Tag Archives: God

Sisters

Dear, dear family, I came across this beautiful example of loving one another and sharing life’s meaning recently.  Please, pass it on to your own friends.  The message is simply – – we need one another.  Jesus said, when answering the question what is the greatest commandment,  “Love God and Love one another”.  (Matthew 22:37-40)  There is no better way to fulfill the basic human need for love than to just do it!

mother daughter

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and and visiting with her mother.  As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter..

“Don’t forget your sisters,” she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass.  “They’ll be more important as you get older.  No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters.  Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.”

“Remember that ‘sisters’ means ALL the women…your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too.  “You’ll need other women.  Women always do.”

The young woman thought this was a funny piece of advice.  Haven’t I just gotten married?  Haven’t just joined the couple-world?  I’m now a married woman! A grown-up!  Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!

But she listened to her mother.  She kept contact with her sisters and made more sisterswomen friends each year.  As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about.  As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world this list says it all:

hourglassTime passes.

 

 

 

 

New lifeLife happens.

 

 

 

distanceDistance separates.

 

 

children

Children grow up.

 

 

 

jobJobs come and go.

 

 

 

loveLove changes.

 

 

 

failurePeople don’t do what they’re supposed to do.

 

 

 

 

tearsHearts break.

 

 

cemetaryParents die.

 

 

 

broken promisesColleagues forget favors.

 

 

 

 

retirementCareers end.

 

 

 

BUT……..Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you, a girl friend is never farther than needing her can reach.  When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley’s end.  Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you…Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: ALL BLESS OUR LIFE!

The world wouldn’t be the same without women, and neither would I… When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.  Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Worship Him in music – – From Sister Act 2

Heavenly Father, You created us to need one another.  You knew there would be a special bond between us.  LORD, let us understand and know what You would have Your Sisters do and be.  Let us share Your Agape (the kind of love that puts the other first) love with all.  Make it so!

Conversation Hearts

hearts 6God so wants a relationship with us!  He sent His One and Only Son for Heaven’s sake (pun intended).  As I pondered fitting posts for this week of love my mind went to those little conversation hearts that are still given for Valentines treats. I’m sure you will be able to name even more scriptures that go with them and I encourage you to keep on looking.

Looking at the picture above John 3:16 instantly popped into my mind.  What is real  love?  Caring more about someone else’s needs before your own.  That ‘s what God did.  He loved the world so much He gave us Jesus.  That’s real love.

 

hearts 5Only God!  He is Omnipotent (The One and Only).  He is Omniscient (All knowing).  He is Omnipresent (Everywhere all the time).

 

 

 

???????????????????????????????????????God wants us to communicate with Him.  On a daily, hourly basis.  He wants us to include Him in everything we think do and say.   Prayer is one of the ways we communicate with Him.  Philippians 4:6 tells us to go to God with every request we have.  Matthew 7:7-8 Tells us to ask and it will be given to us, seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened.  Each of those phrases requires an action that shows our desire to communicate with God.

Communicate with our Lord through music….Pray On!

Ah, Lord God, You see us, You hear us, You know us, You love us!  You are the reason for our very lives.  Oh, LORD humble us.  Make us aware that You want us to talk with You.  Keep our lives from being all about us and make them all about You.  Make it so!

God’s Resolutions

Happy New Year

At this ending of the year many are making resolutions to bring in the new.  Things like lose weight, exercise more, learn more, read more and on and on and on…  Interestingly these re-solutions to old problems last for only a few days, perhaps weeks at best.  As I thought about this it crossed my mind that God has SOLUTIONS and has spelled them out very plainly for us in His Word.  We only need to believe that He can and will do what He says He can.

10 Solutions from God (I have capitalized the solution.)

  1. DON’T WORRY, because I am with you.  DON’T BE AFRAID because I am your God, I will make you strong and will help you: I will support you with my right hand that saves you.          Isaiah 43:1-3
  2. The LORD’S LOVE never ends; His mercies never sop.  They are new every morning;  LORD, Your loyalty is great.  I say to myself, “The LORD is mine, so I hope in Him.”  The LORD is good to those who HOPE IN HIM, to those who SEEK HIM.     Lamentations 3:22-25
  3. COME TO ME, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you REST.  Accept my teachings and LEARN FROM ME, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find REST for your lives.   Matthew 11:28-29
  4. God will show His MERCY forever and ever to those who WORSHIP and SERVE HIM.    Luke 1:50
  5. The LORD your God is with you;  the mighty One will save you.  He will REJOICE over you.  You will REST IN HIS LOVE; He will sing and be joyful about you.   Zephaniah 3:17
  6. WAIT and TRUST the LORD.  DON’T BE UPSET when others get rich or when some else’s plans succeed.  DON’T GET ANGRY.  Don’t be upset; it only leads to trouble.   Psalm 37:7-8
  7. I tell you the truth, whoever HEARS what I say and BELIEVES in the One who sent Me has eternal life.  That person will not be judged guilty but has already left death and entered life.    John 5:24
  8. In Christ we can COME BEFORE GOD with freedom and WITHOUT FEAR.  We can do this through faith in Christ.  Ephesians 3:12
  9. Anyone who speaks should SPEAK WORDS FROM GOD.  Anyone who serves should SERVE WITH THE STRENGTH GOD GIVES so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ.  Power and glory belong to Him forever and ever.     1 Peter 4:11
  10. Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly.  Use all wisdom to teach and instruct each other by SINGING psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with THANKFULNESS in your hearts to God.  Everything you do or say should be done to OBEY JESUS your Lord.  And in all you do, GIVE THANKS to God the Father through Jesus.       Colossians 3:16-17

There are so many solutions in the Word it was hard to choose just 10.  That really is the gist of this short article…the solutions are in the Word.  I hope that every believer will spend more time this year, in the Bible, searching for God’s Solutions.

Heavenly Father, my One and Only, You alone are worthy of my praise.  How can I ever give thanks often enough for the Words You have breathed on every page of the Bible.  Oh, Lord, help us all have an uncurable passion for You and Your Word.  I lift these words before the Throne in the Precious Name of Jesus.  Make it so!

Scriptural passages from The Holy Bible, New Century Version

I Wonder As I Wander

I Wonder As I Wander is one of the most beautiful of all Christmas Hymns.  It was originally published in Songs of the Hill Folk in 1934.  It tells of the longing to understand why Jesus came to earth for each one of us.  The haunting melody speaks of that lonely longing so many Believers experience at this time of year.

John Jacob Niles, who created the melody and penned most of the words based the song on a fragment of a song he had heard while attending an evangelistic meeting in the mountains.  In his own words…

A girl had stepped out to the edge of the little platform attached to the automobile. She began to sing. Her clothes were unbelievable dirty and ragged, and she, too, was unwashed. Her ash-blond hair hung down in long skeins…. But, best of all, she was beautiful, and in her untutored way, she could sing. She smiled as she sang, smiled rather sadly, and sang only a single line of a song.                                  Pen, Ron. “I Wonder as I Wander”. A Kentucky Christmas (George Ella Lyon, editor). University Press of Kentucky (2003), p200–201. ISBN 0-8131-2279-1.

I can see the shadows and shapes of the dark Appalachian Mountains as I listen to this beautiful piece of music.  I can almost hear the Heavenly Hosts singing…Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men!   –Luke 2:14

http://youtu.be/jQqp6hpBpd8

Heavenly Father, during this waiting time, the Advent of Jesus return, keep me mindful that the loneliness I sometimes feel is Your Spirit within waiting to be rejoined with You.  As I anticipate with great joy Your return not as a Baby but as my Redeemer grant me the peace that comes from knowing that You are my One and Only.  Glory be to God in the Highest!

Showing God’s Face on Facebook

I truly enjoy Facebook.  Communicating with friends and family over long distances when I can’t personally visit is great.  Having private pages for family, church, and prayer groups is an awesome tool.  I have laughed, cried, been overjoyed and frustrated.  Yes, I even relax playing Farmville ($7,000,000 farm) and Mahjohng. 

I’ve been seeing a lot of negative, untrue, vicious, profane posts and wonder why I would see some of these things from anyone, including believers.  Is it because people think that because it’s in cyberspace it’s not real?  Get real!  Did you know that Twitter allows the Library of Congress to record every open Tweet for historical purposes?  Do we realize that negative, untrue, and mean posts hurt just as much as the spoken word?  Are we aware that the computer, games, even social sites like Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. can replace the One and Only God as a god?

God has some very good Rules that really do apply.  Let’s take a look…

Exodus 20: 3   You shall have no other gods before Me…that includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, online games, chatting…anything that takes the place of God in our lives.

Exodus 20:7  You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.   How many OMG’s do you see or even hear daily?

Exodus 20:16  You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.  Basically, don’t lie about anyone.  That certainly includes political postings.

Ah, Lord, God, every perfect gift comes from above.  You have given us the knowledge and ability to create the internet and new forms of technology.  Help us, Lord, to use them for Your glory and for furthering the Kingdom on earth.  This prayer is lifted in the precious name of Jesus.   Make it so!