God, my Exceeding Joy

"Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God." Psalm 43:4

Name:
Location: Oregon, United States

I met my husband while I was a missionary in Hong Kong. He had swum out of China after the Cultural Revolution. We have been married 32 years and have four children (2 biological and 2 adopted), ages 22-30. My mother also lives with us (she just turned 90). I am truly a blessed woman.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Clear the Way

"It is necessary to haul ourselves up short and ask - Do I recognize Jesus Christ as my Teacher, or am I at the mercy of vague spiritual impulses of my own? Am I accepting someone else's conception of God, or am I bringing everything I hear, every impulse, every emotion that comes to me, into line with the teaching of Christ? The test of every spiritual impulse is, does it make Jesus Christ the supreme Teacher?...'Test your teachers,' said Jesus; the teachers who come from God are those who clear the way to Jesus Christ, and keep it clear. We are estimated in God's sight as workers by whether or not we clear the way for people to see Jesus." Taken from He Shall Glorify Me by Oswald Chambers.

Monday, January 22, 2007

This God is Our God

From the Daily Light:

This God is our God for ever and ever:

he will be our guide even unto
death.

O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.--The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.--Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.--Our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.--The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.



PSA. 48. 14. Is. 25. 1.--Ps. 16. 5.
Ps. 23. 3, 4.--Ps. 73. 23-26.--Ps. 33. 21.--
Ps. 138. 8.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Daily Light

Serving the Lord with all humility of

mind.

W HOSOEVER will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

If a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.--I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man . . . not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.--When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Our rejoicing is this, . . . that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world.--We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not from us.


ACTS 20. 19. Mat. 20. 26-28. Ga. 6. 3.--
Ro. 12. 3.--Lu. 17. 10. 2 Co. 1. 12.--
2 Co. 4. 7.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Psalm 145

Psalm 145 (English Standard Version)

Great Is the LORD
A Song of Praise. Of David.
1I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

4One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9The LORD is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14The LORD upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20The LORD preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.



Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Exceptional in the ordinary

From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers:

"Most of us develop our Christianity along the line of our temperament, not along the line of God...Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God...We do not need the grace of God to stand crises; human nature and pride are sufficient. We can face the strain magnificently; but it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours in every day as a saint, to go through drudgery as a disciple, to live an ordinary, unobserved, ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is imbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, and this is not learned in five minutes."

Friday, January 12, 2007

Observations

I've been reading in Joshua this week and have been reminded of some very helpful, practical applications for my own personal life. Here are some observations I jotted down for chapters 6-8.

Chapter 6 - Jericho taken. The conquest of Jericho was entirely of God. He gave them everything, but they still needed to follow His instructions. They didn't just sit back and do nothing. Joshua relayed God's specific instructions to the people and they did excactly what He commanded.

6:12, 15; 8:10 - Both Joshua and the people "rose early" to be about God's business for the day. Their entire day, every day, was spent carrying out His instructions to them in every detail. I need to rise early, get my instructions from the Word, and then spend my entire day with my focus on carrying them out to the finest detail.

6:18 - I need to recognize that all I have is given to me by God, and should never claim or covet anything as my own exclusive right or possession.

Chapter 7 - After the conquest of Jericho, there is no record here of Joshua asking for God's direction for the next step. It sounds like Joshua took the initiative and then listened to the spies' advice without consulting God. When they were defeated at Ai, Joshua's immediate response of wishing they had never crossed the Jordan even with God's direction and presence, surprised me. And yet, how often have I gone ahead on my own initiative, failed, and then complained to God about it! I need to "Rise up!" (7:10) and take care of the sin that has come between God and me.

Chapter 8 - contrast the taking of Ai this time to the first attack:
1) God initiates the order
2) God gives very specific orders on the strategy for taking it
3) God promises to deliver it into their hands
4) Joshua commands them to do "according to the word of the LORD," not according to the word of the spies
5) Victory resulted as they followed God's Word
6)The end result was worship and obedience rather than wishing they had never crossed the Jordan

8:34, 35 - A constant reading of all the words of Scripture and obedience to them should be of highest priority to everyone - young, old, male, female, stranger, family.

How thankful I am that God had these events recorded for my "admonition" and growth (I Cor. 10:11). Have a great day joining me in the dig for new treasures.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

One thing is needful

From Daily Light for today:

One thing is needful.


T HERE be many that say, Who will show us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time when their corn and their wine increased.

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God.--O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Lord, evermore give us this bread.--Mary . . . sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.--One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

LUKE 10. 42. Ps. 4. 6, 7. Ps. 42. 1, 2.--
Ps. 63. 1. John 6. 35, 34.--Lu. 10. 39.--
Ps. 27. 4.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

A New Song

Today's Daily Light reading seemed the perfect way to begin this day and year.

Sing to the LORD a new song.

S ING aloud to God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.--He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.--The joy of the LORD is your strength.--Paul . . . thanked God, and took courage.

Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

ISA. 42. 10. Ps. 81. 1, 2.--Ps. 40. 3.
Jos. 1. 9.--Ne 8. 10.--Acts 28. 15. Ro. 13. 11-14.