Category Archives: 5-Minute Friday

I Am Woman…

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I am woman, hear me roar… LOL  Every time I think of this subject these words cross my mind and make me smile.  Yes, I can be a roaring lioness at times. But, I am more than that. I am passionate about being a woman and becoming all that I can be for my Jesus.  I am also…

 

Isaiah 43:1b  Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

 

 

John 15:16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Matthew 6:14   For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

 

 

Jeremiah 31:3   I have loved you with an everlasting love.

 

Romans 12:6   We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. 

 

… and so much more!

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

This post is joining an awesome group of bloggers for 5-Minute Friday.  Come join us!

Inclusive Or Exclusive

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God’s Word is very clear about this subject.  Just as God includes everyone we are to do the same.  It does not matter whether we are male/female, rich/poor, educated, beautiful, young/old …

Look at James 2.  It’s really clear on the issue.  We are to welcome and love everyone who enters our ‘meeting’.  We are to be inclusive, not exclusive.

God loves us all the same.  So, if we’re truly trying to become more like Him, then, we are going to stop the favoritism game.  There’s a great song out right now by Mandisa, We All Bleed The Same, that says it all.  “…if we’re going to shout, let love be the cry.”

And so, in response to all he has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good. (Hebrews 10:24) 

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

Sharing this post with many other awesome bloggers at  5-Minute Friday.

Who Are The Other People?

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My thoughts and ponderings on this word led me to who are the ‘other’ people in our society?  In a social climate that prides itself on equality, we have certain ‘other’ people that are not counted among the equal.  People of color, any color actually, white, black, olive, pink… women, elderly, poor, rich, educated, homeless.  Every one of us fits in an ‘other’ category.

When I looked up the definition here’s what it said: used to refer to a person or thing that is different or distinct from one already mentioned or known about.  

What, then, does God say about it?

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.  Luke 6:31 (I can still hear my mother’s voice… Do unto others as you would have them do to you.)

Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.  Philippians 2:4 (I don’t think this verse would even be necessary if we would stop being all about ourselves.)

So, isn’t it time to start making the ‘other’ people in our lives more important than we are?

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

I’m sharing this with a group of writers who set aside 5 minutes each week to write about one word.  Why don’t you join us?  Five Minute Friday

What IF …

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When was the last time you looked back a situation and said, “What if… ?”

From the time we’re very young we start having ‘regrets’. We start thinking what if I had not said that. What if I had not done that. What if I had chosen something different. Regret is one of the most common, negative feelings human beings experience.

Everyone has regrets!  Psalm 51 is a prayer about David’s regret over adultery and murder.  And what about Peter?  When he realized what he had done he went away and wept bitterly, Luke 22:61-62. (Can you even imagine what Jesus’ long glance did to him?)

The good thing about having regret is it shows we’re paying attention to our shortcomings, yes, even our sins.  It’s knowing that something went wrong, something’s not right.  Thinking what could I have done instead of what I did prepares us for the next time the situation occurs.

But then…  Get rid of it!  Take it to the cross and leave it there.  Quit mulling over it and over it and over it…  (satan loves that because it takes our focus off Jesus).  Pray David’s prayer:

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

(Click on the picture above to hear Keith Green’s beautiful rendition of this prayer.)

I’m joining many others at 5-Minute Friday.  Join us there!

 

 

 

 

 

True Beauty

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Where is true beauty found?  In our looks, our jewelry, our homes/cars, our…   I think not!  Then is beauty in the ‘eye of the beholder’?  To some extent, but even that is based on personal bias.  Confucious said, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”  In nature, in music, in work, in …  It truly is all around us.  We just have to train ourselves to look.

In the Song of Songs, Solomon tells his bride that she is beautiful because she has no flaws (Song of Songs 4:7).  Our culture is all about that.  If we are thin, rich, youthful, educated and successful we are considered perfect. But is that really what being beautiful is all about?

So what is beauty?   Have you ever met someone that is not physically beautiful but there’s just something about them that draws you in.  I really like the way the New Living Translation says 1 Peter 3:4, “You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”  There it is.  The confident, inner glow, that says I care about you, I know your struggle, I’ve been where you are …  The ability to be appreciative, forgiving and loving marks the beautiful person.

Beauty is not about perfect hair, (I’ve not had a perfect hair day in so long I’ve given up on it.) perfect body shape, perfect attire, perfect words, perfect home, perfect children…  It’s not about perfect anything!  It’s about the willingness to take the focus off yourself and place it on Jesus and those around us.  Only then, are we truly beautiful!

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

I’m delighted to be writing with many others in response to the 5-Minute Friday word prompt.  You can join us, too!  Check it out at http://fiveminutefriday.com