Inspiration – Page 52 – Drawing Closer to Christ

Whether In Plenty Or In Want

Psalm 92:4 NIV, “For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.”

The goodness, mercy, kindness and love that God gives to us is a never ending spring of joy. He satisfies the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:16). In Him is everything we could ever need and more. God is a good Father who willingly provides for His children. He always has our best interest at heart.

I know that there are plenty of times in life where we may find ourselves wondering why God allows times of lack when His resources are never ending. We may wonder why He allows pain when He is the Great Healer. We may even question why He allows injustice to wreak havoc in the world around us, since He is the God of Justice.

I think it’s human to have questions. I also think God is big enough to handle our questions and feelings. He desires for us to be honest with Him, and freely share our hearts with Him. He doesn’t stop loving us, even during times where we struggle in our faith. He understands our weaknesses and has compassion on us.

Philippians 4:12-13 NIV, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Paul struggled too. He went through ups and downs just like we do. He knew that regardless of what he had to endure, He could rely on the strength of Jesus to carry him through. We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to ignore all our feelings. We are precious to the Lord, and He invites us to cast all our cares on Him.

Through Jesus, we have the strength we need to accomplish all we have to. He is our Source. He makes us glad! Whether in plenty or in want, we can trust in Him to carry us through.

Share Your Passion Tag

Thank you big brother Matt @ Jesusluvsall’s Blog for including me in this Share Your Passion Tag. 😁 I’m thankful for your blog. You are a kind and compassionate person who shows the love of Jesus through the work you do to help immigrants and refugees. Your testimonies of perseverance through chronic illness inspire others to not lose hope. 🕊 🕊

The goal of the #ShareYourPassion Tag, created by https://absolutelytrueconfessions.com, is for bloggers to uplift other bloggers and inspire their readers. Bloggers who are tagged are encouraged to talk about their passions outside of blogging, and how to use those passions to help others. Love this!

Rules of the #ShareYourPassion Tag:
• Repost the #ShareYourPassion logo (above) on your acceptance post.
• Tag the blogger’s site that nominated you.
• Share a bit about your passion(s): Hobbies outside of blogging that keep you busy in your free time. What would you like to accomplish with these things? How could you use your passion(s) to be a blessing to others and show them the love of God?
• Nominate ten other bloggers and spread the joy!

💕❤️One of my main passions in life is helping people. I’ve done this mostly through participating in various volunteer opportunities over the years. One of my favorites is when I volunteered at a pregnancy shelter. It was for single pregnant women. I used to stay once a week overnight at the shelter so I could offer support if any of the women went into labor during the night. I also helped provide transportation to and from prenatal appointments, and church. I felt a connection with the women since I too was a single parent. I always looked forward to spending time with them. Most importantly, being a part of this ministry gave me a chance to share the love of Jesus. 💕❤️

🤗 I’m tagging the following, if you choose to participate…

“…But the greatest of these is LOVE.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Confidence in Christ Jesus

1 John 5:14 NIV, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

It was a busy weekend for me, as I continue packing for my upcoming move. It always amazes me how much stuff can accumulate over time. I still have a few Little Golden books from when I was little. Going through all this stuff, reminds me of the many stages of life I have been through. When I see items from years gone by, I can see how fast time has flown.

The love and care that God shows us does not change. Circumstances may change. People may change, or we may even change. But God, He remains the same. His faithfulness is constant. During times where my needs were lacking, I knew God would somehow provide for me. Because He always has, and I know He always will. That’s the confidence we have in knowing Christ. In Him, we have a firm foundation. We can be sure. Sometimes we hesitate to believe, but when it comes to Him, we don’t have to hesitate. We can freely trust and believe.

As we start this new week, His presence is with us and living in us through the Holy Spirit. We can ask Him for what we need. Every need we have, rather big, small or somewhere in between, He has promised to lovingly supply. When your heart feels anxious and life tries to overwhelm you, remember that God is still greater than whatever or whoever.

May you be blessed, as you walk in the confidence that comes from knowing who you are in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Follow the Light of Jesus

John 8:12 NIV, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus said that He is the Light of the world. He promised that when we follow Him, we will never walk in darkness. When we know Jesus, we will know Truth. His Truth keeps our hearts free from the deception that is overtaking so many in the world today. He will give us an understanding of what is right.

I came across this poem by Helen Steiner Rice:

“I Am the Light of the World”

In this sick world of hatred

and violence and sin,

Where society renounces morals

and rejects discipline,

We stumble in darkness

groping vainly for light

To distinguish the difference

between wrong and right. . .

But dawn cannot follow

this night of despair

Unless faith lights a candle

in all hearts everywhere. . .

And, warmed by the glow,

our hate melts away

And love lights the path

to a peaceful new day.

Father,

Thank you for sending us your Son to light our path each day. Help us to cling to you and your Word, and to not be dragged away by the foolish wicked schemes of the evil one. Teach us to trust in you with all of our hearts. Fill our hearts with your Light and Love. Thank you for supplying our needs and thank you for never forsaking us.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

One Way…Jesus (pt 2)

One way…Jesus (pt 1)

We explained to her that we had met Jerry through the singles ministry at church. She seemed astonished and became very inquisitive about His church attendance. She didn’t waste anytime asking us if we knew rather or not her Uncle had become a Christian. So we begin to share with her how Jerry had accepted Jesus as his Savior, and had become a faithful member of the singles ministry. The look on her face was priceless. I remember hearing her inhale in surprise.

It was such a thrill for me and the other group leader to be able to share the good news about Jerry with her. Although we hadn’t known Jerry very long, being able to assure her that he had chosen to give his heart to Jesus brought us so much joy.

She briefly looked around the room. Then she showed us the small Bible that she had in her hand. She said she knew that many of the family members were unsaved, and that she had asked the Lord for a chance to share His Word with them. She opened the little Bible and showed us several of the scriptures that she had highlighted. We exchanged a few more words with her, before she moved on to speak to others in the crowd.

I glanced over at my friend Jerry and admired the gold cross that he was holding in his hand. Although his old physical body was lying there lifeless in the casket, I knew for certain that he was now in the presence of the Lord, with his new heavenly body. No more pain, no more hurt, and no more divorce.

I’m thankful the Lord allowed us to be standing in the right place at the right time so that we could meet Jerry’s niece. I was delighted to be a part of a moment that was so special to her…finding out about her Uncle’s new life in Jesus Christ. Jerry lost something valuable when his marriage dissolved, but he found something priceless, when he gained eternal life through Jesus.

Some people say there are many ways to God, but Jesus said this and I believe Him…

John 14:6 NIV, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

There is nothing that is too hard for God. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. He knew what Jerry needed. He’s knows what you and I need. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

One Way…Jesus.

One Way…Jesus (pt 1)

John 14:6 NLT, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

During my eleven years in Michigan, I attended two different churches. The first church I attended for about eight years. For two of those years, I had the privilege to serve as a group leader in the Singles Ministry. This particular Singles Ministry was for ages thirty and up. As group leaders, we were responsible for helping to facilitate the Sunday morning discussions. Proverbs 2:8 was our theme scripture. Our ministry was called, “One Way Singles Ministry”, since Jesus is the One Way.

Proverbs 2:8 NIV, “for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.”

I’ll never forget one man who was part of our ministry. His name was Jerry, and he was 70 years old. He was actually the oldest member of our ministry. Jerry had not been a Christian for the majority of his life, but he had come to know the Lord through the pain and hurt of divorce. His wife of fifty years, had left him for her high school sweetheart.

It was always hard to understand how something like this could happen, but Jerry had so much joy in his heart. Whenever you spoke to him, you could sense the love he had for the Lord. He would share how empty his life was before he came to know Jesus.

Jerry became terminally ill, and I still remember the last conversation I had with him about two weeks before he passed away. He asked me how I was doing, and he had so much concern and compassion. I could feel how genuine his spirit was.

The day before Jerry’s funeral, I attended the viewing at the funeral home, along with one of my fellow group leaders. While we were there, standing near the casket, a woman came in and told us she was Jerry’s niece. She seemed very anxious and begin to explain to us that she had not seen her Uncle Jerry in quite awhile. She had just found out about his death the day before.

One Step At A Time By Faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV,“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

I remember years ago, I was at work making a copy on the copier machine. When the copy came out, the paper was completely blank. There was no image in sight. I held the paper up to the light to see if perhaps the image was just extremely light, but there was nothing. Right at that moment, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart and say, “Faith is not what is seen, but what is unseen.”

Although walking by faith is one of the greatest privileges of being a Christian, it’s also one of the most challenging aspects of being a Christian. Letting go of the temptation to rely on what our eyes can see, and instead live by faith and trust in a God we cannot see takes strength and perseverance. We can’t do it on our own. God fills us with His Holy Spirit and gives us His Holy Word to empower us to live for Him by faith.

God used a copier machine mishap to remind me that I am to walk by faith and not by sight. As we walk by faith, we learn more about who God is and how He is working in our lives. Although our walk of faith will not be trial-free, we are maturing in Christ Jesus as we journey with Him. So keep walking by faith, one step at a time.

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