In Need Of... A summary.

So... that wraps up my Kiddie Song blog series ;o) It was more fun than i expected... haha!

And really.... By doing this series, i figured out just how much all of these things were inter-related.

John 15:9-11 says "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."

Interesting that Jesus says Himself that your joy hinges on the love you have for other people.

And the thing is... If you have the Father's love, that also brings peace to you!
Really.... I think it all boils down to love! If you have love, and you seek to follow God, and choose to be like Jesus, you can have all your heart needs to be healthy!

Love=joy
Love=peace

Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Need Of... ((~~Love Like An Ocean~~))

You know I like to look things up in the dictionary... And if you didn't before, know it now ;o)

OCEAN: The entire body of salt water that covers more than 70 percent of the earth's surface.

I never would have said that. But that's pretty cool if you ask me! The ocean covers more are than land does on earth. (Why then, do they call it earth if there is so much more water?)

That's some pretty big love.

And because it's so big, i've sorta been avoiding talking about it.....

There are so many different aspects of love, and kinds of love and ways to express love that I might just put together a list of books for you to browse and learn about love for yourself!

The same could be said for the ocean... And i don't think we've scoured those depths to the best extent yet... I'm sure we'll be able to find more if we dig (swim?) deeper....

God's love is the best kind of love, though..... He has amazing plans for us (Jer. 29:11), He does amazing things for us, He comforts us, and He never leaves us (John 15:26).

Seriously a huge topic for discussion... I'll try to put together that list of books... Let me know if you think of any good ones?

In Need Of... }}>~ Joy Like A Fountain ~<{{

Alright.... This is not quite as hard to understand as those elusive peaces and rivers...

Joy like a fountain....

If i think about those times when i'm joyful, i feel like a fountain :o) Sometimes i feel as though laughter is just going to bubble up and out of me... It's a great feeling!

But it's the same as rivers.... Fountains CAN be stopped. They can be plugged or blocked.

And, just like with rivers, we have to make sure we don't let our fountain stop flowing... Let that joy keep coming!

Being joyful doesn't mean you have to be happy all the time... It doesn't mean you should feel like laughing when someone tells you their best friend just died... It doesn't mean you should only think pleasant thoughts.

Psalms 51:10-12 - Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation...

The deepest joy comes from knowing that you have that salvation; that you are a child of God. That's really the most important thing.

All the meaning in my life is based on the fact that God is my heavenly Father and He has accepted me as His own. I may not know where my life is headed, and bad things may happen, but God has control over my life and He has a perfect plan. And when i die, i'm going to heaven. That makes me joyful.
Even when i'm unhappy, i still know that i'm loved and cared for by the Creator of the universe. I know that Jesus died on the cross for me because He loved me that much. It makes me sad that i'm a sinful creature and that His death was necessary... But it makes me glad that i can now come to Him with all my needs and, eventually, be with Him for eternity.

Don't let anyone stop that joy. -- (I'm getting a picture from a cartoon.... There's a dam that's about to burst and the character is putting each finger into a hole and then starts using his toes and then someone starts tickling him and he lets go and the whole dam bursts apart.... *lol*)

In Need Of... ~~~ Peace Like A River ~~~

We all need a little peace of mind... But peace like a river? How do you figure?

This is my attempt to understand the metaphor "peace like a river".

Isaiah 48:17-18 - Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

So... That's where the simile comes from. Now what does it mean?

As usual, i'm going to take a quote from the dictionary ;o)

RIVER: A large natural stream of water emptying into an ocean, lake, or other body of water and usually fed along its course by converging tributaries.

So... if river=peace, then we can say... Peace is fed by something (ex. a tributary) and empties into something (ex. a lake).

I'm going to say that God is the tributary... He provides us with the peace, He's the stream or spring that feeds the river. Our job is to be the lake, and collect the stream... Be a holding tank for the peace that we receive.

You'll also notice that it says "natural" in that definition. Peace is not a man-made phenomenon. Yes... people can build canals and dams and reroute water... People are also fallible. I've heard of dams breaking and causing catastrophes and canals that redirect so much water that parts of land become arid and incapable of growing anything.
God is the only One who is capable of providing peace.
It's also natural in that people are supposed to be peaceful. It's the way we were made. Looking back to Adam and Eve, they were in a peaceful garden. That's the peaceful existence we were meant to live. That's natural.

I have seen people build dams... Blocking out their source of peace; knowingly or not. Dams made of fear, doubt, unhappiness, cynicism. All of these things can prevent our lives from being peaceful. I challenge you to tear down some of those dams and watch the river flow. :o)

God does NOT want you to live in uncertainty and unrest. He wants you to be in your natural state, the way He created you. As Jesus said,
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The world cannot provide you with that peace and Satan is doing his best to steal your peace away... Be on your guard that no dams are being built on your river of peace!

In Need Of... A kiddie's song!!

And so begins a series based on the popular Sunday School song... (and there are actions, too!)

I've got peace like a river,
I've got joy like a fountain,
I've got love like an ocean in my soul (sole ;o)........

Great song... it's a little more lengthy than that, but i decided to just use the last verse to give the overall impression of the song.... Definitely worth learning... If only because the actions are so fun!