5minutesofhope.com/2025/03/03/christlikeness/
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Category: Scripture
From the Holy Bible
Follow the Leader
Most of us have at one time played the childhood game of “Follow the Leader.” We did all kinds of crazy things because that’s what the leader was doing. Did you know that we are still following a leader? We have to be in tune with the Spirit of God to know where He is leading us, but He will always be there to guide us if we let Him.
When the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness, they encamped or moved based on what the Lord was telling them to do with His presence. When He moved, they moved. But if He did not move, they stayed right where they were for however long He stayed there. I think sometimes we get ahead of God. He is supposed to be leading but we get tired of waiting and move ahead of Him. That’s when we can get into real trouble!
If we get ahead of God, we are stepping into the realm of the flesh. We are going by our feelings, our own desires or our impatience to get things moving along. God warns us to be in tune with His Spirit so we don’t fall into the trap of the flesh. I cannot tell you the number of times that I thought God was delayed and needed my help in carrying something out. This is not a new thing. Remember Sarah “helping God” by giving Abraham her maidservant Hagar to have a child? There are many examples in the Bible of people not waiting for God but trying to lead instead of following.
The words “keep in step” really stood out to me here. I am not supposed to walk ahead of the Spirit, acting like the leader I am not supposed to be. Nor should I fall so far behind Him that I cannot see the way He is leading me. I am to keep in step with Him, creating a rhythm together of moving closer to God and His plan for my life.
Share the Hope of Jesus
YouVersion Bible App: Daily Refresh
The Mission of the Church
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he spent 40 days on earth ministering to people and preparing His disciples for life without Him. Jesus planned on leaving earth and ascending to heaven, but before doing so, He gave His disciples a mission found in Matthew 28:19-20. We often call this mission The Great Commission.
The Great Commission begins with getting up and going to places where people need to hear about the good news of Jesus. This doesn’t mean you have to leave your country—there are people in your own neighborhood and workplace that need to hear the hope of Jesus.
The ultimate goal of the Great Commission is to make followers of Jesus. So as we go about sharing the good news of Jesus with people, we’re to show people how Jesus has changed our lives, and invite them to discover Jesus for themselves.
Jesus also instructs us to baptize new believers. Baptism is a symbol of someone’s incorporation into the family of God. It is their public display of their new faith in Jesus. Baptism is such an important part of the Christian life that Jesus made sure to include it in our mission.
It can be easy to think that making disciples and baptizing believers is the responsibility of our church pastors and ministry leaders. While those things certainly are part of every church’s mission, Jesus intended for every believer to be making disciples.
So take a moment to think about someone in your own life who helped you grow spiritually. Ask God to bring to mind someone you can help and disciple. Then, allow God to give you the courage to share the hope of Jesus with those around you.
My Thoughts
Chances are good that you did not just decide one day to become a Christian. Someone (a neighbor, a friend or a relative, or even a total stranger) sowed a seed in your life and God brought it to fruition. Where would you be today without Jesus in your life? I don’t even want to think about that possibility and I am so thankful for a new neighbor who made it her mission to tell as many people as possible about the saving power of the Lord. I was one of those people whose lives Verna touched for eternity. When you give money or food to the poor, that will help them for a little while. But when you sow a seed for Jesus, you could me affecting their forever destination. God didn’t ask us to make sure that everyone is saved. He just told us to go and tell. Is there someone you can tell today about what Jesus did and is still doing in your life? Pray and tell. Pray that the seeds you sow will fall on fallow ground. The salvation Jesus provides is not meant to be a well-kept secret…go and tell so that others may know.
Join Gather 25
bible.com/bible/111/rev.7.9-10.NIV
The event starts tonight, a gathering of people from all over the world worshipping and praying. Go to Gather 25. I hope many of you will participate in this online and worldwide event.
Being Still
ettingerwriting.wordpress.com/2025/02/27/gods-tender-word-to-you-be-still/
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God Is Worthy
Each of us is a special creation by God, made uniquely for a purpose that only we can fulfill. The people in my life are not the same as those in yours. The places I go are not the same either. Thus, the lives I touch with the message of God’s great love and forgiveness are different than yours. God gave us a great task to complete, to tell all about His Son. He will carry out His purpose in the world with or without our cooperation, but if we get in step with God’s plan, we are showing God that we trust His plan and that we want to be a part of it. I need to pray daily about what God wants me to do that day to fulfill the reason He created me. Some days, it’s a simple act of kindness. Other days, He puts specific people on my mind that I should pray for or contact. Every day, I have to be open to hear His direction, or as I call them, my daily marching orders.
The message we share with the world is a simple one. God showed, God sent, we live.
Have a blessed and fruitful day!
Helping the Poor
What Does the Bible Say About Poverty?
What does the Bible say about faith in the context of giving? About God’s heart for the poor?
The Bible is rich in wisdom about God’s love for people living in poverty — and about our responsibility to help. We love the way Jesus showed us how to care for vulnerable and marginalized people. Reflect on these Bible verses about giving and pray for children, families, and communities in need. Here’s what the Bible says about poverty.
“Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”
Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV)“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”
Proverbs 22:9 (NIV)“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
Isaiah 58:10 (NIV)“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:13–14 (NIV)“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (NIV)In reflecting on what the Bible says about faith, let these Scriptures on giving guide our actions and hearts toward compassion and generosity.
My Thoughts
I prefer to give the poor a “hand up” instead of a “handout.” I am firmly ensconced in the middle class and have been in this social position for most of my life. I have never had to go without necessities, nor have any of our children. But I have seen poverty up close and it is not a pretty sight. When my husband and I were gifted with money from my deceased aunt, we used it to take the trip I had dreamed about since I was a teen and we went to Spain. Part of the tour we were in had an excursion to Morocco. There on a hill overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen was a huge palace, spread out on several city blocks and a gleaming white that seemed to say, “look at me.” But just outside of the palace there were so many poor people, dressed in rags and begging for whatever you could give them. I was struck by the great disparity in wealth here that was so prominent that no one could miss it. The king enriched himself and seemed to have built a showcase home to boast about himself. I was outraged that such poverty like this could even exist in a county that has the kind of riches displayed by the king. But I should not have been surprised since I saw the same kind of poverty in Guatemala when I went on a missions trip there as well as in every large city I have visited. I wish that there were a solution to poverty, but the only solution I know is when God lifted up poor Lazarus and condemned the rich man who did not help him. We need to have the Lord’s eyes for the poor and see them as people just like ourselves who may have made some wrong choices and as a result they are homeless, impoverished and without hope. The hope that we can offer is not just monetary; we offer them a hope for eternity if we will just speak up and truly give them a “hand up” towards heaven.
Going Home
I am very excited about going home today. I can’t wait to be in my warm house again, with my familiar things and my cat. I always enjoy visiting family, especially grandchildren, but with health issues, this visit has been a rough one. And yesterday, the day of the birthday party that we came for, two of the three grandchildren started with fevers and a stomach bug. Poor babies! I prayed for them and their mommy and daddy took care of them, just as it should be. But it’s another sign that this is not my home.
When I return to Virginia, that is not really my home either. My true home is in heaven and nothing makes that more real than a stay in the hospital where the doctors and nurses are calling your case urgent and rushing you around for testing. I know in my heart that I am ready for heaven whenever God calls me there and my excitement about being with the Lord Jesus and all who have gone before me overwhelms me sometimes. We have to always keep in mind that the home we have on earth is temporary, just a tent dwelling while we wait for the real home Jesus has prepared for us in heaven. Glorious thoughts!
You Version Daily Refresh and Answered Prayers
A Peace that Never Leaves You
Think about a time when you were worried. How did you deal with it? Maybe you tried to distract yourself, or perhaps you let your mind race through your problems. It’s natural to want to respond to our worries this way, but God shows us a better way to respond.
Not long before Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples that He would be leaving them. Worried about experiencing life without Him, the disciples wanted answers. But instead of giving them the response they hoped for, Jesus told His disciples to be at peace and not let their hearts be troubled.
Imagine how frustrating this must have been for His followers. They sensed that Jesus was leaving, but they were trying to align what He was saying with their ideas for the future.
They questioned His words because they couldn’t understand them.
In the same way, we can also be quick to try to find solutions to our problems when we’re worried. We can let our understanding of current events cloud our thinking and influence our conversations with God. But God’s purposes are beyond what we can see and understand.
When Jesus told the disciples to be at peace and not worry, Jesus saw beyond the cross—He saw His resurrection, His return to heaven, and the arrival of God’s Holy Spirit.
In the same way, He sees beyond our situations.
Because we live in an imperfect world, we will experience disappointments and hardships—but because we serve a good God, He sees beyond the bad things we go through. He sees our future filled with hope.
Jesus told His disciples to be at peace because He wanted them to trust in Him. Similarly, God wants us to be at peace in every situation as we trust Him to work things out for our good and His glory.
So take some time today to reflect on some of the situations that are causing you to worry. Then, take a moment to tell God that you trust Him with each of these circumstances. Imagine handing Him each concern, and allow Him to hand you His peace in return.
My Thoughts
My latest visit to MD has been one filled with worries and stressed. It has been very cold here and our room, the one for guests, is in the basement. We have a space heater here, the basement is finished and furnished well, but it is cold here when the weather is cold. It was in the teens here all week, so, that space heater ran a lot, like almost constantly. It’s dry heat so I kept waking up with a headache. Then my blood pressure started rising. I tried to think of other things, scripture verses, praise songs, to distract me from the fact that my BP was higher each day, starting on Wednesday. When it went up to 178/110 and then to 198/108 I asked my husband to take me to the ER. I had tried unsuccessfully to get advice from my cardiologist in VA, but he never responded. His nurse told me to drink more water. I was already drinking 5-6 glasses a day, but I increased it, to no avail. Anyway, to make a long story short, I was treated in the ER for Hypertensive Urgent and then a migraine. My BP when I got there was over 200, concerning for me as a stroke survivor. The doctor ordered medication in my IV that brought the pressure down, then it bounced around a bit and my headache was worse. So, the doctor decided I had a migraine. She said the migraine may have caused the BP or the BP caused the migraine, but her next step was to give me meds for a migraine. That seemed to work well, my BP was more or less stable, so a little after midnight, she discharged me and my husband brought me home to our son’s house to rest. I was thankful to be in bed and able to sleep without the constant hospital noises and lights. I am very thankful for a friend who was praying for me and sent me several scriptures to meditate on while I was feeling so bad. One of them was the verse in the devotional above. Another was the same thought was Psalm 94:19: “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” I kept telling myself that God was surrounding me, and once again, He came through for me. I was disturbed with my husband’s attitude. He told me just to take deep breaths and not think about my BP numbers and I would be fine. When I asked him to please pray with me, he didn’t. He was distracted with talking to our daughter-in-law’s parents who were also here. Anyway, I was distraught that he wouldn’t pray, so I contacted our daughter to pray and she put me on a prayer chain. That didn’t help the disappointment that I felt with my husband, so I am sure that didn’t help my stress either. I would like to thank all of you who took time to pray for me and especially praise be to God our Father who never left me.
In news about Dave, for whom I also asked for prayer: he is still in the hospital and has a lot of what his wife is calling “gunk” around his lungs. He is somewhat depressed because they first told him he would go home on Sunday and now they have moved it to Friday, so he has another week in the hospital. He is very ill and continues to need your prayers. He is having a front chest tube inserted today, so please pray specifically that procedure goes well.
Thank you all for your faithfulness and concern. You are friends, even though you are online, and I appreciate each of you. May God’s peace surround you all.
Prayer Requests
I feel the need to share two prayer requests with you all and to also ask that you share any prayer requests with me.
God gives us each other for a reason, and at least one of them is so that we can walk this way together.
So, prayer requests. I am in MD visiting my son and his family. Unfortunately, my body’s reaction to the stress of the trip and being here has been to have high blood pressure for three days in a row. I have taken all of the extra medicine I am allowed to take, but it hasn’t gone down. So, I called my cardiologist today and they want me to drink a lot of water (for my headache) and call back in about an hour and a half, after I take my BP again. I would appreciate prayers.
My second prayer request is for a friend who has been in the hospital since Monday. He has pneumonia and fluid around his lungs. They have done two procedures to take the fluid off and he has one more today. He is breathing better, he says, but not doing great. Please pray for Dave for healing and that the doctors will have wisdom.
Now, your turn. Share and we will pray. God does answer prayer!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 