Sunday…another day to give thanks, especially on our Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. Thanks for family, friends, food, fun, safety, blessings and all good things.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1
Happy Sunday
In order to be in a different place in life, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or whatever, here are three helpful hints to expedite the passage:
First … Have yearning, longing, and intense burning desire. With all your heart you must want to be different from what you are.
Second…Cultivate physical immobility, total relaxation…like being in a stupor or a form of meditation. This causes the accumulation of mental force and increases your power of concentration; as in “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Third…Imagine you possess a quality of something you desire which has not been yours, and surrender completely to the feeling. The passage from your present state of consciousness to your wish fulfilled is continuous.
Reach out, trust your touch and enter fully into the spirit of what you are doing or how you would like to be.
I have just copied this from one of my notebooks but, unfortunately, have no idea who wrote it or when it was written
In any case, it obviously impressed me enough to keep it for future reference. It was the first sentence that grabbed my attention…”Have yearning, longing, and intense burning desire…with all your heart you must want to be different from what you are.”
Sometimes our daily duties can tire us to the point of not wanting to do another thing. When this happens I find it best to do just that…not do another thing…take time out to be quiet and still and just breathe. Is our world going to come crashing down on us if we don’t do what we think needs to be done right this minute or hour or day?
Weariness can sometimes rob us of our good intentions, in that our tasks become a pain instead of a pleasure which diminishes our effectiveness. It is sometimes best to do less with pleasure than more with resentment.
Jesus was a very busy man who did more for humanity than anyone ever could, yet he knew when to “take himself apart and rest awhile” before he became depleted. Here are some of his words of wisdom to those of us who have become weary in doing good:
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV (Taking a break is not giving up.)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…Matthew 11:28 NIV
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint…Jeremiah 31:25 NIV
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31 NIV
Those who look to him are radiant…Psalm 34:5 NIV (Radiance replaces the look of weariness.)
And finally:
This has been one of my favorite scriptures for many, many years, along with Matthew 17:20. Happy Sunday.
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 NIV
This Sunday we at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Scarborough will be gathering in His name under the trees replicating a service in 1818, kicking off our 200th anniversary celebrations. This is just a hint of what’s to come. Happy Sunday.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12
“I can barely tolerate my parents, now.” This from a middle aged woman I met in a supermarket not long ago. I was reaching for an item on a top shelf and she, being much taller, retrieved it for me. She asked if there was anything else I needed. The woman then guided me to the next item I had trouble finding.
“You are a geriatric person. I can tell,” I commented.
“Not really,” she said. And that was when she offered the opening comment, “I can barely tolerate my parents, now.They are in their eighties and showing their age.”
Yesterday, I read a post by Roger Baker, “The Worth of a Man”. It’s a tribute to a man celebrating his eightieth birthday and how some people have shunted him to the back burner of their lives. https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/24904117
And to those people he wrote a poem where one line stood out for me. “You spurn the soul what made you.”
“You spurn the soul what made you.” There is so much truth in that tiny sentence, as proven by the woman in the supermarket.
Some of us in this age bracket are noticing this phenomenon and wondering…what are we worth?
Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. Psalm 71:9 NIV
This was posted by Butch Dean in July and I believe it is definitely worth repeating.
Life and relationships have their difficulties. We don’t always agree with one another. Sometimes, we let pride and stubbornness rob us of the time we have together. Then, when we least expect it, life ends for one and any opportunity to make things right is gone. We are left helpless with a burden of regret.
Don’t let time slip away. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. Don’t wait until it’s too late. The time to make things right is now, this moment…it is all you have. There’s no promise of tomorrow; there’s only today. Don’t let time slip away.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 NIV
Somewhere like this would be a good place to start. Happy Sunday.
These words are from the book, “The Prayer of Jabez” by Bruce Wilkinson, taken from 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NKJV).
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
Let me tell you what happened to me within a nine year period of repeating that prayer:
Two grandsons were added to my twelve grandchildren, seven girls and five boys, evening up the genders. Five of these granddaughters blessed me with nine great-grandchildren with a tenth due in November.
I became an Elder in my church and have fifteen families in my territory, and am available for prayer, information, or help in some way. As a member of our Pastoral Care team there are many opportunities to be of service to those who experience some of life’s difficulties as shut-ins, hospital patients and long-term care residents.
In between times I survived lung cancer, a heart attack, and the death of a spouse. Several other health issues have assailed me over the years and I’m still here.
As you can see, my territory has been enlarged, His hand has been with me, and I have been blessed indeed.
Many years ago I had a very vivid dream. I was on the lookout deck of the Toronto Dominion Tower which at that time was the highest building in Toronto. It was at a very trying time in my life and in my dream I was walking alone around the observation deck feeling lost and afraid. Presently, a faceless male figure came alongside me and held my right hand. At his touch, my body tingled from head to toe and I felt it was Jesus by my side.
I awoke, still tingling, feeling less distressed and somewhat comforted. That dream with its surge of feeling has always stayed with me.
Recently I read in Isaiah 41:13 – For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.”
It brought back that dream one hundredfold.
Please forgive me if I have blogged something like this in the past but it just boggles my mind when and how God speaks. Happy Sunday.
My Precious Life 