Complaining?

Well, the job is finally done. Our daughter is all moved, and Jay and I got the apartment all cleaned up. I was amazed at how well he done! He was an awesome big help.


I believe I've talked before about being worried about the grand kids and what they are growing up in and with. Well, during the clean, I became more and more distraught with the more I found. Jay kept telling me, "Cast all your cares up to the Lord. Let not your heart be troubled." I know this and try hard to do that, but sometimes the worry overtakes me.


On Thursday morning I went out back and sat on the patio drinking coffee. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the temperature was perfect at that time. I sat watching the birds playing, eating, and flitting around. I grabbed my Bible and looked at the tabs trying to decide what to read. Then I was drawn to Philippians, I kept looking as was still drawn to there. Then I said, "Lord, lead me to what you want me to read," and I opened the Bible, but not to Philippians, but rather 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 and all of chapters 4 & 5. The title for chapter 4 lept off the page at me. At first I thought, oops, wrong area, then realized that know, this is what He wanted me to read:


Prayer for the Church
3:11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.
12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we also do for you.
13 May He make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.


It hit home when I read this. I was bad mouthing my daughter and her fiance. What a heel I was being. Our Father is an all loving God and we are supposed to follow in Jesus' footsteps. I was walking the opposite direction. So I read on:

The Call to Sanctification
4:1 Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God--as you are doing--do so even more.
2 For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is God's will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality,
4 so that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not with lustful desires, like the Gentiles who don't know God.
6 This means one must not transgress against and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you.
7 For God has not called us to impurity, but to sanctification.
8 Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit.
9 About brotherly love; you don't need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.
10 In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia. Be we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more,
11 to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
12 so that you may walk properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.


The Comfort of Christ's Coming
13 We do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
14 Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.
15 For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord. We who are still alive at the Lord's coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are still alive 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.
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.



Where is my brotherly love? Why am I complaining? What good does that do? I felt so good afterwards and prayed. Sitting there listening to God's creations, thanking Him for leading, for His creations, etc. And I prayed, and prayed. I felt so uplifted by the time I finished. Guess what, hardly said a complaint that whole day. But... still did some. So I decided to make this a morning ritual. Sit outside in the presence of God and His creations.

There was one other happening that scared the bejeebees out of me. I was outside the apartment cleaning up out there, spraying all the cob webs and garb down. I got out into the parking area and felt something on my leg. I looked down and there sat a pretty good sized hobo spider. Now anyone familiar with these things knows that they can pack a nasty bite that has no anti venom. The stuff they secrete into your skin eats away. There is no cure. Yes, I screamed and sprayed it off my leg. Thankfully I didn't try to swat it. I managed to step on it. After that, talk abut paranoid after that.

But we are not to be fearful. I had Jay come out there with me to tell me any more got on me. He finally took over and told me to go inside. He said, "You are way to paranoid and are driving me up a wall." ;) So I handed the hose and went in. And yes, when he came back in, I checked him over. So sad. If I was meant to get bit, it would have happened when I found the first one. Then short after that, I opened a bedroom window to put the screen back in and there sits and even bigger Hobo waiting for me. I was like, that's it, you guys are going down. You will not get control of me. I was able to go about my business then.

Chapter 5
1 About the times and the seasons: brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you.
2 For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
3 When they say, "Peace and security," then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers, are not in the dark, so that this day would overtake you like a thief.
5 For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We're not of the night or of darkness.
6 So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8 But since we are of the day, we must be sober and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

Exhortations and Blessings
12 now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you,
13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
14 and we exhort you, brothers: warm those who are lazy, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
16 Rejoice always!
17 Pray constantly.
18 Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Don't stifle the Spirit.
20 Don't despise prophecies,
21 but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
22 Stay away from ever form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
25 Brothers, pray for us also.
26 Greet all the brother with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you by they Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers.
28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

This all clearly states how we are to love one another, not talk bad, to treat our brothers and sisters as Christ treats us. It clearly states what happens if we don't live a Christ like life and do evil instead. There are many more great scriptures depicting all this, especially the plank in my own eye. But this is where I was led and was awakened once again. The next day I was given more to read, but that is for tomorrow.
Blessings to all!