In God I Trust

In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? — Psalm 56:4 

I praise God.

And I love His Word.

Kirk and I trust in God.

And we are not afraid.

Kirk met with his cardiologist this week and discovered that his left ventrical is only working at 35%.

They will do an angiograph next week to determine next steps.

This is a scary time.

But we rejoice in God.

And we give Him the glory, whatever the outcome.

We pray for wisdom for Kirk's cardiologist and her team.

The Trumpet Call of God

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. — 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

In the last days, the Lord Jesus will come down from heaven.

He will come with a loud command.

With the voice of the archangel.

And with the trumpet call of God.

The dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, those of us who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds.

We will meet the Lord Jesus in the air.

And we will live with the Lord God forever and ever. 

What a glorious day!

The Lord's Love Is With Us

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. — Psalm 103:17-18 

God's love is with us.

And with all who revere and fear him.

It even extends to our children.

And to their children too.

For all who keep His covenant.

And for all who remember to obey Him.

Help me to remember, Lord.

Guide me to obey you.

God Did Not Send His Son into the World to Condemn

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. — John 3:17 

Yesterday we hosted the summer fellows and interns serving at our church.

We had a fun time of food and fellowship together.

And today we celebrate Memorial Day.

Remembering those who gave their lives for our country.

Here's a photo of Arlington Cemetary.

Today we honor those who gave of themselves to make sure we can live in freedom.

We thank God for each of  them.

Be Quick to Listen

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. — James 1:19 

God is asking us to pay close attention to Him.

Everyone. should be quick to listen.

Actively listening to our friends, family members, and neighbors.

Then biting our tongues.

And taking our time to respond.

Asking God to direct our words.

Slow to speak.

Slow to become angry.

All in the Lord.

Be Devoted to One Another In Love

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. — Romans 12:10

God commands us to be devoted to each other.

To show love to each other.

To honor one another.

Putting the other person above yourself.

 And giving God the glory.

Each of Us Should Please Our Neighbors

Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. — Romans 15:2

We have neighbors who exemplify this verse.

Kirk golfs with one of them regularly.

And I received some fragrant lilies from his wife last month along with a beautiful card of thanks for our friendship.

They are Christians who tied a knot in my prayer quilt that their church made for me while I was undergoing chemotherapy 5 years ago.

And they were surprised to see that the quilt at the front of their church was for their neighbor, me!

Another of our neighbors and close friends put in the request for the quilt.

And our next-door neighbors sent us a beautiful floral arrangement for Thanksgiving to thank Kirk for watching their house, bringing in their trash cans, and picking up any fliers from their walkway.

Now they are getting ready to sell their house.

We've only had two different families live in that home since we moved in.

And the previous couple were wonderful Christian friends who shared their fruit and vegetables and canned goods with us.

She baked delicious rosemary shortbread cookies.

We have been blessed by our neighbors.

And we are praying for another wonderful family to move in once our neighbors sell their home.

Thank You, Lord.

Serve One Another in Love

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. — Galatians 5:13 

God calls us to be free.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a freedom that was paid for by the blood of Jesus.

As a result, we are called to not indulge the flesh.

But rather to let the Holy Spirit guide and direct us.

And to serve one another in love.

Even those people we don't particularly like.

Even those we despise.

Glorify God the Father

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 15:5-6 

God gives us endurance.

He encourages us.

May God give us the same attitude of mind toward each other that Jesus had.

With one mind we glorify God.

With one voice we praise the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glory be to the God and Father of us all.

Agree With One Another

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. — 1 Corinthians 1:10 

God calls us to agree with each other.

In what we say and do.

So we don't have divisions in the church.

So we are perfectly united in mind.

And so we even agree in our thoughts.

As brothers and sisters in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A beautiful bouquet of fragrant flowers that complement each other.

The Wisdom That Comes From Heaven Is Pure

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. — James 3:17-18 

The wisdom that comes from heaven is pure.

Just as God gave Solomon wisdom, He fills us with His Holy Spirit to help direct us too.

Giving us the ability to be peace loving.

To be considerate of others even when they don't consider us.

To be submissive to God's authority in our lives.

And to be full of mercy.

Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit.

Impartial and sincere toward others.

Help me be a peacemaker and sow in peace today, Lord.

God Is Not Unjust

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. — Hebrews 6:10

We serve a just God.

He loves us and will not forget our work.

Especially when we show love to others.

And when we help His people.

And continue to help them.

God is not unjust.

The Wisdom and Knowledge of God!

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! — Romans 11:33 

God's wisdom is deep and rich.

His knowledge is 

His judgments are unsearchable.

We have no way to trace out his paths.

Oh, the depth of his riches!

We Have Been Reconciled

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! — Romans 5:10 

Even while we were God's enemies, He reconciled us to himself.

Only through the blood of His Son Jesus was this possible.

How much more, then, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

God is our salvation.

And Jesus shed His blood for us.

Providing the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live with Him in heaven one day.

We Cannot Understand the Work of God

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. — Ecclesiastes 11:5

We cannot know the path of the wind that God creates.

And we can't begin to comprehend how the body is formed in our mother's womb.

God's creation is too intricate for us to begin to understand.

After all, He is the Maker of all things.

His works are beyond our comprehension.

And through them He communicates His love for us.

Rejoice Always

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

Yesterday we prayed for my friend Lorrie who will have a bone marrow biopsy tomorrow.

We are praying for healing from her myeloma.

And that there is no sign of cancer.

And through it all, that God's will be done in her life.

Here's the prayer quilt I found for her.

Filled with Scriptures from the Psalms.

So tomorrow she can wrap herself in it while she undergoes her biopsy.

Covered in prayer.

Praise Be to God Our Father

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. — 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 

We praise God, the Father of compassion.

And the God of all comfort.

Today we pray for our friend Bob in the ICU recovering from dehydration and the flu.

Lord, we ask for your healing touch on our friend.

Comfort His family.

And give his doctors wisdom to tackle this illness with just the right treatment.

Lord God, may your will be done in his life.

And may you receive the honor and the glory.

For you alone are worthy.

Happy Mother's Day to those moms blessed with that title.

God has ordained you to mentor and nourish your family.

Be Kind and Compassionate

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. — Ephesians 4:32 

My sweet and kind husband had these gorgeous orchids waiting for me when I got home yesterday.

What a special way to start Mother's Day weekend.

He is an example of God's grace.

Showing kindness and compassion to me and to others.

Forgiving just as God forgives us in Christ.

Exemplifying the love of Jesus to his friends and family.

Whoever Loses Their Life for Me Will Save It

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. — Luke 9:23-24 

Jesus gave us clear instructions.

Whoever wants to be His disciples must deny themselves.

Each day they must take up their cross and follow Jesus. 

Whoever wants to save their life must lose it for Christ.

Whoever loses their life for Jesus will save it.

How ironic.

The more we try to hang onto our lives, the more we lose control.

But when we give it up for Jesus, He takes control and saves us from ourselves.

These beautiful lilacs were waiting for me when I got home from work today.

My sweet neighbor sent them to wish me a happy Mother's Day and to thank me for the banana bread I. made her last week.

How thoughtful.

Jesus Bore Our Sins in His Body

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” — 1 Peter 2:24 

Jesus Christ himself took on my sins in His body.

He died for me personally and for each of us.

And He went through a cruel death on the cross.

A death fit for murderers and sinners.

All so I might die to my sins.

So I can live for righteousness.

By His wounds I have been healed!

Praise the Lord.

Be Wise in the Way You Act

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:5-6 

God calls us to be wise, just as Solomon was.

Asking the Lord to give us wisdom in the way we act.

Especially toward outsiders.

Making the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel.

Letting our conversation be full of grace.

Not strident or off-putting.

Well seasoned and thoughtful.

Listening to God so we are able to answer everyone who asks.

And so they will hear.

It Is With Your Heart That You Believe and Are Justified

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. — Romans 10:9-10 

We are saved by the blood of the Lamb when we believe in Jesus.

And we are then justified through Him.

When we believe that God raised Him from the dead and Jesus came alive again.

With our hearts we believe.

With our mouths we profess our faith in Christ.

And with that profession, we are saved from our sin.

The Authorities Are God's Servants

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. — Romans 13:6-7 

The authorities are God's servants.

God has placed them in a position of authority.

They give their full time to governing, or they should.

God asks us to give to everyone whatever I owe them.

It humbles me to know that He calls me to pay my taxes.

And to pay those who work for me and my company.

But more than that, God commands me to give others respect.

Even if I don't agree with them.

To give them honor.

To treat others as children of God.

Our neighbor is recovering from knee surgery.

It's not going as well as her first one did six years ago.

This week she went in for a tough physical therapy session.

So we sent her a fruit bouquet to encourage and support her.

It was her first one, and she said it was delicious!

Be Joyful in Hope

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. — Romans 12:12 

God calls us to be joyful in hope.

Our hope is in the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He calls us to be patient in affliction.

Knowing that God is our guide.

And He calls us to be faithful in prayer.

Praying continually.

Not worrrying about anything.

But praying about everything.

And giving thanks to God in all things.

I Will Hear From Heaven

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14 

May the 4th be with you!

Today is the fourth of May.

Here's my nieces and nephew in their Star Wars costumes.

Katie is R2D2 for Halloween in this photo. 

As the youngest, she had no choice in costumes when she was little.

Her mom told us for that reason she had to be R2D2 for two years.

The movie has them visiting many foreign lands.

God has promised to heal our land when we call on Him in prayer.

And when we turn from our wicked ways.

When we repent, He will hear us and will forgive us.

He is a gracious, merciful Lord God.

If We Ask Anything According to God's Will, He Hears Us

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. — 1 John 5:14-15

We have confidence in approaching God.

If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Even before we ask, He knows our thoughts.

Whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of God.

And God knows what is best for us.

 

Without Faith It Is Impossible to Please God

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. — Hebrews 11:6

Happy May Day!

When I was little, we would pick flower bouquets to leave on our parents' door.

Or we would form paper cones into baskets to hold the flowers and hang them on our neighbor's doorknob.

Our church's school would hold may pole dances to celebrate.

We are thankful for God's creation.

And May signifies the beginning of spring.