Luke 1:41 NAS
And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
With great joy our granddaughter announced she is pregnant again after suffering a miscarriage earlier this year. This will be baby number two. Their greatest prayer is that this will be a healthy happy baby.
Our grandson's wife is expecting their first baby in November. The baby's room is painted, decorated, and furniture in place for their little farmer to make his grand entrance. Yes, they know they adding a little boy to make their love complete.
Our family is a large family with six children, seventeen grandchildren, and now expecting our fifth great grandchild. I never dreamed my family would be so large and so spread out. From the mountains of California to the shores of South Carolina, the deep south of Texas, and even on foreign soil our family goes about their daily lives.
We are excited and eager to open our hearts and arms for another new life. A child to tell Bible stories to, about Jesus and His love. How He died for our sins.
I wonder what stories Mary told her little boy when He was growing up, and what songs she sang to Him when she rocked Him in her arms. Did she tell Him how special He was? I'd like to think He already knew it.
Dear Father thank you for loving me to send Your son to die for my sins. Forgive me me when I let you down. Amen.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
DREAMS
Joel 2:28 NAS
And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.
I've put off going to bed a few times, afraid my frightening dreams from the night before would revisit me. Everyone of us has had those dreams that felt so real, that haunted you all day, sometimes for days. You wondered if it was a premonition of something to come and you tried to shove it deep into the recesses of your mind.
In Matthrew 2:12 God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod so they departed for their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:13 God also warned Joseph to take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you: for "Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
Psalms 73:20 says Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, Thou wilt despire their form.
The Bible speaks of men, Godly men and ungodly men, who had dreams. Dreams they couldn't decipher, didn't know their true meaning. There were a few times that men led by God deciphered dreams for kings.
I'd like to think my dreams are not premonitions, but because of the stress of the day, maybe a book I'd just read, or even something I saw on television just before I went to bed made their way into my dreams.
I do not ever remember any of my dreams coming true. At least, any of the dreams I could remember upon waking the next morning. Books have been written about dreams in general, presenting their interpretations.
If my dreams are a message from God I will know it in my heart. Our Lord speaks to each one of us in many ways, through the Bible, our quiet time, and to our heart.
Dear Father in Heaven thank you for each time You have spoken to me in my quiet time. I pray for Your guidance every day in all I do. Amen.
And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.
I've put off going to bed a few times, afraid my frightening dreams from the night before would revisit me. Everyone of us has had those dreams that felt so real, that haunted you all day, sometimes for days. You wondered if it was a premonition of something to come and you tried to shove it deep into the recesses of your mind.
In Matthrew 2:12 God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod so they departed for their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:13 God also warned Joseph to take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you: for "Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
Psalms 73:20 says Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, Thou wilt despire their form.
The Bible speaks of men, Godly men and ungodly men, who had dreams. Dreams they couldn't decipher, didn't know their true meaning. There were a few times that men led by God deciphered dreams for kings.
I'd like to think my dreams are not premonitions, but because of the stress of the day, maybe a book I'd just read, or even something I saw on television just before I went to bed made their way into my dreams.
I do not ever remember any of my dreams coming true. At least, any of the dreams I could remember upon waking the next morning. Books have been written about dreams in general, presenting their interpretations.
If my dreams are a message from God I will know it in my heart. Our Lord speaks to each one of us in many ways, through the Bible, our quiet time, and to our heart.
Dear Father in Heaven thank you for each time You have spoken to me in my quiet time. I pray for Your guidance every day in all I do. Amen.
FRUSTRATION
Isaiah 14:27 NAS
For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?
Frustration roars its ugly head at least once in my day and maybe yours too. On a certain day I oversleep and then I'm in a rush to get out the door, so I quickly pour water in the coffee maker and it leaks all over the counter. After cleaning up the mess I glance at my watch and see I'm going to be late for my dental appointment. On the way to the office traffic is a mess. Cars cutting me off and I'm slamming on the brakes.
Sound familiar? Maybe this is another scenario in your life. You're trying to get the monthly report out and the phone keeps ringing. The person on the other end of the line is asking some very unimportant questions, that is, in your opinion. The printer is out of paper, then the paper jams while you are trying to get it all put together for the boss.
I could go on and on but you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it's the little things in our lives that frustrate us. As we get older our eyesight is not what it used to be. We have to wear our glasses just to do the smallest task of threading a needle. Our hands won't grasp a lid as well as they used to and we can't open a jar without help.
There are many things in our lives that can frazzle us, to make us fee like we are no longer in control of a situation, but have you wondered how our Lord feels when we frustrate him? He gives us free will to make choices, some of these choices are not where He wants us to be, but He lets us do it. I know He must be disappointed but He is always there when we finally come to the realization that He was right all along. He is waiting for us to turn to Him when all else fails, we ask for His forgiveness, and let Him guide our lives. He never fails.
Heavenly Father I thank you for always being there for me. For giving me my free will to find out I can't do anything without You. Thank you Lord. Amen.
For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?
Frustration roars its ugly head at least once in my day and maybe yours too. On a certain day I oversleep and then I'm in a rush to get out the door, so I quickly pour water in the coffee maker and it leaks all over the counter. After cleaning up the mess I glance at my watch and see I'm going to be late for my dental appointment. On the way to the office traffic is a mess. Cars cutting me off and I'm slamming on the brakes.
Sound familiar? Maybe this is another scenario in your life. You're trying to get the monthly report out and the phone keeps ringing. The person on the other end of the line is asking some very unimportant questions, that is, in your opinion. The printer is out of paper, then the paper jams while you are trying to get it all put together for the boss.
I could go on and on but you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes it's the little things in our lives that frustrate us. As we get older our eyesight is not what it used to be. We have to wear our glasses just to do the smallest task of threading a needle. Our hands won't grasp a lid as well as they used to and we can't open a jar without help.
There are many things in our lives that can frazzle us, to make us fee like we are no longer in control of a situation, but have you wondered how our Lord feels when we frustrate him? He gives us free will to make choices, some of these choices are not where He wants us to be, but He lets us do it. I know He must be disappointed but He is always there when we finally come to the realization that He was right all along. He is waiting for us to turn to Him when all else fails, we ask for His forgiveness, and let Him guide our lives. He never fails.
Heavenly Father I thank you for always being there for me. For giving me my free will to find out I can't do anything without You. Thank you Lord. Amen.
PRUNING
Matthew 3:10 NAS
And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Before I took leave and went out of state for a month I made a mental note to get the bushes in front of my house pruned. After three weeks of crisscrossing Washington state and then returning home, the bushes under the front window had grown half way up the window, and the bushes on the end were sticking out every which way. I could not contain myself any longer so out came the pruning sheers.
I went to work first taking off the longer stems then working my way down to a reasonable size. Each time I thought I had the right length I'd step back and look at my masterpiece. A little more here and a little more there. As I worked away I thought about the busyness in my life that needed to be pruned.
Looking deeper into my daily activities I could see where I could let go of some of the little things that were taking more time than need be. Where was God in my daily life? I was busy doing and giving God a smaller and smaller amount of my time every day. God wants to have time with us. To be in His word and to talk to Him daily. I needed God to prune my life, to let me know I didn't need all of the filler in my life. All I needed was Him.
God is waiting to be in fellowship with us. He prunes our lives each time we come to Him asking Him to take away our sins and for His forgiveness.
Dear Lord please take away some of the busy things in my life so that I can be in Your word daily. To sit and talk to you, to praise You for all You do in my life. Amen.
And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Before I took leave and went out of state for a month I made a mental note to get the bushes in front of my house pruned. After three weeks of crisscrossing Washington state and then returning home, the bushes under the front window had grown half way up the window, and the bushes on the end were sticking out every which way. I could not contain myself any longer so out came the pruning sheers.
I went to work first taking off the longer stems then working my way down to a reasonable size. Each time I thought I had the right length I'd step back and look at my masterpiece. A little more here and a little more there. As I worked away I thought about the busyness in my life that needed to be pruned.
Looking deeper into my daily activities I could see where I could let go of some of the little things that were taking more time than need be. Where was God in my daily life? I was busy doing and giving God a smaller and smaller amount of my time every day. God wants to have time with us. To be in His word and to talk to Him daily. I needed God to prune my life, to let me know I didn't need all of the filler in my life. All I needed was Him.
God is waiting to be in fellowship with us. He prunes our lives each time we come to Him asking Him to take away our sins and for His forgiveness.
Dear Lord please take away some of the busy things in my life so that I can be in Your word daily. To sit and talk to you, to praise You for all You do in my life. Amen.
Friday, August 6, 2010
TRIBULATION
Romans 2:20-24 ESV
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
I've been visitng with old friends, an ancestry hunt, and supporting my daughter who's going through a divorce. It breaks my heart for this to happen but what hurts much more is what is going on behind the scenes.
My grandchildren are the ones that are suffering, as of which most children suffer when the parents go through a divorce. I do not wish any ill will towards my son-in-law, and know full well that the Lord will handle everything. I trust in Him.
What does hurt is the untruth he is saying, not only against the children's mother but, in one hand he carrries the Bible then on the other hand he is doing what he says his wife is doing. You cannot say that one is committing adultery and yet do it yourself. As Romans says you cannot preach against stealing and yet you are doing it. Your children see and hear everything, and more than what you think.
This has hit close to home but from what I've seen everyday in the newspaper, television, and radio it is happening more often than not. As an adult we are to set the example for our children, not teach them to lie, cheat, steal, or commit adultery.
I do pray this ordeal will end soon and each parent will go on with their separate lives, but agree on the raising of the children together for their sake.
Dear Heavenly Father I pray for each to have strength throughout this tribulation and be able to eventually be friends for the children's sake. Amen.
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
I've been visitng with old friends, an ancestry hunt, and supporting my daughter who's going through a divorce. It breaks my heart for this to happen but what hurts much more is what is going on behind the scenes.
My grandchildren are the ones that are suffering, as of which most children suffer when the parents go through a divorce. I do not wish any ill will towards my son-in-law, and know full well that the Lord will handle everything. I trust in Him.
What does hurt is the untruth he is saying, not only against the children's mother but, in one hand he carrries the Bible then on the other hand he is doing what he says his wife is doing. You cannot say that one is committing adultery and yet do it yourself. As Romans says you cannot preach against stealing and yet you are doing it. Your children see and hear everything, and more than what you think.
This has hit close to home but from what I've seen everyday in the newspaper, television, and radio it is happening more often than not. As an adult we are to set the example for our children, not teach them to lie, cheat, steal, or commit adultery.
I do pray this ordeal will end soon and each parent will go on with their separate lives, but agree on the raising of the children together for their sake.
Dear Heavenly Father I pray for each to have strength throughout this tribulation and be able to eventually be friends for the children's sake. Amen.
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