marvelloustime

Hi Annette, Sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he is on the mend and getting better. I'll pray for you and your dad. Learning to trust God day by day and not rely on your own strength is a good plan! Good week this end thanks. I had an answered prayer. We got our car back from the garage after having to wait weeks for it, which left us stuck as we live in the middle of nowhere. So I have been thanking Jesus for that. Becky. X

Hi LadyKay, I think we've all felt like that at one time or another. This life is so turbulent that often we don't understand what is happening. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 I was once told not to go by my feelings, as our feelings are erratic, and change so quickly, but instead to go by fact. And the fact is, as promised to us in the Bible, that the Lord God is with us and He does hear us, and He knows all our problems. He also loves you dearly. One of the best ways I've found on getting closer to Him is to praise Him. It really does uplift your soul and bring you closer to Him. Even if it's just putting on a pair of headphones, and listening to some praise music. Close your eyes and just listen to the lyrics, and you'll find yourself joining in. I feel so much better in myself and much closer to Jesus after I've done that. I am also praying for you. Becky.

Hi all, Here are some lovely verses of rest and peace. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:28-30 “And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Ex. 33:14 “…for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Ps. 127:2 “Be still, and know that I am God.” Ps. 46:10 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Is. 40:29-31 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Ps. 4:8 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Ps. 91:1 “Repent therefore, and turn back…that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” Acts 3:19-20 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...” Ps. 23:1-6 "Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.” Ecc. 4:6 “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” Ps. 113:3 “A heart at peace gives life to the body…” Prov. 14:30 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Is. 26:3 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7 “…the God of peace will be with you.” Phil. 4:9 “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Is. 54:10 “The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.” Ps. 29:11 “For He Himself is our peace…” Eph. 2:14 “…the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Rom. 8:6 “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Num. 6:24-26 (Citation: https://www.ibelieve.com/health-beauty/20-verses-of-rest-and-peace-for-your-summer.html?utm_source=iBelieve Daily Update&utm_campaign=iBelieve Daily Update&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2850945&bcid=5da31583941ac0436f866785e89f41c2&recip=547950175 )

Likewise! I can't sing in tune either.

I have been thinking about this very thing so much lately. Including today. I think, myself, that there will be a Heavenly language. I also think we'll be called by a different name. I don't think my name will be Rebecca up there. I also can't imagine us all talking in our worldly native language, ie; English. Our languages are a man-made invention, and everything up there will be God created. Love, Becky. X

What a lovely way of putting it @George I can see why you are gifted for ministry. Love the way you say this is a prequel to the big party - The Lord's Supper! Yay! Oh how marvellous! Especially for people like me, who live in the middle of nowhere, and find it difficult to access a church. I have gained a lot of strength and encouragement from this forum, and to me it is my fellowship with other believers. Without this forum I wouldn't be talking to hardly any fellow believers. (Due to health and other reasons, my husband and I are planning to move, to be nearer better facilities and amenities, and I then look very much forward to be able to join a church). So, can I just say a thank you for inventing this place here. It is a God send to me. Becky.

Good evening my family in Christ. I've just read this. Its lovely. He Lives in You By Adrian Rogers “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’” – Galatians 4:6 “Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with your spirit. Let us face the day with the knowledge that you are with us always. Amen.” When I first got saved, I learned about Jesus in the Bible, and that was wonderful to me. And then as I began to live the Christian life, I would see what Jesus would do in the lives of other people, and I saw Jesus in history and Jesus in action, and that was wonderful. And then as I studied more, I began to learn about Jesus in heaven, ruling and reigning from His throne, and that was wonderful. But I’ve learned a great truth, and that is that Jesus is in the Bible, and Jesus is in history, and Jesus is in heaven, but—here’s the great truth—Christ lives in me. He has possessed me. I am His purchased possession, and therefore, I am under new management. If you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, He lives within you. You can rejoice today with the apostle Paul who said, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/bible-study-minute/he-lives-in-you-bible-study-minute-june-19-2018.html?utm_source=Your Bible Minute&utm_campaign=Bible Study Minute - BibleStudyTools.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2848066&bcid=5da31583941ac0436f866785e89f41c2&recip=547950175

@turtletwo Thank you! She also had "Great is thy faithfulness" and "Amazing Grace". I was fortunate that she had planned her own funeral. Strangely enough, she planned and paid for it in October 2008. She passed away October (6th), 2018. Exactly ten years, to the month! I couldn't believe it when I saw the month and year that she had planned her funeral. X

Wonderful @turtletwo Thank you for that! Lovely. Xxx

Hi @mlbrokish Thank you for sharing that. It's amazing how the death of a close loved one can either bring us to believe in Jesus, and bring us closer to Him. I was a believer before my mum died, but since she has gone, last October, it has definitely brought me much closer to Jesus. Like you said, we know we will see them again in Heaven, and we will all be together, for eternity. How bizarre that she passed away exactly the same way as her son a few decades before. It sounds as though both of them passed away peacefully. Fall into a sleep, and then pass over into Heaven. I pray right now that you're able to show your husband and children the same way. Keep praying for them constantly, every day. And don't give up. And ask the Lord when He wants you to say something, and what it is He wants you say to them. Sometimes He doesn't want anything said at all, and sometimes He does. He knows what's in all their hearts. Becky. X

Thanks @turtletwo I just read Psalm 103, and you're right, it does remind us that He understands. Thank you. X

Yes, I'm with you on that one. I love that acronym.

This one my mum chose to have played at her funeral service, as she felt it would be very fitting for the trials she had gone through in her life. She passed away last October. I think my mum has passed this baton onto me! Lol. Fight The Good Fight. Fight the good fight with all thy might! Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right; Lay hold on life, and it shall be Thy joy and crown eternally. 2 Run the straight race through God’s good grace, Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face; Life with its way before us lies, Christ is the path, and Christ the prize. 3 Cast care aside, lean on thy Guide; His boundless mercy will provide; Trust, and thy trusting soul shall prove Christ is its life, and Christ its love. 4 Faint not nor fear, His arms are near, He changeth not, and thou art dear; Only believe, and thou shalt see That Christ is all in all to thee.

Oh gosh, on a humorous level, I've just re-edited the subject heading to this thread, as it could have been read the wrong way! Thank you for not pointing out my silly grammar mistake!

Amen to that!

If you feel you're being spiritually attacked at the minute. Or perhaps you want to feel closer to Jesus. This is the second article that I read earlier today, that has helped me, after a difficult day today. Hope it helps you. www.crosswalk.com Are you feeling exposed today? Seeking the kind of shelter described in Psalm 91? Run to the Father's fortress with these words on your lips and in your heart, knowing that God will stand guard over any area of your life you surrender to Him. Will you pray with me now for his divine protection? Lord Jesus, The world is changing so fast. Every day the media relays tales of those who disregard law, devise evil, and destroy both people and property. And because of what's happening, fear sometimes rises up in my heart—for me, for those I love, and for people everywhere. Yet I know you are in control. I ask you today for your supernatural protection, Lord—both personally and globally. Please station angels around my home and family to guard them from danger. Lead us away from temptation, and help us to run from the presence of questionable activities or harmful influences. When we’re weak, help us to look up to you and to hold on tight to the truth that you love us and want the best for us. I will run to you, Lord, whenever I feel afraid. I know your hand will protect me and lead me into your shadow, Almighty God, where I can rest and be safe. I know that bad things can happen to all of us, but you are always there to bring good out of it. And you’ve promised me that no one can harm my spirit/soul—the innermost part of me that you've destined for eternity. Because I belong to you, you will give me safe passage—all the way to my eternal home. But while I'm still living in my temporary house on earth, I pray you will not only guard my heart, but also my mind from foolish thoughts and actions. Expose the lies that try to twist the truth. Give me discernment, Lord, and wisdom for the good times, the hard times, and all the in-between-times. Let me never leave home without your protection and without the spiritual armor you've given me. I place my trust and dependence on you, today, Lord. Like the commander of a great army, you are in control, and you will go to any lengths to insure the safety of those under your wing of protection. I believe you want good, not harm for my life. And I am asking that you will replace fear with the confident assurance that you are always here with me, protecting me from harm. Others may try to hurt my body, Lord. But they can never destroy my soul. I'm safe with you, Jesus.

Hi @mlbrokish I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. It is such a painful thing to go through isn't it. I never thought I'd feel that much pain when my mother died. She was 86 and in a care home, and she died of heart failure. She was admitted to hospital, and was in there for a week before passing away. I've been doing better regarding my mother's passing. Until today, when some bureaucrat decided, out of the blue, to email me to my personal email account, some paperwork nonsense regarding my mother. It brought back all those raw painful feelings that I had last October when she passed away, and it has set me back again. Praise Jesus, one day all of us will be at Home in Heaven, with Jesus. And I am very much looking forward to it. Becky. X

Hi @mlbrokish Thanks for your reply. Yes, I find some good articles on that website. The actual address of that article is https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/bible-study-minute/how-to-live-fear-free-in-a-fearful-world-bible-study-minute-june-18-2018.html?utm_source=Your Bible Minute&utm_campaign=Bible Study Minute - BibleStudyTools.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2845883&bcid=5da31583941ac0436f866785e89f41c2&recip=547950175 I'm not afraid of dying either. But I think the body's self preservation and automatic instinct would activate itself if we were in a life threatening situation. I can imagine I'd be praying something like "Please let this be quick, and please don't let this hurt". My mum passed away peacefully in hospital last October. I can imagine that is a very nice way to exit this life and walk over to actually be with Jesus in eternity. Becky. X

Good evening all, After a difficult day today, finding this article in my inbox helped. I want to share it for those who are also having a difficult time at the moment. https://www.crosswalk.com How to live Fear Free. Lynette Kittle If you’re feeling anxious, fearful, or distraught over current headlines, you’re not alone. An unstable and volatile world is causing people to feel vulnerable at home, in school, at work, in travel, and as they go about their daily activities. Still Scripture encourages you to not be afraid of those who kill the body (Matthew 10:28). God doesn’t want you to live a fearful life and urges you to “Have no fear of sudden disaster” (Proverbs 3:25). So how is possible to live fear free in a fearful world? Since God has not give you a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), it’s up to you to choose to trust Him no matter what you’re facing, to walk around assured He is with you, and to believe His promise that, “Never will I leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). In life-threatening situations, you can be assured God is with you. Scripture describes what Stephen experienced when he came under attack, how “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). God was with Stephen in the darkest of circumstances and when he died, he passed into new life. Like him, your life in Christ is eternal as explained “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:54). You belong to God and your life is safe and secure in Him. As Jesus said in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die.” The Apostle Paul understood God’s eternal provision for life when he stated, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Even if threats of death increase in the world, you don’t have to live a fearful life because nothing, not even death, can separate you from His care. Romans 8:38, 39 states, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Whatever situations life may bring, resist the urge to be afraid. As Stephen did, look to God, being assured He is with you knowing, “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:4).

@turtletwo and @BeauJangles I know the feeling. I'm also extremely home sick for Heaven as well. And have been for many years. Since my mum went Home last October, the desire to go Home has become even greater. The slog, toil and stress of life in this world gets so weary. This afternoon I was in tears just in tiredness of being so weary of the trials of this life. I often say to Jesus, how long? I'm 44 and I shudder at the thought that I may have to do another 40 years if I'm to be in this life as long as my parents were, who both lived to their eighties. I know Jesus will help and sustain me, if that is His plan for me to plod on for another 40 or so years. But the thought of it....

Hi @Godismyloveforever I mean, bible versions as in amplified, King James Version, New International Version etc. Becky. X

What's your favourite Bible version?

None of us really know, until it happens, what we will say to Jesus when we meet Him. But, what do you think you might say, or what do you hope you will say? I've always joked with my Mother for donkey's years that when I first meet Jesus, I will do an impression of her, and will say to Him "Oh Hello!", as I tilt my head to one side, just like she used to do it. She passed away last October, and I humorously often think to myself I wonder if that is how she first spoke to Him!

Love this article. We can be free from the trials of this world getting to us. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-free-do-you-really-want-to-be#_=_ Jon Bloom Who are the freest people in the world? The people who are freest from the world. So, how free are you? I’m not asking if you can give me the right answer. I trust you know that “for freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1) and that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). You and I know that Christ has set us free from needing to achieve “a righteousness of [our] own that comes from the law” since we have by God’s grace been given the free gift of “the righteousness from God that depends on faith” in Christ (Philippians 3:9) — a mind-blowingly glorious truth. “Who are the freest people in the world? The people who are freest from the world.” Tweet Share on Facebook The real question for you and me is, are we really living in the freedom Christ has given us? What Jesus purchased and gave to us is not an abstract theological category that we will only realize after we die, but a life-governing, joy-producing, experiential, and radically free reality that begins now. He sets us “free indeed” to live in the world as long as we are in the world (John 8:36). The secret to experiencing this freedom all depends on where home really is for us. The Key to Living Free Over and over in the godly lineage of Hebrews 11, we see people who lived remarkably free here on earth. What made that great cloud of witnesses so free? We might be quick to answer, “Faith!” That’s true, of course, but it doesn’t go deep enough. Because everyone lives by faith. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Everyone lives by faith in what they believe is true about reality, most of which they cannot see or personally prove. All human beings are wired to live this way. What made our faithful forebears free was Who they ultimately believed in (Hebrews 11:6) and where they believed he was leading them: For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:14–16) There’s the key: they desired a better country — a heavenly one. They really desired it because they really believed it existed. They believed in the better country so much that they were content to “[die] in faith, not having received the [earthly] things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). They were free to do the best and hardest good in the world because they were free from needing to belong to the world. “Live as People Who Are Free” The depth of our understanding of our freedom in Christ is revealed by how free we are, like those saints, to live as strangers and exiles on earth. The proof of our freedom is in the pudding of our pursuits. “The secret to experiencing freedom all depends on where home really is for us.” Tweet Share on Facebook True faith manifests both in what we say with our lips (Romans 10:9; Hebrews 13:15) and in the way we live. Yes, the people of old “[spoke] thus” (Hebrews 11:14). But they also lived thus: Abel offered, Enoch walked, Noah constructed, Abraham obeyed and went and offered, Sarah conceived, Isaac and Jacob blessed, Joseph instructed, Moses refused and chose and considered and left and kept, the Israelites passed through, Rahab lived (Hebrews 11:4–31). And “time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets” (Hebrews 11:32). Some of these examples are more commendable than others. But their lives of faith, their “obedience of faith” (Romans 16:26), still speak, though they have long since passed away (Hebrews 11:4). This is why Peter tells us to “live as people who are free” (1 Peter 2:16): We are free to no longer live as captives to the world’s values and claims and cravings and threats, since “here we have no lasting city” (Hebrews 13:14). We are free to “walk by the Spirit, and . . . not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16), since “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). We are free to not “lay up for [ourselves] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for [ourselves indestructible] treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19–20). We are free to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves, since we know that our heavenly Father will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:11, 19). And we are free to die, since to be with Christ in his heavenly country is “far better” than anything we’ve known here (Philippians 1:23). How Free Do You Want to Be? Yes, all this freedom, and far more, is available to us as Christians. I suspect all of us, no matter how far along we are in the faith, would admit we’re living beneath our inheritance. The question before us is this: How free do we want to be? This is where we begin to squirm. Our flesh does not want to be free from the world. Our indwelling sin is drawn to “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life” (1 John 2:16). To lose them feels like losing life. To which Jesus says, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). “Whatever it takes, don’t settle for anything less than the full freedom God has for you.” Tweet Share on Facebook Ponder that sentence. Pray over it, and let it probe you all day. What does the Spirit point out to you in the word “loses”? It is likely that the things he brings to mind — things that feel like losing your life to let go — are, in reality, holding you captive to this world and inhibiting you from living fruitfully in the kinds of kingdom-abundance Jesus wants to give you (John 10:10). Respond to the Spirit! Jesus wants you to find greater freedom and real life. Whatever it takes, don’t settle for anything less than the full freedom God has for you. Seek with all your might to run unencumbered the race God has set before you, like those who ran before you, who freely chose to live like strangers and exiles here because their real citizenship is in heaven. For those who are freest in the world are those who are freest from the world.

Some of these wonderful hymns here takes me back to being about 13 years old, sat in church next to my parents, and then standing up holding the hymn book and singing these songs, with the organ in the corner of the worship area. However, unfortunately I was one of those youngsters that used to look at their watch and look forward to the service ending! But it's funny how the Lord uses those memories from our childhood years, to now give us a smile, and we now sing these songs to the Lord from the heart, and still look back at all them years ago in fondness. Here's another lovely one: Make me a channel of your peace Where there is hatred let me bring your love Where there is injury, your pardon Lord And where there is doubt true faith in You Make ma a channel of your peace Where there is despair in life let me bring hope Where there is darkness only light And where there's sadness ever joy Oh, Master grant that I may never seek So much to be consoled as to console To be understood as to understand To be loved as to love with all my soul Make me a channel of your peace It is in pardoning that we are pardoned It is in giving to all man that we receive And in dying that we are born to eternal life