What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Wednesday Treasures


Philippians 4:8-9  NKJV

Meditate on These Things
"8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."


This morning's "Moonrise" on Still Waters Pond, around 6:30 a.m.  




And then there's this one:

Apparently I moved the camera as I was taking the picture.  At first I wasn't going to include it here, but then thought, why not? It's pretty interesting in it's own way.

However, it made me think about this passage of Scripture, where Jesus is talking to His disciples as He sends them out:

Luke 10:2-3, 17-20  KJV

"2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."

 

Some very thought provoking words to start this day.  And it reminded me of a story I read last night on Facebook that I thought was interesting and share-worthy:


"I did not write this. Across the world, wake up! This is a MUST read!!!

When I was a HS sophomore – decades ago! – my World History teacher was Mrs. Holloway, but we all called her Granny Holloway. She was a slight woman, scarcely 5 feet tall, seemingly fragile, but full of vim and vinegar….you know the type. She could speak for hours about the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Inquisition, the Industrial Revolution, and the World Wars. She never sat while she lectured, never stood at a lectern, but moved around the room making eye contact with all of her students. She was demanding too, and I can’t remember how many papers were sent back to me because she would note “you can do better than this, Miss Schaal.”

One day during class, an office aid interrupted her lecture to hand her a note. She read it silently, apologized, and said she needed to leave the room. We knew it had to be important because Granny Holloway stopped lectures for no one.

We sat in the room talking to one another when the door opened, and in walked Mrs. Abels, another teacher in our HS. She explained to us that Granny had been faced with an emergency, a serious one, and it was questionable if she would even be returning to finish out the semester. We were stunned. Would we get a chance to tell her goodbye? Would we get updates, so we would know she was ok? Mrs. Abels assured us that we need not worry, that Granny was safe but needed time away, and that the best thing we could do for her, and the best way we could show our devotion to her, was to be cooperative with her replacement. Mrs. Abels confirmed that she had been asked and had agreed to step in as Granny’s replacement.

Cheer up, she told us, this could be a good thing. Other teachers still believed in endless homework and projects with deadlines and hard work. She would not bring that into our class. She believed in clean slates. If there were grades that we did not like, she could give us a chance to bring them up. She asked us what suggestions we had to make the semester a better learning experience. Someone mentioned that lectures were boring and we wanted more films. Done, she said. Someone else mentioned that a free day now and then would help us if we needed to catch up on work in other classes. She didn’t see a problem with that. She asked us how we felt about an end-of-semester party. Um, yeah, sounded very good to us. And on and on. Mrs. Abels listened intently and agreed to all of our suggestions, continually emphasizing that her concern was that we have a good learning experience and enjoy the semester. She also reminded us that we were lucky to not be sent out to other classes where we would be working to catch up, and that of course this was all for Granny.

Near the end of the period, shortly before the bell rang, the door opened and Granny sauntered in with her usual Granny Holloway attitude. “How did they do?,” she asked. “Marvelous,” said Mrs. Abels. “They were completely in my hands.”

Granny then faced us and said “And that, my students, is how a dictator takes over a nation. Not with guns or tanks or laws or mandates. They do it using false promises and gifts”

I can’t remember a lesson all through 12 years of public school that made such an impression on me, and has stayed with me.

We are among wolves in sheep clothing, many are being deceived.
Stay awake! And buckle up.
Put on the FULL armor of God, we are going to need it in the days to come."


The Armor of God  Ephesians 6:10-17

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And with that, I will close for this morning.  Just some things to think about during these turbulent days.  Let us not be deceived...and may we always keep our "armor" on...don't go out without it!  


1 Peter 5:7-9  New King James Version

"7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."

May God be with each and every one of us today and always.
Amen.

14 comments:

  1. the moon is beautiful reflecting on your pond. at 3 am this morning it was high in the sky and when Beau got me up to feed him, walking into the kitchen the sliding glass door looked like I left the floodlight on. the bottom of the pool was so clear I could see the grains of dirt that blew in yesterday. I stood staring at it for a few minutes. I took a photo of the inside looking out to show how it lit up the door. Harvest Moon at its best

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  2. The moon is gorgeous in the night sky right now. It's so bright. Absolutely lovely.
    There are many wolves in sheep's clothing. We as Christians need to be more discerning. Anyone who thinks it's OK to take from one group at the point of a gun (try not to pay your taxes and see what happens) to give to another or believes that ending a life in the womb or that we should be disarmed or that open borders is a kindness, well, they'd better review their lives very closely. All these actions are not from God. They are demonic. Period. All the Holy Scriptures point to that. It's like saying that the 10 Commandments is only a suggestion.
    Good post my friend. Keep praying and looking up. We need Jesus so badly.
    Love to you all. 💙

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  3. Excellent post! Love that pretty moon too and what in tarnation were you doing UP AT 630!!??? Ha ha LOL. --- my early rising friend. Debbi at debbisfrontporch, not anonymous LOL. HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

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  4. What an interesting 'accidental' image you captured, Pam! It's been several years since I read that account of the wolf in sheep's clothing -- thank you for sharing it again, particularly in this season of unrest. Putting on the Armor of God was my very first Bible study and probably what most resonated. Truth never grows old!

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  5. What a fantastic, if frightening, story, Pamela. That's exactly how it works when it comes to overthrowing a country. Promise the people everything and then take away everything they have.
    Your "accidental" shot of the moon is no accident when God brought that excellent scripture to mind for you.
    Blessings always!

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  6. Amen and amen! Excellent post today Pam. So many are being decieved and the evil one isn't even trying to hide any longer. He's right in plain sight and yet so many are blinded. Manipulations and hatred are NOT from God. Thank you so much for this message to all of us. I had never heard that story and it's a perfect example for us all.
    Blessings and love,
    Betsy

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  7. Pam: This is an eye-opener. Thank you for sharing this with us. Sometimes we expect to be handed to us. We have to work for what we receive. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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  8. I read that on FB yesterday too. It does bear repeating. BEWARE...
    Your moonrise photos are stunning. Hubby was coughing so much last night so he decided to sleep in the family room in his recliner. He said the moon was so bright pouring in the room that he had a hard time going back to sleep. Beautiful and bright.
    Thank you for the verses today.
    Sue

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  9. Having been a Christ-follower all my life (literally since the age of 6), I have known these verses. But today in reading them, especially verse 12 ("for our struggle is not with [the people who have hurt me] but against ...the powers of the dark world..." People are not my enemy, really. They behave based on their own experiences and hurts, etc. I must be forgiving of them and be aware of Satan's aim to discourage and disable me as an ambassador for Christ.

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  10. The photos of Stillwater pond are beautiful! The verses are all worthy of sharing. And the story is so impactful!

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  11. I read that analogy too, Pam, and hope lots of folks read it and understand it!! Your moon photos are beautiful and you always choose the right scripture to share with us. Hugs!

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  12. How odd that one party thinks this represents the other. Why so much negative in this world…prayers and believing and positive thoughts help…I become exhausted with the negatives. It seems to me that Christianity is about what we do, not what we do not do…what we have…not what we don’t have…exhausting…brenda

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    1. I don't believe anyone has said anything about either party here. There is evil lurking out there for all to see, parading up and down our streets. This was not about one party or the other, just a wake up call to recognize what could happen if we don't stay awake and pay attention and be discerning Christians...

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    2. I meant the ones who originally posted this piece. There are often posts that allude to one party or the other. I just prefer the light blogging .avoid negative comments brenda

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