From God’s Heart to Ours

Psalm 89:14 NIV, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.”

On Sunday, my Pastor shared this verse during the sermon. Considering the state of the world we are living in, this verse brings security and peace. Righteousness, justice, love, and faithfulness flow from God’s heart to ours. As His children, we never have to worry or fear. We just have to open our hearts to receive the blessings He wants to give us.

Photo by: Mabel Amber of the Netherlands 🇳🇱

As we pray and seek God, we will see Him working in our lives. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. His timing is perfect, and He will never fail us. We are privileged that we can trust Him to supply our needs. Even when we don’t know how God is working, we do know He’s working. He’s a faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He (Deuteronomy 32:4).

In the midst of life’s upheaval, we can put our full confidence in Him.

Jesus, a donkey, and His Father – Part 1

Last week I had the pleasure of participating with fellow bloggers in a Zoom meeting hosted by Matt @ Jesusluvsall. It was great spending sometime getting to know everyone a little better, while exchanging thoughts and ideas about blogging. (Thanks big brother Matt! 😊) If you haven’t already, check out their blogs when you get a chance.

Deandra @ Imago Dei

Lydia @ In His Service And Loving It

Temi @ Christian Mommas

Kelly @ The Simple Preacher

Kelly @ The Simple Preacher, came up with the topic of “Jesus, a donkey, and His Father.” So over the next several weeks on Tuesdays, us bloggers will take turns sharing our thoughts on this topic.

Photo by: Leroy Huckett

Kelly started off the series this past Tuesday, check out his post here: Jesus, a donkey, and His Father – Part 1

I will post on this topic on 4/28, but will also be sharing posts on this topic from the other bloggers listed above who are participating.

Matt will be hosting another Zoom meeting this Saturday, 4/18 at 10am CST. If you decide to attend, I know you will enjoy the fellowship. Here is the link to the invite if you’re interested in attending: INVITE.

Numbers 6:24-26 NIV, “24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” 🕊❤️🕊

For God So Loved the World

John 3:16 NKJV, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

My mom bought me this picture when I was a litttle girl. John 3:16 is not only my favorite verse, it’s also the first verse I ever memorized. When my daughter was born, I passed this picture on to her and put it up in her room. When she left home to go to college, it ended up back with me again.

This picture is special to me, because I’ve had it so long, but even more special are the words on it. God loves us, and so He gave His only Son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. Now through Jesus, we have the gift of eternal life. The love that God has for us is the root of our faith in Jesus. Everything we do and say for Jesus and for others should be rooted in God’s unchanging love for us.

Because of God’s love, we can face life each day and continue on in His strength. His love will never fail us. I pray you will always find confidence and security in God’s unwavering love for you.

God Is Always Available

Matthew 7:7-8 NIV, “7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

As I read these verses, it reminds me of how available God is. He’s not cold and distant from us. He is very near, and always willing to give to us and make Himself known. We do have a part to play, because Jesus clearly says we must ask in order to receive, we must seek in order to find, and we must knock before any doors can be opened up for us.

Photo by: Pixabay

As a Christian, knowing that the presence of God is always with me and that He lives inside of me through His Holy Spirit, keeps me calm and reminds me just how much He loves us. However, we must ask, seek, and knock. Our Heavenly Father delights in giving good gifts to His children when we ask Him (Matthew 7:11).

We have to examine our hearts daily and ask ourselves if we are asking, seeking, and knocking. Because in doing so, we will learn who God is and come to know Him intimately. We will also see how He is working in our lives, and learn to open our hearts to Him. Our daily goal should be to make ourselves available to God, like He has made Himself available to us. As I write this, Psalm 34:8 comes to mind, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Rest in the Shadow of the Almighty

May those who dwell in the shelter of the most High meditate on these words in Psalm 91, and find peace in God’s love and faithfulness. I am so thankful the Lord is faithful to watch over us and protect us during these perilous times. Have a blessed day.

Psalm 91 NIV

1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Photo by: Engin Akyurt

If I Perish, I Perish

Esther 4:15-16 NIV, “15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

For the last five weeks, I’ve been attending a Wednesday night Bible study on the book of Esther. These words spoken by Esther, “If I perish, I perish” are very well known. We’re about half way through the study, but as we have been going through this book of the Bible, it never ceases to amaze me how the struggles that people had with sin, even in ancient Bible times, are so similar to many of the struggles we have today as people.

Esther was just an ordinary person, yet God used her to do something extraordinary. She had a choice, and she chose to be courageous and allow herself to be used by God. After becoming Queen, she was willing to give up her crown, and her life, to follow God’s will.

Photo by: Markus Spiske of Germany 🇩🇪

We may not be tasked with saving a whole group of people like Esther, but we are called to choose Jesus every day by living a life that proclaims His great Name to the world. We are called to die to ourselves daily, so that Christ will live through us. The same fervor that Esther had, is the same fervor that we should have. God has chosen us to help deliver His gift of salvation to the lost through our words and our actions. Esther was willing to perish for the sake of saving her people. God’s Son Jesus did perish on Calvary so that we may live eternally, and thank God He didn’t just die, but He also rose again!

Esther’s words have been resonating with me this week, “If I perish, I perish.” Her words remind me to submit myself to Jesus in all I do. There is so much joy in knowing that no matter what we must endure, when we take our final breath here on Earth, we will live eternally with Jesus in heaven.

This week I came across a post by Hattush at Daughter of the Light. Her and her family recently celebrated Purim, a Jewish holiday that celebrates how God used Esther and Mordecai to stop Haman’s plot to kill the Jewish people. I really enjoyed reading her post. Check it out here: 2020 – Happy Purim

Remember Esther’s words, “ If I Perish, I perish”, as you die to yourself daily and continue to live for the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

The Lord Is Good…Thank You

Psalm 34:8 NKJV, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

The Lord is good. I know that is something that we say a lot, but it will never grow old. The fact that the Lord is good to us, is a truth that will never cease. Reaching out and “tasting of the Lord” can really stretch us, however in the process of being stretched, our hearts go to a new level of faith and maturity in Him. Having the privilege to experience God’s goodness and giving ourselves permission to do so, will lead to blessings that we can’t even begin to imagine.

When we trust in God, we are blessed, not just with material blessings, but more importantly with spiritual blessings. He has a way of filling our lives with good things, often in unexpected ways (Psalm 103:5). The only requirement to experience the Lord’s goodness, is just to simply “taste and see” for yourself. Jesus opened the door for us to do that. He lovingly gave His life so that we would have eternal access to God’s goodness.

Photo by: Pixabay

I want to thank everyone for your prayers and support. God has supplied my need for employment, and I’ll be starting my new job in a couple of weeks. Many of you kept checking on me and encouraging me. Your care and concern meant a lot to me during my move back to Virginia. I’m delighted to be back with my mom and other family members. The Lord has blessed me in a special way. I’ll forever be thankful for your love, words of affirmation and prayers. God heard your prayers and He answered.

Our God is good. His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6). Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed are those who trusts in Him.

I pray that you experience God’s blessings in unexpected ways as you continue to put your trust in Him. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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