Refreshed

     The refreshing power of the Holy Spirit is available to all of us who believe. In need of refreshment? My wonderful husband is retiring after almost 30 years at the same company. He is in need of refreshment and rejuvenation. I am more than grateful for him. He has been provider, protector and partner and I pray we have many years together in this next season of life.

     What does the word “refreshment” bring to mind? Rest, relaxation, a vacation, a time of quiet and reflection? Maybe all of the above for us in the years to come. I pray the Lord will guide us as we listen for His leading in the places we go, the people He places in our lives and the purposes He has in mind.

     Refresh yourself today in God’s Word. Take some time to reflect on life, on what is important, on blessing the people around you. It is what life is all about. My husband has and will always be the greatest blessing God has provided for me.

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. Jeremiah 31:25

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings You have given us. Give my husband times of refreshing and bless those who refresh others.

Amen

Reformed

     As Jesus brings us into new life, we are made more and more into His image. Again, sound impossible? The good news beyond believing the Gospel is that the Holy Spirit immediately sets up residence inside of us!

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13

     When we allow the Spirit to work, He changes us. That small voice inside that says, “Don’t say that” or “Let’s not watch that/read that,” or “Send the card,” “Make the phone call.” The list goes on. When we abide in Christ, when we read the Word, we are reformed, changed day-by-day.

And we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

     More and more into the image of Christ. More love, more kindness, more humility, more patience. Let it be said of us.

Lord,

Change us. We want to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Let Him guide us today.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Restored

     The guilt, shame, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, hurt, grief, condemnation and fear are taken away by Jesus. The new life in Him brings us restoration from our past and gives us a new way to live in the present, always filled with hope for the future.

     Sound impossible? As we give over our lives to Him, He will rebuild what has been lost or stolen by Satan. I didn’t know exactly what I was missing before Jesus, but I knew it was something. Trying to be good enough, busy enough, happy enough, left me floundering.

     His love restores. A new life begins to emerge from the depths. Souls become alive and joy-filled with the everlasting hope offered in Jesus. Taking away the fear of death reminds us of the joy of our salvation.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Psalm 51:12

Restore us, O God, make Your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:3

Lord,

We praise You for restoring us a step at a time, for building us back up after a life without You. Bring hope to the hopeless, comfort to those who are grieving, forgiveness to those living with guilt and show them a bright and new future.

Amen

Redeemed

    I have and always will go back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our beginning. A new life, a found hope, an everlasting promise. And once saved by Jesus, it is our greatest desire to pass it along. The transformed life with Jesus is so overwhelming and wonderful, we can’t keep it quiet!

     The beginning of faith is to hear the Gospel. Jesus, virgin-born, fully God and fully man, lived as a man on earth, giving up His heavenly deity, to live a sinless life. His holy blood was shed as a sacrifice for all sin. And all He asks is that we believe! To believe in His birth, death on the cross and resurrection from the dead gives us the ability to enter the throne room of God, now and forever.

     The word, “redeemed” is a powerful word. We are no longer dead in sin, but forgiven, past, present and future. It’s a forever redemption. He redeemed us from the jaws of death and we live spiritually.

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:22

You, Lord, took up my case. You redeemed my life. Lamentations 3:58

And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came through Christ Jesus. Romans 3:24

     We are redeemed, set free, set apart for life everlasting.

Father,

We pray Your good news of the redemption of Jesus Christ would spread through our lives and our lips. Your Son offers us the gift of eternal life through our faith. We accept this gift and praise You now and forever.

Amen

gratefulness

     Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy time with family and friends. If you are alone, sing praises to Jesus. He is our constant companion, our closest ally, our protector, our God, our friend, the One who died for us. Spend time with Him and thank Him for all He has done for us.

     See you on Monday. I am thankful for you!

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

Jesus,

Thank You for giving us brothers and sisters in the faith. We need each other to remain rooted and strong. We are grateful to You for so much. Give us hearts of thanksgiving each day.

Amen

Back on Monday!

Gratefulness

The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him and I am helped. Therefore, my heart exults and with my song I will thank Him. Psalm 28:7

     A heart of thanksgiving brings blessings. Even through the storms of life, we have Jesus with us in the boat. He calms the wind. He is the peace in the midst of the struggle. His name brings great power as we pray.

     Praise Him for who He is, for His willingness to walk alongside us through this life, until we are home with Him. He longs to see us as much as we long to see Him. If you are a believer, you have work to do! He has a purpose, a way to serve, a way to show others who He is!

     The Lord is our strength and our shield. Let our hearts trust Him and worship Him. Let our hearts rise up in song to praise Him.

Father,

We exult in our worship. We praise You through our joy-filled moments and through our dark storms. You are with us and will protect us and guide us until we arrive in heaven. Remind us to have an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving for who You are, not for what You can do for us. We serve You!

In Jesus name,

Amen

Gratefulness

     Beyond the blessings of our personal belongings, our homes, our cars, our food, and beyond the greater blessings of our spouses, our children, our families, and our friends, remains the truest blessings of a loving heavenly Father. This loving Father offered His Son as a living sacrifice so we can live forever!

     Beyond this very short life lies life forever in the presence of the glory of God or life forever separated from God. The images of both are beyond our imaginations.

     Today, thank God for your faith. Thank God for Jesus Christ. And thank God as we pray for those who do not yet believe, that He will continue to work in their hearts and open their eyes to the best blessing of all.

In that day you will say, “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done and proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Isaiah 12:4-5

Heavenly Father,

You are the blessing beyond all blessings. We give You thanks and proclaim the name of Jesus Christ to be exalted above all names. Let the world hear about You.

Amen

The Path of Life

     Ready to let God guide your ways until we reach home? I am. We will all step off the path, fall down and lose our way. But His ways are above our own and He is always there with a hand to get us back on the straight and narrow road that leads us back toward Jesus.

The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. Psalm 25:5

You guide me with great counsel and afterward, You will take me into glory. Psalm 73:24

Father,

One day we will be in glory with You. Keep us on Your path. Guide us with Your counsel. Speak Your truth into our hearts and do not let us be swayed by the world around us. We love You more than life itself.

Amen

The Path of Life

     The path of life with Jesus isn’t always easy. Speaking up with boldness for His sake seems to be more and more difficult these days. Everyone has their form of “truth.” The way is narrow and Jesus tells us we will be persecuted for His name’s sake. People die every day around the world, never denying their faith in the One true God. Stay on the narrow path. Don’t compromise as the world grows into more chaos and confusion.

      Satan loves confusion and chaos. And he hates our Lord. He hates Christians and Jews. And the world will band together as the days grow short. Don’t be confused. He will make the way clear for us. It is a privilege to serve Him and to represent Him in a world gone mad.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” Luke 13:14

Jesus,

Keep us on the narrow road as so many voices are leading many to the wide road of compromise and delusion and destruction. We trust You and Your Word and we stand firm on the foundation of our faith.

Amen    

The Path of Life

     I think I have shared the following verse with you in the past. We are talking about the path of life this week. This particular verse has meant so much to me over the last 25 years, both physically and spiritually. Being legally blind has its challenges, but Jesus has taken me on one adventure after another, as I wait for His lead.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them. I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do. I will not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16

     Powerful words for all of us. Trusting Jesus even with our weaknesses and through our most difficult times will allow Him to smooth the way again, to bring light after a time of darkness, to guide us as we stumble along unfamiliar paths. He picks us up, dusts us off and gives us a new direction.

     He offers an abundant life full of adventure. Don’t be afraid. He is the good Shepherd.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32

Jesus,

We keep turning back to You. Guide our steps when we falter. Smooth the rocky places before us. Lead us when we can’t see a way out. You are our protector. You are our hope.

Amen

The Path of Life

     Jesus makes it clear. He is the only way to heaven. He chose to come to earth, fully God and fully man to take all of the world’s sins upon Himself. How can we turn down an offer like that? He freely offers the gift of eternal life to everyone who believes. He is The Way.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

     The way of Christ turns the world upside down. We feel the need to earn our way, thinking if we do some good, we are good enough. But we all fall short. We have all sinned, and Jesus is the only way through.

The righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew or Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by the grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24

Jesus,

How do we thank You for freely offering us this gift of grace? Open hearts to the way, the truth and the life. The blessings overflow when we come to a saving knowledge of You and Your sacrificial gift.

Amen

God's Will

     The world is moving so fast with new technology offering us 24/7 connections to media, to friends, to music, and television. We take the world with us wherever we go. We are beginning to hear about the damage to very young children as their brains are moving quickly from one screen to the next. There is no time for reflection, for imagination, for creativity.

     The Bible reminds us not to be conformed to this world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world. Not so easy these days. Finding time to read the Bible, to sit down and pray to our Lord and to ask for His ways, will give us peace and joy in a chaotic world. This next verse is a good one to keep close to our hearts as we maneuver the world swirling around us.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

     The only way to renew our minds is to follow God’s ways and His Word. Be transformed. Test all things and find God’s perfect, pleasing and good will. I want that above all else. How about you?

Lord,

You know the days in which we live. Give us quiet moments with You. Show us Your perfect ways. Renew our minds to be like Jesus.

Amen

God's Will

Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise, but as wise making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Ephesians 5:15-17

     Wisdom is mentioned over and over again throughout the Bible. Many verses in the book of Proverbs have to do with Godly wisdom vs. foolishness. Be very careful how you live. What does that mean? The only way to understand is to know the Word, and to understand how God cares about the kind of people we are, more than what we do.

     Let Godly wisdom guide you as you make decisions against the ways of the world. Stay true to God’s Word. It is truth. Our God is pure and holy and He desires us to represent Him wherever we are and whatever we do.

     Be wise. The days are evil. Walk in the Word. Be careful. Ask Him for Godly wisdom and shine with His love in all the choices you make today.

Father,

Thank You for Your Word. It gives us what we need to live. It is alive and active. It delights the soul. It gives us You. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach us as we read and study and take action.

In Jesus name,

Amen

God's Will

     God’s will, His desire is that every single human being would recognize and know the Son. Listen to the words of Christ.

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day.” John 6:40

     God’s will is for everyone who believes in the Son to have eternal life. What a gift! God’s will is always pleasing and perfect for each of us.

     For today, realize how much God loves all of us. Pray for those you love, for your friends and family, for your neighbors and for your enemies to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and His gift of eternal life. It is God’s will.

Father,

We thank You for Your gift to the whole world. We know You yearn for everyone to believe in the risen Christ. We pray for the unbelievers.

In Jesus name,

Amen

God's Will

    What is God’s will for us? Is it specific? Is He the one to pick out our spouse, our house, our jobs? The Bible does not say that. But the Bible does give us parameters to follow, what is right and what is not in His sight.

     God wants only the best for us. The Holy Spirit of God living within us will assist us in teaching us God’s Word and in making us more and more into the image of Christ. There is really nothing about a very specific and detailed plan laid out for each one of us. We live by God’s rule book and make our own choices!

     Of course, along the way, we will make both good and bad choices. We are human, after all. But, looking back, I see how God uses even our bad choices and weaves them together with the good to fulfill His will. Wow!

     Here are specific verses about the will of God that pertain to all of His children. We can incorporate them into our daily lives.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

     We can rejoice that we know Jesus, we can acknowledge His presence around and within us by praying to Him all day long and we can give thanks to Him no matter what. After all, He died for us and He will get us through it all. His perfect will guides us home.

Lord,

We have the freedom to give our lives to You. You work out the good and the bad and somehow, through Your miraculous Holy Spirit, You sanctify us more and more into Your image. We rejoice in You, we pray to You and we give thanks everyday in all things. Let Your will be done.

In Jesus name,

Amen

His glorious Presence

     God knows the end from the beginning. His plans and purposes will come to pass. He knows the words we will speak before they are out of our mouths and He knows the number of our days.

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. Psalm 139:4

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5

     Place your trust in Jesus. He knows you completely and He knows just how long you will live. Let the Psalmist remind us that our lives are short. Make it matter. Gain a heart of wisdom, serving Jesus.  And don’t worry about how long you will love. You are safe with Jesus and it is more than today. It is forever.

Father,

Thank You for the promises of a heavenly home with You. It is only through Jesus we can experience a glorious future. Open hearts and minds to accept Your son, Jesus during this time of grace before it is too late.

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Glorious Guarantee

     Our home in heaven is a guarantee, promised by our Lord. He has sealed us for eternity with His Holy Spirit.

And you were also included in Christ after you heard the message of faith, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

     Keep these two verses etched in your mind and written on your heart. We tend to make it so complicated. These verses spell it out. We hear the Gospel, the fact that Jesus came to earth as a man, fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life and took the pain of a fallen world on the cross. He shed His Holy blood for you and me, died and rose again. He defeated death for us. And after we hear the message, if we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouth that He is Lord, (Romans 10:9) we are sealed at that moment with the Holy Spirit, a GUARANTEE, a deposit to declare our inheritance in heaven forever. Believe it and know nothing can ever separate you from Christ, not ever. He loves us that much.

Father,

We thank You for the faith that allows us to believe in the Gospel of grace. The free gift You give us in Your Son. We praise You today for our inheritance, eternal life.

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Glorious City

     The heavens will be filled with God’s light, with a temple made of colorful precious stones, with one gigantic pearl operating as a gate, with sheer golden glass for pathways, with fresh and unique fruit harvesting each month, there for our satisfaction.

     The angels will surround the throne. We will witness beauty and wonder as we work and praise God forever. Just a glimpse into the descriptions of heaven fills us with awe. If we could see into the glory of the new heaven and the new earth, we would not be able to stand it here one moment longer. God gives us just a taste of what it will be like.

     Allow your imagination to look up as we wait. Soon, we will be done with pain, with chaos, with disaster, with sickness and grief, with a fallen world filled with violence and drugs and hatred. Peace will flow like a river, and joy will overflow.

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold as pure as transparent glass. Revelation 21:19-21

     We can only imagine as we wait for the day we will see all of God’s glory.

Amen