The Lord is my Strength and my Song

Good Morning Everyone!

Just popping in here real quick.  Life just does not slow down, does it!  I have actually been looking forward to the school year this year so our family will stay put for a while and not be traveling--and maybe I can get something done!  But oh yes--how we do tend to forget how very busy we are once homeschool has started up again!  Ah well, it is always nice to at least THINK we are going to have more time at a future date, right? ;)

I wanted to invite all of you to join me in an upcoming memory challenge that I will be participating in.  Now I know what you are thinking--how am I going to fit in Scripture memorization when I was just complaining about how busy we are?  Good point!  And I honestly have to confess that I am not alway successful when I set about memorizing Scripture.  In fact, if I am remembering correctly, I believe that I have only succeeded two out of the last four Bible chapters that I have tried to memorize.  But you know what?  I have decided that two out of four Bible chapters memorized is FANTASTIC!  And besides that, the time I spent meditating on God's Word, and the verses that I did manage to memorize from the chapters that I "failed" on are never wasted.  They are never a failure.  Every minute spent reading God's Word to me is a success!

That being said, this next memory challenge is small and doable--only six verses!  I think I can do that!  And I think YOU can do it too!  We will be memorizing Isaiah chapter 12--I confess that Isaiah is my absolute favorite book in the entire Bible--SO many encouraging promises in there!!!

So spend some time thinking about it.  Better yet, spend some time praying about it!  And one of the most helpful things I have found in Bible memory success for ME is to join in with a memory group. Being part of a memory group is encouraging and helps keep you going when you are feeling like throwing in the towel.  And with the wonders of the internet, if you don't have a Bible memory group near you (I don't!), you can still have the encouragement of one in an on-line community! :)

So go check out this link--and read all about it.  And after you read about it, prepare to join us as we memorize Isaiah 12!
Why Should I Memorize Isaiah 12?

Have a beautiful week with your beautiful Savior!


~Susan

Negative CDs in my Head

Hi Everyone!

Summer has been SO very busy!!!  Half the time I haven't had the time to post anything here, and the other half my computer has been acting up and refusing to turn on!  That problem is still not fixed, and I am not sure yet if a computer repair will fix it or if I am really going to have to break down and buy a new one. . . I am hoping a repair can take care of it, but we will see!

Anyway, I thought I would drop in quickly today to share something which was a blessing to me. 😊 Today in my email box I found a wonderful little post talking all about those negative thoughts we play in our mind.  It is so very very true--but happily there IS a good solution!

So read on at this link:
Negative CDs in my Head

May you have a wonderful day!

~Susan

Hiding Psalm 27 in My Heart--verse 3

Good Morning Everyone!

We are smack dab in the middle of working on memorizing verse 3 this week, in our beautiful chapter of Psalm 27.  I definitely need to spend some more time working on this verse, but my major accomplishment was I DID get my entire chapter and the first letter helps laminated and posted up in my shower--yea for me!  Much easier for me to remember to review my verses before I go to bed each night now that they are staring at me in the shower and I can't help but to read them when I am standing in there! ;)

I had some thoughts I wanted to share with you about verse 3--a Bible story that God reminded me of last night, and I felt it really did help reveal a bit more about this verse we are working on memorizing this week.  I love it when God does that--connects for us one part of the Bible with another.

So here is this week's verse:
"Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident."  Psalm 27:3

And the story that God reminded me of?  It was about a man who had this very thing happen to him--quite literally!

You see, it went like this. . . the king of Aram was at war with Israel.  And it seemed that every single time he went to attack Israel, the Israelites were already prepared for him!  It was driving him crazy!  The king thought one of his officers must be a spy--and be leaking out this information ahead of time to the Israelite king, but when he demanded of his officers to tell him which one of them was doing this, they told him it was not them, but Elisha the prophet.  In fact, they went on to tell their king that Elisha could tell the king of Israel "the very words you speak in your bedroom."  (2 Kings 6:12)

So somehow thinking that he would be sneaking up on prophet Elisha, the king of Aram sent his army to surround the city of Dothan where Elisha was.  An army was very definitely encamped against Elisha--yet his heart did not fear.  War was definitely arising against him--yet he was confident.  Why?  Was he confident in himself?  Not at all!  I will let the Bible speak for itself:

"Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.  When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.  'Oh, my lord, what shall we do?' the servant asked.
 'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered.  'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.'
And Elisha prayed, 'O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
  2 Kings 6:14-17

WAS an army surrounding Elisha, wanting to do him harm?  Oh yes--that army was very very real.  But no less real was God's army, which was surrounding the king of Aram's army!  Just because they were not at first visible to the human eye did not mean they were not there.  And when Elisha prayed for his servant's eyes to be opened, the servant was able to see God's army that had been there all of the time.

I love the end of this Bible story.  Elisha prayed to the LORD to strike the people with blindness, and suddenly the Arameans were blind.  Elisha then led them right into the city of Samaria--the heart of their enemies territory.  After they were inside the city, Elisha prayed for the LORD to open their eyes, and there they found themselves inside the city.  Can you imagine their fear?  The king of Israel saw them and asked Elisha "Shall I kill them?," but Elisha told him no--but to feed them instead!  To give them food and water-- to prepare a great feast and entertain them like honored guests!

From enemies to honored guests!  Not THAT is a twist to a story!  And listen to the end of the story:  "So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master.  So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory."
  2 Kings 6:23

Because of treating their enemy well--because of this feast--Israel had peace for years.

Our enemies may not all become our friends, no matter how kind we may treat them.  But whatever army is encamping against us--be it a physical army,  cancer army, or any other type--we can know that God and His army are right there with us.  And that His army is greater than whatever army is surrounding us.  He is able to carry us through, no matter what.

And THAT, my friends, is GOOD NEWS!

~Susan

Hiding Psalm 27 in My Heart

Photo Credit:  Jody Ohlsen Collins--used by permission

Happy Sabbath Everyone!

I hope you are having a chance to rest and spend some time with God today.  I love the Sabbath!  It is, in my opinion, the very very best day of the week.  A time we can say STOP to our crazy-busy lives, a pause in time, a weekly holiday with our Creator and Redeemer.  And we don't have to feel guilty about not doing or working during these sacred hours, because our Creator actually TELLS us to pause and rest.  He tells us the most important thing we can DO is to BE with Him--it is not an achievement we must strive harder and better for.  He just wants to spend time with us--because He loves us.  Breathe.  In.  Out.  In.  Out.  Sigh. . . Can't you just FEEL the stress of the week start to depart?

Anyway, I wanted to take a moment and tell you all about the new memory challenge I am participating in.  It actually started this past Monday, so I am a bit late in sharing about it, but it is still not to late to join us if you would like to!  :)

We will be memorizing Psalm 27--the whole chapter, but it is not too long and our pace will be a very doable one verse a week.  We will even be taking off for Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks, since often we are so busy with extra activities during those times.  Anyway, so even though this first week is already over, it would be super easy to hop in and join us--and I promise that you will be blessed!

If you are at all intrigued, hop over to the Do Not Depart site and read all about it.  You can find the link here: Memorize Psalm 27
Also at that link you can find free resources to print off and help you in memorizing.  I have especially been helped by the first letter helps.  I like to print out the chapter I am working on, and then print out the first letter helps, and then glue them back to back with glue stick.  Then I run them through my little laminator--this is not necessary, but is only because my background is teaching and I can't help myself.  I love laminating things! ;)  Anyway, that copy I can carry around and ask my daughter to quiz me sometimes--I turn the sheet with the first letter helps on my side, and the full chapter on her side, and she checks me as I recite my verses.  I also laminate the chapter and post it in my shower, then laminate the first letter helps and post those on the opposite shower wall.  I have found this as a good way to review myself every day when I am getting clean.  Soap washes on the outside--God's Word washes on the inside! ;)  You would be amazed at how much you can learn just reviewing each day in the shower!  And I am going to be standing in the shower anyway, I might as well make good use of the time!

Well, that's it for this little invitation.  Go read all about it at the link I gave you--it really won't be as hard as you think, and I promise you will be super blessed!  Don't worry about whether you can finish the entire chapter or not.  Each verse of God's Word that is hidden in your heart will be a blessing--so I hope you will consider joining me! :)

~Susan

I Am the Vine--verses 23-27

Good Morning Everyone!

It has been awhile. . . Sorry I missed the last couple weeks in posting.  All last week I had a sick little girl.  Not seriously sick, but just enough to make her miserable--AND enough that she didn't feel like doing anything by herself!  So time found to spend on the computer for me became zero.  But that's alright--she needed me more than my little blog needed me.

Nonetheless, time marches on.  More specifically, the Bible memory schedule is marching on.  I missed posting for two weeks, and now this week is the very last verse in the chapter!  So time to play catch-up just a bit!  Our last few verses are as follows:

"He who hates Me hates My Father also."  v. 23

"If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father."  v. 24

The part which stood out to me in these verses was specifically verse 23--"He who hates Me hates My Father also."  The two are one--the Father is the Son and the Son is the Father.  They do not operate separately or in different directions, but always together.

"But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law. 'They hated Me without a cause.'"  v. 25

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."  v. 26

In these verses I especially noticed what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit.  He sent the Spirit to continue His work on earth, and this Spirit is called the "Spirit of truth."  It reminds me. . . I have started recently to (once again) read the Bible through.  Starting in Genesis and going all the way through until I reach Revelation.  In times past, I have been most successful in doing this in a fast paced way--that just works for me, to read the Bible through the same way you would read another book.  But this time, I am wanting to read through slower--stopping, pausing, researching, reflecting, but still hope to steadily read my way through once again.  Anyway, I just recently read the account of the fall in the Garden of Eden.  How Satan tricked Eve, how he lied, how he deceived.  He is the exact opposite of the Holy Spirit, whom is referred to here as the "Spirit of Truth."  Unlike Satan, the Holy Spirit is a helper we can trust.

"And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."  v. 27

I can't help but ask myself--
What witness will my life show?

I am far from perfect.  I didn't even accomplish the goal I set for myself to memorize John 15 word perfect.  I thought I could do it--I had been successful with Isaiah 55. . . but not this chapter.  Oh, I have memorized a LOT more of it than I used to know before attempting, that is for sure.  But I am not going to be crossing that finish line along with the other people in the Bible memory group who are working on memorizing the same chapter. . .

Or am I?

For that is when it came to me.  I know now what kind of a witness my life will show.  My life will show the runner who was running the race thinking all was well--but then tripped and fell.  The one who has completely lost all chances of winning--of even finishing.  The one for whom all hope is lost.  But God.  At that moment, God came along in the race, and instead of passing me by as I lay there crumpled on the track, He stopped and picked me up.  And holding me close to His heart, He starts running again.  I am doing nothing except weighing Him down, but He will not leave me behind.  And together--in His strength, we will cross that finish line.

Because He is my vine.  If I abide in Him I will bear much fruit.  But without Him, I can do nothing.

Have a beautiful week with your Beautiful Savior.  And above all, abide in Him.

~Susan

I Am the Vine--verses 21 & 22

Good Morning Everyone!

Each week seems to go by faster and faster, doesn't it?  It must have something to do with the fact that our home school has started up again--but I am still determined to complete this John 15 project. And we are almost done!  As mentioned before--I may not have it all word perfect, but I have much more of this passage hidden in my heart now than I ever had before!  And all time spent in God's Word is a blessing!

This week our verses are 21 & 22:

"But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin."

Did the same thing stand out to you that did for me?  The phrase "but now they have no excuse for their sin" seemed to leap off the page when I first read it.  I couldn't help but ask myself what WOULD be a "good" excuse for sin???  Is there EVER an excuse for sin???

We were all born into a sin-filled world.  It is what we are used to.  What we grew up with.  Does that mean we have an "excuse" for sin?  What about Adam and Eve?  They were completely unfamiliar with sin, having lived in a sin-free garden.  So just because they had had no way to understand how terrible sin was--did that mean they had a "good" excuse for sinning?  I don't think so. . .

As I thought about this phrase, I really could not think of what might be a good excuse for sin.  Oh, I am not talking about someone who has sinned in total ignorance--I do understand that sometimes that does happen.  But for most of the time--the reality is that there just isn't a time when sin is excusable.

I ran across this quote as I was doing a bit of research on these verses, and thought I would share it here:
"Those who have an opportunity to hear the truth, and yet take no pains to hear or understand it, thinking that if they do not hear they will not be accountable, will be judged guilty before God the same as if they had heard and rejected.  There will be no excuse for those who choose to go in error when they might understand what is truth.  In His sufferings and death Jesus has made atonement for all sins of ignorance, but there is no provision made for willful blindness. . . "  SDA Bible Commentary Vol. 7A p. 1145

No provision made for willful blindness.  Oh Lord, take away my stubborn spirit--and open my eyes to You and Your love today.

~Susan

I Am the Vine--Break Week!

Hi Everyone!

You would "think" I would learn and move my memorizing schedule downstairs where I have my quiet time each morning instead of keeping it posted on my bathroom mirror--but not me!  So I have ended up getting a bit "off" from the schedule. . . last time I was working on two verses, but didn't realize those verses each had their own individual week for memorizing.  And then this week is supposed to be a "break" week--which I do need, as I am having trouble keeping up with everything that is going on in my life!

This past week our homeschool started up again after a summer break.  I do not normally break completely during the summer--for good reason (your children's brains turn to mush!).  But this summer found us in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and when the sink and counters left the house so did my ability to do anything except cope!  Fortunately the lovely new counters and sink are in place now and working just fine, so the family is once again being fed! ;)  But having a break completely from our normal schedule made things a bit difficult in getting back into the routine.  Add on top of starting homeschool the big brother going back to his college classes and my hubby going back to his teaching--all on the very same day--made for a huge change all of a sudden for all of us.  But I "think" we are over that hump now, fortunately!  This week brings our homeschool to the end of the second week of the new school year, and things are starting to go along pretty well.

Back on the memorizing front things have not been going as good as I would like them to.  Not only have I been mixing up the memorizing schedule, but I also have not been able to keep up with memorizing as well as I would like to.  The previous memory piece went a lot better for me--and I am not exactly sure why.  It is true that John 15 has a lot of repeating in it (I am the vine!), and that seemed to mix me up right from the start.  The previous passage I learned--Isaiah 55--did not have that.  So I know that is one part of it.  And as already mentioned, we have had a LOT of other things going on in our family and home--and kitchen remodeling sort of has a way of putting one in a "survival" mode. . .   Be that as it may, when I repeated my verses recently to my daughter  I was actually surprised (and pleased!) to find that I could repeat pretty firmly through verse 16.  No, it may not be up through verse 20 like I am supposed to be up to, and it may not be without a prompt or two when I came to a "stuck spot," but it was much better than I had thought I would do.  At first I was tempted to feel discouraged--and tell myself that I had failed.  But I don't really believe that.  Although I may not have this memory passage as well as I was able to learn the first one I tried, no time spent in God's Word is wasted--whether we are memorizing or simply meditating, reading or listening.  And so I plod along.  And I would rather be spending time in God's love letter to me and only be "so so" at memorizing it than to be doing something else entirely without God but be really good at it.

And so I will happily plod along--with God.

Have a beautiful week with your beautiful Savior!

~Susan

I Am the Vine--Verses 19 & 20

Good Morning Everyone!

New week--new verses!  And at least I am not quite as late in posting this week as I was last week.  Maybe there's hope for me to be on time before the chapter finishes, anyway! ;)

This week our verses are 19 & 20:

"If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."  John 15:19

"Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.'  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept My word, they will keep yours also."  John 15:20

If you were of the world--did this phrase jump out at you like it did me?  Through no choice of my own, I was born into this world--a world filled with sin.  Part of me wants to argue and say "but I AM of this world--what choice do I have?"  God had a choice.  Jesus had a choice.  We were loved so very much that no sacrifice was thought too high in order to save us.  Jesus willingly gave up his home in heaven to be born here on this dark planet.  He knew full well where He was going--and what the end of the story would be.  But remember--while we humans usually look at death as the end, Jesus overcame death.  The real end will be us living in heaven with Him.  And they lived happily ever after.

And so a choice did become mine.  A choice of whether to accept Him or not.  A choice of whether I want to live with Him in His home--one where there is no sin.  Because the disciples did not conform to the ways of the world, the world hated them--just as it hated Jesus.  Just as it will hate you and hate me.

My study Bible had in the notes section this statement:  "Those in intimate relationship with Jesus should expect the same opposition from the world as Jesus experienced."  After all, if we are following Him, how can we expect different treatment?  How can we expect to arrive at a different place than He arrived at?

Which is right back with the Father.

And they lived happily ever after.

In your walk with Jesus today, when you feel pressed in and troubled, remember He understands.  And don't forget the ending.

~Susan

I Am the Vine--Verses 17 & 18

Surprise!

Yes, I really am still around!  Have just been a bit swamped lately.  We were gone traveling for two weeks, and really, for me it takes around two weeks to get ready to go--then I am gone for two weeks--and then it takes another two weeks to get caught up on laundry and bills and grocery shopping once I return home!  I'm not all caught up yet, but I'm working on it!

But in spite of all the craziness (I have not even mentioned the new kitchen counter and kitchen sink, which meant everything was torn up for a looooong time!  Do you know you use your kitchen counters quite a bit so it is hard to cook without them?) I am still here, and still working on plugging away on John 15.  I may be struggling a bit with this memory project--but at least I'm still here.  And every morsel memorized is beautiful.  Every minute spent in quiet reflection on God's Word blesses me.

One thing that has helped me a little bit is I accidentally got ahead a bit on the memorizing. The last time I posted on here I posted on verses 15 & 16--I hadn't realized that for that week, the schedule only had us memorizing one verse--verse 15--and that the following week was also just one verse--verse 16.  So without knowing it, I had already spent time reflecting and writing about one of the verse that was actually scheduled for a week when I was traveling.  :)

But I am back now, and this week we have two verses--verse 17 & 18--so here I go, trying to jump in and keep going:

"These things I command you, that you love one another."  John 15:17

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you."  John 15:18

Just think about these verses for a little while. . . God has commanded us to love one another.  So this means that we are supposed to love our families, right?  Well most of the time that is easy enough.  But what about loving that co-worker who keeps putting us down?  Or the customer who yelled at us even though we were doing our job as fast as we could?  How do we love someone who has stabbed us in the back?  In our strength, truly this is impossible.  But nothing is impossible with God.  I can't. But He can.

So let's just say that we are successful.  We love our families--our co-workers--and even that disagreeable customer.  Everything is perfect now, right?  Wrong.  Because even when we love others, there are going to be times when they are not loving us back.  We may still be put down, yelled at, or stabbed in the back.  So do we quit?

What is our example?  Jesus left a perfect heaven to come down to our sin-filled earth.  He was loved by some--yet hated by many.  And in spite of doing everything perfect--He really DID do everything right--He was rewarded by a cross and a crown of thorns.  So what did He do?  Did He quit because we weren't appreciating the sacrifice He was giving?  No.  In spite of the hate, He still loved.

And if we are going to be like Him, we need to love too.

I found this quote in my study that I felt fit this week's verses really well:

"Many who profess His name have lost sight of the fact that Christians are to represent Christ.  Unless there is practical self-sacrifice for the good of others, in the family circle, in the neighborhood, in the church, wherever we may be, then whatever our profession, we are not Christians."  Desire of Ages, p. 504, by E.G.White

Not even Christians.  Without love for each other, we are not even Christians.  That strikes my heart, and I know that is not how I want to be.

Have a beautiful week with your Jesus--and love one another.

~Susan

I am the Vine--verses 15 & 16

Good Morning Everyone!

Our verses for this week are John 15:15 & 16:

"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

Servants to Friends.  Did you catch that first part?  Jesus instructed His disciples to think of God as a friend rather than as a taskmaster.  Yet we are the created ones--He is the Creator.  We are the ones who messed up His creation.  How He can call us friends is beyond my thinking.  It seems more "right" that we be called His enemies!  After all, look what we did to Jesus on the cross!  But then Isaiah 55:8 & 9 whispers across my mind. . . "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says The Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."  And instead of leaving us in our muddy sin, He reaches down and picks us up, cleaning us up once again.  And He calls us His friend.

Go and bear fruit.  What does it look like to bear fruit?  What does it FEEL like?  Sometimes it is wonderful!  We see people we have prayed for come to know The Lord as their personal Savior.  Yet sometimes it hurts--"every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  John 15:2  Do we trust Him?  How much?  "Whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."  But what if He doesn't?  What if you asked Him to heal your loved one--and they died anyway?  Do we trust Him then?

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."  Job 13:15

Do I trust Him enough to still abide?  Do I trust Him enough to wait?

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

He calls me Friend.  Do I call Him my Savior?

~Susan

I am the Vine--verses 13 & 14

Good Morning Everyone!

Our verses for this week are some of the most beautiful verses in the Bible.  God IS love, and these verses are ALL about that love. . .

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." John 15:13

"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."  John 15:14

Not very long.  Not very complicated.  Yet how to really understand and wrap my brain around a love that is so big, so great.

Greater love has no one than this. . . Jesus did exactly this.  He lay down His life for us.  For me.  For you.

What more could He have given?  He gave everything--because He wanted to be able to live with me in heaven.  He would miss me too much if I wasn't there.  So He called me "Friend."  He laid down His life for me.

But.  Am I willing to call HIM "Friend?"  Am I willing to obey Him?

Are you?

Have a beautiful week, walking with your very best Friend!

~Susan

I am the Vine--verses 11 & 12

Good Morning Everyone!

We are moving right along with our John chapter 15 project!  It is hard to believe we are this far into it!  I do not have it all down as firm as I would like, but I do fairly well when I review using first letter helps.  My goal now is to move more into using the Scripture Typer app for some better review so I can get off of the first letter helps eventually. . . but we'll see how it goes!  At least I know I am hiding more of it in my heart than I ever had before!

This week our verses are 11 & 12:

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

The first thing that really stood out to me when I read these verses was God's joy remaining in us, and our joy being full.  Think about that for a minute--what exactly IS "full?"  Full means--well, FULL!  If your glass is full and you keep pouring juice into it, what is going to happen?  It overflows!  It cannot possibly expand to contain any more at all, no matter how much you may want it to!  If my drawer is full and I keep putting more things into it, the drawer will stop working, because it is TOO full.  Eventually I suppose the drawer might be pushed into falling apart, if things were continually being put into it beyond it's capacity.

Now think about joy--do we have a capacity limit for joy?  I know what it feels like to be full of food--especially after a Thanksgiving feast!  But what exactly would it feel like to be full of joy?  I read in my study of these verses that it is the absence of Christ from the soul that makes people sad.  If that is true, then the opposite would also be equally true--the presence of Christ in the soul would make people glad!  So very glad, that the happiness bubbled out of you and spilled onto those around you!

Which moves me to the second verse for this week--verse 12.  What would it look like if we were loving each other as God has loved us?  Instead of a "me first" world we would live in a "you first" one.  Instead of building ourselves up by perhaps putting others down, we would look for ways to lift others up.  When you really think about a world like that--there would be no crime, for who would steal from another if they were treating them and loving them as God had loved THEM?  Yes, in our sinful world we would still have things we couldn't control such as sickness, but it still starts to sound and look a lot more like heaven--if we were truly loving others as God has loved us.

I found this statement in my reading this morning, that I thought illustrated this beautifully:

"Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God.  It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us.  And when His parting words are fulfilled, 'Love one another as I have loved you' (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished.  We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts."
Desire of Ages, E.G. White, p. 641

THAT's what I want!  I want my joy to be full.  I want to look at others as God looks at them.  I want heaven in my heart.

Have a beautiful week, walking with your Savior!

~Susan

I am the Vine--verses 9 & 10

Good Morning Everyone!

I am a little late in posting for this week, but I will cling to the expression "Better Late than Never!"   So after having last week as our "Break Week," which--by the way--was very helpful for me in continuing to review the first few verses, it is time to start marching on.

This week, our two verses are John 15: 9 & 10:

"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you:  abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

As I read over and thought about these two verses, what seemed to be the summary of the two could be just four words:  Abide in My love.  I thought it was neat that it isn't just the command "Abide."  It isn't just a "stay there and be quiet" kind of command, as a superior might order someone under them.  Jesus--and the Father--certainly ARE superior to us, their created beings--yet we are not ordered around, but rather kept safe--in Their love.  As if we are Their treasure.  And Jesus' love will cause the disciples to live and to love the way that Jesus loved them.

I found something which spoke to me as I was looking through different study guides and commentaries.  This following paragraph, which stresses the importance of God's commandments, I thought others might also enjoy:

"We need to be anchored in Christ, rooted and grounded in the faith.  Satan works through agents.  He selects those who have not been drinking of the living waters, whose souls are athirst for something new and strange, and who are ever ready to drink at any fountain that may present itself.  Voices will be heard, saying 'Lo, here is Christ,' or 'Lo, there;' but we must believe them not.  We have unmistakable evidence of the voice of the True Shepherd, and He is calling upon us to follow Him.  He says, 'I have kept my Father's commandments.'  He leads His sheep in the path of humble obedience to the law of God, but He never encourages them in the transgression of that law."
                                        --SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7A p. 1099, E.G.White

The True Shepherd.  The True Vine.  How will we know His voice or His commandments if we are not studying the Word which He has given to us???

Have a beautiful week, abiding in God's love.

~Susan

I am the Vine--Break week

Photo Credit:  Austin Menzmer

Hi Everyone!

Well, we have made it this far--through eight verses and this week is the first week scheduled as a "break" with no new verses to learn.  In a word--Phew!  I am thankful to be at this point, as I want to use this week to review and better cement in my mind the first eight verses.  I think I would like a break every four weeks, but the next and final break in the schedule won't come for another eight weeks I believe.  One thing I AM sure of--I will be more than ready for that break as well, as I am sure I will be needing to use it to review and better learn the part of John 15 we will have covered.

Overall, however, I am still very pleased.  And even when I have not learned word perfect that week's verses, I am finding that as I move on and just keep reviewing daily even while adding in new verses I am starting to remember better the verses that were originally not as firm as I would like.  So onward and upward! :)

One of the study resources I have used for digging deeper into learning about the book of John is a sermon I found on YouTube by Pastor Elizabeth Talbot.  I was SO very blessed by listening to her sermon on the book of John, I wanted to share it with you all here.  And I thought the break week would be the perfect week to do that since I do not have any thoughts to share with you on new verses this week.

So--follow the link below to find the sermon--I promise you will be richly blessed for your time!

Have a beautiful week with your Jesus!

~Susan


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mI7YdkKubiw&list=PLM6TM_3xeMZFitWlSURm8vBPPJurQ5JpG

I am the Vine--verses 7 & 8

Photo credit:  Austin Menzmer

Good Morning Everyone!

I had hoped to post about this week's verses yesterday--but life is crazy around here in the summer time!  All school year long, as my hubby is a teacher, we keep telling ourselves that when summer comes, we will get "X" done--whatever "X" is.  Well, by the time summer is here, our list is long enough to keep us busy for several summers, at least!  And since house projects usually need some help or thoughts from me (if I want to have a say in paint color, or things like that anyway--and I DO want a say in such things!!!) then it means that my regular routine can change at a moments notice as soon as my sweet hubby says he is ready to do a project.  Anyway, yesterday we got ceiling fans up in both children's bedrooms--yea!  But I didn't get time on my computer!

Anyway, such is life!  I have learned that I must be flexible with my schedule in the summers if I want my "honey" to do anything on the "honey-do" list.  :)  But back to our memory verses. . .

We are still marching through John 15 at the rate of two verses per week.  I have to admit--this last week with verses 5 & 6 have been the hardest for me to memorize.  I am not sure why, but I just had to admit that they have been.  They are not particularly difficult verses or anything.  But with my reviewing, it just seems like I was able to "get" verses 1-4 down pretty easy, pretty quick with my study and review methods.  And I have realized that I do NOT feel ready to move on to new verses this week.  But I also know that there were times I felt this same way when I was memorizing Isaiah 55.  And now I can look at that chapter and it just seems to flow out my mouth naturally.  So I am going to trust that with constant review, I will eventually "get" verses 5 & 6 in this same way.  And I know myself--I can so easily stall out on things like this when I pause.  So I am going to move ahead anyway, and keep to the original schedule for John 15.  When I get to the end of it, I may not have it memorized word-perfect.  But I KNOW I will have learned a whole lot more for spending time attempting to memorize than I would have gained if I had never even tried.  So on we march!

Our verses for this week's memorizing are verses 7 & 8.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
"By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."

My favorite part of these verses is right at the beginning--"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you."  It makes me stop and think--what does it look like when God's words are abiding in me?

Did you ever have a favorite T.V. program when you were a kid?  All you had to do was hear the first notes of the program's theme song, and immediately your mind KNEW the rest.  You knew what was coming next, even before the notes were played.  That song had become a part of your permanent memory.  Even today, there are songs I have not heard for over 25 years--and yet it doesn't take much for a note or two played in a store to bring that song back to my mind.

THAT'S what I want with God's Word.  I don't want the T.V. song in my mind (though it is there anyway).  I want God's WORD in my mind.  If I look at a vine--or a bird--or the hills, I want my mind to instantly connect with what God has said about these things.  When I realize that I am feeling anxious about something, I want to instantly have Philippians 4:6 & 7 come to mind.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."  John 15:7

This is not a lucky rabbit's foot that we rub when we want something (did you ever think anyway that the foot wasn't so lucky for the poor rabbit?).  God is not some big gum ball machine that if we put our quarter in He HAS to give us what we asked for.  If we are abiding in Him, and His words are abiding in us--then that is exactly what is in us--God's words!  His thoughts.  His desires.  His love.  If I am filled with Him, then the only things I will desire or want are going to be what He would desire or want.  I will be looking at the people around me through the eyes of Jesus--and seeing the value in them like He does.  THAT becomes my thoughts, my desire, my prayer.  This is what is promised that it shall be done for me.

I ran across this quote in my study on these two verses this week.  This is from the SDA Bible Commentary, Volume 7A, p. 1144:
"What is it to bear fruit?  It is not all comprised in coming to meeting once a week, and bearing our testimony in prayer or social meeting.  We are to be found day by day abiding in the Vine, and bringing forth fruit, with patience, at our home, in our business; and in every relation in life manifesting the Spirit of Christ.  There are many who act as thought they thought an occasional connection with Christ was all that was necessary, and that they can be accounted living branches because at times they make confession of Christ.  But this is a fallacy.  The branch is to be grafted into the Vine, and to abide there, uniting itself to the Vine fiber by fiber, drawing its daily supply of sap and nourishment from the root and fatness of the Vine, until it becomes one with the parent stock.  The sap that nourishes the Vine must nourish the branch and this will be evident in the life of him who is abiding in Christ; for the joy of Christ will be fulfilled in him who walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

This is my desire.  I fail so often--taking my little branch self and running ahead in the direction "I" want to go.  And then I wither.  But I know that I can "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 1:6  So God answers the distress cry from this little withered branch, and reconnects me with Him.  And then I bear much fruit.

Have a FRUITFUL week with Jesus, your wonderful Savior! 

~Susan

False Teachers

Good Morning Everyone!

Ran across this little devotional thought this morning, and thought others might appreciate it as well.  The writer is Janet Pope, author of "His Word in my Heart," a book which I have read recently and was very blessed by.  Hope you find this to be a blessing as well!

http://www.janetpope.org/recognizing-false-teachers/

Have a beautiful day with your Beautiful Saviour!

~Susan

I am the Vine--verses 5 & 6

Good Morning Everyone!

Here we are--ready to tackle verses 5 & 6 of our John 15 memory project.  I can't believe how fast time is going--and not only do I want to learn the new verses each week, but I know it is super important to keep reviewing the old verses as well, so I will be able to put them all together in the end!
So far, none of the verses have been really difficult. . . but my real concern is how in the world I am going to keep all these "vine" verses straight!  Without mixing them up with one another!  Opps!  I see I have done it again.  Just look at that concern expressed a few sentences back.  Do you see it?  There it is--big as life.  That little word "I!"  The truth is, "I" am NOT going to be able to do this memory project.  But "He" can!

So here we go--these are our new verses:

Verse 5:  "I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

Verse 6:  "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."

One of the main words that I see in these verses is the word "branches."  When Jesus was saying these words, He would have specifically been referring to His disciples.  They were the ones who were with Him.  They were being nourished spiritually by His words.  And as time goes on, you and I also become "branches."  If we are abiding in Him, then He is our Vine and we are a little scraggly branch.  Yet because of the Vine, we can bear MUCH fruit.

When I think about what "fruit" would be, a couple of things come to mind.  Some people may feel that "fruit" is baptisms, and while I wouldn't argue this I would say that I feel "fruit" means more than numbers on a church roll book.  Much, much more.  "Fruit" would be any good thing at ALL that comes from us--as our sinful natures are naturally bent towards evil.  The Bible talks about the "Fruit of the Spirit," so love, joy, peace, self-control, etc. are all part of the "fruit" we bear when we are abiding in Him.  This is what I want in my life--I want fruit!

When I see someone fall, may I help them up.  If I hear someone express a discouraged thought, may I speak a word of hope to them.  If there is a mess, may I help clean it.  If someone is hungry, may I help feed them.  And if they just need a hug, may I be Jesus' arms around them.

I read something in my study on these two verses that I wanted to share with you here.  I guess one reason that I really like what I am about to share is because I do not believe that Jesus wants us to give up our individuality in order to come to Him.  He does not want us to stop thinking and to just "go along with the crowd."  Even "good" things can sometimes not be the right thing to do--we shouldn't be baptized just because our friends are doing it.  We are all unique, and God made us that way.  Yet--at the same time--while we are separate, we are also to be hidden in Him.  Anyway, here is what I read--I hope it speaks to your heart the same as it did to mine:

"The branches of the vine cannot blend into each other; they are individually separate; yet every branch must be in fellowship with every other if they are united in the same parent stock.  They all draw nourishment from the same source; they drink in the same life-giving properties.  So each branch of the True Vine is separate and distinct, yet all are bound together in the parent stock.  There can be no division.  They are all linked together by His will to bear fruit wherever they can find place and opportunity.  But in order to do this, the worker must hide self.  He must not give expression to his own mind and will.  He is to express the mind and will of Christ."  E.G.White, Bible Commentary Vol. 7A p.1143

Staying "me," yet hiding self.  Expressing the mind and will of Christ.  Having my heart so filled with Him that my actions are all what He would do if He were here, physically, on this earth.

Bearing much fruit.

This is what I want in my life!

Have a beautiful week with your wonderful Jesus!

~Susan

I am the Vine--verses 3 & 4

Photo credit:  Austin Menzmer

Good Morning Everyone!

Today is the day we add the next two verses onto our Bible memory work.  So our verses for this week are John 15: 3 & 4.

"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."
"Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."

One of the first words that jumped out at me as I studied these verses was the word "Clean."  "You are already clean because of the word. . . "  This brought to my mind the image of God's Word being the thing that cleans us. . . that when we are reading and studying the Holy Scriptures, they are constantly washing over our minds and hearts, smoothing off rough edges, washing away sin.  Did you know that the book of Revelation actually starts out with stating that people who hear it and keep what it says will be blessed?

"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."  Revelation 1:3

So God's word cleans us--and we are blessed because of it!

In my research in my study Bibles I discovered that the word "clean" is from the same Greek root word as "prunes."  It said that the words of Jesus nurtured the disciples but also "pruned out" Judas from among them.

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  John 3:18-21

Moving on to looking at our second verse for this week--John 15:4--the key word that spoke to me was the word "abide."  To abide means to stay put--to remain, to continue.  No one can grab us out of Jesus' hand, but we are free to leave if we wish.

I found this statement in the book "Desire of Ages" by Ellen G. White, p. 676:
"Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service.  The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God.  As the vine branch constantly draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character."

THAT's what I want!  I want the communication to always be open between God and I.  I want to cling to Jesus.  If I am only doing that--I know anything that I face in this life will be alright.

Have a beautiful week with your Jesus.  Happy memorizing!  And above all, cling to Him!

~Susan

Perfect Peace

Good Morning Everyone!

I am guest posting today over on Janet Pope's site.  Follow the link to read what I have learned about "Perfect Peace" and my very exciting I-hope-this-never-happens-again experience! :)

~Susan


http://www.janetpope.org/share-your-story-friday-susan-from-tn/

I am the Vine--verse 1 & 2

                                                            Photo credit:  Austin Menzmer

Good Morning Everyone!

It's here--our starting date for embarking on the memory project of John chapter 15.  I have been waiting excitedly for this day--and dreading it--all at the same time!  Remember John 15 has twenty seven verses?  Well, they have been taunting me.  Sending doubts into my mind.  Telling me that I'll never make it.  It's too hard.  Others might be able to but not me--my brain is too out of practice, I am too busy, I will probably fail and then what will others think of me?  It would be better to not even start--then I won't give up, right?  WRONG!

Oh, I would still say that all those things above are probably in reality still true.  It probably IS too hard for me.  My brain IS too out of practice.  I AM too busy.  I WILL probably fail.  But all these things are only looking at me.  And the whole purpose of this is to look at Him.

So here I go.  Jumping into the deep end of the pool.

But even if I have to call it quits and get out of the pool, I will have still spent time focusing on Him.  And seriously--what better thing could I be doing than looking at and studying my Creator and Saviour?  Than spending time beholding Him, so that I might be changed just a bit more in His image?

I can't promise to do this throughout the entire chapter, but as I can I will try and blog about my verses for that week.  This week the schedule is John 15: 1&2.

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  John 15:1&2 NKJV

I have spent a little time reading in several different study Bibles about these verses, and simply thinking about them.  One of the first thoughts that I had was that if Jesus is saying He is the "true vine," that must mean there are "not true vines."    Things that are not good for us.  Things that we should NOT be attached to. . .

"Every branch in Me. . . "  We belong to God, because Jesus purchased us with His blood on the cross.  Jesus paid the price, and we belong to Him.  This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 6:19 & 20 which says "you are not your own,"  and "you are bought with a price."

So what does "bearing fruit" look like?  When we look at the beauty of Jesus, we are changed into that same beauty.  When we abide in Him, we have His sweetness, His fragrance, His light.
He is the light of the world, and if He is shining in our hearts, His light will be shining out of us.  Wherever we go, that popular but very true question will be ringing in our minds--"What would Jesus do?"  This may have become so common we don't even think about it much any more, but there is so much depth in that question for us to ask ourselves.  In my home this morning--with my responsibilities and my children--what would Jesus do if He were here?  What things would He view as most important to get done?  Wouldn't He prioritize people over projects?

One of the study Bible's that I was reading in stated that "If we are indifferent and do not acknowledge Him as our Saviour, we bear no fruit.  If we are not bearing fruit, worldly influences take us away from Christ."  This made me think--it is not that God doesn't want us.  He wants us enough to send Jesus to die for us!  But we ourselves allow other things to sweep us away.  How important to be grounded FIRMLY in Jesus!

A different place I read stated that "a grapevine has only two uses:  either it produces food and drink or it must be cut down to provide fuel."  This statement really impressed me in it's truth.  It makes me think--am "I" a live part of the growing vine, or am I dead wood?  While I may not like the sounds of God "pruning" me, I would by far prefer that than to be cut off and lose Jesus.  No matter how painful the walk, if it is the path God has asked me to take it is the only safe path for me.

Well, there you have it--my random thoughts on these verses for this week.  I hope you enjoy a wonderful week with your Jesus!  And thank you so much to those of you who have left positive comments and encouragement--I appreciate it so much! :)

~Susan