Riverbend Ramblings

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~Riverbend Ramblings~
The days are long, but the years are short.
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Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thoughts on Discouragement

"Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell on outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands." Elisabeth Elliot

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines discouragement as follows: the act of disheartening, or depriving of courage; the act of deterring or dissuading; the act of depressing confidence. That doesn't sound very pleasant! Christians aren't immune from becoming discouraged, but the way we handle discouragement should be different than the world's method.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." I Peter 5:8-9

The Bible is full of examples of people who experienced discouragement and how they responded to it. Some turned to God in their time of trouble, and others used their circumstances as an excuse to sin. Satan can only gain the victory when we give in to the flesh and allow his attacks to consume our minds. The right response is to turn to the Lord and cry out to Him.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsover things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do:  and the God of of peace shall be with you." Philippians 4:6-9

What do you do when you get discouraged? Do you lose hope? Do you want to give up? God wants us to keep our joy in the midst of trials. God gives us His peace to overcome the insanity of Satan.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever:  for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:" Isaiah 26:3-4

I have no idea what you're facing today. You may be having problems with your health, your family, or your finances. Perhaps someone has let you down or has lied about you. How should you respond when you are discouraged? Give your discouragement over to God!

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." I Peter 5:7

We've been promised the victory! Memorize and meditate on Bible verses, spend extra time in prayer, stay away from ungodly influences, and refuse to give place to the Devil. We are on the winning side and are complete in Christ Jesus!

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." I Peter 5:10

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Written at Saturday, August 11, 2012 by Paula.
1 comments
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Welcome, August
"What dreadful hot weather we have! 
It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."
-  Jane Austen 

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Written at Wednesday, August 01, 2012 by Paula.
2 comments
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
A great quote on wisdom

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"Biblical wisdom begins with a right relationship with the Lord. The wise person believes that there is a God, that He is the Creator and Ruler of all things, and that He has put within His creation a divine order that, if obeyed, leads ultimately to success. Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person's IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God's truth."  ~Wiersbe

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Written at Tuesday, April 26, 2011 by Paula.
2 comments
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Priorities
"The more you focus on God's priorities for you and practice those priorities, the more you will eventually live by them. Then you will be living out God's plan for you, a life of order."~Elizabeth George

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Written at Saturday, March 05, 2011 by Paula.
0 comments
Saturday, May 23, 2009
"Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o'er, Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, Dream of battled fields no more. Days of danger, nights of waking." ~Sir Walter Scott
Image from AllPosters

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Written at Saturday, May 23, 2009 by Paula.
2 comments
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Welcoming Daddy at the end of the day
Home to me is laughter... Kisses on my cheek when they're least expected; Glances filled with gladness; The happiness in knowing I'm a portion of My family's fulfillment. Home to me...is love! -June Brown Harris

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Written at Wednesday, February 18, 2009 by Paula.
5 comments
Thursday, September 04, 2008
"When you keep house you use your head, your heart, and your hands together to create a home- the place where you live the most important parts of your private life. Housekeeping is an art: it combines intutition and physical skill to create comfort, health, beauty, order, and safety."
from Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson
Image from AllPosters.

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Written at Thursday, September 04, 2008 by Paula.
8 comments
Saturday, May 26, 2007

Freedom Is Not Free
by Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it, and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

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Written at Saturday, May 26, 2007 by Paula.
5 comments
Saturday, February 24, 2007
"The way you manage your own home is important, too. Very important. Little things again- like having the table set when John comes home. And making the meal the most important thing in your life at that moment. Nothing lifts a man's spirit like the odor of fresh coffee and meat and muffins baking in the oven. And when you whisper 'Darling, I cooked this especially for you!' Well- that's a big deposit in your happiness-for-life bank account."

~ from Papa's Wife by Thyra Ferre Bjorn




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Written at Saturday, February 24, 2007 by Paula.
5 comments
Monday, February 19, 2007
Remembering Presidents' Day
We've been studying about some of the early American Presidents for the last couple of weeks. I had each of the older children write a short story about a President of their choosing. While we've enjoyed learning some new things together, there have been some challenges. It's difficult for me to explain to my children how America used to be. It's hard for them to imagine a time when our nation's leaders actually sought God's wisdom and guidance as they forged the way for us.

I came across this quote by President Abraham Lincoln that I wanted to share. Though the words were penned 144 years ago, they are, unfortunately, even more fitting today. May we all be encouraged to pray for America and our national leaders.

The Forgotten God

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

~President Abraham Lincoln (March 30, 1863)



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Written at Monday, February 19, 2007 by Paula.
3 comments