For Your Encouragement

We are Free to Choose

2012-02-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

When Octavia Spencer won the Gloden Globe for best supporting actress she quoted Martin Luther King. Refering to people who serve others she said, "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance."

If we, in our humanness, can recognize that hard work and serving others has value and honor, then just consider how much more God honors us when we willingly serve Him as, messengers, and ministers sent by Him to accomplish His work (Isaiah 43:4).

We are free to choose God or to let go of Him at anytime. He gives us the freedom to let go of His hand. We don't have to do anything He says; however staying in His will is always the best choice because His plans are to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Blue Letter Bible & the Gesenius Lexicon define servants as: " Servants of the king; ministers & courtiers, messengers, military captains & common soldiers." Also, "worshippers of God, and the minister or ambassador of God, called and sent by God for accomplishing some service." As we work for Him and see His blessing for others and ourselves then that makes us fall so utterly in love with Him that we voluntarily become His servants. Even a servant of servants. That is when we live and breathe God and want to please Him alone.

Isn't it interesting that when we decide to serve Him by helping others in whatever way He has lead us to serve, yet somehow through our service to others our own needs get met. It doesn't seem like it should be that way, but that is how He has designed it.

Read More: Matthew 25:14-23
Prayer: Thank you for honoring me and rewarding me for faithful service.
Plan of Action (James 1:22 & James 1:25): Make the decision to do whatever He seems to be asking you to do.

Renewal/New Beginnings

2012-01-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Elohim. That one hebrew word describes our Heavenly Father as God and as a Mighty Creator. It is used in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." He is still creating today. Renewing our minds, our hearts, and our hopes. He hasn't given up on us or forsaken us no matter how bad our situation was or is. With Him we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), we are His children (1 John 2:12), and His mercies are new everyday (Lamentations 3:23). Through this next year His Word promises that He will be with us no matter the situations we face whether good or bad. '...for You are with me...' (Psalms 23:4).

Blue Letter Bible defines renewal as: 'renovation, complete change for the better'. God has that promise for each and every person who calls on His name (Romans 10:13). Even when we can't see any possible way He is the Mighty Creator, Elohim, who can make a way (Isaiah 43:19). Remember that God's plans are to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Great is our Lord and mighty in power... Psalms 147:5
Read More: Jonah 1-4
Prayer: God our Creator, thank you for never giving up on us and offering us hope through new beginnings.
Action Plan (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Don't give up! Reach out to Him through prayer and He will reach in.

What Are You Looking For?

2011-12-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Have you heard the expression, "deep calls to deep"? I read that as deep love calls to deep need! In other words, God and His deep love for us calls us to Himself, so that He can meet our deep needs.

What are you looking for, is it hope? Maybe it's guidance, direction, answers, help, purpose, or love? Whatever it is we all have deep needs that can only be fully met in Christ. Sometimes it appears as if these things can be found in other things or even other people. Sometimes we go to things and other people because that seems to be the easiest way to get our needs met. Going to other things and people can become, like the Staples commercial demonstrates, our 'easy buttons'. However, it is only in a relationship with Jesus Christ that whatever we are looking for can truly be found.

God has already sent the answer to whatever it is we are looking for, and it is found in the reality of the Christmas message. God knew our need and out of His great love He sent His only Son. Through a relationship with Jesus we can find everything we might need; hope, guidance, direction, answers, help, purpose and great love! He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us (John 3:16).

Read more:
Luke 2:1-20
Prayer:
Thank You Father for the gift of Your Son. I know that like any other relationship, a relationship with Jesus takes some work. Father, help me to seek Him with all my heart.

Plan of Action:
Set aside time to pray everyday.

Are you suffering?

2011-11-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

In Exodus 4:31 we see that God is concerned about every part of our lives and He sees our anguish. My Utmost for His Highest, on May 15th says, "God is the master designer, and He allows adversities into our lives..." (Chambers, O. 1963. My Utmost for His Highest.) He is not just a good designer, but a master designer, so that every adversity has a purpose, Romans 8:28.

When we are suffering and greiving perhaps at times like these God sits with us in silence, like Job's friends did with him in Job 2:11-13. Know that in the middle of your pain God hears and answers prayers. My pastor recently gave a message entitled, "There is no limit to what God can do." During difficult times that can be hard to remember, but through faith know that Jesus has the answers, that He is the answer because He is the Truth, and His ways are right. The devotional book, Streams In the Dessert, on Nov. 9th says, "Seek communion with Christ and you will receive strength...for God has promised, I will strengthen you. Isaiah 41:10" (Cowman, L.B. 1997, Streams In the Dessert.)

Read More:
Exodus 33:14, Psalms 46:1, 2 Cor. 1:3-4
Prayer:
Thank You Lord that You are with me even when I can't percieve it.
Plan of Action (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Be still in prayer, take heart, and breathe.

Be Brave!

2011-09-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

2 Samuel 23:16 "He would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord."

Recently at work I saw a bumper sticker that read, "Don't believe everything you think!" I don't know about you, but I can think of something that I am anxious about and then I end up dwelling on it trying to figure out the best way to handle it. Then I feel even more anxious. Usually what I am anxious about doesn't turn out like I expected anyway!

We all have something to 'pour out' before the Lord. It may be anxiety, rage/anger, pornography, alcohol, loneliness, depression or some other thorn in our side. Choosing not to do something, or dwell on something we have been giving ourselves over to is difficult. First, pour it out to the Lord, telling Him everything about the issue. Why does this issue/struggle seem to draw us in? What is it about this that captures us? Why haven't we stopped prior to this? Why are we trying to deal with this issue now? What do we want the outcome to be? What do we believe the Lord wants the outcome to be? Answering these questions as truthfully as we can while praying can ease our burden (Matt. 11:28).

Begin deciding not to give in to it, or start making the decision to stop doing whatever it is that has become an issue. Sometimes we may feel like we can't stop or we may feel like whatever it is, has the power to control us. Is it possible it could be an addiction? Whatever it is that needs to be 'poured out before the Lord' will be a journey to overcome. Memorizing God's Word to combat it is a great comfort and encouragement. When those bothersome thoughts surface again instead of dwelling on them and giving them power give God the glory by dwelling on His Word, the Truth, and choose to fill your cup with praise. As Hebrews 13:15 states, 'offer a sacrifice of praise'. Believe by faith God is saying, "Be brave, things aren't as they appear. Trust Me, not your feelings or even your own thoughts."

Read More:
Isaiah 43:1-4, Isaiah 43:7, & Isaiah 43:18-19

Prayer:
Father help me choose to obey you by dwelling on Your Word and not on my feelings about the issue. Thank You that You are with me every step of the way.

Plan of Action (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Memorize one or more of the verses from Isaiah 43:1-4, 7, 18-19.

Dodge Ball

2011-08-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Verse: 1Peter 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

I have never been a good athlete therefore, I never liked P.E. in school. I hated when team captains were chosen and then they chose people for their team because I was always one of the last ones picked. Maybe you were one of the athletically gifted and this was not an issue, but for me it was a cause for dread.

In contrast, God has chosen us for His 'team'. God has looked down from His heavenly throne at all of His creation and chosen Us! He views us so differently from how the world views us and it is more positive than we realize. He knows what is in our heart, and that we are sinful, and yet He still wants to use us for His glory.

The word Elect, according to Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible p. 112 means, "picked out, a vessel of God." Elect conjures up images of an election, ballots, and debates for me. It is as if God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit got together and unanimously decided that they wanted us on their side. Look how much they wanted us, read the following verses:
John 15:16
John 17:6
Eph. 2:10
2 Thess. 2:13

God has thought about us from the beginning and wants us for Himself. Futhermore, our belief in His Word and His Son is credited back to us as righteousness Gen. 15:6. We believe and our lives are blessed, and then He calls us righteous on top of that!

'the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.' Is.28:5

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for choosing me and help me to choose You even when it's difficult.

Read More:
Ephesians 1:4-6

Plan of Action (James 1:22 & James 1:25):
Choose Him by having a prayer time every morning.

Distant

2011-07-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

Verse: Luke 15:13
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”

“The younger son…set off for a distant country…’ (Luke 15:13). When we choose not to follow or obey God we will end up far fro Him like the verse; ‘a distant country.” As a result our fellowship/relationship with Him will suffer. Our disobedient living will separate us from Him every time. When we distance ourselves from God, by not attending church or Sunday School, or by not studying or reading His word, or by not praying regularly, it will be hard to hear from Him. Just as being distant, far away, or physically separated from someone will cause us not to be able to hear them. Yet, when we realize the error of our ways and truly repent like the prodigal son did in verse 18, God will have compassion on us (vs.20). He will meet us where we are, even if we are still far off, but desperately wanting to return. Then He will walk with us back to our rightful place without condemnation. In fact, instead of condemnation He is filled with compassion and love for us (vs. 20). Just as the father in this parable met his son and threw his arms around him and kissed him, so our Heavenly Father greets us with love and compassion when we repent. He does not meet us with anger and condemnation asking us where we have been and what we were thinking? He does not react in that manner because He is love, 1 John 4:8. And, there’s more. He is willing to take us further on ahead, into a deeper more intimate relationship with Him. He is always waiting for us to return to Him.

May your blessing be on your people. Psalms 3:8

Prayer:

Father thank you for your compassion and love towards me even while I am working on returning to You. Help me return to You with my whole heart.

Abiding in Him continued

2011-07-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

This Sunday in church our pastor was away and Rev. Carl Butcher spoke. He said something that I thought was really good and I wanted to share it. One point he mentioned, was that we never drift toward God. That is so true, it takes our effort to draw close, or closer, to God. Rev. Butcher said we need to make prayer, and reading the Bible a priority, because we will never 'accidentally' get closer to God.

In Matthew 22:37 and Mark 12:30 it states that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. To love God with all of our heart means with all of our emotions. Our soul means in the core of our being, our mind means in our thoughts, and our strength means in our actions. Rev. Butcher said loving God is a decision with action and commitment. Sometimes, because life can be tough, it is a decision we have to make over and over again in one week. Life happens therefore, self indulgence and sin happens. When it does, just make that decision again to pray or to return to the Word. It is human nature to drfit, just make the decision to return back to God through prayer. Don't give up! Galatians 6:9

Abiding in Him.

2011-07-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Recently I was thinking about the prevalence and accessibility of worldly messages and it made me consider how often I make an effort to take in Godly messages. How much am I listening, paying attention to or taking in the things of God? How many times did I attend church this week? How many times did I open my bible to read His Word this week? How often this week did I have a prayer time? When I did pray, how many of my prayers were for others? Yet, how much T.V. did I watch this week? How many advertisements did I see? How many things came across my path that were disrespectful, or hurtful to others? How many crude jokes or inappropriate images did I see?

Worldly messages are prevalent throughout our culture and they are contrary to the Word of God. We are steadily hearing worldly messages all around us. To counter the messages we hear daily knowing the heart of God is crucial, and the heart of God is complex and profound. Therefore, it is important to realize that attending one hour of worship on Sunday is not enough to get to know God and hear His voice. Likewise, watching religious T.V. programs a couple of times a week is certainly not enough. Abiding with God daily is how we hear His word for us (John 15:5). If we don’t dwell with God more than one or two hours on Sunday morning it will be hard to recognize His voice. We can not have a relationship with Him, abide in Him, without reading the Bible, praying and attending church.

When we regularly listen to, or take in what is on the Internet, T.V., and radio that is what we are abiding in, whether or not it is a conscious choice on our part. It is so easy to ‘take in’ messages from the world around us. In the time it takes to watch one T.V. program or one movie we have seen and heard worldly messages repeatedly, but it takes our effort to take in God’s messages for us.

God doesn’t want us just to obey or abide with Him because He is God and He says so. He wants us to obey and abide with Him so He can bless us and so that our joy can be full (John 15:11)!

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. Ps. 18:30

Read More:
John 15:4-11

Plan of Action:
Find a devotional book that praises God and begin to have a short quiet time with Him as often as possible.

Prayer:
Father, thank you that you always reward our obedience with blessings!

A quick encouragement for today!

2011-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

I was just having some prayer time about some difficult circumstances that may be coming my way and I wanted to share something that God showed me. Maybe it will encourage you today as well.

God showed me that He often allows obstacles in our lives to give us the opportunity to work on, improve, and learn from weaknesses that we all have within ourselves. He loves us so much that He doesn't want us to remain captive to our weaknesses and insecurities. It is because He loves us and wants more and better things for us, and from us, that these obstacles appear.

In the 'Streams in the Desert' devotional for today it states, "We encounter giants only when we are serving God and following Him. It was when Israel was going forward that the giants appeared, for when they turned back into the wilderness, they found none" (June 29th, page 253).

The bible says we can ask for His help when we lack the knowledge of how to deal with a situation. (James 1:5) So, when we put it all together it means that, when we encounter obstacles we can thank Him that they are there, because that means He is helping us resolve something in ourselves. We can thank Him that we are on the right track, because it is only when we move forward with Him that we encounter these issues. And, we can thank Him that He will give us the knowledge and wisdom about how to handle these issues if we bring them to Him in prayer! Wow, God is good!

Great Value!

2011-06-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

"So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31

Throughout the Bible God isn’t just saying I Love You, He is also saying I Value You. According to Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible value means, ‘to excel, to differ from, & honor’(p. 399). God is saying as His children we are set apart from people who don’t believe in Him. He also says that because we do believe in Him, and His only Son Jesus, we are honored in His sight (Isaiah 43:4 ). Sometimes it is a battle to believe that God values us because we have a hard time valuing ourselves. However, it is important to know that we are important to Him and He does value us because we are His children (Romans 8:15-16 ), and we are precious to Him. He will never abandon us. He cannot. That would be against His nature (2 Timothy 2:13 ).

The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Is. 60:19

Read More:
Luke 12:6-7

Prayer:
Father, I know that a battle involves perseverance. Help me choose to believe your Word again and again, even when I don’t feel it.

Plan of Action (James 1:22-25 ):
Choose to believe God loves and values you. Memorize Matthew 10:31 or Luke 12:7.

Fickle

2011-05-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Verse: Acts 10:34-35
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

It is funny how we can be in a person’s favor one minute then seemingly in the very next minute we can find ourselves very much our of their favor, even becoming and outcast. Jesus himself is well acquainted with this phenomenon. The people of His time were praising Him and waving palm branches one minute, then a short while later were yelling for His crucifixion.
Losing someone’s favor hurts, yet to be completely truthful it would be dishonest and even unhealthy to try to remain in someone’s favor at all times. Remaining in someone’s favor would mean extraordinary efforts on our part, never knowing if those effort were going to be good enough; or on the other person’s part undeserved and untruthful praise and adoration. The eventual outcome of both sides of this fence are a big let down and all the emotions that go with that; depression, self-doubt, and feelings of worthlessness. The only way to recover from the turmoil that the fickleness of others inflicts is to recognize the character of God. He is loving, patient, kind, merciful, and truthful, but He is never fickle. Therefore, we never risk losing His love.

It is helpful to know what God says and thinks about us. He says, we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27), we are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9 ), and we are precious and honored in His sight(Isaiah 43:4 ). We never risk losing His love!

Your love stands firm forever!

Prayer: Lord, help me forsake the praise of others in favor of praise from you.

Action Plan (James 1:22-25 ):
Review Genesis 1:27, 1 Peter 2:9, or Isaiah 43:4 . Pick one of these verses and memorize it.

Read More:
Galatians 1:10 & Romans 2:11

We've been passed over, but it's a good thing!

2011-04-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have heard people say again and again, 'God's timing is perfect' and I have always agreed to it without much thought. This Palm Sunday it really hit me just how perfect His timing really is.

A while back I had an opportunity to participate in Beth Moore's study of Esther. This is a wonderful study which I highly recommend. In the Bible, Esther (who is Jewish) becomes queen and finds out that the King and an enemy named Haman, have established a new law that will annihilate all of the Jews. In the study Beth Moore points out the timing of the decree that goes out to all of the provinces in this kingdom. She states that the decree to kill all of the Jews goes out on Passover (Esther, It's Tough Being a Woman, p. 73). So, here we see that God's timing is perfect because through His timing He is saying this law has been passed, but the total destruction intended by the law will not be carried out. The total destruction of the Jews will be 'passed over.'

So, this Sunday I was thinking about Jesus being crucified during the Jewish celebration of Passover (see Matthew 26-27 ). As you recall, the celebration of Passover was because the Jewish people put lamb's blood on the door posts of their houses so that the death angel would pass over their home and not take their first born sons (see Exodus 12 ) during the plagues of Egypt. So, the first Passover means that the Jewish people were exempt from God's wrath and punishment. Now consider that Jesus was crucified during Passover. This means through our belief in Jesus as God's son, God was providing a way for all of us to escape His wrath. Our punishment can be 'passed over' if we believe in Jesus' sacrifice (and that He died for our sins), and God was emphasizing His willingness to 'pass over' our punishment by Jesus' death on the cross during the festival of Passover. Hallelujah! Our God is a complex and amazing God, and His timing is indeed perfect.

Special thanks to Angie, Chris, and Hazel for helping me clarify this point.

So good I had to share!

2011-04-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

I was reading 'The Word for you Today' for April 12th and thought this devotion was so good I wanted to share part of it with you. The verse was Romans 12:2.

"As you agree with God, believing what He says is true, change automatically happens. You start to think differently, talk differently, and act differently. Be patient with yourself; it's a process that develops in stages. Would you think there was something wrong with your child because they couldn't walk perfectly on the first few tries? No, you're delighted each time they take a step. When they fall you pick them up. When they mess up you clean them up and encourage them to try again. You never stop working with them! And God does the same with us. He's not angry because you haven't 'arrived,' He's pleased that you're pressing on, endeavoring to stay on the path." (The Word For You Today, April 12th, p. 26)

Sometimes I become frustrated with myself because I try to make, or add, godly changes to my life and I can do those things for a while, but I usually end up struggling to continue those changes. Then, I find myself feeling fearful that He is going to give up on me and that lie makes me give up on Him. I give up on Him, thinking, ‘oh well, since I am no longer of any use, or value to Him I guess I can quit trying.' I could not be more wrong. He has NOT given up on us and He WON’T give up on us because He cannot! (2 Timothy 2:13 ) It is in His nature to continue seeking us out.

Don’t Give up or Give in!

Thoughts & Desires

2011-04-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

1 John 5:21 ‘Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.’

It can be difficult to identify when we are engaging in idolatry. Whenever we are consumed with thoughts of something else, or someone else, we have participated in idolatry. It is not necessarily the act of bowing down to some kind of object. That is just the behavior that follows the thought. We can bow down mentally to anything and most people would never know we are worshipping something other than God. More often than not, we don’t realize when we are worshipping something other than God. This sin is subtle and can be anything on which we spend our time, energy, or thoughts.

The notes in my Bible say, ‘that idolatry is making anything more important than God' (Life Application Bible, NIV p. 206-207). Therefore, simple everyday possessions and pleasures can become idols. The T.V., the computer, video games, food, hobbies, vehicles, work, money, clothes, ourselves, the Easter Bunny; really anything. The list is endless. Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible states that idolatry is traced to a lack of acknowledgement and gratitude to God. It further states that an idolater is a slave to the depraved ideas his idols represent, and thus, to numerous lusts. (p. 189). Eventually, whatever we concentrate or dwell on will influence our behavior and speech (Luke 6:45 ).

As I was writing this I looked up for a brief second at the T.V. and a real estate program was on. The woman on the show had both arms outstretched hugging an island in the kitchen of a house. She had to 'bow down' to hug the island. Hmmm, God's timing is interesting.

'For You, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.'

Prayer: Father, help me to identify the things and thoughts that I have allowed to become my idols.

Plan of Action(James 1:22 & 25 ): Take a moment to consider the many blessings God has given you, then express sincere gratitude to Him.

The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts

2011-03-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Verse: 2 Cor. 12:9
But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.'

While looking into the mirror recently I was focusing on the areas of myself I didn’t like one area after another. Finally, God had had enough and He broke through my negativity and gently said, ‘You are more than the parts of yourself you don’t like.’

We are so much more than those parts of ourselves we don’t like. We are also so much more than the struggles and challenges we face. We are more than the addition we struggle with, more than the learning challenges we have, more than the scar, more than the guilt, more than the disability, more than the number (age or weight), and more than our past mistakes. Our worth is not based on how much or how little we know. Out of our frustration and desire to change we may think, ‘I wish I was ______,' fill in the blank with an adjective of your choosing; smarter, thinner, prettier, more successful etc. The list could go on and on. Occasionally on bad days it does, but no matter how we feel about ourselves God loves us and values us just as we are. Satan will try to keep us thinking negatively because in that negativity is defeat. However, it is helpful to remember that, God made us in His own image (Genesis 1:27 ) therefore; we are made to succeed (Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:29 & 31 ). We are loved by our Creator. Don’t give up or give in.

I will praise you, O Lord.

Prayer:
Father, thank you that I am made in your image and that you value me even when I am not able to value myself.

Plan of Action (James 1:22-25 ):
Begin to write out some encouraging bible verses, then when the negative and intrusive thoughts come say those verses out loud until the verses are memorized. Also, forward this to someone that may need to hear this.

Psalm 139:13-15 & Luke 12:6-7

Sacrifice a.k.a. consideration continued

2011-02-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I was reading in a devotional book called, 'The Word For You Today' - Wednesday, February 23rd and I came accross the following and it seemed to fit in with the sacrifice/consideration subject for this month. The verse was Psalm 100:2 which reads, 'Serve the Lord with gladness...' Further along in the devotion it states, "When you come to believe, really believe that service is God working through you..." There is more to that sentence, but that portion of it really struck me. I did not realize that our service we are offering to God now, is God working through us. I was thinking that as we serve; God would use us occasionally to impact someone around us as we worked. I did not realize that our service/sacrifice is God using us now. I guess I was thinking that our usefulness was measured by the outcomes, or the reactions of the people around us. However, I realized that we are to do our part and serve God, how others respond or don't respond is between that person and God.

As I was mulling that over I was flipping through the Bible and I came accross Proverbs 1:19. This verse says, "When you grab all you can get, that's what happens: the more you get, the less you are." (The Message Bible) I thought, wow how true that is. The more we hold back and don't sacrifice for others, the more we become dissatisfied with ourselves, and even discontented and disappointed in ourselves. 'The less we are.' So God has arranged for us to receive a double blessing. As we serve/sacrifice for others we get the additional blessing of contentment. Wow! God is good!

Sacrifice a.k.a. Consideration

2011-02-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

Matthew 22:39
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

Dictionary.com defines sacrifice as, “the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.” Sacrifice can be such an intimidating word. It implies deprivation, and pain. Jesus’ goal may be to get us to a place where we can be sold out, 100% for Him, but that is an ongoing journey, not a place where most Christians start. Instead we can begin by being considerate, in other words making small sacrifices for someone else.

Matthew 22:39 states that we are to love our neighbors. A simple definition of ‘our neighbors’ is someone other than ourselves, not just the people who live next door. In a biblical sense neighbors are people who are near to us, the people we interact with on a daily basis. Instead of deprivation God may want us to do without for a short time. Instead of experiencing pain God may want us to forsake our wants for the benefit of others. While doing without and forsaking our wants are temporarily not pleasant experiences yet these sacrifices can have eternal rewards. This can be a good way to love the people around us. So a practical definition of sacrifice can be; doing something we don’t want to do for someone else’s benefit.

A couple of examples of the consideration Jesus showed others is when Jesus cooked breakfast for His disciples (John 21:9-13 ), and turned water into wine as His Mother requested (John 2:3-10 ). Jesus wants us to follow the examples He set by being considerate and sacrificing our time and energy for others.

Read More:
John 21:9-17

Prayer:
Lord help me to make my considerations for others a sacrifice to You, so that if no one recognizes my efforts I won’t be angry or hurt.

Action Plan:
Decide to make small sacrifices for others without expecting anything in return.

Freedom not Abandonment

2011-01-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

Romans 8:9
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."

Freedom involves choice. Choosing to spend time with someone is love because that means we are choosing them instead of other things we could be doing. God has given us complete freedom. He has choosen us (Matthew 11:27-28 ), yet at any time we can choose to walk away from Him, and He will let us go. His love for us us so great that He will let us turn from Him.

Turning from Him often means turning into dangerous territory. A co-worker of mine says like telling an alcoholic he can have a little beer, but not whiskey or wine. Our human nature is drawn to sin. When we choose to turn away from Him we are choosing to sin. Eventhough, it doesn't appear that way to us at the moment. It is wise to remember that Satan has a goal and purpose in enticing us to commit little sins. His purpose is to ensnare us and lead us away from God to destroy us (John 10:10 ).

Since turning away from God is harmful, it would seem that God should do more to make us stay, or compel us to linger with Him. It would seem that would be how He could demonstrate His love for us. Therefore, it is easy for us to misinterpret our freedom as His disinterest. When we are contemplating turning from God and we don't feel like He is pursuing us, we may feel like we are not worth His time, or that He is not interested in us. However, by faith (Hebrews 11:1 ) we can know that He never leaves us or forsakes us. If we turn back to Him we will find Him standing in the same place where we left Him. He is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13 ), always waiting for us to return. He is secure, He is steady, He is unmoveable, a Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4, ), the Chief Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22 ).

Like the hymn says:
"On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand."

Hallelujah!

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for our freedom. Give me the strength to choose You and turn from sin.

Read More:
John 8:34-36

Action Plan(James 1:22 & 25 ):

Decide to have prayer time everyday. If you miss a day, make another decision to start again. Don't give up!

God is Love

2010-12-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

1 John 4:16 “ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

God is love! Several times in the Word, the Bible, it says that God is love. (1 John 4:18, 1 John 4:16 ). This is a continual ongoing state of being for Him. His love does not fluctuate or come and go. It is continual, permanent, and unconditional. God judges, this is an action He does, that has a beginning and an end. His judgment comes about because He is just. However, His love is as eternal as He is. It does not start or stop. It is constant because He is love and He is everlasting. Love and holiness are unchanging attributes of an unchanging great and mighty God. Therefore; like His word says, nothing can separate us from His love because He lives, He is eternal (Romans 8:38-39 ), and He is love!

Since He is love and we are His creation we do not go unnoticed by God. He is faithful to His creation (2 Timothy 2:13 ). At times we may have moments when we feel like no one notices us or cares. We all have moments when we feel that way, but our God notices us and loves us. Just as His eye is on the sparrow, His eye is also on us (Luke 12:6-7 ), and He is concerned about every aspect of our lives.

Although at times it may not feel like it but, He is with us, He is for us, He loves us, all of us, and is not willing that anyone should perish (2 Peter 3:9 ). Pray and tell God how you feel. He will hear every word of that prayer.

Emmanuel, God with us!

Prayer:
Father, thank you for your love. Help me to remember that you are love and that your love for me is constant.

Read More:
Psalm 136

Action Plan (James 1:22 & 25 ):
You are loved more than you know. By faith, decide to believe that today.

Verse of the Day

2010-11-18T10:23:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

I have just added Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day to my blog. Now you can log on everyday and get a verse that God has arranged in advance for you to read. Please feel free to check this site often to see what verse God has for you each day. He loves you and is thinking of you constantly! He deeply desires a close relationship with you.

See the verse of the day on the right above the Roman Road to Salvation. Click on it to read the verse, then click the back button to get back to this site.
Have a blessed day!
Darlene

Gentle Nudges

2010-11-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Verse: Galatians 5: 22 & 23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

I had a cat that loved for me to pet her. She would stand right beside me and nudge me with her nose. She knew exactly where to put that cold wet nose so that I would have no choice but to move my arm to get away from that nose. Then she waited for my arm to come down right next to her and for my hand to land on her waiting head. It worked every time.

God is gentle, patient and loving toward us. In Galatians 5:22 & 23 the fruits of the spirit are listed as; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruits of the spirit are traits that we gain by imitating Christ and living in obedience to His Spirit. Since that is how we obtain these fruits, then it is true that Christ, already possesses these traits. He must first possess them in order to give them to us. When we are obedient to Him these traits are blessings that are given to us as a reward for our continued faithfulness. Since God, the Father, is gentle, then it makes sense that He would urge us toward obedience and stepping out of our comfort zone, gently.

Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible defines gentle as: ‘not insisting on the letter of the law,’ and ‘sweet reasonableness’ (p. 152). In 1 Kings 19:12 the Lord spoke in a gentle whisper. Zechariah 9:9 states that He is gentle, (lowly) and Matthew 11:29 says that He is gentle and humble. From these verses we see that Jesus and God the Father are gentle in speech, and in actions, and in His request for obedience. Therefore, when we perceive something coming from Him in a forceful manner we may be interpreting His actions according to the world’s standards. Biblically that is not His nature when He interacts with believers.

If we are thinking that He is being harsh then that is most likely a misinterpretation on our part. Also, remember the fruits of the spirit. One of them is gentleness, in order for God to give these traits to us (believers), He must first possess them Himself.

Love the Lord, all His saints!

Prayer: Father, thank you for your gentleness towards me. Help me understand the characteristics you possess so that I can recognize your work in progress and join you.

Read More:
Matthew 11:28-30

Action Plan (James 1:22-25 ):
Ask God to show you where you can step out of your comfort zone for Him. Remember that He will be gentle about it and it will be your decision to obey. He will never force you.

Peace and encouragement

2010-10-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

This is from an e-mail I sent to some friends who are experiencing difficulty right now. I hope it may be a blessing to others as well:

Last night I was reading a book by Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter) and something struck me and I am hoping that it will bring you peace and encouragement today because I know you are going through a difficult and stressful time right now.

Anne Graham Lotz says in her book, 'Pursuing More of Jesus', that to the disciples Jesus' death on the cross appeared to them as murder (p. 180). Remember that the disciples saw Jesus walk on water, calm storms with one word, raise Lazarus from the dead, and heal many people who were sick. Now He was taken from them and crucified.

We have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story, that Jesus would be resurrected 3 days later, however to the disciples this looked like an unplanned, traumatic event. It looked like Jesus was murdered and that His ministsry was defeated, and over. Anne Graham Lotz says about the disciples that, "Their faith would be rocked to its foundation." (p. 180).

Now, consider your situation. We can only see what looks to us like abandonment, or that we are deserted, forsaken, forgotten or ignored, because we can only see in part (1 Corinthians 13:12 ). Just as the disciples could only see what looked like murder. However, 3 days later it turned out to be an opportunity for God's glory.

I bought a new CD last week. One of the songs is entitled, 'Stay Strong' by the Newsboys.
The lyrics read:
"Stay strong, you are not lost. Fix your eyes ahead. We've come to far to lose our way."

It is easier said than done but when things don't make sense, trust. Trust Him. Anne Graham Lotz says, "We simply have to trust our Heavenly Father to know best. We have to trust God's silences and respect God's mysteries and wait for God's answers (p. 181)."

Peace and encouragement to you!
Darlene

Spiritual Warfare

2010-10-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Verse: Colossians 4:2 “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…”

Prayer is essential to a relationship with our Heavenly Father, and Jesus. However, Satan will do everything He can to prevent us from praying. Therefore, it is wise for us to get ready for spiritual warfare. Satan wants to keep us bound up with anger, fear, anxiety, doubt and intimidation and Satan is not going to give up this fight easily (1 Peter 5:8 ). The only way to have victory and freedom is to draw close to God.

1. In order to draw near to God begin with prayer. To be sure that God hears your prayers begin with the Salvation prayer (see the prayer on the right). Ask Jesus into your heart and tell God about any sins that may need to be confessed. He is faithful to forgive our sins (1 John 1:9 ). The prayer for salvation is how we begin a relationship with Jesus and our Heavenly Father. To remain close to God we need to remain in fellowship with Him.

2. To fellowship with God set aside some more time to pray and tell God everything. Whenever we face issues or troubles we can pour out our hearts to Him. We can tell God all the details, emotions, fears, worries and concerns we can think of (Psalm 142:2 ). He wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. Satan may try to create diversions to keep us from praying when he realizes that we are trying to draw near to God.

3. To prepare for Satan’s attacks get several verses together. Use the truth o f the Word to fight back. Write the verses on cards and carry them everywhere and begin to memorize them. When worrisome/bothersome thoughts surface repeat the memorized verse, if possible say it aloud. A Christian woman at church recently pointed out that the two weapons we have against Satan are prayer and the Word of God.

4. Get an accountability partner. Someone you can call and ask them to pray with you when you feel overwhelmed. Fellowship with other Christians is important to be able to continue in the faith (Hebrews 10:25 ).

Finally, pray continually. We cannot be close to God with out prayer. When we read the Bible, attend church, sing along with the hymns, go to bible studies etc, yet we do not pray we are deceiving ourselves (Isaiah 29:13 ). Even though we do all these activities we are wrong in thinking we are close to Him if we are not praying. Closeness and intimacy with Jesus and God come only through heartfelt prayer. It is so important that prayer is the only way we can begin a relationship with Jesus and our Heavenly Father.

See, the sovereign Lord comes with power!

Prayer:
Thank you Father that you are for us and not against us!

Action Plan (James 1:22 & 25 ):
Set aside time for prayer, today. Make it a priority.

Read More:
Ephesians 6:10-17

The Journey to Trust

2010-09-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Beth Moore said in the Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed study that, “God is not harsh. He is holy” (p. 83). That statement along with a comment from a friend made me think about the magnitude of God’s holiness. That created a desire to really want to understand what holiness is and how He could be holy, yet allow tragedies to occur. When tragedies happen it is hard to believe in God’s goodness and trust Him in those times and sometimes for a long time afterwards.

I have to admit that even now, I have a hard time trusting God. I am fearful. I fear that He will lash out at me to punish me, or He will take away something, or someone that I care about. The reason I think like this is probably due to two reasons. The first one is because my Mother died when I was seventeen. The second reason is because I am human.

In my humanness it is hard for me to understand that when stressful, difficult, or tragic things happens there must be a reason for it. I imagine Job had a hard time believing God had a reason for allowing him to suffer too. However, God is a big God and he uses big sacrifices & difficult circumstances in our lives to accomplish big things, i.e. Esther, Abraham, Job. As a result of Job’s suffering we now have a book in the Bible (Job) that offers comfort and hope to many Christians. So, perhaps, our tragedies are used by God to accomplish His purposes that we cannot see or understand now. Just as Job surely did not know that his life story would be recorded and used to teach many others about God’s character.

When tragedy strikes we can have faith that it is not from His hand (Job 1:12 & Job 2:6-7), as the story of Job teaches. We also know that God is holy, so He will work everything out according to His plan. Understanding His holiness is helpful in being able to trust Him. Since He is accomplishing big things and He is holy, then He can be trusted even during dark, difficult times. (Psalm 46:1 )

Holy, Holy, Holy

2010-09-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Verse: Revelation 4:8
“Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

A godly Christian woman in my church made a great observation. She stated that the bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. We don’t see in the Word that God is mercy, mercy, mercy; or love, love, love, yet we know that He is merciful and loving. However, the bible does repeat the characteristic of holiness three times stressing the magnitude and degree of holiness found in our God.

We often think of God like He is a 'good' version of ourselves, but God does not have our nature. He is Holy. That is His nature. We, on occasion, do good works that He has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10 ), but He is perfectly holy, always. Perfect holiness is a trait that is difficult to understand because, aside from Jesus, there are no human examples of this holiness. Since we are sinful (Romans 3:23 ), we cannot fully understand the depths of His holiness. We know that it is not equivalent to the idiom, ‘holier than thou’ which means ‘a person who is obnoxiously pious or self-righteous'
(http://www.dictionary.com/). Perhaps to understand holiness it will help if we discuss what it is not.

Holiness takes no pleasure in degrading another via dirty jokes or racial slurs, it takes no delight in seeing others suffer, there is no amusement in the embarrassment or humiliation of another and no pleasure in condemning someone else. It is not abusive emotionally, physically, or verbally. Holiness is the absence of selfish ambition, conceit, malice, dissentions, envy, fits of rage. Holiness is not obscene. Holiness does not turn a blind eye to injustice. Holiness does not ignore oppression. On the other nail pierced hand, holiness is unconditional love, absolute truth, and eternally merciful.

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high!

Prayer:
When everything seems to be working against me, help me to remember that You are holy.

Read More:
Isaiah 6:2-3

Plan of Action:
Today, during your prayer time, take time to confess your sins to Him. He will be faithful and just to forgive them. (1 John 1:9 )

Silence

2010-08-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

My Sunday School teacher taught something that increased my faith last Sunday. She explained that after the last book of the Bible in the Old Testament, Malachi, was written God was silent for the next 400 years. He was silent, but it is important to know that He was still there. In fact, it was during these 400 years of silence that the miracle of the oil occurred. You may recall that the temple had been destroyed, but the Jewish people went in to rededicate the temple and found a jar of oil. The jar of oil only contained a one day supply of oil. In order to rededicate the temple new oil was needed and that took eight days to make. (This oil was used to provide light in the temple.) Then God allowed this one day supply of oil to burn for eight days until more could be made. That was the miracle behind Hanukah. This is also how Hanukah began. However, I want to focus on God’s silence. He was silent for 400 years, but as you can see by this miracle He was moving.

Have you noticed this in your own life?

I have noticed that there are times when God is silent. For whatever reason He just does not speak. Yet, He is still there and aware of what is happening now, just as He was for the Jewish people during those 400 years. After learning about this, now I can see it in my own life. There are times when He has not been speaking, yet His hand has still been there. In other words, He is still involved in my life, even though I am not hearing from Him. These periods of silence are dotted with His provision. His silence is normal, everyone experiences it. It can be tempting to loose faith during these times of silence. We pray and nothing seems to happen, but keep the faith, God hasn’t forgotten us, He is very aware of what is happening to us and He will speak again, in His perfect time.

Tempted

2010-08-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was tempted. I'll start at the beginning. Early in the morning I was rushed so of course the thing that goes out the window when I am rushing is my prayer time. As I am driving into work I realized that I forgot to pray. Then I was angry at myself, and promising God to pray as soon as I got the chance. Anyway, at work I had to leave my office and drive to the visitor center parking lot to go into one of the classrooms to work. (That is a normal work day for me.) As I pulled in the lot I noticed the arm on the ticket dispenser was up, so I went ahead and pulled in. Since the arm of the ticket dispenser was up I assumed the dispenser was broken and did not push the button to get one of those hot pink tickets. I found a place to park and then went into the building. Once inside I sat at a location where I was able to look out of the classroom window and see the parking lot ticket dispenser. I watched as people would pull up in their cars and push the button and then not receive a hot pink parking pass. Most of them continued into the lot and proceeded to park. (Although, I did see several people turn around and come out of the entrance to the parking lot. That entrance is one way! I guess I will be slowing down when I turn into the lot from now on, now that I know people are exiting the one way entrance.) As I watched the parking lot ticket dispenser and all the cars, I finally saw the parking lot attendant come to the dispenser and adjust the arm so that it was lowered to prevent people from driving straight into the lot. She also fixed the ticket dispenser. Now when people entered the lot they were forced to slow down and push the button for a ticket, then the arm would raise and they could enter the lot to park. The arm was finally fixed at about 10:15 am. (I arrived in the lot at 9:00 am.)

Now fast forward a couple of hours. It was time for me to leave. As I left the parking lot I suddenly had this inner turmoil. Actually, temptation is what it really was. I thought, I could tell the attendant that I had arrived at 10:00 am and save myself some money in parking fees. As I approached the exit the thoughts continued; no, it is best to tell the truth and pay the extra fee. So when I arrived at the booth I told the attendant the truth. I told her that I had arrived there at 9:00 am. To my surprise she only charged me from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. She said, 'I only wanted to charge you two dollars.'

I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I do strive to be honest. It was a momentary thought that I did not act on. However, when things are tight financially, as they are for everyone in this economy right now, I was tempted to try to stimulate my own economy. As I left God showed me the double blessing I had received in being honest. If I had lied to the parking attendant, I would have carried the guilt of that all day, but had an extra dollar in my wallet. Now, I am fortunate to carry the double blessing of honoring God with my actions, and having the extra dollar in my wallet.

Desire for God

2010-08-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Verse: Hebrews 10:25
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Once I became saved, I was often envious of the devotion to God and church I saw in other Christians. These people gladly went to church every time the doors were opened. I did not grow up going to church, so it was not a familiar habit to me. It took some time to develop the desire to go to church every Sunday. However, now there is no where else I’d rather be.

Desire to attend church and revival don’t seem to go together, but without a desire for God, who is found in church, there will be no spiritual revival. Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible defines revive as, “to flourish anew” (p. 317). Excitement can be a great motivator, but eventually excitement wears off and it is important to have good self-discipline and self-control to continue when the going gets tough. So how do we get the desire?

Desire and self-discipline/self-control are closely linked. Sunday morning when the alarm goes off to get up for Sunday School, it is our self-discipline and self-control that gets us up and out the door. Or it is a lack of self-discipline and self-control that makes us turn off the alarm and go back to sleep. Like any other skill we are trying to acquire gaining self-discipline and control takes practice and repetition. The more we are successful at resisting that part of our human nature and Satan’s pull (James 4:7 ) then the more we will be able to attend church and learn the things God would have us do. The blessings come when we hear His Word and see Him work in our lives and in the lives of other Christians. The Bible says hearing His word increases our faith (Romans 10:17 ). Likewise, seeing His works and blessings in our lives and in the lives of others increases our desire for Him. It becomes a positive yet delicate cycle. Both faith and desire for God are cultivated in church and in close proximity to other Christians. Spiritual revival only happens in church, it cannot happen apart from gathering together with other believers.

Glory to the Righteous One!

Prayer:
Father, give me the strength to persevere in my pursuit of Jesus.

Vanish!

2010-07-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

Verse: Psalms 103:12
"...as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

One cold winter evening my husband and I lit a fire in the fireplace. As the wood burned we occasionally threw in a bank statement or other piece of paper that had sensitive information on it. Then we would watch it go up in flames and turn into ashes. The next day in bible study the group sang, 'In the Presence of Jehovah' by Cathy Goddard. Some of the lyrics in the chorus of that song are, '...troubles vanish, hearts are mended...' The word in the chorus of that song that caught my attention was the word 'vanish.' I thought back to the night before, after the fire was extinguished no trace of the paperwork was left, except for the ashes. However, it occurred to me that even the ashes could be swept up and taken outside to vanish in the wind, never to be seen again. Similarly, the Lord is to our sins what the wind is to the ashes; with one word from Him our sins are removed.

Through Jesus' sacrifice and our repentance, He does remove our sins far from us with no traces remaining (Isaiah 1:18). It is amazing that when we genuinely ask for forgiveness our sins are gone, removed, cleansed, they vanish. At http://www.dictionary.com/ the definition for vanish includes, ‘to become invisible, to disappear by ceasing to exist, to become zero.’ If we really stop to think about how our Heavenly Father forgives our sins it is astonishing. Our offenses, insults, and disobedience that cause heartache; or more specifically cause His heart to ache are gone; they ‘become zero.’ They are not counted against us, and the very person whose heart aches because of our sins is the very same person who forgives us and removes our sins entirely. Only a mighty God could do that.

Since He has forgiven us so completely, we don’t have to continue rehashing past mistakes. We can let go and let God forgive, and then rest in His forgiveness. Peace comes when we believe, by faith, in his total forgiveness.

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does!

Prayer: You are great and amazing O Lord! Thank you for your faithfulness and forgiveness.

Read More: 1 John 1:9, and Colossians 1:21-22.

Action Plan: During your prayer time today confess your sins to Him and lay your mistakes at His feet. Make a decision not to pick them up again. Regret can be debilitating, to combat regret memorize 1 John 1:9 to use against Satan when he tries remind you of past mistakes.

If God has put something on your heart and you feel comfortable sharing it, make a comment and let us know what it is. We can encourage each other by bearing one another's burdens and praying.

I Will! I Think!?!

2010-06-01T04:49:00.000-07:00

Verse: Hebrews 12:25

"See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?"

I came to a scary realization recently. I have inadvertently been telling God, 'no.' I had been wanting to have daily prayer time. I knew God wanted me to have one as well. Yet, when my alarm would go off I would push the snooze button for a few more minutes of sleep. That would end up taking more time than I had anticipated, then I wouldn't have time to pray. Sometime later that day I would tell God, 'I will do it tomorrow for sure,' but somehow I would wind up repeating that cycle again.

When we say to ourselves, I will go to church on Sunday, or I will pray, or I will go to Sunday School, or I will stop participating in... yet, we don't follow our declaration with immediate action to actually go and do the things we have stated we will do, that is the same thing as saying, 'No' to our Heavenly Father. Often we deceive ourselves with our own good intentions. We can be absolutely adamant and determined to do what we have said to ourselves that we will do, however, if our actions that follow that declaration are contrary to our decisions then in reality we are saying to God, 'No, wait, later, not yet,' and even 'I won't.'

We mean well when we make these statements and declarations, but it is just talk if our actions don't support our decisions. True repentance and devotion will include the appropriate actions that were preceded by our thoughts and words.

The Lord Almighty-He is the King of glory!

Prayer:
God forgive me. Help me take steps toward repentance by doing what I have said I will do.

Read More:
Matthew 26:41

Plan of Action:
What kinds of things are you wanting to do to draw closer to God?

If God has put something on your heart and you feel comfortable sharing it make a comment and let us know what it is. We can encourage each other by bearing one another's burdens and praying.

Hello and Welcome!

2010-05-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

This blog was created because I felt God was trying to help me understand concepts in His word more deeply. So, for several months I have been writing down some of the things, little tidbits, that He has shown me. Then I had a thought. Perhaps these tidbits might help or encourage someone else, but I wasn’t sure how to go about sharing these things. Then, very recently, God brought blogging to my attention. I have to say I have no experience with this, and technology can be a bit scary, but I am willing to give it a shot if it can encourage someone else. So now, I am inviting you to be a part of this experience. Please feel free to read, discuss, and comment on these posts. Or just read, contemplate, and share them with someone else. My plan is to start slow; I will add a new post/devotion every month.

You may follow the posts by becoming a ‘follower,' which will send any new posts to your e-mail address, or it can be added to your favorites list. Just type in the link in the web address line and click add to favorites. Now, with one click you can pull it up and see if anything new has been added, or comments have been made.

I look forward to sharing this experience with you!

Have a great day, and Be Encouraged!
Darlene

'... the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.'
Psalms 111:4