Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

May 5
Why Remain Captive

The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity. (Deuteronomy 30:3)

God's own people may sell themselves into captivity by sin. A very bitter fruit is this, of an exceeding bitter root. What a bondage it is when the child of God is sold under sin, held in chains by Satan, deprived of his liberty, robbed of his power in prayer and his delight in the Lord! Let us watch that we come not into such bondage; but if this has already happened to us, let us by no means despair.

But we cannot be held in slavery forever. The Lord Jesus has paid too high a price for our redemption to leave us in the enemy's hand. The way to freedom is, "Return unto the Lord thy God." Where we first found salvation we shall find it again. At the foot of Christ's cross, confessing sin, we shall find pardon and deliverance. Moreover, the Lord will have us obey His voice according to all that He has commanded us, and we must do this with all our heart and all our soul, and then our captivity shall end.

Often depression of spirit and great misery of soul are removed as soon as we quit our idols and bow ourselves in obedience before the living God. We need not be captives. We may return to Zion's citizenship, and that speedily.  Lord, turn our captivity!

 Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Proof Positive

Even trampling wildebeasts cannot keep me from smiling over a witty quote:

"There are two types of people--those who come into a room and say, 'Well, here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'"  --  Fredrick L. Collins

(However, I did notice that my eyelids hurt when the corners of my mouth go up) 

Agony

I am sick.  I feel like I have been hit by the proverbial semi truck and then rolled down an embankment of sharp rocks and trampled by a herd of wildebeasts.

 Well, anyway, that's what I told my husband when I got up this morning.  A slight exaggeration, perhaps, but when you feel as rotten as I do, as much sympathy as possible is required.

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

May 4
Victory in Reverses

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. (Micah 7:8)

This may express the feelings of a man or woman downtrodden and oppressed. Our enemy may put out our light for a season. There is sure hope for us in the Lord; and if we are trusting in Him and holding fast our integrity, our season of downcasting and darkness will soon be over. The insults of the foe are only for a moment. The Lord will soon turn their laughter into lamentation and our sighing into singing.

What if the great enemy of souls should for a while triumph over us, as he has triumphed over better men than we are; yet let us take heart, for we shall overcome him before long. We shall rise from our fall, for our God has not fallen, and He will lift us up. We shall not abide in darkness, although for the moment we sit in it; for our Lord is the fountain of light, and He will soon bring us a joyful day. Let us not despair or even doubt. One turn of the wheel, and the lowest will be at the top. Woe unto those who laugh now, for they shall mourn and weep when their boasting is turned into everlasting contempt. But blessed are all holy mourners, for they shall be divinely comforted.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

A Meme

I've been tagged by Terri at Keeping the Pace for this meme:

Here's how it works: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to tag others and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged .

1.    I have lived in 12 different homes and four different states since we have been married.

2.    I taught preschool and PreK in "another life" and went back to college when my kids were little.

3.    I’ve been teaching at home for twelve years and still have two years to go!  What will I do with myself when we are finished?

4.    When I was 16 years old, I was escorted from the Louvre by two burly guards and told not to come back until the next day .  **blush**

5.    Every house we have ever sold was bought by the first couple who came through after we listed.  Actually, every house if you count the contract that fell through on the first house we sold.  We put it back on the market and, you guessed it, it sold a second time to the first people who looked at it.  Three times we have sold our house before the sign was in the yard, and twice before we finished signing the papers with the realtor.  Once we got full price and once we got more than our asking price.  (yes, I live a charmed life!)

6.    I used to be a political junkie.  I had my coffee every morning with Brian Lamb.  Yes, I did.  I taped the Clinton Impeachment Hearings and Trial and watched them every day after we finished our schooling.  I assembled and quilted several quilts and wall hangings during that time because I do not like to watch TV, so I quilted to assuage my guilty feelings about wasting time.

7.    I have planted at least one bleeding heart at every home we have ever owned.  I have scattered bleeding hearts all over the place!  (hehehe, I love telling people that!)  The three I have here are just getting ready to bloom. 

 I’m only going to tag one--my good friend, MissM.  She's been too quiet lately. . .I think she's got her nose in a book.

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

May 3
Listen for the Signal

And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. (2 Samuel 5:24)

THERE  are signs of the Lord's moving which should move us. The Spirit of God blows where He listeth, and we hear the sound thereof. Then is the time for us to be more than ever astir. We must seize the golden opportunity and make the most we can of it. It is ours to fight the Philistines at all times; but when the Lord Himself goes out before us, then we should be specially valiant in the war.

The breeze stirred the tops of the trees, and David and his men took this for the signal for an onslaught, and at their advance the Lord Himself smote the Philistines. Oh, that this day the Lord may give us an opening to speak for Him with many of our friends! Let us be on the watch to avail ourselves of the hopeful opening when it comes. Who knows but this may be a day of good tidings; a season of soul-winning. Let us keep our ear open to hear the rustle of the wind and our minds ready to obey the signal. Is not this promise, "Then shall the Lord go out before thee," a sufficient encouragement to play the man? Since the Lord goes before us, we dare not hold back.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

For the young reader

I just finished this new bookmark for young readers.  If you want to see it in several other color combinations, you can pop over to Bookworm Bookmarks and see it there.

Oh, and the source of the quote?  Why, my own self, of course, along with every other mother who ever had a reluctant reader!

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

May 2
Spiritual Sowing

He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

SOWING looks like a losing business, for we put good corn into the ground never to see it anymore. Sowing to the Spirit seems a very fanciful, dreamy business; for we deny ourselves and apparently get nothing for it. Yet if we sow to the Spirit by studying to live unto God, seeking to obey the will of God, and laying ourselves out to promote His honor, we shall not sow in vain. Life shall be our reward, even everlasting life. This we enjoy here as we enter into the knowledge of God, communion with God, and enjoyment of God. This life flows on like an ever-deepening, ever-widening river till it bears us to the ocean of infinite felicity, where the life of God is ours forever and ever.

Let us not this day sow to our flesh, for the harvest will be corruption, since flesh always tends that way; but with holy self-conquest let us live for the highest, purest, and most spiritual ends, seeking to honor our most holy Lord by obeying His most gracious Spirit. What a harvest will that be when we reap life everlasting! What sheaves of endless bliss will be reaped! What a festival will that harvest be! Lord, make us such reapers, for thy Son's sake.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

J.R.R. Tolkien and the Mother Goose Connection

 

Sherry, at Semicolon, reminds us that May 1 is Mother Goose Day.  But did you know that there is a Tolkien/Mother Goose connection?  Read on!

Hey! Diddle, Diddle

Hey! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Mother Goose 

Here's evidence that Tolkien wasn't only influenced by ancient Anglo-Saxon and Nordic tales.  He read Mother Goose, too, and wove her images into his writing as deftly as he did those of Beowolf!  Would you like to read more about the Cat and the Fiddle and why it was that the cow jumped over the moon?

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
A Merry Old Inn
by Bilbo Baggins

There is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he runs his bow,
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.

The landlord keeps a little dog
that is mighty fond of jokes;
When there's good cheer among the guests,
He cocks an ear at all the jests
and laughs until he chokes.

They also keep a hornéd cow
as proud as any queen;
But music turns her head like ale,
And makes her wave her tufted tail
and dance upon the green.

And O! the rows of silver dishes
and the store of silver spoons!
For Sunday there's a special pair,
And these they polish up with care
on Saturday afternoons.

The Man in the Moon was drinking deep,
and the cat began to wail;
A dish and a spoon on the table danced,
The cow in the garden madly pranced,
and the little dog chased his tail.

The Man in the Moon took another mug,
and rolled beneath his chair;
And there he dozed and dreamed of ale,
Till in the sky the stars were pale,
and dawn was in the air.

Then the ostler said to his tipsy cat:
"The white horses of the Moon,
They neigh and champ their silver bits;
But their master's been and drowned his wits,
and the Sun'll be rising soon!"

So the cat on his fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
"It's after three!" he said.

They rolled the Man slowly up the hill
and bundled him into the Moon,
While his horses galloped up in rear,
And the cow came capering like a deer,
and a dish ran up with the spoon.

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.

With a ping and a pang the fiddle-strings broke!
the cow jumped over the Moon,
And the little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the Saturday dish went off at a run
with the silver Sunday spoon.

The round Moon rolled behind the hill,
as the Sun raised up her head.
She hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For though it was day, to her suprise
they all went back to bed.

J. R. R. Tolkien 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

May 1
Full of Song

The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12)

WHEN sin is pardoned, our greatest sorrow is ended, and our truest pleasure begins. Such is the joy which the Lord bestows upon His reconciled ones, that it overflows and fills all nature with delight. The material world has latent music in it, and a renewed heart knows how to bring it out and make it vocal. Creation is the organ, and a gracious man finds out its keys, lays his hand thereon, and wakes the whole system of the universe to the harmony of praise. Mountains and hills, and other great objects, are, as it were, the bass of the chorus; while the trees of the wood, and all things that have life, take up the air of the melodious song.

When God's Word is made to prosper among us and souls are saved, then everything seems full of song. When we hear the confessions of young believers and the testimonies of well-instructed saints, we are made so happy that we must praise the Lord, and then it seems as if rocks and hills and woods and fields echo our joy-notes and turn the world into an orchestra. Lord, on this happy May Day, lead me out into thy tuneful world as rich in praise as a lark in full song.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 Blessings to you all on this "Happy May Day!" 

May Recipe Round Up: Appetizers!

Last month, Rebecca hosted a Recipe Round-up.  She asked for "quick fix" recipes and we  all got a lot of great recipes.  Being the greedy recipe hound that I am, I suggested that we might keep this going.  So, I will be hosting May's  Recipe Round-up here at Hiraeth.

 I'm taking Rebecca's lead, so here's how it will work:

Since I love to entertain, in May we're calling for easy, delicious (and possibly impressive) appetizers.  (The best appetizers are easy, delicious, AND impressive, right?)

The date of the Round-up will be Wednesday, May 16. That gives you plenty of time to think about what you’ll contribute (or get the recipe from your friend who makes those divine stuffed mushrooms.)  Just post your recipe and send me the link in the comments on this post or at the email address in the sidebar.  Old posted recipes are welcome, too, as long as they fit the category.  If you want to ensure that your recipe gets included in the first draft of the round up, have your link into me by 8AM CDT May 16.  I’ll continue to update to add any links that come into me during that day.

Look for the complete collection of appetizer recipes to be posted  here by 8 PM on the 16th.  I can’t wait!  Also, feel free to send links to recipes posted on other people’s blogs as well as your own.  If you have a good recipe that fits the category of appetizers, but you don’t have a blog, email it to me or leave it in the comment of this post and I’ll post it right here for you on the day of the round up.

(And yes, if those instructions sounded familiar, it is because I "stole" Rebecca's instructions and took them for my own and twisted them to my own purposes.  Shameless, I know. . .)

 I'll post a reminder on Monday, May 14.

 Oh, one other thing.  If we want to keep this going, we'll need a volunteer to host next month's Round-up.  If I were you, I'd jump in now.  No one has called dibs on desserts yet!  : )

Oh, one more other thing.  I have all the recipes from the last Round-Up in a file on my computer named "Quick Fix Suppers."  It's tucked into another folder named "Blogger's Cookbook 2007" to which I will be adding an "Appetizers" folder.  Once this thing runs its course, the whole cookbook will be available to anyone who sends me an email and requests it.   I'm looking forward to the different categories you will come up with!

Also, I have a rather small readership in comparison to many of you who are kind enough to read my blog.  Would you help get the word out to your readers?  Thanks! 

Ah! Spring!

 

 

 

Quote of the Week: Schaeffer

. . .if there is any real victory in my life, it must not be thought of as my victory or my perfection.  Such a notion does not fit the scriptural picture of man or God's dealing with us since man has sinned.  It is not my victory, it is always Christ's victory; it is never my work or holiness, it is always Christ's work and Christ's holiness.  When I begin to think and to grow in the idea of my victory, there is really no true victory.  To the extent that I am thinking about my sanctification, there is no real sanctification.  I must see it always as Jesus Christ's.

Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality, pg. 85 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 30
The Overcomer's Reward

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelation 2:17)

MY HEART, be thou stirred up to persevere in the holy war, for the reward of victory is great. Today we eat of heavenly food which falls about our camps; the food of the wilderness, the food which comes from heaven, the food which never fails the pilgrims to Canaan. But there is reserved for us in Christ Jesus a still higher degree of spiritual life and a food for it which, as yet, is hidden from our experience. In the golden pot which was laid up in the ark there was a portion of manna hidden away, which though kept for ages never grew stale. No one ever saw it; it was hid with the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies. Even so, the highest life of the believer is hid with Christ, in God. We shall come to it soon, Being made victorious through the grace of our Lord Jesus, we shall eat of the King's meat and feed upon royal dainties. We shall feed upon Jesus. He is our "hidden manna," as well as the manna of the wilderness. He is all in all to us in our highest, as well as in our lowest, estate. He helps us to fight, gives us the victory, and then is Himself our reward. Lord, help me to overcome.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Six impossible things before breakfast

 Six impossible things before breakfast:

A virgin gave birth to a son.

Luke 1: 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

The blind received sight, the deaf hearing, the lame walked, the hungry were fed with scraps and were full.

Luke 7: 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

He answered not a word.

Mark 15:4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

For the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross.

Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

He rose from the dead.

Matthew 28:6  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.

He ascended into Heaven.Acts 1:11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

With God, all things are possible.

Update on Monday, April 30, 2007 at 06:26AM by Kim from Hiraeth

My dear, dear friend, MissM, says I'm cheating.  I beg to differ.

I stand by my statement; without God, not only are all those things impossible, it would be impossible for us to believe them if God had not, in His infinite mercy and grace, opened our spiritual eyes and ears to see the beauty of Christ and His Gospel and the hope of our calling.

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 29
Forget and Forgive

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee. (Proverbs 20:22)

BE not in haste. Let anger cool down. Say nothing and do nothing to avenge yourself. You will be sure to act unwisely if you take up the cudgels and fight your own battles; and, certainly, you will not show the spirit of the Lord Jesus. It is nobler to forgive and let the offense pass. To let an injury rankle in your bosom and to meditate revenge is to keep old wounds open and to make new ones. Better forget and forgive.

Peradventure, you say that you must do something or be a great loser; then do what this morning's promise advises: "Wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee." This advice will not cost you money but is worth far more, Be calm and quiet. Wait upon the Lord; tell Him your grievance; spread Rabshakeh's letter before the Lord, and this of itself will be an ease to your burdened mind. Besides, there is the promise "He shall save thee." God will find a way of deliverance for you. How He will do it neither you nor I can guess, but do it He will.  If the Lord saves you, this will be a deal better than getting into petty quarrels and covering yourself with filth by wrestling with the unclean. Be no more angry. Leave your suit with the Judge of all.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

An interesting quote

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Lewis Carroll 

This quote caught my attention this morning.  For one thing, it's sort of comical. For another, if you think about it for 30 seconds, you will see that it is profound.  I'll share my thoughts on it, but I'd like to hear your thoughts, too.  

 What comes to your mind when you read this quote?

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 28
It Becomes Mutual

I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

HERE is a mutual interest. Each belongs to each. God is the portion of His people, and the chosen people are the portion of their God. The saints find in God their chief possession, and He reckons them to be His peculiar treasure. What a mine of comfort lies in this fact for each believer!

This happy condition of mutual interest leads to mutual consideration. God will always think of His own people, and they will always think of Him. This day my God will perform all things for me; what can I do for Him? My thoughts ought to run toward Him, for He thinketh upon me. Let me make sure that it is so and not be content with merely admitting that so it ought to be.

This, again, leads to mutual fellowship. God dwells in us, and we dwell in Him; He walks with us, and we walk with God....

Oh, for grace to treat the Lord as my God: to trust Him and to serve Him, as His Godhead deserves! Oh, that I could love, worship, adore, and obey Jehovah in spirit and in truth! This is my heart's desire. When I shall attain to it, I shall have found my heaven. Lord, help me! Be my God in helping me to know Thee as my God, for Jesus' sake.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 27
God Finished His Work

The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. (Psalm 138:8)

He who has begun will carry on the work which is being wrought within my soul. The Lord is concerned about everything that concerns me. All that is now good, but not perfect, the Lord will watch over, preserve, and carry out to completion. This is a great comfort. I could not perfect the work of grace myself. Of that I am quite sure, for I fail every day and have only held on so long as I have because the Lord has helped me. If the Lord were to leave me, all my past experience would go for nothing, and I should perish from the way. But the Lord will continue to bless me. He will perfect my faith, my love, my character, my lifework. He will do this because He has begun a work in me. He gave me the concern I feel, and, in a measure, He has fulfilled my gracious aspirations, He never leaves a work unfinished; this would not be for His glory, nor would it be like Him. He knows how to accomplish His gracious design, and though my own evil nature and the world and the devil all conspire to hinder Him, I do not doubt His promise. He will perfect that which concerneth me, and I will praise Him forever. Lord, let Thy gracious work make some advance this day!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon 

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

April 26
Gracious Dealing

And the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest. (Deuteronomy 15:18)

AN Israelitish master was to give his bondservant liberty in due time, and when he left his service he was to start him in life with a liberal portion, This was to be done heartily and cheerfully, and then the Lord promised to bless the generous act. The spirit of this precept, and, indeed, the whole law of Christ, binds us to treat people well. We ought to remember how the Lord has dealt with us, and that this renders it absolutely needful that we should deal graciously with others.   It becomes those to be generous who are the children of a gracious God. How can we expect our great Master to bless us in our business if we oppress those who serve us?

What a benediction is here set before the liberal mind! To be blessed in all that we do is to be blessed indeed. The Lord will send us this partly in prosperity, partly in content of mind, and partly in a sense of His favor, which is the best of all blessings. He can make us feel that we are under His special care and are surrounded by His peculiar love. This makes this earthly life a joyous prelude to the life to come. God's blessing is more than a fortune. It maketh rich and addeth no sorrow therewith.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon