“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all * pure, then * peace-loving, * considerate, * submissive, * full of mercy, and * good fruit, * impartial, and * sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”
Righteousness = free from guilt or sin; justifiable; genuine & excellent.
Hah! There are Bible coloring books, But they are for beginners who want to start Getting used to those Bible stories Before taking them to heart.
If you want an apple from the Teacher, Don’t search Google for the book. Just go to your own Bible, my friends. You’ll find wisdom there, if you look.
Don’t let it sit upon the shelf Gathering cobwebs, dust and dirt. Take it down, dust it off, and read. Gaining a little more wisdom never hurt!
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Kristyn Getty has such a pure and sweet voice. The words to this song are wise indeed. I hope you’ll take time to listen and enjoy. Gaining God’s wisdom is an every day need.
God bless you, dear friends. May His wisdom increase in you every day. May you dress yourself daily in His strength!
Sending you love, hugs, and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and wise Friday. JanBeek
Where ya lookin’, my friend? Do ya got yer head in the sand? Are you avoidin’ some things By keeping blinders on hand?
Some of us think if we shut off The news about strife in our land, If we just stream in what’s good, We can avoid the newsstand.
Let’s just pray and read our Bibles; Let’s join hands with like-minded folk. Let’s ban anyone we disagree with. Lock out the sorrow they evoke.
Let’s focus on the good ole days And remember pure life gone by. No social media. No Fox News or CNN. No log in my own eye.
I see the sliver in your eye. I see the faults of all those other folk, So I choose to build a cocoon And just carry my own yoke.
Do you relate to such thinkin’? Are you so selfish you’re stinkin’? When ya gonna come outta yer cave And discover the poison you’re drinkin’?
Ya can’t find Utopia here on earth By shuttin’ out all that’s a disgrace. Ya gotta look and see and recognize The mud splattered on your own face.
The sin of this world splashes up To make guilty sinners of us all. We can’t avoid it with blinders. We can’t be thinkin’ so small!
We gotta look at all those in trouble With compassion and a heart to see How each of us is in this together. Their misery and pain touches me.
I gotta take off the shutters and open The doors to my heart for their pain To permeate my soul and my conscience. I gotta step out in the rain.
I gotta look ahead to the future And see what I can do to make peace With those I find disagreeable. This head in the sand’s gotta cease!
My word for 2023 is “Ready.” Am I ready to take my own advice? Break outta the cocoon and fly upward To help others? At what cost? What price?
The price of compassion is nothing Compared to what it costs to ignore The people in need all around us. Where ya lookin’ my friend? The floor?
Let’s turn to the windshield and see What’s right in front on the road. Let’s pick up our yoke and share it To help others lessen their load.
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
See that smile up there on that guy? It ain’t that easy; I won’t lie. But with time and love and care, You’ll find peace. Reach out and share!
I’ve been off screen, resting my eyes after cataract surgery.
First the right eye – cataracts removed and new lens inserted.
Then celebrated by enjoying dinner at Sweet Chili’s and staying the night at C’mon Inn in Bozeman. God is good. No pain involved 👌🏽❤️
Dilated pupil made vision blurry, but I was assured this would be short-lived. Give it time!
Then on Thursday Dr. Swan removed the cataracts on the left eye and replaced that lens. It’s a simple procedure. Once you’re in the operating room, it only takes about 15 minutes. Amazing!!
Back home in Ennis, Montana, snow and wind stopped, but temperatures were below freezing. So, it was a good time to just hunker down and relax. Let the eyes heal – and avoid reading, screen time, and bright lights. Tough assignment!
Enlarged pupil… weird! Oh my… Wild Woman!!
That was yesterday – day # 1 after surgery. Today the pupils look more normal, but my vision still is blurry – and I’m s’posed to be patient as I allow healing ❤️🩹 And stay off screen time!
So good-bye for now. I’m outta here!
Have you ever had this procedure done? If so, what were your results?
I’ll catch up with your posts on WordPress and FaceBook when it’s safe to do so.
Meantime, bee 🐝 well – and bee 🐝 happy.
God bless you!
My neighborhood deer are keeping me company. So blessed to be living in God’s Country!
Bob says, “Chase them away! They’re munching on my trees!!”
Hey, they were here first! We are invading their space. Right?
Actually, life is pretty good. I am counting my blessings. Are you?
Blessed to have Bob’s support and company. Count your blessings, my friends. I know you have lots for which to be grateful.
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
Is it hard for you to ask for help? Some people find it very difficult. Some people feel like they are a burden. They want to be self-sufficient.
Bob and I have learned Self-sufficiency is harder as you age. Asking for help is imperative, Especially when you are stuck!!
That red dot out there is the back – The back light of our car. We high-centered in.a snow drift. That’s about 50 yards out.
It is freezing out there – Brrr! We walked home and left the car. Brrrr… Help! We can’t do it – Can’t dig ourselves out.
It’s not the first time We needed help this week – Not the first time this year. What would we do alone??
Thank God for friends and neighbors. Thank God for Bobcats & snow blowers And friends who come to help. We would be toast without them!
Tomorrow’s sunrise promises us A better day – a chance to get out A chance to go to church and thank God For the HELP we receive from so many
Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Do not be afraid to ask Do not be too proud to admit You need help – can’t do it all yourself Let others help… and ask God for help, too!
No request is too small.
We reached out yestersay We asked our friend, Joe, for help He came and helped Bob Unbury our snow fence
Earlier this month I reached out And asked my friend, Susan P, For help with my Christmas decorations She came – we did it together – God bless her!
I couldn’t have done this without her!
May the Lord bless and keep you May your neighbors and friends Be the help you need when in distress Don’t be afraid to cry out: HELP!!
There is no joy in aloneness When you are craving assistance People want to help you They want to be asked. So do!
Do ask for HELP when you need it Ask for HELP when you want it You will be blessed and so will your helper We all need to be needed!!
This is my adorable 10-year-old friend Hailey helps to give me a sense of purpose Each week she joins me in my sanctuary We study scripture and read devotionals
I am so grateful for her and her mom They let me know they needed something In helping them, I am the one who is blessed You, too, can be the helper as well as the one who’s helped
Reach out today and make someone’s life better In the process, you will make your own richer, too. Help is a two-way street – Don’t miss it! God bless you, my dear WP friends… you help
You help by reading my blog and commenting You help by posting your stories and inspiration You never know just who needs what you write You never know who you’re he[ping today! Thanks for dropping by JanBeek today.
Your “likes” and comments lift my spirits. I’m headed to go see your blog right now, too. Thanks for your HELP!!
Thousands of years before His birth, Isaiah predicted Him:
Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Then, when Isaiah’s prediction came true, Jesus came to earth… the Prince of Peace, Here to show us how to find His peace, Here to show us how to live.
Ephesians2:14 put it this way:
“Jesus is our peace” Because Jesus “came and preached peace to you who were far away and those who were near.”
Jesus came, lived to show us and teach us, and died to save us. Believing that is the road to His grace. Believing that is the way to Eternal Life. Believing that is the path to peace.
Dr. John Koessler wrote:
“Those who know the peace of Christ become agents of peace themselves. When Jesus first sent His disciples to proclaim the kingdom, He told them, ‘As you enter the home, give it your greeting.’ Matthew 10:12 (the traditional Jewish greeting, Shalom) This was more than a social formality, Christians are offering peace through faith in Christ to others. The shalom of Christ is more than a greeting. It is a promise. There is more to peace than a personal experience. For the Christian, peace is a person. Jesus is our peace.”
JanBeek 