At The Intersection Of Reflection!

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19 NIV

Having finished the written explication of Psalm 119, I am pausing at the intersection of this journey and reflecting upon what I learned from it.

We (or at least I am) are no different from the writer of hundreds of years ago. We are still in awe of God’s goodness; we still need Him to guide us; we still need to pray-communicate with Him often; we still need to understand He is our salvation from the wicked; we still need to study His Word in order to know how to live and we still need to know how to love–even the unlovable.

One would think that after all this time we would have learned from the mistakes and the history of those who came before us, but unfortunately, we tend to ignore history and keep making the same mistakes and end up on the same path as those who came before us. The lessons we need to learn appear to be a never-ending cycle that is spiraling into the depths of destruction of mankind.

When will we learn? I am convinced I do not have the answer and therefore, I will continue to trust God in all things for my understanding is so limited of His Wisdom, I will never have full understanding of all His ways.

This one thing I do know–I need Jesus–every hour of every day and I will never reach a place in my life that I won’t need Him.

I’m going to continue my reflection at this intersection, seeking His wisdom in His Word to determine where I shall head next on this journey in meditating upon His Word.

May The Lord continue to speak to your hearts, guiding you every step of the way on your own journey to discovering even more of His goodness as we continue to navigate life.

Advertisement

An Open Prayer For All!

“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I John 4:8 NLT).

If we say we love God, we should know how to love others–not hate.

When we allow hate to replace love in our hearts, we do not honor God.

For all who hate-others and God–this prayer is for you!

Father, in the name of Jesus,

I pray that You will move upon hearts today

Speaking love, In a very special way.

I pray for those who hate others because of political affiliations.

I pray for those who hate others because of ethnic origins and race.

I pray for those who hate others because they are gay or straight.

I pray for those who hate teachers, preachers, accountants, and lawyers,

And any other career or skill set they do not have.

I pray for those who hate because of their feelings of superiority about themselves,

And for those who hate because of their feelings of inferiority against themselves.

I pray for those who hate others because they are Muslim or Christian,

Catholic, Jew, Gentile, Buddhist, Baptist, Pentecostal, or whatever faith they proclaim.

I pray for those who hate because of some are male or female.

I pray for those who hate children and women, men and themselves.

I pray for those who hate redheads, blondes, brunettes, and raven-haired,

For those who hate others because they have straight, curly, kinky hair, long hair, short, and no hair.

I pray for those who hate others because of their height or girth, their humor or lack of one

I pray for those who hate because some have too many children and some have none.

I pray for those who hate all who don’t agree with them and for those who hate because they cannot agree with anyone.

I pray for those who disdain others because of their imperfections and flaws

Not seeing themselves because if they did, they would see and know their own imperfectness.

I pray for those who hate any living thing because so much hatred abides within their heart.

Lord, I ask You to cleanse the hatred from their hearts, and replace it with the abundance of love

You give to all who will receive it and allow it to overflow from them onto others.

Lord, for when You fill hearts with Love, and we learn to Love like You love,

The violence will cease and we can all live in peace.

All this I ask and believe we will receive it in the name of Jesus,

And according to Your Word, whatever we ask in Your Son’s name will be given.

I thank You for hearing and answering this prayer and all prayers of those who know and love You!

Amen!

 

 

Examine Yourself!

“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (I Corinthians 11:31 NIV).

The tiny word “if” can make such a huge difference in the outcome or results of what we do or seek.  I’m finding that to be true more each day.  “If” I had not been so anxious and adrenaline driven to finish what I started, I would have caught errors in my writing.  “If” I had paid more attention to what I was doing along the way of life, I would have made better choices. The list of “ifs” could go on for a long time, but my purpose here is not to beat up on myself or anyone else.  My purpose is simply to encourage all to slow down, and think–judge for ourselves what we’re doing and the outcome we wish to see, so others won’t judge us prematurely.

The adage that first impressions are lasting impressions is true. We cannot turn back the hands of time to correct some of the things we did, some quite unintentionally, but we can make sure we are paying attention to what we are doing and try not to make the same mistakes. Take the blinders off our eyes and be willing to see ourselves, objectively, as the world sees us. What needs to change?  We are the only ones who can determine the changes that need to be made after giving ourselves a thorough examination–willing to see what is there, not oblivious to what is not there.  We cannot afford to fool ourselves if we are to make a lasting impression upon those who do not know Jesus, to come to know Him!

Lord, help us all to take more care with the things we do understanding the outcome represents who we are–in a positive or negative light.  Help us to see ourselves clearly in the mirror, examining every aspect and changing what we can so others will not judge us.  Help us to hear You, when You correct us and warn us so we don’t have to think about the “ifs” that could happen. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!