HARMONY

Hi Gals!

I listened to a TV show speech the other night where the character talked about harmony.  It got me to thinking.  HARMONY … does my life exhibit harmony?  What is harmony?

According to Webster’s dictionary harmony is a pleasing arrangement of parts. In music  harmony means a group of chords that produces a melody.    So, a life lived in harmony would be a life lived with order and balance… for the believer it is a life lived in accord and agreement with God’s Word and His Ways.  What does God have to say about harmony?  Psalm 85 paints a beautiful picture of harmony.  Jesus’ life gives us the way to harmony.

Psalm 85:10-13 (NLT)
¹⁰ Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!
¹¹ Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
¹² Yes, the LORD pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.
¹³ Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.

I love verse 10 in the New King James Version: Psalm 85:10 (NKJV) Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.

The work of Jesus makes a life of harmony possible for us.  We are given righteousness,  peace, mercy, and forgiveness – the chords of harmony -  even though we fall short of the glory of God in our sinful natures. 

When we think of harmony we must remember that Satan’s aim is to disrupt harmony in our world.  Satan is the opposite of God and brings discord, imbalance, tension, and disturbance.  God brings harmony. 
In these verses I see three kinds of harmony. We have:

Rejoice and Be Glad

Hi Gals,

Summer … it’s hot, humid, and I become a bit lazy!  But, I don’t want to miss out on the days of summer – I don’t want to be so lazy and hazy that I become dull and stagnant.  Just like plants, I think I really need a lot of spiritual “watering” during the summer.

As I think about this I am brought face to face with God’s Word:

Psalm 118:24 (NCV)
²⁴ This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!

Each day is a celebration of our salvation in Jesus. It is important that in each day and every experience of our lives that we see Jesus in them. Jesus has given us an incomparable gift – not one we deserve but one that is ours – freely given. We are daughters of God – co-heirs with Christ. We are so blessed!  That is our cause for rejoicing and being glad….daily.

So, I say rejoice in every day. It is a gift from God. But it is so easy to slip into a lackadaisical attitude about our wonderful relationship with Jesus. The next time you hear someone say, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it,” think about what that really means. God’s only son who was God made flesh died for you so that you could enter into His presence and live there forever! The day that He did that for the whole world is worthy of our praise EVERY DAY indeed!!!
In my Bible notes I have jotted down the following daily steps to go along with Psalm 118:24.  I don’t know where they came from; they are not original with me, but I want to share them with you.
Everyday is a celebration of life. Begin every day with this affirmation of faith: "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps 118:24).

Living Ordinary Lives Extraordinarily Well

Hi Gals!

Let’s ponder two words this week: extraordinary and common.  According to Webster, the meanings of these two words are as follows:

Extraordinary –going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary;  synonyms:  exceptional. Related Words :notable,  outstanding, prominent, remarkable, incredible,

Common – occurring or appearing frequently ;synonyms: normal, typical, everyday, familiar, ordinary,  routine, usual

 I am led to relate these two adjectives to the spiritual journeys we live each day. I truly believe God’s plan for His children is that we all live ordinary lives extraordinarily well…each usual day! I have two Scriptures which lead me in that direction:

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

And from Jesus we hear, John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus wants us to live our everyday lives in a supernatural, extraordinary way.  Then why do so many of us live so many of our days in either a disastrous, frenzied state or with a hum drum “just get through it” attitude?  I want to live the extraordinary, uncommon day, how about you?

Take a close look at Psalm 37. If I were giving this Psalm a title, I would call it The Trust in the Lord Psalm. I’m just going to review the highlights. David gives us four steps we can put into action that will turn our ordinary into extraordinary.