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Grow and Bloom

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This is a follow up to the last blog post Always Ready

Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey.     – Numbers 9:22

In thinking about the travels of the Israelites a well-known saying came to mind. “Bloom where you are planted” or “Grow where you are planted”. I quickly looked it up and found a brief history of the origin. The Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is credited with the quote, “Bloom where you are planted.” Later Mary Engelbreit made the phrase popular.

I like the simple saying and the state of contentment it encourages. But we also need to beware of becoming overly comfortable in a certain way of life. We need to keep in mind that we are still travelers who have not arrived home yet.

The following quote from Spurgeon is a good reminder for us.

“The Christian is the most contented man in the world, but he is the least contented with the world. He is like a traveler in an inn, perfectly satisfied with the inn and its accommodation, considering it as an inn, but putting quite out of all consideration the idea of making it his home.”  – Charles Spurgeon

We should wholeheartedly serve the Lord in our present situation but also be ready to move when God says go. Simply put we need to daily live out the fact that God is in charge. Don’t make a plan and ask God to bless it. Ask God to show you His plan and then wait for His answer.

God can use you, exactly where you are. Wherever that is, serve joyfully. But be ready and willing when God’s hand reaches down to move you according to His plan.

You can grow and bloom where you’re planted or even on the move!

It’s not about where you serve. It’s all about Who you serve.

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Bible

Always Ready

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Lately, while reading the familiar chapters about the Israelite’s wilderness journeys, I’ve tried to picture myself there with them. Do you ever imagine being with them and what it would be like in that time? Exciting, hard, terrifying, thrilling, and confusing all at the same time? Perhaps?

Read Numbers 9:15-23 and think about what it would be like to check each morning on the location of the cloud as you stepped out to gather your portion of manna.

 Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire.  So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents.  At the command of the Lord, the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey.  So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord they would journey.  So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey.  At the command of the Lord, they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

Numbers 9:15-23 NKJV

Can you picture yourself traveling along with the Israelites? Each and every day meant waking up and not knowing if it would be time to pack up and move on or stay another day. It was all completely decided by God’s direct unmistakable leading.

Always ready to go and at the same time always ready to stay

Spending time with Jesus and the Word (gathering manna) is still the best way to start each day! We need to be watching and listening daily for what God is saying (looking for the cloud). Today we don’t follow a cloud or see the pillar of fire when we go to bed at night but we have the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Worry

Anxious?

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We are indeed living in uncertain times. Many people are experiencing fearful and anxious thoughts just as a result of hearing the daily news. Worry, fear and stress seem to be everywhere we turn today. The truth is that Christians are not exempt from worry!

Praise God that we know where to turn

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.        Psalm 56:3  NKJV
 Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.   – Matthew 11:28-30  J.B. Phillips
 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].   – 1 Peter 5:7  AMP

Don’t live as a slave to your worries. You can take steps today and find freedom.

Get some help for dealing with worry

Enroll Here →→ Stop Worrying E-Course

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Christmas

Tis The Season

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Originally posted December 2018

The season is here!

What came to your mind as you turned your calendar to December this year?

  • Advent                                        christmas-2961385_1920
  • Family
  • Traditions
  • Celebration
  • Shopping
  • Gift-giving
  • Decorating
  • Baking

Ideally, it is a season of wonder and joy with families gathering and celebrating together.

However, it is not always so wonderful for all. For many, the season is difficult and challenging. Christmas time can be sad, lonely, painful and a time of struggle. Some have recently suffered a great loss and some are overwhelmed by various difficulties at this particular time. Many are missing loved ones more in this season than any other time of the year.

If you’re missing someone this Christmas this song’s dedicated to you

– The Piano Guys

If this is a hard season for you, don’t put on an artificial smile and act as if you are fine. Remember many others are also feeling like you. Consider being honest with a friend, neighbor, co-worker or loved one and you may find unexpected help and comfort for your heart.

May God give us awareness of those around us who are struggling this Christmas. Let’s notice others and love them. Slow down, pay attention. Look for those Jesus wants to reach out to through your hands. Be thankful for the opportunity and you may be surprised to discover the true meaning of the season.

Thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he is our Father and the source of all mercy and comfort. For he gives us comfort in our trials so that we in turn may be able to give the same sort of strong sympathy to others in theirs. Indeed, experience shows that the more we share Christ’s suffering the more we are able to give of his encouragement. This means that if we experience trouble we can pass on to you comfort and spiritual help; for if we ourselves have been comforted we know how to encourage you to endure patiently the same sort of troubles that we have ourselves endured. We are quite confident that if you have to suffer troubles as we have done, then, like us, you will find the comfort and encouragement of God.

– 2 Corinthians 1:4-7    J.B. Phillips

Tis the season ♥

Your comments are welcome. Always love to hear from readers.

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prayer, Quiet time

Daily Meeting

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Are you spending some time alone with God each morning? If not, do you make time in the evening or some other time each day?

This post is especially for those who say they don’t have time to meet with God each day.

Surely you will agree that nothing on your agenda could be more important than time with God.

Perhaps you’ve experienced a great struggle to make it happen. Does it seem there are endless interruptions to your plan to have a quiet time with the Lord?

Sometimes expressing something in a different way is very enlightening. So I’m going to list a few different ways to say there isn’t time for meeting with God each day. 

  • I have more important things to do than spend time with God
  • I’m fully capable and ready to plunge into my day without consulting with the Lord
  • Jesus will have to wait
  • I’ll take the time to meet with God when I’ve done everything else I need/want to do

What do you think about those statements? If you are a follower of Jesus, I know you don’t agree with any of them. However, wouldn’t it be more truthful to say something from the statements above than to claim there isn’t enough time to meet with God?

The undeniable truth is that you will find a way to do what you truly want to do!

When meeting with God each day becomes your top priority you will find a way to make it happen.

What if you lack the desire to devote time to meeting with God? If this is the case, consider asking God to give you the desire to spend time with Him. You may soon be surprised by how quickly your desire can grow.

The next step for most people is simply setting your alarm clock for an earlier time.

NOTE: If you are not accustomed to spending any time with God at the start of your day, you should begin with a little time and add more as you go along. It is better to increase the time gradually than struggle with unreasonable expectations and end up quitting the habit before it can be established.

Day by day you will be investing your time in the best way!

You may want to check out Design Your Daily Quiet Time

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Book Reviews

Remember God Book Review

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Book review for Remember God

Author:  Annie F. Downs

I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Description from back of the book

I know God is loving; I know He is good; I believe He is big and powerful. But sometimes I wonder if He is really kind— really deeply always kind.

Is He?

Christians love to talk about how God is in control, but that’s harder to grasp when things aren’t going like you thought they would, when your life looks quite different than you imagined.

For centuries, God’s people have been building altars to Him—to remind themselves and the people around them of His work. His goodness. His kindness. Stacks of stones. Altars. Temples. Cathedrals. Why? Because they believed God and wanted to remember Him.

In the back of my mind, God reminds me that He is the same trustworthy God—the One who always finishes the stories he starts. And this is my story—of wrestling with our God who gives a limp and a blessing. A God who is always kind even when my circumstances feel the opposite. God is who He says He is. He is kinder than you imagine. In a world where it is easy to forget who He is, we will not. We will remember God.

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Let me start by saying this book was not at all what I was expecting.

Remember God strays far from the goal stated in the description. This is the first Annie Downs book I have read and will likely be the last.

There is a certain casual style that appeals to many but not to me especially when dealing with such important subjects. This book seems very self-focused and immature. Mostly I just don’t see how reading Remember God will provide what you need if you are struggling with truly perplexing questions in life.

If I had never read anything on the subject I might feel a little different than I do about this book. However, I’ve read some absolutely terrific writing on the subject over the years.

Below are books that I highly recommend

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Questions or comments?

Please leave a comment below or email me Lynn@everydaywiththeking.com

 

 

 

 

Corrie ten Boom

Tapestry

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Have you ever found yourself confused and questioning God’s plan for your life? Certainly, God’s ways are often mysterious.

When Corrie ten Boom spoke to audiences, she would often hold up a piece of embroidery with hundreds of tangled threads hanging from it. Many wondered if she was holding up the wrong side by mistake.

As she held up the messy side of the embroidery she would ask “Does God always grant us what we ask for in prayers? Not always. Sometimes He says ‘No’. That is because God knows what we do not know. Look at this piece of embroidery. The wrong side is chaos. But look at the beautiful picture on the other side- the right side.” Then she would flip the cloth over and reveal an elaborately embroidered crown- symbolizing our crown of eternal life. The crown was intricately stitched and had threads of many colors, including gold, silver, and pearls.

“We see now the wrong side; God sees His side all the time. One day we shall see the embroidery from His side, and thank Him for every answered and unanswered prayer.”

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This mysterious tapestry of your life is an intricate combination of events, each added at just the right time and in the right order. You can’t see the pattern but you can trust God to complete the design.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands. 

 – Psalm 138:8  NKJV

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

-Philippians 1:6  AMPC

Corrie ten Boom often shared the following poem.

The author is unknown. The poem is titled The Tapestry of My Life or The Weaving

My Life is but a weaving between my Lord and me; I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorrow And

Visit the Corrie ten Boom page to learn about her amazing life of faith.

 

 

 

 

 

Bible

Call To Me

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This post is super short and to the point but contains life-changing truth!

God desires to reveal hidden things to those who will ask Him.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.  – Jeremiah 33:3

Jesus said,  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8

Please notice in these Bible verses there is a part for us to do and it comes first.

Call

ASK

God wants to answer you

Call to Him today!

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Bible

First Garden

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One is nearer God’s Heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on Earth.

The quote above is a line from the poem “God’s Garden” written by Dorothy Frances Gurney. You have probably seen it on plaques and other items if you’ve ever visited a garden shop.

Gardening

Most people enjoy and have some degree of appreciation for gardens even if they’ve never had their own garden. But planting and caring for a garden is an entirely different experience. One that can only be known by doing it yourself.

There are so many amazing things to discover through gardening but the connection between God and gardens is the basis for all of it. This is not my opinion but actually documented in the Word of God.

First review what happened when God spoke on the third day of creation.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.

– Genesis 1:11-13

Now read what God did later in chapter 2

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden,

– Genesis 2:8-9

These are two different events in Genesis.

  • God spoke and all types of vegetation grew on the earth.
  • God planted a garden.

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The very first garden was planted by God.

Ponder that while you are in your garden today.

Love to know your thoughts about God and gardening.

Please leave a comment below.

Every Day with the King in a garden ♥