Whatever is Noble

The word noble conjures up images in my mind of kings and queens. I guess that is because I have always thought of noble as respected authority. But, as I think more upon this concept I think my definition has evolved into, "of high regard (in God's eyes; something of a "higher" cause or doing something for a cause without regard to self."

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition states this as Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor: a noble spirit.

Whatever is noble . . .

1 Timothy 3:1 "Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task."

It struck me that as Paul was giving specific instructions concerning the qualifications of church leaders, he did not say that an overseer is noble, but the task of an overseer was noble. One who is about a noble task thinks of other's needs and meets those needs. To be able to do that, one must possess certain character traits. Those kings and queens I mentioned earlier may be good examples of nobility, but not just because they are royalty.

Ironically, another passage of scripture which discusses noble character was written by a King. King Lemuel wrote about wise teachings he received from his mother. A portion of Proverbs 31 is often titled The Wife of Noble Character, but I want to back up and include the two previous verses not usually included in that section.

Proverbs 31:8-31 8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. 25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Obviously, I could do a whole study on just this passage. But for the purpose of this post, I just wanted to briefly highlight how noble character is defined in the Bible: brings good [to husband], eagerly works, provides food for family, wise in business, gives to the poor, clothes family, possess strength and dignity, speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction.

So, Whatever is noble . . .

• a soldier serving to preserve my freedom through the US military
• Jesus - specifically, his sacrifice of his life to free me from the bondage of sin
• Mother Teresa
• a child selflessly giving her cookie to her brother to help him feel better

I am sure there are many other noble things to think about, but these are my "go to" things when I want to defeat those negative thoughts or moods that sometimes sneak up on me.

Next up, whatever is right . . .

In the meantime, checkout Korri's blog http://mkjca95.blogspot.com/2008/09/whatever.html to see her visual interpretation of Philippians 4:8. It is beautiful!

Whatever is True

My friend once told me that she created a list of things she could think about that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) so she could have something specific to concentrate on when negative thoughts infiltrated her mind. I thought this was a great idea and made a mental note to do the same. Well, it has taken me a while, but I have been researching and meditating on what God has instructed us to think about.

Whatever is true . . .

true. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved September 15, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/true
1. Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous. 2. Real; genuine. 3. Reliable; accurate: a true prophecy. 4. Faithful, as to a friend, vow, or cause; loyal.

Psalms 33:1-6 "Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth."

Reading that passage reminds me of several cds (http://www.seedsmusic.com/) we own that simply put scripture to cool music. They are made mostly for kids' enjoyment and easy memorization of God's Word. But, the music is good and catchy, so not only do the kids love the songs, my husband and I like them and have found that we can now recite verses because of the songs. And, this helps us keep whatever is true in our minds.

When I get discouraged, feel defeated, confused or overwhelmed, this true word comes to mind:
Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."

Don't be deceived by Satan - lies are from Satan. Jesus and all that He did and does for us is true.

Acts 14:22-23 "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said."

It will not always be easy to remain true to God and His Word (our fleshy desires and pride often get in the way), but Jesus called us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

2 Corinthians 13:5-8 "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth."

We have Christ in us through the Holy Spirit. We must ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything in us that is not true (sin, false beliefs) so we are not working against the Truth in us.

Finally, a lesson I learned about whatever is true that has impacted me the most. This reveals some of that sin that has been holding back my ability to grasp what is true. But, now that I am aware of my pride and judgmental attitudes, I am able to turn from them and behave differently (repent). But, even in my sharing this with you (whoever may read this), I fear I am committing the very thing I have just learned to not do.

I was drawn to 2 Corinthians 12:6 "Even if I should boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say." What I take from Paul's words is that whatever is true can be between me and God - I can refrain from boasting or preaching it, but instead will live it. Through this blog, my intentions are not to boast about what I am learning, but humbly want to share the joy I have of growing closer to God.

And, ironically, what I have learned over the past few weeks is that I don't have to try to make someone see what I consider truth. Specifically, I am speaking of politics and a specific issue (abortion) related to this upcoming Presidential election. I have restrained myself and not tried to debate certain issues with my parents whom I would alienate. They see things differently and are not open to suggestion or debate. You may not see this as unusual, that I would not discuss something I know we disagree about. But, it has been my nature to do just that. I love to talk things out, debate and try to convince people to see things from my perspective. But, I have been convicted to simply love my parents and not try to have those lively discussions.

So, whatever is true . . .

• fact - don't let Satan fill my mind with lies and "what ifs"
• His Word - sing it, memorize it, keep a favorite verse ready to fight off negative thoughts
• God's love for me, Jesus' sacrifice for me, Holy Spirit in me
• examine my heart ask God to reveal my true heart so I may repent
• the transformation God is creating in me every day - I am not the same person I used to be, but I still have a lot more to learn and change

Wow, that was more than I thought it was going to be, but I now have a clearer understanding of what is true. Hope it made sense to y'all.

Preparing our minds

I have put off writing a "real" post because it seems that the more I soak in The Word, I am led to other passages that reveal so much more. I have been enjoying wonderful times of discovery and reflection on my swing. It seems that as I began to dig into one passage, I unearthed several lessons that will take some time to unravel.
I guess I have been feeling overwhelmed because I feel like my eyes are being opened to a new way of seeing things. It's like when I have been in a dark room for a while and try to walk out into the bright sunshine. I feel like I have to cup my hands around my eyes and focus on just that small view. Then as my eyes adjust to the light, widen my view until I can take it all in.
My "cupped hands" view revealed 1 Peter 1:13, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." These words struck me because I am all about action. I want to jump in and help wherever I can. But, I don't always take the time to prepare my mind for the actions of my hands. That has caused me to make mistakes, to judge, to cause pain and to be hurt. So, how do I prepare my mind for action?

• Get into The Word - Deuteronomy 11:18a "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;"
• Praise God - Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
• Use my mind to think about things from all angles, not just my own viewpoint - Philippians 4:5 "Let your gentleness be evident to all."
• Pray - give to God ALL that is on my mind and ask Him to put into my mind the thoughts He desires for me - Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And,the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
• Protect my mind from negative thoughts and Satan's lies - Philippians 4:8 "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things."

Ah, I feel like I can see a bit more clearly now. Time to allow more light into my field of vision. My next post will begin to dissect the "whatever" verse.

My Favorite Place

Why name my blog "On a Swing and a Prayer?" I thought it was fitting because that is where I spend time talking things over with God. My neighbor gave us her old swing and we put it in the back under the citrus trees. It is my favorite place to sit and be still. I read passages from my Bible, pray, listen and journal. I sometimes just sit and worship our Creator as I contemplate the wonders of His Hands.

So, when I refer to my swing time - you will know what I am talking about. I also pray or converse with God throughout the day. Most of the time I am telling God stuff, but I am trying to listen more. So, "on a swing and a prayer" is where I find I am learning and growing the most.

Me - a blogger??

Never say never, right? Well, I "never" thought I would create a blog. It always sounded way too high-tech and trendy for me. But, over the past few months I have very much enjoyed reading my friends' blogs. I have been able to travel vicariously around the country in an RV, hear the heartache and then the shouts of joy & thanksgiving as a child went through major surgery, view the photographic talents of a dear friend and learn new things and be inspired.

I have kept a journal very sporadically since 1995 (and I am sure I could dig up a journal or two from high school). So, I guess blogging is along that line - only much more public.

Which makes me contemplate about what do I really want to blog? My goal is not to keep everyone updated about my family, although little stories may be included now and then. My goal is to write about what I am learning in life. I love to hear what others have learned. I am often energized, inspired and challenged when a friend or an author shares a new perspective, an old lesson, an interesting story, or an ah-ha moment.

So, if no one reads what I write, that's fine because I mostly write out my thoughts to help me sort out and remember what I have learned. But, if someone happens upon this blog and connects with something I have written about, I will be humbly thankful.