Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

design

Monday, April 30, 2012

New Blog Added to the Directory...

I'm very happy to tell you guys about the new blog that's been added to the directory---


Written by Tristine Fleming
Daily Reminders from God-- Daily inspirational and encouraging reminders directly from God’s own Words. Receive God’s reminder. Make a “Note to Self.” Pray.


It is a really cool site, and even offers opportunities for guest posting (I know some of you are looking for opportunities to write-- hint-- hint.. :))


Please welcome Tristine to the '365 Devotional Blog' Family :)


If you'd like your blog added, please send me an email at ohthatmomagain (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Thanks and God Bless You :)

Kelly


day 315: Jesus Heals the Blind Man

Today's 365 is a bit different. I am posting all of John 9-- Jesus healing the blind man. I have a few things to say while you are readings, so read on.... By the way, I hope you can read this-- sometimes blogger doesn't like me.



John 9

New International Version (NIV) (from www.biblegateway.com)

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Ok.... Important point... IF the man was blind because of something he did-- he was blind from birth, I don't see many sinful fetuses--Obviously, nothing he did caused his blindness. Sometimes we feel the same way. That we are causing our ailments. Most of the time, that's not the case...

Keep reading....

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus is saying that sometimes things happen and it's no ones fault. If only good happened, when would people seek out God? Does the news come on every day and say, "The sun came up-- and Act of God!". Nope, only in the bad do people think of Him---

Keep going...

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Now Jesus could have healed this guy standing right there and not made him go through all of that trouble... but he did it so others could see AND to see how much faith the man had. God can give us what we want easily-- but sometimes He CHOOSES to let us go to the water and wash out our eyes so we can prove our faith in him....

Keep reading...

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
The man was so different, his neighbors didn't recognize him. How about you? When you accepted Jesus, could the neighbors recognize you?



10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
He didn't know.... because he'd never seen him. Jesus was gone when he got his sight.
.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

.
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
They couldn't believe a 'sinner' who worked on the Sabbath could be from God... much less His son. No one doubted it was a miracle... they were too caught up in the details....


18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
They didn't believe him... so they called in his mommy and daddy (how's that for a slap in the face). They told the men that he could speak for himself... anyone who said that Jesus was the Messiah would be kicked out of the synagogue (ie not a good thing).



24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
They wanted him to say that God did it... not Jesus. Little did they know it was the same thing...


25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
He said, "Listen people! I already told you once... do you  need me to spell it out for you? Do you want to become his disciples???"



28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
Meaning, they didn't know if he came from God or was demon possessed-- a popular theory among them.


30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
The man had NO DOUBTS that he was from God! 


34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
How dare an 'unimportant person' lecture them... for shame!

Spiritual Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
Jesus found him and asked him if he believed in the Messiah...


36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Remember, he'd never actually seen him....

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
Can't you just imagine this guy's eyes lighting up! This was the guy who saved him! The guy who was God's son! It was a big deal to be with him.. and yes, he believed!


39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.



The point is... the blind man never saw Jesus when he healed him. He only felt him. We feel him all the time when he does miracles for us. Do we react like the blind man? Do we get excited and follow him? Do we stand up to the people in charge no matter the consequences? Or do we pretend we don't recognize him? Or go on our merry way and keep our blessing to ourselves?

God Bless You,

Kelly

Friday, April 27, 2012

New Blog Added to the Directory...

We keep growing by leaps and bounds :)


Just added another blog to the directory:



Hope, Heart, Home: Messages of Hope from the Heart For the Home, a blog to encourage with an occasional recipe, solution, or a simple musin' from Susan! 


Head on over and check out her faith-filled blog.


If you'd like your blog added to the directory, please email me at ohthatmomagain (at) yahoo (dot) com-- also, remember 'Faith-Filled Friday' over at www.ohthatmomagain.blogspot.com I'd love to read some more Christian short stories.


God Bless You,


Kelly

day 312: Who is your 'they'?

Jeremiah 1:19
They will fight you, but they will fail,
For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
******
Your *they* is different from my *they*.
"They will fight you" can mean:
*family
*friends
*co-workers
*circumstances
*thoughts you can't get out of your head
*worry
*fear
*dread
*illnesses
*cancer
Whatever it is that is fighting you--
Pick your 'they' and put it in the sentence:
_________ will fight me, but ________ will fail
For Your God is with me, and He will take care of me.
For the Lord has spoken.
Worry will fight me, but worry will fail....
Cancer will fight me, but cancer will fail....
Doubt will fight me, but doubt will fail....
For I am with you, and I will take care of you,
I, the Lord, have spoken!
If you have a hard time remembering verses, this is one you need to work on. Insert whatever is coming against you for 'they' and remind yourself that 'GOD IS WITH YOU-- and HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU."
God Bless You,
Kelly

Thursday, April 26, 2012

day 311: A Principle of Life

Romans 7:21-25

I have discovered this principle of life-- that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

Oh, what a miserable person I am!

Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

*****

Oh Paul, I dare say these words are as true now as they were when you wrote them.

We Christians have a hard way to go-- to be honest. We know what is wrong, we know what is sin, but we do it anyway.

And then we feel guilty about it.

It happens to me.

It happens to you.

It happened to Paul.

It makes me feel better to know that Paul struggled with it (sorry Paul) because if someone as spiritual as Paul did-- then I shouldn't feel bad about it.

We (you, I, the world) will never be perfect. We will all do things that we wish we hadn't (20/20 hindsight and all), but with Jesus we can be forgiven for it. We can be clean and we can accept that we won't do everything right.

This verse is one of my new favorites. I hope you got something out of it too.

God Bless You,

Kelly


Please visit my other blog, Oh That Mom Again..., tomorrow for Faith-Fiction Friday. Even if you don't want to write the 100 word devotional, fiction, or non-fiction, you will be blessed by the stories others have to tell.

Linked with...


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

day 310: Ashamed

Luke 9:25
If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

************

The other day, I told one of my daughters to stop singing (loudly) when we were going through the store. What was she singing? It was a Christian song from a play I did years ago (we listen to the CD in the car every day).

I was ashamed.

Sometimes, when I go through the drive-thru, I turn the music down so the people can't hear.

I am ashamed.

Sitting here, I'm ashamed that I've done that.

It wasn't intentional. I didn't wake up thinking, "Hey, I want to deny Jesus today."

Peter didn't wake up with that thought either, come to think of it.

But it happens, and I dare say I'm not the only one.

I sure don't want Jesus ashamed of me. I can see how he could be though sometimes.

I need to work really hard on not caring about what others think. I'm getting better at it; but still have a long way to go.

What about you? Did this verse hit you today or is it something you excell at in your life?

God Bless You,

Kelly



Tuesday, April 24, 2012

day 309: Even if No One Else Sees It

Psalm 62:7
My victory and honor come from God alone,
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

*****************

We might not think it, but we seek honor and recognition in many different ways:

*Wearing a new shirt/dress so people will compliment.

*Having a new haircut and hoping people will notice

*Writing something and hoping (and praying) for a great response.

*Telling someone 'all of the things' you have to do at home... just hoping that they will compliment you on how awesome you are.

......

And there are many many more.

We all seek some kind of recognition for a job well done. It starts as a sticker in preschool and goes all the way up to a promotion at work for doing well. We all need/crave that honor.

The problem lies when that honor isn't enough... or when we crave the next honor so much that we are either down or so focused on it that we don't see the big picture.

It's ok to have dreams and wants and to be patted on the back on occasion. But don't forget that the MAIN honor comes from God-- and God alone.

That doesn't mean that you should give up things that you 'crave' honor in. It means that you give it over to God and realize that if it doesn't go your way OR if you don't get the recognition you think you deserve, it's ok. God sees-- even when no one else does.

God is proud of you-- even if no one else says it.

God Bless You,

Kelly

Linked with: On Your Heart Tuesday

Monday, April 23, 2012

day 308: Jesus Didn't Care

John 4:25-26
The woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming-- the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus told her, "I AM the Messiah!"

***************



Jesus didn't care.

In the culture of the day: the Jews didn't interact with the Gentiles (in this case the Samaritans); men didn't talk to women in public; and especially an 'immoral' woman like this one. In fact, it was so hard for her that she went the well out of her way in the middle of the day so she wouldn't have to be the town gossip (or at least hear it).

Jesus knew all about the customs of the day: Jesus didn't care.

He struck up a conversation with the surprised lady (she was shocked that a Jewish man would talk to a woman like her), and asked for some water. It shocked her again because for a Jew to drink out of a Gentile jug was to make him unclean.

Jesus didn't care.

The first person, The VERY FIRST, person Jesus told that he was the Messiah wasn't a flashy king or even a Jew. It was a little sinful woman (the town sinner at that). She ended up being the first missionary for Jesus when she ran and told the town that the Messiah had come!

The towns people ran out and a lot of them got saved. Jesus ended up staying there for 2 days.

Jesus didn't care that she was a woman or a sinner or a Samaritan. He CARED that she was a person, a human, a sister, a creation.

Jesus didn't judge. Jesus knew her sins and her faults and he looked past them and saw the good. He saw a vessel he could use-- a willing heart.

Jesus didn't care about what the world saw-- he cared about her heart.

Jesus doesn't care about your sins or your 'faults'-- he cares about your heart and how open it is to him.

I want to be more like Jesus.

God Bless You,

Kelly





Friday, April 20, 2012

New Blog Added :)

I'm very excited to announce another blog added to the directory :)

Photobucket
Just a Thought: I'm Mom to four incredible kids, and wife to the best husband on the planet. I am blessed, forgiven, and loved-unconditionally and extravagantly. I am discovering who I was created to be, and what it means to live loved and walk in everyday Grace. You can find me knee deep in Life, Love, Laughter, Creativity, Family and Faith, over at Just A Thought♥


Please visit Katharine's blog and show her some support :)

Don't forget to look at the other blogs and get great Biblical encouragement from each of them.



It's growing folks :)

What a great resource for us! :)

God Bless You,

Kelly

day 305: Gung Ho

Isaiah 30:21
Your own ears will hear Him,
Right behind you a voice will say,
"This is the way you should go,"
whether to the right or to the left.

*****

I'm pretty sure God tells you where to go and what to do-- the problem is that we don't listen all of the time.

Or we listen, and God doesn't say what *WE* think he should, so we pretend we don't hear him. And then we say we didn't.

We humans are great at talking ourselves out of something.

Sometimes I'll be all gung ho about doing something: for example, paying for the person's food behind me at McDonald's. And when I get to the window, I chicken out-- or think "That wasn't God telling me to do that. It was just me thinking." (because THAT makes a whole lot of sense).

So, today, I heard 'why don't you pay for the one behind you?" and when I got up there, I had talked myself out of it... but... but I didn't listen (for once) and I did it.

I have to say, actually DOING what God tells you to do feels a whole heck of a lot better than not!

What is God telling you to do? Are you listening or are you trying to talk yourself out of it?

God Bless You,

Kelly

Linked with: Faith Filled Friday

**Please take time to visit my other blog http://www.ohthatmomagain.blogspot.com/ for Faith-Fiction Friday.



Thursday, April 19, 2012

New Blog added to the Directory :)

I'm proud to announce that I've added: BEING WOVEN: to the Devotional Blog Directory. Please click over and give her some love.

Here is her snippet:

Being Woven: "As the moments of each day meld together to form my outer world, so, too, do thoughts, studies, and prayers illuminate my inner world. Journaling is my way toward clarity and peace as I process the study of God's Word, the books I read, my reactions to the world around me and to the intertwined global world. My heart thoughts become my journal thoughts."
I've had several people contact me to add them to the directory and I've sent emails back, but haven't gotten anything else from them. If that's you, I'm SO looking to add your blog :) I haven't forgotten you-- just waiting on your snippet.

Also, if  you'd like your blog added, please email me at ohthatmomagain (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Please visit the 'DEVOTIONAL BLOG DIRECTORY' at the stop of the page to find over 20 blogs full of devotionals to get you through your day! I know they would appreciate the support.

God Bless You,

~Kelly

day 304: Love Each Other

John 13:34
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

**************

I'm going to be honest with you: this morning when I was yelling at my husband I wasn't showing him love.

Imagine that.

What sin had he committed?

He hadn't helped with the girls; I was late and crabby.

I didn't show him love.

I'm sure you can all relate.

There are times when we don't show each other love. We get aggrivated, upset, our feelings get hurt, we're angry, or just generally in a foul disposition and if ANYONE looks at us then-- well-- they've had it!

But when we feel those negative things coming on, we need to stop, breathe, and pray.

Eating crow afterwards isn't all that fun.

The hardest thing to do is love everyone. It seems easy, but it's really not. Not everyone thinks like you, sees things like you, has had the same experiences as you. Not everyone is easy to love, but we are supposed to try.

We won't always succeed, but we need to pray about it and we need to stop ourselves before our anger gets us in situations we can't get out of.

God Bless You,

Kelly

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

day 303: Working Together

Ephesians 4:11-13
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and to build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to full and complete standard of Christ.

**************

If a church works together, it can express the fullness of Jesus. It can help people, guide people, tell others about Jesus. If a church is cohesive, it has time to think of others and less time to worry about church gossip.

No one person in the church can be all the parts. Everyone has to chip in and help. Everyone has a special gift that should/can be used the help the whole church to spread God's word.

If one person doesn't do their part, the entire church suffers.

If one person isn't unified, the whole church suffers.

If there is dissension, gossip, anger, hurt, cliques, jealousy, 'class divisions', etc, in the church the world WILL find out and then every person's testimony that goes to that church is tainted ("Did you see how they were fighting at that church? Man, what good does it do to be a Christian? I'm better than that.")

All of those things are things we DON'T want! We want a strong, united church so we can fight the devil and not ourselves: so we can win souls to God-- not win arguments.

What can you do if your church isn't unified? Pray-- and pray hard. The best thing to do is not talk about it. Don't bring it up. Don't gossip about the problems going on. Don't stand up at church and yell at people. Don't send anonymous letters. Don't slander others. If you are a teacher or a preacher or a person who leads people, don't use your words to lead others down a gossiping/hurt filled road. Your job is to help, not hurt, not to spread gossip. Not to cause dissension.

Pray about it. I know every church has problems. You can't have more than two people together without conflict of some sort. If this is going on at your church, stay back, pray, and let God take care of it. God isn't the one causing the fights-- and you don't need to add fuel to the Devils fire (that only lets him win the battle).

Let's pray for our churches. Every church needs it.

God Bless You,

~Kelly

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

day 302: Telling the Whole Earth

1 Chronicles 16:23-27
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

****


When I read this verse, I immediately thought of blogging (weird? Maybe, but stay with me).

*Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
I have 'met' bloggers from all over the world though blogging. Blogs from all over the earth sing praises (ie tell others) about God

*Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
Lots of blogs (like this one) are daily blogs. Even if yours isn't, you still proclaim the good news!

*Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
When you hit the 'publish' button, you are spreading God's word to the world. You might not think you are-- you are simply in your house after all-- but your words are shot all over the world to anyone who wants to access them. That is a great responsibility! We have to be careful what we say.

*Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
Have you wrote today about, blogged about, told someone about the amazing things God has done in your life?

God Bless You,

~Kelly

***I'm starting something on www.ohthatmomagain.blogspot.com every Friday called Faith Fiction Friday. Basically, I'm going to post a picture and encourage you to write a 100 word (give or take) fiction or non-fiction story based on the picture. It will be faith based. When you leave a comment, you will be encouraged to add your blog to the link-up. More details will be on the blog Thursday night. I hope it's something you pray about and will support. I want it to be fun and encouraging.

Linked with: On Your Heart Tuesday





Monday, April 16, 2012

day 301: Anxiety

Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
************
To tell you the truth, I didn't know there was a lot in the Bible on anxiety. I mean, I know we are supposed to trust God in everything and not worry-- but we are human-- and sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we worry.

Sometimes that worry leads to anxiety or even panic attacks.

Have you ever had a panic attack?

I dare say most everyone has at one time or another, however at the time, it seems like 1) It is worse than anyone else in the world and 2) that it will either kill you or last forever.

Anxiety and panic attacks do weigh you down. It hurts your joints, your neck, your chest (and where ever it is that you hold tension.). You've seen that commercial that says 'depression hurts'-- well it does. Not only you, but those around you.

So what can we do about it? Well, we can pray when we feel those thoughts or feelings coming on. But don't dwell on it. Try to take your mind off of it.

If that doesn't work, my sister told me that she saw on Hoarders once where a panic attack won't last longer than 25 minutes (how awesome is that! It would be a long 25 minutes-- but at least you know it DOES have an end!)

If you see someone struggling, encourage them. Give them a nice hug, a pat on the back, a smile-- let them know you are thinking of them. It could mean at lot.

Anxiety and panic attacks are par for the course unfortunately for millions of people. If it doesn't affect you personally, I bet you know someone that it does. I'll pray for you and yours; and you pray for me and mine. Lets get a 'Beat Anxiety' prayer chain going! Even knowing that you are praying can do a world of good for something who is stressed.
God Bless You!
~Kelly

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Ultimate Blog Party


This year, encourage365, is participating in the Ultimate Blog Party sponsored by www.5MinutesforMom.com.

If you are new here, my name is Kelly. I'm a special Education Preschool teacher. I have three little girls, a husband, and a love for God and writing.

God Bless You,

Kelly

(BTW, my other blog, www.ohthatmomagain.blogspot.com is also participating in the blog party. Click on over and check it out :) )

Friday, April 13, 2012

Day 298: Perfect Conditions

Ecclesiastes 11:4
If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

**************

I've written on this before, and if God wants it, I write on it again. I love this verse. It's actually one of my favorites in the Bible.

If you want for things to get perfect, you won't get anything accomplished-- because that will never happen.

Something will always be there to block you.
*Maybe you have small kids and don't think you have time to do what the Lord wants you to do--

*Maybe you are extremely busy with work

*Maybe the cleaning never seems to get done.

*Maybe you had a very sinful past

*Maybe you have really low self-esteem

*Maybe you are waiting for that 'sign' to happen before you start.

All of those things can keep you from your getting 'done' or even started.

If God had told you to do something, don't make excuses for why you can't. He's God, He knows what's going on in your life-- and He STILL chose you to do it.

That is an amazing pat on the back! God thinks you are so strong/awesome/terrific/great/ that HE CHOSE YOU to do it!

He knows you can do it! Don't let others (including yourself) tell you that you can't.

God Bless You,

Kelly

Linked with: Faith Filled Friday

Thursday, April 12, 2012

day 297: Sometimes I feel like I Want to Run Away

Jonah 1:1-3
The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgement against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."

But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord.

**********

Ah, ye ole 'running away from God'.

Sometimes we read this and shake our heads at Jonah-- What we he thinkig?-- we think.

Oh, if only we could read the book of our lives as easily as Jonah's.

So, we don't have a book written about us (well I'm sure some of you do), and we don't know the 'ending', and I dare say we aren't going to be eaten by a whale today-- but how many times has God told you/us to do something, and we went in the opposite direction?

But... but... but...

Don't feel bad-- I'm in the same boat.

God tells us to do something and we either to in the totally opposite direction OR we convince ourselves that we didn't hear that: that God really didn't speak to us. He would NEVER tell us to do that-- must just be our imagination. (Or so we think).

In that situation, we are no better than Jonah. Jonah did eventually see the error in his ways-- do we?

We really need to think about it the next time God tells us to do something-- are we running away from it like Jonah or are we going toward it full of faith and determination?

God Bless You,

Kelly

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

day 296: Steadfast Love

Psalm 107:1
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

*************

What is 'steadfast love'?

It is enduring faithfullness, care, and kindness that God has promised to us.

Have you ever had someone let you down?

I think everyone has. If you want to be truthful, we all let God down at one time or another (ouch).

But you know the cool, neat, awesome thing about God? He has steadfast love... meaning he loves us no matter how imperfect we are... even when we disappoint him.

Maybe we need to apply that to people in our lives----

God Bless You,

Kelly


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

day 295: Every Part



Galatians 5:25
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit in every part of our lives.
************************
I'm going to admit right now that I don't follow the Spirit in every part of my life-- in every second. I dare say, I'm not the only one.
I'd LOVE too... I WANT too... but I'm human (annoyingly so).
There are sometimes I do what *I* want to do:
*When I read the 'Hunger Games' the other night instead of reading the Bible like I knew I should.
*When I was too busy on youtube to pray.
*When I took more time writing than I did playing with my girls.
All things I wanted to do-- not necessarily what God wanted.
This takes practice and being intune with God. We NEED to think about Him all of the time and let all of our decisions be lead by Him. It doesn't mean it's easy, but it's necessary.
I'll pray for you about it-- and you can pray for me :) We so need to put God in every part of our lives.
God Bless You,
Kelly

Linked with: On Your Heart Tuesday

Monday, April 9, 2012

day 294: Your Sins on the Cross

Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passion and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

******************

It's hard to imagine nailing your sins to the cross. After all, Jesus did all of the work. He's the one who was tortured, hung up, and killed-- not us-- not really.

So, it's hard to imagine that the way to salvation is the do something so simple-- believe and ask Jesus into your heart.

It's magical and spiritual... and hard to understand especially if you haven't been to church all of your life (and sometimes if you have).

Jesus did all of that so we wouldn't have too-- so we could go to Heaven with him. When you ask for forgiveness, it's like those sins are nailed to the cross, no longer part of us.

So simple, but so powerful

God Bless You,

Kelly


Friday, April 6, 2012

day 291: How Very Human...

John 19:25-27
Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas),and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciples he loved, he said to her, "Dear woman, here is your son."

And he said to this disciple "Here is your mother." And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

****************

Happy Good Friday to you all!

For some of us, it's a day off-- but we still need to take time today to remember WHY we are off. Today is the day and innocent man died to save all of us. How many people do you know of that have done that?

I love today's verse. I know lots of people like to think of Jesus as the powerful son of God (and I like that too), but I also like to think of Jesus as very human. He was both, and that's how he understands how we feel when we pray. He was one of us. He understands our feelings and frustrations.

And he knows all about love.

When he was dying on the cross-- hurting-- bleeding-- in agony-- what did he do?

He took care of his mother.

What a very  human thing to do...

He wanted his mother taken care of when he couldn't anymore. He wanted a person he loved (John) to do it.

Mary was present at his birth and his death. She'd seen his  miracles and wiped his tears. She'd held his hand when he was an 'in-to-everything' two year old and smiled when he performed the miracle at the wedding.

He loved her and wanted to take care of her.

He has said that as much as he loved his mother, he loves all of us (he called us all-- including his mother-- brothers and sisters). If he did so much for his mother, he will do just as much for us.

Don't ever think God or Jesus don't understand. They understand all too well.

God Bless You on this Good Friday.

Kelly

Linked with: Faith-Filled Friday