Proverbs 16: 3 and 9  “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” (NIV)

Promise:  God promises to bring success to my work and guide my way if I am committed to Him.

Lessons and Truths:

1.     God is sovereign and has a plan for my life.

2.     Serving God requires commitment and a love for Him.

3.     A life plan without God will not have a firm foundation to hold it secure.

When we begin a New Year, it is time to reflect on our goals, plans and direction for the year.  It is time to reevaluate what has been accomplished in the past year and plan for the future.  These verses remind us that whatever we do,  we need to consider our commitment to the LORD.  He is the one who ultimately directs our paths and will guide us in the decisions we need to make.  Is God the one you turn to when you are planning or determining your future work, investments, commitments, education, jobs, etc.?   These verses promise that consulting the Lord first will lead to greater success and a life that is rooted and grounded in the Lord.   Here are a few verses that confirm this promise:

Psalm 40:5 “Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done.  The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” (NIV)

Jeremiah 29: 11  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   (NIV)

You can also read Psalm 37: 3-7.

Things to think about:  Am I asking God to establish, ground, and uphold me in life or am I headstrong and desiring to do my own thing?   Is the work I do in life motivated by my love for God?   Am I committed to Him?

Prayer:  Lord, guide me in this new year to make godly goals that uphold a firm commitment to You.  Establish my steps and give me a willing heart that is open to your leading.  Help me to set godly priorities and stand firm. Cause me to be humble and acknowledge my successes as a gift from you.   Amen.

May you walk in His steps with commitment in your heart,

Linda

** Do you have a special promise you would like to see featured this year?  Send me the Bible Address and maybe a word or two as to why this one is special to you.  Thanks for joining with me in this work.

I have been studying in Exodus about the building of the Tabernacle and the arrival of God to dwell with his people.  “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle…So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during their travels.”  Exodus 40:34,38  (NIV)

Have you ever wondered about this glory cloud  and how it’s presence must have comforted, illuminated, protected, led and ministered to the Israelites?  A definition I read said the glory of the Lord is the sum total of all God’s attributes.  His glory encompasses his love, compassion, omniscience, justice, mercy, hope, sovereignty, care, omnipotence, etc.  No wonder the Israelites were so comforted by the presence of the cloud.  Here are some other verses that tell us more about this attribute of glory.

Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  

Psalm 111:2-3 “Great are the works of the LORD they are pondered by all who delight in them.  Glorious and majestic are his deeds, forever.” 

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  (NIV)

Looking at these verses I am reminded that I see evidence of God’s glory all around me.  I see it in my grandson’s smile, beautiful flowers, growing vegetables as well as mountain vistas and sandy beaches.  I can remember how God has provided for me emotionally when I’ve been down and He has sent someone with a word of encouragement or a hug.  I can remember how He has provided for me physically with just the right doctors, times of rest and monetary provision.  He has led me to see His glory in His word and deeper understanding of His love and mercy.  I know you will find evidence of His glory if you will look, think and remember His goodness to You.  You are loved by God and His glory surrounds you.

I pray that you will see it afresh today.

Blessings,

Linda

God’s glory in my world- wildflowers in Israel, the view from Mt Pilatus in Switzerland and my grandson playing at Pismo Beach, CA.   His glory surrounds me!

We are one week into our New Year- are you overwhelmed yet?  I know when I return from the holidays my own schedule seems to be bigger and more involved than when I left it.  I pray that the verses in Lamentations 3:21-23 have been a blessing to you and have given you a renewed hope for each day.  God is merciful, and we can count on His faithfulness each day!  If you missed the Lamentations blog, check out the January 1 posting.

For our second week I have chosen promises from Matthew 7:7-8.  They can also be found in Luke 11:9-10.  These words were spoken during Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to his disciples and the gathered crowds.

Matthew 7:7-8  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  (ESV)

Promise:  God promises to respond when we voice our requests to Him and seek Him diligently.

Lessons and Truths about God:

1.     God is accessible.

2.     God desires that I pursue Him, and He guarantees a positive response.

3.     The God of the universe is a personal God and desires to communicate with me.

4.     I can rely upon God to faithfully answer my seeking.

This is a promise full of assurance for our New Year!  Jesus tells us that God can be counted upon to answer our pleas for help, guidance and understanding if we will only ASK.   How many things do I not have simply because I am ashamed to ask God for help?  Am I so sure of my own self-sufficiency that I’m to proud to ask?  What am I lacking because I’m seeking in the wrong places?  Jesus tells us to seek God and literally knock on His door.  How do we do that?  I think we can do this in prayer when we earnestly cry out to Him and lay our requests at His feet.  We are also knocking and seeking when we study His word as we actively look for meaning and understanding for our lives. These verses promise that God will respond.  You must not mistake God for some kind of cosmic bell boy. Jesus wanted to assure us that God knows our needs and we need to acknowledge Him and look to Him for our answers.  Seeking means to ask God with an open mind and heart being receptive to His answers.   Start by asking God to have a place in your life in 2015.  Take Him at His word- HE will Be found!!

Prayer:  Lord, guide me in this New Year to seek you in prayer and through your word.  Help me to put away my pride and seek your guidance and direction for my life. Cause me to be aware and open to opportunities to get to know you better.  Thank you for the assurance that you will answer me and that I can indeed find you.  Give me the courage to diligently seek you this year.

Blessings as we journey into 2015,

Linda

This is the Mount of Beatitudes as seen from the Lake of Galilee.  It would have been a wonderful place for the crowds to sit and listen to Jesus.  The next photo is a close up of the church located on the hill.  It is a beautiful chapel.

Happy New Year to you and yours!  2015 is a hard number to imagine.  It seems like only yesterday I was in high school, then college and then raising my kids.  Time seems to be flying by when I realize that my grandson is now 6!  Yet, looking forward with hope and determination is what God would have us do.  I have chosen to begin this New Year with one of my favorite verses in Lamentations.  I always like to begin the New Year with HOPE in Christ on my mind and a reminder of God’s faithfulness.  I have decided to continue using promises at least once a week with my other blogs in between.  This is a tall order for writing in the New Year but with God’s help I will be able to continue speaking to you though this blog.  As today’s verse tell us- GOD IS FAITHFUL!!

This is taken from my new book, Promises for Dynamic Living , that will be published in 2015!

Lamentations 3:21-23

             But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

            The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

            they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.     (ESV)

 Promise: God promises His love and faithfulness will never end and that His mercies are new each morning.

            What encouragement do you need as you start a New Year? God in his mercy gives us new hope every day. So many times I get discouraged after experiencing a long and frustrating day when things didn’t seem to go well. Maybe I was struggling with relationships, troubling circumstances, health or finances and at day’s end I was in need of rest and refuge. God knows this and gives me this promise to assure me that each day will be a new beginning, and there is refreshed HOPE in Him.

Lessons and Truths:

1.   God is my source of HOPE.

2.   God’s love is steadfast: firm, unswerving, constant, and resolute.

3.   His mercies are new each day and enough to supply all my needs

4.   God is faithful.

Prayer:     Lord, you are indeed the maker of each new day. You are sovereign and in control of all things. Give me hope in You and the ability to see your mercies that come into my life each and every day. As I begin this New Year with your promise on my lips and in my heart, help me to remember your faithfulness and to have a new sense of wonder about the possibilities and assurances that you have for me in your word.   Amen.

What is my response to God’s promise?

How has God been faithful in the past so I know I can trust in His faithfulness today? ________________________________________

Where do I need His mercies today? _________________________________________

The following verses reaffirm this promise given in Lamentations about God’s hope, mercy and faithfulness to us.

Promise Confirmation: Psalm 90:14, Isaiah 40:28-31, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:38-39.

Blessings today and HOPE for 2015,

Linda

John 16:33 “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  (NIV)

Promise:  Jesus promises peace in Him and that He will be victorious over all sin and oppression.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  He is Peace, Hope, Conqueror, Omnipotent, Sovereign, Ruler, Victor and  Lord of All.

Promise provides me with: assurance of peace for my mind, heart and soul in Jesus, eternal hope, knowledge that He will be victorious over all sin and will indeed overcome the world, assurance that in Him eternity is secure and that He is greater than any enemy we will encounter in this world and knowledge that though his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead He conquered sin and death for us.

For this Christmas Day,  I chose John 16:33 because it is important for us to remember that Jesus did not stay in the manger but came with a purpose and mission to save us from our sins that included a trip to the cross.  He made the ultimate sacrifice in leaving heaven to come down and become a man to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He was truly human in his suffering and yet truly God in his perfection and power to redeem us.  When Jesus spoke these words to his disciples, he knew what lay ahead- the suffering and death on the cross and he knew the suffering and anguish his followers would face.  He wanted his disciples and all believers to know that He would be victorious and that peace was to be had though faith in Him.  As followers of Jesus, we too can have this confidence that He is stronger and more powerful than anything we can face today or tomorrow, that peace is available though faith in Him and that He will return as victor to totally defeat Satan forever.  Philippians 2:8-11 describes it  this way, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a  cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”  Praise God this Christmas for his perfect gift to all mankind, Jesus who came to bring us peace and to save us from sin.

Merry Christmas!

Linda

Matthew 2:5-6 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, ” for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’ ”  (NIV)

Promise:  God promised to send a ruler that would shepherd the people of Israel and He would be born in Bethlehem.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed: His Sovereignty, Longsuffering, Patience, Eternality, Love, Omnipotent, Ruler, King and Shepherd.

Promise provides me with:  knowledge that God planned Christ’s birth from the beginning of time, Christ is to rule over believer’s lives and be our shepherd, assurance that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to redeem us.

These words were spoken by the Wise Men that came seeking the Christ child when they met with Kind Herod.  They had seen His star in the east and knew the ancient prophesies written in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah.  They knew that God was faithful and would keep His promise to deliver the Messiah who would redeem, shepherd and rule over his people.  What about you?  Are you seeking to find Jesus this Christmas?   Is your answer the same as Peter’s in Matthew 16:15-16? “But what about you?” he asked.  “Who do you say I am ?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”  Do you know why He came?  Titus 3:4-7 puts His reasons for coming this way:  “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”   Can you say with confidence that Jesus is the Christ and that He came to save you?  God promises in James 4:8a “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”   Call on the Lord this Christmas, come near to Him and He will come near to you.

Be wise and seek Him today!

Linda

These photos were taken in the stable/cave in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.  As we gathered in this sacred place we sang ‘Silent Night’.  It was a very moving experience.

Isaiah 43:1-3a  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”   (ESV)

Promise:  God promises to redeem me, be with me and not let circumstances overwhelm or consumed me.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed: He is Redeemer, Savior, Creator, Possessive, Personal, Faithful, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Sovereign and Holy.

Promise provides me with:  assurance that God knows me completely, assurance that God is always with me, that He watches over me and will not let life’s circumstances overwhelm or defeat me, knowledge that He knows me by name and that I am important to Him and assurance that I am redeemed from my sins though Jesus’s work on the cross.

These words were first given to the children of Israel to encourage them as they were facing exile in Babylon for their idolatrous behavior.  God was assuring them that He loved them and would bring them back to their land.  The promises given here from our faithful God are available to believers today.  God loves and knows us by name,  redeems and promises to be with us each day. God’s promises to those who love Him do not change. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”   I find great comfort in knowing that God knows me so well and that I can depend upon Him to be with me no matter what the circumstances.  Matthew 28:20b reconfirms this in Jesus’ own words, “And behold, I am with you always, to then end of the age.”   So take heart today and call upon God’s loving character and presence to help you to face the circumstances of your life with full assurance that Jesus is with you.

Be assured of God’s faithfulness today,

Linda

   Psalm 91:1-2 and 14-15   He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” …….  “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescues him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”   (NIV)

Promise:  God promises a relation with Him will provide me with a permanent refuge close to Him.  God also promises that loving Him will open a floodgate of blessings as He will rescue, protect, answer our prayers and cries for help, live eternally with Him and obtain salvation through Jesus.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed: He is Almighty God, Protector, Provider, Savior, Accessible, Rescuer, Omnipresent, Eternal, Trustworthy, the one who numbers our days, Hope, Promise Keeper, Caring and Merciful.

Promise provides me with:  assurance that He will always provide me with a refuge in his loving care, that he knows what is happening in my life and is available 24/7 to hear my cries, that God is eternal and has a plan of salvation to rescue me from my sins and assurance that in response to my love for Him there will be great blessings and security.

I can not say that writing each day during Advent has been easy.  However,  it has kept me focused on His word and provided me with an awareness of how much I love sharing God’s word with you!  I have a new book, Promises for Dynamic Living, that I will be publishing in 2015.  For this advent calendar blog I have used only 1 verse from my upcoming book and that was by design as I wanted to challenge myself to look at new promises.  Today’s verses are an example of definite hidden treasure within God’s word.  There is such assurance and hope in these verses.  God is a promise keeping God and what He says He will do for me- He will!  When I read about God being my refuge, I know it is true as I have felt his loving arms around me in times of loneliness and trouble and his peace and comfort within my soul on a daily basis.  For loving Him, I am showered with blessings for a life sustained and uplifted now and forever.  Our lives should reflect his love and joy especially in this season.  Glorify Him today and show His love to others.

Peace and Love to you today,

Linda

John 10:27-30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.   My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”  (ESV)

Promise:  Jesus promises that He is my shepherd, gives eternal life, protects me in His hand and that He and God the Father are one.

Why is it important that I know this promise?

God’s character is revealed: He is Eternal, Shepherd, Guide, Accessible, Person, Protector, Faithful, Omnipotent and Sovereign.

Promise provides me with:  assurance of God’s love and care for me, safety in Him for eternity, knowledge that I am a gift from God to Jesus, that Jesus and the Father are one, knowledge that through Jesus I have eternal life, and that as a believer I can hear God’s voice and will recognize His guiding in prayer and though His word.

I love this visual picture that Jesus uses to assure me that nothing can take me away from Him.  I am held in His hands, cradled, cared for and protected against anything that may come in life.  I am also assured that I will hear his voice and recognize Him.  When I read the Bible and pray I can seek His guidance knowing that He hears and will answer.  The answer can take several forms- yes, no or wait.  I think ‘wait’ is the hardest as we do not know all the variables and can not see when things need to happen.  This verse also assures me of eternal life though Jesus and reconfirms his equality with God the Father.  Jesus has the power and authority to hold and protect me for eternity.  If we listen, he promises to speak and guide us.   Do you listen when you read the Bible for Jesus to speak to you?  Do you take the lessons and truths in His word and seek to apply them each day?

Have a blessed day that is open to His voice,

Linda

Romans 8:28  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.   (ESV)

Promise:  God promises that he can and does work all things for good to those who believe in Him.

Why is it important to know this promise?

God’s character is revealed:  He is Sovereign, Omnipotent, Good, Creator, Preserver, Savior, Merciful, Faithful and Trustworthy.

Promise provides me with:  assurance that no circumstance is beyond God’s control, that God intends good for me, knowledge that God has a purpose for me and assurance that any event that God allows to enter my life can produce good for me and can mold and shape my character so that I can better reflect Jesus in all I say and do.

After reading this verse, a good question might be- what is God’s purpose for me?  1Corinthians 6:19b-20 says “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.”   God desires that we live to glorify Him by showing the love of Jesus to the world.  He wants the world to know Jesus and come to claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  That helps to put our struggles in this sin-filled world into perspective as all the events or circumstances that come into my life can be used to mold and shape my character to better reflect Jesus and glorify God.  We also need to remember Isaiah 55:8 says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  We will not know until we get to heaven why the dark things God allowed to happen in our lives were as necessary as the bright and beautiful for molding and shaping us into the men and women He wants us to be.  However, we can rest in the assurance of this verse in Romans that God can and does use all things to bring about good in our lives.

Live with the hope and knowledge that God is good!

Linda