Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

A Prayer for You and for Me

On By vickleaIn Scripture9 Comments

psalm.bible/psalm-20-1

Well, I have been in MD doing childcare for almost two weeks now. Unfortunately, this week I got sick, for the first time in over a year and a half. It started with the pre-schooler bringing home a cold from daycare and my body responded accordingly. Then, my asthma kicked in. So with nebulizer treatments, inhaler, OTC cold remedies and throat lozenges, I have been battling this thing since the beginning of this week. I finally called my doctor in Virginia yesterday and got her to send me a Medral pack of steroids to help break up the inflammation and hopefully calm the cough some. That being said, I am okay, but I must admit that I have been distressed. I want my husband to make me homemade soup, to rest in my own bed and to just be able to call my own physician if I need her. Oh, well…that’s not possible, so I am doing what is even better. I am calling on the God of Jacob to answer me in my distress and to heal me of this disease. I have seven more weeks here in MD and my days are very busy taking care of the four month old. God knows my needs and will meet me right where I am. My husband is coming up for a weekend visit next weekend and to celebrate his birthday with me. I have been too tired and ill to plan anything, but today is the day that I will set aside my physical weaknesses and do what needs to be done to take care of a plan for him and rest for me. Did I mention that I love the weekend? I’m “off duty” then so it’s great. I enjoy being with grandchildren, but I’m tired and God is calling me to rest and recuperate. So that is what my plan is for today.

May your day be blessed with answered prayers and the love of family and friends!

My Friday Prayer

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

bible.com/bible/1171/psa.69.13.MEV

I pray that this is the prayer that is in each of our hearts. Sometimes I think that we expect God to answer our prayers immediately, like a genie in a bottle granting a wish. But God is not our personal genie. He is the God of the entire Universe and He answers in a way and time that makes sense for all of His creation. So, I’m depending on God’s mercy to hold me steady and strong while I wait for His answers. I pray that you are holding onto God and staying strong through whatever winds or storms may blow your way.

Have a blessed and glorious day in the Lord and may you produce fruit in your life for Him. May the prayers He answers for you be according to His truth and in His time!

Sunday Morning Musings

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

I start each day with devotionals and Bible reading, and Sunday, of course, is no exception. Today, I want to share with you the verses that spoke to my heart and pray that they will also speak to you.

In a world in which everything seems to be shaking, we are told to stand firm. Don’t pay so much attention to what is happening around you as to what the Lord has told you to keep busy doing, i.e. His work. Whatever we do for God has eternal rewards, but all of the time we spend worrying about the things going on in this world amount to nothing in the long run. I personally have just about stopped watching news shows. After all, my husband fills me in on the important things and then I don’t get so overwhelmed with all of the bad news that seems to be on 24/7. That leaves me more time to worship, praise, read God’s Word and do whatever tasks He has called me to do each day. Win, win!

We all get tired of doing nice things for others and then never getting any appreciation. But I have learned that it is not the thanks that I get from others that really means something to me. It is the good feeling that I get way down deep inside me, the feeling that God is pleased. So, while I am working for God (see verse above), I can devote myself to looking for good things to do for others.

Most of us wake up each day and have a plan for what we hope to accomplish. After decades of frustration, I have learned to give whatever plans I may have over to God and let Him bless them or change them. His way is always, always, always better than mine!

This final verse spoke directly to me as a comfort for my mental state these days. After years of belonging to the gym and going for water aerobics classes twice a week, my nutritionist told me last week that I should not begin exercising again until I can maintain a diet of at least 1400 calories a day. Well, with all kinds of dietary restrictions and a rebellious gastro system, I seldom make it over 1000 calories. Thus, my husband and I decided to drop our gym membership until some future date, yet to be determined. We have not been going due to Covid restrictions anyway, so it seemed to be an expenditure of funds that we could not afford. It was like we were donating to the gym but getting no benefits. Once I can exercise again, I will start with my home exercises first and see how that goes. God knows exactly what is going on with my physical body and encouraged me today with His Word that my training in godliness is eternally beneficial.

Well, that is all from me for today. It is almost time to awaken my husband and for us to head to church. I covet your prayers this week as I am setting off on a new adventure soon. My husband calls it my “deployment.” Our son contacted us that his regular childcare worker is not available and he needs help for the next couple of months. So, I am headed to Maryland while my husband stays here in Virginia, taking care of his commitments. I know that I will definitely enjoy being with the grandchildren (ages 6, 3 and 4 months), but I will also miss the loving care of my spouse and just the comfort of being in my own home. However, I choose to see this as a ministry of love and pray that God will strengthen me each day for the work He has set before me. If I’m not online much, now you know why.

Have a blessed day, a blessed week and keep choosing to do God’s will each day in every way possible!

Pause and Think

On By vickleaIn Heaven, Scripture16 Comments

One of our pastors has posed an interesting question.

If you knew that you only had thirty days to live, would you change how you live? If so, how would you change?

Thought-provoking and deep and I’m not sure how I would answer it yet, but I am pondering it and invite you to ponder along with me. Of course, we cannot know the time of our death. Jesus said that the Father knows. We know that God has told some people in the past to get ready to die. King Hezekiah immediately comes to mind. He is the king who turned his face to the wall and cried out to God for more years, a wish that God granted him. I would hope that if God told me that I was about to die that I would be ready and willing to go with Him then, but we just don’t know until such an event happens to us. So, ponder with me, if you will, what would you change in the last month of your life?

As I have been aging, at first approaching death was a scary thought for me. Now, it has become an inevitable end to this life on earth and the beginning of a new life with God. It means the end of all of the aches and pains and daily concerns. Of course, it also means missing my loved ones here on earth, but there is always the promise to see them again in Heaven some day. No more sorrow or tears and no more goodbyes has me looking more expectantly towards Heaven, more with excitement and less with fear. How about you? Do you ever think about your own mortality? Do you think about what Heaven will be like?

In a devotional that I read this morning, the writer had been told that she only had a short time to live and was fearful of death. Having lived over a decade past the time the doctors pronounced for her, the fear had become distant and her new attitude was one of wonder. No one really knows what Heaven is like, so her curiosity was stimulated. She says that her curiosity was somewhat satisfied when she was with an elderly woman just before she died and with her last breath, she said, “Wow!” Now, that, my friends is food for thought. What will we say when we cross over into eternity with God? I think”wow” is pretty descriptive, don’t you? (Daily Guideposts 2021, October 19, 2021)

I don’t want you to leave this post without promises from God that will hopefully stir your heart to look up and await Him with expectation and hope. (I heard someone say that hope is not dead because He is a person!)

May God bless and keep you throughout this day and until we meet again on this page. Meanwhile, drop me a line in the comments and tell me the answer to my question above. Thirty days. What, if anything, would you change in your life?

Since writing this blog, I have one more thing to look forward to in Heaven…I get to meet you believers who have followed me online and see you face to face. I appreciate each of you and pray God’s blessing and His continued presence in your lives daily. I remain a servant of Christ and a seeker of truth. Until next time…

Abiding in Him

On By vickleaIn Dr. Denison’s Forum, Scripture9 Comments

This morning, I read my devotional as usual. I’m currently reading the book of Jeremiah and there is a reason he is called the “weeping prophet.” He went around telling everyone to repent and people ignored him, to their detriment. I see so many parallels with what he wrote and with what is happening in nations throughout the world that it saddens me to see such rampant and flagrant sin. Sins that were once shamefully hidden are now “out there” for all to see, flung into the face of God. There is a price to pay and we are just now beginning to pay it.

I also read my daily dose of Dr. Denison and was not at all amused to read that a high school in FL crowned a transgender as homecoming queen. As I said, sin is no longer hidden, but it is flaunted and outrageously proclaimed as right.

Dr. Denison’s Forum October 11, 2021

So, what are we as Christians to do? We are told to shine our lights to a dark world. But we are also told to “abide.”

Image from Pinterest.com

I’m sure since we have all studied science, we know that the moon has no light except what is reflected from the sun. Thus, we have no light unless we are reflecting the Son. We have to be part of the branch of Jesus in order to produce fruit. Frankly, just to be able to stand and say that sin is sin in today’s world requires a close contact with the Lord, an abiding, if you will.

The definition of abide will not surprise anyone, but it is worth pointing out. From http://www.dictionary.com:

verb (used without object), a·bode or a·bid·ed, a·bid·ing.to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.to have one’s abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.

We stay in the Lord Jesus. We don’t walk away and join in the darkness, but we stay in His light and reflect it to others. Some may be repelled by the light because they prefer the darkness. But our hope is always that some will be attracted to the light and come to the knowledge that can offer the assurance of an eternal future with Him. We dwell with Jesus. We are not just occasional visitors eating at the table of plenty that He has provided us. We live there! Every day, every minute of every hour. That’s our home, where we should feel the most comfortable. Going out into the world does not mean leaving Jesus behind. He dwells in us, just as we dwell in Him. So, when we are doing our daily activities and interacting with others, we have that light to reflect to others because it is in us.

I fall far short of what I should be as a Christian, but all of the sin in the world is not pulling me away from Jesus. Rather, I am tucking myself in closer to Him, desiring not just His grace and mercy but also His protection from the evil of the world. I desire that protection for all those with whom I come in contact, too. They will not know He is there for them unless I tell them, or unless you tell them. The consequence of sin is death and eternal separation from God. I agree that it is often difficult to share our faith with unbelievers who mock or who walk away as fast as they can. However, if one life is changed, it is worth it.

My prayer for each of you today is to be that light that the world needs and to abide in the Lord so that you can reflect His glory, grace, goodness and mercy. Be the person God created you to be, His beloved child. God bless you, my friends.

Light and Darkness

On By vickleaIn Scripture13 Comments

“If the room in which you are sitting is dark and you hold the only flashlight, who is at fault?” ~Dr. Denison’s Forum, October 4, 2021

Think about this quotation. I don’t know about you, but I have been guilty of going around blaming everyone else (specifically the liberals) for the problems in our nation and around the world. Then, God spoke to me through Dr. Denison’s Forum the other day and I haven’t been able to get out of my mind the fact that the world is a mess and I have a flashlight to shine light on its darkness.

This is what is happening today. Satan is bolder than ever, roaring around and establishing himself as the ruler of this world. Well, we already knew that, right? But what we have to keep in mind is the fact that he is desperate to wreak as much havoc and destruction and to take as many people to the lake of fire with him as he can. And he knows that his time is short, so just as when we know we are running late, he is running around frantically and creating mayhem. What are the Christians doing? If you’re like me, you have been wringing your hands and crying out to God, “Do something, Lord! Don’t you see what is happening here?” Hmm. Well, God gave me the answer. He sees and wants me (and each of you) to shine our lights on what is happening, to point out evil and not to cower away from our responsibilities. If we are watching for evil, we will recognize it when we see it and be able to stand against it.

I was appalled when I read this morning in my daily news blurb that the DOJ and FBI have been unleashed against parents fighting school boards who are pushing Critical Race Theory. These parents are doing what parents should be doing, fighting for the minds of their children not to be indoctrinated by false teachings; unfortunately, the power of the government is standing against them. So, what are we to do? Gird up! Put on the whole armor of God and stand. Shine our lights so that others may see the truth. God does not create divisiveness and such false teachings that promote it. God desires unity, peace, love, serving and forgiveness.

Light and darkness? We have to choose. Do we want to live in the dark and be silent, even though we know we have the light? Or do we want to boldly turn on that light and show the world what is really happening and what they are missing in their lives? If the message about Christ and His sacrifice for all mankind is filling us, then we should be overflowing with it. Not in an angry confrontational way, but in the way in which Jesus confronted evil. He calmly spoke the truth and moved on to the next place that needed to hear it. I’m preaching to myself here because in my own frustration against the current tide of evil, I have had a tendency to grasp the light closer to myself instead of letting it shine. I have not wanted to be condemned by a judgmental world because of my faith. But I am realizing more and more that it is not the world who gets to judge me. God does. He wants me to shine His truth to a people who need to hear it. Light vs. darkness? Light wins every time! There may only be a small glimmer of light at first, but then if we all shine our lights of truth, the light will overcome all of the darkness. That’s what I want to do. My personal beliefs and attitudes towards the evil in today’s society will not make a difference because few people really care what I believe. But maybe, just maybe, if I share the truth of God’s Word, someone will listen and a life will be changed. One more light to shine. One at a time, we can make a difference.

My prayer for you is that the Scriptures above will become a reality in your life and that together, we can shine lights into the darkness of this world. God bless and keep you safe, bold and ever brighter daily.

Never Give Up

On By vickleaIn Scripture9 Comments

I’m a firm believer that since God has left me here on this earth after numerous physical challenges, He has me here for a reason. In my devotional this morning, I read that the writer has passed his “best by” date. Honestly, I had never heard old age expressed that way, but after some thought, I decided it’s accurate. There are many things I can no longer do, but there is so much still left that I am able to do. My physical limitations are there but so is my determination to get things done. I cannot take a bath anymore because it’s way too hard to get out of the tub. But, oh, the nice hot showers I enjoy! I cannot read a book and watch a TV show at the same time because my brain no longer likes to multi-task. But I can still enjoy both, just separately. (Although I must state a disclaimer here that my favorite TV show is now Christian music.) I cannot always remember why I have gone into a room, but while I am there, I occupy myself doing something else that may need to be done. You get the idea. As we age, we lose a lot of abilities, but one of the things I have gained is my thankfulness for each day that I awaken and my eagerness to see what the new day will bring.

I truly believe this Scripture, that my Spirit is being renewed daily as God draws me closer to Him. Today, I go to my new nephrologist, the one I requested since the previous one lacked empathy and compassion. I have no idea what the new doctor will be like, but I know that I prayed before I chose him and expect that God will work through him to help me keep my solitary kidney going for as long as possible. Meanwhile, I am thankful that I have a new doctor to see, thankful that my weight is down some and I have been able to eat a little better lately. Mostly, I’m thankful to be on the earth at this time, just where God wants me to be and I’m looking forward to finding His new purpose for each day that He has given me.

I pray that you will find the peace in your spirit today that you need to face whatever the day brings. Remember that the “best by” day may have passed, but that doesn’t mean you have lost your purpose or your usefulness. If you’re still here, God wants to use you. Be open to His Spirit and let Him tell you just what you can do for Him and His Kingdom today.

Have a blessed and awesome day in the Lord. Be your best. Do your best. In Him and for Him, you are the best you that He made. Be blessed!

Remembering

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

As I have aged, I have discovered that I am not as capable of remembering things from the past as I once could. The fog of having had a stroke has not helped, so that has been my go-to excuse when someone says, “Remember when…?” Most of the time, I honestly don’t remember. But one very important thing that I want to always remember is God’s steadfast love for me and all of the miracles that He has performed in my life.

One of the ways we can recall all of God’s wonderful acts on our behalf is to testify about them, to friends, at church, in a journal. Just put the words out there so that others can share in the joy you had when you saw God working on your behalf.

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is healing from my stroke. In January of 2015 when I had a massive stroke (the occupational therapist told me that it was a 19 out of 21 on their scale, whatever their scale was), I could not move most of my right side, could not speak without stuttering and lost my memory for speaking Spanish. The OT encouraged me that the brain is made in such a way that it would find new pathways to get around the ones that had died when I had the stroke. Well, she didn’t say it, but I did, in my mind. I am fearfully and wonderfully made and God would make a way for me to function again. I had to practice walking, telling my legs to take steps until it became natural for me again. I practiced reading, much more slowly than I had ever done before, but I could do it. And I got out old Spanish books from my high school years and practiced my Spanish. Oh, yeah, and I couldn’t write except for illegible scribbles. My physical therapist was a real gift from God. He had been my therapist after my knee surgery and my broken elbow and when he saw on the schedule that a patient was coming in who had had a stroke and saw my name, he told me he didn’t know what to expect. So, with love and patience, he worked with me in all ways possible. He brought out a whiteboard for me to practice writing on. I did OT puzzles and other exercises to build my dexterity in my hands. It amazed me that my left hand was faster than my right because my right had to be trained again. After about three months, I was able to return to teaching part-time and by five months after my stroke, I was working full-time and discharged from PT. Amazing, right? God is the God of miracles and He gave me back my speech, my ability to walk and my ability to use and teach Spanish. Some would say, “Well, of course. The OT said that your brain would find new pathways.” There is no “of course” to it! My PT said that my progress was like a miracle because I progressed so rapidly. To this day, I know to Whom to give the credit for my recovery. God gets all the kudos because not only did He make me to begin with, He healed me when I had an unimaginably scary stroke. I will admit that sometimes my brain fogs and I know that’s the sign that I need to rest, to pull away and just be quiet, whether that means napping or going to bed extra early. But I continue to be amazed each day that I awaken because I know that it is God who loves me enough to allow me to still be here on earth. Since my stroke, I have had four new grandchildren born, and I am so blessed to be able to meet them and get to know them. In fact, Penny was born only a month after my stroke and I told my PT that I needed to get better so I could go meet her. I did! I met her in March, when she was only a few weeks old. Why am I writing all of this? I’m writing my testimony for me to remember and for you to know what a miracle-working God we serve. I am thankful every day for my life that He gave back to me, and I hope that each of you is thankful for all that he has done for you.

I am so thankful! God is no respecter of persons and what He did for me, He can do for anyone.

“You Are Faithful” by Hillsong Worship

Being Hopeful

On By vickleaIn Scripture7 Comments

These days, with bad news everywhere and being broadcast 24/7, it is often difficult to focus on good things. I have come to the conclusion that this is a choice, to focus on the good things of God instead of the bad things in the news.

So, in that spirit, I choose today and going forward to focus on being hopeful and thankful. Is everything going the way I would like? No, but God is sovereign and He is in control. With that thought as my foundation, I thank God for waking me up this morning, for a cat who keeps me company, for the health of my children and grandchildren and for the opportunity to read Christian fiction from Christian publishing houses.

You may have to look around a little more since most of us, me included, tend to focus on the negative and ask God to change it. I want to focus more on the positive and be hopeful that God who made the entire world and all who are in it has not given up on it yet. He is still on His throne, and for that I am deeply grateful.

Have a blessed day, filled with hope and gratitude for all God has done, all He is doing and all He will do. 🙏🏻

“My Jesus” by Anne Wilson