"I Was Expecting Exactly What God Sent"

I was in my computer room today and the internet radio was on with Bro. Tom Gilliam preaching and I have no idea what he was preaching about(I did not stay in the room long enough to find out,I was busy)and he made a statement that has stuck with me all day. He was talking about some lady that was in some type of extreme difficult situation and she made the statement that she was expecting exactly what God had sent her in the situation.

The more I thought about what she said the deeper it became for me. For you see, she was saying Lord whatever you will is fine. Or another way to look at it is "Thy Will Be Done".

Lord help me get to the place in every situation that all I want is whatever You do."Thy Will Be Done"

It's All About HIM
Joan

Apple Jolly Rancher

Today is a Clayton day and let's see what we have got into thus far. I was changing handbags today, going from one of my Vera Bradley's to a Coach bag. I was in my bedroom changing all my necessary items from one bag to another on the bed. Guess who wanted to help, and who got to help "Clayton". He wanted up on my tall bed to help so I put him up there and he sit real still going through my 2 handbags with me.(I thought he would have a field day playing on the bed, nope it was more fun to play with the handbags and all the goodies inside)He found a Apple Jolly Rancher and was trying to eat it paper and all. So I got it and unwrapped it, and into the mouth it goes exactly what I expected. The funny part was he had trouble keeping it in his mouth. It would pop out and the he would laugh and put it back in his mouth. He did this several times and would giggle everytime. It was so funny even though we were sticky from waist up along with both handbags and wallets that he was helping me with. But after a few wipeys everything was good, Clayton, purses and wallets.

I have let him play in my kitchen cabinets every since he could and wanted to. I do have one that is secured with all my cleaning products. The other cabinets that he gets into are the ones with food, and the one with the pots and pans. Along with the cabinet that the Sudrops are in. I have let him play with them, I learned over the weekend that all this shaking up will make them go flat. I don't drink them so I did not know that. Since there are a few consumed a week and groceries are absolutely outrageously high I had to put all the Sundrops up on the counter this morning because they were the toy of the day.

Well, I know my day is probably way more exciting than yours since it is a Clayton day. He is napping right now and will be up any minute with more things to get into.

Mom,it is so much fun at Grams/Poppas and I don't get to do EVERYTHING I want to.

Until tomorrow
Gram

Heavenly Kisses & Heavenly Love

I've been reading about the love of the Bride(me-you) and the Bridegroom(Jesus) in the Song of Solomon. I have also been reading some other material to try and help me understand the bigger picture of this book that speaks of Gods love, along with the love of a husband and a wife.

For me, thus far this book is hard to understand and I need help. I have been praying that the Lord will let me see His love for me in this, and let me see my love for HIM and how it should be so much more. What I have learned so far. This book is read similar to that of a poem, for me that also makes it difficult. The descriptions that is used to describe their feelings is from a different culture and era. So I am trying to take it slow and learn, read, listen and pray as I go.

But, I wanted to share with you what has touched me today about HIS(Jesus) kisses in chapter 1 verse 2. Because of HIS love for us is better than anything we could comprehend or imagine we can bask in HIS kisses. HIS love is a saving love, a redeeming love, a chastising love, a sustaining love, a comforting love, a strengthening love, a healing love, a protecting love, a tender love, a peaceful love, and the list could go on and on and you can fill in what kind of love HE is for You. But HIS love is also a love that goes on and on and keeps giving and giving. I don't know about you but I want to love HIM more because HE first loved more and continues to love me in spite of me.

Oh, to have the sweet kisses of heaven because HIS love is better than....
Joan

Song of Solomon

The last couple of days I have been reading the Song of Solomon and have much to learn from this book of 8 chapters.I am actually reading another book entitled "Falling in Love with Jesus" by Kathy Troccoli and Dee Brestin that spurred the interest in the book of Song of Solomon.

My love for Jesus should be similar to that of a bride on her wedding day anxiously awaiting her bridegroom. If you have been to any weddings the bride is oh so anxious, nervous, excited and most definitely glowing with her love for her bridegroom. I realize that the Song of Solomon is a love story between King Solomon and his Shunamaite lady and is the perfect example of how our love for our husbands are to be, continually. There is nothing that is sweeter than to see a couple that have grown old together that are still in love and even more in love with each other than the day they married. I'm talking about, still holding hands, thoughtful(not grouches)compassionate, etc. So, I want to learn how to be a better wife to my man from studying this book.

I also know that this book is perfect picture of Christ's love for the sinner(me). There is a lot of descriptive language in this book and I do not yet understand and I want to learn from it. I want to better understand and comprehend Gods love for me. I want to fall in love with Jesus more today than yesterday,and more tomorrow than today for you see we are married and I am awaiting the day I can see my bridegroom(Jesus).

It's All about HIM
Joan

The Silversmith

Have you ever thought about the silversmith and his job and how he goes about refining the silver. I ran across a scripture yesterday that I have not been able to get off my mind.
Malachi 3:3 He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver...

So I began studying out this scripture and thinking about it, and wondering what it meant and what I could take from it. Job 14:1 says "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble" so we as Christians should not be surprised when troubles come our way.(This week near by there has been death all around from a miscarriage, 10 month old baby died, 17 year old killed in a car wreck, 60 some year old man killed in a factory nearby, cancers, hospital stays, neighboring church in turmoil, and near and dear to my heart "Johanna" and the list could go on and on for each of us). But even though we know that Job tells us that we are going to have turmoil and troubles it still hurts, and sometimes it hurts bad and it hurts long.

But as I began to studying the silversmith that it talks about in Malachi 3:3 I got a little excited and begin to see a little more of Jesus, and hopefully he began to see a little more of himself in me.

Proverbs 25:4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer
Isaiah 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

The silversmith begins to heat the silver to refine it. He wants to extract all the impurities out of it to get a more pure silver. One that is more usable and pliable. As he heats the silver he must have the exact temperature not to hot, and not to cool. For you see if he gets the temperature to hot he ruins the silver, and if it is not hot enough he has done no good either. Just the right temperature, he keeps his eye on the silver at all times so he can gauge the temperature. The dross(impurities) rise to the top and he can skim the waste off and get rid of it and he has a more pure silver then. He knows that he is done with his silver when he can see his reflection in the silver. What a picture of Christ at work in our lives,(Hallelujah, what a God I serve).

So what can we take from this and how can we apply it to our lives. Beloved, as hard as it is and as difficult as hard times and things are if we can keep our eye on Christ and remember that God allows theses times in our lives to make us more like Christ, the difficult and hard things will not be near as hard or tough to weather. I don't know about you but to know God is refining me and working on and in me to make me more like HIM kinda gets me a little excited. Just to think that God Almighty takes the time to work in my life and HE sees something HE wants to work on in my life thrills me. Hallelujah what a God! Now, I understand what James 1:2 is saying "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations".

I don't know about you but He is still working on Me.
Joan

Some Websites I Frequently Use

I have been thinking over the last couple of days(dangerous I Know) that I was going to share with you some of the websites I like to go and visit for Christian Reading or for someone elses insight to the "Word". However, like any good book I can either put it down and not pick it up again, or I can take what I like and leave the rest. So be sure to keep that in mind just because I have posted it does not mean I agree with every word but I can take what I like and leave the rest behind.

ACLJ
www.aclj.org

Christin Women Today
www.christianwomentoday.com

Womens Minsitry
www.womensministry.net

Precept Austin(excellent Bible Study website, I use it often)
www.preceptaustin.org

Kay Arthur
www.precept.org

Beth Moore
www.lproof.org

One Place
www.oneplace.com

Bible Gateway(Online Bible)
http://www.biblegateway.com/

Biblos (Online Bible)
www.biblos.com

Bible
www.bible.org

These are just some that I use from time to time and thought I would share them with you in case you did not know about them. Let me know what are some of the Christin Websites that you like to frequently visit.

Joan

"Longsuffering"

I have been thinking about "longsuffering" the last couple of days. Well I must admit that the Lord has been dealing with me on this a lot the last few days even though we are in Beech Mtn. getting some R&R. I know there are several places in the Bible that speak of God's longsuffering and I am suppose to be striving to be more like HIM each and every days so what does this mean for me. So I went to Gods word and got to studying this out this morning. I must say "Ouch".

Long-sufferings definition from the dictionary is "patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties".

Exodus 34:6
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth
Numbers 14:18
The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression...
Ephesians 4:2
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Colossians 3:12 a
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,meekness,temperance: against such there is no law.,


Any fruit bearing plant, vine or tree does not produce fruit instantly. Although we are a new creature in Christ as soon as we get saved becoming more like Christ is a refining process. We should be becoming more like HIM. In essence we should be more like Him today, than yesterday, than last week, last year, or the day we got saved.

Let's take a look at Galatians 5:22-23 there are nine products here we want to take a look at. Because of what Christ did in our heart the day he saved us we have in our hearts love. Love produces joy, joy produces peace, peace produces longsuffering, longsuffering produces gentleness, gentleness produces goodness, goodness is the evidence of faith, faith produces meekness, and meekness produces temperance(self control).

And one final scripture
Psalm 86:15
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

If God is full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, plentous in mercy should not I also be these things in all situations with everyone. Whether it is at church, grocery store, in the work force, out shopping, or driving in my car, or just the privacy of my own home. We should not be working at producing fruit as any fruit bearing plant, it should just be happening because of our closeness with the Lord.

Well I have beared my heart with you today, and hope this helps you as much as it did me. Well I must sign off I have a nap to take,a hammock in the woods to relax in a little latter on tonight, a hot tub waiting me this aternoon, and a book to read. Have I made you jealous yet.

See You Wednesday night Calvary friends.
Joan