Devotion Thursday Jan 26th

Proverbs 26. Vs. 10-"The great God that formed all things..." Its good for me to remember today how great my God is. Dont kno what will happen later (outside). Dont kno how i'll be later (inside).....these are always changing. But one thing is constant....God is great. "How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God. Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice. How great is our God!" My attitude should not be determined by the variables in my life but by my Constant! Ty Lord for teaching this to me again this morning.

Psalm 26. Vs. 1-"I have trusted also in the Lord therefore I shall not slide." Not arrogant on David's part. The latter is true because the former is. For the Lord never fails. Vs. 12-"My foot standeth in an even place..."

Genesis 34- Hamor & Shechem must have had a lot of influence over the men in the gate because they were able to pursuade all them to be circumcise. Also, Jacob took the all women & children captive after the massicure...surely Jacob & all his house was hated by them. What they did affected everyone...men, women, & kids.

Devotion Wecnesday 1/25/12

Vs. 5-"Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne shall be established in righteousness." Who would make the best republican canidate for president? Not the riches or the smartest. Not the one with the most experience or the one who bashes the other guys the most. One contributing factor is...what kind of people he has surrounding him. Be careful who ur friends, or advisors/employees, are, sirs!
Vs. 11-"A word fitly spoken..."My prayer today is that the Lord would give me the right words to say at the right time and that I would say them...not miss any opportunities.....with my husband, my kids, mby, phone conversations, and even strangers!

Luke 19:1-27 vs. 26- to him that hath shall be given and to him that hath not shall be taken away. Makes sense when u read the parable.

Genesis 32 & 33-what do I need deliberance from today? A worried mind, tempted tongue & a lazy body!
Why didnt Esau totally annilate Jacob? Because God took care of him.

Sunday/ Jan 8th

Prov 9 - Wisdom says... "Come, eat of my bread & drink of the wine..." More ideas on eating. The simple can be made wise with the right diet!

James 1
Vs. 19 - "...let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath..."

Cant get away from that phrase today. Its a good motto everday for the child of God. Why? Vs. 20. It says that it, "worketh not the righteousness of God." And thats the whole point to life for me......Ecc 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." So, not listening, fast talking, and a quick temper are all my enemies today & everday!

Genesis 15
Luke 9:1-27
Ps 8

Devotions

Prov 6:2 & 3 - "Keep my commandments (the Word of God)...write them upon the table of thine heart." What am I eating on the table of my heart? Whatever it is, thats what I'm serving to others. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." ...issues of life.

James 1
Verse 12- This verse tells a princess how she can get her very own, real tiara! How? "Endure temptation." That word here doesnt mean the temptation from the flesh, world, or the devil to sin. It means trouble! I'm talking about actual trouble. U kno, problems and difficults. We all have them and we have them everyday. Enduring it ensures a cornation one day for the daughter of the King. Dictionary.com says that "endure" means..."to hold up under pain or hardship without yielding." Dont complain or quit; endure!

Luke 8:26-56
Genesis 13 & 14
Psalm 7

A Letter to my Grandfather.......

Pappaw, here we are again...at home, surrounded by the familiar & precious sights & sounds & smell of family.  All my life we've been seperated by miles yet I could always pack up and come home & you'd be here waiting. You wouldnt be sitting in the rocking chair or twidling your thumbs & you wouldnt be still for long when I joined you, but you'd be here just the same, glad to see me & sad when our time together was over.
          Home is where we've shared many a summer day & made lots of happy memories....like learning to swim in your pool, or sitting in a deer stand, just the two of us, & you showing me a doe with her fawn walk out of the wods. Thats the same time you scared me when you put on a camo mask & I almost fell out of the stand! Then there's the times when I was younger when you would let me comb your wavy hair & one time you even combed mine! I remember places you took me & things you bought me. I remember all the Thanksgiving Days & how you always won the 'christmas eve gift.' And how could I forget cutting down my first christmas tree with you after I got married. It was huge & you tied & tied the rope. It took us hours to get it off the top of that honda civic! I remember all those happy things and it makes me smile.
             But something is different this time. I'm home & ur not here. And it's something more than miles that keeps us a part.  I can't jump in the car anymore & come see you or even pick up the phone & call you. We won't have another summer together & mimmaw won't celebrate another anniversary.  And that's why I'm crying.
               I've always told you I love you but I want to say it again. I love you & think you are the greatest grand dad anyone coud ever have! Your my hero because of all you did! You fought in WWII. You love my grandmother faithfully for  almost 65 years. You lead my dad to the Lord. You came to all my piano recitals. You touched my life!
           I want you to know, like always I can't stay here long. After today, i'll go to my house & keep living, making  memories with our family. I'll tell my kids about you & show them pictures. And as often as I can, i'll come back. But home is changed forever; life is changed forever.
        But, let me tell you 1 more thing... 1 day we'll b 2gether again, you & I. I'll join you in heaven, our real home, a home that last 4ever with no cancer, old age, separation & crying. And the best part...we'll all be with our Lord & Savior, Jesus.  And right nw, I promise 2 do everything I can to bring all our family with me!
          Your granddaughter forever, Kristy

January 24, 2011

PROVERBS OF THE DAY: “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Just when you think you’ve got everything right & inline, sometimes you get hit with what can be described as a “spell of weakness” of the mind & body! Its Monday morning…..I’ve been to church & got fed, I’m prayed up, got the right attitude, and already read my Bible;  I’ve even had a healthy breakfast (ha ha), but now somehow, my strength is small. Boy, does the devil ever quit?

Anyway, looking forward to a busy, “something-every-night” week, here’s two reasons not to kill the cat or declare a “Anne of Green Gables day” & camp out on the couch….

1.       Jesus never quit! Hebrews 12:3-“For consider him that endured such contradictions of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

2.       There’s a reward coming! Gal.6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

I think I’ll pray some more, wipe another yucky nose & keep crawling along. No matter what has happened or what will happen, my husband’s kisses are sweet, I love my babies and my Father’s always in control.

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Corinthian Criticisms, Comparisons, & Complaints

I Cor. 4:6-21

I Cor. 4:9 says, “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels and to me.”

In verse 10 Paul points out some interesting comparisons; contrasting himself & other apostles with “ordinary” Christians……-Fool/wise, Weak/strong, Honorable/dishonorable.

And in verses 11-13 Paul lists what could be called “complaints”….hunger & thirst, nakedness, beatings, homelessness, hard work, sufferings, slanderings. He  also says, “We are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.” He’s not talking about all Christians, just the apostles!

He didn’t say all that to make the Christians feel bad.  He just wanted them to know what was happening to him, their spiritual father (and to all the apostles), & to warn them he could die or be taken away from them very easily (vs. 14).  He didn’t ask for help in this passage or use his problems as excuses. Then, he went further & told them to follow him. My favorite verse here is verse 16…”I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”  He wanted his kids to be like him.

I have a spiritual father. I also have had people in my life who have taught me & been my example, people who have worked & prayed for me. I am learning not to take them for granted or treat them lightly. I won’t have them forever.

 Now, I find myself in that position. I’m the one who has been through some things (nothing like Paul, of course) & I’m doing the begging now or rather, the praying...  Lord, please help me display a faithfully example for my daughters & teens & others so they might see the Savior & follow Him!  

January 22

Proverbs for the day: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, & loving favour rather than silver & gold.”  Saturday, we buried my cousin Mathew. There were a lot of people at his funeral; old & young. They all held Matt in “loving favor.” That’s greater than Fort Knox! He also had a good name and that’s better than a million bucks! I leave Mat to the Lord & daily seek to transform my own reputation into something that will bring glory to my Savior.

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Motives

I Cor. 4:5: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have praise of God.”

This verse says one day the Lord will reveal my motives; the “counsels of my heart”, the why-I-do-things.

What motivates me to do right?

-FEAR?  What the consequence/results/outcomes might be if I don’t…  

-DUTY? My husband/family/friends/church expect it of me…

-HABIT? Its what I’ve always done…

Let me just tell you…..my personal motives for doing what’s right is definitely NOT because it is easy or because it is fun or because there’s nothing else I’d rather do!  That’s for sure!

No, I’m convinced my motivations should be…..love for the Lord!

John 14:23 & 24 says, “If a man love me, he will keep my words…He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings”. And vs. 15 says plainly, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Knowing this causes David’s words in Ps. 119:143 to make more sense! It says, “Trouble & anguish have taken hold on me: yet they commandments are my delights.”  The more Jesus loves me, the more I love Him….and the more I love Him, the more I’ll want to (or the more I am motivated) to obey His words.

If my motive is fear, when judgment is prolonged, I might think I got away with something & sin again. If its duty, I might quit when I get tired or when someone disappoints me. And if its habit…..Well, we all know that doesn’t fly when the going gets tough! But if it is His love; well, that’s never-ending. He has a vast supply ready for me every morning.

So when my heart & soul is held by trouble & anguish (Just so you’ll know, that’s a regular thing for me these days!) this girl knows what to do! I try to do the right thing for the right reason! And that would be: obey the Lord out of a heart of LOVE.

Then I won’t have to tell everybody how my I love the Lord…..they’ll know it.  He’ll tell them Himself one of these days!