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.
I like that we celebrate mothers because I know that many work hard at the job of raising children. I am especially grateful for those mothers who raise their children to know the Lord and to have God as a priority in their lives. Some mothers gave birth to their children, some have adopted children and some are mothers of the heart. Whatever you are and wherever you are, may God bless you for your love and faithfulness.
From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Advent, Day 25”
It’s a Merry Christmas
Two thousand years ago, the world was waiting for a Savior. He would be their hope for the future, peace in the present, joy in all moments, and love for all people. Little did they know that God was working out His grand plan through a small, lowly family in Bethlehem.
Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who brought all those things, and more.
Where there was no hope, Jesus brought a new hope—hope founded on His life, death, resurrection, and the promise of His return.
Where there was no peace, Jesus brought a new kind of peace. A peace that isn’t dependent on the whims of humans, but on the unchanging nature of God who sustains us, makes us whole, and gives us a calmness the world can’t touch.
Where there was no joy, Jesus brought joy. To everyone under the oppression of sin, He offers freedom. And to the foreigners and outsiders, He offers a seat at His family’s table. Through Him, we can find joy in all things.
Where there was no love, Jesus brought love. During His life on earth, He spent time with people across varying social classes and ethnicities. He disregarded who culture told Him to associate with and instead offered His perfect love to everyone He met.
The Son of God made Himself low so that He might be raised above all. This Christmas, finish your Advent season by worshiping Him!
Pause, Read, and Reflect:
As you’re with family or friends, spend time reading today’s Scriptures aloud. Then, take a moment to read and reflect on this Christmas prayer together.
Lord, thank You for Your Son, who died to unite me with You. Today, I thank You specifically for Jesus’ birth, and the way this moment changed everything for the better. Help me to follow You with the same level of commitment that Christ had during His time on earth. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I was thinking that I would be sad today because it is just my husband and me here and no one is coming to celebrate with us until the 28th. But, I am not sad at all. I have shed a few tears but that’s because of the wonderful difference Christ has made in my life. I hope each of you have found the hope, joy and peace that only Jesus Christ can bring to you. Have the most wonderful Christmas ever! I am blessed to be a blessing and hope that you are, too.
My hope is that we all have a mother somewhere in our lives, whether it is our biological mom or someone who nurtured us. May each of us remember to honor that special person today.
The best thing that can happen to a mother is to have her children appreciate her. Show your appreciation today for all of her sacrifices. My mom was sometimes harsh and not always loving, but she was my mom and even twenty years later, I miss hearing her voice. I know that she would have loved meeting all of her grandchildren because she did love little ones. If your mom is still alive, cherish your time with her because one day, when you least expect it perhaps, she will no longer be here on earth with you.
Be a mom first so that you can be a good friend once your children are adults.
God truly desires to show us His love and compassion, but He is waiting patiently for us to come to Him and admit that we have a need. Knowing that God is a faithful God, once we take our needs before Him, then we must wait. But we know for absolutely certain that God’s help is on the way. It may not be what we expected but it will always be just what we needed just when we needed it.
One of the habits that I have tried to cultivate is to count my blessings before I get up in the morning. Of course, I have to be alert enough to do this, but I have found that it starts my day off on a positive note. It only takes a few minutes to tell God how grateful I am for His blessings and for being able to be alive for a new day.
One of my greatest blessings is being able to read and memorize God’s word, hiding it in my heart so that the verses and sometimes scripture songs go through my mind as I fall asleep. This morning was one with this verse front and center. God gives me counsel daily and that is a blessing. He orders my steps, helps me organize my busy days and to take time for Him first every morning. The best news is that after all of my life is done, He has a big plan for me. He will take me to be with Him in glory! I didn’t and couldn’t do anything to earn his mercy and grace, but I am so grateful for it and for His unconditional love for me. Before you head out today, I hope that you will take a few minutes just to reflect on God and His goodness and blessings in your life.
www.bible.com/1171/psa.62.1-2.mev
I had a rather rough day yesterday with some disturbing results on medical tests. Nothing terribly major for now. It’s just that my single kidney has lost more of its function, so now I am in stage three. My physician was not very forthcoming on what that means for me, but he did tell me to limit eating foods with potassium since my filtration system isn’t working well right now. That means limiting oranges, potatoes, tomatoes, melons and bananas. I was already on a limited diet because of my stroke (low sodium, low sugar), so this seemed like a heavy blow to me. I cried and mourned the loss of more things I enjoy, but God got hold of me and showed me that He is my refuge. He is my shelter. The absence of certain foods in my life should not totally shake me up. It’s just one more thing to deal with as I age with my numerous medical problems.
I am thankful to be alive. Do I wish that things were different? Of course! But there are worse things. Meanwhile, I am going to see my PCP and talk to her more about this Stage 3 thing and ask about a referral to a different nephrologist. This is the first time I had seen this doctor although I did have three virtual visits with him via the phone. On one of those calls, he decided that I should be taking a new blood pressure medicine. I filled the prescription and took it and the next morning, my BP was 80/40 and I was very dizzy. So, I called his office and he returned my call, telling me that if I could not tolerate that medication, I would need to see my cardiologist for advice about what to take. I did see my cardio and he changed my meds, telling me that the med the nephrologist had started me on often causes BP to suddenly drop. Hmm. So, after yesterday’s visit and his lack of communication, I’m ready for a change. I was asking questions and he was typing away on the desktop. Since being ignored was not helpful, I think that I should seek medical assistance elsewhere. But I am first and foremost depending on the Great Physician.
I did not sleep well last night. Insomnia has become a regular thing with me, and I usually get about five hours of sleep. Anyway, I awakened this morning with the Scripture that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God made me, not the physicians. God is taking care of me, not the physicians. The doctors are God’s helpers on earth and some are better helpers than others. That being said, back to the verse above. God alone is my rock, the One on whom I can depend; He is my refuge, the shelter for me when my world seems to be shaking. Everything around me might shake, but God is still the same and He will not allow me to be shaken as long as I am trusting in Him.
I hope that I have not bored you too much with my medical status today. I also hope that you will remember me in your prayers, but mostly I pray for God’s blessing on you and your day. May you fulfill His purpose in your life!
Blessed to be a blessing!
God blesses us abundantly. That means more than we need. An abundance is having your arms full, with the packages overflowing and about to fall out of your hands because there are so many. God wants to make sure that we have all that we need, in all ways: physically, spiritually and emotionally. Then, we can take from that abundance and use it for good works in order to bless others. We bless others in ALL things at ALL times. Let that sink in. We are not to hold on to the blessings of God; rather, we are to use them to bless others. How the world would change if we all follow through and accept this promise as God means it to be. We are blessed to be a blessing! Have a wonderful Sunday, my friends!
www.bible.com/1171/psa.21.6.mev
Read and think about this verse. Really think about it. God places blessings on us FOREVER. We are blessed here on earth and we will continue to be blessed in Heaven. Therefore, we can rejoice because God’s presence is always with us, working in us to do His will on the earth. This is a promise that I can relate to since I have felt especially blessed to be alive six years after a massive stroke. I am blessed with a husband who loves me, three children who are strong and healthy and nine grandchildren who are precocious, talented and so lovable! So, I am blessed. Everyday when I awaken, I thank God for a new day to walk with Him here on earth. Are you blessed? If you are reading this, you are blessed!
Be blessed today, my friends, so that you can be a blessing.
Everyone has a story to tell about his/her life. Christians have what is called a testimony. How has God changed your life? How is He still acting in your life daily? How are you then taking what God has done for you and using it to tell others about Him and His great love, grace, mercy and power?
I have shared my testimony about salvation several times here on WordPress. Today, I just want to share about how good and gracious God is. He saved my life when I had a stroke. That, in itself, was no small feat since I live in the middle of nowhere (about an hour from a full-service hospital), but I had my stroke at the school where I worked and the ambulance got me to the hospital in less than half an hour. I received the clot-busting shot and recovered completely. I fully believe that God was with me throughout the ordeal. I was losing my ability to speak because of the stroke but on the way to the hospital, I was praying in my prayer language. God heard me and touched me, giving me the medical care that I needed in time for my brain to be touched and healed.
God has saved me numerous times when I have fallen and gotten hurt. I broke my elbow twice by falling, I hurt my knee that I had replaced in another fall. So many bumps and bruises! But they were just to show me God’s care for me because it all could have been so much worse! Yesterday, I fell again, this time as I was leaving our bathroom. My foot twisted and down I went, flat on my back. My back aches, my leg aches and my foot is twice its normal size. But nothing seems to be broken, so it could have been so much worse. God is always gracious to me as I bumble around through life. He takes care of me when I am flat on the ground, looking up and having no idea how I’m going to be able to get up off that ground.
Now, make an analogy of that for the spiritual life. I have been knocked down more times than I can count, by life’s circumstances. As people say, life just happens. Disappointment comes along and the enemy whispers in my ear that God doesn’t really love me. Then, God comes along and comforts me and works things out better than I thought possible. God loves me and doesn’t want me to stay down. His desire is that I be lifted up, so that is what He does. Sometimes, it takes a lot of effort on my part because my faith is low. But, just as I did yesterday, I strain and I reach and then I am up again. In fact, while on I was on the floor yesterday, with my husband struggling to get me up again, I prayed that God would give me strength and the wisdom to know how to get up again. In my Christian life, I reach for God and He reaches for me, and together we get me up out of my despair and looking up again, to the author of my salvation. That is part of my testimony, too, and I bet that it’s part of yours, too. God is always there, waiting to pick me up, brush me off and tell me that He is in control and everything will be okay.
I hope that you will mediate on your testimony today. Think about all that God has done for you. First, He saved you. Now, He is saving you. And in the end, when this life is over, He will save you. Blessings, my friends, for establishing a good relationship with the God who is eternal love, life and grace. Go out and tell your testimony! Someone needs to hear it and be blessed by it. I am blessed to be a blessing. How about you?
www.bible.com/111/2co.9.8.niv
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