Happy New Year

Revelation 21:5a  And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!"  

Happy New Year.  Resolutions, new diets, maybe quit smoking, be a little kinder, give a bit more...out with the old, in with the new, right?  I think everyone likes a new beginning.  A the new year is a great place to start with some new thinking.

Colossians 3:10-15  Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed, you will share in all His glory.  So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking with you.  Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires.  Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.  You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.  But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language.  Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all it's wicked deeds.  Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.  In this new life it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free.  Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.  Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you.  Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in our hearts.  For as member of one body you are called to live in peace.  And always be thankful.  

That's quite a challenge, isn't it.  But we are not alone in this.  We have the Holy Spirit to lead and empower.  We don't change overnight, but we can continue fighting the good fight.  And remember, when we fail we have Jesus as our advocate and payment for our sins.  1 John 1:9  But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

And everyday we get to start again, secure in God's love and mercy.  Lamentations 3:22-23  The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is His faithfulness;  His mercies begin afresh each morning.

So here's to a new year for all of us!  Let's go forward, grow and become more like our Savior.  And let's share His love far and wide!

Lord, thank You for new beginnings.  Thank You for the tender love and mercy You give us each day.  Help us to shine Your glory and share Your love a hundredfold this year!  We know it's You who do the changing, but I do ask that You give each of us hearts of obedience and break down any stubbornness that may impede this journey towards holiness.  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Perhaps use these Scriptures as daily meditations this year, or find ones that fit with Your areas of need to focus on and claim as Your own.   And please keep me in prayer as I will You that we all grow up into mighty men and women of  Christ. 

And one admonishment that I believe comes directly from God:  There are some of us who are harboring unforgiveness in our hearts.  I truly believe God is saying right now to give it up.  Let it go.  Do not start another year hating and reliving past injustices or hurts.  Even if you never see the person again, even if they have passed on, even if they never acknowledge what they did was wrong or hurt you, even if your feelings kick and scream...you must, for your own sake, for obedience sake FORGIVE.  Start the new year off with a clean heart.

Gift

Christmas is over.  The prettily wrapped and ribbon clad boxes are opened, enjoyed and hopefully (maybe???) put away.  Family and friends may have gone home, and one more holiday to go before settling in for the winter.  Most of us feel about 10 lbs heavier. 

But there is one gift that lasts.  And as I thought about the first Christmas I remembered that God gave the first gift ever.  And the angels sung the first carols.  The shepherds shared the first gathering around the Savior with God's chosen couple.  And this first gift never gets old, never gets put away.  It's ours to keep for eternity!  It's the gift of God's love and salvation that came to earth wrapped in the form of a human baby.  We never have to return it because it's always going to be the right size for our hearts.  And we will never finish unwrapping it, because it's filled with all God's eternal graciousness. 

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Romans 5:16-17  And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin.  For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.  For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many.  But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.  

Ephesians 2:8  God saved you by His grace when you believed.  And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 

God's grace through Jesus brought salvation, righteousness, reconciliation, and eternal life to us here on earth.  What a wonderful, immeasurable gift!  The fullness of this gift cannot be realized here on this side of Heaven, but one day....when we enter His gates, oh what amazement, what awe and wonder we will find and feel!  Thank You Father for this priceless, unfathomable gift! 

Thank You, eternally thank You....still not enough, but thank You.  And thank You for showing me these parallels to share, for the reminder that You are always the initiator.  1 John 4:9-10  God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.  This is real love--not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  What a gift!  What a Savior.  What love!!  Oh, Lord, this gift never gets old, but we do tend to take it for granted.  Let that change.  Help us to get excited and stay excited over this most precious of gifts.  Thank You.  In Jesus' name, amen

Have you accepted this gift?  If not, now is the time, today is the day.  If  you have, why not spend some time thinking about it in worship, thanksgiving and praise. 

Okay, One More Song.....

Okay, so I was looking for this song earlier.  I fell in love with it when I heard it the other day, but of course I was driving so I couldn't write down the name and didn't know the artist.  But I just found it now and am so happy I can share it with you.  In case you can't tell, I love Christmas songs!! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Isaiah 7:14  All right then, the Lord Himself will give you the sign.  Look!  The virgin will conceive a child!  She will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel (which means God is with us).  

This is my last post before Christmas.  I want to wish everyone of you who reads this blog a very Merry, very blessed Christmas.  The beautiful season is coming to a close, but the hope, love, peace, and joy it brings never ends.  They are God's gift to us in the person of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  And He is the best gift we could and will ever receive. 

Jesus left the glory of heaven to be born in a dirty, grungy feeding trough.  He came to walk the dusty, sin stained roads of earth, living among a fallen people, most who rejected Him, to save us.  He was born to die a criminals death on the Cross as payment for our sins.  But that wasn't the end of it.  He lives!!  He rose from the grave and conquered death!  He now offers us the same eternal life of joy.  All we need do is accept this most wonderful of gifts!  Make the Savior your own.  Peter tells us in Acts 2:38  Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.    Turn to Jesus!  His arms are wide open for all who will come.  Accept His gift of salvation today.  Accept His love.  It is the best gift of all time.  Merry Christmas dear readers!! 

Numbers 6:24-26  May the Lord bless you and protect you.  May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.

Matthew 1:23  

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

None Other

On Sunday night we had the enjoyable privilege of seeing a wonderful Christmas concert with some great Christian artists.  This song touched my heart and brought the Christmas message home to me.  And then I heard it again today on the radio.  It's definitely a new favorite!!

So as we are quickly approaching Christmas day, and many of us in an  ongoing flurry of activity, perhaps it would be a good idea to take a few minutes and breath in the truth of the greatest love ever shown....the love of our God and Savior, our heavenly Father .  It feels good to just rest in this love for a while.

Enjoy.

Isaiah 9:6

 For a child is born to us,

    a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

    And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor,[a] Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Dancing in My Seat

Yesterday was a busy day....but then again, most days are busy days.  The Christmas seasons definitely adds to the busyness.  Yesterday I finished wrapping up my presents, readied those needing shipping (my husband will be taking those today, thankfully!), and accomplished the everyday tasks that needed to be done before I raced off to work.  I still had to stop to feed some feral cats and I was feeling the time crunch.  I have to say though, I have noticed that God has been very faithful in this area of stretching my time, or making it all fit in and I am getting a lot better about worrying over it.  But still, even though I wasn't fretful, I still felt a bit rushed. 

I love this time of year.  I love the lights, the decorations.  I love giving presents. Trying to find something that makes a loved one happy, something they will enjoy or can really use.  The getting parts not to bad either!  I certainly don't mind gifts.  The wrapping paper is so pretty, even when it's scattered across the floor looking like a tornado went through. Beautiful music fills our churches and airwaves (every Sunday our worship team manages to find a few of my favorites!).   But most of all, I love the reason for the season, which is Jesus.  I love the special emphasis on His reason for coming, Emmanuel, God with us.  I love the studies and sermons that are "Christmascentric."  A new word, cool!  Advent focused, hope building, joy filling teachings that point to our heavenly Father and His love for us.

So, anyway....I drove into work yesterday, like I said, feeling a little rushed.  And then I heard a new song (new to me anyway) that just made me smile and laugh and dance in my seat as I drove.  I have to say, a first, I wasn't so sure about the tune itself, it's not exactly my style music.  But the more I listened, the happier I became.   I want to share it with you and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Let the reason for this season fill you with joy and hope.  Everything we truly needed came that first Christmas!!

Thank You Lord for the love You gave us on that first Christmas long, long ago.  You filled our greatest need.  You started the process for our redemption, made it possible for us to be reconciled to You.  Thank You Jesus for coming for us!!  Luke 1:78-77  Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.  Let us focus on You, the light You bring, the peace You give, even as we enjoy the trappings of the Christmas season.  All things point to You Lord!! 

Luke 2:8-14  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly,, an angel of the Lord appeared among, them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.  There were terrified, but the angel reassured them.  "Don't be afraid!"  he said.  "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize Him by this sign:  You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."  

Enjoy the song. 


 

Psalm 107

Psalm 107

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—

    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gathered from the lands,

    from east and west, from north and south.[a]

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,

    finding no way to a city where they could settle.

5 They were hungry and thirsty,

    and their lives ebbed away.

6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

    and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way

    to a city where they could settle.

8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

9 for he satisfies the thirsty

    and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,

    prisoners suffering in iron chains,

11 because they rebelled against God’s commands

    and despised the plans of the Most High.

12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;

    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

    and he saved them from their distress.

14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,

    and broke away their chains.

15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

16 for he breaks down gates of bronze

    and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways

    and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

18 They loathed all food

    and drew near the gates of death.

19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

    and he saved them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them;

    he rescued them from the grave.

21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings

    and tell of his works with songs of joy.

23 Some went out on the sea in ships;

    they were merchants on the mighty waters.

24 They saw the works of the Lord,

    his wonderful deeds in the deep.

25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest

    that lifted high the waves.

26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;

    in their peril their courage melted away.

27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;

    they were at their wits’ end.

28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

    and he brought them out of their distress.

29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;

    the waves of the sea[b] were hushed.

30 They were glad when it grew calm,

    and he guided them to their desired haven.

31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

    and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,

    flowing springs into thirsty ground,

34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,

    because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

35 He turned the desert into pools of water

    and the parched ground into flowing springs;

36 there he brought the hungry to live,

    and they founded a city where they could settle.

37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards

    that yielded a fruitful harvest;

38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,

    and he did not let their herds diminish.

39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled

    by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

40 he who pours contempt on nobles

    made them wander in a trackless waste.

41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction

    and increased their families like flocks.

42 The upright see and rejoice,

    but all the wicked shut their mouths.

43 Let the one who is wise heed these things

    and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

Loneliness, from Mom

God's timing is always perfect.  And today's entry is no exception.  The Christmas season is supposed to be a time of joy, hope, and anticipation.  Many of us have family and friends we gather with, there's laughter and love.  But for some, there is emptiness, loneliness and sadness.  They have none to gather with, maybe a loved one has died, maybe they live far away from loved ones, or perhaps an estrangement has caused isolation...whatever the cause they feel alone.  Left out and forgotten.  But they are not.  And Mom's journal entry today speaks to that depth of heartache....God's perfect timing. 

Loneliness, when you feel lonely and/or depressed.  This is the time to meditate on God, on His kindness and His love. 

Psalm 42  As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God.  I thirst for God, the living God.  When can I go and stand before Him?  Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying Where is this God of yours?  My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of great celebration.  Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise Him again--my Savior and my God.  Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember You--even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.  I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me.  But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.  "O God my rock," I cry, " Why have You forgotten me?  Why must I wander  around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?"  Their taunts break my bones.  They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?"  Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise Him again--my Savior and my God!

Psalm 43  Declare me innocent, O God!  Defend me against these ungodly people.  Rescue me from these unjust liars.  For you are God, my only safe haven.  Why have you tossed me aside?  Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?  Send out Your light and Your truth; let them guide me.  Let them lead me to Your holy mountain, to the place where Your live.  There I will go to the altar of God, to God--the source of all my joy.  I will praise You with my harp, O God, my God!  Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise Him again--my Savior and my God!

Psalm 46  God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High.  God dwells in that city, it cannot be destroyed.  From the very break of day, God will protect it.  The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble!  God's voice thunders, and the earth melts!  The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us;  the God of Israel is our fortress.  Come, see the glorious works of the Lord;  See how He brings destruction upon the world.  He causes wars to end throughout the earth.  He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; He burns the shields with fire.  "Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world."  The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.  

Read and re-read these Psalms.  Pray, meditate.  God will hear you, He will speak with you, He will answer you, He will help you and take care of you.    Trust Him, He is your helper.  Hope in God.  Speak the words, in your heart, in your mind, out loud:  "I have hope in You Lord.  I believe in You Lord.  I lift my eyes up to You Lord.  I know You are there for me.  I know You will help me. 

Search.  Read the Bible's accounts of God's goodness, meditate on them.  You will be blessed.  You will come out of your depression. 

Philippians 4:10-13  How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again.  I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn't have the chance to help me.  Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.  I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.  I have learned the secret of living in ever situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. 

Get priorities straight.  Be grateful (and express it to God) for everything He has blessed me with.  Concentrate, focus on the eternal God.  To find true contentment means checking and changing my perspective, my priorities, my source of power.  Look to God, seek Him.

From me.

It's all about God.  So often we look around at our circumstances.  What we don't or do have becomes bigger than Him.  We magnify our alone-ness and minimize the truth that we are never alone.  It's hard not to be with loved ones for holidays...no doubt.  Sometimes we can feel alone in a crowd of people.  But God never leaves us and never forsakes us.  Meditating on Scripture....living in it, is the greatest healer.  It can also help to help others.  Get out of ourselves as it were.  How about making a prayer list and just praying through it daily, maybe even more than once!!  It's a way to help others even if you are stuck inside with no way to get out.  I find when I focus less on me, and more on others, I am happier.  Feeling lonely is a hard place, no matter how one gets there.   But our Father wants us to know He sees, and He is with us...sometimes we just have to work a little to get that into our hearts.

My heart goes out to those who feel empty and lost and along Lord.  I pray that You would wrap them in Your love and assure them of Your presence, today and everyday.  Lord, we need You.  Scoop up Your lonely children in Your arms.  Let them know You are near.  Heal their hearts.  Lord, help them to take the steps they need to seek and sense Your presence and Your love. It's so hard when we feel so lost....but You are our light.  Lord, sometimes all we can take are baby steps, sometimes it feels almost impossible to take any step at all...but I know You can meet us where we are.  Please do that.  People are hurting Lord.  Your children are hurting.  I hurt.  Be our healer, our refuge and our fortress.  In Jesus name, amen. 

Go to the Scriptures today.  Read and re-read, and re-read.

I am going to make a separate entry of Psalm 107.  I love this Psalm because it tells of God's love in spite of the messes we get ourselves in, in spite of how life batters and bruises us...I pray that it, along with these other Psalms will help in some way.  Truly, God's Word is our best medicine! 

Look!

One of the reasons behind this blog, is to remind myself and others that God is active, attentive and visible in our lives.  His Presence is manifest many times at day (I call these God visits), in a myriad of different ways.  Whether it's Scripture, teaching, people, nature, circumstances, small, quiet gestures, or those big, unmissable  "neon signs,"  our Father is right there in the middle of our messes and every days.  

I was recently reading a novel, I can't even remember the name of it now, but probably my usual genre, romantic action, mystery kind of book. In it one of the main characters had a saying that she picked up from her Dad.  She said, her Dad had told her, "every time you smell the rain it means God is near."   Immediately I thought, just like a "God visit!"   So imagine my happiness at finding confirmation and affirmation as I read Psalm 104 only a few days later.  

Let all that I am praise the Lord.  O Lord my God, how great you are!  You are robed with honor and majesty.  You are dressed in a robe of light.  You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of Your home in the rain clouds.  You make the clouds Your chariot; You ride upon the wings of the wind.  The winds are Your messengers; flames of fire are Your servants.  (verses 1-4)

v2  Dressed in a robe of light.  The sunlight stands as a reminder of God's majesty.  The starry curtain a picture of His creativity, power and His provision of light in the darkness.  Even when all is dark around us, His light, His majesty never ends.  He is still in control and still on the throne!  

v3  Home in the rain clouds.  Smell the rain, His presence.  Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (His home).   The clouds are His chariot.  As the clouds encircle the earth, so our heavenly Father's love and tender mercy encircle us, His care extends to all the earth.  

v4  Winds are Your messengers.  The Bible tells us God's angels are His messengers, sent to minister to His children.  Wind, when we feel it represents His reaching out, communicating, sending His touch and help into our lives.  Flames of fire are Your servants.  Fire brings warmth.  Our Father provides for our needs.  Fire brings cleansing, burning away any unnecessary baggage we carry.  

Hebrews 1:7  Regarding the angels, he says, “He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.”   Hebrews 1:14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

Now, I am in no way teaching this as a doctrine or "so sayeth the Lord' kind of thing.  But just as a way to remind us to open our hearts and eyes to the world around us....Our Lord is everywhere!  Reaching out to us moment by moment in amazing, unending ways!  His touch, His care surrounds us.  Sometimes, when I lay down in bed at night, my covers are snuggled around me, I think about God's love, and at that moment I feel as if I am nestled in it.  My soft, warm blankets remind me of God's love.  It's all these little things that add up to God's presence in our lives.  Sadly, many times though, I go through the day busy and unfocused...I am missing so much!!  

Oh, Lord help us see!  Give us a roving eye to look for Your hand.  The world offers so much distraction but You are here, so very present, so very active.  I am glad, that even when I miss it, You are still caring for me!!  But let each of us see a little more today.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.  

Stop and smell the roses today!!  In other words, take a moment here and there to look around, and live in God's moment.  

Onward and Upward

Philippians 4:12-14   I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection.  But I press o to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  

Happy Birthday to me!!  I love birthdays.  And this year is a milestone, 55!  Wow, I can't believe that.  The time between 21 and 55 seems to have flown by. 

As I look back, I know there have been many struggles for me this year.  I seem to have stumbled over the same bumps in the road many times.  But I also have seen that the Lord's love, faithfulness and patience never fail.  Time and again, Jesus offers His hand to lift me up and urge me forward for the next step.  And then the one after that, and after that....He truly is a faithful, everlasting Savior. 

And that is where my eyes are fixed.  Forward, following my Lord.  Do you notice how our God makes so many new beginnings?  Whether it's a new day, new season, or a new year of life, He always lets us have start overs!  I have a new beginning to grow, to mature, to learn and to be loved by Him.  Our Father is so good! 

Lord, help me take what You've shown me in the past year, the love, and the learning and move forward, grow forward and walk closer to You, shine Your glory more and love those around me better.  I love that You do "new"  all the time.  It fills me with hope.  What a beautiful Savior! 

Today, sit with the Lord and let Him lead you in a new beginning.  It's a new day!  You get to start again. 

Ah ha Moment

I have another one liner here.  And this one is from the Bible itself.  I'm not sure whether to consider it almost an afterthought or a summary of the preceding verses, but after Paul paints a detailed picture of the Christian life in Romans 12, he makes a closing statement in verse 21:  Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.  

Throughout the chapter, Paul teaches what is expected of us, what our walk on this earth should look like.  And then he admonishes us to overcome the evil around us by being a blessing.  And just this one verse flicked a switch for me.  What about overcoming the evil inside as well?  Do I not need to overcome the evil within me in order to walk the walk Paul tells us about? 

So many  times when someone acts or doesn't act according to my plan, my way of thinking I lash out in some way.  Whether it's with words of complaint and criticism or digging in my heals and refusing to fix someone else's mess, I react in a negative way, usually out of pride or self preservation instead of following Jesus' example of humility and love. 

Ah ha!  Overcome evil by doing good!  Well, maybe if I do good to those who do wrong, I overcome the evils of pride and rebellion in my own heart....hmmmm.  What an interesting and enlightening thought.  If I answer kind with kind, like with like....evil overcomes me.  I start looking and acting just like the world around me....a dull and dim light to be sure, unflavored and useless to God's kingdom and work.  But if I, by the power of the Holy Spirit, respond with Christ's love, the darkness in my own heart becomes light and peace, and the love of God shines on all who see my actions.  He is glorified.  I am at peace. 

Matthew 5:13-16  You are the salt of the earth.  but what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?  Can you make it salty again?  It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.  Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 

I love this verse!  I love when God does this! 

Lord, I know You are patient and loving.  I know You take the time wot work with Your children, leading, molding.  Thank You for Your loving heart, Your patient ways.  I am a slow learner.  I love Your Word.  Help us to grow!!  Remind us often of Your desire for us, remind us of Your Word so that it may change our hearts and lives.  Give us an obedient spirit.  In Jesus Name, Amen. 

Memorize Romans 12:21 today. 

Matthew 1-3

1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Ram.
4 Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
6 Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).
7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asa.
8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.
Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.
9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amon.
Amon was the father of Josiah.
11 Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
12 After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
14 Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud.
15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
17 All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[k] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The Escape to Egypt
13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—
    weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
    refusing to be comforted,
    for they are dead.”
The Return to Nazareth
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

3 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!’”
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”

15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.

16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Jesus, from Mom, Part 4

Psalm 63:  Falling in love with Jesus, fellowship with God, true worship. 

O God, you are my God;  I earnestly search for You.My soul thirst for You; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.  I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory.  Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You!  I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer.  You satisfy me more than the richest feast.  I will praise You with songs of joy.  I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night.  Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.  I cling to You; Your strong right hand holds me securely.  But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.  They will go down into the depths of the earth.  They will die by the sword and become food of jackals.  But the king will rejoice in God.  All who trust in Him will praise Him, while liars will be silenced.  

vs 3...how I praise You!  Praise releases blessings and satisfaction.  This is not silent prayer. (From the Word Wealth commentary of Mom's Bible)

Verse 1, affirms relationship, "Oh God, You are my God."  It goes on to set clear priorities, "I earnestly search for You,"  and show deep intensity, "My soul thirsts for you, my whole body longs for you..."  Verse 2 addresses the desire for cooperate involvement, "I have seen You in Your sanctuary..."  Verse 3 speaks to having an appropriate attitude, "You unfailing love is better than life itself..."  And verse 5 gives the result, "You satisfy me more than the richest feast...."  

To know Jesus.

John 5:39  You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life.  But the Scriptures point to Me!  

Jesus gets clear direction.  Matthew 4:1  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.  

Godly living is living through and for Jesus.  Godliness is love, obedience and unity. 

From me. 

Psalm 63 takes us into the heart of relationship with God.  It leads us into the depths of that relationship.  Knowing God, knowing Jesus is our destination and our journey.  Each day should be a day of discovery....He is endless and eternal, we can never run out of newness with the Lord.  So often these truths fall into that dark pit of forgetfulness, busy-ness and worldliness that lives in my mind.  Perhaps bringing it back to this Psalm is what all of us need, daily, hourly!  There is so much to learn!  My Mom included the first three chapters of Matthew at the end of this study.  I will put them in a separate entry.  (copy and paste is a great tool!  LOL)  We can never spend enough time getting to know our God, our Savior.  Keep digging, keep communicating. 

Lord, I praise You!  I cannot go deep enough, far enough, to know You more.  The more I know You the more I can reflect You.  Help me go further!  1 Corinthians 3:12  Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  Oh, I look forward to the day when this is reality.  Lord, help us all to know You more, to desire You more.  Lead us!  And thank You for even wanting us to know You, for wanting to reveal Yourself to us humans, fallen and fallible as we are.  Thank You Lord!! 

Start digging into Jesus today!! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Sorry everyone, this was supposed to be posted on Thanksgiving, but somehow I must have not done it right and it didn't.  I'll share in now and ask for your forgiveness for being so technically inept!  I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. 

Today we are headed into see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It's an early day, but lots of fun.  I am so blessed to be able to spend time with my family, and that is just one of the many, many things I am thankful for.  God has been so good to me.  But it was the music of Sunday's service that got me thinking about gratefulness over all and I want to share two song with you today.  I pray you will be blessed beyond measure today and everyday, living in God's love and walking in His fellowship.

As we sang this song, I had the pray list under my hand and thought to myself, what an awesome, faithful God we serve.  He hears each request, sees each need, and in His wisdom answers, shows His power on behalf of His children.  We are so blessed to have a loving Father who knows our needs and our hearts....we bring to Him our family, friends, ourselves and He takes each one and does sometimes the miraculous, sometimes something totally outside our understanding, sometimes it's just a quiet, small change....but always just the right thing.  How grateful I felt for having God in my life and the privilege to bring my loved ones to Him.  Thank You for being our loving Father.  The giver of love, the provider of needs, the healer of our lives and for all the wisdom You possess to love us just right.

As we sang this song, I was reminded of Jesus' promise to return.  Much like Israel awaited her Messiah, we His church await our Messiah's return.  And how grateful I am for that promise that fills my heart with hope and light in the darkness of this world.  Truly we are pilgrims, not citizens of this world, captive and in exile from our true home--Heaven.  Yet the promise remains, and in faithfulness God will fulfill!  Thank You Lord for this FACT.  We long for Your return.  And we rejoice in Your faithfulness.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving all.

Jesus, from Mom, Part 3

Know this:  Jesus - I need to focus on Him to be able to serve God.

2 Corinthians 4:5  You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves.  We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are you servants. for Jesus' sake.

Proclaim Jesus as Lord, myself as servant.

2 Corinthians 4:10-12  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.  Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.  So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.  

Willingly share Christ's life and His dying.

2 Corinthians 13:3-9  I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me.  Christ is not weak when He deals with you; He is powerful among you.  although He was crucified in weakness, He now lives by the power of God.  We, too are weak, just a Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with Him and will have God's power.  Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.  Test yourselves.  Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you (in you); if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.  As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.  We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction.  I hope we won't need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive.  Do the right thing before we come--even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority.  For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for truth.  We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong.  We pray that you will become mature.  

Be willing to be weak so others might be complete (enriched).

2 Corinthians 10:5  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

All this to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 

Matthew 25:13  “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

Pray for and eagerly await Jesus' return.

Desire for God

Psalm 42:1-2   As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God.  I thirst for God, the living God.  When can I go and stand before Him?  

My desire is to know You, Lord, to walk close beside You.  To know Your grace, Your love, Your power, for You are my life and my way.

Acts 2:1-4  On the day of Pentecost all believers were meeting together in one place.  Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm and it filled the house where they were sitting.  Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.  

Acts 2:17-18  In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy.  Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.  In those day, I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants--men and women alike--and they will prophesy.  

Acts 10:38  And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.  Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Jesus is the prototype of the Spirit-filled, Spirit empowered life. 


From me.

Something I read or heard this week, can't really remember where right now (but that is nothing unusual LOL), was revolving around Isaiah 43:7 Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.’”  We were created by God, for God.  It's not about us.  We weren't put here to find ourselves, have a party, find happiness, or the perfect earthly existence...we are here for Jesus.  He is our focus, He is our life, His plan our plan, His desires our desires.  At least that is how it should be.  He is the example of a life well lived.  When we live His way, for His glory, all the other stuff, all the joy, peace, satisfaction for ourselves is a bonus.  Searching for those things, apart from living for Him will be an endless pursuit, and an exercise in futility.  It's all about HIM!  And I know I want my life to mirror that fact in every way.  Getting to that place is not easy, but I hang on to Philippians 1:6   And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  I imagine living this type of life must be so freeing, so peaceful.  I WANT IT!!  lol

Lord, help us to make our lives about You.  You created us, saved us, and gave us a new life...I know I want to live it for You.  So many times, selfishness, self need, fleshly wants and laziness get in the way.  I don't know how to get rid of all that, but I am willingly handing all of it over to You.  Take my life and use it for Your glory.  In Jesus Name, amen. 

Today is the day to hand it over!  Talk to the Lord about your life and heart......

Jesus, From Mom, Part 2

Onto part two of Mom's insights into Jesus.  The more time we spend getting to know our Savior, the more we will love Him, and reflect His character.  I pray for each and everyone of us that these facts would become a reality in our lives. 

Fellowship with Jesus

Psalm 63:1-11  O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for You.  My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.  I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory.  Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You!  I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer.  You satisfy me more than the richest feast.  I will praise You with songs of joy.  I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night.  Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.  I cling to You;  Your strong right hand holds me securely.  But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.  They will go down into the depths of the earth.  They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals.  But the king will rejoice in God.  All who trust in Him will praise Him, while liars will be silenced.  

This Psalm shows us the joy of fellowship with God, to love Him and how to be a true worshiper.

vs 2  eyes to see Him, to look for Him
vs 3  lips to be able to praise Him
vs 4  hands lifted to praise Him
vs 5  soul satisfied, mouth praising Him
vs 6  meditate, mind to ponder on, to think upon.

This Psalm is showing us how to fall in love with Jesus. 

Live like Jesus

In the Sermon on the Mount, and the Beatitudes shows us the way Jesus wants us to live and to follow Him. 

One day as He saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down.  His disciples gathered around Him, and He began to teach them.  God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.  God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice (righteousness), for they will be satisfied.  God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.  God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.  God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.  Be happy about it!  Be very glad!  For a great reward awaits you in heaven.  And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.  

You are the salt of the earth.  But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?  Can you make it salty again?  It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.  Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.....But I warn you, unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of  teachers of the religious law, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven!

vs 3  humility
vs 10  willing to suffer
vs 19  earnest attention to God's commandments
vs 20  refuse to substitute false piety for genuine right behavior, or substitute self righteousness with God-given righteousness through Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 6 10, 13  May Your kingdom come soon.  May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.   

Live a life of prayer.

Matthew 6:33  Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.  

Prioritizing spiritual over material values.

Matthew 7:31  Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  

Above all, acknowledging Christ's lordship by obeying the revealed will of God.

Know this

Jesus is the Son of God, the second Person in the Trinity.  Jesus Christ is the human, divine Son of God, born of the virgin Mary.  Christ is the image of God. 

2 Corinthians 4:4-6  Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe.  They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.  They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.  You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves.  We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake.  For God who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:19  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them.  And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  

Jesus alone is Immanuel--God with us. 

Matthew 1:23  Look!  The virgin will conceive a child!  She will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'
John 10:30  The Father and I are one.

Jesus is the living Word.

John 1:14  So the Word became human and made His home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.  

Jesus is Savior.  Jesus is Messiah.

Luke 2;11  The Savior--yes the Messiah, the Lord-- has been born today in Bethlehem, the City of David. 
John 1:41  Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, "We have found the Messiah,"  (which means Christ.)

Jesus Christ is my connection with God. 

Son of Man is the title applied to the Messiah Jesus

Psalm 8:4  ....what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?
John 14:1  ....Trust in God and trust also in Me.
John 14:6  Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through Me.  

Thus, it's in Christ that I can become a new person. 

2 Corinthians 5:17  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

How?  Because of Jesus' death on the cross, by God's grace. 

2 Corinthians 5:21  For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.  

From me.

Wow, again a lot of information, a lot of Scripture.  I'm thinking, to go along with my study of Jesus, I want to print out all these Scriptures and use them to get to know my Savior more and more.  I really think, that this entry in Mom's journal warrants a long examination and much reflection.  It's not about her words, or my words, it's about digging in with the Bible and much prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with the One who saved us.  How exciting a journey this will be!

Lord, we need to know You more.  Help us to do just that.  As it says in Psalm 6, "My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water."  Give us a fervor, replace any apathy with eagerness and passion!  Draw us closer to You.  There is nothing better, nothing more necessary to our very lives than our relationship with You.  Thank You.  I can't get over that You desire relationship with us, Your fallen creations, but yet You do.  And You made the way.  Amazing grace!  Amazing love!  Thank You is not enough, but it's all I have. 

Stay in the Scriptures today.

Jesus, From Mom

Mom did some writing on Jesus in her journal.  I look forward to sharing her entry and learning more about our Savior.

Jesus' Name.

Philippians 2:1-11  Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?  Any comfort from His love?  Any fellowship together in the Spirit?  Are you hearts tender and compassionate?  Then make me truly happy be agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another,and working together with one mind and one purpose.  Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others.  Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, He gave us His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminals death on a cross.  Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.   

Acts 3:6  But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold for you.  But I'll give you what I have.  In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!  

Faith's complete authority.  Jesus Chris of Nazareth.  Messiah. 

The True Vine.  

John 151:8  I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.  You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  Remain in Me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.  Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from Me you can do nothing.  Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.  Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.  When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.  This brings great glory to my Father.  

Virtues of Jesus can be characterized as fruit which only the Holy Spirit can produce.  When the Holy Spirit fully controls the life of a believer, He produces all these graces, given by the gift of God. 

Galatians 5:22-23  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against these things!

The first three concern our attitude:  love, joy, peace toward God.  Second three deals with our social relationships:  patience, kindness, goodness.  The third three describes principles that guide a Christian's character:  faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

Have faith in Jesus.  Faith is a spoken expression that springs from the conviction of our hearts.  Faith is conviction, confidence, trust, assurance, reliance. 

Benefits in following Jesus.

Philippians 4:19-20  And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.  Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever!  Amen.  

He indwells us with the Holy Spirit:
Seals us as God's child.
Comforts us in our pain.
Teaches us to live right.
We become more like Jesus.
Transforms us from the inside out.
We are able to choose the right way to live and break bad habits.
We have direct access to God through Jesus, through prayer and worship

Matthew 16:24-27  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lost it.  But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul.  Is anything worth more than your soul?  For the Son of Man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.  

Know for certain, that every true believer must take up his cross. 

Hebrews 12:1-3  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crown of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame.  Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.  Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people, then you won't become weary and give up.  

Look to Jesus and model our lives after Him. 

Romans 8:26-29  And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.  And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.  For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.   

I want to be like Jesus.  To know His forgiveness.  Commit acts of grace and mercy consistently.  Value all people.  Have a heart of full surrender to the will of our Father.  Live in such a way that others see Jesus in me.

Ephesians 5:1-2  Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.  He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.  

Be imitators of God.  Model our lives after Jesus.  Jesus is the perfect example of the love God requires.  My prayer:  The Word of Christ will dwell in me, in all wisdom.  And to cultivate an attitude of praise.

Walking with the Lord Jesus is a day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment life existence on this earth in order to live with Jesus in heaven. 

By faith, I believe.

From me.

Wow,  Lots of great stuff.  Lots to take in and settle in our hearts.  I believe I need to camp out and dwell on these Scriptures for at least a lifetime to fully grasp and live out the true fellowship of the vine.  We could stay here forever and not unearth all the treasures of that one Name, that one Man, Jesus.  But what a wonderful time we would have doing it!  There is a lot more to share, but I will do it in three parts so as not to be too overwhelming! 

Romans 8:30  And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him.  And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself.  And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.  

We are called to this treasure hunt, this blessed life of knowing our beautiful Savior and amazing Creator.  Because of Him, we can fellowship with our Lord. 

Lord, there are no words, no amount of thanks could ever be enough.  I am at a loss.  My heart overflows with gratitude my fingers have no way to express.  But it's there Lord.  Jesus, help us to know You more, follow You more closely and imitate Your life so that others may see Your love for them and desire it.  Thank You.  A million times, thank You. 

Take one or more of these Scriptures and meditate on them.  Jot down thoughts, impressions.  Let the Spirit lead you deeper in knowledge and relationship with our God. 

One-liners

So apparently the Lord is the King of the one-liners this week.  LOL  He's keeping it short and sweet and to the point.  It's so funny, we sometimes forget that God can be humorous while still getting His message across.  And I love the way He just answers the questions of my heart. 

Tuesday I wrote about dreams and goals, the fact that setting them scares me because past hopes have not materialized in my life and I fear continued disappointment.  But my heavenly Father had a different answer. 

Next month it will be my turn to teach our Ladies Bible Study.  I've mentioned we are tackling the topic of "Redeemed" by digging into a study by Angela Thomas-Pharr.  In the beginning of the lesson I am charged with she included a quote from C.S. Lewis.  So I went on an internet search for C.S. Lewis quotes.  And the very first one that appeared was, "You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." 

Excuse me?  Did I read that right?  Set another goal, dream a new dream?  Are you talking to me Lord?  This is too scary, too crazy, and too direct!  LOL  Well, okay then.  I'm guessing Daddy God is telling me to do some soul searching and be bold, be brave and put myself out there, push past my fear of failure and disappointment and let HIM give me goals and dreams.  This is a rough one for me.  You have no idea how much I shake and quiver inside at the thought of this.  Everything in me rebels against the idea.  It's so much easier to just go through the day, living to just do my best for that day, week, month.  Long term, short term goals.....nah, not liking this.  But God.....

On to the second one liner of the week.  I guess this is a big "succinct answer week" for the Lord.  LOL  At about 5:30 Wednesday (who made up the spelling for that word anyway?), morning there was bumping and banging coming from my tenants apartment upstairs and it woke me out of a dead sleep.  I had only fallen asleep around 2am, so I was still quite groggy and bleary-eyed.  Darn...I was finally sleeping so good and now this.  As I tried to fall back to sleep one of the smoke alarms chirped.  And then chirped again.  Oh no, I thought to myself...one of the batteries needs replacing. Geez!  Why do the batteries in smoke alarms always decide to need changing in the middle of the night!! 

Alright, maybe it'll go away.  LOL  So I closed my eyes and of course, a few moments later, chirp.  Chirp. And then I tried again...still holding out hope it would go away!  Chirp.  Chirp.   UGH!!!  So I drag my exhausted, worn out body out of bed and check the one in the bedroom.  Chirp.  No, not this one.  Onto the next, and then the next...I check all of them except the hard wired (I have 5 including the hard wired, but that is another story).  Now, to do all this I have to go to the garage, get the step stool, drag it from room to room, area to area, up the stairs....All when I should be sleeping and my eyes are barely opened!!  To say that I was not a happy camper is an understatement.  All the while, talking to the God...WHY??  You know how tired I am.  How overwhelmed and exhausted I've been.  WHY?? 

Well I finally figured out it was indeed the hard wired, battery supplemented one in the hall that needed changing.  So I pulled the battery, (I'll deal with it later) and trudged back to bed.  And now, guess what!  I can't fall back to sleep!!  AAAAAAAHHHHH!!  As I type all this it almost seems comical, but believe me, it was not at the time, nor was I happy about dragging through my day yesterday, living on caffeine.  But God....

Since I was up, I decided I may as well get started on the lesson I would be sharing next month.  As I was reading through our workbooks I came to this one line (well technically it's two sentences, but I'm taking poetic license here) that just stopped me in my tracks.  From Angela Thomas-Pharr's study book, "Sometimes the why questions of God do not find their complete answers.  Remember yesterday and the unbelief that came to Eve because she wanted to know why when God had asked her to trust?

But we want to know why.  We want answers.  I want to understand why I had to exist on 3 1/2 hours sleep when I had already been running on fumes for the last few weeks.  What does this have to do with the kingdom of God, was my question.  And I still don't have an answer.  But I don't think I'm supposed to have an answer to that question, or a lot of others that run though my head every day, any time something doesn't go my way, or work out the way I want it to.  Why is not the real question.  It's "will I trust, when I don't know why, don't have the answers."  These seems to be a recurring issue for me and I am thinking I am not the only one that has difficulty learning this lesson.  TRUST

Lord, You know the beginning from the end.  You know each of our days, each of our lives.  Whether it's the small discomforts, the big dead dreams, You hold all in the palm of Your hand, and You hold us as well.  Thank You for that.  Nothing is without purpose or meaning to You.  Lord, help me, all of us to be at peace not matter what we find happening around us.  You hold us,  and our past, present and future in your very capable, very loving hands.  Teach us to be content knowing this truth.  You got this!!!  In Jesus Name, amen.

Let go of each moment, trying to control them...and let God lead, whether it's the next minute or the next year or the next decade.  Let's learn to trust, together.