Deeper than the stain has gone

(Sing to tune of Life is Like a Mountain Railway)

1. Dark the stain that soiled man's nature,
Long the distance that he fell.
Far re-moved from hope and heav-en,
Into deep despair and hell.
But there was a fountain opened,
And the blood of God's own Son,
Purifies the soul and reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!

Chorus

Praise the Lord for full salvation,
God still reigns upon His throne.
And I know the blood still reaches
Deep-er than the stain has gone.

2. Conscious of the deep pollution,
Sinners wander in the night,
Tho' they hear the Shepherd calling,
They still fear to face the light.
This the blessed consolation,
That can melt the heart of stone,
That sweet Balm of Gilead reaches
Deep-er than the stain has gone!

(Chorus)

3. All unworthy we who've wandered,
And our eyes are wet with tears;
As we think of love that sought us
Through the weary wasted years.
Yet we walk the holy highway,
Walking by God's grace alone
Knowing Calv'ry's fountain reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!

(Chorus)

4. When with holy throngs we're standing
In the presence of the King,
And our souls are lost in wonder,
While the white robed choirs sing;
Then we'll praise the name of Jesus,
With the millions round the throne;
Praise Him for the pow'r that reaches,
Deeper than the stain has gone!

Chorus

Praise the Lord for full salvation,
God still reigns upon His throne.
And I know the blood still reaches
Deep-er than the stain has gone.

Author: Adger McDavid Pace 1882-1959

Some verses to ponder - Eternal LIFE

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

-1 John 5:11

 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. -Romans 8:6
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is

life because of righteousness.

Romans 8:10

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

-Ephesians 2:1

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

-Revelation 22:17

Something to think about: have you been given life? 

Our thoughts

Outward life is the result of our inward thinking.

Take care of the inward, and the outward will take care of itself. 

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:..." Proverbs 23:7

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. Matthew 15:18-20

 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. -Genesis 6:5

The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. -Psalm 94:11

 I hate vain thoughts: but Thy law do I love. -Psalm 119:113

 Create in me a clean heart, O God;

and renew a right spirit within me.

-Psalm 51:10

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my

heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength,

and my Redeemer.

-Psalm 19:14

His Righteousness

Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, 

Who has done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee! 

-Psalms 71:19

 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

-Proverbs 15:9

 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

-1 John 2:29

 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

1- John 3:7

  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

-Romans 6:16

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

-1 John 1:7

I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only.

-Psalms 71:16

Cinnamon, Ginger & Turmeric Tea

During summer months, I very rarely make any hot drinks for myself, but as it gets cooler, I do begin to enjoy herbal teas more occasionally, and thought I'd share a recipe that has become a favorite of my mom's and I've come to enjoy as well! It's actually unusual for me, since I really always have formerly disliked any spicy teas, but this one is nice since I can adjust the spices more to my taste. The original recipe called for 1/2 tsp. of ginger, but since that seemed overpowering to me, I cut it back to 1/4 tsp.

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. ginger
Honey (about 1 Tbsp., or to taste)

Steep the spices in one cup of hot water, straining them out afterwards with a coffee filter, if desired. (I personally don't mind drinking it as it is.) Add honey or sweetener of your choice.

The health benefits of these three spices (and the honey) might be a good reason to add it to your list to make! :)

 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the

honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:  So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

~Proverbs 24:13

Beauty

 With the days growing noticeably cooler, it's not hard to tell that winter weather is shortly coming. I've been trying to enjoy as many days outdoors as I can before it's too cold to do so.

 The Zinnias that I planted earlier this summer have bloomed prolifically, and have been a bright patch of color on the edge of our yard. There are reds, pink, purple, and shades of orange; all beautiful! I thought I better get some photos of them before the frost kills them off for the year. :)

 A bright Black Eyed Susan stands out with the other flowers.

 A beautiful Moss Rose that my mom was happy to have growing this year!

She has memories of her mom growing these, so I was glad this one (out of the three or four plants that we planted) survived.

 This has been one of the best years for Mums! The flowers are a much more beautiful bright red than this picture shows, and really add nice color to our flower beds. This plant is

a division from one of our established bushes that was growing so huge that it was needing divided. Both the original plant and the division are thriving, so I hope to do it with more of them sometime.

Some white Mums that were planted last year.

We took a walk to the creek near us recently also, and I enjoyed it! The water of the creek is very clear at this time of year, with a nice sandy bottom and banks alongside it. As I was walking further

down the creek, a large deer jumped across in front of me, and it was interesting noticing paw prints from Raccoons and other animals in the sand along the creek as well.

Just thankful to the Lord for the many beautiful days this year, His amazing creation that we can see, and enjoyable times spent with family!

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psalms 30:4

Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalms 106:1

The fear of the LORD

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. -Proverbs 23:17

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

-Proverbs 16:6

He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. -Psalms 145:19

Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
-Psalms 86:11

God's supply for our need

The best antidote for [any worry] is frequent meditation upon God'’s goodness, power and sufficiency. When the saint can confidently realize "The Lord is My Shepherd," he must draw the conclusion, "I shall not want!" Immediately following our exhortation is, "but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Nothing is too big and nothing is too little to spread before and cast upon the Lord. The "with thanksgiving" is most important, yet it is the point at which we most fail. ...Before we receive God'’s answer, we thank Him for the same: it is the confidence of the child expecting his Father to be gracious. ~Selected

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

~Philippians 4:6

  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

~James 1:6

A Gardening Tip That Actually Works

Last year, I was quite disappointed to have the Squash bugs eventually completely destroy my Butternut Squash, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers. It became one of the worst infestations of the bugs that I had ever seen in my garden. So when a few days ago I began noticing their reappearance on my squash plants, I started looking online to see if there were any ways to get rid of them without using chemicals. I had almost given up, when I came across a site with this simple tip that actually works! And the only thing it requires is a roll of packing tape.

Just look for the bugs and/or clusters of eggs on the underside of the leaves. (This picture is of them in the newly-hatched nymph stage.)

 Then, taking a piece of packing tape, just tap the sticky side lightly over them. As you can see, it's quite effective in easily capturing quite a few all at once! It works quite well for catching the adult bugs as well.

The eggs are a little more difficult to remove, but if you press the tape down firmly, with a few tries most of them will stick to the tape.

It was somewhat time-consuming (about 45 minutes) to check over all of my squash plants, since we have a somewhat large garden, but by the time I was finished it was easy to see that the population was reduced by the hundreds. I've been checking back for the past couple days, and it only takes me about 5-10 minutes to quickly look over the plants again and remove any new bugs or eggs. Prayerfully, now, the plants will recover from all of the damage already done, and still produce a good crop this year. 

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalms 24:1

"Am I profiting from God's Word?"

I was reading some writings some weeks back, titled: "Profiting from the Word of God" by a preacher now gone to be with the Lord.  It was very thought-provoking and convicting. Here is just a portion that I copied from it of the many points to ask ourselves, am I spiritually profiting from God's Word, or am I just reading and being a "forgetful hearer" rather than a "doer"? I hope and pray it's a blessing to you as well. 

 1. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word convicts him of sin.
Is the reading and studying of God’s Word producing a purging of my ways? Of old the question was asked, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?” and the Divine answer is “by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Yes, not simply by reading, believing, or memorizing it, but by the personal application of the Word to our “way.”

2. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word makes him sorrow over sin. Of the stony-ground hearer it is said that he “heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself” ( Matthew 13:20,21); but of those who were convicted under the preaching of Peter it is recorded that they were pricked in their heart ( Acts 2:37).

3. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word leads to confession of sin. The Scriptures are profitable for “reproof” ( 2 Timothy 3:16), and an honest soul will acknowledge his faults. Of the carnal it is said, “For every one that loveth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” ( John 3:20). “God be merciful to me a sinner” is the cry of a renewed heart, and every time we are quickened by the Word (Psalm 119) there is a fresh revealing to us and a fresh owning by us of our transgressions before God. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” ( Proverbs 28:13).

 4. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word produces in him a deeper hatred of sin . “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil” ( Psalm 97:10). “We cannot love God without hating that which He hates. We are not only to avoid evil, and refuse to continue in it, but we must be up in arms against it, and bear towards it a hearty indignation” (C. H. Spurgeon).

5. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes a forsaking of sin . “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” ( 2 Timothy 2:19). The more the Word is read with the definite object of discovering what is pleasing and what is displeasing to the Lord, the more will His will become known; and if our hearts are right with Him the more will our ways be conformed thereto. There will be a “walking in the truth” ( 3 John 1:4).

 6. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word fortifies against sin. The Holy Scriptures are given to us not only for the purpose of revealing our innate sinfulness, and the many, many ways in which we “come short of the glory of God” ( Romans 3:23), but also to teach us how to obtain deliverance from sin, how to be kept from displeasing God. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” ( Psalm 119:11).

7. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes him to practice the opposite of sin . “Sin is the transgression of the law” ( John 3:4). God says “Thou shalt,” sin says “I will not”; God says “Thou shalt not,” sin says “I will.” Thus, sin is rebellion against God, the determination to have my own way ( Isaiah 53:6). Therefore sin is a species of anarchy in the spiritual realm, and may be likened unto the waving of the red flag in the face of God. Now the opposite of sinning against God is submission to Him, as the opposite of lawlessness is subjection to the law. Thus, to practice the opposition of sin is to walk in the path of obedience. This is another chief reason why the Scriptures were given: to make known the path which is pleasing to God for us. They are profitable not only for reproof and correction, but also for “instruction in righteousness.”

8. An individual is profited from the Scriptures when they reveal to him his need of Christ.  Man in his natural estate deems himself self-sufficient.

 9. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to realize the deep importance of prayer.

10. An individual is profited from the Scriptures when they make Christ more real to him.

11. A greater fear of God’s majesty. “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” ( Psalm 33:8).

12. We profit from the Word when we perceive that joy is a duty . “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” ( Philippians 4:4). The Holy Spirit here speaks of rejoicing as a personal, present and permanent duty for the people of God to carry out. The Lord has not left it to our option whether we should be glad or sad, but has made happiness an obligation. Not to rejoice is a sin of omission.

Here, then, is another important rule by which we should frequently test ourselves. Are my thoughts being formed, my heart controlled, and my ways and works regulated by God’s Word? This is what the Lord requires: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (Jas. 1:22). This is how gratitude to and affection for Christ are to be expressed: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). For this, Divine assistance is needed. David prayed, "Make me to go in the path of your commandments" (Ps. 119:35)....

Let both writer and reader honestly and diligently measure himself, as in the presence of God, by the....things here enumerated. Has your study of the Bible made you more humble, or more proud of the knowledge you have acquired? Has it raised you in the esteem of your fellow men, or has it led you to take a lower place before God? Has it produced in you a deeper abhorrence and loathing of self, or has it made you more complacent? ... ‘Meditate upon these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting may appear unto all’ (1 Tim. 6:15).

(There were many more points and thoughts in the article, but this is rather long as it is, and it would be far to lengthy if I were to share them all, so I've shortened it quite a bit.)

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Order my steps in Thy word: and let not any iniquity have

dominion over me.

Psalms 119:133

Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.

John 17:17

 Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous

 things out of Thy law. 

Psalms 119:18

Sunsets

 I love sunsets.

 We have a beautiful view of the sunset from our yard each evening, and I always enjoy being able to see it.

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised.

-Psalms 113:3

Pictures never seem to look as beautiful as it really is!

The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from
the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
-Psalms 50:1