Songs Along My Pathway

Love this song by Eric Clapton. But I'd rather have songs in my pathway than stones in my passway!

Today's reading talks about how a ruler gives good things to his people: silver, gold, clouds as a cover, fire to light up the night, quail, bread from heaven, water gushing from a rock, flowing like a stream in the desert & joy, & what is coolest of all is the reason he did it - not because they deserved it but because he is a keeper of promises & these are the things he promised his people.

How awesome is that?

Thanks, @Solar . There's hope!

I'm not sure a good ruler would provide guns & ammo so that the wicked could kill off the innocent though. Is a promise a promise no matter what?

Several Thoughts

It might be as simple as asking:

"Remember me when you show favor to your people.
Come to me with your salvation so that I may enjoy
the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice as well,
and boast of your heritage." - my paraphrase, Ps. 106

Balance

Examining our hearts doesn't mean we
dwell on and share all our aches and pains,
or forget about ourselves so we can strengthen
our relationships. An "occasional, straightforward,
honest look" is what we need.

In theology there are two schools of thought: predestination and free will. Some believe you can only have one or the other. That's not true. For instance, we are predestined to have peace but through acts of free will we become confused. The biggest mistake we can make is believing we should understand everything that happens in our lives and in the lives of others. The truth is there are some things we will only understand in eternity. Christians believe that eternity is Heaven.

Don't rob the poor because they are poor. Don't crush the oppressed or keep them from entering through the gate of freedom. God will take up their case and defend them. He will plunder those who plunder them. (My paraphrase of Proverbs 22)

The conscious and subconscious are almost always in conflict. The conscious mind might say "I don't want to be selfish. I want to be at peace" while the subconscious says "I want to use some parts of myself for the wrong reasons". Unfortunately, what we need to do is say, "Who do I think I'm kidding?"

Overcoming Frustration

Turning the ugly to beautiful,
the evil to good -
learning how to 'use' these moments.

My paraphrase:
Pressured but not crushed.
Perplexed but not in despair.
Even though on the outside
I'm growing older
my heart is renewed everyday.

Buzzwords from Ps. 108
Confidence
Faith & faithfulness
Salvation
Rescue
Songs of Hope

Nonplussed

People don't want to hear about going to church but they become interested when they believe you might have something new to say about relationships. I won't write further about that, so as not to offend, but I do believe it's true. Church is something that happens on the outside. Relationships guard the heart.

Here's some daily insight:

Don't be one of those who enter into agreements or who put up security for loans. If you have no money to pay, even your bed will be taken from under you. Proverbs 22

Caring about the moral condition
of the universe
is a vital character building tool
and a path to peace as the world
changes and grows around us.
In juxtaposition, we will always find
those in opposition to us.

Psalm

Deceit opens against me.
They speak against me and surround me
and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me.

Proverb

Don't move an ancient property line
that your father set up.
A man skilled in his work
will stand in the presence of kings.
He will not stand in the presence
of unknown men.

Not everyone likes CCM so I'll add this here. The lyrics are great & worth paying attention to.

Here's another, just because I'm in the mood.

I don't know what I'm doin'!! ??

I don't really have anything for this yet today. Haven't had enough coffee. But I can tell you this - something I've learned. If you stick with it long enough you can talk (or write) yourself out of just about anything.

Free to be me