Yours, Lord, Is the Kingdom

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. — 1 Chronicles 29:11 

Today is my niece Victoria's birthday!

And it's also the day Kirk goes in for his arteriorgram.

They are both covered in prayer.

We are also praying for Kirk's surgeon, nurses, and the healthcare team.

That God would give them wisdom and precision.

And that God would be glorified, even during the catheterization and coronary arteriogram.

For the greatness and power belong to Him alone.

The glory and majesty and splendor are His.

Everything in heaven and on earth is His.

Including us, His children.

His is the kingdom.

Help us exalt You, Lord, over all.

You Have Found Favor With God

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” — Luke 1:30-33 

The angel told Mary not to be afraid.

She had found favor with God.

And as a result, she would be the mother of the Son of God, Jesus.

He was part of the lineage of King David.

And He will reign forever.

His kingdom will have no end.

And we can live with Him forever.

Happy New Year!

Let Us Be Thankful

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. — Hebrews 12:28 

God's kingdom is one that cannot be shaken.

Therefore, we are thankful.

We love and serve God with reverence.

And so we worship God with awe.

We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

And we are praising God for His mercy and love.

Seek First His Kingdom

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33 

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We are so blessed.

Our Father God gives us all good things.

And He asks us to seek first His kingdom.

The kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And the righteousness of Jesus.

And all these things will be given to us by God as well.

The Kingdom of God

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” — Matthew 19:14 

The disciples were quick to push the little children aside.

After all, they were getting in the way.

And they were disrupting the adult conversations.

But Jesus welcomed them into the midst of the gathering.

He must have surprised the disciples when he commanded them to send the children His way.

And especially when He told them not to hinder them or prevent them from coming.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

God asks us to bring our imagination and enthusiasm.

Yours, Lord, Is the Glory

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. — 1 Chronicles 29:11 

God is the greatness and power.

He is glory and majesty.

The Lord is complete splendor.

Everything in heaven and earth is His.

His is the kingdom and He is Lord over it all.

God is exalted as head over everything.

I Heard a Loud Voice in Heaven

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. — Revelation 12:10

The salvation of our God has come to earth.

Through Jesus, the power and the kingdom of our God is with us.

Along with the authority of His Messiah.

A voice in heaven has proclaimed it.

And we rejoice and praise God.

Our Lord Will Reign For Ever

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” — Revelation 11:15

Loud voices from heaven declare that God's kingdom is coming.

The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah.

Jesus will reign for ever and ever.

One day we will bow before Him and worship Him.

We will praise Him forever.

Jesus Will Reign

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. — Isaiah 9:7 

There will be no end to the greatness of Jesus and His government.

His peace will never end.

He will reign on David's throne.

His kingdom will have no end.

Jesus will establish His kingdom with justice and righteousness.

It will last forever.

The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.

Let the Little Children Come

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” — Matthew 19:14

Jesus welcomed little children to talk with Him.

He welcomes, me, too, even when my questions seem childish or naive.

Jesus explained that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

People who come to Him with a childlike openness and eagerness.

And a willingness to love others.

Who are willing to follow Him wherever He leads.

 

Jesus Is Coming Soon

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. — Luke 1:32-33

The angel spoke these words to Mary.

She was probably just a teenager.

And yet she agreed and said that she would obey the Lord.

As a result, the. Son of God was born in a manger.

Shepherds celebrated His birth.

Seek First His Kingdom

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33

The world is full of distractions.

But God asks us to seek first His kingdom.

Jesus is the way to righteousness.

He showers us with blessings as we grow in Him.

Last night we saw the opening of No Time to Die.

It wasn't our favorite, but Abby and I really liked it.

Kirk, not so much.

But he looked great next to Daniel Craig.

Seek First His Kingdom

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33

Today we found out that one of our friends was diagnosed with skin cancer.

She had to have a section removed from her nose.

And another part of skin from her forehead was used to replace it.

My coworker has a friend who is going through her fifth chemo treatment and is now very sick.

It's hard to see other people suffer.

Life isn't fair.

But God holds us in the palm of His hand.

When we seek His kingdom, He adds all His blessings to us.

Humble LIke This Child

 So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom. — Matthew 18:4

Jesus told His disciples that whoever would be great among you, He must be your servant.

And whoever would be least among you. He shall be Lord of all.

Whoever will humble himself like a child, he will be the greatest in the kingdom  of God.

Our flowers are blooming with the advent of rain.

Even a  small bit has been a big help.

Along with Kirk's hard work and fertilizer.

God asks us to grow our relationship with Him so we can grow and blossom, too.

Help me start today, Lord.

 

 

Become Like Children

Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  — Matthew 18:3

As a child, we trust God our Father.

We are joyful in His presence.

We eagerly listen to the things He tells us.

As an adult, that joy becomes jaded.

Our beliefs turn into doubt.

But God loves us just the same.

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and my family was very lovingly supportive of me.

When we change and become like children, God welcomes us into the king of heaven.

We are grateful.

 

Good News of the Kingdom of God

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.  But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” — Luke 4:42-43

Jesus went to a solitary place early in the morning.

God calls us to spend time in solitude with Him.

Jesus told the crowd that He must proclaim the good news.

God asks us to tell the good news of the kingdom of God, too.

Help me, Lord, to obey.

The Kindness of God

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. — Romans 14:16

Saturday when I decided to walk up Cowles Mountain, I saw a rainbow on my walk home.

It faded so quickly that I didn't have time to get out my phone to take a picture.

But it reminded me of God's promises to me and my family and the whole world.

God's kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy.

His kingdom is in the Holy Spirit.

Everything in all creation reminds me of God.

God's Kingdom

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33

Thursday was my final radiation treatment day. Hurray!

Here I am at UCSD Moores Cancer Center

The nurses joined me for my bell ringing and gave me a certificate and a round of applause to document the occasion.

Lorraine met me with beautiful flowers and we went to dinner to celebrate.

Then my book club friend Betsy treated me to mint chocolate chip ice cream, as requested by my daughter, Abby.

I am blessed and very thankful for wonderful friends and family members.