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HOPE

November 19, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

I hope this won’t last.

I hope my situation changes soon.

I hope you’re right.

 

We hope for many things, but there is one thing we should hope for above all else.

That is hope itself.

 

 

H – Holding

O – Onto

P – Promised

E – Eternity

 

When we hold onto the hope that God is in control, that He is with us, and that His love is unfailing and unending, then everything else falls into perspective. Whatever happens in this broken world (and things will happen) pales in comparison to what lies ahead for those who believe in Christ’s sacrifice, death, and resurrection.

That may sound like a trite, pat answer but I can tell you from personal experience it has been my lifeline as I dangled over bubbling tar pits of poor health, financial insecurity, a broken marriage, a child not expected to survive several surgeries, and the deaths of loved ones.

As a close friend of mine once said, “The Bible says ‘this, too shall pass.’ Thank goodness it doesn’t say, ‘this, too shall stay.'” That is hope.

Good days and bad days all last the same amount of time–twenty-four hours. Trials never last, though at times they seem like they will never end. The love of God, for those who believe, outlasts anything else.

Paul stated in his letter to the Philippians that he had learned to be content no matter the circumstances (4:11-12). He wrote that while in a Roman prison not knowing how much longer he’d have before he was fed to the wild beasts or hung on a cross like his Savior. Even so, Paul had hope because he knew without a doubt what lay ahead for him beyond this life.

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

If you need to hang onto anything, dear friend, hang onto hope. Never let go.

 

 

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Download

November 12, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

“…put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” I Timothy 6:17b

I knew it was there. I recalled downloading it in the past. It was exactly the picture I needed. But, even though I was confident it was somewhere in my folders, I had to search for it.

Sometimes I think it is the same with the things that God provides. At times, what I need appears in an instant. Bam. Thank you, Lord.

In a few incidences, God’s provision has been there even before I knew to ask for it. But more often than not, I have to search for it. A blessing may be hidden in a circumstance I didn’t expect. Maybe I was looking for something else, then realized, oh, wow. Ok. This works. A few times I have wondered, “What in the world God is thinking?”

But I have confidence that God has provided what I need in my life because He knows my needs. He has already given it to me and it is there somewhere. And so, in faith, I keep seeking, knocking, searching. Like the woman searching high and low for the lost coin in Luke 15, I won’t stop until I discover where it lies.

Why? Two reasons. First I’ve found it in the past. My experiences tell me God has provided. Secondly, Scripture tells me He will always do so because He loves me, and the Holy Spirit whispers that I can trust in that fact. So, even when things appear hopeless, the love that kept my Lord hanging on the cross reminds me that the situation is anything but hopeless.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” Matthew 7:7.

Whatever you are seeking has already been downloaded into your folder of life. It may appear in the form of a hymn stanza, a Scripture verse, a friend’s timely phone call, or a myriad of other ways.

Don’t give up. It’s there. Seek, and you will find.

 

 

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U ‘n I

October 22, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

We both burst out laughing. We couldn’t help it. My writing critique partner and I were going over an article I wrote in which I stated we are all untied in Christ. Typo.

I meant the word united, of course. My dyslexic fingers reversed the letters i and t.

Hmmm. Then we both looked at each other and grinned. “Blog topic!” I cried out.

She nodded. She knows me too well.

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:14

What keeps things untied instead of united? It’s a matter of the strength and tightness of the strings, isn’t it?  One draws together, the other pulls apart.

When a person ties their shoes, they pull the strings, which in turn, draw the two flaps of the shoe to become interlinked together. The shoe becomes tight. It won’t come off as easily. It is sturdy and secure.

Unite the strings and the two flaps separate. Now the foot can easily slide out. Anyone who has watched a toddler wobble with untied shoelaces knows it is a trip hazard.

We, believers, are no different. To be strong and secure in Christ’s love we must be bound together. Christianity is meant to be a community thing, not just a “me and Jesus” fest. That is why we are His Body. We are made to interact, support, and work with each other as the parts of the shoe do when strung together. As the author of Hebrews warned, let’s not give up meeting together as some have been the habit of doing (10:25).  Satan’s battle plan has always been to divide and then conquer.

When we are united in Christ, we are drawn together by His love into a solid unit. Christ’s love is the “tie” that binds us.  He interweaves us together so we can become stronger in our faith, in our commitment, and in our service to others. It is hard to slip out of His grasp when we are tightly bound together.

But, once we begin to wriggle loose, we slip away from the other members of the Body. We are separated a bit so it is easier to slide out of the binds that previously bound us. The longer we remain apart, the further away we tend to get from not only our faith but the fellowship with other Christians. Oh, we may still go to church and smile and pretend everything is hunky-dory. But the close-knit feeling is missing. After a while, we may fool ourselves into believing church attendance is less important than a few more hours of sleep.

Slowly, other things in our lives loosen. Our habits, maybe our tongues? Our morals?

It’s all a matter of where we place the i and t –the “it” in our lives.  United shows that U ‘n I  are together.  Let the “t” (temptation) separate U and I and we are no longer as closely bound together.

What is the “t” that threatens to separate you from Christ and perhaps other believers who make up the Church (Body of Christ)?  Pride, unforgiveness, hurt, doubt, anger?

When one of us is not in church to worship and fellowship, the whole Body suffers. We need each other like the two halves of leather on a shoe.

Let’s U ‘n I make every effort to draw together often so we can be strong ties to our Lord through His love and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our faith, attitudes, and service will be better for it.

People will notice the unity that binds us in Christ’s love. We may also find our lives seem less unraveled as well.

 

 

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Dumped

October 10, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

I was out of paper sacks, so I loaded my recyclables into a plastic trash bag and headed for the community recycling dumpster.  I had full intentions of opening the sack and dumping its contents into the receptacle. The bag was simply a means to carry the items to their destination.

As I walked along the drive, a man pulled over and rolled down his window. “Don’t dump it in there! They’ll fine us and we will lose the privilege of having a recycling dumpster here.”

He didn’t know my intentions, nor the contents of the trash bag. He assumed…and I was offended. How dare he presume to know my intentions! When I explained, he became red-faced and apologized. Even so, all the way back to my apartment I felt the heat in my cheeks. If he had taken the time to really look, he’d seen that the opaque sack was filled with plastic water bottles, flattened cardboard boxes and shredded paper.

The Holy Spirit convicted me. “You are judging by appearances,” Paul warned his readers in 2 Corinthians 10:7.  How often do I do that? To be honest, too often.

God sees the good intentions on the inside, in our hearts, minds, and souls. All we see is the opaque outside unless we take time to really peer into a person.  Our bodies are simply a means for carrying what are the most important things, the things God can recycle for His use.  Our thoughts, feelings, conscience, desires. He can take all of it and reuse it, remake it, reclaim it.

“God doesn’t make junk”, the bumper stickers proclaimed back in the day. Truth.

From now on, may I trash any preconceptions I have about other people and their intentions. Lord, help me do so.

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I Am the Dough You Need (Knead).

September 18, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

I received the following  from Angela Nagarajan from Mumbai, India and asked her permission to share it with you:

John 6:35 says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Photo by Harry Thaker on Unsplash

One of my daily chores is making Indian bread (Chapatis). One morning while I was taking the flour, adding the oil, salt, and water to make the dough, God spoke in His wisdom. He made me realize the symbolism of the ingredients which are added to make the Indian bread.

The wheat flour is Jesus, the oil is the anointing, the salt is us (we are the salt of the earth), and the water is the Holy Spirit.

I was amazed at this thought.

Later, as I kneaded the bread,  God also allowed me to comprehend that without the pressing and kneading I won’t get the dough I want. The same is true in our lives.  Yet through all of our experiences, He is faithful to be with us with the anointing and provides the Holy Spirit to guide us.

So no matter what you go through in life, He is with you in the moment and till the end of time. Press on to Him as He fills you with nourishment.

 

Father God I thank you for wisdom and your loving-kindness. It amazes me how you are with me, even though I may not be aware of your presence. Today help me to know that your purpose is higher than mine, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

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Clam vs Oyster

September 10, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

A friend shared this on Facebook:

Amazing Things @AmazingThing Official Education Website July, 2018

Fascinating, right?  So I had to ask, am I an oyster or a clam?

We live in a dirty-water world today. Everything is murky. Rules of society are not clear anymore. And it seems people like to stir up muck whenever they can.

Like oysters, believers in the Way are called to not only clean up their own act by filtering out all the negative and immoral influences that cloud our thinking but by doing so, we can bring clarity to those around us.  And in groups, we can do a lot of good.

Often times,  I want to clam up instead. Shut myself off from the world and surround myself with my Christian music, Christian friends, and Christian literature. Blindfold my eyes, stuff my ears, and hold my nose as I walk through this life.

But Jesus didn’t do that. Jesus was an oyster.  He met people in the middle of their messes and made them clean again, from the inside out. He immersed himself in the filth of the world but didn’t let it taint Him. Instead, He changed it and encouraged others to follow Him in His clean-up efforts. Scripture says He is still filtering and will until the end of time.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:32)

I think filtering all that stuff must be a bit painful for the oyster. Talk about getting down to the nitty-gritty!  The sand particles must be abrasive. But the reward for all this uncomfortable task? A pearl. The more filtering the oyster does, the larger and more precious the pearl.

Jesus said in one of his parables, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls” (Matthew 13:45).

When God looks for fine pearls, will He find one growing inside of me?

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Undertow

August 30, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.  Psalm 25:15

fernando-pelaez-cubas-nbt_zlrzb8i-unsplash.jpg

My parents used to take us to the coast each summer. We were told to be wary of the undertow. My sister and I find pockets of this mild quicksand, and at first, it was weirdly intriguing to watch it surround my feet. Cooler than the surrounding sand, untouched by the sun, it held a strange sensation. I could feel the sand particles almost come alive as they encased my feet. But the longer I stood still, the more the sand developed my lower extremities, up past my ankles. I was stuck! I couldn’t wiggle free.  I was helpless.  TALK ABOUT A SAND TRAP!

My eyes scanned for my mother or father as my breaths quickened and the sand crawled higher.  When our gazes locked and my father dashed to free me, I sighed in relief.

An intriguing, not-so-legal situation, a temptation, a movie with iffy scenes can be intriguing. We are drawn to it. Yes, it may not be proper or wholesome or upright. The Holy Spirit may whisper for us to back off, turn away or be careful…even so….  we venture toward the experience.  A little of it won’t hurt.  I’ll just watch for a few minutes. Everyone else is doing it, right?

Then, we might go deeper, watch longer, become more entangled in the deceit.  Soon, we are stuck. This isn’t fun anymore.  Two choices. Try to get free on our own with our eyes solely on the problem as panic begins to gurgle up from our stomach juices, or…

Raise our eyes and seek our Father. Call out to Daddy for help.

Of course, if we had kept our eyes on Him in the first place, we never would have wandered. But no sense going back to woulda, shoulda.  Instead, it is best to ask forgiveness, receive His help, and move forward while holding on to His hand. It may take a while to shake the wet sand from our feet. Actions do have consequences. But if we walk with our Lord in the way He deems, then the undertows in our world will no longer be a snare.

Just as my father splashed sea water on my toes that day to release the sticky, itchy granules, we can be washed in His waves of mercy.

 

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Throne Room

August 23, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

The Contemporary Christian Music group, Casting Crowns, sings that God is on the throne so we shouldn’t worry but be held. I giggled when I first heard it on the radio, because in my neck of the woods, “the throne room” meant something other than a place where a king or queen sits.

But then I started to think about it. I recall those years when small pets and children occupied my life. No room in the house was off-limits. No matter how “busy” I was, they barged in looking to me for love, comfort, to feed them, or to fix a boo-boo. And I responded, in love. They became my priority. Everything else could wait. Well, sometimes not. But at those times I tried to explain I’d be there in a minute or two.

It made me realize that our Heavenly Father is never too busy for his children.  We may think He is. After all, He has a universe to run and millions upon millions praying to Him.  Our little need might seem minuscule in comparison to what others are suffering.  Cancer, untimely death, natural disasters, murder…

Doesn’t matter.  When we need Daddy, He is there for us.  He will never close the door in our faces or tell us He is otherwise occupied. He is, and always will be, on the Throne waiting for us to climb up on his lap.

Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior. Psalm 38:22

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Stacked to Stand

August 13, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

thanks to Peggy Sue Thompson for this photo

A friend posted this on Facebook and stated if it had been her, she’d have cut the tree down since so much of it was missing.   As I looked at that majestic tree the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “I have done this for many whom others have seen as a lost cause.”

I don’t know what happened to gouge out this tree.  But some kind soul saved it by pushing these stones inside the hollow trunk. It was a purposeful act, not a freak of nature.

Thanks to the stones stacked inside, the vulnerable core of the tree was protected from varmints, bugs, and weather. The stones strengthened it and encouraged it to grow straight and tall instead of toppling over. They, by their very nature, add substance and sturdiness to the trunk.

What a testimony of a Christ-filled life!

What are the stones in our lives? Are they our trials, lessons learned, or spiritual nudges when faced with a decision? With the Rock of Christ living in us, stone by stone He is building a testimony.  Each rock is stacked just so in order for us to keep standing, keep growing and keep digging our roots deeper into the faith. As a result, we are able to withstand what otherwise might topple us.

Jesus said in Luke 19:40, “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  For me, these stones cried out today telling of the amazing work Christ can do in people we may consider lost causes.  They also tell of the work He continues to do in me.  What happens to me through this process is a purposeful act, not a freak of nature. 

May He continue to use whatever He needs in order to strengthen me from within. I pray the same for you.

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Mixed Up

August 9, 2019 by Julie B Cosgrove

Maybe I am the only one who still uses an electric mixer instead of a bullet or processor, but the harvest gold one I got as a wedding present in 1976 still works just fine. I use it often in making crustless quiches, almond flour pancakes, and gluten-free, low carb cloud bread.

Anyway, I put the beaters in the dishwasher basket along with the rest of the silverware.  After the dishwasher had done its thing, I wanted to use the beaters again. But I thought I didn’t have time at the moment to empty the  rest of the things in the dishwasher. Wrong. Some of the forks and spoons had gotten mixed up (pun intended) in the loops of the beaters.  I tried to wiggle them free but to no avail. With a deep sigh, I decided I had to remove the utensils one by one in order to get to the beaters.

So, why am I telling you this? Once again I heard that holy whisper.  I found God today in a dishwasher basket.

Sometimes I think that I am ready to have God help me work on a fault.  Yes, I have them. Now you know.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me (Psalm 51:3).

Instead, He gently shows me another area of my life He decides to clean, remove, mold or polish first. Before we can get to the “beaters” we need to remove the other things I hadn’t noticed as an issue.  I don’t think I have the time or the gumption, but He, in His eternal wisdom, knows the order in which to tackle things even if I do not. I have learned that instead of struggling, it is easier to take them one by one and untangle them from my life.

And yes, this old gal is still working, too. Thank you, Lord, for still using me even if I do get things mixed up now and then.

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