Morning Cuppas With Glenys

We are faithful

Chronic illness can make us feel that we are incapable of many things. That can be true of physical things which for most of us who are ill or disabled, are now incapable of doing. But all is not lost as there are still things which are eternal that we can do.

We are told to pray without ceasing and prayer is something we can manage to do. Albeit in a different way to the "normals'" prayers, our disjointed or mumbled prayers are still as powerful and effective.

Just because we are sitting in our recliners, or in our bed, or sitting on a shower chair, in our wheelchair or resting on the seat of our walker- the fervent prayers we offer will reach the Ears of Him Who we serve.

We must never let the lies of the evil one cause us to doubt ourselves and then have us not pray at all. We are never wasting our life when we pray. God does not class prayers according to the pray-ers' surroundings.

Goodness knows, we have heard of soldiers praying in the trenches under fire and imminent death. No, our prayers are of equal importance to God. Our prayers will drive the enemy away and cause him to tremble, because he knows wherever we pray is holy ground. Satan doesn't care about where or even how they are prayed. He hates the fact that we still pray.

Faithfulness is something chronic illness can't take away from us. No matter how hard the enemy tries to convince us that we are wasting our lives, we know he is just using wily and cunning ways to get us to stop praying and therefore serving God.

The prayers of the chronically ill are precious to the LORD, for He knows the battles we face just to be "normal". But we are more than "normal" as we come against illness and serve Him regardless.

Chronic illness will try to wipe us out physically, emotionally and spiritually if it can: but one thing we sufferers are is not only resilient: we are faithful.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27

My sad tale

Cat jumped on my bedside table and misjudged the jump and fell. Instinctively I reached out to grab him and he latched on to my finger and wouldn't let go

I was punctured eleven times and couldn't stop the blood cos of my blood thinners. Like a sieve. Carpet bedding.  All covered

Went to doc who started antibiotics with next day review. And that night Joey jumped onto the kitchen table and I told him to get down. He swiped at my sore hand again

Luckily I  put it away away before he connected  Chris said he's got to go. So I rang  the pound.  Went hospital as doc wasn't happy with my hand. Traralgon told me to go Dandenong for surgery so here l am

Treatment is IV antibiotics and Betadine washes and elevation 

Fasting from 7pm tonight in case they want to wash it out again tomorrow 
 
The pain is described in 1 word..childbirth. thanks for prayers. I don't want more surgery and the diabetes is not helping me heal

Teardrop babies

WARNING- POSSIBLE TRIGGER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST A BABY:

Many years ago, my mother went to the hospital bleeding heavily during her 13th week of pregnancy. It was unclear on her admission if she had in fact lost the baby she had planned. She was laying in the cubicle awaiting results of the examination of her lost tissue to see if she had miscarried or not. It was in the days before ultrasound.

Eventually a nurse came in, winked conspiratorially at Mum and announced that it looked like she had miscarried. Her demeanour was like she was the bearer of good news and that Mum should be grateful that she was no longer pregnant. Mum just turned her face to the wall and cried.

As a young woman, I too had a loss of a much wanted pregnancy. At the time I conceived, I had to have an emergency surgery. I was so ill for so long after the anaesthetic that it dawned on me that it could be morning sickness. It was.

I prayed that I would not lose the baby but it was not to be. A few weeks after my morning sickness disappeared- and I was always morning sick the entire 9 months with my other babies- I started bleeding.

Eventually I lost my baby and Mum had advised me to keep any tissue I lost to show the doctor. I fetched out my lost tissue and found a little embryo, all curled up and just forming its eyes. I was devastated.

I showed the little one to my then husband, who sniffed and said what a silly looking little thing it was! Something inside me died and I went outside and wept for the baby who would join its stillborn twin sisters, Sarah and Ruth in God's nursery. I named it Leslie because that name would do for either gender.

Wiping my eyes, I thought about how precious these lives were and how sad most women feel when they never see the light. By far there are more women who grieve over the loss of a baby than who feel relieved or rejoice. I decided that I would call lost babies Teardrop Babies. For many would shed a tear over their loss.

No Teardrop Baby is lost to God and is known to Him and that brings me some comfort. All mothers of those babes will see them again if they know the Giver of Life. I believe that goes for aborted children as well. Many a woman who aborted a baby will suffer great anguish over that choice and if she repents, God will forgive her and show her His great mercy and grace.

No matter what people tell us about our lost Teardrop Baby being just a bunch of cells or tissue, we know that they were our potential son or daughter and we will grieve for them with many tears. Another reason I call lost babes Teardrop Babies.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Psalm 139:16

Doing nothing is a choice

In life, we don't have a say how we were born, or who our parents are, but in death, we do have a say. Either we will be in Heaven or hell. Either our Father will be God or the devil.

Based on how we want to live forever, and the decision we make to that end, we have a say- a very important choice of whom we will serve.

We have to make that choice- either we serve God and live with Him or we choose Satan and suffer with Him forever.

Make the choice to love God and live for Him. And remember, your indecision and silence means you remain in your sin, a child of the devil.

You can't be half-Christian... you are saved or not.

Make the choice to be a Christian today. The end of your life here demands a choice. Get saved today.

Jesus or the devil. You must make a choice. Because in this matter, doing nothing is a choice.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

God wrote the story

The Bible was written on three continents.

Asia.

Africa.

Europe.

In three languages.

Hebrew.

Aramaic.

Greek.

By more than 40 different men:

Shepherds.

Kings.

Prophets.

Fishermen.

A tax collector.

A doctor.

A tentmaker.

Written in palaces and prisons.
In deserts and cities.
In freedom and in exile.

Across roughly 1,500 years.

66 books.

One continuous story:

Creation.

Fall.

Redemption.

Yeshua.

Most of these writers never met.
No committee planned it.
No human editor stitched it together.

Now look at this image.

It visualizes tens of thousands of cross-references throughout the Bible. Every arc connects one passage of Scripture to another - sometimes written hundreds of years apart.

Genesis connects to the Prophets.
The Prophets connect to the Gospels.
The Gospels connect to the Epistles.
And it all comes together in Revelation.

The Bible opens with the Tree of Life in Genesis and closes with the Tree of Life in Revelation.

Different writers.
Different centuries.
Different cultures.

Yet one voice.
How?

Because behind the human hands was a divine Author.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…”
2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

Men held the pens.

But God wrote the story.

By Amir Tsafarti

Even if not our neighbours.

So today Chris and I were listening to some worship music. We had such a feeling of peace after what could be described as a very stressful week.

We talked about how God has been so good and faithful to us and reminisced on how over the years, He has blessed us.

We spoke about keeping on in faith and overcoming illness and the imminence of the Blessed Hope or Rapture.

We talked of how we were meant to be together and how God was our Matchmaker.

Sharing stories of how our faith had taken shape when we were children, with Chris aware that Christ was in Christopher, his name. He later learned that it meant Bearer of Christ.

I shared how being called Glenys and finding out it meant holy, clean and good also shaped my faith.

The presence of the Holy Spirit was very strong, and we gave into it with singing loudly and passionately, with tears...

When the music stopped, we both realised how loud we were and how awful we must have sounded.

We had a laugh, but then I shared with Chris how as a child, I had asked the LORD to make me a singer to worship Him. I prayed that prayer for many years.... my voice was at most, pleasant, not great.

Finally, when I was an adult, praying that prayer again, I felt the LORD tell me that us just making a joyful noise to Him was enough. Our praise pleased and delighted Him just the same.

Telling this to Chris made us laugh because we thought our praise must have really, really delighted Him, even if not our neighbours...

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise" -Psalm 98:4

For such a time as this!

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God...

The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him, to all who call out to him sincerely. The Lord will rescue me from every evil action and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. Whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you — in God, whose word I praise.
I trust in God; I won’t be afraid. What can mere flesh do to me? God is indeed my salvation; I will trust and won't be afraid. It’s far better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust any human. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.
God didn't give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you. This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me?

Those who know your name trust you because you have not abandoned any who seek you, Lord. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul...

He heard my voice from His temple and my cry came before Him even to His ears

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you."

"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also"

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

"Don't fear, because I am with you; don't be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand"

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth."

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him." Psalm 28:7

A compilation of scriptures for such a time as this!