Jean-Pierre de Caussade excerpt

"We are really taught well only by the words which God addresses especially to us. Neither books nor laborious delving into history will instruct us about the wisdom of God. They will fill us up with useless muddled kind of knowledge and puff us up with pride. It is what happens moment by moment which enlightens us and gives us that practical knowledge which Jesus Christ himself chose to acquire before beginning his public life. The Gospel tells us how he 'increased in wisdom' (Luke 2:52), although as God, all wisdom was already his. This knowledge that comes to us only through experience is absolutely necessary if we want to touch the hearts of those God sends us. We can understand nothing perfectly except what experience has taught through what we have suffered and done. Our master is the Holy Spirit, who gives us these words of life, and all we say to others must come from him. All we read and study becomes fruitful, clear, and effective under the guidance of experience. Without it, we are dough without yeast or salt. Our ideas are vague and ill-directed. We are like absent-minded people who know all about geography but lose their way when going home. So we must listen to God moment by moment to become learned in this practical theology of virtue. Take no notice of what is said to other people. Listen only to what is said to and for you. There will be enough there to strengthen your faith, for it will be exercised, purified and deepened by the very obscurity of these communications. (p.49)"

"A servant cannot be corrected by mere words;

though she understands, she will not respond."

Proverbs something or other...

[Verse about me. For me. Amen.]

For the Future Glory

Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right
and to the left;

Do not be afraid; you will not suffer
shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not
be humiliated.

Ask whatever you want in my name...

2 Cor 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our (ahem) light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

My life may appear a mess to other people, but I know what is really going on...the light and momentary troubles are really working to change me.

2 Cor 10:4-5

How to combat strongholds [in your own thinking]:

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish [our own] arguments and every pretension [in our own minds/attitudes] that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, so we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

2 Cor 6:2

"In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

You answered me then, Lord! You will answer me NOW.

Colossians 2:6

"Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and over-flowing with thankfulness."

JUST LIVE.

:P

Although I have plenty of peace, I need answers about so many things. So, even though I didn't have any particular question in mind, I said, "Lord do you have anything to say to me right now? Give me a word?!" and I opened up my Bible and my eyes immediately saw these red letter words:

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" (John 2:4)

Not funny, Lord!

Acts 14:22 (loosely)

"This is my daughter; she will do everything I want her to do"

Psalm 63

David was so bad-ass. I imagine travelling through the desert in this one and the whole time my body doesn't want food or water or shelter--it wants God.

"O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your

glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my

hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the

richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will

praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of

the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

They who seek my life will be

destroyed;

they will go down to the depths of

the earth.

They will be given over to the sword

and become food for jackals. [aka, disgraced forever;

lost in the wild; losers in the battle]

But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by God's name will

praise him,

while the mouths of liars [those who say God will not

save you] will be silenced."

(*Also, a night of despair can be endured because the morning of salvation always comes....)

Job

This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. I imagine traveling down the mines or going caving and coming back out and looking over the open sea...actually, my imagination has been arrested by caves recently, mostly because I watched an episode of some caver documentary from the 90s. Now, my skin literally crawls as I think of plumbing to the depths of the earth to search in the darkness, or being rappelled to a cave in some remote mountainside.

"There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is
refined.

Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.

Man puts an end to the darkness;
he searches the farthest recesses for
ore in the blackest darkness.

Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft,
in places forgotten by the foot of man;
far from men he dangles and sways.

The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
sapphires come from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.

No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.

Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.

Man's hand assaults the flinty rock
and lays bare the roots of the mountains.

He tunnels through the rock;
his eyes see all its treasures.

He searches the sources of the
rivers and brings hidden things to
light.

"But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?

Man does not comprehend its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.

The deep says, 'It is not in me';
the sea says, 'It is not with me.'

It cannot be bought with the
finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver.

It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or sapphires.

Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.

Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.

"Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?

It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds of the air.

Destruction and Death say,
'Only a rumor of it
has reached our ears.'

God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells,
for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

When he established the force of the wind and
measured out the waters,
when he made a decree for the rain and a
path for the thunderstorm,
then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.


And he said to man,
'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.' "