That is the source of our spiritual food. But just reading the Bible is not enough. I'd like to remind you that knowledge, just simple knowledge, might destroy us.

 

"The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ's day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness. In all human experience a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved to be insufficient for the saving of the soul. IT does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness. A jealous regard for what is termed theological truth often accompanies a hatred of genuine truth as made manifest in life. The darkest chapters of history are burdened with the record of crimes committed by bigoted religionists (The Desire of Ages, p. 309) 

 

Our only hope is not only to know the words of Scripture, but to realize that scriptural difficulties and scriptural understandings are never mastered by the same methods that are employed in grappling with philosophical problems. Understanding Bible truth depends not so much on the power of intellect brought to the search as on the singleness of purpose, the earnest longing after righteousness.

 

And, of course, that is what the initial experience of conversion will motivate us to do. And only Jesus can bring truth to us that's more than words, that goes deep into the heart, deep into the soul. I'd like to ask you, my friend, are you really longing after righteousness? Are you hungering and thirsting for God, more than just going through the form of reading words out of a book? I'm thankful that Jesus ahs promised the Holy Spirit to be our teacher, for without Him we're sunk.

 

But the most important ingredient in the spiritual diet in the realization that the cross is our only hope. The enemy knows that, and so he constantly tries to cause what grasped our attention in the first place to fade from view. That

's why we should spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the cross. That's the good diet- the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes. To remove the cross from the Christian would be like blotting the sun from the sky, for without the cross, man would have no union with the Father. On it depends our only hope. From it shines the light of the Saviour's love, and when at the foot of the cross the sinner looks up to the One who died to save Him, he may rejoice with fullness of joy that his sins are pardoned. Kneeling in faith at the cross, he has reached the highest place to which man can attain. And that's what your devotion life is going to center around. If your attention doesn't focus around the cross, then the foundation of the Christian gospel is going to fade from your mind and become hazy, and all you have left is to become a theoretical or pseudo-Christian who grapples with philosophical religious problems but seldom if ever focuses on Jesus.

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Diet= eating the Word of God ~  Jeremiah 15:16

 

Be sure to check back - next we will be going over Exercise and what is it's equal Christian experience. You won't want to miss it. :O)



Goal Setting and Assignments

My Sister and I have been going to a Diabetes workshop the last two weeks and have 4 more weeks to go. Each week we get a home work assignment. For this assignment we are to think of a goal that we would like to set for the upcoming week. This goal needs to be something not only achievable, but also action specific. And the following questions need to be answered: What? How much? When? How often? We also need to state our confidence level of a 7 or above.

My first goal -

What? to keep a food journal.

 How much? for a majority of my meals.

When? as soon after meal or by the end of the day.

How often? at least 5 days of the week.

The reason I choose this goal is because I wanted to see what I was eating and to be able to see if I needed to add more variety.

Well I gained some important insights from this assignment. First I learned that I did need to make sure to add a bit more variety and add things like beans and a few different veggies. I was also reminded of the importance of making healthy choices.

The surprising thing I learned actually happened yesterday morning. My battery went out on Sunday and so on Monday my son was going to take me to Walmart to get a new battery(by the way - a money saving tip - we went to Auto Zone first and the battery would have been almost 200.00. I got one at Walmart for $120.00. So shop around) Anyway it turned out that he was going to get here earlier than I had anticipated and so I ended up having to get a bowl of cereal(not a healthy breakfast for sure and you will see why soon) After we got back from getting the battery. It seemed like gradually I felt more depressed and discouraged than usual. Since I have hurt my knee I have had to take it easy - which means not doing my exercise program. I have been handling it pretty well- except yesterday it really seemed to get me down. I felt emotionally raw.
Just a plug for exercising- some awesome benefits that I have noticed and have missed.
*Exercising helps you sleep better
*Exercising helps your bodily functions happen more regularly, if you know what I mean
*Exercising gives you endorphins and helps you be happier and have a more positive outlook
*Exercise also helps you lose weight easier when paired with a healthy lifestyle

As the day progressed - I felt more discouraged, sad and down. I had a much harder time picking healthy things to eat and ate more than I needed to. This morning as I was trying to figure out why yesterday had been such a rough day for me - I then remembered that I had only eaten cereal for breakfast. Normally I eat at least 2-3 servings of fruit, some steel cut oats, homemade wheat toast, and a handful of almonds. This is a much more substantial meal and lasts a much longer time. In fact, in my diabetic workshop last week we had learned that when you eat cereal and milk - it is a whole lot of carbs and not the kind of thing that works well with your blood sugar. SO I now realize that I need to make sure that I eat a healthier breakfast- it really makes a difference for the rest of the day. This was a reminder on a small scale - but what I would like to remember and want you all to remember is that when we live a healthier lifestyle - we feel better - our bodies feel better. When we don't - we suffer. And all of those unhealthy things as much as they may appeal to our appetites will not help us feel better- in fact, it is quite the opposite. So if you want some of those not so healthy things- maybe just allow yourself something special after you have eaten a good meal. So that the healthy things you are eating way out weigh the unhealthy things. I know I am going to be doing a better job of making sure that I get good meals. I handle the entire day better when I do. :O)

Living a Truly Balanced LIfe...series ... Fresh Air

What I will be sharing in this series is out of the book that I have been reading. It is only going to end up being a total of two chapters from the book. When I read these chapters I knew that this was important information that I needed to share. I understand that some of these posts will be long - please take the time to read them.

We are gleaming this wisdom from the book "Hard To Be Lost - Good News: God won't give you up without a fight" by Morris Venden



1.

 Get plenty of fresh air every day.

 

" Air

 

The first one is pure air. Lamentations 3:55,56 says, "I called upon they name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. " Perhaps it was this verse that a Christin author had in mind when writing that "prayer is the breath of the soul."

When a baby is first born, breathing, I understand, is very important. In fact, it's top priority. My wife and I had the painful experience of attending a young mother -to-be and an anxious husband over a very ominous birth. We went to the university hospital as their supposed godfather and godmother. They later called us their parents, which gave us access to the ICU for babies. The doctor's premonitions were right. The baby was born not breathing. In fact, there wasn't much evidence of life. But they went to work immediately, and what a relief it was when the baby began to breath. That's the first thing the doctors want to know. They give the baby the traditional pat or shake or whatever, and everyone smiles when the baby breathes. We can't live very long without breathing. And could it be that in the spiritual realm, you are not going to be alive spiritually very long without prayer, the breath of the soul?

 



The admonition is for pure air, and I suppose we could call this the need for pure prayer. You mean there is some prayer that isn't pure? Evidently so. I'd like to remind you of the primary purpose of prayer. Apparently most Christians have the idea that the primary purpose of payer is to get answers, and whether or not they get answers determines whether they keep praying.

 

I'd like to suggest that if your primary purpose for praying is to get answers, you will stop paying before very long, because that is not the primary purpose of prayer, any more than getting  answers if the primary purpose of communication in marriage. Any kind of a normal relationship is based upon communication for communications sake, not jus to et answers. People talk for fellowship, they talk for fun, they talk for communication. They talk just to be together, and answers are secondary. The purest kind of prayer is for the purpose of relationship. Even though answers are not left out, and God still invites us to ask, that is not the primary purpose of talking to Him.

 

We're also invited to unceasing prayer, which would have to involve something more than just getting answers. I mean, how many answers can yo unceasing go for? Unceasing prayer, we are told, is the unbroken union of the soul with God. We're also told that, as wonderful as our initial conversion experience has been, no human being is righteous any longer than he has faith in God and maintains a vital connection with Him. Those who will devote some time every day to mediation and prayer and to the study of the Scriptures will be connected with heaven and will have a saving, transforming influence upon those around them. The life of prayer is essential to maintain the Christian life.

 

I suppose that one of the first things we notice when we don't have sufficient air is that our thinking begins to get hazy. If we are starving for oxygen, we can't think straight.

 

I remember one time going on a camping trip in a small vacation trailer. We wanted to go to the high country, to the snow. And, foolishly, there were eight of us in this little trailer that slept only four or five. In order to keep warm that night, we turned on the propane gas stove because the trailer had no heater. Well, I'm still here to tell about it, but we didn't realize what we were doing. My wife awakened in the middle of the night gasping for air, with a strange feeling that something was wrong. She somehow opened the window and saved all of us. But she had trouble thinking it through. When one goes without fresh air and oxygen, his or her thinking gets hazy. Perhaps there's a close relationship between this and the next item for preventive religion- proper diet. "

 

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Review:

Fresh Air - Prayer -  Lamentations 3:55,56

I just don't seem to be able to help it....

Well it seems that my knee(maybe both) is bothering me more and more. I have done a few stupid things- forgetting that I need to be careful I have tried to get up on the bed by using my knee- like I always do- oh boy did I regret that. It was sore and I had to put an ice pack on it for a while. It is beginning to bother me more and more, not just when I knee on it or put pressure on it. I am thinking I am going to have to move forward with having it checked out. And if it is still bothering me on Monday - I will be calling my Dr to get something set up with an orthopedic. I want to at least know what damage has been done and what I need to do to take care of it. Hopefully it is nothing serious and I can just rest it for a month and it be better. I really don't want surgery or anything serious to be wrong - but I can not stick my head in the sand about it. I have to face this issue and deal with it. I need to know the best way to care for it and I won't know that till I know for sure what is wrong.

So please continue to pray for me and for me to get answers. Thanks so much :O)

God's Butterfly

 God's Butterfly

And ugly Caterpillar crawled up a baron tree.
Said he, " I feel a 'stirring,' but the outcome I can't see.
He chose a branch and then begin to spin a strange cocoon.
He said, "I don't get it I'll be closed in here soon.

"I'm not free to crawl about among the mulch in the mold.
I don't think I'll like it here ... it's not what I was told.
My freedom is restricted; I can't do as I choose,
and that's the last possession I would ever want to lose."

But things begin to happen; that warm begin to change.
New feelings in that larva heart admittedly were strange.
Until one day that little tube split open down the back,
And the creature that had been inside came right out through the crack.

The likes of him you've never seem - much different from before.
 He didn't grub along the ground; he could spread his wings and soar.
And beautiful beyond mere words, a wonder to behold.
Instead of drab and brown and gray, he was purple, black, and gold.

But the greatest change of all excited even him.
Instead of crawling up and down, he could fly from limb to limb.
His appetite were different; new desire surged within.
He had new companions - didn't want to be what he had been.

Now, the parallel is very plain to those who walk with Him.
The process of becoming sometimes makes the way seeing dim.
But when we cease to struggle and spend the time with Him,
He changes us completely and gives new life within.

Don Jacobsen

Living A Truly Balanced Life...series

Do you want a life of total balance? There seems to be a lot of talk of being balanced, but never before have I seen any writing that shows how to be  truly balanced. That is until I began reading my newest book. If you want a life that is truly balanced be sure and stay tuned through this new series that I plan on doing. First I will begin with a bit of review of something I have shared before but it is important for us to review it before we move on. Trust me this will be relevant to our study.


Eight Health Laws

I really feel better when I follow the Eight Health Laws:

1. Get plenty of fresh air every day.

2. Eat a healthy diet of nutritious food. Try to get plenty of fruits and veggies and eat at least some raw fruits and veggies each day. (I like to say that I eat a plant based diet)

3. Exercise adequately - at least 30 minutes - 1 hour everyday -if you can not exercise this much at one time split it up into 3 sections of time of 10 minutes at a time. Something IS better than nothing.

4. Drink at least 8 glasses - or more of water each day.. sodas and coffee are actually a diuretic - which means they can not be included in the 8 glasses.

5. Temperance or Abstemiousness - moderation in all things
. Try to get at least a little sunshine each day - when the sun is out.

 

6.  Rest properly or peace. (7-8 hours of sleep is ideal) (Trying to get to bed by 10:00pm- your sleep before midnight is worth double the amount as sleep after midnight) 

 

8. Trust in God. Good Spiritual health really does contribute to good physical health.

When I follow these guidelines, I feel better, I am happier and I have a better outlook on life. So even though my carnal self - keeps fighting against doing the things that keep me healthier - I am choosing to claim these verses below:

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,
20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20

My body is the temple of God and my desire is to glorify God. And the way that I can do so -is to follow the 8 principles above.

So now my part is to continue to ask God lead me and to give me the strength to make the right choices. And when I fail - not to give up but to get up and try again.

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Be sure to stay tuned for the series. I think it will be a blessing to you.
Just a heads up - some of these posts will be a little long - but please take the time to read through them - that way you can see how each thing relates to the other and get a better idea of how to have a truly balanced life in Jesus Christ.

One Step Forward.... Two Steps Back... Or so it seems

So last Friday I went to kneel down to get something from behind my sewing cabinet- sharp pain went through my left knee. This was the first signal that something was wrong. Thankfully the pain subsided and I thought I was back to normal.

Sabbath at church - I tried to kneel - but not too much pain.

On Monday, I noticed some stuff had fallen behind my desk in my room. So I quickly went to a kneeling position in order to get the stuff, only to suddenly feel the sharp pain - and also I felt something like a tear or something. Ouch! This time when I got up - I had a bit of pain that lingered.
This pain is actually coming from the outer part of my leg just below he left knee- and the pain radiates into the knee when weight is put on it.

I felt that I needed to go to the Dr to get it checked out. As you know I have been trying to lose weight and get healthier and a part of that is to exercise. And I needed to make sure that it was safe for me to continue exercising. I do not want to do more damage and have a serious injury that needs attention. I was able to get in to see the Dr later that day. She thinks that I have a small tear I the meniscus or I have serious pulled the muscle that connects to the knee. Either case - I have to take it easy. No more strenuous exercising and I have to limit how much I walk. Not only that but I need to walk on flat surfaces. This does away with my favorite part of my walking trail - which is the part that is partly uphill. It also does away with hiking- something that I really enjoy- at least for a while.

If I am not better in a month - I will have to go to an orthopedic Dr. Thankfully we have a great orthopedic dr - so I don't have to worry about that - but I do NOT want to have to have surgery or anything that will put me off my feet, away from exercising for a while.

I am going to need some prayers though. Because this injury - does not hurt me all the time - I easily can forget that I have an injury - which is not good. On Tuesday evening - I went to shut our shades in the living room - and I did what I have done many times in the past - I put my left knee down in the corner of the couch to get me closer to the cord- and of course - I had sudden pain. And felt that tearing sensation. Oh my goodness. It was sore for a while after that. Sore enough that I put ice on it. So I have to be more careful of what I do. And try to keep in mind that I have an injury that needs some pampering.

It has taken me a while to get this post written for a couple of reasons- mostly because I became discouraged. I really struggle with losing weight- it is a real challenge for me. And so when I found out that I was not going to be able to exercise like I have been - I got discouraged. I really would like to continue to lose weight. I do not want this injury to put that off. I have set several goals for myself - as I have shared - lose 50 by the age of 50 is the biggest goal I have. But I also have another goal and that had to do with my oncology appointment coming up in the middle of November. I would really like to be back at my pre chemo weight or at least as close as I can be by that appointment- I have about 5 weeks left till that appointment. I am past that discouragement that I felt mostly. I know that God is still in control and that for some reason He has allowed this injury to happen and that He will get me through what ever. I am thankful at this point I have the ability to try to take it easy and try to build up the strength in my knees and I have hope for healing and I also have hope for some more weight lose. I will up date you soon on that. If I get a chance I will have an update on Sunday about it- because of something else that God has shown me lately that I would like to share. Hopefully I will be able to get it written up then. If not by Tuesday.

Ya'll take care :O)

Ladybugs....what are some of the "ladybugs" in your life?

This week I have been blessed to see 2 ladybugs. I haven't seen a lot of ladybugs this year - so I really do consider myself lucky to have seen 2 in one week - especially since it is October. Today while on my short, one mile walk(will explain more about that tomorrow) I saw a little ladybug on my walking trail. It was my second time around the 1/3mile loop. I began to wonder if it had been there the first time I walked the loop and I had just missed it. Then I began to wonder what blessings in my life I was missing out on celebrating because they are just common place?

As I was pondering what blessing I may be missing - I remembered my friend, Carolyn, who has moved along with her husband and two kids to Tonga so that the husband can teach. She says they don't have hot water- and if she wants a hot bath - she has to boil water. How lucky and blessed am I to be able to take a shower of any temperature I want!!

Last week I was watching a mission show that was talking about many places in the world do not have running water. Many times kids in the family miss out on going to school because they have the job of walking 20-30 minutes one way just to get water for the family - and this is not a once a day job - this is a several times a day job.

Other people in the world - have one water source - this is where baths are taken, clothes are washed, and drinking water is gotten. How blessed am I to be able to turn on the faucet and get a drink of water! Not everyone can do that.

These are just a few of the things that I have thought of just in my short walk. The list is inexhaustible when we just take some time to think of our many blessings. What ladybugs are in your life that you may have missed on the first loop around? Pay attention because you might be surprised as what blessing you find when you pay attention.

Come to the Garden ~ An Invitation to Serenity ....series

"Be still, and know that I am God." 

Psalms 46:10b

 

Quiet,

quiet, quiet,

 

My child, be still.

 

Listen to your feelings.

 

Discipline your will.

 

 

"LET NOT your heart be troubled."

John 14:1

 

"I am the way, the truth, and the life."

John 14:6

 

"Everything is possible to one who has faith."

Mark 9:23

 

Which Side Has The Greater Odds of Succeeding?

"My clinching argument, then, is this: the reason why it's harder to be lost then to be saved is that if you are going to be lost someday, you'll have to fight God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, a two-thirds majority of the angels, and all your Christian friends and loved ones who are praying for you. And that's a big order!

 If you're going to be saved someday you'll only have to fight the devil and a one-third minority of the angels, who cried out for mercy in the presence of Jesus when He was here. And Jesus promised to fight the devil and his angels for you."

Another awesome quote from my book ~ "Hard To Be Lost..." by Morris Vendon

Standing!!

 

 

"You will recall that he(Saul) had stood in the crowd as they threw stones at Stephen, and just before that he had listen to Stephen preach a sermon. During this discourse the hearts of the people will prickled including Saul's. When Stephen reached the close of that sermon, he looked up into heaven, realizing that his life was almost over, and he saw Jesus, standing beside the throne of God. Standing! Jesus wasn't going to take this sitting down! Can you imagine Stephen actually seeing Jesus suddenly rise from his throne, to be by his side, interested, concerned with this supreme moment in his life? He said, "I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56)."
 

If you are going through a difficult time, you can be assured that Jesus is not just sitting idly by. He is concerned and He is standing beside you. You are not alone.

I hope that this quote touched your heart as much as it did mine.

This quote is from the book I am currently reading -"Hard To Be Lost ~Good news: God won't give you up without a fight," by Morris Vendon(one of my favorite authors)

SS&T =Stay Strong and Thrive

Earlier this week I was scrolling through Facebook when I began to see posts that revealed that my mentor through my cancer adventure had passed away. I never meant her face to face- but she was such an encouragement to me when I really needed it and she helped me to have a different perspective on my experience. She is the one who taught me to Stay Strong and Thrive= SS&T.  Don't just muddle through - but to live and to work towards staying strong.

This is something for us all to remember as we live our lives. We need to work at staying strong - not only physically but mentally and spiritually as well. Exercising, learning new things and always make time for God - study your Bible and pray. These things are what will contribute to you staying strong and thriving!

I am sad that she has passed, but I am thankful that God blessed me by me getting to know her and learn from her.

Opportunity for Growth

Our church is opening its doors for a local hospital to have their Diabetes Workshop - about living healthy with diabetes. This workshop has six - 2 1/2 hour sessions that start tonight. My sister and I have signed up and are looking forward to going.

It's a real opportunity for growth. Growth happens when you place yourself outside of your comfort zone, place yourself in situations to meet new people, and expand your brain by learning new things. And this workshop will do all of those things for my sister and I. We look forward to all the things we can learn. We have already been on a journey, not only to lose weight, but to get healthier and then stay healthier in the process. So this will just build onto the foundation that has already been laid.

I will try to take notes and I might just have to share some information with you all if I learn things that might be helpful to you all. Take care and have a great rest of the day! :O)

Weigh In - the good and the bad

So since we are in a new month - it is time for an up date at how my new lifestyle is going and what my results have been this month.

So I was a bit disappointed this past weigh in because it showed that I had not lost anything for the week. So I was discouraged. But one of the biggest things that I am having to do is - not base my participation in a healthy lifestyle based on what the scales say. I will continue on.

The good news is that I did not gain any weight for the week. And even more good news - I lost a total of 5 pounds for the month of September- bringing the grand total of weight loss to............

17 pounds!!!!!

Something that I was impressed to do this morning, is to start keeping track of at least what fruits and veggies I am eating each day. I am thinking of having a food diary - and keep track of what I am eating. That way when I have the weeks like this week where I really did not show any weight loss I can go back through and see what could be the cause. Another good reason to keep the journal is to make sure that I am getting a variety. In order to be healthy it is good to have a variety of healthy foods so you can get the nutrition that you need. And by keeping a journal - you will see gaps of where you need to fill in some different fruits and veggies.

I am continuing to work towards getting more movement and exercise into my life. And I am continuing to make better choices in what I eat and drink.  I am hoping to have at least this much success with losing weight for the month of Oct. I have an appointment with my oncologist in the middle of November and I would love to be close to if not at the weight I was before chemo. That would be awesome!!! I will be checking in at the beginning of November for another Weight in. Please continue to pray for me - because it is only through the help of Jesus Christ that I am able to continue on this path way. There has been some similarities that I have noticed about weight loss  and our Christian walk and I am hoping to be able to articulate it clearly soon  - and when I can I will share.

Come to the Garden ~ An invitation to Serenity ....series

 

Come to the Garden

An invitation to Serenity

 

 

How

 

can I slow down?

 

How can I release? 

 

There are so many pressures.

How can I find peace?

 

 

Come, Lord, and show me your mercy,

for I am helpless,

overwhelmed, in deep distress.

Psalms 25:16

 

Show me the path where I should go, O Lord;

point out the right road for me to walk.

Psalms 25:4

 

O Lord, be not far off;

O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
Psalms 22:19