Abundant Blessings

 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

     Take in the blessings of God this week. Allow Him to fill the holes in your heart and bless you in all things at all times. Jesus loves you to the moon and back and beyond the stars. After all, He has washed your sins as white as snow. Take that love and the blessings of God and give some away. Count your blessings on Thanksgiving Day and every day. And don’t forget to pray for others and allow others to pray for you.

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.  2 Corinthians 9:14-15

     God’s gift of grace is meant to be shared. And prayer changes things. Prayer opens hearts and heals wounds and brings peace to the soul. I thank God for each one of you and I pray that God’s gifts be given to you in abundance so that you may overflow with joy.

Happy Thanksgiving! See you Monday.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for Your indescribable gifts. We take each one as a blessing from above and we ask to be given opportunities to give to others.

Amen

Calm Before the Storm

 

     Well, let’s admit it. Along with the delightful, smells, tastes, sounds and anticipation of the season, there is more. More stress, more busyness, more annoying relatives. There are the gifts that don’t work, that don’t fit, that we don’t need. We overeat, we over shop and we overdo.

     Take a break before the hectic days and the hoopla begin and remember the One above watching over us.  Above all else, He is there.

Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.  Colossians 3:2

  This time of the year is especially difficult for those grieving the loss of loved ones. Jesus is there to comfort, to find hope, to remind us of His great gifts. Remember the blessings and, remember, there is a great cloud of witnesses awaiting us in heaven.

     What do you think? Can we rise above the craziness and focus on the hope that awaits? Shine with hope this season. Let’s focus on the love around us and share memories of loved ones waiting for us and the One who came for us. It’s all about Him after all. He can change everything.

Jesus,

Calm our spirits as we get ready to celebrate the loveliest and purest gift ever given, the life You sacrificed for us, offering us grace and forgiveness. Keep our focus on You and on sharing all of the noble gifts You give to us. Please comfort those who mourn.

Amen

The Aroma of Christ

 

     The sights, smells and sounds are upon us. Leaves have fallen. Christmas lights and displays are ready to greet us. The smell of pine will soon infiltrate our homes. Many of us will savor the smell and taste of our Thanksgiving feasts. I love this time of the year and look forward to decorating, baking, spending time with loved ones. Picking out gifts and delighting the young ones around us add to the holiday anticipation.

     What about the reason for the season? What about the anticipation of celebrating the miraculous birth of Jesus? The sights and sounds of the choir of angels greeting the shepherds as they tended their flocks? The realization that the Savior of the world was wrapped in swaddling clothes? What were the sights and sounds and smells of the manger where he slept?  The surroundings were common, but the magnitude of the event, astounding!

     Did you know we can be the aroma of Christ? Imagine that as this season engulfs our minds, our senses and our hearts, as we become distracted from the true meaning of Christmas.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere.  2 Corinthians 2:14

Jesus,

Help us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of You throughout this season. We celebrate You. Born of a woman and the Son of God! Sent to save us all. We look forward to celebrating Your birth. Help our focus to remain on You throughout this busy season filled with sights, sounds and smells of the holidays.

Amen

The Amazing Word of God

 

     I pray for all of you as I write, praying that God will be with you and speak to you through His words. The Bible holds great power. It is alive and it goes deep into our souls. Memorizing Scripture will prepare us for any and all circumstances. Saying the word of God out loud shoos Satan away and beckons the angels to surround us.

Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Psalm 103:20

There are Scriptures just for you no matter where you are, no matter what you need. Comforting Scripture to combat fear and grief, to rejoice in praise or gratefulness, to share the Gospel, to remind you of heaven and hope, to ease our anxiety. We read through history, enjoy the poetry of the Psalms  or sit amazed at the prophetic word that has proven true.

Scripture holds the keys from the beginning to the end. Jesus has the answers.

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, “My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.” Isaiah 46:10

Thank You Father for the gift of Your word. Give us time to dig deeper into it, to understand more and more of who You are and Your plans for us. We resist our enemy and listen to You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

 

Our Songs

 

     My mom died the day after my wedding.  The final stages of cancer left her in the hospital the week of and during our special day. Walking through that grief as a newlywed left me helpless and left my husband wondering what to do with me. Throughout that time, I was diagnosed with an eye disease that would, one day, leave me legally blind, and my husband lost his job. All of the above left us floundering for answers.

Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5b

     I began to pray. This was the beginning of finding Jesus. I came to the end of myself and asked for help. God placed the right people in my life and sometimes slowly, but steadily, He has given me great opportunities to serve Him, such as leading crisis ministry teams and teaching Bible studies and now through the written word.

     It is astounding for me to look back over what now spans over thirty-five years of a deep and abiding marriage and a deep and abiding faith. Jesus has changed my life in so many ways. His purpose for me continually drives me with passion and joy and He provides enough grace to guide me through the challenges in life. Much suffering has been a part of our family’s life over the years, but the blessings far outnumber them. The craziness of it all has given me a strong and loving marriage as well as two amazing, beautiful, kind, awesome (you get the picture) daughters, the best sons-in-law and, you guessed it, the most wonderful grandkids in the world.

     Hang on through the sorrowful times. Jesus will bring good from them. I saw a quote years ago when I was feeling down about the circumstances surrounding me and I have never forgotten it.

“If God removed the rocks, a brook would lose its song.” Author unknown.

     I pray your song is making a beautiful melody today.

Lord,

I can only thank You for everything, all of it, difficult, delightful, and disastrous. You continue to give us difficult and necessary lessons along the way. I put my trust in You to get me through life’s journey, until one day, the tears, and the pain will be gone forever. Joy will remain.

Amen

The Journey

 

     Many years ago, I read a book called, “Hinds’ Feet On High Places.” It is the story of a girl named, Much Afraid, a girl like you and like me. She wants to stay in the valley where she is comfortable and knows her way around, until one day she has an encounter with the Good Shepherd.

     How she longs to follow Him, but her pesky relatives keep holding her back along the way. Friends and cousins like Pity and Pride, Fear, Resentment and Bitterness. They hinder her journey. She does not understand it at the time, but the Shepherd chooses Sorrow and Suffering as her companions and, slowly, she heads up a tough mountain trail.

     The hinds (or deer) she spots up ahead near the top of the mountain take an easier route, and she wonders why the Shepherd insists she take another way. But one day, she reaches the uppermost place, the highest place, lessons learned and joy attained.

     This allegory speaks to us as we journey along in life, never quite understanding all of it along the way. But Jesus does, and one day we, like the hind, will reach the mountaintop. Sitting in heaven, everything done for Jesus following along with us with whispers of “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He causes me to stand on the heights. Psalm 18:33

Lord,

We won’t have all of the answers until we meet You in heaven. Keep us filled with hope and trust throughout our journeys on earth. Even when our companions include sorrow and suffering, You know the way out and through it all. We love You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Hope In What We Do Not See

 

     I recently searched through and perused some of my writings from years past. I realize that much of my most prolific times of writing have come both during and after times of great suffering. Suffering offers us hard-earned life lessons. Life throws so much at us and as we go through the tough times, it can seem impossible to see a way out, or to find a beacon of hope.

     Jesus taught me the most valuable lessons through these times. I learned to trust. I learned to hang on to hope. I relied on friends and family in ways I might not have had things continued to be comfortable and easy. We can carry each other’s burdens. And the God of hope travels along with us, opening our eyes to spiritual truths, to an eternal perspective, to a life beyond.

     If you are navigating a time of trial, reach out to Jesus with hope.

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Jesus,

Thank You for the hope you bring to us and thank You for celebrating with us through the joys of life and staying close by our side through the difficult days. We can always find peace and hope when we trust in You.

Amen