My God My Everything

 I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted, He found His encouragement and strength in God’s word. What He endured, not only in the wilderness but in His life and on the cross was more than we can ever imagine and it’s by His example of where He found His strength, that we can be encouraged when we face the difficulties of life. Sometimes God leads us on hard paths instead of easy ways. He does this because He is doing a work in us. He is trying to teach us to lean on Him. If life…

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 At the Grief Share meeting last week, the topic was self-care. It’s so easy to set aside our own health and needs when we are taking care of a loved one. It is also easy to set them aside when we get too busy with the daily demands of our lives. It was a lesson meant to remind us that we are God’s Masterpiece and that we need to take time to take care of the bodies that He has given us.…

For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. Deuteronomy 30:11 I read a post a while ago that said to “choose your hard.” It had examples like, marriage is hard, divorce is hard, choose your hard. Obesity is hard, being fit is hard, choose your hard. After pondering this for a few days I was trying to motivate myself to do the hard things. Exercise, eat better, skip the desserts, and be committed to doing whatever it will take to reach my goals on this fitness journey. I wrote mantras in my fitness journal, made daily entries, and…

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. Psalm 139:1-4 After my revelation in the mirror, I decided that I needed to make a plan to get fit and healthier. In my mind, I started mapping out ways that I felt I could make it work. One was memory verse walks on the treadmill. As I was walking along rehearing the verses in my little book I came across today’s passage. It was…

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37-39 Yesterday I decided it was time to remove all the snow from this weeks downpour that has accumulated on my sidewalk. There is a school bus stop in front of our home and the little kids have such a hard time trying to climb over the mounds…

Lord, give me Ears to Hear

Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.  1 Samuel 3:10 For just a moment, close your eyes and listen.  Quiet your mind and intentionally take in the sounds around you. Do you hear familiar voices? Are the birds chirping? Can you hear the wind blowing through the trees? Our lives are filled with distractions that are constantly competing for our attention.  We have become so accustomed to noise that we even turn on the TV or radio just so it doesn’t seem so quiet. With so much noise, we often miss hearing God.  As Elijah experienced it wasn’t in the wind, the fire or an earthquake but rather a gentle…

 Lord, give me Eyes to See

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. A text message comes with an urgent request for prayer, and instantly your heart goes out to the person in need as words form on your lips asking God to intervene.  Confidently you approach the throne of God with your petition, hoping for a favorable outcome.  You know the desired response you want to see be it healing, safety, grace or freedom from strongholds, but do you ask God for eyes to see what He sees?  Do you want to see the situation from His perspective or just your own? In the Bible story of the man born blind, people saw his situation…

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20 The title page for a devotional that I received for January was “More in 2024.” What an incredible goal for the new year. Right from the beginning it encourages the reader to set their heart and mind on the things of God and to develop a…