Blessed

Friday Nov. 25th -God’s abundant favor!

2:00 PM

 

Friday Nov. 25th

God’s abundant favor!







Read Psalm 65-Psalm 139 1-18

I wonder how do you view your life before the Lord?                                                                                  Do you see each day as a day to serve the Lord with joy?                                                                            Do you know that He has a plan for your life and will help you to live it?

We are chosen! He knit us together in our mother’s wombs. He is intimately acquainted with us.  When I am feeling down or unworthy, I remember that I am not here by chance and that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by Almighty God.  He chose me to live at this particular time and place.  His goodness satisfies my soul and there is plenty enough for all.  It is always ready and we cannot put a price tag on it. It is only through faith and prayer and being in constant communication with Him.  He is where we find our comfort, and happiness.

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another. John 15:16-17

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. Ephesians 1:3-4

But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The LORD hears when I call to Him. Psalms 4:3

We are blessed!   Throughout my day I can see the Lord’s blessings on me and I praise Him!  Even through the hard days I can see His blessings.  I love the chorus of this song Count your blessings:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17

How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You.
Selah. Psalms 84:4

We are filled with good things!  He is the fountain of life and He is always with us.  We have a hope and a future.  He is coming again!

They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. Psalms 36:8-9

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns. Psalms 46:4-5

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3  There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:1-7

Do you realize that you are chosen?                                                                                                        Are you counting your blessing every day?                                                                                              Do you know your future?

 

Father, You chose us and You knit us together in our mother’s womb.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  You delight in us and we can see your blessings over us each day of our lives.  Even when the days are tough You are still with us and we may not see what You are doing immediately but we can rest assured that You are working all things together for our good.  Help us to stop and acknowledge You and praise You for Your provisions for us and that You never leave us nor forsake us.  We rejoice in knowing that You are coming again and we will spend eternity with You.  Amen!

Lyn

Blessed

Blessed Is The Woman - Psalm 1

11:00 AM

 


Today's Reading - Psalm 1, Matthew 5:3-11


When I was little I loved going to church with my Grandma. I so enjoyed seeing all the women with their pretty dresses, nodding along with the Pastor, singing the hymns, and greeting everyone with a loving, “Good morning.” To me they were the perfect picture of the Christian woman. And oh how I wanted to be like them. So imagine my disappointment when I later found these same women gathered together around cups of coffee gossiping and criticizing others. 


We all want to be blessed by God. God wants that too. But that won’t happen if we’re rooted in the wickedness of the world, being fed by the sins of the flesh, and producing worthless, worldly fruit. The way we live our lives, not the words we speak, are the true testimonies of our hearts. And every eye is watching; especially God’s. So to receive His very best, we need to be women after God’s own heart. 


This means uprooting ourselves from the sinful soil of this earth, being replanted on the riverbank of God’s living water. There we can be nourished day and night with His goodness and love. Our leaves will forever be lush and beautiful. And never will our tree be barren, but always produce sweet, bountiful fruit pleasing to the Lord. 


That day at church those women didn’t know it, but far from showing the heart of God they exposed the roots of a heart fostered by flesh and rooted in barren soil. And the fruit they produced tasted bitter to a young girl watching, along with the Lord, the watcher of the godly. 


Pause and Reflect - The Psalmist tells us that a blessed woman thinks about God’s Law day and night. We can only do this if we know what the Bible says. How much time daily are you spending in His Word?


God warns us that walking beside the wrong crowd leads to standing with them, sitting with them, and finally taking on their lifestyle. Who is influencing you? Who are you influencing? Is the influence for good or evil?


Finally, let’s prayer together,

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the beautiful description of the woman who is like a tree firmly planted by streams of living water, producing the fruit of righteousness and being blessed by Your never-failing provision. I pray that I will not walk in the wickedness of the world nor compromise my Christian faith. Instead may I be a woman after Your own heart, rooted deeply in Your truth, and providing a loving testimony of Your kindness, mercy, and glory.  In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.”


I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings.


❤️ Lisa



Blessed

Blessed is He Who Comes in The Name of the Lord {Matthew 21}

9:34 AM

 Matthew 21 


Here it is only two days until Christmas and we're reading about Palm Sunday; another special day of celebrations for all Christians everywhere! How perfect! With only two days until Christmas let us take a moment to rejoice in all our Savior has done for us! Let our hearts be light! Let's pause a bit from our busy schedules and  praise the mighty name of Jesus today! Let's turn this day into a day of celebrating our King of kings and Lord of lords! And let our hearts prepare to worship Him this Christmas! 

Are you ready?

“Jesus, You are Lord! I want to honor You as the Lord of all creation. You are Jehovah (Yahweh), the God of all the peoples of this world!

You are my God; my personal God, and I want to exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

There is nothing too hard for you. O Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.

Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands and cry out, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Yes, bless Your holy name!

With the Prophet Isaiah, I will also declare, The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken–who can change His plans? When His hand is raised, who can stop Him?”

Oh, Lord, You are Almighty God; when You speak, may we be quick to listen and quick to act upon Your word, for we want to bless You, Jesus! You, who are so worthy of all our praise and worship. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords! The Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and the end; who was and is and is to come!

Abba, precious Father and Lord,

 Please take Your children right up next to Your heart this season of celebration. Keep us and make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us, we pray. Shower us and our loved ones with an outpouring of Your blessing, Your presence, the assurance of Your favor, and Your enabling grace.

Please Father, in this next year, don’t let us go where You do not bless. Teach us Your ways and make us sensitive to Your hand on our lives. Let us know Your faithful direction at all times. Go before us to open the way where there seems to be no way. Please place before us an open door that no one can shut, according to Your sovereign will, and shut all doors outside Your will for us.

Please make a way for all us to know you better; more deeply and intimately in 2021. O please, bless us incredibly and enlarge our territory in all areas in our lives! Let Your hand be with us constantly to strengthen us and keep us from all harm and may we bring you honor and glory in the coming year! For it's in Jesus precious name we pray. Amen

Merry Christmas! 

sue

Blessed

The Pure in Heart

10:53 AM


I grew up in an era of Christian obsession with the End Times. Preachers painstakingly predicted the imminent return of the Savior and born-again believers debated the details of things called the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Millennium.
Against such a backdrop, it became easy for me to imagine Jesus returning and calling to Himself the faithful followers who were working with orphans, serving in soup kitchens, or washing the feet of widows. Meanwhile, the people Jesus didn’t choose were free to continue burning down church buildings or kicking puppies or whatever awful thing He caught them doing at the moment of His Second Coming…
But when Jesus describes His return in Matthew 24, we find the one caught up with Jesus and the one left behind both engaged in the exact same activities. The scenarios He shares are of two men working in a field and two women grinding grain at a mill. Two simple everyday activities straight out of the Just Ordinary Life Manual.
Yes, serving in soup kitchens can be great, and no, you shouldn’t burn down church buildings, but for a moment, let it seep into your soul what Jesus is saying about His return… People will be doing ordinary things. And there are ways to do ordinary things that are pleasing to God and ways that are not.
I have no idea if the man left behind in the field had some awful hidden sin or if the woman taken to the Lord’s side fed a thousand homeless people every week, but I do know that Jesus didn’t describe a dramatic human scene for His return, but a couple of common ones.
We, like Samuel at David’s anointing, can look at others who seem so amazing and say: “Surely, this is the Lord’s anointed…” and forget where the eyes of the Lord really are: “I do not look at the things you humans look at…I look at the heart.” No matter where we are or what we do, from the simple to the sensational; in wheat fields or soccer fields, from mills for grinding, to malls for shopping, our hearts can respond in worship to the Lord.
More than the activities themselves, God is looking at the why of what we do. Jesus, help me today to focus on the attitude of my heart in the midst of my actions. Bless each ordinary moment as an opportunity to worship an extraordinary God.

Blessings,
Roxanna

1 Peter

Keep Fervent in Your Love {1 Peter 4}

12:00 AM


Monday Nov. 13, Keep Fervent in Your Love {1 Peter 4}



Some people mistakenly believe that being a Christian gives you a “get out of jail free card” when it comes to the trials of life. Adversity is a result of living in a fallen world, and believers aren’t immune from the pain of suffering. In this chapter Peter tells us that as Christians not only are we not to be surprised when facing persecution, we are to rejoice when we suffer for our faith.

“Therefore since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” (vs. 1-2) No one knows more about suffering than Jesus. Not only did He suffer physically with beatings, torture and crucifixion, He also suffered the pain of betrayal, sorrow, and anguish. Yet He endured all of that willingly, obediently, and out of His love for us. And out of our love for Him and His gift to us of salvation, we also are to be willing and obedient in living to fulfill the will of God. No longer continuing in our former lustful ways of the world but instead pursuing lives of holiness, following the example set by our Lord.

But leading such lives isn’t easy. There is tremendous pressure from the world around us to be the same as we were before we received Jesus as our Savior. “They are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you.” (v. 4) Those who aren’t  followers of Jesus find it hard to understand why we would want to lead our life for anyone other than ourselves. They want us to do as they do. And when we don’t, we become targets of their ridicule and scorn. But Peter tells us that those same unbelievers, “will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (v. 5) One day they will stand before the throne of God and give an account of their lives to the Almighty, who will judge both those who are living and who have been long dead. No one will escape. But until that time we are to, “be of sound judgement and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (v. 7) And we are called respond to those who persecute us the same way we respond to fellow believers....in love.

“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (v. 8) Here Peter isn’t telling us that loving others earns God’s forgiveness. We know that our sins are paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross, and forgiveness for sin 
comes only through trusting in Him. Instead it means that even Christians are sinners who fail and need forgiveness daily. And in remembering that we can love each when hurt, we can forgive each other when wronged, and we can build each other up when we fall. Love makes it possible for us to be, “hospitable to one another without complaint”, using our God given gifts and talents to serve one another and lead others to the Lord, so “in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (v. 11)




Peter goes on to warn that trouble will indeed come into our lives, so we shouldn’t be taken by surprise when it does. “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” (v. 12) Some people are thrown off guard when they suffer thinking that since God is in complete control of all things, He should stop adversity from entering our lives. But God uses trials to test His people, to deepen our relationship with Him, and to display His glory to the world. Not all suffering is testing, but regardless for the reason God wants us to be steadfast and holy throughout it all. 

Not only are we to expect trouble, we are to rejoice when we are persecuted for Christ’s sake, and find joy in the opportunity to share in His sufferings. “to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.” ( v. 13) When we face persecution because of our faith in Jesus, we can find great joy knowing that one day Jesus will be revealed in all of His glory, and we too will be revealed as His very own. For Peter reminds us that, “if you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” (v. 14) Suffering hurts. There are no two ways about it. And when we are knee deep in pain it can be hard to find the blessing. But when we are hated for following Jesus, we can comfort and joy knowing that God has chosen to glorify Himself through us, bless us, and love us. All because we belong to His Son!

Blessed

In Him We Are Complete {Colossians 2}

10:30 PM



Today Paul continues to express his concern for the Church at Colosse and Laodicea.  They were people who had embraced the Christian Faith, but were vulnerable to the teachings of traditions among the Jews and the Greek philosophers. So Paul encourages them to keep focused on the truths of the Gospel, and not be engaged in external rules and rituals; to be “knit together by strong ties of love” (2:2) in their Christian walk, because he knew that discouraged, downcast Christians are easy prey for the world, the flesh, and Satan. This same situation is actually happening in many of our Churches today; many believers are being distracted by “modern” philosophies and cults that are only deceiving them in their Christian walk!

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin], 7 having been deeply rooted [in Him] and now being continually built up in Him and [becoming increasingly more] established [e]in your faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing in it with gratitude.”

 This is a wonderful truth for Christian living: therefore just as you received Jesus, walk in Him in the same way.  As Christians, we walk, but we are also rooted, and we are also built up, BUT we need to remain (abide) in Jesus: “4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me…. “-5…The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

This summer I had the blessing to visit my momma who had been hospitalized and had the privilege to encourage her in her walk with our Lord. You see, she lives by herself and does not attend Church. She has an issue with her sight, so she does not read her Bible. She is a very vulnerable Christian. Most of the time she finds herself focusing on her loneliness, her past, her health issues, etc. Some of us focus only on the things we lack of, and forget to focus on Jesus’ Saving Grace. We lose sight of ALL the blessings He conquered for us on the cross!



While I was visiting mom, I also had the opportunity to meet with a very dear friend of mine (from Jr. High School); she was going through trials and had just received a doctor’s prescription for depression! We prayed and cried together. She finally confessed she was bitter against God: Why wouldn’t He help them out of this situation? As I previously did with my mother, I encouraged her to abide in Jesus and His Word. To focus on His blood shed on the cross for us, not on the circumstances, and to live a life of gratitude FOR IN HIM WE HAVE EVERYTHING!! AND APART FROM Him we have nothing!!

Paul continues with these wonderful insights: 1” And in Him you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power].” (2:10 AMP)

M. Henry explains it this way: “To be complete, is to be furnished with all things necessary for salvation. By this one word "complete," is shown that we have in Christ whatever is required. "In him," not when we look to Christ, as though he were distant from us, but we are in him, when, by the power of the Spirit, we have faith wrought in our hearts by the Spirit, and we are united to our Head. The circumcision of the heart, the crucifixion of the flesh, the death and burial to sin and to the world, and the resurrection to newness of life, set forth in baptism, and by faith wrought in our hearts, prove that our sins are forgiven, and that we are fully delivered from the curse of the law. Through Christ, we, who were dead in sins, are quickened. Christ’s death was the death of our sins; Christ’s resurrection is the quickening of our souls.”

And you are complete in Him: This can only be true because Jesus is truly God. If He were not God, we couldn't be complete in Him. The completeness of Jesus and our connection with Him through His Holy Spirit, shows other philosophies and traditions are unnecessary.

The second part of this verse reads: “and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power].

Jesus is the Head of all principality and power: In many New Testament passages, principality and power describes ranks of angelic beings, either faithful or fallen angelic beings (Ro. 8:38, Eph.1:21, 3:10, 6:12). Therefore, Paul here declares Jesus' authority over all spirit beings.  Against the believer, what weapons do demonic spirits therefore now have? They are disarmed, except for their ability to deceive and to create fear.

Are you going through difficult situations, feeling lonely or depressed? Let me close with a sweet reminder: “For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro. (8:38) Amen!!

Blessings my sisters!

Mari