I decided to start this blog (2010) because my son, John-Robert gave me a One Year Bible for Christmas, the New Living Translation... reading it has changed my life... I post a daily Bible verse on my Facebook page every day and it has been well received... I thought that this would be a wonderful way to share part of what I read each day!... I hope that you enjoy it.



This Year 2012 I am going to do things a little different... not much...just a little. I am again reading through my One Year Bible (for the 3rd time). But I am also using "The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word" by Joyce Meyer. This book is divided by putting scriptures under different categories so they can be used to speak over our life situations. Each day I will read a category of scripture and pick a scripture in that category to write about.



Hugs

Jeannie







Saturday, December 31, 2011

12.31.11

Mark 11:25-26 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.

My Thoughts
This seemed like a perfect verse for the last day of the year. To start 2012 a new, with no grudges against anyone. To start 2012 with total forgivness .... to start 2012 being totally forgiven. 

I remember getting to this verse my first time through the Bible... it really terrified me!! I knew I had unforgivness in my heart!  Big things that were so hard to forgive... then there were stupid little things that people had done to me, probably not even knowing ..... that were still lingering there, unforgiven. For some reason we tend to hold on to some things... almost as if stiring up a bit of anger gives us energy.  Then there are the things that seem impossible to forgive.... those big hurts that are kept seceret from the world.... often from the people you trust the most. They felt just impossible to forgive.

Then I got started saying my "I forgive's" at the beginning of every prayer. If I still felt unforgiveness deep in the pit of my stomach... in my soul...I would forgive yet again the thing that I had forgiven yesterday, and the day before, and the week before that. The amazing thing is that when God sees that we are earnest in wanting to do what He ask of us He sends down His grace and makes us able.  I actually remember praying one day and saying my "I forgive" over something I had been praying a couple of months over and realizing that I didn't have that feeling in my gut any more...that my shoulders were not held down by the pain of my memories... because, with God's grace, I had forgiven.  Do I still, sometimes, remember those hurts long, long, long ago?... I do! But they are not painful.... it amazes me when it happens! The devil tires to put unforgivness in my head, but my forgiveness came from my heart. I am now able to tell the devil that is done with and forgiven... I am a child of God and God makes it possible for me to have forgiveness.

Sometimes still I find new things lingering that I have forgotten to forgive.... sometimes I have to be reminded to forgive. That is where reading my Bible over and over comes in handy... it reminds me what God ask of me. It also reminds me that Jesus in his great gift for us makes all things possible. That God wants my life better, full of joy and that He doesn't ask me to do anything he has not given me the strength  and ability to do.

I look forward to another year of reading and learning about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and me. I am so excited about the changes there are to come... I can't wait to see how much stronger God makes me in 2012... God did amazing things in my life in 2011... when I spend time with God my life just gets better and better!

Did I go through hard things in 2011? I did! I lost my mom.... that is the hardest thing I have ever faced. But, facing it with God made all the difference! It made me stronger... I knew that I didn't have to do it alone.... I knew that God was there! Every time that the devil wanted to make me feel guilt or pain I just turned to God and said "God I know that you are there!  I know that you will help me!" That moment of intense pain would pass.... God would give me strength. I know that God is the God of the mountains and the God of the valleys. He is always, always with me! He even gives me His grace so I can forgive!

Friday, December 30, 2011

12.30.11

1 Corinthians 13:1-3  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 if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.

My Thoughts
Love is so powerful! Love makes brides glow and babies grow.... love shows! Love is why families, with all their imperfections, and all the ways that they can hurt one another, still get together on holidays and hug each other and tell stories. Love is why men go to work at jobs the sometimes hate... they love their families! Love is why mamma's stay up late in the night when their children are sick. It is why children's faces light up when their daddies walk into a room. When we love somebody else there is just nothing we won't do for them.

God wants us to love others... if we all got busy loving others instead of loving ourselves imagine how the world would change! Imagine what it would be like to go to Wal-Mart if we all treated each other with love! What if we would spread love outside our family units?

I know that I myself could love others more... love is an action.... not a feeling!  We need to put love into action!  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tells us that Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its 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.

I am not suppose to be jealous or boastful or proud or rude...I am not suppose to demand my own way... I am not suppose to be irritable... or keep a record of when somebody hurts my feelings....I should never rejoice in injustice.... I should feel joy when the truth wins out. I should never give up on anybody... I should never lose faith in anybody...I should always be hopeful..and endure, endure, endure!  Oh I have so much work to do... I am just never sure how to go about it!!  My efforts are to always be sweet and kind to the people that I do come in contact with...to show love... to take an extra moment to make the people I come in contact with see love in my eyes... but there is so much more to do!! 

As I read this I was reminded of a video I say some time back...this man just touched my heart!  He puts love into action!!  So I wanted to share it with you.... Watch how this man shows love!!




Thursday, December 29, 2011

12,29.11

Psalms 58:10  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

My Thoughts
I love this...when we feel our heart is impure.... when we feel like we are not staying right there with God... longing after Him... all we have to do is ask God to help us. We just have to say... I know my heart is not pure God, please make it pure. I know that I have not been seeking after you like I should please put in me the desire to do so!  We just have to ask... we just have to have the want to, then God will do the rest!  Just Amazing!!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

12.28.11

Zechariah 12:1 This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord: "This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit.

My Thoughts
I loved this..."who formed the human spirit!!" We can look at the vastness of the earth...and of the creations...all the splendor and beauty... and it can just take our breath away. The grand canyon, the Smokey Mountains, the ocean, beautiful falls of rushing water... flowers in the spring time.... We understand that God made all of that! When we stop to think about it we are amazed.  The heavens... the stars, the moon and sun... other planets... so much out there that we don't understand ....but when we look up on a clear night... or are lucky enough to see a meteor shower.. we are amazed at all that God created!  It can be mind boggling.

I have stopped in my lifetime and been amazed at the outstretched heavens...and the beautiful wonders of the earth... but, I have never stopped to be amazed at the human spirit that belongs to me. Yet when I stop and really think about it... I know that it is amazing! I love how in this verse God, himself, tells us that he formed the human spirit. I imagine Him taking our spirit first and holding it in His hands and molding it as He spoke strength and resilience into it... He spoke love and compassion into it.... our spirit is small enough to fit inside of us yet large enough to hold so much ... our spirit not our minds holds the information that God exist...that God loves us... that God is peace and love and joy.... our spirit can hold all that God will give us and yet fit inside our earthly bodies. That is truly amazing. I imagine that God said... you spirit, Jeannie's spirit you are meant to be loved by Me... you are made to love Me back.... and you are meant to take that love and spread it out into the world... You spirit are strong enough to bounce back when the devil finds his way in... you, spirit are meant to always seek after me and when you do you will experience love, joy, happiness, peace beyond the ability for the mind that is attached to you, to understand. I imagine that God held our spirit in His hands and formed it... talked over it.... blessed it....loved it as he placed it into our human bodies. That spirit is why we can endure so much on this earth and keep going.

That spirit inside each and every one of us... our spirit...where God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell.... is amazingly, wonderfully made... formed by God, himself. Our spirit is more special than the most exotic flower... or the biggest water fall... it is more amazing than the planets we have yet to discover. We need to cherish our spirits enough to fill them with the things they were made for.... treat them like the wonderful wonder that they are. We need to take the time to feed our spirits with all that God wants us to know... after all God took the time to form our spirit before He placed it in our bodies... and it serves us well, it gets us through, it urges us on... our spirit is where our strength and love comes from... our spirit, after all, is who we are...this body and mind that we carry around on this earth is just the vessel to house it. What will you do to nourish your spirit today? That spirit that God, Himself took the time to form. I know that I will forever see my spirit differently after today.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

12.27.11

Psalm 146:8b The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly.

My Thoughts
I love this! God has so lifted me up this past year! So many times... I could not have gotten through the death of my mom had I know grown so close to God. Sure I would have made it when my mom died... but it would have been so much harder...I would have gone into a deep depression, I am sure had I not had the relationship I now have with God. God loved me so much,  that even when I didn't know him like I should, he set it up so I would be close to Him when my mom died. I will always believe that! God knew that I had the desire to love Him, and that I just didn't know how. God put my One Year Bible in my hand through my son so that I would read it. God put Life Church in my path so that I would be surrounded by people that would help me grow. Then when I faced the hardest thing I have ever faced God lifted me up.

I have learned so much in the past two years about giving all my cares to God! It is amazing how much my world is the same but my life is so completely different!! Now when I feel myself going into one of those places that use to put me to bed for days!!  I first tell the devil that God is on my side and that I will not believe his lies. Then I give my day to God. I say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)." I talk to God about what is bothering me.  I repeat scripture that builds me up and makes me know that I am not alone, I know that I have God who is bigger than anything in the world (1John 4"4). Before you know it I am going about my business feeling pretty joyful and I have forgotten that I had even started to get upset. Actually completely forgotten that I was even about to be upset! Then later in the day I remember and think I can't even believe that I let that upset me for a minute!!... I am talking about a problem that use to put me to bed from stress!!!  God does lift up those who are weighed down!  I am constantly amazed at the love that God has for me! God loves to take care of us! Our part, and we always have a part, is to give all our cares to God and let God do the rest.

My wish for 2012 is that I can reach somebody, make them understand that reading God's word will change their life...and  that their relationship with God grows as much as mine has. That one day I can hear them say what I feel, that the joy of the Lord is my strength!! God is so good! God loves us so much! God is bigger than anything we face in this world. God wants to take care of us...we just have to learn how to let Him.

Monday, December 26, 2011

12.26.11

Psalms 145:20 The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.

My Thoughts
I love this!!  If we just love God, really love God we become so precious to him that he protects us. It doesn't say he protects us when we are perfect. It doesn't say He protects us if we never sin. He protects us if. It says God protects all those who love Him. When we love God he is always watching over us!!... Always. The wonderful thing about loving God is when we do, we we get to know God enough to really, truly love him, he gives us the desire and the power to do better (Philippians 2:13).  So even as we are learning...even as our desire is growing, even as our power is growing, God is protecting us.

We see so many things as lucky when luck has nothing to do with it..it is God with his mighty hand protecting us.  Those are the moments that we can see...the moments when we almost have a wreak or we almost fall. Moments when we almost do the wrong thing but do the right thing instead...that is God protecting us!  There are no telling how many times in a day when I life could have changed in an instant that we don't even know about. Times when we run into a friend that seems to take to long...times when we end up in the "long" check out line....that could be God keeping us out of harms way... we just never know what God does protect us from. All we have to know is that when we love God, truly love God, He protect us all the time.

Next time we have a moment when you think "Oh, man was I lucky!" We need to top and thank God for being there to protect us!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

12.24.11

Proverbs 30:24 25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer.

My Thoughts
This verse tells me that no matter our size or strength that we can prepare, even if it is a little bit at a time. We can go about doing our part.  We can stay busy, busy and be prepared even if what we do is a little bit at a time.  Keeping at it matters...keeping at it works. It also says to me that we are to prepare for things that are going to come up. We need to store up a savings for those unexpected times.... the only thing certain about the unexpected is that we can expect the unexpected. God expects us to prepare for the things that lie ahead. I think we are being told here.. you do you part...keep busy and if you keep busy and do your part, I will take care of the rest.  I needed this today!! 

Friday, December 23, 2011

12.23.11

Zechariah 4:6 The he said to me, "This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by the Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies."

My Thoughts
God was saying that Zerubbable could do what God wanted because God was giving him the Spirit. He wouldn't win because he was strong or because he was smart...he would accomplish what he was told to do by God because God was putting the Holy Spirit inside him to make it possible!

When we ask Jesus into our heart, God sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of us... giving us the ability, because of the Holy Spirit to do what God ask us to do!!  There is always a right answer to any problem.... and answer that God wants us to choose.... and answer that God gives us when we ask.  If we choose God's way, God makes it possible to accomplish what he tells us to do.  Even if the right answer is the hard answer God will get us through it because he has given us the strength of the Holy Spirit. When we choose God's way it is always easiest...if not in the moment, it is in the long run. God protects us when we choose to do what is right. God gave us the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit to get us through, to make us able, to help us stand against our enemy satin... God makes it possible for us to win when we depend on The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We should never believe the devil when he tells us something is just too hard...we should always believe what God says "All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:12) All things...!!!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

12.22.11

Mark 4:19 I will not let the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke out the word, making it unfruitful.

My Thoughts
Oh wow...this is a good verse... it says to me that I need to keep God's word in my heart and mind and on my lips...not my worries...not my wants...God's word. When I do this God's word will take root and grow stronger than anything I might face.  The word of God is so powerful...more powerful than worry, more powerful than wealth or anything else we think we need or want!  But, God's word is only powerful if we us it...if we speak it... if we meditate on it. God gives us His word for our use, to change our lives for the better!  God has planted the seed in our lives...we are responsible for tending to it.  If we plant a garden and never again think about the plants in the garden because we are busy with other things those plants will die.  We have to think on God's word... we have to speak God's word.... our possibilities are endless when we use the power God has entrusted us with. Our part, and we always have a part, is to learn God's word so much that it is a part of who we are... that it is in all our actions, all of our conversations, all of our prayers... so that is reflected in our lives every part of every day!. I have so much to learn and so far to go.... I am so blessed that I have come this far. 

Thank you Dear God for your word...thank you that your word is living today.. thank you that your word was here in the beginning... is here now and will be here in the end... thank you for giving us such a gift.  Thank you for Jesus! Thank you for loving us so much! In Jesus name, Amen

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

12.21.11

Psalm 140:13 Surely righteous people are praising your name; the godly will life in your presence.

My Thoughts
Surely righteous people are praising your name!!... I can't believe how long it took me in my life to learn to praise God throughout the day!! God made me right with him by sending His son, Jesus to die on the cross for my sins.  Psalms 121:4 tells us that God never rest that God is always watching over us.  Yesterday I was on the phone with my daughter as she was driving home from work.... she laid the phone down to cross over some traffic.... I heard her thank God that the traffic opened up for her... it made me smile. There is so much I need to remember to thank God for... to praise God for!!  Our minds are so often just idle... filled with random thoughts... our minds are a playground for Satin himself when we let them wander. Oh how Satin loves to attack us and tell us what we have done wrong... how we are not enough... anything that will frustrate us or make us feel anxious.  If we fill our mind with thoughts of praise, if we stay constantly aware of what God is doing in our day and remember to say "Thank you, God." When our mind is busy with God, Satin has less room! And we draw God closer! 

We have all had those days when we spent our whole day doing for our families.... our spouses, our children and thought,  "I wish somebody would notice, would just say thank you!!" All that we have comes from God, the air we breath, the beauty we see, the heat in our homes, the food on our table, our health, our loved ones, our TVs and computers, our animals... the beds we sleep on..the covers we cuddle under... everything is a gift from God. Yet we can go days without remembering to even udder a thank you. When we should have thank you on our tongue so often that we have to stop those "thanks yous" to have a conversation. Yet we go about so busy with our conversations that we don't say the "thank yous."

The more I become aware of God and all His goodness, the more I say thank you. But, I still don't tell God thank you near enough. As I sit here and look at my Christmas tree, with it collection of 31 years worth or ornaments I don't remember, until just this moment, ever telling God thank you for any of them. How sad that makes me, each of those ornaments have a memory, a pleasant, happy moment that God took the time to plan out for me. The ones on the tree from my children have a memory of something that represented a special something that we, they enjoyed that year. Each ornament is tied to so much I should have said thank you, to God, for.

The wonderful thing about God is... when I say today, "God I am so sorry that I didn't say thank you near enough." God will forgive me. God will smile, God will tell my heart that what is important is that I am learning to thank Him and praise Him now. I have come so far, but I still have so far to go! Today, my goal for the rest of my days is to be aware, totally aware of God's constant presence in my life and to remember to say thank you, all day long, every day. God is so good to me, not only do I want to remember to thank Him. I want to remember to be constantly aware that everything I have, God gave me.

When we become so totally aware that God is so constantly present in all that we are, in all that we have,in  all that we do we can't help but feel loved! The more we feel love the more we give love. Total awareness of God's presence in our lives is life changing. When those life changing moments come from God they are only good!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

12.20.11

Haggai 1:3-9 Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Look at what is happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. Your drink but are still thirsty. you put on clothes but cannot keep warm.  Your wages disappear as thought you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!  This is what the Lord of heavens armies says: Look at what's happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored says the Lord. You hoped for a rich harvest, but they were poor and when your brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heavens Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine homes.

My Thoughts
Wow... oh wow! Today for the first time I saw this as a testament to how important tithing is! We often go about thinking we don't have enough money to tithe... I know we did that for so long! It just didn't seem like we had enough to tithe... God gives us all that we have!!  Then we fail to take care of our Church, God's house by giving our 10%. We fail to make sure God's house is taken care of while we fill our houses with gadgets and toys... while we buy more clothes than we truly need... while we put fill our garages so full of stuff that we can't put our cars in them... while we rent storage for our stuff.... while we have yard sells to get rid of our junk.... we do all this and think we don't have money to take care of God's house! Here God was saying your house is not prospering because you have neglected My house.  If you want your money to go far... if you want your clothes to keep you warm...if you want your food to keep you full it is simple... take care of My house then I will take care of yours!

One hundred percent of what we have is from God... all he as in return is 10% of that 100% ... then God will take care of the 90%.  When we give back to God what he ask for it is us saying ... God thank you, I understand that all I have is from you...I trust you to take care of me and all of my needs. I know that 10% is a lot!!  I know that we can look at that 10% and see that it could do so much if we used it for our needs....but here God tells us...look as long at you are not taking care of My house...and long as your are not trusting me to take care of your 90% your money, your hard work, your harvest can not be protected by me...when you trust me enough to give to My house, then I will make sure that your 90% never runs out!!

Luke 6:38 says that Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.  God is telling us here...you give me 10% and I will give it back to you... with more.

It took us forever to trust this... and what I have found... what has happened to us since we started doing this is amazing.  When we kept that 10% we often had to go to our savings to take care of the unexpected... even when we were doing out best to take good care of our money.... even after we paid everything off.... things would come up that we needed that were beyond our weekly income.. since we have learned to trust God .... and we started with less than 10%, but we started...when we did that amazing things started to happen... here we were giving what we didn't feel like we could afford to give and all the sudden our paycheck kept meeting even our unexpected needs...then we slowly were able to give more to God... slowly reaching our 10%... the closer we got to that 10% the more money we had left over after even the unexpected bills came in.... now we meet the unexpected. and we have play money...now our savings grows...it is amazing that we always have the extra when extra is needed.  That investment that we make into God's house makes our money grow in so many unexpected ways.

God is always saying to us... show your faith in me by doing this... when you do this will happen!  God told Moses to strike the rock with his staff when he did water came pouring out... but Moses had so strike the rock... He told the people to march around the walls of Jericho..when they did the walls came tumbling down. God tells us...give to my house!!... Give me 10% when you do I will take care of your 90%. Your pockets will not have holes.. your clothes will keep you warm... your food will make you full...your harvest will come in. But first I have to know that you are depending on  me.

Tithing is the only place where God tells us to test Him... Malachi 3:10 says Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!...God says test me and I will show you that I will take care of you!!  When we give to God... God always give us more back in return!!

Does money fall through holes in your pocket? It use to fall through the holes in mine no matter what we seemed to do right... we just had to learn that the right thing was giving back to God the part He ask us for...that made all the difference!

Monday, December 19, 2011

12.19.11

Psalms 138:8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life -- for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don't abandon me for you made me.

My Thoughts
I love this...the Lord will work out His plans for my life.... I have to give my life to Him... completely hand it over, if I do my life can only be good! My plans for me can only reach as far as I the knowledge I have of the world... which is so small compared to the knowledge of God!!  I really don't know much past my small town.... my education is limited to some college and cosmetology school. What I know of jobs is limited to what my parents were, my husband is, what I have done (hair and retail) and to what my children are becoming.... my friends fit into this range as well. But God knows all... His is all knowing... His abilities are limitless.... His power is awesome... and His love for me, well that is far beyond anything I could hope for or imagine.  If I put my life in God's hands and say "Make of me, God, what you will." there is no telling what I can do or become!!  And whether to the world it is great,  or to the world it is small, God has the perfect plan for my life!  If I let God have control, if I listen to God and do what God ask, God will be so proud of me! If we make God proud, life just doesn't get any better than that!!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

12.18.11

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its 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.

My Thoughts
We so often think of love as just an overwhelming feeling... like we feel when we fall in love, or when we hold a new baby for the first time.  But, love is a choice.  Love is a decision we make. God commands us to even love our enemy. That for sure is a choice to make,  not an overwhelming feeling we get.  We are to love our neighbors...and of course we are to love our families. Here we are told what love is... patient, kind, not jealous or boastful or proud or rude, Love does not demand it's own way, it is not irritable, love does not keep record of being wronged. love does not rejoice with injustice but when the truth wins out. Love never gives up or looses faith. Love is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. We are called to love everybody. No matter how we feel we are to love.

My pastor's wife said she likes to put her name in the place of the word love to test to see if she is doing what she should...... Jeannie is patient and kind... Jeannie is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Jeannie does not demand her own way. Jeannie is not irritable (oops!!!). Jeannie keeps no record of being wronged (oh no!!). Jeannie does not rejoice about in injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins our. Jeannie never gives up (oh no!!). Jeannie never looses faith (getting much better). Jeannie is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance (must work on these things.)

I want to be love at all times... but to do that I must separate it from my feelings and put love into action...make the choice to love at all times. When we do what is right our feeling will follow... so often we have learned to follow our feelings. No wonder we are all messed up and selfish today. We all go about following our feelings.. if we want good feelings we have to do what God ask of us no matter how we feel.  When we are good, good feelings will follow. Life only gets better when we love... these verses tell us just what love really is.


Saturday, December 17, 2011

12.17.11

Proverbs 30:7-9 Oh God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the Lord?" And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.

My Thoughts
I really love this!! It was such a wise prayer that God made sure that it was included in His word to last for all the generations to see.  First it is so important to never tell a lie. Yet society teaches us that sometimes we need to tell "white" lies. We need to be aware and on our toes... conscious of all that we say. Conscious that if we fall into the trap of a "little white lie" being OK...that soon we will see the next lie as a "white" lie... where does it stop?

The next part is so important too... Give me enough to satisfy my needs...not my wants... my needs! Don't give me so much that I forget where all that I have comes from!  Don't make me so poor that I am desperate. In America we have been given so much, by God. We have been so blessed that we often don't know a need from a want.  We are so caught up in commercialism that we confuse what we "need" with what we want! "Priceless" has become those things we can't afford but HAVE to have to make life memorable, worth wild!  Today people are loosing the actual roof over their heads because they got so busy having to have so many "things" that they risk their homes to pay off their credit cards...so they could put more gadgets, more "priceless" moments on payments.  So they could give their kids more toys... but, sadly less time. We get so busy having to have that we forget to say thank you to God for all that He has given us!!  Imagine how that must make God feel!!  God give us our every need, food, clothing, a roof over our head, heat in the winter, cool air in the summer... he give us health and a job that provides for those things and we fail to say 'thank you God for providing my needs." We fail to wait on what more He wants so shower us with. Instead we go about getting more, by risking what God has provided for us.  When we risk what God has given us, even if we say thank you to God,  we are not showing our gratitude by our actions. We need to treasure all that God has provided us with, treat it like it is important and matters. When we prove our gratitude by cherishing the needs God has provided us with God will then pour out his blessing on us. Blessings that are  far beyond our imagination...more than what we could think to ask for (Ephesians 3:20). Our part is to remember God in all that we have. We need to remember that it is a gift that God has given us when our needs are provided. We need to be so thankful that our needs are met. Then we need to be so totally aware that the extras are just that...extra blessings. The extras can only be blessings if we don't jeopardize the needs God has so gracious supplied us with. We must keep "thank you" in our actions not just in our words.  It is essential that we stay aware that God is our provider. When we remember God in everything that we have our "priceless" moments will be beyond our imagination not something to pay for on our credit cards.

Friday, December 16, 2011

12.16.11

Micah 6:8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good and what is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

My Thoughts
Micah was saying look people it is easy... don't make it hard!! Love people! Love God! Listen to God, walk with God... be humble enough to do what God ask. Love mercy!

I looked up mercy so I would know exactly....I thought I knew...but I wanted to be sure I didn't miss a thing. 

Mercy is defined as

1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.

2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing

3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.

4. an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.

5. something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.

God does not ask us to do anything he does not do for us!  God gives us mercy all the time. God ask us to have mercy for others. God does not say love your neighbors, your enemies if they deserve it... God says love your neighbors, your enemies no matter, have mercy on them!

The definition of mercy seems like something that could be so hard to do in some circumstances...but if you think about it... isn't this how we want others to treat us?  Matthew 7:12 tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated. We all, each and every one of us want mercy.

God calls us to love, to love each other all the time...not when we deserve it. Not when somebody else deserves it... but all the time...maybe especially when someone doesn't seem to deserve it.  If we love others, each and every one of us, the way we wanted to be loved... no one, not one single person would be in need in this world. Who will you love today? Who will you show mercy to? Mercy has the ability to change the world... mercy is loving others, being kind to others always and in all circumstances.

Mercy is not a feeling we have... it is an act that we do.  When we show mercy good feelings will follow... we don't need to wait on the feeling we need to do what is right, we need to do what God ask of us. God does not say "feel mercy," "feel love." God says to have mercy and show love. When we do what God ask of us first..the good feelings will follow.

Today when you are out doing  your last minute Christmas shopping and the sales clerk is tired and grumpy..show mercy... smile at them, tell them to have a wonderful day!  If the waiter is not as kind as you think they should be, or forgets to fill your tea glass..leave a good tip anyway. When we have mercy on somebody that is having a bad day it changes their day...then instead of them being not so nice to the next person they feel better. Our love and mercy are like the ripples of peddles dropped in the water.... they go on forever, reaching out a little further every time. Mercy and love make a huge difference in the world. Mercy and love have the power to change the world because they comes from the grace of God. Our part, and we always have a part, is to let God work through us giving His mercy and love to each and every person we meet.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

12.15.11

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

My Thoughts
I admit this one was hard for me to get at first. Sometimes I have those moments or days were I just didn't know how to be thankful.  I remember thinking what is there in this moment to be thankful for??  The more I know God the more I know how to be thankful! In bad moments I can be thankful for what I am going to learn and how I am going to grow. I can be thankful that God is with me and I know that it could be so much worse without God by my side. I can be thankful that God will give me double for my trouble when I act with grace, compassion and mercy...when I pray for the people that feel like my enemies.  I can be thankful that God gives me new days to start over.  What I am learning about being thankful in all circumstances is that when I stop to be thankful the weight of what is happening at the moment decreases.... the good begins to feel bigger and the bad smaller.  When I am thankful on the bad days and in the bad moments I am more aware that God is with me and that with God all things are possible. When I find things to be thankful for it gets my mind off my troubles and back on God. There is always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for! When I am thankful it draws God near... so even if the problem I am having is bigger than me... it is never bigger than God.

I see it like this in my mind...when I am drowning in a problem... it can feel like I am being swallowed up by the sea...but when I call out to God and tell him thank you, He parts the water...makes the land dry beneath my feet.... and I am able to handle anything with His grace.  Then I am thankful that God loves me so much that he would part the waters and not let me drown in my problems.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

12.14.11

Jonah 4:11 (God said)But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?"

My Thoughts
Nineveh was a bad, sinful city!!  Really bad ... they had murdered many, many people. Destroyed many cities and took the plunder. God knew that most of these people had never learned about Him... God cared about the people of Nineveh and wanted them to have a better life.  God cares about all of us, God feels sorry for us when we don't know how to make better choices. God wants us to have a second chance... God wants us to make our lives better... to live in his light and in his love!!  God cares for each and every one of his Children... God made us all...God wants us all to have a chance to know him... a chance to do better. God loves us and wants us to have a good life. No matter what we have done God still loves us each and every one!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

12.13.11

Proverbs 29:25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safty.

My Thoughts
I lived so much of my life in fear of people...not horribly afraid.... just in fear of making somebody upset at me... or afraid of disjointing someone... or fear of someone not liking me. I admit that many times I did things I didn't want to do, things I knew were not the right thing to do, because of that fear. I would often make wrong choices for what felt like the right reasons.  Then I had to go about living with the shame of doing wrong. It was a horrible way to live, in constant fear. This is not a fear that anybody put on me... it was a fear that I took on myself. It was something the devil used to control me. And I let it work. I didn't really know how to do it different.

As I began to build my relationship with God all that begin to change. I started learning to ask myself if God would be happy with me if.  The more I know God the more I am able to make better choices.  So often knowing God narrows my choices down to one ... that is actually so freeing to have only one choice. It is definitely freeing to choose to please God over people!!  God will only want what is good for me. People often choose what makes them feel good at the moment. When I choose what God would want I get to feel good forever about that particular choice. When I trust in God I have no regret later, I have no guilt later...I have peace in my heart. I even know that if somebody gets upset at me because I didn't do what they wanted it will all be okay because God is in control and he will reward me, he will protect me when I do what He would have me do. God always has my best interest at heart.

If only I had learned this sooner in my life I would have been spared so much grief and guilt and  pain. What is important is that I know it now... building a relationship with God only makes life get better, and better and better. And better!!

Monday, December 12, 2011

12.12.11

Psalms 131:1a-2b I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.  Instead, I have calmed and quited myself like a weaned child who no longer needs his mother's milk.

My Thoughts
I love these words, just love them. David is to the point where he understands that  he doesn't  have to know because God knows! He doesn't  have to worry because God is in control!  It doesn't matter how big something is God will take care of it. David just feels calm, peaceful with the action of giving everything to God!  It just makes me smile.

I can't wait to be there where David is in this passage! I am so much better than I use to be... the more I know God, the more I study God's word the better I get! But, I still have so far to go!! My anxiety use to be off the chart!!... Often to the point of panic... now I am calm at least 90% of the time or more!!... and that is when I am awake!!   The peace of God amazes me every time I stop and think about it.... when I take time to think about the peace of God I always smile... The more I know God, the more I am able to stop myself when  an anxiety attack starts. I am able to use God's word, speak it out loud and calm my fears. If it is something that is going to happen that I am starting to worry about...I say "God, you are bigger than anything that I face. You word tells me that you that are in me is greater than anything in the world."  If I don't know what I am anxious about I can say "God I have no idea where this is coming from, but I know that you are in control...I am going to trust you because you are bigger than anything I face. Please bring me peace. If I have done something I shouldn't have please forgive me. Please show me what it was so I can do better."  When I do this peace comes over me...sometimes I have to keep repeating it until I remember that it is so true. But it always brings me peace..in a matter of a few minutes or even an hour sometimes. Peace always comes..and when I look back I say well look at that...that is something that use to mess me up for days or even a couple of weeks...now it is all better because of the peace of God! That peace has come over me enough that I can draw on the fact that I know when I gave my problem to God last time things were all better. And the time before that and the time before that and....  The more history I have with God the more I understand just what God can and will do in my life. This is what David had, a history with God. A history of God taking care of him. That history, that trust, that knowing is where David got his peace. Where David got his knowledge that God was taking care of the matters to great or too awesome to understand.

God spoke the world into existence... God spoke the darkness and light into being... God spoke the sun and the moon and the stars and the animals into being.  If God's words, just his words,  can do all that just think how powerful just repeating them out loud is!! We never need as much power as God needed to speak everything into existence... we just need enough to calm our spirit enough to hear what God has to tell us. God's word never comes back void (Isaiah 55:11). God gave us His word to use! God has made sure it survived so much, God wants us to use his word to do battle against the evils of the world. This is something David understood and it brought him peace. It can bring  us peace...the more we know God's word the more peace we can have.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

12.11.11

Amos 4:4-6a Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: "Come back to me and live!  Don't worship at the pagan alters of Bethel; don't go to the shrines at Gilgal or Beersheba.  For the People of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile, and the people of Bethel will be reduced to nothing. Come back to me and live!

My Thoughts
I wonder what God considers our pagan alters and shrines? Is it sports, TV's, shopping malls. I suspect it is anything we spend more time thinking about than we spend thinking about God. For some people it is even work, making money, having the most toys, being better than the Jones. What are our pagan alters and shrines? 

I know that I am bad to watch TV... I have gotten better... during the day I keep it turned off...but when 7 pm gets here the TV is on and I am watching TV till 10.  What better could I be doing with that time? What could I be doing to honor God?

Don't get all bent out of shape on me...I am just thinking things through.... I am not saying football is bad...but when we think more on football, when we spend more time watching and reading about football... when we think on shopping or what we are going to watch on TV tonight....  but don't make time for God in our day we are putting something before God.

I spend time with God each morning... but, I don't spend time with God each night... yet I watch 3 hours of TV!!... I need to end my day with God... I am beginning to understand that I need to make sure that God is a central part of my day...not just in the morning...but other parts of my day as well!!  When we seek after God, when we make God central in our lives, God takes care of the rest.

As Joyce Meyer says "I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I use to be." I am learning... the more I learn the more God puts the desire and the power in me to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13). God wants to be most important in our lives! We have to make the effort to make Him most important.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

12.10.11

Proverbs 29:20 There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.

My Thoughts
Wow!... We all go about just talking, talking, talking.  Most people just have a need to be heard.  I know I do...sometimes worse than others. This verse got me to thinking about how we are suppose to seek God in all that we do. That includes opening our mouths.  What if every time we started to say something we sent up a quick prayer that our words would be right, what if we asked God to keep our mouth closed if we shouldn't say what we were about to say? I bet a lot of our mouths would be closed, a lot more often. What if we said a quick prayer that our words would be good words, kind words... what if we asked when the phone rang for our ears to listen more than our mouth speaks? I know I think often that I should pray before I answer the phone... but I have been answering the phone all my life without doing that. So I just react without prayer first.  That act in itself is pretty foolish. 

Romans 12:12 tells us to be in constant prayer.... 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to be in uninterrupted, constant prayer.... that means that we need to pray before speaking. This is for sure something that I need to work on!!


Friday, December 9, 2011

12.9.11

Revelations 1:3 God blesses the one who reads the words of his prophecy to the church and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey with it says, for the time is near.

My Thoughts
God is always telling us to do what He ask...and always telling us that if we do he will bless us! The only way to do what God aks is to take the time to hear, read and learn what God has commanded us to do.  His commandments are for our good... just like we make rules for our children so they will grow up safe and strong, and good... God makes rules for us to make our lives better...and to make the lives of the people around us better. God wants to bless us... he leaves nothing secret making us guess about it so hopefully we will get it right... God tells us exactly what he wants us to do so that he can bless us!!.. Right here He adds "for the time is near." God does not want us to run out of time... to put off what we know we should do...God does not want us to miss out on all that he has in store for us.

I love that,  all that God has "in store" for us... I just had this picture in my head of a store filled up with God's blessings... full...packed out!!... Blessings in boxes, ours just for the asking...Jesus paid the price for us to have these blessings... all God ask of us is that we act responsible and follow his rules...the we can have all the things in the store we want if we just ask for it!  God is saying... Jesus paid for your sins... and now all I need you to do to get your blessings is be responsible human beings....then I will pour out all these blessings I have "in store" down upon you! 

God wants to bless us... God does not want us to miss out on heaven and all those blessings... God loves us so much. We just have to do our part...and we always have a part... we need to learn what God ask of us... we need to become responsible Christians.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

12.8.11

Hosea 10:12 I said, "Plant the good seeds of righteousness and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you."

My Thoughts
This is saying to me... Do what is right, do what I ask you to do and I will make sure that you know how much I love you!!... I will make sure that people love you and that you love people. Soften your heart to doing good... seek after me and I will make you right... I will make your life right...I will make your relationships right... I will make your life good.  If you go about doing good...I will take care of the rest.

When we are going about our day making decisions... instead of saying to ourselves "what should I do?" We should say to God... "God, what would you have me do?"... then listen...and let God take care of the rest!!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

12.7.11

Hosea 6:3 Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in the early spring.

My Thoughts
Press on.... I looked that up... it means to move forward.... it means to advance, to march on, to press.  Another words keep at it!! ... work at it.. do it even when it is hard.... make every effort to know God.  That means if we have to get up a little early to make time... or if we have to get books on CD to listen to in the car or if we have to stay up a little late...it is our responsibility to make an effort, to advance our knowledge of God. The more we seek after God the more God give us,  so making the time for God is well worth the effort. There is no better dividend on our time. It says right here in Hosea that God will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring!!  These are two wonderful word pictures.... the sun rising in the morning filling the darkness with so much light...it's brilliant and amazing... it is full of hope and something new.... it fills your heart if you are awake and see the dawn. And spring rains...oh wow.... they pour down... and fill the ground overflowing...the cause new things to grow beautiful and healthy.... they make make things grow that fill the earth with color, and happiness...even the birds sing the most beautiful songs after a spring rain. 

When we seek after God, God responds to us! He responds in amazing ways...giving us hope and a newness of life... God pours out his blessings on us... He makes our life new and bright... when we press on and get to know God better and better we become like the birds in spring...we have songs to sing!!! Our part... and we always have a part... is to press on to know God.  What will you do today to know God better? Do something.. at least one thing... so the darkness will fade away... so that God can pour out his blessings and make your life new...do at least one thing today to know God better!!!

Me holding your face in my hands...looking into your eyes... right into your eyes with great love!!... "Take time for God... God loves you so, so, so much!... God has so much to give you! Please promise me that you will not pass that up! Promise me!!  God can do amazing thing!"

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

12.6.11

2 John 1:5 I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have heard from the beginning.

My Thoughts
We are told 11 times in the New Testament to "love one another:" Here John is reminding, reminding  the people to "love one another." I wonder how often God tires of having to remind us to love one another. We are not told to love our those people that like us... or to love those people that love us.... we are told to love one another. If we are in a crowd and we are told to take hands with one another... everybody takes hands...not just friends, or family but everybody. We are called to love, even the unlovable probably especially the unlovable. Sometimes this can be really hard... but the verses never say "If it is easy, love one another," they just instruct us to love.

I was in line yesterday at Hobby Lobby (imagine that, me at Hobby Lobby), a lady that was about to get in line let me go first, I was then next to an old friend that I rarely see..so I got a chance to hug her!...then the lady behind me didn't have a coupon...I shared so she could get a discount. It was an amazing, most pleasant experience! We all had a moment of loving one another. It all started with that dear lady taking a moment to be loving, by letting me go first.   The day before I had been at Wal-Mart where nobody even spoke to each other, me included.  I had not done my part in spreading love when I was at Wal-Mart. What if I had been the one to make the first move then... we might have had another good moment in the check-out line. But I had not taken the moment, nobody had, to share love.

We are all rushing about trying to get things done... we even make life hard by deciding to put so much into our days.... We make work for ourselves where there is none.  We go about being busy, busy, busy... Then we can get through a whole day and stop and realize we have not taken the time to love anybody. Imagine what just a day would be like if we all set out to love each other...to treat each other with love, everywhere we went...and then all those people had set out to do the same.  Love has the ability to change everything.  That power starts with a single person doing what God commanded us to do... will you be that person in your world? I hope to be that person in mine! 

Monday, December 5, 2011

12.5.11

1 John 5:14-15 And we are confident that he hears us, whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.  And since we know he hears us when we make our request, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

My Thoughts
I love this!!!...Love, Love, Love this verse!!!...it is just so exciting!!... God answers our prayers when we ask for things that are good for us or good for others.  How exciting is that!!  I am reminded of verses where God says he will pour out his blessings on us....Malachi 3:10 says and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it....Grace and peace is poured into our lives by our heavenly Father. (Eph. 1:2 Message).  Poured out!!...I love that!!  God did not say I will give you a little grace and peace...he did not say I will trickle down some blessings...he said I will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessings that you will not have enough room for it!!... God has all kinds of blessings in store for us... and we can even request what we want...if it is a request that pleases God we will get it!  Wow how lucky are we!!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

12.4.11

1 John 4:4 But you belong to God, my dear children.  You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

My Thoughts
We have to deal with the things that the devil puts in the world all the time... the attitudes he plants in peoples heads.... the unkindness he puts in the world...the anger, oh the anger.  What we have to remember that the Spirit that God puts in us is so much greater that the spirit of the devil which abound on this earth!  When faced with dishonesty, unkindness, gossip, hatefulness.... we don't have to act like the world... we can act like God intended for us to act...we can act with love.... Even if another person does not accept that spirit of love that we draw upon, we can at least walk away feeling good about ourselves.  We can feel good because we choose love, we chose to listen to the Holy Spirit inside us... we chose not just to act like children of God, but to react like children of God.  The thing we must remember when we are faced with a situation where we want to lash out is... we do have the Holy Spirit to guide us...and to give us strength to do the right thing, even when it is the hard thing. We are never, ever alone when we stand up to the evil around us... God is always there, with his grace, equipping us with the things we will need to fight the good fight!! The world is not bigger that the Creator of the World...when we have God on our side all things are possible!!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

12.3.11

1 John 3:16-17 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.  So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but does shows no compassion -- how can God's love be in that person?

My Thoughts
I read once in a Dave Ramsey book that if all Christians tithed their 10% there were be no need for welfare....that Churches would be able to take care of all the poor in America. What an interesting fact!

When I was a little girl, in the 60's mid size houses were much smaller than "mid-size" houses are today. It was not unusual for kids to share bedrooms.  Yet as America grows and prospers and what the middle class has,  becomes more and more... and the divide between the have and the have nots seems to widen. The more electronic communication we have the more we are able to ignore the world around us. The more selfish we are able to become.

Yet we are called to have compassion...we are called to take care of one another... it ask us here how can God be in  a person that shows no compassion for people in need? Luke 12:48 tells us From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  God gives to us so that we can give to others... God gave to America because America loved God and did what he ask.  If we want to grow we need to have compassion...we need to let go of what God has given us and help others. We need to trust God that when we do what He ask us to do He will always take care of our needs.  Luke 6:18 says Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” The tighter we hold on to, or the more we spend on ourselves to the point to having no money to hold on to... the less we will have in the long run.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed over greed.... America can be destroyed over greed. As Christians we need to step up and show compassion... not ask questions deciding if this person or that person deserves our help... we are to reach out and help those in need... God takes care of the rest... God takes care of us if we have compassion in our heart...compassion is evidence that God lives there.

When we stand before God I think one of the questions that God will ask is "Did you have compassion?" I want to be able to answer "yes." The more I know God the more my compassion grows.... but I still have so much to learn...and so much to grow... I want to get to the point where I never say to myself, "but, if I give I can buy me _____________."  After all Jesus gave up his life... his life for me.... surely I can give up "toys" so a family can eat.

 

Friday, December 2, 2011

12.2.2

Psalms 121:5-6 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stand beside you as your protective shade.  The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.

My Thoughts
I could relate to this verse.... I have Lupus, and the sun is really toxic to Lupus patients.... If I get in the sun for any period of time I am exhausted, completely, utterly exhausted.  Occasionally something comes up that I just want to do bad enough to weather the sun... so I suit up in my sunscreen and my long sleeves and go off to a craft fair, enjoy myself for a couple of hours...then end up in bed for the rest of that day and a couple of days after..... If I was an outside person I would be really in trouble... those Lupus patients often end up with really painful skin rashes.  My daughter and son-in-law lived in Memphis for a while ...we would take the 5 hour trip there and back once a month...I would sit in the back where the windows were tinted...and still I would need rest for the whole next week.

These facts got me to thinking about the Lord being a protective shade...how huge that is.... God himself fills me with joy... joy gives us energy... joy actually protects us from being exhausted. God gives us his grace to help us accomplish anything we can not do on our own.... that protects us by making me able even when I think I can't .. We have God's word as armor against what the devil tells us. When we speak God's word  out loud it is stronger than anything the devil tries to bring against us. God never sleeps (verse 4) he is ALWAYS, ALWAYS watching over us and protecting us.

I picture like this.... God holding a huge, huge umbrella.... we always have the choice to stand next to God and be protected from the sun... He is there saying come and stand with me...I love you and want with all my heart to keep you safe.... our part, and we always have a part, is to choose to stand in God's protection.

I am constantly re-amazed by how much God loves us...how much he loves me...how much he loves you!!  The more I learn about God's love the more I love God back...the more joy I feel... the more faith I have! It just makes me happy!!




Thursday, December 1, 2011

12.1.11

1 John 2:5 But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love him.  That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives like Jesus did.

My Thoughts
I remember that campain, we all do "What would Jesus do?"  It was a passing "fad." How sad that it was a passing fad... it was a brilliant idea... if only it had worked.  I remember that it did make me ask myself quite a few times "What would Jesus do?" I just didn't ask myself enough times.  I think it is because even though I knew it was the right, good thing...I did't really know what Jesus would do... I had not taken time to really, truly know. What I am learning, as I take time to read my Bible each day, is that the more I know God the more I want to know God.... the more I read what Jesus taught the more I know how to be more like Jesus... I am learning that growing is a process...  and that God sees that I am trying... I am becoming a little more like Jesus each day... I have forever to go!!!... I am only a tee nincy bit into my journey...but I am making progress!!  The Bible is always talking about planting the seed and it growing.... for that seed to grow it takes lots of tending to!!..Lots... weed pulling, watering, feterlizer... a constant watch for things that attack the garden.... God puts into us the Holy Spirit... the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23). All those things are there... ours for the taking.... we just have to make sure to nourish them with God's word, and with prayer. When we see these things begin show in our lives we can know that we are growing... God knows that we need time to grow into the person he intended for us to be.... the plants in the garden start growning soon after they are planted...you may not see it for a while...but the growing is happening deep underground... then you see the sprouts of progress.... the plants in the garden grow until their death... it is an ongoing, lifetime thing... that garden needs tending until the farmer is ready to harvest the plant.  We need to fill our mind and our heart with God's word so that when the Holy Spirit speeks inside us, guiding us we recognize His voice...so that we can show God just how much we do love him... this for us is a lifetime process.... the weeds, the enemy can always get in if we are tending to our garden... The amazing thing is the more we take time to know God the more time we make to know God. When this begins to happen in our lives, we will never be the same again!!

I challange you to make a commitment to yourself and to God to take the time to read and to learn and to grow. God's word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). God has a way of making our time work for us when we make time for him. We all want our lives to be better!  Taking time for God is a sure way to change your world.  It changed my world in amazing ways!!...Amazing ways!!!  I will never be the same. If I could sit across from you right now I would take your face in my hand and say "God loves you, YOU so much! If you never learn anything else from me hear this.... God loves you! He made you, he is proud of you, he thinks you are amazing...he has so much joy and love  to pour out on you... it will be overflowing!" ..then I would put a Bible in your hand and say, "Read this every day, never stop! It will change your life! I promise it will!"

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

11.30.11

Proverbs 119:164 I will praise you seven times a day because all your regulations are just.

My Thoughts
This really struck me... I like it!!  As much as I talk to God through out the day I am not so sure that I talk to him seven times a day.... I figured it up... I would need to do it when I wake up at 7, then 9:30, 12. 2:30, 5, 7:30 and when I go to be around 10... that would start my day with God...and keep me refreshed, reminded ... keep me in good standing... I could love over the last couple of hours and even remember if I had sinned.... it would be constantly drawing God near to me.  I would always be setting the reset button.  I love this idea!!...this plan... with all our modern technology it is easy too... I will set my cell phone to go off with a Bible Verse for the week... every two and a half hours!  Then seven times a day I will read my Bible verse, ask forgiveness...and praise God... then the people in my path I need to pray for will be fresh on my mind too. I am excited!!  I would love it if you would do this with me!! 

Imagine how a life would have to change that stopped to praise God seven times a day!!  Imagine how a family would change!!...Imagine how a nation would change!!...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

11.29.11

Psalms 119:133 Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.

My Thoughts
At first I think of this verse and think about how I need to know God word so that I know how to do good... to be good... so that I can be strong enough to make the right choices, even when the world tells me to do something different.  And God's word so does that for me... it helps me in this way every day!  I get amazed daily at how much it has helped me.

The more I read and learn God's word the more I see this verse in another way... when evil is all around me... when the devil is trying to trip me up by putting things in my way and making my day hard.... when I have God's word hidden in my heart not only does it help me make right choices... it also helps me have joy! and peace! in the mist of turmoil. That, my friend, is the most amazing feeling of all!!  It makes me think of the story when Jesus and the disciples were in the boat...and the sea was raging... the boat was being toss all about.. a little boat... a big, big sea..... Jesus was asleep in the boat, ASLEEP in the middle of the storm... why? Jesus knew that God was in control...and that God was going to take care of him!!  Now, in situations where I use to fall completely apart...and I could so fall completely apart.... I am held together by God's word... in the mist of bad situation I now find myself with a faint smile on my face because, in my heart I know that God is going to take care of my day....I know that God gives me the gift of a new day tomorrow... I know that I don't need control, God is in control...and I begin to pray. I give my situation, my day to God...when I don't know what to say, or what to ask...I praise God, I just praise him...and that little smile on my face just gets bigger. 

God's word is a bit like a security blanket... you have this yarn, which is the Bible...and you have yourself which is a loom, or knitting needles or a crochet hook... each are a bit useless apart... but when they are put together they create  beautiful and strong security blanket!!  As you read God's word a stitch forms...and another and another... the more you read the bigger the blanket grows...the warmer it gets...the more it swallows you up.... when the blanket is little...still tiny it can come unraveled quickly...but if you keep adding stitches and stitches and stitches your security blanket gets bigger and bigger and stronger and stronger so even on a bad day...when you become a bit unraveled...there is still lots of blanket there to keep you warm and safe... as you call on God's word that has been placed in your heart you can knit your blanket back together right where you are... the string you have already woven into your blanket is always there with you... the more time you spend in God's word the more stitches and string that are in your blanket..the safer and warmer you are... the best part is as your blanket gets larger, and larger it can be shared, wrapped around others. We have to make the effort to stitch the blanket together!! When we do God's keeps us safe and warm!

Monday, November 28, 2011

11.18.11

2 Peter 22:19b For you are a slave to whatever controls you.

My Thoughts
Wow! Wow! What powerful words!  None of us like to be a slave to anything... we as Americans  are especially proud of our freedom.  Yet so many of us walk around in bondage.  When you first read this you can think about the alcoholic or the drug addict.... they are a slave to the next drink or the next hit... and if you don't do those things you feel like everything is OK in your life you after all are not a slave. But the truth is we have probable all been a slave to something at one time or other. We are a slave to anything that interrupts our lives to the point it is in our thoughts when we need or want to think about something else...anything that we wake up and have to do.... anything that we plan our lives around.

Some of us are a slave to money.... we have let money control us instead of controlling our money..... once we let our bills get out of hand because we couldn't control our spending we become slaves to our money... it is actually controlling us.  Some of us are slaves to football.... yes, football.... we are so wrapped up in football that we can't miss a game... I have even heard of dads missing the birth of their child because of a football game... when we let something like football get so important that it actually controls our emotions ... we have become a slave to football. Some of us are a slave to Facebook... we have to check in when we wake up...and before we go to bed...and time in between to make sure we are connected to the world.  Some of us are slaves to Farm-ville, Cafe World or any other of those type of games... I actually called somebody from the hospital once to harvest my plants... Some people are a slave to work... the world has give them a label, work-a-holics...when work is all you can think about even when you are at home with your family.... something needs to change.  Some of us are a slave to reading or video games... some of us have become a slave to stuff...to the point it has taken over our houses... the label to that is hording.  Some of us are a slave to Grey's Anatomy or Criminal minds.... Some of us are a slave to worry, worry of any kind.... Anything that gets into our thoughts so much that it controls what we do and think...that it actually controls our emotions, we have become slaves to. When something gets in the way of what we need to do...when something gets in the way of our ability to hear others when they talk... when something takes over our emotions.... when something takes over our ability to be in control we have become a slave to it. We have given up our freedom that we cherish so much.

I think this verse is warning us to be aware of the things that control our lives... to be aware of the things that get into our heads so much that we can't keep our mind on God.. that we can't stay focused on the needs or others... and we are really in trouble when something effects us so much that we choose it over taking care of our own basic needs.... I think three signs of being controlled by something is 1. it controls our emotions... 2. we find ourselves doing something all the time, to the point of neglecting ourselves or others... 3. we are avoiding it... (money problems, house work). When we are a slave to something, anything we can't "let go, and let God."  We need to be disciplined enough to be free, free to be the person God wants us to be. We need to be aware enough of our lives and what is going on in our life to recognize the signs of being controlled... then we need to step up to the devil himself and say I will not be a slave to anything you put in my path.... I am a child of the most high God and I will be free to be what He would have me be.

I am a slave to a few things... it is a bit hard to be honest with myself about this...but I am a slave, a bit to Facebook... a bit to TV.... OK, Ok I am a bit of a slave to knitting and crochet.... I need to take my life back in these areas so that I can be free to be what God wants me to be. What are you a slave to?


Sunday, November 27, 2011

11.27.11

2 Peter 1:2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

My Thoughts
I have heard God's grace defined as God's ability in us to accomplish what we could not do on our own. I love that definition of God's grace... and peace... we all know that you can not put a price on peace.  Master Card loves to define peace as having a moment doing something we can't afford without credit.  Peace is is so much bigger than that!!  Peace is that amazing feeling of everything in life being OK, taken care of...everything being right... feeling right with yourself, the people around you... feeling right with God. 

The bible tells us more than once to seek knowledge... it tells us that if we seek knowledge that knowledge will be given to us... our part, we always have a part, is seeking after knowledge in God and in Jesus our Lord... if we seek...if we take time to learn about God, God will give us more grace and more peace and more grace and more peace... and more grace and more peace.  We can never learn enough. But, to get that grace and peace we have to do our part.

I encourage you with all my being to pick up your Bible and start reading it for yourself... it changes your life.  I know that you can't put a price on peace because I use to never be peaceful...but as I have spent time studying God's word the peace inside me has grown by leaps and bounds.. the strength of God has made me able to do things I could not do two years ago.... I can trace this all back to picking up my Bible and spending time every morning with God... God's word is amazing it will change your world. I know it is changing my daily... I can't wait to learn more, to grow more... I can't wait to find out what it feels like to have more peace in my life. God is amazing!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

11.26.11

1 Peter 4:8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

My Thoughts
I love this!!... Love covers a multitude of sins!!  We need to love each other.... do things for each other in love! I read this and got this picture of God on judgment day... saying "My dear son, I saw you cheat,  I saw you lie, I saw steal." The sinner with his head held down trembling and afraid. Then I pictured God taking that sinners shamed face in his hands.... pulling it up so that God could look in his eyes and God saying "But, my son you loved your fellow man... you fed your neighbor, you were kind to strangers in the street, you encouraged people.. YOU loved people! Welcome to my home."

1 Corinthians 13:13 says that three things will last forever faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus tells us  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” We are called to love... love does amazing things! Love changes everything.... when love is given to babies that have been neglected they begin to thrive. People that live alone that have pets to love and to love them live longer than people that live alone without a pet. Love is a powerful, powerful thing... love even covers a multitude of sins.

We we spend time loving only ourselves love stops... it does not even grow... 1 x 1 only equals one... but when we love others... and they love others.... love grows expediently.  What if love covers sins expediently? The wonderful thing about love is that love grows out in all directions... when we send love out it comes back. We are called to love... who will you show love to today?

Friday, November 25, 2011

11.25.11

Proverbs 28:14 Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.

My Thoughts
I love this!!...Love, love, love it!!   "Blessed are those who FEAR to do wrong"... it does not say blessed are those who are perfect, who never ever mess up!  It says "Blessed are those who FEAR to do wrong." To me that says God blesses you if you are trying, he knows it is hard...and that old habits die hard...but if you are trying...and you so want to do what is right...and you don't want to do what is wrong, God sees that and he will bless you!! It just makes my heart happy.... It also says on but woe to you if you have that "I know this is wrong but, I am doing it anyway!!" attitude..... been there...I have quit doing that!!! 

The more I know God and try... the better my life gets!  This verse tells me why it is getting better, and better and better. Does the devil tempt me to do wrong...yes!!...Do I sometimes entertain those temptations? Yes I do... but then I remember what God has told me...the more I learn what God says the more ammunition I have to fight off those temptations to do wrong, to act wrong... to react wrong. When the devil tempts me to do bad and I stop and say no this is not what God would want... God smiles down on me!... He blesses my day... God is proud... God notices that I am trying. I may even do the wrong thing trying to do right...but God knows when I was doing my best to make the right decision!!

I love that God loves us so much that he blesses us when we try!!  It is so important to learn what our blessings are... how all that is good comes from God... the more we are aware of our blessings the more we are aware of God's love... the more we are aware of just how much God loves us the more we want to do good... then the more we want to do good the more blessings we get... when we get totally aware of God and all his goodness life just gets better and better and better!!

The next time the devil tempt you to do bad, and he will, remember that God knows when you are trying... never give up. Don't ever believe the devils lies, that trying doesn't work... God always knows when we try!