I am continuing my reading, going through 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And today's reading for me, just happens to be chapter 13, the Love Chapter. Just in time for Mothers' Day. I love it when God does that for me. For us!!

Often at weddings, and sometimes at funerals, Here are a couple of verses and commentary on them. Just in case you could 'feel' more loved this morning, accept the kind of Love that God gives!

"Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly notice when others do wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost."

~ I Corinthians 13:4 - 7 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God's kind of love is directed outward to others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This love is not natural. It is possible only if God supernaturally help us set aside our own desires and instincts, so we can give love while expecting nothing in return. Thus the closer we come to Christ, the more love we will show to others."

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Monday's Max Lucado emailed to me:

JESUS WANTS TO CHANGE YOUR HEART

“The love of people often increases with performance and decreases with mistakes. Not so with God’s love. He loves you right where you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. And so he cleanses us of filth:  immorality, dishonesty, prejudice, bitterness, greed. He wants us to be just like Jesus. Isn’t that good news? You aren’t stuck with today’s personality. You are tweakable!

“Where did we get the idea we cannot change? Why do we say things such as, ‘It’s my nature to worry,’ or ‘I’ll always be pessimistic; I’m just that way,’ or, ‘I have a bad temper; I can’t help the way I react.’ Who says? If our bodies malfunction, we seek help. Shouldn’t we do the same for our hearts? Can’t we seek aid for our sour attitudes? Of course we can! Jesus wants to change our hearts. Can you imagine a better offer?”

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I started reading the book Joel yesterday. My Bible is pretty marked up, so I saw a note that said I had used some of the writing on April 18 of 2017.

It sounds so much like today, which only means not much changes under the sun!

So I am sharing what it said at that time:

Today is Tuesday, April 18th, 2017; Karen's Korner #3537

Most people who know me have heard me say, "I am a Bible reader; not a Bible scholar." I don't know if I have ever read the Bible clear through from cover to cover or not. Since it is 66 books put together under one cover, I tend to pick a book. Read it. Then move on to another book. Some books (i.e. Psalms) I have read more often than others (i.e. Numbers).

For a personal reason, today I decided to start reading the small book of Joel from the Old Testament. It made me think that it sounded like today's (or any day's) news!

Here are a couple of paragraphs which introduced the writings:

"A single bomb devastates a city and the world is ushered into the nuclear age. A split atom reveals power and force such as we have never seen. At a launch site, rockets roar and a payload is thrust into space. Discoveries dreamed of for centuries are ours as we begin to explore the universe.

"Volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, hurricanes, and tornadoes unleash uncontrollable and unstoppable force. And we can only avoid them and then pick up the pieces.

"Power, strength might---and we stand in awe of the natural and man-made display. But these forces cannot touch the power of omnipotent God. Creator of galaxies, atoms, and natural laws, the sovereign Lord rules all there is and ever will be. How silly to live without Him, how foolish to run and hide from Him; how ridiculous to disobey Him. But we do. Since Eden, we have sought independence from His control, as though we were gods and could control our destiny. And He has allowed out rebellion. But soon 'the Day of the Lord' will come."

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According to the 'PURPOSE for the book of JOEL': 

 "To warn Judah (and us!) of God's impending judgment because of their (our) sins and to urge them (us) to turn back to God."

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While it is important to pay attention to the news, buy insurances, and know how to protect ourselves from natural disasters, how much wiser to know and understand God and His awesome plans for each of us as His Children. Why is it important? Again taken from the introduction to Joel:

"God is the one with whom we all must reckon--not nature, the economy, or a foreign invader. We can't ignore or offend God forever. We must pay attention to His message now, or we will face His anger later."

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Thank You, Father, that You have everything under Your control. That You love us and desire to take care of each of us forever. You have awesome plans for those of us who choose to accept Your love and those plans. Lead us. Guide us. Direct us. You can do a better job than we can do on our own. Thank You for Jesus. Amen.

Yesterday was my birthday! May 3, I turned 80!

I recalled a birthday with our older daughter, Jamie, when she turned 3 on January 29. She had a good time celebrating the day! When she went to bed that night, she just could not sleep; nor settle down. I finally decide to get her from her bed and brought her back downstairs to rock and cuddle a bit.

As we rocked, I said to her, "Jamie, are you afraid to go to sleep because you might go back to being 2 tomorrow?"

She nodded her head and teary eyes, "Yes!”

"No, Jamie," I said. "You will still be 3 tomorrow. The next day and the next day. All this coming year!"

She settled down and fell asleep in my arms! She was ready to move on from being 2!

Even if you missed my yesterday's birthday, I am still 80 today! and a tomorrow, and ..........

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A copied note in one of my birthday cards:

RECIPE FOR A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

A Poem by Helen Steiner Rice

Take a cup of kindness,
mix it well with love,
Add a lot of patience
and faith in God above....
Sprinkle very generously
with joy and thanks and cheer,
And you'll have lots of 'angel food'
to feast on all the year.

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First day of May! Lots of things to celebrate in the month of May!!

Here is yesterday's "365 Days of Prayer for Women" by Stephanie Sample:

WHERE YOU ARE

"Where two or three are gathered in my name,
there Am I among them."
~ Matthew 18:20 KJV

"Jesus, you said you'd be there when we come together in your name, and you are! There is something so beautiful about a friendship based on faith, something so sacred about gathering for the purpose of pursuing you. I feel you, Lord, when I am with my brothers and sisters in Christ. What a gift! God, I love to meet with people who adore you. I know you must love it, too, because you are always there. There's a love intrinsic to Christian friendship that could only be from you: it transcends age, economics, and worldly interest; it goes straight to the heart of things, which is where we find you."

"Isn't it wonderful that Jesus said he would be with us when we gather together in his name?"

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Yesterday our ecumenical Bible study took a look at the first chapter in the book of Jonah.

No one has to be in Sunday School very long to hear the story:  God gave Jonah, marching orders what Jonah was supposed to do. Jonah didn't want to do what he was asked, so he ran the opposite direction. Boarded a boat. A big storm came up. Sailors determined that Jonah was the problem and threw him overboard.  

That is where our story stopped yesterday. The next week or two we will be looking at the next four chapters:  Jonah prays from the fish; Jonah fulfills his mission; and God's mercy makes Jonah angry!

Sounds a bit like a soap opera, doesn't it?

Well, looking ahead for next week. Chapter two; the whole thing is Jonah praying from inside the fish. Is God going to spare his life or not?

Jonah 2:1 - 4 LAB:

"Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish:
"In my great trouble I cried to the Lord and he answered me; from the depths of death I called, and Lord, you heard me!  You threw me into the ocean depths; I sank down into the floods of waters and was covered by your wild and stormy waves.  Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have rejected me and cast me away. How shall I ever again see your holy Temple?’'"

Commentary on these verses:  "This is a prayer of thanksgiving, not a prayer of deliverance. Jonah was simply thankful that he had not been drowned. He was delivered in a most spectacular way and was overwhelmed that he had escaped certain death. Even from inside the fish, Jonah's prayer was heard by God. We can pray anywhere and at any time and God will hear us. Our sin is never too great, our predicament never too difficult for God."

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Something written by Allen Jackson (minister, not the country music singer):

Stay Humbly Close to the Lord

"People may be right in their own eyes,
but the LORD examines their heart."
~ Proverbs 21:26 (NLT)

"People have been trying to justify their actions and attitudes ever since sin came into the world. When God confronted Adam and Eve with their sin, they both admitted they had eaten the one fruit He had told them not to eat. But they each took the opportunity to add a bit of justification. Adam explained, “She gave it to me!” And Eve defended herself with, “The serpent lied to me!” Both of them had done what was right in their own eyes, and both of their defenses fell flat because the Lord knew what was in their hearts. We’re pretty good at justifying ourselves, too. We can usually come up with what seems like a good reason for what we’ve done or want to do. That’s why we need to stay humble and stay close to the Lord. That’s why we need to actively seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit and lean into His guidance. We may be convinced of the rightness of our actions and attitudes, but the Lord judges our hearts according to His own holy standard."

THINK ABOUT IT

"When the Holy Spirit brings conviction, it’s not a point of shame or condemnation. It's an invitation from God to quietly say to Him, 'Lord, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Forgive me.' If you will do that, you open your life to God’s blessing, power, and transformation."

PRAYER

"Heavenly Father, forgive me for when I have justified my behavior instead of aligning myself with Your holy character. But now I pray with the psalmist: 'Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.' (Psalm 139:23–24, NIV). In Jesus’ name, amen."

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Returning from Arizona after a month away. a friend brought with her a small box of homegrown grapefruit to share. I like grapefruit and took four of them to enjoy.

They were not as beautiful as the ones we can purchase at the grocery store. Slightly smaller and not as uniform, nor one color of bright yellow!

But they were good; really juicy and delicious!

Makes me think of people our lives. It isn't as important as what we might see on the outside. What about what we might SEE on the inside?

I Peter 3:3 & 4 says, "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God."

And the Bible commentary (in part) on these verses tells us, "that we are to develop inner beauty rather than being overly concerned about our appearance...we should not be obsessed by fashion, but neither should we be so unconcerned that we do not bother to care for ourselves. Hygiene, neatness, and grooming are important, but even more important are a person's attitude and spirit. True beauty begins inside."

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