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.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/11261/day/5
As His creation, you are special to God. Stop and ponder that for a few minutes. You are so special to Him and a real part of His plan that He never gives up on you. In fact, He pursues us with an everlasting love that just won’t quit. Life hurts, but God’s love is always there for you and always real.
Do you remember as a child noticing your shadow? Did you have fun trying to make your shadow merge with someone else’s? I vaguely remember that game I played, but since I have young grandchildren and I have watched them playing the same game, it reminded me of the joy I had in such a simple game.
Life isn’t a game in which we chase shadows. The challenges are real and as we grow older, reality sets in and we stop playing the shadow game. I think it’s past time for us to recall our youth and apply it to hiding ourselves in the shadow of God’s protective wings. Do you remember how when your shadow merged with another larger one, yours was no longer visible? God hides us completely if we will allow Him to do so and take shelter there. The world and all of its troubles continue, but we are safely surrounded by the peace of surrendering to His protection.
We can sing for joy in spite of the problems, trials, or news stories that dismay us. God is right there, hovering over us, and protecting us from the things that threaten to overwhelm us and destroy our peace. If you remember, you had to pursue that other shadow and make an effort to stay within it in order to have your shadow hidden. Pursuit of God is the key to peace; meditating on His truths brings the help and joy that are so needed in order to rest in Him.
Let this song remind you that God holds on to you and is right there when you need Him.
https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/23192/day/9?segment=0
Sometimes I find myself only taking time to thank God for what He has done for me and not just for Who He is. I want to remember that God is the only One in my life who sustains me, gives me strength and courage and makes me whole. But I also want to always be mindful that God is worthy of thanksgiving just because He is God.
There is nothing better than knowing that God’s grace is there for each of us, His love reaches out to us from an empty tomb, and we can rest assured in the fact that God has a plan for each of us. Part of His plan is to make sure that we spend eternity with Him by asking Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Life doesn’t always make sense, but God’s plans for eternity do. During this Holy Week, let’s take time to reflect and thank God for His “Amazing Grace.”
During this Holy Week, let’s remember the sacrifice that Jesus made. He was the pure and holy Lamb of God, perfect in all of His ways. Yet He became sin for us so that we could live forever with His father in heaven. Focus on the great love that Jesus had and refresh yourself in the water of His love and abiding presence.
All the World Awaits (Hosanna)-Chris Tomlin
I am so happy that today I finally feel well enough to put up and decorate our Christmas tree! The lights on the tree represent the lights that shone in the Heavens when the angels announced the birth of our Savior. The angel on top represents the heavenly host that came to earth to proclaim His birth. The ornaments represent the gifts that were given to baby Jesus. And the green tree…that is the best of all! It represents never dying, eternal life is now possible because the Messiah was born and came to save us from our sins. Hosanna in the Highest!
Since we moved so frequently as a military family, I have memories of each of my children in different places. I used to be upset that I didn’t have one home with all of my memories safely stored there with me. Nowadays, after suffering a stroke and losing part of my memories, I am thankful for all of the moves because I can see an image of a child in a place and know where we were and what was happening then. Tokens of their childhood are stored safely away in various places in our current home…the first haircut, the first tooth lost, the first report card. And each token carries a memory of being a young mother with a lot of love and not much knowledge about what I was doing.
That brings me to the Bible verse and a song for today.
The angels sang, the shepherds came to worship and Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, treasured these memories in her heart. It boggles my mind that a simple girl was chosen by God to give birth to the Savior of the world. It mystifies me that Mary was a mother, just like me, with hopes and dreams for her child but also knowing that He had a destiny to fulfill and she was only a small part of it.
“Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix
This is my absolutely favorite Christmas song because it incorporates the love of a mother for her newborn child and the love of the child for the entire world.
Cherish your memories and hold fast to to your faith that God has a plan for your life, just as He did for Mary, and that He will bring it to pass.
God is in the business of repairing hearts, relationships, and souls. Let this old gospel song speak to your heart today as it spoke to mine.
May your day be blessed with God’s presence, love, grace and mercy.
God’s faithfulness is a central theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Here are a few verses that I found that have spoken to me in the past and continue to minister to me now.
And finally, a song that I hope will bless you as you spend time worshipping our faithful Father today:
God is totally aware of what is happening in Israel. His great Day of Judgment is not here, but it could be approaching. Are you ready?
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 