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







Monday, April 30, 2012

4.30.12

John 1:12 But to all who believed him (Jesus) and accepted him, he gave the right to become the children of God.

My Thoughts
My husband, Robby is a UPS driver. He delivers to this huge house...it has two round towers... it is massive...it looks like a castle.  In fact he calls it "The Castle."  He will say "I had a package for The Castle today." It is massive and beautiful.

We could never knock on the door of that castle and say "I love your son, I believe he is yours." and just be invited in to live.. to be taken care of...to be loved. They would just look at us like we were crazy people.

Yet God with all his glory... who lives in a place that would make this castle so small, so unglorious... who lives in a place of pure love, joy and peace, says to us, "Here is my son, accept him and love him and all I have is yours!" Jesus said... "I am leaving you now but I will prepare a place for you!" He is preparing a place for us in that wonderful castle of Heaven! All we have to do is love somebody back, that loved us so much that they died on a cross in our place!!  That shouldn't even be hard. 

If we were drowning...and a stranger jumped in and saved us...we would feel forever grateful. We would instantly love that person...they would always be a part of our hearts.

Jesus did just that... He basically said "No, take me!! Don't put her, don't put him on that cross, take me instead!!"  Yet so often we spend whole days, weeks, months or even  years without taking time to love Jesus back. 

How blessed we are that we can knock on the door of Heaven and say...I believe, I accept, please forgive me of my sins.  And God opens that door and says, "Come on in my child, we are so happy you  are home!"

Sunday, April 29, 2012

4.29.12

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad.

My Thoughts
Even wonder how to help somebody that is going through anxiety?  Well here is our answer!!  Encourage, encourage, encourage!!  God tells us to build each other up... we can do that just be encouraging somebody with our words.  1 Corinthians 8:1 tells us that love builds people up.  Encouraging words are words of love.  Love has a way of healing even the deepest wound.  Our words have great power...the simplest word of kindness can move mountains.... kind words can change a moment, a day, and sometimes they can change a life.  If we want to make a difference in this world, we can start by using encouraging words.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

4.28.12

Luke 24:5b-6a "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He has risen from the dead!

My Thoughts
VICTORY! Over evil, over our sins. Our forever forgiveness...all we have to do is go to God and ask! What love! We are so totally blessed!

Friday, April 27, 2012

4.21.12

Judges 7:9-11 That night the Lord said, "Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midinaites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack."

My Thoughts
If Gideon was discouraged he was to listen, LISTEN!! Then he would be encouraged... and look it was his very own enemy that encouraged him!!  I wonder how often when we are discouraged that we don't stop and listen..that we get too busy talking about how we can't. We get busy discouraging ourselves with our words. God used Gideon's enemy to encourage him!! But Gideon had to be quiet and listen!! 

We need to use the words "I can't" as a reminder to shut up and listen to God ... and see what God says about the situation.  Two things could happen... He could tell us we can and just how to do it... or He could tell us we shouldn't...and shouldn't is a much different feeling that can't is!!  God is our encourager!!! God builds us up!!  We can't hear Him doing that if we are busy talking instead of listening.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

4.26.12

Judges 6:15-16 "But Lord," Gideon replied, "How can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!"

My Thoughts
God ask Gideon to do something huge!  HUGE! And Gideon felt like he was not able...not capable.... not strong enough... not important enough...but God was with Gideon!  God ask us to do things we feel like we are not able to do...but when God ask He will give us the strength to do it.  Gideon even later ask God to show him a sign...and God did.  We can as God.. is this something you want me to do... please let me know deep in my heart that you will be with me...and God will.  When God ask us.. he makes us able!!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

4.25.12

Proverbs 14:4 Without an oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

My Thoughts
How much do we miss out on because we want things to stay the same... stay "clean" ... stay the way we expect them to be?  When if we were willing to make some changes, to get ourselves a little "dirty" there would be so much in store for!!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

4.24.12

Psalms 92:14 Even in old age they (the godly) will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.

My Thoughts
We see magazine articles, scientific studies all kinds of things written up on how to stay young and healthy. The answer all along is here written in God's word.... be godly.  Love God with all our heart... love others as we love our selves... follow the commandments... listen to the Holy Spirit... act in a way God would have us act...  stay in contact with God through prayer and study.  If we are Godly we will produce fruit and remain vital and green.

My grandmother lived to be 96...she held a job into her 80's.... I never saw her as anything but beautiful. She was a godly woman.  Let's get busy improving our lives by loving God with all our hearts!!

Monday, April 23, 2012

4.23.12

Luke 21:34 "Watch out! Don't let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware."

My Thoughts
WOW! Worry is right up there with carousing and drunkenness!! I don't carouse and I don't drink...so I was feeling pretty good about myself..then I got to the worries of this life part!!!... Boy, oh Boy did that take me down a notch or ten!!  I was taught that if you were not worried about something that it didn't matter to you... or that you didn't care about it... or you didn't care about another person if you didn't worry.  Worry made me a "good" person.  Oh yes it ate me up...made me some days where I couldn't even function...but it "made me good!" I have actually gotten in trouble as a child for not worrying about something enough.  Which probably meant that somebody wanted me to make more of an effort..but in my mind it translated to actual worry.  Have any of you felt that same way? 

So today I started to think...ponder how worry was like being dulled by carousing and drunkenness... if you think about it it has so many of the same effects.  It dulls our senses, it separates us from God, it makes us make bad choices... How does it make us make bad choices you ask... well so many times when we worry we look for solutions...then we act on the first solution that comes along without care for the consequences of that solution... it puts us in such a state that we can't think clearly.... it makes us act selfishly... it keeps our minds on us instead of on others... so often when we worry we don't go to God because we are too busy trying to fix the problem on our own.... when we are chronic worriers we find things to worry about that don't even exist.... and if you were raised like me...and so many of us were... we worry to feel good about ourselves... sounds a lot like people who drink too much to me. When we worry we often times make problems where there were none.

In all the times that I sit and confess my sins by name...I have never listed worry.  I don't drink because I have seen what drinking does to family members...I would never married a drinker...my kids even knew that them drinking would be the one thing that would break my heart... I taught them that alcoholism ran in our family so they had to be very careful!... then I turned around and taught them to worry!!

This is a sin that will take me time to conquer... it is something that I will have to really work hard on... but I can!  Little by little I can get better about worry!!! I can start by being aware and confessing it as a sin.  It is one of those sins that once you conquer it will make life so much better!!  The rewards of not sinning by worrying will far outweigh anything I think I can accomplish with worry! God is so good to teach us what what is good for us and what isn't..he does this because he love us so much!!  Here he is telling us that worry is bad... it is actually a sin... it is something that will keep our mind off what God wants us to accomplish!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

4.22.12

Proverbs 13:21 Trouble chases sinners while blessings reward the righteous.

My Thoughts
I have heard Pastor David define righteous as "right standing with God."  Being righteous doesn't mean we won't mess up...it doesn't mean that we will never sin...it means that when we do...we go straight to God and make everything in our lives right again by confessing our sin.  I find that when I see myself confessing the same sin over and over again that I finally begin to notice that sin when it is happening.  Once I begin to notice that sin outside of my confessions to God each day the first thing I notice myself doing is asking forgiveness right after the sin....then I find myself stopping mid sin...the I find that I hear the Holy Spirit prompting me when I just think about repeating that sin... and finally, finally I have control over that sin.  It is a process...something I learn little by little.

The thing is... I am made right by God...as long as I confess my sin...and as long as I am trying to do better.  Blessings reward the righteous!!... As I do better I find more of God's blessings in my life.  When I wasn't trying to do better...when I was not confessing my sins...I would often find that no matter how much I tried to do right, trouble happened. It looking back if was just as if it was always chasing me down...running after me to make life harder.  When I learned to get right with God my efforts produced rewards. 

We have to realize that God is on our side!  God loves us so much and he wants to make our lives good.  The things we learn from the Bible are not to make life hard...they are to make our lives so much easier.  This verse tells us... If you get right with God blessing will follow... if you go about sinning and not caring that you sinned and don't make an effort to do better ...then trouble follows.  God is saying... "I have to separate myself from sin. Confess that sin so that I can be with you and bless you!!  When you do that not only will I bless you, I will help you do better and better and better. I love you so much!!" The thing that seperates us from God is unconfessed sin in our lives... our complete unwillingness to admit that we do anything wrong.  When we get in that mode trouble chases us down. When we run to God and say..I have messed up! Please forgive me!!  Please help me do better! ... Then God pours our his blessing on our lives in amazing ways!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Proverbs 13:19 It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.

My Thoughts
This says to me....when we want something we have to do our part to get it.  That God will step in and help us, because he loves us so much.  But we have to get up and get started... then we have to walk in God's will so that we don't separate ourselves from God.  When we do that ...when we get going and make an effort...when we walk in God, when we love God ..then God steps in and helps us accomplish our dreams...God makes those dreams a possibility.  The sky is the limit when we walk with God, and when we do our part!!

Friday, April 20, 2012

4.20.12

Joshua 21:45 Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

My Thoughts
I love this...love it... not a single good promise was left unfulfilled!!!  There are so many wonderful promises in the Bible for us...so many. A lot of them come with and "if"  ... "if you do this then I will bless you this way."  When the Israelites did their "if's" there lives were so full of success and goodness!! God loves us that much! He has so many gifts....so many promises...His "if's" are to insure we are ready for the goodness he will send down on us!  If we are missing some of the blessings from God all we need to do is learn what our part is.  We need to do our "if's" so God can fulfill the promises he has made us... God is up there waiting...looking down on us... Jesus is praying constantly for us...the Holy Spirit is prompting us...talking to us...so we can get our "if's" together, so God can send down his blessings in our lives ... pressed down and overflowing!! 


Thursday, April 19, 2012

4.19.12

Luke 19:30-35  “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”
 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.”  So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.

My Thoughts
We need to lives our lives in such a way that God knows that anything that he ask of us we we freely give.  Jesus knew this man would give his donkey, just because he needed it... no explanation of why or what for... no questions from the owner of the donkey...just a gift to Jesus because he needed it. I don't think God minds if we ask why.... He loves us and wants us to understand... but I also think that when we know without a doubt that God is asking for something from us that we should be prepared to give without even a thought.

This donkey would have provided something for this man... he could have sold it and fed his family for no telling how long... or he could have used this donkey to plow his fields for years...but he gave his donkey freely all because "The Lord needs it."

What does God need from me today? I need to ask...what does God need from you? Can we be like this man who gave up his donkey?

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

4.18.12

Luke 19:26 "Yes," the king replied, "and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given.  But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away."

My Thoughts
Have you ever learned something from the Bible or from Chruch that you knew would make your life better and then not used it?   Sure you have we all have... when we don't put it into practice the memory o what we learned is gone...disapears...that wonderful bit of knowledge that can make our life better is gone from our memory...because we didn't use it. 

As we use what God gives us...we get better at being the person He wants us to be...the better we get at that the better our lives get. The better we get at what God would have us do the more he can bless us with. 

God gives us what we can handle...if we handle what He has given us well, then God gives us more... if we handle it poorly then we loose it and go back to handling what we had before...then God tries again to see if we will do better.  He doesn't try to see if we can do better... God gives us gifts because we are capable of doing the right things with them... it is up to us to make the choice, to make the effort to use what God give us in a positive, productive way.

I see it like this... When God gives us a gift it is like He has placed a seed in our hands...when we ask "God how can I use this gift for your glory?" we have planted the seed... when we take action..we have watered that seed.... then the seed can't help but grow! But if we don't plant the seed..it can't take root and it will just get swept away without producing any fruit at all. It is up to us, as God gives us information, and things.. to choose to use them wisely...once we get good at that there is no limit to what God can and will do in our lives.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

4.17.12

Psalms 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

My Thoughts
I love this!... The more I get to know God the more I know that it is true.  When I first started reading my Bible every day...I was always trying so hard to never mess up... to the point that I messed up more...I would feel and say to myself "God is so mad at me!" When the truth was I was mad at myself...setting unrealistic goals.... the more I read and understand God the more I know that God wants us love Him..and to do our best to do what He ask...when we do what He ask our lives are better... He sets out rules for us so that our lives will be better. He sets out these rules for us because He loves us so much.

The key, I am finding out, is to love God, get to know God enough to love Him...then he helps me with the rest... the more I know God, the more I love God... the more I love God the more I want to do better.  God is not angry with me if I mess up, because he knows that I am trying... God knows that I am getting better little by little... God knows that the more I love Him the better I will get at doing what He ask...the better my life will be.

My mother use to tell me this story.  Her daddy would always get mad at her and her brothers and sisters if they hurt themselves.  He would seem really angry.  My mother one day as her mother, "Why does daddy get mad at us for getting hurt?" her mom replied, "Would he get mad if somebody else hurt you?" and my mom said "Yes." Then my grandmother said, "He gets upset at you when  you hurt yourself, when he has told you not to do something for the same reason he would get upset if somebody else hurt you, because he loves you so much."   I think that is how God is... He gets angry at us for hurting ourselves because He loves us so much!  He gets angry if we worship another god, because another God can not save us from hell. 

God is not angry at us when we mess up, if we are trying, because he knows that we will get there! He knows that we love Him and when we love him, he can protect us. He is filled..thing if that FILLED with unfailing love and faithfulness for us! 

Monday, April 16, 2012

4.16.12

Proverbs 13:8 The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won't even get threatened.

My Thoughts
I love it when I read something in the Bible that I didn't really get before and all the sudden it is so clear in my mind!!

Today as I read this verse I could see so clearly it applied to us as God's children.  When we are doing what God ask, each day as we understand more and more and do better and better...we are like the rich man ...the devil is threatened...he knows we have so much in God and he wants to take it away...so he starts putting things in our path to trip us up. The thing is..the devil doesn't want us...he just wants God not to have us... his anger is at God...and the more the devil can do to keep us from choosing God the better chance he has to keep something precious of God's.... we are treasures to God...and the devil doesn't want God to have these treasures. So he tries to take them by keeping us from doing God's will by putting stumbling blocks in our paths.  Each time the devil does that we need to just say out loud..."I belong to God, I am his own special treasure and you can't have me!"

People go along all the time that seem to be doing nothing right and so often we wonder why things always go their way... that is because the devil doesn't need to keep something from God that isn't already God's treasure. 

This is probably one of the reasons we need to be thankful when things aren't going so good in our lives... when we keep encountering stumbling blocks...those stumbling blocks are just a sign that we are God's special treasures and the devil just can't stand it.

Today when I face a problem...when something seems hard... my prayer is going to be "Thank you God that I am your very own special treasure! Help me to do your will in this situation so I can show the devil just how much I do belong to you!"

I love the thought of being a special treasure to God!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

4.15.12

Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.  He gives  us grace and glory.  The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

My Thoughts
I love this verse... first the sun...oh the sun...it gives us energy... it actually makes vitamins in our body work properly... it makes all the plants grow...it warms the earth.  Then their is a shield.... a shield protects a person in battle.. it keeps bad things from happening to us.  In battle if arrows are flying toward a person the shield keeps those arrows from doing the solider.  Then their is grace and glory... I have heard grace defined as "God's ability working within us helping us do the things we could not accomplish on our own." I love that definition!  And glory...well it is defined as high renowned honor won by notable achievements. 

Look at all this ...what all this one verse says God will do for us!!... He will give us energy and keep us warm... he will prefect from all that comes against us to cause us harm... he will give us his ability to accomplish things we could not accomplish on our own...and God give us high renowned honor... because he will help us achieve things that people notice... It tells us in this verse that God will hold no good thing from us when we choose to do what is right!!  Our part is to choose to act in a way that is pleasing to God...and he even give us an instruction book for that!! 

What a blessing it is to be loved by an all knowing all powerful God that wants to do so much in our lives!!  A God that loves us beyond measure!!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

4.14.12

Joshua 9:14-15 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.  Then Joshua mad a peace treaty with the and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the county ratified their agreement with a binding oath.

My Thoughts
These people were from a town that was to be destroyed...they took old food and wine with them to trick the Israelites into thinking they were from a far away place...and Joshua and the leaders made a binding oath with these men.  They made this binding oath because they did not consult the Lord first.... if they had talked with God they would have know not to make the oath.

How many times are we fooled by the devil into thinking something is a good thing?  How often could we defeat disaster in its tracks by talking to God about all our decisions?  So many things we do are automatic... so many things we do we just do because it seems like a good idea.  So many of our days we may start with prayer...but how often do we stop and ask God about the decisions we are about to make.  How often do we pray for God to be with us without asking God what choices he has in store for us?  We need to make a habit of talking to God before each and every decision we make. Even the smallest ones...if we get into the habit of asking about the little things..when big things come up we will be in the habit of consulting God. Just think how much better our lives could be if we always consulted God in all that we do!!

Friday, April 13, 2012

4.13.12

Luke 16:12 And if you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with the things you own?

My Thoughts
God is always present, always. He watches us as we do our jobs...as we use what belongs to others.  Jesus tells us here that if we don't take care of things that belong to others, can He trust enough to give us things of our own?

I wonder how much we miss out on because we are not diligent to take care of even the smallest things at work. I am talking here about pens and pencils and paper clips.  Everything that our employer has bought and purchased. We need to be careful when copying things to make sure and to it right where we won't waste paper and ink.  We need to be careful not to scuff walls when moving things.  We need to be careful of the gas we use when driving a company car.  God is always watching.... and when He sees that we are diligent to take care of things that are not ours ... He can trust to give us enough to give us more.  We should never say ...that doesn't matter I can buy another one...we should be careful and use things at work and home until it is all used up! Between today's verse and my verse on Wednesday I am learning that God expects us to take care of everything... God expects us to recycle and reuse. If we want more in life... we  have to be good at taking care of the things we have now! Just imagine what God will shower down on our lives if he sees us diligently taking care of everything we touch like it is a treasure...even things as small as paper clips.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

4.12.12

Joshua 6:24-25 The the Israelites burned the town and everything in it.  Only the things made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron were kept for the treasury of the Lord's house.  So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.

My Thoughts
I love this story!... God didn't choose the king, or governor... or highest guard... God chose to use Rahab the prostitute...the lowest of the low to help the Israelites.  Not only was her life spared.... but the lives of her family member were spared!  And she went to live among the Israelites, to be a part of God's chosen people!

No matter what we have done... no matter how low we have gone in life... God can use us... we can be a child of God... we can live with Him forever.  It is our choice... all we have to do is follow Jesus and we become God's... and he can use us to do amazing things... God used Rahab to save a nation of people by hiding the spies and keeping them safe... God can use each and ever one of us... no matter what our life has been like. Joyce Meyer puts it this way "God likes to use cracked pots." When God uses cracked pots his glory shines through!!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

4.11.12

Proverbs 12:27 Lazy people don't even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.

My Thoughts
In America we want more and more and more.  Commercials are designed to tell us that we need more. One cell phone comes out..and before we can blink there is a new version...and we want that one too! We fill our houses so full of "stuff." Then we have yard sales, or we rent storage buildings to put the things we don't use in. My step dad had like 5 hammers... instead of finding his he would go buy a new one... lots of his tools were that way... it was just eaiser to get a new one than hunt the old one.

I remember reading the Little House on the Praire books.... on Christmas the girls got their very own cups... they treasured those cups!  Their mom had this one china doll that sat on the mantle...each time they moved that doll was carefully packed away...it was treasured!

We have become people that have so much that we don't get the joy of treasuring anything...there is too much around us to pick out one treasure in our homes. 

When I was a little girl... I remember going to town and getting 5 dresses to start school in... one for each day of the week. My mom was proud she could get me those 5 dresses... And I had a favorite too...it was plaid...with a white collar and a big red bow.

Christmas was about being together...Santa brought the biggest present you would get and a couple of small presents.... then the presents from other people were things like a new hair bow or a fancy bottle of bubble bath.  But there was always, always one present you treasured most..and it came straight from Santa. Now children get so much they don't even have a favorite thing...they can't tell you what they got last year for Christmas.

We have lost sight of being diligent... of treasuring each and every thing God gives us. We spend so much time making money...then spending more than we make...because we have to have, have, have.... we have so much yet we enjoy so little.

I remember my step dad telling of his dad...walking to and from work during the Great Depression so they could have enough gas that summer to go on vacation.... on his way from work he would stop at this sight where they were building something...and pick up the cast off pieces of wood... he would bring those pieces of wood home and sand them and make them perfect..each piece of wood. That Christmas Santa brought a beautiful set of building blocks.  His dad was diligent to use what he found to make Christmas special.  And today...years after a man I never met has been gone... years after my step-dad has been gone.... even my children are grown...I still treasure that story. I treasure those blocks that were never placed in my hands. The memory of them are special to me. What stories have I given my children?

We complain because we don't have enough time these days... mom's and dad's have to go to work so families can "have."  I wonder how much our world would change... how much better it would be if we all became diligent...if we treasured each life around us... if we started learning to make time for each other instead of making time for things... if we stopped and treasured each thing that comes into our lives as a special gift that God has placed there for us to have.  We have lost our diligence...and in the process we have lost our time with family and friends... we have even given away chances to make beautiful memories. 

I wonder if God cries when He looks down at the people we have become? The thought makes me so want to simplify my life...so that I can really notice and enjoy all that God has given me!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

4.10.12

Proverbs 12:26 The godly give good advice to their friends, the wicked lead them astray.

My Thoughts
For us people please-rs it is so hard sometimes to go against what someone whats to hear!  Our friends come to us for advice....sometimes because they know we will agree with them and they can go on their merry way.  I knew how much God was working in my life when I started no longer being able to do that.  When I could no longer say "I understand, I would do that too." Just to be agreeable. Now I have to say "I understand why you would want to do that but, wouldn't it be better if you made this choice." This verse teaches me that I, to be godly, must choose good advice over the risk of hurting someones feelings.  Keeping my mouth shut would be wiser than being agreeable.... but saying what God would have me say is the choice I should make.

One thing I have learned in my journeys through God's Word is this: I become free-er as my choices become fewer!  My mind becomes free from hours and days of decision making. My time becomes free-er because I can make a choice for my life more quickly and move on.  My rest became free-er because I don't toss and turn wondering if I said the right thing. It is funny too.... fewer people ask advice... because I am not always saying the thing they want to hear. 

When we ask advice we usually know what the right choice is...we feel in in our gut...deep down where the Holy Spirit resides in us... we tend ask when we want confirmation that our wrong choice is an OK choice. Others tend to ask advice of us people please-rs when they want to feel OK about the wrong choice. When we give good advice one of two things happen to free our time.... we sleep good because we have said the right thing... or we are not ask at all because people know that we won't pat them on the back and give our OK to their wrong choice.

I still feel myself wanting to just agree, when I know someone wants me to.... but the Holy Spirit inside me prompts me differently... the more I know God the more I recognize the Holy Spirit when He is trying to get my attention.  As we listen to the Holy Spirit, and make our choices based on how He leads us...more and more of our steps in life end up on solid ground... the better we get at finding the godly path...the more God smiles down at us and says "Well done my child."

Now that I think about it....so often, when asked.... we don't have to give advice at all when ask...we can just simply say "What do you think God would want you to do?" And see where the conversation goes from there.

Monday, April 9, 2012

4.9.12

Luke 12:25 And which of you by being overly anxious and troubled with cares can add a cubic to his stature or a moment of time to his age?

My Thoughts
Oh wow was this a timely verse for me today!!!...I had had some test run...and was worried, so worried... then I sit down and this is my verse today from my Love Out Loud devotional. Just after I read this...and its commentary to go with it...my phone rings... it is the doctors office...and both of my biopsies had come back fine!  I can tell you that I had not practiced this verse at all!!! 

One of my problems is that once you get a diagnosis like Lupus... it is really hard not to feel like any other test are going to be OK.  My grandmother was a worrier, my mom was, and I am... but here Jesus tells us that anxiety and worry does not add to our lives!!  In fact it is the devil's way of making us unproductive!!

I have spent the last 5 days in worry, 4 of those days my sweet husband was at home on vacation... and worry made me useless.... we were both worried and got less done...and we missed out on a chance to enjoy spending time together.  And all that worry...well it was for nothing!!.. If I had been sick it would have made that worse not better...and in fact I was not sick at all.

Not only did worry not add any time to my life... it actually took away a part of my life that I will never get a chance to get back!!!  Now I laugh at myself and think...what if it had been the worse news?!?  While I was still feeling good...I had 4 days to spend with my sweet husband doing something special!!  And I didn't even use it that way!! 

Yesterday a dear lady in Sunday School shared with us that one day in worship she was praying for things that she was concerned about and God said to her "This is my time.. spend it worshiping me and I will take care of everything else."  She said that she stopped and started worshiping God that day...and sure enough God took care of the rest. So this morning every time I started to worry, I would just stop and praise God... and thank God for the things around me.... then look what happened...the phone rang and I was just fine.  I turned my worry into praise and God took care of the rest!

Friday, April 6, 2012

4.6.12

Luke 12:6-7 What is the price of five sparrows-- two copper coin? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.  And the very hairs on your head are numbered.  So don't be afraid: you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."

My Thoughts
God's love is so much more than our human minds can imagine.  God loves and cares for the sparrow... we are move valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows!!  He even knows the number of hairs on our head!

My hair falls out really bad, because of Lupus, it falls out by the handful sometimes.... I think of this verse sometimes when I have that handful of hair in my hand...I think I lose so much hair, yet God still knows how many hairs I have! ...It is a very comforting thought... that is the least of my worries, how many hairs I have on my head... yet God cares about even that!! ...  He is here with me, caring about wa more than the number of hairs on my head.  He is caring about my thoughts, my worries, my fears... he cares and knows,  when and where Lupus is attacking my body... He cares that I have a great need to feel loved.... God cares about every single thing in my life...down to the number of hair on my head. We are so blessed by God all the time... we just have to learn to step outside ourselves and see it!!

I think we must be our blindest when all we can see is ourselves!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

4.5.12

Luke 11:34-36 Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body.  When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.  But when it is bad your body is filled with darkness.  Make sure the light you think you have is not actually darkness.  If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light."

My Thoughts
This says to me that we need to be careful what we let into our minds...through what we watch on TV and what we read.  We often we see things as just as entertainment...not something we actually believe in..but it is something that we are letting into our minds...to dwell there to think on.  I remember years ago that Robby and I had a preacher that said "Comedy was the devil's way of getting us to accept the unacceptable."  The older I get the more I believe this statement.  The more I can see it come to past.  This verse convicts me even more to monitor what I allow to enter my mind through my eyes. It tells me that when I see the unacceptable becoming acceptable..I need to monitor what I am watching and what I am reading.  God wants us to be filled with light...and Jesus is telling us here... that we can crowd out the light by letting the darkness enter. We need to be spending more of our free time learning more about God... so that our lives will be radiant!!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

4.4.12

Deuteronomy 7:22 And the Lord your God will clear out the nations before you, little by little; you may not consume them quickly, lest the beast of the field increase among you.

My Thoughts
Here God was talking about the Israelites taking over the Promise Land. This tells me that God knows that things take time... that we grow in steps...that when we grow, little by little... it is a change that can't be taken away from us by the devil.  When we grow one step at a time...we are able to put that step into practice in our lives in a way that becomes a part of who we are... not something we know now and forget next week. God does not expect us to be perfect.... he expects us to try. When God sees us making an effort to please Him, and we are get better and better, little by little He is so proud of us!!  So we don't need to get discouraged at our self!  We just need to keep trying!  Picking ourselves up when we fall, asking God for His forgiveness.  Accepting that forgiveness and forgiving ourselves in the process. Then we move forward... knowing that the fact that we know we messed up IS a step forward..then pressing on to do better and better and better as a Child of God. We need to remember that when we don't forgive ourselves we don't grow...we get stuck. If God forgives us, the Almighty, Spotless God...then we can forgive ourselves... forgiveness or ourselves is one of the first steps in moving forward and becoming what God wants us to be!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

4.3.12

Luke 10:5 Whenever you enter someone's home, first say, 'May God's peace be on this house.' If those who live there are peaceful the blessing will stand; if the are not, the blessing will return to you.

My Thoughts
I love this! When the disciples went out into the world... they were to bless the houses they entered... if those people didn't live in peace the blessing was not voided... it was returned to the disciple that asked for the blessing on the house. That blessing would not return void... it would land on someone!!  This tells me that anytime we bless somebody in Jesus name that blessing stands...if it doesn't stand on that person it returns to us.  The only blessing that isn't given is the blessing we fail to ask for! God sends so many blessing that we don't ask for... but how many of His wonderful blessings do we miss out on because fail to open our mouths and ask? Asking for blessing on others can only make our lives better!  When the people around us are blessed it enhances our lives... if Good chooses not to bless that person for some reason... He will bless us... asking for the blessings of God always, always turns out for the good.

Monday, April 2, 2012

4.2.12

Luke 9:28-29 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John and James up on a mountain to pray.  And as Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white.

My Thoughts
This is in my reading from yesterday...yesterday I woke up dizzy..the room spinning and was unable to do my reading..then I didn't ever make the time later in the day... but yesterday I would not have seen this verse the way I see it today!!

I first thought "Moses was glowing too, after he spent time with God!!"  (Exodus 34:29) We may not ourselves glow whiter and brighter in the same way Jesus and Moses did...but God's word...and prayer change us!  They change us into people that have a love and kindness in them that light up a room. God's love washes us clean and makes us all white again, without blemish.  God's love makes us glow! 

I remember a few months after starting my first journey through the Bible, I ran into a dear friend... she said "Jeannie you glow like a pregnant woman!" What is different about you... I told her... spending time with God... God was making me glow!!...

We think that happiness makes us glow when we are pregnant...what if it is the perfect, sin free person inside us glowing so much that it just shows through us!

God's love can make us perfect again... Jesus died on the cross so that we can be in the presence of God... so that the Holy Spirit could come down and live inside of us. Each effort we make toward God... toward prayer, toward reading and learning God's word... toward learning to hear the Holy Spirit...that is one more layer of us polished ... making us dazzling white with God's love!!