RAINY DAYS & RAINBOWS

 

 

It's a dark dreary day.

(sounds like the beginning of a bad novel!)

I like this kind of day from time to time.

 Don't get me wrong.

I love sunshine;

Warm days that lift my spirits.

But I like rainstorms too.

 

A good rain cleanses the earth.

The aroma after a cleansing rain lifts my spirits.

The sound of rain soothes my soul.

I even enjoy the thunder and lightening.

They remind me of the 

power and majesty of the Creator .

I love to stand in a sheltered spot 

and soak in the sights and sounds 

of a good rainstorm.

 

 Once the rain is over, 

God's promise often appears.

In some of the darkest times of my life

God has sent me a reminder of His faithfulness.

If we didn't have the rain,

we couldn't have the rainbow.

 So celebrate the rain!

Let it wash over you and renew your spirit.

Then look for the rainbow!

 

"I set My rainbow in the cloud, 

and it shall be for the sign of the covenant 

between Me and the earth."

Genesis 9:13

 

Thankfulness

Thankfulness opens windows of heaven through which blessings fall.

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
      That there may be food in My house,
      And try Me now in this,”
      Says the LORD of hosts,

      “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it."

Malachi 3:10 

 

Tithing is just one of the ways I can show 

my thanks to my Heavenly Father.

I can tithe my money, possessions, time, and talents.

 

Counting my blessings is another way to give thanks to God.

I have found that I can always find something for which to be grateful.

 

A smile, the laughter of children, a friend's hug,

a good cup of coffee, a warm house on a cold day,

my family, a job I enjoy, a butterfly, 

a clear night when I can see the stars,

and most of all, my Best Friend.

 

Life IS in the little things.

And little IS much when God is in it.

 

  "...giving thanks always for all things to God the Father 

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

 

Amen! 

 

 I just began reading UPRISING by Erwin Raphael McManus.

One phrase in particular from chapter 2 jumped out at me.

"You cannot follow Jesus and remain the same." 

(pp. 34-35)

Then one of my friends on Facebook 

posted a link to a story about Francis Chan.

The Crazy Mission of Francis Chan

www.relevantmagazine.com

 This article relates how Chan left his megachurch 

without knowing exactly where God is leading him.

He and his wife are stepping out in faith even though it scares them.

He talks about how the church needs to step out and live a life that is modeled on Christ's life.

I need to take a good look at my life.

Am I allowing God to change me to be like Jesus?

Or am I afraid to be different, to be thought of as weird?

I want to be like Jesus!

I want to risk all for His kingdom.

I want the world to see Jesus in me.

Not for my sake; for His.

I so often allow fear or what others may think of me 

to keep me from stepping out in faith.

I don't want to do this anymore.

I have no idea what God is going to ask me to do.

I do believe He is preparing me for something.

I want to grow in and like Christ.

"Father, I want to be willing to step out in faith no matter the cost.

Make me a fit vessel to serve Your Kingdom.

Empty me of self and fill me with You.

In Jesus' Precious Name,

Amen

The father of a good friend past away this morning.  

He's been battling cancer for a while.  

I started to say the cancer won, 

but for him death has no sting,  no victory. 

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, 

and this mortal has put on immortality, 

then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:  

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
       “ O Death, where is your sting?
      O Hades, where is your victory?”

1 Corinthians 15: 54-55 

This was a true man of God.  

He was a pastor who loved the Lord with all of his heart.  

He was leading the flock of a church 

after "retiring" several years ago.

He ministered to people with love and compassion.

And he loved his family well.

Even to the end, he prayed with his family 

and those who visited him.

He sang hymns of thanksgiving and praise 

as he lay in his bed at home.

He encouraged others to be thankful.

He truly loved the Lord 

and I know he is rejoicing and worshiping 

in His presence right now!

I look at his example and at others who are in my life 

and I see people who do not allow illness, pain, old age, 

or just being tired keep them from serving God daily.

At the same time they talk about being ready to go.

They embrace life while not fearing death.

They know that to die is gain.

“Let not your heart be troubled; 

you believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father’s house are many mansions; 

if it were not so, I would have told you. 

I go to prepare a place for you. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, 

I will come again and receive you to Myself; 

that where I am, there you may be also."

John 14:1-3

This is the promise for those who are in Christ.

This life is but a journey preparing us 

for an eternity in God's presence.

Jim McGee has entered that presence.

We on earth mourn his loss.

Heaven celebrates his gain.

Praise God.

Every morning in my quiet time, I ask God to speak to me.  

It still amazes me how often a scripture or a thought 

pops into my head that speaks directly to my need.

This morning was no different.  

 I have been sad the last few days.

Not sure why, just constantly on the verge of tears.

Yet, it has comforted me to also be aware at the same time

of the joy of the Lord deep in my very being.

I poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father this morning.

In response, He gave to me these words:

"Mourn lost dreams.

Celebrate what I have planned for you."

I realized that even though 

I believed I was through with the grieving process, 

I am not.

I have grieved many things since the end of my marriage 

seven and one half years ago.  

I haven't grieved the dreams lost.

There are so many things I didn't do because 

I gave up myself in order to please another person.

 The things that mattered to me were ridiculed or seen as unimportant 

so I pushed them deep within and went on with my life.

I will soon be sixty years old.

Many of the things I dreamed of doing as a young person

will probably never come to pass this side of Heaven.

However, God knew the choices I would make in my life and the consequences, good and bad, that would come from those choices.

He also knows the dreams He has planted in me.  

I'm glad He does because right now I'm not sure I do.

I think that because it hurt so much, 

I've forgotten what it's like to dream.

It was easier to just go along, dreams lost.

That's why God's words to me this morning mean so much.

Mourn lost dreams and move on to the plans He has for me.

So I'm going to allow myself to remember and regret dreams lost.

But I'm not going to wallow in it.

I have just existed for too many years

I want to live life to its fullest.

I'm asking God to restore my passion for living.

I'm asking Him to replace my old dreams with His new ones.

I'm believing His promise to give me a future with hope.

I'm believing His word that says:

"Do not remember the past events,
    pay no attention to things of old. 

    Look, I am about to do something new;
    even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
    Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert."

Isaiah 43: 18-19

 

 

I keep a lighted scented candle on my desk at work.

Many people who enter my office comment on the wonderful aroma.

I rarely notice the scent myself unless 

I'm out of my office for an extended period of time.

This led me to thinking about the aroma my life emits 

to the world in which I live.

 

What kind of scent do I emanate?  

Is it a pleasing scent?

Is it a scent that draws people in?

Or is it an odor that repels people when they smell it?

 

¹⁴But thanks be to God, 

who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession 

and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.  

¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among 

those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  

¹⁶ To the one we are an aroma that brings death; 

to the other, an aroma that brings life. 

And who is equal to such a task? 

¹⁷ Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. 

On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, 

as those sent from God. 

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 

If I truly belong to Christ my aroma should be one that pleases Him.

My aroma should reveal Christ to those around me.

My aroma should be disturbing to those who reject Christ.

My aroma should be invigorating to those who know Christ.

What determines my aroma?

My relationship with the One who endows me with His scent.

The deeper more intimate my relationship is with Him,

the sweeter more powerful my aroma will be.

May my life's aroma reflect Jesus Christ in every way at every moment!

Encouragement

Today's devotional at work was about encouraging words.

  

"Therefore encourage one another 

and build each other up as you are already doing."

1Thessalonians 5:11

I love to encourage people through 

words, cards, hugs, prayer, however I can.

I think part of the reason for this is 

that I know what it's like to live in an atmosphere of discouragement.  

I believe God allowed me to experience this 

so that I could know how much kind words and deeds 

can mean to a person who is discouraged. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 

He comforts us in all our affliction, 

so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

If I had never suffered abuse or loss or pain, 

how would I know how to minister to another person?  

Why would I want to ease someone else's pain?

But I have suffered verbal abuse, emotional loss, and physical pain.

God has used various means to comfort me.

People.  Scripture.  Music.  Words.  Hugs.  

Most of all, His Holy Spirit has wrapped me in arms of comfort 

when I have cried out to Him.

Words can be used to tear down.
Words can be used to build up.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me."

Not true.
Words can inflict the most terrible pain possible.
Words can bestow the deepest joy possible.


If you speak, be encouraging.
If you act, be loving.
Comfort as you have been comforted.
Encourage as you have been encouraged.


 "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Matthew 7:12

Hope Anchored in Jesus!

 

 

 

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, 

both sure and steadfast, 

and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 

where the forerunner has entered for us, 

even Jesus, 

having become High Priest forever 

according to the order of Melchizedek".

Hebrews 6:19-20 

 

Anchor definition

 

 From Acts 27:29, 30, 40,  

it would appear that the Roman vessels carried several anchors,  

which were attached to the stern as well as to the prow.  

The Roman anchor, like the modern one, had two teeth or flukes.  

In Heb. 6:19 the word is used metaphorically for that which supports  

or keeps one steadfast in the time of trial or of doubt.  

It is an emblem of hope.  

"If you fear, Put all your trust in God: that anchor holds."  anchor. (n.d.). Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. 

Retrieved February 17, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anchor

My soul is anchored in Jesus.

What a reassuring thought.  

No matter what happens to me, my soul cannot be killed.

No matter what circumstances surround me , my soul cannot be disturbed.

No matter what storms assail me, my soul cannot be lost.

This hope that anchors my soul in Jesus is real.

This hope that anchors my soul in Jesus is precious.

This hope that anchors my soul in Jesus is steadfast.

This hope that anchors my soul in Jesus is comfort.

Faith and hope go hand in hand.

Without faith, hope is lost.

Without hope, faith is in vain.

Glory be to God!

His children are never without faith and hope.

Faith in Jesus gives us access to heavenly Father.

Hope in Jesus anchors us to our heavenly Father. 

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, 

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

through whom also we have access by faith 

into this grace in which we stand, 

and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Romans 5:1-2

Amen!

 Ginger and the Three Bears

The Bear family is quite proud of their South Carolina beach side condominium.  Robert Bear, Sr. has put in long hours as a stockbroker and Cindy Bear has made a fortune selling Mary Kay products.  She has even earned a pink Cadillac.  Bobby Bear, Jr., who is six years old, attends the very best private school in New York City.  Yes, the Bears have earned their place among the elite of the Big Apple.

Labor Day weekend finds the Bear family at their condo enjoying the long weekend.  The state of the art kitchen is stocked with their favorite foods: tortilla chips and hot salsa for Daddy, mild nacho cheese for Mommy, and medium salsa for Bobby.  The great room has three chairs that are perfect for viewing the HDTV: a La-Z-Boy Baxter leather recliner for Daddy, a La-Z-Boy Diana chaise for Mommy, and a Lap of Luxury Child Recliner for Bobby.  The Select Comfort Sleep Number King Sized Bed the Bear parents ordered is waiting in the master bedroom.  Bobby has his very own Twin Extra-Long Sleep Number Bed.

After unpacking and setting the table for a snack upon their return, the Bear family sets out for a long stroll on the beach.

Ginger Gold is a twelve-year-old runaway from Charleston.  She’s been on the lam for about a month, living off what she finds in trashcans.  Sometimes she is able to fool the “do-gooders” who feed the homeless into thinking she is with her mother.  Ginger joins up with a group of runaways who hang out at the beach.  They sleep in an abandoned shed, steal anything they can, and hide from the law.  At first, Ginger finds this life exciting and the freedom enjoyable.  However, she begins to miss her home, her bad, her mom’s cooking, her friends, and, believe it or not, she misses her family.  She just doesn’t know how to go home.

Ginger decides to take a walk by herself so she can figure out what to do.  After walking for over an hour, she finds herself in a ritzy neighborhood of condos.  She spies a bench and sits down to rest before returning to the beach she calls home.  Ginger watches the condo dwellers arrive for the holiday weekend.  One family in particular catches her attention as they carry their belongings into their beach home.  An hour later the father, mother, and little boy emerge and head to the beach.  Her curiosity aroused, Ginger approaches their condo just to peek in the windows.  Imagine her surprise when she discovers they left the front door open.  The temptation is too great so she quietly slips into the room.

Ginger’s eyes fill with wonder as she gazes on the fancy furnishings and the food spread out on the table.  The salsa in the big bowl burns her mouth so she spits it out.  The nacho cheese is too bland for her.  The salsa in the small bowl is just right so she quickly wolfs it down.

Her stomach satisfied, Ginger moves to the great room looking for a place to rest.  The recliner is so big it swallows her.  She doesn’t fit comfortably on the chaise.  The small recliner is just right until it collapses under her.

A full stomach and the warm room cause Ginger to become sleepy.  She decides to explore the bedrooms.  She lies down on Mr. Bear’s side of the bed but it is too hard.  She moves to the other side but it is too soft.  Ginger lies down on the twin bed and falls fast asleep.

Time passes as Ginger slumbers.  Soon the Bear family returns from their jaunt on the beach.  Upon seeing the mess on the table, Mr. Bear quickly takes his family back outside, uses his cell phone to call 911, and waits.

When the police arrive, they enter with guns drawn and find Ginger asleep on Bobby’s bed.  They all go downtown.  When Mr. Bear discovers that Ginger is a runaway who wants to go home, he contacts her parents, finds that they have been searching frantically for her, and want her to come home.  The Bear family takes Ginger back to their condo to shower and wash her clothes.  Then they all pile into Mrs. Bear’s Cadillac and make the trip to Charleston.  Ginger the runaway has come home.

FEELINGS

It's not being alone.

It is feeling alone.

It's not being unloved.

It is feeling unloved.

Feelings.

God created each of us with feelings.

The question is how will we use those feelings?

Will we allow them to control our lives?

Or will we allow God to teach us how to control our feelings?

First of all, do not bottle them up.

The cork will pop and you will explode.

Find someone with whom you can be totally honest.

And, yes, we can be totally honest with God.

However, sometimes we need someone with skin on.

That's why God created us with a desire for relationships.

I have discovered that years of being afraid to express my true feelings have made me a person who does bottle up things.

I have decided to allow God to change this in me and teach me how to express and deal with my feelings in a positive way.

The difficult part is to find someone you can trust 

and who will not judge you.

But isn't that what we as Christians are supposed to do.

To love each other, support each other, bear each others burdens.

So why do we so often shoot our wounded?

I'm learning to be honest with myself and others.

Not mean or petty, but honest.

Their response is not my responsibility.

My response to others is.

 Feelings are not good or bad.

It is what we do with them that counts.

When I feel lonely, I need to reach out.

I can do this by touching someone else who is lonely.

I can also do this by letting those who love me know I'm lonely.

The other side of this is to be willing to listen 

and to make a difference in someone's life.

My prayer today is:

"Please Lord, bring someone into my life who needs a listening ear 

and who will be a listening ear.

Open me to relationships You bring into my life.

Thank You for being my Friend.

Thank You that I do walk by faith and not by sight."

In Jesus' Precious Name,

Amen

"My eyes are ever on the LORD,
   for only He will release my feet from the snare.

 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
   for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart
   and free me from my anguish."

Psalm 25:15-17

"For we live by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthians 5:7

Valentine's Day

 

For many single people, 
this is not a day to celebrate.  

For someone like me who has been married 
but is now alone, 

it can be a reminder of what I don't have.  

This can cause me to feel sorry for myself 

when I see other women receiving 

flowers, candy, and gifts 
from their husbands.  

Satan attempts to use the old feelings of 

rejection and pain to tempt me to sin.  

Self-pity, jealousy, and despair are just

a few of the results of those old feelings.

However, 

I awoke this morning with a new 
Valentine's Day "attitude."  

God reminded me that I am loved 

with a pure everlasting love 

by a Husband who will never 
desert me or stop loving me.

"For your husband is your Maker —
    His name is Yahweh of Hosts—
    and the Holy One of Israel 
is your Redeemer;
    He is called the God of all the earth.
  For the LORD has called you,
    like a wife deserted and wounded 
in spirit,
    a wife of one's youth when 
she is rejected,
    says your God."
Isaiah 54:5:6

So even if I don't receive 
flowers or candy from someone, 

all I have to do is count 
all the blessings I have in my life. 

All I have to do is 
remember the numerous times 

God has proven to be my Husband.

All I have to do is look around at 

the beauty with which He surrounds me.

All I have to do is to remember 
God Is Love!

Happy Valentine's Day!

You Are MY Child!

Every morning in my quiet time with the Lord, I say to Him, 

"I am listening.  Please speak the words I need to hear today."  

For the last 2 weeks the first thought to enter my mind has been, 

"You are MY child."  

After a few days of this, I started pondering what He is trying to tell me.  What in my life needs to hear these words?  

Because I live alone, I sometimes feel like 

I don't belong anywhere.  

I know I am loved by family and friends 

but there is no one who LOVES me, 

if you understand what I mean.  

I don't have a valentine.  

Most of the time, that's okay.  

But occasionally I start feeling left out and lonely.  

I think I've been feeling that way lately maybe 

because of the holidays and Valentine's Day.

I decided to find some scriptures that spoke about being God's child.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: 

for they shall be called the children of God."

Matthew 5:9

 

"But as many as received Him, 

to them He gave the right to become children of God, 

to those who believe in His name:"

John 1:12

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit 

that we are children of God,

and if children, 

then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, 

if indeed we suffer with Him, 

that we may also be glorified together."

Romans 16-17

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:26

"Look at how great a love the Father has given us, 

that we should be called God's children. 

And we are! 

The reason the world does not know us is that it didn't know Him." 

1 John 3:1

So maybe this is why my Heavenly Father keeps 

reminding me that I am His child.  

I do belong to Him and He loves me with an everlasting love.  

I'm not alone.  

"How great a love He's given us (me)."  

He will not discard me, abuse me, leave me, or stop loving me.  

I cannot do anything to earn His love or do anything to lose His love.  

I am His child.  

Amazing, isn't it!

 

 

Gray Hair 

The world says:

"Because I'm worth it!"

 "Does she or doesn't she?

Only her hairdresser knows for sure?"

"If I've only one life, let me live it as a blonde!"

 "Wash that gray right out of your hair!"

Gray hair!  

How our society rues that first gray hair.  

We are inundated with commercials exhorting us 

to cover them as soon as they appear.  

Women especially feel pressured 

to cover that gray so they will appear more youthful.

GOD's Word Says:

"Gray hair is a glorious crown;
    it is found in the way of righteousness."

Proverbs 16:31

Some of the most beautiful women I have known

had a head full of gray hair.

 Some of the wisest women I have known

had a head full of gray hair.

Many of these women also are examples 

of living a life grounded in faith 

and in a deeply intimate relationship with God.

GOD's Word says:

"You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old. 

Fear your God; I am the LORD."

 Leviticus 19:32

Our society pushes the elderly off to the side.

Neglect and abuse are too often prevalent in their lives.

God demands respect and honor for the elderly.

We as His children must obey His commands.

 There is so much we can learn from our Senior Adults.

Ask yourself:  "How do I treat the elderly?

Am I patient and kind?"

Remember, if God wills, we will all be elderly one day!

GOD's Word Says:

"Even to your old age and gray hairs
   I am He, I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
   I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

Isaiah 46:4 

  God promises to care for us as long as we live.

He knows the number of our days.

If He knows the number of our days, 

He knows just what we will require to live out those days.

I choose to believe His Word.

I choose to trust His promise to rescue, sustain, and carry me.

What will you choose?

"And my God will supply all your needs 

according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

 Philippians 4:19

"As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD."

Joshua 24:15b