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.”
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.
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?
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.
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.
Exodus 13:21~ “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.”
Last week, I read in the book of John, specifically about Jesus being the Light of the World.
This week, I read a passage in Exodus I’d read several times before. But this time, it was like a light bulb going off. I made the connection between the Pillar of Fire that led the Israelites in the desert.
This, I believe, was a precursor—a direct correlation to Jesus being the Light!
There really is something to be said about “digging deeper” into the Word, isn’t there? Every time I read the Word, I learn something new.
(About a year ago, a massive Pillar of Cloud appeared over northern Israel. With the help of modern technology, you can “see” what the Pillar of Cloud in the Bible looked like. Just Google “Pillar of Cloud in the Bible).
Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Erika Kirk is now a widow, due to a senseless and evil act of violence.
I watched her address the nation Friday and I urge you to do the same. I intend to watch it again for the purpose of taking notes. She had many inspiring things to say.
Things worth remembering.
Anyone in her situation could easily have made hurtful comments to stir up hate and retribution. But, instead, this brave young woman offered hope and encouragement to our nation.
Isn’t it remarkable, that when one truly follows Jesus and his teachings, love conquers all?
Matthew 25:46~ ““Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
“See you tomorrow,” we said to our friends.
We just assume that there will be a tomorrow, don’t we?
We think about the future. We plan our vacations.
But do we ready ourselves for eternity?
Do we even give eternity much thought?
Do we believe there is a great void at the end of life or is there an existence beyond here on earth?
Can we know?
Can we be sure?
I wrote The Choice: Will’s Last Testament to answer these questions.
Based on the truth in scripture, you’ll find my fictional story of Will is much like that of the average person. The choices he is faced with are the same ones each of us must consider at some point.
Our souls are eternal. Like Will, we must decide to accept or reject God and His plan for “tomorrow.”
Ecclesiastes12:7,8- “…the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
Last week, my husband and I vacationed in a state where the cooler weather offered a reprieve from the summer heat. Still, mid-week, he told me he was ready to go home.
My friend, Beth, spent the last several months in radiation. She made a surprise visit to her friends a couple of weeks ago, just days before she passed away.
It was so good to see her. She was a very special person and will be missed. In her last conversation with us, she said she knew the end of this life was near, that she wasn’t afraid of what lay ahead, and that she was ready to “go home.”
For those of us who look forward to spending an eternity with Jesus, going “home” is nothing to dread. It is the end of our lives on earth, but just the beginning of good things to come.
Hebrews 12:1-2“… let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Some authors write historical fiction/non-fiction, focusing on the PAST.
Others I know write about events and characters in the PRESENT.
But, Jesus?
The Bible says He is the “Author and Finisher” of our faith, meaning He has the central role in initiating and completing the work of faith within each Christian.
As time passes, and events unfold in our world, we can rejoice that a we know Jesus. He’s the author of tomorrow!
| Nancy Pelander Johns… on Clean Small-town Romance | |
 | npelanderjohnson on Have You Thought About Your Ow… |
| npelanderjohnson on Today Is A Good Day! |
 | Brenda PoulosBrenda… on Who Is Watching? |
 | Diane Hazen on Who Is Watching? |
