In his book, Ever Faithful, David Jeremiah was inspired by Psalm 145:16 when He wrote about hand gestures:
“Hand gestures can communicate our innermost thoughts and emotions. Clenched fists reveal anger. White knuckles and trembling are usually the result of fear and nervousness. We close our hands around things we want to hold on to and open them to receive and give gifts.”
My friends, Ed and Maria, open their hands to receive each others love and close them around each other to hang on to the one they love. Bob & I do the same!
David Jeremiah went on in his devotional to say, God’s generosity is described in Psalm 145:15…
“You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”
It might be the prayer For a miracle to receive Or could be something simple You just have to believe
Believe that when you open Your hands to receive gifts God will fill them with wonders – With gifts that your heart lifts
Open hands are a symbol Of giving – giving our all And knowing in the process We’ll be standing tall
As a humble giver, Know what you give comes back And God knows your needs He will fill your every lack
David Jeremiah went on to remind us, “If we overlook God’s generosity, or find ourselves in the midst of a painful season, it’s easy for a mindset of scarcity to take over. We become afraid of losing what we have, and our hearts’ stance becomes one of grasping as we seek to control our circumstances.”
Grasp all the love you can get Then open your hands to give It all away – every single bit Because it’s refillable as long as you live
Bob’s hands are open to receive his “just desserts”!! Are yours open, too?
I pray for your hands to be filled Filled to overflowing Filled with love to give away Love that’s alive and showing!
God Bless you! Have a “Open Handed Day!” Will you?
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”
Come down to the Living Waters. We welcome you!
Have a blessed Tuesday evening – and a Wonderful Wednesday!
His description of the Day 3 poetry prompt intrigued me:
NaPoWriMo Day 3: Find a shortish poem that you like, and rewrite each line, replacing each word (or as many words as you can) with words that mean the opposite. For example, you might turn “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” to “I won’t contrast you with a winter’s night.”
Then Rahul shared a poem he wrote using that “Opposite” prompt: On his blog site you can see a link to the original poem.
When I am standing on the edge Revelling at the vista, which the mist blurs I forget the lovely image, hers, as She fades… fades… fades away Over me, joy has taken me in its veil More a creature of this world And one less angel on the earth I want nothing more, nothing less When I am standing on the edge Revelling at the vista, which the mist blurs I think I recall the image, hers, again She passes…passes… passes by I want nothing less, nothing more
I picked up on Rahul’s prompt and decided to write a poem inspired by poet, Holly Haley.
The original poem: “Friendships”
Write life without friendships And who would read it through? Paint life without its friendships Where is the rainbow hue? Build life without its friendships Who would live therein? For friendship’s glow leads to the goal That each of us would win.
poet: Molly A. Haley
And mine:
“Enemies”
Live life with enemies And no one would join in Scribble life with its enemies And forget to add a grin. Tear down life with its enemies And regret the choices you choose For death darkens your door When you’ve no friends to lose.
Jan Beekman
Want to try your hand at this opposites poetry? If so, I’d love to have you share it in the comments section here.
Photo by Monstera on Pexels.com Friends are such an important part of every happy life!
On the other hand, enemies are sometimes hard to find (at least for me). If you look at everyone through your Jesus glasses, you will see the divine in them. You will pray for them, and you will realize that they are placed in your world to teach you. What do your enemies teach you? Well, for one thing – they teach you what you don’t want to be!!
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com Hmmm… what does that mean, “Front Toward Enemy”??
You want that person at your back to be your friend, right? When your friend says, “I’ve got your back,” what’s that mean? To me it means, when my back is turned and someone intends to harm me, my friend will be there to protect me. Turning your back on your enemy can be dangerous!
How do we avoid having enemies? Can we really live a life without them? The PollyAnna in me says, “Of course!”
Last time I clicked on “Reblog” and tried to post this 2020 entry, folks were unable to access it. Hopefully the “Reblog” will work this time. It’s a fun, inspirational post, I hope you enjoy revisiting it.
I first posted this message 4 years ago, but it is timeless – – – and it is worth reposting as February 14th is tomorrow and we all are thinking seriously about the topic of LOVE, right?
What is TRUE love? And how do we exhibit it? How do we receive it? What is its origin? Poets have written of love for centuries. None resonates more perfectly to me than the words of love in the Bible, like Romans 12.
“Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with God’s people who are in need.
Practice hospitality.”
…. Romans 12:9-13
No better Valentine’s message of love ever has been written. To add to it, go to your Bible and read the next few verses, Romans 12:14-16 … and get caught up in the wonderful message of Jesus’ love!
Of course, the scripture that often is read at weddings is also one that must not be forgotten:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 New International Version
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
My blogging friend, Sue Dreamwalker, wrote today, “So, keep love in your hearts for each other and all living creatures. And remember to love yourself…”
This was popular in the 50’s when I was growing up. It is one of my all-time favorites!
Love is more than just a game or two. Two in love can make it… Take my heart and please don’t break it!
Have a wonderful, love-filled Valentine’s Day!
Hugs to you and your loved ones, JanBeek (& Bob, too)
The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen wordswith a break anywhere in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.
. . . Kindness Lovingly given Gratefully received Reap what you sow
We rise Lifting others Carry . . .
What picture did those words create for you?
Here is the picture that came to my mind.
:o)
And this is the scripture that came to mind:
Luke 6:25 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”
Jesus is my inspiration. God’s Word is my go-to for direction. It inspires me to be kind, not just to my family, friends, and loved ones, but also to those who annoy me… maybe most to them!
Thank you, David, from skepticskaddish.com, for introducing me to this new (to me) poetry form. It was fun to give The Septolet a try.
Hey, WP Friends, why don’t you try it, too? I’d love to see your word picture.
Tim McGraw sings the message in a most beautiful song. This is new to me, too. Have you heard it before? The images that accompany it are so inspiring. You’ll be glad if you take time to see and listen!
Hugs to you… Have a Wonderful Weekend. Always be Humble and Kind!
Isaiah 43:4-5a. “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men to exchange for your life. Do not be afraid for I am with you…”
I knew where we were going… HOME! And I knew God was with us, guarding and guiding us. I learned as we were at the “41 miles to go” mark that a woman about my age had died in a tragic accident the day before on this very stretch of road. Her demise was a jack-knifed semi. She hit black ice and slid into it when she was trying to turn and avoid it. It was a clear day – at 4: o’clock in the afternoon. We were traveling home on that two-lane road in the dark. A host of family and friends were praying for our safe travel. We TRUSTED God’s guidance as we crept along, blinded by the bright headlights of on-coming semis.
At about the “20 miles to go” mark, if I had my window down, I could have reached out and touched the big doe that was preparing to cross the road in front of us. We didn’t see the deer until we were almost on top of it… or it on top of us! You can imagine how we prayed prayers of gratitude all the rest of the way home!!
This morning, in my wonderful upstairs space that I call my “sanctuairee,” I was reading a commentary by Rev. Dr. David Jeremiah. It was for me!!
“Praising God for Miracles”
“Among the stories connected to the memory of Francis of Assisi is this one: One day Francis gathered his friends at a remote monastery in central Italy. When he asked them about their journeys, each brother had an exciting tale to report. One had been riding his mule across a narrow bridge that spanned a deep gorge. When the mule bolted, the man was nearly thrown into the ravine. He praised God he hadn’t been killed.
Another brother had nearly drowned fording a river, but he said, ‘God in His grace provided a tree that had fallen across the water. I was able to grasp a branch and pull myself to safety.’ Other brothers expressed similar stories of God’s protection.
Then someone asked Francis about his trip. ‘I experienced the greatest miracle of all,’ said the famous friar. ‘I had a smooth, pleasant, and uneventful journey.’
We should always remember to praise God for His miracles in whatever form they come. He blesses, heals, rescues, delivers, helps, and uplifts more times every day than we can count. We should always be saying, ‘Thank You, Lord!’
Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth”
Thank you, David Jeremiah, for your timely message this day. It’s a perfect one!
So, on this journey called life, I choose to trust God. I may not know where He is taking me tomorrow, but I know if I trust in Him, and ask for His guidance, and look for His direction, He will not fail me.
Choose to TRUST
Looking again at the scripture Dr. Jeremiah chose for today’s devotional, I am reminded of Martin Luther King Day yesterday… and the way he gave his life for his principles of Freedom, Equality for all, and Non-violence.
Yes, God said, “I will give men to exchange for your life.”
I pray we all will remember the men and women who gave their lives so that we might enjoy the peace we have today. It is still going on in those war-torn places around the world. God bless our faithful warriors who fight to keep us free and those servants of God world-wide who choose to TRUST in God’s protection as they fight to maintain their county’s freedom. Amen
Thank You, God, for the way You bless, heal, rescue, deliver, help, and uplift us more times every day than we can count.
Help us follow Your example of love and spread Your Good News with Trust and Assurance every day. Amen
