Quietness = Strength

LISTEN .... the quieter you become the more you can hear.

Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it?
Be quiet and you will hear more?
How can that be?
How often do you sit without the distractions of children, cell phones, TV, iPods, etc?
How long can you sit without mentally doing a rundown of your day, your "to-do" list, people you will see and talk to, and so on?

Do you ever just sit in the quiet of time, being still - and hear the sounds around you?

• ocean lapping at the shore
• birds singing
• squirrels chattering
• puppy dog "snoring"
• leaves rustling
• bees buzzing
• rain on the window
• coffee bubbling into the pot
• fridge humming
• and so on and so on

Oh, how I love to sit in quietness! No TV; no music; no barking! Just me and God!

Isaiah 30:15 ... God's word tells us that in quietness and trust is our strength! Oh! I need strength! Strength to face the health concerns I have; to face the financial concerns hubby's business brings our way; to face everyday life in the manner that God has called me to. Oh, I need strength... HIS strength!

How about you? Do You need His strength? Are you being still before Him? Listening for His Words, His Spirit, to penetrate your soul? Are you taking time to just sit with Him? And Listen? The quieter you become the more you will hear!

Whoa... I am reminded of a song I heard a long time ago that spoke of hearing from God... and how He sometimes whispers to us but we are so surrounded by "noise" that we don't hear Him!

Oh, my precious ones! I pray that you will find time - MAKE time - to sit with HIM! To be quiet before Him! Sit quietly and comfortably in HIS Presence. He WILL speak! We just need to be listening!

Decide today to "Still and Quiet your soul before Him" (Psalm 131).

Resting in HIM - Ruthie

1 Corinthians 13 for Women

This is an amazing post - January 20, 2011
I was blessed and convicted - as you will be!
It is a "must read" for every woman!

http://internetcafedevotions.com/

Blessings on you this beautiful winter day!
Resting in Him,
Ruthie

Asking for Prayer!

Today I am asking you to pray over me...
Heading to the city for some cardiac testing - Monday and Tuesday.

I KNOW God knows what is in store!
I KNOW it is in His hands!
I TRUST His provision for me!

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him until that day!
2 Timothy 1:12

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and ever. Amen
Ephesians 3:20-21

Blessings on you sweet ones!
Resting in HIM,
Ruthie

Praying Scripture

Dear Ones,
I am praying scripture over you today ....

Precious and Wonderful Heavenly Father,

I come to You today with thanksgiving in my heart for Your Living and Relevant Word!

For Your graciousness;

For Your forgiveness and love.

Not only that, Lord, I thank You for Your discipline, Your testing, and Your "taps on my spirit" (some of them not so gentle) when I need to be reminded of Your ways.

I am truly thankful that You are the God who is able to do

exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think!

Praise You, Lord!

Today I ask You to fill each of us with the knowledge of Your will

with wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Enable each one to walk worthy of You, pleasing You; being fruitful and increasing in the knowledge of You!

Lord, Strengthen each one with Your power

so that we may face our circumstances, whatever that is today, with Your joy.

Open our hearts, Lord, to be filled with thanksgiving ...

seeing beyond our selfish wants,

and recognizing Your Presence in and thru our lives.

May each one KNOW that You, thru Your salvation,

have given us the right to be partakers of Your inheritance!

How awesome is that, Oh Lord!

You have delivered us from the power of darkness thru the shed blood of Christ!

You have transported us into Your Kingdom!

I cannnot think of any better place to be than here, with You today.

You, thru Christ, have redeemed and forgiven us!

Praise You, Father.

Pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your people who are called by Your name!

May we become the ambassadors You have designed us to be.

May we shake off the trappings of this world and follow You with abandon.

Praising You and Thanking You,

In the Matchless Name of Christ,

Amen

Ephesians 3:20-21

Colossians 1: 9-14

Psalm 51

Psalm 51

1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender merices, blot out my transgressions.

2. Wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

4. Against You, You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.

5. Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.

6. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

8. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.

9. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy spirit from me.

12. Restore to me the joy of Your slavation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

13. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.

14. Deliver me from the guilt of blood shed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

15. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

16. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; you do not delight in burnt offering.

17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart -

These, O God, You will not despise.

18. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.

19. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

"Get Behind Me, Satan!"

Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "

James 1:19-20
"So then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

I have been hit hard in the past 24 hours with the knowledge of the condition of my heart. Hmmmm - I believe some pride had slipped in there to the point where I was thinking I was OK . My heart was hardened to some things, judgmental, and critical. How did that happen? I was slipping in my daily Word reading and prayer life because I was focusing on the wrong things. I spent way too much time focusing on my health issues and upcoming tests and not enough time on HIM! The thief was trying to kill, steal and destroy - as he always does. He is so insidious that I didn't even sense that he was playing with me - til WHAM! I was hit and hit hard! Have you ever been here, dear ones?

I "reacted" in a very unrighteous manner with two of the most loved people in my life.

Oh, the lies Satan filled my head with! And instead of being like Jesus and telling Satan to get behind me; instead of choosing what was right; I responded in anger.

I allowed Satan to tell me lies, to sneak up on me and to try and destroy my joy, my peace, my contentment.

I have had to confess, repent, and ask their forgiveness - neither has responded to that request at this point... How thankful I am that our Heavenly Father doesn't take time to think it over. If we humble ourselvs before Him and are repentent - He forgives. Hallelujah! What a lesson for me.

I Praise God for His mercy - so undeserved by me; and for His grace. He and I have had a long session together - I accept the forgiveness He offers and pray that this situation I find myself in will make me a better person. All I can do now is pray for Him to work in their lives - not because I deserve their forgiveness - but beacuse I don't! I don't want either of them hanging onto the resentment that a situation such as this can leave us with.... not for me - but for them! I pray for HIS love to cover all!

Father God,
I so need You -Your love and mercy. I am so thankful that You looked down upon me and saw such a wretch and gave ME Your amazing grace! I praise You, Lord! Fill me with Your Spirit - May I move forward with more of You and less of me than ever before. I give it all to You.
In the precious and holy name of Christ,
Amen

This is my prayer for each one reading this today... no matter what curve balls life has thrown your way may you ever know that He never changes; He is always just and holy. He never leaves you nor forsakes you. He is always ready to offer His forgiveness to a willing and repentent heart. Come to Him and find rest in Him.

Your humble servant,
Ruthie

PHEW!

Phew!
This has been a busy day for me! Spent about 3 hours this morning preparing a lesson for our Small Group meeting on Wednesday night. I get lost in the Word sometimes - what a blessing that is!

Then this afternoon I cleaned the clutter from my Craft Room closet and tried to re-organize this place... I just finished this "project". As I was emptying boxes of "stuff" I found this story that I had copied from a book many years ago for a children's lesson ... I don't remember where I found it originally - please know as you read this that I did NOT write this!

Thousands of years ago these 2 had a perfect relationship -

the moon and the sun.

The moon reflected the sun's rays into the dark night... they were a great team!

The moon took the light given to him by the sun and redirected it to earth...

he received light and shared it.

One day a star planted a thought in Mr. Moon.

The star made the moon begin to think that he wasn't important cuz he didn't have his own light source... that he was 2nd best.

The star told the moon he had to get away -

to find out who he really was; to be his own boss.

So he set out to do just that!

He changed his color from yellow to bright punk-rock orange!

Meteors and stars visited him and complimented him on his appearance -

and he thought, "I don't need the sun."

Then trends changed - punk was out and country was in - so he had to change again!

For the first time in a long time he thought of the sun.

He remembered when it didn't matter if he received praise or not -

and when he did he passed it on to the sun.

He looked upon the earth and realized that people were laughing at him!

BUT the COLD bothered him the most!

Absence from the sunlight left him with a persistent chill;

no warmth;

no glow;

shivering inside;

cold and alone.

As he thoguht of the sun he realized that the sun gave him everything he needed; gave him a purpose; he was warm; he was content; he was what he had been made to be.

Suddenly he felt warm - he turned and there was Mr. Sun.

The sun, who had never moved, said "I'm glad you're back! Let's get back to work!"

A Light - a fuller, brighter light - was seen in the sky and today the moon beams as he was meant to do!

How like us...

Without the SON we are empty, cold, and alone! With no light to shine in this dark world.

With Christ we are warm, full, content, and a light to the world.

I hope this story has made you think about your relationship with the SON ... the LIGHT of the world! I hope you are reflecting HIM all around you!

Blessings on you, sweet ones!

Resting in HIM,

Ruthie

New Years Resolutions - or NOT!

HEY!

Happy New Year!

2011!!!

WOW!

Do you make resolutions each year that you fail to keep?

I used to - but no more!

Now I find a Scripture that has spoken to me

and I do my utmost to implement that Scripture into my life -

thus into my character!

Here are my choices this year!

Yes!

CHOICES!

TWO!

They so go together!

Colossians 3:14

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

May you approach this New Year

filled with determination

to be the person God created you to be!

Filled with His Spirit!

Living with Faith!

Living in Obedience!

Loving as He loves!

May God richly bless you on this journey!

Resting In HIM,

Ruthie