Come No Further

The ocean always makes me realize how small I am and how large my God is. 

I love Job 38--

 Here is a portion.........

 “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,

 when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,

 when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place,

 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2019

Just For Today

Reading Jonathan Cahn's devotional book, The Book of Mysteries, has truly been one of the highlights of my life.

Every day I look so forward to it and it always includes THE MISSION for the day which is a great biblical challenge.

Yesterday's devo was entitled The Apostasia and was about "the great falling away" before the end of the age.

Ephesians 6:13, Philippians 2:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and 2 Timothy 3:1-4 address this prophecy.

The devotional includes this paragraph--"In the age of departure from the Word, you must hold all the stronger..   You must commit to hold all the more strongly to the Word, the faith, and the stand.  And the more you hold the Word, the more you will find your stasis, the person you were created to be....And you will stand."

The Mission:  Take a command from the New Testament and fully carry it out today.  Commit to live your life all the more by the Word of God.

So, just for today, I will hold on tight to God's Word and commit to live my life all the more by it.  I chose a specific command from the New Testament to live by for the day.  Was I totally successful?  No, but every time I "blew it," I was immediately convicted and asked God to forgive me.

I think this is a great way to grow in His Word and that is what I truly desire.

I hope this is an encouraging word for you and that you truly grow to discover the person you were created to be.  God knows YOU and has a wonderful plan for YOUR life--Live it to the fullest.  God bless you all.

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2017.

The painting above was done about a month ago and is in my entry hall.  It is 3 ft by 3 ft.

The Weathered Old Barn

Astranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking.

He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway.

I told him right off he was crazy.

He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and the way he talked.

He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale.

I told him he had a funny idea of beauty. Sure, it was a handsome building in its day.

But then, there's been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray.

Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired. Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.

That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there, gazing at that old barn.

The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den in a new country home he's building down the road.

He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun, only that can produce beautiful barn wood.

It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I.

Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too... and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap.

But the Good Lord knows what He's doing.

And as the years pass, He's busy using the hard wealth of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons, to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce.

And to think how often folks holler because they want life easy!

They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house. And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the Good Lord has for us.

And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons we've been through here... and just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.

 -- The Weathered Old Barn poem, author unknown

Happy Wednesday, Folks--

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2017

As a Christian How Should I Handle Persecution?

Ibelieve from study of the scripture that as Christians we can expect persecution at times.

 I don't have time or room enough for background study on this today but you can do your own, if you like--run some references and see if you agree. 

In John 16:33, Jesus tells his disciples--"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart for I have overcome the world."

And in 1 Peter 4:12-13 we read--"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that, when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy."

Scripture makes it clear that he is referring to sufferings for the cause of Christ, not things we have brought upon ourselves through unwise choices or ungodly living.

First of all, we are to take heart. 

To me that means to be encouraged, to lift up my head in His name.

Many hours could be spent on researching "take heart"--I think--if not days! 

Then we are to rejoice--oh me, oh my, really??

How do I rejoice?

How do I rejoice if my children or grandchildren succeed in their endeavors?

How do I rejoice when my favorite sports team wins?

How did I rejoice when I first realized that my sins had been washed away--as far as the east is from the west?

I usually let out some kind of shout--

I usually tell someone and brag a little on them--

I usually go about singing, making melody in my heart.

This is a huge subject with huge ramifications and I don't want to make it a long, lengthy sermon.

I do, however, want to encourage you to do the right thing.

We are to fan the flame inside of us and encourage ourselves--sometimes my flame dwindles down to a very small ember and I am not proud of the way I handle things as a Christian.

Other times, I see the growth in me when I handle things as Jesus would and am amazed at the work the Holy Spirit has done in me.

That is the person I want to be--the one who lets the Holy Spirit have complete control.

Lord, show me Your ways--teach me to trust and to walk daily, hourly, minute by minute with your precious Holy Spirit.

Hoping your day is truly blessed, Dianne

In this piece of art, the subject has surrendered her whole heart to the Lord for her whole life and will give Him praise through dance.

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2017

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

On Wednesdays, I would like for our focus to be on praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Wondering how to pray? Psalm 122 is a good help.

Yesterday, I wrote about how important reading the Psalms all the way through each month is to me.

I read five Psalms each day--

the pattern is

August 2 I will read

Psalm 2, Psalm 32, Psalm 62, Psalm 92, and Psalm 122--It is truly amazing how the Psalms tie in together when read in that fashion.

Today I wanted to leave you with just a little taste of what I received--now granted my journal is full and it took me an hour or more to write down all the promises and things that really jumped out at me today.  Each month different scriptures will seem to stand out on the page.

Psalm 2--Blessed are those who take refuge in Him--that makes me want to immediately take refuge in Him.

Psalm 32--Blessed are you when your sins are forgiven and whose spirit is no deceit--This makes me want to seek forgiveness for my sin and to live a deceit free life.

Psalm 62--My soul finds rest in the Lord and my salvation and my honor come from Him--This verse makes me realize how helpless I am apart from Him.

Psalm 92--The righteous (our righteousness comes from Jesus) will flourish like a palm tree--like a cedar of Lebanon planted in the house of the Lord--They will still bear fruit in their old age--This makes me know that God is not through with me yet.

Psalm 122--May those who love Jerusalem be secure--Makes me desire to pray more faithfully for Jerusalem.

I pray your day is lovely and blessed and that we all choose to do things God's way especially during the rough, rough seasons of life.

All my love,
Dianne

I love the scripture about how sweet it is when we are in harmony with one another--that is what I wanted the ballerina photo to represent--

© ALL ART, PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT PROPERTY OF ELIZABETH DIANNE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008-2017