MY HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS...................

start again...... I had this partly done and deleted it all. grrrr

 My reading this morning was Matthew 6. I wanted the Lord to speak to me, in fact had asked HIM to! The very first thing I noticed (of course, duh!) was the first verse, but it truly was a good reminder!

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deed before men to be seen by them."

 By whom and when do I want my reward?????? By men or my HEAVENLY FATHER?  Now in this fleeting world or in ETERNITY? Something to think about!

 However, verse 8 was BEAUTIFUL to me.........

 "FOR YOUR FATHER KNOWS THE THINGS YOU HAVE NEED OF BEFORE YOU ASK HIM!" 

Verse 32........ "For after all these things the Gentiles seek..."

 For us today, that would be those who have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross for their sins. So, do I want to live like those who cannot truly say GOD is their Heavenly Father? He is their Creator, Yes but they do not have that personal relationship with Him. We ONLY have this through HIS PERFECT SON! On NO OTHER ground!!!!!

 "For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things!"

 So the thing that is convicting me right now is : if I have to constantly worry and put my energies into what I wear, eat, drink, my house decorating, gardening, vehicle(s), etc. ,etc....... I probably will not have much time, energy or interest in doing what the will of God is. ........ex.(s)  showing Christ's love and compassion to those around us whether believers or otherwise.  Or even reaching out to those who are dying and have no hope once they have left this world.  ? lending a listening ear sympathetically to someone's trials and disappointments even if they may have done something to deserve it.   Speaking well and often of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ..............

A little insert..... Malachi  3: 16 .......  "Then those who feared the Lord spoke often one to another, and the Lord listened and heard them.  So a book of remembrance was written before HIM for those who fear the Lord and who meditate ON HIS NAME!"

We will do all those things (get clothing, eat and so on ) but I believe it shouldn't be our passion, our main topic of conversation. I have actually found if I pray about all those things before I start any projects, I don't have to spend so much time on the planning as otherwise. Mind you, I am not a creative person so need all the help I can get!

 My Heavenly Father feeds the birds! He clothes, the lilies, the grasses. I think he has a far better idea about colors and styles than I do. All I have to do to be convinced of that is take a 30 minute drive from Nouvelle to New Richmond and the evidence sure is there! What beautiful scenery. Every day, season, temperature change, weather pattern...... it always looks different but totally gorgeous.                                                                                                                                    

 So I think I'll just finish with the last 2 verse of the chapter.......

 "BUT seek first the Kingdom     of God and  HIS 

 RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things shall be added unto you."

 "THEREFORE DO NOT worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it's own things. Sufficient for the day is it's own worry. "

 I think there maybe some commandments here that we pass over... just sayin'.

Why Worry?

The first 3 verses in my reading this morning in Acts 9 really caught my attention. Saul was still not saved and was "breathing out threats against the disciples of the Lord". OOHHH scary, n'est-ce pas? He got permission from the authorities to do what he wanted with them. I guess he kind of forgot about another authority. Since 1 Peter was still not written, I guess he didn't know about

ch. 3:21, ".... Jesus Christ, who has gone into Heaven
and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities
and powers having been made subject to Him".

So Saul is heading to Damascus with letters to bring men and women who followed the Lord Jesus to bring them bound to Jerusalem. Here's the catch...

"As he journeyed he came NEAR TO DAMASCUS, and suddenly a light
shone round about him from Heaven, Then he fell to the ground and
heard a voice......" Acts 9:3,4

Saul did get NEAR To DAMASCUS! God allowed him to get only so close to his intended destination before He stopped him in his tracks! Before he ever got to Damascus, he was a follower of Jesus Christ and was a changed man. From then on his greatest desire was to see the unsaved saved and believers built up in the "most holy faith".

How encouraging! I HAVE to remember this.