I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
When this was the daily verse yesterday, I was a little disconcerted that it seemed to take out part of the verse, so I went back and read the whole chapter. Yes, there were missing parts, but the verse that God had me focus on is this one, especially the words, “even there.” Where is that place that is called “even there”? It differs for different people depending on your current circumstances. It can be the nursing home that your family has place you into, it can be the infusion center where you are receiving treatment for cancer, it can be in the homes of your grandchildren whom you are visiting. When God is a daily part of your life, “even there” is everywhere you are and many times, God shows up to bless you when you least expect it. God is always present but sometimes our faith takes a walk and we need to catch up to it. This past week when I got the news from my cardiologist about all the testing I have to do, I must confess that I was not in a good place. I was feeling stressed and the pressure to “just be okay” in spite of all of the warning signs that perhaps I need some kind of medical intervention. Through this verse, God spoke to my heart clearly and told me that He will be with me through these tests and even when I get the results. I am not a patient person when it comes to health issues, so waiting over a month to get all of the tests completed and the results seems like a long time to me. However, God is there even in the waiting. I am so thankful for this “even there” verse because it reminds me that there is no place I can go and nothing I can go through in which God is not right there beside me, strengthening me and supporting me, giving me the comfort that I need just when I need it.
Wherever your “even there” is, take time today to thank God that He is everywhere present with you and has promised never to leave you. It’s a promise we can count on!
Have a blessed day wherever you are and in whatever circumstance you find yourself, confident that God is there with you!
Every year, sometime during the month of March, my dirt-loving husband goes out to the garden to get the ground ready to plant his new vegetables and fruits for the year. A hobby has almost turned into a job for him as he rakes, tills, hoes and tills some more. I watch mesmerized from my window at all of his work and remember when I used to think that gardening should be easy. My idea was that you go outside, throw some seeds out and wait for them to grow. My husband laughed when I told him my simplistic style of gardening and told me that very little would grow if the soil were not prepared first. He even takes soil samples to the local garden shop where they analyze how much nitrate he needs to add to the soil every year. He is serious about his planting and growing and wants his crops to do well. Friday was a beautiful day, almost in the 70’s, so Harry was outside raking away debris from last year’s garden and getting it ready for the other labor to come. And labor it is! Once he starts the garden, he is out in it daily, usually from the time after breakfast until time to make dinner.
Applying my husband’s gardening knowledge to the Word of God, it would make sense that before we can sow the seeds of life into someone’s heart, we must first prepare the “soil” of their hearts to receive it. How do we do that? I think it starts with building a relationship with the person with whom we are sharing. We need to first show how much we care about them physically and mentally before we can show them the spiritual truth that is in God’s Word and expect them to accept these seeds from us. Seeds produce in good soil. Good soil comes from prior preparation, not from aimlessly throwing the seeds out anywhere and hope that somehow they produce something worthwhile. We need to pray before we share the gospel message and we need to labor in the field of preparing that heart to receive. Sometimes someone else has prepared the heart of the other person to listen to us, sometimes we share and think that the person was ready but they walk away from us, only to return to the gospel message later when someone else shares it again and in a new way. We may never see all of the fruits of our labor, but we are still called to prepare the soil and to spread the seeds. God brings the harvest!
May all of your seeds of the Word be sown into prepared soil and may they richly produce a harvest that God will see and lovingly reward you for your labors!
One of the devotionals that I am doing this here is based on The Bible Project. With simple illustrations and teaching, this Biblically based presentation gives me a visual to help me understand difficult books or concepts in the Bible, like the Book of Leviticus. Here is an example of what the illustrators say about Leviticus.
The Bible Project is non-profit and at the end of each short video, there is a clip asking you to join and perhaps contribute. But the videos are all totally free and many are worthwhile. I am learning a lot from watching them as well as having my memory renewed about things that I heard long ago and have forgotten. I encourage you to check out these videos and let me know what you think.
Friday is a good day to remind myself that I am called to faithfully serve. No matter what else is going on in my life, my primary function is to faithfully serve God in whatever way He chooses for me to do so. Life is tough, but it is in the serving that one forgets one’s own problems and challenges and is able to focus on others.
During our faithful service, we should be thanking God for all He has done for us. It is hard not to be thankful for God’s provision when we are helping others who have very little and yet are still thankful. So, serving and being thankful go hand in hand.
May your day be blessed with faithful service and thankfulness as you serve!
Everywhere you go, people will say things like, “Times are hard,” or “I wish things would change” or my favorite, “I can’t wait until God judges all of this wickedness.” From higher prices at the pumps and in the grocery store to absolute evil being promoted over the airwaves, most of us are tired of the direction things are going in our world today. So, what should be our response? Instead of bemoaning all that is wrong and wishing for God’s imminent judgment, I think that we need to be encouraging each other to hold on, be steadfast in our faith and to keep loving the unlovable. I think that is what God wants us to do…to “occupy until He comes.” We cannot do that if we are being like the other people in the world and focusing on the problem. We need to focus on what is good, kind, righteous and uplifting. Be a Tigger in a world filled with Eeyores!
We need to let others know when we see them doing something good and right, encouraging them to keep walking along that path. There are few in the world who hand out sincere compliments, but I believe that Christians should make it a point to do this daily.
My hope is that you are already encouraging each other, but this verse says to just keep on doing it. The times are tough and they promise to get tougher because Satan knows his time is short and he is pulling out all of the stops. Just remember that God is in control, He is greater and you need to encourage others just as they encourage you. Be sincere in your praise, but praise often and smile at those you encounter. You may not make a big difference right away, but the difference you make will be in your heart and in theirs. Feel like whining and complaining about the situation and the current state of the world. Tell God how you are feeling and tell the world how God has taken that burden and you are letting Him handle things in His way and in His time. Again, be a Tigger, not showing a fake happiness, but demonstrating the real joy that only comes from having spent time in God’s presence and laying down your problems before Him. Be joyful with a positive attitude that shows others that you trust that God will come through in the end. I hope that you are not wishing for God’s judgment to come right away. The Book of Revelation with all of the judgments to come is scary and awesome, but I am appreciative that God is delaying His final return in order that as many as possible will seek His forgiveness and repent. I want Jesus to return as much as anyone, but I want it to be in His perfect timing and according to His will, not according to how hard we whine.
Have a blessed day and as you encourage others, may you find encouragement yourself, in His Word and in the difference you are making in the lives of others.
Yesterday was a difficult day for me since I had to go to the cardiologist for a consultation about some problems I have been having. The day started early, with the cat demanding to be fed and then knocking over a bottle of open water, leaving me a mess to clean up before I could settle into the rest of my routine. My husband got up and got ready to take me to see the doctor and prayed for me before I went in. My problems may or may not be serious, but anything dealing with the heart and circulation is scary for me. I couldn’t help but think of my best friend Heidi who had vascular surgery, got an infection, had a leg amputated and ending up dying of sepsis only a few years later. Not thrilled about the idea of any kind of surgery, I went into the office with trepidation and told my husband that I would call him if I needed him to come in and be with me.
Of course, God was with me all along, calmed my fears and is still calming me today as I face four different tests that will determine what is going on. All I know is that I have passed out a couple of times, without warning, and I am losing feeling in my lower extremities. The doctor wants to eliminate a heart issue, so I have to wear a heart monitor for a month, have an ultrasound on my heart, another ultrasound on my legs and a nuclear stress test. I am waiting for the Bio company to send the heart monitor which is supposed to arrive by next week. Meanwhile, my anxiety kicked in and I needed this Scripture verse this morning.
God assured me that He is right beside me. He is delighting in me, in spite of my doubts and fears and He is calming me. He is rejoicing over me while I rejoice in His love and His presence with me. Yes, it is a trying time for me, but there are many going through much worse and I am thankful that the doctors are willing to do the tests that can give them the information that they need to go forward. My heart has worked well for me for over seventy years and I know that the One who determines my future is in total control of my present. That being said, I would appreciate prayers from any of you who agree with me about God’s sovereignty.
May the Lord bless your going out and your coming in and may each step you take and each decision you make glorify Him.
What does it mean to you that God knows your name? That He knows the number of hairs on your head? That He knows your thoughts and your dreams and desires? What does it mean to you that the God of the Universe is mindful of you?
For me, just knowing that God is always caring for me and watching over me gives me security. It also makes me feel worthy, knowing that He who controls all gave me a free will so that I can worship my Creator and establish a relationship with Him. I want to be mindful of God just as He is mindful of me. I want to wake up daily with a prayer of thanksgiving on my heart and spend my day aware of all that He is doing for me as I take each step into a new unknown. I want to go to bed at night knowing that He is alert and guarding me as I rest. God is an awesome God and He is thinks about me…and you! That is a mind-blowing thought.
I hope that you will spend some time today telling God how much your relationship with Him means to you. He reached out and touched my life and it has never been the same…I pray that you will allow Him to reach out to you today, too.
May your day be blessed with the knowledge of just how much God loves you!
Don’t forget to go to my review of this book at Cold Light of Day Review and comment to enter the contest for a copy of this book. U.S. Residents only, please! Contest closes on February 14th and winner will be selected with a random drawing.
Don’t forget to comment to enter the contest. The giveaway for a copy of this brand new book will close next week, on Valentines’s Day. To enter, just comment about what you like about the review, the book or why you like or don’t like romantic suspense.
The House Guest is another diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller from USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan—but which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?
After every divorce, one spouse gets all the friends. What does the other one get? If they’re smart, they get the benefits. Alyssa Macallan is terrified when she’s dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband. With a devastating divorce looming, she begins to suspect her toxic and manipulative soon-to-be-ex is scheming to ruin her—leaving her alone and penniless. And when the FBI shows up at her door, Alyssa knows she really needs a friend.
And then she gets one. A seductive new friend, one who’s running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers Bree Lorrance the safety of her guest house, and the two become confidantes. Then Bree makes a heart-stoppingly tempting offer. Maybe Alyssa and Bree can solve each others’ problems.
But no one is what they seem. And the fates and fortunes of these two women twist and turn until the shocking truth emerges: You can’t always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you deserve.
My Review:
First, let me give you some honest advice. Run, don’t walk to get this book! Second piece of advice, don’t believe anything you read until the very end and then you can shake your head in disbelief at how brilliantly everything comes together. This is the most deliciously twisted book that I have read in a long time and so enticingly deceptive. Alyssa Macallen is living alone after her husband Bill left her. He has plenty of money and she is expecting to be poor any day now. When she meets Bree Lorrance, another put upon female who has been wronged by the male in her life, the two of them click and Bree becomes Alyssa’s house guest. Then, the twists and the labyrinth maze that was the plot begin to really get complex and oh so well written! This fantastically engrossing novel included characters that were just as deceptive as the plot and so devilishly realistic. There were clues and red herrings, but they were so well woven into the plot that I could not figure out who was bad and who was good in the story.The design of the author to trap me in the mousetrap of deceit worked well and thoroughly captivated me. I thought I was on a runaway train, down a mountainous track with switchbacks at every intersection. This book was totally engaging, with characters that popped with credibility and a plot that captured my mind and imagination with awe and wonder about what would happen next. This is a diabolically and cleverly written domestic thriller that gripped me from beginning to end and fooled me all along the way. Loved it! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Rated PG-16 for more mature audiences due to content. This book is diabolically clever with some deviousness not suited for younger readers. The genre is domestic thriller with an emphasis on thriller!
About the Author:
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the USA Today bestselling author of 14 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, five Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, with 37 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. National book critics call her “a superb and gifted storyteller”; she’s the only author to win the Agatha in four categories: Best First, Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best Non-Fiction. Her newest is the page-turning standalone thriller The House Guest–a story of psychological manipulation that explores the dark heart of marriage and friendship—it’s Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise. Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline says, “Ryan is one of my favorite authors and The House Guest shows why,” EMMY-winning host Tamron Hall says, “The House Guest kept me on the edge of my seat…” and the Publishers Weekly rave review says, “Ryan is a master of suspense!” and the Library Journal starred review calls it “Binge-worthy.” Hank is a founder of MWA University, host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze, and co-host of First Chapter Fun and The Back Room. Visit Hank online at HankPhillippiRyan.com, on Twitter @HankPRyan, on Instagram @hankpryan and Facebook at HankPhillippiRyanAuthor.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 