"This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
Picture, if you dare, a little girl with knee-hi socks, a Little House on the Prairie frock, pig tails, and a tambourine singing her heart out to the verse above. The entire song is repeating the verse over and over again, and it doesn't matter if you were upset when you started singing. By the time you were done you were, in fact, rejoicing in the day the Lord made. That precious child was me.
I still have that tambourine--the one that must have accompanied me to over 3000 prayer meetings, and this morning I found it. So, if your day started out rough, I want to remind you that God made the day, and it is a beautiful thing. Will you choose to be glad in it? Or will you be rude and nasty in it? Will you rejoice or will you pout?
Rejoice, I say, rejoice!!!!
PRAYER:
Dear Lord,
We love that You expect us to rejoice in our day no matter what. It doesn't say rejoice only if everything is perfect. If that were the case, we might never be glad again. But since we have faith in You, our loving Father, we know You will work it all out. Of course we will rejoice! In Jesus' name, AMEN~
Monday, March 11, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
AMEN!
My how the days go by; it's Friday again :)
A few of you have asked me why we say, "Amen," so much--especially at the end of our prayers. Are you ready to be blessed?
According to the fine folks at dictionary.com it means, it is so; so be it, and is used after a prayer to express solemn agreement.
The Bible agrees.
2 Corinthians 1:20
"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident."
Don't you love that? God's willingness to bless us joined with our willingness to receive? That is why we say Amen. We are letting God know that we want and expect to receive everything we have just prayed about. We agree that we need His love and provision to enjoy our lives. It's like a seal of approval. I love it.
Think back over all the prayers we have prayed as a group, and may you find tremendous joy and peace in knowing that each and every one has been heartily sealed with our "So be it," to God's unparalleled willingness to fulfill everyone of His promises.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, We have prayed so many times for blessings in our lives and the lives of those we love. How wonderful to know that every single promise has been stamped with the Yes of Jesus and with our Yes as well. So be it! May it be so! It is so, and in Jesus name, AMEN!
A few of you have asked me why we say, "Amen," so much--especially at the end of our prayers. Are you ready to be blessed?
According to the fine folks at dictionary.com it means, it is so; so be it, and is used after a prayer to express solemn agreement.
The Bible agrees.
2 Corinthians 1:20
"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident."
Don't you love that? God's willingness to bless us joined with our willingness to receive? That is why we say Amen. We are letting God know that we want and expect to receive everything we have just prayed about. We agree that we need His love and provision to enjoy our lives. It's like a seal of approval. I love it.
Think back over all the prayers we have prayed as a group, and may you find tremendous joy and peace in knowing that each and every one has been heartily sealed with our "So be it," to God's unparalleled willingness to fulfill everyone of His promises.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, We have prayed so many times for blessings in our lives and the lives of those we love. How wonderful to know that every single promise has been stamped with the Yes of Jesus and with our Yes as well. So be it! May it be so! It is so, and in Jesus name, AMEN!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Stand in the Gap~
Yesterday we were left wondering about what we are to do if someone we love is not plugging into God. If our coming close to God is a pre-requisite for His coming close to us, and if someone we love is not making that effort, what hope do we have?
Of course we want those we love to have God's peace, joy, protection, and guidance in their lives. But if they aren't seeking it, is it a lost cause?
NOPE, NO WAY, NEVER, UH-UH!
God expects us to stand in the gap. I love that expression, "Stand in the Gap."
All of you know that I raised my children to love the Lord, and they willingly accepted Christ as their Savior at a young age. But there have been periods in their lives when prayer and going to church was not a priority. They weren't really plugging in as often as they should. There was a disconnect between them and God. So I filled that gap with my prayers.
I got right in the middle of the divide and poured my heart out to God to keep them safe anyway. To guide them anyway. To pour His spirit out on them anyway. To fill them with joy anyway. To let their dreams come true anyway. To bless them with the right relationships anyway. And guess what? He has and He did and He will continue to do that.
1 Timothy 2:1
"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them."
What a tremendous relief to know that when we pray for others, God helps them. When we say, "Thy kingdom come..."It does, and it invades the lives of those we love.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Thank You that You come near to us when we pray and near to those whom we are praying for. This is such a lovely truth. It will carry us happily along for the rest of the day. Remind us of this when things get crazy--that prayer changes things. Come near to ________ today. They really need You. In Jesus' name, AMEN~
Of course we want those we love to have God's peace, joy, protection, and guidance in their lives. But if they aren't seeking it, is it a lost cause?
NOPE, NO WAY, NEVER, UH-UH!
God expects us to stand in the gap. I love that expression, "Stand in the Gap."
All of you know that I raised my children to love the Lord, and they willingly accepted Christ as their Savior at a young age. But there have been periods in their lives when prayer and going to church was not a priority. They weren't really plugging in as often as they should. There was a disconnect between them and God. So I filled that gap with my prayers.
I got right in the middle of the divide and poured my heart out to God to keep them safe anyway. To guide them anyway. To pour His spirit out on them anyway. To fill them with joy anyway. To let their dreams come true anyway. To bless them with the right relationships anyway. And guess what? He has and He did and He will continue to do that.
1 Timothy 2:1
"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them."
What a tremendous relief to know that when we pray for others, God helps them. When we say, "Thy kingdom come..."It does, and it invades the lives of those we love.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Thank You that You come near to us when we pray and near to those whom we are praying for. This is such a lovely truth. It will carry us happily along for the rest of the day. Remind us of this when things get crazy--that prayer changes things. Come near to ________ today. They really need You. In Jesus' name, AMEN~
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Enjoy Your Life~
My mission in life is to turn every frown I see into a smile. Yes, there is a bunch of bad news, everywhere, all the time, but there is more good news than bad. I promise! In light of eternity, keeping in mind about the wonderful adventures ahead, we should smile everyday no matter what. But, I don't want any one to think that they have to go through life--barely making it--until heaven. NEWS ALERT: GOD WANTS YOU TO ENJOY YOUR LIFE ON EARTH!!!
John 10:10
"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
Jesus wants you to have a full, satisfying life. Yet so many out there live their lives devoid of peace, joy, faith, and hope. Millions upon millions of folks are on some type of medication to help them function, and too many others, in an act of extreme desperation, take their own life every single day.
Why does this happen if God, in the kindest and most compassionate act ever in history, sent Jesus to save our souls AND bless our human existence?
Think of it this way. We all have electricity in our homes. Great and glorious power available to us, but we have to plug the cord in to access it. It's the same thing with God. He's there ready and waiting, but we have to plug into Him. We must take the first step because God does not and will not force Himself onto anyone.
James 4:8
"Come near to God and He will come near to you."
We get near to Him through prayer, which is a fancy word for having a little convo. Plain and simple. How often should we come near? Daily.
"Give us this day our daily bread," is one of the hallmark's of our faith.
God desires to be kind to us everyday, and if you woke up this morning and ate a hearty breakfast and took a hot shower all while listening to the radio, then thank God for His kindness. If you had to get dressed and go to work, thank God for His kindness. If you took a car to work, thank Him for His kindness. If you dropped of your kids at school and kissed them before they ran off, thank God for His kindness. If your spouse brought you coffee in bed, thank God for His kindness. Heck, if you made your own coffee, thank Him for His kindness.
There are so many things we should thank God for, but today let us thank Him that He is approachable and that He responds by coming near to us. And He doesn't come empty-handed. He brings whatever you need to have a full, rich, satisfying life!
What if there is someone you love who isn't plugging in and you are worried about them? Mañana :)
PRAYER:
Dear Lord,
Thank You that we have the assurance that if we plug into You, You respond by coming near to us. We accept as a matter of fact and faith that since we are praying now, You are coming near to each and every one of us. Fill us with peace and joy today. You said You came to give us an abundant life, and we receive it. In Jesus' name, AMEN~
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Get a Grip~
Good morning :)
Yesterday we were left wondering how God shows mercy, which is kindness and compassion. So much crazy stuff happens everyday that we have to purposely focus on God and, like I like to say to those who live with me, "Get a grip, people!"
Get a grip on what?
First and foremost, let us examine the soul. I was having a conversation with someone last week and we were talking about the brevity of life. It goes so quickly, and now that I am pushing 50 YEARS OLD, I can attest to the fact that I went to sleep one day as a young, collagen-filled girl, and now I wake up and pinch my eyelids to see how long it takes for them to snap back. With all this cold weather, they are not snapping back!!! I scared myself so bad yesterday morning because it took almost 15 seconds for my pinched lids to unfurl. Not doing that again :)
We all know that with each passing day we are one step closer to glory. This is actually a great thing and nothing to be afraid of. On the contrary. The real living and the real fun begins in eternity. Think of all the people you know and all the good and bad that's part of their personality. In glory, only the good remains. Your spouses and children and in-laws and siblings and friends will all be a perfect version of themselves. How exciting is that?
Which brings me to the point of today's DEVO: The number one way God showed kindness and compassion was by making sure there would be a way for us to get to live with Him forever.
John 3:16 (Insert your name in place of mine).
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized YENISE that He sent His only Son, so that by YENISE believing in Him, YENISE would not be lost but have eternal life.
This is a fundamental truth that I live by. And when the pressures of life mount, I think about how one day it really will be alright, all the time. If you have difficulty wrapping your head around the awesomeness of that, you're not alone.
1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."
None of us mere humans can even begin to fully comprehend how great it will be. So when I say, "Get a grip!" what I am really saying is change your perspective. From our point of view life is hard a lot of the time. But from God's , He has something so unbelievably wonderful to offer that He reminds us constantly to trust Him, seek Him, have hope in Him, and pray; we will find out for ourselves soon enough:)
In the meantime, however, God promises to help with this life too, and everyday we see His kindness and compassion. More on that as the week progresses.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for preparing a place if perfection for us. We are excited that our minds are too small to fully understand how AMAZING it will be. Remind us when life gets tough that there are better days ahead. In Jesus' name, AMEN~
Yesterday we were left wondering how God shows mercy, which is kindness and compassion. So much crazy stuff happens everyday that we have to purposely focus on God and, like I like to say to those who live with me, "Get a grip, people!"
Get a grip on what?
First and foremost, let us examine the soul. I was having a conversation with someone last week and we were talking about the brevity of life. It goes so quickly, and now that I am pushing 50 YEARS OLD, I can attest to the fact that I went to sleep one day as a young, collagen-filled girl, and now I wake up and pinch my eyelids to see how long it takes for them to snap back. With all this cold weather, they are not snapping back!!! I scared myself so bad yesterday morning because it took almost 15 seconds for my pinched lids to unfurl. Not doing that again :)
We all know that with each passing day we are one step closer to glory. This is actually a great thing and nothing to be afraid of. On the contrary. The real living and the real fun begins in eternity. Think of all the people you know and all the good and bad that's part of their personality. In glory, only the good remains. Your spouses and children and in-laws and siblings and friends will all be a perfect version of themselves. How exciting is that?
Which brings me to the point of today's DEVO: The number one way God showed kindness and compassion was by making sure there would be a way for us to get to live with Him forever.
John 3:16 (Insert your name in place of mine).
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized YENISE that He sent His only Son, so that by YENISE believing in Him, YENISE would not be lost but have eternal life.
This is a fundamental truth that I live by. And when the pressures of life mount, I think about how one day it really will be alright, all the time. If you have difficulty wrapping your head around the awesomeness of that, you're not alone.
1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."
None of us mere humans can even begin to fully comprehend how great it will be. So when I say, "Get a grip!" what I am really saying is change your perspective. From our point of view life is hard a lot of the time. But from God's , He has something so unbelievably wonderful to offer that He reminds us constantly to trust Him, seek Him, have hope in Him, and pray; we will find out for ourselves soon enough:)
In the meantime, however, God promises to help with this life too, and everyday we see His kindness and compassion. More on that as the week progresses.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for preparing a place if perfection for us. We are excited that our minds are too small to fully understand how AMAZING it will be. Remind us when life gets tough that there are better days ahead. In Jesus' name, AMEN~
Monday, March 4, 2013
Lord, Have Mercy~
We have worked our way backward on this week's verse and have finally arrived at the beginning.
Psalm 57:1
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts inYou: yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over.
Remember that game we all played as kids where we would stand face-to-face with someone, interlock hands and try to bend the other's fingers back until they snapped or the person yelled, "MERCY!"?
By the time someone yelled, it was because there was an URGENT need for relief. This verse is asking for mercy twice, and it is not some quiet, relaxed, I am sipping tea out by the pool on a lovely spring afternoon, wearing a wide-brim sombrero, and casually swatting at the occasional fly, with a pinky extended and saying, "Be merciful, hee hee hee."
NO! It's more of a life is hard, my kid failed another test, my daughter is dating a thug, my husband is depressed, I hate my job, and I don't know how I am going to pay the bills screaming, "Be merciful to me, O God, me merciful to me!!!!"
Do you see the difference? It's a gut-wrenching sincere cry for relief. Other versions of the Bible describe the calamities as a hurricane. If you're in the middle of a hurricane, your cry for help will be forceful and emphatic.
And it is ok--more than ok--to cry out for mercy from the One Whom your soul trusts and under Whose wing you are hiding out until the bad stuff passes.
We trust, pray, and seek shelter, and He freely and abundantly provides mercy.
What, exactly, is mercy? It's God's kindness and compassion. More on that this week :)
What a satisfying note to begin our week on!
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Be merciful to us, O God, be merciful to us: for our souls trust in You: yes, in the shadow of Your wing we make our refuge, until the calamities be over. In Jesus name, AMEN~
Psalm 57:1
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts inYou: yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over.
Remember that game we all played as kids where we would stand face-to-face with someone, interlock hands and try to bend the other's fingers back until they snapped or the person yelled, "MERCY!"?
By the time someone yelled, it was because there was an URGENT need for relief. This verse is asking for mercy twice, and it is not some quiet, relaxed, I am sipping tea out by the pool on a lovely spring afternoon, wearing a wide-brim sombrero, and casually swatting at the occasional fly, with a pinky extended and saying, "Be merciful, hee hee hee."
NO! It's more of a life is hard, my kid failed another test, my daughter is dating a thug, my husband is depressed, I hate my job, and I don't know how I am going to pay the bills screaming, "Be merciful to me, O God, me merciful to me!!!!"
Do you see the difference? It's a gut-wrenching sincere cry for relief. Other versions of the Bible describe the calamities as a hurricane. If you're in the middle of a hurricane, your cry for help will be forceful and emphatic.
And it is ok--more than ok--to cry out for mercy from the One Whom your soul trusts and under Whose wing you are hiding out until the bad stuff passes.
We trust, pray, and seek shelter, and He freely and abundantly provides mercy.
What, exactly, is mercy? It's God's kindness and compassion. More on that this week :)
What a satisfying note to begin our week on!
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Be merciful to us, O God, be merciful to us: for our souls trust in You: yes, in the shadow of Your wing we make our refuge, until the calamities be over. In Jesus name, AMEN~
Friday, March 1, 2013
My Soul Trusts in You~
Psalm 57:1
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts in You: yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over.
We have all heartily amened over the fact that calamities end and that we find comfort, protection, and rest in the wing. Why is that? Because our soul trusts in Him.
(The following are all real life events that either happened to me or one of my kids.)
Remember when you were itty bitty and some punk pre-schooler bit you on the back? Or when curiosity overwhelmed you and you stuck your finger in the car lighter and charred its tip? Or maybe you snuck off
to the playground and fell off the slide and busted your mouth? Perhaps you were minding your business and a fat dog casually waddled over and bit you on your toe. What is the first thing we all did?
Run to our momma!
We trusted that she would somehow make it all better, and she always did. Why, then, do we make our refuge in the shadow of God's protective and comforting wing? Again, because our soul trusts in Him. Isn't that perfectly wonderful?
Our soul trusts in Him...
Is He trustworthy? Yes! The moment that, "He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us (Romans 8:32)," He got the attention of my soul.
When you trust someone, you go to them and find comfort. You tell them everything and anything on your heart knowing they won't judge you but will help you. They will speak encouraging words to you and re-introduce joy into your weary heart. They will bind your wounds with the oil of gladness. They will fix whatever boo boo they have the ability to fix. God does all that but perfectly and more powerfully than anyone you will ever meet--including momma.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Our souls trust in You. Sometimes we find it challenging to trust because we have had so many disappointments, but remind us that You have never let us down. You will always always always be
there when we make the effort to take refuge in You. In Jesus' name,
AMEN~
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts in You: yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over.
We have all heartily amened over the fact that calamities end and that we find comfort, protection, and rest in the wing. Why is that? Because our soul trusts in Him.
(The following are all real life events that either happened to me or one of my kids.)
Remember when you were itty bitty and some punk pre-schooler bit you on the back? Or when curiosity overwhelmed you and you stuck your finger in the car lighter and charred its tip? Or maybe you snuck off
to the playground and fell off the slide and busted your mouth? Perhaps you were minding your business and a fat dog casually waddled over and bit you on your toe. What is the first thing we all did?
Run to our momma!
We trusted that she would somehow make it all better, and she always did. Why, then, do we make our refuge in the shadow of God's protective and comforting wing? Again, because our soul trusts in Him. Isn't that perfectly wonderful?
Our soul trusts in Him...
Is He trustworthy? Yes! The moment that, "He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us (Romans 8:32)," He got the attention of my soul.
When you trust someone, you go to them and find comfort. You tell them everything and anything on your heart knowing they won't judge you but will help you. They will speak encouraging words to you and re-introduce joy into your weary heart. They will bind your wounds with the oil of gladness. They will fix whatever boo boo they have the ability to fix. God does all that but perfectly and more powerfully than anyone you will ever meet--including momma.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Our souls trust in You. Sometimes we find it challenging to trust because we have had so many disappointments, but remind us that You have never let us down. You will always always always be
there when we make the effort to take refuge in You. In Jesus' name,
AMEN~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)