Philippians 4:6-7 Archives - There Goes Connie

What Will 2019 Bring?

12/28/2018 By: CCPearsoncomment

The short and definite answer is “No one knows but God.”

We don’t know what minute we will breathe our last breath on earth, nor do we know when the Second Coming of Jesus will happen. We are only promised the specific moment we are experiencing at any given time.

The GOD’S WORD Translation of Matthew 24:36 puts the circumstance of the Second Coming like this: “No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows.”

When my mother opened her new 1986 calendar, she had no idea she would be in heaven before the end of that first month. I have that calendar and can see her notes for events she expected to attend in the first months of that year. On Saturday morning, January 25th, she had her ingredients lined up on the kitchen counter ready to make cookies when an aneurysm burst in her brain. Others I’ve known and loved died suddenly, completely without warning.

But this post is not about death, it’s about life.

I have some great expectations for 2019, don’t you? Mine include: celebrating another wedding anniversary and birthday (gulp!), watching our oldest grandchild graduate from high school in May, welcoming grandchild #14 into the family in July (yes, you read that correctly), continuing my travel writing with some fabulous trips, enjoying our first full year in the new house, undertaking fresh ministry opportunities at church and spending lots of quality time with family and friends. It all depends, though, completely on God’s provision, HIs timing, His mercy, protection and grace. My job is to live with joy, love and gratitude.

Here are some wonderful verses to encourage each of us as we face the challenges, the uncertainties, and yes, the blessings of 2019.

Zephaniah 3:17 — “The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Matthew 6:26 — “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Philippians 4:6-7 — “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 — “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”😆

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Everyone. God has a plan for each of us. Let’s enjoy finding out what that plan is for 2019.

Practicing Peace with a Big Dose of Thanksgiving

02/17/2017 By: CCPearson3 Comments

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Those of us who are “in Christ Jesus” have the assurance of our salvation and the accompanying peace (the kind that those “in the world” marvel at) ready to be claimed at any moment and in every situation. Are we claiming it daily or are we holding out for a crisis? Are we activating the power of that peace with continual thanksgiving? Thanksgiving. Hmmmm. I confess that I don’t practice “counting my blessings” or just being grateful nearly enough. Could that possibly be the reason that I come across as frantic or worried rather than confident that God is able to handle all of the challenges of my life?

Today I visited two people who are going through tough times. Both of them inspired me with their attitudes.

My aunt is recovering from knee replacement surgery. Her door was unlocked, so I knocked and stuck my head in to hear her welcoming voice coming from the next room. We ate lunch, chatted and laughed together. She showed me her impressive scar and demonstrated her techniques for getting from place to place. She expressed her gratitude for her doctor, for the care of her husband, daughter and friends, for the sweet gestures from loved ones and for her pain medicine. I didn’t detect self-pity or bitterness. Just a determination to do what was going to be necessary to make a full recovery.

Then I made a short visit to the hospital to see a friend who sings in the choir with me and is in my Sunday School class. She is battling lung cancer, recently complicated by a harsh bout of pneumonia. She was wearing a wide smile and a cute hat when I arrived. Chemo treatments are beginning to cause her hair to fall out, but she’s preparing with hats and wraps — confident that it will all grow back in the not-too-distant future. This friend expressed thankfulness for the hospital staff, for her attentive husband, for ice cream, for her boss who has assured her that her job will still be waiting when she regains her strength, and for her daughter who is making plans to come and help when she gets home.

In both cases, gratitude was allowing “peace that transcends all understanding” to be realized. Both are believers. Both are being tested. Both are being great witnesses of their faith.

When my next crisis comes, I hope I will remember the visual and verbal testimonies of these two ladies. My prayer is that I will also be a witness to others of my own faith and of the peace that comes from knowing Jesus.

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