Inspirations

  Let   us   not  become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do  not  give up.   Galatians 6:9  Sometimes I hear things, and I hear them so often that I really don’t give them much thought.   It’s not that I don’t hear or believe them, I just don’t think about it.    Then I get a visual of that thought, and suddenly, my perspective shifts.    This happened to me twice within the last two weeks, with the same thought.   What was the thought?    Don’t quit.   Sounds funny, because we hear it all the time.   So, we skip over it as we read or listen.   Afterall, it’s nothing we haven’t heard before, right?   However, last week a friend posted a video of a long grueling and exhausting hike that she had made.   She had about a mile or two left to hike.   As I watched, the thought came to me, what if she had quit, turned around and said, “This ...

    And let us  run  with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1   When I read this verse, I am always reminded of a track and how each person is to  “stay in their lane”.    I have always thought of it as individual and personal.    Each of us  is responsible to do what God has set before us to do.   However, the other day I was  walking on a trail that was new to me.    This trail was longer, and there was paint on  some of the trees indicating the path.   Other paths intersected and they were different  colors.   As I was walking, I enjoyed looking for the color on the trees to let me know I  was still on the right path.    My mind came again to this verse and settled on the  words  marked out for us.    I was reminded that God is the one that marks out the way  that we should go.   As I journey through life, I can know I a...

  Lately, I’ve been praying that God would open doors for me to share my faith.    Sometimes this is hard for me.   I often feel inadequate, and I am afraid of  saying  the wrong thing.   Often, I miss opportunities to share my faith because I  am not ready to share my faith when the opportunity arises.   Last week I was  working in receiving when a vendor showed up.   I asked how he was doing, and  he said, “I’ve been better.”      I asked what was wrong and he replied, “Every  store I’ve been to, has had a problem checking in using the bar codes.   My first  thought was, well honey I don’t have time for that.”   Then, I bowed my head and  said a quick prayer asking God to let the bar code work.   He looked at me like I  had slipped a cog or something.    He handed me the invoice with the barcode  on  it. At this point, I was thinking, “I am going to look li...

  Love             I have been thinking about the phrase “God is love.”    It’s a phrase that almost anyone Christian or non-Christian is familiar.   Anyone and everyone can quote it.  We all understand that God is love.  I think that most of us would believe it to be true as well.  Right now, most of you are probably thinking, “Of course God is love”, that’s what he is and does and you would not be wrong.           Then my thoughts went in another direction.  Is it enough that God is love?  Initially, it must be enough.  God is always enough.  Yet, love is nothing if it is not reciprocal.  For the love of God to be effective, we must love him as well.  We need to return his love.            So, I guess my question to you is, do you love God?  Are you going to retur...

  Yesterday, my children and I went walking on a bike trail.    The weather was perfect.   Sunny, warm but not hot.   As we were walking, we started to talk about creation.   Creation itself always amazes me.     Can you imagine watching creation unfold at the word of the Almighty?   It would be   the most glorious and lovely thing to see.      As we were talking, I asked,  “What do you think would have happed if  God had created people first?”     They stopped  gave me a questioning look then my daughter said, “I suppose that we would have starved because there was no food.”     And we all had a laugh creating  other scenarios for what might  have happened if creation had happened in any other way.      Yet, the   fact is that creation itself demonstrates that God is a God of order.   Each day of creation built on   what ...

  “ Ask  and it will be given to you;  seek  and you will find;  knock  and the door will be opened to you.   Matthew 7:7           This is a familiar verse, one that I've heard many times.   It seems pretty straightforward.  We are given three commands.  The first command is to ask. It does not say "tell", or "demand" but ask.  I (personal opinion here) doubt we can or should use a demanding tone with the God of the universe. We should never presume to tell God what to do.  We can, however, ask.  I believe (again personal opinion) that God likes us to ask even though he knows what we want.  As a parent, I loved having my children ask for things they wanted.  It made me happy to know that they felt secure enough to be vulnerable and ask for what they wanted.   The opposite is also true.  There were times when my children were younger that they did not ask for...

  I love music!    Not just any music,  but uplifting music.   Music holds the power  of the spoken word of God.   I am grateful for music  that connects me to God.  For me, there is nothing better  than a worship song to make my spirit soar.    When I am completely stressed  and overwhelmed by the cares of this world,  I thank God that I can take my phone,  put on the mp3 player  and it seems only a few minutes  before the stress is gone and  I am praising God.   How it happens,   I have no clue,  but I know that it does happen.   I thank God that he gives us  songs that can calm  our troubled spirit and make us one with him.    I am grateful that  we do not have to have a great voice, he cares that we praise him;  that our heart is in tune with him.     

  The world we live in is crazy!  There are shootings every day. We love new experiences and learning about our world,  but we don't know our neighbor. We preach tolerance but refuse to tolerate those who  think differently than we do.   Disease is rampant in our world. People bit and devour each other in their efforts to get a better place. We marry expecting our spouse to be there, but the first storm hits they run often using kids as pawns to hurt each other.  Yes, this world is a crazy place,  but amidst all the twists and turns and craziness of this world,  I have found a solid rock. One that does not shift or move no matter what happens. God. I lie down at night and sleep in peace. and I can rise in the morning with hope because God is in control. I am thankful that the God I serve is in control,  and he is strong enough to face the fiercest battle and win. Crazy does not bother God. He already knows h...

 I woke up this morning and went to work.   I wanted to stay in bed and sleep a little longer, but I chose to do the adult thing  and crawl out of my comfortable, warm bed. I often choose what I want to eat, and wear. In fact, sometimes we have so many choices it's hard for people like me to make decisions. I thank God that everyone makes choices, no one is exempt. I thank Him for the good choices I have made, like living for him and following him. I also thank him for the bad choices I have made. They were learning and growing experiences. I thank God that he loves us regardless of our choices. I am grateful that most choices are not fatal or irreversible.

                                        I'm not extremely athletic.  A few years ago, with the help of God,  I started to develop a healthier lifestyle.   Part of that lifestyle included exercise.   Even though it's a daily battle, it's one I am learning to win more often.   I've come to see the benefits of exercise.   I feel better and I'm more alert.  My favorite exercise is walking and or running. As I exercise,  I can feel the stress leave my body.  I find myself gaining strength in body soul and spirit.  Exercise also allows me the time to commune with my creator.   Yes, there are many benefits to exercise  and I want to thank God for the blessing of physical exercise.   There was a time when exercise was a bad word that I didn't want to hear.   Thank you, God, for allowing me the privilege of exercise.

God has often used his Word to correct, and instruct me in my walk with him. There have been other times that God has used the pastor,  a Christian friend  or a family member to shed light on a part of our life that needed some help. I am thankful for these times and the people he uses as his voice. One such incident occurred last night. We were walking around a local department store. I picked up a glass lamp to examine and see if it was something I was interested in. As I was putting it back on the shelf, I asked my son who is taller to help me put it on the shelf. He did but was scared he would drop it. He said if he did he would have to walk away and pretend like nothing happened. This is when it got real, folks. My daughter who was with me said "You know we only have two commands." I thought I would be funny, so I said, "Right love God and Love others." She said, "That's right but it wouldn't be loving others if we broke something and walked away....

  As we draw closer to Thanksgiving, I want to thank God for reminders.    The fact is that we all need reminders,  from time to time,  to help us stay focused.   Thanksgiving serves as a yearly reminder that we have much to be thankful for.  It is incredibly easy to take many of the blessings of God for granted.   We forget to cultivate a thankful heart.   So at least during the Thanksgiving season, we are reminded to be thankful for what we enjoy.   I know a couple of friends that write down things they are thankful for each day.   Perhaps it's not a bad idea especially if it allows us to remember what God has done for us.   God wants us to remember his blessings.   So while we need to be thankful each day,   Thank you, God, that once a year we can devote a day  to give thanks for all the blessings you have lavished on us.

  Thank you for the springtime  when the sun is warming the ground,  And e verything is bursting forth with new life.     Spring brings p romise and hope. Thank you, God, for summer.  Thank you for the time when nature is full of life.  The days are long,  and there are birds and flowers all  around .  S ummer is the fulfillment of the promise that spring held. Thank you, God, for the fall. For quiet days. Thank you for the beauty of the autumn trees. Thank you for the cool days of fall.                                                                                                Thank you, God, for winter when the weather is cold and everything appears dead. Thank you for the quiet days and the ...

Trials!  this year has been a year full of them.    Relationship struggles have me feeling "anxty" and wondering how I ended up in this place of uncertainty. Do not even get me started about the whole COVID virus  that has us in lockdown and wondering where that train will end. add to that an election year where both candidates act like children,   and you have a very stressful year.   Sometimes in all the craziness, I am not sure If I am coming or going. I can lose hope and begin to feel overwhelmed. I am thankful that in every trial, God is there holding my hand,  encouraging me and helping to go on  and remain strong in the midst of the fiery ordeals of life.  I am thankful that in the trials,  I can be sure that God is working to make me more like him.

  For me, Sundays have always been special.   It's a day to rest and take a break, sure. But it is so much more.  It's a day to get our focus back on God. Let's face it, this world has a way of getting our focus on anything but our Lord. We get focused on our job, our families, our health, our finances, or lack thereof. Suddenly that is all we see. We need Sundays to get our focus back on the one who is greater than the problems we have. We need Sundays to regroup and recenter our thoughts on the one who loves us most.

 In the Storm In the storm when the waves are crashing in...        you are still God and you know what's best In the storm when all is dark and the sun hides...      e ven then you are still in control. In the storm when the thunder roars...     I hear your still small voice and I listen to you In the storm when when cold winds howl...     you tell me to have no fear and I trust you In the storm when everything around me is shifting...     I am anchored to you and I am safe. Even in the storm when I am torn and broken ...     you remind me that I am loved by you. In the middle of the storm when my soul is shattered...     you do the unexpected and come to me and I am comforted

  You are the  salt  of the earth. But if the  salt  loses its  salt iness, how can it be made  salt y again? As you can see, I have been thinking about salt.   Salt is Good.   The body of Christ needs salt, in the same way, our physical body needs salt.   Without it, we would surely die both physically and spiritually.    As I was thinking about salt and all of its many uses, I was drawn into the second part of this verse.   "If the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?"   At one time, I had a box of salt that had lost its saltiness.   Let me tell you it was very disappointing.   No matter how much salt I used there was no flavor.   It did not do its job of cleansing or preserving.    There was no way to fix that problem.   I had to throw the salt out.   As Christians, we must heed the warning of Jesus in this ver...

The other day I was making some chili for supper.   As I was cooking, I tasted the Hamburg and decided that it needed some salt.   I grabbed the box of salt and poured a pinch into my hand.   Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I had a small papercut I had on my finger.   Some of that salt had worked its way into the wound.   While salt makes food taste amazing, salt has another quality as well.   It has an antiseptic effect.   The salt that made the food delicious, hurt like crazy in the cut.   Although it was cleaning out the lesion, it caused much pain.    Jesus says his children are the salt of the earth.   We can have a cleansing effect on the earth.   As Christians, we often have a purifying outcome.   As we live for God, others in the body of Christ may be convicted   and like salt in a wound possibly they will be cleansed of their sin. ...

 It is good to have a thankful heart, When we are feeling down, discouraged, and defeated. We can focus on the things for which we are grateful. Often when storms roll in, we forget that we have many blessings  because all we can see is the storm Somehow when we remind ourselves of what God has done,  we find a reason to sing and be happy. We find a "God" perspective. We realize that we don't need  to have things to be happy. We choose to be happy regardless of outward circumstances. Often the best blessings are not things  that can be measured by human standards. When we stop and reflect on our blessings we can't help but be encouraged and strengthened because whether we admit it or not we all enjoy a little, ok many, of God's blessings. In fact, for me, if God were not blessing me, I probably would not be here   and I would not likely be writing these devotional blogs. As a Christian, his blessings  don't end with this life. Every day comes...

I am thankful that in all the craziness,  I serve a God who is alive. He is not limited by what limits me. He is stronger than any problem I face. He only needs to speak and his words are done. He is wiser than anything I am going through. He can see the beginning and end of every situation and he will help. What a comfort it is to know that the God of the universe knows me and cares for me.   He loves me enough that he died for me.   How awesome is that!!