I just came in from spending about 2 hours cleaning out the perennial flower bed that stretches across the front of the house. To me, Spring is hope and new life…and every time I pulled away dead leaves, my happiness grew. For underneath, peeking out, was fresh green life and the hope of beautiful flowers. The Lord’s miraculous works were on display for me to marvel in as I toiled in that flower bed…filling my heart to overflowing with joy and thankfulness.
Tag: god blessings
Galatians 1:10 ” Am I now trying to win approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
We can only serve one Master. We can have only one allegiance. We either serve man or God. For all our time will be either spent soliciting man’s approval…or solely looking to the Lord for His blessings.
Hosea 14:1 ” Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall.”
When we physically stumble and fall…we learn from it. Walk slower, watch what we’re doing, look out for hazards. But when we stumble and fall spiritually…do we grasp as readily the true consequences of our transgressions…or do we just continue with that downward spiral?
Hebrews 2:1 ” We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Slipping off the right path can happen so slowly and insidiously that we aren’t really aware of it until something drastic happens. We compromise a little here…we give in a little there…and before we know it – we’ve wandered far from where the Lord wants us. That’s why it’s so important to be ever vigilant…ever on guard for things that will cause us to jeopardize our faith.
Psalm 95: 6-7 ” Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.”
We are the sheep under the watchful eye of the Good Shepherd. Ever protected and cared for, we need not wander away from His ever present safety and security. Thank you Lord for being such a good Father.
Daniel 9:18 ” We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.”
We are unfaithful…but He is ever faithful to us. We are mean-spirited and unfair to others…but He is always compassionate and gracious towards us. We are judgmental and unmerciful…but He is ever full of grace and loving kindness.
I Timothy 4:7-8 “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Paul was spurring Timothy on to develop exemplary habits, thoughts, and behaviors… And this would also hold true for us today. For it’s by discipline and instruction that we become the person God wants us to become. And in the end, we will reap the benefit of blessings in this present life and eternal life to come.
Proverbs 22:6 ” Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
As Job mused in Chapter 12:12, “Is not wisdom found among the aged?” Sometimes it will take until a child has matured to adulthood that they finally grasp all the Godly instruction they’ve received at home. From early on, we try to impress on our children the importance of living a life for Jesus…but many times it seems like it falls on deaf ears. But don’t give up, for this is a scripture with a promise for all parents. Keep pouring good into your children…and good will come out.
Psalm 95: 1-2 “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our Salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.”
We tend to go to the Lord in bad times only…when life is treating us unfairly and we’re filled with sadness. But the Psalmist is telling us – Go to God when your happy and content…Go to Him when life is good and you feel truly blessed of Him. For He desires to hear you during the hard times…but He delights in hearing your praises.
I Samuel 1:10 ” In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.”
Hannah wasn’t just upset…she wasn’t just sad. Hannah was totally heartbroken and in anguish for what she saw as insurmountable odds. From deep within her being she poured out her soul…pleading for God’s mercy. And the Lord heard her and moved. You may be feeling as hopeless as Hannah today, but remember, God is listening to your prayer and He will move.
Safetypinlove 