A Cup of Tea, Please!

I wanted to share this little analogy with you about the Tea Cup by Donald S. Whitney. Since I collect tea cups and love drinking hot tea, it really helped me understand why scripture memory and meditating on God's Word was so important.

You are the cup of hot water and the intake of Scripture is represented by the tea bag. Hearing God's Word is like one dip of the tea bag into the cup. Some of the tea's flavor is absorbed by the water, but not as much as would occur with a more thorough soaking of the bag. In this analogy, reading, studying, and memorizing God's Word are represented by additional plunges of the tea bag into the cup. The more frequently the tea enters the water, the more effect it has. Meditation, however, is like immersing the bag completely and letting it steep until all the rich tea flavor has been extracted and the hot water is thoroughly tinctured reddish brown.

New Year's Resolution

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve of what God's will is ~ his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

I am proud to say that I just typed this verse out by memory. One morning during my quiet time God softly whispered this verse to me. "But Lord, how can I do this on a consistent basis?" He said, "By hiding my word in your heart." Psalm 119:11 ~ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." "Do you love my word enough to hide it in your heart?" When scripture is stored in your mind, it is available for the Holy Spirit to take and bring to your attention when you need it most.

So I decided that I am dedicating 2009 to scripture memory and meditation. My first passage of scripture to memorize is the entire chapter of Romans 12. So far I have memorized 8 verses.

The other night I was in my bedroom with my bible and note cards out when my little girl came in and asked what I was doing. I explained to her how God wanted us to hide His Word in our hearts. She let me practice saying my verses to her a couple of times and then she said " I am going to do this too." She went to her room and came back thirty minutes later with her Bible, notebook, and highlighters. She had already memorized 8 to 10 verses. I was so proud of her. She was such an encouragement to me. I was only going to work on one verse that night, but after I saw how many she had memorized I decided to do three more.

So let me encourage you. If I can do it, you can do it. Just memorize and meditate on a scripture a week or a scripture a month. Whatever works for you. Fill your mind with God and truth. There you will find treasures beyond measure.

Today is Brought to You by the Letter "P"

Okay....this is just a random post. I had to post today because it started with the letter "P". I am beginning to think I have some obsessive compulsive tendencies. But here it goes....

As I looked over my "to do" list today, I realized that everything started with the letter "P". Then I started going overboard toward the end...making up stuff to do. What is up with that? Here is my list:
1) Prayer time with the Lord
2) Praying Parents Meeting at School
3) Publix
4) PetSmart
5) Public Library
6) Post Office
7) Printer Ink at Staples
8) Prissy to the Pampered Palace Pet Resort
9) Pack our clothes for trip
10)Post on blog
11)Pluck eyebrows =) (I just added that one because it started with "P")
12)Prove to my husband that I don't waste time on this computer
13)Panic at the end of my day, because I didn't get everything done

Can anyone relate to this?


LOL,
Pearl

Christmas Pearls

First of all...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Golds!

Dear friends,

I have missed you all so very much over the last few weeks. I never would have imagined how many friends that God would bless me with in the blogosphere. I am so thankful for you all. A few weeks ago when our internet service went down I was about to go crazy. My husband said, "It will be okay. The the internet will back up tomorrow." However, as I pointed to my computer I said, "You don't understand. I have friends in there." It was then that I realized how very special you are to me. I have been so encouraged by all of you.

During the Christmas season I decided to take a little break from the blogosphere. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I had a wonderful Christmas with my savior, family, and friends.

I wanted to share with you what my sweet husband got me for Christmas. He surprised me with pearls. If you remember reading my first post about the pearl necklace and the whole reason why my blog name is God's Girl Pearl, you will understand why this was so special to me. I was so speechless I could hardly get a word out without crying. They are so precious to me as I think about the story of the pearl necklace and what God has done in my life over the last few years. Just like we sometimes try to hold on to the worldly treasures that don't have eternal value, he is just waiting for us to give up the dime-store stuff so that he can give us the beautiful, genuine treasures in its place. God will never ask for something from you without giving you something better in its place.

Matthew: 44-45: 44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Me and Doug

Me with my new pearls. It looks like I used my big hairspray that day. That stuff is powerful.

Maybe this year, I will post about diamonds. Just kidding.

Have a blessed day!

John 3:19-21

John 3:19-21 (New International Version)
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Lord,
Help me to decrease so that you may increase.

Psalm 103

From Psalm 103

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all."

Prissy Business

If you are wondering why I haven't been posting lately, yes...some of it is because of the Christmas season, but most of my time is spent taking care of this little thing. She has fit right in with our family and almost thinks she owns the place.