DECISIONS, DECISIONS

 I woke up thinking of the past days that were filled with focus and confidence, but today is a different story there is nothing on my schedule. 

Do you have trouble deciding what to do? 

So many choices rolling around my head, closet cleaning, housework, visits with friends who I keep saying, "Let's get together!", join another exercise class, play pickleball...decisions, decisions.

Ever have days like that?

Let me tell you what I said to myself, "Sit down, visit with Jesus." 

BUT MY BRAIN WAS SAYING-

You have to keep busy, keep going, you'll be old one day and not be able to do what you can do now-so let's go!, don't stop or you will drop! (Where is that chatter coming from?)

If I am going to go somewhere I have got to get dressed and get going!

Stop! Put down the phone! Get off social media! (The instagram influencers, tik tok influencers, news media, the pop up infomercials are becoming more of my forward thinking than what Jesus has to say. Do you get what I am saying? Please say yes and validate me! I know some of you are struggling and these things are invading the most important space in our brain, JESUS words!)

Today I choose Jesus and of course (hit my head with the heal of my hand) it was worth it! 

Let me explain:

I am always talking to Jesus and  even greet Him when my eyes open. I do a 5 minute devo in bed.

My brain needs more of HIM! I recommend, find a devo or recent reading that peaks your curiosity. For me it poses questions. The verses that did this for me TODAY,

 "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? ”He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-4" Change and come! What does a lowly position look like and how would one act?

Humility is the word that comes from this verse. How do I live with humility each day?

Biblical definition:  Acknowledging our need for God and submitting to His will. It involves trusting in His sovereignty and walking in obedience to His commands.

Think of examples. When I think of David I always think of humility. I always caution the worlds definition of a word verses the bibles definition. When I hear things like it's the opposite of someone who is arrogant, I agree. But it borders on the worlds definition of arrogance and confidence. In Jesus book David did not put confidence with arrogance. I am saying this because upon looking up the word humility I found a article of someone combining the words confidence and arrogance and it almost seemed as if ones humbleness is a weak person, vulnerable, like a child. A child's need for a parent doesn't make them weak but is a pathway to strength, as it allows one to rely on God's guidance and grace. When we are humble we can be gentle enough to embrace God's strength and go to HIM.

Parents raise children to grow in grace, guidance, strength, and wisdom. A sign of good mental health is ones honesty of their ability. Many people have told my grandson he should be a engineer. Since he was 2 years old we have seen his ways and thoughts wired to maybe an engineer. We are not teaching Him to be arrogant in HIs abilities but confident.

I like David's writing, THE SONG OF DAVID in 2 Samuel 2:22, his honesty praising God and declaring the abilities God gave him and the great list of accomplishments is astounding. Just go through this Song. David, he wrote: 

HE (God)...PARTED, MOUNTED, SOARED, MADE DARKNESS His canopy, SHOT, REACHED, DREW, RESCUED, BROUGHT RESCUED, DELIGHTED. 11 things starting with HE. After each of the above words David explains God's power.

The Lord thundered from heaven, the voice of the Lord resounded.

David: The Lord has rewarded me.

David's accomplishments list, I have:

I have kept the ways of the Lord

I have not turned away from your decrees.

I have not done evil by turning away from His decrees.

I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. 

4 things of I have! The world may call this boasting about himself, but it is humble because David gives full credit to the Lord. 

The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His sight.  He says, "You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

David continues.

He (God) is a shield. He describes God as a rock, arms us with strength and makes David's way perfect. He makes my feet like deer, He trains my hands for battle.

You (God) give victory, you broaden the path beneath me. 

David tells of His strength given by God.

I pursued

I did not turn back

I crushed

David goes back to God

You armed me

you made my adversaries bow

you made my enemies turn

David's bold statements:

I destroyed my foes.

I beat them as fine as the dust

I pounded and trampled

Back to God:

you have delivered

you have preserved as head of the nations - People I did not know are subject to me, and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as thy hear me, they obey. 

He exalts God:

The Lord lives! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!

He is the God who avenges me, puts nations under me, 

who sets me free from enemies.

You exalted me

You rescued me

I will praise you

I will sing praises to your name. 

BACK TO the beginning 

He gives his king great victories.

He shows unfailing kindness to His anointed, to David and His descendants forever.

Go back and read this SONG OF DAVID. 

I emphasized the ebb and flow of David and it all shows 

HUMILITY, HUMBLENESS like a child. 

I have heard kids say things they have accomplished, simply but true!

Let us pray:

Thank you for today.

I praise your name and exalt you for slowing me down and seeing things your way God.

You move us around, you keep us in place, you quiet us all for the purpose of growth and a pathway to heaven. We can't earn heaven by being good, we must depend on God's love shown by Jesus, death, resurrection and life. In Jesus mighty name. Amen!

Hours have past putting this article together and I still am not dressed for the day, but that is okay because this is exactly what I am suppose to have done today. God gave me the words and observation, it excited me to revisit THE SONG OF DAVID and remember:

Jesus' beloved children, choosing Jesus leads to making decisions! Humility comes from spending time with Jesus.

EXPECTANTLY

 "In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

    in the morning I lay my requests before you

    and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3"

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:11-12"

Hold out your hands and just pray this for yourself today. Amen.

NOW LISTEN

 "Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13-17"

Stop! Think of your life as a mist. Do you get that?

Hold out your hands and say, "If it's your will...!"

Dear Lord:

If it is your will Lord, direct the things I have for today. Amen.

UNSEEN

 



““Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.”

John 4:50-53 NIV

Hold out your hands and say, "Go has perfect timing!"

 

Good day!

How many times do we ask, when God when?

Hold out your hands and say “God has perfect timing!”

 

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV

Make a list of the unseen. Now make a list of what you see. Does it match up with unseen?

I think of the unseen as His mercy, grace, divine appointments, forgiveness, I see my tiredness, bills to pay, decisions to make.

Perspective.

 

We ask the Lord. 

Help me to achieve what is for today. Only in your strength and power. Help me to see the unseen. May it all be for your glory. 

The unseen is all about you Jesus. Amen. 

Let it be!

Hold out your hands and ask, "Help me see the unseen."

NIGHT AND DAY

 

“One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.””

Psalms 62:11-12 NIV

 

The combination of the two! Power and unfailing love is so amazing those two invigorate me they motivate me. They reassure me whatever comes our way. We have power and unfailing in love with us so let’s go. Let’s be on our way. Another new day. Yay yay. Yay.

NIGHT AND DAY, DAY AND NIGHT NO MATTER WHAT IT'S FULL OF DELIGHT!

HOLY WORK

 

Devotion for the day!

 title:  Holy Work

 

 I’ve been thinking that I have been doing a lot of eye rolling, my tone and things that come out of my mouth have been frustrated and a lot of things I’m dealing with are injustice. Do you ever react that way in your own experiences? I’m convicted that I need to watch these reactions. I’m also convicted that I can’t do it on my own In the flesh. So I prayed this morning and on the U version app the devotion was, Do not be anxious for anything, but in prayer and petition and Thanksgiving present your request to God and the  peace the passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.

So I asked the Lord to help me and I repented of my reactions.

In the devotion it reminded me that our work isn’t just work everything we do every day. It’s holy work in devotion to God. So today I hold out my hands and I say help me to do “Holy work” with you in Jesus. amen. Treat everything I do as holy.

Maybe some of you feel the same way I do and you wanna pray that along with me. Thanks for reading this. I hope it helps you today.

Is my 91 year-old dad says pray it’s the only thing that works! My dad and I also said today.

4-13-25 dad

God cares enough about us to want to hear about everything. God also has our best interest in mind. Sometimes we have to change our solution or change ourselves. But we are on Gods mind all the time. I’m on Gods mind! That blows me away to think about! He cares!

IT ALL BOILS DOWN

 My morning:

Woke up with this poem on my heart, my prayer:

BRIGHT AS YOU ARE 

BRIGHT AS THE DAY

SHINE THE LIGHT ON ME TODAY!

My Dad:

Just keep praying without prayer you get lost. It all boils down to what really matters in life.  In the end nothing else matters, Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus. Touched by God. You do the best you can with your limited understanding. Accept it all, God started it all, He loves everybody. Think about the love of God, the of Jesus all day. 

Verses for the day:

"being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

Think about how important this verse is and freeing. It goes well with these verses. "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:15-16

You have purpose. Don't let anyone tell you anything different than this truth. These verses speak for themselves. Celebrate this truth God knows formed you.

Gentle reminder:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear, is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" Matthew 6:25 NIV

LET'S SAY FOR THE DAY:

I AM A GOOD WORK!

VALEDICTION

 TODAY WITH DAD;

\ Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

I’ll always be close to Jesus 24/7

We never die we go from here to heaven.

Paul Turned his life around and that is a

Remarkable unbelievable story!

Paul's valediction is so touching. They call a closure valediction is So beautiful! In the very last verse of Ephesians is Paul's valediction, GRACE BE WITH YOU TO THOSE WHO have SINCERE, incorruptible, undying Iove! Not subject to death or dying or DK hey I say , “Hey Siri what does incorruptible mean?” Her response not subject to death or decay everlasting. Us believers are not subject to death or dying or decay, so grace is with us 24/7.

The true believers. He personally was valedictorian to them.

Let us hold out our hands today and say

Grace is With Me !

 

Sent from my iPhone

JESUS FORGIVES

 my time with Dad:

becoming a child of god. God giving us a forgiveness. Believing. It sums up everything. I’m enjoying Jesus. It’s different than forcing and conjuring up. It’s beautiful. You gotta do things in the midst recognize God. You don’t have to do anything. GRACE! Prayer is worship. IF it’s meant to be it is meant to be. Huh oh how beautiful forgiveness is. The gifts of God being a child of God that’s inspiring. It’s the best. He’s the best gift giver. No one can top his gift. Its’s beautiful. Thank you for each day. That for the next 24 hours we will trust you with everything. Thank you for creating me and making me a child of God.

We talked about art and possibility of writing a children’s book and here we are talking about being a child of God at the same time.John 1:12 yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under Heaven that has been given among nanny which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

 

BITE OFF MORE THAN WE CAN CHEW

Turn it off and rest prayer always helps! What to get involved in and what to get involved. Your love, o Lord, reaches to heavens, your faithfulness to the skies ps. 36:5

How big and high is his love.

Trusting in God today! We enter prayer into prayer with Thanksgiving! Relax and enjoy God’s love today. Things will fall into place in the right time. Praying for wisdom and clarity as we go in and out. The ability to extend love like you O Lord. Many things going on yet you make order in our lives. Thank you!

 

“and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV

 

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that | New International Version (NIV) | Download The Bible App Now bible.com

Exhaustion and overload come when we take on more than we should. What is that saying, WE BITE OFF MORE THAN WE CAN CHEW"?

Watch out! What questions are you asking someone, do you need to know and why? Are you sincerely going to be able to keep secret and pray for the information you receive or are you going to get anxious and roll it around in your mind. Every word that we ask and take in to our brain has to be processed. I think this advice is so good, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

Let's hold out our hands today and say:

I'm going to mind my own business!