He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

 The loss of a family member can leave a void in the hearts of those who still remain. Questions arise as to why they had to leave so early in life and so often we hold God accountable for their death. How can you find comfort in your time of loss?

 Today’s scripture is a great reminder that everything God creates is beautiful and has its purpose and limited time on planet earth, according to the will of God. From a human perspective, it’s hard sometimes to see His will from beginning to end, thus you must trust in Him in that He had purpose in their life. The truth is, their end of life is not the end of God’s working will in your life. He takes your void and fills it with His Holy and peaceful presence, sustaining you through each day, over the months and years.

 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

 Friend, it’s ok to grieve over the loss of a loved one. Just know that Jesus promised to comfort those who mourn. Continue to let their life live through you as God wills. He has placed eternity in their life, keep living for them with the presence of God covering you until you meet them once again in Heaven. God bless!

 If you walk in My statues and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season that land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Leviticus 26:3-4

Growing up on a farm, I can tell you that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to prepare fields for planting. From treating the soil to make sure it’s chemistry is correct, to removing weeds and planting at just the right time of year, it takes time and effort, but in the end will yield an abundant harvest. One critical element that is out of a farmer’s control is the weather. Without adequate rain, the crops will yield very little and all that effort will be wasted.

Today’s scripture is a message from God to the people of Israel, that if they obey God’s commandments He will bless them with rain so their crops can produce and provide food to sustain them. Bringing this closer to home, you might not have a garden, but your life is fertile ground for God’s blessings. Jesus Christ did all the hard work to prepare your life to receive those blessings through His sacrificial death on the cross. This very act opened the door to a personal relationship with God. All He asks that you live in complete obedience to His will for your life.

Your life is a field of faith, ready to yield a rich harvest. Are you willing to live for Him every day and perform the way He desires? Your life will yield much for the kingdom of God when you truly live for Him, as He blesses and nourishes your life for an abundant harvest, year after year.

 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Acts 9:3-4

 Saul, who was a prominent Pharisee thought he was doing good by persecuting men and women who were of the Way, a new hope in Jesus Christ. Through Saul’s persecution, he was in fact persecuting Jesus. God took care of the situation by confronting Saul on the Damascus road and through this event, Saul renamed himself Paul and became one of the most influential Christians of all time.

 It is good for me that I have been afflicted. That I may learn Your statues. Psalm 119:71

 Maybe you are currently undergoing some form of persecution. Whomever it is, just know that most likely the direct source of these attacks come from Satan and he is using this person to weaken your faith in Jesus Christ. His attacks not only persecute you, but they affect Jesus Christ Himself. He knows your pain, He knows the frustrations you are experiencing and He has a plan through your afflictions to bring you closer to Him. Maybe you are saying “What can I do?

 Jesus said, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44

 Jesus answer might seem like a tall order, but His way is always best, even if you can’t comprehend His plan. Reflecting back good behavior towards your enemies is like heaping coals on their head and God will reward you for responding with a humble spirit (Proverbs 25:21-22). Blessings!

 Create in me a clean hear, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

 Spring time is typically when most people purge stuff and clothing that has built up over the past year. This process of decluttering is good for the soul and makes room for new things, maybe even a complete remodel of your home.

 As a child of God, your future is secure in the Lord, but that doesn’t exempt you from obtaining things of this world that just don’t fit the Christian lifestyle. They are counter to God’s will for your life and you know it. You know what I’m talking about…it lies in the back of your mind, always trying to justify it’s presence in your life. The truth is, the more of the worldly stuff in your life, the less room you have for God to work His will and provide blessings  

 Maybe it’s time to declutter your life of the things that resemble the world and fill that void with God’s furnishings, like the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), add some lighting to your life (1 John 1:5-7), and change up your clothing attire (Revelation 3:5) and (Romans 13:14). It all starts within your heart, a heart that wants to live for God daily, a repentant heart that turns from sin and walks in complete obedience and reliance upon Him. Start that declutter process today and sustain it daily and God’s blessings will fill your life with joy.

 Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. Romans 12:12

 If you’ve ever made gravy from scratch, you know it’s important to continually stir the mixture of milk and flour. If you let it sit idle on the stove, it will clump together and not be smooth and consistent. Gravy takes time, but if you are willing to put forth the effort, it will make any dish delicious.

 Praying over someone or yourself, asking God to bring healing or provide help in a tough situation requires time spent in continual prayer. Throwing up one request to God shows a lack of your buy in to the request made. If you request it, it should come backed through faith and trust in Him to respond. Like stirring the gravy mixture, it shows your willingness to seek after God’s help. In the meantime, it strengthens your faith as you assert yourself in days, weeks, even months of praying.

 The next time you have a need, ask God in sincere, consistent prayer and He will respond at just the right time to make the best of the situation, aligning with His will. Be steadfast in prayer friend and God will answer. Blessings!

 

 

 He who builds according to every man’s advice will have a crooked house. Danish Proverb.

 One of the things I enjoy in retirement is cooking new dishes. Facebook is full of everyone’s recipes, and everyone of them varies in ingredients. Last night I tried making friend rice for the first time. I wanted it to be perfect, so I kept going back to the online recipe. Some things I was doing wasn’t jiving according to the instructions, so in the middle of the cooking, I just laid down the instructions and finished it as best I knew how. And guess what, it turned out very delicious.

 So how does my cooking line up with today’s Danish proverb? If you are living and know people, I’m sure they’ve given you advice about life. Some people’s advice is good, and each varies from one person to the next. But sometimes the best way to navigate life is just go with it using your own God given resources. No one knows you like YOU and God. You’ve lived long enough to know what works and doesn’t in your life, so go for it. You won’t learn anything about you, unless you do it yourself, and sometimes that means making mistakes. As long as no one dies, you are ok.

 So far my wife hasn’t suffered from anything I’ve cooked, so things are ok. Same for you friend. Live life the best way you know how and learn more yourself with the talents and abilities God has given you! Blessings!

 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 2 Peter 1:5-7

 Earlier this week we celebrated Valentines Day. A day to love someone special in your life. On that day’s blog I talked about loving someone whom you’ve lost the love for either through a disagreement or hurt feelings. The pain this person caused you has probably been imbedded in you like a thorn in your hand; all the while you are asking how you could possibly love this person again.

 Today’s passage caught my attention this morning as I thought about the process of love. In order to love in a godly manner, the process has to start within yourself. The godly traits (listed above) developed within yourself take time through bible study, prayer and transforming your mind (Romans 12:2) into the mind of Jesus Christ. You can’t do it on your own, the flesh will always lean in the direction of worldly behavior and thoughts of hate, revenge, remembrance of the pain…etc. Knowledge gained about Jesus Christ’s response to the vicious attacks and insults from His haters will help you see clearly, His way is counter to fleshly thinking.

 And His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3

 Start this week to work on your heart, ask God to help transform your mind to one after His, read His word to gain understanding of His love for the unloving and watch these godly traits begin to shape and mold you into the image of Jesus Christ. You can love again; it takes time and with His help you can do it!

 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. 1 Corinthians 14:33

 As we age, we take on more responsibilities with our career, family, home ownership and even care of our parents. Life can present many difficult decisions that should be made with wisdom. Too often though, we chose the easy path, and make hasty decisions that in the end, result on much chaos, confusion, and hurt. How can you avoid the pitfalls of poor choices?

 Today’s brief verse is a great reminder that the God of this universe is not the author of confusion, but peace. He provides sound wisdom that goes beyond your present view and has a plan and purpose to bring you out better than when you first faced the decision at hand. His will for your life is to prosper you, so you can be effectively used by Him for His glory and to help those within the realm of your influence.

 Whatever you are facing today, take it up with God and wait on His response. As you read the bible and earnestly pray, He will reveal the best path forward. It might seem difficult and stretch your resources, but He is quite capable of equipping you for the challenge and sustaining you as you walk in obedience within His perfect will. Trust His voice today as you make those difficult decisions. The peace of God will go with you all the days of your life when you put your trust in Him.

 

 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. Proverbs 19:11

 Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope you can find a little love in today with that someone special. As special as today is for many, there are some who won’t feel the love from someone they treasure because something happened in the relationship that has hurt the love connection. Either between a couple, family members or close friends, something put a halt on the willingness to say or share the love.

 Today’s proverb gives some good advice for all of us. Be slow to anger and overlook a transgression. Maybe you are saying: “Yea, that sounds good, but this person hurt me in a way that I don’t think I will ever recover and be able to love them again”. As logical as this sounds to you, the simple truth is you’ve closed the door to healing and sadly you’ll carry that pain with you either until you die or eventually can’t carry the burden of unforgiveness any longer. Why put yourself through the pain of hurt any longer.

 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

 As long as you hold onto the bitterness of someone’s transgressions, you will always have unfinished business. Ask God to develop in you that fervent love of Jesus Christ so you can truly love others, even your enemies, and leave this world with no regrets. Which relationship can you restore today through the power of love and forgiveness?    

 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

 While employed as a supervisor, I got to know my staff on a personal level. I knew their spouse and children’s names, some of their likes and dislikes and oftentimes spent time listening to their life’s struggles. When it was time to put the rubber to the pavement, they listened and followed my lead as I instructed them on what to do in performance of their job.

 You could say the same of Jesus Christ. Although He is not your supervisor, He actually compared Himself to others as a friend (John 15:15). He is that close to all of those who follow Him. Through a personal relationship with Him, you have unlimited access to His throne room of grace and can connect your life with His. What an awesome privilege to know God on a personal level and experience all the blessings He provides to those who walk in obedience to Him.

 The question today is, do you know Jesus Christ on a personal level? Have you accepted His free gift of salvation, forgiveness of sins, acknowledging/confessing your sins and asking Him to come into your life as you walk daily with Him? If you have and are following Him in obedience, you position yourself for a life full of God’s blessings, wisdom and eternal promise of Heaven as your home. Know Him today by calling out to Him. He wants to know you, His creation! God bless!

Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

 The Southeastern part of the United States has seen an abundance of rain. Like many of you, people break out their waterproof boots to keep their feet dry on rainy days. If you were oblivious to the weather, all you’d have to do is look down at what shoes people are wearing and you’ll have a good idea what is happening outside.

 Today’s passage is a great reminder for the child of God to walk in the Spirit. These shells we live in, commonly called “the flesh”, are bent towards sin (Galatians 5:17) and struggle to live a God honoring life. The enemy, Satan, is always looking for ways to distract and detour the Christian from walking in the Spirit. Satan knows the weaknesses of everyone and has an arsenal of weapons to use in his attempts to veer Christians off course.

 And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15

 Just like on rainy days, the best way to equip yourself to walk in the Spirit is to shod your feet with the gospel of peace. “Peace”, in Greek terms, means wholeness or oneness with God and “gospel” means good news, the forgiveness of sins and access to and oneness with God, through faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, as a child of God, you have the resources available to you to stay focused on the path of righteousness and not make provisions for the flesh (Romans 13:14). Reading God’s word and remaining in a stance of prayer will ensure your feet steadily walk on dry ground and remain faithful to your commitment to living the life God has called you. Looks like another day of rain, break out the bible and equip yourself in prayer, you’ve got this friend!

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. Matthew 8:14-15

 Sickness comes in many forms, from a simple fever, to a major illness, sometimes lasting for a long period. No one enjoys being sick, but when it happens, we are ready to get over it and back to normal. Today’s short two verse passage tells the story about the power of Jesus’ healing touch. Can you imagine the story she shared with her friends and family about Jesus’ healing touch?

 Have you ever questioned why God  allowed you to get sick or someone who is close to you? God oftentimes uses the illness as a test to show His mighty healing power. As a result, the test becomes a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Sometimes the healing takes time, as God works in the life of the believer to strengthen faith and dependence upon Him. But God! He is faithful and promises to help those who call out to Him.

 Maybe you are in the middle of an illness you can seem to shake off. Pray and ask God for His healing power to touch your body so you can resume a normal life. Trust Him and depend upon Him in the meantime. He will bring healing, and when He does, be ready to serve Him through your praise and adoration. Let your test be a testimony of His faithfulness! God bless!

 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

 As Spring time approaches, many retail stores put out seeds for flowers and vegetables for those who wish to yield a beautiful and bountiful harvest. With the bag of seeds come work, preparing the soil for planting, then making sure it gets watered, fertilized, weeded and occasional pruning. Sounds like work, but the truth is, many have good intentions, but a lack of motivation to do the work keeps the seeds in the bag and never planted. By the end of the summer, that backyard garden your dreamed up is still the same weed filled space, void of any yield.

 Thinking along these lines, you could compare the bag of seeds with every child of God. You have the potential to yield a rich harvest of God’s blessings when you perform acts of love on behalf of Jesus Christ. The neighbor next door who would gladly accept your act of kindness by cutting their grass, the homeless person alongside of the road is ready to receive their next meal, that conversation you started while in the checkout line could be seasoned with a simple message of faith in Jesus Christ. The list is endless, but you have the potential to plant a seed of Jesus Christ in everything you do. Otherwise, you are simply a bag of seeds, sitting on the shelf, useless to the kingdom of God.

 Where can you plant your God given seeds? The soil is fertile and ready for planting. Ask God to lead you in that endeavor so you can yield for Him blessings of your fruitful labor. Your reward will be greatly multiplied when you serve Him in love. God bless!

 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13:14

 ore than 150 million Americans drink coffee every day, according to recent statistics. Of those, only 35% drink it without anything added. On average, 400 million cups of coffee are served up daily. That’s a lot of coffee. I recall as a kid my grandmother got me started on coffee by mixing 30% coffee and 70% milk. By doing so it diluted the bitterness of the coffee flavor so I could tolerate it. As an adult I can drink it black, but prefer some vanilla flavored creamer. How about you?

 As humans, we oftentimes dilute our favorite sins to make us feel less guilty for committing them. I think one of the most toxic sins that falls under this category is gossip. Nothing like some juicy information about someone else that makes you feel the need to share it. By doing so, you put that person in the spotlight of judgement by others and the cycle of sin continues, from one person to the next. Of course there are other sins, such as adultery, pornography, lying, cheating, and such, that justifying those actions sounds convincing to the one doing it.  But sin is sin, no matter how well you dilute its bitterness.

 Today’s passage should be memorized and carried out every day by those professing to be a Christian:  Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. What sin have you been diluting in your life? It’s time to stop making excuses and turn from it. Don’t make provisions for the sin you know is wrong. When you remain obedient with your quest to live a righteous life, God blesses you, provides a way out from sin’s temptations and restores your fellowship with Him. What are you willing to change this week to bring blessings into your life? God bless!  

 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

 After my grandmother passed, each of the grandchildren were gifted with certain belongings that had special meaning.  One item I received was a two tier table that sat beside a chair in which my grandfather kept certain things of value to him. Since that time, I have used it in my office. Yesterday I made some changes to the furniture and decided to gift it to my son-in-law who plans to design a study in their new home. It will be a perfect fit, and thankful to keep it in the family.

 There is a gift that each one of us receives by our creator, God. Each person’s gift is exclusive to that individual; whether it’s a generous spirit, a hospitable spirit, spirit of love, just to mention a few of the many gifts God gives His creation. Today’s verse encourages God’s children to use these special gifts to minister to one another. Have you discovered your gift? If so, are you using it to bring honor to Him and spread the ministry of Jesus Christ?

 Gift what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think. Henry Wadsworth (American poet 1807-1882).

 You might not think your gift has any significant value, but it does. God will always multiply your efforts when you share your God given gifts with others (2 Corinthians 9:10-11). Ask God to open the door of opportunity to use those gifts this week and bless others. Your cup of blessings will overflow so you can continue in the ministry of Jesus Christ! Blessings!

 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. Mark 10:18

 Do you struggle with being good enough? A good spouse, a good parent, a good friend, a good worker, even a good Christian? Most people who desire to be good have an idea of what “good” looks like. Unfortunately, social media, influence from others in the community, even those living inside your home, may make you feel that you are not good enough. For some, the struggle is real, and sadly they never feel accepted.

 In today’s verse, Jesus calls out a rich man who called Him “Good Teacher”. Jesus corrected him by saying only God is good. Well, if the only “good person” is God, where does that leave you and me?

 Of do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own 1 Corinthians 6:19

 As a child of God, you have the Holy Spirit of God living inside you. You are His Holy Temple, saved by grace and that not of  yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Your faith is what makes you good in the eyes of God. Nothing you can do will ever make you better than God, but His grace is sufficient to make you acceptable in the eyes of God.

 Financial wealth, people and society’s standards will all pass away one day. Nothing worldly truly matters in the eyes of God. Accept your position in the view of God: saved by grace and home to His Holy Spirit, living through your life. He is the only “good” you’ll ever need to obtain in your life! God bless!

 From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior – Jesus. Acts 13:23

 Have you ever promised something to someone, or maybe they’ve promised something to you? A promise is essentially backed by a person’s word. These days people’s word are backed by legal documents and the legal system which steps in upon someone’s failure to keep their word, or promise. Promises can be hard to keep, and maybe you’ve been a victim of someone’s failure to live up to their promise.

 There is One whom you can always count on to keep His promise, God! Today’s scripture comes from Paul’s written word to the Jewish people, reminding them that God kept His promise after 900 years that a Savior would be born. That’s right, from the time period of David until Jesus birth was approx. 900 plus years. That is a LONG time to keep a promise. Yet, God held true to His word.

 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. 2 Corinthians 1:20

 If you want to put your trust in someone, put it in God. He promises to watch over His children and bless them in this life and life eternal. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8). Trust Him and His holy word and you will never have doubts about who will keep their word. Gods word will stand the test of time! Blessings!

 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

 As my kids were learning to drive, I always told them if you have to enter a busy road or highway, find a traffic light that controls the intersection so you can safety enter it. Still to this day, I always try to plan my routes by using intersections with traffic lights. It works! 

There is another tip that works for safely navigating life. Seek after the “light” when approaching life’s decisions. God’s word is full of wisdom to help you maintain safe travels on the narrow pathway of righteousness. Any deviation from that pathway, leads to the potential for spiritual disaster. I can tell you first hand, some decisions I made in life were made without consulting God’s word, and I paid dearly for those silly choices. God brought me through them, but not without a lesson learned that His way always leads to safety. 

But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil. Proverbs 1:33 

What decisions face you today? Seek after the light and the right path will be exposed through God’s word and His Holy Spirit’s voice of wisdom. God bless!