Thursday's Musing: Tumbling Waters USED

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in time of trouble. That's why we won't be afraid when the world falls apart, when the mountains crumble into the center of the sea, when its waters roar and rage, when the mountains shake because of its surging waves.

A group of us took a beautiful afternoon walk yesterday around the lake and over the waterfall at Camp Glisson.  The thing that caught my attention was how smooth Cane Creek was until right up where the falls began.  It made me think of the old song, "Deep and Wide."  The falls, however, were violent, roaring, displaying masses of water tumbling over huge rocks.  The falls came suddenly and were fraught with danger.  They were not the type of falls one would attempt to slide down.  Incredibly, a short distance from the falls, the water became calm and quiet again.  I see it as a metaphor for our lives.  Sometimes right in the middle of our calm, controlled existence, life takes a tumble; life becomes turbulent; we fear for our survival. In those times, I frequently remind myself that, "this, too shall pass."  And through it all, I am confident of God's presence and care, even if I don't sense it every minute.  God is my refuge and strength.

Holy God, thank you for being an ever present help in time of trouble.  We praise your holy name today and always.  Amen.

Wednesday’s Musing: Overcoming Fear

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.

Yesterday I wrote about baptism. Let me share that I have a pretty strong fear of water and especially of someone holding me in or under water.  Growing up, I knew that to join the Baptist church you had to be “dunked” completely under water.  I thought, I will never be a Baptist. Besides, I was baptized as an infant in the Methodist Church. Still it’s surprising sometimes how fearfulness can keep us from doing something that’s really a good thing. Fear can be a good thing, it’s a God-given defense mechanism, however sometimes we need to push past fear and step out to try something new. When those opportunities arise, pray to God for help and direction.

Father, you did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love. Help us to tap into that power when we are afraid.  Help us to feel your presence.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday’s Musings: The Cleansing Power of Water

Ephesians 5:25-27  For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.  He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

The other day my morning walk took me by the ball field complex. It had rained and there were many puddles around the fields.  I observed a large flock of robins on the ground. Several were sitting right in the middle of the pools of water – just sitting there.  I thought, even the birds know the importance of the cleansing power of water. We use water in baptism to symbolize cleansing from sin. In the Holy Land, our group did a “remember your baptism” ceremony at the Jordan River. What if whenever we took a bath or shower we stopped and asked God to cleanse us of all impure thoughts, to wash away the residue for our failings of the past day and to purify us as Christ was pure. Just a thought.

Holy Lord, life seems to be a cycle of sin and repentance, successes and  failures.  Keep pointing us in the right direction, Lord.  We need you every day. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Monday’s Musings: Goodbye Favorite Socks!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways

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I have a pair of favorite socks. I guess I could say I had them.  They were gray ragg socks with a small amount of crochet trim around the edge of the cuff.  I put them on a few days ago only to discover nickel sized holes in the heels. I think the last time I wore them Joe and hiked about 8 or 9 miles in North Carolina.  I remember the last 5 miles I walked with huge blisters on my heels.  I had on good hiking boots.  Instead I discovered these socks were slipping around and rubbing my feet.  I take away two lessons here.  Things that are appropriate in some instances of life might not be appropriate in another.  We have to match our actions to the situation. Second,  sometimes we have to say goodbye to things we care about.  I can be appreciative of having those socks. It’s time to move on.  I now hike in socks made for running and hiking. But if you ever see some ladies ragg socks with narrow crochet trim, let me know.

Loving, God help us to know when to hold on and when to let go.  Thank you for all of our blessings.  We ask that you bless this week and all we do. Amen.

God Bless,

Paige

Friday’s Musing – Wanting to Fast Forward

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

We often record TV shows because we will be away from home or because two we want to watch air at the same time.  The advantage of watching recorded shows is of course that we can fast forward through the commercials.  We get to the end of the show sooner.  Sometimes in life we would also like to be able to fast forward.  We are in a crisis, we are waiting for a diagnosis, we are close to meeting a goal but can’t quite get there, we have a bad cold that just won’t go away.  We become impatient for a resolution.  Psalm 27, one of the scriptures I’m preaching from this Sunday says to wait on God and to look for God for strength.  Once again we need to be patient.  Sometimes God doesn’t work on our time table. God is always with us; when we can’t sense God’s presence we pray and then pray some more.  The more we can shut the world out and quietly focus on God, the more apt we are to sense God’s presence.

Holy God, help us to find strength for you.  Please give us patience when we want to fast forward through life.  Help us to savor every moment of the precious life you give to us.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.  I will be at a pastor’s retreat next week and am not sure if I will be able to post devotions. 

In Christ,

Paige

Thursday’s Musing – The Difficulties of Judging

James 4:11-12 (NIV)  Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

American Idol has finally gotten to the stage of simply singing.  Last night was a sudden death competition. Ten women would sing; five would move on and five would go home.  I decided to try to predict who would be in the top five.  Some of the performances were not that great and the choice was easier.  But with others it was difficult.  They all were good singers with high hopes.  The judges admitted they had difficulties in making their decisions.  The outcome could have life-long effects for the competitors. I decided I didn’t want to be in their place – well maybe I wouldn’t mind wearing killer clothes and getting paid lots of money – but judging is difficult.  I try not to judge people’s character, either.  Numerous scriptures warn us against doing that.  Only God knows others’ complete stories.  Only God can truly judge character. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “ So don’t judge anything before the right time—wait until the Lord comes. He will bring things that are hidden in the dark to light, and he will make people’s motivations public.”

Lord, it seems so easy to judge others, especially those who are not like us.  Help us Lord to remember that others may be judging us, too.  Help us to simply love others as you command us instead of judging them. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

God Bless,
Paige

Wednesday’s Devotion: Patience and Perseverance Pay Off

Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

I walked 6 miles yesterday – 3 ½ in the morning and the rest in the evening.  If I had tried to walk it all at once, I might have given up. I get bored after an hour or so of walking around town even though I vary my routes.  The last time I walked 6 miles at once we were in the mountains.  The only way to get back to the car was to keep walking.  Whatever we may need to accomplish, sometimes it’s better to take a slow and steady approach.  Sometimes it’s better to be deliberate and patient than impatient and hasty.  We get anxious over situations and want our goals met quickly, but things take time.  If the situation calls for it, ask God for help and trust God to help you get through whatever it is. Celebrate small accomplishments. Many small accomplishments will eventually lead you to your desired goal.

Loving God, help us to be patient and remain steady, trusting in You in all situations.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Keep the Faith,

Paige