www.bible.com/111/2co.9.8.nivGod blesses us abundantly. That means more than we need. An abundance is having your arms full, with the packages overflowing and about to fall out of your hands because there are so many. God wants to make sure that we have all that we need, in all ways: physically, spiritually and emotionally. Then, we can take from that abundance and use it for good works in order to bless others. We bless others in ALL things at ALL times. Let that sink in. We are not to hold on to the blessings of God; rather, we are to use them to bless others. How the world would change if we all follow through and accept this promise as God means it to be. We are blessed to be a blessing! Have a wonderful Sunday, my friends!
Category: Scripture
From the Holy Bible
Daily Prayer
www.bible.com/1171/psa.25.5.mev
Not just today, Lord, but every day, let each of us trust in You. You do lead us by your truth, the truth found in your Word. It is up to us to open it daily, read it, meditate on it and memorize it. It in in putting the Word into our hearts that we learn that You are worthy of our trust.
My prayer for each of you today is for a place in your heart that craves the Word of God and that you learn to trust Him with all of your heart. It begins with relationship. Have a blessed and safe day.
Repentance
www.bible.com/1171/jon.3.10.mev
This Scripture verse, of course, refers to Nineveh, but it could just as well refer to the United States of America, or any other nation today. It is not enough to tell God that we are sorry for our sins. We have to TURN from them. True repentance is turning away from the sin and heading in a new direction. This is not an admonition just for believers, but for everyone. Imagine if politicians turned away from lying and started telling the truth. Imagine a world in which everyone you meet is totally genuine and showing love and generosity to each other, really concerned about the eternal destiny of each human being that they meet.
Imagine with me, if you will, a world in which Jesus’s sacrifice is what is foremost in the minds of everyone, so that each and every individual is ready to sacrifice to represent Him to a lost and dying world. Turning away from sin does not just mean a flippant promise that you will “try” not to do it again. It actually means turning your back on that sin and focusing on a totally new direction. We all have hidden sins that we need to turn away from, and my fervent desire is for lost mankind to turn from our sins so that God will not bring the disaster that is surely coming. Yes, His judgment is inevitable, but a true change of heart and a real turning away from sin and toward God can change God’s mind about the timing of His judgment.
I believe that God has held back His judgment on America because of the Christians calling on His Name and asking for mercy. Now we need to turn from sin, call on His Name and pray that the coming disastrous judgment not occur. Possible? Well, God is no respecter of persons and He listened to the call of the Ninevites for mercy. I would like to point out, however, that this repentance in Nineveh started with the ruler. I’m not convinced that our rulers in the U.S. even know God, much less are ready to call out to Him for His mercy. Time will tell, but it’s not looking good these days.
I will close by reminding each of you that you are responsible for your own sin and your own repentance, but you are also responsible to tell others about God’s grace and His Son who gives eternal life. Others cannot repent if they don’t know that they have to. And they need to be told what true repentance is. Sin cost the life of the Only Son of God. True repentance brings us into the fold as His children and whether God holds back His judgment or not, don’t we want as many as possible to know the Gospel and to believe in Him? Pray today and every day for the opportunity to share the Good News with others, because I fear that the days are coming when we will not be allowed to share about Jesus and the salvation that He brings. Pray hard, my friends, for the night of judgment is coming. Turn away from sin and take as many others with you, those who are willing to repent.
Be blessed today that you may be a blessing to others.
Proverbs 8
www.bible.com/1171/pro.8.19.mev
What can bring something more precious than silver and gold to your life? Wisdom! The knowledge that only comes from knowing and listening to God. I encourage you to read all of this proverb this morning and then ask God for wisdom to handle whatever situation you find yourself facing. He knows just what the solution is to every problem! He is the only wise God and He chooses to give us His wisdom.
May you be blessed today with wisdom that can only come from spending time at the throne of God!
A Promise When We Pray
This is a wonderful promise from God’s Word, but did you read it carefully? We have to ask “according to God’s will” in order to receive the answer that we desire. How do we know God’s will? I submit to you that we know it by spending time with Him, reading His Word and just talking to Him. It’s fantastic to be able to pray and have our prayers answered! But what is better is to be able to sit quietly and just talk to the Father.
A Promise for All Times
www.bible.com/111/mat.18.20.niv
When I feel defeated or discouraged, I tell my husband and he prays. Often, I call our daughter and she prays with us, too. When I am ill, or when I fall and get hurt or when I just feel lonely, I ask my husband and daughter for prayer. I used to call or text our pastor, but we are in the middle of changing churches and the new pastors don’t know me well, so I don’t feel comfortable sharing a lot with them yet. Nevertheless, I do have prayer warriors to call. The best news, though, is that when I am totally alone, I can call on the Lord. Jesus is always with me because He has sent His Comforter, the Holy Spirit who is constantly with me. So, when I am driving and get scared (because I don’t drive very much anymore), I send up a prayer and know that the Lord is hearing me. I don’t have to be in a big crowd or even next to a phone to send up a prayer and know that my Father in Heaven hears me and is working on an answer for me. This morning, I awakened with pain in my shoulder and my hip from my physical therapy yesterday. Balancing on one leg is hard for me, even before I broke my foot. But I have to work on strengthening it, so that is one of the exercises I do. Before I even got out of bed, I praised God for a new day and asked for healing for my aching parts. My husband was sleeping soundly next to me, so I didn’t wake him up to join me in prayer. I just prayed, knowing that the Comforter was with me and would help me get out of bed and start a new day. Two or three isn’t many, and with Jesus with you, that means you can pray all by yourself in your prayer closet.
Prayer requests for you prayer warriors out there: Angie, with cancer on her spine and a friend named John who is having open heart surgery tomorrow
Thanks for the prayers and support. If you need prayer, just let me know in the comments and I will pray for you. God bless you in this new day. Expect great things from God!
Rejoicing and Blessings
www.bible.com/1171/psa.21.6.mev
Read and think about this verse. Really think about it. God places blessings on us FOREVER. We are blessed here on earth and we will continue to be blessed in Heaven. Therefore, we can rejoice because God’s presence is always with us, working in us to do His will on the earth. This is a promise that I can relate to since I have felt especially blessed to be alive six years after a massive stroke. I am blessed with a husband who loves me, three children who are strong and healthy and nine grandchildren who are precocious, talented and so lovable! So, I am blessed. Everyday when I awaken, I thank God for a new day to walk with Him here on earth. Are you blessed? If you are reading this, you are blessed!
Be blessed today, my friends, so that you can be a blessing.
Trusting
www.bible.com/1171/psa.20.7.mev
In the United States of America, we have a tendency to trust our might, our power, our strong economy and usually our President. Those things are our “chariot” and our “horse,” but in reality, only God can be trusted. I recall the great Egyptian army that rode fearlessly into the Red Sea, chasing the Israelites, with their chariots and horses. All of them drowned, wiped out when the Almighty God returned the sea to its bed. It is only when we trust in the Lord our God that we can rest easily, knowing that we are truly safe. There is no government that can save us. There is no mighty army, navy, air force or even marine corps that can save us. Most of us also have to remember that we can’t save ourselves, although we are sometimes determined to try and to set ourselves up as our own god. The only Name to remember is that of the Lord God. It is He Who saves us: from our sin, from the temptations of the world and ultimately, from death. Thus this Scripture brings me great comfort and I hope that you find comfort in this promise, too. It is God who is totally trustworthy to take us through the battles of life and to eternity with Him.
I pray God’s blessing on you today, no matter where you go or what you do. Nothing will happen today that you and God cannot handle together!
The Heavens Declare…
Just a reminder that man is without excuse for rejecting the knowledge about God’s existence. The skies above us declare His glory! Bless His Holy Name!
May you have a blessed weekend and remember to look around at all that God has created for us to enjoy.
Totally Loved
From my devotional this morning, I got this promise. Isn’t it wonderful to know that no matter where you are or what is happening in your life, the Lord God is with you? He is the same Lord who died for you on the cross, the same Lord who loves you with an eternal love, a love that no one can change or take away. He saves! Hallelujah!
As I read, I related to being a small child and waiting anxiously for my father to come home from work. No matter what had happened that day, daddy always knew what to say and how to calm my fears. Now, broaden the scope and imagine that our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to call on Him. We don’t have to anxiously sit and wait for His arrival; He is always right there beside us. In my mind, I recall my daddy picking me up and holding me and telling me that he loved me. Those moments with my father were worth all that had happened that day: the hurt of being different from the other children because I couldn’t run and play due to my health conditions, the anguish of being rejected by my mother, and the multitudes of other pains that small children go through and think we just can’t live through them. I survived because I knew my daddy loved me and would be home soon to cuddle me. And when I began to go to church, the comforting arms of my earthly father were replaced by the everlasting comfort of my Heavenly Father. By that time, I was living alone and needed to know His love since my daddy was hours away and I could not share my daily frustrations with him. But God was there! He was there for me all along, just waiting for me to ask Him to come alongside me and be that One that I can always count on.
God quiets us with His love. He loves us totally, completely and unconditionally. I can choose to leave Him, but He will not leave me. He sees me as worthy, as beautiful and as a necessary part of His creation. The God of the Universe looked down on earth and thought it needed one of me. Awesome thought, right? Of course, it is also an awesome responsibility to fulfill His purposes for me during the years He has established for me here. Nevertheless, while I am here, He rejoices over me. Just as my daddy used to sing songs (“The Church in the Wild Wood” was a favorite of his) that showed me his love for me, imagine the Heavenly Father singing songs over you, not just when you need comfort, but just because He loves you. What song is in your heart today? Imagine the Father singing that to you. That thought makes my whole being quiver with anticipation for what the new day will bring and what the Father will do for me and through me in it!
I like the mental images that come to my mind when I meditate on these two verses. I added them to my promise journal so that I can look back and remember. That’s what life is all about sometimes, a series of memories that mean something important to us. When I am remembering the afternoon minutes that I spent with my daddy, I also recall the many times that God has shown me grace and mercy and love…lots of love. Can I do any less for others who are hurting and need a Mighty Warrior to save them and a loving God to calm and rejoice over them with songs? We are sent to tell others because we have a great truth that should never be hidden. The world is hurting, and we have just the right remedy…a relationship with the Lord!
Be blessed today so that you can be a blessing.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 