This is a poem I wrote in 2004. It is depicting the sacrifices made by Cain and Abel. It makes me think about what type of sacrifice are we presenting to the Lord? Romans 12:1 tells us to present ourselves as a Living Sacrifice, but what determines if our sacrifice is acceptable? It's all about our heart.
It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your
name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness
at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
Greetings, My Beloved!
I hope you are having a great week! Can you believe that
in just a few days, I will be changing my residence from Houston to Dallas? It
is hard to believe, and yet I am much calmer than I thought I would be about
it. I suppose that is the sign that this is from God. All I feel is excitement!
I can't wait. I just know that God has amazing things in stored for us, and I
can't help, but sing praises to Him.
Can you think of a reason to praise God today? Perhaps
you were feeling ill this week, and now you are well. Did you get an unexpected
gift? Or perhaps you aren't having a good week. Perhaps you feel like things
are not going your way. Perhaps you are not feeling well. Did you know that
even in these times, it is good to praise the Lord? Even when things are not
going well, the fact that God loves you is reason enough to praise the Lord.
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the
law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,
that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on
your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I
not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Greetings, my Beloved!
I hope you are having a great week! Mine has been full of
anxiety, as I count down the days to the big move. I am so excited to see where
the Lord is leading us, but at the same time sad to say goodbye to everything I
have ever known. I am a little nervous of what to expect, but at the same time
anticipating the adventure. I can only imagine the Israelites were the same
way, as they waited to enter the Promise Land. Fortunately, I didn't have to
wander in the dessert for 40 years before entering into the new chapter of my
life, but nonetheless, here I am stepping into the brink of a new horizon. If
only I could catch a glimpse of what was to be expected, but then again -
isn't that what faith is all about? I am sure Joshua had a bit of
nervousness when he stepped into the role of leading the people into the
Promise Land. Why else would the Lord have to remind him over and over again,
"Be strong and courageous." I can see that God is having to say the
same thing to me. "Be strong and courageous." I think this
applies to various aspects of life, not just moving. We all face a new
beginning at some point in our lives. Are we willing to step out into the
unknown to fulfill our destiny? I think that this passage gives us a few key
elements to live by to help us to be strong and courageous, and able to
withstand anything that life throws at us. Part 1 - Obedience.
"Obey the law..." Part 2- "Keep the law on your lips;
meditate on it day and night." I think to be able to obey the law you
must first know the law - inside and out. It says if we follow these
steps, we will be successful. Let us stay on the path of obedience
before the Lord, by meditation on His Word. As long as we are doing that,
we do not have to be discouraged; we do not have to be afraid,
because the Lord is with us. He will always be by our side; He will never leave
us or forsake us. Let us find a way to meditate on His word daily. It is so
easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, that we forget the law that
governs us. Do you think that is what happened to America today? Have we
forgotten the law, and that is why so much chaos is abounding? Let us be in
prayer, not only for ourselves, but also for those around us, that the truth of
God's Word will be true in our lives. That we can obey the law by meditating on
it! And remember God is here - what a comfort it is to know that God is
always there for us! Doesn't He enjoy our worship?
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations
Greetings, My Beloved,
I hope you are having an amazing week! This week, I want to focus on our appreciation of everything the Lord has done for us. After all of the miraculous things He has done for us, how can we help, but give thanks? This scripture brings me back to my childhood. It was one of the first scriptures I learned in Sunday school class, and quickly became my favorite scripture. I think thanksgiving is an important part of worship to our God! After all, He is the creator of the universe! He is good, faithful, and full of love! It is because of this, that we can be thankful in all circumstances - even when life is uncertain, even when life is difficult. 1 Thessalonians 5:18,"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Greetings My Beloved!
I hope you are having a wonderful week! Isn't it comforting to know that God is always there for us? Isn't it encouraging knowing that God has gone to the ends of the earth to call us? He chose us! So, why do we fear when we are faced with the uncertainties of life? It is so important to rely completely on God, for he is the one who strengthens us and helps us. God has been teaching me a lot on stretching my faith and total reliance on Him lately. I just thought I trusted in Him fully, but as He showed me, it is easy to say it, it is harder to live it out. After all, isn't it easy to call a doctor, a lawyer, a friend? And maybe God will use these experts, but we have to run to Him first. Why shouldn't we? After all, God created us; don't you think He knows our bodies better than a doctor? Psalm 139:13, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb." Earlier this week I was not feeling very well. I was actually in a lot of pain. So, I prayed, but prayed differently. Rather than asking God to heal me, I asked God, "How should I pray?" It is during the time we feel the weakest that we need to press into God even more. Ask God, how do I pray over this? Is there anything I can do to help? One time, when I was feeling ill, I asked God what is there that I can do to feel better, and He simply said drink water. It was amazing how quickly I recovered simply by drinking water. This time when I was feeling ill, God told me to take authority over my body. Sometimes, I think we forget the authority that we have. So, I commanded my body to function the way God created it to function. I cast down the curses that the doctors had placed on me, and asked God to fix the areas that have unraveled in my body. As I was praying, I could feel the results. The pain was subsiding, and I knew that God was working a miracle in me. I pray that God can work a miracle in you! Enter into His holiness, and seek Him. Take advantage of the time in your weakness to fall into His embrace, and seek Him on what you should do to receive your healing - should you see a doctor? Then ask God which doctor should I see? Should you change your diet or drink more water? Then ask God for the wisdom on how and the self discipline to follow through. Should you take authority over your body, and call it into alignment, then ask God for the boldness to do so. If God is our strength, then why do we try to do this on our own? As time ticks on, and the world gets crazier, and the signs of the times point to the end, it is so important to know how to rely completely on God. Isaiah 10:20, "In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel." It is this complete reliance on God that will bring us strength, that will bring us help, and that will lift us up in His protection.
This is my prayer for you:
Ephesians 1:15-23
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Then
I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out
his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember
your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all
your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the
peoples.
Greetings,
My Beloved!
I am
having such a refreshed week, after a beautiful weekend spent with my husband
in the hill country. I am so blessed to have such an amazing man of God for my
husband! We spent the weekend seeking God for direction for our life, as we
embark this new journey, leaping out in faith to do the work for the Kingdom of
God! Last week, I spoke about my despair of this Nation, and how God brought
hope. Today, I would like to continue the thought about the Holiness of God! He
is so Holy! To think about the wonderful deeds God has done. Can you think of a
moment where God performed a miracle in your life? I think just the salvation
experience alone is an amazing miracle. The fact that God reached out to me in
the darkest moment of my life, when I was living a life full of sin and
disregard was a miracle. The fact that God did not turn His back on me, even
when I turned my back on Him was a miracle. The fact that I deserved the death
on the cross, as the wages of the sin in my life was death. However, He took my
place on the cross, as an innocent, and did that to wash away the sin in my
life. He paid the debt so that I may live. Isn't that a beautiful picture!
Isaiah
53:4-6
Surely
he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished
by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have
gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Can
you think of a time in which God has healed you? It may seem minor, but when I
was at camp, I woke up with a horrible headache. Being at camp, in the heat
with a whole bunch of kids, is not the best place to have a headache. I walked
over to the nurse’s cabin to get a pain reliever. I ran into Olivia, who prayed
for my headache. I went back to my cabin to get the girls up and ready for the
day. Guess what happened? The minute I walked into the cabin, my headache was
gone. No pain reliever can work that fast, but I know a God that can heal!
Think
about the miracles in your life. I know that my son was a miracle. I always
say, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have turned my life around. He is a
miracle, and I enjoy watching him grow into a fine young man! I believe that
God performed a miracle in bringing me my husband! God worked a miracle in our
marriage; it isn't the same because God is a miracle working God!
Let
us think about all of the marvelous things God has done, and sing praises to
Him! When you worship God through song, thank Him for the wonderful things He
has done in your life.
This week, I found
this song by Kim Walker Smith from Jesus Culture. It is called Miracle Maker. I
was so blessed by it, I just know you will be, too. Listen to this song, and
prepare your heart to worship, because I promise you, you can't listen to this song,
and not be moved to worship!
The
Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath
of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into
storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world
revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through
all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he
chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all
mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms
the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the
size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain
hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the
eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his
unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We
wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts
rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
Greetings
My Beloved!
I
hope you are doing well this week! I am so sorry; I didn't get a chance to
write to you last week. I spent a week at Kids camp, and it was amazing! It is
awesome to see a young generation, giving their praises to our God!
On
this nation's birthday, I can't help but wonder what is this nation coming to?
Just turn on the news, and you can see so much chaos abounding. We are slowly
being de-synthesized to morality. We live in a time where we define our rights
and wrongs, rather than having a moral foundation. The problem with defining
our own rights and wrongs is that it is a moving target. I remember when I was
a child I hated playing games with my cousin. She would cheat, and change the
rules in the middle of the game only so she could win. The moment I tried to
play by her rules, she would change it to where the rules only applied to her. This
is the type of nation we live in today. I try not to go into politics too
often, as I oftentimes find myself in opposition on both sides of the argument.
However, we live in a day, where it is okay to justify our ways, it is okay to
only live by our standards, and we sympathize with others by using the philosophy,
“To each his own.” You know how much I hate this philosophy.
So,
in this day and age, is there any righteousness? A righteousness defined by
God, not ourselves?The scripture above
tells us that the Lord loves righteousness and justice. He loves it when we
define righteousness and justice in accordance with His law. We aren't to make
up our own laws contradictory to His laws.
So,
what makes His laws supreme? God is the creator! He spoke this universe into
being.
John
1:3 puts it best:
Through
him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
So,
if God is the maker of all things, including the laws that govern this earth,
then why do we not fear Him? How can we as Christians allow laws to pass that
are directly against the law of the Lord? We keep out of it because we are
afraid we may offend someone. And as harsh as our society is, I can see why we
are afraid to speak up. However, we need to recognize the spirit of falsehood
that is targeting our children? The reason that the laws are being past today
that wouldn't have even been considered 20 years ago is because our generation
has been fed the lies, and we believe it. Why is it that the Disney Channel
advertises political issues, targeting a demographic that cannot
legally vote? One day, it will be this very demographic that will vote. A
child's mind is malleable; it is like a sponge that will soak up as much
information as possible. That is why children can learn languages better than
an adult. Lenin said, "Give me four years to teach the children and the
seed I have sown will never be uprooted." That is why children's ministry
is so near and dear to my heart. It goes both ways. Are we going to teach the
children, or are we going to subject them to the philosophies of this society?
If we teach the children how to think for themselves, how to have a morality
centered on the Word of God, then maybe we can raise up a generation that will
make a difference in our world. Right now, our nation is crumbling; we as a
nation have turned our back on God. God said, that He will bless the nation
whose God is the Lord. Is God the Lord of our nation? How can we not
bow down and submit to the maker of the heavens and the earth? How
can we not show respect to the God that spoke the world into being, that has
the power to calm the stores. Why does the weather obey God - because He
created it.
So,
yes, I am disappointed in the state of our nation. I have almost lost all
hope. In fact, I did nothing today to celebrate the birth of our nation. I
saw today as just another day. However, not all hope is lost. How do I
know this? Because God is in control, His plans stand firm. We cannot put our
hope in the government, as you can see the government has failed us. We do not
need to put our hope in the military, because our war is not of a physical
nature. But if we Hope in the Lord, we have nothing to fear.
Isaiah
40:31
But
those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings
like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
The
Lord will grant us strength during this dark time of our nation. He will
deliver us from the hardships of this world, because He is our refuge, our
strength, our shield. So, we should rejoice, even in this dark hour.
Philippians tells us we should rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, not just in the good
times:
Philippians
4:4:
Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
So,
do not lose hope in our nation, but join me in rejoicing that God is our Lord,
and pray. Abraham was able to save Lot from the disastrous fate of Sodom and
Gomorrah simply by petitioning to God.
Genesis
18:23-26
Then
Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the
wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really
sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous
people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing-to kill the righteous with
the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you!
Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty
righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their
sake."
Abraham
continues this plead all the way down to 10, "If only 10." To which
God faithfully replied he would not destroy the city on the account of 10. We
all know the end of the story; not even 10 righteous could be found, as God only
rescued Lot and his family.
Let
us pray for our nation, God hear the cry of the righteous. Save our nation on
the account of the righteous that live in our cities. Hear our heart cry, as we
mourn for those that have turned their backs to you. Let us not be guilty of
leading our children astray, as it would be better for a millstone to be tied
around our necks and cast into the ocean. Let us not be silent, but to stand
firmly against the spirit of falsehood that is trying to overtake our nation.
Let the belt of truth that is so firmly girded around our waist flow through
our mouths, that we only speak truth. Let us gird our minds with the helmet of
salvation, that we may not be lead astray. Hear our cry, oh Lord. -Amen
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise
the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not
put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit
departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to
nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the
Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in
them—he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and
gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to
the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the
righteous. The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and
the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.
Greetings My Beloved!
I hope you are having a blessed day! I have really been
blessed by the scripture above. In the past, I have spoken so strongly about
allowing God to be our source. It is such an important lesson, and I think that
each day we learn something new from it. It strengthens your faith so
much, and it is a constant reminder of comfort. It is comforting knowing that
the God that created the Universe is in control.
This past weekend for Father's day, we went and saw the
new Superman movie "Man of Steel." In all of the fighting sequences,
I kept realizing as the army was fighting the aliens, they were completely
defenseless. Of course, this is just a fictitious movie, but it got
me thinking. As a child, we always trusted that the Police were the ones to
call when we were in danger, the military would protect us when our country was
in danger, and there was nothing more comforting than being in the arms of your
parents. But now, as our world becomes more and more chaotic, it makes me
wonder, what would we do in a time when our parent, police, or military cannot
protect us?
It is about time we learn how to trust in God. The future
is unknown, and when the darkness closes in fear starts showing its taunting
face. How often have you laid awake in bed wondering exactly how things are going
to pan out? I know I have done this many a night. Especially, when you are
about to embark in a new season, and not all of the questions have been
answered yet. We are preparing to move to a new city. I have never moved to a
new city before, and as daunting as that can be, we are moving almost
completely blind. Sometimes trusting in God, stepping out in faith, can be the
scariest thing. The scariest thing to me about this move is we do not
have a job or an income prepared for us for when we get there. Normally,
when you move an income is the first thing you want make sure you
have before you move, but when God calls, sometimes you don't have these
answers until the last possible second. Why? Well, if you knew all of the
answers, how can you trust God?
This has been an issue God and I have had almost my
entire life. I have always been a bit of a control freak, and if I can't have
control over the situation, then I run away from it. I keep everything close
around me, for if they fall too far off course, how can I have control? God has
graciously knocked me off of my controlled path, just so I can learn how to
trust in Him. Why is it that 3rd world countries can see the miraculous hand of
God working? They see it, because they have had to learn to trust solely in
God. It is kind of hard to trust God for the next meal you are about to eat,
when you can run to the grocery store to buy food, or go to the local
restaurant to eat. It is hard to trust that God will provide a roof over your
head, when you have your nice cozy home and bed. It is hard to trust that God
will provide clothing for you to wear, when you go to your closet full of
clothes, or the local clothing store. We have stores for everything. And the
days when you are worried if you can stretch the last of your paycheck to the
end of the month, you think you have such great faith. Now, this isn't to
downplay our complicated lives, but it is a reality check. When we have
everything provided for us, it is really difficult to understand how much
faith we actually have. So, when adversity strikes, we feel
unprepared. However, we need to recognize that when adversity strikes, our
faith grows:
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and
sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the
love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s
churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and
trials you are enduring.
So, why do we fear when trials come our way? Should we
not rejoice, because in the end we will have a deeper knowledge of our
faith in God? However, we can only gain this, if we put our hope in Him when we
face the trials in life.
I pray that God will be so prevalent in our
lives that we can't help but relinquish all of the control to Him.
Let us seek deep within to discover the areas in our life that we need to give
to God. Perhaps it's our family, our jobs, or the trials that we
face, whatever it may be allow God to take control. It may be scary at first,
but in the end you will find great comfort.
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites
were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to
celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music
of cymbals, harps and lyres. The musicians also were brought together from the
region around Jerusalem—from the villages of the Netophathites, from Beth
Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the musicians had built
villages for themselves around Jerusalem. When the priests and Levites had
purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the
wall.
Greetings, My Beloved!
I hope you are having a fabulous week. A couple of weeks
ago, we went to visit our friend in Nacogdoches, Texas. We visited her church
that Sunday, where they were studying Nehemiah 12. I'll be honest; I had not
spent much time in Nehemiah 12. Usually, when I'm studying Nehemiah it is at
the beginning of the book - the building of the wall. I was particularly
blessed by verse 30 where it spoke about the priests and Levites purifying
themselves. It is so important that we purify ourselves before we
bring our offering of worship before the Lord. After these verses the
chapter goes on to describe two choirs that surround the wall:
Nehemiah 12:31 I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I
also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of the
wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate.
Nehemiah 12:38
The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I
followed them on top of the wall, together with half the people—past the Tower
of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
I can only imagine how beautiful it sounded to have 2
choirs. In fact, the chapter goes on to describe just how loud, how
magnificent these praises were.
Nehemiah 12:43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing
because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The
sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.
This is my prayer, that when we go to church on Sunday,
we aren't going just to go through the motions. Singing the same old songs, all
while going through our grocery lists in our head. Okay, maybe you aren't
thinking about the grocery list, but are you setting your mind on higher
things? God deserves the best of ourselves, but are we only giving Him a
portion? God doesn't ask for much, just our whole selves. So, let us prepare
ourselves for pure, authentic, beautiful worship to our King. Worship is beyond
the songs that we sing at church on Sunday. God asks us to do everything
wholeheartedly as unto Him, for we aren't truly doing things for others, but
rather we are doing it for Him, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are
serving
I pray that you find it in your heart to take your
worship to God to a whole new Level. Let's go Deeper with God. Worship with me,
if you will:
Open the gates that
the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep
in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in
you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock
eternal.
Greetings my
beloved!
I hope you are
having a fabulous week. The Lord has definitely been with me this week. I love
His faithfulness. This week, I have been pondering on the verses above. It
seems that when chaos abounds, God is right there, being our rock, our perfect
peace. Right now, as I am listening to the storms outside and fear tries to
well up as my mind goes to the images of the Oklahoma tornadoes, I can't help
but think about God's peace in the midst of the storm. Remember when the disciples
were on the boat and grew fearful of the storm? All Jesus did was command for
peace to be still.
Mark 4:35-41
That day when
evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving
the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were
also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over
the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping
on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care
if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be
still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his
disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were
terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey
him!”
If Jesus can calm
the physical storms, how much more can He calm our spiritual storms? What do
you do when fear wells up within? Do you give into the fears and "What
ifs?" Or do you run to Jesus? He is our Rock, our deliverer, and our
peace. Why should we worry? Why do we lay awake at night worrying about every
little thing? My mom use to tell me, "there is no use in worrying."
Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your
body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than
clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And
why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do
not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was
dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more
clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’
or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. I think that is the key to
living a worry free life, seeking first His Kingdom and His Righteousness. Let
us enter into His presence, shedding all of our worries, our fears, and accept
His perfect peace!
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are
the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among
the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your
perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have
tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You
have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown
weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at
first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did
at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from
its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit
says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to
eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Greetings, My Beloved!
I hope you had a great Memorial Day holiday, and in turn
a fabulous week! Last Sunday night in our connect group bible study; my husband
brought a word on profane fire. He talked about the offering that Aaron's sons
brought, which in turn brought the death of them. It makes you wonder, what is
my heart like when I bring forth my dutiful worship? Worship is so much more
than a song that we sing on Sunday morning. This morning, during my prayer time,
the Lord showed me how I have crowded Him out of my day because I stay so
focused on getting everything around me done. I think it can be done
inadvertently. I don't think any of us really want to leave God out of our day,
but as we say the token prayer as we are rushing to our next task, are we
really realizing our heart in the matter? Here is a run-down of what my
day can look like - Wake up, "Good Morning," hop in the shower, rush
to get ready, grab a bite to eat as you rush from the door, sit in traffic,
rush in the door to work, rush from one task to the next until it's time to
call it quits (fit lunch in there somewhere), sit in traffic on the way home,
rush to eat dinner, and then veg out on the couch exhausted from all of the
rushing around, go to sleep - wake up, and repeat. I'm sure you all can somehow
relate. It may not look exactly like mine, but you can see how quickly we can
forget about God in any given day. You can even be doing things for God,
volunteering at the church, or really doing a plethora of good works, but is
God truly in it?
I think the church of
Ephesus, really was trying to do the right thing. I don't think they
intentionally forgot about their first love, God. It is so easy to get caught
up in doing things that you just simply forget the intent of it all…especially,
when trials come your way. How much more difficult is it to continue your
rushed routine when you get a wrench thrown in the middle of it all. Perhaps
you or a loved one becomes sick, then how are you going to get everything done?
What if you lose your job, and you wonder where the next meal is coming from,
the worry takes the place of the busyness, and you wonder, “Where is God in all
of this?” The Bible says that the Ephesians persevered and endured through the
hardships. They did great deeds and worked hard. You hear throughout this
scripture how they persevered, and past the tests, yet through it all they
forgot their first love. Have you forgotten your first love?
Come back to the heart
of worship. Fall back in love with God. When I first met my husband, I couldn't
wait to talk to him again. I would think about him all the time, about the next
time we would get to see each other. It was exciting - I wanted to know more
and more about him. Isn't that how we should feel about God. That we can't wait
until our next encounter. Let's encounter God in a new way today. Last week I
spoke about remaining in God's presence. Let us show God how much we love Him
while we are in His presence. After all, He showed us how much He loved us by
sending His only son to die for us that we may gain eternal life, and
spend an eternity with God.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn. Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Greetings, my Beloved!
I hope you are having a fabulous week! I know that I am. Summer is just around the corner, and I am enjoying the warmer weather, the bright blue skies, and the beautiful colors of the season. It makes me appreciate the beautiful world that our God has given to us. This morning during our devotion time, we spoke about God's presence. How cool would it have been to walk with God in the Garden of Eden! But we don't have to wait until we get to heaven to experience walking with God. We are surrounded by the light of His presence, and we can walk with Him now! Let us recognize God's presence around us and walk with Him today. Let us praise Him for the wonderful things that He has done in our lives. Recently, my husband had an injury at work with his back. The doctor at his work said that he has a slipping rib syndrome, where the rib slips out of its socket, and creates excruciating pain. There is no cure for this syndrome - it is very rare. But I know a God who can heal, so we prayed for him. He no longer feels the pain - Praise God! I know that God is right there just waiting to meet our every need. We just need to cry out to Him! Enter into His presence, and just wait and watch for God to move powerfully in your life. But seek first His Kingdom and Righteousness:
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Are the wants and desires that you have in your life within the will of the Father? Search your heart to see how your wants and desires will benefit the Kingdom. It's something to think about. Perhaps we need to change our perspective from the here and now, and gain an eternal perspective. You may wonder, why God hasn’t answered my prayer; perhaps you haven't gained the eternal perspective. Is it a timing thing? Perhaps God is waiting for the right time to grant you your desires. Or perhaps, He has answered, and it is just not the answer you wanted. Just recognize, God knows best - he knows what will work in your life, and your future. Just trust in Him, and He will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
I just know that God wants to do amazing things in your life. Just enjoy His presence, trust in Him, and everything will be just fine.
As summer approaches, I can't help but
get excited. Summer is my favorite season of year. I love the hot weather,
high humidity, and the beach! I suppose it's because I was born in the summertime. This past weekend, we took our first trip to the beach, and I wrote a
poem in honor of the summer season! Enjoy!
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