Forgiving Ourselves???

Recently I heard "God loves you.  He forgives you.  You must forgive yourself".  This got me to thinking...Do we really need to "forgive ourselves" if we have accepted the forgiveness of God?  What does forgiving ourselves do for us if we haven't accepted His forgiveness?  And if we have accepted His forgiveness there's no relevance to forgiving ourselves...there's no point. 

I've come to the conclusion that it's one of those things where we accept what God offers and try to add to it.  He's offered us salvation, so now we have to (fill in the blank).  He's forgiven us but we have to (fill in the blank).

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:3 that our minds could be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The simplicity that is in Christ!!!!  Not complications.  Not a list of rules/regulations.  Simplicity.

In this day and age, we as a culture, crave simplicity in all areas of our lives.   Yet, we don't know how to obtain it.

The simplicity is in Christ.  Forget your to-do lists and your self-help books, even the ones by Christian authors.  Yes, I said it.  And seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33).  How do you do that?  By loving God and loving others (Mark 12:30-31).

Simplicity in Christ.

A Shepherd Looks at the Good Shepherd by Phillip Keller

"If in truth I am God's person; if Christ has in fact entered my life, my body belongs to Him: He resides there. My right to do with it as I choose has been abdicated. It is now the residence of His gracious Spirit who is entitled to be sovereign in it's conduct and care. I no longer have any right to misuse or abuse it. It is not to be overworked, overstressed, overfed, overindulged with drink, nor overcharged with sex. As the sheep of Christ's care this body is to be under His management. It is to be put out of the confining, restricting, damaging environment of just four walls and cramped quarters. It is to be exposed fully and freely to the benefits of fresh air, sunshine, clean water, wholesome food, moderate exercise, and adequate sleep. These are provisions made for it by God. I should be willing to be put out to see they are met. This will benefit not only myself, but also my family, friends, and anyone else who encounters this healthy, wholesome, energetic, vigorous person.

My Utmost for His Highest June 29th

At the Feet of Jesus

I used this photo yesterday at church for a song titled Feet of Jesus by Steven Curtis Chapman.  I don't know who the artist is but I think it's beautiful.  It is my desire to be a woman of prayer.  One who sits with the Word and pours out her heart.  Whether in praise or prayer, just spending time at the Feet of Jesus.

May a Bird of Paradise Fly up Your Nose

It wasn't a Bird of Paradise.  I'm not even sure what kind of bird it was, but it was sure flying around my living room this morning! I haven't even had my breakfast yet!   It would light on one picture frame and settle there for a moment until one of the cats saw it and took a flying leap towards it.  Then it would fly around until it found another landing spot.  And the cat chase would continue.  All the while the Little Doggie is barking his head off at all the commotion.  We have recently been thinking that he's losing his eye sight but he had no problem picking out the little bird hanging from the mirror above the fireplace.  Nor did he have a problem noticing when Bunny was brought in last night for some one-on-one time with Son.  Maybe he's just been playing on our sympathies.

I called Hubby to let him know about all the excitement he was missing.  He suggested I lock the pets in one room and open the main door to the house encouraging Birdie to fly away to freedom.  Sounded like a good plan but it didn't quite work out that way.

I finally started opening windows and he made his escape!  At least I'm hoping that's what happened because after opening the second window I couldn't find him again and the pets settled down.

Gee!  I think I'm going to go have my breakfast now.

Life without a Rainbow

Genesis 6:6 says the Lord was sorry he had ever made man.  The KJV says "it grieved Him at His heart".  Very sad.  Why?  What had happened?  Just a few chapters before God had created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. And it was good! So what happened?  Genesis 6:5 tells us the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually".  The NIV says it this way  "The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.  So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart."  Again, very sad.   This broken heartedness led to what happened next.  Verse 7 "And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them."  Only Noah found favor in God's sight.

You know the story.  Noah, his three sons, their wives and Noah's wife are all that were saved, along with some of the animals.  After the flood God told Noah and his sons "to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth" (Genesis 9:1)  God also made a promise with Noah to never destroy the earth again with a flood.  In the same chapter, verse 13 God says "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." 

But what if we didn't have a rainbow covenant?  Would the earth still be here?  Have you ever wondered what God thinks about the earth today?  How does it compare to the earth before the Flood?  Has God's heart been broken again?  Just something to think about.

Oatmeal Cookie Goodness

QUAKER'S BEST OATMEAL COOKIES

Printed from COOKS.COM

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3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 1/2 sticks butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt (opt.)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

Preheat oven to 375°F.Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie, 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack. Store in tightly covered container.

TIP:  I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the cookie dough.  It makes about a 4" diameter cookie that is thick and chewy.  They make a nice breakfast cookie.  Add 1/2 cup raisins for extra goodness.