{{{Donna}}} posted this on her blog 6 years ago at https://thefathersfeet.wordpress.com/ She quoted Matthew … and I decided to repost this today to follow up on my post from yesterday where I explored the subject of seeking happiness. What are you seeking? {{{Donna}}} chose this:
Matthew 6:33-34 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. … Each day has enough trouble of its own… Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live … So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. … “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.”
I asked Donna, “Do you know that song?” She replied, “I do!” and then she sent me the song she was singing.
Here’s the one I was singing:
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God…”
Here I am up in my sanctuary… early morning squished head!!
What is it you seek? Is it the Kingdom of God? Let’s pursue God first.
What are “all these things”? The scripture was referring to food and clothing… the basics… and reminding us how God takes care of the birds and the lilies of the field.
When I pursue the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, I am seeking His wisdom. I am seeking the peace that only He can give. I am seeking understanding and the deep compassion that God’s Son taught us. I am seeking to exemplify His love ❤️ and the joy that comes with Trust in His Promises. 🙏🏽 I seek His righteousness so that I may exhibit greater patience, kindness, gentleness, and goodness.
Seek Ye first the kingdom of God … and all these things will be given unto you.
Jesus prays with me each day!
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Pray for discernment I love the Lord’s perfect will Freckles and lashes!!
SnapChat can do wonders!
Hah!!
Do not let the world Trick you into seeking pride – It’s a dead-end street.
Do not let the world Trick you into seeking wealth – Not in hoarded coins.
Do not let the world Tell you what to dream about – Look in God’s Word.
Let the Son set you free. You shall know the Truth And the Truth shall set you free. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways acknowledge Him.
I pray for you, my friend… For your health, happiness, safety, And for God to guide you in His Way.
Three out of four of the devotionals I read yesterday and today had the word TRUST as one of the main topics. Everytime I see the word trust, I draw a rectangle around it and affirm, “I Can Trust.” Today I decided to write about TRUST in my journal, “I Can and I Will, Watch Me.” My mind just thought about it in a Haiku format. Here’s what the result was:
I CAN Trust
I know I can trust – The world may feel chaotic, But I reclaim peace.
Unsettling events, An unknown future, Don’t define my mood.
I am claiming peace. I see where my power lies: It’s trusting in God.
What I want in life, Peace, love, joy, kindness and faith, Are mine when I trust.
I know I can trust In the Ruler of my heart To heal what’s broken.
Heal the world’s chaos, Bring back Unity for all. I can trust my God!
Thinking of you and sending love your way. Trusting Him to guide you and me through the storms of life. What storms are you facing?
invited us to try our hand at a poetry form that is new to me:
Sijo
A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.
David did a fantastic job with the form. Click on his name & blog title above to read his contribution. I told him I was not sure I was even going to try… it sounds too complicated! But… with the following meme as a prompt, here goes:
Your mind will always believe, if you are ever truthful; But when you are deceitful, you feed it sorrow, deep grief. Feed your mind sincere love and truth, and it will be returned to you.
Bob & I send our love and deep peace to you and your loved ones today.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. Will you try your hand at Sijo?
Choosing positivity brightens life; It keeps us happy and upbeat. Even though we encounter difficulties, We can choose victory, not defeat.
It’s up to us to decide the kind Of person we want others to see. If we keep our hearts open to love, We’ll be the best that we can be.
We can choose positivity again and again As we focus on the good things in life. Meet life eagerly as we tackle each task And ask God to take away any worry or strife.
“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth…”
Ah, TRUTH! It can be so evasive… But a positive attitude and an open heart and mind Can make Truth more discernible. Seek it out with questions wise and kind.
Positive people are filled with curiosity; They never stop asking when and why. You can’t stop an intelligent child From asking, “Why?” even if you try.
So foster that curiosity! Appreciate it in your own design. You are a Child of God, you know, So embrace your uniqueness and SHINE!
Thank you for visiting JanBeek today. Your positive remark in the comments below Will add to my joy today. Let your positivity show!!
From my Christian perspective, this prompt is a no brainer for anyone in the USA with a moral bone in his/her body. But I have good Christian friends who disagree with me, so why open the gap and create more divisiveness?
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.”
Victor Salazar and Bob have stayed in touch for 50 years. How has that happened?
Victor was Bob’s wrestling student when Bob coached at Hillsdale High in San Mateo, CA. back in the 1970’s. Every year at Christmas, we exchanged Christmas cards. Victor let us know where he was each year – and his career took him to over 30 different countries! What a joy to have Vic come from Alabama to reconnect with us here in Montana! (That photo was taken last year when I first posted this blog)
I have had the fun of that kind of connection with former students, too. This is Ty Stiles and his wife with Bob & me. He was my kindergarten student in 1962! I named our first child, Ty. We never let Ty Stiles out of our sphere of contact. He was in my prayers daily. He came with his wife, Roxanne, from California to visit us a few years ago. About a year after his visit, sadly, Ty left this earth for his eternal home. My memories of him and his visit warm my heart every single day as I look at the cross he welded and sent to us shortly after his visit.
There’s no greater joy Than to reconnect with friends From long, long ago
Look up to the cross Recall its loving meaning Embrace those friendships
5 Ways to Keep Long-time Friends
Pray lovingly for them daily.
Be sure to keep them in your address book and write to them often (don’t just rely on social media)
Pick up the phone and talk to them, emptying yourself into them… it’s an investment. Be loyal and be confidential.
Let them know how much they mean to you, but don’t force the relationship. It has to be natural. Don’t insist that the relationship is forever reciprocal. Some friendships are meant to be seasonal… and the season may last years – but maybe not. You can’t control that.
Be honest and transparent with them … let them see your warts. It shows you trust them not to hurt you… and you are trustworthy in return.
Embrace Long-time Friendships Never let those precious folks go Keep them forever in your heart How long we’ll be here, we can’t know
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
Embrace Long-time Friends My heart’s covered with footprints. How about your heart?
Put on your hope-pack Wiggle into shoes of strength Cinch the belt of truth
Wear armor of grace And the bonnet of bounty Trash the coat of wrath
Burn the clodhoppers Of worry and of anger Just dress for success
Well, they ARE beautiful as they wear… But it’s not the clothing of cloth that counts!
Ephesians 6:14-15 New International Version
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Eight things to add to that list: 1. I have my health. 2. I have love. 3. I have faith. 4. I have trust in God who hears and answers prayers. 5. I have friends who faithfully join me in prayer. 6. My daughter-in-law, Monika had her gall bladder successfully removed and she is at home recuperating… dressed for comfort. 7. Her feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of faith. 8. I am blessed.
I am dressed for success.
Are you?
Here’s my bonnet of bounty!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. See ya tomorrow (God willing) Hugs!
Embrace Karfreitag! That’s German for “Sorrowful Friday.” The same day named “Guode Friday” in Old English back in the 1200’s.
I always wondered how it got named “Good.” What’s good about the Friday when Christ died? I’m more apt to agree with the Germans” It’s a sorrowful day!
The Baltimore Catechism from 1885 says it is “Good Friday” because it’s the day Jesus showed his great love for mankind.
Matthew 27:46
And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema tabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:59-61
“Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb… He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.”
Today is the day when Jesus seems gone. Mary and Mary Magdalene wept in front of the giant rock that was between them and the One they loved. Can you imagine their despair?
The reason I am embracing “Karfreitag!” is because I think it would be a shame to jump from Sorrowful Friday to the joy of Easter morning without sitting for a day and contemplating the sorrow that surrounded Christ’s death.
Imagine yourself at the tomb. Imagine the shock of finding Jesus gone… with the stone rolled away.
Tomorrow is called “Holy Saturday.” This is all that is written about it:
The next day the Pharisees and chief priests went to Pilate. “Sir, they said, we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day…”
What would you have thought if you had seen this scene on the day after Jesus died?
Holy Saturday is a day to pause gather our thoughts, process what happened, and get ready for the beautiful message of Easter.
See you tomorrow. Love to you, JanBeek
Before you go, treat yourself to this wonderful rendition of one of my favorite hymns by a phenomenal boys’ choir … joined by the wonderful men’s voices of the King’s College Choir. You’ll be glad you did!
