April 19, 2024

A Guiding Hand

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed. 

However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10

My son has been learning about Moses and the Ten Commandments at church on Wednesday nights. I was probably about his age when I was first introduced to them myself. When I stop to think about them, I always imagine Charlton Heston playing Moses in the movie, The Ten Commandments, and receiving the tablets from God. Just seeing the fear on Moses’s (Heston’s) face is enough to invoke trembling in anyone’s mind.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Exodus 20:19-20

When Moses came down from the Mount, the people could tell that he had seen and talked with God. They themselves became scared. They had been trembling in fear when the thunder and lightning and the trumpet sounded. They knew that Moses had spoken to God, but they were afraid to speak to God themselves. They told Moses they would listen to what God said if Moses spoke it to them.

God gave His people His perfect Law through Moses. Moses’s face radiated the glory of God when he descended from the Mount with the Ten Commandments—the same commandments that many people are fighting over displaying today. God made these Laws to help guide us and protect us from the temptation of sin. His Laws are firm just like those of parents’ rules for their children.

God knew what human nature was like even before Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit. God knew that without guidance that man would fall into sin and not be able to return Him. It is wonderful to know that we have a God Who already knows about us and knows how to guide and take care of us.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guiding hand. Without it we would surely be stuck in slavery to sin. You are always with us and always showing Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Learning and Instruction

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life;
the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.
The precepts of the LORD are right, making the heart glad;
the command of the LORD is radiant, making the eyes light up.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are reliable and altogether righteous.
They are more desirable than gold—than an abundance of pure gold;
and sweeter than honey, which comes from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10 HCSB

Learning: the activity or process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something; the activity of someone who learns; knowledge or skill gained from learning.

Instruction: a statement that describes how to do something : an order or command : the action or process of teaching : the act of instructing someone.

From the moment we are born we are learning.  We learn to breathe, we learn how to tell others we are wet, that we are hungry, that we are lonely, and that we are afraid.  We learn to be selfish.  We learn that crying brings someone to care for us.  We learn that we can engage people by smiling and cooing.  We learn we can ‘eat’  our toes, our fingers, and we then we discover we can move by learning to crawl, and then walk.

Then, while we are still learning, instruction begins.  We begin to observe how things are done, how things work.  Things like putting a block into the correct shape.   We are instructed as to how to put on a shirt, a pair of pants, how to comb our hair, how to brush our teeth.  Some go to daycare or have playdates, and here we learn to play nice with others, and not to hit or bite.  We learn to be kind and to have compassion.  We have learned at this point whom we should fear; whether it is a little person or a grown-up, we learn who we should stay far away from.

While in school we learn the ordinances (rules).  We learn what we can do, what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.  This is a precept.  We must become teachable and willing to learn.

I obey Your precepts and Your statutes, for all my ways are known to You.
Psalm 119:168

We may not learn about the Bible until later, or totally understand, but our heavenly Father gave us His precepts—His rules, His laws—on how we should live.  It does not matter when we begin to learn these, as long as we begin practicing them.  He wants us to enjoy the life He has planned for us.  We just have to be willing to trust Him.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for loving us.  I ask for my heart to become humble and teachable.  I am not too old or too young to follow Your ways, to understand Your precepts.  I want to have such a fire about me which will cause those around me to have a fire, a desire to know You.  I want to learn.  I want to be taught.  I desire You, Father.  Thank You for Your Word and for this ministry.  Let us not grow weary in knowing You more intimately.  In Jesus’ name I pray and ask these things, amen.

Answers, Guidance, and Direction

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed.
However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug,
 and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10

My kids started a new math curriculum a couple of years ago. This curriculum was confusing and, in my opinion, it made the process much harder than necessary. It would give a problem and no explanation on how to solve it. It would leave us flipping the paper over to see if we missed something or having to resort to a web search to assist in finding the solution. We were left wanting and needing more, left alone without direction or answers.

Now, this may seem extreme for a math situation, but you should understand that math is not my forte…I need as much clarity as possible. I need to know what to do and how to do it, without clarity I’m lost.

To me this is much like life—without clarity I’m lost. Reading the words in this passage gave just that…in a world where there are so many problems without clear solutions we are left to search for answers. But as always our Heavenly Father has those answers written for us, His clarity is at our fingertips in His word, it is on our lips with each prayer. He makes a statement and follows with a clarifying statement—His words rejoice our heart, they enlighten our eyes, they endure forever, they are righteous and true, they are richer than gold and sweeter than honey. They are clear and concise.

When I found the solution to the math problem, I found a sense of peace—peace that lasted until I read the next problem. But with God’s direction and answers the peace is lasting. Unlike math, where the answers may be questionable, God’s Word is always dependable, always correct.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let’s pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your answers to life, for Your guidance, and for Your direction.  Life can be like math at times, confusing and uncertain.  But Your words are true, clear, and they enlighten us.  They are dependable and constant.  Your words guide our lives, our hearts and our minds, thank You.  In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Answers, Guidance, and Direction

SeekingHimLogo

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.
The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10

My kids started a new math curriculum a couple of years ago. This curriculum was confusing and, in my opinion, it made the process much harder than necessary. It would give a problem and no explanation on how to solve it. It would leave us flipping the paper over to see if we missed something or having to resort to a web search to assist in finding the solution. We were left wanting and needing more, left alone without direction or answers.

Now, this may seem extreme for a math situation, but you should understand that math is not my forte…I need as much clarity as possible. I need to know what to do and how to do it, without clarity I’m lost.

To me this is much like life—without clarity I’m lost. Reading the words in this passage gave just that…in a world where there are so many problems without clear solutions we are left to search for answers. But as always our Heavenly Father has those answers written for us, His clarity is at our fingertips in His word, it is on our lips with each prayer. He makes a statement and follows with a clarifying statement—His words rejoice our heart, they enlighten our eyes, they endure forever, they are righteous and true, they are richer than gold and sweeter than honey. They are clear and concise.

When I found the solution to the math problem, I found a sense of peace—peace that lasted until I read the next problem. But with God’s direction and answers the peace is lasting. Unlike math, where the answers may be questionable, God’s Word is always dependable, always correct.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let’s pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your answers to life, for Your guidance, and for Your direction. Life can be like math at times, confusing and uncertain. But Your words are true, clear, and they enlighten us. They are dependable and constant. Your words guide our lives, our hearts and our minds, thank You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Learning and Instruction

SeekingHimLogo

The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life;
the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.
The precepts of the LORD are right, making the heart glad;
the command of the LORD is radiant, making the eyes light up.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are reliable and altogether righteous.
They are more desirable than gold—than an abundance of pure gold;
and sweeter than honey, which comes from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10 HCSB

Learning: the activity or process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something; the activity of someone who learns; knowledge or skill gained from learning.

Instruction: a statement that describes how to do something : an order or command : the action or process of teaching : the act of instructing someone.

From the moment we are born we are learning. We learn to breath, we learn how to tell others we are wet, we are hungry, we are lonely and that we are afraid. We learn to be selfish. We learn that crying brings someone to care for us. We learn that we can engage people by smiling and cooing. We learn we can ‘eat’  our toes, our fingers, and we then we discover we can move by learning to crawl, and then walk.

Then, while we are still learning, instruction begins. We begin to observe how things are done, how things work. Things like putting a block into the correct shape.  We are instructed as to how to put on a shirt, a pair of pants, how to comb our hair, how to brush our teeth. Some go to daycare or have playdates, and here we learn to play nice with others, not hit or bite. We learn to be kind and to have compassion. We have learned at this point whom we should fear; whether it is a little person or a grown-up, we learn who we should stay far away from.

While in school we learn the ordinances (rules). We learn what we can do, what is acceptable behaviour and what is not. This is a precept. We must become teachable and willing to learn.

I obey Your precepts and Your statutes, for all my ways are known to You.
Psalm 119:168

We may not learn about the Bible until later, or totally understand, but our heavenly Father gave us His precepts—His rules, His laws—on how we should live. It does not matter when we begin to learn these, as long as we begin practicing them. He wants us to enjoy the life He has planned for us. We just have to be willing to trust Him.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for loving us. I ask for my heart to become humble and teachable. I am not too old or too young to follow Your ways, to understand Your precepts. I want to have such a fire about me which will cause those around me to have a fire, a desire to know You. I want to learn. I want to be taught. I desire You, Father. Thank You for Your Word and for this ministry. Let us not grow weary in knowing You more intimately. In Jesus’ name I pray and ask these things, amen.

A Guiding Hand

SeekingHimLogo

A Guiding Hand

The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10

My son has been learning about Moses and the Ten Commandments at church on Wednesday nights. I was probably about his age when I was first introduced to them myself. When I stop to think about them, I always imagine Charlton Heston playing Moses in the movie, The Ten Commandments, and receiving the tablets from God. Just seeing the fear on Moses’s (Heston’s) face is enough to invoke trembling in anyone’s mind.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Exodus 20:19-20

When Moses came down from the Mount, the people could tell that he had seen and talked with God. They themselves became scared. They had been trembling in fear when the thunder and lightning and the trumpet sounded. They knew that Moses had spoken to God, but they were afraid to speak to God themselves. They told Moses they would listen to what God said if Moses spoke it to them.

God gave His people His perfect Law through Moses. Moses’s face radiated the glory of God when he descended from the Mount with the Ten Commandments—the same commandments that many people are fighting over displaying today. God made these Laws to help guide us and protect us from the temptation of sin. His Laws are firm just like those of parents’ rules for their children.

God knew what human nature was like even before Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit. God knew that without guidance that man would fall into sin and not be able to return Him. It is wonderful to know that we have a God Who already knows about us and knows how to guide and take care of us.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guiding hand. Without it we would surely be stuck in slavery to sin. You are always with us and always showing Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Place the Bible in my Hands

SeekingHimLogo

God’s Word is a precious gift.  If ever our Bibles become dusty due to lack of use, let’s cry out to God to forgive us.  Within its pages are God’s great messages and truths..stories of His love, hope, forgiveness, and His Presence as Lord and Savior unfold there.  From God’s Word you gain wisdom, knowledge, and insight into how God wants you to live.

With my Bible in my hands, I sat on my comfy couch and read all of Psalm 19 to soak up all God wanted me to gain from David’s words in this chapter.  David writes,

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
Psalms 19:7-10

Let it be written and let it be proclaimed: God’s Word trumps ANYTHING that any mere man could ever say.  Why?  It is inspired by God, and it is this:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12

Never let dust gather there.  Open God’s Word!  Read it, absorb it, and live it!!!  It continues to be a precious gift, as it—through the power of the Holy Spirit—teaches, encourages, convicts, and reveals the plan of salvation through Jesus.  It will remain as truth for all times! 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8

Contemplate:

Imagine you have to be on a deserted island by yourself for one year.  You are told you will have bread, water, and shelter.  But you have to make an important choice.
First option:  Each day you can have a cup of the best-tasting honey ever and gaze into a huge cave filled with bars of pure gold, which you can have at the end of the year. —OR–  Second option: You can have a Bible with you to read daily.

What do you choose?    Place the Bible in my hands!!!

*****

Dear Lord,  let us treasure Your Word!  Allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate its truths deep into our hearts so that our desire is to live it and, only by Your grace, bring You great glory in our lives.  Daily, we desperately need You!  Please may we all desire to read Your Word every day!!!  In Jesus’ Precious Name,  Amen.