Penny J. Johnson's Blog, page 123
April 29, 2013
One Good Thing Every Day: April 29, 2013
Psalm 23:3a NKJV
“We don’t have to wait until someone else notices our exhaustion and suggests we take a break. God grants us permission to take responsibility for ourselves. He loves to replenish our souls, and we can cooperate with Him regardless of what others say or do.” from Joan C. Webb’s It’s a Wonderful Imperfect Life
April 28, 2013
One Good Thing Every Day: April 28, 2013
“You must make your choices one at a time, since each is contingent upon the decision that precedes it.” from Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
One Good Thing Every Day: April 27, 2013
“Faltering steps of dependence are not lack of faith; they are links to My Presence.” from Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
April 26, 2013
One Good Thing Every Day: April 26, 2013
“When caught in the pursuit of perfection, my focus is on the finished product, and I miss the daily fun….God doesn’t expect us to complete our entire life’s to-do list in one week!” from Joan C. Webb’s It’s a Wonderful Imperfect Life
April 25, 2013
April 24, 2013
One Good Thing Every Day: April 24, 2013
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
“Busyness, by itself, breeds distraction. Martha opened her home to Jesus, but that doesn’t automatically mean she opened her heart. In her eagerness to serve Jesus, she almost missed the opportunity to know Jesus.” from Joanna Weaver’s Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
Feeling much like a Martha this week, I am thankful Jesus placed me at His feet this morning and reminded me of the only thing I need!
One Good Thing Every Day: April 23, 2013
Psalm 16:11 NKJV
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
When my second son’s second grade baseball team won the championship, I was thrilled. I knew it might be his last year. The game was getting too fast for his slow-to-develop gross motor skills. Ending his baseball career with a first place trophy gave closure to a seemingly impossible dream.
Today I cheered for him as he played first base, his long-legged stride and soft hands aiding his half-dozen outs. He hit the ball each time he was at bat and scored once. His adaptive softball team’s record is now 4-1.
Trophy or no, a once-impossible dream realized is reward enough!
Psalm 31 appeared in our home school curriculum yesterday, and verses 7 through 8 were highlighted in my devotions today.
In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!” They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.
April 22, 2013
One Good Thing Every Day: April 22, 2013
From Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence:
“The mind is the most restless, unruly part of mankind.”
“A mind preoccupied with planning pays homage to the idol of control.”
Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
One Good Thing Every Day: April 21, 2013
My brother and I sang a duet of Mosie Lister’s “All of Me.” It was our first time singing together. He was reticent at first. He is far more comfortable accompanying on the piano. The range of the song concerned me a little. Singing a high “D” is not as natural as it used to be. But, the song’s message drew us to it. It speaks of surrendering every facet of our lives to Him no matter our performance anxiety.
During our soundcheck, the worship director asked us to sing in the contemporary service as well as the traditional. It was a good thing because my parents missed the traditional performance by three minutes. As we sang in the contemporary service, I sensed a bridge over the generation gap.
With six years between us, my brother and I are essentially from different generations. He enjoys worship choruses and praise bands. I prefer choral hymns and organ music. But, songs like Lister’s pull at our heartstrings.
Memory perches me on the edge of the piano bench, singing as my maternal grandmother plays this song. Sometimes Grandpa strums guitar chords. Always he sits in an armchair, listening. He was the one who taught me to read music with his finger following the lines in the hymnal on Sunday mornings. My paternal grandparents transferred music into the gene pool as well; they met alongside a piano while my grandfather sang and my grandmother played. Now, my uncle, their oldest son, sings behind me in the choir, his daughter-in-law in front of me.
As my brother and I exited the worship center, we met our parents in the hall, their faces moist with tears. “Heaven is smiling,” said Mom. Of the compliments heard between services, this is the one I cherish most.
April 20, 2013
One Good Thing Every Day: April 20, 2013
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
On Thursday, my middle son’s indoor softball game was cancelled due to a blizzard. As he sobbed his disappointment into my shoulder, I silently expressed gratitude. Yesterday, schools closed. Our home school does not tend to close for snow days, but I readily cancelled our field trip into the city. Ten inches of snow slowed our rapid pace. As I read these verses this morning, I marveled that God used a storm to calm our busy life. Rather than bemoan this blanket of unseasonable weather, I wrapped it around me and drifted through these days peacefully.
