Tag: Christianity

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJB, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Every morning we can wake up and start a new day knowing that the Lord’s mercy and compassion are with us. He understands what we are going through. The failures we may have had yesterday, do not impact the love He has for us today. He is faithful to us and His love for us endures through all things.

The love and faithfulness that our Heavenly Father has toward us, is the secure foundation that we can stand on. The mercy and compassion that He shows to us, helps to keep us safe from guilt and condemnation. He understands our weaknesses.

Today is a new day. Lean on the love of God. Be filled with joy knowing that our Lord is faithful to us. He will never leave our side.

O Taste And See

I was recently speaking to someone who expressed some concerns about a, “youth fun night” church event she and her family had attended. She stated that she disapproved of the secular music that was being played, and the dancing the young people were doing. She said that because the lights were down low, the atmosphere was similar to a night club. She said it, “just didn’t feel right”, until the very end, when they finally played one worship song to close the evening.

After our conversation this verse in Psalm 34 came to my mind…

Psalm 34:8 KJB, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

When people come to the church, I believe they are coming because they desire to “taste” something different than what they have tasted in the world. We have the privilege of introducing them to the difference they are seeking…Jesus Christ.

It’s easy for us as Christians, to fall into the trap of thinking that by mimicking the ways of the world, we will somehow win people over. Jesus never used worldly tactics to convince people. He always spoke words of truth, and He lived by the words He spoke.

We must believe in our hearts that once people taste what Jesus has to offer, their lives will be changed. The lives we live, will be the first taste of Jesus that many will see. If we do not show them “something different” they will not know how amazing our Lord is. They will not know of His love, grace, and peace. They will not know that during the tribulations of life, He will carry their burdens and heal their broken hearts. If we do not help them to taste and see that our Lord is good, they may never know the joy of eternity in His presence.

Father,

Thank you Father for the difference Your Son Jesus has made in our lives. Help us not to conform to the ways of this world, but instead to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Teach us to make knowing you and showing the world who Jesus is a priority. Help us not to be afraid to be different, so that we can share the beauty of that difference with others.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus Will Give You Strength

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

There are many things and people that will attempt to distract us as we try to follow God’s will for our lives. But we must stay focused on Jesus. He will never leave us, forsake us, or fail us. Everything we need is found in Him.

Jesus gives us strength to fulfill the purpose He has for us. He gives us strength to stay on the narrow path that leads to life. His strength helps us to endure the obstacles that come against us and try to steal our peace of mind.

On days where we feel like giving up, we can look to Jesus and find the hope we need to keep going. When we feel tired and weak, it’s His Spirit who gives us the power to stay strong. There is no weight so heavy that the strength of Jesus cannot carry it. Cast your burdens on the Lord Jesus, because He cares for you.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the strength we have through your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for watching over us and helping us to live for you. When we are weak, You are strong. Help us not to fall prey to the ways of this world. Help us to keep our hearts pure, and to keep our eyes fixed on You.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Praise The Lord!!

Psalm 146:1-2 NIV, “Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

There is so much that God has done. We have countless reasons to offer Him our praise. It is so refreshing to take time out to meditate on His goodness, and give Him thanks. It doesn’t matter what is going on in our lives or the world around us, He is worthy of all our praise.

It’s such a blessing to be able to look up to Jesus and praise His holy name. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6)! I pray that God’s love would fill your heart today, and overflow from your heart into songs of praise.

The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 9:10 NIV, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are much needed for us to navigate this life. Having reverence for God (fear), is the foundation of walking in wisdom. Acquiring more knowledge about who God is, is how we gain understanding about how He is working in our lives. God has always been and He always will be (Revelation 1:8). His wisdom and knowledge far exceed our understanding, however He promised to give us wisdom if we would ask Him to (James 1:5).

We will not know or understand every single thing, because God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). However, He will not withhold anything from us that He knows is good for us (Psalm 84:11). We can trust Him to equip us with what He knows we need to live victoriously for Him.

God gave us His Son Jesus so that we would be able to have a relationship with Him. Having a relationship with our God through Jesus is the way we gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. What a privilege it is to know the one true living and eternal God!

Jesus Will Give You Peace

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT), “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Trusting in Jesus and keeping our thoughts fixed on him, will keep us living in perfect peace. When everything around us is spinning out of control, we can depend on Him to be steady. God is very much involved with the details of our lives, even when we feel otherwise. Just because we may not understand how He is working, does not mean He is not working.

Keeping our thoughts fixed on Him by meditating on scripture will remind us of His sovereignty over our lives. When we give our situations over to the Lord, His perfect peace will comfort us. He is with us no matter what it is we must endure.

Sometimes we wonder why God allows us to go through certain challenges, but we must trust His plans. Everything that He allows into our lives is for a reason. He can see way beyond the surface. His purposes stretch all the way into eternity. His faithfulness to us is also eternal, it will never end. Be encouraged. The Holy Spirit of God is with you.

Showing God’s Love – A Chain Blog Post

Thanks big brother Matt @ Jesusluvsall for coming up with this idea and tagging me in, “Showing God’s Love – A Chain Blog Post”. I hope also along with you, that we would all continue to encourage one another to show God’s love through these posts. ❤️

Link to Matt’s post:

Showing God’s Love-A Chain Blog Post

To participate:

1. Link the original post of Matt, the creator of this chain blog post.

2. Write a post on love.

3. Tag another blogger.

From my own personal experiences, I can definitely say that the closer I have gotten to Christ, the more I have learned about receiving and showing God’s love. When our hearts are open to receiving His love, His Holy Spirit works in us to heal us from any brokenness and pain we have. He completes us and makes our hearts whole. It is a process, but as God heals us, we will have a desire to share His love and healing with others, because of what He has done for us.

1 John 3:18 GNT, “My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.”

At a church I attended in the past, there was a ministry called, “The Prison Letter Ministry”. You could volunteer to write letters of encouragement to inmates. The commitment was for one year. So I decided to sign up, and shortly after, I was assigned an inmate. Her name was Sherry. You could use the church address and any name you wanted while writing, but I just stuck with my name Dawn.

We were told from the beginning that we may not receive return letters depending on the inmates situation. So although I wasn’t getting any responses from Sherry, I looked forward to sending her letters and cards of encouragement. I wrote her for six months, before being told she had been released from prison.

Shortly after Sherry’s release, I was excited to receive a card at the church from her. She thanked me for diligently sending her letters and cards and said she was really encouraged by them. She apologized for not being able to write back while in prison, and told me she had been incarcerated for seven years.

I don’t know where Sherry is today, but I pray God is continuing to work in her life. When we are willing to be vessels for Jesus, we never know how He will use us to show love to others. I’m thankful I had the chance to help Sherry understand how much God loves her. I always realized that I could have been the one locked in the cell instead of her. But by God’s grace, I was one of the people who had the privilege of offering her support.

I still have the card Sherry sent me. Through her card, God also showed His love to me. Please say a prayer for Sherry, that God will continue to work in her life and bring her healing. Please also pray that God will bring the right opportunities her way. It’s very difficult for people who have been in prison once they are released.

1 John 4:7 NLT, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”

I’m tagging…

Jacquie at Joy Cottage