Category: Month

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Where Do Your Plans Lead

We have been visiting friends in Idaho for the last few weeks. Last night we had a wonderful time catching up with several couples at a bar-b-q. It was great!

 

We talked about our children, grandchildren, music, work, health and the Lord. Everyone there we have known for over 20 years. Our lives have taken us different directions but our friendship remains strong. That is truly a treasured gift.

 

We all make plans. Some of those are just for the day ahead while others cover the next week or through the end of the year. For us, we are planning our trip back to Arizona. Whatever our plans, whatever course we set for ourselves, we need to seek God’s direction and guidance.

“Trust your work to the Lord, and your plans will work out well…People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps...People might throw lots to make a decision, but the answer always comes from the Lord.” Proverbs 16:3, 9, 33

Whether we are traveling the highways and negotiating the freeways or navigating through the locks and channels of large corporations, we can trust the Lord to guide our steps and lead the way.

As we travel I can’t help but think of all those who have traveled these roads before. Those who came on horseback, in covered wagons and those whose only means of transportation were their feet. Looking at the terrain, considering the weather, the elements and the dangers they may have faced causes me to pause. But then thinking of the joy they experienced in seeing new land that no one had ever been to before, the beauty, the grandeur, the vastness of creation, brings an unprovoked smile to my face. We check the Atlas and follow the roads, they followed the dreams of their hearts!

I think  about Abram. At a word from the Lord, he set out for a world unknown. God called him to leave his home and go into a far country.

“The LORD said to Abram:
Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you. 4-5 Abram was seventy-five years old when the LORD told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while in Haran.” Genesis 12:1-5 CEV

His obedience birthed a nation. His obedience open the door for Jesus, the Messiah to come. His obedience brought blessing to his life and those who traveled with him.

What road has the Lord asked you to take today? Are you being obedient and bringing blessing to the lives of those around you?   If God gives you a course correction be willing to take it.

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

There are new horizons to view, new adventures to experience and new victories to celebrate!

 

 

 

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Life’s Lessons Lived Well

Kids all across the country are getting ready to return to school and some already have.

Over 30 years ago, a book written by Robert Fulgham brought attention to the simplicity of doing things right. It was called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten“.

We did learn some very important lessons in our early years of education. The importance of listening, sharing, co-operating, washing our hands, saying please and thank you, were just some of these valuable lessons.

Our parents taught us other truths in our early years that molded us and were very beneficial. It’s amazing how many things we do as adults that we were taught as children. We no longer do them because we fear that we may get a whippin’ or because “mom” is still standing there telling us every time but we do them because we know their right.

Look both ways before crossing a street
Brush your teeth before going to bed
Don’t run with scissors
Don’t talk with your mouth full
Chew with your mouth closed
Don’t tattle
Wash your hands after you’ve gone to the bathroom
Say, “Yes Ma’am” “Yes, Sir”
Don’t punch your sister
Pick up your clothes
Feed the dog

All of these things are simple and right but we had to be taught them and now that we do them we are better for it.

You know the same is true with Scripture.

“But you must be strong and brave about obeying the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. 8Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:7-9 ERV

Joshua was taking over for Moses, leading over a million Israelites into the Promised Land. Big shoes to fill – he needed wisdom and courage. This was his instruction from the Lord…remember what you were taught, you will be successful!

Jesus said the core teaching of the Bible, all that Moses and the other prophets said, was found in this instruction.

“36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus answered:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 23:36-40 CEV

When we love the Lord with all our heart we will naturally and supernaturally love others as well. We learn from His example of love, unconditional love, and we give. We give our time, our possessions, our acceptance, we give our very lives if necessary.

A little nugget that jumped off the page of my Bible this morning was from Psalms.

“Help me to guard my words whenever I say something.” Psalm 141:3 CEV

One of the most loving things we can do is to watch our words. Words can encourage or they can destroy. They can compliment or  criticize. Remember the little childhood chant, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”?

But words can hurt – they can devastate. Another one of Mother’s Rules was “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t saying anything at all”. I know that’s what this verse it is telling me.  My words should be kind and loving.

I don’t know which teaching from God’s Word  you’ll be living today but whatever it is, love well!

 

 

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His Love Never Fails

Were you able to enjoy a harvest meal of love, patience and joy yesterday? I hope you found a bounty of good things in your garden and we able to feast well.

I have to be honest and tell you that I had a few struggles in the peace and patience categories. Life threw me a few curve balls and I missed with my swing.

No, I’m not going to get into a baseball analogy but I think you know what I mean. I thought things were going along well, I was being loving the way the Lord wanted me to when something unexpected happened and I reacted from my emotions and not from my spirit. I had to be patient and regain my peace. It took a while…a long while.

Then this morning I read these words:

“I am surrounded by trouble, but you protect me against my angry enemies. With your own powerful arm you keep me safe. 8 You, Lord, will always treat me with kindness. Your love never fails. You have made us what we are. Don’t give up on us now!” Psalm 138:7-8 CEV

I needed that reminder. His love never fails and He always treats me with kindness.  One translation of this verse says “He perfects that which concerns me”. Thank you Lord.

Our Father knows when we are concerned about things and He goes to work perfecting them. Maybe not the way we would but His ways are perfect and He treats us with kindness.

(I just took a deep breath and exhaled.) Can you feel the comfort in those words – you ALWAYS treat me with kindness! (Another deep breath). Peace, sweet peace, from the Father.

But my reading didn’t stop there. I continued on to Psalm 139. It was amazing how the Lord kept talking to me.

“You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. 2 You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.

3 You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. 4 Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, 5 and with your powerful arm  you protect me from every side. 6 I can’t understand all of this!  Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.

7 Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? 8 If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. 9 Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. 10 Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. 11 Or suppose I said, “I’ll hide in the dark  until night comes to cover me over.” 12 But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.

13 You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, 14 and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.

15 Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, 16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed.
Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.

17 Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine. 18 I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.” Psalm 139:1-18 CEV

“Everything you do is marvelous!”  Everything…everything God does is marvelous! He was there yesterday when I became impatient and lost my peace. He was there, speaking to my heart. He was there with His powerful arm to protect and guide. 

He was there!

And He’ll be here today too!!  His love never fails! Amen.

 

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Enjoy the Harvest

Do you remember early in the Spring when I wrote about planting seeds in our life’s garden?

I trust we have been diligent in watering, pulling weeds and fertilizing those seeds. If you have then I know that you are also experiencing growth and a time of harvest.

A couple of days ago I was with my sister-in-law at her home in Spokane. She has a beautiful garden. The picture above is what we gathered that afternoon; green beans, tomatoes (several kinds), squash and cucumbers. That evening we had a delicious fresh cucumber, tomato and basil salad.

I had to chuckle when I took this picture. She asked me if I was going to use it in my blog. I told her she would have to wait and see.

Of course, I did. It is such a great example for today’s topic.

Some of the seeds I had suggested we plant this Spring were love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and humility. Each one of these are the character traits that God wants to see developed in our lives.

“God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. ” Galatians 5:22-23 CEV

Today we’ll have opportunities to be short-tempered, rude,  impatient and unkind. Those ugly weeds are always popping up. Grab a spade, a hoe or a shovel and pull them out.

When that work is done, gather some of the fruit and enjoy your harvest.

“Your love must be real. Hate what is evil. Do only what is good. 10 Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself. 11 As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him!” Romans 12:9-11

Look for opportunities to do what is good – go the extra mile and in doing that you will share the love of Jesus in a tangible way.

Be Jesus to someone today! It will have a lasting effect.

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Watching Them Grow

Yesterday we were at our grandson’s wedding but of course you knew that.

What a beautiful day!

I know it’s cliché, but they grow up so fast. Sitting there on the patio of the wedding venue Dave and I were recalling the times that he had come to visit, fishing trips, Christmases, making jam in the kitchen – the things that make memories for us as grandparents.

Of course we want to see them grow, mature and have many more exciting moments and make lasting memories.

Isn’t that just like our heavenly Father? His desire is to see us grow up and experience the life that He has designed for us. He wants us to dream big and achieve those dreams.

“Let’s pray that our young sons will grow like strong plants and that our daughters will be as lovely as columns in the corner of a palace. 13 May our barns be filled with all kinds of crops. May our fields be covered with sheep by the thousands, 14  and every cow have calves.

Don’t let our city be captured or any of us be taken away, and don’t let cries of sorrow be heard in our streets. 15 Our Lord and our God, you give these blessings to all who worship you.” Psalm 144: 12-15 CEV

The Lord gives blessings to all of us who worship Him. I know I’ve said it before but God is more desirous of our success than we are. He has given us all the resources we need to grow in Him.

“Let the wonderful kindness and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you to keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 CEV

Do you see what these verses say? It’s by the kindness and understanding that we receive from the Lord that we grow. Yes, it’s possible to learn from trial and error but God’s plan is that we mature and develop by the good things He provides.

“Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head 16 of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.” Ephesians 4:15-16 CEV

It’s by love that we grow perfectly and become stronger.

I can just hear our heavenly Father say, “I remember when you were little and you came to me wanting to share all of your life’s experiences with me. I’m so glad that you’ve grown up and still want to do that.”

At every stage of life God’s word has a message for us.

“I write to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ.
13 I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.
14 I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers,
 because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong. The word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.” I John 2:12-14 ERV

Thank you Father for all you have done and are still doing to see that I grow up and become like You.

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I Now Pronounce You

Today is a special day for our family. Our oldest grandson is getting married!

Very shortly, Dave and I will be driving to the Seattle area to be a part of this wonderful celebration.

Thinking about what this day will mean to him and his bride I can’t help but reflect on my own wedding and also on the marriage of his parents.

Dave and I are blessed with a rich heritage of marriage. Our parents and grandparents all celebrated at least 50 years of marriage and those marriages ended only because of the death of a spouse. They showed us what it meant to love one another completely, at times sacrificing their own desires and ambitions to put their mate first.

Dave and I had the opportunity to counsel a young couple prior to their marriage. Unbeknown to me, they asked Dave what was his secret to a long and happy marriage. He said it was for both people to willingly give 150%. Then when I came in they asked me the same thing. I said that’s simple, you each have to be willing to give 150%.

They laughed but it’s true. For marriage to be successful it can’t be selfish.

My reflection on marriage this morning not only  has me focusing on the examples of my parents and grandparents but also on the example of Christ.

The Apostle Paul gives a wonderful teaching on marriage in Ephesians 5. He tells us that wives should submit to their husbands as they would to the Lord. Submission is not distasteful. It means to place ourselves under the authority of our husbands and in turn it gives us a covering of protection and well being.

He also tells husbands to love their wives as they love themselves. There’s nothing selfish about that. It is a complete act of giving on the husband’s part. They are to provide for and cherish (treat as valuable) their wives.

And then he wraps it all up with this:

“The Scriptures say, “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and join his wife, and the two people will become one.” 32 That secret truth is very important—I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself. And a wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:31-33 ERV

A loving marriage serves as an example of how Christ loves us. He is the husband who loves us and willing gave all He had for our protection and provision. His love made the ultimate sacrifice and He gave His life for our salvation.  He held back nothing when it came to proving His love for us.

“Love does not give up. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Love does not put itself up as being important. Love has no pride. 5 Love does not do the wrong thing. Love never thinks of itself. Love does not get angry. Love does not remember the suffering that comes from being hurt by someone. 6 Love is not happy with sin. Love is happy with the truth. 7 Love takes everything that comes without giving up. Love believes all things. Love hopes for all things. Love keeps on in all things. 8 Love never comes to an end.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 ERV

These verses written by the Apostle Paul have great meaning to me. I have learned to personalize them in two different ways. First, I replace the word love with the word God because God is love. And then I read them again and substitute my name for the word love.

Each day I am becoming increasingly more aware of how much God truly loves me. That’s life changing!

I want to be more like Him today and when I read this passage with my name inserted it reminds me of how I should be acting towards others. I want to be an imitator of God’s love.

I hope that these words, “I now pronounce you husband and wife” have greater meaning for you today. Whether we are male or female Christ considers us His wife. He has taken responsibility for us; to love us, to nurture and to cherish us.

I will be eternally grateful that He has chosen me to be His bride!

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A Basket Case

Have you ever heard the expression “you’re a basket case”?

We generally say that to someone who is letting the circumstances of life overwhelm them. They begin to fall apart in the drama and chaos of their situation. This saying implies that their life is disjointed, in pieces. They need someone else to pick up the pieces and put them in a basket.

So now you know where that came from.

Worry!

The great destroyer. It destroys joy, peace, loving relationships, sleep, clear thinking.  I once heard someone say “if I didn’t have anything to worry about I’d be worried”.  A lot of people live this way but it’s not how God wants us to live.

“God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. ” Psalm 46: NLV

I had never thought about it before but Moses’ mother had reason to worry. The Egyptians had ordered all Hebrew or Jewish male babies to be killed.

Her son became a basket case, literally. His mother wove a basket made of reeds and sealed with pitch. She put Moses in the basket and set it close to the bank, in the bulrushes of the Nile River.  Her’s was not an action of fear or worry. No, it was a true trust in the Lord.

“And the mother and father of Moses hid him for three months after he was born. They did this because they had faith. They saw that Moses was a beautiful baby. And they were not afraid to disobey the king’s order.” Hebrews 11:23 ERV

I heard a teaching once about worry. It goes something like this.

A successful businessman was asked what he did when situations came up with his business dealings that were bigger than he could handle. He was sitting at his desk and  pointed to a box in front of him.

He said, “I put all my worries in the box. Then I pray about them and close the box. I never think about them again until the following Wednesday when I open the box and take them out. Most of them are no longer problems by then. They have been resolved without me worrying over them. If they haven’t been resolved I repeat the process and go on about my way until the next week.”

I’ve had the opportunity to share this story with a number of people personally and I’ve given them worry baskets. Recently I was in the home of one of these young mothers and I was pleased to see that she still has her worry basket hanging in her kitchen. It’s a visible reminder that God is big enough to handle our problems.

“The Lord will lead you. He himself is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid!” Deuteronomy 31:8 ERV

So instead of seeing the term “basket case” as a negative I choose to look at it this way; any situation that would cause me to worry or be afraid is ready for the basket! I can trust God to handle it. He’ll do a better job than I can, just look at what He did with Moses.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV

Get yourself a worry basket and go on to a life guarded by peace!

 

 

 

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Review and Evaluate

For many years I was responsible for conducting Personnel Evaluations and Reviews. When employees were first hired they had a 90-day review and after that it was an annual evaluation. I always looked for their strengths and tried to encourage change in areas of weakness.

Now I find myself each morning reviewing the events of my previous day. I look back and am thankful for so many things, large and small.  I know some of you do this at the end of your day and that’s great too. This isn’t a performance evaluation because we can never win God’s approval by performance or the lack of it, That was all done by Jesus.

So what did I learn in my review of yesterday?

The day started out spending time with Dave, Pam and Jen. We enjoy being together and it doesn’t have to be something great and significant, just the small things are so much better because of the love we share.

The afternoon was spent resting. It’s important that we give ourselves time to be quiet. Our bodies aren’t made to be on the go 24/7, they need rest. It’s a shame that I had to retire to realize that.

In the evening we went to friends for dinner. Randy and Kristi have been our friends for almost 30 years. Friendships like that are truly nuggets of gold. We spent time catching up on life; children, grandchildren, life’s treasures and disappointing times. We talked of the Lord and His faithfulness and our hearts were more full than our stomachs when we left.

Yes, it was a good day!

So, I began to thank the Lord for the day past and the one to come. I found myself saying “Thank you Father. You make my life so…” and then I searched my mind for the right adjective.

Exciting…adventurous…wonderful…full…marvelous…amazing…peaceful…joyful…loving.

But then I stopped. I realized I didn’t need any adjectives. What I was really saying is “Thank you Father, You make my life!”

It’s that simple. Without the Lord, I really wouldn’t be experiencing true living. He makes it all complete.

“You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care.” Job 10:12

Knowing God and having Him in my life intensifies and magnifies each day’s experiences.  The Apostle Paul said it this way:

“I am full of hope and feel sure I will not have any reason to be ashamed. I am certain I will continue to have the same boldness to speak freely that I always have. I will let God use my life to bring more honor to Christ. It doesn’t matter whether I live or die. 21 To me, the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be for my benefit.22 If I continue living here on earth, I will be able to work for the Lord. But what would I choose—to live or to die? I don’t know.” Philippians 1:20-22 ERV

Jesus purpose in coming to earth was to give man a life filled with purpose. He didn’t come to diminish life and cause it to be substandard. No! He came to enhance and improved our lives in a way that we can’t possibly do on our own.

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

“I am the light that has come into the world. No one who has faith in me will stay in the dark.

47 I am not the one who will judge those who refuse to obey my teachings. I came to save the people of this world, not to be their judge.” John 12:46-47 CEV

Now it’s time to get up and start this day. I am really looking forward to it. I know that God has planned my steps and He has great things in store for me! I pray that you are looking forward to the moments of your day as well.

“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be full of joy and be glad in it. 25 O Lord, we beg You to save us! O Lord, we ask that You let everything go well for us! ” Psalm 118:24-25 NLV

 

 

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What Did Ya Come For?

Yesterday we had a strange experience I’d like to share with you.

Dave and I have toyed with the idea of getting an RV since we fully retired 4 years ago. We are up here in the Spokane/Couer d’Alene area and there are a lot of RV dealerships. We decided to just go and look at what’s available.  Mid-morning we took off with our friend, and headed to a few different dealerships.

Since we’ve been thinking about this for a while we know what we want and what we feel would work best for us. We wanted to see what’s available in our price range. This was a fun fact finding mission.

The first place we stopped only had two 5th wheel trailers that matched our criteria. The sales person was very nice and helpful. He understood that he really couldn’t help us. Off we went to the next dealership.

Once again we explained what we were looking for and why. This salesman got his inventory list and was unable to find anything on his lot that matched our wish list. He told us they were having a big sale this weekend, Dave told him we wouldn’t be buying this weekend. Then he blurted out in frustration “then what did ya come in for”.

Oh boy!

Those words stuck with me throughout the rest of the afternoon and I woke thinking about them this morning, “then what did ya come in for”.

There are so many times I go to the Lord and I’m not really sure what I need or what I’m wanting. I have confusion and need clarity. Or it maybe that I just need to talk, uninterrupted and unafraid, as I sort through emotions and circumstances.

The Lord is always there for me and never once has He lost his cool and asked me what I came for. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He tells me to come and I will find help when I need it.

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

The Lord tells me to come when I’m tired and need rest.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

When I need wisdom the Father tells me to come and receive teaching that will give me a long and prosperous life.

“The young lions suffer want and hunger. But they who look for the Lord will not be without any good thing. 11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man who has a desire for life, and wants to live long so that he may see good things? 13 Keep your tongue from sin and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn away from what is sinful. Do what is good. Look for peace and follow it.” Psalm 34:10-14 NLV

I did a word search for “come” this morning and I found that there are over 2100 listings in the King James version. I will tell you honestly that I did not read all 2106 verses. However, this one from the book of John has to be one of my favorites.

“Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry. He who puts his trust in Me will never be thirsty. 36 I said to you that you have seen Me and yet you do not put your trust in Me. 37 All whom My Father has given to Me will come to Me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me. 38 I came down from heaven. I did not come to do what I wanted to do. I came to do what My Father wanted Me to do. He is the One Who sent Me.

39 “The Father sent Me. He did not want Me to lose any of all those He gave Me. He wants Me to raise them to life on the last day. 40 He wants everyone who sees the Son to put his trust in Him and have life that lasts forever. I will raise that one up on the last day.” John 6:35-40 NLV

I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me. 

What a promise!

He will NEVER turn away anyone who comes to Him. That is an absolute, all encompassing promise.

So forget the rude and frustrated salesman; forget the customer service rep; forget the harsh tone of the banker or the mortgage broker, forget the misdirected words of a mate or friend.

Come boldly and find help, rest, instruction and life. We’ll never be turned away when we come to the Lord!

 

 

 

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All A-Twitter

When someone used to say that they were all a-twitter it meant that they were infatuated or romantically smitten.

Those of us who are fans of Disney, remember well the scenes in Bambi when all the characters became twitterpated in the Spring.

However now when the word “Twitter” is used it’s connected to social media and “following” some of your favorite friends, sports figures, politicians and news makers.

Dave and I are not very tech savvy. Our world is simplistic and old-fashioned. We read books from hard copy, like to have phone conversations instead of texting and enjoyed writing letters instead of emails so when our friend began to tell us about the advantages of Twitter yesterday we were  uninformed but interested.

I do post the blog to Twitter each morning but don’t really have any followers nor do I follow anyone. But our simple tutorial  yesterday morning got me to thinking.

Tweets from the people I follow with just  pop up throughout the day…interesting. So if I find someone who, like me, enjoys sharing Scripture then I could be receiving random verses of encouragement all during the day.

I like that!

If Jesus were alive and ministering today I can see Him having a Twitter account.

“Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. They were preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told the brothers to come with him. 22 So they immediately left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

23 Jesus went everywhere in the country of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses.” Matthew 4:21-23 ERV

He reached out to people everywhere He went. So it’s not hard to imagine that he would have a Facebook page, a Twitter account and be on Instagram. Jesus was a people person.  He showed up where they did, touched their lives and they followed him.

“When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.” Matthew 8:1

“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.” Matthew 8:23

“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.” Matthew 9:27

“But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;” Matthew 12:15

Doesn’t the same hold true for us? Don’t we really desire to follow Jesus? King David gave us the example of the Lord being our shepherd. Sheep follow their shepherd instinctively.

“Jesus said:   I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. 2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.

4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5 The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.” John 10:1-5 CEV

It’s important that we listen and then follow as Christ leads us to those green pastures and still waters. It’s there we find rest and peace from life’s stresses.

Our days become so busy. It’s hard to find time to sit and reflect on God’s word without being interrupted. So let me challenge you with this. Find a Twitter account to follow that will periodically tweet out a Scripture verse. When that notification comes, read the verse and say this simple prayer: “Lord what are you saying to me right now, I am determined to follow You.”

We can become more twitterpated for Christ by reading God’s word on Twitter.

“Be followers of God as dear children, 2 and walk in love, even as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet savour to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2

 

 

 

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