#9 Practicing Devotion to God- by relying upon His Grace

February 24, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

What is Grace? It is defined as God’s unmerited favor towards us. We did nothing and can do nothing to deserve His favor. It is something that God gives us freely by faith in Jesus from the depth of His love for us. Scripture teaches us that God’s grace is always sufficient and because God is omnipotent He will never run out of grace. 2 Corinthians 12:9 is one of my go to verses for power, strength and assurance about God’s grace. Paul recalls the words of Christ to him, “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.” God graciously gives us what we need in our weakness and brings glory to Himself by showing His power in our lives. I cling to the sufficiency of His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are saved by His grace, certainly not by anything we have done or will do. We cannot be good enough, clean enough or pure enough on our own. Salvation is a gracious gift of God given to us through our faith in Jesus. He saves us by grace and graciously uses us to do His good works. He could do everything himself, but He graciously allows us to participate for our good and His glory.

Hebrews 4:16 adds one other dimension to His grace towards us. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Because of our faith in Jesus, our high priest, and His work on the cross, we have access to God and can approach Him in prayer. When we do, we are assured that we will find grace and mercy in our times of need. There is never a time that God is not with me and I can always know that He will meet my needs with grace and mercy. What a blessed hope!

May you grow to trust in His grace, lean into and depend upon His grace and let His grace give you Hope as you draw near to Him with a heart of love and devotion.

Linda

I pray you have been blessed as much as I have by going through these 9 practical ways to show our loyalty and devotion to God. We can practice devotion to God by: recalling His attributes, remembering His good works towards us, relating to Him in prayer, reading and meditating on His Word, resting in our identity in Christ, repenting regularly, responding to the world biblically, remembering our Savior and relying upon His grace. May you remember to incorporate these into your life on a daily basis and receive His blessings!

#3 Practicing Devotion to God- Pray

January 31, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The third practical way to experience love and commitment to God is to PRAY. The Bible is filled with people talking, communing, listening and responding to God in prayer. Isaac prayed for his wife Rebekah to conceive as she was barren, Hannah prayed rejoicing as God gave her a son to love, David prayed for protection and guidance as he fled from Saul, Solomon prayed for wisdom to rule the people, Nehemiah prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem, Jonah prayed from the belly of the fish, Jesus prayed many times to commune with His father while here on Earth, the Apostles prayed for guidance in presenting the gospel and encouraged all believer to pray constantly. These are just a few examples of the who, when and why people prayed.

We often think of prayer as me talking and God listening. All of the above knew that God was accessible in prayer and that He would answer with guidance, hope, love and compassion. In Psalm 16: verses 7, 11 David reveals how he feels about prayer. “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” ” You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” David received God’s guidance and counsel as God laid on his heart what he should do. God revealed the right pathway in life to him.

Jesus instructed us on prayer in Matthew 6: 5-13. He told us what not to do in verse 5,7-8 and then what to do in verses 6, 9-13. Do Not “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ” ⁷“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Do “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us this day our daily bread,
¹²and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Prayer is personal as you alone can speak with Almighty God and lay your concerns, hopes, dreams and desires before Him. As you learn to trust Him, He will reveal His will and desires to you. Psalm 37:3,4 are some of my favorite verses and I pray and claim them often. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.⁴Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Talk with God, trust Him with the desires of your heart, keep on doing good and be safe in His arms.

Linda

Plans, Dreams Realized in Walking with God. Thanks Dr. King for your example.

January 20, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

i-have-a-dream-mlk Today is deemed Martin Luther King Day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who stood for rightness in the fight for freedom and equality for all men. He was very eloquent in speech and inspired many with his life and his fight against oppression. He challenges the generations to dream of equality and reach for it. Where do you have unrealized dreams today? Are you actively pursuing them, keeping them in focus and grabbing onto opportunities to make them happen?

This year my word is HOPE and like Dr. King I need to put my faith and trust in God and walk in Hope. What about you? Have you chosen patience as your word- do you need to purse patience in moving towards the goals God has for you? Have you chosen structure- do you need to form a plan or have a pattern for your daily success? Have you chosen peace- do you need to develop an attitude of peace in your heart and towards those around you this year? Like Dr. King, we want our dreams and goals to be accomplished and we want to glorify God in the process. I came across this verse today that fits in and encouraged me. Proverbs 16:3 in the Message translation. “Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.” Keep God in your focus, in your heart, in your prayer life and He will bring you to it and through it this year for your good and His glory!

As we remember Dr. King today and honor his achievements for mankind. think how much God has for you to accomplish and what wonderful purposes He has for you. We know for certain that He has a plan and a purpose for each of us. “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.” Jeremiah 29:11 Put God in charge of your plans and He will align them with His will to accomplish His purposes. His are the best plans of all. Let go this year and let God be in charge. But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.

Linda

Total Hope, where do you find it?

January 17, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

These first few weeks of 2020 I have been looking into HOPE as it is my chosen word for the year. I saw survival hope in Psalm 71:14 “But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”, Hope in God’s Word, Psalm 119:114 “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.”, Hope in God’s steadfast Love, Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,”, Hope in the future, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” and daily Hope for living, 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.”

Today’s verse helps me to see that God is my Total Hope, Psalm 62:5-7 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
⁶He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
⁷On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

I love the truth of these words written by the psalmist David so long ago. They are truths confirmed throughout scripture. My hope comes from God alone. He is the one who stands by me and holds me in times of distress and trouble Psalm 107:13 “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” God is so strong and mighty, so sure and complete that He cannot be shaken, Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. He gave me salvation through faith in Jesus, Acts 4:12 “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.”. God alone is working in my life to mold and shape me into the person He desires me to be and shares His glorious attributes with me, Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” He is the holder of my salvation and sent the Holy Spirit as my guarantee, 2 Corinthians 1:22 “and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

Do these truths about God alone give you Hope for surviving, loving, learning and leaning on the truth of His Word, for looking into the future and for daily living? God is my total Hope and that Hope is in Him alone. He is and has all the hope I need. “Thank you Jesus for bringing God’s Hope to me.”

May you grab hold of His Hope today and be uplifted and strengthened.

Linda

Faithful God inspires HOPE for Living

January 14, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

A portion of scripture I always visit in the New Year is Lamentations 3:21-26 as it is filled with hope for life, living and reminds me of the importance of dependence upon God.

But this I call to mind, (I just need to remember to receive HOPE.)
and therefore I have hope:

²²The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; (God’s love and mercy are
    his mercies never come to an end; unending.)
²³they are new every morning; (Each day I can begin anew with God.)
    great is your faithfulness. (I can depend upon His faithfulness.)
²⁴“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.” (My hope is in God alone.)

²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him. (The Lord blesses me as I seek Him.)

These verses inspire, refresh, assure, and lead me to God. He alone is the one I can depend upon because I know He is faithful, merciful, keeps His promises and delights when I seek Him. He loves me with an eternal love that is steadfast and true and therefore I can place my hope in Him.

Join me as we begin this New Year by placing your Hope in God and walk expecting good from God as He is good to those who wait upon Him and place their hope in Him.

Let these words of hope and encouragement guide you today. God is faithful and you can depend upon His love and mercy so you can begin each day with new hope.

Linda

Where are you placing your future? Is it done with Hope and Assurance?

January 10, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Do you have verses that are yours? One of my life verses is Jeremiah 29:11. I first connected with this verse when I was asked to choose a verse for my grandson at his baby dedication. God led me to Jeremiah 29:11 and I began to cling to the promises it holds. The connection for today and every day is the hope contained with God’s Words. “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.” This verse tells me God knows me and my future and He has good planned for me. Those things He has planned are designed to give me hope and a positive future. I am convinced that God loves me and wants the very best for me. I am convinced that God is good, desiring the best for me- for my good and His glory. How can I not have hope?

Does this mean that everything will always be good, happy and fulfilling? No. It means that whatever happens in my life, God can use it for my good. Romans 8:28 confirms this, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Since I know and love Jesus, I am assured that He can and does use all things in my life for good. In the hard times, it is difficult to be assured of this, but looking back or looking at others suffering we can often get a glimpse of this truth. This calls for our faith and trust in Him.

I cling to the truths of Jeremiah 29:11 when hard times come, when I see amazing things happen, when I look and plan for the future and seek to know what He would have me do. I ask for His help and guidance as His will is perfect His direction is true. Let Psalm 25:4-5 be your prayer as it is mine. “Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
⁵Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

Linda

Got Hope in 2020? Anchor it in God’s Steadfast Love.

January 7, 2020 nofearlinda2 Comments

As we look at hope in scripture we see survival hope, hope in His Word and today I see hope in His steadfast love. God’s love is an anchor for our soul and His love surrounds us 24/7. Knowing God loves us- gives us Hope, knowing God is trustworthy and faithful gives us Hope that is secure in that love. John 3:16 reminds us that God’s love is what motivated Him to come after us, free us and send Jesus to suffer and die to redeem us for all eternity. “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. This love, eternal and sacrificial is ours so that we may have Hope.

In the Psalms David captures this love hope and puts it into words we can cling to: Psalm 33:18 “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,” Psalm 33:22 ” May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 147:11 “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” We see in these verses hope comes from knowing God’s unfailing love because we revere, worship and adore Him. Hope comes when we put our trust in God, and God is pleased or delighted by our reverence and fear. We know that God is love, and the proof of His love is His sending Jesus to save us. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1 John 4:10

Meditate on God’s steadfast love today and consider how that love gives you HOPE: 1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 13:5 “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Psalm 33:22 “Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

Begin 2020 with Hope rooted in God’s Steadfast Love,

Linda

2020 A New Year, A New Decade- How will you survive?

January 1, 2020January 2, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Yesterday I was in the look back mode, but today January 1, 2020 I am looking forward. Each year I have a habit of choosing a word to guide my year. Last year God gave me the word Trust and Wow! did I see that word week after week. I learned to lean upon God and trust Him in new, painful, scary and exciting situations. It was amazing how Trust kept coming up again and again, reminding me of who I am and where my Trust needs to be placed.

This year God has given me the word Hope. I have always loved writing and talking about the hope I have in Christ, but I feel His Hope will reach into all corners of my life. So I thought it wise to spend a few weeks looking into HOPE and seeing how hope is described in God’s Word. The verse I found to start with is Psalm 71:14 as it seemed to capture the hope I feel right now as I begin this new year. “But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.” Psalm 71 was written by King David in his old age. He reflects upon God, his dependence upon Him and God’s continuing faithfulness. David resolves to continue praising God just as he has done since his youth. “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.” Psalm 71:5

May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
    with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who seek my hurt.
¹⁴But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
¹⁵My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge. Psalm 71:13-15

David knows the ‘world’ will come against him, yet he knows God will deal with them. He has his hope placed in God and will praise Him. No matter what as he knows God is sovereign and in control of all things, people, and places. He vows to continue to proclaim what God has done for him.

This is a challenge as we face a New Year. We know for certain that things will come against us-as they always do. What we know, like David, is that God is faithful and will stand with us. We need to trust in His sovereignty and mercy and cling to Him in HOPE. That is my answer to, How will I survive in 2020? I will cling to Him in HOPE knowing with absolute faith that God is faithful, loving and merciful. He will be gracious to me as I place my HOPE in Him.

Looking forward to 2020 with HOPE,

Linda

Looking forward with Hope, backward with Thanks 2020 here we come!

December 31, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

I always love December 31 because it means I am on the brink of a new beginning. Those failures I’ve experienced during the year can end, and I can start fresh and new. Hope springs eternally in our hearts as we walk in faith and trust with our Lord and Savior Jesus. In Psalms 42 and 43 David questions himself repeatedly with these words: Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation.

David wonders, and so do I, why I fret over failures, defeats, troubling circumstances, etc? His answer, and mine, is in trusting God alone. His hope, and mine, is in God and the salvation He provides for eternity. So as I end this year, I will reflect on what I achieved for Him, what God did in and through me, and look forward to the New Year with Hope. I will look backward with thanksgiving in my heart as God has been 100% faithful in all things just as He promised.

Isaiah encourages us in 49:29-31 that the Lord knows the way, will provide and lead us in His way of hope.

He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
³⁰Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
³¹but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

Will you join me in focusing on Hope and what God will bring your way in 2020? Not only is it a New Year, it is also the beginning of a new decade. Resolve to move Onward and upward with Christ alone!

Linda

Christmas with Eternity in Focus!

December 25, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Merry-Christmas

Today we celebrate the birth of the Christ. His birth was foretold by the ancient prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born…” The place was foretold in Micah 5:3 “But you Bethlehem…”. He came to earth that day born as a human child, yet one who would lead a sinless life and die to save us from our sins. We believe that only God’s Son, Jesus, could satisfy Holy God and bring us back into relationship with God. Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 53:5 “But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.” So where does that leave us? If we believe He was born miraculously as a man who was both fully human and fully God, and He was able to die to save us from our sins, what more is there for us to believe? He is coming again. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we need to remember the story does not end in the manger or at the cross. The story of the redemption of mankind will end with us living with God for eternity. Just as His first coming was heralded by angels so will His second coming. Just as His first coming was miraculous, awesome and breathtaking so will His second coming be worthy of King Jesus when we meet Him in the air.

What do these events say about God? God is eternal. God exists outside of time. He is not measured by anything. We measure time by the movement of the planets and stars, which God created. God has always been and always will be. No one is like Him. We are not eternal because we have a beginning and an end. Because God is eternal, He can give us eternal life. David described God in Psalm 90:2 “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, form everlasting to everlasting you are God.” John wrote in Revelation 4:8 “Holy, holy, holy is he Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come.”

With our finite minds, the eternality of God is difficult to grasp. However, we can be assured that God is who He says He is and will do as He has planned for eternity. Jesus is the one who holds the key to our eternal life. John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Come to Him this Christmas and be filled with His eternal blessing. Look past the manger, past the cross and look forward to His return!