Good Morning...

A good reminder any and every day...

Morning...

by

Charles Spurgeon

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands."
Isaiah 49:16

My favorite picture, "Grace"...

No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word "Behold," is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me." How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! 

What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; he cries, "How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?" 

O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people. He keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt him. He never faileth; he is never a dry well; he is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. 

 "Behold," is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of his hands. "I have graven thee." It does not say, "Thy name." The name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fulness of this! 

I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee upon his own palms?

Blessings, Dear Friends!

Heather

The plaque my daddy made right by it... Fits just right...

Evening in the Morning...

  Evening

By Charles Spurgeon

 

"Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"
Luke 24:38

"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in his universal providence, but his particular providence is over his saints. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him." "Precious shall their blood be in his sight." "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose." Let the fact that, while he is the Saviour of all men, he is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer and comfort you. You are his peculiar care; his regal treasure which he guards as the apple of his eye; his vineyard over which he watches day and night. "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." Let the thought of his special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus to your woe: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. "Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." We lose much consolation by the habit of reading his promises for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home to ourselves. Believer, grasp the divine word with a personal, appropriating faith. Think that you hear Jesus say, "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." Think you see him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for he is there, and he is saying, "Fear not, it is I; be not afraid." Oh, those sweet words of Christ! May the Holy Ghost make you feel them as spoken to you; forget others for awhile--accept the voice of Jesus as addressed to you, and say, "Jesus whispers consolation; I cannot refuse it; I will sit under his shadow with great delight."

Sunday Blessings, Friends!

Heather

 

Morning...

 Morning

by Charles Spurgeon

"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."
Philippians 3:8

Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with him. No, I must know him myself; I must know him on my own account. It will be an intelligent knowledge--I must know him, not as the visionary dreams of him, but as the Word reveals him. I must know his natures, divine and human. I must know his offices--his attributes--his works--his shame--his glory. I must meditate upon him until I "comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." It will be an affectionate knowledge of him; indeed, if I know him at all, I must love him. An ounce of heart knowledge is worth a ton of head learning. Our knowledge of him will be a satisfying knowledge. When I know my Saviour, my mind will be full to the brim--I shall feel that I have that which my spirit panted after. "This is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger." At the same time it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I know of my Beloved, the more I shall want to know. The higher I climb the loftier will be the summits which invite my eager footsteps. I shall want the more as I get the more. Like the miser's treasure, my gold will make me covet more. 

To conclude; this knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so elevating, that sometimes it will completely bear me up above all trials, and doubts, and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than "Man that is born of woman, who is of few days, and full of trouble"; for it will fling about me the immortality of the ever living Saviour, and gird me with the golden girdle of his eternal joy. Come, my soul, sit at Jesus's feet and learn of him all this day.

Blessings this Sunday,

Heather

Morning

 by Charles Spurgeon

"Sing forth the honour of his name, make his praise glorious."
Psalm 66:2

     It is not left to our own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God's most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise God from day to day. It is true we have no authoritative rubric for daily praise; we have no commandment prescribing certain hours of song and thanksgiving: but the law written upon the heart teaches us that it is right to praise God; and the unwritten mandate comes to us with as much force as if it had been recorded on the tables of stone, or handed to us from the top of thundering Sinai. Yes, it is the Christian's duty to praise God. It is not only a pleasurable exercise, but it is the absolute obligation of his life.

     Think not ye who are always mourning, that ye are guiltless in this respect, or imagine that ye can discharge your duty to your God without songs of praise. You are bound by the bonds of his love to bless his name so long as you live, and his praise should continually be in your mouth, for you are blessed, in order that you may bless him; "this people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise"; and if you do not praise God, you are not bringing forth the fruit which he, as the Divine Husbandman, has a right to expect at your hands.

     Let not your harp then hang upon the willows, but take it down, and strive, with a grateful heart, to bring forth its loudest music. Arise and chant his praise. With every morning's dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let every setting sun be followed with your song. Girdle the earth with your praises; surround it with an atmosphere of melody, and God himself will hearken from heaven and accept your music.

 

"E'en so I love thee, and will love,

And in thy praise will sing,

Because thou art my loving God,

And my redeeming King."

Note from the Schoolmarm...  Please pray for my dear coworker and friend.  Her dear mother passed away suddenly this morning.  Thank you so much.

The End of a Long Week...

       Well, seriously, after the sandal thing, you might imagine what my mental state was by Friday (the "Sandal Scandal" was on Wednesday for those of you who are just joining us...).  The week was full!      

     The day after Back-to-School Night was the all school "Gleaning Field Trip".  This is a time where we go to a local farm, Pete's Produce, and glean their fields to provide food for local food pantries. This is based off of the Israelite custom as described in the Story of Ruth (Read the story of Ruth- it is just a beautiful story of dedication, love, and commitment!).  Usually, we help pick tomatoes and peppers for them.  Because of the warm spring, the harvest was early.   So, there weren't really all that many veggies to pick.  Instead, we pulled up irrigation tubes and pulled out tomato stakes and stacked them.  These kids worked HARD!  My fifth graders were paired with the first graders (to keep these little guys on task but mainly to make sure they don't wander off.  It's a full-time job!).  They grabbed and yanked and pulled and dug.  They paid no thought to the dirt, cuts- anything!  They were truly serving the Lord with their whole hearts and bodies!  I wish I could post pictures of the beautiful faces of these children!  Praise God for the little children!

     The last two days of the week were very positive ones concerning my students' behavior.  They are settling down into the routine of our family, and their behavior has been fantastic.  All of your prayers have definitely been heard and appreciated!   I must admit that I feared this class because of their reputation for misbehavior.  The first few weeks were rocky.  They wore me down.  I haven't decorated for Fall still because between them and my cold, I was just wiped.  Christine, from Preferably Prim, has been an encouragement to me in my prayer for this class. The verse in this devotional from Morning and Evening, "For this child I prayed," really stuck with me.  I know Hannah was praying for a child of her own because she did not have a child and her husband's other wife had many.  However, it is a demonstration of how "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much..."  I can sit here and fret and complain about the behavior of my class, but what they need is my dedicated prayer.  For these children, I prayed...

 Evening

by Charles Spurgeon

 "For this child I prayed."
1 Samuel 1:27

Devout souls delight to look upon those mercies which they have obtained in answer to supplication, for they can see God's especial love in them. When we can name our blessings Samuel, that is, "asked of God," they will be as dear to us as her child was to Hannah. Peninnah had many children, but they came as common blessings unsought in prayer: Hannah's one heaven-given child was dearer far, because he was the fruit of earnest pleadings. How sweet was that water to Samson which he found at "the well of him that prayed!" Quassia cups turn all waters bitter, but the cup of prayer puts a sweetness into the draughts it brings. Did we pray for the conversion of our children? How doubly sweet, when they are saved, to see in them our own petitions fulfilled! Better to rejoice over them as the fruit of our pleadings than as the fruit of our bodies. Have we sought of the Lord some choice spiritual gift? When it comes to us it will be wrapped up in the gold cloth of God's faithfulness and truth, and so be doubly precious. Have we petitioned for success in the Lord's work? How joyful is the prosperity which comes flying upon the wings of prayer! It is always best to get blessings into our house in the legitimate way, by the door of prayer; then they are blessings indeed, and not temptations. Even when prayer speeds not, the blessings grow all the richer for the delay; the child Jesus was all the more lovely in the eyes of Mary when she found him after having sought him sorrowing. That which we win by prayer we should dedicate to God, as Hannah dedicated Samuel. The gift came from heaven, let it go to heaven. Prayer brought it, gratitude sang over it, let devotion consecrate it. Here will be a special occasion for saying, "Of thine own have I given unto thee." Reader, is prayer your element or your weariness? Which?

 

Praise God for the things HE has done!

Blessings,

Heather

Good Morning...

Morning

by Charles Spurgeon

"The liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free."
Galatians 5:1 

This "liberty" makes us free to heaven's charter--the Bible. Here is a choice passage, believer, "When thou passest through the rivers, I will be with thee." You are free to that. Here is another: "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee"; you are free to that. You are a welcome guest at the table of the promises. Scripture is a never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace. 

It is the bank of heaven; you may draw from it as much as you please, without let or hindrance. Come in faith and you are welcome to all covenant blessings. There is not a promise in the Word which shall be withheld. In the depths of tribulations let this freedom comfort you; amidst waves of distress let it cheer you; when sorrows surround thee let it be thy solace. This is thy Father's love-token; thou art free to it at all times. 

Thou art also free to the throne of grace. It is the believer's privilege to have access at all times to his heavenly Father. Whatever our desires, our difficulties, our wants, we are at liberty to spread all before him. It matters not how much we may have sinned, we may ask and expect pardon. It signifies nothing how poor we are, we may plead his promise that he will provide all things needful. We have permission to approach his throne at all times--in midnight's darkest hour, or in noontide's most burning heat. 

Exercise thy right, O believer, and live up to thy privilege. Thou art free to all that is treasured up in Christ--wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It matters not what thy need is, for there is fulness of supply in Christ, and it is there for thee. 

*Pictures from 2011 Field Trip to Hershey, PA

Morning...

   Morning

by Charles Spurgeon
 

"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings."

Psalm 112:7

     "Christian, you ought not to dread the arrival of evil tidings; because if you are distressed by them, what do you more than other men? Other men have not your God to fly to; they have never proved his faithfulness as you have done, and it is no wonder if they are bowed down with alarm and cowed with fear: but you profess to be of another spirit; you have been begotten again unto a lively hope, and your heart lives in heaven and not on earthly things; now, if you are seen to be distracted as other men, what is the value of that grace which you profess to have received? Where is the dignity of that new nature which you claim to possess?

     Again, if you should be filled with alarm, as others are, you would, doubtless, be led into the sins so common to others under trying circumstances. The ungodly, when they are overtaken by evil tidings, rebel against God; they murmur, and think that God deals hardly with them. Will you fall into that same sin? Will you provoke the Lord as they do?

     Moreover, unconverted men often run to wrong means in order to escape from difficulties, and you will be sure to do the same if your mind yields to the present pressure. Trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Your wisest course is to do as Moses did at the Red Sea, "Stand still and see the salvation of God." For if you give way to fear when you hear of evil tidings, you will be unable to meet the trouble with that calm composure which nerves for duty, and sustains under adversity. How can you glorify God if you play the coward? Saints have often sung God's high praises in the fires, but will your doubting and desponding, as if you had none to help you, magnify the Most High? Then take courage, and relying in sure confidence upon the faithfulness of your covenant God, "let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." "

Thoughts from the Schoolmarm...
      This devotional is actually from the other day, but I think it is timely in respect to all that is happening right now and in the reflection of 9/11.  I really don't watch hardly any live television.  I often talk about Netflix because, well, that is what I watch!  So, I had no idea the turmoil that was going on in our world right now until I turned on "regular" television.  The Bible tells us that the "End Times" will be filled with turmoil- wars and rumors of wars.  I don't watch the news because the thoughts of those things bring fear to my heart.  However, though man's sinful nature "wars" in our hearts with fear, God is in control of everything.   I thought this particular devotional apropos in light of what is going on right now. It is a real pep talk, not necessarily soothing.  It is a rallying, wake-up call.  I felt immediately my heart making excuses as I read it.  It is certainly a different perspective on the downfalls of fear.  I always go to Jeremiah 29:11 when times are tough. But here are the verses that are around it:

Jeremiah 29:10-14

 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

 

     This promise is given to Israel with whom God had a covenant.  The promise was partly an earthly one.  So, how can this apply to us today?  Bad things do happen!  But we are extended the covenant through Christ's death and resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  However, our "Promised Land" is not an earthly one.  The plans for our future are for a heavenly kingdom where there will be no pain or sorrow. Our trust in the Lord in these uncertain times is a testament and witness to HIS power to others around us.  If Christians cower in fear, then won't people doubt the name of the Lord and our trust in Him?  That is what I think Spurgeon is getting at.  Our faith in God in troubled times is what sets us apart in this World.  It is what allows us to be beacons that stem from the power of God.

     Am I still fearful?  YES!  It is part of my nature, how God designed me, so much so that I have to take medicine daily for me to function (Which reminds me, I need to go do that after this).  My writing is not to point fingers or to preach to others because I have it all in order. I SO do NOT!  It is to encourage us all to lift one another in prayer during this difficult time to be examples of faith in a Solid Rock that will not move so that others who live in fear of the future will want to hold fast to that Rock as well.

My chair my daddy made for me.  I keep it inside now in my study.

I would love to hear your thoughts, interpretations, and scripture you would like to share!

Sunday Blessings to you all!

Love,

The Schoolmarm on the Couch

Morning to ya...

     Well, I don't have much to say today (I know...SHOCKING!).  Need to get some school planning done, artwork finished for display in the local coffee shop, and crafts to finish.  Not to mention some of my eBay items are ending on my auction, so there will be shipping labels to print and boxes to pack.  I am a little nervous (so you can pray about this)- there is a buyer who is buying almost all of my "starter kits".  I know that is good, but I am worried about the packing and shipping part.  That is such a large order.  Please pray that I do a good job.  I take this eBaying seriously because I do think the quality of the work and diligence I put in to this are a testimony to our Savior.   I want to do my best.

     So in lieu of my endless babbling, here is today's "Morning" from Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon.  I do have a "Coffee Talk" at the end regarding his writing today.  I would like to know what you all think! 

Morning

"He that watereth shall be watered also himself."
Proverbs 11:25

We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered. How? Our efforts to be useful, bring out our powers for usefulness. We have latent talents and dormant faculties, which are brought to light by exercise. Our strength for labour is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord's battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow's tears, and soothe the orphan's grief. We often find in attempting to teach others, that we gain instruction for ourselves. Oh, what gracious lessons some of us have learned at sick beds! We went to teach the Scriptures, we came away blushing that we knew so little of them. In our converse with poor saints, we are taught the way of God more perfectly for ourselves and get a deeper insight into divine truth. So that watering others makes us humble. We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much the poor saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavor to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. Like the two men in the snow; one chafed the other's limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Sarepta gave from her scanty store a supply for the prophet's wants, and from that day she never again knew what want was. Give then, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.

Coffee Talk for Today...

What do you think about the last line?  Do you think he is making an argument for helping others in that we will receive blessings in return?  Should we serve others with any preconceived intentions that are self seeking?  Maybe I am interpreting this incorrectly, but that is why I want to know what you all think!!! 

Blessings,
Heather

Sunday Morning Snippet

Morning

from  Charles Spurgeon's Devotional

Morning and Evening

(Courtesy of Bible Gateway)

"He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord."
Micah 5:4

     Christ's reign in his Church is that of a shepherd-king. He has supremacy, but it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving flock; he commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully to their beloved Shepherd, whose voice they know so well. He rules by the force of love and the energy of goodness.
     His reign is practical in its character. It is said, "He shall stand and feed." The great Head of the Church is actively engaged in providing for his people. He does not sit down upon the throne in empty state, or hold a sceptre without wielding it in government. No, he stands and feeds. The expression "feed," in the original, is like an analogous one in the Greek, which means to shepherdize, to do everything expected of a shepherd: to guide, to watch, to preserve, to restore, to tend, as well as to feed.
     His reign is continual in its duration. It is said, "He shall stand and feed;" not "He shall feed now and then, and leave his position;" not, "He shall one day grant a revival, and then next day leave his Church to barrenness." His eyes never slumber, and his hands never rest; his heart never ceases to beat with love, and his shoulders are never weary of carrying his people's burdens.
His reign is effectually powerful in its action; "He shall feed in the strength of Jehovah." Wherever Christ is, there is God; and whatever Christ does is the act of the Most High. Oh! it is a joyful truth to consider that he who stands today representing the interests of his people is very God of very God, to whom every knee shall bow. Happy are we who belong to such a shepherd, whose humanity communes with us, and whose divinity protects us. Let us worship and bow down before him as the people of his pasture.

Coffee Talk for Today:

Reflect on the passage and pray for our friends on the prayer board.