You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

 

This morning I was awaken earlier than usual.  I think it was before 6:00 am, I’m not really sure if I looked at the clock or not, but it was still very dark outside.  I woke up because a light was on in the kitchen and it was causing light to spread into my bedroom.  Bobby had left the light on when he went to work.

 

It’s funny.  No other time of the day would I ever notice that light on in the kitchen from my bedroom, except in the black of night.  Any other time, the light would just blend in with all the other light around it.

 

But when everything else was black, boy, the light that came from the kitchen really lit up the house!

 

I started thinking about how important it is for us to be the light of Jesus in a dark and dying world.  I pray that for the boys’ every night before they go to sleep; that they will be Jesus’s light in their school.  And before I go to work, that I will be Jesus’s light to the people I encounter during my day.

 

It’s fun to hang out with my friends from church and I like nothing better than being in a room full of people who love Jesus, but honestly, they don’t need the light, they already have it. 

 

The darkness is where the light is needed …  ummmm … makes you think a bit doesn’t it? 

 

Father, it is so much easier to hang out in the light, but give me the courage and the strength to step out into the darkness Lord, so that Your light shines forth!

 

I Love You Jesus.

     In Your Name I Pray,

     Amen

 

 

God Bless You!

 

Love,

Joyce

Submitted by:  Joyce Schneider

http://www.alifedecision.org

“Be Ye Thankful”

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

No care but all prayer. No anxiety but much joyful communion with God. Carry your desires to the Lord of your life, the guardian of your soul. Go to Him with two portions of prayer and one of fragrant praise. Do not pray doubtfully but thankfully. Consider that you have your petitions, and therefore thank God for His grace. He is giving you grace; give Him thanks, Hide nothing. Allow no want to lie rankling in your bosom; “make known your requests.” Run not to man. Go only to your God, the Father of Jesus, who loves you in Him.

This shall bring you God’s own peace. You shall not be able to understand the peace which you shall enjoy. It will enfold you in its infinite embrace. Heart and mind through Christ Jesus shall be steeped in a sea of rest. Come life or death, poverty, pain, slander, you shall dwell in Jesus above every rolling wind or darkening cloud. Will you not obey this dear command?

Yes, Lord, I do believe thee; but, I beseech thee, help mine unbelief.”

– Charles Spurgeon

Shared by Kristine, author, blogger, humorist, homeschooler, professional mom and chief wrangler at the ‘ole testosterone farm.

Who Is My Neighbor?

He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Luke 10:27

I’ve been spending some time pondering life lately. How do we really walk out this thing called faith? What does it really mean to be a Christian? Is it merely a title I can fall back on for convenience, or am I really following Jesus? I’ve learned through the years, when I have questions, God’s Word has the answers.

I was reading the book of Luke, the other day. One of the religious teachers was asking Jesus how to get eternal life. The answer was to love God with all your heart, strength and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. Then the guy asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

Fair enough question. If I have to love them as myself, to gain eternal life, I’d best know who they are, right?

Jesus told a story about a guy who got beat up, while he was traveling down a road. A priest, someone that you would think would be the first in line to help him, actually crossed over to the other side of the road, so he wouldn’t have to help this poor guy. Then another guy came by, he was an assistant to the priest, someone who we’d think would want to help as well, but he also crossed the road, so he wouldn’t have to walk by the guy who was lying on the ground, all battered and bruised. But then this other guy came along, a Samaritan. Now, Samaritans and Jews did not mingle in those days. In fact, the Jews looked down on the Samaritans, they were not buddies in any respect. Yet, this guy, when he saw the fellow on the ground, stopped and helped him. He actually took him to an inn and paid the innkeeper to take care of him, until he returned.

And Jesus asked the teacher who was the neighbor to the man on the ground. The teacher replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Then Jesus told him to go and do the same.

Ummmm … so I guess my neighbor is everyone I come across. And sometimes, those people are not necessarily folks I want to hang out with, for whatever reason. My first reaction is to steer clear of them. Pastor Rick always tells us, it’s easy to love the lovely. It’s easy for me to be neighborly to the people I enjoy, my friends. But is that what Jesus asked?

I don’t think so …

Father, help me to not put myself before others. Help me Lord to see people through your eyes, and to have compassion and mercy and your love for them. Teach me Father to love my neighbor as myself, because on my own Lord, I don’t do such a good job of this one.

I Love You Jesus.
In Your Name I Pray,
Amen

God Bless You!

Love,
Joyce

Submitted by: Joyce Schneider
http://www.alifedecision.org

The Old Gold Miner

One day, as I was bewailing a difficult circumstance in my life, the Lord gave me this vision of His working in my life…

With shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, an old gold miner knelt beside a sparkling stream of water, bubbling with life. His weather-beaten hands clutched a sizable sieve like those used years ago for panning gold. On it rested a massive amount of dirt and rocks of all sizes, shapes, and hardness.

Undaunted, he knelt there, concentrating on the debris. Shaking the sieve with vigor, then again with tenderness, he continued his apparent mission, as if on a treasure hunt for some mysterious element. The dirt and smaller pebbles slipped through the holes in the screen, disappearing downstream into waters that appeared to have a life of their own. The remaining larger, coarse rocks on the screen grated against each other, altering their appearance.

Tears began to trickle down his furrowed cheeks and fall upon the transformed rocks, washing away the leftover traces of dirt. An all-knowing smile gradually spread across his aged face. His eyes twinkled, reflecting the anticipated precious treasure, the golden gems now resting on the sieve.

He glanced up and whispered, “My Word is the screen sifting out all the impurities of your life, while the Living Waters wash them away. In My love for you, I am ever at work in your circumstances. As they rub against you, they transform you and rid you of those things that would dirty your life and taint your work for Me. As I remove them, you are made into that precious, golden gem, reflected in My eyes.”

Through this vision, the Lord showed me that, no matter what circumstances occur in my life, no matter how relentlessly they rub against me, He allows them all to be sifted through His Word, His love, and His fingers, changing me into His image and that golden reflection in His eyes.

“This means tremendous joy to you, even though at present you may be temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials. This is no accident – it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold…” (1 Peter 1:6-7a Phillips)

~~Blessings, Lynn~~

“You Are Special”

A Max Lucado “children’s story” that’s not just for children…

Shared by: Kristine, author, blogger, humorist, homeschooler, professional mom and chief wrangler at “the ‘ole testosterone ranch.”

All about books: http://www.thegr8tlion.blogspot.com

Ministry

God sent all of us here to minister – in one way or another. We each have our purposes.
God calls each one of us to something. What He calls you to do may be different than what He is calling me to do. And those you love may not understand your calling. Even other Christians may not understand or support your calling
 
My Pastor once said that someone was better off half-way around the world IN God’s will – than close to home not in God’s will. And that really stuck with me. No matter where you are, you are better off being in God’s will than not being in it and trying to please others.

I want to be in God’s Will. I want to please Him and delight in Him. I want to let Him use the hurts, wounds, and scars in my life for ministry.

 

~ Dionna Sanchez (http://www.EmphasisOnMoms.com/newsletter.htm)

Fixing our eyes…

“… thinking of life as a journey reminds me to stop trying to set up camp and call it home.  It allows me to see life as process, with completion somewhere down the road.  Thus I am freed from feeling like a failure when things are not finished, and hopeful that they will be as my journey comes to an end.”

– John Eldredge, The Journey of Desire, p. 210

Or, as the writer to the Hebrews says:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2,3, NIV)

Shared by: Kristine, professional mom, blogger, author, homeschooler, humorist, and chief wrangler at the ‘ole “testosterone farm.”

Exploring the delightful, sometimes dangerous and always mysterious realm of Christian womanhood: http://www.HEvencense.wordpress.com

On Books: http://www.thegr8tlion.blogspot.com

A Love That Will Not Let Go

On the evening of his sister’s wedding, George Matheson sat alone in the parsonage. Totally blind by the age of 20, this Scottish preacher, author, and hymn writer, who lived from 1842 to 1906, was left to fend for himself, while the rest of his family spent the night in another town.

Born with poor eyesight, Dr. Matheson’s vision had gradually declined over the years until he lost it completely. His sister had always taken care of him and now that she was married, he would be without her.

While sitting there alone, he had a deep wrenching in his soul, a severe mental anguish, which he never confided the source to anyone. Part of the reason for his anguish may have been that, as his thoughts lingered on his sister’s wedding, he remembered the pain of having a sweetheart who, after hearing the doctor’s report that George would become totally blind by the age of 20, could not handle taking care of a blind man the rest of her life, so, she left him.

As he sat there that dark evening in anguish, a song welled up within him from that still, small voice of the Lord, which he quickly jotted down in five minutes time, composing all the stanzas, which included these beautiful words:

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

Though human love has the potential to disappoint and depart from us, God’s love will never let us go. He says, “I have loved you, O My people, with an everlasting love; with loving-kindness I have drawn you to Me.” (Jer. 31:3 TLB)

On occasion, we tend to forget that God really does love us, that He is always present in our darkest hours, and that He has a purpose for everything, for He “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” (Eph. 1:11b NIV)

When we struggle with physical conditions and wonder why we are not healed, when we wrestle with circumstances beyond our control, when we suffer some heart-breaking pain, we would do well to remember the words of this blind preacher’s prayer:

I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses,
but never once for my ‘thorn’…
Teach me the glory of my cross;
teach me the value of my thorn.
Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain.
Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.

~~Blessings, Lynn~~

Good Man = Good Woman

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. Proverbs 31:23 NKJV

You have probably heard the saying “Behind every good man is a good woman”, well I happen to think that came from this verse. Here we see the Proverbs 31 woman’s husband is well known, probably successful too.

In this verse, we see the result of Proverbs 31 woman’s previous good deeds. Let’s look back to verse 11 and 12: “The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” God has given woman certain gifts to help her husband. This woman apparently has used her gifts correctly, for her husband benefits.

Remember the original purpose of woman from Genesis was to be the man’s helpmeet, a companion suitable to him who helps him. When our gifts are used properly they will always build up our man and our family.

How does a man need our help? There might be many ways but let me share one from my own life. For example, it used to drive me crazy how my husband and son were always misplacing things like wallet, keys, glasses, phone, shoes, etc. But you know what? I always knew where to look for them. Once I realized this talent of finding things was actually a gift for helping my family life ran much smoother. Now, I embrace what used to make me crazy. It’s kind of fun being the one others depend on to help them stay organized.

However, it is possible to misuse our gifts. So as you help, do it with a humble heart. Be sincere with your help. Do not grumble about their problem with loosing things, but cheerfully do good instead. For the Bible says “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,” (Philippians 2:13-15).

Lord, thank you for gifts to help us help our families. Teach us to embrace the opportunities to use our gifts for your glory. In Jesus’ name Amen.

© Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions and has a heart for encouraging others with God’s Word. For more devotions, bible studies and a recommended book store, visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com today.

This Old House

In the neighborhood where I live, I have one neighbor who likes to cause trouble. He picks the fruit from my trees, chops down my shade trees, and mows down my flowers.

He dumps trash in my yard, reads my mail, steals my packages from the delivery man, tries to tell me all the neighborhood gossip about my friends, and does his darnedest to make me mad.

Forever prowling around the premises, he tries to sneak in the windows and get his foot in the door, attempting to steal my belongings. So I put an alarm system on all the doors and windows.

He likes my house and wants to live here, but I’m under a lease contract for a single dweller. He can’t have it and he certainly isn’t going to move in with me! But he still continues to try to take it away from me.

It’s a comfortable old house, though it’s not the most beautiful on the block nor is it the biggest. The landlord was very generous in his lease, so I appreciate what I have, even if a few structural changes are needed.

A few of its rooms have become dusty and overcrowded and need remodeling. Some of the junk needs to be put out with the trash. Some rooms are in a constant state of upheaval; others just need rearranging.

The windows have become a little foggy, so they’re not as easy to see through as before. Some of the shingles are falling off the roof, while some of the fence pickets are missing. A few of the hinges have become a little rusty and don’t work as well as they used to, but the landlord I lease from said he would make all the necessary repairs. I know he will, for he is a man of his word. However, he does have a busy schedule, so I’m just patiently waiting my turn.

I thought it might be time to move, but he says I can stay a while longer, if I do some of the maintenance work. I do look forward to moving, though, because I’ve had my eye on this perfect, little cottage that’s being built. I’d really like to move there some day…there’s no traffic, no noise, the air is clean, great neighbors, the scenery is beautiful, and best of all, no more Mr. Meany!

I’ve called ahead to see if it was ready but they tell me they’re still working on it. Well, I guess I can wait a little longer. I’m not really finished renovating this one!

“For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down-when we die and leave these bodies-we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” (2 Cor. 5:1 TLB)

~~Blessings, Lynn~~