Blessings~

Greetings,

The 33^rd chapter of Deuteronomy in the Bible is dedicated to the blessings Moses spoke over the Israelites.  Today, we will speak them over ourselves and those we love.

Grant us life, dear Lord, and bring us together and keep us tightly knit as a family.  Give us strength to stand against our enemies. Accept the work of our hands, and bless our land with the precious gift of dew from the heavens and water from beneath the earth; with the rich fruit that grows in the sun, and with the best gifts of the earth and its bounty, O Lord. May we prosper in our homes.  Enlarge our territories, and may Your justice rule over us. May we be rich in favor and full of Your blessings.  May we be safe and secure all our days. There is no one like You, our God. You ride across the heavens to help us, across the skies in majestic splendor. You, eternal God, are our refuge, and Your everlasting arms are under us.  You drive out our enemies, and we live in safety. We are blessed and saved by You, O Lord. You are our protecting shield!

AME! AMEN! AMEN!

Never Let Kindness Leave You~

Proverbs 3: 3-4 Never let kindness leave you! Write it deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation."

Christmas blessings to all,

Yesterday Jorge and I went to the local mall to exchange a couple of items.  I couldn't believe how crowded the parking lot was, and as soon as we got inside it was wall to wall shoulders with all the other post-Christmas shoppers.  I was like, "I can't believe all these people; they should be at home watching football, playing Cranium with family, eating leftover brie and apricot dip, sipping peppermint tea, and texting distant relatives."  I was actually mad at them. Then I realized that I better preach to myself!

Once my horribly two-faced commentary was over, I made the line to return an item.  The cashier was so over-the-top friendly and courteous that both Jorge and I were stunned.  So much so that Jorge did something he has never done before: He asked for the store manager and promptly provided a glowing review of the cashier and demanded she be promoted.

Her excellent customer service made such an impression on me that it nearly brought me to tears.  I know you think I might be overreacting but consider this: She plugged in a lamp to make sure it was working before I bought it, she personally escorted us to a section of the store so we could find exactly what we needed, and then, rather than roll her eyes or pick up her phone to check messages  -  something that has happened to me more than once  -  she said, "Merry Christmas," carefully wrapped my fragile glass lamp, and made me feel like a V.I.P. The power of kindness is amazing because I immediately felt it, and the feeling stayed with me the rest of the night and is still with me as I write this.  

I have decided to be kinder in 2017. Won't you join me?  We will find God's favor when we are kind, which means we receive life, loving kindness, divine care, grace, mercy, and acceptance in return. Amen!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, As 2016 comes to a close, we thank You for taking care of us this year.  As we look to 2017 we want to open up our lives to receive even more of Your favor. Remind us to be kind.  Help us to always have a lovely response no matter what. Nudge us to do the right thing even if we are in a hurry.  With You helping us, we will keep kindness near us all the time, which will result in our happiness. It's a win-win for us. Thank You!  In Jesus' name, AMEN. 

The Year of the Lord

Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus!

Something recently caught my eye as I was surfing the net. It said: May the Year of the Monkey Bring You Prosperity.

It's part of the Chinese zodiac, and at the very least monkeys are energetic and funny...

But how about we bypass the monkeys and everything they offer and head straight to the Creator of monkeys?

 Luke 4:19 "...the year of the Lord's favor has come."

This is our year, people.  Now is the time for God to act in our lives. To save our souls, heal us, provide for us, protect us, and break the chains of bondage - chains of fear, depression, loneliness, and emptiness.  Now is the time for the Almighty to help us fulfill our destinies and be all He created us to be. 

Right here right now, wherever you are reading this, raise your hands to the heavens and thank Him that He and He alone is the source of everything you will ever need.  That He and He alone has the power to move mountains in your life.  That He and He alone has declared that this is your year for renewal, restoration, refreshment, redemption, and revival.

If His Holy Bible says the time is now, then act and pray like you believe it.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Thank You that it's Your year, Your favor, and Your power that I can depend on.  Nothing and no one else will do. Thank You for Your overabundant generosity and desire to bless me in mighty ways.  I receive Your willingness to act in my life this day, this week, this month, and this year!  Specifically, I pray for Your favor in this area _______________________.

Work it out, and give me peace.  In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Any Kind Will Do

Hello, dear brothers and sisters:)

Part three of the four-part definition of bless is, "to bestow good of any kind upon."

And those words remind me of a time when my own flesh and blood child struggled with whether or not God was really interested in helping out with the ordinary stuff of life.

Let's face it--we've all at some time or another felt that maybe there are more important things for God to do than help us, say, finding a lost earring. Or that maybe He's too busy with world wars and famine to be bothered by silly requests. I will be the first to say that there are a million things that will always be more urgent than a lost earring, but who are we to say God does not care about these things? Over the years I have prayed fervently for someone who is sick and for Rayray to find the perfect dress for the prom. I have prayed for people who have lost their jobs and for little first graders to learn the difference between long and short vowel sounds.

This is our heavenly Father, for Pete's sake. He's The Lord of it all-- the easy/the hard, the good/the bad, the happy/the sad.

This is crucial, people. God is never too busy to bestow good of any kind upon you or your family. He does not have a limited supply whereby He somehow has to prioritize the prayer requests and hand out answers based on some sort of holy triage.

Matthew 10:30 tells us that even the very hairs on our head are numbered. Seems to me that if God were too busy with all the other stuff, He wouldn't care about our hairs. He wouldn't bother with this mind-boggling detail. And yet He tells us this to make it loud and clear that He cares about EVERYTHING. He is eager to let His goodness flow over us, for us, in us, and around us.

Let's take Him at His word!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We welcome Your goodness--of any kind--upon us. Let it invade every single area of our life. Bless us from the tops of our heads to the bottoms of our feet. Bless our health, our homes, our emotions, our finances, our relationships, and our families. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Divine Favor Fave

Monday morning greetings:)

The second definition of the word bless (as defined by dictionary.com) is:
to request of God the bestowal of divine favor on.

I love how those words sound--Divine Favor...

Dictionary.com provides an eye-opening explanation as we peel back the layers of this verse. "Favor" means "friendly or kind regard; good will; approval; liking; favoritism; to be partial to; prefer; to help; assist; to do a kindness for;endorsing; provided with advantages; specially priviledged."

What makes it divine is that God Himself does all those things for us. Jabez had it right; who wouldn't want advantages and preferential treatment from God?

I have a license plate tag that says, "Jesus loves you, but I'm His favorite." But the truth is we're all His favorites. Hebrews 4:16 invites every single person to "have confidence, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There they will receive mercy and find grace to help them just when they need it."

In other words, God is waiting to show us preferential treatment;
like Jabez, all we have to do is approach God.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for inviting us to approach You. This means You are approachable! We need and ask for Your divine favor--for help, approval, assistance, and advantages. Especially in this area ____________. Jabez has been a powerful reminder that You grant requests, so grant ours. In Jesus' name, Amen~





Have a beautiful day~