Peaceful Photo with Scripture

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

Free for personal use or sharing
Click on image for larger size, right click and save to computer

Would you believe that this beautiful peaceful scene is a hop, skip and a jump down the road from my home?  I was walking the other day with my camera, and stopped to enjoy a view I pass by every day.  We're surrounded with beauty, but sometimes the fast pace of life prevents us from enjoying it.  Find some beauty in creation today and pause to enjoy it. 

Karen at Papercraft Memories generously offers free scripture WORDart in png or jpg format that you can easily put into any of your photos or projects.  The verse in this photo is her art work.  Thanks Karen.


What are some of the beautiful things of God's creation that you see every day?

Scripture Thursday ~ The Power of Words

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  Ephesians 4:29 (KJV)

free for personal use or sharing
click for larger image

Last week’s verse was from Psalm 141:3 and had to do our mouths as well. 
Set a watch, O Lord before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.  Psalm 141:3 (KJV)
I’m continuing with the same theme this week. 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen.  Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

One of the ways we can get ourselves into trouble with our mouths is through gossip. According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, gossip is:

One who runs from house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler
To prate; to chat; to talk much
To run about and tattle; to tell idle tales.

In the Bible Study book Growing in Wisdom and Faith by Elizabeth George (a study on the book of James), we learn about three categories of gossip.

Malicious Gossip ~ consciously and deliberately hurtful.  Based on envy and rooted in selfishness.  Designed to break up relationships and destroy friendships.

…..a whisperer separates the best of friends.  Proverbs 16:28 NKJV

A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. 
Proverbs 11:13 NKJV

Rationalization Gossip ~ Quite a bit more subtle than “Malicious”.  The person who rationalizes has convinced themselves that they are doing it for “the good” of the other person.  This kind of gossip can be very destructive.

Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
Proverbs 26:20 NKJV

free for personal use or sharing
click for larger image

Innocent Gossip ~ A person who is truly concerned but sometimes motivated by the desire to be “helpful” and perhaps prove to others just how helpful she really is. 


You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people;  nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor…  Leviticus 19:16 NKJV

With some of the online social medias, and the ability to text, email or communicate from anywhere with a touch of a button, gossip is readily available to anyone who has the time or interest to read it. 

The north wind brings forth rain, And backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
Proverbs 25:23 NKJVThis is a brief well done music video about our tongues, and is a good lesson for all, children through adults.

I know of one woman whose pregnancy was announced on a social media before she had an opportunity to tell her parents the good news.  I’m sure you can think of some instances where news was told before someone was ready or wanted to tell it. Perhaps it’s even happened to you.





If it's not YOUR news, don't:
tell it,
type it,
text it or
tweet it. 

If someone has shared a prayer request with you, pray for them.  But please, please do not take it upon yourself to spread the word for everyone you know to pray as well, UNLESS the individual has asked you to.  If you don’t have permission, this falls under the category of “Innocent Gossip”.

Put yourself in that person’s situation, would you want your issue mentioned far and wide?  Probably not!  Many people are private about their personal business, such as health issues.  If you had a diagnosis of cancer, you most likely would like to tell your loved ones and friends in your own way, in your own time. 

Thank you for stopping by today my friends.  I hope this today’s post will serve as a refresher course to be mindful of our words (myself included).  As women, our words pack a lot of power, especially in social circles. Do what you need to do to tame your tongue.  Use it to HELP, not hurt; to ENCOURAGE, not discourage; to LOVE, not hate; to BUILD UP, not tear down; to SOOTHE, not sting.

This post is linked to: Word Art Wednesday,   Domestically Divine Tuesday, Whatever You Want Wednesday, Titus2uesdays, Think on These Things, Women in the Word Wednesdays, Hearts 4 Home Thursday,  Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Monday Musings, Deep Roots at Home,

Scripture Thursday ~ Guard My Mouth

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth;
keep the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3 (KJV)

Have you ever spoken a thought?  You know…… when the words you were thinking come blurting out of your mouth without evaluating the impact they may have?  I’m sure we can all think of an occasion when we’ve done that. 

                                            Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;

keep watch over the door of my lips. 
Psalm 141:3 (NIV)

free vintage image

We’re told in Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen.

James 3:3-7 talks specifically about the tongue, comparing and describing it as:

• a small part of the body which makes great boasts

• a bit in the mouth of horses, that can turn the whole animal

• a very small rudder controlling a large ship in a strong wind

• a small spark which can start a great forest fire

• evil among the parts of the body

• ability to corrupt the whole person

• can set one’s whole course of life on fire

• the tongue cannot be tamed

• it is full of deadly poison

Free Graphic ~ Click for larger size

Once a word is spoken, it’s out there…there’s no taking it back. 

• A single sentence to a teenager could drive them to an eating disorder.

• Complaining about someone practicing an instrument can stifle their gift

• Hasty words to your children can leave their little hearts wounded

• Nagging words to your husband may make him not want to come home

• Spreading gossip, or unverified stories can ruin friendships, and damage reputations

• Lying words cause people to distrust you

If unkind or gossipy words easily flow from your mouth, perhaps you need to re-evaluate the underlying cause.  Often the people we are the closest to, see our true colors.   There is power in our words ~ lots of power.
Do what you need to do to tame your tongue. 
Use it to HELP, not hurt;
to ENCOURAGE, not discourage;
to LOVE,  not hate;
to BUILD UP, not tear down;
to SOOTHE, not sting.

free vintage photo

Do you remember the poem, Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte?  Here are a few excerpts from that:If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

Think before you speak……If you’re not sure what to say, say NOTHING. 
 
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
~ Abraham Lincoln ~

If you benefited from this devotion, you might like to read others I've written on this topic.

Your Words Are a Gift

Pleasant Words Are Sweet to the Soul

A Word Fitly Spoken

Thank you so much dear ones for stopping by.  I'd love to hear your favorite "go to" verse and/or method for controlling your words.

This post is linked to: Word Art Wednesday,   Domestically Divine Tuesday, Whatever You Want Wednesday, Titus2uesdays, Think on These Things, Women in the Word Wednesdays, Hearts 4 Home Thursday,  Scripture Sunday, Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Monday Musings, Deep Roots at Home,

No Worries

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:54

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7
 

Scripture Thursday ~ Trials ~ Part 2

But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me,
I shall come out as gold.
Job 23:10

I’m continuing the subject of trials from last week’s Scripture Thursday devotion.
I was pleased to see so many of you share in the comments,
scripture that helped you through a trial. 

I have a mentor that I’ve never met, but she’s been a great encourager to me over the years.  Her name is Joni Eareckson Tada.  If you are not familiar with her, she has a huge ministry reaching out to those who are hurting in one way or another, especially people with disabilities.  What makes her remarkable is that she’s paralyzed from the neck down.  A diving accident in her teenage years left her confined to a wheelchair, unable to even use her arms.   

She said in a recent devotion:  God's ways are so much higher than ours; He has the capacity to look at the world through two lenses - through a narrow lens and a wide angle one. When God looks at a painful event through a narrow lens, He sees the tragedy for what it is. He is deeply grieved. In Ezekiel 18:32 he says, "I take no pleasure in the death of anyone." God feels the sting in His chest when a child dies of cancer or a husband is killed in an accident. However, when God looks at that same event through His wide angle lens, He sees the tragedy in relation to everything leading up to it, as well as flowing out from it. He sees a mosaic stretching into eternity - it is this mosaic with all its parts, both good and evil, which brings Him delight.

Have you ever heard of the expression, trial by fire, I think of it compared to today’s verse:

In its natural state, gold is mixed with other metals and impurities.  It goes through a refining process which begins with melting the ore down in a furnace heated to 1850 ºF.  This is the temperature at which gold melts.  The second process is the binding.  Once gold is molten, a special flux is mixed to make it more fluid and bind the impurities together.  When poured into a mold the impurities which are called slag rise to the top.Once the impurities are separated from the gold, the slag is then broken off.  The steps are often repeated many times for greater purity.  The process of refining gold has not changed for hundreds of years, technology hasn’t improved it. 

Just as gold, the furnace of affliction has a way of purifying Christians and making us more like Christ, by getting rid of the slag in our lives.  

These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:7 (niv)

God wants us to lay our burdens on Him and rest in His love.   It’s God’s responsibility to refine us and purify our lives.  Only our refusal to submit to his will can hinder this process in our lives.  God simply asks that we trust him.

Here are some of the "go to" scriptures left in last week’s comments.  Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 46:1-2, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:4, Psalm 23:1-3. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and for all your comments.   It is my hope and prayer that you’d pick up a little encouragement here as you persevere through whatever trial you’re facing.

Last week’s Scripture Thursday ~ Perseverance Through Trials, Part 1

The scripture graphics in this post are free for you.  

This post is linked to:
This post is linked to: Word Art Wednesday, Women in the Word Wednesdays, Hearts 4 Home Thursday,  Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Monday Musings, Deep Roots at Home, 

My Thoughts vs God's Thoughts

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

 Isaiah 55:8

 

 

You can probably think of a time that you had a certain dilemma all figured out, God just needed to come through on His end. Well, He had a surprise for you didn’t He?

He provided you with what you needed, but not in the way you expected it to happen. I think that’s His way of reminding us that He’s taking care of us.

Children believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt that their caregiver will protect them and take care of them. That’s what Jesus wants from us. Never a doubt that He will be that caregiver for us and meet our needs. TRUST Him with complete confidence that He will do what is best for your life, He’ll guide you. He tells us in Isaiah 55:8, His ways are not our ways. Why?

Because He’s all knowing.

He knows our future.

He sees the Master plan.

Who better to put our trust in, than someone who knows us better than we know ourselves?

Have a blessed day.

 

Scripture Thursday ~ Perseverance in Trials ~ Part 1

But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me,
I shall come out as gold.
Job 23:10

I’ve been thinking a lot lately of the many trials that so many people I know are facing.   It always seems to have the greatest detrimental effect when children are involved.  A little 5 year old boy in our community lost his hand in a freak accident and almost died.  Thankfully he is now recovering at a hospital.  Everyone feels vulnerable and sympathetic when tragedy like this happens.  It seems natural to say, why would a loving God allow something like this happen?  

Why does God allow trials to come into our life?  We’re told in Matthew 5:45 for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

We may never have the answer why, but what we do know he will never abandon us.   for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  Hebrews 13:5b

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Hebrews 13:5b

And we also know from God’s word, that He will never give us more of a trial than we can bear.  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  1 Corinthians 10:13  

Remember the story of Job in the bible?  He experienced trials of a severity we can hardly comprehend, yet he stood firm in his faith and trusted in God even while those closest to him told him to curse God and die.  If you haven’t read the story, you’ll find it in the book of Job, and it will help you put your trials in perspective.

Job said about his trials: 
But he (God) knows the way that I take; when he (God) has tried me, I shall come out as gold. Job 23:10

God knows your trial, he knows all the details of it, and knows the course you must take to get through it. For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his (mans) goings.  Proverbs 5:21

It’s important to remember that God allows certain trials but never causes them.  Trials are the consequence of living in a fallen world.  Thankfully, for those who put their trust in Him, this world is not our home, we are just passing through.  

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast of my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

I am continuing this topic next week as there are more important things I want to share about the subject of trials.   Thank you for stopping by today.  Drop me a comment and let me know what scripture you rely on through a trial, or perhaps you read one here today that you want to cling to.  I’d love to hear how God is speaking to you. 

Graphics in this post are free to you.  Sources are my own personal images,  and The Feathered Nest.  This post is linked to: Word Art Wednesday,   Domestically Divine Tuesday, Whatever You Want Wednesday, Titus2uesdays, Think on These Things, Women in the Word Wednesdays, Hearts 4 Home Thursday,  Scripture Sunday, Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Monday Musings, Deep Roots at Home, 

Patriotic Vintage Freebies

I hope you all have a happy 4th of July.  Here are some freebies for you to enjoy.

For even more great patriotic graphics, click on the image below, which will take you to Emily at Sweetly Scrapped.  She has lots of treasures for you.

Courtesy of Sweetly Scrapped - Click on Image for more graphics