9.29.14

Ephesians 5:33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

My Thoughts

I was a few days behind today, and as I skimmed over some of what I have missed this verse jumped out at me in a big way! I recently have been paying close attention to what God ask of me as a wife. How have I missed this important truth for so long? 

I looked up respect and it said this ....a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. As women we are suppose to respect our husbands! We are called by God to admire our husbands abilities, their qualities and their achievements. We are to build them up with our admiration for their abilities, qualities and achievements! We are to brag on them! This verse, that tells our husbands to love us, calls for us to respect them. If we are nagging we are not respecting and admiring. Wow! I don't tend to be a nag...but I don't reveal my admiration for my sweet Robby near enough. To me this verse says that I should brag on Robby as often as I want Robby to tell me he loves me! 

Each day when Robby walks out the door he tells me he loves me. He calls me from work 4 times each day and each time he tells me he loves me. He tells me each night before he goes to bed that he loves me. And I love hearing it every time. If I return respect for each time he says he loves me, just think how much more I will be aware of just what my sweet Robby does for me. And just how much more Robby would love me because I notice all he does and all he is! Wow! This takes my breath away! 

9.26.14

Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I (Paul) , a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

My Thoughts

We had a new to us man to teach Wednesday night in Pastor Keith's absence. He taught on the "unknown man" in Genesis 37. There was so much to learn about this unknown man. His roll in the history of the Jewish people was huge, even thought his action was seemed so tiny if you never stopped to think about it. That lesson made me very aware of the two words in this verse that teach us so very much. Those words are "a prisoner."

In this verse Paul says to "lead a life worthy of your calling, you have been called by God." We so often in love wonder what we can do as one person, we wonder how our busy, simple lives can even matter in the big scheme of things. How can we/I make a difference. Paul made a difference in the lives so so many, even us today. And he was a prisoner locked away behind four walls. A prisoner locked away behind four walls with only a pen and a piece of paper. Yet his words still teach us today how to live better loves for our a Lord Jesus. 

The unnamed man in the field in Genesis 37 was working in his field. All he did to be mentioned in God's word is be kind, kind enough to give Joseph directions that lead to a chain of events that brought the Children of Isreal out of slavery. What he did mattered. It was so important that he was mentioned in God's word. And it was one act of kindness in the mist of his normal, busy day. 

If a man plowing his field can be a part of freeing the Children of Isreal and a prisoner behind four walls can start a Christian movement with a pen and a piece of paper, what can we do? We have been called by God to lead a life worth of Him, how can we take action? 

The unknown man was kind and took a minute for a stranger. Paul was locked away but used the power of words. Sunday we learned from Pastor Kevin that 3/4th of  the world live on $300 dollars a year. ripoff we make more than $300 a year we are richer than 3/4 of the world. We have resources, we have the world at our finger tips through media. We have the ability to be kind, to give a stranger directions. Each of us probably have more than one Bible on the shelves in our homes. A book full of wisdom and love, full of instructions on how to make lives better. A book that is right at our fingertips. Words that God promises will not return void if we just read them. We have the ability to make a difference! 

We don't have to find our purpose, our purpose is to lead a life that God Gould be proud of. We can do that right in the places He has put us. When we do all we can, for Him, with what He has I trusted us with He will then be able to entrust us with more. 

As I think about this I begin to realize that if there is a place in my/our loves where we don't see fruit we are probably not using that part of our lives for God. Do we struggle in relationships? Are we treating those relationships how God would want us too? Do we struggle in our finances? Are we using our finances the way God ask us too? Are we struggling in our alone time? Are we using that time the way God would ask?   Paul sat in prison and prospered because he used that time to grow others. I have no doubt that the unnamed man in Genesis had a harvest he could not have imagined in his field after he took a few minutes of his day to be kind and give direction.  

We, right where we are can make a difference! We may be like the innamed man and never know, in earth, what we did. But if our lives are being lived for God we need not have one minute of doubt that  we do matter in the lives of the people we come into contact with each day.  YOU MATTER, I MATTER, WE MATTER. 

9.23.14

Ephesians 1:14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased  us to be his own people. He did this so that we would praise and glorify his name.

My Thoughts

I love this verse! It tells me that hearing the Holy Spirit guide me makes me know that I am God's. It makes me know that I will see Him in Heaven one day. Every time I hear the voice of the Holy Spirit I need to praise God!  I love the peace God's word gives me. 

5.22.14

Proverbs 15:28  The heart of the Godly thinks carefully before speaking, the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words. 

My Thoughts

This one is hard, it says in James 3: 8-10 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 

We like to read this and think evil as Charles Manson evil...but evil is as simple as they out it in the Disney Movie Bambi... "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin at all." How often do we say something  as we are thinking, "I really shouldn't say this!" Then we just keep talking. The minute we do that we cross over into evil. It is a hard truth but one that if we learn it can save us so much grief and others in our lives so much pain. Sometimes it's those little hurts that can be the hardest to let go of.  And when we speak before we think we can never pull those words back in. They are out there forever. 

God's word not only tells u not to speak evil, it tells us what we should speak in Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  So this should be our check list for what we say... Is this wholesome, is it helpful, will it build up my family or my friend or even people that are not in my favorite list, will it benefit the person I am talking to? 

Oh what a quiet world we would live in if we all just strived to be an Ephesians 4:29 person! My world, my mouth...it can be a bit quit-er. I thin I will put this verse in an index card and carry it with me! 

9.28.13

Ephesians 6:10-12 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

My Thoughts

I think that this verse is so important to put into our storehouse of verses.  We need to call on this verse whenever we are being mistreated by someone. The first thing I thought of is that when someone is not treating me right, it is not them, it is Satan and his evil.  If I treat that person with goodness and kindness and love no matter how they treat me them I have not let Satan win.  I have done what God ask us to do.

Luke 6:32 says that even sinners love those who love them.  We are called to love, even the unlovable. We are called to be kind to the unkind. We are called give to the selfish.  We are called to walk in love with everyone no matter how we are treated.  When someone is being unkind... the loudest voice in their head is Satan... our actions need to help them be able to hear God.

Ephesians 4:23 Instead let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.

My Thoughts
The Holy Spirit who loves inside of us when we accept Jesus is key!  Learning to hear and listen to His guidance.  I often hear people say, "Something told me." or "I just knew."  It was the Holy Spirit!! When we realize this our lives begin to change in amazing ways.  We can know how to be righteous and holy when we learn to listen and be guided by the Holy Spirit.  The thing is we always have the choice, because God gives us free will, to choose to listen to the Holy Spirit or to what the world or Satan tries to tell us.

Do you ever have those thoughts in your head that you know that you don't need to be having?  Of course you do! We all do.  Then we feel from our very soul what we are suppose to be thinking on. That is the Holy Spirit sent to us by Jesus to help us know what choices we need to be making.  The Holy Spirit reminds us of God's word. So when we know God's word we are more able to recognize the Holy Spirit speaking to us!!

We have such power in our hands, the power of Heaven if we choose to listen to the Holy Spirit... if we get in God's word and let it soak into our souls.  The more we communicate with the Holy Spirit, the more we release the Holy Spirit in our lives, the better our lives get.  Amazing things happen!

The goal is to let the Holy Spirit lead our lives so strongly that our bodies are like a glove that fits over Him.  So often we treat the Holy Spirit like the glove and put Him in our pocket... instead He should fill our lives so full  that He is leading our actions, our words, our reactions, our thoughts. So full that our skin is like a glove over Him.  We need to learn to give it all over to Him.   That is when we can have an impact on the people around us!

9.25.13

Ephesians 4:16 He (God) makes the whole body (of the church) fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

My Thoughts

I love this!!!... It just drives home to me how important being who I am is! God made me, He put together all the parts of my personality like He wanted it for a reason.  I don't need to be like my friend Lisa, or like Mrs Kay.  I don't have to study the same way that Tammy does, I have her for that :). I have to learn the way that I learn. I don't have to have the energy that Karen does, oh I love her energy,  or the strength and grace that Jo Ann has..it always amazes me!  I get to be blessed by all these ladies and more of my sweet friends at Church... and I need what I get from each one of them.  They grow me all the time. But God taught me that I also grow them!!  There are things about me that my friends need. I have a part that is important in the lives of the people around me.  I can't do my part if I am busy trying to be like everybody else or what I think everybody else wants me to be. I can only meet those needs if I use my personality, that God made just for me.  The Bible tells me that I am wonderfully made, me, Jeannie Phillips, just like I am.  I only need to try to be the best that God tells me to be... I only have to try to be like Jesus.  Then I can use exactly who I am to give to those around me.  God put me where He needed me... for me, but also for others.  I have my own brand of encouragement, I have my own little bits of wisdom, I have my own abilities that I can share and teach. And if someone needs a hug well they know exactly where to find one. 

Each of us makes up an important part of the church where God planted us.  Each of us makes up an important part of community where God planted us or the job where God planted us or in the family where God planted us.  The only way to use that successfully is by embracing who God make us to be. By growing that in positive, loving ways according to God's word.  Then by sharing unique selves with others...on the endless possibilities when we learn to love ourselves like God loves us!

I am working on this... I stumble sometimes and try once again to be the people around me...then I remember that God's word says that I am wonderfully made, and the Bible tells me that God knitted me together in my mother's womb... so I am who He wants me to be. Or a friend  reminds me with their kind words that I matter in their lives.  Or someone tells me that they love my hugs.  Then I know I am who God made me to be and I need to be the best me that I can be.  I, me, my personality, am an important part of the body of Christ, each of us are!! 

9.23.13

Ephesians 1:19-20 I also pray that you will understand the increadible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.

My Thoughts

Look at these verses, did you read them carefully. Did you think about the words? Powerful, "This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead!" Just before that it says,"The increadible greatness of God's power for us who believe him." When I read these words I could not help but think of Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (NIV))


Let me tell you how I now understand this...and it is so exciting! We have the power of Heaven if we believe in God and if we call on that power! We have to choose to call on that power! Matthew 16-19 says, "whatever YOU bind on earth" and "whatever you loose on earth." We have to call on that power over our health, over our wealth, over our words, our thoughts, our actions. We have to choose good, we have to choose to tap into the Fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol! It is our choice to let these things loose in our lives, it is our choice to bind up all things oppsite of the Fruits of the Spirit!! Isaiah 30:18 tells us that the Lord must wait for us to come to Him. For the Lord is a faithful God. That means that we must be the ones to choose...and when we choose God, when we choose what God would have us do we are filled with the powers of Heaven, the same power, the awesome power, that raised Jesus from the dead!


Choosing to follow God is choosing love and power beyond what we could think to imagine. Choosing God and His goodness, choosing to bind up that which is bad... choosing to let loose all that is good is life altering.

As God grows me, as I learn to harness His wonderful grace and love for me, I feel a power rising in me that is going to be unstopable! The excitement inside of me today is amazing! It is God telling me that "I can!"




9.29.12

Ephesians 6:10-12 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rules and arteries of the unseen world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

 

My Thoughts

We have to know God's word, we have to be in constant prayer... we have to be always drawing God near to us.  It is how we fight the evil that is in this world.  It is the only way to fight the evil in this world.  It is why we are to pray for the people we see as our enemies, the evil has gotten a hold of them and used them. We are stronger when they are strong in God with us!!  Evil can not win against God! It is impossible! So evil can not win against us if we choose to have God on our side.  We have the choice to choose to be one of God's children and then each day we have the choice to renew our minds in Him.  Each day we can choose to put on the armor of God which is truth, peace of the Good News, faith and salvation  (verses 13-17).  God gives us what we need to fight the evil in this world and win against it.  We just have to choose to use what God gives us.  When we do we can have victory. 

9.28.12

Ephesians 5:5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God.  For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 

 

My Thoughts

This bites!!!  I thought of ways right off that I am greedy.  It is more in little ways than big ways...but I can be greedy.  I use to be really greedy about yarn... I would buy more than I could use...I made myself get better about that one...I buy what I need for what I am making at the time now and I still end up with too much yarn.  I love looms... I am terrible to to think "I NEED a new loom!" without stopping to figure out if a loom I have will do the job.  When I fix our plates out night I can be really greedy about the meat... I am picky about meat and Robby isn't so I often give myself the better piece... I have gotten better about that, but sometimes I deceive myself into thinking I am not being greedy by asking Robby which piece he wants. He always gives me the best piece. If I were not being greedy I would not ask, I would just give him the best piece (sometimes I do, but not all the time). There is a new yarn craft I want to try and I want everything I need to do it!!  I am also really greedy with "me" time!!   There are some other ways I am greedy but this is not a share all..it is a learn to be a better person, a godly person, a person that is right with God person. 

 

I wonder how many times I have had an opportunity to buy a person lunch...but I was greedy with my "yarn" money and passed up on the chance to bless somebody?  How many times has God used the Holy Spirit to prompt me to do something that would make me "have less?"  We can get the concept of God doing for us when we do for others...but do we always trust that He will? 

 

This verse puts greed in there with immoral and impure... right there all in the same sentence.  We have become a world that "keeps up with the Jones'" instead of taking care of the Jones'. The sad thing is that it "feels" okay to do so!  After all TV tells us that it is okay to put those priceless moments on our credit cards!  We have become greedy not only with money that we do have...we now use money that we don't have to satisfy our greed. 

 

I think greed is probably one of Satin's favorite tools.. if he can keep our eyes on what we think we "have" to have... we will not take time to notice those people that don't have things that that "have" need of. 

 

I need to step back and make sure that my "needs" are not me being full of "greed."

 

 

9.25.12

Ephesians 3:16-19 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.  Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.  And may your have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ though it is too great to understand fully.  The you will be made complete with all fullness of life, and power that comes from God.

 

My Thoughts

Wow I love this!!  I feel like somebody prayed it over me, just for me and that the prayer is being answered.  The more I know God, the more I water my life with God's word and surround myself with people that love God, the more I feel my roots grow down into God's love... the stronger I get!! The more I read and learn the more I understand how much God loves me.

 

I love that I now know that God, before I was even born, knew every mistake I would ever make and He choose to love me still.  I love that before Jesus was sent to this earth to die for my sins, God knew what my sins would be and He still loved me. He didn't tell Jesus that He was going to go and walk the earth and teach about God and die for every body's sins but mine... He told Jesus that He was going to go and walk the earth and teach about God and die for ever body's sins including mine! The conversation may have went like this  "Jesus when you die on the cross you are dieing for Jeannie too, she has really messed up in lots of ways but I love her so much!  One day she will understand how much I love her, she will understand that you died for her. She is worth it just because I love her!!" Then Jesus said "Yes God, I love her too!"

 

The thing is that God had that conversation with Jesus about each and every one of us! God wants us to know He loves us. Jesus died for each of us because of that great love!!  God said in Philippians 1:6 that He will finish the work He began in us until the day that Jesus comes.  God knows our faults, that is why He sent Jesus. He knew our faults before He sent Jesus and He loves us just the same!!  More than anything He wants to make our lives better!!  I just get excited thinking about it!!

Ephesians 4:29  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

 

My Thoughts

Oh this verse is so important to our quality of life, and the quality of life of the people around us!!  Can we be frustrated, angry and upset? Yes! But we need to take those things to God. When we do God sorts them our in our hearts in the right way.  People tend to tell us what they think we want to hear, making us more frustrated, angry or upset.  God sets us straight... God gives us the best way to think through something.  Then our words don't make the situation worse for us or for others. 

 

We need too, to be careful of the words we say to ourselves about ourselves. We need to but us up, as well as others... we need to have helpful dialog in our head about ourselves and our lives... we need our words spoken about ourselves to be words of encouragement!  We need to remember what God says about us!! 

 

God tells us He loves us so much that He let His only son die for our sins (John 3:16). God tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14).  God tells us that we matter so much to Him that even the hairs on our heads are numbered (Luke 12:7). I don't know about you, but with me that changes ever few minutes...and God knows when it does!!  God tells us that He cares about the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). God cares about what we want!!... the list goes on and on. If we matter that much to God we should be kind to ourselves!!

 

We need to remember that we are all God's children!!  If we matter that much to God, the person next to us at any given time at any part of our day, matters that much to God to!!  Have you ever known a mother that didn't just love somebody to death that loved and encouraged her child. God feels the same way!!  When we love and encourage others we are loving one of God's children. That matters to God even more!! 

 

We need to remember the words of Thumper's that his mother taught him (from Bambi), "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin at all."  Proverbs 18:21 tells us that our words have the power of life and death and that we eat the fruit of our words.  We need to be mindful of our words, not just letting anything flow from our mouths... the words we choose should be loving and encouraging, good words, helpful words.  We need to remember if we hear ourselves saying something we shouldn't that it is never too late to shut our mouths!! 

 

If we start out watching our thoughts, and think on things that are good and noble and kind, honorable and pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). Then good and noble, kind, honorable, pure and lovely words will follow.  By taking our thoughts captive, we take our words captive! 

6.4.12

Ephesians 6:11 I will put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavily-armed soldier which God supplies], that I may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and deceits of the devil.

My Thoughts

This says that "I will put on" God's whole armor.  That means that we have to make a choice and do the work it takes to "put on" the armor of God.  Verses 14-16 tells us what this armor is..... Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,    and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.   In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.    Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Truth comes from the Bible, righteousness comes from doing what God ask us to do ...and from asking forgiveness of our sins. Readiness comes from knowing what God's word says. Faith is believing...the more we know the more we believe.  Salvation comes from believing Jesus is the Son of God and asking Him to live in our hearts. The Spirit...the Holy Spirit which Jesus sends to live inside us ... who reminds us of God's word and prompts us to act on what God teaches us.

We have to make the effort to know God's word...we have to learn and study the Bible... we have to know God through prayer... we have to make a conscious decision to live as God would have us live... we have to ask Jesus into our hearts... we have to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. We have to "put on" the armor of God. This takes work!! 

I imagine the armor of soldiers of long ago was very heavy.. it took time to put on... it took knowledge of just what piece went on first... it too strength to be able to even walk once you had it on. Another words, it wasn't easy to do...but it was necessary in battle. Putting on the Armor of God takes time and effort... takes time and energy...sometimes using it takes strength of soul.... but it is what protects us against all that our enemy, Satin, plots against us! When we know God's word we are better able to fight against our enemy.

A soldier practices the same things over and over and over and over and over until it is so much a part of him, that when he goes into battle,  he can automatically do what it takes to do what he has to do to win. Talking to God, knowing God word is essential in our battle against our enemy. It needs to be so much a part of what we are use to doing that when Satin wages an all out battle against us we automatically talk to God, we automatically call on the scriptures we know that make us strong.  That is how we defeat the devil!!

We can't call on God's word in times of trouble... in times when we need to think fast on our feet.....if it is not a part of our every day lives...we can't hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us while blood is rushing through our ears if we are not use to hearing his voice.... we won't call out to God to help us when we have to think fast if God is not someone we talk to on a regular basis...someone we talk to about everything. To be a good soldier we must be prepared...and being prepared takes work every single day.  If we we rely on God one day out of 7 we are probably only going to think to call on God only 1 out of 7 times we face the enemy.  If we rely on God every day... if we spend time with God every day...then we are more likely to call on God 7 out of 7 times that the enemy comes against us.  I like those odds of winning much better!!

1 Corinthians 2:9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,  “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

My Thoughts 

 Most of us have always known that Jesus died for our sins... but the people that lived before Jesus died for our sins could not even imagine that kind of love. I think so often we have heard this without stopping to think, truly of Jesus dieing for us, each of us individually... actually dieing for the things that we have done wrong.

Then there are those things that God does for us daily, all the things we have, all the abilities we have, all the people that we have that love us...they are gifts straight from God.  They are there for us all the time yet we go through whole days, sometimes weeks... and sadly sometimes years without even giving notice that God provided all those things for us.

If we would stop and think about how much God does for us daily....then stop and think that God gave the ultimate gift, His Son, to die for our sins... just think of all there is out there that God has in store that  falls in-between what God gives us daily...and the great gift of His Son. There is so much that God has stored up for us... so much more than we can think of or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God has blessing held in heaven that He can't wait to pour out on us. I believe that God waits for us to ask because God wants us to be aware of just how much He love us. If we just get it we often think it is by chance. We think it is because we did something wonderful. We think somebody else did something wonderful for us. We forget to notice that what we have been given is because God loves us so much. If God waits for us to ask...then He gives us something that we can't possibly get on our own...  we can have no doubt that our gift is straight from God...when that happens we have at least a moment of knowing, of being aware that "God loves me!" God wants us to be full of those moments... God wants us to feel wrapped in His love... God loves doing for us because He loves us so much. When we are aware of that we can open ourselves up for so many of God's blessings because it makes God happy to make us feel loved!

1.3.12

Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

My Thoughts

I love that God supplies us with His grace to make it possible to do anything He ask us to do. Here God ask us to get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander and all type of evil behavior. God will send down His grace to make us able to rid ourselves of all these things.  Our part is to to ask for God to help us... we need to make ourselves aware of these behaviors so that we can work at doing what God ask and God will send down His grace to make us able.

I am finding that I can't get rid of one behavior without replacing it with another... in this scripture God give us exactly what we can replace our bad behaviors with good things. We can replace our bitterness with kindness...we can replace anger and rage by being tenderhearted... instead of being harsh toward one another and talking about each other we can be forgiving toward one another... if we find that hard to do we can remind ourselves that God forgave us of everything we have done... and God gives us His grace to forgive anybody of anything. 

We have all met bitter people, people filled with rage and anger...the longer we know them the worse their life seems to get... the harder they are to be around.  Then there are those people that are always kind, tenderhearted.... that seem to forgive everybody everything...they are like a magnet drawing people in. They seem to light up a room.... they make you feel good just to be in their presence..they are such a joy in our lives. This is just another example of how our lives improve when we listen to God and do what He ask.  God wants our lives to be overflowing... His word gives us the tools to make it so!  His grace gives us the ability to use those tools.

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.

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!!

10.15.11

2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

My Thoughts

This is beautiful... I wish that somebody had prayed this prayer over me years and years ago.. I love it.  This is what I wish for everybody, everybody. If you are reading this... if your best friend isn't I pray for you both '"May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.' In Jesus Precious Name" I love how God is changing me as I read His word...I love how much more I understand now than I did when I started.  I love how now that I know God better I can truly feel his love....I feel how much God loves ME... I know how much God loves YOU!!  I love that I now know that I can endure anything because Christ is with me ALL the time. I pray that each and every person, every person could feel what I feel now.  I can feel sad that I have spent so many years not knowing... but get so excited, so, so excited that I have so many years left to feel wrapped in God's love.. I have so many years left to be strong enough to endure anything that comes my way.  If I was given just one wish... any wish that I wanted.... I would not ask for money... or a new house... or a new car.... now I wouldn't have to ask for happiness or to feel loved.... I would ask that each and every person on this earth would pick up their Bible each morning and make time to really get to know God... I know that if this wish was granted... not only would it change each person... it could and would change the world in amazing ways!!  God is amazing!! God's love is amazing! God has great plans for each of us and Jeremiah 29:11 tells us this... For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." God wants amazing things for us!!  Amazing things! Take time to learn all that God has to give!!  His love and his hopes for us are far beyond anything we might think to imagine. (Ephesians 3:20).

9.27.11

Ephesians 5:10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

My Thoughts

So often we go about our days...with only the day in mind... What do I need to do first, where do I have to be... who needs me for this ... who needs me for that... will I ever have time to get it all done?  Then there are the days that are our days...days that can be all ours... each person has their own way of treating those days... some of us love to just use it to be lazy, not worrying about anything that needs to be done, some of us cram all that we consider to be fun into them so they won't be wasted. So often a whole day passes by where we have lived the day without carefully determining anything.... How many of  us actually get up and "Carefully determine what pleases the Lord?" 

I know that I do my Bible reading  and say my prayers.  I do try to put God's word in my heart so that I can better please Him.  I try to be a good person.  I think that I may stop  at "hoping" that I please God. Hoping that what I learn settles in and makes a difference.  I have no doubt that learning about God, taking time to know God has changed me ... it has changed my life in amazing ways!  I think what I do is try to try. 

Right here in Ephesians it tells us to carefully determine what pleases God. Careful is defined as cautious in one's actions, taking pains in one's work, thorough, performed with accuracy, solicitously mindful of, about or in. Determine is defined as decided; settled; resolved. We need to decide, to be resolved to be cautious in our actions, mindful of others constantly aware of what we need to do to please God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:36 to love God with all our heart, our soul and our mind and to love our neighbor as our self.  We need to carefully determine how we can love God today, how we can love our neighbor today.  We need to stop several times a day to determine what we can do that will please God. 

We have all thought at some point, just before we open our mouth, "I shouldn't say this." Then we keep going and say it anyway...what if we applied carefully determining what pleases God and instead ask ourselves "Would these words please God?" I believe that if we learned to ask our self that instead, we would often keep so many of our words to our self. 

If we will determine to carefully determine to please God, we can start with changing our "Should I?" into "Would it please God if I?"  Then we can move on from there and be mindful that we need be carefully  to carefully determine in all that we choose, do and say, to please God.

 

9.24.11

Ephesians 3:17-18 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.  Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

My Thoughts

I love this visual!... we start out as a little tree... and as we tend to and nourish our relationship with Jesus, as we learn and know more about Jesus the more we trust Jesus  the deeper our roots grow down into Gods love... Like mighty oaks the deeper our roots grow the more we can withstand, the more we can go through without having our faith shaken! Our goal should be to learn all we can about Jesus and his great love for us that our trust in him is so strong that our tiny trees with their shallow roots grow as strong as the giant trees in the Redwood Forrest of California.  Some of those trees are said to be maybe 3000 years old... imagine how deep their roots run.  Our aim should be that our roots grow so deep into God's love that we will never be shaken no matter what storms come our way. About.com tells us that "the trees in the Redwood Forrest are the  most massive living things, they can reach 280 feet tall and 23 feet across. The largest rise a little over 300 feet and spread almost 30 feet across. The oldest have been around over 3,000 years." Imagine how deep those roots must be. The sight of these trees would take our breath away.  We should make it our mission to know how wide, how long, how high and how deep God's love is for us...we should study, and learn and grow in God so much that the love he has for us shows enough to take people's breaths away.