Category Archives: Faith

Gratitude is more than Attitude

06 Friday Nov 2020

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Gratitude is more than attitude.  Gratitude is exuberant action!

Psalm 100:1-2

  1.  Gratitude shouts joyfully to the Lord.

The Hebrew word for shouts joyfully is ruwa.  It is used 33 times in the Old Testament. 

Ruwa literally means:

  • to split the ears
  • to blast with sound

Ruwa in the Old Testament was:

  • a responsive cry of joy to God for His creation
  • a responsive cry of joy to God for his deliverance
  • a battle cry before engaging an enemy
  • a shout of triumph over an enemy

2. Gratitude serves the Lord with gladness.

The Hebrew word for serves is abad.  Abad is used in the Old Testament in relation to serving things, other people, and God.  When abad is used in relation to serving the Lord, it means:

  • a joyful experience of liberation – not toilsome labor
  • an act of worship

Gratitude done right is exuberant!  It is whole-hearted! 

Whatever you do, do with all your might! (Colossians 3:23)  

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Being Still is Hard Work

03 Tuesday Nov 2020

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Good morning! November is ‘Gratitude Month’ for me. Maybe it is for you, too. So what can we be thankful for today – Election Day? 

If you’re like me, probably the first thing that comes to mind is “I’m thankful it’s finally here and this agony is almost over!” 

But we can do better than that! 

Our kids are learning their ‘B’ memory verse at church this week.  I challenge you to learn it, too.  It couldn’t be any more appropriate for this ‘election results’ week. 

Our children’s ‘B’ verse is Psalm 46:10a.

              “Be still and know that I am God.

But take a look at the rest of the verse, Psalm 46:10b.

              “I will be exalted among the nations.  I will be exalted in the earth.”  

Better yet, take a few minutes and read all eleven verses of Psalm 46 with gratitude in mind. 

Psalm 46:10 tells us that the ability to be still only comes by ‘knowing that God is God’.  So ask yourself as you read, “What truths do I see here about God that will enable me to be still (at rest, calm, at peace) regardless of what happens today?”

  • God is our refuge
  • God is our strength
  • God is a very present help in trouble
  • God is with us (count the times this is mentioned in this one Psalm)
  • God is our stronghold (count the times this is mentioned in this one Psalm)
  • God is powerful
  • God is ultimately in control

Do the hard work of controlling your thoughts! Let these truths ring loud in your heart and mind today.  But don’t stop there!

Praise God for Who He is!  Then share your comfort with someone who is burdened and weighed down with all the concerns that Election day brings. 

Happy Election Day!

A Great Marriage Doesn’t Just Happen

01 Saturday Oct 2016

Posted by in Faith, Husband, Marriage

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You want a great marriage – one that is loving, encouraging, consoling, affectionate and compassionate.  One that feels like you’re in it together.

A marriage like this doesn’t just happen.  You must be intentional about it.

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Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Philippians 2:3

In this passage, Paul is writing to the Philippians about oneness in the church. The same principles in Philippians 2:3-4 can also bring oneness in your marriage. Here we go!

  • Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.
  • Regard your spouse as more important than yourself.
  • Look out for the interests of your spouse – not just your own.

Once self is off the throne, you are ready to ACT.

A–Attitude of humility 

An attitude of humility is a choice – not a feeling. It does not grasp for equality. It is not self-serving.  Instead, it serves the other.

C-Courage to ask

Courage is required when you humbly ask for what you want.  The ask is about you – what you need or want.  It is not about your spouse and how they are falling short in some way. The ask is spoken with truth, love and kindness. It is not a demand or an expected behavior. The ask is honoring and respectful. The ask is vulnerable.

T-Trust God

Trust God with your ask.  The bigger the ask, the more trust is needed. Pray about your attitude.  Pray about your ask.  Pray about the results.  Trust God to work in you and through you and for you. I promise you He will in His time and in His way.

I love sharing my personal experiences with these marriage-changing principles when I speak to other women.  I tell them about the time I threw every shoe I owned at Dan.  Then I tell them how I learned to do marriage God’s way, instead of my own. God’s way is the best way.  It always is.

 

Get in the Chase!

23 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Faith, Love, Need, Opportunity

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There’s nothing like a good chase.  Your senses spring into action! You feel alive!

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Brynlee and Ellasyn came over for a visit. They love to play chase and our living room is ideal because there are several circular options when determining the route of escape. As I chased them, they giggled and squealed with excitement. And I found myself laughing out loud with them.

What are you chasing? You are chasing something. Maybe it is money, pleasure, love, acceptance, fun, security, health, a dream, recognition, or applause.

Do you want an exciting fulfilling chase?  Chase love!  I Corinthians 14:1

Quit trying to figure out what you should be doing and start loving the ones you’re with!

Love meets the need of another. Do you see a need? Chase it!

7 Excuses to Stay Seated

  1. I’m too tired.
  2. I’m too busy.
  3. I’m just one person.
  4. I don’t have adequate resources.
  5. I need some down time.
  6. I don’t know which need to chase.
  7. I don’t really care about this.

3 Steps to Enter the Chase

  1. Commit to the chase.
  2. Stand up and take the first step.
  3. Chase whole-heartedly.

4 Truths About the Chase

  1. You will not be able to meet every need you see.
  2. You will not be able to meet the entire need.
  3. You will have to set priorities.
  4. You will have to set boundaries.

3 Results of the Chase

  1.  The chase will exhilarate you.
  2.  The chase will exhaust you.
  3. The chase will enrich you.

Experience the thrill of a full-out chase!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agitated and Stirred Up

13 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Faith, Fear, Hope

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Agitated? Stirred up?  Feeling like all is not well?

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I Peter 3:4 talks about having a gentle and tranquil spirit. We all know that when we have a gentle and tranquil spirit, it is much better for us personally and it’s much much better for the people around us.

What causes our spirit to be agitated?  We think it is circumstances but it’s not.

I Peter 3:5-6 gives us insight into what causes us to be agitated. It tells us about Sarah and other holy women who adorned themselves with a gentle and tranquil spirit.  It tells us they were able to have this kind of a spirit because of two things.

  1. They were not afraid.
  2. They hoped in God.

I love that Sarah is mentioned. It gives me hope. If you remember Sarah, she was so agitated at one point in her life that she concocted one of the dumbest ideas ever to help God out with His promise. She offered her handmaid, Hagar, to her husband so they could have the promised child.  Whoa!  Not so gentle and tranquil!  But somewhere along her journey, she became unafraid as she learned to hope in God.

If you’re feeling agitated today, ask yourself these two questions.

  1. What am I afraid of?
  2. Have I lost hope?

Remember God is always with you.  Give Him your fears.  Hope in God. Tell Him what you want. He may not give you everything you want but He will be with you always. Believe that He is good. Believe He will always give you what is best. Let His peace rule in your heart and in your thoughts. Philippians 4:5-7

 

 

 

 

A Needless Death

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Faith, Meaning of Life, Need

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Needless_Alley_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1282956August already!  How is your summer going?  Have you been doing life with Jesus?

When you hear that question, what do you think about?

When you hear that question, how do you feel about yourself?

Do you understand what it means to do life with Jesus?  Perhaps it is a new thought for you.  Perhaps you have questions about it.  Perhaps you carry a lot of baggage about it.

One of the very first things we need to realize about doing life with Jesus, is that it is about believing.  It is about faith.  If we get faith right, we get life right.

The Christian life is lived the very way it begins.  It starts with faith and it is lived by faith.

We begin the Christian life when we hear the gospel truth about Christ and believe it.  The moment we believe, we receive the Spirit of Christ.  We have new life by faith.

We live the Christian life the very same way.  We hear God’s truth about some area of our life and we believe it.  The moment we believe the truth, we receive the enabling work of His Spirit.  We are able to live in a new way by faith.

Just as we cannot earn our own way to heaven, neither can we live the Christian life on our own. To think we can is pure arrogance.  It suggests that Christ died needlessly. Galatians 2:21

When we live as though it all depends on us, we are declaring that Christ died needlessly.

We begin the Christian life when we rely on the work of Christ to save us.

We continue the Christian life when we rely on the working of Christ and His Spirit within us to transform us.

Declare your need of Christ – not just for salvation but for all of life.  Depend on Him. Do life with Him.

 

Don’t Miss the Opportunity!

24 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by in Children, Faith, Opportunity

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The volume and energy level in this house is about to increase dramatically.  The grandkids are coming to spend a couple days with Mimi & Poppi.  All the junk that had been thrown in the spare bedrooms has been taken care of.  The snack cupboard has been filled with lots of treats.  More water guns have been added to the pool ammunition.

convertible rideAnd Poppi has the convertible ready to go – one child at a time to a special treat destination of their choice.  And of course, Poppi might get lost along the way causing the ride to be longer.  And for the little ones, Poppi will be sure to point out the flying monkeys that he sees.

Having fun with our grandkids is the best!  I love their laughter. I love hearing their stories and jokes.  I love listening in on their conversations with each other.  I listen for my own enjoyment but I also listen for another reason.  I listen for an opportunity.

I have spent time this week thinking about each grandchild – their likes, their dislikes, their spirit, their personality, their concerns.  I have spent time this week praying for each grandchild.  And now I will listen for an opportunity to share my faith with each grandchild.  I’m not talking about sharing the gospel, or a Bible story or quoting a Bible verse.  I’m talking about a very comfortable, hardly- even noticeable opportunity where I can drop a little idea about doing life with Jesus into their bucket.

Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, had sincere faith that they shared with Timothy.  I want to share my faith with my grandkids.  This can be done a million different ways but one of the best ways is to simply share what God has done for me as I do life with Him.

Moms and grandmoms, the summer has begun.  Diligently look and pray for opportunities to share Jesus with your kids and grandkids.  Shape their thoughts. Make the most of this opportunity!  You’ll blink twice and the summer will be gone.  And if your kids are in school, someone else will be shaping their thoughts.

The Sting of Past Hurts

14 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by in Choice, Faith, Grace, Pain

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Doing life with Jesus every day is so down to earth and practical. That’s one reason it is a must for me.

Yesterday, my husband asked me a question about something. For him, it was just an innocent question. For me, it was a question that brought to mind some past hurts and I felt the sting all over again.

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Past hurts can cause present pain. I wish that was not the case. I wish I was completely over it. And the fact that I’m not completely over it, also bothers me.

I opened the Word of God this morning. I wanted some grace. I needed some grace.

1 Peter 5:5-11 was part of my reading today. It was the very grace I needed. It reminded me to clothe myself in humility and to cast my cares on the One who cares about me and for me. It reminded me to stay firm in believing God has my best interest at heart. It reminded me that God is at work in me. He will perfect me, confirm me, strengthen me and establish me because He is the God of all grace.

So I will do life with Jesus today. I won’t try to do life by myself. I will continue to trust Him with my heart. I will ask Him for His help. I know His grace will be sufficient for me.

What are you struggling with today? Don’t try to do life in your own strength. Do life with Jesus today.

It’s Not about You!

10 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by in Faith, Meaning of Life, Plans, Purpose

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My life is not turning out the way I thought it was going to.  Is yours?

Yes, I make choices that impact my life.  But as an almost ’60something’, I realize so much of this crazy thing called ‘life’ is beyond my control.  Sometimes things turn out the way I expect and other times, I’m completely baffled.

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Psalm 139 clearly states that God has a specific plan for my life. He knows my beginning, my ending and everything in between.  He knows my thoughts and my words even before I say them.  He knows where I am going and what I am doing.  He knows what I am planning to do today and He knows what He has planned for me today.  And somehow in His Godness, He takes my choices and writes the story of my life – the very life He designed for me even before I was born.

We see this same principle in the life of so many Bible characters.  They made choices. Others made choices that impacted them.  And God used it all to write His story!

  • Joseph and his brothers
  • Moses and his parents
  • Rahab and the spies
  • Esther and her people

And the list could go on and on.

God is writing His own story!  He is the main character in each and every story!

It’s not about me.  It’s not about you. It’s about Him!

Some might say this diminishes our life story.  I would argue that it elevates it. We are all part of something bigger and grander than ourselves. We are part of His amazing story. The more we embrace this truth, the more we experience rich meaning and lasting purpose in life.

So when my life doesn’t turn out the way I thought it was going to, I remember I am part of His story.  He is the Author.  He is writing His story and I’m honored to be part of it.

 

I’ve Been Praying for Years!

26 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Faith, Loved Ones, Prayer

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I’ve been praying for my loved one for a very long time.  Sometimes I wonder if my prayer will ever be answered.  I get discouraged and lose heart.  And then I don’t pray with the same intensity.

Discouragement comes from faulty thinking that says “God isn’t answering my prayer”.

Faith thinking says:

  • God is love.
  • God is fully aware.
  • God is able.
  • God hears my prayer.
  • God is at work.
  • God’s ways are not my ways.
  • God draws people to Himself.

I take comfort in the fact that God loves my loved one even more than I do.  God understands the innermost thoughts and motives of my loved one.  God knows exactly how to draw my loved one to Himself.

I take comfort in the fact that God loves me even more than I do.  God understands the innermost thoughts and motives of my heart.  God knows exactly how to draw me to Himself.

So I will keep on praying, entrusting my deepest concerns to my faithful Father.

So I will keep on praying, taking the weight off me and giving it to the One who can handle it.

So I will keep on praying!  I will bring delight to my Father’s heart!  Proverbs 15:8