"Our days on earth are a shadow"

Reading about how our "days on earth are like a shadow"..

" O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.
 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!" Psalm 144:3-5

David Crowder Band Shadows (feat. Lecrae) [live@Passion 2012]

Life is full of light and shadows
Oh, the joy, and oh, the sorrow
Oh, the sorrow

And yet will He bring dark to light
And yet will He bring day from night

When the shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We'll remember the cost
We're resting in the shadow of the cross

With every breath I take, every heartbeat
Sunrise, and the moonlight in the dark street
Every glance, every dance, every note of a song
All a gift undeserved that I shouldn't have known

Every moment I lie, every moment I covet
I'm deserving to die; I'm earning Your judgment
Without the cross there's only condemnation
If Jesus wasn't executed there's no celebration

So, in times that are good, in times that are bad
For any time I've had at all, I will be glad
And I will boast in the cross, I'll boast in His name
I will boast in the sunshine, boast in His reign

What's my life if it's not praising You?
Another dollar in my bank account of vain pursuit
I do not count my life as any value, precious at all
Let me finish my race, let me answer Your call

We are only here a short time but much can be done and accomplished.

Billy Graham spoke at the North Carolina’s Tribute to President John F. Kennedy on May 17, 1964. Here is an excerpt of Mr. Graham’s remarks as we reflect on the 50th anniversary of JFK’s death:

“Ladies and gentlemen, none of us knows when our moment is coming. For some of us it may be today. And the Bible says [Amos 4:12], “Prepare to meet thy God.” We are to be ready at any moment.
“I remember when I was riding along the road with the president, he was driving. He suddenly turned to me and asked me a very interesting question that I’ve never forgotten. He said, or he asked, “What do you think the meaning of history is? Where do you think history is going?
“I told him, that the Bible teaches that God has a plan for history. There’s a purpose. There’s a meaning to every life and each one of us has a job to do. Our life may be long, it may be short, but there is coming a day when the Kingdom of God shall prevail and men shall know permanent peace on this earth.”

' that last enemy'

When we see a friend suffering and know that death is near we could be overwhelmed with grief. God's word to us in death's dark valley, when death stares you in the face, in infirmity and grief, where tears fall, is ....
 we will be able to face death and not turn away-
leaning on the word of God. We will have consolation in affliction and hope in death because 
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 1 Cor 15:26

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead,.."(1 Cor 15:19-20)

I see heaven, invading this place, I see angels, Praising Your Holy Name
And I sing praises, I sing praises, I give You honor, Worthy Jesus

I see Glory, Falling in this place
I see hope restored, healing of all disease
And I sing praises, I sing praises, I give You honor, Worthy Jesus

We give You Praise, and all of the Honor
You are our God, the one we live for
We give You Praise, and all of the Glory God

Let Your Presence fill this place, Let heaven come
Let Your angels be released, Let Heaven come
We will worship at Your feet, Let Heaven come
Face to face we want to meet, Let Heaven come

I See Heaven by Bryan & Katie Torwalt
©Bryan and Katie Torwalt 2011

I See Heaven

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8 :37-39)

This view in faith builds up the soul in trials or shall i say- "triumphs of the believers' faith."

" Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

"No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier"(CHS)

This morning was the first snow. Someone didn't tell the flowers and the color of flowers in snow shine brighter still. 
So we take heart that in the middle of adversity- Faith increases- so thank God for what grace you have; praise him till your faith, in Christ, shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities.



"No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity."





Morning 11/12/12
"The trial of your faith."
1 Peter 1:7

Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too.

Let not this, however, discourage those who are young in faith. You will have trials enough without seeking them: the full portion will be measured out to you in due season. Meanwhile, if you cannot yet claim the result of long experience, thank God for what grace you have; praise him for that degree of holy confidence whereunto you have attained: walk according to that rule, and you shall yet have more and more of the blessing of God, till your faith shall remove mountains and conquer impossibilities.

Song of Solomon- Jesus Culture and Martin Smith

Over the mountains, over the sea Here You come running, my Lover to me

When I feel the cold of winter
In this cloak of sadness, I need You
Oh the evil things that shake me
All the words that break me I need You

Over the mountains, over the sea
Here You come running, my Lover to me

Do not hide me from Your presence
Pull me from these shadows, I need You
Beauty wrap Your arms around me
Sing Your song of courage, I need You

Over the mountains, over the sea
Here You come running, my Lover to me
Oh, through the valleys, through the dark of night
Here You come running, to hold me till it's light

I'll come running, I'll come running, I'll come running back to You

Songs of Solomon Chap 2

Song of Solomon 2 (Amplified)

2 [She said] I am only a little rose or autumn crocus of the plain of Sharon, or a [humble] lily of the valleys [that grows in deep and difficult places].

2 But Solomon replied, Like the lily among thorns, so are you, my love, among the daughters.

3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved [shepherd] among the sons [cried the girl]! Under his shadow I delighted to sit, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love [for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near him].

5 Sustain me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love.

6 [I can feel] [a]his left hand under my head and his right hand embraces me!

7 [He said] I charge you, O you daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field [which are free to follow their own instincts] that you not try to stir up or awaken [my] love until it pleases.

8 [Vividly she pictured it] The voice of my beloved [shepherd]! Behold, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. Behold, he stands behind the wall of our house, he looks in through the windows, he glances through the lattice.

10 My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

11 For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.

12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree puts forth and ripens her green figs, and the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance. [b]Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

14 [So I went with him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me] O my dove, [while you are here] in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, [c]let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

15 [My heart was touched and I fervently sang to him my desire] Take for us the foxes, the [d]little foxes that spoil the vineyards [of our love], for our vineyards are in blossom.

16 [She said distinctly] My beloved is mine and I am his! He pastures his flocks among the lilies.

17 [Then, longingly addressing her absent shepherd, she cried] Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, return hastily, O my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young hart as you cover the mountains [which separate us].

The flowers appear on the earth. All winter they are dead and buried in their roots, and there is no sign of them; but in the spring they revive, and show themselves in a wonderful variety and verdure, and, like the dew that produces them, tarry not for man, Mic. 5:7.

Blue flowers at Mount Rainier

" For I the Lord do not change ..."

I was thinking about how the leaves are changing from bright colorful leaves to dry and earth tone colors and will soon just go back to earth.

The seasons are changing again  from summer to fall and from the bright, long, summer days to a time of year with shorten days and to a less colorful time of the year. 

I know many get down and saddened at this change of year and physically have depression due to the seasonal changes .

I then thought "isn't it good that our God never changes in His care Toward us" and though the seasons change and the leaves fall, and the cold winds start to blow we have a strong support, "One whose heart can never alter", " does not change with shifting shadows", and our "Sure Helper still." 

You Never Change


You Never Change" - from the album "Sons and Daughters" by Sovereign Grace Music.
Words and Music by: Mark Altrogge.
Copyright: Sovereign Grace Music. 2000. No infringement intended.

Lyrics:
Father of lights, giver of gifts
There is no shadow in You
Author of life, Fountain of grace
Each morning Your mercies are new

Chorus
And You never change, and You never lie
Age to age You are the same
I will trust in You, all Your faithfulness
For I know You never change

Father of love, source of all good
Tower of strength and my shield
When You gave Your Son for those who rebelled
Your love for the world was revealed

Father of peace, help of the weak
Though mountains fall into the sea
Though tempests may rage, the sun hide its face
Your favor will rest upon me

He loves us now as much as He ever did and "His love will still wear the dew of its youth" after all has past away.

I am so grateful that we can review the Bible and see many expressions of God's assurance of His love and care toward us and our future hope.

Numbers 23:19

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Think about some of the hard times we have been through over the years - we have trials, endured sickness we do not understand, war, separation, pain and loss, uncertainty, and still He cares for us in these times and gets us to a place of hope.

Hosea 13:5

"I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of burning heat.

Malachi 3:6

“I the Lord do not change...."

James 1:17 

 Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].

Psalm 71:18
So even to old age and gray hairs,

O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.

Proverbs 8:24-31 The Message

22-31 “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—
before he did anything else.
I was brought into being a long time ago,
well before Earth got its start.
I arrived on the scene before Ocean,
yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.
Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,
I was already there, newborn;
Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons,
and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,
And set Sky firmly in place,
I was there.
When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,
built the vast vault of Heaven,
and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,
When he drew a boundary for Sea,
posted a sign that said no trespassing,
And then staked out Earth’s Foundations,
I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.
Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,
always enjoying his company,
Delighted with the world of things and creatures,
happily celebrating the human family.

Proverbs 8:24-26 (NIV)

24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth

..strength that sets the mountains

Goodness and Mercy have followed me all the days of my life....

"...O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people." (Psalm 65:5-7)

NEVER failing mercy....

"By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;

the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;

who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples," (Psalm 65:5-7 ESV)

This i recall to my mind, therefore
i have hope ! The Hope of all the ends of the earth :)

".. where rust does not destroy"

I was  walking and saw a rust line on a prominent house- Jimmy Stewart's historic house, on Vinegar Hill. First thing i thought of was how rust is a common, everyday occurrence but goes unnoticed a lot of the time since it is so ordinary.We get used to it but this certain day it stood out to me. It is hidden from our view in many cases but everything is rusting away slowly, day by day.

So what are we to do...when the daily grind slowly wears us out, discourages us or eats away at the foundation or structural beams of support in our lives.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt 6:19-20).

We must keep enduring on this path to our treasure and realize that on a a daily basis there are factors that could destroy are hope and vision for the future and we must stay focused on those things that will not rust or fade away.

My,my, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) Neil Young

My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
My my, hey hey.

Out of the blue
and into the black
They give you this,
but you pay for that
And once you're gone,
you can never come back
When you're out of the blue
and into the black.

The king is gone
but he's not forgotten
This is the story
of a Johnny Rotten
It's better to burn out
than it is to rust
The king is gone
but he's not forgotten.

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.

Trust in Jesus- Third Day

"Trust In Jesus"

One of these days we all will stand in judgment for
Every single word that we have spoken
One of these days we all will stand before the Lord
Give a reason for everything we've done
And what I've done is

Trust in Jesus
My great Deliverer
My strong Defender
The Son of God
I trust in Jesus
Blessed Redeemer
My Lord forever
The Holy One, the Holy One

What are you going to do when your time has come
And your life is done and there's nothing you can stand on
What will you have to say at the judgment throne
I already know the only thing that I can say I

There's nothing I can do on my own to find forgiveness
It's by His grace alone I trust in Jesus
Trust in Jesus

One of these days we all will stand in judgment for
Every single word that we have spoken
One of these days we all will stand before the Lord

Alta (little rust color)
Fresh snow. Blue skies. Life is good at the end of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Photo: Joe Johnson


"Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:30-32)