Category: Goodness of God

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A New Beginning

Today’s the beginning of a new month. Never again will there be a first day of September 2026.

Let’s look at a couple of verses about beginning.

“In the beginning God…” Genesis 1:1a

In the beginning of creation – In the beginning of my life – In the beginning of my current situation – In the beginning GOD! God was there at the very beginning. He will be there halfway through and He will be there at the end!

He has chosen to invest Himself in my life, in my world, in my total existence. Stop and think, meditate, and ponder deeply these words for a few minutes.

“The Word (Christ) was in the beginning. The Word was with God. The Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 He made all things. Nothing was made without Him making it.” John 1:1-3 NLV

He hasn’t pulled back yet and He won’t. He will continue to be involved in all He has created for all eternity – He is the eternal, the everlasting God and Father. And He’s here for you, because He loves you!

Now let’s look at another verse.

“The one who has spoken these things says, ‘I am coming soon!’ So, Lord Jesus, please come soon! 21 I pray that the Lord Jesus will be kind to all of you.” Revelation 22:20-21

It should give you great joy to know that He is coming soon. Yes, with all the uncertainty in the world one thing is certain, He is coming soon. He was and is and will continue to be kind to all. That’s the reason He came – out of love He became our substitute, the sacrifice for our sins so that we can be reconciled to the Father. Forgiveness is ours; new life is ours, restoration is ours – we simply need to receive it as the free gift that it is.

As you focus on your beginning, you’ll find God and as you look to the end you will see that He’s coming quickly and reaching out to us in kindness.

This new beginning, this first day of September 2026, is a day of purpose. A day filled with promise for the future.

“ For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will look for Me and find Me, when you look for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLV

Blessings to you this day and this new month.

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Who Do You Trust?

This morning finds me sitting on the harbor enjoying the cool morning air. We will be on vacation for another week and are spending time resting and relaxing on our son’s boat. So, for the next days’ my blog may be inconsistent, but you are always in my morning prayers.

“Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray over my many friends on facebook. Some are experiencing great pain and sorrow in their lives, others are facing some of the greatest financial challenges ever, still others are seeing those they love hurt and realtionships destroyed. There are those who need to make right decisions, decisions of life and death, and those who need physical protection from very real enemies. Yes, Father and there are those who have waited years to see answers to prayer who are growing weary – it is for all of these that I am praying this morning.

Let your peace rule in their lives; let them know your presence, protection and provision. Let them see that you are here and have promised to never leave them or forsake them; let them rest and trust in you.

Thank you for your answers; your word; your great love and thank you that it’s not you who has created these problems but that you are the problem solver. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer, in Jesus name.”

This prayer for you was prompted from my reading from Psalms this morning. It’s amazing how something written thousands of years ago can be so contemporary.

“ Hallelujah!
    O my soul, praise God!
All my life long I’ll praise God,
    singing songs to my God as long as I live.

3-9 Don’t put your life in the hands of experts
    who know nothing of life, of salvation life.
Mere humans don’t have what it takes;
    when they die, their projects die with them.
Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,
    put your hope in God and know real blessing!
God made sky and soil,
    sea and all the fish in it.
He always does what he says—
    he defends the wronged,
    he feeds the hungry.
God frees prisoners—
    he gives sight to the blind,
    he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers,
    takes the side of orphans and widows,
    but makes short work of the wicked.

10 God’s in charge—always.
    Zion’s God is God for good!
    Hallelujah!” Psalm 146 MSG

In God we trust – He is always in charge!!

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Shine Jesus, Shine

For years I used to work to be “good enough” for God’s love. I, like a lot of people, wanted people and God to like me and I would work to that end. Leading Bible Studies, singing in the choir, baking cookies, doing all sorts of good works to get people to like me.

I would serve on committees and every place that a volunteer was needed to show the Lord and others my dedication to others to get them to “see” that I had a good heart and was a good Christian.

But one day the Lord instructed me from these verses in I Corinthians 3.

“And you are a house that belongs to God. 10 Like an expert builder I built the foundation of that house. I used the gift that God gave me to do this. Other people are building on that foundation. But everyone should be careful how they build. 11 The foundation that has already been built is Jesus Christ, and no one can build any other foundation. 12 People can build on that foundation using gold, silver, jewels, wood, grass, or straw. 13 But the work that each person does will be clearly seen, because the Day will make it plain. That Day will appear with fire, and the fire will test everyone’s work. 14 If the building they put on the foundation still stands, they will get their reward. 15 But if their building is burned up, they will suffer loss. They will be saved, but it will be like someone escaping from a fire.” I Corinthians 3:9b-15 ERV

I realized I was building with wood, grass and straw. My efforts were exactly that – my efforts. I wasn’t serving people for God’s glory and benefit but for my own. And it never seemed that I was doing enough…

The Father began to reveal to me how much He loved me. He loved me – not my works. It was ok to say “no” to some of the needs and let others fill them. The Father didn’t want me working “for Him” but serving “with Him”.

I didn’t have to earn His love! He loves me unconditionally and in that love I am free to serve because I want to and not because I have too.

It’s when we do that, serving and living life to glorify Him, that we begin to build with gold, silver and precious jewels. When we serve for us we will grow weary and discouraged. We get jealous and judgmental. (Remember Martha being upset because Mary wasn’t “serving”.)

So occasionally I have to inspect my building materials and ask the Lord to build a fire in my soul and burn off what isn’t acceptable. The good thing about gold is that the fire only purifies it – makes it more valuable. It isn’t consumed.

“Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns.” I Peter 1:7 CEV

As I finished writing this, a song we sang in the 1980’s came to mind: Shine Jesus, Shine

“Lord, I come to Your awesome presence
From the shadows into Your radiance
By the blood, I may enter Your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me

[Chorus]
Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire…”

My desire is to shine for Him!

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Heartfelt Thanks!

This morning I have a personal note of gratitude for all of you who join faithfully each day to experience the Good News of God’s love!

Nine years ago this month, my friend encouraged me to post a morning blog. I didn’t know the first thing about setting one up but he did. He sent me a sample of what he had done and Kristi’s Morning Devotional was born.

I have enjoyed sharing the Scriptures with you day by day. It was a slow start but God has been faithful to build the readership.

“ Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin,” Zechariah 4:10 NLT

In the first few months readership was very low, less than 3500 reads over a total of 5 months. The Lord has been faithful and readership has now grown to over 8000 per month. What a joy to know the Lord is reaching these people through His word.

I am humbled and blessed because it is you who have shared the blog with your family, friends, Bible study groups and Facebook/Linked-In pages.

“I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace! 3 Every time I think of you, I thank my God. 4 And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. 5 This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. 6 God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns. 7 You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work God has given me, ” Philippians 1:2-7 CEV

Let me encourage you. If the Lord has given you a dream, a purpose, a talent, use it for His glory. You’re never too young to start or are you ever too old. This ministry started when I was in my 60’s.

“Don’t despise small beginnings”. I have heard that in my heart several times a month for the last nine years. I am so blessed when I read your comments of how the Lord encouraged you through the morning’s writings. Your prayer requests are not taken lightly. I lift them to the Father’s throne room.

” For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 NLT

Thank you for being a part of my mornings and in turn, a part of my life!

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The Power of God at Work

This morning I’d like you to do something for me. Before you head out the door, I would like you to go into the bathroom and take a long look in the mirror. No, you’re not looking to see if your hair is combed or there are any bags around your eyes.

I want you to see the power of God at work in your life.

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’” Romans 1:16-17 NLT

The power of God planted a seed of faith in your heart and mine. Faith to believe in God’s grace to make us right. From start to finish our walk, our relationship with Him is by faith in His grace.

If you grew up in church, I’m sure at one time or another, you were presented with a list of do’s and don’ts. Don’t smoke, cuss or chew or go with girls that do! Yep, that was pretty much the law that was laid out before us. No movies, no drinking, no running amuck.

But not doing those things isn’t going to get us into heaven. It is by grace. Being conscious of sin doesn’t save us. Being aware of grace and accepting it by faith does.

Grace is the power of God at work!

” God doesn’t accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.

21 Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn’t by obeying the Law of Moses. 22  God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 25-26  God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life’s blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.

27 What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. 28 We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. 29 Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is! 30  There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith.” Romans 3:20-31 CEV

Thank you Jesus! The power of God at work in my life is because of what Jesus did and not what I try to do. My faith in Him has made me acceptable, not my works.

So, do yourself a favor. Go back, look in that mirror and say “Thank you Father that I am acceptable to You because of what Jesus did for me. I have faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and in Your power for my salvation. That’s very, very, Good News!”

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A Real Frog Strangler

Last night was one for the record books – it was a real frog strangler!

Not sure you are familiar with this expression, but it means a heavy, sudden rain. And that it was.

About 10:30, we had already gone to bed; we saw the lightning flashes, heard the thunder and then the deluge of rain. Oh my! We live on a wash and within 20 minutes it was running two-thirds full and sounded like a rushing river. By 11:15, the water had started to recede. Praise God! and the rain was almost over.

With all the rain we’ve had lately the weeds are going crazy. Dave is out there spraying all the time. They grow so quickly in the desert.

Life can be like that too. Weeds seem to grow faster than the good seeds we plant. The rain helps them both.

The desert is so green.

We had neighbors who recently came down from the Dakotas and they traveled through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona. They said everywhere was brown from lack of rain until they came across the Arizona border where the landscape was green and lush.

I want my life to grow good things; kindness, joy, peace, love, understanding and forgiveness. The weeds of selfishness, greed, bitterness and discontentment need to be rooted out.

Lord, remind me to only sow good seeds in the soil of my heart. Your word is the good seed and it will make me healthy and victorious because Your word is health unto all my flesh and life unto all who find it. Thank you for the word.

“And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.

23 “But what about the seed that fell on the good ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and understand it. They grow and produce a good crop, sometimes 100 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 30 times more.” Matthew 13:22-24 ERV

Weeds will strangle the seed. But, after a rain like we had last night more seeds will sprout, grasses with grow and provide food for the wildlife. Flowers will come and the earth will be refreshed.

“ But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18 When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” James 3:17-18 CEV

Oh yes, a harvest of peace! Isn’t that what we all want to grow in our lives and our families?

As for the frogs, they weren’t strangled at all. When I went out to check the level of the water in the wash, I saw that it had almost completely receded and throughout the neighborhood I heard the sound of croaking frogs everywhere. They were enjoying the refreshing of last night’s rain.

May we enjoy the rains of refreshing. May it bring a harvest of peace!

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Start Out Right

I normally wake up pleasant. Greeting the day with a smile, a prayer and a cup of coffee. But last night was one of the worst night’s of “unrest” that I’ve had in years. Up and down all night – confusing dreams – leg cramps – too hot – too cold.

Oh my. I hope I didn’t keep Dave awake.

But here’s the bright side. I can decide and have already decided that I’m not giving my day over to Grumpy. I’ve made an attitude adjustment! I’m not selling out my entire day.

“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” I Peter 5:7 AMP

I’ve given the Lord my bad attitude and begun to give praise. Praise for having a bed with a roof over my head, praise that I got 2 good hours of sleep instead of none, gratitude for the cup of coffee that helps me greet each morning.

Praise God that I don’t have to go through the day the way I started out!

“ Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits— 3 Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; 5 Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!” Psalm 103:1-5 AMPC

Praising the Father for a day of victory instead of a day of defeat is the best way to start out right!

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:1-3 AMPC

Join me!

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My Father Did That

A couple weeks ago Dave and I went camping. We went to a lake that I had fished as a child with my family. It was one of our favorite spots. It has changed a lot since then. There is an organized campground and the water level is lower than it used to be but somehow it felt like home.

My Heavenly Father made that lake.

This morning has me thinking about my dad. Dad was a good man. He loved mom, us kids and the Lord. He was an impressive figure of a man; handsome, strong, rugged, loyal, outspoken and he hated injustice.

Dad wasn’t well educated, only went to the 7th grade but he was one of the smartest men I know. He could read people, their sincerity or deceit and he could fix or build anything.

Dad’s been gone for 21 years now and I miss him. When we find a great new lake, I think of Dad. Driving through a river valley and spotting a good place to fish, building a new shed, fixing the car – all make me think of him.

Watching my grandchildren grow into good people, playing with our smallest grandchildren and the greats, talking to our grown kids – all these make me miss him and I’m grateful that I have so many wonderful memories.

There were times that I needed Daddy to come to my rescue and he did. Never a question that he wouldn’t be there to help and defend. Now if I had done something stupid he would talk to me about that later but first instinct was to come to my aid.

Maybe you don’t have such good memories of your relationship with your dad. Our Heavenly Father desires a relationship with you that is so much greater than any you’ve ever had with your earthly father.

“All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. 28 Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. 29 So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham’s family, and you will be given what God has promised…Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. 7 You are no longer slaves. You are God’s children, and you will be given what he has promised.” Galatians 3:26-4:7 CEV

In God’s family we are all equal – the same blessings are available to all of us. God’s love is not greater for one than the other; His mercy is given freely to us all and His protection and provision are not awarded with prejudice or bias. It’s our faith in Jesus Christ that makes us equal.

My Father did that – He made me one of His own!

You’re heavenly Father loves you and whatever you may be going through today He’s right there with you and when things get bigger than you can handle your Dad’s got this. Let Him handle it!

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Bright Hope

Every night the stars and the moon come out and every morning the sun comes up. To some that may seem like a monotonious repetition but to me that’s hope!

Hope that God is faithful to bring the end to one day and to bring new life to start the next. Without God’s presence we can be without direction and purpose or worse yet we try to become our own god and that means that we are responsible for making everything happen, making everything work out right and it’s simply not in our power to do so.

The sunrise and the sunset are God’s examples of His faithfulness.

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 ERV

When we give up living for ourselves and find our life in Christ we can have rest from this vicious cycle of dependence on self. In Christ, we are promised a new and abundant life; life filled with joy, peace, love, forgiveness and grace.

“But we know that no one is made right with God by following the law. It is trusting in Jesus Christ that makes a person right with God. So we have put our faith in Christ Jesus, because we wanted to be made right with God. And we are right with him because we trusted in Christ—not because we followed the law. I can say this because no one can be made right with God by following the law…I died to the law so that I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. 20 So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.” Galatians 2:16-20 ERV

Each day is a new opportunity to receive God’s mercy and strength, to be wrapped in His love. Each evening we are given an invitation to rest securely.

“I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.” Psalm 4:8 CEV

Great is the faithfulness of God; He is faithful to a thousand generations.

“Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hast provided;
Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside.”

In Christ we have new life and in Him we have the power to live a life of purpose and a bright hope for tomorrow.

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Making Right Choices

Everyday we have the opportunity to make many choices; the hard part is making the correct one.

“Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live. 20 You must love the LORD your God and obey him. Never leave him, because he is your life. And he will give you a long life in the land that he, the LORD, promised to give to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ERV

This was Moses’ instruction to the Israelites when they were about to leave the wilderness and enter the Promised Land. You have two choices and in case you aren’t sure which one to choose, Choose LIFE!

Jesus said something similar to Martha, the sister of Lazarus and Mary.

She was busy in the kitchen, running her household and preparing a meal for her brother, his friends and Jesus, the Messiah. While Martha was in the kitchen making sure everything was just perfect Jesus was in the living room doing what He did best. He was talking about His Father and the peace that comes from following His Father’s instructions.

Martha had enough!

Her sister was sitting front and center absorbing every word that Jesus was saying. Martha needed help and Mary was obliviously absent.

“While Jesus and his followers were traveling, he went into a town, and a woman named Martha let him stay at her house. 39 She had a sister named Mary. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. 40 But her sister Martha was busy doing all the work that had to be done. Martha went in and said, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

41 But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are getting worried and upset about too many things. 42 Only one thing is important. Mary has made the right choice, and it will never be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:38-42 ERV

Many choices! Make the right one – choose life, choose the bread of life, choose God above all else, He is the right choice!

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