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

Book Review of Biblical Minimalism and Give Away

What does minimizing look like?  To the empty nester it may mean downsizing real estate.  To the co-dependent, it may mean pitching some toxic friendships they tend to collect.  I thought I had a handle on Biblical minimalism, but I wasn’t even close.  Biblical minimalism is much more than cleaning out a drawer and discarding unwanted things into a box to take to the thrift store. In her book, Biblical Minimalism, Cheryl E. Smith defines Biblical minimalism as “a complete, whole person release of anything unlike Jesus, a letting go of everything that hinders us from following Him wholeheartedly and single- mindedly , and a relinquishing of all that brings us under bondage to this earthly, very temporary life.” The author gives us a visual of a whole pie that is divided into eight slices.  Each slice describes our lives with areas to analyze to see if pruning or adjustment is needed.  I won’t name them all, but one example is the “emotional ...
9 comments
Read more

Mama's Lipstick

I always wished I could do things with my mom like shop in the mall, share makeup secrets or go to the movies and watch romantic comedies.  My wish never materialized.     My mama behaved like a tomboy.   She loved baseball and pitched with a strong right arm.   She could care less about the latest fashion or the latest movies featured on the big screen.   She never polished her fingernails.    One day after elementary school, I walked into the house to find my mom all dolled up in front of the bathroom mirror, foundation crème, powder, eyebrow pencil and rouge all over the counter sink.  “Who are you?” I asked, thrilled to see my mama putting on the Ritz.  Makeup in place and blotted, she immediately took it off.  “I don’t like the way it feels,” she exclaimed. She retired in Arizona and protected her dry lips with a light rose lipstick, the color of natural lips, a step above ChapStick.  She wore it a few tim...
55 comments
Read more

Abba's Lap

I noticed a behavior pattern in little Amy, twenty months old, that I want to imitate.  She moves fast engaging in one toddler activity after another spinning like a whirlwind from one room to another.  Yet, she pauses,  intermittently , long enough to get refreshed.   I want to be like this grandchild of mine because she knows where to go and how to get comforted. Amy moves at record speed, putting more miles on a pedometer in one hour than my accumulated weekly workouts at the gym.  She can build a skyscraper so tall, I wonder why those bright pink Lego’s don’t topple to the ground as she continues to stack just one more piece on top. I learned never to leave the room to get another cup of coffee.  Once, when I returned, I found her climbing past the couch with hands and feet reaching for the living room drapes. She has a consistent habit that I admire.  In the midst of her activities, as she moves robustly from one play...
51 comments
Read more