Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged drop your burdens, Julie Cosgrove, Let God carry your load, lift your hands, praise the Lord, Where did you find God today on September 10, 2013| 1 Comment »
courtesy of Texas Hill Country-facebook photo
Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the LORD. Psalm 103:22
All of creation praises the Lord – won’t you today?
Drop the load you are bearing.
Lift up your hands and lift your spirits.
You’ve carried it enough- time to give it to God.
Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged give thanks, God's will, Julie Cosgrove, Power to Change, pray continually, rejoice, Where did you find God today on September 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »
this is a partial reblog from Guy Saffold, a Canadian pastor:
“That’s it!” I said, “I can’t do this anymore!”
God spoke to me clearly through 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Words that struck like a hammer blow confronted my sour attitude:
These verses made no room for my bitterness.
What was an even bigger breakthrough for me was the realization that this change in attitude is “God’s will for me in Christ Jesus.” For all the times I wondered about God’s will, here it was: rejoice, pray, and give thanks. Always. Continually. In all circumstances. I was faced with an inescapable choice between my negative outlook and God’s will for my life.”
Please read it in entirety at http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2013/09/08/always/
Posted in Nature, tagged God's love, home, Julie Cosgrove, mercies, overpouring love, peace, river, Where did you find God today on September 5, 2013| 1 Comment »
I’m a river rat – born and raised. Last weekend I was blessed to have time off so I could head back to my river, the Guadalupe, which meanders through the Texas Hill Country like an emerald-green ribbon. Quiet ripples coax you along its path, splattered by occasional shallows and rapids which are tame by most standards, but great for novice kayakers like me. I’d never been in one until my sister persuaded me to give it a try.
What a peace. Immersed in beauty, I floated along, the kayak barely making a sound as it skimmed the waters. There I was, home! with the sun on my back and with someone I dearly love right beside me, telling me what to do and encouraging me to keep trying. It reminded me of what it must have been like for Eve and Adam to walk in the Garden with God – before the Fall.
Then, the sky opened up and peltered soft rain, popping the water with thousands of diamonds. Through the sun’s rays we could see the rain making a thin, veil-like waterfall as it cascaded down onto the shore. What an image of God’s mercies – after the Fall. Because His Son, our Lord went to the Cross, we are washed anew in the outpouring of His love.
I always find God on the Guadalupe. Where do you find Him?
Will you share that in the comments?
Posted in Life Experiences, Nature, tagged all for purpose, content with owrk, God's purpose, Julie Cosgrove, Where did you find God today, working His purpose out on September 3, 2013| 3 Comments »
I had to laugh. There beneath my feet was a tiny black beetle rolling a piece of deer dropping. It was easily two times larger than he (or she – how do you tell?). I thought, I’ve felt like that bug —
There have been times I have felt I had too much to bear, and wondered why.
There have been times I wanted to quit because I was tired of doing what I was doing and it wasn’t fun or fulfilling.
There have been times I felt like my life was full of…well you get the idea.
Yet, with diligent determination, the little bug used its legs and body to push, roll and move this piece of dung over pebbles, leaves, twigs and dirt. Nothing was going to deter that little creature of God from doing what he was doing.
You may say, “Okay. I get it. But, this is a bug. It’s working on instinct only. It can’t think. It doesn’t make decisions.”
True. But what if we accepted what God has given us at the moment and just plugged along anyway? Even if it seemed like something we’d rather not shove along at the moment, if we realize all has purpose in God’s kingdom, it would help us labor on by spiritual instinct — keep doing what God has given us to do until He says do something else, assured it is all in His plan.
Perhaps, we think too much. Perhaps we should just “do” and not over think it. That takes faith.
But, if we can realize that God put us here to go through the things in our lives for a purpose, that good can come out of bad, and that He is always right beside us through the process, we’ll be able to push through life with a better attitude.
…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
If I had the ear and bent close enough, I may have even heard that little beetle humming or whistling as it worked.
Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged God's image, hot spot, Julie B Cosgrove, Julie Cosgrove, refined, trust God, when life heats up, Where did you find God today on August 26, 2013| 1 Comment »
This is floating around the internet- it is worth the time to read. God bless whoever wrote this.
Malachi 3:3 says: ‘He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.’
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
‘Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.’
When I look at a dime now and see the words “in God We Trust”, I will see it differently. May it always remind me to reflect His Truth and mercy to everyone I meet and to use what He has given me to His glory.
May the love of Christ be reflected in you more and more each day.
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged but now found, God seeks, Julie Cosgrove, lost, pearls of great price, Where Did You Find on August 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »
She came into the church office with worried eyes. “I lost my pearl earring Sunday during Church.” She’d discovered it when she got home. After searching her apartment and car, yesterday she had come back up to hunt around her pew and still couldn’t find it. I looked as well- nothing. Today, when our janitorial service came, I asked them to keep an eye out for it. Instead of using their industrial vacuums, they painstakingly dry mopped the whole church building with giant cloths. They found it! I can still hear the joyous relief in her voice over the phone when I told her.
We are all pearls of preciousness to our Lord. He will search us out and find us when we are lost. Like our dear janitors, He will slowly and carefully hunt, always watchful.
My friend was unsuccessful in finding her earring and so was I. But I did two things – I prayed about it and I asked the professionals to search for me.
If you know someone who is lost, you may not have the resources to help them find their way back again. Remember this story. Our loving Lord knows what to do. Hand the job over to Him and pray. After all, He paid the price for all of us to be found.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46
Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged act like Jesus, armor of God, Blood of the Lamb, business, devil, Julie B Cosgrove, Julie Cosgrove, power, Where did you find God today on August 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »
On Sunday, Anglican Bishop Fanuel Magangani of Northern Malawi visited my church. He told us that in Africa, people still have a superstitious nature. It is easy for them to see demons with red faces and horns, and to have visions of angels in glowing white. It is not a leap of faith for them to see miraculous healing taking place. In fact, our missionary team just came back from there about six weeks ago and told us how they’d been vessels of healing, both physically and spiritually.
The Bishop said that in more technologically modern countries, the demons must be more clever. Because we are so scientific and logical in thought, the devil must find other ways to fool us. Subtle ways that seems logical, like the stories in the Bible could never have scientifically happened. They must be metaphors. Or, we need to reinterpret Biblical Truths to fit our modern era. Even that logically, the devil doesn’t exist. It is all neuro-stimuli and hormone balances in our brains.
He smiled and said, “Here in your country, the devil wears a business suit.”
Think about that for a minute. I have – a lot.
I don’t think he was slamming modern business men and women. I think he was saying that by wearing a suit, a person often exudes authority and a successful lifestyle, A person called “a suit” is expected to be knowledgeable, and perhaps, to be admired. They represent power, wealth, and the logical, educated mind. They are also innovative, clever, and yes, they can step on backs as they climb the ladder to success – which is more and more an admirable achievement in the business world today. But, that type of attitude is very ‘me-centered” and relies on one’s own gumption and smarts. It can also stir up emotions of greed, envy and jealousy. That is fertile ground for the devil.
But, Christian bushiness men and women wear suits as well. Each day they live out their lives trying to be obedient to Christ. Their actions portray trustworthiness, honor, fair dealing and giving sacrificially of their time and talents. They will take off their coat to help a widow change a flat tire, or give half the suits in their closets for the unemployed to dress well for an interview. They will whip out their checkbook as they blink back a tear when they hear a missionary’s testimony and roll up their sleeves to serve in a soup kitchen
The difference? Under their suit is the armor of God. And, it is drenched in the Blood of the Lamb. Take to heart what Paul says in Ephesians 4:22-24: put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
No matter if you wear a name on your shirt or have it on the corner office door, being Christ in today’s business world isn’t easy. There are a lot of demons out there wearing suits (and, by the way, blue collar uniforms and jeans as well). Be sure to dress in your armor each morning before you head out the door. And, if you display a Fish symbol on your business cards, your lapel or your car, then please act the way Jesus would as much as possible in public and in private. Don’t give the devil a chance.
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged Julie Cosgrove, patience, wait for it, wait on God, Where did you find God today on August 15, 2013| 2 Comments »
A blog I follow (iChristian http://steverebus.com/) gives a quote for the day. Recently, this one was from John Calvin, a famous Protestant reformer and theologian who lived in the 1500’s. There is no place for faith if we expect God to immediately fulfill His promises.
And to think he wrote that 500 years ago – back in the slooowwwer days before modern technology was even a future thought. Look at us today!
courtesy duanealley.com
Royalty- Free Image by Corbis
We are such a microwave society. We want things now.
We sigh when we get someone’s voice mail or they don’t text us back within a minute.
We tap the steering wheel with our fingers if the red light doesn’t change within 30 seconds, or huff into our collars if there are two people in line ahead of us at the checkout counter.
If our computer takes more than a few seconds to respond to our search, it must have a virus, right?
How often do we expect our prayers to be answered before we get up off our knees, and then when it doesn’t, assume God is not listening?
Did you know the word “WAIT” is used almost 300 times in the Bible. I think God knows waiting is not a human virtue. It’s hard to wait when your are a mortal confined to only knowing the here and now.
The next time your faith is on the edge of morphing into impatience, read one of these verses:
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5
But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7
for more about resting and waiting on God in today’s hectic lifestyle , please consider my new book: Squeeze More God-time into Your Day. You can download it in eBook format, or yes, wait for it to be delivered in paperback.
Posted in Books, Life Experiences, tagged being His vessel, Julie Cosgrove, praying, Squeeze More God-time Into Your Day, This is the day the Lord has made, Where did you find God today, witnessing on August 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I dashed in, my stomach growling. I had to be NPO (no food after midnight) for my blood work to be drawn.
![MP900444553[1]](https://wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/mp9004445531.jpg)
The day was not going well so far. I’d jabbed my eye with my mascara wand, blinking dark streaks half way down my face. My garage door had decided to be in one of its finicky moods. It took three tries to get it to close. Then, a slow-moving truck insisted on being in my lane. I was 10 minutes late.
As I signed in, it hit me. The doctor’s orders were still on my desk. I caught one of the nurse’s eye. With profound apologies, I rushed back out, got in my car, clicked the belt and gunned the accelerator. Of course, I hit every red light there and back again. Out of breath with my pulse in my ears, I sat back down in the waiting room, orders in hand, chiding myself for my stupidity. now 28 minutes late. “Why me, Lord?”
Another nurse called my name. I followed her into the cubicle filled with vials and the distinctive chair where you lay your arm. As she clicked my name into her compute,r with her back to me, she asked, “and how is your day going?”
I huffed into my bangs. “it is the day the Lord has made, so I will…”
She turned, “rejoice and be glad in it.” Her expression darkened as she turned back to the computer. “I wish I felt more like that, ” she sighed. “I know I need to get closer to Him, but I don’t know how. I am not sure He is listening to my prayers.”
That familiar quiet nudge, the one you know it not from your brain, said to me, “Show her your card of your new book, Squeeze More God-time into Your Day.”
I am not a bold marketer when it comes to my writing. I hesitated, “Now, Lord? Really?”
But I knew that voice was spirit-filled. I reached into my wallet and swallowed my pride. “Here. It’s my new book. Maybe it will help.”
She took it, then looked at the cover and the by-line printed onto the business card. She nodded, “I need this.” She put the card in her lab jacket pocket. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered.
“Tell me,” I whispered back, my hand on her arm.
As she drew the blood she sobbed out her story. After the vials were filled and the gauze secured onto the inside bend of my elbow, I rose, draped my arm around her and said, “May I pray for you?”
Afterwards, she smiled. “God sent you to me.”
I now knew why I was delayed – why I’d stabbed the mascara wand in my eye, why I’d left the paperwork behind and encountered all those red lights. So I’d get her as my phlebotomist. I told her so.
“I guess He is listening,” she sniffled.
Humility flooded my soul. I prayed for God to forgive my anxiousness and frustration and thanked Him for using me, unworthy as I am, as His vessel.
That night went I got home, a thank you email was in my inbox from this sweet stranger, now a friend in Christ. She’d gotten it off my website.
This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice with me and be glad in it.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged Christ, eternity, God will lead us home, Grandpa's hands, hands, heaven, hope, Julie B Cosgrove, Julie Cosgrove, Where did you find God today on August 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »
This is floating around Facebook – in case you haven’t seen it.
Whoever wrote it, it is a sweet sentiment with a good message.
The point is this: What will your hands say about you?
Grandpa, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. He didn’t move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn’t acknowledge my presence.Finally, not really wanting to disturb him, but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was OK.
He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine.
Thank you for asking,” he said in a clear strong voice.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you, Grandpa, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,” I explained to him.
“Have you ever looked at your hands,” he asked.
“I mean really looked at your hands?”
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making. Grandpa smiled and related this story:
“Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled, and weak have been the
tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.
As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.
They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.
They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.
They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I
was married and loved someone special.
They trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse
and walked my daughter down the aisle.
They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and
cleansed the rest of my body.
They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day, when not much of anything else of me works
real well, these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again
continue to fold in prayer.
These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the
ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will
reach out and take when he leads me home.
And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there
I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.”
When my husband passed, I signed papers for one of his hands to be transplanted onto a worker who had just lost his in an accident over 1,200 miles away. I pray every now and then that worker uses it well to God’s glory and to benefit others. I pray he folds it over his own each day when he lifts his heart to God in prayer.
Where Did You Find God Today? 