God is the strength of my heart

(Let’s get the Psalms tattooed on our hearts, minds and souls)

This is where I found this beautiful picture, with thanks - too good not to share!

Samuel Rutherford's Grave

In October 2009 Gordon and I had a short break in Scotland and for the first time in our lives travelled up the East Coast.  At one small village, we ate take-away-crab out of the shell.  Our special take-away was enjoyed with a view after clambering up a short vertical ladder to the top of the harbour wall.  No, it was not high-tide and yes it was the perfect setting for fresh crab.  Then....after a short drive further North to St Andrews.....the unexpected grave!

We had not idea the Puritan lived here or was buried here with the result when we read the familiar name on the stone, we were totally stopped us in our tracks.

This isn’t our photo;  I would have to go and rummage through our collection of 2 years ago.  If you wish, double-click for an enhanced view of Samuel Rutherford's Grave, St Andrews Cathedral.

M
S . R
Here lyes the Reverend Mr. Samuell
Rutherfoord Professor of Divinity in
The University of St Andrews who died
March the 20 1661.
What tongu what Pen or Skill of Men
Can famous Rutherfoord commend
His Learning justly rasid his fame
True GODliness Adornd His Name
He did converse with things ABOVE
Acquainted with Emmanuels Love
Most orthodox He was And sound
And Many Errots Did confound
For Zions King and Zions cause
And Scotlands covenanted Laws
Most constantly he Did contend
Until His Time was At An End
Than He wan To the Full Fruition
Of That which He Had seen in vision.

The setting:  next to the North Sea.



I’d like to go after 3 of the attributes on Rutherford's grave-stone:

• true godliness,
• knowing Emmanuel’s love
• and growing in knowledge/discernment and courage/love to contend for the faith with my brothers and sisters.
• 
  

God is always goodness

"Can God be any less good to me on the average Tuesday morning than he was on that monumental Friday afternoon when he hung on a cross in my place? 

The answer is a resounding NO.

God will not be less good to me tomorrow either, because God cannot be less good to me. His goodness is not the effect of his disposition but the essence of his person -- not an attitude but an attribute."

Paige Benton Brown

What to do with anxiety

Does  anxiety have a debilitating grip on your life?   Proverbs 12:25
Of course it’s not as if there’s no lack of resource on worry.  The real worry is to get down to  implementing that which is already known.  Therefore, I have no embarrassment to post basic notes on counteracting stress. and kicking off with:

For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe. ~Author Unknown

So, here goes………….for implementation, starting with me.
1) Talk to yourself.
Take yourself by the scruff of your neck, sit yourself down and preach to yourself:  “Soul, stop all this excessive worry!”
2) Instead of being preoccupied with problems over which you have no control, identify needs, relationships etc. and serve in love.

• Matthew 6:33;
• Do not set your heart on what you are to eat and drink; stop worrying. Let all the nations of the world run after these things; your Father knows that you need them. (Luke 12:29-30)
• You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time. ~Pat Schroeder

2) Redirect your life-focus from tomorrow to today.

• Matthew 6:34 
• Jesus is not saying, don’t plan for tomorrow.  What He is saying is don’t bring tomorrow’s problems and impose them on today’s responsibilities.
• Handle today’s problems, today.  Don’t compound them by obsessing about something that hasn’t even arrived.
• Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.- Corrie Ten Boom
• Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. ~Author Unknown

3)  Fight anxiety with the promises of God – get to know them!
Here is one of loads of promises:  Isaiah 43:1-3;
4) Pray
Philippians 4:4-9; Psalms 50:15
No one can pray and worry at the same time.- Max Lucado
5) Remind yourself of God’s steadfast love and mercies.
Our Heavenly Father provides enough mercy for today’s problems. New mercies for tomorrow’s problems.
Lamentations 3:22-24
6) Relinquish!  Yield control to God – trust Him!
1 Peter 5:7
Psalm 56:3
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the giving of God’s only Son to pay for our sins and make us right with Him, proves and seals His love and commitment to provide, guide, protect, bring each one of His children home.  Our God is with us through thick and thin.  So many reasons to ban worry.  The ball is in our court.

If you wish, check out  "Calling all worry pots" - yesterday's post on why you should not worry.

Calling all Christian Worry Pots

Are you a Christian worry-pot?  Do you have to go back in the house three times to make sure you turned off the coffee machine and the iron (even though you haven’t ironed anything in ages)? 
Matthew 6:25-34.
6 Reasons not to worry, not to give in to excessive anxiety:
1)  Worry is unreasonable  (Matthew 6:25)
a)  “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
b)  Can God not be trusted with what you eat, drink and wear?
c) When you worry,  you experience the problem multiple times:  in your mind and possibly in reality.  It is illogical.
2)  Worry is unproductive. (Matthew 6:27)
It doesn’t accomplish a thing.
It shortens and saddens life.
Worry gives you wrinkles and grey hair and a lot of other unwanted things.
3)  Worry is unbelief. (Matthew 6:28)
When we worry we stop believing in the goodness and power of God. When we allow certain issues to dominate our lives we are in effect saying:  “God , I’m not entirely convinced you can look after me.  I fail to believe confidently that God is working out His purposes in every dimension of my life.  If God has given me His Son, will He not provide my necessities?
4)  Worry is denying God is my Heavenly Father taking care of me.
My excessive concern for the things I cannot control is to act like a spiritual orphan.  I do have a Heavenly Father.
5)  Worry is unnecessary  (Matthew 6:32)
Your Heavenly Father knows what you need.  Worry tells others that you are not sure God is aware of all your needs.  
6) Worry is misplaced Resources.  Matthew 6:33
Consider the mental energy, thoughts, money and time you spend on your anxiety.  In the grip of excessive worry, you cannot get on with a life that is in God’s will.

For the next post on this topic, click on What to do with Anxiety.