Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Being an Influencer

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

There is a lot of talk online about who the best influencers are to follow and why. A devotional I read this morning made me think. Am I an influencer? And if I am, then how am I doing?

Let me begin by saying that we all touch someone’s life in some way…family, friends, co-workers, even strangers we meet briefly when we shop or eat in a restaurant. We have the opportunity to be an influencer every day. But what does our life show others?

God gives us the abilities and talents we have to shine for Him, not for ourselves. It’s not in the numbers. We were created to be HIS influencers. I try to persuade people to purchase and read Christian books. I try to tell others about my testimony of healing and God’s grace in my life. I often fall short because I just get tired of doing it. That is brutal honesty there. But God doesn’t ever get tired and sit down and say, “Okay. That’s enough for today. I am so done with all of this!” He just keeps loving and is devoted to wooing people to choose life in Him. To Him belongs all of the glory for what I accomplish, if anything. I will accept my failures as my own, but my success belongs only to God.

So, if I am an influencer, in a very small way, I want to be an influencer for God. I want my words, my attitude, my clothing and my face especially to show people that God is my portion and any abilities I have are because of Him. Anything I can do is because He opens doors for me and then gently whispers to me what my next steps should be.

Are you an influencer? The answer is always YES! What kind of influencer for God are you? We may not have a million followers, but more importantly, we have God watching us and a whole cheering section in Heaven rooting for us. That, my dear friends, is what real influence should look like.

Cultivating Gratitude

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Creating a Heart of Gratitude (Daily Refresh, 8-25-26)

One of the most powerful emotions is gratitude. If we can find ways to be thankful and grateful throughout our life, we will find the power and emotional strength to walk through some of life’s hardest seasons.

It’s not always easy to find ways to be thankful and grateful. But, one of the things Scripture teaches us throughout the Psalms is that there is always something to be grateful for.

The Psalms teach us various songs and poems for every season of our life. But more than that, they also teach us how to cultivate a heart of gratitude and worship towards God.

We belong to a God who loves us and cares deeply for us. God’s love and goodness will never end. Psalm 100:5 praises God for these things:

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Through Psalms like this, we can begin to build a habit of gratitude towards God and all that He has done. We can thank God for what He has done in our lives, what He is currently doing, and what He will do in the future as we follow after Him.

Because God is always good, loving, and faithful, there is always something we can be grateful for—even in the midst of difficult seasons of life.

Take a few moments today to strengthen the habit of gratitude in your life.

– First, begin by thanking God for who He is: that He is good, faithful, and loving towards you.
– Next, thank God for all that He has done. Thank Him for the good things in your life, and that He has walked with you through the hard times.
– Lastly, thank God for all He will continue to do in the days and years to come. He is trustworthy!

My Thoughts

To be honest, when I first got my diagnosis of CHF, it was hard to be grateful. I was discouraged and grumpy with God. I couldn’t fathom how He could love me and allow me to have a lung problem with asthma, a single kidney that is failing and now a heart issue too. But, God’s Spirit got hold of me one day when I was spending time praying and reading my Bible and reminded me that God isn’t a God of sunshine and happiness all the time. Sometimes, we face a wilderness like Jesus and sometimes we have to face a powerful river with the enemy quickly approaching like Moses. But we don’t quit on God because He never quits on us.

I prayed to be able to travel to our granddaughter’s wedding. When I asked my doctor about it, I expected a firm “no” but instead he understood my deep desire to go, gave me a list of cautions and precautions and warnings about when to head to a hospital and told me to go ahead and travel. We had a wonderful trip! The wedding was memorably beautiful, with an invitation to salvation included in the ceremony. The dancing at the reception was great fun to watch even though I couldn’t participate. Our youngest grandson at one time was surrounded by a circle of bridesmaids and other young ladies as he did a break dance, gleefully entertaining an entire crowd and totally unaware of how everyone was watching him. (He is five.) Getting to know the groom’s family was a bonus since they are Christians too. So many delightful and memorable moments!

We stayed about five days with our daughter afterwards, enjoyed church service with them on Sunday after the Saturday wedding and just generally enjoyed family times. I played games with the granddaughters and relaxed with family. Then we traveled to Maryland and had five days with our son and his family there. We went out for a delicious lunch at a favorite restaurant for my birthday (number 75!) and then our daughter came down the following day to stay with us one night and celebrate my birthday again. God is good. I asked to be able to travel and God gave me answers to prayers that I didn’t even pray.

So in this season of learning to live with more restrictions, I am cultivating an attitude of gratitude. I like to start each day thanking God for His faithfulness in allowing me another day to praise Him and then I thank Him for all He has done and is doing. Life is hard; the weeds are attacking all the time. So cultivate gratitude with me. Together we can have a big supply to share with others. I think that gratitude is contagious, don’t you?

Don’t Forget to Worship

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

From Dawn to Dusk (Daily Refresh, 8-20-26)

Close your eyes for a moment. And while you do that, picture this wonderfully diverse planet we call home. (Yes, really.)

Everything that you just imagined—God created all of it. And God created all of us to worship Him.

From north to south and east to west. From bustling cities to slow-paced villages. From lifeless deserts to life-packed forests. From the highest mountains to the farthest oceans.

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”
Psalm 113:3 NIV

The sun “rises” and “sets” on all of us. All people, all languages, all nations. All skin colors, eye colors, and hair colors. All shapes, sizes, and personalities. Rich and poor. Aching hearts and contagious smiles.

An eclectic mix of people from various parts of the world have been praising God from generation to generation—and it continues to happen now. And we know it will never stop.

In Revelation 7, John has a vision of a “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” who is Christ. They are serving and worshiping, all day and night.

God’s people—past, present, and future—are a worshiping people. 

We can worship with our songs.
We can worship with our money.
We can worship with our lives.

And one day, when we finally see things clearly, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But today, we don’t have to wait to worship.

When sunlight streams through your windows, you can worship.
When the evening sky turns orange-ish pink, you can worship.
When you’re in a season of waiting, you can worship.
When you’re in a season of receiving, you can worship.
When your heart is breaking, you can worship.
When your heart is full, you can worship.

From dawn to dusk, let the name of the Lord be praised.

Today, think about this verse and consider what compels you to worship God. Then, shift your heart toward Him and don’t forget to worship.

My Thoughts

I would add that when you’re feeling discouraged, that is a good time to worship. It will lift your spirit and prepare you for the next thing God is doing in your life.

When you are anxious, just close your eyes and worship. I can tell you from experience that it is a way to calm your spirit and take your eyes away from the situation and fix them on the only One who can help you in your troubled state.

Life is full of ups and downs and sometimes an unexpected sideways detour. Just remember that God is there at all times, in all of the places and He who made you desires your worship and fellowship with Him.

Eternal Hope

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Jesus died but He arose and lives forever. So shall we all one day. That is our eternal hope!

Amen and amen! God has the final word and will one day write not “the end” but “the new beginning” of our story.

Live in Humility and Grace

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Learning to Live Humbly (Daily Refresh, 8-17-26)

Have you ever met an angry Christian?

You may have come across Christians who seem to grumble, complain, or even speak harshly about other people. Maybe you’ve even been that person at times in your own life.

If we’re not careful, we can easily become self-righteous within Christianity. After all, we know the truth and others may not. You might see how tempting it can be to look down on others, demean them, or consider them as worse off than ourselves.

But this misses the point of the gospel of Jesus.

The gospel tells us that all of us begin at the same starting point. And it’s only by grace through faith that we come to salvation and learn the truth about God’s love for us.

That doesn’t make us any better than other Christians! In fact, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:2, we should actually be humble and gentle with others, rather than harsh and critical. He says we are to be patient with one another, helping each other in every way possible so we can all grow together.

These ideas aren’t original to Paul. They actually came from how Jesus lived his life. As followers of Jesus, we too should strive to be gentle, humble, and patient with everyone in our lives. Regardless of whether they look or think a different way, every person deserves dignity, patience, and love.

Take some time today to consider a few ways that you can grow in patience, humility, and love with others. It could be slowing down long enough for people to know you care, saying something encouraging to someone, or admitting that you’ve made a mistake.

Make the decision today to live in humility and grace with others.

My Thoughts

I like the part in this devotional that states that we all begin at the same starting point. There are so many things in live in which the playing field is not level, like the nation you were born in, the family you were born into or raised by, the education you have access to. But the one thing we all have in common is we are all sinners and have the opportunity to accept Christ and His grace. Our making that choice doesn’t make us better than other, but it just make us thankful for God’s grace that reached out to us. Thus, we should reach out to others. We aren’t saved to be boastful or hide our relationship with the Lord. We are saved to tell others and extend God’s grace to them, those born in other nations less privileged than ours, those born to the wealthy and to the poor, those who have degrees and those who are laborers or even out of work and homeless. We aren’t better than they are…we are just living under God’s grace.

Choose Patience

On By vickleaIn ScriptureLeave a comment

The Sweetness of Patience (Daily Refresh, 8-15-26)

Have you ever plucked fruit prematurely?

Perhaps you were drawn in by its vibrant color or sweet scent moving through the air. But when you took the first bite, you realized it lacked the ripeness you anticipated. Everything seemed right at first glance, but there was one missing ingredient…

Time.

Even the simple act of picking fruit can teach us about time and patience:

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You, too, be patient and stand firm because the Lord’s coming is near.”
James 5:7-8

The author, James, penned these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to a community of new Jewish converts to Christianity, dispersed throughout various regions. These early Christians faced many trials, including persecution and opposition, because of their newfound faith. James’ call to wait patiently and endure was more than mere words on a page; they were a lifeline of hope and encouragement in the midst of adversity.

And just as those early believers confronted trials, we, too, will encounter challenges and suffering in our Christian journey. And, just like those early believers, you can choose patience—allowing the fruit of the Spirit to ripen within you, no matter the season of life. And when you do, your character will mature, your faith will deepen, and your relationship with God will become sweeter than you could imagine.

Patience always bears the fruit of perseverance and strength, even today and even for you!

My Thoughts

I am not a patient person. I make plans and execute them on my time table, as much as is possible in a world where other people have a different time table and keep interfering with mine. Traveling and staying with family is an exercise in patience, as I learn to wait for my turn in the bathroom to take a shower, wait for others to be ready so we can go to an event, wait for my husband to come back from an errand so I can eat and take meds. There is a lot of waiting going on around here these days.

Today our granddaughter gets married. After getting engaged back in October and beginning the plans for her wedding then, the day has arrived. Lots of planning and preparation going on! But you know what it makes me think? Jesus is preparing for a wedding too when we (His bride) will finally be with Him forever. Imagine the preparations going on in Heaven for this awesome day! Do we like waiting? No, but it’s a necessary part of our growth so that we are ready to meet our bridegroom and rejoice together forever.

Waiting is never easy but it is always worth it!