Lord, "Establish" Me Today

 Life is so hard. And some days are just harder than others. Whether it is a prayer you are waiting for God to answer, or wisdom to know how to handle a situation that threatens your peace, 2 Thessalonians 2:17 is a verse you can pray with confidence, knowing God will hear and answer: "Lord, comfort my heart, and establish me in every good word and work."

Ask God to "establish" you today: He will. He will establish you as you speak, giving you just the right words at the right time. He will establish you as you work for His glory and in whatever you do in His name.

2 Thessalonians 3:2; "But the Lord is faithful Who will "establish" you and keep you from evil."

God delights in His word, and He delights in our prayers. When we put the 2 together, we have supernatural power in prayer and the enemy cannot stand in the supernatural power of God. Ask Him to establish you today.

Penny

Kind, Tenderhearted, and Forgiving

Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32.

I recently was walking into a restaurant and there in the landscaping, right beside the door was a rock, painted blue, and in big white letters were the words, Be Kind. Maybe you've seen painted rocks with words like Compassion, Love, Hope, Joy, and just those one or two words made you smile, made you want to do better at being a kinder, gentler, more forgiving person.

In Ephesians 4 the apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus that it is important how believers treat each other. And in verse four he shared three very simple, yet powerful words that can change any relationship from tense and stressed, to calm and sweet. (yes, sweet)

Kind. Just be kind. It costs us nothing to smile, it takes hardly anytime at all to open a door for someone, pick up something that has fallen from an older ladies' cart in WalMart, or allow someone  who has 2 items at Kroger to go ahead of your loaded down cart. Just be kind.

Tenderhearted. Tenderhearted is defined as having a kind, gentle, sentimental nature. It may take some cultivating on our part, but I believe anyone can develop a tender heart toward those who are sad and hurting. To be tenderhearted means to have empathy and compassion toward someone in need. All it takes is to imagine yourself in the other person's shoes and treating them the way you would want to be treated.

Forgiving. I must confess, I can sure hold onto old hurts. And the more I "entertain" those old memories, the bigger they get and if I'm not careful, they will consume me and manage to invade every part of my day. Paul wrote in Colossians 3 that we are to forgive as Jesus forgives (immediately) and not to wait until we "feel like it." Forgiveness is the mark of a maturing Christian.

I have found that my day goes better when I am kind, when my heart stays tender, not judging, and when I forgive the person who hurts me. Kindness, responding tenderly to those who are hurting, and forgiving others will start the healing process in them, but it really starts the healing in me.

Have a good, Good Friday. I hope you will attend church this Easter Sunday. 

 

Fellowship With Christ Today

 I hate to remind you of this, I know you already know it, but here goes: in this life there will always be trials and troubles. There will be disappointments, hurt feelings, fear, betrayal, jealousy, loneliness, and sadness, you can count on it. But we have this promise that God will always keep:

God is faithful, by Whom we are called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1: 9.

When our emotions run away with us (and they will), when we are overwhelmed with the troubles of this life (and we will be), we have a "fellowship" with Jesus that will sustain us no matter what we face today.

Fellowship is defined as "an associations with someone who shares our interest." As a believer, we can have fellowship with Christ because He is interested in me, and I am interested in Him.

When the sadness hits you in the face, and fear, jealousy, disappointments and everything else this world can throw at you threatens your peace and joy, spend some time with Christ and His Word. Do some one on one "fellowshipping" with Him today. You will feel and be so much better. Fellowshipping with Christ always brings back the peace and joy. He promised.

  

  

The Two Most Important Things.

 The most important decision you will ever make in this life is to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and to save your soul. The second most important decision you will make is who you marry. Those two decisions will impact your life more than where you live, your education, your vocation in life, or any other decisions you will make. 

If you are reading this and you are lost, if you have never asked Christ into your heart, please, please, ask Him now. If you are reading this and you are married, or if you are reading this and trusting God to give you a godly husband, home, and family, here are three scripture verses that you can read and pray today that will help prepare your heart for marriage and strengthen your home and marriage today. God is always faithful to His word.

Proverbs 31:11; The heart of her husband safely trusts in her. Verse 12: She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Today, ask God to guide you and help you be the wife that your husband needs. Look for ways to be good to your husband and be a safe place where he can share his heart. Let him know today that his heart is safe with you.

Psalm 121:1: I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from where comes my help. My help comes from the Lord Who made heaven and earth.

Each morning, ask God to bless your marriage. Ask Him to guide you and your husband as you build and develop that "three cord strand that cannot be easily broken." (Eph.4:12) He will. He wants your marriage to succeed and prosper more than you do!

Ephesians 4:2; Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ' sake has forgiven you.

Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham once said this: "A successful marriage is made up of two good forgivers." Today, ask God to give you a forgiving heart. Don't focus on your husband's faults, we all have plenty of those, but instead, set your heart on seeing all the good things about him, all the good things he does for you. Choose your focus.

No marriage can succeed and be a marriage that brings glory to God without two tenderhearted, forgiving people who "esteem each other more than themselves." (Phil.2:3,4)

God's intent for marriage is one man, one woman, for one lifetime. And since that is His intent, He will help you and your husband accomplish those two most important things that are so precious to Him: your eternal soul, and your marriage.

Penny

Nobody Else Can be You!

President Theodore Roosevelt said this: "Comparison is the thief of joy." Yet, as women we just can't help it: we look at another mom and think, "I'm not doing as good a job with my kids as she is doing with hers." Or maybe we look at her house or her clothes or her husband makes more money, and before you know it, we're doom and gloom for the day.

Well, here's some really great news: God doesn't compare you to anybody. You are one of a kind, His unique creation, His love, joy, and delight. And I can prove it!

1. You are one of a kind. Psalm 139:14; I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Before you were born "God covered you in your mother's womb." (v13). 

As we developed safely in our mother's womb God had all authority, He "possessed" me from the very beginning. (v13) You are you by God's own design and He has plans for your happiness and success in life. Embrace who you are, always look for areas that need growth and maturing and let God's word develop you. Read His Word every day, keep a journal and write down what the Holy Spirit speaks to you from the Word. You are God's possession, His unique creation.

2. God delights in you. Psalm 18:19; God delivered me because He delighted in me.

The Hebrew word for delight means to incline toward someone or something. God demonstrates His delight in us through His grace, His forgiveness, and the joy He takes in our obedience. You are definitely His delight.

Please don't allow yourself to get caught up in the comparison game. You are you, God's unique creation, His love, joy and delight. Comparing ourselves to someone else is really just a waste of time because nobody could ever be you no matter how hard she tried.  

Have a great, no comparison day!

Penny

 

Trust and Obey. There Really is No Other Way

 You've heard it said, "It's easy to trust God when the bills are paid, the kids are doing well in school, and our health is good." In fact, I think it's easier to say, "I trust You God" than to actually trust Him. 

We can never know the depths of our trust when we're in the good times: it takes those "back against the wall" experiences to reveal, "Am I trusting God, or am I just saying I trust Him?"

One of my favorite hymns that we sang in church when I was growing up is Trust and Obey. The chorus says this: Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Nahum 1:7 tell us this: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble: and He knows those who trust in Him.

I might say, "I trust You, Lord," but God knows my heart, He knows if I am really trusting Him, or just saying I do.

Do you trust God, really trust Him? I have found in my own life that if I am having a hard time trusting God to answer my prayer and then trusting Him no matter the answer, I have an obedience problem that needs my attention. When I get the obeying part right, trust comes naturally. It really is that simple.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Mark or hi-lite Nahum 1:7 in your Bible and let that verse keep a check on your heart. Then, check out the hymn Trust and Obey. I know the words will speak to you as they speak to me. Any questions or comments? Just ask and we'll do our best to answer.

Penny

Just Be Still

 When I was a senior in high school my English Lit class saw the movie, The Hiding Place. The movie is a true-life adaptation of the Ten Boom family who were Christians and lived in the Netherland's during World War 2. Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father Casper lived in a house above their watch shop and it was in that house that they hid Jews and others from the Nazi's. As many as 5 or 6 people were known to be hidden at one time in their home and some of them Corrie hid in a secret room in her bedroom.

Corrie and her family lived a "scary life." They were continually on high alert, always fearful, but her faith was so strong, her devotion so deep, that what she was doing for God and His people was stronger than any other fear or worry she endured each day.

I enjoy reading about her and her devotion to Christ, and one of my favorite quotes of Corrie Ten Boom's is this:

Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.

Maybe today you are worried about things you can't control. Maybe thoughts of your future or fear for your loved ones is a continuing "cycle of inefficient thoughts" and they are preventing you from trusting God. Worry often makes us feel restless, creates negative emotions, and can paralyze us with fear.

Psalm 46:10 tells us the answer for "inefficient thoughts."

Be still and know that I am God.

When life overwhelms you, be still. Get to a place where you can sit quietly, pray (out loud if possible) and say, "You are God. I know You are God." God will work in the quiet of your stillness to deepen your faith and develop your trust. No matter what you may face  today rest assured: He is all you need. Just be still.

Penny