Some thoughts~ ~ ~
Each day is a gift and whether we see a sunrise or cloudy skies…’.the sun will come out tomorrow’ to quote the famous song title from the musical “ANNIE”. It means to me, that God has given us another chance, another opportunity to make, within each day, a valuable contribution to His Kingdom, to humanity, to make a difference. If we can forget about ourselves more and more each day, we can make the sun rise tomorrow for someone,for people that we meet, lives that we come in contact with.
We all know certain people in our lives upon whom the sun and the SON shines and brings joy to the day.
Oh that I could live each day like that, Lord, to bring sunshine and blessings into lives that are around me.
MG, I hear you saying; what I do with my gift today makes the sun light diffused by clouds or a bright sunny day that gives the gift-day to myself and others!
If we think on that how we live our lives would impact whether the sun shines tomorrow, then ourlives must be lived totally purposeful and according to God’s plan for us.
“So then, be very careful how you live. Don’t live like foolish people but like wise people.” (Ehp 5:15)
Debi, your comment is a little odd coincident. I posted this blog, my thought, last evening as it keep going through my mind and heart. I was hoping to find out what it really meant as it became a sharing experience for bloggers. Well, strangely enough this am I was speaking to a friend on the phone and I kept saying over and over to her; “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15,16 NKJV I think she thought my needle had stuck on this phrase. But, I thought it was the answer to a trial she is going through. I hung up, walked to my computer and ‘low and behold’, you had posted Ephesians 15:15 with your comment.
Footnotes for verses 15 and 16 in Ephesians 5 says, “By referring to these days as evil, Paul was communicating his sense of urgency because of evil’s pervasiveness. We need the same sense of urgency because our days are also difficult. We must keep our standards high, act wisely, and do good whenever we can.” I sure like the sun to shine! 🙂
No, I don’t believe they are, Sara…one definition of coincidence being: “a chance occurrence of events remarkable either for being simultaneous or for apparently being connected”. From what I have understood of things you have shared/taught is that God orchestrates connections in our lives, they are nor random. And we are to look for those connections. Also you gave me a book by Dr. Mary Neal, titled, “To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story” in which she also speaks of ‘coincidences’ or events that are not chance but are linked God events (my paraphrased understanding) through which God is speaking to us, directing us and that we should watch for and note or document these.
When I wrote the post I had another scripture that I wanted to add but when I went to copy it in whatever key I hit just sent the comment as was with that scripture alone.
One little ‘coincident’ may be the link between a necklace I can wear today or one that drops in the heap of throw aways! It may give harmony and peace to my soul and encourages another. May give someone a job, career, ignite a light, change direction, solve problems and not cause them. I sit and think how many miss opportunities I have had by hanging out with people that refuse to be links. How many times I chose to be the knot in the chain and not the link rendering the chain unusable.
But, now that I know my day choices can be a bridge for tomorrow …off I go building!
When I think of circumstances/coincidences, I think of righteousness and when I think of righteousness I think of this:
“…righteousness in Scripture is “true inner goodness. … It represents a combination of skill, wisdom, power, and steadfastness
for good…” (Dallas Willard)
Sara, the quote from your comment above about true inner goodness, “It represents a combination of skill, wisdom, power, and steadfastness for good…” is really something to think on. For me, it takes the word righteousness which seems broad and almost bare to my mind and puts clothes on it.
It also made me think of this ‘do’ scripture on goodness from Amos 5:14:
”Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.
Sara, your comments brought up these ideas in me. We don’t have to Strive to make “coincidences” happen. We just have to be on the lookout by the Holy Spirit for them. Creative Lord God Almighty already has the “God-incidences” prepared for us from before the beginning of time. They are awaiting us and promise to bring delight to Jesus’heart when we see the Light and make the connections…like you have said…’connect the dots’ to bring forth the big picture. How many times have we discussed this and you have pointed out…:”that was a DOT that you missed!” What a great adventure in the Christian walk is the
ability by the Spirit to discern the incidences placed in our path and to make the connections necessary to see what the Lord is saying. and attempting to bring forth through us.
Hindsight doesn’t work unless to teach us but ever being taught and never coming to the fruition or the fruit of the “tutorial” is frustration and no victory. Like 2Tim.3:7 says, “Ever learning but never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” How very sad. And very sad for us!
“Sara, you wrote above and have not addressed this yet, “MG, I hear you saying; what I do with my gift today makes the sun light diffused by clouds or a bright sunny day that gives the gift-day to myself and others!”……Yes I believe your take on ‘my thoughts’ is very true. You yourself, as a pastoral counselor, know more than many that those whose lives are afflicted by sickness or relational issues or even tragedy look to firm Biblical values and encouragement, guidance and uplifting support. Your heartening messages from God’s Word break out the “sun” in people’s lives…often times the SON-LIGHT of clarity and exposure but nonetheless LIGHT for seeing the causes of wounds that need to be healed and the Balm of Gilead to restore. That was Jesus’ mission on this earth and He asks the same of us. And, as we often see in the Body of Christ, some of us are more obedient than others.
The quote states that in considering righteousness it elicits, from Scripture, the spiritual standard of true inner ‘goodness’.[.I am paraphrasing]. We know that only God is TRULY GOOD [Matt. 10:18] but when He imputes righteousness to one who qualifies…i e receives His Son as Lord and Savior and repents of past sins, then
Christ’s righteousness is imputed to that individual & he/she is adopted into the family of God. We are then the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus created unto good works. Therefore, that is where the proof of the pudding is….it’s in the eating….the eating of the fruit. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, it really is God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure”. … Then, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” that is…our own filthy rag good works, but according to the works HE does through us…For we are God’s righteousness and not our own.
Now, the question is, where am I missing the “good works” that He is endeavoring to work through me?
If I give to the poor or support a missionary, or give a meal to a hungry person, are these “good works” of God?
Could it be that I could feed the poor, heal the sick, and still MISS GOD’S GOODNESS that He’s created in me to do? Is the clue to this answer in 1Cor.13? If I feed the poor and heal the sick but have another motive in my heart other than showing the Love of God then is this filthy rag goodness? This is most wearisome!
thedailylily.com 
Some thoughts~ ~ ~
Each day is a gift and whether we see a sunrise or cloudy skies…’.the sun will come out tomorrow’ to quote the famous song title from the musical “ANNIE”. It means to me, that God has given us another chance, another opportunity to make, within each day, a valuable contribution to His Kingdom, to humanity, to make a difference. If we can forget about ourselves more and more each day, we can make the sun rise tomorrow for someone,for people that we meet, lives that we come in contact with.
We all know certain people in our lives upon whom the sun and the SON shines and brings joy to the day.
Oh that I could live each day like that, Lord, to bring sunshine and blessings into lives that are around me.
MG, I hear you saying; what I do with my gift today makes the sun light diffused by clouds or a bright sunny day that gives the gift-day to myself and others!
If we think on that how we live our lives would impact whether the sun shines tomorrow, then ourlives must be lived totally purposeful and according to God’s plan for us.
“So then, be very careful how you live. Don’t live like foolish people but like wise people.” (Ehp 5:15)
Debi, your comment is a little odd coincident. I posted this blog, my thought, last evening as it keep going through my mind and heart. I was hoping to find out what it really meant as it became a sharing experience for bloggers. Well, strangely enough this am I was speaking to a friend on the phone and I kept saying over and over to her; “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15,16 NKJV I think she thought my needle had stuck on this phrase. But, I thought it was the answer to a trial she is going through. I hung up, walked to my computer and ‘low and behold’, you had posted Ephesians 15:15 with your comment.
Are things like this coincident?
Footnotes for verses 15 and 16 in Ephesians 5 says, “By referring to these days as evil, Paul was communicating his sense of urgency because of evil’s pervasiveness. We need the same sense of urgency because our days are also difficult. We must keep our standards high, act wisely, and do good whenever we can.” I sure like the sun to shine! 🙂
No, I don’t believe they are, Sara…one definition of coincidence being: “a chance occurrence of events remarkable either for being simultaneous or for apparently being connected”. From what I have understood of things you have shared/taught is that God orchestrates connections in our lives, they are nor random. And we are to look for those connections. Also you gave me a book by Dr. Mary Neal, titled, “To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story” in which she also speaks of ‘coincidences’ or events that are not chance but are linked God events (my paraphrased understanding) through which God is speaking to us, directing us and that we should watch for and note or document these.
When I wrote the post I had another scripture that I wanted to add but when I went to copy it in whatever key I hit just sent the comment as was with that scripture alone.
One little ‘coincident’ may be the link between a necklace I can wear today or one that drops in the heap of throw aways! It may give harmony and peace to my soul and encourages another. May give someone a job, career, ignite a light, change direction, solve problems and not cause them. I sit and think how many miss opportunities I have had by hanging out with people that refuse to be links. How many times I chose to be the knot in the chain and not the link rendering the chain unusable.
But, now that I know my day choices can be a bridge for tomorrow …off I go building!
When I think of circumstances/coincidences, I think of righteousness and when I think of righteousness I think of this:
“…righteousness in Scripture is “true inner goodness. … It represents a combination of skill, wisdom, power, and steadfastness
for good…” (Dallas Willard)
Sara, the quote from your comment above about true inner goodness, “It represents a combination of skill, wisdom, power, and steadfastness for good…” is really something to think on. For me, it takes the word righteousness which seems broad and almost bare to my mind and puts clothes on it.
It also made me think of this ‘do’ scripture on goodness from Amos 5:14:
”Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.
Sara, your comments brought up these ideas in me. We don’t have to Strive to make “coincidences” happen. We just have to be on the lookout by the Holy Spirit for them. Creative Lord God Almighty already has the “God-incidences” prepared for us from before the beginning of time. They are awaiting us and promise to bring delight to Jesus’heart when we see the Light and make the connections…like you have said…’connect the dots’ to bring forth the big picture. How many times have we discussed this and you have pointed out…:”that was a DOT that you missed!” What a great adventure in the Christian walk is the
ability by the Spirit to discern the incidences placed in our path and to make the connections necessary to see what the Lord is saying. and attempting to bring forth through us.
Hindsight doesn’t work unless to teach us but ever being taught and never coming to the fruition or the fruit of the “tutorial” is frustration and no victory. Like 2Tim.3:7 says, “Ever learning but never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” How very sad. And very sad for us!
“Sara, you wrote above and have not addressed this yet, “MG, I hear you saying; what I do with my gift today makes the sun light diffused by clouds or a bright sunny day that gives the gift-day to myself and others!”……Yes I believe your take on ‘my thoughts’ is very true. You yourself, as a pastoral counselor, know more than many that those whose lives are afflicted by sickness or relational issues or even tragedy look to firm Biblical values and encouragement, guidance and uplifting support. Your heartening messages from God’s Word break out the “sun” in people’s lives…often times the SON-LIGHT of clarity and exposure but nonetheless LIGHT for seeing the causes of wounds that need to be healed and the Balm of Gilead to restore. That was Jesus’ mission on this earth and He asks the same of us. And, as we often see in the Body of Christ, some of us are more obedient than others.
The quote states that in considering righteousness it elicits, from Scripture, the spiritual standard of true inner ‘goodness’.[.I am paraphrasing]. We know that only God is TRULY GOOD [Matt. 10:18] but when He imputes righteousness to one who qualifies…i e receives His Son as Lord and Savior and repents of past sins, then
Christ’s righteousness is imputed to that individual & he/she is adopted into the family of God. We are then the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus created unto good works. Therefore, that is where the proof of the pudding is….it’s in the eating….the eating of the fruit. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, it really is God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure”. … Then, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” that is…our own filthy rag good works, but according to the works HE does through us…For we are God’s righteousness and not our own.
Now, the question is, where am I missing the “good works” that He is endeavoring to work through me?
If I give to the poor or support a missionary, or give a meal to a hungry person, are these “good works” of God?
Could it be that I could feed the poor, heal the sick, and still MISS GOD’S GOODNESS that He’s created in me to do? Is the clue to this answer in 1Cor.13? If I feed the poor and heal the sick but have another motive in my heart other than showing the Love of God then is this filthy rag goodness? This is most wearisome!