WELCOME

.... to SCRIPTURES FOR EVERYDAY...This blog is really nothing more than a collection of scriptures that for one reason or another have spoken to my heart. The little explanation that follows each scripture is just that. "My" explanation and insight into what I feel the Lord is impressing upon me. I don't pretend to be any real scholar when it comes to the Bible and don't know if I am always necessarily completely accurate in my understandings. I am just a woman, a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, who loves the Lord with all of my heart, and without Whom I am really nothing at all. If anything I have written here helps or blesses you in any way at all, then I am happy to share. PLEASE feel free to leave your comments, insights, or feelings on here, and may we all grow closer to Him everyday....

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

PROVERBS 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son whom he delights....

These verses tell us not to be unhappy or to be upset or angry when the Lord corrects us, that it only means he loves us. Why is it that we fight this just as a child does a punishment from a parent, EVEN THOUGH we know it is for our own good??

How many times did I say to one of my kids that I "didn't want" to punish them, or that the easier thing to do was to just let them go and do whatever it is they wanted to do?? If I didn't love them as much as I did, there was MANY MANY times I would have done just that too...It took diligence and hard work to carry through and apply consequences to bad behavior, and unfortunately I wasn't always diligent. Especially when they would do something over and over again. Much easier to just throw in the towel, and let them go. How many times did I think though, "if I let them get away with this, I will do them absolutely no favors in the long run." They have to learn there is ALWAYS consequences for bad choices...How many times though did I resort to screaming and anger?? How many times did I just look the other way because it was simpler?? How many chances did I lose to teach them the things they NEEDED to know??

I am sure that the Lord has thought the very same thing about us many times. His love for us is greater than any love any parent has ever had for their own child. Over and over again He has had to remind me of the consequences of sin. How happy this really makes me when I think about it this way, that He DOESN'T give up or give in. His love is not limited to human error and frailty....He continues to chastise me because He loves me just that much, in all His perfection and thoroughness....How grateful I am....

Sunday, June 28, 2009

JAMES 2:14

What does it profit my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can faith save him??

Many people believe that "true" saving faith will produce good works...they just go hand in hand. If we are truly Christians, then we should be able to echo James' sentiments, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead....Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith BY my works..(James 2:17-18)

James does not contradict Paul, who insisted that we are saved NOT of works (Ephesians 2:9). James merely clarifies for us the KIND of faith that saves. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works; but saving faith will have works that accompany it. As the saying goes: faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone - it has good works with it.

Paul understood the necessity of works in proving the character of our faith. He wrote: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). He also wrote: This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. (Titus 3:8)

So, from all of this I would answer the question... Can faith save the person who does not have good works along with it to prove that it is real?? No...true faith will bring forth fruit....

Thursday, June 25, 2009

EPHESIANS 5:2

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma...

All through the scriptures, Jesus is our example of love, and what we are striving to do in our Christian lives..He gave Himself to us as the "perfect" sacrifice to God, and He was the sweet smelling aroma...as we give ourselves in acts of love to others, we can be that sweet aroma to God...I was thinking about this and wondering to myself, what is love really, and more importantly, how do we demonstrate it?? To be able to practice love, we need to know what it is biblically. Throughout Scripture, love is characterized as an action. First of all, love teaches the truth to others and ministers to their needs..it sets an example by serving others and stimulating them to grow. It covers other people's faults and forgives. Love also endures the problems and idiosyncrasies of others and sacrifices on their behalf. Self-sacrificial love gives spiritual truth, help, and concern to those in need...that's the heart of Christian living, it's the magnet that can attract the world..

Again, all of this is so much easier said than done. I do try and love and give of myself, but at the same time find myself falling so short of where I really feel like I should be. At least in my attitudes sometimes. I think for me I need to remember that I am doing these things for GOD, and to please Him, and that if no one ever knows or appreciates things I do, it is OK...it doesn't make it less pleasing to Him...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

ROMANS 12:9-10

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another..

If we don't love without hypocrisy we don't really love at all. True Christian or Godly love is just that. "Godly" love...to love like He does, with no reservations, no "self" involvement, nothing to personally gain. It can only really be accomplished by the Holy Spirit loving and living through us. I have seen from personal experience many, many times unfortunately just what I am capable of doing left to myself. It has to be a daily prayer for me to love others as He would. We must truly hate what is evil and love what is good. That sounds pretty simple and easy, but again, easier said than done. Our own in-born natures fight this daily...we must give God control in every area in order to accomplish this...to be kindly affectionate with each other with a brotherly love, suggests to me that we are not to be cold or stand offish or even just merely polite and accepting to each other, but caring and warm, involved, and supportive. Giving preference to one another means that we will have genuine humility and will not "think of yourselves more highly than we ought to think" (Romans 12:3). It means you will give honor to fellow Christians and take the initiative to put them first. You will not flatter another believer merely in the hope of having the compliment returned or to gain favor with them. Instead, we would express to them real appreciation, respect, and love as a fellow member of the family of God.

Monday, June 22, 2009

PSALM 119:11

Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You...

The only way to reprogram our minds with God's righteousness is to read, study, and meditate on the Word of God. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3:16) So if we are Christians, and we submit to the Holy Spirit as we study Scripture, we will have a reprogrammed mind that focuses on God's righteousness and helps us live accordingly..

If we memorize scriptures, and keep them safely in our hearts, I believe when we need them most God will bring them to our minds, helping us to live our lives right and to not sin...The Lord has been impressing on my mind recently the importance (for my own benefit) of really knowing and meditating on His Word. This verse just sums that all up.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

LEVITICUS 11:45

For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy...

The Lord has brought us all out of our lives outside of Him (which is in essence "our" Egypt) in order to be our God. He has redeemed us for Himself, so we must therefore (as a result) be holy, for He is holy. The Christian life could be summed up in this one statement....to be mimics or imitators of Christ..The more we know God, the more we understand who He wants us to be...so the primary pursuit of any believer is to know Him...(Philippians 3:10) The only way we can ever hope to really achieve KNOWING God, is to study His character as it is revealed to us through the scriptures....

How wonderous is it really to think that we have God's actual words telling us straight out how we should live our lives. It isn't something we have to wonder about, it is all there for us to study and know everyday. If we WANT to know Him is really more the question. It is my prayer recently to know God more and more, and my heart is blessed knowing that He has totally revealed Himself to His through His Word..

Thursday, June 18, 2009

EPHESIANS 4:32

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you...

God is kind and tenderhearted to us, and forgave us of all our sins, even though we don't deserve to be...So we quite frankly are expected to do the same towards other people, rather they deserve it or not. If our attitudes towards other people are based on what they deserve, then we have missed the point. If we want to exemplify God's character, then we in turn have to be loving, tender and forgiving. That is no doubt the kind of attitude that God expects from those who are His "new" creations in Christ.

I believe the Lord lead me to this verse tonight because I for one struggle soo much with this, this day being no different than many. It is sooo hard for me to love people and treat them with respect and tenderheartedness when they are rude and awful to me. I OFTEN lash out in a quick and angry response when this happens because I feel it is JUSTIFIED by their behavior. But this verse CLEARLY states that it is not OK. It is not a good representation of Him, and that however much they DON'T deserve it, I must still forgive them....How grateful I really am that God forgives me of this every time, though I for one know, how much I don't deserve it. I pray that God is able to control that which I freely admit I cannot...

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

1 CORINTHIANS 13:13

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love...

In the verses prior to this verse Paul is talking about spiritual gifts and the importantance of them. However he tells us, that NO spiritual gift is as important in the Christian life, and are really nothing more than a distraction, without faith, hope and love. And that love is the most important of these 3 things, and without which everything else we might do as Christians is really both empty and meaningless. God IS love....Love will continue to grow even in our eternal state...Once we are in heaven, we will no longer need faith, we will see Jesus face to face, we will no longer need hope, as Jesus will have already come for us, but we will still love the Lord, and each other, and it will grow for all eternity.

Jesus tell us that "they" (the world) will know we are Christians by our love for one another (John 13:35) Genuine love is so integral to the Christian life, that if we claim to follow Jesus, we MUST be able to demonstrate this love in order for our faith to be believable.

This verse, though simple and small, says soooo much. Love IS really what it is all about....

Saturday, June 13, 2009

PHILLIPIANS 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God..and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus..

As someone who has suffered from anxiety all of my life, this has always been one of my favorite verses that comes with a promise...I love the ones that come with a promise...God tells us here to "Be anxious for NOTHING"..and it means just that...not that it is OK to be anxious or worried about the big things, or some things (that anyone might be worried over right?) but quite literally NOTHING....easier said than done right?? But here is what we are told to do.....in EVERYTHING, by praying and asking God, thanking Him always for everything, WE TELL HIM WHAT WE NEED OR WANT....AND (here comes the promise!) God's peace that's is beyond anything on this earth we can imagine or understand or dream of, will stand guard (again quite literally) over our hearts and minds....How wonderous is this?? I LOVE LOVE LOVE these verses..some of my all time favorites.....I can tell you with a complete honesty that I have experienced this peace from God many times in my life. Times when I shouldn't have any peace at all it would seem. It truly is indescribable....and it isn't something I have to wonder about rather or not it is His will for me, or to somehow be good enough or worthy enough to experience, it is PROMISED to me, by Almighty God Himself...

REVELATION 1:8

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last...so we "could" say Jesus is the A to Z...He is the Beginning and the End....If Jesus is both the first and the last and the beginning and the end, then it would have to mean He also has authority over everything in-between...This would mean that Jesus does have a plan for all of history, and He directs the path of human events toward His designed fulfillment. Our lives are not given over to blind fate, to random meaninglessness, or to endless cycles with no resolution..Jesus Christ directs all of human history, and so therefore even our individual lives...

Who is, Who was, and who is to come.... Hebrews 13:8 expresses it this way: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The word Almighty translated from the original Greek literally means, "the one who has His hand on everything." It means that Jesus has complete sovereign control over everything, past, present, and future....

I don't know about any of you, but I find GREAT comfort in all of this...that Jesus Christ truly controls all of history, long before I could have even been a thought, to my present life and circumstances right now, to everything that will EVER come...that EVERYTHING lies in His very capable hands and He directs the course of all things....And since we know how everything comes out in the end, we never have anything to fear....I LOVE this verse!!

1 PETER 5-7

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility for:

God resists the proud.
But gives grace to the humble.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you....


The Bible teaches us in many different places that God hates pride. Pride keeps us from having the relationship with God that we could, as it keeps us focused on our "own" abilities and our "own" agenda's. In order to be really close to Him and have that relationship that we desire, we must first TRULY humble ourselves and submit everything to Him....and when we really do that, we will give Him all of our worries, cares, and plans, and He is able to then TRULY care for us....It is a prideful heart that wants to solve everything on our own, and a humble heart that wants to wait on Him....I think that all of this is really hard in today's world where pride is often called something else. Like independence, or self esteem, or self reliance....we are taught to stand proud and mighty and we have taught it to our kids...and we are always told to build up a kids self esteem and make him "proud" of himself etc. etc. But I think we have not only managed to build up a world where pride is valued and praised, but now we have so many people who think they ARE truly something special and above everyone else, and that the world owes them something....I think we would all be much better off if we remember just what it is the Bible has to say about this SIN called pride..

ECCLESIATES 3:1

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven...

I was thinking of this verse this morning when I was typing my comment and thoughts on Larissa's page. We are all in such different "seasons" of our life....Some of us, like Ant and Rob and Justin are soo young and knee deep in school and wondering what they might do with their lives, so much time stretching out in front of them. Mel and Mike, Jess, and Danny a little older, but still soo young and just starting their lives, everything still lying ahead undiscovered. Then, there are several of you, Jim & Larissa, Joe & Leah, Michelle & Scott, John, Donna & Todd and Crystal & Kyle who are consumed with their young families and careers and all of the overwhelming at times, things that go along with that stage of your life.....then there is the rest of us who are moving along with our season in life wondering how we got here so fast and trying to point out pit falls to avoid to our kids and grand kids that are behind us on the road....but this is the way the Lord planned it all out...A time for EVERYTHING and every purpose under heaven.

God moves on an eternal time table that is not always readily evident to His people. He works within seasons, and time frames for His own purposes. And yet, He is also a God of the suddenly. Don't be surprised when in a certain season, out-of-the-blue, comes one of God's suddenly~s.
When a suddenly occurs, it may be a bit of a shock but don't let it take you by surprise. Have you ever jumped into a pool on a summer's day? The cold water is shocking but you are not surprised by it.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21)

It is right and good to plan. It is necessary for it gives direction and allows us to set priorities. However, yield some white space on your agenda and in your heart for the purpose of God to prevail. This may mean we may have to re-adjust from time to time. But that's OK...In whatever season in life we find ourselves in, we should move forward and plan, and yet yield to the will of God and His purposes, and we will do it all in the power of the Holy Spirit...

JOHN 14:1-3

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I'am, there you will be also.

Again, a favorite passage of mine...I love knowing that Jesus is preparing my "home" in heaven IN His Father's house...that where ever He is, I will be there too... I know my home will be perfect, won't ever need to be swept and cleaned, and best of all won't have a GIANT mortgage that's more than my home is worth..Jesus has already completely paid for it...

PSALM 34: 1-4

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Every time I read this Psalm, I "hear" the song that we used to sing at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa when we were first saved. I can still hear Pastor Chuck singing it...I loved it then, and I love it now...I also like this one because it tells me if I SEEK the Lord, He WILL hear me and deliver me from my fears...very comforting.

LUKE 12:22-23

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

I have always loved these verses as they tell me not to worry about everyday stresses and circumstances such as will I have food, and what shall I wear. He tells me there is much more important things than these. It is soo easy I think to get caught up sometimes in our everyday physical needs, that we neglect the things that are really so much more important like "feeding" our spirits with His word and spreading His love to those around us.....just something to think about....

ROMANS 5:8-9

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us...Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him...


It's unblievable enough that Jesus would die for us in the first place, but to know that He did so while we were yet sinners, in other words before we even belonged to Him, is totally amazing. I have a hard time really understanding that kind of love. And the most wonderful part of all is that because of His shed blood, which makes us "justified" we are saved from the pit of hell where we truely DESERVE to be...

2 COR. 12:9-10

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me....Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I'am weak, then I am strong....


In order for us to really experience God's "grace" and resulting strength and peace, we must first recognize our own weaknesses and insufficiency. We truly can do nothing without Him...so when we totally admit we are weak in every area, and NEED Him and His grace, that is when we can finally be strong...so we should welcome our problems, as they drive us to Him, where we find all the strength, power, and peace that we need.....did I explain this very well??? I sometimes have a problem explaining what I am understanding in my own heart...

MARK 12:29-31

Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is: "Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your with all your heart, with all your soul, and with your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this...You shall love your neighbor as yourself..There is no greater commandment than these...

It is very easy to see from these verses that what God really wants from us is love. First for Him, and then for each other...seems pretty simple, but somehow it's not...in order to live a successful Christian life, we must be obedient at least in these two areas. If we REALLY love Him, we will be obedient in other areas as well. That's why we must FIRST love Him....

PROVERBS 3:1

My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you....

I love to read the Proverbs...they are quick and easy and yet FULL of many Godly principles and truths that come with promises such as this one does....If we truly live by God's commands not only in what we do, but by what we harbor in our hearts, then we will lead not only long lives, but peaceful ones. I know it is easy to think that God gives us a list of commandments we must follow and they are difficult and cut into our pleasure and fun...but truthfully they really are there for our "OWN" benefit and protection...and by following them as best we can, we add only God's best to our lives..

JOHN 19: 28-30

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit...

Today being Good Friday, I decided to read over the scriptures covering the crucifixion...Jesus's death on the cross was the fulfillment of all that was necessary for our salvation. He did so willing as an ultimate act of love for us. He had accomplished what He had come here to do. I have heard it taught that Jesus took the wetting of His lips with the wine so that He could say clearly for all to hear...."It is finished." Meaning just that, EVERYTHING He needed to do for our salvation was finished. He bowed His head, which suggests He did so peacefully, and "gave up" His spirit...meaning no one took it from Him, He willing did it for us...It is hard for me sometimes to really get my head around what He really did for me personally. And that if I had been the only one who needed Him to do so, He would have done it anyway...it is just downright overwhelming...He BECAME sin itself during that period on the cross, and separated Himself from the God the Father, so that I might be saved from what I truly deserve....love just doesn't get any greater than that....

1 COR. 15:17

1Cor 15:17 "And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!"

Paul was willing to hang the entire Christian faith upon the resurrection, and indeed our faith does depend on it. The implications are huge. If Jesus did rise from the dead, then everything He said and believed is substantiated. If He did not rise from the dead than Christianity is nothing more than a fairytale.
Have you ever noticed how far fetched some of the theories are that try to disprove or discredit the resurrection? The swoon theory....Jesus didn't die, He swooned, passed out on the cross..He then was embalmed with 100 lbs of wrapping and ointment, placed in the tomb, and laid there for three days....Then woke up - somehow unwrapped Himself - somehow rolled the stone away - somehow got passed the guards - and somehow convinced His disciples He had risen from the dead when in reality He would have been a beaten bloody mess....ok, is anyone else having a hard time swallowing this? Or how about the stolen body theory? Jesus did die, but His disciples stole His body, unable to deal with the fact that their messiah was dead....now a strong argument could be made as to just how impractical and improbable it was that the disciples could have even pulled off such a heist, but that's not the strongest argument. The stronger argument is that the disciples were all persecuted and martyred for their faith. It was recorded that before Peter was executed by crucifiction that first he watched as his wife was crucified. And your going to tell me Peter stole the body of Jesus? Made the whole thing up? And then faced with not only his own gruesome death but that of his wife's refused to admit it was a lie? Does that make any sense? Or does it make a lot more sense to believe that Peter was convinced Jesus had risen.....he had seen him with his own eyes, walked and talked with Him after the resurrection.
Many of these theories are so ridiculous because of these historical facts. There really was a Jesus of Nazareth. His teaching is well documented and reported. His miracles are even reported of by secular historians. He really was crucified on a cross. He was placed in a guarded tomb. 3 days later His body was missing, and his disciples were claiming He had risen from the dead. And finally His disciples all went to death refusing to deny the resurrection. When you acknowledge those historical facts it makes any argument you come up with sound really stupid.
Here we are a few thousand years later and no real new arguments can be made against it. I think it was dan brown who tried profit from supposedly discovering "the lost tomb of Jesus." He "discovered" the tomb of Jesus as well as His wife and children's tombs. But he forgot to mention that gravesite was discovered 30 years ago, and at the time was ruled out (by a archeologist that was not a Christian) as being the Jesus of the Bible.
Jesus is risen, I'm betting my life on it. Now sure Constantine repackaged a Babylonian celebration and called it Easter, which of course is where we get the Easter bunny and Easter eggs. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ is worth celebrating, and it did happen 3 days after Passover.

MATTHEW 28:5-8

But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. And go quickly and tell the disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him. Behold I have told you. So they went out quickly with great fear and joy, and ran to bring His disciples word....

Our Christianity is based on this fact....He is risen!! Jesus's resurrection from the dead is proof that His death was an actual propitiation for sin, and that the Father accepted it as such. The cross was the payment, the resurrection was the receipt, proving that the payment was fully accepted...These women were blessed to be the very first who would bring this news to others. How exciting for them. This is the most important day in the life of a Christian to celebrate. May we all remember the price that was paid for us, and celebrate this day with joy in our hearts.....we have an AWESOME God.....HAPPY EASTER!!!!

JAMES 1:22-25

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one is blessed in what he does....

I think these verses are telling us that to just hear or read God's word, is not enough. And if we think it is, we are deceiving only ourselves. We must also LIVE His word and DO what He teaches and tells us to do...and if we do, we will be blessed in all we do....

ROMANS 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit...


This verse talks about how we are COMPLETELY without condemnation for our sins if we truly belong to Jesus Christ. We are a PART of Him, and as a result God sees only Jesus when He looks at us. Thank God....it can't get any better than this. The scary flip side to this would be of course if we DON'T belong to Him, we are TOTALLY condemmed by our sins, and the result will be what we truly all deserve which is hell. Jesus has offered us Himself to save us from this, and I am most grateful....

Sorry I have had a busy few days and have kind of been lax on the daily scriptures. Anyone else who would like to PLEASE feel free to jump in at any time and share what the Lord has been doing with you.....

HE WILL DIRECT OUR PATHS

 Proverbs 3 5 - 6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding..In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths....

Today is Spiritual Sunday and I had already decided not to participate this week as my usually quiet house is full of family, as we have gathered to celebrate Christmas.  Not much time to spend on the computer.  But as I was doing my devotional this morning, I came across this verse, and felt I just HAD to share what the Lord has shown me this morning.

 For those of you who follow my blog at all know, Melody arrived on Thursday night to spend this week-end with us, as she and her husband are unable to come for Christmas this year.  Her brothers decided that rather than celebrate without her we would just escalate things and celebrate on the 19th with our traditional Christmas Day dinner and gift exchange.  This created a problem or two with me at first, and yet it wasn't long and I was completely "on board" with this plan.  Melody and I had many things planned for Friday, to include that evening going to the Candlight Pavillion for our anual fun dinner and a Christmas play.  We have been doing this every year since she was 3 years old.  Again, if you follow my blog at all you know, I am BIG on tradition and SLOW to change.  For at least a couple of weeks now I have been looking forward to not only our gathering on Saturday with the whole family, but also to Friday and "my day" with Mel.  These kind of days have become rare now as she has moved away, and when she does visit she is torn in so many different directions trying to visit and spend time with other family members and friends, it is hard to get much alone time with her.  But this visit was to be different as she had set aside the WHOLE day to spend doing the things we love to do together.  Shopping, lunching out, some baking, and mainly of course hours of uninterrupted time in sweet conversation.  BUT!!  When I awoke at 2:00 am on Friday morning it was not in excited anticipation of my day as I had planned, but sicker than I can remember being in quite some time.  Yes, I had the stomach flu.  The one sickness I just can't seem to fake it and just "move along as best you can" as I have always told my kids.  I was barely able to make it from my bed to the bathroom ALL DAY LONG, let alone any thing else I had planned.  I couldn't believe it was happening was all I could think of when I managed to think of anything at all besides how sick I felt.  Melody was there to "play nurse" which was my first thing I managed to be thankful for, and to do all the necessary shopping I needed STILL to do, which included 2 presents that were still left to buy.  But as the day wore on and I only became sicker (if that was possible) I began to except that our anual Christmas play was not to happen as well.  The tickets are non-refundable, not that going another night was a possibility anyway.  So that night my husband and Mel headed off with my middle son who filled in my spot and I layed at home sipping water and watching the Preacher's wife.  Not exactly what I had planned.  I will be honest with you all and tell you I was not only HUGELY disappointed, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, and wondering just what the Lord had in mind "allowing" me to get this sickness at this particular time.  Yesterday morning I woke feeling soo much better I decided I might actually be able to function through the busy day ahead.  It did turn out to be a wonderful day.  I will tell you it was mainly do the fact that I have been blessed with such a wonderful family.  My husband not only COMPLETELY did the whole dinner (with some help from Mel and my grandson JD haha) himself, and it was WONDERFUL, he also did all the little things he just knew I would want done as well.  Got all my beautiful Christmas dinner dishes out, and cleaned and spent pretty much the whole day running around taking care of the things I would have usually done.  The grand kids all were excited and we all enjoyed ourselves just being together.  Both of my daughter in laws jumped right in to help out cleaning up etc., and I just kind of sat around chatting and visiting with everyone.  Everything may not have been like I had planned out, in fact far from it, but it was wonderful just the same.  This morning I woke up early and I am feeling almost totally myself.  I began reading my Bible and praying about this day and this verse in Proverbs practically jumped off the page at me.  Trust in the Lord with all of your heart...(even when you just really don't understand) lean not on your own understanding (even when all you can say is WHY Lord) in ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He WILL direct your paths.  I am still not totally sure why the Lord let this happen but one thing I am very sure of.  Nothing happens by chance.  Maybe it was just to show me that sometimes I can lean on the others in my family to get things done and do them well, or maybe it was just so I might see and appreciate how much I am loved and blessed.   But this truth became very clear again to me this morning.  He WILL direct my path.  The pages of my life are being written by Almighty God Himself, and I will put my trust in Him.  Today is our LARGE extended family gathering today at my sisters house.  I am looking forward to it.  I am grateful it is today and not yesterday as I don't know if I could have made the long drive yesterday.  I have NO IDEA what this day might hold.  But I have comnitted it all to Him and trust He will work out all the details.  He WILL direct my path.  Here are a few pictures of our day yesterday.  Yes, my husband and Mel took several pictures for me KNOWING I would want to share them with you.  ENJOY.... I will not get the chance to get around and visit the other blogs who participate in this as I can hear the beginnings of people stirring,  But I will be by in the next couple of days or so.  To enjoy this posts, you can click HERE.  I pray that you all have a blessed day, and that we all remember to acknowledge Him in all we do.


ALL READY



THE BEAUTIFUL TABLE

JD HELPING GRANDPA



ENJOYING A SNACK BEFORE DINNER...JOHN'S FAMOUS CHEESE DIP



THE KIDS MAKING MUSIC,HAHA



SOO EXCITED



MEL'S GIFT FROM JIM



BABIES WERE SOO TIRED FOR POSING NOW AND GRANDMA WASN'T LOOKING EITHER, HAHA



ALL THE GIRLS IN THEIR CHRISTMAS JAMMIES



HOW CUTE ARE THEY?

I did this soo fast there was no time to check for errors, haha, PLEASE excuse any if you find them...

COLOSSIANS 3:2

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth....


This is such a short and simple verse, but there is nothing short and simple about it...In order to live a truly Christian life we must try to "set" on our minds on heaven and the Lord, and not on everything here on earth....much easier said than done especially in the world we live in today where sooo many things demand our attention and focus...However, here are a few practical things we can do to try and put our minds "IN CHRIST"....

1. Spend some time EVERYDAY in the Word....this one is listed first because I think it is the most important. If we don't fill our minds with His Word, how will we ever really know Him, or dwell on things about Him??

2. By spending time in prayer....conversations DAILY with the Lord...

3. By spending time with things that build us up in God, instead of merely entertaining ourselves....this is something we ALL do everyday at some point in the day....or "I" certainly do anyway....how much better off would I be if I gave just a small portion of that time to reading His Word, or reading other books that teach me things of God, or listening to radio messages, listening to uplifting praise and worship music and joining in etc.?? WHY do I fight this?? Any time in my life where I have gotten into this mind set, the happier I am....funny thing huh??

4. By gathering with others who love the Lord and spend time talking about what God is doing in your life etc.?? I think this is also very important...

Again, if anyone has any thoughts or ideas on this, please join in....

MATTHEW 6:31-34

Therefore do not worry, saying,"What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear?" For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble....

These verses are ones I have had to remind myself of and dwell on MANY MANY times over the course of my life...especially in the times we have all been living in recently when money is scarce and times are hard...But we do have to remind ourselves that the material things in our lives just can't ever be our "focus"...something we dwell on and seek after and have as THE most important thing...because if we do,we will find ourselves always "seeking" and chasing after it, and our hearts and spirits will be always be full or worry and greed, and we will find "life" passing us by, and the truly important things left unattended. We have to keep our minds and hearts focused on Him and live our lives as He would have us live them...If we do this, this verse promises He will take care of us, and our "needs" will be met. They may not be the things WE think we must have, but He will provide everything important we really need, and our hearts and minds will be full of His peace and joy.....Worrying about tomorrow is always a fruitless task, as it never produces anything but more worry...Each day at hand is all we every need to take care of....

A FUTURE AND A HOPE..

Today is Spiritual Sunday and it is again time to visit every blog that you can to inspire and uplift you with soo many wonderful posts from some truly loving hearts that have much to share about God's work and blessings in their lives.  You can find them HERE.  Many thanks to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting this wonderful event.

Jeremiah 29:4 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope....



This last Thursday afternoon, Nov. 19, 2009 my niece Michelle gave birth to her second daughter, Priscilla Jane. How adorable is that name? She weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces, and is 20 inches long.   I was privileged to be IN the delivery room. What a wonderful miracle it is to witness the birth of a baby. I've been blessed with this experience 7 times now, not counting my own 4 children of course, and yet there will never be anything ordinary about this everyday occurence.  The joy and celebration that filled the air as that baby made her appearance into this world was as overwhelming as it always is. Tears flowed as we thanked God for her safe arrival. We had gotten little to no sleep the night before as the labor had been long and difficult. As I was finally driving home I felt the urge to sleep washing over me and yet, my mind was busy thinking and wondering of what all might be in store for this precious new little life. What did God have planned for her I wondered? Who would she look like? What little personality traits would be unique to her? And as I was dwelling on these things, this verse from Jeremiah came to my heart and mind. God thoughts too are on this sweet girl and they are for peace and all that is good and not evil. His plans are to give her a future and a hope.

This has always been one of my all time favorite verses. I just LOVE it. There is just something so humbling about knowing that Almighty God Himself, considers us, and has thoughts for our good, that He considers our future and wants us to have and experience His perfect peace and hope.  No matter what is going on in our life, no matter rather it seems like it or not, we are in God's thoughts.  He has plans for us.  He considers our futures.  I don't know about any of you, but I find SUCH GREAT comfort in this truth. 

The women's Bible study group that meets at my house on Friday mornings has claimed this verse as our own.  God's thoughts are always on us, and they are for our futures and our hopes.   All of the ladies in this group having been praying for little Priscilla since the moment her life was made known.  We have covered her in a blanket of prayer, and praise and thank God for His mercies and love that have brought Michelle safely through her pregancy and delivery and rejoice over this gift of life.

I want to thank God today for the safe arrival of Priscilla Jane, and to welcome this little bundle into our family with love and joy. May she grow strong and healthy, and may she know a relationship with Jesus as soon as she is able to.  May she do mighty things for His Kingdom as she grows to be all she can be.  May the Lord bless her and keep her and make His face to shine upon her now and forever more.

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalm 127:4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.


 
Look at that dimple!!





PSALM 31-24

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord...

I love this verse and all it's simplicity....All we have to do is put our hope in the Lord, and He does all the rest...He will strengthen our hearts and souls and minds when we are weak...We never know just what to expect from day to day as we go about our lives...each day is full of it's own joys and sorrows...it's ups and downs....And yet, we can focus on what we do know....He loves us and is ever faithful, wants only what is best for us, and is our everlasting light in our dark moments, our safe spot in whatever storm may come our way, and a never ending source of joy and love. So it is easy to put all of our hope for the present and the future safely in His hands, when we belong to Him....

PSALMS 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night....

These verses are full of simple yet profound truths....A "happy or contented" man is the one who does all the things he has to do to live a Godly life. He does not listen to the advice of the ungodly or often times the popular beliefs the world has to offer...he does not go down the same road that sinners do...he chooses the less populated road that is narrow and less traveled....nor does he sit and criticize the Christians and their way of life, making fun of them, and mocking them....But his true "delight" or pleasure or joy or happiness, comes from KNOWING the Word of God and meditating on it ALWAYS AND AT ALL TIMES.....

It's funny how many people search and search for happiness and peace and never find it...They look in all the wrong places....Money and riches, worldly successes and accomplishments, personal pleasures and even love and relationships...and where some of things can bring about some happiness, it never lasts, and can fail us at anytime. But the Bible tells us flat out where to find true happiness and contentment and lasting joy...and that is in His Word and knowing Him, dwelling and meditating and on Him at all times...filling our lives with this...and keeping away from all that's not....

NUMBERS 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace...

I LOVE this blessing...I always have...The Lord bless you says soo much really...to be blessed by God is the best thing that can happen to anyone...it doesn't mean we have or get whatever we THINK is best, but what he KNOWS is best for us...to be kept by God is the best blessing we could receive...it ensures us His best, His peace, and His success for our life....the Lord make His face shine upon you....what could be better than that?? God's face smiling down on us and our life?? pleased with us....seeing His son in us....And be gracious to you....God cares for us and bestows His grace on us...The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace....this is everything the Lord wants to do for us....bless us all with His very best for us everyday...this is the abundant life that Jesus promised us....

These verses encourage me soo much for some reason...I find it amazing that the Lord would care for me like that and love me like that....I like to write them to people in hopes that it encourages others like it does me, because it just can't get any better than this.....soooo, May the Lord shine His face on us all, now and always....

EPHESIANS 6:10-13

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

I remember these verses especially when the kids were going to school as at one time or another they all had to memorize these verses (and the ones that come after them describing in detail just what God's armor consists of)....I can still hear their little voices saying these verses....They are some of the best advice we can receive in the Bible on how to live our lives after we belong to Him...One thing we can count on is it will never be easy to live the Christian life. We are under constant attack by the enemy and there is a very real spiritual battle going AT ALL TIMES. We need to be ready at all times, strong in Him, fighting against the enemy with everything we've got...We would never go into a physical war unprepared and unarmed....and a spiritual battle is no different...we must REALLY know Him, know His Word, be prepared to use everything He gives us...pray constantly and stand firm and strong....the Lord wins the battle in the end, but we must be prepared to fight along the way...

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL relaxing week-end....I love you all.

JOHN 4:13-14

Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

Jesus tells us here that if we don't drink of the water He provides, we will continue to thirst for it until we do...He is referring of course to Himself as the water. If we come to Him and drink of His everlasting water it will flow out of us "like a fountain" spilling over unto others. The more and more we fill ourselves with Him, the more it will flow out of us, and be spread to others.....

JOHN 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life...For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved...

I can't believe that I have been doing these daily scriptures for as long as I have, and have not done what has got to be one of the most well known Bible verses...The gospel of Jesus Christ is pretty much summed up in these verses...God so loved the world (and all of us) that WHILE we were still part of the world, WHILE we were yet sinners, He gave us the most precious gift He had to give, that of His own Son. His free and most precious gift has only to be accepted and believed by us, in order for us to have everlasting life. Seems too simple...and yet there it is....God did not send His Son to condemn us and leave us in our sins, but for the sole reason of saving us from what we deserve. How could it possibly get any better than this?? Obviously I love these verses and were definitely the first I ever memorized years and years ago. I have a hard time sometimes imagining a love this large and overwhelming and perfect, and yet, there it is for anyone who wants it and believes...

PHILLIPIANS 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God..and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus..

As someone who has suffered from anxiety all of my life, this has always been one of my favorite verses that comes with a promise...I love the ones that come with a promise...God tells us here to "Be anxious for NOTHING"..and it means just that...not that it is OK to be anxious or worried about the big things, or some things (that anyone might be worried over right?) but quite literally NOTHING....easier said than done right?? But here is what we are told to do.....in EVERYTHING, by praying and asking God, thanking Him always for everything, WE TELL HIM WHAT WE NEED OR WANT....AND (here comes the promise!) God's peace that's is beyond anything on this earth we can imagine or understand or dream of, will stand guard (again quite literally) over our hearts and minds....How wonderous is this?? I LOVE LOVE LOVE these verses..some of my all time favorites.....I can tell you with a complete honesty that I have experienced this peace from God many times in my life. Times when I shouldn't have any peace at all it would seem. It truly is indescribable....and it isn't something I have to wonder about rather or not it is His will for me, or to somehow be good enough or worthy enough to experience, it is PROMISED to me, by Almighty God Himself...

MATTHEW 16:24-26

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?


In order for us to really live the Christian life and follow after Jesus and His ways, it is TOTALLY necessary for us to completely die to ourselves and deny our "fleshly" desires...Talk about not easy....this is NEVER easy and of course goes against our human nature. We all want what we want if you know what I mean. Indulging ourselves in every aspect of our lives is what most human beings are all about if we are being honest. To put that aside and follow after Jesus is the ONLY way to really save our own lives for eternity...What good is ANYTHING really here on this earth if in the end when we stand before Him, we are told to depart from Him as He didn't know us?? Nothing I can think of that's for sure...I love to read these verses when I think compromise is what needs to be done in a situation...and remember what it is that is really at stake....Do I belong to Him, or do I not?? What is important in the long run, and what is not?? I want to stand before Him some day and have Him say, "Well done my good and faithful servant" I know that is somewhere in the Bible, haha, I will look it up perhaps for tomorrows daily scripture...

MATTHEW 6:19-21

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...."

These verses are really pretty self explanatory...Every material thing here on this earth, while in and of themselves are not necessarily bad, will eventually be destroyed or at least be left behind when we die. The pursuit of this material wealth generally brings about nothing good either. Stress and strife and discontentment in that we always think we "need" more. We need to put that same energy (can you imagine?) into pursuing the Lord and His Kingdom and building ourselves up something that will last for all eternity in Heaven. Plus living like that while we are here on this earth will bring about happy hearts and spirits....there has never been anything so true as....where your treasure is, there is where our hearts are....

1 JOHN 2:15-17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever....

I am sure that everyone reading this realizes that the "world" that this verse is referring to, is the world that is in opposition to God. Not the earth itself, or the people who dwell on it....But if we seek constantly and covetously after it's riches and material rewards, it is very easy for our hearts to be captured by all the world has to offer...and it is all consuming at times, and seldom enough..If we seek after the praise of men and desire to be important here, our hearts will be consumed and controlled after this quest....and it will ALL eventually pass away...either at the end, or with our own deaths....But everything that the God has to offer through Jesus Christ is for all eternity...so to live for Him, brings eternal and lasting rewards...so all we do here, should have that in mind, and should dominate our hearts....

ROMANS 8:38

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels or principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord....

I LOVE this scripture....I always have...it is soooo simple, yet packs sooo much into it......there is NOTHING, good or bad, large or small that can EVER separate us from the love of God.....It is always there, always to counted on and trusted in...talk about secure in something....God's love will NEVER fail....

MATTHEW 7:7-8

Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you....For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened...

These verses seem to be some of the first every Christian seems to learn....it sounds so simple....ask, seek, and knock, and it will be given to you....persistently seems to be the key here...ask, and then diligently seek, and then literally knock at God's door....and He WILL answer!! God obviously wants us to be persistent and passionate about what we are asking Him. Not just a quick prayer about something in passing. I think the key some of us forget sometimes is that it is not always the answer we are looking for...and that can be hard. We must pray according to His will and in His name. This was part of what the preacher on Sun was talking about. The only way we can pray according to His will, and in His name, is to REALLY know Him....and the only way to REALLY know Him, is to REALLY know His Word. We must be in the Word EVERY day....It must be so familiar to us that there is really no doubt what He has to say about everything....it should be THE most important part of our day, and one we NEVER skip or put off, or do in such a way as to just get it done quickly.....then, we will begin to really know Him, and then praying according to His will will come easier, and we will get our answers....

MATTHEW 7:24-27

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

I think in these illustrations that Jesus is talking about here, we are the "houses"...and when the storms of life come, and trouble is upon us, we will know if we have built our life firmly on Jesus, or if we did not. Nothing in this life is permanent or can be counted on not to crumble and fall apart. If we spend our lives seeking the worlds treasures and pleasures, and not after things of God, we will find ourselves empty spiritually when we need it most. Or certainly as we stand before God someday. And likewise of course, if we center our lives firmly on Him, He will be there for us when we truly need Him to be....and when we ultimately stand before Him someday, we can say we put our trust and faith in Jesus, which is the only thing that will save us...

I heard it taught somewhere once, can't remember where now, and I guess it doesn't matter, that if we go through our lives NEVER addressing or feeding our spiritual selves, our minds firmly centered on this world and what it has to offer and gain, that we can't expect to draw any comfort or strength from something that doesn't exist when we most need it. Kind of like a bank account...their is no savings if you have never made the deposit. And of likewise if we go through our lives not neglecting our spiritual needs and feed our spirits on the Word everyday and build a real relationship with the living God, then He is right there when we need Him, and we can draw strength and comfort from a wealth of scripture that He has given us....again, like a bank account....our "savings" is HUGE.....

MARK 12:30-31

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these....

The New Testament books make it very clear that believers are to love God with everything that is within us...I believe that a sincere love for God is the first mark of genuine saving faith...We know this because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us when we were saved..(Romans 5:5). It isn't surprising then that Paul lists love as the first aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.(Galatians 5:22)... We have decisions and choices to be made...to live our lives loving God first and above all and everything else, and to love others as much as we love ourselves. Again, sounds simple and easy, but only with the help of the Holy Spirit, will it ever be done...

I am sorry I have been a bit lax on the daily scriptures....time has just gotten away from me recently, but I will try and do better...PLEASE at any time anyone else would like to jump in and share what the Lord has been teaching them, I for one would love to hear it...I know you have stuff, so please share....

A NEAT STORY

A friend of mine sent this to me today and for some reason it really spoke to me and I thought I'd share it with all of you....Why is it that I fight those urges sometime when I really do feel the Lord telling me to do something. Think of all the blessings I have no doubt cheated myself out of....


HAIRBRUSH EXPERIENCE OF BETH MOORE
AT THE AIRPORT
For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters.

This is one of her experiences:

April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville , waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing.. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you.

You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons, not the least of which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones.

The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport... an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served up on a wheelchair only a few seats from me . All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.

Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.

I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I st arted arguing with God in my mind. 'Oh, no, God, please, no.' I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, 'Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!'

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, 'Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane.' Then I heard it...'I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair.'

The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, 'God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to wit ness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man.'

Again, as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. 'That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair.'

I looked up at God and quipped, 'I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?'

God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: 'I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works.' (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, 'Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

He looked back at me and said, 'What did you say?'

'May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

To which he responded in volume ten, 'Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that.'

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, 'SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?' At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr.. Long Locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, 'If you really want to.'

Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, 'Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush.'

'I have one in my bag,' he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while.

The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands o n his knee and said, 'Sir, do you know my Jesus?'

He said, 'Yes, I do'

Well, that figures, I thought.

He explained, 'I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior.' He said, 'You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride.'

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.

Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, 'That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why d id you do that? What made you do that?'

I said, 'Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!'

And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way... all because I didn't want people to think I was strange..

God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.

Friday, June 12, 2009

I JOHN 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we shall be called
children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him...


God's love is sooo lavished on us that He has actually called us His children...I was thinking of how great a love that really is...when you think of a love a parent has for his own child...God could have loved us just enough to have saved us from an eternity in hell which is of course HUGE, but He actually took it even further and call us His children... How wonderous is that??..and the second half of that verse I take to mean that the world did not recognize Jesus, so we shouldn't think that the world is going to think much of us either...

ROMANS 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...

I love this verse for very obvious reasons...Jesus loves us in spite of our sins and before we had ever turned to Him. It just can't get much easier or better than this.

EPHESIANS 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children...And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma...


This is really pretty self explanatory, we are to pattern ourselves after Jesus, use Him as our example of how to live our lives..Kids usually don't have to be taught to imitate their parents, it is just something they do...I remember when Joe was young he so wanted to be like his dad he did everything he could to "copy" him..and that included of course dressing like he did. He would put on his little Easter jacket (which I had to cut in the back so it looked just like daddy's) and get his little brief case and pretend he was going off to work...think of how much better off we would be if we imitated Christ just that carefully...we could then live our lives loving those around us and giving of ourselves just as He did for us....I'd like to think I might be a "sweet-smelling aroma" and not a foul-reeking stench...haha

JOHN 15:5

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing...

I have always loved this verse, but it seems especially significant today as I have been dwelling on Phil 4:13 which says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, this week as I am leaning on it for my diet issues...It is the verse I gave you too Dean to claim for your own...but as I was reading this morning I read this verse and noticed it says....He who ABIDES in Me, and I in him....meaning I need to FIRST ABIDE in Him, which means giving Him everything in me, really living for Him, THEN I will bear fruit, and do all things, as apart from Him I can truly do nothing...did I explain what I am thinking well enough?? In my own words it might say....Jesus is the true source of all life, and I am part of Him..If I truly live for Him, then He lives in Me and I in Him....this is how I will be successful in all I do, for I can do ALL things through Him, and apart from whom I am nothing...

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL day...