May 10, 2011
Belief determines behavior. It's that simple. And boy did I see the evidence of that this past week as Dad was dying and this past year as Mom took care of Dad.
We've all been trying to come up with the right words to describe Dad's behavior this past week. There was never even one word of complaint that came out of his mouth—not one. He didn't fight against anything. Nothing. He had no anxiety of any kind. He was totally at peace. He asked no questions. He had no fear. I'm not even sure if he knew he was dying It wouldn't have mattered either way. There was no unfinished business he had any control over. My husband says Dad woke up in heaven and said, "What happened? How did I get here?" Dad had a gentle, quiet, and humble spirit.
Matthew 11:28–30 - "Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your souls. For my teaching is easy and my burden is light."
Philippians 4:6–7 - "Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask Go for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
That was how my Dad lived and died.
Psalm 111 - Praise the LORD!! I will thank the LORD with all my heart. The LORD does great things:
Psalm 112 - Honest People are Blessed. Praise the LORD! I have written April 2008 ~ God's Promise written in the margins of my Bible.
Addendum: 4/15/15 ~ I am reading Psalm 112 and I see my notations in the margins on either side. To the left of Psalm 112 I have written: "April 2008 - God's Promise" To the right of Psalm 112 in the margin I have written: "See Journal Entry for June 13 & 14, 2013 and our letter." I obviously became aware of the connection between the letter declaring our faith to our lawyer and the promise from God through Jane's lips the very next day in June of 2013, but with everything that was going on (following the death of my husband's brother and the care for his parents), it did not permanently register in my mind. Oh my goodness. I totally forgot all about this!!!
Because my entries for those days in 2013 have not yet been entered into this blog, I am going to write them out in their entirety here.
June 13, 2013 ~ Hebrews 11:1–40
Faith—it's all about faith.
Hebrews 11:1 - "Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it." This is the verse I quoted in a letter I wrote to our lawyer early in the process of the lawsuit. Sometime I'll go back and look up the date. We told him that in our hearts the lawsuit is over. God promised us His protection and we believe Him.
It was because of their ability to have faith that we remember the great people of the past. Faith—being sure and knowing, even when it is not yet visible or tangible.
It is by faith:
It was by faith:
From the Life Lesson: Faith is more than a belief in God. It is also a way of life.
June 14, 2013 ~ Hebrews 11:1–40 (Continued)
I went back and found the letter I wrote to our lawyer. Here is a portion of what I wrote:
Addendum: 4/15/15 ~ How incredible to realize anew the timeline between
Belief determines behavior. It's that simple. And boy did I see the evidence of that this past week as Dad was dying and this past year as Mom took care of Dad.
We've all been trying to come up with the right words to describe Dad's behavior this past week. There was never even one word of complaint that came out of his mouth—not one. He didn't fight against anything. Nothing. He had no anxiety of any kind. He was totally at peace. He asked no questions. He had no fear. I'm not even sure if he knew he was dying It wouldn't have mattered either way. There was no unfinished business he had any control over. My husband says Dad woke up in heaven and said, "What happened? How did I get here?" Dad had a gentle, quiet, and humble spirit.
Matthew 11:28–30 - "Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your souls. For my teaching is easy and my burden is light."
Philippians 4:6–7 - "Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask Go for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
That was how my Dad lived and died.
Psalm 111 - Praise the LORD!! I will thank the LORD with all my heart. The LORD does great things:
- What He does is glorious and splendid
- His goodness continues forever
- His miracles are unforgettable
- He is kind and merciful
- He supplies your needs
- He keeps His promises
- Everything He does is good and fair
- He can be trusted
- His orders continue forever and are true and right
- He sets His people free
- He is holy and wonderful
Psalm 112 - Honest People are Blessed. Praise the LORD! I have written April 2008 ~ God's Promise written in the margins of my Bible.
- Happiness comes from respecting the LORD
- The children of honest people are blessed
- It is good to be merciful and generous
- Good people will be remembered
- They won't be afraid
- Their hearts are steady
- They are confident
- They give freely
- They do what is right
Addendum: 4/15/15 ~ I am reading Psalm 112 and I see my notations in the margins on either side. To the left of Psalm 112 I have written: "April 2008 - God's Promise" To the right of Psalm 112 in the margin I have written: "See Journal Entry for June 13 & 14, 2013 and our letter." I obviously became aware of the connection between the letter declaring our faith to our lawyer and the promise from God through Jane's lips the very next day in June of 2013, but with everything that was going on (following the death of my husband's brother and the care for his parents), it did not permanently register in my mind. Oh my goodness. I totally forgot all about this!!!
Because my entries for those days in 2013 have not yet been entered into this blog, I am going to write them out in their entirety here.
June 13, 2013 ~ Hebrews 11:1–40
Faith—it's all about faith.
Hebrews 11:1 - "Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it." This is the verse I quoted in a letter I wrote to our lawyer early in the process of the lawsuit. Sometime I'll go back and look up the date. We told him that in our hearts the lawsuit is over. God promised us His protection and we believe Him.
It was because of their ability to have faith that we remember the great people of the past. Faith—being sure and knowing, even when it is not yet visible or tangible.
It is by faith:
that we believe the world was created by God.It is by faith:
that we understand that what we see was made by a God we cannot see.It was by faith:
that Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain. God was pleased with him because of his faith. It was because of his faith that his testimony lives on.It was by faith:
that Enoch was taken to heaven without dying.It is by faith:
that we please God. "Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him."It was by faith:
that Noah heard and believed God's warning about things he could not yet see.It was by faith:
that Noah obeyed God and built a boat to save his family.It was by faith:
that Noah proved the world wrong and he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.It was by faith:
that Abraham left his own country and obeyed God's call to go to another place when he had no idea where he was going.It was by faith:
that Abraham could live like a foreigner in tents in a strange land... waiting.It was by faith:
that Abraham was able to become a father as an old man, because he trusted God.All these great people lived—and died—in faith. They lived by looking forward → to God's promises. "If they had been thinking about the country they had left, they could have gone back." To live by faith you cannot be looking back. You must look forward and believe.
It was by faith:
that Abraham was willing to give up the one thing that could make God's promise work, believing that even if he gave it up, God could give it back.It was by faith:
that Isaac blessed the future of Jacob and Esau.It was by faith:
that Jacob blessed each one of Joseph's sons as he was dying.It was because of his faith:
that Jacob could worship God while leaning on the top of his walking stick because he was so weak and dying.It was by faith:
that Joseph, while he was dying, made sure everyone knew and understood God's faithfulness and promises. God took him to Egypt so he could save his entire family. God turned evil intent into blessed redemption. Joseph wanted to make sure they took his bones to God's promised land.It was by faith:
that Moses' parents hid him for three months in disobedience to the king's order.It was by faith:
that Moses didn't take the easy way out as the king of Egypt's daughter's child, denying his heritage. "He chose to suffer with God's people instead of enjoying sin for a short time. He thought it better to suffer for the Christ than to have all the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking for God's reward."It was by faith:
that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king's anger. "Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see."It was by faith:
that Moses prepared the Passover and spread the blood on the door posts, believing the angel of death would pass-over.It was by faith:
that the people crossed the Red Sea as if it was dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do it under their own power they all drowned.It was by faith:
that the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days.It was by faith:
that Rahab was saved because she was willing to risk everything in order to do the right thing.It was by faith:
that Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets defeated kingdoms. They were weak, and yet were made strong. "They did what was right, received God's promises, and shut the mouth of lions."All these people are known for their faith. It wasn't easy and it wasn't always pretty, but they persevered. Chapter 12 tells you how you can run the race and run it well.
From the Life Lesson: Faith is more than a belief in God. It is also a way of life.
"Faith is the belief that God is real and that God is good... It is a choice to believe that the one who made it all hasn't left it all and that he still sends light into the shadows and responds to gestures of faith... Faith is the belief that God will do what is right... God says that the more hopeless your circumstances, the more likely your salvation. The greater your cares, the more genuine your prayers. The darker the room, the greater the need for light... God's help is near and always available, but it is only given to those who seek it. Nothing results from apathy... do something that demonstrates faith. For faith with no effort is no faith at all. God WILL RESPOND. He has never rejected a genuine gesture of faith. Never!" ~ From He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado
June 14, 2013 ~ Hebrews 11:1–40 (Continued)
I went back and found the letter I wrote to our lawyer. Here is a portion of what I wrote:
"At the risk of you thinking we have lost it, we want to share with you how we feel. We truly would not change a thing. We feel so blessed. While this whole process has been painful, it has also filled us with great joy. Our faith in the faithfulness of our God has increased beyond measure. We absolutely believe the lawsuit will never go to trial. We will admit to you that there is no logic behind that statement. It is just an absolute belief. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." We are certain. Not because of the possibility of mediation or because of the skill you and our team of lawyer's possess, even though we are grateful for all of that. Our faith is in the Lord and His promises. Psalm 112 is a promise we claim. We will wait upon the Lord." We are praying for His guidance. We will wait upon the Lord."
Psalm 112
Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who respect the Lord,
who want what he commands.
Their descendants will be powerful in the land;
the children of honest people will be blest.
Their houses will be full of wealth and riches,
and their goodness will continue forever.
A light shines in the dark for honest people,
for those who are merciful and kind and good.
It is good to be merciful and generous.
Those who are fair in their business
will never be defeated.
Good people will always be remembered,
They won't be afraid of bad news;
their hearts are steady because they trust the Lord.
They are confident and will not be afraid;
they will look down on their enemies.
They give freely to the poor.
The things they do are right and will continue forever.
They will be given great honor.
The wicked will see this and become angry;
they will grind their teeth in anger and then
disappear.
The wishes of the wicked will come to nothing.
Beside Psalm 112 in my Bible I have written: April 2008—God's Promise. I wrote the letter to our lawyer (which included Psalm 112) three days after writing "God's Promise" beside Psalm 112. The very next day, Jane spoke her final God-given words to us when she said "Jeremiah 33," a promise of restoration and freedom. Exactly one year later—to the day—God incredibly fulfilled His promise of restoration from a significant obligation. There will come a day when the threat of the lawsuit and "the storm" will pass; we will be free once again.
Amazing to look back now and realize the order of events.We believed God's promises FIRST. Then we went way out on a limb and proclaimed those promises to our lawyer. AFTER we believed and AFTER we took the leap of faith, God sent us His final message through the lips of Jane E. Wolfe. Jeremiah 33—A promise of restoration and freedom. Incredibly, one year to the day later, God fulfilled the first part of His promise. He restored us in an amazing way.
Beside Psalm 112 in my Bible I have written: April 2008—God's Promise. I wrote the letter to our lawyer (which included Psalm 112) three days after writing "God's Promise" beside Psalm 112. The very next day, Jane spoke her final God-given words to us when she said "Jeremiah 33," a promise of restoration and freedom. Exactly one year later—to the day—God incredibly fulfilled His promise of restoration from a significant obligation. There will come a day when the threat of the lawsuit and "the storm" will pass; we will be free once again.
Amazing to look back now and realize the order of events.We believed God's promises FIRST. Then we went way out on a limb and proclaimed those promises to our lawyer. AFTER we believed and AFTER we took the leap of faith, God sent us His final message through the lips of Jane E. Wolfe. Jeremiah 33—A promise of restoration and freedom. Incredibly, one year to the day later, God fulfilled the first part of His promise. He restored us in an amazing way.
We believe. We are sure. We are certain. Our faith is in Him, and Him alone.
Jane has the following written in her KJV:
Faith CREATES afresh today - "Brings into being."
Faith CREATES afresh today - "Brings into being."
"God was ABLE" - See Matthew 9:28-29
Faith is assurance...evidence of things not seen.
1) He was righteous (Abel)
2) He pleased God (Enoch) See Jude 14
3) Moved with fear (Noah)
4) Obeyed and he went (Abraham)
5) She judged him faithful who had promised (Sarah)
6) Were not afraid (Moses)
7) Choose to suffer instead of conform (Moses)
9) Out of weakness was made strong (Heroes of faith)
Stood strong to the end.
Stood strong to the end.
God has a better plan.
- Believing God's Promise found in Psalm 112;
- Declaring our faith in His Promises in a letter to our lawyer;
- The very next day God confirming His Promises through Jane's lips;
- God delivering on the first part of His Promise exactly one year later to the day.
Addendum: 1/16/20 ~ God fulfilled His promise! Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
Next Entry: Psalm 113:1 – 115:18
Next Entry: Psalm 113:1 – 115:18
No comments:
Post a Comment