And be kind to one another,tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.Ephesians 4:32
Asking someone for forgiveness, when you know you are wrong, is a hard thing to do.We have all had times in our lives when we know, without a shadow of a doubt, we messed up and the only way to true restoration is to ask for forgiveness.
When we come to Christ with a child like, humble heart, asking Him to forgive us of our sins, Christ never turns His back, pouts, or gives us the silent treatment in return.He does not hold a grudge for what we did to Him on Calvary.He simply prayed for each of us “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” Matthew 23:34.He graciously forgives us and restores us with His loving tender mercy.
Today as you walk with Christ how will you respond to those who may need to be forgiven?Will you turn your back, give the silent treatment, or will you, like Christ, graciously be kind and tender-hearted toward those who have offended you?
On the flip side, you may be having one of those days where nothing is going right and you are constantly saying or doing the wrong thing.Forgiveness needs to come your way and you pray to the Father for those whom you have offended, to be gracious, kind and merciful toward you.
A kind, tender-hearted person that forgives as Christ forgave is a person that reflects Christ to others.Show off Christ today by reflecting His heart to others and forgive as He forgave.
Heavenly Father, I pray that my heart will be a reflection of you today.Help me to graciously forgive those who may offend me today and in return may those I offend graciously forgive me.In Jesus Name, Amen!
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Taking snapshots of our family, friends and relatives, mentally and physically, are memorable. When we recall how someone reacted to a surprise, a joke, or unexpected news it can sometimes bring a smile to our face when we think how they responded. Whether we were able to capture an actual physical photo or not, we have a mental picture that captured that moment in time.
When you give your heart to Christ everything that you do or think is exposed for Him to see. Negative words, jealousy, pride, rage, anger, private sessions on the computer are all snapshots of what God's sees. There are no closed doors when it comes to the matter of the heart. He sees and hears it all.
Meditating upon God's word each day helps our hearts turn toward God so that our eyes are open to seeing our hearts as He sees them. When we take the time to confess our sins to the Lord our hearts are cleansed and the snapshot of God's love and forgiveness brings a smile to our face. We are restored, refreshed, renewed and acceptable in His sight.
Open the doors of your heart today and bring a smile to the Lord's face by giving Him a picture of a clean heart ready to serve and honor Him.
Heavenly Father, cleanse my heart today. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Yes, our natural lives will fade as grass does when it becomes all brown and dry. All our greatness is like a flower that droops and falls; But the Word of the Lord will last forever. And His message is the Good News that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25 (LNT)
The season of spring is here! The fragrance of the freshly mowed lawn, the eye catching rainbow of blooming flowers and the sweet sounds of birds singing, while making their nests, has arrived. Spring naturally lifts our soul and puts a smile on our face as we smell, look and hear our surroundings.
Reading God's word, the Good News, can do the same thing for our soul. God's word is fresh, eye catching and sweet, just like the season of spring. The Good News empowers you to constantly grow like the green grass, have the beauty of a tall standing flower and the sweet song of a bird inside of you.
In a few months spring will fade away. The green grass will turn brown from the heat of summer, flowers will droop and birds will fly away from the nests. But God's word lasts forever. It constantly refreshes and springs forth a season of renewal that will never become brown, droopy or dry.
Purposely walk through this season of spring taking the time to read God's word each day. Allow the Good News, to penetrate your heart so that your seasons in life will always have the fragrance, sight and sound of the season of spring.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the season of spring. Renew my soul with your living word today so that I may always have the season of spring in my heart. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning, nor knowledge or wisdom.Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)
God's plan for each of us is to be productive and not have idle hands.God created each of us with a specific purpose and plan so that our hands would yield good fruit for His kingdom.
We all have times in our lives when our hands are unproductive.Playing games on the computer, idle talking on the phone, countless hours of watching TV are just a few of the things that we all do.But when your hands are idle, do you ever sense the Holy Spirit nudging you to visit a sick friend, or write an encouraging card to someone, or phoning a friend or relative and praying with them about their needs?If you answered "Yes", that is because the Holy Spirit is prodding your hands to be about His business.
Our hands were created in His image; therefore finding things to do that glorify Him is never a problem for the Holy Spirit.When the Holy Spirit speaks into your spirit about doing something for Him, do it.Do it with all your might.You will find that when your hands are productively about the Father's business, there is a harvest of good fruit constantly flowing from your hands to others.They see that the hand of the living God is no longer dead and in the grave but alive and well living within you and me.
Heavenly Father, may my hands be about your business today.Help me to have productive hands that will produce good fruit for your kingdom.In Jesus Name, Amen!
Haven't you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that He lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you, For God has bought you with a price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God, because He owns it. 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 (LNT)
To think that our body is the temple of God can be a little overwhelming. When I think of a temple, I think of a huge synagogue or a place of worship. A place that is reverent and holy with stained glass windows and endless rows of pews.
When I look at myself in the mirror, I do not see the temple of God. With my natural eyes, I see that I need to loose several pounds, I am aging and my hair roots need to be touched up again. With my natural ears and mouth when I reflect about how I have periodically spoken to my husband or children, I do not recall myself as being the temple of God.
But if I take the time to look at myself the way God sees me, which is the temple of God, my perception changes. Sitting before the Lord and worshipping Him with songs of adoration and praise along with reading His word, gives this temple of God a face lift each morning. My stained glass outlook about myself and others is now seen through the eyes of the Holy Father and not my own. The spirit that rests within me is more at peace, reverent, and holy.
Jesus Christ paid the price on the cross, just so you and I could have the Holy Spirit dwell within us for all eternity. Give God glory for the temple of worship that He has created you to be by looking at yourself through His eyes and not your own.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit that lives within me. I pray that as your temple, I will bring you glory and honor today. In Jesus Name, Amen!
"Come, follow me," Jesus said "and I will make you fishers of men."At once they left their nets and followed him.Matthew 4:19-2
In 2008 God impressed on my heart that I should write about how I had organized the food pantry at our church so that more people would be fed physically and spiritually.As I wrote the basic text of the book, I could sense the presence of the Lord by my side guiding each step as I recalled how it had been done for His glory.
By May 2009, I knew that the information that God gave me needed to go out so that others would be encouraged to begin or revitalize food pantry ministries.As a first time author I also knew that I would probably need to choose a self publishing company that was reliable and had a good reputation.As I was seeking God, one publishing company kept popping up, so I put out a fleece and God definitely showed me that this was the path for me.
My husband and I are not rich by any means; in fact, my husband is on Social Security disability for the rest of his life due to having had a seizure in 2005, which was a result of having had radiation to the brain in 2001.We are retired military and I am now at home as a full time care-taker for my husband.
Our savings is limited but we did have enough to publish the book.My hesitation with God was "but what if" -- my husband was to get worse, or we need home repairs or one of us was in a car accident?What would we do Lord?
That is when God took me to Matthew 4:19-20.As I read verse 20, "they left their nets and followed him;" God spoke into my spirit, the disciples nets were their lively hood, their security, and their way of living.God was saying to me, you are looking at your savings as your safety net.Place the money at my feet and allow me to be your safety net.
God was teaching me that my security rests in Him, not my savings account.He wanted to be my soul provider just like He did so long ago for the disciples that left their nets to follow Him.
In June 2009, I placed the check in the mail to the publishing company and in February 2010 the book is complete.God has proven to be a faithful, rewarding, secure safety net that can be trusted beyond any savings account.
Heavenly Father, help me to constantly look to you for my security and not my surrounding circumstance.Thank you for being my safety net.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
When you find a true friend that will stick with you through the ups and downs of life, you have found a treasure that many people only hope to find. As humans we all have a desire, placed within us, to have friends. But when you find that one special friend that you can trust your life with that is a rare beauty.
Let me introduce to you my very special, awesome, unfailing friend. His name is Jesus. He has walked with me through some of the deepest valleys in life and through some of the highest mountain top experiences. Together we laugh, cry, sing, dance, and share the most intimate thoughts and concerns. He points out my faults without being critical, picks me up when I fall and cheers me on to stay in the race of life. He keeps His promises and never goes back on His word. He never gossips or says an unkind word. He is faithful, steadfast and strong.
My dear friend Jesus is God's gift to you and me. He sent his son Jesus, a rare beauty for the earth to behold, just to die on the cross for our sins. This dear friend laid down His life so that you and I could live eternally with him. There is no greater love than this my friend. What a friend we have in Jesus.
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Help me to treasure the depth of His love and friendship forever. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name.And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.Hebrews 13:15-16
Peaches are one of my favorite fruits to eat.I just love biting into a juicy peach that fills my mouth with flavor.There is nothing like discovering a peach that has been picked at the peak of its season and knowing that you've had the pleasure of eating it at its true appointed time.
Once I have eaten my delectable peach, my desire to purchase more sets in.I eagerly anticipate my next purchase of these ripe juicy peaches from the store.My mind goes crazy with thoughts of how I can contain this fruit and share it with my friends and family.Baking a peach pie or cobbler, fruit salad, smoothies, are just a few of the things that run through my mind as I plan my next purchase.
Knowing Jesus and sharing Him with others is a lot like sharing the ripe juicy peaches.Once you have discovered Jesus and tasted His goodness, you want to share him with others.Your lips are full of praise and thanksgiving to God for sending His son, to this earth, at His appointed time, to die for your sins.Allowing others to hear from your lips about the sweet things of Jesus is a small sacrifice that pleases God and bears continuous fruit for others to enjoy.
Heavenly Father, may the fruit of my lips bring you glory, honor and praise as I share with others about you today.In Jesus Name, Amen!
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. John 7:38
With spring just around the corner you can sense the newness of life in the air. Trees budding, flowers blooming, and birds singing bring a fresh new sparkle of life to an earth that has been dead and hard from the harsh winter months.
Knowing Jesus and walking with him each day is much like having the season of spring in your heart all year long. His spring of living water flows continuously in your spirit and allows you to flourish and grow in Him even in hard times.
His spring of living water flows out through our spirits and splashes on to others so that they can sense His peace, His strength, His power and His love in a dying world. When we take the time to share the spring of living water with others we are allowing them to experience a taste of spring that can only come from Christ himself.
Heavenly Father, may your stream of living water flow through me in such a way that others will desire and thirst after you. In Jesus Name, Amen!
And I pray that as you share your faith with others it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in you that come from Christ Jesus." Philemon 6 (LNT)
Sharing Christ with others takes practice. All of us have missed opportunities to share about God's goodness but fortunately we have a loving, caring Heavenly Father who administers grace when we realize that we have let an opportunity slip away.
Through the years of walking with Christ, I am learning to take the time to thank God each day for the many blessings in my life. When I consciously do this, I am better prepared to share about His goodness with others. Sending His son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, my family, answered prayers, my church family, etc. are a few things that I try to remind myself of each day.
Therefore when God places you or me in line at the department store or purchasing gas or texting a friend and an unexpected God appointment shows up, we are prepared to give a quick Christ is good commercial. Why? Because we have already reviewed in our minds the good things He has done.
When we consciously have our eyes and ears open to the Holy Spirit, we cannot help but be aware of those unbelievable God appointed times to share with others. Taking the time to walk through those open doors of opportunity allows our faith to increase and allows others to see the goodness of Christ in us.
Heavenly Father, as I step out in faith and boldly share Christ with others today, may they see a wealth of goodness that can only come from you. In Jesus Name, Amen!
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15
Give me coffee in the morning and I am a happy camper. The smell of the coffee brewing in the morning fills the house and makes me immediately want to get up and have a cup in my hand. Once I have stirred in the cream and sugar there is nothing like the first sip of coffee to help me wake up each morning.
Give me a Christian friend that exudes Christ in the same way and I am really a happy camper. We have all met these wonderful people through out our lives. You know the ones that enter a room and you can immediately smell the fragrance of the Lord. Whether it is through their laughter, their speech, the warmth in their eyes, or the way they express themselves, you know without a shadow of a doubt, that the aroma of Christ has entered the room.
God sees each of us, who know Him as our personal Savior, as the aroma of Christ. When we take the time to come into His presence giving Him praise, glory and honor, the heavens are filled with a sweet aroma. Just like coffee brewing in the morning, God identifies the sweet fragrance of praise and worship from each of His children. Send such a sweet smell of praise up to heaven that the aroma of Christ will linger everywhere you go.
Heavenly Father, may the fragrance of Christ be so evident in me that everywhere I go your aroma lingers in the hearts of those I come in contact with today.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:7
Watching snowflakes softly fall from the sky is one of my favorite things about winter. The quiet glistening snow coating streets, roads, homes and trees makes everything look clean and bright. It is refreshing to watch and see God's hand of winter make everything white around me.
But the white untouched snow does not last long once animals, people, cars and trucks begin walking or driving on it. A day or two later most of the snow is very dirty and unattractive. What was once pure white snow is now slushy and unclean.
Jesus, God's son, was sent to this earth as a sacrifice to die on the cross for our sins. If I allow minutes, hours, days or weeks to go by without confessing my sin I am dirty, dingy and unclean again. But if I take the time to confess my sin, at the time that the Holy Spirit points it out to me, God's hand of forgiveness cleanses me and makes me as white as snow.
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son Jesus to this earth to die for my sins. Help me to keep short accounts of my sin so that I am continuously whiter than snow.
