Tag: encouragement

God is Good to All

Psalm 145:9 ESV “The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”

Psalm 145:9 BSB “The LORD is good to all; His compassion rests on all He has made.”

I love the wording in both of these versions, so I decided to post them both. God’s goodness is something that I have become even more aware of in recent years. His goodness is always present. However, there are times we may fail to see it, especially when we are going through trials. We must stay intentional about asking God to open our eyes to see His goodness, so that we can avoid feelings of discontentment and discouragement.

Learning to be thankful is a major part of seeing God’s goodness. So when we have thankful hearts, we are more in tune with the way God is working in our lives, the lives of those we love, and in the world around us. We can better see the blessings He gives us everyday.

Thank you again, for your prayers after the loss of my mom. God’s goodness was certainly evident throughout the whole process of her illness and her death. The mercy and compassion He has shown me directly and through others, has left me amazed.

We are blessed that God chooses to be good to us and that His mercy and compassion rests on all that He has made.

God’s Power is Perfect

12 Corinthians 12:9-10 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

These were my mom, Belle’s, favorite two verses in the Bible. She has it engraved on the cover of one of her Bibles.

We can be strong, because of the grace that is given to us through Christ. When we are weak, He is strong. His strength and power never run out.

My dear mom, went home to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, on the morning of January 21st. Of course I miss her, and find it hard to believe she is no longer here with us. However, I am thankful for the life she lived and the love she gave to me, my family and countless others.

Mom was ill for awhile, so I am also thankful she is no longer suffering. I can’t imagine the bliss she is now experiencing, being in God’s presence for all eternity, with a new glorified body. She loved trees, so I thought of her when I chose this picture…

Photo by: Felix Mittermeier of Germany 🇩🇪

God’s grace is sufficient. That is a truth that my mom lived each day and I am thankful that through Christ, we can continue to live in that truth too. Weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, do not change who He is. His power is perfect. We are secure in His love.

We are busy planning my mom’s memorial service, plus I am still processing the reality of losing her, it’s very difficult. So, I may not post every Monday for awhile, but I will still be checking in, reading and commenting, from time to time.

I ask for your prayers during this time. May God continue to direct your path as you trust Him, and as always, thank you for your love, support, and prayers. Blessings.

Our Strength and Shield

Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”

Photo by: Luis Quintero of Panama 🇵🇦

What a joy it is to know we can put our complete trust in the Lord and that He will help us.

Walking through the difficulties of life can be tiring and discouraging. We may even wonder when things will change, but the Lord is our strength and shield.

We can rejoice and be thankful that He will renew our strength daily. He will surround our hearts with his love.

We can cry out to Him anytime of day or night, and He will provide exactly what we need, when we need it.

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Happy New Year! Live Free in Jesus!

2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Photo by: Pixabay

One thing that the Lord has placed on my heart for this new year, is to “live free.” In Jesus Christ, we have the freedom to live free and be all that God wants us to be. I am sure, especially over the last several years, we have all been reminded of how fragile life is. It can be here today and gone tomorrow. So we have to make the most of the time on Earth that God has given to us. When we decide to exercise our freedom in Jesus Christ, God can use us to bring His love and light to those around us.

Photo by: Daniel Reche of Brazil 🇧🇷

Giving our hearts to Jesus, enables us to live free, freely giving away kindness, mercy, and compassion. We are free to live courageously. We are free to pray and study God’s Word. We are free to not compromise our faith, but instead to live a life of obedience to our God. We are free to trust Him fully. We are free to love.

We must be willing to freely give whatever God desires us to give.

We may not always want to give in the ways God tells us to; or give to the people He tells us to. But in order for us to experience all the blessings He has in store for us, we must be willing to obey His instructions, and give. He will faithfully help us.

Photo by: Julian Jagtenberg

God wants to take us higher in this new year. He wants us to live free! I pray that He will strengthen you for the year ahead and give you grace to obey Him and live free! I also pray that with every step of obedience you take, you will be blessed and that your heart will be filled with joy!

Happy New Year!

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Merry Christmas!

May you and your family have a Merry Christmas! Thank you for your love and support.

John 1:10-13 NLT

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Dear Father,

We thank you for allowing us to see another holiday season. We are thankful for the gift of Jesus, not just at Christmas, but each day of our lives. The blessings we have because of your love for us are endless. Teach us to live each day with a spirit of humility and obedience to your will. Empower us to live each day in your joy, peace, strength and love. We also pray for those who are hurting this Christmas due to some type of loss or illness. May they experience your comfort and receive the care and resources they need. Thank you Father, for being the good Father that you are; and thank you that your goodness and mercy follows us each day of our lives.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Abound In Hope

This is my prayer for you today…

Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Praises to our Lord, for the blessings of joy, peace, and hope. As we keep our hope in Him, may we confidently keep walking by faith and trusting in His love day by day.

Photo by: Thirdman of Belarus 🇧🇾

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Keep Practicing What You’ve Learned

Philippians 4:9 NLT, “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

This verse stood out to me while reading chapter 4. Paul was telling the Philippians to follow his example and then God would be with them. Have you ever tried to tell someone in your life the same thing? Perhaps a family member or a friend. Sometimes people listen and sometimes they don’t. Or sometimes even if they don’t listen now, they will eventually listen in the future. However, we must keep being consistent in our faith (like Jesus), and trust that we are being a light to those around us. God is working in their lives, the same way He is working in our lives.

Photo by: TimaMiroshnichenko of Poland 🇵🇱

God’s has a unique plan for everyone. He knows the condition of a person’s heart, and He will do what is best for them. People have a choice and sometimes their choices are different from ours. But God has called us to keep praying for those He has placed on our hearts and to keep living a life that exemplifies the love and goodness of Jesus, like Paul did. It’s the power of God’s love and goodness that transforms the human heart. And He will give us opportunities to share our faith with people, as we keep showing love and doing good.

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