Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... July, August and September, 2017

July 1, 2017 | Meg33, The Mayor, Trisham, JustAmy

[MEG33]

Just beautiful, ML..

Say a prayer that Free Republic’s lag tine/ posting problems can be solved soon.

[left that other site]

Will do! i have been having problems with it too.

[luvie]

If it will help, I will! Do they even know what’s causing it? It’s soooo annoying!

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you for the Beautiful Daily Pings, Dear FRiends.
(((((Hugs, and God Bless)))))

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Getting Away with It

July 10, 2017

By faith Abel still speaks. Hebrews 11:4

In June 2004, at a Vancouver art gallery, Canadian cross-country skier Beckie Scott received an Olympic gold medal. That’s interesting, because the Winter Olympics had been held in 2002—in Utah. Scott had won bronze behind two athletes who were disqualified months later when it was learned they had used banned substances.

It’s good that Scott eventually received her gold, but gone forever is the moment when she should have stood on the podium to hear her country’s national anthem. That injustice couldn’t be remedied.

God cares deeply about justice, about righting wrongs, and about defending the powerless.

Injustice of any kind disturbs us, and surely there are far greater wrongs than being denied a hard-won medal. The story of Cain and Abel shows an ultimate act of injustice (Gen. 4:8). And at first glance, it might look like Cain got away with murdering his brother. After all, he lived a long, full life, eventually building a city (v. 17).

But God Himself confronted Cain. “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground,” He said (v. 10). The New Testament later recorded Cain as an example to avoid (1 John 3:12; Jude 1:11). But of Abel we read, “By faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead” (Heb. 11:4).

God cares deeply about justice, about righting wrongs, and about defending the powerless. In the end, no one gets away with any act of injustice. Nor does God leave unrewarded our work done in faith for Him.

Father, as Your Son taught us to pray, we ask that Your kingdom will come, Your will be done to change this broken world. Thank You for redeeming us.

Sin will not ultimately be judged by the way we see it, but by the way God sees it.

INSIGHT:

For more about suffering and injustice, read 10 Reasons to Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering at discoveryseries.org/ten-reasons/in-a-god-who-allows-suffering.

[luvie]

....on Military Monday!
...and always!

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Giving in to Jesus

July 11, 2017

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11

They call it “The Devil’s Footprint.” It’s a foot-shaped impression in the granite on a hill beside a church in Ipswich, Massachusetts. According to local legend the “footprint” happened one fall day in 1740, when the evangelist George Whitefield preached so powerfully that the devil leaped from the church steeple, landing on the rock on his way out of town.

Though it’s only a legend, the story calls to mind an encouraging truth from God’s Word. James 4:7 reminds us, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

The prayer of the feeblest saint . . . is a terror to Satan. —Oswald Chambers

God has given us the strength we need to stand against our adversary and the temptations in our lives. The Bible tells us that “sin shall no longer be your master” (Rom. 6:14) because of God’s loving grace to us through Jesus Christ. As we run to Jesus when temptation comes, He enables us to stand in His strength. Nothing we face in this life can overcome Him, because He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33).

As we submit ourselves to our Savior, yielding our wills to Him in the moment and walking in obedience to God’s Word, He is helping us. When we give in to Him instead of giving in to temptation, He is able to fight our battles. In Him we can overcome.

Lord Jesus, I give my will to You today. Help me to stay close to You in every moment, and to love You by obeying You.

The prayer of the feeblest saint . . . is a terror to Satan. Oswald Chambers

For more insight from Oswald Chambers, visit utmost.org.

INSIGHT:

James’s emphasis on resisting temptation fits within his broader teaching regarding the behavior of believers. For James, being “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (1:22 nkjv) is central to being a believer, which echoes Jesus’s words that true faith is confirmed by obedience (Luke 6:49; 11:28).

In today’s text, James helps believers understand one way how to live with integrity—through humility. James 4:6, a reference to Proverbs 3:34, fits within many Jewish wisdom texts emphasizing the relationship between humility and godly living. Humility allows us to submit naturally to God and His plan (v. 8). Submitting to God means we are “friends” with Him, instead of the world (v. 4). When we are friends with God, we naturally live according to His kingdom and values, not the world’s (3:15, 17). As we live and walk humbly with our God (see Micah 6:8), He lifts us up (James 4:10), draws near to us (v. 8), and makes the devil powerless. 

Does it surprise you to think of humility and fellowship with God as essential for resisting temptation? How can we learn to make these virtues part of our Christian lives? Monica Brands

[luvie]

Grateful for the little things...
Happy GratiTuesday!

[left that other site]

Happy Gratituesday!

I am Grateful For the Summer Rain! It keeps my Garden Nice, and Penny's Paws Cool.

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Send a bit of it down here! :) I love a gentle rain!

[left that other site]

I wish I could! ;-)

[MEG33]

~A Happy GratiTuesday To Amy's Place~

Gratitude is an opener of locked-up blessings.
--Marianne Williamson
I am so grateful my daughter could stay over and visit longer. She
and SIL came in 2 cars this time. She brought her diabetic kitty with her.
I Wish You A Lovely Grateful Day

[luvie]

So happy that you’re having a good visit with your daughter and SIL! Family company is the best!

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Approaching God

July 12, 2017

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge. Psalm 73:28

A woman desiring to pray grabbed an empty chair and knelt before it. In tears, she said, “My dear heavenly Father, please sit down here; you and I need to talk!” Then, looking directly at the vacant chair, she prayed. She demonstrated confidence in approaching the Lord; she imagined He was sitting on the chair and believed He was listening to her petition.

A time with God is an important moment when we engage the Almighty. God comes near to us as we draw near to Him in a mutual involvement (James 4:8). He has assured us, “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20). Our heavenly Father is always waiting for us to come to Him, always ready to listen to us.

God is everywhere, is available every time, and listens always.

There are times when we struggle to pray because we feel tired, sleepy, sick, and weak. But Jesus sympathizes with us when we are weak or face temptations (Heb. 4:15). Therefore we can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (v. 16).

Lord, thank You that I can pray to You in all places at all times. Put the desire to come near to You in my heart. I want to learn to come to You in faith and in confidence.

For help in your prayer time, read In His Presence at discoveryseries.org/q0718.

God is everywhere, is available every time, and listens always.

INSIGHT:

How different is our relationship to God from that of Old Testament Israel! At Sinai, the people trembled at God’s presence and were afraid to be near Him (Ex. 19:16). Israel followed this pattern throughout their relationship with their covenant God, requiring the people to go to Him through human priests who stood as intermediaries between God and the people. All of that changed through Jesus. He came to make it possible for us to come directly to God (John 14:6), giving us access to God through our faith in Him (Rom. 5:1–2). Through Jesus we become children of God who now have a family relationship with the perfect Father (John 1:12). And, to strengthen this relationship, Jesus now acts as our High Priest (Heb. 2:17; 4:15; 7:25), interceding and mediating on our behalf (1 Tim. 2:5). Based on our new standing as children of God, and resting in Jesus’s perfect intercession, we can boldly approach the Creator of the universe—and call Him Father!

Spend some time reflecting on these encouraging Scriptures, and then thank the Father that, through Jesus, He has made a way for us to come directly to Him with the needs and joys of our lives. Bill Crowder

[MEG33]

Welcome To Wednesday At Amy's Place

~Hummingsbirds~

Rainbow colors adrift
upon a wee glittering bird
In flight so swift
scarce a humming is heard

Into the trumpet vine
she dips in a dash
slender bill to devour
nectar drink in a flash

Out like a space ship
jewel bright in the sun
skyward she skips
the journey not done

Away to a cup nest
of spider web and down
hidden in a jade green
beautiful gown

Guarded for a fortnight
are two pearly eggs, white
Then on a summer's day
tiny birds soar in flight

Ever darting again
as little shooting stars
off to feast on silken seed
where lilies are

Della Comer MacGillivray

[MEG33]

Thank you, Rus, for staring our day off right every day.
I appreciate you.

[left that other site]

Just Basking in the Sun...

And Enjoying this Beautiful Warm and Fuzzy Wednesday!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Happy Warm and Fuzzy
Wednesday!

[TheConservativeParty]

Hi there, I got The Plague a week ago, but feeling better every day.

Hope you all are well.

[MEG33]

So glad you are on the mend!