Tag: God’s Love

The Batter

Imagine that you are the last batter in the last inning of a baseball game. Already.  your team has two outs and the bases are loaded. If you can make a home run and bring in those four points, your team wins. Otherwise, it loses. What a responsibility!

In the reality of eternal life, each Christ-follower stands at that place. While we will not lose our destiny in heaven, all those on the bases who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will spend eternity in hell. What an overwhelming responsibility! Yet, if we are willing, the Holy Spirit will use each of us to help show the joy of Jesus to those who do not know Him. Our only responsibility is to obey what our Father asks us to do. We speak when we’re led to speak, we live a life that witnesses to what we say, and we pray for those who do not know our Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Continue reading →

Almost Unbelievable Blessings – But Believe Them!

Let me introduce you to two amazing verses that probably most believers read over without paying proper attention to the real meaning of them; I know I did. These are Ephesians 1:3 and 2:6. Only more recently have I given them real thought, though I’ve read the Bible most of my life, and even wrote a simple study of this book long ago. This meditation covers the first verse and soon a second will cover Ephesians 2:6 because they contain too much material to discuss at one time. Continue reading →

Admiration of My Father God

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Father, thank you that I can call Almighty God, Creator of everything, my Father! That’s amazing to me – that you would allow your holy Son to come to earth, live a perfect life, die an agonizing death, then go back home to heaven, now sitting beside you and praying for me. That’s unimaginable! No other god ever mentioned on earth would think to do such things; they condemn me and require much of me if I believe in them. But you love me unconditionally. I fathom this only a little but it gives me great joy.

Yes, such joy to know that One who lives eternally understands and loves me with all my shortcomings and inadequacies. You accept me just as I am. I don’t have to try to make myself better. You don’t require that of me; instead, you ask me to simply trust you to make all the inner changes required, and I do. You enable me to change for better. I know that deeply-rooted issues I simply can’t change; the pain from them is too great. But Father, you know how to solve those issues and erase that hurt. You take my sorrow and give me joy. You are amazing!

Father, I can’t begin to grasp how fantastic you are – forever present, holy, just, forgiving but punishing when I won’t give up evil ways, loving even those who turn against you. But you are merciful, gracious, kind, self-controlling to the extent of relenting your anger when I repent and follow you. You look at me with longing for my love and a deep relationship with me, communicating all through the day. Even when I go through trials, you comfort me, giving me your Holy Spirit to guide and direct me.

Awesome, wonderful, majestic, totally true, totally just, totally love – no words can describe you – so far are you above anything I can imagine. But the bottom line is that you love me and are my heavenly Father. Though I can’t totally comprehend all this means, I rejoice in it!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish [in hell*] but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him [in God’s Son, Jesus Christ*] is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16-18 New American Standard Bible.)

* My insertion.

Merry Christmas as We Celebrate Our King

Merry Christmas! What a wonderful day to celebrate Jesus’ birth as a human baby so He could grow and be tempted just like you and I are[1]. Then one day He died on the cross to pay for our sins[2] and all the many ways we’ve turned from God – total good and truth. Not only did Jesus die, but He rose from that grave and 40 days later went back to heaven[3], where He now sits at God’s right hand praying for you and me[4]. What a marvelous thought! Continue reading →

The Christmas Season

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At this special time of year
We think of others far and near;
As we give gifts to those we love
Let us also give to the One above.

Churches tell the story in word and song
So many will know where they belong;
Christmas is a time of good will to others
Men more willing to help their brothers. Continue reading →

CHRISTmas Had to Come

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CHRISTmas had to come. It couldn’t be avoided. No, not the tree, parties and decorations, but the reason Christians celebrate Christmas. We commemorate the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Why did CHRISTmas have to come? Because God planned for Easter! Today’s Easter conveys the Old Testament version of Passover, where people sacrificed a perfect lamb yearly for the sins of the people. Jesus fulfilled that sacrifice once for all so today we celebrate Easter for what He did for us. But the birth of Jesus had to come before His death and resurrection, so that the star over the place where Jesus lived when the wise men saw him became the sword that pierced his side when he died. Continue reading →

Happy Thanksgiving!

You ask why I’m saying “Happy Thanksgiving” when you’re super busy getting ready for Christmas. We passed that holiday a few weeks ago. Yes, I was Christmas shopping this morning and have been very busy getting ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I’m going caroling to a nursing home in a few days, got Christmas cards in the mail today from friends and haven’t yet gotten around to addressing and mailing theirs. I fully know what you mean about being in the middle of a busy season. Continue reading →

You Didn’t Ask Me!

. . .You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it (James 4:2 NLT*). James earlier says that people ask with wrong motives so they don’t receive what they ask for. But that verse makes me wonder just how often God would grant simple desires if we only asked Him for them. Continue reading →

The Snooze Button

I had to get a new phone recently and used the alarm for the first time. I woke before it went off but forgot to turn it off, so it sounded while I was praying. Fortunately, I had taken it out of the bedroom so it didn’t awaken my husband. I naturally turned off the alarm, not realizing the snooze button was set to ring. I turned it off when it sounded and my husband, then awake, and I went into the kitchen to eat breakfast. It sounded twice during that time, so I finally deleted the alarm setting after the snooze didn’t quit when I had turned it off. Continue reading →

My Amazing Father’s Love

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The full impact only hit me a month after the event, and then I was truly amazed! While I’d thanked my Daddy-God right after it happened, when the impact hit, I thanked Him more profusely.

A few weeks ago I went with friends to a Global Aglow Conference in Richmond, VA. Tired one day, I went back to our hotel room to rest while my friends did other activities. Early that evening I waited outside the hotel for a shuttle that would go back to the convention center, and started talking with a younger woman from Korea who attended the conference with her mother. What happened next totally amazed me. But let me give you the background first. Continue reading →

Hang on to God’s Love

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My heart leaks. When I’m in the middle of worshipping God, it often overflows into and out of my eyes. Not the way I’d wish to show my heart, but that’s what happens, whether alone or with others. However, seeing my heart overflow in gratitude tells me that I’m learning to truly appreciate God’s tremendous love for me. That love resides so deep within me that it’s as real as knowing my name. Continue reading →

Who Am I?

Who am I? Why was I born? These two questions puzzled philosophers through the ages, but they need to be answered by each individual so we aren’t depending on another person, a position or money to give us identify. When we do, then we’re terribly threatened if that dependency leaves us. Continue reading →

A Watermelon or a Pecan

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In the mid-70’s my husband and I bought a piece of land with many pecan trees on it about 70 miles from our home. That first fall, I picked pecans for several hours, delighted with the beautiful day and all the nuts. As I fell exhausted into bed that night and closed my eyes, I saw a huge pecan; it was the size of a large watermelon! I quickly opened them and then shut my eyes again, but the same thing happened. After the third time, I asked God what was going on. Continue reading →

Freedom in Christ

Occasionally I like to include posts from friends of mine, and this comes from Laura Shaffer who writes Daily Bible Prayer.  When I read it this morning, I wanted all my readers to see it too. Thank you, Laura.

“When my first son was small, I remember wanting to avoid having a child who yelled ‘no’ all the time, so I tried to avoid saying ‘no’ to him if I could. Eventually, I did end up having to say ‘no’ much more than I wanted. It was such a convenient way to help him understand what was allowable and what was not. Continue reading →

The River

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At church this morning we sang, “Flow to You, flow to You; Let the river of my worship flow to You.” As we sang, I saw *the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb to us who were worshiping God with all our hearts as our praise flowed up to the throne of God. The river of our praise and the one flowing from the throne of God came together and flowed into each other. Our hearts and Father God’s were in sync as we stood praising Him.  Beside this single river, from the two joining together, stood the tree of life on each side of the river, bearing fruit that healed all issues we had – whether relationship, financial, health, work. Whatever our need was, God used that tree to supply it. Continue reading →

Enduring Trials

The church where I belong is in Dickinson, Texas and I drive mainly on a highway that goes through town going to it, but yesterday when I left from helping hand out supplies to Harvey victims, I went a different direction going home. While I’d seen sheet rock and household belongings out on the side of the road in some places previously, I’d not seen something like this from Harvey. These things piled high on both sides of almost the whole three or so miles I traveled down that street. Likewise, all the side streets looked the same way. It reminded me a lot of the way Galveston looked when my husband and I went there about three months after Hurricane Ike hit and overflowed the island from the Gulf and the Bay. The tremendousness of the loss hit me anew, even though I knew that my church alone had helped 331 different families the last week. Continue reading →

Calm before the Storm

Sunrise near Palacios, TX

My husband and I went to Rockport, Texas Wednesday morning enjoying a beautiful day there. At 4:15 Thursday morning my phone alarm woke us saying that the depression in the Gulf of Mexico had strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane and was due to land in the Corpus Christi – Rockport area.  Having lived on the Gulf Coast most of our lives, we knew when the party was over and headed out. Roughly 80 miles from Rockport the sun brightened the sky and we saw the clouds ahead even as we left far darker ones behind, barely visible in the morning light. On Friday night, the area people only wish they would awaken to such a sunrise. Instead Hurricane Harvey is banging on their doors. (August 25, 2017).

This photo reminds me that even when life seems bleak, God remains faithful to bless us in so many other ways.

Deep in the Pit

A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the LORD. LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! 2 Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you. 3 For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red-hot coals. 4 My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite.

17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. 18 Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the LORD. [Psalm 102:1-4, 17-18 New Living Translation]

Have you ever been in this terrible place where it seemed that no matter how hard you prayed, God still didn’t answer your prayer? Maybe you cried out with all your heart and even fasted as you prayed but no answer came. Heaven seemed sealed shut to you, although you saw a quick resolution to other people’s prayers. You wanted to yell, “God, that’s not fair!” We don’t understand why our loving heavenly Father lingers over some prayers. According to Bible principles, God ought to answer them quickly because His will demands their answer. We’re at a loss and can’t explain it but we certainly feel like verses 1-4 of Psalm 102. Continue reading →