Author Archives: Marie

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About Marie

Happily married to the same awesome guy for many years. Love God, reading, cats, and travel. Avid crafter especially counted cross stitch and crochet.

Thanks for the Memories

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Favorite Bible Verses

Lately, I’ve been pulling out scriptures I memorized in the past to use as reminders, for calming stress, for prayer, and a variety of other uses.  Remember, we are told to commit scripture to memory for life use (See Psalm 199:11, Colossians 3:16).

Zechariah 4:6 reminds me that all of my strength and power are nothing compared to the Spirit of the LORD.

Proverbs 23:7 keeps me aware that my thoughts control my actions.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is useful when my trust in people is low and I’m stressing about what is going on around me.  He is all I need to trust in all of my life’s situations.

Jeremiah 29:11-12   Many people, including me, like the positivity of verse 11.  However, verse 12 reminds me that when I come to Him and pray to Him,  HE WILL HEAR ME.  What a promise!  The memory reminder that HE will hear me is especially powerful when I think others are just not listening.

It is so important that we memorize scripture that the ‘command’ is given early in the history of believers.  Deuteronomy 6:6-9 reminds us to keep the Word in our thoughts/hearts (through memory), close to our bodies (written on our hand), as part of our jewelry (frontlets or phylacteries), part of our conversation (at home and traveling), and as home decorations (on the doorposts).

It is very comforting for me to have God’s Word so close that all I need to do is think about it.

Cover Ups

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In the course of my lifelong search for what Love really is God has given many examples of it.  We recently had guests for lunch and their youngest son was totally enamored with our black cat’s choice of sleeping/hiding places.  He (the cat) loves to be totally covered up under quilts, blankets, pillows…actually under anything.  We would pull back the throw, that the cat was sleeping under, and all Isaiah could see was two green eyes peering back and he would laugh that delighted two-year old laugh.  I could hear God in that laugh and knew that He was once again giving me a personal glimpse of Him through a child’s delighted laugh.

Psalm 149:4 tells us the LORD takes great delight in us.  He shows us how much He loves us in the many things around us.  Like a child’s delighted laugh, humming birds at the feeders, the shapes and colors of nature, people who model His many attributes, and… Watch for the LORD’s delighted love.  It’s everywhere!

HOLDING BACK

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What do we really give to God?  Do we keep anything from God?

Read Acts 20:35

All that we have IS HIS and WAS HIS and will always BE HIS.  The time we spend playing computer games rather than searching for more understanding through the same source IS HIS.  The things we do, like writing, crafting, singing, playing an instrument, cooking, baking, career or job activities ARE HIS.  Every penny of the money we have, earn or inherit  IS HIS.

If we are holding back any part of the ALL that IS HIS we need to ask Him to make us aware.  Pray that we will be made aware of what is needed in the Kingdom.  Our return of His provision let those around us know that WE ARE HIS!  (John 13:35)

NO OPTIONS TO LOVE

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John 13:33-34

How often do we pray, “Father, let (help) me love everyone today,” then walk out of our ‘prayer spot’ and totally forget we’ve asked?

Then, someone irritates us with their words…

Then, something happens that wasn’t planned…

Then, another person tells us what someone else has said about us…

Then we feel slighted by someone, in some way…

When we are commanded in John 13:34 to love one another like HE loves us there are no ifs, there are no buts.  One almost might say there are no options.  But there are actually two,  right choices and wrong choices.  The above “thens” have options.  We can choose to respond as HE would with kindness, love, patience, gentleness and self-control.  We can choose to be hateful, gossipy, malicious, or controlling.  What choice we make we shows others Whose we are.

Let’s choose loving one another!!!

Reaching Out

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What are we doing to bring the lost to Christ?  Who do we know that needs to know the love of Jesus?  Are we consistantly showing others that we are a child of the King?  Do our words and actions lift up and not put down those around us?

OK!  I’d like to say yes to all those questions, but then I’d have to ask for forgiveness for lying.  These kinds of questions are so convicting for me that I already feel the need to get on my knees.

Are we giving a cup of water (or food, or clothing, or help) when one who does not have it shows the need?  Or are we sending them away with a hug and the thought that we have problems and needs too.  They may not ask  but when we see the need we must act upon it.   We really do show our commitment to our LORD through our actions.  Can we even imagine the surge of New Believers if  our relationship with Jesus is evident in all our thoughts, words, and actions. 

Applying ourselves to a way of life  that shares our faith regularly with those around us is one way to reach the non-Believer.   Caring about others goes a long way toward saying and showing that we really are who God says we are.

There is an additional page on this blog called Lifestyle Evangelism where I’ll be placing suggestions for caring, sharing, and reaching out to everyone around us.  Even though we are commanded to reach and teach the lost we also need to show our support to other believers.  Take the time – TODAY!