Category: Song

The Tools in our Toolbox

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, Song1 Comment

Our bodies are made to house the Holy Spirit and we need to treat them as His tool box to be used when He needs us. Our choices not only affect ourselves but others, as well.

We use our eyes to read and study God’s Word. But our eyes have to be opened by God in order to truly see the spiritual truth there. Sometimes, I am afraid that we just blindly and without really thinking about it read the Bible just to say that we did it. That isn’t what we are supposed to use our eyes for. We need to take the time to let the Holy Spirit allow us to see what treasures God has for us in His Word each day.

God is watching us and so are other people. But most people see and judge us by the eyes of the world. We want our eyes to reflect the love and grace of the Holy Spirit living inside us so that others will want to know what makes us different.

Our ears are meant to be the way we take in the words of knowledge, not just from the Holy Spirit, but also from other people. Remember that we need to be aware of what we are listening to because it is filtered through our minds and gets into our hearts.

God has a lot to say to us if we just listen. A lot of people say that they don’t study God’s Word because it doesn’t make sense to them. One has to listen with spiritual hears attuned to truth and with an open heart; then we can truly hear what God is sharing with us each day.

Our hands are very important tools because we use them to accomplish the work that God has given us to do. Whether it is ministering to a small child or an elderly person or just holding someone’s hand and letting them know we are there for them, our hands are tools that God can use if we let Him.

When God tells us what to do (I call that giving us marching orders), we are to do it with all of our strength, using the hands that God gave us. At work, at play, during family time and devotional, we need to apply ourselves to be pleasing to the Lord.

We cannot know the path our feet are to take unless we study and meditate on God’s Word regularly. This road we walk as Christians can be rocky and filled with pits that are ready to trip us. We have to keep on the correct path for our feet not to stumble because God will lead the way.

One of the most wonderful things that any Christian can do is to use their feet to go to places to spread the Gospel. You may not be called to go to foreign lands or distant places, but you are called to use your feet to go where God directs in order to let people know that God is on His throne in spite of the chaos surrounding us.

Our toolbox is God’s Word and our tools are the parts of our body that we use daily to bring glory to Him. Children are taught a song very early in their church attendance. We would do well to remind ourselves that this song applies to us as adults, too.

Be Careful Little Eyes

There are many more parts of the body that I did not cover in my post today. Please share any other parts about which God speaks to you and the relevant scripture verse(s). Thank you for reading my post today and for participating in adding to our tool boxes.

Praising God with a Psalm

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, Song1 Comment

Sometimes, I just need to get away from my own thoughts and the doubts that attack my mind, so I delve into the Psalms and choose one to pray or to use as my worship for the day. Today, my Psalm was Psalm 93.

God always reigns, through my doubts and fears and whatever the circumstances are. Saying these verses out loud helps me to remember that God is on the throne and His rule over the world is firm and secure. I can rest in His strength and not have to be concerned about my own weaknesses.

God has been part of all of eternity, so no matter how stressed I am for the time crunch I am facing, I can trust that He is in control of not just the circumstances but my time and how I resolve those circumstances. God knows and understands that I am finite while He is eternal.

I am not a big ocean loving person as far as getting into the salt water is concerned. But I do love to hear the ocean waves as they hit the shore, sometimes with a murmur and sometimes with a roar. The waves remind me of God’s power and how He speaks to me. He speaks to me quietly, but I am always aware of how mighty and powerful He is. He just restrains His powerful voice around me, but He lets me know that He can be mighty on my behalf when I need Him to show those characteristics. He is always mighty and always worthy of praise, much like the ocean and its unfathomable depths cannot be understood but they can be admired as a wonder of God’s creation.

This Psalm ends with a reminder that God’s statutes (His laws and ordinances) always stand firm. He is always holy and His holiness is part of His dwelling place. That makes for some deep thinking because we are God’s temple, we are the dwelling place for His Holy Spirit, so within us remains the holiness of God. That makes me think and be in awe of how much God loves me, oftentimes in spite of me.

The Lord Almighty Reigns-Sovereign Grace Music

Verb Tenses

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, Song2 Comments

As a Spanish teacher for over almost four decades, verb tenses have always interested me. I notice verb tenses as most people note adjectives and adverbs. I want to know when something happened or if it’s a progressive, ongoing thing. Look at the tenses in this scripture verse today.

The verse starts with God shows His love for us. Some translations say demonstrates, but no matter which version you read, this verb is in the present tense. This is an ongoing action…it happens constantly. We are sinners saved by grace, but we are still sinners. And God’s love keeps showing up for us, helping us to clean up our act and to be more like His Son.

The next verb says that Christ died for us. That is a completed action. Christ died once for all and he said “It is finished.” The sacrifice that God the Father sent Him to earth to complete is done, one time, on the cross. We are still sinners, but He died so that we can leave that sinful life behind and be washed clean in His blood. He died once but He loves forever. Tenses are interesting, but they are also important.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being around people who need to take a shower or bath. The smell often makes me try to hold my breath or I gag. I have come across homeless people who smell like this and it is not a pleasant odor. Now, consider that we were all unclean, wallowing in our sins, but God loved us right then, no more or no less than after we accepted His Son as our Savior. God loves the sinner even in the midst of our pig sty of sin and guilt and shame. Then, when we accept the sacrifice He made for us, He is the One who cleans us up with the precious blood of His Son and makes us righteous before Him. We didn’t have to get clean first and then come to the Lord. In fact, we cannot do anything to clean ourselves of our sin. That takes the blood of the Lamb, and that is the free gift of a loving Father.

Washed in the Blood-Faith&Grace

Prayer from the YouVersion App, Daily Refresh, 8-07-25

Calling the Roll

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, Song1 Comment

I am an old school teacher, so I always kept a roster of my students in an attendance book and daily checked to see who was present. At the beginning of each school year, I had to call out each name and match it to the face, but by the end of the year, the process was much faster since I recognized who was there and who was missing just by looking around. Being a high school teacher, I often taught over 150 students a day, so the process was somewhat time consuming, class after class. But it was necessary since I was responsible for the location and safety of each child who was supposed to be in my class during each period.

That memory brings me to the scriptures today. One day, we will stand before the throne of God and a Book of Life will be opened. The roll will be called and we really want our names to be there; God is accounting for our presence, for our being where we are supposed to be.

It is cause for great rejoicing to have our names written in heaven because that means eternal life with the Holy One who loves us so much that He provided a way for us to be accepted there.

When Jesus acknowledges our names before the Father, we will be welcomed into our eternal home. That roll call is the one I want to be present and accounted for! Jesus paid the price, and we get the benefits.

There’s an old hymn that my grandmother used to sing that I hope you enjoy as well.

When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder-Alan Jackson

1 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

—

Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

—

2 On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of his resurrection share;
When his chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]

—

3 Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun;
Let us talk of all his wondrous love and care.
Then when all of life is over and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. [Refrain]

The God Who Sees

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, Song, YouVersion App2 Comments

Part of my blog today is from my devotional, “The Bible in One Year, 2025 by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel” from the You Version:

All this is by grace (vv.15,17,20–21). Allow these truths to sink deep into your heart. See yourself as God sees you – as righteous in his sight – and believe that, because of what Jesus has done for you, when God looks at you he is pleased with you.

Lord, thank you so much for the death of Jesus on my behalf. Thank you that although I deserve judgment and condemnation, you have made it possible for me to be justified and to receive the righteousness from God by grace as a gift.

God sees us as righteous, forgiven, loved by Him beyond anything we can comprehend.

Hagar was ready to just admit defeat for herself and her small son Ishmael. But God was right there and saw her and had a different plan.

How often are we ready to just give up, to admit that we cannot face the challenges of life any longer? I had a week like that. I don’t talk about it, but my husband is a hoarder which almost drives me crazy since I am an organizer bunny. I was getting ready this week for family to visit, and I do try very hard not to go into the back bedroom, the site of my husband’s “treasures” but I had to dust. I was so dismayed to find that he had decided to “clean out the closet” and other spaces by stacking things under the mattress of the bed. The bed now sits about three feet higher than the frame and I think it looks ridiculous, not to mention, slightly unsafe since it’s uneven. We had an argument about it and neither of us is happy with each other. I want the family members coming to be safe but also to not be overwhelmed by the sheer outrageousness of my husband’s collections. Newspapers, boxes, video tapes, plastic containers, etc. There is no reason for all of it…it just is. The whole hoarding thing has gotten worse since retirement and I have no solution. I cannot face it, but God can. He sees my frustration and discouragement. And he also sees my husband’s mental problems that cause the problem to begin with. So, what to do? I choose to submit to God, knowing that He sees me just the way I am and will help me once again get through this situation that seems to have no answer. I generally end up backing off and my husband has his way about everything, but I am so tired of that posture. I really want God to intervene, but His intervention may be that I change and not my husband. In the meantime, I feel somewhat like Hagar, in the wrong place at the wrong time and with no one to help me. But then, there is Jehovah Roi, the God who sees. I am blessed beyond measure by God who sees all and continues to love me.

The God Who Sees by Kathie Lee Gifford and Nicole C. Mullen

Gratitude for God’s Faithfulness

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Characteristics of God, Scripture, Song, testimony4 Comments

If we started sharing all of the wonderful attributes of our God, we would be here a long time because just when we think we know God, He shows us another facet of His character. Today, I am focusing on the faithfulness of God. We know God is faithful to His Word. He is also faithful to His promises. And best of all, He is faithful to each of us, even when we forget to acknowledge all that He has done for us.

I can, and I hope that you can, too, easily come up with all of the things I have seen God do in my life. I have kept journals in which I wrote my thanksgiving down and praised God for all that He has done and is still doing for me and for my loved ones. Why, this week alone, I have testimonies! Our son-in-law Aaron had been sick for well over a month. When he finally saw a doctor and they did blood tests, his liver function was low. This week, the doctor repeated the test, and it is normal! Hallelujah! Our granddaughter Teagan fell in the yard and broke her wrist. This week, she went to Shriner’s Hospital in Erie where they told her she only has to wear the cast for two weeks and perhaps a brace after that. So, praise God! My husband had an appointment this week with his regular dentist to start the process for a dental implant. This whole thing has taken about a year, so we are both ready for it to be done, but we didn’t really know what to expect at this week’s appointment. Pain? Dietary restrictions? None of the above. The dentist took virtual photos in order to order his permanent implant and put in a temporary crown while he waits for it to arrive. Once again, a praise report!

Of course, there are the prayers that I am still praying and waiting for an answer, but I can count on God to be faithful. He was faithful before and He doesn’t change, so He will continue to be faithful. Instead of wallowing in the pain of unanswered prayers (or sometimes those not answered the way I hoped or expected), I am praising God for His faithfulness, knowing that the answer is on the way and His answer is always what is best for me.

Instead of just reading this first verse, I recommend that you read the entire Psalm 105. Read it aloud. Say it to your mind and your heart and let it sink in what God is capable of doing and what He has already done. I think the last part of the verse is very important and often overlooked. We praise God and proclaim His glorious name during our devotional time, but do we make known what He has done? Do we testify to others about this faithfulness to us, His goodness, His grace, His mercy? Others cannot know if we do not tell. To many, if they even think about God’s existence at all, He is that scary guy who could zap them at any time or He is that smiling guy who keeps blessing them in ways they don’t really appreciate. What about if we gave personal testimonies about what God has done in our lives every day? Every week? Instead of calling friends to tell them how bad the week has been, how about calling and telling them all of the good things God has done for you because He is faithful? It’s all about perspective. You can keep what God has done for you and “ponder it in your heart.” But you can also reach out to others and give them a reason to think about God and His love and faithfulness. I think the latter is a better plan, don’t you?

Faithful God-I Am They

Look What the Lord Has Done-Charity Gayle

Please keep praying for those in Texas who have lost loved ones. God is sending His comfort and peace because He is faithful. Let us be faithful to pray for them in their time of grieving unbearable loss.

Friday Praise

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, Song, worship4 Comments

After a hard week of tragedy in Texas, family health issues and life’s circumstances in general, I didn’t feel a lot like praising this morning. I just wanted to curl into a ball and withdraw from the chaos all around me. But, God called me to praise and that has been the best thing for me, today and every day. We were created to have a relationship with our Creator and one of the ways we have that closeness is to recognize who He is and to praise Him. The things around us fade in the presence of the Almighty God. Thus, I encourage you to join me today in praising our Father who knows all things and is always with us. Let’s check our attitude of dissatisfaction and praise God because He is good…all the time!

Do you see what I see in this verse? Everything that has breath is praising God, and I am just joining in, raising my voice with creation to the Creator of all.

Take a moment and inhale deeply. As you exhale, give God praise for the fact that you were able to take that breath. Then, spend some time just thinking of all He has done for you from the inside out.

It feels good to praise the Lord! It is like being a bottle of seltzer water, shaken up and ready to explode. Let it go…God knows that we need to praise Him.

Every Praise-Northland Church

Goodness of God-Bethel Music

Great Are You Lord-All Sons and Daughters

Praise Him!

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, Song3 Comments

Every day is a good day to praise the Lord, and since praise is in my heart and on my lips today, I wanted to share with you.

Just take a minute or tow and give God thanks. I am focusing on who He is today, not what He has done for me. Sometimes I just need to focus on His character instead of His gifts.

A Mighty Fortress-Grace Community Church

Praise the Lord-Micah Tyler

Praise the Lord-Phil Wickham

Please feel free to comment with your praise song for today. Let’s share our love of the Lord with each other and then go out and share it with others who need to know the power of an Almighty God in their lives.

As my southern pastor from many years ago said, “May God bless you real good!”

Remember What God Has Done

On By vickleaIn Admonition, praise, Scripture, Song2 Comments

We could all sit around some days and have a little pity party about all of the bad things that are happening in our lives and in the world around us. We could lament the fact that we prayed, but we haven’t gotten an answer yet. (At least, not the one we expected or wanted).

How about instead of a pity party, we have a praise celebration? Instead of thinking about all the negatives, start thinking about what God has already done for you (and for this sinful world). Satan certainly doesn’t want us to remember so I think he tries to block our memory of the good things and puts the bad things at the forefront of our minds. We need to purposely choose to think of the good things, as Philippians says:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/php.4.8.NIV

It is when we start remembering what God has already done that we have a testimony to share and a faith that cannot be quenched! So, let’s get out of the pits of despair and stand on that mountain of faith that God created for us to stand on.

This is my prayer for you and for myself and it is a memory verse that I have been working on this week.

Do you enjoy Crowder songs? This is one of my favorites because it reminds me not to “get amnesia” but to focus on what God has already done!

Good God Almighty-Crowder

From YouVersion Daily Refresh, June 21, 2025