Skip to main content

Reaching for Paradise


I’m so glad that we are focusing on eternal life this week at Grace Alone. Chances are I won’t get to meet Iris and all my blog sisters in this life, but oh, what a great bloggers meeting we will have in our heavenly home.

All week I’ve been hearing a repetitive theme and it shoots like an arrow right to my heart. “Give thanks for your enemies; adversity is the tool God uses to promote and bless you.”

First, I heard a speaker on Christian television that admonished us to come up a step higher thanking God for our enemies for it is our enemies, not our gifts that make us overcomers. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Rev. 2:7. Secondly, in her Total Transformation series, Joyce Meyer blows kisses to her enemies from the early days of her ministry. She says that their rejection of her made her who she is today, an overcomer. Lastly, the great maverick in history, Theodore Roosevelt, publicly stated that he would never have been president if it had not been for his experience in the Badlands of North Dakota.

Today I’m thanking God for my enemies and putting it in writing to hold myself accountable! That’s all I’ve got to say about it.

Comments

  1. DeniseNovember 13, 2008 at 5:52 AM

    Many blessings to you sweetie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laurie AnnNovember 13, 2008 at 12:14 PM

    Great post! Loved the quote in the second paragraph. Speaks volumes! Happy Thankful Thursday to you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownNovember 13, 2008 at 5:19 PM

    Being thankful for your enemies...wow! That's a hard one!lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. BonnieNovember 13, 2008 at 5:20 PM

    What an amazing thought - what a tough one to live out! Thank you for the reminder and the great quote. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  5. iNovember 13, 2008 at 8:45 PM

    Oh wow, you are amazing! I have to admit I've yet to be thankful for this one...I'll pray harder. Thank you for sharing this and it's a great reminder.

    Have a blessed weekend!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Daisy House

I work at my desktop with the children at my feet.  A makeshift area rug made of white butcher paper lines the floor where the baby, crayon in hand, imitates her big sister.  Sister focuses on the finishing touches of the house she designed.  The catchy children’s song, Wheels of the Bus, blasts from the Toddler Station on Pandora Radio. Six year old Sookie unveils her masterpiece and I ooh and awe at the sketch.  “It’s a daisy house!”  I exclaim.  “I love the colors.  I wonder what the inside looks like.”  Without hesitating, Sookie describes each room.  “There are five rooms and they are all different colors.  One is Mint Chip, another Strawberry.  There is a Vanilla room, and a Cookies & Cream room and the last room is Rocky Road.  You have to wear a sweater inside because it is very cold.” “A house made of ice cream,” I reply.  “It sounds heavenly!” I dug into my Bible readings that morning ...
37 comments
Read more

Marriage Tip #44: Do What He Wants

I thought about our upcoming anniversary.   I prayed one morning for the marriages in my family, and a sentence about my own dropped in my spirit:  “ Do What He Wants .”  I paused, “Really?”  He’s his own man.  What if I end up in the wilderness camping by night and target shooting by day?  What if a coyote decides to have me as a late night snack? We celebrated our anniversary early this year, Before the kids come next week.   And we did it his way . This is how it happened. I never asked him about a plan or even mentioned our day.  I remember how it all unfolded at the roundabout just as we drove into Sedona.  He asked me if I would like to go to a baseball game.  I responded excitedly, “Yeah!”  Before the day was over, he purchased tickets for a Diamondbacks home game. He printed them out.  He booked a hotel room so we wouldn’t have to drive home from the city after the late evening game. ...
44 comments
Read more

A Memorial Day Reflection

  Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls.  Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts  run through my mind.  The journey of loss takes on various emotions.  The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness.  In a split second, I would forget he departed forever.  I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home.  My mind is realistic now.  He's not coming back.  There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars.  He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day!  And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...
23 comments
Read more