Saturday, December 24, 2016

Luke 2:13-14

Verse of the Day
Luke 2:13-14
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hose appeared with the angel, praising God and saying "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests".

Jesus birth brought glory to God. :)
And God also promises peace to anyone on earth who believes in Him!

Now that isn't to say we won't struggle, we will definitely struggle! But He brings peace to those to rest and abide in Him.

We can also bring glory to God in how WE live. Being like Jesus.

Friday, December 16, 2016

1 Corinthians 13:6-7

Verse of the Day

1 Corinthians 13:6-7
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres.

True unabashed love for another will never be negative. Not saying that we won't bring to light things that need to be addressed.. but it's done in the right way. It's done with compassion. Knowing that the heart behind it is genuine and caring.

Be that person.. Be that friend.. Be the love that people need.

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You know this actually goes along with something i was thinking this morning.
I went to Dollar General this morning to get a few fun Christmas things, and at the register they asked if i wanted to spend $1 for toys for tots or donate $1 to St Jude's. You know what, why not?
I chose to do both and the cashiers response was priceless.. Because I donated to St Jude's I got to put my name on the wall on this paper that says "I donated.. " yay me. I was like.. I really don't need my name on a wall, I just want to be helpful. He was so appreciative.. for $2. Really? People can't do this more often? Be helpful? for $1?

This morning I literally cried because I was so happy with the snow and gloves and Santa hats.. It's so beautiful.
This time of year is just very touching for me. I've always loved it, and the small things I can do to brighten it for someone else.. I will do all I can.

If my Santa hat makes someone laugh.. i've done my job.
If my smile is the only one they've seen all day.. i've done my job.
If I can spend $1 to help a child or a cause have a better Christmas.. i've done my job.

I always want the light put inside of me by my Creator to shine.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

James 3:9-10

Verse of the day
James 3:9-10
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.


Why do we do this?
Why do we curse and bless with the same mouth, even sometimes in the same breath?
The devil has a hold on our tongues.
We must deter him from our thoughts and our mouths.

It's a pretty self explanatory verse.. controlling our tongues is probably one of the HARDEST things to do!

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Isaiah 40:29-31

Verse of the Day
not from the Bible App this time!
I was given this verse this morning by a close friend, i checked my phone when I woke up and she had sent this to me! Thank you dear friend!

I've had a lesson in trust and humility lately. I've been in positions that made me feel helpless or hurting or just not like I have any control. And i'm learning that i'm not SUPPOSED to be in control. I NEED to not be in control.. because if I AM on control, that means God isn't.
God pours out His blessings on those who are faithful and trusting.. and I feel like since I cried out to Him and let go of my issues (a couple weeks ago), blessings have been coming more and more.

I've also been dealing with more physical issues over the last few years, and the strength that I find from these verses is overwhelming and I'm so grateful for the words from scripture this dear friend spoke to me.

If early in the morning you seek His face, you put your mind in the right place! (that just came out of my brain, i'm not sure if that's actually a quote somewhere.)

Isaiah 40:29-31New Living Translation (NLT)
29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.🐝🕇🌸

SaveSave

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Hebrews 9:28

Verse of the Day

Hebrews 9:28
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.


So Christ (Jesus) was sacrificed for us.. meaning that He died for us to take away our sin.

"he will appear a second time.. to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him"
He will come back.. it's scripture. That's what we as Christians are waiting for.. but in the meantime, our mission it to spread the truth of Him. We don't want to be the only ones waiting for Him to come back, we want other people to know the truth about Him so that everyone who believes in the truth of God will be able to go be with Him in heaven.

(by the way.. this time my 10 year old helped me dissect this verse! a lot of these were brainstormed by her! SUPER PROUD MOMMY MOMENT)

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

John 1:14

Verse of the day

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

There are so many facets to this verse.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.. Jesus was born as a baby and lived among us, like a normal person. The best part of Him as a person was that He lived a perfect life. He was CAPABLE of sin, capable of rebelling against His heavenly Father.. but he didn't. He chose to shun all sin from permeating his perfect being, which makes Him the perfect sacrifice, the perfect pure lamb that was slaughtered.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son.. He grew up around normal people, people who knew him from a baby, a toddler, a teen, and up into adulthood. Those same people (and many more) were eye witnesses to His ministry, the miracles He performed, the wisdom that He spoke. And they wrote about it, in the book called the Bible. Even today we see the miracle of God all around us; the details in a baby's growth in the womb, the smallest vein in a leaf on a tree, the minuscule crystals of a snowflake that build up into a mountain of snow, the kindness of a smile from a stranger.

We have physically seen His glory.

Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.. God did not have to watch his Son go through life as a human, He chose to send him here to show us what grace really is. Burdening Jesus with all of our sins so heavy that His soul literally sank to the abyss of Hell to leave them there so He could return, pure again, to his home with his Father in heaven. He didn't have to. We didn't earn that.

Grace: the free unmerited favor of God.

And to think, all we have to do is believe these words are truth, and accept that we aren't perfect, and the only way we will ever be able to be with him in heaven and not burn in fire forever is to say "i'm sorry, please forgive me. please be with me and guide me. i believe in you."

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

James 1:2-3

Verse of the Day

James 1:2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Oh wow. Where do I begin.
It's so true.

We go through so many trials in life. And most of the time we question why.. or just try to get through it ourselves.. It takes a lot to be able to think of a trial as a good thing.

It is though.. trials are tests. They can make us stronger.
And when it tests our faith, it shows us how truly strong in Christ we are.

Ironically it can be hard to lean on or reach out to the One who can help us the most, even in the hard times, when it should be easiest to cry out for Him.

I know for myself it can be hard to surrender, though I want to so badly, there's part of me that wants to continue holding on. But I know it's better when I give it all to Him.

Let the testings and trials of today make you stronger, and learn to persevere in faith.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Today..

So lately, I've been trying to read books or the Bible or try to get more into worship, or just really anything to connect more with God, and I'm finding that no matter if it's a devotion on my phone app or a book in front of me, or just singing to a song on the radio, I'm feeling like my connection with God is stagnant.

So I'm going to try something different.
Today.

Today I'm going to begin a new journey. I'm going to read through my verse of the day (on the Bible app) and then through my blog, I'm going to write what I think, what I feel, how the verse speaks to me.
Even if nobody else reads it, I believe this is my next step of faith. To dig more inside of myself to find what my faith really means to me personally.

So without further ado..

Today.


Ecclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

I think this tells us that we really, in the end, aren't going to know all the answers. Sometimes, even though we research and we contemplate and we think and we try to figure out.. we aren't going to know all the answers.
Now that DOESN'T mean to quit. To me that means to slow down and instead of making ourselves go crazy, enjoy the process of learning. Little things here and there, bits and pieces that fit more into the puzzle. Just really thinking about what we believe and how we believe and WHY we believe the way we do.
We aren't going to understand God ever completely. But we can strive to learn as much about Him as humanly possible.
So let's dive more.. and search more.. and enjoy the wonder and fulfillment of learning what we can about this Awesome Being.