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Saturday, April 10, 2021

Purity 389: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


Purity 389  04/10/2021 Purity 389 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo comes from a friend’s lunchtime walk a couple of days ago presumably near their home in Cambridge, NY.  In this photo you can see the dead vegetation from last year right next to the regeneration of green grass, new buds and leaves on the trees, and even some trumpeting daffodils that have risen from the earth. This natural display of transition all falls under a canopy of a clear blue sky. I share it because of its simple beauty of the contrasts between that which is dead and that which is springing to life as it bears the testimony of the emergence of spring in upstate New York. 

I’ll be enjoying the outdoors because of the obligation to work today as I am blessed to not only have a job but have one that sends me all over the Capital region to see all the sights in our area in all the different seasons.  

So I will be enjoying the outdoors of what ever area I am assigned to, I would encourage those of you not working to appreciate the time off and to use it to enjoy the life that God has given you.

The beauty of God’s creation and the peace of being in harmony with Him is available to all of us every day but it is up to us to seek it.  We can find right it where we are, or we can find it wherever we choose to go, but we have to look for it and open our hearts to receive it from Him. 

It is my prayer today that all who read this, find the peace that the Lord wants you to have. Regardless of your location or situation, God loves you and wants you to know Him more.      

 (An Audio version of this message is available at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, you can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D).) There is more content at the restricted blog. Follow me on Twitter or MeWe for easy access.  Blog M T 4 Christ dot org – This is where the Facebook post ends.)

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This morning’s meditation verse is:

Psalm 119:160 (NKJV)
160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

Today’s verse glorifies the word of God declaring it to be true, righteous, and eternal.   

As much as I encourage my friends to enjoy God’s creation and to appreciate His handiwork of nature, there is a greater evidence for God and a richer source from which we can know Him more. That evidence for Him and that source to know Him is the Word of God, which is contained in the Holy Bible.

The word of God is His revelation to let us know who He is, who we are, and where all of history is headed.  People searching for the meaning of life can find it in the pages of the Bible.

God’s word chronicles the creation of life, the history of God’s interaction with mankind, and His plan of redemption that culminated in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.     

The word of God presents God’s standards for righteous living in general and specifically details the way that man can be reconciled to God and can receive eternal life and the power to live a righteous life.  Spoiler alert: those things can only be accomplished through placing our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and living by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s word is proven to be true because of its wisdom, its fulfilled prophecies, and the transformed lives that result from those who follow its plan of redemption and live according to its advice.    

The regular study of the word of God feeds our souls, renews our minds, and quickens our spirit.  It is the catalyst for knowing God more and experiencing a life of righteousness and peace.  

So draw close to God by investing more time and effort in reading the word of God. Reading the word of God is time well spent and the rewards for doing so are limitless.     

I invite all to mt4chritst.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue to share from Dr. H. Norman Wright’s “Experiencing Grief

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Wright’s books for your own private study and to support his work. If you need this title you can find it online at several sites for less than $5.00:

Chapter 4.
The Nature of Grief

Grief is slow, and you need it to be like this even though you'll probably want to rush it along. It will take longer than you have patience for. Time seems to stand still especially at night. Don't let others rush you through this process. They're not experts, and you'll discover others will be uncomfortable with your grief. Let your grief do its healing work at its own slow pace. You need its slowness. Grief cannot be put on a fast track.

Don't compare your loss with others and think theirs is worse or more painful than your own. The worst loss is your own. It may have been gradual, or it could have been as sudden and traumatic as the planes crashing into the towers of New York. Some suffering builds gradually while for others it's instantaneous.

The worst loss is the one you are experiencing at this time. You may question that as you compare your loss with others you've heard about. You may have lost your grandparent, parent, brother or sister, or spouse. There is no other loss in our society that is so neglected as the death of a brother or sister. When you lose a sibling, you lose a person who was a part of your formative past, someone who has been in your life a long time. You may have lost a child; this is sometimes referred to as the ultimate bereavement. You're not supposed to outlive your child. Experiencing a miscarriage or stillbirth is still the death of a child. And to the expectant parents it is just as much a loss as losing a twenty-two-year-old son. But with certain types of deaths, you will not receive the same recognition or support as if you had lost a spouse, a child, or a parent. Miscarriages and stillbirths rarely receive the support they need. This is also true when you lose a friend in death. We will probably lose more friends in our lifetime than relatives. Harold Ivan Smith voiced a sentiment that most of us think but rarely say: "My friends, although dead, fill the bleachers of my memories."

He also said: "Experiencing my friend's death has depleted my heart. My heart lies collapsed, like a party balloon the morning after the celebration. No one understands my grief. I guess that's what I get for taking friendship so seriously."

Most of us have friends who are much closer than our relatives. Your loss now or in the past could have been a friend, but who encouraged you to grieve or supported you in your grief? Close friendships that last have been a great investment in trust, openness, vulnerability, affection, and warmth. When your friend dies, something has been ripped away. It's a great loss coupled with another hurt of your loss not being given the recognition and support it needs.

Everyone grieves and heals differently. Some want to be connected to people as much as possible. Others prefer to be left alone. Some prefer to take care of their own problems, while others want assistance. One prefers activity, while another prefers just the opposite. Others may attempt to fill your life with what you don't want. Even though it will take effort, you may need to let others know what you need as well as the best way for them to help you. When grief is your companion, you experience it in many ways. It permeates and changes your feelings, thoughts, and attitudes. It impacts you socially as you interact with others. You experience it physically as it affects your health and is expressed in physical symptoms.

You may be afraid you're not doing your grief "right." You will hear advice—usually unsolicited. You will also hear conflicting advice and "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts." There are many misguided notions about what "correct" or "healthy" grieving is about. You may experience most of what is discussed in this book, or you may not. Your grief experience is unique.

Grief encompasses a number of changes. It appears differently at various times, and it flits in and out of your life. It is a natural, normal, predictable, and expected reaction. It is not an abnormal response. In fact, just the opposite is true. The absence of grief does not have to be accepted or validated by others for you to experience and express grief.


Experiencing Grief.

----------------------------more tomorrow-------------------------

 

God bless you all!

 

Join our Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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