Pride Vs. Pleasure. Which Describes God?

Let’s do a word study.
Our vocabulary is so very limited- we, even the most educated of us, use words improperly or quite narrowly.

A friend dispatched a conversation she’d had with another friend on whether or not God was proud or if our being proud was EVER appropriate. She asked me my thoughts:

“Well,” says I to said friend over the phone, “I teach my children against pridefulness, but I do say ‘I’m proud of you’ because I am…so…I am proud of….er… well, isn’t God…but…I take pride in….hmm...... I guess not”.
This has been another Holy Spirit awakening through the use of His Body. If you dare to go Deeper, take a peek…

Proud-
Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished. Prov. 16:5
He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. Luke 1:51
…he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions…1 Timothy 6:4
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Prov. 3:34
Pride-
I know your pride and the insolence of your heart…1Sam 17:28
A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor. Prov. 29:23
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 Jn 2:16

Out of 98 verses found in Strong’s Concordance, NOT ONE suggested that ‘proud’ or ‘pride’ are words that represent godliness. If God asks us for humility, any pride, at all, is a sinful weed in the humble heart and must be pluck out. The two CANNOT co-exist; they are the exact opposite.

Moving right along. Are you still with me? Scripture reading is not for the faint of heart, but Martin Luther got that ball rolling for us so let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. Shall we continue? Oh, no. After you....

Pleasure-
I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. 1 Chron.29:17
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Ps. 103:21
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:10
…having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself…Eph 1:9

Pleased-
The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 1Kings 3:10
By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me. Ps. 41:11
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mt.3:17
But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Heb 13:16

So which describes God? Proud or Pleased
Do I take pride in my work or does my work give me pleasure because I am occupied by the things of God? Am I proud of my children or am I pleased with them. Proud American or pleased that I live in the greatest nation in the world- a pleasure God has given me. Words mean things. Pride or being proud is a word we think we deserve to use, an attitude we think shows a healthy self-confidence or illustrates how well we progress with societal evolution or technological advances but as Apostle Paul tells us “for when I am weak, then I am strong”.

All of this said, it is not I who says it, but the Scriptural evidence is clear(if you trust God's Word as just that) that God is NOT proud, therefore to be like Him and display His Character we mayn't partake of such behavior hence it would behoove us to remove it from our personal vocabulary as a word describing anything other than sinfulness.

Here at the homestead we're implementing 'pleased' for 'proud'. Change has already abound. No longer do we invite the godless spirit of haughtiness into our home. Can we invite you too, to bury 'proud' and live with the humble heart of 'pleased'.

A Tomatoe Update

My tomatoes have been growing quite large lately and have been harvesting well. In my first post, as you may remember, I told you about planting tomato varieties Stupice, Chocolate Cherry, Korlick, and Super Marzano.
So far, the Stupice are about the size of a ping pong ball and are very sweet. Those were planted upside-down in a hanging pot at our pool patio.
The Korlick are savory and the size of a small cherry. I planted them on a small metal trellis out in the kitchen garden. Daddy loves Korlick as it is a addition to his lunch-box.
Chocolate Cherry is the typical size of a cherry tomatoe and one of the choicest tomatoes to eat by itself. It, along with Stupice, is very sweet.
Mama added Super Marzano in our beef stew one rainy day last week and they made a rich, thick broth. Yum.

Tut Tut- Looks Like Rain

and my ducks love it! After weeks of hot, dry days, the rain came and made my water loving ducks happy. Mama found them this morning outside her bedroom slider in a rut that Pallo dug to sleep in. The rain filled the hole up with water and the ducks found it and swam and drank from it. It started as a bed and ended up a puddle. The sun is back out but I see dark clouds in the sky.

The ducks I have are Swedish Blues for they are a grey-blue-green. Their names are Flapppers, Quackers and Rolly. You know, Flap, Quack and Roll. Flappers however, is now a dead duck. She had a sickness and Mama checked her and tried to surgury her but we could not save her. Nothing goes to waste around here so we plucked her downy feathers and will make a pillow with her down.

A Working Alliance

Everyone here has a job and that includes people and animals. A couple of cuties that live on our farm are our dogs.

The first dog to introduce is Pallo. He is our head dog and guards our house and home. Rodents stay clear of Pallo because he digs moles and rats out of their holes, plus rabbits out of their burrows.

When I was four, I asked my parents for a puppy. They told me that I could have a puppy on one condition: if I gave up my pacifiers. I agreed and went and threw them in the garbage. But the next night I went and got them out again. I struggled for several weeks but managed to gain my pup.

When I began forming words as a baby I called my pacifier, a pallo and that is just what Grandma Grace suggested for a name; a pallo for a Pallo.

You are probably wondering how I got him. Dad found an article for a stray puppy in the lost and found area in the weekly newspaper. Dad told them it wasn't our dog but if they couldn't find his rightful owners, we'd make him ours- and so we did! After about a week, we got in the 'burb and drove to the area the directions in the ad told to go to. When we got there the people were waiting for us. With them was the cutest pup imaginable. Pallo has a good home now.

Libby is our Vizsla/Lab hunter. The Vizsla is a Hungarian pointer and the Lab is a retriever. She too, has brought in many a mole, however, birds really catch her attention. Though she has become accustomed to the poultry around the place, whenever we bring home some new foul, she 'babysits' you might say, carefully guarding the barnyard addition. Unfortunately, Libby's instincts get her into trouble and she's had to wear her victim more than once. Libby has been in causual training for the field for two years, so we'd like to take her out hunting sometime. In the meantime, her job is bein' cute and companion to Abbey and I when we're out land trackking. Libby came to us with one of her litter mates . We named him Scooter. Scoot lives next door with my grandparents. He and Pop are good pals.

Here is Scooter Libby and Scooter and Libby. Not a lot of resemblance but integrity is high.

The Guinness Girls Meet the Three Sisters- Twice.

Here are the girls in the garden finishing, or rather replanting, after a naughty bantam escaped to scratch it to ruin, the Three Sisters companion garden.

The Three Sisters was developed and used by the Wampanoag, though the Iroquois seem to have developed the legend of ‘Three Sisters’. It was the Wampanoag gardens that enabled the early settlers of Jamestown to survive and thrive in the New World. Squanto was a Wampanoag who taught the newcomers to plant maize in little hills and fertilize each mound with an alewife, a species of fish (we opted not to plant our seed with such a mesmerizing animal enticement). With this efficient and intensive gardening style, each family could sustain their needs on about one acre of land. Many of the tribes of the Northeast, including the Iroquois, used the Wampanoag garden design. Planted without plowing or tilling, the traditional Wampanoag garden includes corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers.The corn and beans are planted in mounds, with squash planted between the mounds.
First, the raised corn and bean mounds must be constructed. These small mounds are laid out in rows with 4 feet between the centers of the mounds. Each mound is about 4 inches high, with a wide base (about 18 inches in diameter) that narrows to a flattened top (about 10 inches across. Plant four corn seeds about 6 inches apart and 3 inches deep in the top of each mound. Plant four beans seeds halfway down the slopes on the sides of each mound.



See the giant dryer sheet behind the girls? it's a row covering for up to 10◦ frost protection, allows the sun and water through, keeps out the birds and some air-borne dieseses. DeWitt is the name and can be aquired at

http://www.mcconkeyco.com/page.aspx?nid=27

So we planted twice, clipped some wings, and hope there’s no need for a charm.