“Research has shown that laughing for 2 minutes is just as healthy as a 20 minute jog. So now I’m sitting in the park laughing at all the joggers.” 🙂 …Saw Christine Caine post this one a while back, and it gave me a good laugh. Happy Friday!
“Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”” Genesis 21:6 (NIV)
We are instructed in scripture to meditate on God’s word. Other terms used are the bible, scripture, the law of the Lord, His precepts, His testimonies, His commandments, and/or His statutes.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8 (ESV)
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)
The thing is, HOW does one meditate?
When we hear the word “meditate” I think some of us automatically picture a person sitting on the ground with their legs crossed, arms resting on their knees, palms facing upward with the thumb touching a finger, eyes closed, and humming or chanting some mantra. I’m pretty sure this isn’t what God has in mind though when He encourages us to meditate on scripture.
Some dictionary definitions of “meditate” include, “to engage in contemplation or reflection; to focus one’s thoughts on, reflect on, or ponder over; to think deeply about something; to dwell on any thing in thought; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind; to ruminate”.
The Hebrew word used for meditate is “hâgâh”. This word means to murmur, ponder, imagine, mutter, speak, study, talk, or utter.
Therefore, based on these definitions, if I am to meditate on scripture I might find myself doing the following: Continue reading
Found some really bad jokes on Pinterest. As the label states…these jokes are so terrible they’re actually funny.
“Laughter,” I said, “is madness…” Ecclesiastes 2:2a (NIV)
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” 2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV)
I absolutely love a good campfire. It’s so peaceful and mesmerizing. I love the crackling sounds, the dancing and sometimes colorful flames, and even the glowing embers as the fire starts to die down. It’s always a little sad when the fire goes out, and all I see is just a gray pile of ashes. There are times in life that I feel like those leftover ashes have mimicked my spiritual life…those times when I don’t really feel like I’m “on fire” anymore.
Have you experienced this too? Has your spiritual progress, growth, or walk with God at times seemed to have waned or died off a bit? Does it seem like God is more distant or that you are farther from God? The good news is that the fire or passion you may have once had is not really gone. It’s still IN you (see verse below). The embers are there. It just needs to be fanned back into a flame.
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is IN you through the laying on of my hands” 2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV)
“That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].” 2 Timothy 1:6 (AMPC)
Here’s a cute cartoon I found a while back.
“God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4 (NIV)
Last week I wrote about 4 things to do with your anger. Anger is a common emotion, and sometimes it can serve a purpose by pushing us into action to get something done. Other times it’s just an emotion that we need to deal with carefully, learning to control it instead of letting it rule our thoughts, choices, decisions, and behaviors.
I have found a helpful way to handle anger is to focus on different scriptures concerning anger. So today I’ve put together a resource page with some helpful scriptures on anger.
“Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. Selah” Psalm 4:4 (HCSB)
“Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper–it only leads to harm.” Psalm 37:8 (NLT)
“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3 (NIV)
“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12 (NIV)
“Short-tempered people do foolish things, and schemers are hated.” Proverbs 14:17 (NLT)
“People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” Proverbs 14:29
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (NIV) Continue reading
Makes me laugh! …No swimming in this area…Swimming can now be done in grass…No it can’t the sign forbids it.
“The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.” Psalm 18:15 (NIV)
I mentioned in last week’s post that I was stewing in a little bit of nasty anger recently. The anger itself wasn’t necessarily the problem. Anger is a normal emotion. It’s not a sin. It’s how I was handling it and reacting and what I did with and after the anger that was displeasing to God and unhelpful to me.
“Be angry and do not sin…” Ephesians 4:26a (ESV)
“Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. Selah” Psalm 4:4 (HCSB)
“Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” James 1:20 (NLT)
“God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day.” Psalm 7:11 (NLT)
“They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the LORD’s anger. Because the LORD was very angry with Israel, he swept them away from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land.” 2 Kings 17:17-18 (NLT)
“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Romans 1:18 (NLT)
“And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” Mark 3:5 (ESV)
“When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.” John 11:33 (NLT)
“Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.” Matthew 21:12 (NLT)
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