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
Don’t Chase the Squirrel
I am doing a YouVersion devotional plan on the writings of Paul, and this morning the devotional stated, “When we turn back to who we used to be, we are declaring with our actions that what Jesus did wasn’t enough. The answer isn’t to give up or try harder, but to let the Spirit lead us.” “But if you are … Read More
What’s in a Word?
“But by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them,yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”~~1 Corinthians 15:10~~ As I read this verse this morning, what initially came to mind is how the world distorts the Word of God to … Read More
It’s All about Me
“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have … Read More
Forgive
“Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”~~Ephesians 4:32~~ I’m in the process of studying the character of God, and this morning one of the verses I dug into was Ephesians 4:32. What impacted me from this verse was the call for me to be forgiving to others as Christ has been … Read More