Tag Archives: Jesus

Calming A Churning Mind

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Thy Word…

What do you do when you find your mind is roiling, churning, restless… When stress and circumstances are overwhelming? I have several Bible verses that I ‘go to’ and think about to calm those thoughts that just will not stop.

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God! I have this on a plaque in my office. It reminds me to sit back, relax, and simply know His presence.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your works acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. I memorized this in college, at a time when I was making career and life choices. It has served me well in the many years since. Trusting Him has always paid off!

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God. Years ago, Ray and I were at a dinner theater in the Great Smokey Mountains. This verse was carved into the mantle of the gigantic fireplace of the building. It reminds me that no matter what I have or even, what I want, He is the most important.

Esther 4:4 …who knows that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this. When I am questioning the plan, whining with a case of the why me’s, I sit back and reflect on this verse and Queen Esther’s story. It reminds me that we do what we have to do because it is the right thing to do.

John 3:17 For God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. This verse follows the most memorized verse in the Bible… God so loved the world… It’s a reminder that we are so loved that He does not want to condemn us! From the beginning, He has wanted us with Him!

I challenge you to commit at least 10 Scriptures to memory. To those of you who have already done that, do more. The calming effect this will have on your mind, soul, and spirit is almost like being cradled in His arms.

Abba, Father, open our hearts, minds, and souls to Your Word. Place in each of us a great desire to know more and more of You each day.

Sufficient Grace

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What is grace?

The very best way to answer this question is to search the Word. In doing that I found there is more to grace than the standard answer of ‘undeserved favor’.

Paul, the Apostle of Grace, uses the word 86 of the 131 times it’s used in the ESV of the Bible. It is used more than the word forgiveness. (109 times in the ESV.) To me that says it’s really an important concept.

As for underserved favor, it is certainly that. It is basically a free gift, from God, that we did nothing to deserve. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15 NLT

There is another part of grace that we don’t always think about. Grace is God’s power to change our ability to live an obedient life. Paul explains it really well in 2 Corinthians 9:8 – And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. This aspect of grace is not only about treating people better than they deserve (Yes, we’re supposed to do that, too.). It’s about the ability to accept practical help, from God, when we need it, to use for the purpose He has for our lives.

Think about His love, think about His goodness, think about His grace, that’s brought us through. (Click on the blue letters to link to Don Moen’s beautiful song.)

Abba, Merciful, Wonderful Savior, thank You for the gift of grace. Show us where You want us to do the work You have planned for us. Send us out to share Your undeserved favor.

Holy Words

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Can you imagine placing your hands on any page of your Bible and feeling His very breath on the page? That is exactly what this verse is saying (to me). This is how I see it – – if I can’t see Him face to face until I enter heaven then I’ll settle (hardly the right word) for experiencing His breath in the words I’m reading.

Friends, family, sisters, and brothers in Christ there is nothing more important than knowing God and trusting His word. In every action and situation of our lives we can draw on the word and know without question it was written for that very purpose.

God did not leave us alone on this earth. He is still breathing every word, in every verse, on every page of our Bibles.

Ah, Lord, God thank You for every word, every phrase, every letter of Your Word. Place a real hunger in our hearts to know Your words and apply them to our lives.

Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world, they resound with God’s own heart; Oh, let the ancient words impart. (Click anywhere on the blue to worship with this beautiful song.)

Making Sense

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God has a plan!

I’m sure that most of you are thinking along the lines of ‘this doesn’t make sense’ and ‘what is going on’. We might ask God why are You letting this happen? Sometimes the answer isn’t for us to know. Perhaps we’re not ready for it yet.

God is fully aware and in complete control. (Psalm 46:5-7)

He is as much with us as He was with Daniel in the lion’s den. (Daniel 6)

He is as much with us as He was with Jesus in the garden. (Luke 22:39-44)

He cares! Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

Abba, Father, we’re giving our thoughts, confusion, worries, and cares to You. You have given us everything we need to fight that which is taking our peace. We believe You are in complete control. Help us trust and rest in You!

Do-overs

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God, in His great mercy, gives us a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance, and more…

God is always willing to let us try again. God not only forgives He gives the opportunity to try again.

David and Paul and Moses were murderers…

Noah and Lot were drunks…

Rahab and Tamar were prostitutes…

Jonah was disobedient, hesitant, reluctant, and fearful…

Naomi and Martha were whiners…

All of them were forgiven, given mercy. They were allowed to try again.

David asked for forgiveness (Psalm 51) and our merciful God said, I can still use you!

Rahab did what she promised and God not only saved her and her family, at the fall of Jericho, but gave her a place in the lineage of Christ. (Joshua 2 and 6)

Jonah was so afraid to do what God had told him to do that he went the opposite direction and was swallowed by a whale. He single-handedly saved the people of an entire city! (Jonah)

Jesus told Martha to quit whining and follow the example of her sister Mary. (Luke 10:38-42)

And that’s just a few of the do-overs in God’s word. He still gives His forgiveness, mercy, and grace. He knows we’re not perfect. We often miss the mark. But He forgives and forgives and lets us start over and over and over…

What a Mighty God we serve!