I don’t know about you, but I am my own worst enemy when it comes to allowing my thought life to defeat me in my spiritual walk. Since God so plainly addresses in Philippians 4:8-9 what should define our thought life, I decided to dig into each word of this passage to see where I may have — may have? HA! … Read More
Second-guessing God?
8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are My ways higher than your waysAnd My thoughts than your thoughts.”~~Isaiah 55:8-9~~ I was drawn to this passage in Isaiah this morning, and though I have read it a lot of times in the past, I … Read More
Bless the Lord, oh my soul
“Bless the LORD, my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. ~~Psalm 103:1-2; 5~~ “Bless the Lord oh my soul”. The Psalmist wrote this phrase in … Read More
Called…Now Serve
“But when He who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.” ~~Galatians 1:15-16~~ Not long ago, this passage really drew me in. As usual, I started out by defining some … Read More
A Divine Interplay
As I read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 this morning, what hit me was the interplay between God and Samuel, from an emotional perspective. Samuel was pouting over God’s rejection of Saul. The reason? He wasn’t ready to accept God’s will in the matter. God’s response? Get over it Samuel and OBEY Me. To which Samuel responds, “How can I do that?! … Read More
Compassion Like Jesus
I was reading Matthew 9 this morning and something “popped out” to me. It was as though God was saying, “Pay attention daughter. I want to teach you something.” Have you ever wondered about compassion? In Matthew 9:35-38 it says, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom … Read More
Trials (Part 2)
THE WHAT AND THE WHY OF TRIALS (Part 2) “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, Knowing that the testing of your faith develops endurance. And let endurance finish its work So that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” ~~James 1:2-4~~ So yesterday we unpacked “what“ I’m supposed to do in … Read More
Trials (Part 1)
THE WHAT AND THE WHY OF TRIALS (Part 1) “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.And let endurance have its perfect resultSo that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”~~James 1:2-4~~ As I sit here on my porch on this chilly June morning, Bible open, … Read More
God’s Love for Us
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.”~~1 John 4:16~~ When I came across this verse today, the first thing that occurred to me was that because it began with “And so…”, something that ties into this verse must come before it. When I looked back, here’s what I found. Love one another because love … Read More
Stinkin’ Thinkin’
“Be careful how you think;your life is shaped by your thoughts.”~~Proverbs 4:23 GNT~~ “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”~~Proverbs 4:23 NKJV~~ I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that so much of the time I am guilty of “stinkin’ thinkin’” and that most of the stinkin’ thinkin’ has to do with my own self image … Read More