Whatever beauty this world holds

Whatever beauty this world holds

Whatever beauty this word holds,
It holds as a poor reflection of heaven,
It holds, yet as pure as the earthy can be,
It holds and it draws me more close to Thee.

Whatever beauty this world contains,
It contains as a gift from heaven,
It contains as mist or rains
Something of the glory to be known,
It contains yet a bit, yet a scent,
And though I see and sense,
Incense which draws me more close to Thee.

Whatever beauty of bird or mornings' dew,
Can only point me more to You
For all that is lovely in truth and delight
Is at God's right hand in radiant light.

More details of my seven-year plan

More details of my seven-year plan

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:  "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."

Body:  improved health to the extent possible.

Soul:  broken into these categories:

Mind:  supplement Scripture by reading better books and spending more time with those than on time wasters of various kinds.

Emotions:  cultivate the fruit of the Spirit.

Will:  do the three commitments above with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Spirit:  greater intimacy with the Holy Spirit at any cost.

I appreciate the timeliness of the messages Pastor John has been bringing on the Person of the Holy Spirit recently at Grace Community Church.

I would challenge any of you who have read this to consider such a commitment/plan as it may fit you, and ask you to pray for me to be faithful in what I need to do or cease from doing.

More Scripture included in my seven-year plan
As I considered what could motivate me to carry out a long-range plan as one potentially lasting seven years, the following Scripture passages came to mind.  These are in addition to those included in last week's post and I expect to discover more, also.

Philippians 2:12-13:  "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17: "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word."

Galatians 6:9-10: "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."

2 Thessalonians 3:13: "But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good."

Colossians 2:6-7: "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."

Ephesians 2:10: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

My seven-year plan--tentative, as I am learning to live life with a pencil, not ink
Where did I come up with the idea of a seven-year plan?  From Moses, who wrote these words in what we refer to as Psalm 90:  "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is labor and sorrow, for soon it is gone and we fly away....So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom....Let the favor of the Lord be upon us; and confirm to us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands" (v.v. 10,12, 17).
Why the idea of living with pencil, not ink?  From James, who wrote in his letter what we know as chapter 4, verses 13-17:  "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.'  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.  Therefore, to the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin."
I wrote a more full draft of this on 12 November.  Then last night, we got a phone call informing us that a friend, Jean Mastin Lewis, whom we had reconnected with five years ago this month, was on her death bed.  We went, not knowing we would be there when she left this residence for her permanent one.  After the singing of many hymns by those present and the reading of some Scripture, it pleased the Lord to call her into His presence at 10:30 p.m.  Jean turned 81 last March.
Take this to heart.  Count both your days and your blessings.
"As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is labor and sorrow, for soon it is gone and we fly away....So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom....Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm to us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands" (Ps, 90:10,12,17).

1 Peter 2:19-25
This is the first of the set of verses I have chosen for the 7/14/21 challenge presented at the women's fall event at GCC

For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrow when suffering unjustly.
For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?  But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in His steps,
WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;
and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
and He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you were healed.
For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.