Rabbit Trails

Go to the ant thou sluggard.... Proverbs 6:6   Sluggard: inactive, lounger, layabout, do nothing, idler, loafer, good for nothing.... *habitual*   There is a great difference between resting, and being lazy. There's nothing wrong with sitting on your porch (if you have one) with a glass of lemonade.  There's nothing wrong with taking your work boots off and falling asleep in your chair. There's nothing wrong with taking a nap once in a while because of early hours and late nights. You dug holes all morning in the clay soil? Then rest in the lawn chair and listen to the radio.   If you have a mind to stay busy, then you will find something to do.  Hopefully it is productive. If you have a mind to be inactive, you will find ways to please yourself.   I don't know about a hundred years ago, I wasn't here, but I do know about today. We're all about leisure.   Take a load off of your feet.   ...

  Psalm 143 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications:  in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. 2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant:  for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. 3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul;  he hath smitten my life down to the ground;  he hath made me to dwell in darkness,  as those that have been long dead. 4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me;  my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works;  I muse on the work of thy hands. 6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee:  my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. 7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth:  hide not thy face from me,  lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. 8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;  for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way ...

If you just go along, to get along, it means you see wrong, and say nothing.  It means it's more important to get along, than to be a holy nation and peculiar people.  The God that brought you out of darkness into marvelous light......expects better from you.  Let the redeemed of the Lord, SAY SO.   

Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection,  and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;   Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,  which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.   Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ : nevertheless I live;  yet not I , but Christ liveth i n me:  and the life which I now live i n the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,  who loved me, and gave himself for me.   Romans 12:1,2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,  that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,  holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.   And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.   What defines you?...

Synonyms for FROWARD:  obstinate, willful, disobedient, fractious, wayward, unmanageable, difficult Wilfully contrary; not easily managed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perverse:   willfully determined or disposed to go counter to what is expected or desired; contrary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contrary:    unfavorable or adverse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Proverbs 8:8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.   Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

This was ONE day. The sky was changed  every time I went outside. It was easy to see and  appreciate all the colors and clouds. But it only happened because I paid attention. I was LOOKING to see the pretty pictures it could make. If you are having a bad day, things are stormy, the waters are rough..... you have to MAKE yourself see what you CAN be thankful for. It's there, if you look for it. Yes, it takes effort. Psalm 94:18-10   When I said, My foot slippeth;  thy mercy, O  Lord ,  held me up.   In the multitude of my thoughts within me  thy comforts  delight my soul.

My dad had LOTS of sayings.  He had something to say for every occasion.......or a little song for whatever was going on.  He used to say: "Promises! Promises!"  In other words, your words are useless.  You make promises but never carry through. Well, I found the Lord to stay true to His promises, every one of them.   I bought this little box of verses around the time I was saved.  Bible verses were SO foreign to me.  My knowledge of the Bible could fit in half a walnut shell.  I'm so glad I still have the Bible I used when I first got saved.......I like to look at the pages and remember back when I was learning new things.  Good things.  True things.   I happen to remember the first verse I memorized.   Psalm 58:11 ..........  and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. What do you remember from when you were newly saved?  What sticks in your mind?...

Proverbs 31:10-31   10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.   11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.   12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.   13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.   14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.   15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.   16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.   17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.   18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.   19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.   20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.   21 She is not...

I'm from a little dirt road town called Seward.  My parents bought a house from my dad's sister after their moved off to California.  Before my cousins left....they named a street----Heaven. I loved to walk down that street....and play.  There were mulberry trees, lilac bushes, rocks to find, anthills to step on, cottonwood trees to look at......for a pretty long stretch there were no houses...only a sort of forest and a pond.  The pond would freeze over in the winter and we would play. and play. and play. I don't know why they named that street Heaven....as a little kid I sure enjoyed it. I have learned a few things since then.  It was NOT really heaven......and there is a hell. Do you know where you would go if you died today? Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:15  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15...

Only Luke is with me.  Take ________,  and bring him with thee,  for he is profitable to me for the ministry. Would your name fit in the blank? Could your name fit in the blank?

This is such a sweet little book.  If you see it at a thrift store, get it.  If it looks worn out, it's because it is.  I love the little animals and the plot. It was all gray.  Just old drippy weather. Foggy. The book tells us how each little animal was dealing with it.............or not! Then the dew began to drip off the tree........the sun was coming out. The little animals started to get tickled...........and to forget about their gray and drippy day. They even danced. Then they said...........WHAT FOG? Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Too bad they wasted a whole morning. Don't waste a morning, afternoon, weekend, holiday, night................letting a broken spirit dry your bones. 

The Will of God.... is found in the  Word of God. Christians need not be confused about what the will of God is for their lives.  If the Scripture doesn't support it........then don't do it.  There are some things you don't need to pray about........you already have an answer.  If we don't like the answer, we claim confusion and that God isn't being clear . Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)   5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.   6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. The better you know your Bible, the more clear God's will is. The more you obey it.........the easier it is. Trust and Obey for there's no other way To be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. 

Repent of your vain thoughts. These swarm in your minds as the flies did in Pharaoh's court (Exodus. 8:24). What bewilderings there are in the imagination! If Satan does not possess your bodies, he does your imaginations. "How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?"    O you saints, be humbled for this lightness in your head. Exodus 8:24 And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies Jeremiah 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? Thomas Watson

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Gilligan made it look like a *fun* thing to be a castaway. The world makes it look like a *bad* thing to be in subjection.

Depression is boring, I think, and I would do better to make some soup and light up the cave. If you feel the darkness of depression and gloom come upon you, get up and do something. If it's dark in your house, make it bright. If there is an empty tummy, make it full. Do something for somebody. It always makes you feel better.

Proverbs 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. 1 Peter 3:10-11 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

And so it criticized each flower; This so precious seed; Until it woke one summer hour, And found itself a weed. Mildred Howells Matthew 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

I like Romans 12.  A preacher a LONG time ago said, "Remember who you are and what you are about."  Obey this chapter and SOAR. Let love be without dissimulation Abhor that which is evil Cleave to that which is good (this would mean to stop acting like you don't know the difference) Be kindly affectioned one to another Rejoicing in hope (there is hope for all of us, if we are still alive and breathing, there IS hope) Patient in tribulation (yes YOU be patient) Bless and curse not (come back to earth Michele) Rejoice with them that do rejoice (this is usually pretty easy unless you struggle with jealousy) Mind not high things Be not wise in your own conceits (just about the time I think I have things figured out....BOOM) Recompense to no man evil for evil Provide things honest in the sight of all men (ALL men, HONEST, no matter what) Avenge not yourselves (you will make a mess of it and possibly make it worse) Be not overcome of evil but overcome...