In this month of January, I have started re-reading The Psalms. My most recent Blogs have been about praise, worship, and fellowship. In the Psalms, we find so very many passages about Praise and Worship.
I found some Psalm facts in the daily devotional, The Portals of Prayer.
I would like to share them with you:
1) The Psalms include the shortest (Psalm 117) and the longest (Psalm 119) chapters in the Bible.
2) Psalm 118 is the center point of the Bible.
3) The Psalms are quoted more frequently in The New Testament than any other book of the Old Testament.
4) Jesus' last words were from a Psalm (Psalm 31:5) “Into Thine hand I commit my Spirit”.
5) Colossians 3:16 indicates that by singing Psalms we are dwelling in The Word of Christ.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”.
The Psalms can be used as a book of prayer. Whatever you are going through; whatever emotions you are feeling; or what ever your need might be; the Psalms can supply you with the necessary thoughts and words as you pray scripture back to The Lord. During the many times in life when we just don't know what to pray or how to pray, we can turn to the Psalms. He will direct us, teach us, comfort us, guide us, speak to us, and give us His assurance and peace. God hears our prayers as we praise and worship Him by lifting up His own words back to Him in prayer. Try it!
The Psalms show us that God was David's refuge and hiding place. David cried out to God in his trials, and also came to God giving the Lord his worship, praise, and thanksgiving throughout the Psalms. God asks us to come to Him in Spirit and in Truth just as David did. David knew that God's power was with him and he knew that God heard his prayers. God has given us the gift of faith and He wants us to be as certain of the knowledge of His presence as David was.
When I think about God being our refuge and hiding place, as so often is stated in The Psalms, I think about Corrie Ten Boom and her book “The Hiding Place”. God never left her, and her faith never wavered, even when imprisoned in a Nazi death camp. Her faith was incredible. God used her life, and her courageous testimony, in the lives of so many during and after the second world war. Her hidden Bible and the comfort of God's promises in the psalms and scriptures gave her the strength to survive during a time of suffering that we could not even imagine.
I also remember my friend, Heidi, when I think about the Psalms. When she was fighting her battle with cancer, God comforted her with His Word. When she cried out to the Lord, she experienced God speaking to her through scripture. I recall the evening when she telephoned me. She wanted to tell me how God had revealed himself to her and spoke to her spirit as she read Psalm 66. I have her name written by that Psalm in my Bible.
Psalm 66:16-20 says:
“Come and listen, all those who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me.
For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw His unfailing love from me”.
Heidi did not win her physical battle but she won her spiritual battle. She knew without a doubt that God and His love were real. She knew Him more dearly, she saw Him more clearly, and entered into a deeper relationship with Him. She and her Savior were walking together through her time of trial and suffering. God doesn't always take away our trials or answer our prayers as we would have wanted them to be answered, but when we meet Him, we know that we are never alone. This, He has promised in His Word.
Heidi died two years ago on February 14th, Valentine's day. She is my friend. My family and I loved her dearly. She is with The Lord and is waiting for us on the other side of eternity.
If you would like to read a little more about her journey of faith, I did post her testimony in my Blog last February.
The 23rd Psalm is a Psalm of comfort and promise. It is a Psalm which most of us have heard, read, or recited. It tells us that God is our Shepherd. Therefore, we are His sheep. He gives us rest, leads us into peaceful places, renews our strength, and guides us on to the right path. We are to recognize that following Him brings honor to His name as our God and our Shepherd. We are not to be afraid when we find ourselves in a valley experience of trial or even impending death because God is with us. His word is our rod and our staff. God's word is to us as a shepherd's hook is to a lost or hurting sheep. It is used to protect us, help us, guide us, and provide a refuge of safety as it directs us.
When we find ourselves in a valley or trial we must know that God knows where we are and He knows what we are going through. He does allow valley experiences. God wants our spirits to grow when we are in the valley's of life. The valley is a passageway, not a tunnel; we aren't to get stuck there. The journey through the valley, with God at our side, will lead us back to the mountain top. All things DO work for good (Romans 8:28) when we let God refine us, renew us, clear our vision, and teach us when we walk through the valley with Him. He will then accomplish His purpose and plan for our lives.
The Psalm ends by telling us that He will protect us from our enemies. He will anoint us, bless us, show us goodness, and show us His unfailing love for the rest of our lives into eternity.
Let us read the Psalms and pray the words of the Psalms back to our Lord. As we read them and pray them may we feel God's presence in our lives.
Psalm 25:8-10 says, “The Lord is good and does what is right;
He shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in what is right,
teaching them His way.
The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all those who keep His covenant and obey His decrees”.
Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation-
so why should I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:8 says, “my heart has heard you say, 'Come and talk with me.'
And my heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming.'”
Psalm 37;25 says, “I have never seen the godly forsaken.”
Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that lives, praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Fellowship
Today is Sunday. The sun was shinning in the Florida Keys and I was so very aware of the many blessings in my life. Richard and I fellowshiped with other Christians at church in the morning and again in the afternoon at a fellowship potluck dinner at the home of a couple from the Martin Luther Chapel congregation.
In my last Blog I wrote about God seeking our worship and fellowship. I sited some of the scriptures where God says that He wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Our spirit communes with God's Spirit in the truth of the Gospel of Christ. He wants us to come to Him, believing in Him, and believing in His promised plan of salvation. Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6). Speaking of The Holy Spirit in John 16:13, Jesus said, “When The Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all Truth”.
Today I listened to Television Pastor Charles Stanley. Stanley and Pastor Roberts both spoke about fellowshiping and worshiping with other Christians. Hebrews 10:19-25 gives us God's instructions on the topic.
Verse 25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other..”. We are to gather together to worship God and help each other.
The Church is the Body of Christ, the large body of corporate believers throughout the world. In Matthew 16, Peter responded to Jesus' question, “Who do you say that I am?”. Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of The Living God”. God had revealed this to Peter and Jesus said that on that revelation He would build His church. Peter and the other Jewish disciples began Christ's Church. They were the first Christ followers, the first Christians, the first in the Body of Christ of which we are a part of today. They didn't have a building but they did have fellowship with Christ and each other.
There is also the local church, the houses of worship where the body of Christ worships. The local church is comprised of many denominations. True denominations believe in God's plan of salvation as read throughout the scriptures. We believe in The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
The Christian life is all about relationships to God and to others. We cannot live as little islands only concerned about our self and our personal needs. We experience relationships in families, circles of friends, and in jobs and businesses. With our common core beliefs, as members of The Body of Christ, we are in relationship with other Christians.
What is God's reason for the church? As seen in Hebrews 10, He wants us, as Christ Followers, to assemble together. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there will I be also”. He wants us to experience His presence. When we gather together to worship, sing, pray, praise, hear the word, give thanks, and give our gifts we are in fellowship with each other and in the presence of Jesus Christ. As His body, God protects us, teaches us, confronts us with truth, and holds us accountable.
We have all been given spiritual gifts (Galatians 5:22). These gifts are to be shared and given away. When we are in fellowship with other believers we can pass on our gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And when we find ourselves hurting or in need, other Christians will be there to minister to, give their spiritual gifts to, and give us encouragement in The Lord. We need The Lord and we need each other. We are to love one another, encourage one another, and live in relationship with one another by fellowshiping and worshiping together. When we come together to worship our Lord, we experience His presence and we grow in our faith. As we leave church, our spirits are lifted, and our batteries are charged. We are more prepared to face our daily lives and the people in it. God honors us when we honor Him. He wants to spend time with us and He wants us to assemble together in His name.
In my last Blog I wrote about God seeking our worship and fellowship. I sited some of the scriptures where God says that He wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Our spirit communes with God's Spirit in the truth of the Gospel of Christ. He wants us to come to Him, believing in Him, and believing in His promised plan of salvation. Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6). Speaking of The Holy Spirit in John 16:13, Jesus said, “When The Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all Truth”.
Today I listened to Television Pastor Charles Stanley. Stanley and Pastor Roberts both spoke about fellowshiping and worshiping with other Christians. Hebrews 10:19-25 gives us God's instructions on the topic.
Verse 25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other..”. We are to gather together to worship God and help each other.
The Church is the Body of Christ, the large body of corporate believers throughout the world. In Matthew 16, Peter responded to Jesus' question, “Who do you say that I am?”. Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of The Living God”. God had revealed this to Peter and Jesus said that on that revelation He would build His church. Peter and the other Jewish disciples began Christ's Church. They were the first Christ followers, the first Christians, the first in the Body of Christ of which we are a part of today. They didn't have a building but they did have fellowship with Christ and each other.
There is also the local church, the houses of worship where the body of Christ worships. The local church is comprised of many denominations. True denominations believe in God's plan of salvation as read throughout the scriptures. We believe in The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
The Christian life is all about relationships to God and to others. We cannot live as little islands only concerned about our self and our personal needs. We experience relationships in families, circles of friends, and in jobs and businesses. With our common core beliefs, as members of The Body of Christ, we are in relationship with other Christians.
What is God's reason for the church? As seen in Hebrews 10, He wants us, as Christ Followers, to assemble together. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there will I be also”. He wants us to experience His presence. When we gather together to worship, sing, pray, praise, hear the word, give thanks, and give our gifts we are in fellowship with each other and in the presence of Jesus Christ. As His body, God protects us, teaches us, confronts us with truth, and holds us accountable.
We have all been given spiritual gifts (Galatians 5:22). These gifts are to be shared and given away. When we are in fellowship with other believers we can pass on our gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And when we find ourselves hurting or in need, other Christians will be there to minister to, give their spiritual gifts to, and give us encouragement in The Lord. We need The Lord and we need each other. We are to love one another, encourage one another, and live in relationship with one another by fellowshiping and worshiping together. When we come together to worship our Lord, we experience His presence and we grow in our faith. As we leave church, our spirits are lifted, and our batteries are charged. We are more prepared to face our daily lives and the people in it. God honors us when we honor Him. He wants to spend time with us and He wants us to assemble together in His name.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
God Seeks Our Worship
I have looked up some of the scriptures in which God speaks about the importance of worship. We can have a private time of worship or we can be together with other Christians as we praise and worship our Lord.
God is God no matter where we are; be it alone or with others.
I am His child no matter where I am; that never changes.
John 4: 23 says, “But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship The Father in Spirit and in Truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship Him that way.
For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth”.
Psalm 148: Sings praises to The Lord.
Verse 5 says, “Let every created thing give praise to The Lord”.
Philippians 2: 10 and 11 tells us that, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father”.
Ephesians 1: 6 says, “ So we praise God for the wonderful kindness He has poured out on us because we belong to His dearly loved Son”
Psalm 150 shows us some ways in which we are to praise God. Verse 6 tells us to “let everything that lives, sing praises to The Lord!”.
In Exodus 8: 1, The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh once again and tell him,'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me' ”.
Exodus 34:14 says, “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”.
1Chronicles 16: 29 says, “Give the Lord the glory He deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship Him. Worship the Lord in all His holy splendor”.
God is my creator. I thank Him and worship Him for giving me life and the gift of time each day.
1Corinthians 6:19 tells me that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
As a believer, He dwells in me and I in Him. I can talk to Him and worship Him wherever I am because He is always with me. I don't have to be in a church building to worship and praise God.
I speak to God and lift up a prayer of worship, praise, and thanksgiving often each day. I love to take my daily bike ride. I spend time during this physical activity to talk to the Lord and quietly sing Him praises. The songs which I usually sing are “Father, I Adore Thee” and “In My life Lord, Be Glorified”. I start every morning in thought and prayer. I talk to God about things which are on my mind. He helps me sort things out and gives me direction.
I belong to God. I am a single flame, a small light. My little light makes me think of the song, “This Little Light of Mine”; a song which I sang as a child, as a mother with my children, as a Sunday school teacher with my students, and now, as a grandmother with my grandsons. I want to pass my light on to others, that is one of the reasons for my blog. In church with other Christians, my single flame burns in unison with the single flames of others. We ignite together in praise and worship. Our little flames can become a fire of worship and praise. This is pleasing to the Lord. Together we come into a deeper spiritual place. As we go to church in an attitude of worship and praise, we grow spiritually and start living in anticipation of where God will lead us in our spiritual journey. When we honor God; when we come to Him in Spirit and Truth; He will honor us and we will experience His blessings and His favor in our lives.
We were created to be in communion with God. We were spiritually made to worship and praise our Lord, our creator. As scripture shows us, we have an open invitation to worship our Father. It is up to us to accept or reject that invitation. Time is precious. We must invest every minute wisely. God has given us enough time to do His will every day. Let us not waste what He has given to us. Let us hear Him when He says that He wants to be worshiped and praised. Once we meet God and make a personal commitment to Him we will never be sorry or want to turn back.
Lord, You alone are Holy. I praise you and I worship you and I thank you for all you have done, are doing, and plan to do in my life. I love you Lord. Anna
God is God no matter where we are; be it alone or with others.
I am His child no matter where I am; that never changes.
John 4: 23 says, “But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship The Father in Spirit and in Truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship Him that way.
For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth”.
Psalm 148: Sings praises to The Lord.
Verse 5 says, “Let every created thing give praise to The Lord”.
Philippians 2: 10 and 11 tells us that, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father”.
Ephesians 1: 6 says, “ So we praise God for the wonderful kindness He has poured out on us because we belong to His dearly loved Son”
Psalm 150 shows us some ways in which we are to praise God. Verse 6 tells us to “let everything that lives, sing praises to The Lord!”.
In Exodus 8: 1, The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh once again and tell him,'This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me' ”.
Exodus 34:14 says, “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”.
1Chronicles 16: 29 says, “Give the Lord the glory He deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship Him. Worship the Lord in all His holy splendor”.
God is my creator. I thank Him and worship Him for giving me life and the gift of time each day.
1Corinthians 6:19 tells me that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
As a believer, He dwells in me and I in Him. I can talk to Him and worship Him wherever I am because He is always with me. I don't have to be in a church building to worship and praise God.
I speak to God and lift up a prayer of worship, praise, and thanksgiving often each day. I love to take my daily bike ride. I spend time during this physical activity to talk to the Lord and quietly sing Him praises. The songs which I usually sing are “Father, I Adore Thee” and “In My life Lord, Be Glorified”. I start every morning in thought and prayer. I talk to God about things which are on my mind. He helps me sort things out and gives me direction.
I belong to God. I am a single flame, a small light. My little light makes me think of the song, “This Little Light of Mine”; a song which I sang as a child, as a mother with my children, as a Sunday school teacher with my students, and now, as a grandmother with my grandsons. I want to pass my light on to others, that is one of the reasons for my blog. In church with other Christians, my single flame burns in unison with the single flames of others. We ignite together in praise and worship. Our little flames can become a fire of worship and praise. This is pleasing to the Lord. Together we come into a deeper spiritual place. As we go to church in an attitude of worship and praise, we grow spiritually and start living in anticipation of where God will lead us in our spiritual journey. When we honor God; when we come to Him in Spirit and Truth; He will honor us and we will experience His blessings and His favor in our lives.
We were created to be in communion with God. We were spiritually made to worship and praise our Lord, our creator. As scripture shows us, we have an open invitation to worship our Father. It is up to us to accept or reject that invitation. Time is precious. We must invest every minute wisely. God has given us enough time to do His will every day. Let us not waste what He has given to us. Let us hear Him when He says that He wants to be worshiped and praised. Once we meet God and make a personal commitment to Him we will never be sorry or want to turn back.
Lord, You alone are Holy. I praise you and I worship you and I thank you for all you have done, are doing, and plan to do in my life. I love you Lord. Anna
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Apostle's Creed
This is a continuation of my previous posting on 1/9/11. Today is 1/11/11. The date seems like a good one to do some reflecting in. I am not superstitious but it would be easy to remember this day, a date signaling any new commitments, life changing plans, or promises to ourselves, God, or others.
Do not just read the creed. Think about each word, sentence, paragraph, and statement of belief. If you believe the words, read them back to God as your personal statement of faith and belief. If you aren't at that place spiritually yet, keep asking God to reveal His truth to you and continue seeking until you find. God promises us that if we seek, we will find. It has nothing to do with organized religion or denominations. It has everything to do with coming into a personal relationship with the One and Only Living God, our Creator and Lord.
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD –
God, my Heavenly Father;
God, His beloved Son, my Savior;
God, my Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth - the Only God.
MY GOD
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING!
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD -
God my Heavenly Father, has made me and everyone else, everyone and everything.
He has given me my body and soul, my mind and my senses, the strength and ability to use them –
day after day. He restrains the power of evil by His grace to shelter me, defend me, and protect me, even from myself.
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING!
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD -
God, His beloved Son, my Savior, has given salvation to me – to everyone.
His perfect life, He lived for me -for- everyone.
He was punished by His willing suffering and death on the cross for all my sins – for all the sins of everyone.
He rose from the dead so that I too will conquer death.
He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for me to live eternally, and to guide all things for my eternal good, for He loves me dearly and wants me in His Kingdom, His perfect, happy kingdom, where I can be with Him forever.
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING !
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD -
God, my comforter, The Holy Spirit, makes me willing to accept all these blessings as God's dear child. He gives me a heart of trust and confidence that all my sins are forgiven and that with my own eyes I will see Him as He is eternally.
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING !
Do not just read the creed. Think about each word, sentence, paragraph, and statement of belief. If you believe the words, read them back to God as your personal statement of faith and belief. If you aren't at that place spiritually yet, keep asking God to reveal His truth to you and continue seeking until you find. God promises us that if we seek, we will find. It has nothing to do with organized religion or denominations. It has everything to do with coming into a personal relationship with the One and Only Living God, our Creator and Lord.
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD –
God, my Heavenly Father;
God, His beloved Son, my Savior;
God, my Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth - the Only God.
MY GOD
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING!
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD -
God my Heavenly Father, has made me and everyone else, everyone and everything.
He has given me my body and soul, my mind and my senses, the strength and ability to use them –
day after day. He restrains the power of evil by His grace to shelter me, defend me, and protect me, even from myself.
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING!
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD -
God, His beloved Son, my Savior, has given salvation to me – to everyone.
His perfect life, He lived for me -for- everyone.
He was punished by His willing suffering and death on the cross for all my sins – for all the sins of everyone.
He rose from the dead so that I too will conquer death.
He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for me to live eternally, and to guide all things for my eternal good, for He loves me dearly and wants me in His Kingdom, His perfect, happy kingdom, where I can be with Him forever.
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING !
I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE TRUE GOD -
God, my comforter, The Holy Spirit, makes me willing to accept all these blessings as God's dear child. He gives me a heart of trust and confidence that all my sins are forgiven and that with my own eyes I will see Him as He is eternally.
My God does everything for me, EVERYTHING !
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What I Do Believe
In church today we read and spoke together The Apostles' Creed. I knew that I was reconfirming my faith to God, out loud to myself, and to others. In the beginning of this New Year; it would be a good idea to reflect on who we are, what our core beliefs are, where we are in our lives, where we plan to go, and what we can accomplish as the year progresses.
Because I believe in God, I know who I am in Him, and I know how God wants me to treat others.
The Word is my guidebook and God is my guide. There is no righteousness in me, in and of myself. Christ is my righteousness. Because I believe, God sees imperfect me through the filter of my Savior. No one is perfect, no not one! Jesus is the only perfect person. Because I believe, God looks at me through my perfect Christ. He is my perfection and my righteousness. I have received the gift of faith. I have asked for and received God's promised salvation. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures tell me that when I believe in The Lord Jesus Christ, I will be saved, and my house(my family). Christ lives in me and through me. Good works did not save me. It is because I believe in God and His promises that I want to be good and to do good (not the other way around).
As Christians we also must ask ourselves, “Am I the same person this year that I was last year?”. “Am I growing or am I a stagnant Christian?” It is in God's will for us to grow in our faith and grow in our spiritual understanding. God brings us into the family of God to grow us. How do we grow? I grow through prayer, reading and studying the bible, worshiping with other Christians, and seeking God's will and direction daily for everything and every situation in my life. God is always with me and together we can handle anything that might happen each day. I am always in communion and conversation with Him. If I am not talking to myself outloud, I am talking to The Lord. I often confuse Richard, my husband, but I think he is getting use to not knowing when I am addressing him, or myself, or actually lifting up a prayer outloud.
What we believe about the future influences how we are going to live today. I believe that my life is in God's hands. This belief and my assurance of His guidance sets me free and gives me “The peace that passeth understanding”. Because I know Who holds my future, and I know where I am going when my time on earth is over, I know how to live. When we are not afraid to die then we are not afraid to live. Wishing all of my readers “life in its fullest” in 2011. May we all grow in our faith, grow in our love for the Lord, and grow in our ability to love and care for each other.
I will continue this Blog in my next posting. I plan to copy The Apostles' Creed as we read and spoke it in church this morning. May each of us reflect on its words and its meaning in our individual lives.
Because I believe in God, I know who I am in Him, and I know how God wants me to treat others.
The Word is my guidebook and God is my guide. There is no righteousness in me, in and of myself. Christ is my righteousness. Because I believe, God sees imperfect me through the filter of my Savior. No one is perfect, no not one! Jesus is the only perfect person. Because I believe, God looks at me through my perfect Christ. He is my perfection and my righteousness. I have received the gift of faith. I have asked for and received God's promised salvation. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures tell me that when I believe in The Lord Jesus Christ, I will be saved, and my house(my family). Christ lives in me and through me. Good works did not save me. It is because I believe in God and His promises that I want to be good and to do good (not the other way around).
As Christians we also must ask ourselves, “Am I the same person this year that I was last year?”. “Am I growing or am I a stagnant Christian?” It is in God's will for us to grow in our faith and grow in our spiritual understanding. God brings us into the family of God to grow us. How do we grow? I grow through prayer, reading and studying the bible, worshiping with other Christians, and seeking God's will and direction daily for everything and every situation in my life. God is always with me and together we can handle anything that might happen each day. I am always in communion and conversation with Him. If I am not talking to myself outloud, I am talking to The Lord. I often confuse Richard, my husband, but I think he is getting use to not knowing when I am addressing him, or myself, or actually lifting up a prayer outloud.
What we believe about the future influences how we are going to live today. I believe that my life is in God's hands. This belief and my assurance of His guidance sets me free and gives me “The peace that passeth understanding”. Because I know Who holds my future, and I know where I am going when my time on earth is over, I know how to live. When we are not afraid to die then we are not afraid to live. Wishing all of my readers “life in its fullest” in 2011. May we all grow in our faith, grow in our love for the Lord, and grow in our ability to love and care for each other.
I will continue this Blog in my next posting. I plan to copy The Apostles' Creed as we read and spoke it in church this morning. May each of us reflect on its words and its meaning in our individual lives.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
May The Lord Bless You
“May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace”. This, God's blessing to His children, is found in Numbers 6:24. We, as believers, are His children and God wants to bless us and show us His favor. As we experience His presence, we will grow in trust and obedience.
May each of us grow in our faith throughout the New Year starting today, January 1, 2011. Our growth in faith and love will be proportionate to our experiencing God's presence. The more we think about Him and serve Him, the deeper will be our walk with the Lord. When we seek God first, He promises us that He will take care of our needs (Matthew 6:33). Our growth is an ongoing process. We must never stop growing spiritually.
We must root and ground ourselves in the Word. The Bible contains a word for every situation which we might face. God's promises are true but in order to know His promises we must read them for ourselves. God says that we should hide His word in our hearts so we will be ready to handle any difficulty which comes our way (Psalm 119:11). We are to read the word and study the word to comprehend its meaning. God wants us to hide the word in our hearts and be obedient by acting upon what He teaches us and tells us to do.
Jesus is real and He meets us where we are. The Holy Spirit makes God's word come alive and gives us spiritual power. God can heal us without changing our circumstances. He will walk through the good times and the tough times with us. He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our strength. We must learn to go to Him and depend on Him for everything. He wants to bless us and is waiting for us to receive His blessings, His favor, and His presence in our lives daily.
May each of us grow in our faith throughout the New Year starting today, January 1, 2011. Our growth in faith and love will be proportionate to our experiencing God's presence. The more we think about Him and serve Him, the deeper will be our walk with the Lord. When we seek God first, He promises us that He will take care of our needs (Matthew 6:33). Our growth is an ongoing process. We must never stop growing spiritually.
We must root and ground ourselves in the Word. The Bible contains a word for every situation which we might face. God's promises are true but in order to know His promises we must read them for ourselves. God says that we should hide His word in our hearts so we will be ready to handle any difficulty which comes our way (Psalm 119:11). We are to read the word and study the word to comprehend its meaning. God wants us to hide the word in our hearts and be obedient by acting upon what He teaches us and tells us to do.
Jesus is real and He meets us where we are. The Holy Spirit makes God's word come alive and gives us spiritual power. God can heal us without changing our circumstances. He will walk through the good times and the tough times with us. He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our strength. We must learn to go to Him and depend on Him for everything. He wants to bless us and is waiting for us to receive His blessings, His favor, and His presence in our lives daily.
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