Friday's Devotion: The Choices We Make! USED

Modified and used 11-23-21

Psalm 139:9-10  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,  even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Yesterday unexpected encounter with 89 year old Martha Guest was a real treat.  I could not believe what great shape she was in. During our lengthy conversation I realized this fitness was in mind, body and soul.  She told me about her church, her children, her friends and her theology and her philosophy.  As we talked about what makes us young and vital she left me with these parting words:

“You have to make a choice in everything you do
  so just remember in the end
  the choice you make, makes you!”

Martha and I really rely on our Lord to help us make those life choices. No matter where we are in life; no matter what decision we must make, God is there to help if we will sincerely seek him.  We can trust in the fact that God never leads us down the wrong paths.

I offer my life to you, Lord.  My God, I trust you.  Make your ways known to me, Lord;

teach me your paths.  Lead me in your truth—teach it to me— because you are the God who saves me. I put my hope in you all day long. Lord, remember your compassion and faithful love— they are forever!  I know you, Lord are good and do the right thing; you teach us sinners which way we should go. You guide the weak to justice, teaching them your way. We are secure in our trust of you because we know all your paths are loving and faithful for those who keep your covenant and laws.  Guide and bless us today and always.  We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.    (Adapted from Ps. 25)

 

Have a great and safe holiday weekend!

Paige

 

 

Thursday’s Devotion: Choose to Stay Young USED

Modified and used for TFP 11-3-21 and Musings 11-4-21

John 21:18   Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Too often I have seen this scripture reflected for elderly people who had to move out of their homes when they didn’t want to because they needed more care and attention than they could provide for themselves.  It’s great when people move to assisted living on their own and really enjoy the more carefree environment.  As I go about I encounter people who are of all ages even though their chronological age may be nearly the same.  Ageing depends on more than the passing of years.  It has as much to do with attitude, self care and health as it does with the year one was born.  Many people my age are already too old for me while I have older friends who are young at heart and a joy to be with.  This morning I made a new friend while walking. Martha just turned 89.  She arrived at the ball fields flying an American flag from her car window.  She was dressed in black slacks and blouse, had a pretty black and white scarf draped around her neck and a white bow in her perfectly coiffed gray hair.  Her mind was as sharp as mine.  We had a great chat some of which I’ll share with you later.

 God values mature people and did great things through them in the Bible.  Our relationship with God also leads to vitality as a fruit of that is help with stress which can affect our health and age us.  The Psalmist writes, “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.” (92:12-14). 

Praise the Lord, my soul! Praise his holy name, all that is within me.  Praise the Lord, my soul, and never forget all the good he has done: He is the one who forgives all your sins, the one who heals all your diseases, the one who rescues your life from the pit,             the one who crowns you with mercy and compassion, the one who fills your life with blessings so that you become young again like an eagle. Amen and Amen.
---Ps. 103:1-5

Blessings,Paige

Wednesday’s Devotion: Pondering Yard Art

Proverbs 19:23  The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
Philippians 4:12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I had a pleasant walk on the street behind my house yesterday morning. I noticed yard decorations at a number of houses including big plaster statues of horses, cowboys, lions, fish, cats and even a black and white penguin.  Others had wooden plaques on their mailbox posts or things hanging from the trees.  One lone pink flamingo graced a flowerbed.  As I approached a section of larger, nicer homes I noticed that the preponderance of yard décor diminished.  I thought, “These houses are nicer inside than the others so maybe the owners are satisfied to the point they don’t sense a need to decorate the outside to make the homes more attractive.” That happens with people, too.  When we don’t feel good about ourselves on the inside, we surround ourselves with external pleasures to try to compensate – expensive jewelry, clothes, cars, partying, drinking too much, and more.  Both these scriptures point to the fact that a good relationship with God leads to contentment in any situation. I don’t think the writer of Proverbs is saying we aren’t faced with troubles, but when we are in step with God, we are better off to defend ourselves when they come.

Lord, we want to know you in our hearts.  Help us to bind ourselves to you each new day, seeking the peace that passes all understanding.  We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Bless,
Paige

Tuesday’s Devotion: The Really Important Stuff

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

So much on TV today is just banality.  Jersey Shore, Say Yes to the Dress, The Bachelorette.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Too many shows are about self-centered people seeking to please themselves.  There's no mention of God as creator or of the importance of God in a person’s life. It is the dress that's most important in a wedding ceremony now, not the vows.  God as our Creator is important in our lives.  When we get caught up on all the minute details, we need to stop and focus on the thing that really matters. 

Holy God, help us to focus on you today and not all the details of our wants and needs.  Help us to realize that if we seek your kingdom first, all our needs will be filled.  Help us discern between needs and desires. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Have a good day,

Paige

Monday’s Devotion: Going Green in a Throwaway World

Genesis 2:15  "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."

As I walked around the ball fields last week a man passed me on a bicycle.  He was carrying a plastic bag.  At first I thought he had been to the grocery store but in a minute he threw the bag into the recycle bin.  “How green is that”, I thought.  It made me feel good to see someone caring for the earth to that extent.  Joe and I recycle, too.  We probably put more in the recycle containers in the carport than we put in the trash to go out by the road.  Once a week Joe loads up all four of them in his truck and takes them to the recycle bins around the corner.  When I was at the cabin, I actually felt guilty every time I threw away a plastic bottle or toilet paper cardboard roll, or anything we normally would recycle.  I even thought about putting it aside and bringing it home to recycle but only for a moment. We recycled when we lived in Loganville too, although the drive to the center was further and we had to do our own sorting.  I’m thankful Hapeville has this program.  God charged us with care of the earth and we as a whole have not done a good job of conserving it.  I read last week how one scientist who recently set out to disprove global warming came back from his research a die-hard believer in its existence.  The less we care for the gifts God gives us perhaps the less God will give. Let’s live each day this week grateful for all we have from God and maybe pledge to do a little better a caring for his creation.

Holy God, as you care for us let us in return care for others, especially the earth upon which we live.  May those who come behind us find us good stewards of your creation.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Have a blessed week.
Paige

Friday’s Devotion: Paddling Forward, Rowing Backwards

Isaiah 48:17 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

I hadn’t given it much thought until I watched the boating events of the Olympics but it seems that you paddle facing the direction in which you are travelling but when you row, you are facing away from your destination.  The rowers had a coxswain who did face forward to help guide them and keep them in rhythm with one another.  I’m sure when there were multiple paddlers in a boat someone also was appointed as leader but that position wasn’t quite as crucial.  I think in life sometimes we paddle forward and sometimes we row backwards.  Even when we know where we are going and are looking at our goal we need help from our higher power but when we are muddling around and can’t see our destination we really need Jesus to be our coxswain. 

Be our guide, O Lord.  We often wonder where we are going and worry if we have lost our way.  Keep us on the right path, drawing us ever closer to you.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Happy Friday!
Paige

Thursday’s Devotion: The Blessings of Returning a Kindness

Luke 6:34-35  If you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, why should you be commended? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be paid back in full. Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend expecting nothing in return.

I have written before of the exploits of our little dog, Dandy who is very afraid of thunderstorms.  If we’re not home when one comes up he runs out the doggie door, climbs the fence, goes to some neighbor’s house and asks to be let in.  He is truly seeking a higher power.  Thankfully, their name and Joe’s cell number is on all our dogs’ collars.  One lady let me know quickly when I went to retrieve him that she wasn’t really a dog person; they had an outside dog but she let Dandy in and tried to give him water in three different bowls.  I was so embarrassed.  Yesterday morning when I was walking I found a pair of dog tags in the street.  In addition to the rabies tag there was a heart shaped tag with a name, address and phone number.  I picked it up and started looking at mailboxes.  As luck would have it, the tags belonged to that family’s dog and the woman and her husband were sitting on the front step when I walked up.  She said they must have come off when someone was walking the dog the previous evening.  She recognized me and asked how Dandy was doing.  Still climbing, I said.  I know scripture says we should perform acts of kindness with no expectation of repayment. Yet it is a blessing to be able to repay an act of kindness.  As for the used condom I saw in the street on the way home, I thought I’d pass on that one.

Gracious and holy God,   Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do kindnesses for others.  Help us to seek places where we can serve, not expecting anything in return, but receiving blessings from you.  In your Son’s name we pray. Amen.