Trusting the Love of Jesus Christ, One Day at a Time. Psalm 13:5 NIV, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.”
I want to say Thank You to Desiree from Hope, Faith & a Smile for giving me the chance to prepare a guest post for her blog. Please click on the link below to read my post and also check out her blog too. She has many writings that will inspire and encourage you. Blessings and thanks for reading!
Guest Post by Dawn Ivey – Spring Forward Into New Things
1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV, “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. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
I love these verses from 1 Peter. And I love that death was not the final answer. But our Savior got up! Because He got up from the grave, so can we. Plus we can get up each day and go forward in His love, mercy and goodness. We can get up and proclaim the living hope we have in Jesus Christ, right in the midst of life’s ups and downs.
I pray that the resurrection of Jesus Christ will lead you to live a life of surrender, obedience and perseverance. And I hope that even in the smallest things, His love would be evident to you, as you live freely in His resurrection power.
Romans 4:25 NLT, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Have a blessed Easter! 🕊️
Matthew 5:16 NASB, “Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
A coworker was sharing last week about an encounter she had with a lady while coming out of the doctor’s office. She said the lady was crying, so she stopped to ask her if she was ok. Once they began talking, she found out the lady was upset because she had received several diagnoses from her doctor and the prognosis wasn’t good.
During the conversation, the lady also revealed that she had become angry with the Lord over the years and therefore had turned away from him, especially after the death of her husband. She said she knew that she really needed to get back in touch with the Lord. My coworker had the opportunity to encourage the lady, offer her some comfort, and pray with her.
I was thankful to hear my coworkers testimony. It was an encouragement to remain available and aware because we never know who God will bring across our path that needs to know about His love.
I heard a minister say recently, “it’s not about our ability, it’s about our availability.” The Holy Spirit will give us the ability we need. He will give us the words and power to help others.
God may not always bring a stranger your way, it could be someone you already know who needs your love and attention. It could be a family member, a friend, a coworker, a neighbor or someone you see sitting alone during the service at your church, who could use a word of encouragement. We just need to remain available and aware.
As we seek the Lord and grow in intimacy with Him, our desire and concern for others will also grow. Part of being available and aware, means we must go beyond our own ideas of what our faith should look like, and instead open our hearts and our lives to what God wants us to do. He wants to stretch our faith in ways we may not have yet considered. Of course this may interrupt our plans or lead us out of our comfort zones. However, God is pleased when we walk by faith and has promised to reward us when we diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 NLT,“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
I love that God doesn’t leave us alone to complete anything He calls us to do. He is with us through the presence of His Holy Spirit and we can pray continuously as we go through our day (1 Thessalonians 1:17). We serve a God who loves us and will supply our every need (Philippians 4:19).
Heavenly Father,
Help us to make you a priority each day. Create in us a clean heart. A heart that is available to you and aware of the ways you are working in our lives. Help us to be willing and ready to share your love with those around us. Give us the courage to embrace the opportunities you bring our way to be a light in a dark world. Thank you for the love you give us that makes a difference in our lives each day.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
1 Samuel 17:45 ESV, “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Last Sunday, on my way to church, I was thinking about a goal that I have been working to reach and the story of David and Goliath came to my mind. As I reflected on this story, I felt encouraged. It was a reminder that when we take steps of faith and obey God, He will lead us to success. We just have to be willing to show up and take action by doing what God tells us to do, like David did.
1 Samuel 17:37 ESV, “David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.”
David didn’t let fear or worry hold Him back. Instead, he remembered God’s past faithfulness when he faced the paws of the lion and the bear, and moved forward in confidence that God would give Him a successful outcome.
Later, that same Sunday while driving, I passed a church and the message on their sign said, “For every Goliath, there is a stone.” Then two days later, I attended a Bible study and the message was on David and Goliath. The speaker was offering encouragement to just show up and trust God to do the rest.
1 Samuel 50:17 ESV, ”So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.”
David, a young boy, took down the nine foot Philistine giant with a simple sling and a stone because He was willing to show up and trust God. God will add His “super” to our natural and cause us to succeed.
I am extremely thankful for God’s reminders, through the story of David and Goliath, that He equips us with what we need to accomplish the things we need to accomplish.
Whatever areas that you are working on in your life, rather it’s a personal or career goal, obstacles you are working to overcome, or some other type of battle. Don’t give up. Just keep showing up and doing your part and trust God to do the rest.
Like the message on the church sign said, “For every Goliath, there is a stone.” So grab your stone and move forward in the name of the Lord.
Blessings upon your day!
Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
I shared a few weeks ago that my word for 2024 is persevere. I believe the Lord has been giving me more insight into the ways that I need to persevere in my faith. So I look forward to occasionally sharing some of the things He is teaching me.
Lately, I have encountered several teachings on the importance of walking in humility as a Christian. A little humility can go a long way, not only in our relationship with the Lord, but also in our relationships with others.
We are told in Galatians 5, that the Spirit of God has given us humility. As with many things, we must learn to embrace the gifts we have been given. Humility is not always celebrated in the world we live in, but the rewards of humility, are immeasurable. The benefits of having a humble heart far outweigh the challenges.
Jesus, as always, is our greatest example of humility. One of my favorite examples of humility from His life, was when He took time out to talk to the woman at the well, in John 4. If He had chosen pride, He would not have wanted to be seen talking to this lady. Instead, He could have wasted time worrying about what others would think and forfeit the opportunity to impact her life. But He chose humility. Humility breaks down barriers. It focuses on the good that can be done.
Well, since pride is the opposite of humility, I’ve been asking God to show me areas of my life that pride has hindered me from walking in humility. We can’t afford to allow pride to hinder us from accomplishing what God needs us to accomplish in this life. Pride can be deceptive because it causes us to believe we are going forward, only to later find out that was not the case. That’s why the Bible warns us in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”
The Lord promises to lift us up when we choose to be humble people. So may He help us to choose humility, like Jesus did.
James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
Father,
Thank you for the example of humility that we have in Jesus. Help us to persevere in humility and see it as the gift that it is. Show us areas where we need to be more humble. And as we practice humility, help us to draw closer to you and be a blessing to those around us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
1 John 4:8 NIV, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
God is love. Love is not just something He does; love is who He is. I find that truth to be overwhelming and hard to even comprehend. But it brings great joy, to know that we serve the One who is love and that He loves us. As you go about your day, I hope that will bring you joy too.
Whatever it is you are facing, I pray God’s love will meet you right in the midst of your circumstances. And may He give us strength to extend His love to those around us, even when it’s hard because it’s love that makes the difference. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Hebrews 10:36 NLT, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
According to dictionary.com, the meaning of persevere is: “to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.”
I saw a few definitions for persevere, however, I like this one a lot because it mentions being persistent, and maintaining our purpose, even in the midst of difficult challenges or any discouragement we may feel.
Rather we are going through trials or doing good things such as pursuing goals or helping people, remaining steadfast and staying the course does take perseverance. God will give us strength each day, so we can do what we need to. We can rely on Him for our our daily bread and the wisdom we need to make good decisions and take needed actions.
My word for 2024 is persevere. (Thanks Bridget for encouraging us to pray about a word). I am looking forward to experiencing the many ways that God will continue to be faithful in this new year. When we persevere in the will of God, God will give us what He has promised. May we continue to walk by faith as we persevere in our trust in God. His love never fails.
Drawing Closer to Christ 