Tell me About........

Joy Treasure exists to encourage believers to treasure God's word, draw near to Him, and seek to apply God's truth to daily living. Life change can happen because we know Christ.

One of the things I enjoy hearing are stories about how God shows Himself to be "Provider" to my friends and fellow church members. God provides so many things to us every day and many of them, we all can take for granted.

To enter the Free Art Friday posts, please share with me a story about how God has shown you He is your provider. How has HE shown you that HE will take care of you, how He has all the details worked out and how He is faithful to show you He was with you and did not forget you.

The story will be posted on the blog on Monday evening when I announce the winner. I am going to pick the person whose story best expresses God's provision, faithfulness, and taking care of the tiniest details.
Start comments by Friday 6am, July 30th til Saturday 6am July 31st. After that, commenting is over. I will publish all comments after I read them first.

Free Art Friday Question

Today is a Free Art Friday question.

                      I want to hear from you the readers! 

I am going to pick the best story from the followers who send in an answer to Joy Treasure. When I choose it, I will post it to the blog when I announce the winner Monday evening. I am greatly inspired by fellow believers as they walk with the LORD and I believe the more we can share about real life and a living for a REAL God, how much better we all will be! Be sure to post before 6am (central time )on Saturday (July 31)morning. After that, time is up.

Be looking for the Friday topic (Again, to become a follower, use google, twitter or yahoo account.)

Joy 2 U!

Free Art Friday

Friday is Free Art Friday to celebrate the milestone of 50 followers joining Joy Treasure since  May 2010. When you see the question mark Friday morning, Free Art Friday has begun. The end of Free Art Friday will take place Saturday morning by 6am. All answers must be sent in through comments to me by then. The winner will be posted Monday evening.

Quote #5 From Oswald Chambers

Today's quote is what Oswald Chambers calls,"One of God's Great Don'ts."

I love it and I hope you will too!

The scripture from Psalm 37:8 he writes about says,"Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing."

This excerpt comes from the July 4th issue from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour and Company.

Oswald says,

"Fussing always ends in sin...Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not "out" to realize His own ideas; He was "out to realize God's ideas. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God."

What a lot to think about today as we sometimes find ourselves fussing or fretting over things in life. I pray if you find yourself worrying or grumbling remember that you are taking God out of the calculation. Our greatest example of how to live a life that pleases God is Jesus. If Jesus never worried or was never anxious, then why do we?

Manna Mondays- Verse 9 and 10

Good Manna Monday Morning!

Wow! I can't believe I've been blogging consistently for almost three months now. Thank you God! Thanks to all who have been following Joy Treasure as well. What a JOY it has been to share with you wonderful treasures from God's word. It is only HIS word that brings joy to our hearts. The more we know God, the more we can enjoy Him.

For this week's Manna Monday I combined verses 9-10 this week to make it easier to memorize.
To refresh your memory, here is the entire text we have been memorizing:

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.

3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.

5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

The cross reference for Psalm 139:10 is Psalm 23:2 which says,"He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters." As the good shepherd leads his sheep toward green pastures where they can rest, eat and be safe, so does God lead us, the people of his pasture. The word that jumped off the page to me was the word "lead." The cross reference for the word "lead" in Psalm 23:2 is Revelation 7:17 which says,"for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

WOW! One day God promises we will live with Him forever and never thirst again, never be weary or worn out again. How intimate that God not only knows the number of our tears here on earth but He promises to wipe every one away from our eyes.

When I think about the people who have wiped the tears from my face, they have been people in my life who have intimately known me like my parents, grandparents, husband. How personal God's word describes Him to us, that He will wipe EVERY tear from our eyes one day.

Praise God for leading and guiding us each and every day!
Thank Him for the promise of heaven one day.
What a joy that will be!

Treasure the Moment

Having a husband who hunts whitetail deer, every April there is clover planted in my backyard in hopes that deer will come and eat it? I guess? Who knows. But it sounds good. I am guessing it is the mentality of, "if you plant it, they will come?" I know I did hear him say that deer liked it! Just letting you all know I have not checked my facts about deer and clover.

So, there we were, late in the afternoon, the sun was going down, the clover was a crimson red, my son wanted to be outside so I took a picture (or two!)

Priceless!

This week, I came across a mini photo shoot I had taken of my son over a year ago. I began to tear up looking at how small he was then. Time passes so quickly. He is getting so big! The joy of being with him has been so special to my heart and I am so thankful for all our moments together. As he grows older, he will not be hanging out with mama and this picture will just be a reminder of our times long ago. It's so easy to get busy and miss the special moments. But busyness cannot bring me joy or make a special moment. Only setting things aside to seize the moment can make a lasting memory.

I want to encourage you to get outside with your family or friends, and enjoy the day. Make time for it, because once it's over, it's over. You can't get it back.

Each day we have comes from God.

Enjoy the minute. Treasure the moment.

Oh, and by the way..........Happy Friday!

The Joy Treasure Book Club- A Book about Obedience

I have been reading a small book in size packed with BIG truths about obedience.

It's called "A Life of Obedience: Learning to Trust His Time, His Place, His Will" by Andrew Murray. It has 105 pages and is published by Bethany House. Murray was born in 1828 in South Africa. I love reading books authored by people long ago. I find it fascinating to see how closely I can still relate to their timeless message about God's holy word. I am encouraged by how they apply God's truth to the christian walk. It is a fabulous read and it's a book that doesn't just leave you satisfied, but spiritually challenged.

Here is a treasure I gleaned from page 19:

"John uses strong statements:"He who says,'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1John 2:4). Obedience is the hallmark of Christian character. He says, "And whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight"(3:22). Obedience is the secret of a good conscience and of the confidence that God hears us. The obedience that keeps His commandments becomes the outward expression of our love for God. We may ask ourselves,"Does obedience take that place in my heart and life?" Have we given obedience the place of authority that God intends it to have: the motivation of our every action and our boldness to approach Him? If we yield ourselves to the searching of God's Spirit, we may find that we have not given implicit obedience the importance it deserves in our life, and that this is the cause of our failure in prayer and in our work. The deeper blessings of God's grace and the full enjoyment of God's love and nearness have been beyond our reach simply because obedience was never given the importance God gives it-the starting point and the goal of our Christian life."

Good stuff!

I love the end of the paragraph,"the starting point and the goal of our Christian life." Obedience is how the believer comes to Christ. It becomes the primary pursuit when walking with God. Obeying God pleases Him and if we never give it a thought, do we really love God like we say we do? When was the last time you asked yourself, "God am I obeying you? What do you want me to do?

Is obedience to God your goal in life, or is it just an afterthought?

I want to hear from you what you think about obedience.

Think about the word  inadequate.

This is the word that's been coming to mind lately as I seek to do new things in life and new things for God. I find myself thinking, "I feel so inadequate to do this....I'm out of my comfort zone." But that's not a bad thing. It's quite good. As I walk more closely with Jesus, I find it is EXACTLY what JESUS wants me to be. He is more than adequate for my inadequacies.

Ten years ago, I would have taken on a challenge and not have thought another thing about it. I would have prayed, "God, help me, and then go about my business and trust in my own abilities (not even realizing what I was doing.) Today, when I take on new challenges I quickly think," LORD, please help me, I can't do this without you. I need you. You've got to make a way for me."

Am I weak? The world would say so. Am I lacking confidence? No. My confidence is no longer in myself or my abilities anymore, but in the LORD's power to work through me as I yield to HIM day by day.

Being a wife and mother has opened myself up to the feelings of inadequacy (probably the most!)There are so many new things to learn as a wife and a mother. There are days I feel like I can't do the job. I do good and then I fail. But, when I turn back to God and give him my burdens, I find the feelings of inadequacy turn into a quiet confidence- a confidence in God's power and strength instead of my own limited abilities. He gives me the confidence to move forward and face the challenge of the day. Some days it's all I can do to say, "here LORD....here's another!"

When I feel inadequate Romans 11:36 helps me remember that God is working through my lack of experience. It says,"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever." Every ability I have comes from God and any new ability I have need of will come from God, through God working in my life going back to Him to give Him the glory.

Paul said it best about being inadequate(having no confidence in the flesh). He knew what it was to trust in his own abilities, his own accomplishments. He had trusted in them before he knew Christ. As a servant for Christ, he said, "For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh--though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:" (Philippians 3:2-3)

Feeling inadequate today? That's great! It is a good place to be!
God has room to come in and work through you! Listen to Him and watch Him work through your inadequacies.

Quote #4 from Oswald Chambers

I love sharing these wonderful thought provoking quotes from Oswald Chambers every Tuesday. I pray they are challenging you to think about how to apply them to your own life. Today's quote comes from the January 30th page of "My Utmost for His Highest" Journal published by Barbour and Company, Inc.

Oswald says,
"Get into the habit of saying, "Speak, Lord," and life will become a romance. Every time circumstances press, say, "Speak, Lord"; make time to listen."

How many times do I come to the LORD telling Him what I think and believe to be the best outcome in my life? Sometimes listening to Him can become an afterthought in my prayer life. Listening to Him should not be an afterthought, it should be my first thought, my first word. Forgive me LORD for the times I have come speaking instead of asking you to speak to me! Listening to God is a habit that is practiced and learned. It does not come easily but it is possible to get into the practice of it. What a great example Oswald shares about using two simple words to get us practicing the habit of listening to the LORD. As you go about your day say, "Speak Lord." Whenever you feel like you want to tell God what you think, say "Speak Lord" and remember to listen.

I want to hear from you about what you think about this quote. Tell me if this is something you can apply to your life.

Joy 2 U!

Manna Monday

John MacArthur said "One other one in Psalm 139, I think it's verse 8, a very
similar statement is made. It says this, "If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there.
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there." In other words, wherever you
go, into heaven or into the grave, you are in the presence of the Lord which
means you still exist in His presence. Hosea chapter 6 says the same thing.
Isaiah 26 says the same thing. Perhaps one other one to read to you specifically
is at the end of Daniel's prophecy, chapter 12 and verse 2. "Many of those who
sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, and the
others to disgrace and everlasting contempt." There will be the resurrection of
everyone, some to everlasting life, some to everlasting contempt, some to heaven
and some to hell. It is commonly believed among the Jews throughout their
history and certainly at the time of Jesus that there will be life after death,
there will be life in the presence of God or out of the presence of God and
there will be a resurrection body, a resurrection unto life or unto contempt and
disgrace. That is the background of the text before us."

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.

3You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

4Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.

5You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

The Joy of Serving the LORD

I had an opportunity to serve the LORD with some ladies from my church this past weekend. What a delight it was to serve with them! Our job was to throw a block party for a neighborhood. As you can see, this is the vacant lot we had to work with- rocks and clay. But we made it work and it turned out to be exactly what we needed for kids to come in eat some pizza and ice cream. At first, when we got everything set up, we kind of wondered if anyone would show up...but they did. Why do we wonder when we serve God about who will come? I too even wondered if anyone would come.. oh, me of little faith. Turns out, the majority of the kids in the neighborhood came and it was a great success.

One of the main activities we had for kids was to put stickers around a framed verse of John 3:16. Imagine if they never heard this verse before? Thank you God that we can proclaim your message of salvation! May the seeds planted yesterday take root and grow into beautiful salvation. This precious little boy loved stickers and decided he would not only place some of the stickers on his frame, but also on himself. Oh, how precious!

Stickers everywhere! Yay God!

A little face painting too!

Here is a picture of the kids I got a chance to talk to about the LORD. I fell in love with them and was amazed at the opportunity God gave me to talk to them about their every day life. I found out a few of them had some family members far away from the LORD and got a chance to pray with them about these family members. Thank you God for open doors.

Opportunities to serve God are all around us. We don't have to go to another neighborhood to do it. We can make an impact where we are. Let's not miss opportunities that stare us in the face each and every day.

Ephesians 6:7 says,"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, ..." which says it all about serving. It's God we serve. It's because of what Jesus has done on the cross for us that we go and tell. Isn't that worth telling!

With tommorrow being Sunday, I want to encourage you all to rest and enjoy God tomorrow afternoon after church.

Simplify.

Instead of adding things to your calendar, remove them. Take a nap. Get off facebook, spend time with your family without the television on. Find time to be still and quiet before the LORD and listen....listen...listen to Him speak as you read His word. Say thank you tomorrow to God and to your family. Pray for people you talked with at church. Pray for people you know who are lost. Pray for your family. Pray.

Simplify and enjoy God today.

Congratulations to Lesley! She won the first Joy Treasure painting on June 25th.Thank you to everyone who participated and is a part of following Joy Treasure.  Please tell your family and friends about the blog. My heart's desire is that every time you read the blog, you will leave encouraged to continue seeking knowing and enjoying God in every day. Happy Friday!

I noticed myself waiting....waiting.....waiting....impatiently waiting for a four minute light to turn green.

It's only four minutes.

What was I sighing for?

It's not like I had anywhere to go but home. I guess I really didn't like sitting at this particular light for four minutes and it seemed like I was always getting caught at this light everytime I would come to it. That was part of my reason for being impatient. The other part was that I rationalized to myself that I was justified to sigh under my breath for four minutes when really, my impatience signaled something greater going on in my heart. Quickly, I had become quite aware that sighing under my breath might not be able to be discerned by my preschool son, but I certainly wasn't fooling God.  He knew why I was sighing. That thought began to quickly convict my heart.

Although I had a lot on my mind, and thinking that the day was getting away from me, I thought a sigh or two would make me feel better. But it didn't. It actually made me feel worse and affect my attitude.

So I thought about why a four minute light would would get underneath my skin.
I have never liked waiting. But waiting is a natural part of daily life.

Think about it. We wait for morning coffee, and for the sun to come up. We wait for the cold shower water to become hot. We wait for a meal at a restaurant, or a purchase to come in the mail. We wait for a reply, a response, an invitation. We wait for a job interview, and to find out if we have a new job. We wait for an oil change, a doctor's appointment, and for a baby to be born. We wait for a concert to start and a concert to be over. We wait in line to return a purchased item and we wait to pay for our groceries. Waiting IS a part of DAILY living. There's no getting around it, so why not learn to enjoy it and place my thoughts on God?
As I reflected on the many times I had to wait in my day, I realized it was a lot! Was I honoring God in the waiting? I think not. Searching the scripture, I found lots about what the bible had to say about it. I wanted to share three verses with you. I highlighted what God taught me!

Psalm 37:7
"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.."

Romans 8:25
"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Hebrews 6:15
"And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised."

Waiting patiently. I am not sharing this with you to talk about the context of the scripture. These three verses said the same thing together....waiting patiently. Not wait and sigh because you have to wait. Wait patiently.
I think I got my answer, don't you think? Thank you God for how you reveal truths and reminders of your truth to me as I seek your word.

If you find yourself like me sighing under your breath every now and then, place your thoughts back on the LORD and ask Him to help you through your day. Focus on who He is and thank Him for your many blessings. By the time you get through that four minute light, you will have more to think about than the light will allow.

Third Quote from Oswald

Good Tuesday morning! It's time for a quote from Oswald Chambers again.
I look forward to sharing these quotes with you every week. Today's quote is a good one! It will give you a lot to chew on!

It comes from June 5th/God's Say-So page in "My Utmost for His Highest" Journal.
Oswald talks about things that keep us from listening to God. Sometimes it's something we dread, sometimes it's our own frailty, sometimes fear. He then asks this great question.
He says:
"Are you learning to say things after listening to God, or are you saying things and trying to make God's word fit in?"

How many times do we not acknowledge what God has told us and try to add in our own thoughts, our own desires? How many times do we want to say things first and not let God's word speak first? Depending on God means we listen to Him and follow His lead. Not our own. It means when we come to Him, we let Him speak, and then we walk away letting His word become our word. When we listen to Him, we are not to quickly grab hold of fear, our own frailty, or let dread keep us from walking confidently forward with God. He is our helper and HE will help us. When we let these other things come in the way, we let go of God and take control of the situation our self.

I don't want for my word to be the first word. I want God's word to be my guide. I don't want to take the lead and let His word be an afterthought. When I do that, I am not depending on Him, but on myself and my opinions.

What about you? Has this been true in your own life?

Manna Mondays- Week Seven

Can you believe we're on the seventh week of Psalm 139! I love it! Don't you? I pray this past week you were able to stop and consider just like the Psalmist said in verse six,"such knowledge is to too wonderful for me." The knowledge that God knows us better than anyone and that He would call us into an intimate relationship with Him is so wonderful. Sometimes, I am so amazed that He loves me like He does.

Our verse this week is Psalm 139:7 which says, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence." There is no place where we can hide from God. No where we can flee from His presence. A great biblical example that expresses this truth is the life story of Jonah. Jonah didn't want to do the job God had for him, so he thought he could run away from God and go his own way. Of course we know he couldn't run away from God. No one can.What Jonah found to be true was that God would find him wherever he was.

When we are having a great day, God is with us. When we are lonely, God is with us. When we don't understand our circumstances, God is with us. When we are waiting on God to answer our prayers, God is with us. When we do laundry or clean the dishes, God is with us. When we choose to sin against Him and go our own way, even then, He is still with us. We cannot flee from His presence. We are never out of His sight. Let us seek to live our lives pleasing Him and find enjoyment knowing that there is no where we can live without God being there. Thank you God that YOU are with us and there is NO WHERE we can flee from your presence!

Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?


Where can I flee from your presence?

Every Sunday, my pastor always says, "The church is not the building, it's the people."

He's right.

Church is the body of Christ. The building without the people present inside it is just a building.
The older I get, the more I treasure the body of Christ. I treasure what fellow believers have learned from God that I can glean and apply to my life. I love hearing their life stories about how God provided for them or revealed Himself to them. I love praying together and listening as the prayers rise up to heaven. I enjoy meeting fellow believers and hearing how they love Jesus and are daily becoming more like Christ. It encourages me to press on and do the same. I enjoy serving with them side by side doing kingdom work.

As you enter into your house of worship this Sunday, thank God for the body of Christ. Instead of talking about yourself at church ask a fellow member, "what's God been teaching you lately?" Listen to what they have to say. I guarantee you will be amazed at their response.

Last, if you're not participating or aren't active in a Sunday School class, I encourage you to find a place to serve and connect with other believers. That's where you get to walk through life and serve the LORD.
Sunday School is where I have truly learned that the church is not a building, but truly the people, the body of Christ. Oh, the joy I would have missed if I had not been involved in Sunday School.

Joy 2 U!

One of my favorite people in the bible is Abraham. Of course, my most favorite would be God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. (Had to clarify that I do not worship Abraham... I worship God!) But when it comes to the people God called, I love to watch Abraham's life unfold right before my very eyes in the written words of the bible. Through the years, there are some things that I love about his life and I wanted to share one with you today and the other four will appear on a few other posts. 

When I read God's word, I am always thinking, "How can I apply your word to my life Lord? What do you want me to do with this truth?" Through these simple questions and prayer, God will always impress upon my heart what that looks like in my life. One truth gleaned from Abraham's life that keeps speaking to me a lot is:

1. He Responded to God Quickly:

Hebrews 11:8-9  says, "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; ..."

The text doesn't tell us that he hesitated or took his time leaving his comfortable home. It tells us that when God called him, he OBEYED even though he didn't know where he was going. It says, "by faith..." he obeyed. "By faith," he lived as an alien in a foreign land.

I could write a lot more about this topic, but let's not miss the point. Let's keep it simple. The simplicity of this truth is that it is difficult to apply at times. There are moments in our life, that we do want to hesitate or drag our feet all the while knowing that God is calling us to move.

I don't know where you are in your life today, but is God calling you to move out and obey Him? Is He calling you to respond without reservation or question and trust His calling?  Friend, step out and move forward with Him. There is nothing HE cannot do. There's no better place to be than following His lead. Think about this today and read back over the scripture above.

Enjoy God and the great adventure He has for your life.

Get up and move.....quickly!

Joy 2 U!

Fifty

Free Art Friday won't occur again until I reach 50 followers on the blog. Keep looking for the number 50 under the follower list on the left side bar to see if I hit the mark and when I do, I will then post the next question.

Mama Dixie

Recently, I got to thinking about my grandmother, "Mama Dixie." She passed away this past December at the age of 93. We had such good times together. She had been ill for the past year and I know she has a new body, a new mind, and is loving being with Jesus. Praise God! Even though I am comforted by the fact she knew Jesus, I still miss her from time to time. We always had three things in common: Jesus, music, and art. So, there was always plenty of things to share with each other. Before she passed, my father brought a few paintings of her's home to my studio and that is where they hang. This is one that I would love to share with you all today. It's more precious to me than silver or gold. On it, are her very brush strokes, the touch of her hand on the canvas. She was a detailed painter, unlike me. She loved days gone by, as you can tell in the painting and that is where we differed in our painting style. I like bold, bright colors and tend to be more abstract or whimsical. What I loved about her was that she was always trying something new or going somewhere in her old age. She never seemed old to me because she was always going and so involved in living life. I guess that is why I never thought of her as "old." But, she did get older as the years passed and I could tell that death had come a calling.

This world is fleeting, it will pass away. Just like Mama Dixie, I too, will one day find myself waiting to meet my Jesus. I want to be ready. I want to be able to look back on my life and have Him say, "well done." Don't you?

As you go about your day today, try something new, savor life for what it is (not what you think it should be) and don't let anything keep you from enjoying Jesus. Remember, as Phillippans 3:20 says, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the LORD Jesus Christ,..."

Joy 2 U!

Quote #2

Hey friends! Last week I rolled out "30 quotes from Oswald." I think everyone enjoyed it. Oswald Chambers devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" is one of my favorites and I want to hear what you have to say regarding some of these stellar quotes.

Today's quote comes from "My Utmost for His Highest Journal" on the February 12th date/page.

"We show how little we love God by preferring to listen to His servants only. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we do not desire that God Himself should speak to us? Because we know that if God does speak, either the thing must be done or we must tell God we will not obey Him. If it is only the servant's voice we hear, we feel it is not imperative, we can say, "Well, that is simply your own idea, though I don't deny it is probably God's truth."

What do you think about this quote? Has it been true in your own life? Have you found yourself preferring to listen to other believers first than being still and listening to God?

Talk to me.

Manna Monday- Week Six

This past weekend, my son came up to me and whispered in my ear, "Momma, I need to tell you a secret." I said, "ok, what is it?" He said, "you need to raise your hands in the air and just praise the LORD."  Praise comes from the mouth of babes doesn't it! I encourage him to praise the LORD all the time, but didn't think I would be encouraged so quickly to do the same. So with that in mind, I think the best way to start our Monday morning is to do just that!  Raise your hands in the air and praise the LORD this morning. When we stop and praise the LORD, we take the focus off of ourself and turn all of it towards Him.

This week are memorizing 139:6. We are memorizing the entire passage. How is it going? Let's jog our memory of the entire passage:

1. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2. You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
   You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
   And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4.Even before there is a word on my tongue,
   Behold, O LORD, You know it all.

5.You have enclosed me behind and before,

   And laid Your hand upon me.

6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
     It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

The Psalmist comes to kind of a pause in his thinking after contemplating all the ways God knows him intimately in verse 1-5. In verse 6, we get a glimpse at how the psalmist is amazed about how well God knows him. Not only amazed, but I am convinced he is convicted that because God knows him so well, there is nothing he can hide from God. Some days it is easy to go about in our day under the radar because no one knows what we're thinking or really feeling. We can pretend to have a smile on our face when we are discouraged. We can be nice when we really want to be mean. We can act like everything is ok, when inside we are fearful and don't know how things will turn out. We can pretend to everyone around us but we can't come pretending to GOD. He knows it all. We cannot hide our sin from Him. He knows why we are bitter or angry. He knows why we are discouraged. He knows why we are feeling frustrated or fearful. He knows why we are anxious. He knows we are worried about our finances, our family, our job.

Don't come pretending to God. Come honestly before Him and tell Him what you are hiding. Stand in awe of his perfect knowledge of you this week as you memorize this scripture.

Free Art Friday Answer

Palm Trees are one of my favorite treasure finds while studying the bible. They have a very unique look from other trees and are known for having water-seeking roots that grow very deep.

Geographical

• Jericho- called the "City of Palm Trees" (Deut. 34:3)Palm trees were found to be associated with an oasis in the middle of the wilderness. Jericho was known for having a large oasis. Hence, the name describes what it was like to live there.
• Elim- noted for it's twelve springs and seventy palm trees. (Exodus 15:27, Numbers 33:9) The Israelites camped here while wandering in the wilderness. Some commentaries suggest the numbers pointed to the twelve tribes of Israel and seventy elders.
• Temple- palm tree wood was a wood used in the temple(1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35; 2 Chronicles 3:5)Seen in the temple in a vision Ezekiel had (Ezek 40:16, 41:18) It was artistically found on the temple walls (1 Kings 6:29, 32,35, 7:36)
• Deborah led Israel from under a palm tree ( Judges 4:5)

Life and Fertility

Theologians agree that the palm tree was a symbol of blessing; for the tree thrived in the middle of the dessert. It provided food in the dessert in the form of 'dates' and the sap was often used as a sweetner or to make wine. So it was no wonder that the palm tree was used as a symbolic life meaning in the temple.

Symbol of Rejoicing
On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Israel was to take palm branches, other trees and rejoice before God. Leviticus 23:40 (New International Version) says"On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days." The feast of tabernacles was a celebration of seven days where Israel would live in little "booths" or "tabernacles." They were made out of palm trees and other leafy type trees. They were to do this so that, "your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

Symbol of Victory
Thrown into the path of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem. (John 12:13) Palm branches became known for being connected with celebrating victory. Matthew, Mark and Luke all report the account of this triumphant entry.

Prosperity of Righteous
Psalm 92:12

Picture of Heaven -symbol of eternal victory- Rev. 7:9
My favorite truth treasure about palm trees in the bible is the account found in Revelation 7:9 which says, "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hand;..."
God has given us a picture of heaven to treasure on earth. One day, the believer will stand triumphantly in unity with a great multitude from every nation and every tribe. I love this! What a promise to treasure!

These are just a few of the many examples about palm trees. Once you see what scripture tells us about palm trees, you will never look at another palm tree quite the same again. Thank you God for your word, for it is alive and active!

Winner of Free Art Friday

Congratulations to Jennifer Walker!

You all did a great job giving the correct references but the free art Friday question asked for the most EXAMPLES ALONG WITH REFERENCES, not just the most references. (go back and read the post. It asks exactly for this.) I know it also said, the "one who can give me the most correct answers wins" but it followed the phrase, "examples along with references." I was looking for someone to give me an example of where palm trees were mentioned in the bible and to cite where that example was found. You all were correct with the references. But, Jennifer told me about the example and then cited where each example was found. That is exactly what I was asking.

Thanks to all who posted.

Hey Friends! Wow! I received more answers for Free Art Friday than I had accounted for! TBA in Joy Treasure world means: To Be Announced! Because it is a holiday weekend, I am going to spend time with my family this weekend, check all the answers that I received and on Monday morning announce the winner of Free Art Friday. I might still make a few posts, but the blog will not announce the winner until then. Thank you all for being a part of Joy Treasure. I pray through this blog every person who comes here, can learn more about the bible and be encouraged in the LORD.  It is a joy to serve you all and encourage you to look to Jesus in every day!

Question for Free Art Friday

And the question is?..............................

Good Friday morning to everyone! It's a great day to Praise the LORD isn't it!
Give him a great big shout this morning and tell Him that you love Him! He is worthy of our praise!!!!!

Today, I am celebrating having 30 plus followers on my blog. I hit the 30 milestone this week and I am giving away a free painting to person who can give me the most examples of where palm trees are mentioned in the bible along with references. The one with the most correct answers wins! If I have two or more people who all have the correct answers, then I have to default to the person who was first to answer correctly with the most answers. On your comment box, tell me the time you log it in (at the end of your answer) so I can check it against the time blogger logs it in.

This is the painting I am giving away this week!

Go digging for treasure in God's word!

Fun Fourth of July- Thankful Thursdays

Hot dogs, hamburgers, apple pie and fireworks all remind me of the years I'd celebrate the fourth of July with family and friends. All are wonderful memories. I pray you all enjoy your family and friends this fourth of July. Thank God for all the blessings you have here in America. We have MUCH to be thankful for! Thank God for true freedom given to us through Jesus today and forever!

Tell me what you love about the fourth of July.

What are you thankful for this fourth of July?