Marital Longevity. HAPPY 66TH !!!

Republished January 27, 2016

To GOD be the glory! So thankful Mom and Dad have triumphed through another year of marriage. 66 YEARS and looking ahead! 

Each year is a milestone for any marriage these days, but one marriage between one man and one woman for a lifetime is an awesome and very inspiring example of what devotion to God and commitment to each other will do! This is rare and so very wonderful to observe. The secret is continual consciousness of the Oneness gift God gives couples who strive to build their marriage relationship.
These last few years for Mom and Dad are typical of those growing older. Aging, health issues, loss of many family members including even their daughter, my sister Karen, have opened a pathway rough enough to cause stumbling, bewilderment, or bitterness. Yet they have leaned hard on each other and fed their renewed faith by seeking the Lord and taking one day at a time. Church attendance is a valuable and treasured accomplishment of these latter days, having learned the futility of self reliance in the past. Life has been the schoolmaster of eternal truths found only in God's Word.
My mom is the sole survivor of a family of 12, many of whom she and my dad helped in their last days of illness and aging on to eternity.
My dad, also from a large family, has also lost his last remaining sibling during this last year.
Through these various circumstances, the precious bond and presence of each other has been a tremendous force to supply help, encouragement, affection, emotional strength and support as they face the challenges of earthly living.
So I lovingly rejoice as they celebrate their oneness life of 66 years today!!!

Psalm 48:14 ..."For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our Guide even unto death."

A Sure Path

God's desire is that we know Him, love Him above all others, and trust His guidance from day to day. Prov.3:5-9 As we do this, all else follows. If each of us had nothing but Him, and yielded to His control, it would be easy. But our struggle comes from all the other choices and options along the way that He allows us to experience.

As the earthly realm is enlarged, Satan works his ways to distract us from God's original purpose...a changed life, a truly holy life, motivated in our hearts by the great love we have for Him.  We love Him because He first loved us. We serve Him, because He first loved us. We have faith in Him because He first loved us. Complete trust is fully based on the awareness that the Lord has always loved us, loves us now, and will continue to love us. Not for what we do, but because He created us to love and be loved by Him. Our loyalty and love for Him should reign supreme in our lives, and as it does it clarifies our view and gives us the right perspective.(Rev.4:11)(Ps.119:1-4)

  In my life, knowing God's will for me is not always about knowing what I should do, in a particular circumstance. In fact, many times, as I ask for guidance, He reveals or reminds me of the things I know I shouldn't do; the things He clearly reveals in His Word to me. He does not always show me the choice to make, He often shows me a choice I shouldn't make, or a better way. This type of direction depends on a day-to-day desire to be close to Him and to please Him..(Ps.119:133)

Jesus Christ is my enduring leader. Although every human relationship is different, and every personal circumstance new, Jesus Christ is the same as He was yesterday, is today, and will be tomorrow. (Heb.13:8) The sheer wonder of such consistency and His promise!  It inspires me to trust Him to lead me through life. Circumstances of life can often seem ambiguous or confusing. He says in His word, He knows the end from the beginning. This means the Lord also knows the order of things that He planned! Therefore,  I can trust Him to lead me through to that end, can I not?(Deut.31:8) (Rev.22:13)

 Jesus is my enduring lover.  I am promised an everlasting love, not based on my character, or what I do, but on His Divine Eternal character and the Holy Spirit within me. Not only will He always lead me; He is also there with me loving me as He guides and leads me. He is my true and faithful friend above all others. I realize an awareness of His presence and His love(Jer.33:3)(Heb.13:5)(John 13:1)
 
Jesus is also my enduring example of excellence.  He embodies precept, promise and power. He is the best example I can follow. He will never falter or fail. He will never disappoint. He will always bless and accomplish His purpose through me as I obey.(John 13:15) (Matt.4:19)(Phil.2:12,13)

 In summary,My Lord is good, wise and unchanging. He knows the end from the beginning and has the wisdom and power to lead me from that beginning to that end.  He gives me the enduring promise of His undying love.


GTD2/17/14








 

Anew You "Because He Loves Me"

--Having given a considerable amount of time to wait for input from my previous request to readers, it is now time to continue. While waiting, I have come across an opportunity which will  fan the embers of devotion in this writer's heart. One thing that I've been impressed with in the life of Jesus is that 'He went about doing the Father's will", not waiting for others to agree, or even necessarily follow. He had to do what He was called to do in devotion and obedience to the Father, and frankly, if no one followed, He walked on. He could not be distracted from the higher goal of pleasing His Father by devoted obedience.

I am weary this evening, having not slept well last night. In my insomnia, I read the first sections of "Because He Loves Me", which I acquired so easily for my android phone Kindle last night from Amazon.   The theme that has been burning in my soul is "Anew You". This book seems to be a very nice guidebook for me to find the reconstructive process necessary to "anew" especially in motive and matters of the heart. May God receive greater love from each of us as we seek to grow in grace and knowledge and yieldedness to His Indwelling loving leadership.

From my heart, in His love, by His grace,
Gail