A family chooses forgiveness to mend their broken relationships. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8ZDJYGB
Pardoned
Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”
It’s Thanksgiving Week. We’re spending time considering all the blessings in our lives.
This morning, I’m thinking about the ceremonial pardoning of “The Turkey” by the president.
Saved. He’s a free bird.
I know this is simplistic (and not meant to be funny)but Christians, think about this for a minute.
We have been set free. Pardoned by the blood of Jesus, our Savior, not ceremoniously, but in the very real sense.
We’re free to live a victorious life here on earth and assured of eternal life in heaven.
Giving thanks to Him for His continued presence in my life,
Brenda
Is This Really Possible?
I Thessalonians 5:17- “…be unceasing and persistent in prayer.”
As I was reading this week, I thought about the verse referenced above. I focused on the words persistent and unceasing.
As a child, I couldn’t fathom how keeping such a command could be possible.
Having grown in years—and in knowledge of scripture—I see that the command has more to do with our daily walk with God. That our relationship would be such that we maintain an ongoing conversation with Him…relying on Him all day long.
“From the rising to the setting of the sun” we are to share a sweet bond with our Savior, considering Him in all we do, relying on Him through prayer and the Holy Spirit.
A Future and a Hope
Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
When I posted my blog entitled “God’s Got This” on X last week, I got a message that said, “You’re in control.”
I had to laugh.
I knew it wasn’t in response to the content of my blog post. It was about upgrading my plan. However, I had to admit it was odd that it came within moments of me tapping the “POST” button.
Maybe it was X’s way of getting me to repeat what I had written.
God being in control of our world is a Biblical truth. I had used the verse in Philippians 4:6 to illustrate it.
However, this week I am sharing the verse from Jeremiah, above.
It says God’s plans are made to give us a future and a hope.
And that’s good news!!!!
He’s Got This
Philippians 4:6- “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
I have been anxious all morning.
Dad would have said I’ve got “too many irons in the fire.”
Mom would have said, “Take a deep breath and start again.”
They both would have said, “Give it to God.”
Why?
Because in today’s vernacular, “God’s “got this.”
Unfamiliar Paths
Isaiah 42:16- “I will lead the blind by roads they have never traveled, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them…”
A few days ago, my husband and I went with some friends to a concert. Although we were early, the hall was dark.
Not having ever been there before, we were unfamiliar with the layout. We relied on a young man with a flashlight to guide us to our seats.
The verse in Isaiah reminded me that God promises to guide us in our lives, if we will only rely on Him. We may have not gone through the exact situation before, but He knows where our experiences will lead us.
Avoid getting “lost” as you travel through this life.
Let God guide you along the”unfamiliar paths” ahead.
A Lesson From Sunday School
Psalm 31:14,15a- “But I trust in you, O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand.”
Who is on the throne of your life?
As a kid in Sunday School, I can remember coloring a picture of a large heart shape with a royal throne on it. The idea being that God should be the one we put on that throne—not ourselves… not money… not “things”… and so on.
Life would work out so much better if we let God have control of the decisions in our lives.
It wasn’t until years later that I realized I was putting God in the position of “consultant.” Oh, I wasn’t ignoring Him in my life, but I wasn’t giving Him control, either. It was as if I had two thrones in that “picture”. I had relegated Him to be “co-chair”! I made the decisions and I asked Him (more or less) to rubber stamp them.
If I had only followed that simple teaching decades ago, life would have been much simpler… turned out just as He’d planned it from the beginning.
The good news was that I could change. I could put Him back on the throne of my life.
So that’s what I did.
How about you?
Listen for His Voice
John 10: 3b- “…and the sheep hear His voice, and he calls His own sheep by name and leads them…”
I recently got a new phone with face recognition. Now I don’t have to put a password in each time I want to use my phone. My phone “knows” me!
For a long time, I’ve understood that my SMART TV, computer, car, and home security system used this technology. This “convenience” is downright scary, when you think about it, but that’s a subject for a future blog post.
My Bible study this week included the verses from the tenth chapter of the book of John. In it, Jesus refers to himself as our Good Shepherd. And, as such he assures us (His sheep) that He knows each of us and watches over us.
He goes on to say that His sheep know His voice, too! So, ascertaining direction for our lives should be simple: just follow His voice… let THE ONE WHO KNOWS THE FUTURE BE OUR GUIDE.
Have You Noticed?
Ephesians 6:11- “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
For the last two months, the selection of Halloween costumes and decor in stores has been steadily growing.
Yesterday, I was shopping at my local home improvement store and I was appalled at the displays—gruesome and animated, with blood-curdling audio.
Am I imagining it, or are the Halloween decorations this season more massive, expensive, and scary?
Honestly, I cringed and walked past the display as quickly as I could.
I realize kids love to wear costumes and eat candy, but as a Christian, I was relieved when many churches and communities started having Fall Festivals. These promote “non-satanic”costuming and non-violent behavior (games, and so on). What’s more, some of them last year even fostered Harvest/Thanksgiving themes!
I applaud the creation of safe atmospheres that resist the evil influences of this holiday.
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