Psalm Sunday: Psalm 54

Posted on November 19, 2007 by Barbara Harper

1 Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength. 2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.

4 Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.

5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.

6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.

7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.

Once during my course of reading the Bible through, while reading about David’s life in I & II Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, I slowed down and looked up the cross references to the Psalms David had written during several of those incidents. Of course, we can do it the other way, too — when reading the Psalms we can look up the cross references to the ones that have them back to an incident in the Old Testament. Though in one sense we can just take the Psalms at face value, it really enriched the reading of both the narrative and the Psalms to know the context of each.

Psalm 54 was written concerning events in I Samuel 23 when David was running for his life from King Saul, hiding out in Ziph, and the Ziphites offered to give him up to Saul. “For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them,” verse 3. But David turns again to the only One who can help, the One in whom he has placed His confidence. He calls out for deliverance, relies in faith on God to provide it, and promises to praise and sacrifice to Him.

In this day and time there are still those with very real physical enemies; there are those who are persecuted for their faith. God will deliver them one way or another. We might also face those who are against us without just cause and those who would betray us: God is sufficient for even that.

Though these days in America we don’t usually face physical persecution for our faith and rarely have enemies that are after our lives, we do have an enemy, “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:7-9). We will ultimately be delivered from even him one day, and until then we can call out to God for deliverance from every battle in which we find ourselves.

See our Psalms Sunday hostess at Butterfly Kisses for more thoughts on this Psalm.

Thanksgiving Bible study

Posted on November 17, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Here are just a few verses dealing with Thanksgiving. This is by no means an exhaustive study: it’s just a result of looking up “thanks” and “thanksgiving” in an online concordance. Many of the passages would fit under multiple headings and I am sure there are others that could be added. But this is a good start. It would be profitable to study many of these verses within the context of the passages they came from.

And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will. Leviticus 22:29.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7.

It is a sacrifice:

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15.

It is often a testimony to others of God’s person and work:

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psalm 26:7

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. Psalm 69:30-31.

Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. II Corinthians 1:11.

For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. II Corinthians 4:15.

For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. II Corinthians 9:12-14.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 7:11-12.

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. I Chronicles 16: 8-9.

And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. I Chronicles 16:35.

So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations. Psalm 79:13.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Psalm 92:1-2.

Often coupled with joy and singing:

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. Nehemiah 12:27.

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. I Chronicles 16: 8-9.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:2-4.

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God. Psalm 147:6.

Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. Psalm 18:49

Psalm 93:1-3;

Often coupled with prayer:

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Psalm 50:14-15.

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2.

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16.

A result of meditating on God’s Word:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3:16-17.

A result of being filled with the Spirit:

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Ephesians 5:18-21.

Reasons to thank the Lord:

It’s commanded:

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4.

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2.
His greatness, His creation:

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95: 1-5

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. Psalm 107:21-22.

His comfort:

For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51: 3.

His bountiful supply:

Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. II Corinthians 9:11.
His unspeakable gift:

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. II Corinthians 9:15.

Meat:

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. I Timothy 4:3-5; Matthew 15:36

Deliverance from enemies:

And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. II Samuel 22:49-50

And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. I Chronicles 16:35.

Psalm 18:48-50

His goodness:

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. I Chronicles 16:34; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136.

His holiness:

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. Psalm 30:4.

His deliverance from sorrow:

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Psalm 30:11-12

His righteous judgments:

At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. Psalm 119: 62.

Victory over death:

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:56-57.

Causing us to triumph, making Himself known through us:

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. II Corinthians 2:14.

His working through other people:

But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you. II Corinthians 8:16.

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16.

We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints. Col. 1:2-4

I Thessalonians 1:1-3; 3:9-10; II Thessalonians 2:13-14.

Saving us:

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:12-14.

All things:

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20.

In everything:

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Thessalonians 5:18.

Authorities:

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. I Timothy 2:1-3.

His power and reign:

Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned Revelation 11:17.

Results in worship:

And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:9-11.

Other passages:

Psalm 105:1-3

Quotes on Thanksgiving and thankfulness

Posted on November 15, 2007 by Barbara Harper

“Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling so that we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as… served the company almost a week… Many of the Indians came amongst us and… their greatest King, Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought… And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God we are…far from want.”

~ Edward Winslow, Plymouth, Massachusetts, December, 1621
Christian, Pilgrim

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues
~ Cicero

O Lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.
~ William Shakespeare

The Pilgrims came to America not to accumulate riches but to worship God, and the greatest wealth they left unborn generations was their heroic example of sacrifice that their souls might be free.
~ Harry Moyle Tippett

Pride slays thanksgiving, but an humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow, A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves
~ Henry Ward Beecher

Measured by the standards of men of their time, [the Pilgrims] were the humble of the earth. Measured by later accomplishments, they were the mighty. In appearance weak and persecuted they came – rejected, despised – an insignificant band; in reality strong and independent, a mighty host of whom the world was not worthy destined to free mankind.
~ Calvin Coolidge

Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.
~ Henry Ward Beecher

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is “good,” because is it good, if “bad” because it works in us patience, humility, and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.
~ C. S. Lewis

No people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength, but with the gratitude to the Giver of good who has blessed us.
~ Theodore Roosevelt

Thanksgiving, to be truly thanksgiving, is first thanks, then giving.
~ Unknown

In the old Anglo-Saxon, to be “thankful” meant to be “thinkful.” Thinking of one’s blessings should stir one to gratitude.
~ Unknown

This is the holy reasoning of love; it draws no license from grace, but rather feels the strong constraints of gratitude leading it to holiness.
~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

O Thou Who has given us so much, mercifully grant us one more thing: a grateful heart.
~George Herbert

More Thanksgiving -related content on this blog:

Thanksgiving Bible Study
Thanksgiving devotional reading is here.
Last year’s collection of Thanksgiving quotes are here.
Thanksgiving “funnies” are here and A “Redneck Thanksgiving” is here.
Thanksgiving poems are here and More Thanksgiving Poems are here.

Join us for Kelli’s “Giving Thanks” event this week at There’s No Place Like Home.

And since I have thirteen quotes, I’ll include this for a Thursday Thirteen. 😀

(Top and bottom graphics are from Snapshots of Joy)

Thanksgiving poems

Posted on November 14, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home is hostessing a week of Giving Thanks. Bloggers can link up every day this week through Saturday with Thanksgiving poems, memories, recipes, decorating ideas, etc., to get our hearts into a Thanksgiving frame of mind and not let it slip by on the way to the Christmas season.

So far I have been linking to posts from last year because I had put up a lot of Thanksgiving posts then, like Thanksgiving devotional reading and Thanksgiving “funnies.” But I had posted several different poems, so I wanted to put those all in one place, plus add a new one or two.

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home –
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman’s hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought –
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the “Land of the Free” –
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

~ Author Unknown

Thanksgiving

Dear Lord—I’m thankful for the home I knew in early youth,
Where I first heard from Mother’s lips the story of your truth.
I’m thankful for the fellowship with friends who ever hold
Within their hearts Your gift of love, as world events unfold,
I’m thankful for Your peace that stills my heart, and light that guides
My course, as chaos rushes by on swiftly changing tides.
But thankful most—for faith that looks beyond a mortal sky
To truth—to your unchanging truth that cannot ever die!

~ Sarah Mizelle Morgan

From The Valley of Vision:

Praise and Thanksgiving

O my God,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly,
I love thee above the powers of language to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

For All The Blessings Of The Year

For all the blessings of the year,
For all the friends we hold so dear,
For peace on earth, both far and near,
We thank Thee, Lord.

For life and health, those common things,
Which every day and hour brings,
For home, where our affection clings,
We thank Thee, Lord.

For love of Thine, which never tires,
Which all our better thought inspires,
And warms our lives with heavenly fires,
We thank Thee, Lord.

~ Author unknown

Another one I posted last year, but I will just link to since someone else posted it for the “Giving Thanks” week already, is Edgar’s Guest’s “Thanksgiving.”

More Thanksgiving -related posts on this blog:

Thanksgiving Bible Study
Thanksgiving readings and devotionals are here.
Some Thanksgiving quotes are here.
More Thanksgiving quotes are here.
Thanksgiving “funnies” are here and A “Redneck Thanksgiving” is here.
More Thanksgiving poems are here.

Preparing good ground

Posted on November 12, 2007 by Barbara Harper

This is “harvest season” rather than spring planting, yet a farmer can take clues from inspecting his harvest to determine what he needs to do the next year for a better harvest.

The parable of the sower speaks of different “soils” of the heart that produced different results from the sowing of the Word. What can we do to help our hearts be “good ground” so that God’s Word can take root and bring forth fruit?

1. Hosea 10:12 says, “ Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Jeremiah 4:3 also speaks of breaking up our fallow ground.

2. We need to remove the “stones,” the hard places of our willfulness, and the “thorns” of the cares and pleasures of this life which want to choke out the Word.

3. Psalm 25:9 says, “ The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” Elisabeth Elliot writes in Keep a Quiet Heart, “Meekness is teachability. ‘The meek will he teach his way’ (Psalm 25:9, KJV). It is the readiness to be shown, which includes the readiness to lay down my fixed notions, my objections and ‘what ifs’ or ‘but what abouts,’ my certainties about the rightness of what I have always done or thought or said. It is the child’s glad ‘Show me! Is this the way? Please help me.’ We won’t make it into the kingdom without that childlikeness, that simple willingness to be taught and corrected and helped. ‘Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls’ (James 1:21, KJV). Meekness is an explicitly spiritual quality, a fruit of the Spirit, learned, not inherited. It shows in the kind of attention we pay to one another, the tone of voice we use, the facial expression.”

4. Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” Reverence for the Lord makes us teachable. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

5. In Matthew 15:16 and Mark 7:13, Jesus tells the Pharisees and scribes that they have made the commandment or word of God “of none effect” through their traditions. That is a scary thought, that we can diminish the effectiveness of the Word by our preconceived notions or our imposing on the Word our own ideas of what it says or means.

6. In John 7:17, Jesus says, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” A willingness to do His will makes us teachable.

7. Though this speaks of the seed rather than the ground, it is a needed reminder: John 12: 24-25 say, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” In order to bring forth spiritual fruit we have to be willing to die to our own plans, dreams, desires, and will and yield all of those things to the Lord. This sounds so difficult, and it is, but the more we know the Lord, the more we can trust Him with all of those things and stop grasping them for ourselves, thinking we can protect them. His way really is so much better, but often we can’t see that til we get on the other side of the issue at hand, til after we’ve yielded. That’s where faith comes in — faith in Who He is, His love, wisdom, and goodness.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, and there are probably many other aspects to consider, but, if you’re like me, this is more than enough to get us started.

What do we do, though, if we’re not feeling particularly meek, if we know we don’t reverence the Lord as we ought, if we’re feeling stubborn and willful and we know it is wrong, but we don’t know quite what to do with ourselves? Should we avoid the Word, then, thinking it will be useless with our hearts in that condition? When I am feeling like that, first of all I pray and confess that to the Lord and ask Him to change my heart. Then I look up verses like three in Psalm 80 which say, “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved,” or Psalm 85:6: “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” or Psalm 119:36-37: “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way” or Psalm 119: 10-11: “ Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.” (If you have a concordance or Online Bible program, it’s very helpful to search for the word “quicken” and read through the verses that contain that word, and use those in your own prayers. One online source is at crosswalk.com. When you click on the drop-down menu for the version you want to use, at the very bottom there are choices for the KJV or NASB with Strong’s numbers. If you use those, the words in the verse will be highlighted and you can click on them for definitions, other ways they are translated, etc. BibleGateway.com is another good source).

When we go to Him confessing our lack of meekness, reverence, and willingness and asking Him to work on us in those areas, then He can use His Word to begin to plow up the soil of our hearts and make “good ground.”

If we leave a field untended, it grows weeds and the ground hardens again. So this plowing must be a continual process. It might sound painful, “but no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:11). The more our hearts are “weeded” and kept soft and pliable, the more the seed of God’s Word can take root and bring forth fruit.

(Photos courtesy of the stock.xchng)

Homemade With Love 2007: Personalized Scripture

Posted on November 12, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Gibee at Kisses of Sunshine is hosting a Homemade With Love Holiday Gift Idea Exchange today. If there is a gift that you could make for the holidays, make up a sample, post a picture and instructions, then link to Gibee’s.

This is an idea I have used for our “Secret Sister” program at church, but it could be used for anyone. The idea is to personalize the Word of God, to remind ourselves that it really does apply to us.

This is for a friend named Cheryl (who doesn’t have a computer so hopefully won’t hear about this yet). I look for Scriptures that apply to what I know of her needs, usually promises, and insert her name; for example,

For God so loved Cheryl, that he gave his only begotten Son, that is she believeth in him she should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Fear thou not, Cheryl; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

It’s at this point, though, that I want to urge great caution. The Word of God is not just inspirational: it is the very Word of God, and we want to handle it carefully. Be careful not to distort it and not to use a verse that was spoken to a specific person for a specific time and purpose and is not generally applicable, and not to wrench a verse from its context so it misconstrues the meaning. It is best to keep to verses or promises that would apply to anyone and can simply have a name added just as a way to help the person remember that it is for them as well.

I print out a page of these verses with a font that is a little fancy but not so much so that it is hard to read. This one is Kayleigh.

Then I cut the individual verses into strips. I’ve done it before with just a paper cutter, but decorative scissors can be used.

Then I wrap the individual verses around a pencil with the beginning of the verse on the outside (so that when she unwraps it she sees the first of the verse first rather than the end). It won’t stay this tightly wound, but that’s okay.

When all the verses have been wound like that, put them into something decorative. I like using metal tins — I like that it is decorative in itself and has a lid to keep things contained and dust out. But you could use a basket or pretty box as well.

Before I gave this, of course, I’d have it full.

You could put a ribbon with a gift tag around the top, if you’d like, or a note explaining to her what is inside..

You could use a Christmas tin or box, of course, but that will only come out at Christmas. Something that goes with her decor can be kept out year round.

You could also do the same thing with a small scrapbook and the verses cut in shapes to fit the page rather than in strips and decorative scrapbooking paper behind it. You would likely use fewer verses that way, but you could use verses on a certain theme — verses to encourage a new mother as a baby gift, verses promising God’s help and strength for a rough time, etc.

Be sure to check out Gibbe’s post on her blog, Kisses of Sunshine, and all the ideas included on Mr. Linky.

Also, other carnivals going on this week are Christmas Shopping Carnival at Don’t Try This at Home and the month of sewing and craft tutorials (some absolutely darling stuff!) at Sew, Mama, Sew. There is also a week of Thanksgiving poems, decorating ideas, etc. at There’s No Place Like Home.

Book Review: The Restorer’s Son

Posted on November 10, 2007 by Barbara Harper

The Restorer’s Son wasn’t originally on my Fall Reading List simply because I forgot it was coming out in that time frame. How could I have forgotten? Sharon Hinck is one author whose books I eagerly anticipate.

The Restorer’s Son is a sequel to The Restorer (previously reviewed here), second in The Sword of Lyric trilogy. In the first book, Susan, an average “soccer mom,” is suddenly pulled into another reality where she discovers she is the Restorer, one whose purpose is to help the people heart’s return to the One who made them. Feeling overwhelmed and dismayed, she learns to rely on the One for strength for the task to which He has called her. She is startled to find that her husband is originally from this world. At the end of the book, the Restorer gifts are transferred to probably the most unlikely person, Kieran, who is distrustful and antagonistic, who is not even sure what he believes or if he believes, and Susan and husband Mark return to their world thinking that adventure is over only to discover that their son Jake has disappeared through the portal, and they have to go back to find him.

The Restorer’s Son picks up the story right where The Restorer left off. I’ll try not to reveal much more of the plot than the back of the book reveals so as not to spoil it for those who haven’t read it. Kieran is running from his destiny and stumbles upon Jake, who he realizes is Susan’s son. He can’t really afford the time and energy to care for him, but he knows he can’t leave him alone. Susan and Mark return and panic in the unfruitful search for Jake. All are drawn into the events occurring in Lyric and its enemy Hazor.

Whereas Susan’s story was inspired by that of Deborah in the Old Testament book of Judges, Kieran has a very Jacob-like encounter with the One. Parts of his story also remind me of Jonah. He’s not running from the One’s call for the same reasons, but he is running.

Sharon portrays the alternate world as very real, and readers will readily identify with struggles, wrestlings, and feelings the characters have. There are some surprises along the way. The title has at least a double, if not a triple meaning. Gentle humor throughout keeps the book from being too “heavy,” and the spiritual truth is convicting and inspiring.

I can’t wait til The Restorer’s Journey, due out next February.

Three abortion stories

Posted on November 7, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Over the last few days three very different abortion stories have come to my attention.

I saw the first one linked to from Crystal’s about a woman who found she was expecting triplets and decided to abort two because,

“I worked freelance; and I would have to go on bed rest in March. I lecture at colleges, and my biggest months are March and April. I would have to give up my main income for the rest of the year. There was a part of me that was sure I could work around that. But it was a matter of, Do I want to?…When I found out about the triplets, I felt like: It’s not the back of a pickup at 16, but now I’m going to have to move to Staten Island. I’ll never leave my house because I’ll have to care for these children. I’ll have to start shopping only at Costco and buying big jars of mayonnaise. Even in my moments of thinking about having three, I don’t think that deep down I was ever considering it.”

She went on to say she is afraid of getting pregnant again because of the possibility of conceiving multiples again, and that if she was pregnant again with triplets she would again abort one or more of them. A note at the end of the article says this woman is an abortion rights advocate who has no regrets over her decision.

I felt both sick and sad after reading this article. Any honest parent would admit that yes, babies don’t always come at convenient times, and, yes, they do change your life — especially when they come three at one time. This mother didn’t feel as if she couldn’t handle it. She didn’t want to. Aside from the religious and moral implications, how sad that two lives with all their potential for who they could have been and what they could have accomplished were snuffed out with a shot of potassium chloride to the heart — an act that would be legally murder done to someone outside the womb — just because they were an inconvenience to the one who gave them life. How sad that life is only valued if it is wanted. There used to be some measure of self-sacrifice, of putting aside one’s own wants and pleasures for the sake of another’s life, even among non-Christians. Those are foreign concepts these days.

I have to admit the thought of triplets would be jarring. The thought of such a sudden and drastic life change would be unsettling. When I found out I was pregnant with my third, I’ll have to admit there were mixed emotions, just for a little while — my other two were older, and though we hadn’t decided on a certain number of children or a certain time frame for having them, there was a feeling as if we had moved past the baby stage of life, and entering it again was daunting. Maybe that’s part of the problem — we as Christians never talk about these things and we make it seem like parenthood is all bliss. It’s not. It’s wondrous, it’s fun, it’s beautiful. But it is hard. But there is help. By God’s grace I knew that He is the author of life, His timing is perfect, He has a plan for every soul (Psalm 139:13-17), and He gives grace to help in time of need, and therefore I would never have considered abortion. I wish this mother knew these things as well, and I hope she would have been accepting of them if she knew them. I am so glad He brought Jesse along when He did. he’s the sunshine of our family. I can’t imagine life without him.

The second story was one I saw linked to at Amy’s. For the past day or so I had been thinking about blogging about this one under the title “Doctor’s aren’t always right.” “When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision. Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel’s suffering sooner rather than later.” ”

Mrs Jones said: “They told us that if he died, it could be life threatening for his brother. We had to decide whether to end his life and let his brother live, or risk them both. They said it would be impossible to keep him alive afterwards as he was so poorly. It would be kinder to let him die in the womb with his brother by his side than to die alone after being born.” (That’s rather strange logic to me). “That made my mind up for me. I wanted the best thing for him.” (The best thing?)

Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel’s life.

Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong.

They then cut Mrs Jones’s placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother.

But after the operation which was meant to end his life, tiny Gabriel had other ideas.

Although he weighed less than a pound, he put up such a fight for survival that doctors called him Rocky.

Astonishingly, he managed to carry on living in his mother’s womb for another five weeks – until the babies were delivered by caesarean section.

Now he and Ieuan are back at home in Stoke – and are so close they are always holding each other’s hand.

When Mrs Jones reached 31 weeks doctors carried out a caesarian to deliver the twins. Ieuan weighed 3lb 8oz and Gabriel 1lb 15oz. Both were kept in hospital, but since going home they have thrived. At seven months, Ieuan weighs 15lb and Gabriel 12lb 6oz.

Mrs Jones said: “The boys are so healthy, they have huge appetites too. Ieuan is the noisy one, while Gabriel is always laughing, it’s like he’s just so happy to be here.

“There is such a strong bond between them.

“They are always holding hands and if one cries, the other reaches out to comfort him.”

“Doctors tried to break their bond in the womb, but they just proved it couldn’t be broken.”

I am so thankful for the outcome, thankful this little one lived and is thriving. And I can sympathize with the mother’s thought that she was sacrificing one child to help the other survive rather than lose both. But I wish the mindset among people in general and the medical community in particular was geared toward giving life a chance rather than thinking a fatal intervention is needed.

The last story was one I read just this morning about God’s amazing grace to a woman who had had three abortions. I don’t want to just quote pieces from it — go on over and read the whole thing. I pray that anyone reading this who is considering abortion or who has had an abortion would read this story and find the same amazing grace.

Psalm Sunday: Psalm 52

Posted on November 4, 2007 by Barbara Harper

1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.

2 The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

The NASB heading of this Psalm says it was written “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.'” This incident is recorded in I Samuel 21-22. King Saul had grown increasingly unstable and had tried to kill David. David fled from Saul and stopped in to ask the priest for provisions and a weapon. He did not tell the priest he was fleeing for his life; he told him he was on the king’s business. Doeg the Edomite saw him there, and later when King Saul asked for information about David, Doeg told him all he knew. Saul confronted the priest and, though the priest confessed he knew nothing about the trouble between David and Saul, Saul commanded his servants to kill the priests, but they refused. Then Saul commanded Doeg to kill them, and he did — 85 of them plus “Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep” (I Samuel 22:19). One son of the priest escaped and came to David, who was deeply grieved at the loss of life his situation had caused and took the man into his protection.

Knowing the background lends weight to David’s comparing the tongue to a sharp razor, working deceitfully and devising mischief and speaking devouring words. This man, and others like him, ” lovest evil more than good” and “made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

Yet David had faith that “the goodness of God endureth continually” and that this man had no reason to boast because “God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.”

Verses 6-7 say, “The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.” I honestly have a little trouble with the idea of laughing at the fate of the wicked, but I don’t think this is talking about laughing at his fate. I don’t know if this is exactly the right perspective, but I think of it similarly to when I hear ferocious barking, turn to see where it is coming from, and see it is some little tiny yapping dog, and I smile and think, “Who do you think you are?!” Sure, a little dog can still cause harm, but he’s not nearly as big and mighty as he seems to think he is. And the wicked are the same. Yes, they can cause harm. But their power is limited, and their reward is coming.

We are instructed in the New Testament to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). I have heard testimony of some who have come to the Lord as a result of being loved and prayed for in the face of hatred and perecution. God “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). But if a person will not repent, they will have to face God’s judgment.

So God will take care of the wicked one way or another. This reminds me of Psalm 37:7: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

By contrast to the characteristics and fate of the wicked, David says he is “like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.” He will not be cut down: he will be growing and fruitful in the house of God, trusting in His mercy forever, praising Him forever.

We can wait on God’s good name as well, trusting and resting in Him.

For more meditations on this Psalm or to join in with your own, see Butterfly Kisses.

When Morning Guilds the Skies

Posted on November 4, 2007 by Barbara Harper

When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When you begin the day, O never fail to say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
And at your work rejoice, to sing with heart and voice,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Does sadness fill my mind? A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss? My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

To God, the Word, on high, the host of angels cry,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let mortals, too, upraise their voice in hymns of praise,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this at meals your grace, in every time and place;
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, when day is past, of all your thoughts the last
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When mirth for music longs, this is my song of songs:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evening shadows fall, this rings my curfew call,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When sleep her balm denies, my silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

The night becomes as day when from the heart we say:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Let all the earth around ring joyous with the sound:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
In Heaven’s eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

In Heav’n’s eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let earth, and sea and sky from depth to height reply,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song through all the ages long:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

(Full version here)

(Photo courtesy of hotblack at the stock.xchng)