With a grateful heart, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. My prayer is for readers to accept the love
and warmth of Jesus through His Word more than my own. He changes everything
and when you ask Him to be your Savior, you open up a world of adventure, of
depth, of a never-ending hunger to know Him more.
Remember to thank
Him for your blessings. Stop to pray before your meals, before you get out of
bed and before you go to sleep. Acknowledge His presence throughout the day,
constantly asking Him to guide, to teach to open your heart. Praise Him!
Enter His
gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and
praise His name. Psalm 100:4
All this
is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people
may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15
Thank you for
reading this blog. It opens my heart to new possibilities, to new hope for more
futures filled with His love.
Jesus,
Be with each person reading this today. Let them feel Your
great love for them. Comfort those who are lonely. Be with those who are
grieving. Support those who are worried and anxious. Fill our hearts with peace
and gratefulness
In Jesus name,
Amen
Enjoy this long holiday weekend and please come back on
Monday! Happy Thanksgiving!
Watch for God this week. As we move into the holidays,
remember what is most valued, what events will make the most memories, what
will give you a grateful heart? Look for ways to brighten someone’s day, to
sneak a bit of kindness into someone’s life, to encourage rather than
discourage.
God is moving all
around us and He sees you, right where you are. Where is He asking you to love,
to comfort, to pray? The opportunities will be made clear as we ask Him to be
with us each day, throughout our days.
Are you upset with
someone? Seek forgiveness. Show mercy. Build up your spouse, your friend, your
child, your co-worker. I need some work on what my friend calls our
“sand-paper” people. We all have them.
Praying for those
we find difficult, puts them in a new perspective. Dig deeper, try harder, give
willingly and cheerfully. I need these reminders today as we move into extended
family time over the next month. I
encourage you to listen for God’s words, more than your own.
Therefore,
as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12
Who is
wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds
done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3;13
Clothe ourselves in compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience?
I definitely need a change of clothes, and a reminder that I am dearly
loved by Jesus Christ. His compassion knows no bounds.
Father,
Teach us to follow Your Son and his ways. Help us to be
different, to act in wise ways, to wear the spiritual clothes of Your choosing.
We need You!
In Jesus name,
Amen
'Tis the season to be thankful. What are you grateful for
today? Good health? A roof over your head? Enough food to nourish your body? A loving,
spouse, friend, child or neighbor? Look around and appreciate what you have.
Look for the blessings as you go through your day and offer blessings to those around
you.
A simple
compliment, a smile, a hug, a phone call, a card or a pat on the back.
Blessings can come in small packages and kind words. They can be offered easily
when we look for opportunities. How can you and I brighten the life of another?
Do to
others what you would have them do to you. Luke 6:21
The “golden rule,” the verse
above has been labeled. Look for the best in others and give them the benefit
of the doubt. We don’t know what goes on in another’s life or in their heart.
Encourage, appreciate, be kind and gentle, and we will fulfill the wishes of
God.
Be grateful and
pass it on.
Lord,
We come to You with praise and a grateful heart. Help us to
appreciate all we have, to look for the best in others, to humble ourselves, to
look for opportunities. Show us how, where and when.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Have you heard this before? “God does not call qualified
people. He qualifies the people He calls?” Just like Moses and so many others
in the Bible, we can believe we are not enough, not gifted, have too many flaws, to be used by God. Moses had a speech impediment and went into exile for 40 years before God called him to
lead all of Israel.
Gideon was the
weakest man from the smallest group of men and God called him a “mighty
warrior.” Peter spoke and acted before thinking. (I can relate) Paul wanted to
arrest and kill Christians before God transformed his heart and turned him into
the greatest evangelist of all time.
Give your life to
Christ and He will give you exactly what you need, in exactly the right way, at
exactly the perfect time to witness for Him. Scary? Yup. But He gives us His
strength, His power, His Word, His Spirit. Now that gives us confidence in Him!
Go and serve! He
needs you. He will qualify you with His mighty hand.
Now may
the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back
from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with
everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to
Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen Hebrews
13:20-21
I pray
that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His
Spirit in your inner being. Ephesians 3:16
Father,
It is amazing to us how You can use us to do Your work. You
are sovereign. You are Creator. You are omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent
and yet you have designed us to be a part of Your everlasting plan. Give us the
strength, power and qualities to do Your bidding.
In Jesus name,
Amen
I still miss my childhood home. I was one of the lucky ones to
have a safe home with loving parents. After my dad died when I was fourteen, my
mom and I become best friends. Even as an adult out on my own, I often ran back
home to mom, for words of wisdom, for loving arms, and a listening ear, not to
mention enjoying my favorite comfort foods.
Home is where our
hearts reside. My mom was in the hospital dying on my wedding day. It was the
best and most difficult day of my life. God provided a safe home with my
husband at just the right time. Mom died the following day and I still miss her
after more than 30 years.
I relish these days
as a mom and grandma. My parents did not live to meet our daughters, and I recognize and appreciate these days. I pray that our daughters, their husbands and children will consider
our home as “home” to them as well.
And one day soon,
we will go to our final home in heaven. I long for the day when I will see my
mom and dad, my grandparents, and my friends who have gone on ahead. How
about you? I pray you have safe and loving places on earth. Our forever home is
with Jesus.
He is here with us
now and He provides what we may be missing. He offers comfort, protection, nourishment for
the soul and unconditional love. If you didn’t experience the safe, loving arms
of your earthly parents, or are grieving a lost sense of “home,” run to Jesus,
our eternal best friend, parent and Savior forevermore.
Instead,
they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not
ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews
11:6
For we
know that if the earthly tent in which we live is destroyed, we have a building
from God, an eternal home in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians
5:1
But our
citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20
Jesus,
Thank You for the promise of our heavenly home. You gave up so
much to give us a way to be with You forever. Thank You for the love You place
around us as we live our lives on earth. We are grateful.
Amen
Grief, loneliness,
too much or too little time or money or responsibility can bring about a state
of weariness to our bodies, minds and spirits. As we consider God’s voice and
His heart, we can find quiet times and learn to listen to what is most
important, and we can make wise decisions on where and how to move next.
When weariness sets
in, ask God to give you His peace. Run back to Jesus time and time again. A relationship
with Jesus is number one. He wants us to know Him intimately, to serve
cheerfully, to find peace in our daily lives. Come to Him when you are weary
and remember, the good we do in His name glorifies Him and brings joy to our
weary souls.
“Come to
Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew
11:28
Let us
not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Come to Jesus each
day. Let Him comfort you and give you peace as you set out to do His work. The
good we do in His name will reap a harvest of blessings for others and for us!
Lord,
You do bless us as we serve. Remind us to stay focused on what
You want, not to overdo or become overwhelmed, but to do Your work in the ways
You choose. Comfort us today.
In Jesus name,
Amen
I believe our
service and our love in the name of Jesus will follow us into heaven. And many
of our good works, maybe the ones we are most proud of, may not count. A tough
lesson to learn is to remember that God loves a cheerful giver.
The giving we do
grudgingly or out of guilt, or so that others will notice, rather than to bring
glory to Jesus, God will not use. Allowing the Spirit to move us into serving
with our time, our talents and our treasures will bless us and shine the true
light of Christ.
Over the years I
have given to others with a sigh, with a weariness, with a bad attitude. You,
too? Keep a cheerful heart as you give to His causes. He wants our hearts to be
so full of His love, we can’t help giving it away, even when it comes with
sacrifice.
A
cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
Each of
you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly, or
under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Jesus,
Continue to teach us Your ways. We love you and want to give
with a cheerful heart in the ways You desire. Change our hearts and attitudes
to serve You without tiring.
Amen
