Individually and Collectively

Posted on 31 Jan 2017 by Kathie Whitestone Thompson

This verse got me to thinking about peace among Peoples.

²²Run away from adolescent cravings. Instead, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace together with those who confess the Lord with a clean heart. ²³Avoid foolish and thoughtless discussions, since you know that they produce conflicts. source   2 Timothy 2 CEB

In part I gather from this that peace must be pursued individually to be achieved collectively. And I am confident eternal peace is on the horizon, individually and collectively for those who have with a clean heart pursued the Prince of peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) ⁶For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.     source

The world has many ills, many hurts, many sins; this I know, to continue to resist the Prince of Peace individually or collectively is the dominate impediment to peace on earth and good will to one another.

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Road to Health

Posted on 30 Jan 2017 by Kathie Whitestone Thompson

This week I heard an exceedingly good sermon. It’s title is Don’t Waste Your Health by Louie Giglio.

And just now I read

Proverbs 14:30 (NLT)  ³⁰A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;  jealousy is like cancer in the bones.  source

This causes me to think that keeping my heart at peace with GOD is an essential component on this road to wasting not my health.

To all who are willing please click the Don’t Waste Your Health link above, watch and dialogue with me later, either by contact page or comment on this page if the comment is not too personal for public consumption.

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Safe Eyes

Posted on 27 Jan 2017 by Kathie Whitestone Thompson

I’ve heard it said I wish you could see you with my eyes.

Would it be safe for me to see me with your eyes? If I see me with the eyes of one who approves me perhaps I will see me too favorably. If I see me with the eyes of one who has aught against me for sure I will critique myself with a heavy dash of inferiority or worse.

Is it possible to see ourselves honestly? Perhaps not perfectly honest this side of the grave, but close enough to make us safe, I think.

Life’s hard, folks. But I will not stop with only that truth.

Here’s the redeeming life truth: Even when life is hard and bitter and unfair; GOD is still good. And He is always good in all ways.

¹⁷Adonai is righteous in all His ways
and kind in all His deeds. source Psalm 145.

This is my great eye (I) adjustment. A life verse, if you will. And when I remember to critique happenings with it, it works really well. But there’s more to life than happenings, there are PEOPLE. And I’m one of those people. So it’s pretty important how I see (critique) people.

This I know. If I see me as a victim of the thoughts and deeds of others, I’m sunk! I will critique myself in all manner of non healthy ways and with that, I will respond to others accordingly. This is unacceptable. It’s also non-authentic I am learning. Authentic being my word this year.

Where can I safely go to get a right appraisal of me?

⁶We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.  source  Isaiah 64

On the face of it, that does not look like good news; but I’m good with admitting it, have been since one historic day. Filthy rag me died and a new me was born. A reversal of Eden we could say. (See Genesis 2 and 3)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) ¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  

²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.  source

Made the righteousness of God in Him. That’s as good as it gets, Folks! And if it’s good enough for God, and it is, it better be good enough for me! And it is. (Notwithstanding the needed practice.)

There are more confirming, encouraging, enlightening passages that confirm who we are in CHRIST JESUS. You may read them HERE.

Am I in CHRIST? That is the all important question.

At the top of the page we said: I’ve heard it said I wish you could see you with my eyes.

I don’t see ABBA wishing, but I see Him desiring me to see me as He sees me. That would solve a lot of problems, wouldn’t it?

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Extra reading.

20/20

Posted on 26 Jan 2017 by Kathie Whitestone Thompson

I have an eye exam scheduled for today. I prayed for healthy eyes . . . and now I am here. You know why don’t you?

Healthy eyes.

My eye doctor can access the quality of my vision, he can measure eye pressure, he can prescribe corrective lenses to give me 20/20. And I am delighted and grateful that he can and I am expecting he will. But 20/20 and good eye pressure and no eye disease looking out this window onto my street is not all there is to healthy eyes. At least not for this present writing piece.

What about my soul sight? How does my soul see? Does my soul’s eyes have 20/20?

What about my spirit sight? How does my spirit see? Does my spirit’s eyes have 20/20? Tricky question, huh? We think the humble answer is no, right? But is it?

¹⁶Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. ¹⁸So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. source Exodus 24

If I were an artist I would draw their faces with larger than life opals and high-pitched brows and mouths making O shapes all around the camp. And quickly two hands covering faces of peeking amazement. Can you see it: the Hebrews in awe of the sight of the glory of GOD?

I’d like to gaze at this a while. LORD willing we will revisit this another day.