lotsa stuff

Ok, this is gonna be long, so just sit back & read. Sorry. Just a lot to share...


These verses from Proverbs have a lot to say about our lives, what we think  & do, & Who REALLY foments the outcome.

They also speak to where I'm at right now.

Proverbs 16

vs 1 We gather our thought,

          but the Lord gives the right answer.


vs 3 Commit your work to the Lord,

        & then your plans will succeed.


vs 9 We make our plans,

     but the Lord determines our steps.


vs 19 It is better to live humbly with the poor

     than to share plunder with the proud.


vs 20 Those who listen to instruction will prosper;

     those who trust the Lord will be happy.


vs 25 There is a path before each person that seems right,

     but it leads in death.


vs 31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;

     it is gained by living a godly life. (dan note: uhm... just sayin'...  ;-)


vs 32 It is better to be patient than powerful;

     it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city.


vs 31 We may throw the dice,

     but the Lord determines how they fall.

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Mark 4:1-20

1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. 2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

  3 "Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.


4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.

5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.

6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn't have deep roots, it died.

7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.


8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"


9 Then he said, "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."


  10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.


  11 He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secret* of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

'When they see what I do,
  they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
  they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
  and be forgiven.'"


  13 Then Jesus said to them, "If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

14 The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others.

15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.

16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.

17 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.

18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word,

19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"



For me this morning, & each time I read it lately, God seems to speak of what the outcome will be of Lynn & my life here in Blairsville.

But it also may speak to you about the outcome of your life, your loving, your work, & your ministry in the place you are  RIGHT NOW.

*********


Mark 4

35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake."

36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).

37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.


  38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.

The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?"
 

 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.



40 Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"


  41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!"


It feels like God is saying the same thing to me as I walk toward what I think He has in store for us in Blairsville.

But God also may be speaking through this passage to YOU about what He may be leading you to be &/or do for Him in the season & place you are in now.