Tag: Blessings

5th Sunday of Lent, Hold onto God and He will Hold onto You!

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Which of the names of God spoke to you this week, made you intake a breath in awe or desire to praise Him out loud? This week we looked at God the Lord of Hosts or Lord of Heaven’s Armies, our Husband with all of us being the Bride of Christ at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb- Jesus, Provider God, God my Rock, Wonderful Counselor and God of Love. God has so many facets to His character and it is so amazing how He can relate to each one of us in a personal way. God is a personal God. David felt that way and expressed his love, devotion and awe for who God is in the Psalms. Let’s continue in Psalm 37.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
    when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
    for the Lord upholds his hand. David knew God was upholding him.

25 I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing. David had real life experiences with God’s goodness.

27 Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you dwell forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
    he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
    and dwell upon it forever.…..David knew that walking in His ways would bring blessings.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. David knew to hold onto God.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him. David knew delivery and salvation come from God.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know God will uphold me, experience His goodness, walk with Him to experience His blessings, know God will hold onto me during the storms of life and deliver me home!

As we enter this 5th week of Lent, may you be mindful or your sin and let your praises rise to Him! He’s got you!!

Linda

P.S. I think the name of God that resonated the most with me this week was God is my Rock. I can cling to Him, take refuge in His arms and hide within Him. He is always steadfast and faithful- my rock. It makes me want to praise Him!!

His Sacrifice Leads to My Rewards Through Faith

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Have you ever thought of God as a rewarder? Genesis 15:1 describes him this way, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” This was just prior to Abraham questioning God. He wanted to know how this could be as he did not even have a descendent. God had promised Abraham countless descendants in Genesis 12. Here God reiterates his promises to Abraham in verses 5-6, “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Abraham believed God totally. His faith had been counted to him as right ness before God.

Hebrews 11:6, one of my verses for the year, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Here we see that without faith in who He is, we cannot please God and that faith in Him we will be rewarded.

What kind of reward is implied here? God was promising Abraham a line of descendants when he physically did not have children. Amazingly, Abraham believed God! His faith was rewarded as he continued to seek God and walk with him. He did indeed have Isaac the child of promise in his old age. How else was Abraham rewarded by God? He was provided righteousness through his faith. We too can experience this righteousness when we believe in Jesus. Through faith, believing in Jesus, God provides us with eternal life, hope in the future and salvation. God desires to shower us with blessings both material and spiritual as we walk with Him each day. How often do we only look at what God provides or does not provide in the big things? How about the sunset, sunrise, growth of plants in our yard, a smile from a neighbor all of these can be counted as God’s provision too. God is in the details of life. Looking for Him in the ordinary will show you extraordinary things about God and His provision.

Here are a few more verses about God’s rewards:

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” Being steadfast during those everyday trials will bring rewards now and assuredly in the future. Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

Paul’s idea of God’s reward to him, 1 Corinthians 9:18 “What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.” Being able to tell others about Jesus Paul considered a privilege and a reward! Do we?

Colossians 3:22-23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Knowing that God is watching over us and seeing what we do for Him reminds us that He deems it important enough to reward us for it.

Acts 4:12– salvation given by Christ is definitely a great reward. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

John 17:3, eternal life, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.“

Having the fruits of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, Galatians 5:23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

As you can see, scriptures is rich in descriptions of the benefits and rewards provided through faith in Jesus. I will leave you with one of my favorites Romans 6:23 “ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God is indeed generous with His reward towards those who believe! Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be the recipient of the many blessings and rewards my Father God has provided though faith in His son. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice for me.

Linda

Priorities Matter

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 Today’s verses are often quoted when speaking about the sacrifices missionaries make in choosing to go to foreign lands to preach and teach about Jesus. However, there are applications we can make for these verses to our own lives in the city, suburbs, country or wherever God has placed us.

Matthew 19:29-30 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Promise: God promises generous blessings and eternal life to those who sacrifice and put Him first in their life.

These verses are about priorities and putting God first. This maybe harder, if say you choose to believe in Jesus, and your family rejects you. But, choosing to follow Jesus takes full commitment and rejection of the world and its ways that surround us. Jesus warned the disciples, in John 15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.’ We are to be in the world but not of the world.

Keeping the mindset of Jesus first in our lives opens us to receive his promised eternal life and blessings upon blessing. Jesus is sovereign and controller of all things and circumstances and giving him our praise, honor and heartfelt devotion He promises will result in our blessing. The blessings Jesus refers to are both physical and spiritual! Romans 5:17 speaks of the difference, “For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.” The new Gentile believers were to share in Christ’s blessing through faith in Jesus. In Ephesians 3:1 Paul explains “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” Our blessings may be tangible- here on earth, but most assuredly they are spiritual. These spiritual blessings like salvation, righteousness, a heavenly home, a loving forgiving Savior, etc. are priceless. Putting Christ first takes prayer, commitment, study of His Word, faith, dedication but most of all a passionate love for Jesus and what He did for us on the cross!

The order of God’s kingdom is unlike the world’s kingdom. The best, most aggressive and accomplished will not be first. The humble with a servant attitude who love Jesus beyond measure- those will be the ‘first’ in God’s kingdom. Remember when thinking about this Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

What do we know from these verses: God honors sacrifices made in His name and for His purpose, God can bless beyond our greatest imagining, God is eternal and promises life with Him, God’s reward system is not like earthly man made plans and is at his direction.

Lenten Reflections: Where do I need my priorities adjusted? Are my goals more worldly or spiritually motivated? Where am I seeing God’s blessings in my life? Count away!

These verses hold me accountable for runaway goals that are worldly. They help to ground me and point me towards having Jesus’ as the main focus in my life. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can keep my priorities and focus aligned with Jesus and will open myself to untold blessings. His blessings will be for now and eternity!

Linda

Related verses: Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 5:17, Ephesians 3:1, John 5:24, Isaiah 55:8-9. Genesis 15:1.

A Thanksgiving Prayer for You

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As you prepare to gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, I pray you will see the many things and people around you that are worthy of thanks. From the food so lovingly prepared, to the fun conversations the friends and relatives provide, to the stress-filled moments and the hustle and bustle of the gathering, may your minds come full circle and fix for even a moment on the God who provides all we have. Give thanks to Him who gives us all we need, Thank you Lord.

Here is a favorite thanksgiving psalm.

Psalm 95:1-3 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.

Have a blessed day or days! Let it renew your spirit and bring you joy as you Give Thanks.

Linda

Seeing God Provide

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In Chapter 1 of Acts before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told the disciples to go into Jerusalem and wait for the gift the Father would send them. He had spoken to them about the comforter or counselor that God would send, but they did not connect the dots. They did not know what to expect, but they knew they needed to be obedient. The result of their obedience was being in the right place at the right time to receive the Holy Spirit. I can’t even imagine what the scene was like and the overwhelming feeling of God’s presence and power with them.

Acts 2:1-4 ” When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

God’s timing was perfect. He knew that not only would they be gathered together but also many others would be present in Jerusalem. He sent the Holy Spirit at the exact time He knew others from many nations would be gathered as well. The Festival of Weeks, or Pentecost, was observed on the 50th day after Passover. For holidays like that, many traveled to be in Jerusalem from all over the known world. Acts 1:5-12  “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” As we will see, later in the chapter, Peter sought to answer their questions.

As I read this portion of scripture, I am overcome by God’s goodness to them and to us. He answered their obedience by blessing them in a far greater way than they could have ever imagined. Tongues of fire and speaking in foreign tongues was not what these simple fishermen were used to or even thought possible. It left them amazed and increased their faith. Isn’t that what happens when God answers in a miraculous way? Our faith in Him increases and we desire to tell others about our marvelous amazing God.

What miracles has God performed in your life this week? I have one from just this week that shows God providential care for me and my grandson. He was making a quilt for his sister’s coming baby. We were kind of under a time pressure, most projects seem to be like that! We had spent a day cutting and another day piecing and needed one more day to do the quilting and binding. When it was finally done, I turned off the machine and he went to make a card for the gift. I got up maybe 15 minutes later and went back over to turn on the machine as I had to complete my project for his sister. I got an error message to clean the thread cutter. So, I did and then tried to get rid of the message. It had frozen the machine. I looked it up on YouTube and learned how to fix it, but it did not work. As we reflected, we praised God that He allowed us to finish the quilt and not be ‘stuck’ in the middle of binding or quilting. The next day I took my machine in and they were able to fix it, and it did not cost me anything- yet another provision.

I was blessed to see God at work in my life and His provision for us. I pray you have a moment, or even two!, this week where you can see God’s hand at work in your life. Be alert and looking for His provision in your life. Turn your Praises to Him!

Linda

God’s Grace, His Gift of Jesus

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Psalm 67 is a prayer of praise. The Psalmist is praising God for his graciousness towards them as a nation. What graciousness has God shown towards you? Grace is God’s kindness to those who do not deserve it, which is all of us. He showed His grace to everyone when He sent Jesus to provide a way for our salvation. I love Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He gives us life, families, sunshine, rain, music, talents, etc. He gives kindnesses even to those who do not know him yet. For those of us who know Him, Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Think about God’s grace when you read Psalm 67.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can know the grace of God in Jesus and be recipients of His grace in our lives. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.“

Linda

Taking Good Advice Pays Off

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When looking at Psalm 32, I searched various translations. The Message, though paraphrased, really hits the mark and plainly points to God’s truth about sin. The question you need to consider before you read this psalm is, what do you do about your sins? Do you ignore them, excuse them, blame them on others or do you own up and confess your wrong doings? You know what is right and failing to do it is sin according to James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—
    you get a fresh start,
    your slate’s wiped clean.

2 Count yourself lucky—
    God holds nothing against you
    and you’re holding nothing back from him.

3 When I kept it all inside,
    my bones turned to powder,
    my words became daylong groans.

4 The pressure never let up;
    all the juices of my life dried up. Bottled up sin was ‘killing him’.

5 Then I let it all out;
    I said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God.”

Suddenly the pressure was gone—
    my guilt dissolved,
    my sin disappeared. Confession brought blessed relief.

6 These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
    when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
    we’ll be on high ground, untouched.

7 God’s my island hideaway,
    keeps danger far from the shore,
    throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

8 Let me give you some good advice;
    I’m looking you in the eye
    and giving it to you straight: Good advice.

9 “Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule
    that needs bit and bridle
    to stay on track.”

10 God-defiers are always in trouble;
    God-affirmers find themselves loved
    every time they turn around.

11 Celebrate God.
    Sing together—everyone!
    All you honest hearts, raise the roof!

His good advice was to not be stubborn and obstinate in our sin. Confess and get blessed relief. I love verse 10 God defilers are always in trouble- sin brings trouble, opposition to God brings disaster but knowing and loving God brings affirmation from God and you will see it all around you! I think the psalmist would agree. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can experience blessed forgiveness of our sins and live a full and redeemed life that looks forward towards eternity. The psalmist concludes that getting your soul right with God brings rejoicing, and joy enough to raise the roof top!

May you see the truth of the psalmist’s words and put them into practice so you may experience His love and forgiveness today!

Linda

Christmas Blessings for You!

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Merry Christmas! I found this Christmas Blessing while blogging year and really loved the sentiments it contained. May you know the blessings of Peace that Jesus brings, John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” May you see your Hope in Him, 1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” May you feel the Sprit of His Love, 1 John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” May you have the Comfort of Faith in Jesus, 2 Corinthians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.”

All of these gifts complete the circle of our Advent Wreath as we light the Christ candle on Christmas Eve or morning proclaiming His birth. May you find His Love, Comfort, Hope and Peace in Jesus. May you rejoice in the arrival of Jesus and claim the JOY God has for you.

Linda

The Blessedness of Waiting

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There are many Old Testament prophesies about the coming Messiah. One that leads directly into our story is that of John the Baptist. He was born just prior to Jesus to the aged parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. His coming was foretold in Isaiah 40:3-4. His was to be a voice proclaiming the Messiah to come.

A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain. The poetic words of Isaiah tell of one that will be proclaiming and preparing the Israelites that were willing and ready to listen for the coming of Jesus.

John’s lineage was from the line of Aaron as his father was a priest. The story of John’s conception and birth was a miracle to this older couple. Luke 1:5-7 gives the beginning of their history.

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

These 2 servants of God did everything right. They followed God with their hearts and souls and they were observant doing what God commanded in their daily lives. In those days, being childless or barren was considered a curse from God. They might have felt that they were not doing as God desired for their lives, were sinning or perhaps they felt their ancestors had sinned. I’m sure they felt forgotten by God. However, it did not dampen their ardor or love for God. God knew their true hearts and their devotion to Him. Scripture sets the story straight that they had not sinned against God and were being punished by not having children but it was His timing for them to have a child in their old age. This sets them apart from others and makes the appearance of John, God’s messenger, all the more marvelous.

How often have you felt God is forgetting about you and your needs? Have you prayed fervently for your hearts desire and yet God seems not to hear. Perhaps, in your case as in that of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the timing is not yet right. God has a plan and His timing for events is always perfect. We do not see all the circumstances that surround our requests. We do not know all the people and things that are involved. Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed for a child and left the timing and the happening to God. They were blessed either way.

Take heart from the story of this godly couple and present your requests to God and then continue serving with all your heart and soul. God sees and God knows and God listens. Today’s truth about God’s is that His timing and ways are not our own and that requires us to TRUST Him with the details. God declared in Isaiah 55:8-9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.“

As the story unfolds we will see the great blessing that came to Zechariah and Elizabeth because of their willingness to wait upon the Lord.

Linda

The Impact of a Blessed Life

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My journey into the area of Obedience continues as I look today at Psalm 128. The focus of verse 1 is explained in this short and beautifully worded psalm.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
    who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
    blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
    within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
    around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
    for the man who fears the Lord.

5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children—
    peace be on Israel.

The first point the psalmist makes is that obedience brings blessing. The obedience is specific as it is about walking in the fear of the Lord. This fear is not panic or terror but reverence and awe. Keeping the Lord with you each day as a loved and cherished companion, knowing He knows right from wrong and will guide your steps, is this kind of obedience. The psalmist also points out that walking in obedience to God daily will bring blessings to your household and all of your family. I love this idea that walking with God reflects on those around you for good. By your words and deeds you will make Him known. Paul gives us this idea when he wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:14 ” The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” When we walk with Jesus, His grace is on us and poured out to others in His name. This is a beautiful thought to ponder and absorb. Your life has meaning in Him and will impact others for Jesus!

The psalmist also make the point that a life lived in obedience will reflect the peace of God and bring prosperity to our life and the lives of our children. Peter opens his second letter with this same idea. 2 Peter 1:2-3 “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” God promises grace and peace to those who follow Him and Peter tells us that God has given us all we need to see and live in that peace and to do it with abundance. Is your life peaceful? I’m not talking about being free from conflict, but do you have worries about your eternal future? Do you know that you belong to Him no matter what happens? Is your life filled with abundant love from God? As you look into His Word, do you see His love for you and His peace? Consider Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” and John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” God promises His love and peace for us. It starts when you receive Jesus as your savior and repent of your sins. It will continue into eternity! Now that is love in abundance and bountiful peace that we did and do not deserve!

Seeking to walk in obedience to Jesus and show His love to those around you today. You will be blessed!

Linda