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Today is Monday, July 22nd, 2019; Karen's Korner #4081
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"Glorify your name, not ours,
O Lord!
Cause everyone to praise
your lovingkindness and your truth."
~ Psalm 115:1 LAB
*
Bible Commentary: "The psalm writer asked that God's name be glorified. Too often we ask God to glorify His name with ours. The problem comes when we want to look good no matter what happens to God's reputation in the process. Our glory should be a by-product of seeking God's glory."
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Today is Saturday, July 20th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4080
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Fifty years ago today, the NASA astronauts from the United States walked on the moon.
Our local daily newspaper asked its readers a number of few weeks ago, to tell them where we were on July 20, 1969. Did we have pictures of what we might have been doing? I could recall and wrote what it was we were doing that day. I could recall:
Three friends and I had worked and saved for nearly three years to make a trip to Europe. It was one of those 'see 9 countries in twenty-plus days'. The trip took us, among other places, to Lucerne, Switzerland for a couple of days. Where we were at that time.
The excitement in the Swiss country and by their people was unbelievable. They knew that this was the day! The hotel we were staying in had no televisions in our rooms.So we couldn't watch the moon landing and astronauts' walk on t.v. We couldn't read about it in the newspaper as it was in another language.
Oh well, since we had some 'free' time that afternoon, we would go shopping and see the sights of the town. We couldn't! Everything was closed!! The whole town was celebrating. Shopkeepers and their employees took the afternoon off so they could all go home to see 'their Americans friends' walk on the moon! They were treating it as a national holiday.
That evening our tour group was going to eat together in our hotel. The room was decorated in red, white, and blue. We had favors and decorations on our tables. The wait staff was so excited to have us in their midst. And to celebrate with them what had just happened!
We were blessed.
"When I look at your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set into place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and son of man that you care for him?'
~ Psalm 8: 3 - 4
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Today is Thursday, July 18th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4079
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Something emailed to Max Lucado's weekday readers and written by him:
LET GRACE HAPPEN
"I became a Christian about the same time I became a Boy Scout, and I made the assumption that God grades like the Boy Scouts do--on a merit system. Good scouts move up. Good people go to heaven.
"So I worked toward the day when God, amid falling confetti and dancing cherubim, would drape my bad-laden sash across my chest and welcome me into his eternal kingdom where I would humbly display my badges for eternity. But some thorny questions surfaced. How many badges does He require? How good is good?
"Ephesian 2:8 say, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.' Unearned. A gift. Our merits merit nothing. So, let grace happen. Of all the things you must earn in life, God's unending affection is not one of them. You have it!!
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Today is Wednesday, July 17th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4078
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"What a glorious Lord!
He who daily bears our burdens,
also give us our salvation.
He frees us!
He rescues us from death.
But He will crush His enemies,
for they refuse to leave their guilty, stubborn ways."
~ Psalm 68:19 - 21 LAB
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Bible Commentary: "Each day, we must deal with our share of earthly burdens. As we face these burdens, the Lord is there to help us bear them. Each morning, praise God for the strength He will send you today. It is as sure as the future."
*******
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Today is Tuesday, July 16th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4077
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On Friday, I was heading for the Iowa County Fair in Marengo. I knew about where it was but I put the address in my GPS to learn for sure how to get there and about how long the trip would take.
Before I left, I needed to go to Clarion first to water some thirsty plants there. So instead of driving southeast to the fair, I started driving northwest.
Thus began my GPS driving instructions, "recalculating route" said the female voice. It really got fun when I drove into Clarion. Every street that I passed, "turn right". And I'd turn left. "Recalculating route". "Turn right" at the next block. And I'd turn left. The same calm, polite voice would say, "recalculating route". And I would do something else. The more I drove, the funnier it became to me!
Eventually I got to my 'watering' destination and I began to 'do' what she said.
As I made my three-hour trek, I thought about what I would be saying if I was the 'GPS gal' for real, as I'd make the 'wrong' turns:
"If you aren't going to go where I tell you, why ask?"
"How many times do I have to tell you what to do?"; not" recalculating route".
"Where in the world are you going now?"
"If you aren't going to where I tell you, I think I will hang up!"
God is our "GPS" for life. Good thing I am not the 'Travel Guide for Life'. I'd yell at a few people. Tell some others off or just plain hang up!
Not God! Whatever we do and wherever we go, He just gently says 'recalculating route'; directs us one more time. And gets us back on the right path, if we but make some of His correcting turns. He knows the 'Way'. We don't! And He can use all of our wrong turns, as well, and get us to our desired destination!
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Today is Monday, July 15th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4076
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"Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed."
~ Psalm 141:3 *
Bible Commentary: "James wrote that 'the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do' (James 3:5). On the average, a person opens his/her mouth to speak 700 times a day to speak. David wisely asked God to help him keep his mouth shut---sometimes even as he underwent persecution. Jesus himself was silent before his accusers (Matthew 26:63). Knowing the power of the tongue, we would do well to ask God to guard the power of the tongue, we would do well to ask God to guard what we say so that our words will bring honor to His name." *
I am someone who makes notes in the margins of my Bible. Near this verse on 9/30/81, I wrote, "Help me not to say what I shouldn't say." And I added on 2/2/93, "But help me also to speak up, when I need to speak." And today, I would add, "God, give me wisdom to know the difference!"
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Today is Friday, July 12th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4075
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Today's Karen's Korner is a repeat from #2424 which I sent on October 18, 2012.
The exact center of the Bible is Psalm 118. On one side is the shortest chapter - Psalm 117. On the other is the longest - Psalm 119.
Today I am sharing the 'entire' chapter of 117, which is two verses:
"Praise the Lord, all nations everywhere.
Praise him, all peoples of the earth.
For he loves us very dearly, and his truth endures.
Praise the Lord!"
Bible Commentary: "Have you ever said, 'I can't think of anything God has done for me. How can I praise Him? This psalm gives two reasons for praising God. "He loves us very much' and 'his truth endures'. If he did nothing else for us our whole lives, he would still be worthy of our highest praise."
****
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Today is Thursday, July 11th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4074
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The July 9 (yesterday) Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" is especially a good one; whether we are 'chronic' worriers or 'situational' worries.Despite the fact God tell us not to worry, here it comes. We need to ask for His help to lay those fears and worries down.
"Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being. Your mind shuttles back and forth, hither and yon, weaving webs of anxious confusion. As My thoughts rise up within you, they become entangled in those sticky webs of worry. Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only 'white noise'.
"Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned after My own image. Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or that of your own thinking. Instead,be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking."
~ Taken from Deuteronomy 30:20; Genesis 1:27; Romans 12:2
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Today is Wednesday, July 10th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4073
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No Fear of Judgment
""According to 1 John 4:17 and 18, 'So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment...perfect love expels all fear.' Perfect love is a perfect knowledge of the past and a perfect vision of the future. You cannot shock God with your actions. He knows your entire story, and with clear assessment declares, 'You are mine'. The day of judgment is circled on heaven's calendar. We don't know the details, but we know the day is coming.
"God views Christians the way he views Christ --- sinless and perfect. Hence, Christians can view judgment the way Christ does, with confidence and hope. You need never fear God's judgment. Not today. Not on Judgment Day. Jesus, in the light of God's glory, is speaking on your behalf. And when he does, the door of heaven opens."
~ By Max Lucado
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Today is Tuesday, July 9th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4072
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As you know, Clarion's Marys & Marthas (M & Ms for short!) learn each month of police officers and those serving in county sheriffs' departments, who have been wounded or killed while serving their communities. Last night another one: someone from Hall County, Georgia.
We send them a card, thanking them for serving and telling them that we are thinking of them. Our monthly meeting which is next week; we will have five notes to send.
Do law enforcement officials do everything right? No, of course not, but most have hearts in the right spots, doing the best that they can. Recently the news reported that a customer in a Starbucks coffee shop wanted the police officers to leave because their presence was 'uncomfortable to them'.
We need to pray for, and think of, those people in uniform.
This morning I was reading of Someone we can trust and believe in 100% of the time:
"But as for me, I will come into your Temple protected by your mercy and your love. I will worship you with deepest awe. (Psalm 5:7).
"But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in You. Keep them shouting for joy, because you are defending them. (Psalm 5;11).
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