“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.”   Isaiah 40:28-31

I want to encourage you today. God knows our struggles and hardships, yet He promises to renew and strengthen us.  He empowers us to run, not grow weary and even to soar!   Will you look to Him and call upon His strength today? He will be there to walk beside you and lift you above it all!

Learning to soar takes time and trust!

Linda  

  
 

“With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He showed you, O man,  what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:6-8 

Enjoy worshipping this second Sunday of Lent. Renew your walk and focus upon Him.

Blessings,

Linda 

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:14.  

Gazing at the waves reminded me of this verse in Ephesians. God does not want us floundering or deceived by the world. There He knows we will encounter ideas or actions that Satan will use to side track us from godly work or lead our thinking away from Christ.  He wants us to not be infants anymore but growing up in Him. How do we do that?   We can pray, pray and pray for wisdom and discernment.   “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Philippians 4:6    We can measure all things against His Word.  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105  “For the word of God is living and active . Sharper than any double-edged sword , it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow ; it judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12    We can also seek to grow in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:6 and 10 speak of this. “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.  And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”.

Blessings today as you think about your stability in Christ and the foundation of His Word in your life.

Linda

P.S. My internet was down today so I had to write this on my phone. Harder to do! God is faithful and I managed. Hope you found my words thought provoking.

 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  Ephesians 1:3

I love this verse and the straightforward message that I have every spiritual blessing that is possible through Christ.  Yesterday, I wrote about fruit that God desires to produce in and through us as we strive to live for Him in Christ.  That fruit is made possible because of Christ’s work on the cross and our dependence upon His Holy Spirit living within us. This is a privileged position to be blessed and used by God.  Have you considered the spiritual blessings you have in Christ?   The list is long and awesomely impressive if that is a word.  We have our salvation in Christ when we believe.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 and “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:22   Salvation begins when we believe and is ours for eternity!   Another blessing we have in Christ is our citizenship in heaven. “But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”  Philippians 3:20-21   Not only do we have an eternal place in heaven where we will belong  forever but we will have a new glorious body for dwelling there.  The last blessing I’ll mention today is our guarantee that these blessings and so many more are true in Christ.  “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession -to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14  The Holy Spirit that lives within us, when we accept Jesus as our Savior, guarantees the blessings we have in Christ.  Knowing Christ as Savior, brings His living Spirit to dwell within us and give us hope, security, assurance and peace that what we have in Christ is real and true. When I think about these blessings, eternal salvation, citizenship in heaven, a new a glorious body in heaven, and the indwelling  guaranteeing Holy Sprit, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and praise.  How about you?  Will you thank Him today?

Living blessed in Christ,

Linda

 

“By their fruits you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”  Matthew 7: 16,17 &20 

Looking at the fruits of this coconut tree, they appear hard and enduring and can be deadly if they fall on your head!  The verses in Matthew tell us that God expects us to produce good fruit for Him and that we can and will recognize other believers by their fruit.  That is a staggering thought.  What fruit do I produce for the Lord the shows that I am a believer?  Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that godly fruit is to be produced by believers. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”   Which of these are evident in your life?   Do people know by your actions that you belong to Jesus?

I was at a craft faire yesterday and bought a necklace that intrigued me.  It was made from the seeds of a plant grown only on the Big Island of Hawaii.  The seeds had to be harvested, dried and then strung making earrings, bracelets and necklaces.  They were unlikely fruit made to be useful and beautiful.  I pray that I am like that for the Lord.  I desire to produce fruit for Him and be used in His kingdom.  I want to be flexible and moldable into a beautiful person that reflects Jesus.  How about you?

Striving to please Him in all that I do,

Linda

 

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?  You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.  You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-20

This verse came to mind today when I looked at the mighty waves pounding the shore.  God, in His mercy, did not say He threw our sins into the sea where they could resurface.  If that were the case, just like these waves we would be pounded over and over by our sin. But God in His mercy, hurled (that would be thrown with great force), into the depths of the sea.  There they would be lost and remembered no more!   Do you let your former actions haunt you, taunt you or bind you?   Do you know that you are free and the sins are gone forever?  God does not want us floundering on the shore struggling to survive under the weight of sin and its effects.  He wants us living victoriously in the freedom we have in Christ Jesus.  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of salvery.”  Galatians 5:1   Live a life of freedom through Christ, fully forgiven and whole in Him.

Living forgiven and free,

Linda

“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11  

Several years ago I came upon this verse and began to realize the promises God provides me that are given in this short verse. He promises to guide me, meet my needs, strengthen me when I encounter adversity and treat me with special care like a gardener does to his favorite plants.  Which of these promises are you in need of today?   Are you trying to make decisions and need guidance?  Turn to God’s Word and seek Him in prayer. Do you need strength in your body spiritually, emotionally or physically?  Turn to God’s Word and seek Him in prayer.  Are you facing a difficult situation?  Being in a sun-scorched land  can be intense and draining.  Turn to God’s Word and seek Him in prayer.  Since we are promised that we will be like a well-watered garden and have a spring of life within us that will never run dry, look for His caring touch today!  God keeps His promises and will never fail us!!

Blessings today from a well-watered person in God’s garden,

Linda

“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”  Psalm 16:5-6

This verse came to mind this morning as I looked at the view off my nephew’s deck.  The ‘vog’ obscures the view but you can make out the shoreline, waves and you can imagine the soft tropical breezes that meet my face.  As I try to make sense out of the things that come into my life, I am reminded that God knows and holds me secure.  He has made the boundaries of my life to fall in pleasant places.  This is a promise that I can claim with HOPE!  If we do not understand the events of our lives, we can rest assured by His security and our inheritance in Him. There is a beautiful verse in Deuteronomy 1:3-4 that talks about our security in the Lord.  “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rest between his shoulders.”    1 Peter 1:3-4 gives us confidence in our inheritance. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heave for you.”  What a blessed hope!

Rest in the assurance and security of the Lord today.  Claim the hope and promise of Psalm 16:5-6 and be encouraged by the protection of the Lord that endures with you all day long.  Lay your burdens down between his shoulders, know His love and believe in His eternal inheritance for you!

Linda

 

“Come let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth and the mountain peaks belong to him.  The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;”           Psalm 95: 1-6

Enjoy the first Sunday of Lent as you worship the LORD!  Praise Him for who He is and what He has done.  Draw near to the Lord and He will draw near to you.

Blessings,

Linda

 

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“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  John 15:1-2

On my walk this morning, I saw a beautiful Hawaiian Plumeria tree with white blossoms on the end of bare branches.  Such beauty that stands alone on stark bare pruned branches. It made me think of this verse where we are encouraged that God’s pruning brings more fruit.  Going through hard times and learning to lean and trust God will bear fruit in our lives.  As we walk with our Savior, He will hold our hand to guide us or carry us when we need to be carried.  2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”   Jesus assures us that His grace, unmerited favor, is enough for anything we encounter.  This is a verse you can claim and hold onto during hard times.

Be encouraged today.  God’s pruning is for our good.  He is with us and will produce beauty in our lives.

Linda