We Have Been Blessed
“Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come” Psalms 71:18
13 Aug
After singing at the Community Caldwell Center, we visited Elaine, a good friend of ours. The kids sang a few songs to her (except for Duke on the far left corner of the picture!). While we were there, Debra, Elaine’s neighbor, who has been helping her as she recovers, visited her while we were there. God opened that opportunity again to make joyful noise unto Him! Psalm 30:4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
Trouble will either define you or refine you. We do not get to choose our troubles, but we must choose what we do with our troubles. Either we will let them be a fire that consumes us or let them be a fire that refines us.
Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
My last personal post was in 2016. So much has happened since then. The number one reason for that huge gap is feeling inadequate. I am not a gifted writer. I can go on and on with my excuses not to write. But God reminded me why I am writing: To remember His wonderful works in my life. HIS works not mine.
I have been studying a discipleship material the past few weeks. Today’s study focuses on forgiveness. I smiled as I thought how timely this topic is for me. The last part of Jeremiah 31:34 says “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” The note says that an all-knowing God does not forget; He chooses not to remember. Remember means to bear or keep in mind; to attend to; to preserve the memory of; to mention; to remind; to think of; to meditate.
I forget a lot of things. But there’s one thing that I can easily remember: it’s when someone offended me. God has dealt with me about past offenses. I struggled with it, but later learned from it and chose to not remember them. But when there’s a new offense, I may not fight with the offender but I would muse on it and talk about it in different ways. It can be in my prayer or prayer requests. I may use it as an example as I speak to someone else concealing the offender’s name. I may even tell my husband about it because he is my best friend, he understands (?). The problem with how I handle offenses is the expectation that it will bring healing to the hurt but what I am actually doing is hurting myself even more by remembering the offense!
To not forgive means to become bitter, to be tormented, and to surrender control to the Devil. Ephesians 4:26-27 says Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.
I wanted to be liberated of those three things so I began to look at verses on what I should remember:
Today, I meditated on some of the those verses. Boy, those few verses kept my mind busy that I had no time for the offenses. Remember, the next time we are offended: forgive, quit thinking and talking about the offense, instead, meditate on the Word of God.
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
What a joy to only remember what really matters!
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way. To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
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