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.
The most important words in this verse, in my opinion, are “just as.” It means the same way, like the Father. Sometimes I get prideful and pat myself on the back for showing mercy to others. But then I read this verse and I am reminded that I have not reached the place where I am showing mercy “just as” the Father does. I have a tendency to rush to judgment instead. My prayer is to be “just as” because that’s what God wants me to be.
May you have a blessed day, showing mercy to others just as the Father as shown mercy to you.
Many children, including me, grow up thinking that they were adopted or wishing that they were. When I became a Christian, I had that wish fulfilled. No more wishing to be accepted or loved for who I am. My wish came true just as easily as saying a prayer confessing my sins and asking Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Now, I’m His child!
The United States of America was founded on Godly principles. As we celebrate this Memorial Day, I pray that we will remember our roots and thank God that our nation is still free. Problems abound, but God has blessed us with freedom and for that I am grateful. Let’s remember to pray for our nation today.
I lived on many military bases during my husband’s career, and I never ceased to be stirred by the playing of the national anthem every afternoon as the flags were lowered. I will always know that freedom for our nation came at a great cost, with sacrifices of many lives. Let us honor those sacrifices today with our gratitude and our prayers for their loved one left behind.
I don’t know how you all are feeling about life right now, but I have been buffeted by some heavy storms lately and I needed this reminder. I may not know what God is doing, but I can rest assured that He knows. He knows my heart is hurting because of what is happening with my grandson. We were told on Friday that his Bible that I had bought him to take to boot camp was stolen. He has no access to computers or the internet so that was his only access to God’s Word. I’m going to write him later today and tell him to ask the chaplain for a Bible and hope he can get a new one that way. My sister who has lived in the area (less than an hour from me) is moving to North Carolina today for health reasons. We share our love of books and will still be able to talk on the phone, but I cannot get to her easily if I want to because she will be almost four hours away. Finally, my daughter called and both of her dogs, the friendly faces that greet me when we go to visit, died this week. Her children are rightly upset which tears at this Nanna’s heart. Yes, they were old and they died peacefully, so there is that to be thankful for. It was just “one more thing.”
In spite of (or maybe because of) all of these events, I have been weepy and more that a little discouraged. I pray, I worship, I read and I write. Then, on Thursday, I ended up at my doctor’s office because I was having difficulty breathing. The usual for me..sinus infection and bronchitis with prescriptions for steroids and antibiotics. The good news is that our planned trip to Maryland and Pennsylvania to visit our children and grandchildren can still happen. I just have to take my nebulizer along and use it regularly. Was this part of my plan? No, of course not! None of the above circumstances were part of what I would plan for me. But God is in control and the final word is that I trust Him, completely and without reservation. He has the road map and I only have a small part of it that He shows me as He needs me to know. All of my crying and dismay is not for nothing because I have been pouring my heart out to my Heavenly Father, getting closer to the Only One who can lead me through all of this. He knows what is going on and He has comforted me and sent me words of hope and encouragement like those above. Meanwhile, I would appreciate prayers from each of my friends online for strength and for renewal of my spirit. I appreciate you all more than words can say because I know that wherever you are, you will pray for me and my little road bumps. I will go on in fellowship with God, believing that He is working all things out for my ultimate good.
May God bless you with a straight path that you can walk in victory.
The Bible tells us not to let our hearts be troubled and then explains that it is our faith in God that keeps us on the narrow path to victory. We just have to believe! Since “trust” is my word for this year, God has had me in some situations where I can do nothing less than trust, and many times, nothing more either.
But there is another word from the Lord that helps me to remains on a steady course, with my eyes fixed on him.
I just have to keep my focus on eternity and the fact that everything around me is temporal in order to build my own faith. This sounds like some kind of circular enigma, but the truth is that I keep my heart on the things of Heaven and the trust that I need to get through difficult situations follows.
My cat is a strange one, very loving, and very attached to my husband and me. We are her people. When I get out her food, she follows me around, with her eyes on the container until I put it in her dish and put the dish on the floor. She is single-minded, focused on getting that food. She completely trusts that I will give her the nourishment she needs but she still keeps her eyes on me and the food. That is how I think God wants us to focus on Him. We trust that He is going to take care of us, but we still keep our eyes fixed on Him, waiting for that moment when the blessings come, or maybe the answers to a prayer that we have been praying for a long time. Focused, fixed, single-minded…all lead to trust in the Only One whom we can completely trust.
Have a blessed and wonderful day and may God fill your hearts with trust in Him as you keep your heart fixed on Him.
Have you ever felt assailed by the daily struggles that are life? This is not a new phenomenon, but a regular occurrence for mee and probably for most Christians. You accept Jesus as Savior and then you think that only good things will happen. Not true! The God who created us is in control but He does not control man’s choices and the sin that is in the world affecting us are the direct result of men’s choices. I am a sinner saved by grace but sin is still rampant in the world. Thus, the diseases that affect sinners can touch me, too. The hardships, the storms of life can all come my way. But, and this is a big but, those of us who have a relationship with the Lord can hold on to the promise that He says we will only suffer for a little while and then He Himself will restore us. Added to that promise is that He will make us strong, firm and steadfast. The boat may be rocking, but Jesus is walking across the water to get in with you!
I think all of us can relate to times when our faith was low and we thought we had failed God. Last week was such a time for me, but I clung tightly to the One in whom I believe and He is restoring me. I’m still struggling in some areas, but God knows and He is meeting me right where I am, just as He will do for you.
God bless you and your day with Him and His presence, reminding you of His love and faithfulness.
Many of us seek safety and security in things or in other people. But the Bible teaches that it is the Name of the Lord that is our safety, our strong tower into which we can run to seek shelter. Buffeted by the world and all of the bad news that is reported daily, I find myself frequently just withdrawing and calling on God. His answer is to calm my spirit and reassure me that He is in control in spite of circumstances. I have needed that reassurance this week and I am thankful for His strength that has carried me back to calm waters.
May your day be blessed with worship, peace and the love of the Almighty surrounding you.
Sometimes attacks come when we least expect them. Actually, most of the time, that’s when they happen. This last week was no exception in my life. First, our air conditioner stopped working. Bad news for me because I am asthmatic and need the “canned air” to breathe. The repair was completed last Friday and we were able to finance having it done. Not part of the budget, but it’s done. The really good news is that the entire time our AC was down, there was a cool wave in Virginia so the house stayed comfortably cool, meaning I was able to breathe well without the stultifying humidity that makes me gasp. Thus, God blessed us even during this trial.
A few days ago, my son told me that he had received a letter from our grandson in boot camp. Isaac has Covid-19 and as a result has been moved out of his division into quarantine. We have no idea when he will graduate now, but we do know that it will be delayed until he is completely well and has been placed into a new division. I have no doubt that God is working in this situation to redeem it, just as he did with the petty annoyance of our air conditioning. In the meanwhile, I can’t write Isaac (no address, since it’s by division) or call him (no phones allowed), but what I can do is pray for him to be encouraged during this time of waiting.
I don’t know that this is a test of Isaac’s faith as much as it is a test of mine. I have prayed for him faithfully every day (several times a day) to be successful and protected in boot camp. And then…Covid. Well, God didn’t say bad things wouldn’t happen, but He did promise to be with us through them. So, like the rock pictured in the Scripture above, I want to rise above the circumstances and praise God for what He is doing and what He is going to do in this young man’s life, and in the lives of the multiple other seamen recruits who have the same malady. It will be a great day when I hear that he is restored to his training, but in the meantime, I hope that you will join me in prayer for him to be strong in his faith at this time. That reminds me about the small Bible that we gifted Isaac to take along with him to Great Lakes. I wanted to give him a Bible but I didn’t know if he would even appreciate having one along with him. He was raised in a home in which Bible reading is reserved for church time, so thus my reluctance. I read the brochure provided by the USN about items the recruits could/could not bring along with them. One of the things they were told not to bring was their phones (no phone numbers available to them) or books other than religious materials. They were allowed a pocket Bible only. Thus, on the last day that we visited with Isaac before he left, we went to a bookstore and I purchased a pocket Bible for him. He was a little leery about this gift until I showed him the blank pages that could be his address book for phone numbers for family and friends. He grinned at what he considered my duplicity and was happy to accept the gift, along with the addresses and phone numbers that I printed neatly inside for him. I was not at all being duplicitous, telling him that the Bible would serve two purposes, one to encourage him to read God’s Word and two, to have that information about loved ones handy. After all, he had not memorized any phone numbers because he always had them in his phone and just touched the number and it dialed. Now, he has both resources. Thus, when I write him letters and include a Scripture for him to read, he can refer to his new pocket Bible/address book. 😉
In the meantime, God continues to work in our lives and to work out His salvation within each of us. Sometimes the process we go through is painful, but we know that God is in control, even when our lives take unexpected detours. He is the God of the mountains and the valleys!
May your day be blessed with the revelation of God’s presence in your life and the knowledge that He is rescuing you and He will rescue you, over and over again.
bible.com/bible/113/pro.20.24.NIVUK
bible.com/bible/113/1pe.5.10.NIVUK
bible.com/bible/113/psa.66.20.NIVUK
proverbs.bible/proverbs-18-10
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 