We Don't Know...But HE Does!!

I Corinthians 2:9 "However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him""

 

I have gotten to a place where I love knowing that I don't know what God has prepared for me but that He does have a plan and it is so awesome that I haven't even conceived it!  It keeps me on the edge of my seat, so to say, waiting like a kid on Christmas morning excitedly asking, "Is it time yet?" Time for the unconceivable surprise that is His plan for my life?  Well, I really am excited and I love knowing He is in charge.

 

Dear God,  Thank You for being in charge of me and my life!  Thank You for Your awesome plan that will surprise me when Your time is right.  Please help me to keep my faith centered on You and my heart open to be Your home.  Amen.

Everything Give Praises

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord."

 

I know I come back to these verses often but it is so important to remember that our Lord deserves our praise.  As insignificant as it may feel sometimes, compared to what He has done for us, it should be something we, and everything that has breath, should be doing all the days of our life. 

 

Dear God,  Thank You for everything You have done for us and given to us.  Your holy name should be praised morning, noon and night by everything living creature on Your earth.  Please send Your Spirit to help keep my heart and soul in a praiseful attitude always.  Amen.

Nothing To Fear

Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

 

Ok, since there is another verse which tells us that God did not give us the spirit of fear than I do not think our Savior is condoning fear.  How I read this is this: He is telling us don't be afraid of things of this world, even murders.  The only thing possibly worthy of fear is the devil and his dwelling which can destroy our souls.  That sure puts things in perspective for me!!

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for showing us what we should not fear.  Please help me to always remember the really scary thing is hell and the devil and that You have already saved me from them so there really is nothing to fear.  Amen.

Shine Like Stars

Philippians 14-15 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe"

 

I know I have a hard time with this one...I tend to complain a lot.  Mostly only to those who I am close with and to God but nonetheless it seems it's probably way too much.  Today's challenge: To keep my complaints within, to strive to not complain or argue no matter what the situation.  Are you with me?  Let's go for it!

 

Dear Father,  Thank You for all of Your wonderful promises.  Thank You for the opportunity to shine like stars if only we'd keep from complaining and arguing.  Please help me today to keep You in my mind and my heart and to focus on Your strength to keep me from falling back into these bad habits.  Amen.

Monday's Verse: United We Should Be Standing

John 17:23 "I in them and You in Me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You love Me."

 

Jesus prayer in Chapter 17 here is a great read!  We heard it in church yesterday and I could not help but find myself praying for all Christian churches everywhere to find a way back to unity, to agree to disagree so that we may all focus on what is most important...God, and sharing His love with the world. 

 

Dear God,  Thank You for praying for our unity.  Please help us to pray for our own unity as we are much stronger in You together than we ever will be apart.  Amen.

Sunday's Verse: Bless Other For We Are Richly Blessed

Proverbs 22:9 "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."

 

This passage reminds me of the New Testament parable in which the lesson is, 'you reap what you sow.'  Yet, I think another important thing to remember is that "God loves a cheerful giver" and we should not give just to see what we will get back.  We should want in our heart to share with others and give back to God because God has not stopped at just giving us the greatest Gift ever...nope, He continues to richly bless us each and every day of our lives!

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for the many blessings You pour out on us.  Please help me to have a generous heart and to delight in sharing my blessings with others, not in an effort to get something back but simply to glorify You and praise Your works and holy Name.  Amen.

Praise Him With All Our Hearts!

Psalm 138 "I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing Your praise."

 

It all comes back to this, no matter what is going on around us we should always praise the name of our Lord in heaven.  With all of our heart, nonetheless, we should give Him praise.  It is a hard choice to be happy when things around us are going wrong but God does not cause the bad stuff and He will stay with us an we endure it or go around it or whatever our path may be...He promised us He would!

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for the awesome examples in Your Word of Your people who praised Your name even through the bad times.  Please help me to also remember that You are with me through it all and that I should want to praise You with all that is within me.  Amen.

Daily Verses Update

Daily Verses will resume tomorrow...

I want to thank you each for all of your prayers and patience as I have not been able to get to all this typing lately.  I am still working with only 9 digits however I have gotten somewhat better at it.  For those who did not know what had happened, two weeks ago, I slammed my thumb in our mini vault at work and they had to take me to the ER for x-rays and stitches on my right thumb which I had sliced open pretty good...I was a mess, in shock and close to hyper ventilating but thank the good Lord it was not worse...the doctor said the skin was cut down to the tissue but it did not cut into the tissue, did not hit a nerve and missed the nail bed!   I went home that Thursday afternoon (the 7th) and took the antibiotics and pain killers and laid out on the couch with my hand elevated for two or three days straight and went back to work last Monday (the 11th).   I got the stitches out on this past Monday (18th).  The outer skin has died and so I will need to keep it very clean while new skin grows into its place and the old sloughs off.  It is still a bit sensitive and since I work with money all day I need to keep it covered well but in time it will heal.  Again, I thank you for your prayers, they mean a lot to me and to my family.

He's Holding Your Hand

 

Isaiah 42:6 ""I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,"

 

I imagine the comfort of knowing that God is holding my hand and it settles a peace in my soul.  Like a child who cannot cross the street herself, a spouse who needs loving reassurance or a friend who needs comfort...God is all this and more and He shows us who He is over and over again with loving and beautiful descriptions throughout His precious Word.

 

Dear Lord, Thank You for holding my hand and always being here for me that I might shine for You.  Please help me to remember this picture and feeling always.  Amen.

His Great Works

 

Psalm 111:2 "Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them."

 

So when was the last time that you delighted in and pondered our great Lord's works?  Today?  Yesterday?  I challenge you to join me in trying to delight in our Lord's marvelous works at least once a day, hopefully when we first wake up and either see the sun or anticipate its arrival!

 

Heavenly Father,  Truly uncountable are Your great works!  Thank You for all You have given to us and do for us.  Please help us to remember to take the time each day to ponder them, delight in them and praise Your name for them.  Amen.

 

Just a quick note:  please do keep all those listed in the Weekly Thoughts prayers in your daily prayers, additional prayer for healing: Fran.  Thank you so much in helping me to give our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ the best free gift we can give!

Overcoming This World

 

I John 5:4 "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

 

I saw this license plate as I cam home last night, 1 Jn 5 4...I said well I better look it up because God is probably telling me something by placing me behind this car tonight.  When we were baptized in the name of our triune God we became "born of God."  And according to John that means we overcome the world.  Will it be easy?  Probably not, but it can and will be done when we continue to cling to God.

 

Dear God,  Thank You for adopting us as Your children through Holy Baptism.  Please help us to remember that because we are born of You we have the victory to overcome the world.  Amen.