Christian Life | Grandma's Ramblings
In good times and bad – blessed be the name of the Lord!
This weekend I attended a church conference and one speaker’s message really resonated with me. He asked us what we were preoccupied with.
Preoccupied – (of a matter or subject) dominate or engross the mind of (someone) to the exclusion of other thoughts.
Reflecting on that thought I realize there are a few things that do dominate my mind. Blogging is one of them. Often, I read or see something, and I immediately think “that would make a good post.” I hear a favorite song and I think “I want to share that on my blog.” Reading posts from some of my favorite writers on WordPress I then spend time thinking about what they have posted.
American history interests me. My library is full of books about the Revolution Period and our founding fathers. There are volumes on the Civil War and the Reconstruction Period that followed. My eyes were really opened when I began reading of the Reconstruction Period and the Jim Crow that followed when politicians gave up the gains former slaves were beginning to make. Gave them up for political reasons. Watching our current political and economic events I am fascinated by how much is a repeat of our past history. The only difference is with 24-hour news channels and social media we are made more aware of what is happening. Right now, watching the rise of Trump and all the support/opposition reminds me of the rise of Andrew Jackson and the beginning of the two-party system in our country.
I am very preoccupied with a series of books – “The Oxford History of the United States.” This is a multivolume narrative history of the United States. It is broken down into the different periods of history of our nation. The third volume, which I am now working my way through, is 855 pages of detailed history of the period 1815-1848.
But, enough of that.
What spoke to me this weekend was the speaker’s question: “As a Christian what should I be preoccupied with?” The question that follows that is: “What was Jesus preoccupied with?”
The writer of the Gospel of Luke tells us, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
We were challenged to take a close look at our own life. Just how much time and effort were we spending to share the love of Jesus with our family, our community, our nation. How much of our Savior and His concern for others occupy our mind.
Confession: As I reflect on how I spend my days I realize I fall short of being preoccupied with thoughts of God and of His love for others.
It is my prayer today that I will begin to be more preoccupied with Jesus than with blogging or study of history.
Matthew 22:37 – And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
2 Peter 3:18 – But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
Matthew 28:19 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 12:2 – Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Read this very great post from Mrs. T’s Corner. Ask yourself:
Are you hungry?
Is the World Experiencing a Spiritual Famine?
At a recent Bible study the question was raised: “As you look back over your life, are there moments when you see God was acting on your behalf?”
Thinking about that, I realized time would not permit me to answer all the moments that God has acted on my behalf. But the moment that came to mind immediately – and after 70 years is still as fresh as yesterday – was the moment God, the Holy Spirit, grew me to follow Him.
I have shared this story before so if you have followed my blog for a while, feel free to close out and move on.
But it’s a story worth telling again and again.
I was just six years old. Too young many would say to know what I was really doing. But I knew.
Growing up in a family that attended church every Sunday and where my parents practiced what they preached on Monday through Saturday also, I understood that Jesus loved everyone – even “sinners.”
I was not totally sure what all being a sinner included, but I knew I was not one.
Until one evening at church, I recognized I was.
I was coloring during the sermon on a Sunday night when I heard the speaker say
We put sins into a “big” and a “small” category. But sin is sin regardless of how big or how small it seems.
He then mentioned what we call “small” sin – like lying or disobeying our parents. Now he had my attention. Just that week I had disobeyed my mother – and then lied to keep from getting in trouble.
I was a sinner!
Now many may laugh at this or even say how terrible to make a six-year-old feel she was a sinner.
But for me, it was one of the most important times in my life. Because I knew that Jesus loved sinners – and that He loved me. I also knew what I needed to do.
So – I went back to coloring and waited until the end of the sermon. When the message was over, I put my colors and my coloring book aside and walked to the front of the church where I asked Jesus not only to forgive me, but I also committed my life to His service.
Yes, I was only six, but yes I knew what I was doing.
Shortly after that I was baptized as an outward sign of what had taken place in my life. Our church did not have a baptismal so we went to a farm pond where I, with several others, was baptized.
Since I am scared of water and do not even like having water in my face in the shower, it was a BIG step of faith to walk out into that pond.
But what a wonderful experience it was.
This year I celebrate 70 years of walking with Jesus.
It has been a great walk with a great friend.
Reposting this from a fellow blogger. A question I find myself thinking about more and more.
The last week we have had cloudy dreary days with no sign of the sun. After a while it can get depressing.
Although I heard comments from others like “This is depressing!” or “These dreary days are getting to me”, no one said “I’m afraid we have lost the sun.” No one even suggested that maybe the sun has disappeared from our universe.
We all knew above the clouds that hid the sun from our eyes, it still was there. Even though we could not see it because of all the clouds, we still could see the light it supplied. We looked at the weather man’s forecast that told us this weekend we would have lots of sunlight!
Today we woke to bright sunshine! There is the sun! We knew it was there, but it was so good to actually see it again and feel the warmth it brought.
As with the “sun” so it is with the “Son.”
We have difficult times. Times when we cannot feel the presence of God. Times when it seems our prayers hit the ceiling and bounce back down. Times when we may ask God “why?”
But in those times when, like clouds on a dreary day, we are struggling we must never forget that Jesus is still there.
“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.“ John 14:16-17
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
“The message of Advent doesn’t fit neatly into a sound-bite or vignette. It’s too complex, too deep, to compete with glitter and noise; and it’s a hard sell in a culture that would rather skip straight to the big finish. But Advent is too important to be forgotten, because it is this season that prepares us to encounter our Lord.” Kerry van der Vinne
“Everlasting God in whom we live and move and have our being, You have made us for Yourself so that our hearts are restless until they rest in You” Augustine of Hippo
“If Advent is an occasion when I re-turn my eyes to the Savior, then it is also an invitation to consider where my eyes—and my heart—have been in the meantime. Advent is the gentle nudge that invites me to remember that the truth most worth knowing is that Jesus Christ is the only way Home. It is also a gentle reminder that I ought to keep my eyes upon Him all year long.” Jean-Michel Hansen
“As the world around us surges into a frenzied and festive December, let’s take a step away from the party and ask the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts for a deeper and truer celebration of Christmas” Kerry van der Vinne
“God gives God. That is the gift God always ultimately gives. Because nothing is greater and we have no greater need, God gives God. God gives God, and we only need to slow long enough to unwrap the greatest Gift with our time: time in His Word, time in His presence, time at His feet.” Ann Voskamp
Thanksgiving is over and it’s time for the Christmas season to begin. While it is a wonderful season, it always brings a debate among some on what greeting is correct – Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.
I wrote this a few years ago – but think it might be a good reminder to how we really keep Christ in Christmas.
Which is Correct – Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?
I shared in Words to Build a Life On how I have found the Bible a source of strength and hope in difficult times. These “words” have been my strength, my guidance.
My Top Verses of a Lifetime
John 3:16 – For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
This verse, like most people my age who attended Sunday School as a child, was the first verse I learned. The truth of God’s love has always been an encouragement to me.
Psalm 23:1 – The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
The entire Psalm has been a blessing to me, but this verse especially is so true. There are things I “want” that I do not have – but I can honestly say that God has always met my need. Through parents’ divorce, through husband’s accidental death, through cancer, and more, He has always been faithful.
Psalm 23:4 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;
While all of Psalm 23 has been a blessing, verse 4 really gave me comfort when I walked through the valley of the shadow of death while battling breast cancer. I wrote about the strength this verse gave me when I was told by my doctor that “the odds are not in your favor” in Coincidence or An Act of God.
John 14:1-3 – Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
What a wonderful thought that Jesus is preparing a place for me – and that place will be with Him! Something to look forward to at the end of this life!
Romans 8:38-39 – And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Again, I have found this so true. Divorce, unemployment, death, disease, discouragement, nothing has ever separated me from the love of God.
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
I took this advice at an early age. Studying God’s Word, but also reflecting daily on the words I read and then obeying it has been the secret of my life. It has brought me joy and peace throughout my life.
Philippians 3:14 – For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.
This verse has been my “life” verse. When I have been afraid to try something new, afraid of change that came to my life, afraid in any situation, I have remembered that I can everything – through Christ. That is the secret. Not in my own strength or ability – but in Christ who gives me strength.