Year: 2020

Merry Christmas to You!

It is unbelievable how fast this year has flown by, and as we all know, there have certainly been a variety of challenges, many of which we are still trying to navigate. But this verse brings us much comfort…

John 16:33 NLT, “… Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has already overcome the trials and sorrows of this world. Nothing we face is beyond His control. We do not always understand why things happen as they do, or why God allows it, but we do know He has a plan. During this Christmas season, and always, we can find rest, peace, and safety in Jesus, as we celebrate Him for who He is, our Savior and Lord.

Photo by: Lacy Darden of Oklahoma, USA 🇺🇸

Jesus chose to come to Earth, live here, die for our sins, and rise again with all power in His hands. Through His sacrifice, we can have life more abundantly. A life not based only on material things, but based on the joy and hope that we have in Him. I pray that joy and hope that we have in Jesus, would fill your heart during this Christmas season and beyond. May you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

Father,

Thank you for the gift you have given to us in your son, Jesus. There is no gift more precious than Him. Thank you for your love and protection. As this year comes to an end, we trust you to continue to light our paths and make them straight. Help us to choose Jesus everyday in the way we live our lives, and in the decisions we make. Give us wisdom to know what is best. Thank you for who you are to us.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

P.S. I’ll be returning in January. Be safe, blessings!

The Favorite Christmas Memory Tag

Thank you big brother Matt at Jesusluvsall for tagging me. I pray that our Savior’s peace, love, and joy will surround you and those reading this post during this Christmas season. 🎄❤️

Photo by: Irina Iriser

My favorite Christmas memories happened during childhood. I remember getting the JC Penney catalog (which was popular back then), and going to the toy section to make my Christmas wish list. It was exciting to open up Christmas gifts. My mom always let us open one gift on Christmas Eve. Two of my favorite gifts, were the Barbie dream kitchen and the Barbie corvette.

In later years, I enjoyed seeing the same excitement in my daughter, when she was little, that I saw in myself as a child. I also remember some years ago, participating in an event at my church called “The Living Christmas Story”. It was an outdoor drive thru event, with live scenes depicting the life of Jesus. I believe the first station started with Mary finding out from the angel she was pregnant. Then it progressed to scenes depicting the death and resurrection of Jesus. The final station had ministers and elders who were ready to answer questions, and pray for those in need. I wasn’t one of the actors in the event, but I was on the prayer team inside the church chapel. We prayed throughout the event for things to go smoothly and for souls to be saved as the gospel message was brought forth. I also helped make cookies. Every visitor that drove through was given hot cocoa and cookies. It was an exciting time for our church. Hopefully many seeds were planted, as people saw the story of Jesus Christ.

The joy of Christmas for me now is remembering that it represents our Savior’s birth, His love and sacrifice for humankind.

Now for the tag. Here is how it works.

Please share a link to the original post- The Favorite Christmas Memory Tag.

Share your favorite Christmas memory and tag some fellow bloggers to join in.

If they choose to participate, I am tagging:

Gail

Tangie

Eileen

Sheree

Jennifer

Manu

Mrs. Holliman

Mr. Holliman

Jeanne

Yonka

Joni

Paula

Deb

Pene

Marisa

Consider Your Thoughts

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

The mind is a powerful thing, so we have to be intentional about what we think about. Our thoughts can cause us to go down the right or wrong path. As we remain focused on the Lord, He has promised to give us His peace. Life is busy and unpredictable. Although we do not know what each day may bring our way, we do know that when we trust in the Lord, He will be faithful to carry us through.

Photo by: Andrew Neel of North Carolina, USA 🇺🇸

We must examine our thoughts and keep them focused on things that are pleasing to the Lord. As I heard someone say, think about what you are thinking about. Remember, keeping your mind stayed on the Lord and His faithfulness will lead to peace.

Strong in Jesus

Philippians 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Whatever God has called us to do He will equip us with the strength we need to do it. He will always open up the doors that He has called us to walk through, and it’s a blessing that no one can shut those doors. It’s true the enemy may try and alter things, but he won’t win because Jesus has already won the victory on our behalf. I’m paraphrasing, but I once heard Charles Stanley say, “God will move heaven and Earth to bring His will to past in the lives of His children.”

Photo by: Sindre Strøm of Norway 🇳🇴

God has known the plans He has for us since before we were born. He never leaves us without direction when we trust His plans. By His power working in us, those plans will come to past. Remember, you can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives you strength.

With You Always

Joshua 1:9 NIV, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I was having a conversation with my sister recently, and we were discussing how amazing it is that God never tires of being with us. He will never leave us alone. He is always willing to listen to us and lead us into good things.

Photo by: Pixabay

In our human state, we are not even capable of being available to someone 24/7. We have to sleep, work, take care of our families, plus many of us at some point need our private time away from others to “recharge”. But our faithful God is not limited by time, or other human obligations and He is always available. Knowing this, should remove our fears and bring us comfort. We can remain strong in the Lord, and move forward in godly confidence each day, knowing He is with us, always.

Beware of False Prophets

1 John 4:1 (NLT), ”Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”

This verse is a reminder of the importance of knowing God for ourselves. Developing our relationship with Him allows us to better understand His heart and the desires He has for our individual lives and the world around us. When we have an intimate relationship with Him, it will keep us from being deceived by the many voices that attempt to speak into our lives, claiming to know the truth and have a prophecy from God. Jesus said my sheep know my voice, and the voice of strangers they do not obey (John 10:4-5). Everything we hear and do should be in line with God’s Word, our final authority.

Photo by: Heorhii Heorhiichuk

Knowing God for yourself, and living by His Holy Spirit, not by the voice of man, is what will bring peace and order to our lives. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace; love and faithfulness are shown in all He does (1 Corinthians 14:33; Psalm 89:14).

I pray the Lord will give us discernment to know His voice and recognize His truth as we surrender our lives to Him daily.

I Love My Job Tag

Thank you Mrs. Holliman at God’s Love for tagging me! Mrs. Holliman will inspire you as she share’s her heart for Jesus, so be sure to visit her blog! ❤️✝️

Webster defines a job as a paid position of regular employment. However, there are many jobs for which we never receive a paycheck (ie. stay-at-home parent, caregiver, etc.) So for the purposes of this tag, a job is any work that you do on a regular basis. No paycheck is required.

HOW TO PLAY:

1) Use the “I Love My Job” graphic above.

2) Tag the creator Barb at My Life in Our Father’s World

3) Tell us why you love your job.  I listed 9 but you are free to list as many as you want.

4) Invite your fellow bloggers to participate by tagging them. There is no minimum/maximum number of “invites”.

I’m fairly new on my job, and the pandemic started less than two months after I started, so it has been an interesting experience, but I’m extremely thankful to be there. I work full time for a Christian organization, which is a first for me, so it has been a blessing being in a Christian work environment. One of my favorite parts about my job, is that we have daily chapel. In chapel we get to come together with coworkers during the day and share God’s Word and have prayer. Of course with the pandemic we work from home so it’s all virtual.

I currently work as a staff accountant and I’ve been working in the accounting field for 15 years. I’ve worked in many different industries within accounting, and I’ve been blessed to learn a lot. So far my favorite positions have been in property management, and my current position.

In property management, I worked as a property accountant, and did accounting for residential properties such as mobile home communities and apartment complexes. It was very stressful but I loved assisting the property managers and leasing consultants. My current position as a staff accountant, I love mainly because I know my organization has a bigger mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s wonderful to be a part of that as I do my daily work. My coworkers have been very helpful and kind in helping me to learn my new job. I’m thankful we can pray together and encourage one another in our faith daily.

Anyone of my followers who would like to participate in this tag, please feel free. I would love to hear more about what you love about your job, rather you work for a company, manage your home as a stay at home spouse/parent, or do volunteer work as a retiree, please share. 🤗

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