It's that time again, a new year, a clean slate....there is something about starting afresh that fills us with excitement, and hope, but also fear and wonder. Will this year be better than last? Can I make positive changes? Will things get harder or will blessings seem more abundant? We know that whatever happens, our heavenly Father holds us in His hands. Of that we can be sure.
I always have goals for the new year. Eating healthy and getting more exercise are always on the list...especially after the eating frenzy of the holiday season. Ugh! I think my insides will sing the Hallelujah Chorus when I start putting some fruits and vegetables back into my daily diet. I'd like to say getting more organized is on there as well, but that one never really pans out so I think I'll pass and just enjoy it as an added bonus if it happens. LOL
But it's the spiritual goals I always love the most, because for me, they come straight from the Lord. He always have a few things He wants worked on in my life and I love hearing what they are, and to getting started on a new adventure with Jesus.
It seems the Lord has two goals for me in this upcoming year. The first one is to pray over any offering, tithe, or gift I give. Whether it's my biweekly tithe, or 50 cents in the cup of a homeless person...I am to pray for the receiver. Pray the gift will be a blessing, and will accomplish God's purpose. Pray that God will use it in a mighty way to bless others, glorify His Name, and do the work of His kingdom. How often do we just write a check, drop a few coins or bills in a bucket or collection plate, and never really give it much thought? You come out of the grocery store and see an older gentleman collecting for veterans, put you change in his bin and walk away....Do we even think about the good that money will do? I wonder how much the blessing would increase if we took a minute to pray for the receiver...pray God's blessing and salvation and help for them. Pray for God to send them people to share the Gospel, keep them company, help them in their daily life.
What about the check we send for the charities we choose to support? Let's pray over it before it leaves our hands and goes out to do God's work. I feel like we can be so much more apart of that work if we add prayer to of giving! And of course, the tithe to our local church....whose church doesn't need prayer each and every day? I'm thinking prayer will multiply the blessings!
The second goal is a little more difficult in that it requires a lot of change on my part....I am stubborn. Stubborn in my disbelief. Stubborn in wanting my own way. The Bible calls it stiff-necked and the Lord says this needs to stop in my life. Boy that's a tough one. This one really calls for nailing my will, my feelings, my plans, my wants and my thoughts on how things should go to the altar. I've been led to pray over that last few months that my heart would become soft and open to the Lord, this is an extension of that work. If anyone is so inclined, please pray for me in this...it is a very difficult area for me. Stiff-necked unbelief is a hard prison to live in, but yet I seem to step back into way too much.
What are your goals for the shiny new year? It's scary to make them...we fear failure, we fear change. But God's love casts out fear. And we only need to make progress...not strive for perfection.
Lord, open our hearts to Your leading for the upcoming year. Bless us with Your Presence, Your indwelling Holy Spirit. Give us soft hearts, hearing hearts. Help us to grow, to achieve the things You desire in our lives. Let our walk be worthy of Your calling. In Jesus Name, amen.
Don't be afraid to ask the Lord for new year's resolutions!
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Merry Christmas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS !!
Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
2 The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
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,[d] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
On the night Christ was born, eternity was watching. The Savior of the world stepped onto our darkened shores to shine the light of redemption and restoration. Hallelujah! Glory to God!
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Glory to You Lord Jesus! Glory to our Father in Heaven! Thank You! Your plan was and is amazing and crazy and wonderful. Amen! Hallelujah!! Amen!
Look over the verses above and see the beautiful love of our Lord in the gift of His coming.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Know Him
Philippians 1:9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.
I got "stuck" on this verse recently. The growing and knowing part. It brought to mind another verse I had read shortly before this, Ephesians 1:17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
And the question came to me, "How do we grow in knowledge of God?" The answer came equally as fast, "Obedience." John 14:21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
It's really a very simple process. As we obey, Jesus reveals Himself. Of course there is a little more to it than that...in order to obey we need to know what to do, right? How do we know what to do? Study the Word. Psalm 119:15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 2 Timothy 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Study. Obey. Know. Sounds simple. Okay, though we all know the middle part is tough sometimes, a lot of times. LOL But we keep at it. God promises that He will strengthen us. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. He promises to complete the good work in us that He started. Philippians 3:6 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 also think the more we obey, the easier it becomes. Conversely the more we resist God's teaching, quench the Spirit as it were, the less we will want to obey to begin with. Just something to think about.
Lord, teach us to obey. Help us to resist temptation, to resist our flesh, to follow after Your Holy Spirit. We want to know You! In Jesus' most powerful Name, amen.
Study. Obey. Know.
I got "stuck" on this verse recently. The growing and knowing part. It brought to mind another verse I had read shortly before this, Ephesians 1:17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
And the question came to me, "How do we grow in knowledge of God?" The answer came equally as fast, "Obedience." John 14:21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
It's really a very simple process. As we obey, Jesus reveals Himself. Of course there is a little more to it than that...in order to obey we need to know what to do, right? How do we know what to do? Study the Word. Psalm 119:15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 2 Timothy 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Study. Obey. Know. Sounds simple. Okay, though we all know the middle part is tough sometimes, a lot of times. LOL But we keep at it. God promises that He will strengthen us. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. He promises to complete the good work in us that He started. Philippians 3:6 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 also think the more we obey, the easier it becomes. Conversely the more we resist God's teaching, quench the Spirit as it were, the less we will want to obey to begin with. Just something to think about.
Lord, teach us to obey. Help us to resist temptation, to resist our flesh, to follow after Your Holy Spirit. We want to know You! In Jesus' most powerful Name, amen.
Study. Obey. Know.
Our Creative God
I guess you could call this a funny God visit. In my opinion it also shows the brilliance and creativity of our amazing Father. Either way, both ways, the Lord came through with a great save for me a few days ago and I love talking about it.
I help work on the bulletin boards at church. We have four boards. One for church activities, one for missions and outreaches, one for church family news, and a board for pictures, messages the Lord wants to share, I guess you would call it. We've done many things on this board over the years...trying to come up with creative little ways to share the Lord's thoughts. He always has good ideas about with what and how He wants to reach our church family. And this Christmas season was no different....but there was a little snafu.
Saturday, I got ready to work on the Christmas picture board. The Lord had made it clear He wanted to remind us that Jesus was the best gift every given. I have a manager scene, I was planning on writing out the words to convey that message, had my paints and markers out...scissors and ruler...all spread out across my living room floor, all set to implement the Lord's message. Ready. Set. Create.... screeching halt! Not so fast. LOL
I was out of white bulletin board paper! What! Oh no! What am I going to do? The Thanksgiving board is still up and it's less than two weeks from Christmas! This is a problem! But then God.....
"Order the paper and cover the board with wrapping paper, make it look like a present ready to be opened." Whoa! That's fantastic! What a fabulous idea! The words just popped in my head almost instantly and they were a beacon of sanity in a moment that could have turned into a frantic meltdown. LOL God is amazing.
So I finished up the things I could, made a "mock up" of the board to see that everything fits in place and gathered up my wrapping paper, ribbon and bows to bring to the church. The next morning I got there early and "wrapped the present." I'm so excited about finishing the board and unwrapping the present this weekend before Christmas. And yes, my paper came yesterday....thank God for Amazon, so I'm all set to get it done. LOL God is good!
Lord, thank You. Sometimes You just do things that just blow us away. And they don't have to be over anything earthshaking, just working out the roadblocks in our lives in such a way that makes sense and makes us smile. You just lit up my heart with this. What a beautiful gift. And thank You for the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ. Thank you for coming to earth to be our sacrifice, our Savior and our deliver. You never cease to amaze. Thank You!
Let's all pray for open ears. God has good plans to work out for us!
I help work on the bulletin boards at church. We have four boards. One for church activities, one for missions and outreaches, one for church family news, and a board for pictures, messages the Lord wants to share, I guess you would call it. We've done many things on this board over the years...trying to come up with creative little ways to share the Lord's thoughts. He always has good ideas about with what and how He wants to reach our church family. And this Christmas season was no different....but there was a little snafu.
Saturday, I got ready to work on the Christmas picture board. The Lord had made it clear He wanted to remind us that Jesus was the best gift every given. I have a manager scene, I was planning on writing out the words to convey that message, had my paints and markers out...scissors and ruler...all spread out across my living room floor, all set to implement the Lord's message. Ready. Set. Create.... screeching halt! Not so fast. LOL
I was out of white bulletin board paper! What! Oh no! What am I going to do? The Thanksgiving board is still up and it's less than two weeks from Christmas! This is a problem! But then God.....
"Order the paper and cover the board with wrapping paper, make it look like a present ready to be opened." Whoa! That's fantastic! What a fabulous idea! The words just popped in my head almost instantly and they were a beacon of sanity in a moment that could have turned into a frantic meltdown. LOL God is amazing.
So I finished up the things I could, made a "mock up" of the board to see that everything fits in place and gathered up my wrapping paper, ribbon and bows to bring to the church. The next morning I got there early and "wrapped the present." I'm so excited about finishing the board and unwrapping the present this weekend before Christmas. And yes, my paper came yesterday....thank God for Amazon, so I'm all set to get it done. LOL God is good!
Lord, thank You. Sometimes You just do things that just blow us away. And they don't have to be over anything earthshaking, just working out the roadblocks in our lives in such a way that makes sense and makes us smile. You just lit up my heart with this. What a beautiful gift. And thank You for the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ. Thank you for coming to earth to be our sacrifice, our Savior and our deliver. You never cease to amaze. Thank You!
Let's all pray for open ears. God has good plans to work out for us!
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Relationships, from Mom
I'm home from a refreshing life break and trying to get back into the swing of everyday doings. Easing back into the routine is not an option, it's "let's go, jump right in, the to do list calls!" A couple of things have hampered that process....a delayed flight caused forced inactivity at the airport and a fender bender has added a new items to the daily to dos. Well, life happens! And all through this day in day out is interaction with others. Whether it's family, friends, coworkers, or those just passing through, people are always touching our lives. Relationships are always a part of our day. Mom talked about godly relationships and what they are to look like, and our part in them.
In godly relationships, we are to adopt and practice diligently every form of relational righteousness. This includes love, compassion, humility, self-giving behavior, free flowing forgiveness, and patience with others. We are to choose peace to govern all your relationships.
Christ is our model of conduct in our relationships. Romans 15:1-7 We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” 4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. 5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. We are to be like-minded toward one another, according to Chris Jesus.
From me. Like-minded doesn't mean we agree with each other on everything. My favorite color is blue, your's may be red. We don't agree, but we can agree to love one another and accept the differences between us with humility and compassion. Ephesians 4:2-3 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 1 Peter 4:8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Let God's Word govern out relationships with others. Give each other preference. In a me me me, mine mine mine, world this will be like a cool breeze on a scorching hot day. It's what will set us apart as belonging to Jesus. We are also given instruction by our Lord in dealing with our enemies: Luke 6:27-31 But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
The time for holiday celebrations is here. Many will be with friends and relatives, that even though we love, we may not always agree or get along with...but if we follow Christ's Words and example, we will shine His love to all those we come in contact with. Jesus came down to earth that long ago Christmas morning to seek and save the lost, to make peace between God and man, He came to restore our relationship with Himself and with each other. Let us share that peace with others.
Lord, thank You for those people you have filled our lives with. Thank You for the support, the love, the caring that they bring. Help us to relate to others with love, even when they are hateful, caring, even when met with indifference. Give us hearts of compassion. Keep us humble and help us forgive when necessary. Remind us, it's not about us, but about serving others in Your Name. Let Your love flow through us to those around us. Let Your character be evident in every encounter. In Jesus Name, amen.
Study the above Scriptures. Let's make them part of us!
In godly relationships, we are to adopt and practice diligently every form of relational righteousness. This includes love, compassion, humility, self-giving behavior, free flowing forgiveness, and patience with others. We are to choose peace to govern all your relationships.
Christ is our model of conduct in our relationships. Romans 15:1-7 We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” 4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. 5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. We are to be like-minded toward one another, according to Chris Jesus.
From me. Like-minded doesn't mean we agree with each other on everything. My favorite color is blue, your's may be red. We don't agree, but we can agree to love one another and accept the differences between us with humility and compassion. Ephesians 4:2-3 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 1 Peter 4:8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Let God's Word govern out relationships with others. Give each other preference. In a me me me, mine mine mine, world this will be like a cool breeze on a scorching hot day. It's what will set us apart as belonging to Jesus. We are also given instruction by our Lord in dealing with our enemies: Luke 6:27-31 But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
The time for holiday celebrations is here. Many will be with friends and relatives, that even though we love, we may not always agree or get along with...but if we follow Christ's Words and example, we will shine His love to all those we come in contact with. Jesus came down to earth that long ago Christmas morning to seek and save the lost, to make peace between God and man, He came to restore our relationship with Himself and with each other. Let us share that peace with others.
Lord, thank You for those people you have filled our lives with. Thank You for the support, the love, the caring that they bring. Help us to relate to others with love, even when they are hateful, caring, even when met with indifference. Give us hearts of compassion. Keep us humble and help us forgive when necessary. Remind us, it's not about us, but about serving others in Your Name. Let Your love flow through us to those around us. Let Your character be evident in every encounter. In Jesus Name, amen.
Study the above Scriptures. Let's make them part of us!
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Joy and Happiness
The questions were asked in our Christmas devotional, "Is there a difference between joy and happiness? How do we find more joy?" I've always heard it said that happiness is based in happenings, joy is based in Jesus. Things can make us happy. A kind word can make us smile, a gift can make us feel appreciated....things of this earth can make us happy, to a point. Nothing here is lasting so I'm thinking if happiness is based on temporary moments, gestures or events, then the difference between happiness and joy is the difference between the temporary and the eternal. Happiness is from the earth, while joy is from heaven. Happiness is good, the Lord gives us blessings to enjoy and benefit from. But His joy is the forever gift that transcends time and circumstance.
So how do we have more joy? I thought about this and have come to the conclusion that my joy is based on my belief, my faith. If I believe God, if I trust Him, then I am at peace, and I can be filled with joy unshakable even when the darkness closes in around me. I've heard joy described as a bubbling brook....it's not a waterfall, pouring over us fast and furious...it's a quiet constant flow that has it's source in Jesus. That sweet flow can be with us all the time.
Joy sees heaven, when things on earth are falling apart. Joy believes when hopelessness threatens to overwhelm. Joy walks by faith, not by sight. Joy knows our life is safe in God's hands. Joy sees the glory and promise in the Cross. It's not that we don't feel heartache, despair or sorrow. It's not that we don't struggle to face the hard stuff of living...but we walk through this journey knowing the outcome will always be God's best for our life and the lives of those around us and we let that knowledge keep the joy alive at the core of our being. Joy sees the heart of God.
I've felt this joy along side of overwhelming sorrow when loved ones have died. It's an amazing thing that joy and sorrow can coexist in the same heart at the same time. That is not true of happiness. Sadness and happiness are mutually exclusive. Joy and sorrow are not. I guess it's just a "God thing!"
Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Lord, fill us with Your joy. Help us to learn to hold so tightly onto joy and faith that no circumstance, no matter how dire can shake us, nor break us. Let others see this joy, let it be a testimony in our lives to Your goodness and love. Lord, we often lose our joy. We struggle to live by faith. It's so easy to become despairing....help us Lord. Life hurts. Life gets really hard. But if You tell us we can be joyful than let it be so. Give us the strength to believe. In Jesus' Name.
Keep Philippians 4:8 in your heart. Let it lead you into joy.
I will be going away for a couple of days, so I will not have a second entry for this week. Have a blessed and joyful week!
So how do we have more joy? I thought about this and have come to the conclusion that my joy is based on my belief, my faith. If I believe God, if I trust Him, then I am at peace, and I can be filled with joy unshakable even when the darkness closes in around me. I've heard joy described as a bubbling brook....it's not a waterfall, pouring over us fast and furious...it's a quiet constant flow that has it's source in Jesus. That sweet flow can be with us all the time.
Joy sees heaven, when things on earth are falling apart. Joy believes when hopelessness threatens to overwhelm. Joy walks by faith, not by sight. Joy knows our life is safe in God's hands. Joy sees the glory and promise in the Cross. It's not that we don't feel heartache, despair or sorrow. It's not that we don't struggle to face the hard stuff of living...but we walk through this journey knowing the outcome will always be God's best for our life and the lives of those around us and we let that knowledge keep the joy alive at the core of our being. Joy sees the heart of God.
I've felt this joy along side of overwhelming sorrow when loved ones have died. It's an amazing thing that joy and sorrow can coexist in the same heart at the same time. That is not true of happiness. Sadness and happiness are mutually exclusive. Joy and sorrow are not. I guess it's just a "God thing!"
Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Lord, fill us with Your joy. Help us to learn to hold so tightly onto joy and faith that no circumstance, no matter how dire can shake us, nor break us. Let others see this joy, let it be a testimony in our lives to Your goodness and love. Lord, we often lose our joy. We struggle to live by faith. It's so easy to become despairing....help us Lord. Life hurts. Life gets really hard. But if You tell us we can be joyful than let it be so. Give us the strength to believe. In Jesus' Name.
Keep Philippians 4:8 in your heart. Let it lead you into joy.
I will be going away for a couple of days, so I will not have a second entry for this week. Have a blessed and joyful week!
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