It's cold. It's February. The days have been rainy, dim and gray lately....so my mind goes to spring cleaning. It's been a little too long since I've gotten into those corners and crevices, the unders and behinds that we don't see (and mostly don't want to LOL), and so I thought a little spring cleaning was a good idea. I also thought to myself, "who wants to do spring cleaning in the spring when the sun is shining and the days grow warmer?" Okay then, "spring" cleaning in February it is. So off I go, cleaning out drawers, sorting through clothes, pulling out furniture and culling through paperwork. And it's in this last part that God reached out with a reminder of His love and acceptance.
I came across a paper on which I had written the statement "I told a friend I thought there was no redemption from the mistakes and wrong decision of my past." Well apparently God had a lot to say to me on that statement because there is a list of Bible verses after that statement that just sooth and comfort the soul. I know many of us have made horrible mistakes, committed what seem like unforgivable sins, made decisions that have brought bitter heartbreak and live with guilt, shame and regret. But God doesn't see as we see, and His plans are always for our good, even in the messiest of messes. I am so glad to be able to share these verses He gave me, so that those of you who live in the sadness of regret may be able to find hope, deliverance and God's love.
Psalm 130:7-8 O Israel (insert your name here), hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. He Himself will redeem Israel (insert your name here) from EVERY kind of sin. (Emphasis mine.)
Psalm 135:4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob (insert your name here) for Himself, Israel (insert your name here) for His own special treasure.
We are God's treasure, chosen as His own! He redeems us completely, overflowing and in abundance because of His unfailing love.
And one of my all time favorite passages in the Bible is Zechariah 3:3-5. Here it says: Jeshua's (insert...well, you know what to do!) clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." Then I said, "They should also place a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.
Newness, cleanness given, sin and dirt stripped away, all done by God Himself....none of it is my doing, or your doing.
Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, "This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel; It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies."
And a couple of new ones:
Ephesians 1:4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.
Ephesians 1:10-11 And this is the plan; At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received and inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.
Chosen. Loved. Redeemed. This is who we are to God, by God. No matter what turmoil and twisting has and is going in our lives, these facts, these promises are true. Sometimes the dark consequences of our mistakes cause us to lose sight of this. But even in the consequences, Jesus is with us working our His miracles.
I may not like the place I've come to in life, I may struggle with the end results of bad decisions. But none of that negates God's love, nor His ability to transform even my blackest of nights into the most amazing sun drenched dawns. My part, and your part is to trust Him, Believe, expectantly, reverently, and worshipfully.
Thank You Lord for bringing this paper to my attention. I always need to be reminded of these facts. And Lord, I pray that Your Word reaches out to those reading this and gives them hope to hang on to. Increase our faith, give us peace and joy in the waiting. You are good.
Take hold of one or more of these verse for your very own.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Ripples and Everlasting Joy
This week we saw the passing of one of the greatest evangelist and Christian teachers of the 20th century. Billy Graham died yesterday at the age of 99 years old.
By any worldly standards I had the strangest reaction to this news.....I laughed. I was so overflowing with joy that I couldn't stop smiling and celebrating.
God used this man to reach millions. Can you just imagine the welcome Mr. Graham received when he walked through Heaven's gates! Not only did he walk into the arms of our Savior, the risen King Jesus he served all those many years. I'm sure he was greeted by all those individuals whose lives he touched, all those that God reached through his yielded heart and life. What an amazing, enduring legacy. Everlasting joy!!
Then I heard Christian singer and songwriter Matthew West telling about how he was reached by Billy Graham when he was 13 years old. Matthew explained how at 13, he was hanging out in his basement watching TV when Billy Graham came on. For some reason, he was drawn to the program and ended up praying with his Mom that day to receive Jesus. The rest, as they say is history. Matthew West has gone on to write and perform some of the most loved, most encouraging Christian music. Ripples!
Like ripples in a pond when you toss in a stone, our lives reach out and touch those around us. And then their lives do the same to those they meet. And on and on it goes! Most of us will never be a Billy Graham, reaching the sheer numbers he did over the years, but who knows, maybe one person we point to Jesus, one person we encourage in the Lord may be the one to reach many. Maybe we will share the Gospel with only one person at a time, but the Lord will turn that into miracles. God's plans are beyond anything we can think or imagine.
The point to all this is, do what God calls you to do, yield (that is my favorite word lately) your heart and life to Him to use as He wills. And do it with excellence and love. God will determine and create the results. And be encouraged! God uses us in ways we may not even see til we reach Heaven's shores!
You know some days have the most surprising God visits. And yesterday was one of them. Who would have thought that the death of one man could spark such reflection in my heart. I am always amazed at our Father, who uses the strangest ways to speak to us. Glory be to our Father in Heaven!
Philippians 1:11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Lord thank You for the eternal glory promised to us. Thank You that Heaven awaits Your servants at the end of this journey. Eternity begins when we step into Your presence...and it will be beyond our imaginations. Thank You!! What a wonderful future to look forward to. Lord, I thank You for the encouragement that we can be used by You and the admonishment to be more yielded and open to Your leading. Lord, I pray that each of us will have our lives in line with Your will and that Your presence and love will ripple out from them like the stone hitting the pond. You are amazing and You work in ways we cannot always see....Lord I ask, please let me persevere in following You, even if I don't see results right now. I pray this for all of us. In the beautiful Name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Reach out with the Gospel, reach out with God's love to someone else today. Do a good deed in His Name, extend kindness in His Name, release offense in His Name.
1 Timothy 1:12-17 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him, even though I used to blaspheme the Name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted His people. But God had mercy on me because I did in in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; He alone is God. Amen.
By any worldly standards I had the strangest reaction to this news.....I laughed. I was so overflowing with joy that I couldn't stop smiling and celebrating.
God used this man to reach millions. Can you just imagine the welcome Mr. Graham received when he walked through Heaven's gates! Not only did he walk into the arms of our Savior, the risen King Jesus he served all those many years. I'm sure he was greeted by all those individuals whose lives he touched, all those that God reached through his yielded heart and life. What an amazing, enduring legacy. Everlasting joy!!
Then I heard Christian singer and songwriter Matthew West telling about how he was reached by Billy Graham when he was 13 years old. Matthew explained how at 13, he was hanging out in his basement watching TV when Billy Graham came on. For some reason, he was drawn to the program and ended up praying with his Mom that day to receive Jesus. The rest, as they say is history. Matthew West has gone on to write and perform some of the most loved, most encouraging Christian music. Ripples!
Like ripples in a pond when you toss in a stone, our lives reach out and touch those around us. And then their lives do the same to those they meet. And on and on it goes! Most of us will never be a Billy Graham, reaching the sheer numbers he did over the years, but who knows, maybe one person we point to Jesus, one person we encourage in the Lord may be the one to reach many. Maybe we will share the Gospel with only one person at a time, but the Lord will turn that into miracles. God's plans are beyond anything we can think or imagine.
The point to all this is, do what God calls you to do, yield (that is my favorite word lately) your heart and life to Him to use as He wills. And do it with excellence and love. God will determine and create the results. And be encouraged! God uses us in ways we may not even see til we reach Heaven's shores!
You know some days have the most surprising God visits. And yesterday was one of them. Who would have thought that the death of one man could spark such reflection in my heart. I am always amazed at our Father, who uses the strangest ways to speak to us. Glory be to our Father in Heaven!
Philippians 1:11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Lord thank You for the eternal glory promised to us. Thank You that Heaven awaits Your servants at the end of this journey. Eternity begins when we step into Your presence...and it will be beyond our imaginations. Thank You!! What a wonderful future to look forward to. Lord, I thank You for the encouragement that we can be used by You and the admonishment to be more yielded and open to Your leading. Lord, I pray that each of us will have our lives in line with Your will and that Your presence and love will ripple out from them like the stone hitting the pond. You are amazing and You work in ways we cannot always see....Lord I ask, please let me persevere in following You, even if I don't see results right now. I pray this for all of us. In the beautiful Name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Reach out with the Gospel, reach out with God's love to someone else today. Do a good deed in His Name, extend kindness in His Name, release offense in His Name.
1 Timothy 1:12-17 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him, even though I used to blaspheme the Name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted His people. But God had mercy on me because I did in in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; He alone is God. Amen.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Joy!
There is a verse that I feel God sent to me at the beginning of this year. I am keeping my Bible place marker (you know, the little piece of ribbon attached to most Bible's as a book mark) in that place for the rest of the year so I can refer to it often. Many days when I open my Bible in the morning I just open up to search for the page I am looking for. It's controlled by me where the pages go. But today that page opened up first....it wasn't intentional or anything, just where it naturally opened because of the book mark but I wasn't looking to do that. I'm not sure if I am explaining this right, or making sense, but there it is! LOL
The verse is Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a might Savior. HE WILL TAKE DELIGHT IN YOU WITH GLADNESS. WITH HIS LOVE, HE WILL CALM ALL YOUR FEARS. HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH JOYFUL SONGS. And today, the joy stood out to me. My Father rejoicing over me....and if He is joyful, I want to be too. Two more verses were brought to mind by the Holy Spirit to round out this mornings God visit.
Nehemiah 8:10 And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.
Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
For me, these three verses complete joy. And it's all about remaining in His presence. I am so glad we serve a joyful God. Sometimes life gets hard, it hurts and we want to give up. Getting out of bed seems more than we can handle. Bodies are hurting and tired, emotions weary....but in God's presence is joy and that joy brings strength. In His presence, we know He is singing joyfully over His children. Rejoicing that we are His...not perfect, but totally loved. This joy is the Father's gift to us as much as salvation is. (And if you take another look at the verse from Nehemiah, you'll notice the instruction to give to others; giving, sharing, helping all contribute to our joy as well.)
Oh, Lord, we forget so often that You are a God of joy! Life wears us down and beats us up. Help us to remain in Your presence and look for the joy You give. Open our hearts and eyes. Thank You for this visit today. Please let me not walk away from the joy You give. Yaaay! We can have joy!!
Memorize one of these verses today, or write it out and carry it with you. When you find yourself getting world weary, bring yourself back to His joy.
The verse is Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a might Savior. HE WILL TAKE DELIGHT IN YOU WITH GLADNESS. WITH HIS LOVE, HE WILL CALM ALL YOUR FEARS. HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH JOYFUL SONGS. And today, the joy stood out to me. My Father rejoicing over me....and if He is joyful, I want to be too. Two more verses were brought to mind by the Holy Spirit to round out this mornings God visit.
Nehemiah 8:10 And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.
Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
For me, these three verses complete joy. And it's all about remaining in His presence. I am so glad we serve a joyful God. Sometimes life gets hard, it hurts and we want to give up. Getting out of bed seems more than we can handle. Bodies are hurting and tired, emotions weary....but in God's presence is joy and that joy brings strength. In His presence, we know He is singing joyfully over His children. Rejoicing that we are His...not perfect, but totally loved. This joy is the Father's gift to us as much as salvation is. (And if you take another look at the verse from Nehemiah, you'll notice the instruction to give to others; giving, sharing, helping all contribute to our joy as well.)
Oh, Lord, we forget so often that You are a God of joy! Life wears us down and beats us up. Help us to remain in Your presence and look for the joy You give. Open our hearts and eyes. Thank You for this visit today. Please let me not walk away from the joy You give. Yaaay! We can have joy!!
Memorize one of these verses today, or write it out and carry it with you. When you find yourself getting world weary, bring yourself back to His joy.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Love, the Greatest of These
What have you done for love? That's the question that seems most important when it comes to our Christian walk. When asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39) He also said in Matthew 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. I am reading a book called Imagine Heaven by John Burke. In this book Mr. Burke explores "near death experiences" and lines them up against the Bible's portrait of Heaven. One of the commonalities from people who have experienced death and been revived is the question, ""What have you done for love's sake?" Not only do they experience the greatest feelings of being loved and accepted when in the presence of Jesus, they are pointed to this question.
This has so impressed me, so spoken to my heart, that I want to do everything for the sake of love...God's love. My words, born out of love for others, my actions demonstrating my love for God. I can't tell you how much this has touched my heart and increased my desire for a "love walk" and for fruitfulness in all I do. It's also helping me let go of a lot of nonsense....letting go of the small stuff that is so unimportant to this life and the next. I still have a ways to go in this, but I feel like I've had a giant push forward on my journey with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. If this is Biblical truth (and we know it is), then how can we not want to walk in love every day of our lives. It's what we will take with us to heaven, to meet our Savior face to face for the first time. Big things, small things...all done in love. We are not going to be asked if we preached the best sermon, amassed the most stuff, gave everything we had away...but how did we love.
I am still in awe of this, and what it has meant to my heart, and what it is working out in my life. And I am so grateful.
Lord, help us to love. Help us to love You and love others as You love us. Give us yielded hearts. Thank You for this new awareness. In Jesus most precious Name, Amen.
In what small way can you show someone love today?
This has so impressed me, so spoken to my heart, that I want to do everything for the sake of love...God's love. My words, born out of love for others, my actions demonstrating my love for God. I can't tell you how much this has touched my heart and increased my desire for a "love walk" and for fruitfulness in all I do. It's also helping me let go of a lot of nonsense....letting go of the small stuff that is so unimportant to this life and the next. I still have a ways to go in this, but I feel like I've had a giant push forward on my journey with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. If this is Biblical truth (and we know it is), then how can we not want to walk in love every day of our lives. It's what we will take with us to heaven, to meet our Savior face to face for the first time. Big things, small things...all done in love. We are not going to be asked if we preached the best sermon, amassed the most stuff, gave everything we had away...but how did we love.
I am still in awe of this, and what it has meant to my heart, and what it is working out in my life. And I am so grateful.
Lord, help us to love. Help us to love You and love others as You love us. Give us yielded hearts. Thank You for this new awareness. In Jesus most precious Name, Amen.
In what small way can you show someone love today?
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Love, From Mom
Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day I thought it appropriate to do Mom's entry on Love, which coincidentally was the next one in her journal.
The Bible speaks of three different types of love.
Agape love. Romans 5:5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.
Agape love always seeks the highest good of the other person no matter what they do. It is a self-giving love that gives freely without asking for anything in return. It is love by choice, an act of the will. This is God's unconditional love for the world.
Phileo love. John 21:15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"
This type of love means to be fond of, care for affectionately, cherish, take pleasure in, have a personal attachment for. Love by chance or emotions.
Psalm 97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of His godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
Ahab love. To have affection for someone, to like, to be a friend, romantic love, love of ideals, love of pleasures.
1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love--and the greatest of these is love.
Now, I have now idea where my Mom got the following, but I love the symbolism.
Winds of love. Let the winds which are controlled by God remind us that no matter which way the blow, God is in every situation in our lives, in our ups and downs.
North wind - is a cold wind and where trials and testing sweeps down on us. Remember, God is love. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
South wind - is soothing and balmy breezes, brings showers of blessings. Remember, God is love. James 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
East wind - threatens to sweep away all we have. Remember, God is love. Philippians 4:19 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.
West wind - blows hard and is punishing on us. Remember, God is love. Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.
God's greatest gift to us is His love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand it's own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grep up, I put away childish things. No 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. Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love--and the greatest of these is love.
We pray to comprehend the love of Jesus. Ephesians 3:14-19 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heave and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Pray for the fullness of God, Jesus' love and be confident in this prayer knowing the Holy Spirit lives in us. Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
To have freedom, love others as Jesus does, see them through the eyes of Jesus. Each person set before me is a challenge. Do I want to be lacking in this one thing? NO! Let me possess wholehearted allegiance to God. Search myself, is there something in me I am making an idol of? Something that prevents me from loving? Exodus 20:3 You must not have any other god but me.
From me.
Love starts with God. He loved us first. We love Him and because we love Him we are to love others. And that's sometimes hard as all of us as people can be pretty unlovable sometimes! But if we want to be like our heavenly Father, we must choose to love. You can spend a lifetime studying the love of God. I think we cannot fully get loving others until we first accept and believe the love God has for us. And we need only to look to the Cross to see that love. Love is an action, not just a feeling. There is so much to learn about God's love! I heard recently that in the mornings we should celebrate God's love, speak of His love and before bed we should thank Him for His faithfulness. What a great habit to develop!
My prayer echoes Paul's in Ephesians...that you all would know the love of Christ in all it's fullness. I pray that all of our hearts would be open to receive this wonderful, all consuming, unconditional, eternal love that our Father has for us. Help us to believe it Lord, that we may share it with others. My prayer this morning, is that everything I do will be a reflection of Your love. Lord, let my words, be seasoned by love, my actions be directed by love....Lord, help us to love You with all of our hearts, minds, and strength. Thank You for Your great love.
Start a study on love this year!
The Bible speaks of three different types of love.
Agape love. Romans 5:5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.
Agape love always seeks the highest good of the other person no matter what they do. It is a self-giving love that gives freely without asking for anything in return. It is love by choice, an act of the will. This is God's unconditional love for the world.
Phileo love. John 21:15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"
This type of love means to be fond of, care for affectionately, cherish, take pleasure in, have a personal attachment for. Love by chance or emotions.
Psalm 97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of His godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
Ahab love. To have affection for someone, to like, to be a friend, romantic love, love of ideals, love of pleasures.
1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love--and the greatest of these is love.
Now, I have now idea where my Mom got the following, but I love the symbolism.
Winds of love. Let the winds which are controlled by God remind us that no matter which way the blow, God is in every situation in our lives, in our ups and downs.
North wind - is a cold wind and where trials and testing sweeps down on us. Remember, God is love. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
South wind - is soothing and balmy breezes, brings showers of blessings. Remember, God is love. James 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
East wind - threatens to sweep away all we have. Remember, God is love. Philippians 4:19 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.
West wind - blows hard and is punishing on us. Remember, God is love. Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.
God's greatest gift to us is His love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand it's own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grep up, I put away childish things. No 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. Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love--and the greatest of these is love.
We pray to comprehend the love of Jesus. Ephesians 3:14-19 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heave and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Pray for the fullness of God, Jesus' love and be confident in this prayer knowing the Holy Spirit lives in us. Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
To have freedom, love others as Jesus does, see them through the eyes of Jesus. Each person set before me is a challenge. Do I want to be lacking in this one thing? NO! Let me possess wholehearted allegiance to God. Search myself, is there something in me I am making an idol of? Something that prevents me from loving? Exodus 20:3 You must not have any other god but me.
From me.
Love starts with God. He loved us first. We love Him and because we love Him we are to love others. And that's sometimes hard as all of us as people can be pretty unlovable sometimes! But if we want to be like our heavenly Father, we must choose to love. You can spend a lifetime studying the love of God. I think we cannot fully get loving others until we first accept and believe the love God has for us. And we need only to look to the Cross to see that love. Love is an action, not just a feeling. There is so much to learn about God's love! I heard recently that in the mornings we should celebrate God's love, speak of His love and before bed we should thank Him for His faithfulness. What a great habit to develop!
My prayer echoes Paul's in Ephesians...that you all would know the love of Christ in all it's fullness. I pray that all of our hearts would be open to receive this wonderful, all consuming, unconditional, eternal love that our Father has for us. Help us to believe it Lord, that we may share it with others. My prayer this morning, is that everything I do will be a reflection of Your love. Lord, let my words, be seasoned by love, my actions be directed by love....Lord, help us to love You with all of our hearts, minds, and strength. Thank You for Your great love.
Start a study on love this year!
Thursday, February 8, 2018
The Lord's Supper, from Mom
Sharing the Lord's supper, the bread and the wine, is a beautiful reminder of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. As He approached His death, He shared this bittersweet meal with His closet disciples (fully knowing one would betray, one would deny, all would scatter), sealing His covenant with them and with us. Mom did a short study on this topic in her journal. Here is what she learned.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord Himself. On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me." In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and His people--an agreement confirmed with My blood. Do this to remember Me as often as you drink it." For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until He comes again.
"Each observance of the Lord's Table is a powerful occasion for faith's confession. In the ordinance the Christian confesses before all heaven that he not only believes but that he has not forgotten. In remembrance involves more than just memory. The word suggest "'an active calling to mind.'
The above verse begins with 'For' and introduces the reason the Lord's supper is continually repeated. It is an "acted sermon" for it proclaims the Lord's death. The outward act of faith as the bread and cup is taken is explicitly said to be an ongoing, active confession--literally, 'you are proclaiming.' Each occasion of partaking is an opportunity to say, proclaim, or confess again.
I herewith lay hold of all the benefits of Jesus Christ's full redemption for my life--forgiveness, wholeness, strength, healthy, self-sufficiency. The Lord's supper is not simply a ritual remembrance, but an active confession by which you actively will to call to memory and appropriate today all that Jesus has provided and promised through His Cross." Spirit Filled Life Bible
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God's approval will be recognized! When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord's Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don't you have your own homes for eating and drinking? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this! For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord Himself. On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and said, "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me." In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and His people--an agreement confirmed with My blood. Do this to remember Me as often as you drink it. For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until He comes again. So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread and drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. so, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord's Supper, wait for each other. If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won't bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I'll give you instructions about the other matters when I arrive.
These verses give us the institution of the Last Supper and what our conduct should be like. Loving reverential, and with a clear conscience.
Mark 14:22-25 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take it, for this is My body." And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is my blood which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God."
The Lord's Supper: Celebrate it often. Approach it with faith, receiving the life and healing it provides. Covenant: An agreed upon plan to which both parties agree.
God initiated the action, set the conditions, defined as a decree, a made declaration of purpose. The new covenant was ratified by Jesus' death on the Cross
From me.
A lot to think about. The Lord's Supper is a beautiful tradition. Sometimes we forgot what a truly wonderful, meaningful practice it is to take part in the Lord's supper. I pray that this small study causes us to approach the Lord's Table with a new and reverential attitude.
Lord, thank You for giving us a reminder of Your love. I know for me a visual, physical reminder truly makes something more real in my heart. The fact that You came to us, You reached out to us, You made the covenant with us is nothing short of amazing. Such love! Oh Lord, help us to follow Your instructions, help us to come to Your table with awe and fear and amazement and humility. Let us remember how truly blessed and loved we are. Let us come with clean hearts because You died to make them so. I thank You. I praise You. In Jesus name, always. Amen
Read through the above verses and spend time thanking Jesus for His sacrifice and the lovely reminder of the Lord's Supper.
Mom took a lot of here information from the Spirit Filled Life Bible's Kingdom Dynamics.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord Himself. On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me." In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and His people--an agreement confirmed with My blood. Do this to remember Me as often as you drink it." For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until He comes again.
"Each observance of the Lord's Table is a powerful occasion for faith's confession. In the ordinance the Christian confesses before all heaven that he not only believes but that he has not forgotten. In remembrance involves more than just memory. The word suggest "'an active calling to mind.'
The above verse begins with 'For' and introduces the reason the Lord's supper is continually repeated. It is an "acted sermon" for it proclaims the Lord's death. The outward act of faith as the bread and cup is taken is explicitly said to be an ongoing, active confession--literally, 'you are proclaiming.' Each occasion of partaking is an opportunity to say, proclaim, or confess again.
I herewith lay hold of all the benefits of Jesus Christ's full redemption for my life--forgiveness, wholeness, strength, healthy, self-sufficiency. The Lord's supper is not simply a ritual remembrance, but an active confession by which you actively will to call to memory and appropriate today all that Jesus has provided and promised through His Cross." Spirit Filled Life Bible
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God's approval will be recognized! When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord's Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don't you have your own homes for eating and drinking? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this! For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord Himself. On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and said, "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me." In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and His people--an agreement confirmed with My blood. Do this to remember Me as often as you drink it. For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until He comes again. So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread and drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. so, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord's Supper, wait for each other. If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won't bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I'll give you instructions about the other matters when I arrive.
These verses give us the institution of the Last Supper and what our conduct should be like. Loving reverential, and with a clear conscience.
Mark 14:22-25 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take it, for this is My body." And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is my blood which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God."
The Lord's Supper: Celebrate it often. Approach it with faith, receiving the life and healing it provides. Covenant: An agreed upon plan to which both parties agree.
God initiated the action, set the conditions, defined as a decree, a made declaration of purpose. The new covenant was ratified by Jesus' death on the Cross
From me.
A lot to think about. The Lord's Supper is a beautiful tradition. Sometimes we forgot what a truly wonderful, meaningful practice it is to take part in the Lord's supper. I pray that this small study causes us to approach the Lord's Table with a new and reverential attitude.
Lord, thank You for giving us a reminder of Your love. I know for me a visual, physical reminder truly makes something more real in my heart. The fact that You came to us, You reached out to us, You made the covenant with us is nothing short of amazing. Such love! Oh Lord, help us to follow Your instructions, help us to come to Your table with awe and fear and amazement and humility. Let us remember how truly blessed and loved we are. Let us come with clean hearts because You died to make them so. I thank You. I praise You. In Jesus name, always. Amen
Read through the above verses and spend time thanking Jesus for His sacrifice and the lovely reminder of the Lord's Supper.
Mom took a lot of here information from the Spirit Filled Life Bible's Kingdom Dynamics.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
So Much Blessing!!
1. Needs met 2. Rest 3. Refreshment 4. Strength 5. Righteousness 6. Honor His name 7. Bravery 8. Assurance 9. His presence 10. Corrected 11. Comfort 12. Honored by God 13. Purpose 14. Blessing 15. Love and mercy 16. Eternal salvation
Sunday's sermon was on the 23rd Psalm. And as our Deacon expounded upon this Psalm, telling us how he prayed through this Psalm and made it his own, God opened my heart to take in this teaching and His Word in a way I hadn't seen before.
Through obedience and following God's guidance, everything need we have is met and Psalm 23 spells that out. We are not promised a life of ease, but a life of God's Presence and loving care for each of our days. How amazing is God's Word!
Lord, thank You for this wonderful Psalm. Thank You for putting it in a new light for me. I pray for each of us, that this Psalm will find it's home in our hearts and cause us to yearn for a closer walk with You. It's a beautiful look into a life lived in Your will. I praise You today!
Spend some time in the 23rd Psalm. Make it your own.
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Jesus is Better Than Coffee!
Yesterday I woke up dragging. My head was fuzzy, my legs felt like lead, thinking and moving were monumental tasks. I thought I had gotten a good nights sleep, but boy I must have been doing some heavy lifting in my dreams because I woke up more worn out then when I went to bed! Of course my thoughts immediately ran to the coffee pot and my body followed along behind. I thought to myself, how am I ever going to get through this day. I planned on giving the kitchen a good cleaning before work, getting into the drawers and cabinets, behind the appliances. But I could barely open my eyes and put one foot in front of the other! LOL
Well, with coffee (oh Lord, thank You for this beautiful light brown liquid of pep!) in hand, I sat down to do my morning Bible study and just spend time with the Lord. As I turned to the day's reading in "Jesus Always" the very first lines read, "I am your strength! When you begin a day feeling weak and weary, it's all right!" Hello??? Was someone observing my plight of morning exhaustion??? Was someone concerned and offering to help??? Why yes, yes they were!! And it was Jesus. He saw my tiredness long before this day began and knew the exact day I was going to need to hear His loving encouragement. It's almost as if a greater intelligence orchestrated this. LOL
The timeliness of this reading just blows me away.
The reading went on to say that Jesus Himself was my strength, and my weakness was a reminder of my need for Him. He alone is my unlimited resource for all things. When Paul spoke to God about weaknesses in his life, and his desire to be delivered from them the Lord told him, "Each time He said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In Matthew 6:8 Jesus said ...for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him! And it was true. I didn't even think to pray about the exhaustion yesterday morning. I'm pretty sure that would have required putting thoughts together in an somewhat intelligent, cognizant manner and that was well beyond my muddled mind's ability at the moment. LOL But God knew, He knew my need and He had the answer and He indeed gave me strength for my day. No only did I get a good portion of my kitchen done, I made it through work and the rest of the day just fine!
I love when God answers before we ask. I love when He speaks directly to our situations. Sometimes is glaring and unmistakable, like yesterday morning, other times it's more subtle and we have to be watching. But He does speak and He is active in our lives.
Lord, first and foremost I want to say thank You. For Your involvement, Your interest and Your care. It's amazing that a Being like You would be interested and concerned and yes, even love a being like me. That's crazy, crazy in the greatest way possible. Lord, help us to see Your touch today, to see Your love that touches our lives. So many things, inside and out blind us and crowd out Your hand in our lives. Lord, help us to see clearly and trust completely. Thank You. In Jesus Name, amen.
Pray for open eyes and open hearts, pray this often today.
If you are looking for a great devotional, I highly recommend Sarah Young's Jesus Calling and Jesus Always. As you've probably seen here, I've been wonderfully blessed through her words and I hope I have conveyed those blessings to you as well.
Well, with coffee (oh Lord, thank You for this beautiful light brown liquid of pep!) in hand, I sat down to do my morning Bible study and just spend time with the Lord. As I turned to the day's reading in "Jesus Always" the very first lines read, "I am your strength! When you begin a day feeling weak and weary, it's all right!" Hello??? Was someone observing my plight of morning exhaustion??? Was someone concerned and offering to help??? Why yes, yes they were!! And it was Jesus. He saw my tiredness long before this day began and knew the exact day I was going to need to hear His loving encouragement. It's almost as if a greater intelligence orchestrated this. LOL
The timeliness of this reading just blows me away.
The reading went on to say that Jesus Himself was my strength, and my weakness was a reminder of my need for Him. He alone is my unlimited resource for all things. When Paul spoke to God about weaknesses in his life, and his desire to be delivered from them the Lord told him, "Each time He said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In Matthew 6:8 Jesus said ...for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him! And it was true. I didn't even think to pray about the exhaustion yesterday morning. I'm pretty sure that would have required putting thoughts together in an somewhat intelligent, cognizant manner and that was well beyond my muddled mind's ability at the moment. LOL But God knew, He knew my need and He had the answer and He indeed gave me strength for my day. No only did I get a good portion of my kitchen done, I made it through work and the rest of the day just fine!
I love when God answers before we ask. I love when He speaks directly to our situations. Sometimes is glaring and unmistakable, like yesterday morning, other times it's more subtle and we have to be watching. But He does speak and He is active in our lives.
Lord, first and foremost I want to say thank You. For Your involvement, Your interest and Your care. It's amazing that a Being like You would be interested and concerned and yes, even love a being like me. That's crazy, crazy in the greatest way possible. Lord, help us to see Your touch today, to see Your love that touches our lives. So many things, inside and out blind us and crowd out Your hand in our lives. Lord, help us to see clearly and trust completely. Thank You. In Jesus Name, amen.
Pray for open eyes and open hearts, pray this often today.
If you are looking for a great devotional, I highly recommend Sarah Young's Jesus Calling and Jesus Always. As you've probably seen here, I've been wonderfully blessed through her words and I hope I have conveyed those blessings to you as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)