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.
Unless you follow me on Facebook, you don’t see the scriptures or the quotations that I post there. I try to post things that are encouraging or humorous. Here is a sampling of what I have posted recently.
I love this quotation from C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite men to quote since he was definitely wise and worth listening to. I was feeling my age this morning, so when this quotation was in my daily devotional from Nicky Gumbel on the YouVersion, I created this graphic on Canva to illustrate it.
This is a scripture quotation that I found online. I need to add this one to my memory verses because it seems that I am always in a waiting room. But I have hope there. I am pleased to say that I was discharged from the orthopedist yesterday. He told me that 18-20 year-olds do not heal as well as I am healing. So, I repeated to him that the Great Physician was working on me, and the doctor told me he believes for sure that He did this healing because it is miraculous given my bone condition and other health problems. So, while I wait, God is already answering. It just takes me a while to figure it out.
Some of my favorite quotations are from Corrie ten Boom. She is a giant among faith-filled women in my book and she is one of the saints that I look forward to seeing in heaven.
I hope that you enjoyed today’s quotes and notes. Do you have a favorite quotation to share, one that has spoken to your heart and reverberated in your spirit? Please take a moment and share with me. Thank you and have a blessed day and a better week than you can imagine!
The second definition in Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary is “belief and trust in and loyalty to God.” The sub-definition is “firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” First, I was concerned about why faith in God is not the first definition. That place belongs to the word “loyalty.” I can see that, but my personal opinion is that the definitions are not in proper order. Nevertheless, now that we know from the dictionary what faith is, what is it really? What does the word “faith” mean to you?
To me, faith is what allows me to go through hard times, knowing that the God I love and serve is waiting for me on the other end. Faith is also what I tried to show to my children and still try to show to my grandchildren. I show them through my prayers and my testimony and my Bible study that I truly believe in God. Proof that He exists? Faith is not dependent on any scientific study but rather it depends on a relationship that is established on the day you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and start a relationship with the Father.
Faith is not a feeling that you get, but a heartbeat that pumps inside you and becomes part of who you are. I could no more wake up without faith than I could awaken without a heartbeat. I wouldn’t exist as the person I am without my faith in God, my belief that He is there working on my behalf and will never let me down.
My faith in God started as a small seed, trusting Him to save me from my sins and to bring me into a right relationship with Him. How did that seed get sown? By reading God’s Word and believing it! And every day that I read and study His Word to me (and to you), my faith is nurtured, much like watering the rose bush outside my window.
We have faith that when we go out to start our car in the morning, the car will turn on and we will go. We have faith that the GPS giving us directions knows what it is doing. You get the idea. Can you see all of the internal workings of the car that make it go? No, but you trust that it will. Do you understand how a GPS works? I guess some real brainiacs will say “of course” but I don’t understand it and doubt that most people do, but I still trust it will get me to where I want to be, even with a several “re-routing” statements along the way.
Faith in God is kind of like believing and knowing without seeing or totally understanding. I know that God created me because His Word says so. It is not by accident that I was born or that birds can fly or that fish can swim. God designed it all this way and He is the sovereign One who continues to watch over His creation. How do I know that? Because I have faith that the Word of God is totally accurate and true.
Whatever you believe in or have faith in is what your life focus is. If your belief is only in yourself, then you focus on keeping yourself happy and secure. I am glad that my focus is on God since I don’t have to be so self-centered on my happiness and security since it is a part of what God promises me, i.e. contentment and provision.
Others have used this analogy so it is not mine originally, but we cannot see the wind, but we can feel it. And if there is a big storm, we can hear it. The wind is there whether we see it or not. So is God. He is there, working behind the scenes of our lives to help us to get to know Him better. But we have to do our part. When we know a hurricane is coming, we prepare by gathering supplies like batteries and toilet paper. The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming again. Are you getting ready? Are you faith-filled and prepared to meet the Lord? You can get ready by spending time with God and His Word. Learn what it says to you about His love, sacrifice and plans for you. Every day that you spend with God is a blessing and an opportunity to build your faith.
We cannot know the future, and I don’t think I would want to know it, honestly. But I can trust that whatever the future brings, God will be right there with me. That is faith.
We may not know where life will take us each day, but we can rest assured that the One who is leading will be faithful to lead us through the storms, out of the valleys and ultimately into His presence.
From the YouVersion Bible App, “An Unexpected Christmas”, “Corrie ten Boom’s Christmas Memories” and “Advent, 25-Day Countdown, Day 9”
Day 1: The Forgotten
The story starts with a couple, but it’s not the couple you might think. There is an often forgotten couple that played a key role in the unveiling of the Christmas story. Their names were Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were the type of couple that did all the right things… they honored God and kept his laws. At this point in their lives, they had been married many years and were quite old, but they had no children.
In the Jewish culture, children were a sign of God’s blessing. Children ensured that beliefs were passed on to future generations. Zechariah and Elizabeth had undoubtedly attended celebrations where they had watched their friends experience the joy of seeing their children learn stories of God’s faithfulness to their ancestors. But this couple had no children of their own to pass down their faith to.
The backdrop of the first Christmas story begins with Zechariah at work in his job as a priest.
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (Luke 1:8–15; 18)
Over the many years of longing for a child, Zechariah would likely have wondered if his prayers were heard. Did God not see him? Did God not hear his heartfelt, desperate requests? For years, in the midst of a continual unanswered prayer, he served God and waited. When he was an old man, he learned that his prayer had been answered, but it seemed impossible to believe. Little did he know that his long-awaited son, John, would be a cousin to Jesus and would one day prepare the way for Jesus’s ministry.
My Thoughts
I am spending some time today pondering about who in my group of friends and acquaintances might be feeling forgotten during this season. I can already think of a couple of names of people whom I need to reach out to and remind them that they are loved are cherished by me and, more importantly, by God.
Christmas in Corrie’s childhood
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. – Isaiah 9:6
When Corrie is 84 years old she recalls the sweet memories of the Christmases of her childhood. She shares that the Christmas Joy was not about a short and transient gladness that disappeared as soon as the chilly January month made his entrance to finish the Christmas season. But it was, and is about an everlasting joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Yes, there were the sweet childhood memories of her mother and aunt who both had a gift to make Christmas as colourful and happy as possible. She remembered the holly and the mistletoe, sometimes even a little Christmas tree, the Christmas table with the red ribbons, where the family gathered, enjoying the hot chocolate and the Christmas bread with powdered sugar. They all walked to the Sint Bavo Cathedral for the church service and sang “O holy Night” and “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and the sound of the world-famous organ filled the church. All expressions of an everlasting and unspeakable glorious joy.
But first and foremost they celebrated that the words of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled, that night in Bethlehem 2000 years ago: “God so loved the world and sent His Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). They knew He is the “Wonderful Counsellor”, He is God, He has brought peace in the midst of circumstances. And one day He, will come back and reign forever. And it is the passionate commitment of the Lord Himself that guaranteed this.
That was what Christmas in the ten Boom family was all about. They wanted to serve this King with all their heart, mind and strength. And they wanted to share this Christmas Joy with as many people as possible, because they knew that the Lord Jesus had said: “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
To reflect
Let us celebrate Christmas, knowing that it is all about an Everlasting Joy, because God so loved the world that he sent His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. He is our Lord and King today!
My Thoughts
I am thankful for all that Jesus means to me and His names in Isaiah all point out His promises to us. He is our counselor, our God, our Father and our peace. He was given to each of us so that we may have a relationship with the Father.
Yesterday, we looked at the peace that comes from being in God’s family. When we know whose family we belong to, we can experience a peace that the world can’t take away.
During this time of the year, you’re probably feeling pulled in endless directions—Christmas parties, classroom celebrations, family traditions, and the pressure to find the perfect gifts are just a few that might come to mind.
Peace is a state of wholeness, calm, and renewal between us, God, and others. But if we’re not careful, we can miss the opportunity to truly experience peace because we’re so distracted by our calendars and commitments, even if they’re filled with good things.
Under completely different circumstances thousands of years ago, God gave His people the Ten Commandments. He was talking to a group of people who had been in slavery for over 400 years, and had come to believe that their value was tied to the number of bricks they could produce in any given day or week.
And while that belief was likely deeply ingrained in the way they viewed themselves, God offered them a better option. He gave them a series of laws to establish peaceful and harmonious relationships among their communities, and in their own personal relationships with God.
One of these commands includes taking a full day of rest called the Sabbath. In the New Testament, Jesus reiterates the importance of the Sabbath by reminding people that it wasn’t created so we would have another chore to do, but so we would have time to worship God and enjoy the good things He has given us—like a meal with friends and family, or relaxing and appreciating life.
While a full day of rest might feel impossible right now, you can still find ways to start small. You might choose to listen to worship music on your morning commute, or spend an extra five minutes after you read the Bible to sit in God’s presence and ask Him questions about what you learned.
Instead of getting on your phone when your alarm goes off, you could choose a slower start to your day before scrolling social media.
When we take a day of rest (or even an intentional 15-minute pause to our day), we admit we can’t get everything we need on our own. God gives peace through work and rest. We need both. Peace is His gift, but we must choose to accept it and trust that God will give us everything we need for today.
My Thoughts
If you are still reading this, then I thank you. You can find all of these devotionals and read them yourselves on the YouVersion Bible App. I am excited about Christmas this year, not for the gifts because my husband and I don’t buy much for each other, and not for the family time, because that will be short with one son and his family coming for a day. But I am excited because it is a time for me to reflect on my relationship with God and how I have grown closer to Him this year.
One of the things we have been challenged to do in our class at church is to spend some time in solitude before the Lord. I feel as though I do that daily with my quiet devotional time, while my husband still sleeps and there are no ambient noises. But I realized yesterday during our lesson that I talk to God during that time, but I am not sitting quietly to rest in Him and to listen to what He speaks to my heart. So, I have a new commitment to just sit quietly and listen. My Sabbath rest comes when I spend time with God, quietly. That is what I long for this holiday season.
As I read this devotional this morning, the word “touchstone” jumped into my mind. I have read it in books, heard it from others but I didn’t really know what it meant. I only had a vague idea. So, I consulted the online Merriam-Webster dictionary and this is what I found. It is a stone used to test the quality or genuineness of something. Having read that definition, I decided that prayer is a touchstone for my relationship with God. The time I spend with God each day is important to me. It helps me to start each day knowing that I have touched base with the One who will guide and keep me throughout the day. I may not have a lot of time some days to pray long prayers, but I know that God is still there for me, waiting and listening and hearing and even answering as I call. I have said it before on this page, but I think it bears repeating. My prayers to God are like a long phone call. I call on him when I awaken and never hang up. He is still on the line for me all day long. The quotations in this devotional really spoke to me, especially the ones by John Bunyan and Corrie Ten Boom. Prayer isn’t just a thing I do…it is a part of me that helps me to know that my faith is genuine. I do really believe, even when times are hard and the doubts assail me from all sides. Prayer is my touchstone; faith is the rock upon which my life has been built and it is the rock upon which I will stand until God calls me home. My prayer time with God is always quality time, not because of me but because of the One who hears and spends time assuring me that He is there and always will be.
May your day be blessed with the touchstone of prayer.
If you have been walking with the Lord for any length of time, you have read the Scripture that says:
Thus if you want to please God, then you know that you need to have faith. But what is faith and how do you strengthen and build your faith?
Faith is putting your trust in God, regardless of circumstances and outward appearances. David had faith when he faced Goliath. Gideon had faith when he took a small band of men with him to defeat a large army. Stephen had faith when he faced those who ultimately stoned him.
How do you build your trust and your faith? The answer has always been there for you. You read the Word. You listen to the Word. You follow His Word. In doing so, you build your faith, that is, your trust in God. It’s hard to stand on God’s promises if you don’t know what they are, so it is imperative to memorize His Word so that you have it handy when you need it. God makes our faith strong by giving His unerring, infallible and eternal message to us. It is up to us to read it, hear it and heed it.
I want to see the invisible God, believe for unbelievable miracles and receive what others say is impossible. I’m spending time in God’s Word so that my faith is stronger. I pray that you are doing likewise.
Sometimes, rather often actually, I get my needs mixed up with my wants. When I do that, I find myself unsatisfied with myself and pouting at God for not supplying all of my wants. Then, He gently chides me and reminds me that needs and wants are completely different. For example, I would really like to have a home in a suburb, closer to hospitals and as I call it, civilization. But do I need that? No. We live in a rural area and we are fine here, at a distance that is inconvenient but not impossible.
Note the use of the word NEED here.
Too often, more frequently than I like to admit, my mind spirals off into the world of “what ifs” and I begin to fret. For a person who claims to have unshakeable faith in God, I get really upset with myself when that happens. I have to hold on to the Scripture above and remind myself that God gives me a train ticket for each hour of each day, not one for the next day. He provides what I need when I need it, and worrying about things will not change the course of events. But prayer does!
Have a wonderful and blessed day, watching for how God fulfills your needs and thankful that He provides for each of us.
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