Blessings | Kristi's Morning Devotional

September 26, 2018September 26, 2018

Tradition – Tradition

I love musicals! When I was a young girl we went from Yuma to Phoenix to see Sound of Music on the big screen. It was amazing!

I became enamored with Rogers and Hammerstein’s productions; Oklahoma, Cinderella, State Fair, Carousel, South Pacific. Stories told with music were wonderful.

They still are!

But the one I remember most was when we went again to Phoenix/Mesa area and saw Fiddler on the Roof! Awww. I laughed, I cried and I had the time of my life.

Tradition, Tradition!

Traditions are important. They come from a place of family history. Traditions either mark great trumpets or they can come out of tremendous hardship.

The Jewish holidays were established to commemorate monumental things that God did for the nation of Israel. We celebrate communion as a remembrance of the Lord’s sacrifice for us.

Tradition, very meaningful tradition.

What do we pass down from generation to generation? What family stories are forefront; which recipes; which photographs or printed articles?

My mother’s mind is still pretty sharp and it’s fun to sit and talk with her about her childhood and what she remembers hearing from her parents and grandparents.

Now, what do my children and grandchildren want to learn from me? What stories are they interested in?

It’s important to me that they know how good God is and how many times I would have been overtaken by despair and discouragement if my Father God had not been my source of strength!

When there was no one else to depend on, when hope was all but gone, when situations looked disastrous He was there! When things were good and grand, when blessings were obvious, when I felt strong and at ease He was there! Times of health and healing, prosperity and lack, courage and disappointment, joy and heartbreak, purposeful direction and aimless wandering – through all He was and still is there!

“I will praise you, my God and King, and always honor your name. 2 I will praise you each day and always honor your name. 3 You are wonderful, Lord, and you deserve all praise, because you are much greater than anyone can understand. 4 Each generation will announce to the next your wonderful and powerful deeds.

5 I will keep thinking about your marvelous glory and your mighty miracles. 6 Everyone will talk about your fearsome deeds,
and I will tell all nations how great you are. 7 They will celebrate and sing about your matchless mercy and your power to save.

8 You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving. 9 You are good to everyone, and you take care of all your creation. 10 All creation will thank you, and your loyal people
will praise you. 11 They will tell about your marvelous kingdom
and your power. 12 Then everyone will know about the mighty things you do and your glorious kingdom.

13 Your kingdom will never end, and you will rule forever. Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say. 14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand. 15 Everyone depends on you, and when the time is right, you provide them with food. 16 By your own hand you satisfy the desires of all who live.

17 Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere. 19 You satisfy the desires of all your worshipers, and you come to save them when they ask for help. 20 You take care of everyone who loves you, but you destroy the wicked.

21 I will praise you, Lord, and everyone will respect
your holy name forever.” Psalm 145 CEV

It’s never too late to start a tradition. Ask the Lord to show you how and when to have special times of remembrance, and let those in your world see that God is good!

August 26, 2018

True Friendship

We’re just returning home after spending several weeks in Idaho. We have wonderful friends there and it was so great to see them. You know, they are the kind of friends that you don’t see for years and still have that wonderful heart bond with.

When we lived in the Northwest we had that same yearning for our friends in the desert. Now we get to see those dear ones more often and it warms our hearts with each visit.

This morning the house is quiet and I began to think of dear friends, far and near, and as I was praying for them by name I heard myself tell the Lord “I would do anything I could to help them”.

And then the Lord reminded me of this story.

“A few days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum. The news spread that he was back home. ²A large crowd gathered to hear him speak. The house was so full that there was no place to stand, not even outside the door. While Jesus was teaching, ³some people brought a paralyzed man to see him. He was being carried by four of them. ⁴But they could not get the man inside to Jesus because the house was so full of people. So they went to the roof above Jesus and made a hole in it. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. ⁵When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Jesus did, and they said to themselves, ⁷“Why does this man say things like that? What an insult to God! No one but God can forgive sins.”

⁸Jesus knew immediately what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why do you have these questions in your minds? ^9-10The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say to the crippled man, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’? Then you will be able to see if I really have this power or not.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹“I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home.”

¹²Immediately the paralyzed man stood up. He picked up his mat and walked out of the room. Everyone could see him. They were amazed and praised God. They said, “This is the most amazing thing we have ever seen!” Mark 2:1-12 ERV

Here were four men who heard about Jesus reputation to heal. They had a friend who was paralyzed. They put him on a bed and carried him through the streets of town to the house where Jesus was teaching.

When they got there they couldn’t get in. There were too many people so they went up the stairs to the roof top. They began to dismantle the roof! Seriously! I’m sure that the owner of the house valued his roof as much as I do mine. These men were determined – their friend needed help. He needed Jesus!

They worked until there was a hole in the roof large enough to lower the man to Jesus. Imagine for just a minute what it was like to be inside the house and hear the commotion on the roof. There were particles falling and hitting people but we can only assume that Jesus kept on teaching.

I always ask questions, you know that. Did the paralyzed man object when his friends carried him out into the streets? Did he ask to go home? The Scripture tells us that Jesus “saw” how much faith they had. The friends and the man all had to have faith in Jesus to go to so much trouble.

There are so many ways we can help our friends. We can provide physical strength, financial help, emotional support and prayer support. The best thing we can do to help our friends is bring them to the One with all the answers. Sometimes we just need to “carry” them to Jesus.

Jesus not only met the man’s physical need but He forgave his sins. Jesus is still doing both of those today.

“A man who has friends must be a friend, but there is a friend who stays nearer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 NLV

True friendship.

First we take them to Jesus, either in our prayers or through a Scripture verse or spoken word of encouragement. Then we lend a helping hand and lighten the load.

Thanks to all the friends that have done both for me. I love you dearly and consider you a gift from God!

August 17, 2018

Wonderful Works of God

Yesterday after telling you about our travels and the roads we take I began to reflect on the beautiful scenery we have seen over the years.

There is a single verse in the Psalm 40 that I want us to look at this morning.

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them, they are too many to be numbered.” Psalm 40:5 NKJV

Look at this phrase “many are the wonderful works which You have done”. Think about that for a moment – what WONDERFUL works do you see that He has done? Was it last night’s sunset or this morning’s sunrise? Was it the love and compassion you felt for a stranger who was in need? Or was it the unpretentious love and acceptance of a child? What did you experience just yesterday that you could see was a wonderful work of God in your life?

As I said, I spent time reflecting on the beauty we see on each of our travels, some of the sun rises and mountain ranges are breath taking. To me, they are an example of God’s greatness.

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8 NJKV

“He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.” Psalm 111:4 NJKV

“O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” Isaiah 25:1 NKJV

God is always reaching out to show off for us. He has given us the beauty of creation to display His power and also given us the miracles of life to reveal His character.

I like the verses above because they move our focus from God’s creation to His character. God says His counsellors are faithfulness and truth. The things that are “wonder-full” are the things that have the character of God woven through them; faithfulness, truth, love, forgiveness, peace, gentleness, patience, joy.

As surely as the sun shines each day and the tides roll in at their appointed times God’s love reaches out to us. Each day the faithfulness of God can be seen in the way a hawk soars above and the fish thrive in the waters beneath. The course of nature allows them to break the hold of gravity and the fish to extract oxygen from the water in ways we can’t. It’s been happening that way since the beginning of creation. That’s faithfulness!

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. ²³Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal!” Lamentations 3:22-23 ERV

The daily miracles we experience are constant reminders that He is there and He loves us. As we grow confident in the love that God has for us we begin to reflect His character in the same way that the moon reflects the light of the sun. The moon has no light of its own but it does shine brightly in the night.

As we reflect the Father’s love and His wonderful works, we will begin to shine brightly and bring the joy to others.

July 31, 2018

Summer is Time to Grow

Dave and I spent 13 hours in the truck driving from Arizona to Nevada. We enjoyed our travel time – we talked, looked at the scenery, talked some more and filled our day with the beauty of God’s creation.

I loved driving through the ranch country. We didn’t see a lot of cattle grazing but the alfalfa fields were filled with big square green bales. The thing I did miss seeing were the fruit trees. I guess the area we were in isn’t known for it’s fruit. But I always love how the spring rains prompt the blossom of the peach, apple, pear, cherry and apricot trees which lead to a full and bountiful end-of-summer harvest.

Summer is good for that – producing a harvest. I feel like I am going through, and growing in, a harvest season of my own. God is working in me, changing me, giving me strength and peace. I can see fruit developing and maturing.

There is a single verse in the Psalm 40 that I want us to look at this morning.

“You, Lord God, have done many wonderful things, and you have planned marvelous things for us. No one is like you! I would never be able to tell all you have done.” Psalm 40:5 NKJV

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8 NJKV

“He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.” Psalm 111:4 NJKV

“O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” Isaiah 25:1 NKJV

I like the verse above – God’s counsellors are faithfulness and truth. The things that are wonder – full are the things that have the character of God woven through them. Things like faithfulness, truth, love, forgiveness, peace, gentleness, patience, joy. When God’s love fills us, we begin to produce fruit.

In nature a fruit tree produces fruit for the kind of tree it is. Apples – apples, oranges – oranges, bananas – bananas and so on – you know what I’m saying. When we grow in Christ we will begin to produce fruit that is consistent with the vine we are growing on – we will begin to produce godly character.

As we examine our lives we should see godly fruit is growing. The Father is wanting us to share the fruit that grows in our lives with others. He is wanting to use us to do wonderful things in the lives of those around us.

“Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. ⁸When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. ⁹I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. ” John 15:7-9 CEV

I pray that this summer we all produce a bumper crop! May God bless you with an abundant harvest.

July 25, 2018

Get Up – Get Going

Today is a day of victory!! Yes, victory. I awoke this morning with an old praise and worship song going through my head and my heart.

I will arise and go forth
In the name of the Lord of hosts,
For He has conquered every foe
By His name, by His name.
I will declare He is the Lord.
I will trust and not be afraid,
I will arise and go forth by His name. By Daisy Essery

After singing it over and over, I went to Bible Gateway and looked up the words “arise go” and there are a lot of them. Didn’t find the actual words for the song above but I did find over and over where it was spoken, “arise and go”.

Getting up requires action. You don’t just get up to stand and not move. Today is your day to get up and move.

We used to watch the program Amazing Race. Each day they had to get up and get going to the next destination. Some of the contestants spent a lot of time whining, blaming their traveling partner and others in the race for their failure. I know it made for good viewing but it didn’t bring them success.

The prodigal son said “I will arise and go to my father’s house”; Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Arise take up your bed and walk and go to your house”; he also told the leper “Arise and go thy way, thy faith has made thee whole”.

The Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus when the Lord spoke from heaven and told him to “Arise and go into the city”. The angel told Joseph to “Arise and go to Egypt” with Mary and the young child Jesus to keep him from being killed by Herod.

This morning I want us to look at a story of victory, “Arise and Go”, from the Old Testament. Let me put the story in context. There is a famine in the land. The Syrian army is in full siege against the Israelites. The Israelites are hold up in the city and things are so bad they are eating animal dung and even their own children. There are four lepers outside the city wall and they are starving to death.

“About the same time, four men with leprosy were just outside the gate of Samaria. They said to each other, “Why should we sit here, waiting to die?There’s nothing to eat in the city, so we would starve if we went inside. But if we stay out here, we will die for sure. Let’s sneak over to the Syrian army camp and surrender. They might kill us, but they might not.” ^5-8That evening the four men got up and left for the Syrian camp.

As they walked toward the camp, the Lord caused the Syrian troops to hear what sounded like the roar of a huge cavalry. The soldiers said to each other, “Listen! The king of Israel must have hired Hittite and Egyptian troops to attack us. Let’s get out of here!” So they ran out of their camp that night, leaving their tents and horses and donkeys.

When the four men with leprosy reached the edge of the Syrian camp, no one was there. They walked into one of the tents, where they ate and drank, before carrying off clothes, as well as silver and gold. They hid all this, then walked into another tent; they took what they wanted and hid it too. ⁹They said to each other, “This isn’t right. Today is a day to celebrate, and we haven’t told anyone else what has happened.

If we wait until morning, we will be punished. Let’s go to the king’s palace right now and tell the good news.” II Kings 7:3-9 CEV

Notice the thought process of the lepers. If we sit here we will die so they “got up and left” to the Syrian camp. And when they did, God not only provided for them but He provided deliverance for all the Israelites and destroyed their enemy.

When we arise and go forth, we are moving in the right direction. We can trust the Lord to direct our paths and to secure our outcome. We mustn’t become complacent and sit where we are until we die.

Get up, Get going – go forth in His name and He provides the victory. It’s an Amazing Race.

Blessings!

July 24, 2018

A Refreshing Glass of Cold Water

Here in the desert it is hot! I mean really hot, 116 degrees hot!!

Nothing cuts your thirst on one of these extremely hot days like a cold glass of water. Nothing!

So when the Bible talks to us about being rewarded for giving a cup of water to someone I know how valuable a gesture like that can be!

Today I want to talk to you about little kindnesses like these. In the Bible we see time and again where the Scriptures say “He was moved with compassion” or “His loving kindness”.

Loving-kindness in action is when the waitress brings us the wrong meal and we don’t go off on her but instead we are kind in our words and sincere in our appreciation for her hard work.

It’s when we show patience at the grocery store with the cashier when she has just been cussed out by the client before. Or when our child hasn’t cleaned up the yard or taken out the trash like we’ve told them and we find out they were wounded by a friend or embarrassed by a teacher and they were just too distracted to get it done.

All of these are practical examples of loving kindness. Recently I had two people tell me how much what I had done for them meant to them. Truthfully, I really didn’t feel I had done anything special – nothing big, nothing grand. I had just come along side when they were feeling overwhelmed and helped out. No biggee…but it was to them.

Jesus says giving cups of water is something that will be rewarded!

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet, just because that person is a prophet, will be given the same reward as a prophet. Anyone who welcomes a good person, just because that person is good, will be given the same reward as a good person. 42 And anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will surely be rewarded.” Matthew 10:40-42 CEV

Now I know some will look at these verses and focus on the reward but I really think what Jesus is trying to get us to see is that nothing, no matter how small, goes unnoticed to the Father when we are reaching out in love. Extending loving-kindness to those around us is an example of the Christ that lives in us.

A few years back I spent about a week in the hospital. When I came home I wasn’t able to do much for another week or so. Some sweet ladies brought me cups of cool water. One neighbor came over each morning to take our dog for a walk and she did my ironing. Another neighbor cooked enough extra each night for Dave to enjoy a nice dinner; she did my laundry and grocery shopping. These acts of love were priceless!

“Are you strong because you belong to Christ? Does His love comfort you? Do you have joy by being as one in sharing the Holy Spirit? Do you have loving-kindness and pity for each other? ²Then give me true joy by thinking the same thoughts. Keep having the same love. Be as one in thoughts and actions. ³Nothing should be done because of pride or thinking about yourself. Think of other people as more important than yourself. ” Philippians 2:1-3 NLV

I’m asking the Father to make me more aware of those that need a cup of cold water today. I want the world to see my Father through me!

July 18, 2018

A Time to Celebrate

Happy Anniversary everyone! Yes, we are celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the morning blog.

I’ve been sharing for years on Facebook but it wasn’t until mid-July last year that a dear friend, Tom, set up this blog for me. I hope you have been encouraged by God’s Word as you joined me during the past year.

The other day I was watching a television show and one of the characters made a comment about her grandmother. She said, “Gran faces crises in such a quiet way. She just prays. I can’t sit and do nothing like she does. I have to act.”

I’ve been mulling that over and I’m sure that many people feel that way. They think that praying is an inactive, passive way of handling life’s challenges.

Far from it!

What an appropriate Scripture was part of my reading this morning. It’s filled with action.

“Give thanks to the Lord and call out to him! Tell the nations what he has done!
²Sing to him; sing praises to him. Tell about the amazing things he has done.
³Be proud of his holy name. You followers of the Lord, be happy!
⁴Depend on the Lord for strength. Always go to him for help.
⁵Remember the amazing things he has done. Remember his miracles and his fair decisions.” Psalm 105:1-5 ERV

Look at all those action words; Give, Call, Tell, Sing, Be Proud, Be Happy, Depend, Go, Remember. Far from a passive life.

There have been times when people have asked me to pray about something specific. A thing that they thought was completely overwhelming. We would pray and they would see the answer powerfully. Then a few weeks later they would be call in a panic and ask me to pray about another crisis, as if they had completely forgotten about the way the Lord had provided the last time.

We need to continually remind ourselves of all the amazing things that God has done in us, through us and for us. This will not only encourage us when we face the next challenge, big or small, but it will also be a reminder to those around us of the goodness of our Father.

“My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise his holy name!
²My soul, praise the Lord and never forget how kind he is!
³He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses.
⁴He saves us from the grave, and he gives us love and compassion.
⁵He gives us plenty of good things. He makes us young again, like an eagle that grows new feathers.” Psalm 103:1-5 ERV

The psalmist David talks to his “soul” in this Psalm. Our soul is our very core; the heart of our emotions and stability. How important it is that we follow David’s instruction to never forget.

I think that’s one of the reasons I love the early morning so much. It gives me time to remember and to rehearse what the Lord has done in the past, strengthening me to face this day and all that it has. Part of that reminiscing is prompted by the birds that rise before dawn – quail, dove, hummingbirds, sparrows, finches, meadowlarks, whippoorwills. The first thing they do every morning is sing!

Jesus told us that the Father loves and cares for the birds but we mean so much more to Him than they do. So shouldn’t we start our day like them, singing?

“So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat, drink, or wear. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. ²⁶Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know you are worth much more than they are? ²⁷You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it…“Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³²That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. ³³What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:25-33 ERV

During the last year I hope you have been stimulated in your faith; trusting the Lord more today than you did last year at this time.

Join me in having a piece of cake, singing to the Lord, remembering His goodness from the past and praising Him for the year ahead.

God bless you all.

July 9, 2018

Beyond Imagination

We have been at Glacier Park the last few days. We are enjoying time with friends.

It’s a working vacation and we have been able to enjoy some of the beauty of creation. Imagine God’s joy in creating such a beautiful place!

I want to talk to you for a few minutes about using our imagination. If you’ve ever been to Glacier you must admit that it is simply gorgeous.

What if the things that God imagined and created were only in black and white or drab gray or green. No Grand Canyon, no Glacier Park, no beautiful red cardinals or blue jays. Gone would be the brightly colored flowers and trees that blossom. The sunrise and set of each day would be nothing to enjoy.

Oh but they aren’t. Thank God for his amazing imagination!

The Lord wants us to be creative and use our imaginations as well. In fact, He has told us that His promises and blessings to us go beyond what we can image, beyond anything that we could ask or think.

Are you living in that kind of blessing? Sometimes – sometimes I am just so overwhelmed by what God has done – it’s beyond my imagination.

Is your life filled with things that are beyond your ability; beyond your ability to even think or imagine? Would you like it to be? There’s a key element that must be present for this type of blessing to overflow into your circumstances.

What you ask? Simple. The power of God!

“With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. 21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 ERV

Why would He do this you may ask? So that He can receive the glory for the good that He pours out on your life!

God the Father has always wanted to have His goodness and love known in the earth because as the Apostle Paul wrote it is the goodness of God that draws men to relationship with Him (repentance).

When Jesus walked this earth and healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, spoke with love and compassion to those who were hurting, people were drawn to Him. For the first time in their lives they saw unconditional love!

That unconditional love changed people. The tax collector gave back money to everyone he had cheated; the demon possessed were restored to their right minds; the prostitute left her way of life and followed Jesus. The disciples gave up their livelihood to follow this man. The thief on the cross defended him with his dying breath!

What was the dynamic force that changed and has changed million of lives through the ages? Love! God’s amazing love.

Each one of these people I mentioned above saw their lives changed by the power of God working through them, doing exceedingly above all they could ask or think. They had a grasp of God’s love.

Now look at the verses just prior to the 2 I have already used above.

“So I bow in prayer before the Father. 15 Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him. 16 I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. 17 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 3:14-20 ERV

In knowing God, being in right relationship with Him, He strengthens us in faith and love. The love of God is so great that it’s impossible to understand with the human mind. The only way to truly understand it is to experience it!

When we begin to experience that love, His compassion, His UNCONDITIONAL love and see that He accepts us as we are; knowing that we can’t earn it or deserve it, we begin to grow in understanding of its depth, its height, its width and its length. God’s love knows no bounds!

And once we begin to know, truly know, the love of God we will experience the power of God working in us and through us for His glory!

Take some time today to meditate on God’s love for you and you will see the circumstances of your life begin to change!

His power will work in you!!

July 3, 2018

Satisfied With Long Life

Today’s my birthday and I am praising the Lord for the life He has blessed me with!

I am twice or three times older than some who know me and to others I’m a youngster. Mom will be 95 this year and to her I’m still just a kid.

This morning my Bible reading took me Psalm 91, Proverbs 3 and Colossians 3. I would like to share with you a few verses that jumped out at me.

“When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. ¹⁶I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.” Psalm 91:15-16 ERV

These verses, in fact all of Psalm 91, have been source of strength for me most of my life. Calling on the Lord in times of trouble has kept me in a place of peace more times than I can count. I have seen Him deliver me and my loved ones from dangerous situations. How I praise Him for his power to save.

Another translation of verse says we will be satisfied with long life. I like that. Satisfied, no regrets, living to our full potential.

Solomon tells us all through the book of Proverbs that we should seek wisdom, search for it because wisdom is a valuable treasure. This is the instruction I found in chapter 3 this morning.

“In her right hand Wisdom holds a long life, and in her left hand are wealth and honor. ¹⁷Wisdom makes life pleasant and leads us safely along. ¹⁸Wisdom is a life-giving tree, the source of happiness for all who hold on to her. ¹⁹By his wisdom and knowledge the Lord created heaven and earth. ²⁰By his understanding he let the ocean break loose and clouds release the rain.

²¹My child, use common sense and sound judgment! Always keep them in mind. ²²They will help you to live a long and beautiful life.
²³You will walk safely and never stumble; ²⁴ you will rest without a worry and sleep soundly. ²⁵So don’t be afraid of sudden disasters or storms that strike those who are evil. ²⁶You can be sure that the Lord will protect you from harm.” Proverbs 3: 16-26 CEV

WOW! What wonderful blessings there are to us for living a life of wisdom and not foolishness. Common sense and sound judgement need to be our guide in everything we do and there is no place, no place at all that we will find true wisdom other than the Word of God.

It’s amazing that the Lord is looking to give us a long life. He isn’t trying to destroy us or shorten our life, He wants to see that we are fulfilled and safe.

Then I got to Colossians 3 and this is some of what I read there.

“God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. ¹³Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. ¹⁴Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.

¹⁵Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. ¹⁶Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. ¹⁷Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of ” Colossians 3:12-17 CEV

Once again I find the message that God loves me! It’s like He was sending me a birthday greeting. He loves me and wants my life to be filled with peace, gratitude and wisdom. I take the promises and instruction for the Bible as if they were written just for me.

The Scriptures are like sweet birthday cake and I get to share a slice with each of you.

Thank you Father for the gift of long life, lived in wisdom, seasoned with peace, joy and love.

July 1, 2018

Loaded Up or Weighed Down

Which would you rather be, loaded up or weighed down? I would much rather be loaded up.

Saw this image this morning and I had to laugh. How did they do that?

We live near the border and every weekend we see trucks loaded high with items that are being taken to Mexico. Some of the loads are very precarious and appear to be dangerously stacked.

But back to today’s thought…this cart is loaded up!

When we are weighed down it’s a burden. Too much to carry can be exhausting! Juggling family, work, finances, studies, daily commutes, and health issues can be overwhelming. That is why we are told to “cast all our care” on Jesus because “he cares for you (us)”.

He not only takes what’s weighing us down but look what else He does for us.

“Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation!” Psalm 68:19 NKJV

Daily the Lord loads us with benefits (blessings). I want us to look at some of the blessings that we take for granted. You know I am a firm believer in having a grateful heart. I look for things to say thank you for.

“I will praise you, my God and King, and always honor your name.
²I will praise you each day and always honor your name. ³You are wonderful, Lord, and you deserve all praise, because you are much greater than anyone can understand.” Psalm 145:1-3 CEV

The little things, the small blessings each day, when added together load us up.

Good coffee – Quiet mornings – Birds singing – Beautiful sunrises – Cool breezes – Shade – Dishwasher – Air Conditioning – Reliable vehicle – Safe daily commute – Warm blanket – Flowers in bloom –

The last few mornings I have had such a grateful heart for my good coffee.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of the little things. The bigger benefits such as health, home, food, clothing, loved ones, work, seem to come to mind easily.

Moses told the children of Israel that the Lord would cause blessings to run them down and overtake them when they obeyed His word.

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ²All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

³You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.” Deuteronomy 28:1-3 ERV

It goes on to say…blessed with children…blessed with livestock (prosperity)…blessed with food…blessed coming in and going out…blessed with victory over our enemies…blessed in our barns…blessed in lands…blessed in everything we put our hands to do…blessed with rain…blessed in all our work… (verses 4-14)

King David, the shepherd, said that when the Lord is our shepherd we have rest, peace, protection, direction, overflow, goodness, mercy and an eternal home.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, ³ he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. ⁴Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23 ERV

Don’t be weighed down. Take time to look at all the ways you have been loaded up. Make your own list.

Thank the Lord for His many benefits.

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
²Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—” Psalm 103:1-2 ERV