Category: Book

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Discovering Hidden Treasure

Dave and I have always enjoyed finding “hidden treasure”! While we lived in Northern Idaho we spent nearly every weekend at farm and ranch auctions seeking lost treasure buried in barns or some old box. It was a wonderful time.

It also required an effort of time and finances. Sometimes we would travel into neighboring states, rarely was there anything within a couple hours drive. That was the fun of it; the drive, taking a picnic, setting a budget, going over the budget and then coming home with the truck laden down like a pirate’s ship. All of this was the image that came to mind this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2.

“My son, pay attention to what I say. Remember my commands. 2 Listen to wisdom, and do your best to understand. 3 Ask for good judgment. Cry out for understanding. 4 Look for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treasure. 5 If you do this, you will understand what it means to respect the Lord, and you will come to know God.” Proverbs 2:1-5 ERV

Search for wisdom like hidden treasure.

Wisdom that comes from God is invaluable. Solomon is the one who wrote Proverbs and he is reported to have been the wealthiest and wisest man to have ever lived. He placed a greater value on wisdom than on riches. In fact, when God asked him what he wanted most this was his answer.

“While Solomon was at Gibeon, the Lord came to him at night in a dream. God said, “Solomon, ask me what you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You were very kind and loyal to your servant, my father David. He was faithful to you and lived a good, honest life. And you showed him the greatest kindness when you let his son take his place as king. 7 Lord my God, you have made me the king in my father’s place, but I am like a small child. I don’t have the wisdom I need to do what I must do. 8 I am your servant here among your chosen people. There are so many that they cannot be counted. 9 So I ask you to give me the wisdom to rule and judge them well and to help me know the difference between right and wrong. Without such great wisdom, it would be impossible to rule this great nation.”

10 The Lord was happy that Solomon asked for wisdom. 11 So God said to him, “You did not ask for long life and riches for yourself. You did not ask for the death of your enemies. You asked for the wisdom to listen and make the right decisions. 12 So I will give you what you asked for. I will make you wise and intelligent. I will make you wiser than anyone who ever lived or ever will live. 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for. You will have riches and honor all your life. There will be no other king in the world as great as you. 14 And I will give you a long life if you follow me and obey my laws and commands as your father David did.” I Kings 3:5-14 ERV

Time and again in the book of Proverbs Solomon refers to wisdom as a treasure.

“Good homes are built on wisdom and understanding. 4 Knowledge fills the rooms with rare and beautiful treasures.” Proverbs 24:3 ERV

“Profit that comes from wisdom is better than silver and even the finest gold. 15 Wisdom is worth more than fine jewels. Nothing you desire has more value. 16 With her right hand, Wisdom offers long life—with the other hand, riches and honor.” Proverbs 3:14-16 ERV

I’m sure you have noticed that there are 30 chapters in the book of Proverbs, one for each day of most months. What if we were to go on a daily treasure hunt? I know it would require time, just like it required a commitment of our time to travel to those auctions. Do you think if would be profitable for us to search out the treasure in each chapter? There is so much that we can glean from the practical teachings of this book.

One thing that Solomon teaches us is to trust God’s wisdom and not our own. We’re not to “lean on our own understanding”. This is probably one of the most difficult things for me to consistently follow. I’m constantly coming up with one “bright idea” after another and I have certainly had my fair share of failures. But those things that I have truly sought the Lord on and followed His wise plan have succeeded.

This is one of the gold nuggets that I found hidden in the book of Proverbs.

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 AMP

In the natural way of thinking it wasn’t good military strategy to have a nation of people march around a city for 7 days and then shout and blow on trumpets but that was God’s plan for taking the city of Jericho. Joshua followed it and defeated his enemy. Going after a giant with a sling shot and 5 smooth stones wasn’t King Saul’s plan but it was God’s, so when David was obedient success followed.

A widow woman had the plan to take her last bit of meal and oil, make a cake for her and her son and then they were going to starve. There was no other food and her countrymen had been dying all around her. It wasn’t her plan to make the cake and give to God’s prophet first but that’s what she did and with God’s plan in place the woman and her son never ran out of meal and oil during the famine.

We need to trust and follow His instruction. God will give us creative ideas if we ask Him.

“Learning respect for the Lord is good. It will last forever. The Lord’s judgments are right. They are completely fair. 10 His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb. 11 His teachings warn his servants, and good things come to those who obey them.” Psalm 19:9-11 ERV

So get out your metal detectors, your gold panning equipment and your treasure map. Dig into God’s word. Happy prospecting!

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Keep It Sweet

When our oldest daughter was in kindergarten, the alphabet circled the room. Each letter of the alphabet had a scripture verse to learn with it. Each verse started with a different letter of the alphabet and all these years later I still remember the verse for the letter “D”.

“14 Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Philippians 2:14

Do ALL things without complaining…Really God, ALL things! Yes, all things. Because as the verse goes on to say we will then be a light in the dark world. If we, who believe in Christ Jesus, and have received His wonderful gift of sonship go about complaining all the time, what will set us apart from the world? How will they know that there is victory and hope if our lives don’t reflect that Christ is living in us.

“15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world,” Philippians 2:15

It’s so easy to complain about our kids, our mates, our jobs, our health, our finances, the politicians, the weather, etc., but we must resist that temptation and live in what God called us to do.

Paul, who wrote this verse while he was in prison, had been beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, and run out of nearly every town he preached in but he didn’t complain. In fact, he would sing and praise God in the midst of his adversities. He called them “light afflictions”.

When we start to complain about having to pick up after the kids again – remember those who have no children and would dearly love to clean up a mess. Those without a job…those who have lost a mate to death or unwanted divorce…those battling serious health issues…those who live in a country where you are imprisoned for speaking out against the gov’t or even shot in the streets.

King Solomon wrote in Proverbs that having a joyful heart, a heart that is void of complaining, was like having a good medicine.

“Happiness is good medicine, but sorrow is a disease.” Proverbs 17:23 ERV

There was a Disney movie in the late 1950’s called Pollyanna. Pollyanna always had something good to say no matter  how bad the situation was. She brought gladness to the most sullen souls in town. Her attitude helped people see past their disappointments and brought them healing from their pain.

“Your words can be as satisfying as fruit, as pleasing as the food that fills your stomach. 21 The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings.” Proverbs 18:20-21 ERV

When we speak words of life, words without complaining we are a testament to God’s power in our lives. We have so much to be thankful for – to do all things without murmuring or complaining (old English terms)! And rejoice in the Lord always because He is the one who can and will cause us to be victorious.

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Sign Here!

We’ve all done it – you know, ordered those items on line and then waited for the delivery source to bring them to your door. You know the waiting, you hear the truck arrive, the back door rolls up and here comes the delivery man up the front walk. They present you with the package and sometimes you even have to sign for it.

Is it everything you expected? It isn’t broken, is it? It’s what you paid for and it’s yours!

Now consider this. You are going about your own business, maybe doing the laundry, cleaning or working out in the yard. You hear the delivery truck stop in front of your house. The driver opens the back of the truck, brings out a package and starts up your walk. You don’t remember ordering anything, maybe your husband did. What could it be? On the side of the box you see the “gift” tag. Now you’re intrigued.

The driver tells you that this box has a signature required and you must sign before he can leave it. You don’t recognize the store or the return address. It’s addressed to you…but from whom. Now let’s see what you do next. Do you go inside, put the box on a chair or table and just stare at it or do you open it, excited to see what’s inside and hopefully find out who sent it?

You open it, right? It’s the most beautiful gift you’ve ever seen! How could they know that it’s exactly what you wanted. You’ve never had anyone give you such an expensive gift. Oh my goodness!! You’re overcome with emotion. Tears stream down your face, words can’t express the gratitude. You are overwhelmed and now you pick up the phone and call the giver of this precious gift and say, “I’m sorry I can’t receive this. I don’t deserve it and I’ll be sending it back.” Really? No, not at all. You call and express your gratitude and love, or at least that’s what I would do.

Do you know that this is exactly what has been done for us by God? Let me show you.

“But God had so much loving-kindness. He loved us with such a great love. 5 Even when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving-favor. 6 God raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the heavens. 7 He did this to show us through all the time to come the great riches of His loving-favor. He has shown us His kindness through Christ Jesus.

8 For by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. 9 It is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud. 10 We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this.” Ephesians 2:4-10

God’s great grace, loving-kindness, gave us something we didn’t deserve. Something we won’t ever earn, something we will never be able to pay for. It’s a gift! It’s a gift of love that comes straight from the Father’s heart. The gift is new life, a relationship with God the Father, saved from the punishment of sin. Jesus took the punishment for us! Why? To show us through all the time to come that He loves us.

The most amazing gift was given freely to us, but it cost Jesus his all! Our part in receiving this wonderful gift –  just accept it.

“All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ. 25-26 God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people’s sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:23-26 ERV

By this devotional I have delivered the gift. I can only hope that if this is the first time a delivery attempt has been made that you will take it. Say “thank you Father for this wonderful and precious gift. I receive it.”

Sign here!

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Victory Over Fear

Our news is filled with it again – wanton destruction of life! The non-understandable, the devastating and the heart wrenching!

There is only one way to truly get through situations like this and that is to trust in God. King David knew what it was like to live in a constant battle while King Saul pursued him with a vengeance. His life was threatened at every turn and this was his resolve.

“Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me. 5 You are making a table of food ready for me in front of those who hate me. You have poured oil on my head. I have everything I need.” Psalm 23:4-5 NLV

David knew that the job of a shepherd was to lead, protect and provide for his sheep. He made a very definitive statement at the beginning of this Psalm – The Lord is my shepherd. I will have everything I need.

In other words, God can be trusted. We cannot always see what He is doing for us but we can trust! Look at these words from Psalm 91.

“He will cover you with His wings. And under His wings you will be safe. He is faithful like a safe-covering and a strong wall.

5 You will not be afraid of trouble at night, or of the arrow that flies by day. 6 You will not be afraid of the sickness that walks in darkness, or of the trouble that destroys at noon. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand. But it will not come near you. 8 You will only look on with your eyes, and see how the sinful are punished. 9 Because you have made the Lord your safe place, and the Most High the place where you live, 10 nothing will hurt you. No trouble will come near your tent.

11 For He will tell His angels to care for you and keep you in all your ways. 12 They will hold you up in their hands. So your foot will not hit against a stone. 13 You will walk upon the lion and the snake. You will crush under your feet the young lion and the snake.

14 Because he has loved Me, I will bring him out of trouble. I will set him in a safe place on high, because he has known My name.” Psalm 91:4-14 NLV

God will keep us safe in troubled situations. He will bring us through. When fear comes we need to look to the One who is our protector and defender and trust!

“I can lie down to rest and know that I will wake up, because the Lord covers and protects me. 6 So I will not be afraid of my enemies, even if thousands of them surround me. “ Psalms 3:5-6 ERV

“I praise the Word of God. I praise the Word of the Lord. 11 In God I have put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 I am under an agreement with You, O God. I will give You gifts of thanks.” Psalm 56:10-12 NLV

“See, God saves me. I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord God is my strength and song. And He has become the One Who saves me.” Isaiah 12:2 NLV

“Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will give you strength, and for sure I will help you. Yes, I will hold you up with My right hand that is right and good.” Isaiah 41:10 NLV

The one thing we know about God is He cannot lie. So when He puts it in his word once that is sufficient but when He repeats something time and again it’s for our reassurance. He is trust worthy.

The night Jesus was betrayed he met with his apostles for the Passover meal and while there he started His last message to them in this way.

“Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me.” John 14:1 CEV

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew Judas had committed to betrayal, he knew Peter would deny him, he knew all the disciples would flee. He was warning them of what was ahead. His words should be ringing in our ears today – Don’t worry, don’t be afraid, trust me!

Fear is the absence of faith. Faith is confidence in God’s word and His strength. Don’t let fear win!

“Be strong and have strength of heart. Do not be afraid or shake with fear because of them. For the Lord your God is the One Who goes with you. He will be faithful to you. He will not leave you alone.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NLV

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Things Are Going to Pop!

Since early yesterday afternoon we have been blessed with a gentle rain. Just exactly what this country needs!

The Spring rains moisten the soil and bring everything back to life. This desert is going to start to pop with color. It’s a beautiful sight. I just love it! But what I love even more is the growth that I see when the Word of God begins to pop with color in my life. I know I’m growing when that happens.

You know that when you face a situation or a circumstance that was a real struggle for you before and this time you “just happen” to remember a verse that you read or you stop to pray when you didn’t before – that’s growth!

Jesus told this story to his disciples.

“3 Then Jesus said to the followers, “Do you understand this story? If you don’t, how will you understand any story? 14 The farmer is like someone who plants God’s teaching in people. 15 Sometimes the teaching falls on the path. That is like some people who hear the teaching of God. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.

16 “Other people are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching, and they quickly and gladly accept it. 17 But they don’t allow it to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.

18 “Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching, 19 but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop[a] in their lives.

20 “And others are like the seed planted on the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce a good crop—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.” Mark 4:13-20 ERV

I really enjoy getting my garden ready each Spring. It isn’t a big garden at all, only about 4’x12’ but it’s a healthy garden with peppers, tomatoes and flowers. Yes, I mix them all together. Flowers in the back and veggies in the front. Then I have my flower pots and cactus garden that welcome in the bees and the hummingbirds. It’s so much fun to watch the vegetable plants flower because that means there will be fruit. Patience is required. And then we enjoy the harvest as I make salsa.

God’s word is seed that we can plant in our hearts and it will bring in a harvest of His blessings! It is my hope and my desire that as we have covered some of these promises that God has made to us, you have taken them and planted them so they can begin to grow. There is no instant growth. You have to be patient, protect the plants when they are young, water them with prayer, wait for them to flower and produce fruit. Aw, but it is so rewarding! Worry leaves, it’s been pulled out like a weed and peace comes. Condemning thoughts are removed and confidence in God’s love grows tall. Sorrow withers and dies and the vine of joy climbs higher and higher blossoming as it grows.

That’s what this Christian life is all about – growing!

“Since the day we heard these things about you, we have continued praying for you. This is what we pray:

that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need; 10 that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God; 11 that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come.

Then you will be happy 12 and give thanks to the Father. He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light. 13 God made us free from the power of darkness. And he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” Colossians 1:9-13 ERV

You see, God has made everything he has promised available to you. He wants your life to produce good things. There are some verses from the Old Testament that I want to share with you in closing today. This is a list of promises that Moses was giving to the Israelites right before they went into their promised land. God had a list of blessings for them and God has also made those blessings available to us.

“1-2 Today I am giving you the laws and teachings of the Lord your God. Always obey them, and the Lord will make Israel the most famous and important nation on earth, and he will bless you in many ways.

3 The Lord will make your businesses and your farms successful. 4 You will have many children. You will harvest large crops, and your herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats will produce many young. 5 You will have plenty of breadto eat. 6 The Lord will make you successful in your daily work. 7 The Lord will help you defeat your enemies and make them scatter in all directions. 8 The Lord your God is giving you the land, and he will make sure you are successful in everything you do. Your harvests will be so large that your storehouses will be full.

9 If you follow and obey the Lord, he will make you his own special people, just as he promised. 10 Then everyone on earth will know that you belong to the Lord, and they will be afraid of you. 11 The Lord will give you a lot of children and make sure that your animals give birth to many young. The Lord promised your ancestors that this land would be yours, and he will make it produce large crops for you.

12 The Lord will open the storehouses of the skies where he keeps the rain, and he will send rain on your land at just the right times. He will make you successful in everything you do. You will have plenty of money to lend to other nations, but you won’t need to borrow any yourself.

13 Obey the laws and teachings that I’m giving you today, and the Lord your God will make Israel a leader among the nations, and not a follower. Israel will be wealthy and powerful, not poor and weak. 14 But you must not reject any of his laws and teachings or worship other gods.” Deuteronomy 28:1-14 CEV

As I said at the beginning, the rain is falling, the seeds are planted and blessings are beginning to pop! Thank God for the harvest.

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The Eternal Love of God

Have you ever had a hard time believing that you are loved? I have!

If that’s where you are today or where you have been I want to share some verses on God’s love with you. I know I have shared some of these before but we can never have too much love. Agree?

“Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 ERV

Do you see that – NOTHING! Nothing now or in the future can separate us from the God’s love. Absolutely nothing.

“We were weak and could not help ourselves. Then Christ came at the right time and gave His life for all sinners. 7 No one is willing to die for another person, but for a good man someone might be willing to die. 8 But God showed His love to us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8 NLV

You might think that the things in your past or even in your present make you unlovable but God sees more than our actions and our failures and He sees someone He loves. He has loved us at our worst and He loves us just the same at our best. His love is unconditional!

“Love does not give up. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not put itself up as being important. Love has no pride. 5 Love does not do the wrong thing. Love never thinks of itself. Love does not get angry. Love does not remember the suffering that comes from being hurt by someone. 6 Love is not happy with sin. Love is happy with the truth. 7 Love takes everything that comes without giving up. Love believes all things. Love hopes for all things. Love keeps on in all things.

8 Love never comes to an end.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 NLV

Love was and still is God’s plan. It’s who He is. Love isn’t a emotion that comes and goes. Love isn’t goose bumps and tingles. Love is God!

“The person who tells of Him in front of men and says that Jesus is the Son of God, God is living in that one and that one is living by the help of God. 16 We have come to know and believe the love God has for us. God is love. If you live in love, you live by the help of God and God lives in you.” I John 4:15-16 NLV

God desires to always be here for us, providing us with comfort and encouragement, He gives us hope. He isn’t out to condemn us!

“Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loves us. Through His loving-favor He gives us comfort and hope that lasts forever. 17 May He give your hearts comfort and strength to say and do every good thing.” II Thessalonians 2:16-17 NLV

When we accept His wonderful gift, Jesus Christ, as our Savior we receive a new life free of condemnation. We’ve talked about this in days past God chooses to forget our sins and put them as far as the east is from the west. We are forgiven.

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. 2 That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 ERV

It is impossible to pen the words that can adequately express the love that God has for us. It is written in every book of the Bible – in fact, the Bible is God’s love letter to us. So I will end with a prayer that Apostle Paul recorded – it was his prayer us and it is my prayer for you.

“I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.

20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. “ Ephesians 3:17-20 ERV

God loves you and so do I!

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In a Nutshell

I know I’ve told you this before but it bares repeating. When our kids were little we didn’t have a lot of “rules” for them to follow. Just one, be obedient. That summed it all up “in a nutshell”.

It’s hard to remember a whole list of things isn’t it? It’s nice when things are simple and concise. That’s what I love about God’s word.

A Pharisee came to Jesus one day and was going to try and trip Him up on biblical teachings.

“The Pharisees learned that Jesus had made the Sadducees look so foolish that they stopped trying to argue with him. So the Pharisees had a meeting. 35 Then one of them, an expert in the Law of Moses, asked Jesus a question to test him. 36 He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”

37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 40 All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” Matthew 22:34-30 ERV

Did you see what Jesus said? ALL the law and writings of the prophets can be summed up in these two commands. Doesn’t get much simpler than that – Love God and Love People! We just have to be obedient. That’s the teaching of the Bible “in a nutshell”.

Years ago I heard a story and I’m not sure if it’s true or just an illustration but no matter, it certainly brings home the point of love.

A businessman and his associates were waiting in an airport to board their plane and head home after attending a week long conference. The men were in one of the small cafes when they heard the boarding call. They quickly paid their tabs and hurried out into the corridor heading for their gate.

In their rush they overturned the table of a young woman who was selling apples to the travelers. The men rushed on without looking back, all but one. When the one man looked back he saw the damage that they had done and the young woman who had been selling the apples was in tears. He left his traveling partners and returned to the assist the young woman they had so rudely upended.

He set up the table, centered the basket on it and then began collecting the apples that had fallen to the floor. It was then that he realized the young woman was blind. He apologized for their rude behavior and offered to pay for all her apples knowing that no one would want to buy them now. He placed enough money in her hands to pay for 3 or 4 baskets of apples, made another apology and was walking away when he heard her call out to him.

“Mister, do you know Jesus? You’ve been so kind…it’s just like what I think Jesus would do.”

There have been many times when I have been in situations that require me to stop what I’m doing to care for others and I have a couple of choices, ignore the situation, get frustrated by the inconvenience or serve out of genuine love. I haven’t always acted like Jesus but I’m working on it.

The great thing about God is that He always gives us enough love for every situation. We never run out, it never comes to an end.

“Treat others just as you want to be treated. 32 If you love only someone who loves you, will God praise you for that? Even sinners love people who love them. 33 If you are kind only to someone who is kind to you, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners are kind to people who are kind to them. 34 If you lend money only to someone you think will pay you back, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners lend to sinners because they think they will get it all back.

35 But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel. 36 Have pity on others, just as your Father has pity on you.

37 Jesus said: Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you. 38 If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.” Luke 6:31-38 CEV

So, to sum it all up “in a nutshell” if we love God with all our being He fills our hearts with His love and we can then love others, no matter how unlovable they may seem.

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Sit – Stand – Walk – Jump – Run

Good Morning – Time for some aerobics to start your day!

Does that sound like fun? This morning we are going to exercise and the Scriptures are going to be our instruction. So let’s get started…

“Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too.” I Timothy 4:8 ERV

Our first exercise is sitting. Yes, it’s an exercise. Back straight, feet on the floor. Deep breath in, now exhale. And repeat. It’s important to have your lungs filled with oxygen, good posture, no slumping, shoulders back and open up that rib cage. Take a look at how profitable sitting was for these two men.

“As they went away from the city of Jericho, many people followed Him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. They called out when they heard that Jesus was going by. They said, “Lord, take pity on us, Son of David!” 31 Many people spoke sharp words to them. They told the blind men not to call out. But they called all the more, “Lord! Take pity on us, Son of David!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. He asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 The blind men said to Jesus, “Lord, we want our eyes opened! 34 Jesus had loving-pity on them and put His hands on their eyes. At once they could see, and they followed Jesus.” Matthew 20:29-34 NLV

Sitting is important. Sitting in the right place is even more important. These aren’t the only ones who experienced miracles by sitting close to Jesus. The multitude on the hillside who came to hear Jesus teach had to sit down before they were fed by the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Mary sat at Jesus feet listening to his words and Jesus said it was a good thing.

After sitting it’s important that we stand. Standing is a strength building exercise.

“God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers 17 and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. 18 I pray that you and all of God’s people will understand what is called wide or long or high or deep. 19 I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.” Ephesians 3:16-19 CEV

When we stand we develop stamina, strength and a firm foundation. Strength! I can hear our instructor telling us – feet apart, backs straight, knees slightly bent – stand!

We’re halfway through this workout – next let’s get those arms pumping, knees raised high as we walk! Walk it out.

“As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. (walk) 7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.” Colossians 2:6-7 NLV

This is true strength training. Do you see that in each of these verses?

Now on to jumping. It’s important that we avoid jumping! I hear some of you cheering at that. No jumping. Most of us jump more than we think – we jump to wrong conclusions and sometimes we repeated through out the day. No jumping!

“They will not be afraid of bad news. They are confident because they trust in the Lord. 8 They remain confident and without fear, so they defeat their enemies.” Psalms 112:7-8 CEV

Finally it’s time to get in our morning run. If you’re like me running was never my way of exercising but done God’s way I will be obedient and run.

“I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. 13 My friends, I don’t feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. 14 I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. 15 All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you.” Philippians 3:12-15 CEV

Don’t give up – don’t quit – keep running and you’ll be rewarded.

Are you ready for the cool-down? I am. Take a deep breathe, arms raised toward heaven.

“Be quiet and know that I am God. I will be honored among the nations. I will be honored in the earth.” Psalms 46:10 NLV

Great job! Now go out into your day knowing that you have the spiritual strength you need.

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Every Day Is Valentine’s Day

Do you remember when we were kids and we took a shoe box, covered it with construction paper and then cut out hearts and glued them to the box? I know it was a long time ago. I’m not even sure the kids today still do this but it was exciting. Getting ready for the Valentine exchange at school almost left you breathless.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had that childlike expectation each day now that we are adults? Looking forward to each day, waiting to see who is going to give us a Valentine, a special expression of love.

Perhaps you remember getting that box of 36 Valentines, searching through to find the one that you wanted to give to that special someone in your class. Now don’t be coy – you know there was always one special person and one special Valentine that you were anxious to give. There was also that hope of receiving a special card in your box.

Each morning I take time to tell the Lord how much I love Him! I start the day by saying, “I love you Father, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit.” I want those to be the first words out of my mouth. It sets my day! And then as I sit quietly I can hear “I love you too.” Sometimes I read it on the pages of my Bible and sometimes it’s that still small voice that I hear but all the same it’s God saying he loves me.

“I remember well all my troubles, and I am very sad. 21 But then I think about this, and I have hope: 22 We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him. He is good to those who look for him.” Lamentations 3:20-25 ERV

Getting up each day expecting to experience God’s love gives life purpose and hope. We are to look for the ways that He shows His love. It can be a call from a friend; perhaps it’s a child giving us a hug or a kind word from a stranger. It could be an unexpected gift arrives in the mail or maybe it’s a beautiful sunrise or less traffic on the roads for the morning commute. All of these are little ways that God shows His love for us.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

The Lord loves to give gifts to His kids. He is the ultimate giver!

“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Look around you – what good do you see? There’s food in the refrigerator, a roof over your head, electricity in your home, clothes in your closet, there are people who love you, a computer or smart phone on your lap or in your hand. So many things, good things, that God has blessed you with and best gift of all, Jesus!

Before I close this morning I want to give you a Valentine from the Father, this whole devotional thought is a Valentine from Him, but this one in particular.

“Love does not give up. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not put itself up as being important. Love has no pride. 5 Love does not do the wrong thing. Love never thinks of itself. Love does not get angry. Love does not remember the suffering that comes from being hurt by someone. 6 Love is not happy with sin. Love is happy with the truth. 7 Love takes everything that comes without giving up. Love believes all things. Love hopes for all things. Love keeps on in all things. 8 Love never comes to an end.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 NLV

So there you have it – your Valentine card. You can substitute the name God/Jesus for the word love and it will be just as true. God is love and this is how He loves us.

His love never comes to an end, it’s new every morning!

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Nobody Knows…

Have you ever had one of those pity party days when all you wanted to do was feel sorry for yourself?

It’s a very small guest list; me, myself and I. But before long others start showing up; resentment and hurt feelings come in together, self-pity and depression found their way in and loneliness and anger seem to tag along. Then the band begins to play – it’s a Blues Band. Top 10 on their hit parade are “Ain’t No Sunshine When You’re Gone, Tears of a Clown, Thank God and Greyhound You’re Gone, You’re Cheatin’ Heart and even this oldie but goodie, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen. Now for the refreshments there’s tears of sadness pouring from the punch bowl and bitterness cake fresh out of the oven of regret.

I hope you’re smiling right now. Done like this it does sound kind of silly but in reality most of us have been there at one time or other. The hurt and loneliness are very real and we truly do feel like no one else knows what I’m going through.

“17 He (Jesus) had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. 18 And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.” Hebrews 2:17-18 CEV

I try not to get to technical in these morning devotionals but this verse above uses an Old English word in the King James version of the Bible. The word is succor. It has been substituted in more contemporary versions with the word help. According to the Cambridge English dictionary it means “give assistance or aid to.

synonyms: help, aid, bring aid to, give/render assistance to, assist, lend a (helping) hand to;

minister to, care for, comfort, bring relief to, support, take care of, look after, attend to

“the prisoners were succored”

Jesus came to earth to experience life the way we experience it. He faced rejection from his family; problems at work; he knew hunger and exhaustion; he was tempted by power and revenge; he experienced heartache and loss but He came through it all without sin. The reason, so that he could strengthen us in our times of greatest weakness.

“We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16 ERV

I can honestly say that since I have begun to apply these verses to my life I have rarely had a “down” or depressed day. These verses have been my strength, my support and my emotional anchor.

Realizing that Jesus went through all he did to be my strength is an amazing thought. He chose to experience the hurt and the heartache, the rejection, the temptations so that He could run to my aid and bring me relief. He came to be my help and my deliverance!

Time to break up this party – send home the guests and throw the refreshments out!

However, a new party has been planned. New guests to invite – joy, peace, forgiveness, love, gentleness, kindness. And the music – heavenly! Location – the court of the king!

“Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him. Enter his courtyards with songs of praise. Honor him and bless his name.
5 The Lord is good! There is no end to his faithful love. We can trust him forever and ever!” Psalm 100:4-5 ERV

Let’s get this party started!

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