Rejoyce in the Lord! If you have opened your eyes this morning and not had a conversation with God you have missed the opportunity for a perfect day.
Putting God first is important in getting and keeping us on the right path. In a world that is totally out of control God has not left us. While it may seem that way at times there is a master plan that requires us to have patience.
If you knew me you would know that me and the word “patience” don’t always align. I rely however on the Bible to help me to cross that bridge to patience.
Luke 8:15 But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the people who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience.
Whatever you are facing today put God first, have patience and breathe. Even the hardest moments will pass on and there will be a new day.
So many times when a storm is approaching you can quickly see who is faithful and who is not. In Matthew 8:24-26 And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.
25 And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!
26 And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm.
Storms happen for a reason. If you stand in fear of the storm then you have yet to realize the power of our Lord. Jesus didn’t just walk on water, he created it and the storms. In this passage in Matthew Jesus had the ability to stop the storm at any time but was testing the faith of the disciples.
This world right now is battling a storm but we must remain diligent and faithful. Jesus knows the outcome of the storm and doesn’t want you to be fearful but faithful. He wants you to continue to live your best life in a reverent and respectful way.
Be a disciple and follow Christ into the boat of the faithful and never fear another storm.
I love to bake bread. While this bread was very tasty it is not the bread I am talking about. While we know it takes a lot of care and ingredients to make the perfect loaf of bread there is only one ingredient for our daily bread:
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John:6:35
We concentrate so much on what is going on in the world that we tend to overlook the obvious. If you are not starting and ending your day with Jesus, you have not received your daily bread. You have missed the opportunity to enrich your life.
Not to worry this is not going to interrupted your coffee time, your gaming time, your work time. Dedicate ten minutes at night and in the morning for prayer and scripture. It is a small amount of time that will change how you think, recharge your health and satisfy your quest for knowledge.
While the Bible can be difficult to read it is worth the challenge. I really don’t like to read so it took me a year to read it from cover to cover. It was an immediate sense of fulfillment when I finished the last paragraph.
I am now going back through the Bible and am doing more research into what is hidden in its pages. Who knew that the earth was full of angels and that some of those angels married humans. To find out what happens to them you have to read Genesis.
What your dose of daily bread….begin now to explore the Bible.
So, we planned a short getaway and so far all of our plans have been sqashed. Sometimes even when we plan our lives out in great detail God may say “not now”.
Sometimes he may just want us to slow down and listen. His voice is loudest when we are quiet. Even though I am retired from a public job I tend to get “busy”. I am always reminded of his presence and that I need to put him first.
This is one of those times when he gently nudges me and reminds me to include Him in my plans. Daily He directs me even when I don’t realize it. Today has been one of those days when a subtle rain has fallen most of the day. Still, we got out and walked our dog who generally hates rain but today it didn’t seem to matter.
When things don’t always go according to your plans don’t blame God but instead include Him. I have listened today and watched for His footsteps in the rain.
God bless you. Make an appointment with God today.
In a time where things are confusing at best it may be difficult to focus on the prize. Whether you acknowledge it or not we are clearly living out the pages of Revelations.
I guess my first clue was the first time I heard the name Obama mentioned. It just sent a cold chill down my spine. Since that day my eyes have been opened to how deceptive our world is. Still, I remain positive despite the occasional curve ball I am hit with.
When media, TV, the movie industry and our government all concentrate and push their negative narrative we have to do the opposite and concentrate on the positive. I don’t listen to the mainstream media but choose alternative news platforms that stick to the facts without an agenda. I watch little TV other than DIY and a few select programming. Movies in the theaters have gotten so bad we simply don’t go anymore. And our government, well that is a whole other can of worms!
My focus is on the prize, my relationship with God. Since He is aware of everything I think and do I want Him to be satisfied with me. While we spend quality time with family and friends I am just as happy in my little corner of the world with my husband and dog.
Stay focused on the positives in your life and steer away from the negatives. Life is good and can be great with Jesus in it.
Do you know who Yahweh is? The God of the Israelites is known by many names. Whether you know him as the Creator, Jehovah or another name in your culture matters little as long as you are referring to the one true God.
When Moses asked God his name what did he say? “I am that I am”, meaning the name was not as important as who he is! It is so easy to get caught up in a name when it is more important that you recognize God!
I know I have already done “T” but it was laid on my heart to write this.
When you are in a court of law you swear on a Bible to tell the truth and yet rights are violated and justice is rarely served. What will you testify to?
Wynonna Judd said it best in her song “Testify To Love” when she said love began with creation. With the first relationship between Adam and God there was love. In the first marriage between Adam and Eve, there was love. They rejoiced in the birth of their children and testified to God their love.
Who do you love? Do you go through life serving God or yourself? God wants us to love one another … meaning each other not one self! Our spouses need us to love them to sustain a relationship. Our children need us to love them to maintain a bond with them. Our parents, siblings and extended family also embrace a loving relationship.
Love is not always easy and is somedays down right hard but in order to receive love we have to give it. God loves us unconditioally and that is how we should also love. You have to put in the work to maintain that love.
So where did society go wrong….when they stopped showing love. When prayer was stopped in schools. When love of country was trampled on with removal of war heros. When families were destroyed by lack of moral and religious values.
The answer is simple, we have to get back to God. Love began with creation and it’s time to get back to love. It’s time to testify to love. It’s time to bring our children up in love. God’s greatest gift is Love.
When we think of treasure we think of something we value. As a lover of antiquities I have owned and admired many things of value.
Many people value money and treasure the lifestyle that it provides. That being said I have been poor and I have been reasonably comfortable. I can tell you though that the poor times taught me what real treasure was. Money, power and fame are all temporary.
You don’t have to be wealthy to have treasure. You don’t have to be famous to earn respect. You don’t have any real power.
You don’t have to look far to find real treasure. It is great beyond any monetary wealth and yet so easy to acquire. My greatest treasure is the love of God. It is not something you can buy or put on a shelf and admire and yet he is always close by.
Share this message freely. Have a great day. Jesus loves you.
Wikipedia defines Christmas as “an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ”. I can tell you it is so much more than that!
Yes, there probably are festivals in some places. A lot of people do get caught up in the traditional things like music, parades, pagents, lights and gifts but that is not the “why” we celebrate.
We don’t even really know when Jesus was born. We just know he was. Wikipedia says December 25 but if you really read the Bible it suggest that may not be when he was born. Ultimately the date is unimportant. The traditions and celebrations we enjoy are unimportant compared to the event itself.
You may or may not know that Mary also was a virgin birth. Her birth in no way has the significance of the birth of Christ but may be a link as to why she was chosen to carry God’s son. Even though her place in society may have been insignificant at the time in God’s eyes she was very important. She held a place of honor among all women. Still, she was just a women.
It was a normal birth but not a normal event! God so loved the world that he gave a part of himself to humanity. He survived on earth as a man but taught us so much about life and spirituality. He gave us the tools of salvation and suffered for us. He was no ordinary man! His birth forever changed the universe. Whether you are a believer or not the reason we celebrate Christmas is not that he was just born but that his entry into our world was to save humanity.
This Christmas while you are enjoying the traditions of Christmas make sure you include Christ in the reason you celebrate. Have a wonderful Christmas.
Don’t let the title fool you. This is not about romance or is it? When God created man I’m sure he had a lot of hopes and dreams for what man would accomplish. Imagine now the beautiful garden of eden and then there was man! God then realized man could not exist on his own so he yanked out a rib and created woman.
The woman was the opposite of man in areas that made them a perfect fit. This was no jigsaw puzzle but a creation of design. Then Eve screwed up and listened to the serpent who was also male. You got it, disaster struck! That was just the beginning of conflict between men and women.
Well man gets off scott free while woman is cursed with childbirth. While Eve became a devoted wife and mother she set the tone for the women that followed her in her faithfulness to God and her obedience to man. But you know the old saying “behind every good man is an even better woman” proved to to be true.
Despite the fact Eve made a terrible error in judgement, she proved to be a great example of love. That love was certainly tested when Able died. What was this thing called love that in a fleeting moment it could rip your heart to shreds. When her son Seth was born she again found that deep emotional love..
Through generations that followed women stayed in the background but were a driving force. Moses might not have ever gone to the mountain had his wife not encouraged him to draw closer to God…the Jews would still be in bondage without her. George Washington might not would have been the leader that he was had it not been for Martha. The deep emotion of love can be a beautiful foundation. Women have been the carriers of the torch of love but that doesn’t mean that men don’t feel love.
Some of the greatest musical scores were about love and were written by men. Women love long but men love hard.
These days that power and beauty of love is fading. The future of this country and our planet cannot continue to exist unless we go back to that one simple emotion and allow ourselves to love. The Bible puts it simply LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Make no mistake you are not always going to like the person next to you but you have to look past that and share a moment of love. It can be powerful!
Through My Eyes 