Category: Faith

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World Changing Love

Yesterday on our drive home I was thinking of how blessed I am! I often take time to meditate on the blessings the Lord has given me.

Family, friends, health, joy, peace, confidence…blessed!

One verse kept coming to the forefront of my mind – really it was just a phrase from a verse- “Faith worketh by Love”.

“We are waiting for the hope of being made right with God. This will come through the Holy Spirit and by faith. 6 If we belong to Jesus Christ, it means nothing to have or not to have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. But faith working through love is important.” Galatians 5:5-6 NLT

I’ve heard message after message on being built up in faith and how it is impossible to please God without faith and those messages are true but if they are separated from the key element of love – God’s love for us, our love for God and our fellowman -those words are in vain.

If I don’t have a firm understanding of how much the heavenly Father loves me I won’t be able to trust Him, or put my faith in His word. In the natural, we put our faith in friends and family because we know they love us and wouldn’t do anything to knowingly hurt us. Love is the basis for our faith.

God is LOVE! We can trust Him to keep His word.

“For the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. And He is faithful to all people and to all their children-to-come.” Psalm 100:4-5 NLV

This is the type of love and faithfulness we should be showing to those around us. When we have faith in God’s love for us we can share it with ours. Displaying a true love, genuine and unconditional, will draw our family and friends close. They will be secure in our presence; they will have faith in our words and actions.

And they will see Jesus in us!

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:35 CEV

We can change the world one person at a time by loving the way God does. Faith increases when love is present; hope is unwavering when love is present; the world is changed when love is present.

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 NLT

Happy Valentine’s Day – you’re a world changer!

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Hidden Treasure

Since the first of the year I have been sharing little nuggets with you from my recent book, “Like A Diamond”. My goal was to share with you the plan that the Lord has for all of us who follow Him and some of the many blessings we have when we are in Christ.

He wants us to shine brilliantly with His love and power for all the world to see.

“Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So, we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. Our respect for God should make us try to be completely holy in the way we live.” II Corinthians 7:1 ERV

These truths from God’s Word have been a part of my life for almost four decades. I have come to love the Lord in a deeper way than I ever dreamed possible. His Word is my daily bread and my wisest counsel.

I remember the days that I was a diamond in the rough. With loving precision the Lord has made me new, given me a purpose, and exquisitely designed my life. He made me to be radiant for His glory.

Dave and I knew the Lord brought us together and our marriage has been centered on Him. We were like all young couples with a desire to be successful and have nice things. Our tries at success proved disastrous and left us in debt, looking for a way out. We had no idea God wanted to handle our problems and had already provided all the answers we needed.

We were struggling; we loved the Lord but we didn’t know anything about the precious promises of His word for all daily lives. Our upbringing had left us with the impression that life here on earth was a constant struggle until we got to heaven and THEN it would be “worth it all” until one day we heard a pastor teaching on living victoriously in this life.

We began studying the Bible to find help and hope for our every day life.

The Lord has blessed us with joy, strength, peace, wisdom and purpose. We are in good health, filled with peace and the Lord continually provides. The truths I’ve shared are not wishful thinking – we have lived this transforming life. We know we can totally trust the Lord in every circumstance. He has brought us through some really rough times.

I promised the Lord years ago that I would be diligent to share with other Christians who were feeling helpless and defeated the truths of God’s word. I had been ignorant and defeated in spiritual things for so long that I just had to share what the Father has taught me. So that’s what I do each morning through this blog.

Only God’s Word has the power to change lives. Faith is developed by hearing the Word of God. The more we hear it the more we grow. It is my prayer that you will discover the truth of God’s Word and fully realize what God has done for you. God desires to work a miracle in each of us.

“God once said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness!’ And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 CEV

Let’s live here and now for God’s glory!

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But Why?

Every parent has heard the inquisitive “why” coming from the lips of their small children. Why is…the sky blue, the sun hot, grass green, etc! When those questions became greater than my limited knowledge my final answer would be “because that’s the way God planned it”.

In yesterday’s blog we saw that Jesus is our example for staying the course, not giving up in life’s race. He experienced life’s difficulties and hardships so that we can go to Him for help, knowing He has been where we are. We can draw on His strength!

But Why?…

“For a short time Jesus was made lower than the angels, but now we see him wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. Because of God’s grace, Jesus died for everyone.

10 God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—wanted many people to be his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through his suffering… 14 These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have.”

Why?

“Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. 15 Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death… 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” Hebrews 2:9-18 ERV

Jesus finished the work He came to do for us.  

Without His “It is finished” on the cross our way of salvation would not have been complete. Just like an athlete He crossed the finish line of life and rose victorious from the grave. When we cross that line there will be no fear but only hope and rejoicing as we are welcomed into heaven.

We discipline ourselves by being obedient to God’s word which keeps us from being ruled by our bodies or our emotions. Our enemy would like to draw us off course or destroy our training but when we keep our eyes on Jesus and are strengthened by God’s word we succeed. We are victorious, more than conquerors, overcomers in this life.

May I encourage you if you have felt like quitting – don’t!

Why?

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.” Philippians 3:12-14 ERV

Keep going – the reward makes it all worth while!

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What To Wear

Have you ever had one of those days when you got up and just didn’t know what to wear? For a soldier that’s never a question. They are issued a uniform when they are inducted into service, it’s standard issue.

The Apostle Paul says that we also have a uniform and each piece is specifically designed for our purpose and protection.

“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.

19 Also pray for me—that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret truth about the Good News without fear.” Ephesians 6:10-19 ERV

The first thing I would like you to see is that this armor has been tested. This is God’s armor and it will withstand any attack launched against us. When the battle is over, we win. We are still standing – we are overcomers and more than conquerors.

Our armor belt is the belt of truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”, so our waist or midsection is protected by Jesus, himself.

Our chest is protected by the righteousness that we have in Christ. Our vital organs are covered by our right standing with God.

Our feet are not vulnerable, we are wearing the shoes of the Good News of peace. We can stand and fight because we are established on the solid foundation of God’s Word. We will not run, we’ll stand firm.

We have an impenetrable shield to protect us from incoming artillery. It is the Shield of Faith. Just like the centurion who heard the words Jesus spoke and believed, we hear and believe the words Jesus speaks to us. Jesus said that heaven and earth would pass away but God’s Word would never be destroyed.

Our head is under our helmet of salvation. There is only one name given under heaven by which we can be saved, that is the name of Jesus. Jesus, who is the head of this body of Christ, has us covered.

With a shield in one hand we are free to wield a sword with the other. Our sword is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The book of Hebrews says the Word is sharper than any other two-edged sword.

Our last piece of armor is prayer. When we pray in the Spirit we are edified, built up and strengthened in our faith.

Every piece of armor that we are issued comes with instruction from God’s Word. This armor is not just given to the elite forces, but it comes as standard issue to every believer. The Commander-in-Chief has made us all victorious in Christ.

It’s time to get dressed – put on the full armor of God!

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When Birds Sing

Have you ever experienced one of those life lessons that no matter how old you are or how much time has past it is still as fresh in your mind as it was the day you first learned it? If you have then you know where I was last night.

Dave and I are enjoying our time away so much. It’s very relaxing and we keep telling each other how blessed we are to be here. Yesterday we moved our fifth wheel trailer to a new camp site right above the lake.

After we were set up we sat for most of the morning in the sunshine just taking in the beauty. However, not too long after lunch the clouds rolled in and with them came a light wind. By four o’clock it was a strong wind so we came inside to observe the beauty through our picture window. Normally, desert wind dies down after sunset but not last night. It got stronger and stronger.

Now to the memory.

During our summers working in Iowa we had a number of occasions when the winds were fierce and were accompanied by tornado warnings. Tornados were not something this Arizona/Montana girl had ever experienced. The first few times I was almost overcome with fear.

I would lay awake in bed praying for them to pass. Every nerve in my body seemed to be on high alert. I could not and would not allow myself to give in to the fear.

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 ERV

Eventually I came to the point where I could sleep through those stormy nights, resting confidently in the peace that God gave. The lesson I learned during that time was to listen to the birds. As long as the birds were singing in the trees and gathering bugs in the grass things were ok. Birds will seek shelter in a storm and they will begin singing as soon as it is over.

“Let all who run to you for protection always sing joyful songs. Provide shelter for those
who truly love you and let them rejoice. 12 Our Lord, you bless thosewho live right, and you shield them with your kindness.” Psalm 5:11-12 CEV

Dave didn’t know how badly this all bothered me until I told him last night. Those physical storms taught me to trust God’s protection, they taught me that I could always depend on His word.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.” Matthew 7:24-25 NLT

God’s word will be our firm foundation in life’s storms. His teachings will keep us from collaspe. The Lord provides us with His covering and we will be able to sing with joy, just like the birds, when the storm has past.

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The Story of Possible

The Christmas story is one of hope and love. It’s a story of the impossible coming to fruition. So many times we become frightened or frozen by what appears to be impossible but…

With God NOTHING is impossible!

Nothing. Not our financial situation, not our health, not our kids or our spouse, our job, our safety, our peace of mind. Nothing! God’s gift to us is the gift of making the impossible possible.

These words were spoken to a young Jewish girl by an angel: “Mary was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant. 30 Then the angel told Mary, ‘Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.’ 34 Mary asked the angel, ‘How can this happen? I am not married!’ 35 The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God’s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. 37 Nothing is impossible for God!’ 38 Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.’ And the angel left her.” Luke 1:29-38 CEV

What could be more impossible than this – a young woman, who was a virgin, having a child?

No situation in your life or mine could be more impossible than this. Truly!

God’s power and Mary’s agreement with God’s promise made the impossible possible. If Mary hadn’t believed the angel’s message he would have had to go to someone else. After all, it had been prophesied for hundreds of years that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. But she accepted that NOTHING was impossible.

She believed, she conceived and she received what God gave. The hard thing would be living her conviction. She had to tell her family. She had to tell Joseph and then she had to hear the whispers and the criticism that followed. She was up to the task.

There was another woman who saw the power of God at work; she also saw God do the impossible. She was old, I mean really old. She was almost ninety and her reproductive system had never worked but God made her a promise. Sarah saw God do the impossible in her life.

“The Lord asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14 I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I’ll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.’” Genesis 18:13-14 CEV

Compare our impossible situation with Mary and Sarah. Whose need is bigger or more difficult to fix?

God is the same – nothing, absolutely nothing, is too difficult for Him.

Time and time again I come back to my favorite verse. It is the foundation I stand on everyday.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

Our Father has given us a book filled with promises that cannot fail. Find those promises and then stand knowing that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

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Mirror Mirror

Every morning I stand in front of the mirror to brush my hair and put on my make-up. If I’ll be going out to the store or an appointment I check my outfit to make sure everything looks ok. Then I walk away and go about my day. Later I may double check my appearance and quite often I’m surprised to see how messy my hair has gotten or that there is a spot on my shirt.

What mirrors do for us physically the Bible does for us spiritually. Both reveal areas that need correction and areas of beauty.

“Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.” James 1:22-25 ERV

The Bible doesn’t distort like those goofy fun house mirrors. It will accurately portray our appearance and show us the areas where we need to improve. Each time we read or hear God’s word preached we should be looking for a nugget that we can apply personally.

This morning I started reading through the book of James again. I can’t tell you how many times I have read this book over my lifetime. Each time I find something new or am reminded of something I have let slip.

Those who compiled the Contemporary English Version of the Bible write an introduction to each book. I’d like to share with you, in part, what they wrote about the book of James.

“For James faith means action! In fact, the entire book is a series of examples that show faith in action in wise and practical ways. His advice was clear and to the point: If you are poor, don’t despair! Don’t give up when your faith is being tested. Don’t get angry quickly. Don’t favor the rich over the poor. Do good things for others. Control your tongue and desires. Surrender to God and rely on his wisdom. Resist the devil. Don’t brag about what you are going to do. If you are rich, use your money to help the poor. Be patient and kind, and pray for those who need God’s help.”

James is a book for every day Christian living. I always find something that I need to work on while reading it.

I am so thankful for God’s word. I can reflect on who God is and what’s important to Him.

“I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 16 I will delight in your decrees
    and not forget your word.” Psalm 119:15-16 NLT

Mirror, Mirror on the wall – Let me see all that God wants me to be!

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When You’re In Trouble…

Everyone of us will face trouble. No one is exempt. What a great thought to start your day, right?

I have good news!

No matter the circumstance, no matter the obstacle God has the answer. For years, I have reminded myself that there is no problem too little to take to the Lord. After all, what is a monumental problem to us is really quite small when compared to His ability.

“God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. 2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, 3 and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.” Psalm 46:1-2 NLV

What could we possibly bring to God that would cause Him to say, “Oh my, I didn’t think of that. I really don’t know what to do”? There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is too large for our Him either.

“Lord God, with your great power you made the earth and the sky. There is nothing too hard for you to do.” Jeremiah 32:17 ERV

We should come to the Lord like a child approaches a loving parent. When we seek His help He will provide it. He won’t abandon us or tell us to go away and handle it on our own.

Sickness – financial hardship – physical danger – loss of employment or business – even death. None of these circumstances are bigger than our God or His love for us.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains. 15 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron. 17 Some were fools; they rebelled  and suffered for their sins. 18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food,  and they were knocking on death’s door. 19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. 21 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.” Psalm 107:13-21 NLV

I have great faith in those verses, verse twenty has been one I have depended on for years. “He sent out his word and healed them”. God’s word is the place we find help. It tells us He will never abandon us or desert us. The truth of God’s word is unbreakable and unshakeable. It will stand forever.

So if you find yourself tapping out an S-O-S today or picking up the phone to dial 9-1-1 you can get all the help you need by making this call:

“This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’” Jeremiah 33:2-3 MSG

Make the call. God is waiting to answer.

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Not Sugar But Gold

For years now, a dear friend of mine and I share a saying whenever we are out in the rain. We say “I’m not made of sugar, I won’t melt”.

That saying quickly came to mind last night as I heard a young man talking about the circumstances of 2020. He said that his life, like all of ours, has been greatly impacted by social distancing requirements. He’s an entertainer and all of his concerts were canceled from March forward and into 2021. He said that even though the rains fall he will stand strong; he will sing, praising God in the pouring rain.

To paraphrase, I’m not made of sugar, I won’t melt.

As I sat there thinking about his words the Lord reminded me of His Word.

“Fire is used to make gold and silver pure, but a person’s heart is made pure by the Lord.” Proverbs 17:3 ERV

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 NLT

How we handle the tough situations in life says a lot about us. Do we fall apart and wallow in self-pity and despair? Or are we like this young man and sing praises to God in the downpour? We voice our fears and disappointments to the Father in prayer. Jesus did that in the Garden of Gethsemane but then He stood up and went forward knowing that God was by His side. We have His promise that He will never leave us – in fact, He takes us through.

Dave and I had a dear friend who was an amateur metallurgist. He studied the process of refining gold. I remember him telling me about it. Let me give you a brief overview. Once gold ore is brought from the ground it is crushed and the non essential elements are washed away. The gold then goes through several refining steps. It is acid washed, heated, the impurities are skimmed off and then heated again until the gold is in its purest form. What is removed is the impurity. The refined gold increases in value.

When we go through trials and difficulties we are also being refined. Our faith is being purified. The dross or non essential elements are being removed. God doesn’t leave us during the these times, in fact, He is there to bring us through victoriously.

Both James and Peter taught the Christians in the first century to stand strong in spite of troubles. Their writings have much to say about daily living, interpersonal relationships and hardships. Their words of instruction came from the Lord and we can learn so much from what they taught.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 NLT

“These troubles test your faith and prove that it is pure. And such faith is worth more than gold. Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold will ruin. When your faith is proven to be pure, the result will be praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ comes.

8 You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You can’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are filled with a wonderful and heavenly joy that cannot be explained.” I Peter 3:7-8 ERV

We need to remain joyful in tough situations. How? By knowing that God hasn’t abandon us, but He stands with us to give us strength and we come out better, perfect and complete by placing our trust in Him.

So, when the rains come remember we aren’t made of sugar, we won’t melt. It’s a time for joy. We are more valuable than gold that has been refined in the fire!

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Celebrate Life!

There is a word used in Jewish toasts – L’Chaim! Lifting a glass of wine to celebrate an engagement or marriage, the birth of a child and everyone says L’Chaim. To Life!

Each day we should be doing the same. We should be toasting the life that God has given us. Celebrating life and His goodness. A life of thankfulness and faith.

L’Chaim!

The just shall live by faith. Faith isn’t just something we have when we can’t handle things on our own, it’s a way of life.

Faith is what pleases God and God is the one who has given us the faith that we need to please Him – pretty good right? God doesn’t leave us unprepared or without the proper equipment. He tells us what it takes to please Him and then he supplies us – gotta love that.

“I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you.” Romans 12:3 CEV

“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.” Hebrews 11:6 CEV

I understand where people get the idea that God is sitting up in heaven just waiting for us to fail or mess up; I lived that way for years. However, Moses told the nation of Israel that God set before them life and death, blessing and cursing. Then he told them “Choose life”. That was Jesus’ purpose – to provide the way of blessing – choose life.

“Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live. 20 You must love the Lord your God and obey him. Never leave him, because he is your life. And he will give you a long life in the land that he, the Lord, promised to give to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ERV

Jesus said: “The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” John 10:10 NLV

L’Chaim!

Choosing to live by faith brings reward. God is the one who promised it, our part is to seek Him and not give up.  Faith is believing that God will be faithful to His word; that what He has said WILL come to pass. And why shouldn’t we believe Him – He hasn’t lied yet!

The greatest miracle in the Bible was the result of a young woman’s faith. The angel came to Mary and told her that she would have a child. Mary asked how this could happen since she was a virgin and hadn’t been intimate with any man. (You all know the story). I love what the angel, Gabriel, said in response.

“Nothing is impossible for God!” 38 Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her.” Luke 1:37-38

I want my response to God to be the same “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it happen as He said”.

What are you facing today? NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE when we put our faith in GOD.

Lift your glass and celebrate life. L’Chaim!

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