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.
If you knew that someone had started a bank account in your name with, say, a million dollars in it, would you just leave it there and never touch it or use it? Or would you go to the bank, present the appropriate ID, sign the forms they require and start using your unexpected wealth? I’m pretty sure most if not all of us would do the latter. But did you know that we are daily not claiming gifts from God?
God’s Word is filled with blessings for His people, yet there they sit, unclaimed, either because we don’t know about them or think that they cannot possibly be for us. In today’s world of selfishness and each one out for himself, it’s hard to fathom that God is our advocate, in our corner at all times and has provided for us before we even ask. So, today, I leave you with a blessing to claim and a challenge to look for other blessings in the Bible that are yours if you would only see them, claim them and praise God for them. Now, just a disclaimer: I do not belong to the “name it and claim it” group of prosperity-driven Christians. I am just saying that if you have a prayer that needs to be answered and find a blessing in the Bible that fits that need, then claim that blessing as an answer to your prayer. Sometimes, we are still praying when God already sent the answer and we didn’t notice yet.
Don’t forget to say “Thank you” to God for all of His rich blessings that He gives us every day!
Remember the Biblical story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus, yet only one came back to thank Him? How many times have you been the one who remembered to give thanks instead of continuing on your merry way and forgetting quickly what God has done for you?
We don’t need to give God thanks because He needs to hear it. Our hearts need to be open to the relationship with God that becomes fuller and more complete when we give Him thanksgiving instead of taking His love for granted.
Look at that very small and very important word “all.” When things are going well, be thankful. When things are not going great, be thankful. Getting into the habit of having an attitude of gratitude will open our hearts and minds to hear from God and be blessed by Him, even in the midst of trying circumstances.
Sunday is a day of reflection, spending time with God and other Christians at church and also with my husband just talking. So, I don’t have a lot of time to spend on writing my blog. When I prayed about what to do for my Sunday posts, God said to just pray. Thus, here is my prayer for you today.
I am generally a very introverted, timid person. I don’t like large crowds (or even medium-sized ones). I avoid being around a group of strangers, not because of them but because of my own timidity. Today I have a women’s group meeting at church. I have looked forward to it and dreaded it at the same time. I look forward to it because of the fellowship but I dread it because I’m so shy and it’s hard for me to talk to people and feel as though I fit in. Usually, in group settings, my husband is there to run interference, check on me, draw me into conversations, etc. But with a women’s meeting, I’m on my own. Thus, the dilemma.
As I prayed this morning and spent time in God’s Word, this is the Scripture that I read. I did not go looking for it, but God directed me to it through a devotional that I read daily. Just in time for my meeting today! God will be with me, He loves and accepts me and I can count on Him to stay right by my side even when I’m feeling alone. I know that all of this is very strange to my readers who know that I taught in public schools for over thirty years, a profession that required public speaking daily. But I should note that I always had lesson plans to keep me focused on my tasks instead of how self-conscious I was feeling. In the group today, I fear leaving my comfort level, but I am also going to be bold and go regardless of my timidity. How’s that for stepping out in faith?
My other verse for the day is all about God’s calming my fears, so I’m trusting Him to come through for me and that I will make some new friends there. (The ladies that I used to be with at these meetings have moved to a different church.) Inhale and exhale, deep calming breaths…almost time to get ready to go. God is my Redeemer, my Savior, my Father and my Best Friend, so I’m counting on Him!
It’s not always easy to stand for what’s right—especially when someone makes fun of you, gossips about you, lies about you, or even abuses you because of your decision.
But when sharing the eighth of the beatitudes—a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom—Jesus offered some hope:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10 NIV
Leading up to this verse, Jesus had spoken unexpected blessings over an unlikely group: the poor in spirit, those who were mourning, the meek, those craving righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. Finally, He offered a blessing to the persecuted.
Jesus elaborated:
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:11-12 NIV
Now, we won’t be blessed for facing the consequences of our own terrible decisions. But Jesus is saying that you will be rewarded when you are shamed, canceled, or even physically persecuted because of Him.
Jesus knows what it’s like to suffer for the sake of righteousness.
You will be blessed for standing up for what is right, for trusting in God’s Word, and for defending those who cannot defend themselves. And when it gets hard, remember: you’re not alone.
The prophets before us were mocked, beaten, and even killed. Jesus’ disciples, the ones hearing these words, would also suffer and die because of their beliefs. They were persecuted for doing things differently: for loving their neighbors, fighting for sexual purity, resting on the Sabbath, and most of all, for declaring Jesus as Lord.
So no matter what it costs you, you will be blessed for standing up for what is right. Jesus says that yours is the kingdom of heaven.
What do you think about when you hear the word pure?
Do you picture a tall glass of crystal clear water? A freshly washed load of white sheets? Or maybe someone who’s morally wholesome and good?
In the sixth of the beatitudes—a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom—Jesus said this:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8 NIV
The word “pure” means clean or blameless, free from corruption or contamination, purified by fire, or unstained by guilt. None of us can truly be pure on our own—despite our best efforts.
Before Jesus showed up, the highest ranking Levitical priests were charged with ministering and mediating in the holiest spaces (inside the tabernacle in the wilderness and, later, the temple in Jerusalem)—where God’s presence dwelled on earth. But even they had to be purified over and over again.
Now, because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross, He has paved the way for us. His blood covered our sins, and when we accept the sacrifice, He makes us pure. Now and forever, we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God,” where we can find mercy and grace when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16). Now, our bodies are the modern-day temples where God’s Spirit has chosen to dwell.
Being pure of heart is not about being perfect, but trusting in Jesus to purify our souls.
As Isaiah once prophesied…
“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
Isaiah 1:18 NLT
Every day that we breathe and walk the earth, whether our condition is healthy or not, God is in control. Every day is a new day to serve God and ask for His guidance on what He wants to accomplish through us this day. And every day is a new day to be thankful that we have not been totally destroyed because of our own selfishness and sins. Grace keeps us but mercy continues to reach out and not allow us to be destroyed.
God is always just and righteous and would be righteous in judging and destroying all of us.
The Bible Study Tools online has a good description of God’s mercy and grace:
May we never forget that every breath we take and every step we take is because God is merciful to us and has provided Jesus to save us from our sins so that we do not face His merited wrath.
Where do we find Godly wisdom? In His Word, of course. So, with that thought, here is a potpourri of verses that I read and meditated on this morning. These are in no particular order except as I read them in my devotionals this morning. They all spoke to me in different ways. Which one, if any, speaks most to your heart?
Do you have a favorite verse that speaks to your heart and resonates within your soul? Please share it in the comments.
Note that all illustrations above were created by me on Canva. I usually use the YouVersion Bible App and its designs but it was down this morning, so I created my own. Glory to God for His Word that gives me comfort, intelligence and all I need to face a new day!
God’s Word is clear that we will have troubles in this life. Jesus even says so:
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.16.33.NLT
God does not lie and he says that we will have trials and sorrows. That hardly seems right, does it? We turn our hearts over to God and we still face trials. Pondering on this fact got me to thinking and reading Scriptures about the trials we face.
As a student of languages, I notice things like conjunctions. In this verse, “when” is a conjunction, drawing all of the thoughts of the verse together. I noticed right away that this verse does not use the conjunction “if.” If would be more comforting for me, implying that I may or may not pass through rivers (troubles), and I may or may not walk through fire. But God’s prophet Isaiah used the word when and that says just what it means. We will indeed walk through rivers, be overwhelmed by them (like we’re drowning in a sea of troubles) and we will walk through fire. But in order to get comfort from this verse, one has to read the entire verse carefully. Yes, troubles will come, but God will be with us. The waters will not be able to overwhelm us although they will indeed try to do so. Finally, when we walk through the fire, we won’t be burned by it or consumed within its flames. God’s promise is that even though we will have troubles, He will be with us and take care of us.
Why, then, do we have troubles and trials if God is going to take care of us in them? Why doesn’t He just take them away?
Every time we face a new trial, a new overwhelming problem, if you will, that gives God the opportunity to do a new thing in our lives. His ultimate purpose is to help us to be more like Him. He is the one who shows us the new pathway to take and gives us water to drink in the desert. We may not like where we are or the trials that we face, but we can trust God to bring us through to the other side and that we will learn from them and be more like Him once we overcome. God’s plan is not to make life easy for us, but instead He plans to use life’s lessons to make us more like Him, bearing the fruits of the Spirit and able to climb the next mountain more easily.
I am still studying the Book of Job in my devotional every day and a quotation from Tina Wilson’s book STEP INTO SCRIPTURE resonated with me this morning and made me think deeply about its meaning and its application in my life.
This quotation is from Day 9 of Tina Wilson’s devotional, STEP INTO SCRIPTURE. Think about it. If Job had not been found faithful, Satan may have left him alone and he would not have lost all that he had. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Once again, we have the dilemma of trusting God through the troubles or turning away from Him in bitterness and anger.
God has a plan and it’s a good one. We just have to trust Him to carry us through all of the troubles that it takes to get to the end of His plan for us. Ultimately, His love wins and so do we, if we persevere and don’t give up!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 