20 October 2008

Gleanings from my Readings...
(for lack of a better title)
~
Being in such turmoil these days, I've been desperate for guidance and peace of mind... so, I've been thinking about going back through all my old books from over the past several years and looking back over all the highlighted and underlined pieces that struck me and helped me at those times. And thought maybe you all would like to share in some of these thoughts as well...
~
(Now, this will probably be all over the place and will probably end up being Part One of several... seeing as I don't know how much typing I'm actually up for tonight! But, here goes...)
~
Let's see... since I have felt (for the past several weeks now) that I'm at my wits' end, that seems as good as start as any.
~

(pg. 51) "You are in a loving partnership, but He's in charge. I first say the words, then I trust Him with my growth, and He takes over. But, He takes me with Him."
*
(pg. 62) " 'Not crazy about your plan, God.' ... Did I dare tell God I was not crazy about His plan? Of course. He already knew my feelings. He knew what my feelings would be long before I had the experience that produced those feelings. ... so I told Him what He already knew. And He received my emotions."
*
(pg. 63) "A part of experiencing His shelter, referenced in Psalm 36:7, is trusting the One Who provides that shelter. ... I settle into the comfort of that sheltering promise, even though I may not yet feel the hope He promised. But I trust Him and have faith in His character of love that a higher good is in the making and that one day, I will look back and say 'Ah, yes... God's hand was in that.' "
*
(pg. 70) "Satan's goal is that we will walk away from God in despair and then disbelieve. God's goal is that we will stand up under testing and grow stronger in our faith and even more convinced of the Almighty's love."
*
(pg. 71) "God wills us life in our trials; satan wills us death from our trials. But in it all, God is still in control. And what about us? We have a choice. We can follow Job's example and refuse to renounce God, or we can tell God 'This is too much. My faith in You is destroyed. I had faith, but now I can't do it. How could You expect me to bear up under all this?' "
*
(pg. 73) "How does she (Joni Erikson Tada) manage to stay upbeat in a world of too many downbeats? ... She has chosen to have faith in the God Whose sovereign ways she may not comprehend but Whose character of love and compassion she trusts."
*
(pg. 74) "God is the initiator of all things. He is not satan's errand boy tidying up messes satan initiates. That would make God a reactor to an inferior power. All things first go through the hand of God. He is the initiator. There is no greater power."
*
(pg 84) "I haven't a clue how He honors my choices and yet His plans prevail. That's a mystery. But, nowhere in Scripture do we read about Plan B. God is not scrambling to put Plan B in place because my choice blew off Plan A."
*
(pg. 136) "Actually, for those of us who don't relinquish control easily, here's a comforting thought: Faith can be a matter of the will. I can will to believe, or I can will to not believe. The choice is mine. That means I can choose to live with faith rather than fear."
*
(pg. 140) "Our challenge is to love Him for what we do see and trust Him for what we cannot see."
~
Now, I don't know about y'all, but I'm feeling revived already. And can't WAIT to recover all the other little nuggets I had found along the way and tucked back on the bookshelf! But, I had so many in this sweet little book, that I think I'll wait and start with someone else next time...

Please, feel free to do this with your own treasured books! I would love to hear just some of what you've gleaned from your resources! And am always looking for new books to read!

3 comments:

Quilting Bea said...

Good stuff!

Luanne said...

Hi Jess--missed you, and still praying for you!! Thanks for the gleanings--kind of like Ruth--and you too will be blessed for your faithfulness! I did the "Wit's End" study, too! Thanks for the reminders!

Chanda Canup said...

Thanks for your honesty, Jess. You are a precious vessel of His through things like this, allowing His love and grace through the hardships to overflow into the lives of many, to heap your own blessing over them -- I, too, pray you will be blessed!