The Lively Blog of Thoughts

How well do you know God?  Do you walk and talk with God daily?  Do you allow God to come into your life?  

In the beginning of time, the scriptures say:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,

God is so good. 

God is so good,
God is so good,

God is so good,

He’s so good to me!

God answers prayer,

God answers prayer,

God answers prayer,

He’s so good to me!

He cares for me,

He cares for me,

He cares for me,

He’s so good to me!

I love Him so,

I love Him so,

I love Him so,

He’s so good to me!

I’ll do His will,

I’ll do His will,

I’ll do His will,

He’s so good to me!

I praise His name,

I praise His name,

I praise His name,

He’s so good to me!

This song was composed to help pass the time on a road trip. The first verse was composed by Velna or her traveling companions, and many more have been added since.

Sources:

The Texas and Oklahoma area has suffered so much is these recent floods. Many lives have been taken and property devastated. It is do shocking  when events occur so rapidly and so unexpected. Our lives can be turned upside down in a blink of an eye. That is why we have to have our lives in order and pointed towards Gods plan. 

The Ecceleasties writer so succinctly puts it “vanity, vanity, all is vanity.”  This is so true. We go to bed and expect to get up and do this or that. However, we never know what tomorrow will bring. 

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV

[19] “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Patience is a virtue. Trying to get out of town when storms are popping up around you can make things hairy. I have been on a three hour journey to start a three and a half hour flight and before, during, and after a pretty major thunder storm. This storm has shut down the airport, delayed inbound flights, diverting flights to another airport and caused a chaotic mess with the passengers and the airlines. This has people to be “not where they want to be” with cancelled flights and airplanes and crews to be scattered around the country and not where they want to be. 

Doesn’t this sound like the storms in life?  When we face a “storm” are we where we want to be and everything is in its proper place?  NOT!  Do these life-storms get us out of kelter?  Do we protray our “best image” when we are in the eye of the storm?

So, what do we do?  Patience is a virtue given you have virtually no control over the situation. Breathe and go with the flow, be pleased when the horizon breaks with sunshine that was totally hidden from the storm or the beautiful colors of the distant sunset that seem to appear at the end of the storm.

Isn’t this really normal in the days that we are living in?  We are pulled to and fro between our daily commitments and somewhere we would like to be (think normal if you can remember what normal is) but seem to be separated between the two by a daily storm.  Hear the rumbling thunder, see the lightning strikes, feel the high humidity in the air?  Face it, this is probably more normal in your life right now.  

Seek God and keep his commandments.  Our really only fall back is to seek God.  In calamities, in dealing with those that seek to see us fail, and in trying to follow God, we must seek Him.

Proverbs 14:32–When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.  Hebrews 11:6–And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Think about the lyrics to “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God” 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God.  And His righteousness; And all these things shall be added unto you.

Hallelu, Hallelujah!

Ask, and it shall be given unto you; Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Hallelu, Hallelujah!

Man shall not live by bread alone, But by every word. That proceeds out from the mouth of God.

Hallelu, Hallelujah!

The great book of faith which gives many examples of how “men of old” trusted in God is rich in examples of how we must think about our faith. From Abel to Noah to Abraham and many others, we see how God worked in these men’s lives.  The bible states, “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

Isn’t it interesting that all of these men were credited with having the faith that God wanted them to have, yet they died without receiving the promises?  What does this tell us about how to handle various disappointments in life without losing our faith in God?  We must cling to our foundation of God’s teachings in dealing with our daily struggles. 

Galatians 5:22-26 NIV

[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

It’s 54° outside and a bright sunshiny day. When you go for a time with out pretty days to wake up to, it makes the beauty of one of those nice mornings even better. As I sip on my coffee and take a walk on this glorious morning, I can see the beauty of God’s work in creation everywhere around me.

Why do we not slow down and breathe, breathe , breathe?  This hectic life full of every day busyness and hectic life full of day doings keeps us away from seeing the very simple things that surround us everywhere. From the tulips that spring forth in early spring to the new leaving on the trees, this hectic pace takes away from seeing the very simple things that surround us everywhere.

Why can’t I fully grasp God’s total plan for my life? I think it is the lack of my ability to see him working every day in my life. If I can just breathe, breathe, maybe I can understand what his plan is for me.

where do you go for help when you get very frustrated? There are many situations where we are faced with difficult decisions or situations and we become very frustrated. Which direction do you turn, which decision do I make first, how do I prioritize my decisions or actions? It seems we are confronted with these questions daily. So what do we do?

First of all, we are not alone when it comes to the daily struggles and frustrations in life. We have to realize that it’s not just me. When we do think about it that way, depression can set and quickly.   Seeking wise counsel from people that we trust is always a good first step. Additionally, prayer goes a long ways and helping our minds grasp fully the situation wherein. And sometimes, prayer may be be  The only answer that can calm or so on our mind to focus on the next few minutes and hours ahead of us as we fully grasp and make decisions.

Proverbs 16:32-33
Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

Do you Ever wonder how things seem to happen by happenstance?  Is that really the way it happens? Let’s think about prayer and the effect of prayer in our lives. Once you pray for something that you want God to handle them do you have the faith that God will answer your prayers? The Bible tells us to trust God and keep his commandments. What does that really mean? I’m not sure that you can go by the guidelines that if I trust God and keep his commandments that every prayer in my life will be answering.

I recently had a very difficult and stressful situation that constantly was getting under my skin and making me very angry and upset. I have tried on more than one occasion to turn this over to God for his actions to occur in my life that would make my burden less of a stress day by day.  Once I let God know that I wanted him to see me through these daily stresses and to not let it consume me, the stress seem to be reduced.

MATTHEW 11:28–Matthew 11:28 NIV
[28] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Have you ever been in a situation, with your back to a wall, you were forced to make a statement or comment that later you wished you had not?   Many times, we are faced with a worldly daily challenge that also challenges how our Christian faith and walk “should respond.”  It’s very easy to just make statements in revenge or in a  spiteful way that is not how God intends for us to act. So, what should we do?    Think about the challenges that Jesus faced and how he responded. We all know that a lovingly smile and response goes along way in very difficult situations. However, it’s not easy to generate that smile with our backs to a wall. Just stop, breathe, breathe, and then think about what Jesus would do.