Sometimes it’s hard to see blessings in things that happen,
and even harder to recognize “how in the world is this God’s favor” on a
situation.
There’s no way we can fully
understand why things happen in life, but because of God’s grace we can put our
trust in Him to see us through each trial.
Hello everyone, I guess you’ve been wondering how physical
therapy for my arms is going.I’ve had
to cancel one appointment due to weather, but things seem to be back on
schedule.
To be honest, I haven’t stuck to it the way I should mainly
because I’ve forgotten how to do some of the exercises.When I look at the diagrams the therapist
gave me, they don’t look “normal” even though he made me do them.Does that make sense?
Be sure to read News from Fay, updates and visit the Q & A or other sections.
It Never Fails
For the most part though I’ve been behaving myself, not
something I can attest to for one of the rescue kitties.This is one of those things that “just
happened” and you have to deal with it when it does.Let me explain.
It’s not unusual for one of the cats to climb on the
computer and lay across the keyboard. No,
I don’t encourage that behavior, but trying to keep them off becomes a game.
If you’re a cat owner you can relate to placing beds around
your work area, and doing everything possible to ensure your furry baby is
comfortable. This is especially true for
new rescues or those in recovery so I can keep an eye on them.
However, it never fails that they soon make their way
across your arms and on to the keyboard.Somehow, they access things in your computer you never knew were there,
and trying to remove it while looking over them is practically impossible.
Rescuing Israel
His name is “Izzy”, aka Israel Aldi – Israel because we
hadn’t used the letter “I” yet to name a rescue, and Aldi because he was
rescued from a dumpster in the back of their store.
Giving the rescues a middle name is a way we
remember specific information, so it works for us.Plus, it reminds me to pray for the nation of
Israel daily.
When Izzy is with me, for some reason he has to sit on the computer. I’m sorry, but it’s actually hilarious how quickly he maneuvers around my work station before I can stop him.
He’s the only one that literally drapes himself over the screen from behind and dangles his legs across the front blocking my vision for typing. Once he sees the cursor – forget it, work has come to a stop.
This cat was one of our smallest and youngest rescues; he
pretty much thinks I’m his momma allowing me to examine him easily on a regular
basis.However, he has grown into a
super huge baby with rather large claws, in which he recently used on my left
arm. Anyway, he either was ticked off or
something spooked him. I don't have a clue as to what happened, but suddenly there was blood everywhere!
His freaking out left me with six deep scratch wounds about
seven inches long. I didn’t need stitches, but my forearm was pretty torn up
making it really painful to type even with the bandages and full arm
covering.
Scratching Work or Goofing Off?
Being a lefty, I might be out of commission for extended
periods of writing during one sitting. That may not be such a bad idea
considering today is National Goof off Day.
Mind you I’ve never taken advantage of that particular holiday, but I
think you’d agree “scratching work” as usual happens to be legitimate for a
brief time.
Thanks so much for your daily prayers and faithfulness. You
can be sure that I’m praying Kingdom promises from the Lord for preserving my
life through healing, protection and ministering to my spirit during things that happen that I don't quite understand.
“You have granted me life and favor,
and Your care has preserved my spirit.” (Job
10:12)
There are times in life when our bodies simply need a period of healing. For us to receive this blessing from the Lord we cannot feel bad or guilty over stepping back from some of our responsibilities in order for it to happen.
If you are in need of physical, emotional or spiritual
healing please click on the scriptures for healing link on this site. Spend time in prayer and believe God heard your plea. Meditate on God’s Word and speak life into
your situation by quoting the scriptures out loud.
Maybe you don’t know
the Living God that I know but would like to have this kind of favor in your
life also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus”
for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Note: Emphasis may be given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding
and is not to take away from the inspirited Word of God.
When used, the words satan
or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him no place in our
lives.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental
or physical issues but is geared toward spiritual awareness.
Content
and Images Copyright
from Favored1. Do not copy.
Disclaimer
Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
Unless
noted, scripture reference in series was taken from the New King James Bible
Version provided by Bible Gateway. Image credit: Creative
Common License if not specified. Physical TherapyNational Goof Off Day
Where Faith and Favor Meet, Salvation, Favor of God, Favor, Favored1,
Daily Favor Blog, Scratching Work, Cat Rescue, Holidays, National Good Off Day, Physical Therapy, Israel, Healing, Prayer, God's Promises, Promises of God.
I couldn’t help myself; the weather was too
nice to be indoors, and besides this was probably the last 80+ degree day left
in the season. Gathering a plastic container for recycling I headed out to our garden to collect seeds from the
flowering vines.
My husband had a headache and wanted to sit
back to rest for a little while.Believing the fresh air would help him, with some coaxing I was able to
convince hubby that he needed to come help me.
For the next few hours not only could I imagine Life in God’s Garden, I
was living it.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
International – Norway; Czechia; Perth, WA,
Australia; Barreiro, Setúbal District,
Portugal; Luxembourg; Hyderabad, Telangana & Malappuram, Kerala,
India; Kigali, Rwanda; Nova Iguaçu, RJ, Brazil; Lae, Morobe Province,
Papua New Guinea; Lamongan, East Java; Palembang, South Sumatra; Baumata, East
Nusa Tenggara, Sunggal, North Sumatra & Kepung, East Java, Indonesia; Taipei,
Taiwan.
USA – Greenwood, AR; Temecula, Vallejo & Yucca Valley, CA; Hutchinson, KS; Boyce,
LA; Boston, MA; Elkton, MD; Sunrise Beach, MO; Lincoln, NE; East Wakefield, NH;
Minotola, Paterson & Vineland, NJ; New York, Camden & Rome, NY; Linton
& Grand Forks, ND; Fairborn & Plain City, OH: Woodburn, OR; Glenolden
& New Cumberland, PA; Frankfort, KY; Galveston, TX; Fairmont, WV; Albuquerque,
NM; Guthrie, OK.
I am so thankful for your visit and hope that you come
back each week to participate in the weekly challenges.Join us in our new series as we spend time in
the study of Daily Favor Relationships.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Opening the gate to the garden I began
working my way around the inside of the fenced in area plucking tiny pods off
the twine vines.The past few cool
nights caused the flowers to wither.What was once a beautiful lush covering that scrolled around the entire
garden looked rather messy having been hit it by the first frost of the fall
season.
The pods were so delicate that even the
slightest jiggle would make the seeds fall to the ground.By the time my husband joined me I had
already finished one side of the fence.With much more to be done, he decided to work his way along the outer
side of the garden fence.
There was a slight breeze; perfect weather
for the task at hand.Dropping a handful
of seeds into the pail I pictured what Adam and Eve might be doing had they
still been living in God’s Holy place.
It was so quiet, even in the middle of the
afternoon and in the city to boot.No
one was around; it was if we were the only two people on the planet.Working my way towards where hubby was I
said, “I wonder if Adam had to do this?”
I answered my own question … of course he
did.God said that He gave us seed to
sow for future gardens.
“And God said, See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on
the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”
(Genesis 1:29 NKJV)
Serenity Now
When the vegetable plants, luffa and
flowering climbing vines are in full bloom they cover and surround the entire
fence.It creates a secret garden place to
dwell and spend time in the presence of our Creator.
Our little garden becomes a place of worship
… a temple so to speak, and provides the atmosphere needed to hear from God as
you draw close to Him.So many times I
have sought the Lord for answers and within a few minutes in the garden I hear
from Him.
Serenity washed over our spirits as the hours
wore on and we didn’t even notice the sun beginning to set. Hubby and I had such peace and calmness fellowshipping
together with the Lord that it made us long for the time when the Garden of
Eden would be restored for the children of God.
Blessings
Unmeasurable
For the past eight weeks we have “walked” through the
Garden of Eden and marveled over the favor God prepared for the race of man
from the very beginning of creation.
We learned from only a few named blessings how God made
provision for Adam and those to follow that would last all the days of the
earth. There are yet untapped water sources, seed bearing fruits, vegetables and herbs at our disposal for
sustaining life.He created gold and
precious stones that set the economies of the world in motion even to this day,
giving great provision for all of mankind.
Although there are too many blessings to
count that God has given us, from my short list I’ve saved the best for last.
Tenth Blessing –The
Garden was a Holy place for Worship.
From the very beginning God made it clear
that the Creator was the heart and center of creation, not humans or anything
else.His garden was created to
establish communication and a place where relationships would grow.
The Garden of Eden was to reveal to man God's Heaven. It was a reflection of the dwelling place of the LORD God Almighty revealed to man and where he may boldly seek favor (mercy). (see Hebrews 4:16)
For a brief time before sin entered, Heaven in a sense was here on Earth.
When God brought Adam into His garden, it
was to perform the duty of the first High Priest of God’s temple … the Holy
place where God showed up to fellowship with man.
The Garden was a separate place in Eden; it
was set apart just for the LORD to be worshipped. Although Adam and Eve could go wherever they wanted, God only showed up in His garden certain times of the day.
Throughout scripture we read how the high
priests “tended” to their duties inside the Holy of Holies temple.It was a place where public service to God
was performed, including worship where He was acknowledged as the Creator of
all things.
God gave Adam stewardship of the Garden where
he was to serve, guard, protect, shepherd and preserve (shamar, Genesis 2:15). In other words, Adam was the servant of the
Garden, the attendant gardener.Now we
can understand why God was so angry with Adam having let “sin” (through the
serpent) into His Holy dwelling and family.
As the High Priest Adam had the
responsibility of caring for God’s temple and taking watch over His sheep
(Eve).He failed at the task, but thankfully
the grace (unmerited favor) of God would already be planned for man before he
was created through His Son Christ Jesus.
The prophet Isaiah (in chapter eleven)
describes how God’s special garden temple will one day be restored for man to
fellowship with Him. In the meantime, the first temple built (and others to
follow) by man was representative of the Garden of Eden where God walked and
dwelled with man.
Think Back
Every teacher tries to plant “seeds” into the
thinking of their students by setting up something for future lessons.I did this to prepare you
for this week.
In our second “think on this” challenge we
pondered the significance of the gifts that were brought to Jesus upon His birth
into this world.I had you think about it
without giving you an answer for a reason.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem three
specific gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were given to him.The Magi knew what to give and the
significance of the items they were to take to the newborn KING.They were symbols of worship in the original Eden
temple of God, and a path for us to follow leading back to the Heavenly Father
through the seed of Jesus Christ (the Anointed Holy One).
The vessels and furnishings of the temple
were made of gold, and the walls of precious metals and gems.However, the two perfumes of frankincense and myrrh combined were the main ingredients of the anointing oils inside the
garden temple.
Burning of the specific oils signified that
God was present.We know this
information from the description given to Moses in the Old Testament scriptures
on how God wanted His temple to be built.Moses received the detailed “floor plan” of what no one else had seen in
the original place of worship in Eden.
Although some of the gifts pointed directly
to the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah, they represented much
more than we first learned.Presenting
these gifts at the birth of the Savior symbolized the promised restoration of
the Garden of Eden as a place where God and man could remain in relationship
forever.
The Living Vine
For the few hours it took to tear down the
lifeless vines we didn’t think about what we lost, but focused on the life in
the seeds for seasons to come.I could
already envision the new vines trailing along the fences bursting
with life and color.Through one little seed a
new garden would bring forth a multitude of plants revealing the wonder and glory
of God.
Part of the favor for man is the promise of physical seed for as long as we are here on earth.
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter
and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22 NKJV)
God provided the initial seeds for everything
we will ever need back in the Garden of Eden, including the Seed of Himself.However, man would need spiritual seed and
that would come through Jesus.A
relationship with Jesus allows us to fellowship with God once more.
A Living Temple
Although we await the coming of Jesus to be
reunited with God face to face as in Life in the Garden days, our worship and fellowship with Him doesn’t
have to wait until then.Jesus gave us
the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us.Through Him we can talk to the Lord whether
it is in our own garden, our prayer closet or anywhere.We are a living temple, garden, that grows
and grows the more we spend time in relationship with Christ.
What we can take away from this is that God’s
love for His creation is so wonderful that He went to great lengths to save
it.Everything He created was good and
meant to remain forever.
God’s mercy (favor) endures forever, without
regret, for every generation from the beginning to the end.We worship Him for His goodness, grace, mercy
and favor … we worship Him because He is worthy of our praise!He is the one true GOD!
If we are connected to the Living Vine - Jesus,
God’s creation will one day be restored to us; like Adam and Eve we’ll
experience Life in God’s Garden, but this time it will never end.
I AM the vine – the Life in God’s
Garden.There is no garden life without
Me.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in
Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out
as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are
burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words
abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.By this My Father is glorified,
that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." (John 15:4-8 NKJV)
Think on This Challenge:
A New Eden
When we planted our garden this
year we already knew that there would be a time when it would return to
seed.Gathering seeds was proof that we
believed what God said about seed time and harvest for this earth.Spending time in the garden however, our
thoughts were not of this world, but Heaven’s garden.
Our life has a beginning and an
end.It started with God, but not every
life ends up with their Creator.Jesus
is the Alpha and Omega Vine, the beginning and end of all things Where does the Vine dwell? In God's Garden; only those who believe in Him will receive unmerited favor to see the new Garden of Eden.
Our think on this challenge asks …
Will you see the new Garden of Eden?
If this article has encouraged or helped you, please
consider sharing it by using the social media icons provided at the end of this
post.
Maybe
you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of
favor in your life also.Click on the
above tab “Tell Me About Jesus”
for more information on salvation and becoming a child of the Savior.
Content
and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due
to lack of belief. Scripture
references provided by Gateway Bible in the New King James Bible Version or as
noted. Image
credit: Google ImagesCreative Common
License if not specified. Image: Gathering SeedsMorning Glory VinesJohn 20:29The Temple Symbolism Life in Gods Garden, Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Salvation, Daily Favor Relationships, Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, Holy Spirit, Israel, Heaven, Unmerited Favor.
Sometimes it’s hard to see blessings in things that happen,
and even harder to recognize “how in the world is this God’s favor” on a
situation. 
His name is “Izzy”, aka Israel Aldi – Israel because we
hadn’t used the letter “I” yet to name a rescue, and Aldi because he was
rescued from a dumpster in the back of their store.
He’s the only one that literally drapes himself over the screen from behind and dangles his legs across the front blocking my vision for typing. Once he sees the cursor – forget it, work has come to a stop. 
Being a lefty, I might be out of commission for extended
periods of writing during one sitting. That may not be such a bad idea
considering today is National Goof off Day. 
