Self~Control Challenge

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day,
he went out, and departed into a solitary place,
and there prayed. Mark 1:35

Jenna from Feminine Farmgirl has put up a challenge for April ~ that of  Self-Control ~ diligence in spending our quiet time with the Lord each morning. Sometimes it is so easy to forgo that quiet time with the King of Kings, especially if we are I am running late, and it is not something that I am proud of.

It is that time when the tone for the day is set, and I carry His message through the day with me. This last month there have been very few days when I have not spent quiet and productive time with our Heavenly Father, as I have needed to call on His strength, guidance and wisdom in all things pertaining to our home and family. Perhaps it is good that He puts us through the difficult and trying times, for it is in those times that we are drawn closer to Him.

This last week has been particularly trying for me, as I have had stitches in my foot, due to dropping a bowl of cat dry food and the bowl smashing. My foot required stitching, and then developed an infection in it, but my friend, Gwenda prayed, claiming God’s promises and His mighty healing power. Guess what ~ the infection is gone!

My husband has been a tower of strength, as he has supervised the children while I have spent my quiet time with God, and this time is just so special. It is truly quiet time with our children studying, and I gain so much more out of the time spent with God, when there are no interruptions. I praise God that I have a husband who helps me to keep my appointment with God each morning and helps to make it special, and I praise Jesus for restoring our fellowship with God, so that we can spend time with Him, hearing His voice, praising Him and spending time in prayer with Him.

Why do we spend time in prayer and meditation with God? Because Jesus set us an example, that’s why!

Happy Mother’s Day to All of the Special Mums

Today is Mother’s Day, and I would like to wish all Mothers a very special Mother’s Day.

There are those who would spurn the vocation of mothers,
And say that it’s inferior to the career of others,
I’ll have to admit that it’s not easy work,
It’s relentless and from it you cannot shirk.

It takes all your energy to be a mother and wife,
It requires daily commitment and a disciplined life,
It demands all your resources of patience and love,
Long-suffering and wisdom from God above.

It takes self-control and continual endurance,
It needs constant and faithful perseverance,
It is total sacrifice and forgetting your self,
You may sometimes think you are left on the shelf.

And what about time? It’s no longer yours,
It belongs to everyone else who comes in your doors.
Can you claim your own rights? No, they’re gone, too,
Like your right to sleep the whole night through!

It’s not so easy to crawl into bed with a book
Or go off and dream in some quiet little nook.
It seems like you’re totally losing your life
To be a good mother and a godly wife.

But oh, dear mother, please do not despair,
In God’s great vision you have a share,
You are fulfilling your destiny planned before Creation
Which is to nurture children and BUILD A NATION!

You are walking in the footsteps of Jesus your Lord
Who lived a life of sacrifice out-poured,
He didn’t cling to His rights with selfish futility,
He didn’t claim any privileges but walked in humility.

He gave up His own life to save millions of others,
This same principle is at work in the lives of mothers,
When you lose your own life you’ll find it again,
Glorious life – His life – even in toil and pain.

So lift up your head, embrace your calling so high,
You’re in God’s perfect will so you don’t have to sigh.
You may sometimes feel worthless – don’t listen to this lie,
For your influence will go higher than the clouds in the sky.

As you nurture and train your God-given seed,
As you sharpen these ‘arrows’ by word and by deed,
You shape the nation, you determine its course,
Your mothering is not wasted, but is a mighty force!

As your children leave home and go into the world
The stamp of your training will be unfurled,
Your influence will reach countries you’ve never been
And down the generations its extent will be seen.

Your work is so powerful, no wonder it’s tough,
But God is behind you, He’s the GOD WHO IS ENOUGH,
His strength and His wisdom are available to you,
He’ll stand behind His promises which are totally true.

He’ll always be with you right through to the end
As you follow His leading and deny the world’s trend,
Each morning you wake, your strength He’ll renew.
He’ll fill your home with His presence and His blessed peace, too.

Nancy Campbell

Praise You, Almighty Father

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8

Our heavenly Father, I do thank you and give You the praise, for:~

• Providing us with Home Help to help with the mopping and vacuuming while we so desperately need it.
• My husband – he has spent much time recently cutting firewood so that we won’t go cold this winter. The temperature today means that winter is on its way, and it won’t be long before we have to light the combustion fire.
• Our children, who have been a tremendous help in and around the home and our farm, helping with chores that my husband would normally do, not expecting anything in return, just happy to help.
• Friends - blogging friends and IRL friends in particular, who have taken up the mantle of prayer for us recently, and we have been hearing the answers to those prayers. Firstly, my back was finally diagnosed with having four disc bulges (one anterior and three posterior), and the physio is now working on repairing them. Then, we have been struggling with completing the housework each week, but now we have received an answer to that prayer in the way of Home Help – praise God!
• Farm-fresh goats’ milk – our goats are continuing to supply us with goats’ milk, enough for our cooking and for drinking, too.
• Our church, whose building is going ahead. We saw the plans yesterday, and it is very functional and beautiful.
• Balmy autumn weather – I know that it has to come to an end, soon, but I am relishing the time while the days are warm, sunny and the leaves are beginning to fall.
• Sending Your Son to die in our place, a substitutionary sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Through Him our relationship with You is restored, we have access through Him to You and He lives in my heart.

Jennifer, from My Chocolate ♥ hosts Praise each week, and for this I am extremely thankful – care to join, pop on over.

Tea Talk

I’m Having:~
Dilmah Green tea in my favourite insulated stainless steel cup. This cup keeps my tea warm for a very long time, especially when we are studying in the school room. My two favourite teas are Dilmah Green Tea; and Lemon and Ginger Tea.

I’m Feeling:~

• Happy in the knowledge that our heavenly Father knows our situation, and works all things together for good.
• Tired – I was in bed before 9:00 p.m. last night, and slept soundly until my husband woke me at 6:30 a.m. this morning, but being anaemic again might have something to do with that. I will be glad when they work out why I am anaemic even after 10 iron injections – I’m seeing a gastrologist in May.
• Ecstatic that our children are responsible enough to simply do their school work without too much prompting.

On my Mind:~
My daughter has a long stitch that we gave to her about three years ago – very brave or very stupid, which is it? I haven’t ever tried long stitch or any form of stitchery work for that matter. I wonder whether I have bitten off more than I can chew??? I have told her that the next day she finishes her school work early, we will make a start on it. Oh well, I shall have to cling to the Bible verse, and believe that:

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Thank you for joining me for Tea Talk, which is hosted by Ruth from Celebrate Friendship – care to join in the fun?

Bricks

Sometimes, we I as a Christian, ’say’ things without really thinking through the consequences of what I’m saying, and God says, “Whoa, wait – that’s not what I meant!” Then He goes through all sorts of ways to try and reinforce what He actually did mean.

Yesterday was one of those days, and God made sure that I really knew that the way that I was thinking was wrong, and I find it utterly amazing that God will use several different ways of reinforcing the same idea. Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier for Him to use a brick to get His idea across!

To backstep just a little, I said that I wouldn’t like to be found in creased clothes when Jesus returns, but then one of my dear friends, Ruby said, “We are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We each must have the wedding garment to enter the marriage feast on that great day!”.

Just to reinforce that point, Amanda came here with the idea of writing almost the same thing. She wrote, “Oh Ruby, you took the words right out of my mouth! I came back to say the very thing you said!!”. Now, as if that isn’t amazing enough, our Bible devotion this morning was all about false hope, and it stated that, “God’s standard of perfection, however, requires a totally sinless life. There’s no way any of us can ever be ‘good enough’. It is only through the sacrifice of the sinless Saviour that we are made righteous. God made Jesus ” who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

It is not important what we wear when Jesus returns, for we shall be,

“arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints”. Revelation 19:8

I truly look forward to the day when we shall meet with Jesus, and be arrayed in the fine linen of His righteousness.

Accept the teaching of the world

And hopeless you will be,

But trust in God’s eternal plan

If you want life that’s free. - Branon