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Archive for the ‘Devotional’ Category

In a Box of Chocolates

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on February 15, 2013| 1 Comment »

????????????????????????????????????????Raise your hands if you  gave up chocolate for Lent on Wednesday, then realized the next day, yesterday, was Valentine’s. Are your really going to tuck away that red heart shaped box filled with mouthwatering choices?  Can you withstand the temptation? Are you going to claim Sunday as a “king’s x” day and gobble down a few of them after church? Or will you chew now and confess later?

How easy is it to make resolutions and vow to make a change. How easy is it to be tempted at a drop of the hat to not keep that vow, or to find wiggle room in the rules to, well, have our chocolate in life and eat it, too. But what are we risking in return?

We all have good intentions when it comes to our Christian walk. We want to change, be more Christ-like, and bend to God’s will. Adam and Eve knew that push-me pull-you feeling. So did Paul.

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)

Human nature. We can’t  do it on our own, can we? Paul goes on –

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (vs 18, 20)

But Christ shows us a higher road, a better way that He has not only paved, but traversed.  We only will  succeed when we let God’s will control our thoughts and actions.

…because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

That’s a vow God makes to us, and He, though tempted while on earth, never gave in.

It’s not about what’s inside that heart shaped box of chocolates–it is about what’s inside the heart itself.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

 

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In him…and all believers

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This was emailed to me –

it is a commercial entitled Stethoscope.

You won’t guess what they are promoting until the end – for a hint, well, see the title of this blog. Sorry if I gave it away.

Anyway . . .Just click on this link and enjoy –

 

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/stethoscope.html

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In Me?

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

I have a daily Bible verse app on my Droid cell phone. Today’s is this:

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit.  1John 4:12-13

No one who has ever walked the earth has ever seen God, except Jesus when he looked in the mirror. Or, did He see just the human flesh He came to dwell in — that would bleed and die on the cross — staring back at Him? Could He physically see Himself as God or just be acutely aware of that part of Himself dwelling inside the flesh and bones?

Today, we believers are His hands and feet on earth. Can anyone “see” God in us or just sense His presence when we exhibit His love? Is that why people say God is reflected through us? That is a mystery which has been debated by those far more knowledgable than I throughout the centuries.

???????????????????????????????????????But this I know is Truth — if you have taken Jesus into your heart, He is there, living in you as His temple. Others can sense that, even if they are not believers. God draws people to Himself through believers. And, when we are not doing what Jesus would do, and love the way Jesus would love, it can repel them.

When we act in love as Christ would, then that love is made perfect because it makes God more tangible for others. John says God has “given us of his spirit”.  We don’t contain all of God’s spirit (we are too finite for that)  but we have enough of it shing through us be detected by other’s soul-eyes. AND maybe, we contain enough to detect shining with our own soul-eyes when we look in the mirror. Then we can see beyond the added ten pounds we have yet to get off our hips after the holidays, or the bad hair day, or the blemish that is pushing through onto our cheek.

Where did I find God today? Was it possibly in me?  Was I that loving? Did His Spirit reflect through me?

 

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In Blogs

Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , on February 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Several friends have written particularly piercing blogs this week. I want to support them. (I hope they will not mind).

 

GodGirlGail wrote about howling monkeys and challenged us to voice our witness further.

DiAn Gates had a guest writer, Katie, on her blog who wrote about kudos for yourself versus praising God for the talents He gives you and letting Him, as it says in the Gospel of John, become greater while you become less.

Linda wrote about how God can rebuild lives if we only turn back to Him.

Shelly wrote how God has blessed her through blogging and multiplied her witness of His Good News via the internet.

 

What do they all have in common? They point to God.

When we put God first, then He will bless us, use us, and rebuild us.  We can see Him more clearly moving through our day, like a comforting shadow a few paces ahead.

Be blessed this weekend and uplifted by reading these excellent blogs. You just find God whispering to you today in one of them.

 

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On my cell phone

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on January 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

dreamstimefree_16167No, it didn’t ring and God answer – but in a way He did.

This time of year when I begin to do my year-end tax preps, the questions begin to swirl. Did I make enough at this freelance writing/ author/motivational speaker thing? Did I spend way too much on marketing and advertising with too little results?  Should I try to land a part-time job this year, even though each time I’ve tried in the past three years the doors whammed closed?

It’s not that I want fame and glory – I truly want God to have all of that. I’ll admit. It’s nice to know I can make a difference in people’s lives and that He is touching their hearts through my words.  It would also be nice if more of my books sold and more people wanted me to speak to their congregations, talk with Bible study groups or lead retreats.

Hey, honest truth here – I do have bills. Millions of writers and speakers have full-time jobs, or spouses who can support them, right?  Just because I am a widow and a freelance writer doesn’t mean I shouldn’t either. Why should I be living on this precipice of wondering if I have enough to pay the rent or my car loan this month? Perhaps, in 2013 my goals should be to look for a job, or a man, or both.

The answer came in one sentence on the screen of my cell phone. Illuminated on stark blue-white in black, Times Roman font was my answer: Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

It was if a voice from Heaven corrected me. “I should be the only man you seek- the Son of Man. That is your job. Trust me with the rest.”

No matter what your 2013 plans are, seek God in them first. Commit whatever you do right here and right now to Him. Each day vow to do that, and what you do tomorrow, next week and three months from now will fit into His plan for you.

Today, I’ll choose to embrace the unknown in giddy excitement because I’ll trust the One who knows all to guide me. Lord, forgive my lack of faith and doubts. To You be the honor, the glory and the power over my life forever and ever. Amen

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In a Drop and a Verse

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on January 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Remember staring at a slide under the microscope in school?  Look what is in one drop of drinking water –

I get what is called the daily Lectionary– verses for the Psalms, Old Testament, Epistles (Apostles’ Letters like Paul, Peter and James) and four Gospels – each morning on my computer. It is designed to take you through the Bible in 3 years.

The first line of today’s Old Testament passage caught my eye –

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand? Isaiah 40:12a

Mediate on that for a moment.  How much does God handle each day? Yet Scripture tells us He knows it all. He knows every hair on every head of His people, billions of them.  Tenth Avenue North is a Christian band I like and they had a song about three years ago which stated they felt like they were just one drop of rain in a tropical downpour.  One tiny drop out of all the waters God holds in the hollow of His hand.

And yet, God know not only each drop but the movements of each of those microscopic creatures. Surely He knows each thought, each breath, each move I make as well. I may be just a tiny drop in the seas that fit in the hollow of my Creator’s hand, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t notice me. Nor does it mean I will slip trough His fingers. I am tucked away inside the palm of the One who knows all that ever was, is and will be. So are you. And that is worth more than a drop in the bucket, isn’t it?

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In a Wag

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on January 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

dreamstimefree_209775Visiting a friend, I noticed a little  dog in the backyard. When she heard her master’s voice she came to the slider and perched, ears cocked, and waited. She was unable to reach up and open the sliding glass herself. But she knew her master would come over and let her in.

However,  my friend waited until everyone at the gathering had come through the front door and found a seat. She didn’t want wilds of the street to be too tempting, or for the little dog to get underfoot. My friend knew when the best time to open the door would be. The dog sat there patiently and didn’t even bark. That is trust.

As my friend made her way to the glass door, the little dog sat up and wagged her tail back and forth so rapidly that it became a blur of fur. She stood, her weight shifted from leg to leg and her eyes were fixed on the hand as it reached for the handle. With each wag I could almost hear the doggie’s enthusiastic thoughts –

“My master is here. My master noticed me and is coming to meet me. My master is opening a way for me.”

Dearest Lord, May I be so eager to receive You. Your death on the cross opened a way for me to enter into Your presence. My prayers summon You to the Heavenly slider between earth and eternity. May I have the patience of that little puppy to know You will open doors for me in Your timing when it is right. May I wait in trust and obedient certainty, then be quick to respond in thanksgiving and praise. Amen.

 

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In a Sneeze

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , , on December 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This story was sent to me by email –

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt.  Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.  This class would NOT pray during the commencements, not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families.  The speeches were nice, but they were routine until the final speech received a standing ovation. A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened.  All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED !!!!   The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said, ‘GOD BLESS YOU’  And he walked off the stage…

The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God’s blessing on their future with or without the court’s approval.  Isn’t this a wonderful story? Pass it on to all your friends………and GOD BLESS YOU!!!!  This is a true story; it happened at the University of Maryland . 

May you not be afraid to say “God Bless You”, or Merry Christmas” or anything else that expresses your faith. 

Pray it – then Say it. Let God decide how it will be received.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31 NIV)

NOTE: Snopes says it happened in 2001 and a bit differently (in Illinois) – the student sneezed and pre-planned group of students all yelled out “God Bless You” in defiance to a  court order to not have an invocation- read it here –http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/sneeze.asp

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In Baruch

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on December 10, 2012| 2 Comments »

Baruch (Bar-OOK) is a lesser known prophet, and legend has it, he was the great prophet Jeremiah’s personal secretary. He lived during the time the Hebrew people were in exile in Babylonia.

That was a pretty dark time. They had been punished by God for not repenting. You might say they were in “time-out”. Like a parent disciplines a stubborn child, God removed them from all the wondrous things He had given them – the Promised Land, the Temple in Jerusalem, an identity as a nation under Him.

Yet, Baruch tells the people this, “Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on for ever the beauty of the glory of God. Put on the robe of righteousness from God and on your head the diadem [ornamental crown] of the glory of the Everlasting.” (5:1-2)

It reminded me of when Paul talks about putting on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6.

That then led to the celestial tap on my brain — what are you putting on, Julie?

closetEvery morning I stand in my closet and decide what I am going to wear. The same is true for my attitude. Will I put on garments of sorrow and affliction, the unresolved hurt feelings, the negative attitude  I have towards someone  ( or myself) . . .or will I take them off the hangers and lay them at the feet of Jesus, stand naked before my Lord, and then let Him place on me His robe of righteousness and crown me with His glory?

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In a disappointing body

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on November 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »

courtesy answerfitness.com

Do you love your body? A recent study  published by Glamour Magazine showed the average woman has 13 negative or destructive inner thoughts about her body every day.  I admit, most of my life I have been disgusted with my short, frumpy body that seems to want to hang onto weight as if it was the rarest gold. Even as a child I was “well-rounded”.

Paul told the church in Corinth –“Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die. Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory.” (1 Corinthians 15: 42-43, NLT)

I don’t think he meant “disappoint” the way I do, and the way most modern women do. He meant the aches and pains, age setting in and chronic ailments. After all, he admitted he had a thorn in his flesh.

Paul stated the thorn in his flesh was one way God was keeping him humble. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.                        (2 Corinthians 12:7NIV)

My thorn is my own, lifelong negative image. God is calling me, and perhaps you, to turn to Him for the renewal of our thoughts about our bodies. I know I do not have the gumption on my own to lose a bunch of weight. I also know I must call upon the name of Jesus each time a negative inner thought about my appearance surfaces to the forefront of my brain. Otherwise I will turn to the fridge for comfort instead of to Him.

Now that mid-age sag has become a reality and my bones and muscles ache a bit more each day, it seems as if my body is holding me back from doing what I want to do. Of course, sitting at computers all day writing doesn’t help – I know that. So,  another negative thought would loom to the surface as if in a Magic Eight ball- “you need to exercise but you are too weak  and achy to do it.”  This blame the body game is a bad habit.

A dear friend from Canada, who is also a Christian writer, blogged this today: “…we know that these human bodies will be one day glorified and be with God forever.  I have gained a new appreciation for the unique way our bodies are made. We need to respect and take care of them, knowing that we will still have issues and our bodies will one day say ‘enough’.   Because of our faith, we are guaranteed a glorified body in a glorified forever  home.

As my friend likes to remind me, “God is good–all the time.”  He is. He will help us walk through our aches and pains with a promise of new health, new bodies, and a forever future. When we get discouraged with our physical bodies we can be encouraged because we have a promise to cling to.  (To read the whole devo, go to http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2012/11/29/the-skin-i-am-in/)

 

Today, I found God in a devo from a friend, and subsequently when I looked in the mirror and began to see my body in a new way – through the helping strength of its Maker.

Dear Lord, may I concentrate more on not disappointing you as being your hands and feet in this world. Let me dwell less on my disappointing body which only spirals me into a negative image and blocks You from working through me. Help me to take my eyes off myself and focus on You. You will provide the strength I need to get this temple in better shape, but to also accept it is what it is – flawed and aging but still something You can use. Let me thank you for the parts that do still work well and are my assets. Above all, let me truly absorb that I am precious in Your sight, as we all are. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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