May 7, 2011

Yesterday was school, but it is so obvious that we are all ready for vacation, again a work day on the annual, there may be few students, but there are diligent workers, I spend the hour getting the info to them so they can complete the pages.  After school I was outside, burning the ditches and in the yard, but dad has been, too.  So we are getting ready for summer.  We went and got the vehicle he drove to Park River when he got the airplane.

VERSE:
  Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits --
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases ....
   -- Psalm 103:2-3
     

THOUGHT:
  Our God is an awesome God. He not only defines and defeats sin;
he delivers us from the consequences of sin by forgiving our sins
and purifying us. True healing means more than just curing a sick
body -- and we praise God for the times he has done that in our
lives. No, true healing means to forgive and deliver us from what
breaks our spirits and makes our souls and bodies unhealthy. Only
God offers this "benefit" as part of his retirement package!

PRAYER:
  How can I sufficiently praise you, Abba Father, for your mercy
and grace that has forgiven, pardoned, and cleansed me of my sin.
Help me never to forget the joy of being forgiven and included in
your family. Thank you for your salvation. In Jesus' name I praise
you. Amen.

May 6, 2011

Yesterday, we went through the whole annual to see where we needed to make corrections.  After school I went to see Frank and Dorothy for a little while, because I didn't have to show the O'Brien house they found another.  Then I came home and we ate and Mary and Ione went with me to the program at school.  DJ's Music and Becky's speech gave a recital, it was very good.  Remember the days of state music contests?  It is this weekend in Minot.

I am reading a very good book about a little boy who had a death experience and he tells his family about heaven.......

Rewards

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful
with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your
master's happiness!"

-Matthew 25:21

Pain and problems do one more thing.  If in our trials we are faithful, suffering
wins us rich rewards in heaven. It's not so much that the resurrection will be wonderful
in spite of all our pain-it will be wonderful because of it.

My wheelchair, unpleasant as it may be, is what God uses to dislocate my stubborn
resentment and dislodge my self-centered attitudes. My wheelchair even forces me
 to be more faithful to Him. The more faithful I am to Him, the more rewards are
 stored up in heaven. Earthly sufferings don't simply aid us today: They will serve
us in eternity.

Oh, to hear my Master say on that resurrection morning, "Well done good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful in trusting through the trials ... in obeying despite
the hardship ... in believing through the doubts. Now come and share your Master's
happiness!"

Join me, will You? Yield to God's method of operating, His plan in your suffering.
Allow your suffering to get you ready for the hereafter, permit it to prepare you
to meet God, use it to build eternal rewards ... then the hope of complete spiritual,
emotional, mental, and physical resurrection will throb in your heart with vibrancy.

And then, maybe after a short while in eternity, you and I will enjoy a game of
tennis on the courts of heaven.

Master, I want to hear You say to me, "Well done! I know that's only possible if
 I persevere through my trials by Your grace. Help me to be faithful in these few
things today. Help me to look forward to greater things in eternity.

May 5, 2011

Yesterday was another busy day at school, much to do to finish out the year.  Working on annual pages, we have only about 6 students in the class, some are such diligent workers and others are not.  After school I went to Cando and cleaned church, visited with Jay and Illa Mae and Matt and Mavis,  Matt and Mavis are having some plumbing issues and really just need to get a plumber to fix the problem.  Bible study and then came home.

More of Heaven


"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with
 immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed
up in victory.'"

-1 Corinthians 15:54

Suffering gets us ready for the resurrection.

Broken necks, broken homes, and broken hearts crush our hopes that earthly things
can satisfy. Only the promise of immortality can truly move our eyes from this world.
The glorious day when "death will be swallowed up in victory" becomes our passion
as we realize, once and for all, that earth can never meet our deepest longings.

Suffering also prepares us to meet God when we get to heaven. Suppose you never
knew pain. No stained reputation. No bruised feelings. No sore back, twisted ankle,
or decayed molars. How could you appreciate the scarred hands with which Christ
will greet you? What if no one had ever offended you deeply? How could you adequately
express your gratitude when you approach the Man of Sorrows, who was acquainted
with grief?

When you meet Jesus face-to-face, your hardships will have given you a taste of
what He went through to purchase the promise of your resurrection. And your loyalty
to Him in your sufferings will give you something concrete to offer in return. For
what other proof could you bring of your love if this life left you totally unscarred?

I praise you, Sovereign Lord, that You use suffering to prepare me for heaven. Help
me to live today with the promise of the resurrection before me, giving me a reason
to thank You in the midst of my pain. Keep me from complaining and grumbling. For
on the day that I stand before Jesus, I want to offer Him proof of my love and faithfulness.

May 4, 2011

Yesterday was another busy day with annual pages, but the students are doing a great job. After school I made a quick trip to Devils Lake and picked up a history project that someone there had added info to.  Then home and really didn't do much.  We got a phone call from Allison Schonauer Hofstad about someone needing a place to live, they will come to the O'Brien house on Thursday after school.

May 3, 2011

I had a busy day yesterday, we are really working on the annual so my spare time is focused on getting the photos to the right pages and then helping the students find photos, just a lot of activity in the room the first hour, the rest of the day I try to update everything so we are ready for this morning.  They are wonderful students.  Then later in the morning we found out a student I was suppose to be watching at stolen a staff cell phone, they caught him on their camera.  Actually i was covering for another teacher and helping another student, so I don't really remember whether I saw him or not, he tends to wander a lot, and so now he is suspended til Friday, and then can not leave a class room.  He is doing very poor work, and won't pass his grade.  After school we went to a meeting about the closing of our post office, it was a pre meeting to prepare for when a team comes to see us next week.

I am thinking of some of the struggles we are facing, that God cares about every little thing in our lives, but he wants us to put him first and he will meet our needs, or atleast show us what he is doing in our lives.......

His Eye is on the Sparrow

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
apart from the will of your Father."

-Matthew 10:29

English sparrows. They're worth barely a penny, Jesus said so. Yet of the world's
nine thousand bird species, Jesus singled out the least-noticed and most insignificant
of birds to make a point.

If God takes time to keep tabs on every sparrow-who it is, where it's going, whether
or not its needs are being met- then surely He keeps special tabs on you. Intimately.
Personally. And with every detail in mind.

The Bible may point to eagles to underscore courage and power, and it may talk about
doves as symbols of peace and contentment. But God's Word reserves sparrows to teach
a lesson about trust. Just as God tenderly cares for a tiny bird, even making note
of when it is harmed, or when it falls to the ground, He gently reminds you that
 He is worthy of your greatest trust, your deepest confidence.

How do you approach God today? Maybe you feel like a ragamuffin house sparrow clinging
to an empty birdfeeder with no one to care. Stop and remember the facts behind Matthew
10:29. God does care. He notices.

Try trusting the Lord today as would a sparrow. No questions asked. No fears that
He won't come through. Relax in the protection and provision of your great God.

Father, it's astounding to think that with so many things to care for, You have
a heart for people the world considers small and insignificant. Forgive me for not
believing that You not only notice but intimately care for every detail of my life.
Help me today to believe You for the small things. May I see every detail as an
opportunity to trust You.

May 2, 2011

Yesterday was Sunday School and Church with a potluck and after a nap at home a pot luck at the Senior Center, to much eating in one day.  Rather a lazy day.  There is snow on the ground and when we took county line to church there were red stacks at the side of the road and in the middle a hole, we came home a different road,  just didn't want to fall through.

VERSE:
  If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a
tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is
worthless.
   -- James 1:26
  

THOUGHT:
  "It's no big deal!" That's the whine of a believer rationalizing
vulgar, inappropriate, or hurtful speech. However, a friend
confessed to me a long time ago, "Our moral plunge in the office
began when we let our language slip. It didn't seem like that big a
deal at the time, but what it led to was disastrous." Religion that
is not reflected in everyday speech is empty and hollow. So let's
use our speech to bless and encourage, not to curse, slander, or
gossip.

PRAYER:
  Holy and incomparable God, please forgive me for not using my
speech redemptively. Forgive me for the times I've used my words to
wound another or in ways that dishonor you and your holy claim on
my life. Use my words today, and every day, to bless, encourage,
and comfort so others may know your grace through me. In Jesus'
name I pray. Amen.

May 1, 2011

Yesterday was a day at home except when I went to the post office.  Oh, by the way, they are trying to close our post office again, very frustrating.  Otherwise we were at home, I cleaned out some more and had a fire in the burning barrel to get rid of what I didn't want to see again.  It is getting better, I am leaving the books for you children to decided what you want to keep.  otherwise a good day.  We have snow this morning.   This devotions fits well with a book that I am reading. 

Satan Schemes, God Redeems


"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now
 being done, the saving of many lives."

-Genesis 50:20

God always exploits Satan's evil intentions and uses them in His own

service - just one more example of God's ability to work "out everything in conformity
with the purpose of his will" (Ephesians 1:11).

Satan intends the rain that ruins a church picnic to cause Christians to grumble
 against their Lord; God uses the rain to develop their patience. Satan plans to
 hinder the work of an effective missionary by arranging for him to trip in the
jungle and break a leg; God allows the accident so that the missionary's godly response
to pain and discomfort will bring glory to Himself. Satan brews a hurricane to kill
thousands in a small village in Bangladesh; God uses the storm to display His awesome
power, to show people the awful consequences that sin has brought to the world,
to drive some to search for Him, to harden others in their sin, and to remind us
 that He is free to do as He pleases. We will never figure Him out.

Satan schemed that a seventeen-year-old girl named Joni would break her neck, hoping
to ruin her life; God sent the broken neck in answer to her prayer for a closer
walk with Him.

As a friend once said, "God sends things, but Satan often brings them. Praise God
that when Satan causes calamity, we can answer him with the words that Joseph answered
his brothers with when they sold him into slavery, 'You meant evil against me, but
God meant it for good.'"

Sovereign Lord, You are all-wise and powerful, able to abort devilish schemes always
to serve Your own ends and purposes. Suffering is a mystery but not so much a mystery
that I cannot trust You.