Any way we put it from this title; is a huge yes, because of JESUS
We may feel surrounded by battles, but really we are surrounded by Jesus.
The true Savior of the world.
Let us praise and worship Him today.
That is how we fight the battles!
PRAISE be to the GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Eph. 1:3
I am a recycler. Anything God teaches me has never been wasted it has always been recycled for God's glory.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
HGTV PRAYER-HOUSING PROBLEM
Though the the cash flow is limited,
and many must downsize,
though there is no open floor concept,
the closets are not organized, the yard is not professionally landscaped,
the laundry room is on the lower level, the water is well...
If a modern day Habakkuk (nothing is known of the prophet himself from the bible), name means, embracer, because of His love for God, was writing for HGTV publishers he could write the above.
Habakkuk, 607 years before Christ, wrote, a defense of God's goodness and power in the existence of evil.
Habakkuk 3:17 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
What would your contemporary heart cry before God today?
I thought about this from so many angles. I have heard of godly mom who cried out about the horror of her slain son in a high school shooting...yet in the of hurt cry she recites something similar to Habakkuk...I will rejoice in the Lord.
Habakkuk's courage to praise because of Faith in God. I asked God today.
Vaccinate me with this courage regarding my own stuff going on, help me to put it into perspective.
Maybe today you could be honest with God about the evil you are seeing all around you and how it affects you...then try and end with I will rejoice in you Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Amen.
I am not saying HGTV is like God, but they do help people resolve their housing problems, just as God directs us to have faith, make my heart, Christ's home.
and many must downsize,
though there is no open floor concept,
the closets are not organized, the yard is not professionally landscaped,
the laundry room is on the lower level, the water is well...
If a modern day Habakkuk (nothing is known of the prophet himself from the bible), name means, embracer, because of His love for God, was writing for HGTV publishers he could write the above.
Habakkuk, 607 years before Christ, wrote, a defense of God's goodness and power in the existence of evil.
Habakkuk 3:17 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
What would your contemporary heart cry before God today?
I thought about this from so many angles. I have heard of godly mom who cried out about the horror of her slain son in a high school shooting...yet in the of hurt cry she recites something similar to Habakkuk...I will rejoice in the Lord.
Habakkuk's courage to praise because of Faith in God. I asked God today.
Vaccinate me with this courage regarding my own stuff going on, help me to put it into perspective.
Maybe today you could be honest with God about the evil you are seeing all around you and how it affects you...then try and end with I will rejoice in you Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Amen.
I am not saying HGTV is like God, but they do help people resolve their housing problems, just as God directs us to have faith, make my heart, Christ's home.
MATTHEW OBSERVATION-NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SON
A gunman opened fire inside an industrial complex twenty nine miles from my hometown. The shooter killed five people and injured several others, including five police officers. Across our nation recent tragic stories being reported quite frequently. The reporting for this story went on all day and into the next day. The report on the individuals, what happened, when, where, how, and the shooters personal information including His apartment continues to unfold. Our mass media shot this information across the world. I saw reports on this incident coming out of London.
The plot began...the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed Matthew 27:1.
Can we just stop here for a minute. This was holy leaders at the time!
They bound Jesus and led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
Holy people conspiring with the Roman government. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and Jesus executed.
The holy leader, government and the people plotted a execution of a innocent man.
Could this violent injustice occur today?
It gets more insidious!
After Jesus died and was placed in a tomb and that they heavily guarded because they knew what the word on the street was that Jesus would rise from the dead. So Pilate gave orders for the tomb to be made secure.
Death could not hold Jesus down, He rose and the angel rolled the tomb stone and he appeared to the soldiers, they fell on their faces trembling in fear.
The soldiers were paid a sum of money to LIE about what really happened. They were to say, "The disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep." They were told they would be protected and kept from getting in trouble with the governor if the word got out.
What, What, What?
This would never occur today?!
The truth did pass on to thousands who were eye-witnesses to Jesus.
I just don't know.
People ask why did people not believe.
Maybe this cover-up played a part in it.
People believe the government, holy priests vs. the real truth. Mmmmm! He is risen.
Here is the good news! Jesus, God in the flesh, defied the cover-up and was able to meet and greet thousands and now millions know He was the Messiah, the expected king and deliverer of the Jews.
Our beloved Savior of the world has won.
Yesterday and Today.
My grandmother use to say, "There is nothing new under the sun (son)."
I am anticipating what the Holy Spirit will highlight the next time I visit the gospel of Matthew. Delightful!
The plot began...the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed Matthew 27:1.
Can we just stop here for a minute. This was holy leaders at the time!
They bound Jesus and led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
Holy people conspiring with the Roman government. The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and Jesus executed.
The holy leader, government and the people plotted a execution of a innocent man.
Could this violent injustice occur today?
It gets more insidious!
After Jesus died and was placed in a tomb and that they heavily guarded because they knew what the word on the street was that Jesus would rise from the dead. So Pilate gave orders for the tomb to be made secure.
Death could not hold Jesus down, He rose and the angel rolled the tomb stone and he appeared to the soldiers, they fell on their faces trembling in fear.
The soldiers were paid a sum of money to LIE about what really happened. They were to say, "The disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep." They were told they would be protected and kept from getting in trouble with the governor if the word got out.
What, What, What?
This would never occur today?!
The truth did pass on to thousands who were eye-witnesses to Jesus.
I just don't know.
People ask why did people not believe.
Maybe this cover-up played a part in it.
People believe the government, holy priests vs. the real truth. Mmmmm! He is risen.
Here is the good news! Jesus, God in the flesh, defied the cover-up and was able to meet and greet thousands and now millions know He was the Messiah, the expected king and deliverer of the Jews.
Our beloved Savior of the world has won.
Yesterday and Today.
My grandmother use to say, "There is nothing new under the sun (son)."
I am anticipating what the Holy Spirit will highlight the next time I visit the gospel of Matthew. Delightful!
Friday, February 15, 2019
A POEM
She is almost 102 years old but every time I see her in the past several years she quotes this poem "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree. Only God can make a tree."
For our fun outings we go see the trees at the Arboretum.
In the Spring and in the Fall it is spectacular to drive by trees.
Our favorite is the Lilac bushes! Before leaving home for a visit I grab my pruning scissors, because we drive around and when we see a beautiful bush we "borrowing" branches from lilac bushes. LOL!
For our fun outings we go see the trees at the Arboretum.
In the Spring and in the Fall it is spectacular to drive by trees.
Our favorite is the Lilac bushes! Before leaving home for a visit I grab my pruning scissors, because we drive around and when we see a beautiful bush we "borrowing" branches from lilac bushes. LOL!
SONSHINE MOMENT
"I am going to use the angel to make Jesus more real to my Sunday school students", the passionate teacher exclaimed.
The "offer up" experience was completed.The angel sold below:
I made this a business transaction, going through the motions, but what I really got was a dose of sonshine, a cute story that activated my soul. In the midst of moving and being all like rushed to get rid of thing, like I said being all business like, it happened. This lady, who I sold the angel to, entered my house explaining her purpose with such glee and love for Jesus.
Look at the ray of light shining down from heaven in the statue above. Luke was conveying the story of Jesus when he was in the garden of Gethsemane, right before His arrest and crucifixion. The suffering agony of Jesus heart, praying to the Father to let this cup pass...he sweats blood...grapples with the reality of what would occur in a moment...then He wholeheartedly surrenders to the plan of God...God's way of helping after Jesus surrendered His will, was to send an angel to strengthen Him. Luke 22:42-43
Friends, we grapple with life, things happening, but do we withdraw, kneel, pray as Jesus did. Jesus sets the example to lay down our burdens to the Father, praying, If you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Let's pray:
Father in heaven help me....I surrender.........(state what it is)....thank you for the strength that you will give me to proceed. Amen.
We can rush through life with a choice acknowledge the ray of sonshine or miss it completely. The same ray of light that appears on Jesus is the same light available for you and I.
Let's get our sonshine moments on! Let's surrender! Let's submit our life to the Father!
then...
let's receive the strength and courage to carry on. to proceed. to go. to continue. to surrender.
The "offer up" experience was completed.The angel sold below:
Look at the ray of light shining down from heaven in the statue above. Luke was conveying the story of Jesus when he was in the garden of Gethsemane, right before His arrest and crucifixion. The suffering agony of Jesus heart, praying to the Father to let this cup pass...he sweats blood...grapples with the reality of what would occur in a moment...then He wholeheartedly surrenders to the plan of God...God's way of helping after Jesus surrendered His will, was to send an angel to strengthen Him. Luke 22:42-43
Friends, we grapple with life, things happening, but do we withdraw, kneel, pray as Jesus did. Jesus sets the example to lay down our burdens to the Father, praying, If you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Let's pray:
Father in heaven help me....I surrender.........(state what it is)....thank you for the strength that you will give me to proceed. Amen.
We can rush through life with a choice acknowledge the ray of sonshine or miss it completely. The same ray of light that appears on Jesus is the same light available for you and I.
Let's get our sonshine moments on! Let's surrender! Let's submit our life to the Father!
then...
let's receive the strength and courage to carry on. to proceed. to go. to continue. to surrender.
Monday, February 4, 2019
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW OBSERVATION-RECOGNIZE
Driving through Sorrento, Italy everywhere I was seeing lemons and of course tasting different versions of Limoncello! Yum! (When you have a cold take a shot of it! Soothing!)
Visiting other cities that have abundant fruit trees always catches my eye. I love to see the harvest of life. The bright yellow of lemons is so refreshing and in Italy they look like they have taken steroids.The memorable visual picture of Sorrento in my mind, the "Limon". The bright fruit.
Fruit does that, it gives you a visual, a nametag. On the outside it is beautiful, but a times I have cut into a beauty only to find something rotten inside. Yuck! I think that is why the Jesus uses the fruit to describe our heart. From the inside. It's important to him. Matt. 7:16 "By their fruit you will recognize them."
As I peruse through Matthew I am awestruck by the word fruit.
RECOGNIZE, the fruit with in.
Do things that show that you have turned from wrong-doing. Face the fact, we all have some brown spots within us.
Let's get rid of them. Let's ask God to help with the ability to recognize the brown and and turn away and produce beautiful fruit from the inside out.
Amen.
#ejcoffeeart
Visiting other cities that have abundant fruit trees always catches my eye. I love to see the harvest of life. The bright yellow of lemons is so refreshing and in Italy they look like they have taken steroids.The memorable visual picture of Sorrento in my mind, the "Limon". The bright fruit.
Fruit does that, it gives you a visual, a nametag. On the outside it is beautiful, but a times I have cut into a beauty only to find something rotten inside. Yuck! I think that is why the Jesus uses the fruit to describe our heart. From the inside. It's important to him. Matt. 7:16 "By their fruit you will recognize them."
As I peruse through Matthew I am awestruck by the word fruit.
RECOGNIZE, the fruit with in.
Let's get rid of them. Let's ask God to help with the ability to recognize the brown and and turn away and produce beautiful fruit from the inside out.
Amen.
#ejcoffeeart
MATTHEW OBSERVATIONS-JESUS THE LIGHT
Jesus the light of the world. I love how the bible refers to Jesus as the light...139 times in the New Testament. We can be confident of Jesus our power source. It intrigues me that in the book of Revelation tells us that, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory. Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there (Rev. 21:23-25). What an image?
#ejcoffeeartLet's fix our eyes on the greatest source of hope.
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