Week 18

Christ is risen!  I hope that you had a wonderful Easter celebrating our risen Lord.  But, just as last week we said that the crucifiction was not the end, neither  was the resurrection.  For after forty days, Christ ascended into Heaven leaving us the promise that He would return.  It is in that hope that we live each day eagerly awaiting the return of our Savior.  Who knows, it may even be today.  Let's make sure that we are living in a way that will welcome Him at His coming.

John 14:1-3
Your heart must not be troubled.  Believe in God; believe in Me.  In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you.  I am going away to prepare a place for you.  If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.

Week 16

This week is a very special week.  It the the time for us to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.  As we spend time with our family and friends celebrating traditions, let us not forget the true meaning of the season and let us meditate on words of Mark 16:6.  Thank God for the cross, but praise be to God that it did not end there.  Three days later, the tomb was empty and death, hell, and the grave had been defeated.


Mark 16:6
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified.  He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him."

Week 15

Faith.  The writer of Hebrews defines it as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we have not seen."  I hope that after the last few weeks of studying verses on faith, we are more confident and sure of our God that ever before.  But here's the question.  If we are to live by faith, where does fear fit into the equation of our lives?  Maybe it's just me, but often I feel as if I am controlled by fear in my life.  Fear of the unknown, fear for my family, fear of the world situations,etc.  Recently, I heard a well known author say, "Faith ends where anxiety begins."  Those words really spoke to me.  If I want to be a woman of faith, then I must let go of my fear.  What is fear anyway?  Fear is Focusing Entirely on Assumed Reality.  I do not  want to live my life on an assumption.  I want to live my life based on the truth of who God is and who I am in Him. Robert Morgan says, "Faith is being confident that God's positives are greater that our negatives, and that His providence is overshadowing our lives."  Even when we don't understand and perhaps find ourselves in truly frightening situations, let's learn to walk in faith and trust that God is greater than any perceived negative we may be encountering. 


Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Psalm 4:8
I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, LORD,make me live in safety.

Week 14

Do you ever just lose track of time?  Yesterday my best friend, Dana, called and asked if I was behind on my blog.   I assured her that I had posted and then I realized that it was Monday and I was supposed to post again.  You know how it is.  We get so caught up in ball practice, piano lessons, church activities, etc. that we completely forget what day it is.  So, she suggested that this week we learn Jeremiah 29:11.  I readily agreed since this is one of my favorite verses and I am sure one of yours too.  Then I begin to think about the verse along with everything that has been going on in my life over the last weeks and I realized how wonderful and timely this verse is for me.  This past weekend, our church celebrated it's 100th birthday.  What a wonderful and exciting time!  As we looked back over the past, it was amazing to see the hand of God and His faithfulness during the past century.  But, looking at this verse I hear God speaking so clearly that He still has plans for us.  Wonderful and exciting plans that are for our good and His glory.  This is not only true in the life of the church, but in my life and yours personally.  God not only promises us a hope and a future, but in the next verses He promises that is we seek Him we will find Him.  God's plan for us is perfect.  We only have to seek Him, trust Him, and walk with Him in faith to see it come to completion in our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Week 13

This week our verses not only remind us of our faith, but they encourage us to be thankful and show our gratitude to God.  Often I find myself upset with my children because they are not as thankful as I think they should be. They seem to demonstrate a sense of entitlement.  They think they deserve whatever they want, whenever they want it.  Now, I know that this is just childish behavior and all children act this way at times, but it still really irritates me.  I want them to realize just how good they have it.  You know what I mean, the whole "there are starving children in Africa" speech.  But why does it make me so angry to see this behavior in my children.  Maybe, because it convicts me of my behavior towards God.  So many times I am ungrateful. So often I get upset because I have not gotten what I wanted or what I think that I deserve.  Thank God that I did not get what I deserved, but instead received His grace and mercy.  Because of this I should never cease to praise Him and be thankful for every "good and perfect gift" He sends my way.  This week, let's try to show our gratitude and do everything to the glory of Christ.

Colossians 3:15-17
And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were called in one body, control your hearts.  Be thankful.  Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you so, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Week 12

This week we continue on with verses about faith.  I hope that putting these verses to memory is  strengthening your faith as they are mine.  Keep up the good work and ask someone you know is learning with us about one of the references of the past weeks, or even this week.  Let's keep each other accountable and on our toes.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Hebrews 11:6
And 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.

Week 11

I hope that we have been living by our faith this week.  Why is this so much easier to say than to do?  Why is it so hard to surrender all of my life over to Jesus and live completely by faith each day?  Why do I constantly feel the need to take control of one area or another and "take care of it"  for Him?  As I was reading our morning devotion to the children at breakfast today, I came across a quote from Franklin Graham that really resounded in my heart.  It says this, "There is not a single thing that Jesus cannot change, control, and conquer because He is the living Lord."  If I really believe this with all of my heart (and I do), then it should not be hard for me to have faith.  But yet it often is because of my sinful nature and the desire that I have inside to need to be in total control.  Just another example of how the Christian life is a process.  Everyday learning to submit to His will and authority for my life.
This week will will look at Ephesians 2:8-10 which reminds us that we are saved by faith and not works. These verses are some that you have heard all of your life in Sunday School. Meditate on them this week and see how your faith is strengthened.  After all, there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation.  It is a gift from God.  Let's treat it like that and show Him our gratitude and thankfulness by fulfilling those good works He prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through fatih-and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not of works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.