Tag Archives: Coosa Journal

Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Missions

PERILS OF PAUL

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And I think I’ve had problems…

“Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.  Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.  From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;  in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.  The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.  In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands (2 Corinthians 11:22-33 NKJV).”

 

 

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Bible Studies

GOD SHUT THE DOOR

photo credit: donbuciak <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/24014236@N07/8437345702″>Noah’s Ark Baby Shower</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>(license)</a&gt;

 

Ever had cabin fever?

Just imagine what it would have been like inside Noah’s ark.

“Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.

So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth,  two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.  And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.  In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark—  they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.  And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.  So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in (Genesis 7:6-16 NKJV).”

God shut the door. He saved Noah and his family from the coming flood.

The flood came… then the waters subsided.

God told them to come out of the ark. He made a promise…

“Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

‘While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease. (Genesis 8:21b-22 NKJV).”

  

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth

Catastrophic Loss

 

 

 

 

 

photo credit: prairiemomof2 <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/32326251@N00/6496631031″>Tornado. Washington, Kansas</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&gt; <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>(license)</a&gt;

 

“One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord asked Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’

‘From roaming through the earth,’ Satan answered Him, ‘and walking around on it.’

‘Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.’

Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?  Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.’

‘Very well,’ the Lord told Satan, ‘everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job himself.’ So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,  a messenger came to Job and reported: ‘While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby,  the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: ‘A lightning storm struck from heaven. It burned up the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

 That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported: ‘The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: ‘Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!’

Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will leave this life.
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Praise the name of Yahweh.

Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything (Job 1:1-22 HCSB).”

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Awakening

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“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV).”

Multitudes are seeking God. We sense our deep need for revival, a spiritual awakening!

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1 KJV).”

The LORD is waking His people from spiritual slumber.

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11 KJV).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Invisible

 

Dating myself again; I can remember The Invisible Man. I also recall invisible ink and those secret messages from school days.

 

Maybe you’ve seen the illusion of a bouquet of flowers appearing out of thin air.

We are entertained by illusions.

Children of God have experienced reality; we have placed our faith in the invisible.

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible (Hebrews 11:1-3 HCSB).”

God is Creator. As omnipotent LORD, He willed and spoke the earth into existence.

 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2 HCSB).”

Jesus …We witness His glory.

“He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For everything was created by Him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
 He is before all things,
and by Him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that He might come to have
first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have
all His fullness dwell in Him,
and through Him to reconcile
everything to Himself
by making peace
through the blood of His cross—
whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians 1:15-20 HCSB).”

 

 

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals, Salvation

Peace in the Pasture

800px-The_Sunday_at_Home_1880_-_Psalm_23{WIKIMEDIA}

Learning that I’m originally from New York State, most wrongly assume I’m a NY City girl.

I was born in the city of Syracuse but raised in the rural neighborhood of Mycenae. I was a country girl; with one cow pasture across the road and another right next to our home. There, a picturesque creek divided farmer May’s pasture property from ours.

We had no nearby sheep pastures; yet, I assume Mr. May protected his dairy cows in much the same way as a shepherd.

Seeking peace in the pasture…

“Bethlehem Ephrathah,
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you
to be ruler over Israel for Me.
His origin is from antiquity,
from eternity.
Therefore, He will abandon them until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of His brothers will return
to the people of Israel.
He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.
They will live securely,
for then His greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.
He will be their peace (Micah 5:2-5a HCSB).”

Trusting the Good Shepherd…

 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11 HCSB).”

 

 

 

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Bible Studies, Children, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Jesus Loves the Little Children

‘Jesus Loves the Little Children’   

[Clare H. Woolston/Public Domain]

Jesus calls the children dear,
“Come to Me and never fear,
For I love the little children of the world;
I will take you by the hand,
Lead you to the better land,
For I love the little children of the world.”

Refrain:
*Jesus loves the little children,
[*Jesus died for all the children,]
All the children of the world;
Red, brown, yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
*Jesus loves the little children of the world.
[*Jesus died for all the children of the world.]

Jesus is the Shepherd true,
And He’ll always stand by you,
For He loves the little children of the world;
He’s a Savior great and strong,
And He’ll shield you from the wrong,
For He loves the little children of the world.

I am coming, Lord, to Thee,
And Your soldier I will be,
For You love the little children of the world;
And Your cross I’ll always bear,
And for You I’ll do and dare,
For You love the little children of the world.

*alternate text for refrain

Jesus loves children.

 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6 NKJV).”

He gave stern warnings to any who might shun or harm the children.

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost (Matthew 18:10-11 NKJV).”

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Idol Worship

 

 

 

 

{Image: etsy}

Found or forsaken?

Fate or faith?

“Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: ‘Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!’

And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord (2 Chronicles 15:1-8 NKJV).”

 

 

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Bible Studies, Christian Growth, Devotionals

Feeling No Pain

Who?

“Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds for no reason?
Who has red eyes?
Those who linger over wine,
those who go looking for mixed wine.
Don’t gaze at wine because it is red,
when it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things.
You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.
‘They struck me, but I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it!
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink (Proverbs 23:29-35).”

We each have a choice…

“And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18 HCSB).”

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Christian Growth, Devotionals, Relationships

Bernard P. Fife

To quote words of wisdom by Bernard P. Fife, “Nip it!”

“To start a conflict is to release a flood;
stop the dispute before it breaks out (Proverbs 17:14 HCSB).”

Yup; nip it. Stop the disagreement before it ‘blossoms’ into a raging battle of trying to prove who is right.

Imagine a caution light. It can serve as a warning.

Next, put your brakes on as the light turns red.

In anger, you may be seeing red but stop.

Wait until the light turns green. Regain control behind the wheel of words before leaving the scene.

You have nipped conflict in the bud.

Congratulations!

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