Sunday Writings......6/12/16

Good morning...

          I am asking you readers prayer for my son, Faruk, tonight. Today while he was at work he started having chest pains and ended up in the ER where he had an EKG and blood tests. Praise God! He was not having a heart attack. He will go in for a stress test on Wednesday. Please pray for Faruk that he does not have heart disease.       

God bless from
Corinne


The Devotional component in the Sumday Writings of Women's Focus Ministries is titled, "ASSUMPTIONS" and was written by Jan Andersen.   Jan writes about how assumptions can be false and lead to wrong conclusions.  Even small sins or sins we don't realize we've made make us guilty.  Thankfully God is understanding and forgiving.

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  Today's Devotional   

"ASSUMPTIONS"

written by

Jan Andersen

An assumption is something taken to be true without proof.  Sometimes those suppositions are true, sometimes not.  I hate it when people assume things about me that are false, because usually those things are unflattering or lead to misunderstandings.  One of those false beliefs that bothers me is because I am older they think I must not know much about using computers.  However, I've used a home computer longer than some of those people have been alive, since 1984!  Some people surmise that because I am off every Friday that I either go out of town for long weekends all the time, or I have a lot of time on my hands every weekend.  Not a bad theory on the surface, but the incorrect conclusions drawn may lead to friction about why I am unavailable to do other things.  The ones that bother me the most however are those that presume for some reason that I lack integrity.  I am not fully aware of why that one cuts so deep, but it does.  I consider myself a very honorable person who doesn't jump to conclusions about others, which makes it even more irritating when others make biased judgments about me.  But lest I get too haughty, I sometimes am caught off guard by my own false assumptions.

What do you think of this situation?:

The above photo made the rounds recently on the web which shows a beautiful Rembrandt painting on the wall of an art museum with a group of students visiting that room.  Those students are not looking at the painting, but rather they are looking down at what is in their hands - their cell phones!  It really annoys me when students don't pay attention to what they are supposed to be studying.  It also irritates me to see people engrossed in their cell phones instead of what they are supposed to be doing, or instead of interacting with the people right next to them.  Some people miss so much around them and haven't learned interpersonal skills due to the technology boom.  Apparently most people who saw this picture on line also were outraged and decried the state of our society.

The problem is, we jumped to the wrong conclusion.  Just prior to the picture being taken, the students had been listening intently to their instructor educating them on the artist and his painting, who had directed them to the museum's app on their smartphones that expounded on what they had just learned. Oops!  They totally caught me in my false assumption - and cut me to the core.  How many times have I made other false assumptions and not even known it, and also dragged other people into my false beliefs by commiserating with them over it?  

This just goes to show me that I sin daily, sometimes even without my knowledge. That doesn't make it any less of a sin and does not glorify God. Thankfully, God is so understanding and forgives me, no matter how great or how small my offense.  As I bow in humility before God, he is there to lift me up again!

Isaiah 57:15 (NRSV)
For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for always being there for me.  When I am upset by other people's assumptions and shortcomings, help me to understand their perspectives and issues and learn from them.  Heal my own hurting heart.  Reveal to me when I also am sinful.  Forgive me where I have gone wrong, whether known or unknown to me.  Lift me up and strengthen me to bring glory to your name in all that I do and say.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen

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  Humorous  Innocence From the Mouths of Babes   

Kids in church

A little boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd (alternating between bride's side and groom's side). While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar.

So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the aisle.

As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed from all the laughing, and was also near tears by the time he reached the pulpit.

When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear."

10 INCHES DEEP

A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!" he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.

Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the source of his joy.

"Hey" asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, "Don't you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle."

The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the "realities" of the miracles of the Bible.

"That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across."

The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go.

Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.

"Wow!" exclaimed the boy happily, "God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water!"

The Boy Who Wanted to Meet God

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with twinkies and a six-pack of root beer, and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a twinkie.

She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer.

Once again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, yet they never said word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave. Before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own home a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy? He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her neighbor was stunned by the look of peace on her face, and she asked, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"

She replied, "I ate twinkies in the park with God." But before her neighbor responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Will someone see God in your smile or kind deeds? Maybe they're not even looking for God, but may see Him in the kindness you show. Isn't that what we're here for? It might be a stranger, someone you work with, a family member or friend. Let them see God in you. Show His love in all you do.

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  A Simple and Beautiful Prayer  

Dear God,
I open my heart for you,you can see my doubts, my ignorance, my fears,you do not judge me, and I dare to be myself.

Thank you for filing my heart with Love, Peace and Joy,
so that I see the real value of things, people and situations,
so that I find Happiness in everything I do,
so that I feel peaceful throughout my day.

Thank you for manifesting my heart’s desires,
as your blessings enlighten my life and empower my faith.

Let me share the simplicity of your love and generosity with others
so that they finally know that your love transcends religions, races and differences. Amen.

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   Today's Inspiring Graphic   

But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:10

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Prayers are lifted up daily for 

you by the Devotional Writers 

and the Monthly Writing Staff

of Women's Focus Ministries.

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