Finding the Mountain of Moses: The Real Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia

Don't Despair

Life is not easy, it has never been from time immemorial easy. We are pilgrims on this earth and in our sojourning we cross different paths some of which are rosy but then with the roses are thorns that prick and hurt us. Friends, I have been there, but by the grace of God in which I rely from day to day, I've been able to overcome and moved on. Daily crosses we must carry not in our own strength but by the help of the Great Spirit that lead us and guide us to the right path.

Along our life's journey we meet different kinds of people, some of which give us inspiration. One such lady that has been my inspiration for her unwavering faith is Lady Boyd (maiden name Christian Hamilton). I would that you get a hold of her diary and I'm sure you would get courage from her experiences as she carried her daily crosses.

Below are excerpts from her letter to Mr. Robert Boyd that mention about how our crosses should chase us to God.

" It is common to God’s children and the wicked to be under crosses, but crosses chase God’s children to him. O that any thing would chase me to my God. But, alas! that which chases others to God, by the strength of sin it holds me further from God; for I am seeking for comfort in outward things, and the Lord will not let me find it there. When I should pray or hear God’s word, or hear it preached or read, then my mind is possessed with thoughts how to eschew temporal grief, or how to get temporal contentment. But, alas! this doing is a building up of mountains betwixt my soul and the sense of God’s presence, which only ministers contentment to a soul; and by thus doing, I deserve to be plunged in infinite and endless grief. Now, Sir, I will not trouble you longer with this discourse. Hoping to see you shortly, “I rest your loving sister in Christ, “Christian Hamilton.

Let us learn from this venerable Lady on how to deal with life's problems. Don't despair and hope in God and claim His promise in Deuteronomy 31: 6 , Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Be in constant communication with God in prayer.

 "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." Psalm 145: 18

How Great Thou Art!

Carry Your Candle. Go Light Your World

"There is no tear which prayer cannot wipe away or dry up.
There is no depression of spirits which it cannot relieve and elevate.
There is no despair which it cannot dispel.
Prayer always bring God to our relief to bless and to aid,
and brings marvelous revelations of His power."
~~Edward M. Bounds~~

"Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer."
~~Scriven~~

Right Thought, Right Will

"The greatest, deepest, truest thought of God is generated in prayer, where right thought has its essential condition in a right will."

"Prayer is not only a necessity of faith, it is faith itself in action.
It is not an act of knowledge but of faith."

"Prayer must be the application of faith to a concrete actual and urgent situation."
The reality of prayer is bound up with the reality and intimacy of life."


Quotes were taken from P.T Forsyth's The Soul Of Prayer

Life Hurts, We Know It....

New Year brings new hopes. But life hurts. We know it. I know it. Everyone around us knows it. The whole world has a lot of practice facing the trials of life. and it isn't fun, is it? There certainly isn't any joy to be found in our trials...is there? The truth is, no one has ever lived a life completely free from pain, uncertainty, stress and trials. Yes, life does hurt. But those of us in Christ will never face hardships alone. As we bow down before the Lord, we know that Jesus is with us in our trials. Moreover, He will take our mournful ashes and use them to paint a magnificent picture for His glory.

"Many things about tomorow

I don't seem to understand

But I know who holds tomorrow

and I know who holds my hand!"

Redeeming The Time

Life's Clock

The clock of life is wound but once,

And no man has the power

To tell just where the hands will stop —

At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,

To lose one's health is more,

To lose one's soul is such a loss

As no man can restore.

The present only is our own,

Live for Christ with a will;

Place no faith in tomorrow,

For the clock may then be still.

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

~~Ephesians 5:16~~

A Balm For Every Wound, A Salve For Ever Sore

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

~~Psalm 119:105~~

"Within the Scripture there is a balm for every wound, a salve for every sore. Oh, the wondrous power in the Scripture to create a soul of hope within the ribs of despair, and bring eternal light into the darkness which has made a long midnight in the inmost soul!" (C. H. Spurgeon)

The Solace

"I have learned that we are not to find solace in our own strength;

We must seek it in God's omnipotence."

"Life hurts. You know it. I know it. Everyone around us knows it. The whole world has a lot of practice facing the trials of life. And it isn't fun, is it? There certainly isn't any joy to be found in our trials...is there? The truth is, no one has ever lived a life completely free from pain, uncertainty, stress, trials. The Bible makes this point abundantly clear. Therefore, it is important that we learn how to cope with these harsh patches of life. Yes, life does hurt. But those of us in Christ will never face hardships alone. As we bow down before the Lord, we know that Jesus is with us in our trials. Moreover, He will take our mournful ashes and use them to paint a magnificent picture for His glory. Thank you, Jesus."

Have blessed days ahead Bloggers!

Sincerely,

Ophelia Jane Julia.

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top photo: The Sonata by Childe Hassam (oil on canvas)

Ophelia (Flickr)

GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be!"

" The Lord is the "same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Here is a stable rock on which to rest amid the changing billows of the sea of life. What awful alterations we are now witnessing in the world. Peace has given place to war, order to chaos, happiness to misery. The homes of millions cruelly broken up, the plans and prospects of countless young lives widely shattered, kingdoms overthrown, the most stable and ancient institutions are now in the melting pot. But none of this has affected God: it will never have to be said of Him that He began to build and was unable to finish. He is still on the throne "working all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11). It is this which enables faith to say. "Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea" (Psalm 46:2). It is this which assures the believer that no matter how he may waver or professing Christians apostatize, he shall not perish: "I am the Lord, I change not..." (Malachi 3:6). It is which causes the Christians to rely on the Divine promises: the knowledge that with God "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17)...ARTHUR W. PINK

WISH YOU BLESSED DAYS AHEAD BLOGGERS!

BLESSINGS,

OPHELIA JANE JULIA

Keep Sweet

"It is not possible for us to know each other except as we manifest ourselves in distorted shadows to the eyes of others. We do not even know ourselves; therefore, why should we judge a neighbor? Who knows what pain is behind virtue and what fear behind vice? No one, in short, knows what makes a man, and only God knows his thoughts, his joys, his bitternesses, his agony, the injustices committed against him and the injustices he commits...God is too inscrutable for our little understanding. After sad meditation it comes to me that all lives, whether good or in error, mournful or joyous, obscure or of gilded reputation, painful or happy, is only a prologue to love beyond the grave, where all is understood and almost forgiven." (Seneca)

" KEEP SWEET "

How these words help us! Think of them when people rasp you, when the devil pricks you with his fiery darts, when your sensitive, self-willed spirit chafes or frets. Let a gentle voice be heard above the strife, whispering, "Keep sweet, keep sweet!" And, if you will but heed it quickly, you will be saved from a thousand falls and kept in perfect peace.
True, we cannot keep ourselves sweet, but God will keep us if He sees that it is our fixed, determined purpose to be kept sweet, and to refuse to bear a grudge or retaliate. The trouble is, we may at times enjoy a little irritation and morbidness. We want to cherish the little grudge, and sympathize with our hurt feelings and nurse our little grievance.
God will give us all the love we really want and honestly choose. We can have our grievance, or we can have the peace that passeth all understanding, but we cannot have both.

Wish you the most blessed of days ahead Blogger Friends!

Yours,

Ophelia Jane Julia

When I Was A Child....

DEEP, DEEP THINGS!

When I was small, I used to ask this question to my dad, " Daddy, where did God come from and where is heaven?" A simple question from a small child but to have to attain the answer to it, one has to deal with the profound things and mysteries of faith. I have always been deep into spiritual things since small which I simply couldnt hide. Life is not just "eat, drink and be merry" but deeper than that is the soul's yearning for its rest. For in the center of every man's heart is a great void which no one or nothing can fill but the Almighty. No matter how successful, contented or happy a person can be, that deep spiritual void is ever present awaiting to be filled. I have always been a lover of nature and i always find solace in its glory, the bright skies, the star-filled sky at night, the cold breeze, gentle and fierce winds, swaying leaves, sunrise and sunset. I can find beauty in everything even in a withered leaf. I can make out a paradise out of a solitary and lonely place. I am thankful I am blessed with this keen and positive perception of things.As to the deep and mysterious and spiritual things I have always been unceasing in seeking answers to all the profound questions seated deeply in my mind. I could still remember myself trying to absorb the following excerpts at the age of 11!

"In the beginning God..." There was a time, if "time" it could be called, when God in the unity of His nature (though subsisting equally in three divine person) dwelt all alone. "In the beginning God" There was no heaven, where His glory is now particularly manifested. There was no earth to engage His attention. There were no angels to hymn His praises; no universe to be upheld by the word of His power. There was nothing, no one, but God; and that, not for a day, a year or an age, but "from everlasting." During eternity past, God was alone: self-contained, self-sufficient, self-satisfied, in need of nothing! Had a universe, had angels, had human beings been necessary to Him in any way, they also had been called into existence from all eternity. The creating of them when He did, added nothing to God essentially. He changes not (Mal. 3:6), therefore His essential glory can neither be augmented nor diminished.

God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create. That he chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on His part, caused by nothing outside Himself, determined by nothing but His own mere good pleasure. That He did create was simply for His manifestative glory. God is no gainer even from our worship. He was in no need of that external glory of His grace for He is glorious enough in Himself without that! Had God so pleased, He might have had continued alone for all eternity without making known His glory unto creatures. Whether He should do so or not was determined solely by His own will. He was perfectly blessed in HImself before the first creature was called into being. Such an One is to be revered, worshipped, adored. He is solitary in His majesty! unique in His excellency! peerless in His perfections! He sustains all, but is Himself independent of all. He gives to all, but is enriched by none!"

Excerpts taken from "The Attributes of God" by Arthur W. Pink

DEEP THINGS ABOUT PRAYERS (Auntie, check this out...these excerpts are good for your HPN...means, HYPERanxiety tension...lol)

"Prayer is a disinfectant and a preventative. It purifies the air; it destroys the contagion of evil. Prayer is no fitful, short-lived thing. It is no voice crying unheard and unheeded in silence. It is a voice which goes into God's ear, and it lives as long as God's ear is open to holy pleas, as long as God's heart is alive to holy things. God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed in death, the heart that felt them may ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God's heart is set on them and prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world. The possibilities of prayer are the possibilities of faith. Prayer and faith are Siamese twins. One heart animates them both. Faith is always praying. Prayer is always believing. Faith must have a tongue by which it can speak. Prayer is the tongue of faith. Faith must receive. Prayer is the hand of faith stretched out to receive. Prayer must rise and soar. Faith must give prayer the wings to fly and soar. Prayer must have an audience with God. Faith opens the door, and access and audience are given. Prayer asks. Faith lays its hand on the things asked for. When God's promise and man's praying are united in faith, then ...."nothing shall be impossible!" (E.M Bounds)

"Pray alone. Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt at night. (Philip Henry)

I had passed through experiences that only thought me one truth that's clear as crystal and that is....that through all of life's joys and happiness, loneliness and sorrows, troubles and pressures, victories and defeats, life has no meaning until it is surrendered to Jesus. I realized that there is not one moment in my life in which I can do without Christ. There is really a rest in a conscious grasp of Christ, a rest of contentment with Him as my all in all.

The slogan "If it feels good, do it" is pure hedonism - the philosophy that pleasure is the chief good of man. Although pleasure in itself is not wrong, it can lead to moral and spiritual ruin if it is not controlled by God's Spirit. Take the natural longing for physical, emotional and spiritual intimacy. We all desire and need it. It's natural to seek pleasure and avoid pain, so it's easy to believe that if something feels right it can't be wrong. But feelings are NEVER a reliable guide to morality. Because all of us are sinful human beings, we need one all-encompassing good desire that is stronger than any others. When we experience God's love through faith in Jesus Christ, something wonderful is born within us - a desire to love and please God for all He has done for us. This desire may grow faint at times, especially when other passions clamor for fulfillment. But the Lord is always working in us "both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). When we realize that He always desires our good, we will want to live for His glory. My friend, what is your greatest desire?

"I love to dwell upon the thought

That Jesus cares for me;

It matters not what life may bring -

He loves me tenderly."

~~Adams~~

When we're feeling alone or overwhelmed by
our circumstances, we often cry out, "Lord, don't You care?"
But when Jesus calms our storm and speaks our name, we realize that we have much more to learn about His compassion for us, and we long to trust Him with all our cares.


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middle image: clytie by Lord Fredric Leighton (oil on canvas)
bottom image: Storm by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (oil on canvas)

I'll be off here for a while but I encourage you to read all my blogs on yahoo 360, blogger, multiply and live journal (I blog for Jesus and for His glory)....Below are the links to these blogs, you can just click on them, thank you...

http://janejulia1128.livejournal.com/

http://360.yahoo.com/janejulia1128)

http://opheliajane.multiply.com/journal

Have a blessed weekend bloggers!

Ophelia Jane Julia

HE WILL CARRY YOU

~~~***~~~

There is no problem too big God cannot solve it

There is no mountain too tall He cannot move it

There is no storm too dark God cannot calm it

There is no sorrow too deep He cannot soothe it

~~~***~~~

And if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders

I know my brother that He will carry you

And if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders

I know my sister that He will carry you

He said....

"Come unto me, all who are weary and I will give you rest"

~~~***~~~

There is no problem too big God cannot solve it

There is no mountain too tall He cannot move it

There is no storm too dark God cannot calm it

There is no sorrow too deep He cannot soothe it

~~~***~~~

And if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders

I know my brother that He will carry you

And if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders

I know my sister that He will carry you

~~~***~~~

I know my brother......

And I know my sister.....

That He, He's going to carry you

Oh yes, He will...

He's going to carry you

~~~~~~~~~~

Performed by

Steve Green and

Linda Randle

~~~~~~~~~~

" I arise from dreams of thee

In the first sweet sleep of night

When the winds are breathing low,

And the stars are burning bright

I arise from dreams of thee,

My cheek is cold and white, alas!

My heart beats loud and fast:--

Oh! press it to thine own again,

Where it will break at last."

~~Percy Bysshe Shelley~~

Hola bloggers! Allow me for some reminiscing this time. I still remember my childhood days, we lived around the rolling hills and near a river with lots of cedar and bamboo trees. I was living with my grandparents and I used to spend just about everyday at the river, fishing and swimming and playing in the park. I specially loved it when we were sitting on the rocks, the sun was going down and it was a bright orange. It was very beautiful lookin' over the river at it!

I don't know how we did it but grandfather and I used to walk over town to mow yards to make money for fishing. We would mow people's yards and take the money to the hardware store and buy what we needed to fish, go to the state park and fish with an old man for hours at a time. Oh, boy, but we caught mostly rainbow trout! We wanted to buy bait and hooks and we spent a lot of time making little forts and camping at grandpa's friend's house to fish. We never caught too much, but we had fun. At grandpa's friend's place, there were a lot of bamboo patches and we would take a machete and cut trails and have a pretty big room. We tried to camp in there but we were too scared to stay whole night in there because of snakes, yes and yikes, we came close many times to getting bit! But oh, it was so much fun for me! Anyway, this is just one of my fondest memories of childhood days.

The whole time in high school, I would go to school and would go to work at our grocery store right after. Unlike other teenagers, I didn't go out much for fun, instead I worked because I wanted to help mom with the bills. I seldom went out to any parties but my friends understood why. I was a bookworm with the capital B. I love reading, I read everything, from books, to magazines, to mom's grocery list. I was so much fascinated with the classic authors, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Louisa May Alcott and I had heaps of volumes of English and American poetry and spanish poetry as well. I used to spend all my savings on books. High school was pretty easy, and yes, I was very shy, painfully shy. I always wanted to go to the school where my grandmother went to.

In college I went to an all-girls university for my Bachelor's Degree in Communication Arts under university scholarship as a student assistant. I would work at the University Treasurer's Office in the morning and would attend classes from afternoon till early evening. This time I had overcome my shyness. During summer it was sooooo hot and right after work, I went to class where the teacher kept the room at about 65 degrees. Every night after class, I was very tired and the temperature change even made me more tired. One night after class while driving towards home, I almost had a wreck........

T o B e C o n t i n u e d

"Up from the grave He arose,
with a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign!"
~~Lowry~~

"The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without it, we have no hope for this life nor the life to come. That's why it is important to recognize that our belief in Christ's resurrection is not based on some religious feeling, nor on unfounded rumor but on historical fact with solid evidence to support it. Historical evidence and countless changed lives testify that the resurrection of Jesus is a fact, not a fable. If God could take some dust and breathe life into it to create a man (Genesis 2:7), why would anyone think it incredible for this same God to raise His Son from the dead?"

Christ's resurrection is a factor in salvation because it is a fact of history.
Only a living Savior could rescue a dying world!


HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY TO ALL!

"Was it for crimes that I have done

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity! grace unknown!

And love beyond degree!"

~~Isaac Watts~~

"When Jesus hung upon that accursed tree of Calvary,

When His precious hands were pierced, when; -

From His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flowed mingled down,

There was nobody to help Him;

He was "all" in the work of salvation."

~~C.H Spurgeon~~

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep."

~~John 10:11~~

"Ride on! Ride on in majesty!

In lowly pomp ride on to die,

O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin

O'er captive death and conquered sin!"

"The cheering crowd that surged around Jesus on that first Palm Sunday recognized that He had no equal, yet there was something unsettling about Him. Jesus rode calmly into Jerusalem on a donkey although a stately war horse might have better suited the occasion. They recognized that Jesus had come from God, but they completely misunderstood His spritual mission. Do we pay tribute to Jesus because of who He is or just from what He can do for us? To honor Him means to obey Him and to die to our self-centered nature. On that first Palm Sunday, the crowd saw Him as their deliverer, but we are called to submit to Him as King, the One who has come to rule in our hearts."

Top image: Christ by Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel

"Your hand shall lead me,

and Your right hand shall hold me."

~~Psalm 139:10~~

"Life holds no surprises for God. No path is unknown to Him - no circumstance unsettling. Because the future is perfectly clear to our Father, Christians have the full assurance that we can follow where God leads, whether the way is marked by calm or storm. We can confidently put our hand in God's for He forgives the past, controls the present, and holds the future."

NO ONE IS HOPELESS WHOSE HOPE IS IN GOD.

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Top image: Hope by George Frederick Watts