"Chillin' With Our Lord"...Wednesday

4/23/14 

There is no better place in the whole world than to spend time with our Precious Lord. After all, when we are in Heaven, it will be eternal with Him, so why not get used to spending good times with the Lord now.

I yearn and love to be in His presence and just rest in His wonderful peace and love. When I spend time with Jesus, He melts all my cares and worries and stress away, and it is just Him and I together. He gives me great assurance that He will take care of me all the days of my life.

The beauty of living for Christ is that we can come and sit with Him any time we want. There is no appointment to be made and we are never put on hold... He is there for us every second, minute and hour of the day.

 

He tells me in His Word in 

Hebrews 10:19-20 

"Having, therefore, brethren,

 boldness to enter into the holies 

by the blood of Jesus.. 

By a new and living way, 

which He hath consecrated for us, 

through the veil, that is to say, His flesh."

We can have great boldness and confidence in entering into His presence by the blood of Jesus. He made a way for us to have access to Him continuously. And He well worth Chillin' with all the days of my life!

In His Rich Love, 

Sandy Billingham

Whom Shall I Fear?...Tuesday

04 22 14 

I was watching the news this morning and remembered why I don’t watch it too often. Even though good things do happen, it seems like bad news takes center stage. Seven babies found dead in a garage, father kills crying baby so that he could concentrate on a video game, grandmother kills two of her own grandchildren, tribal feud in Egypt sparks deadly fight, the Malaysian airliner still missing, South Korean ferry sinks; killing many high school students, earthquakes, mudslides, devastating fires, drought, the list goes on and on. In addition, there seems to be quite a lot of action going on at the Wailing Wall. Satan is really turning up the heat, so to speak. He knows that his time is very short. We can see that this is true just by what is going on in our own families. I don’t know of anyone that isn't dealing with some type of family issue, whether it be problems with an unruly child, unhappy marriage, financial issues, health issues, etc. We could become fearful, anxious, and depressed because of everything going on around us. However, we serve a mighty God who has a great deal to say about fear, anxiety, and depression.

Isaiah 41:10 reads, 

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
 I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Philippians 4:6-7 says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and 

supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalms 34:17-18 instructs, 

“When the righteous cry for help, 

the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

It is true that even though we are followers of Christ, we pray, we cry out, and we trust God, we will face trials and tribulations. However, God promises to walk with us through difficult times. He promises to crush our enemies. He goes before us and stands behind us. He is our sword and our shield, a lamp unto our feet. 

The God of angel armies is truly by our side at all times. In the end, we WILL have victory.

Let’s not forget, He is Risen! If the One who defeated death is on our side, whom shall we fear? What shall we fear?

Written by

Storm H.

Song- God of Angel Armies by Christ Tomlin

What am I Missing?....Monday

Yesterday plastic eggs filled with goodies were hidden in homes, yards, and parks. Children of all ages ran to find these little containers of delight. At the end of the hunt eggs were counted, treats were nibbled, and a few determined searchers continued looking for any missing eggs. They did not consider it work because there was the hope of something good to be found.

When I have lost an earring, sometimes I only realize it because I have one left to remind me. Once I know it is gone, I will shift furniture, empty a purse, and search every crevice in a car to find the missing piece. I don't always succeed but I keep the one earring in hopes of finding the missing one eventually.

When the incredible sacrifice of the cross of Jesus Christ is brought before me at Easter, I am overwhelmed by the complete gift God has given us. Forgiveness of sins, redemption from hell, and the promise of eternal life. In light of this Truth, if we have believed in Jesus as the One and Only true Son of God, then none of us are missing anything.

This is how much God loved the world:

He gave his Son, his one and only Son.

And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed;

by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son

merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.

He came to help, to put the world right again.

Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted;

anyone who refuses to trust him

 has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it.

 And why?

 Because of that person’s failure to believe

 in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

John 3:16-18 The Message

Dear Lord, thank You for the reminder of all You have done for us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Please help me to keep my mind and heart focused on what You have already given me, for surely that is more than enough. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Chris Tomlin performs "More Than Enough"

HOPELESSNESS TO HAPPINESS... Easter Sunday

Devotional for 4/20/14

Many of us have had moments of despair and dejection.  It is often difficult to see through these depressing times to anything positive.  How could this happen to us?  Isn't God hearing our prayers and pleas for mercy and rescue?  We are in desperate need of a flicker of hope in times like these.  

The followers of Jesus had a devastating time like this.  Their teacher and friend had been crucified, and they all ran away out of fear for their own lives.  Jesus was supposed to be the Son of God - their Savior.  How could this happen?  Why didn't God do something to stop it?  They likely had thought Jesus was going to be with them for a very long time and make everything better.  They were in desperate need of a glimmer of hope also.

Then something miraculous happened.  On the third day they found that Jesus was no longer in the gloomy grave.  Their hopelessness changed to great happiness!  They were elated that Jesus had risen from the dead and even walked with them again for a time on earth.  In God's perspective it all was happening the way it should, the way it needed to happen for the forgiveness of all humanity.  Jesus had even told them of his impending death and resurrection.  But they had not understood and were looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing.  They didn't have God's perspective until after it all unfolded. 

[The angels said] “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”  Then they remembered his words.  Luke 24:5b-8

When we find ourselves in a dark place, with seemingly no place to turn, we can be certain that God is still with us and that there are brighter days ahead.  He has told us so!  Our hope and delight is in Jesus and his presence in our lives regardless of what is going on around us.  When all we can see is the dark grave, we must cling to the empty cross and the bright resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Let God turn our hopelessness into happiness!

Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!

written by Jan Andersen

Because He lives here is the end of the story!

GRACE SEEKS...Saturday

 4/19/14 

"You gave me life and showed me kindness, 

and in your providence watched over my spirit."

Job 10:12

     No matter what we are doing in life, no matter how far we have strayed from God, He is always looking for a way to bring us home to Himself.

     One of the best things about the characters we read about throughout Scripture is that they are real people, just like you and me.  Peter had a temper and denied Christ three times.  Hew was rescued by God's grace and worked spreading the gospel message until his death.  Kind David committed adultery and murder and yet was rescued by god's grace.  we have the Psalms from him which speak to our needs, and moods and invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good. The parable of the Prodigal Son shows us a picture of a forgiving and loving God who doesn't wait for us, rather, He runs out to meet us!

     God's grace seeks us out.  If you don't know about this wonderful grace, open the pages of your Bible.  Start with the gospel of John and learn who Jesus is.  Read the Psalms.  God's grace is always there, seeking you to return home to Him.

Written by 

Carol Steficek

Matt Redmond sings "Your Grace Finds Me"

Plans For Me...Friday

4/18/14

I went out on a limb and made a commitment to go to a woman’s retreat last weekend.  Even though I manage a tax office/CPA firm, I thought it would not be a problem, as we are always able to keep a handle on the work flow and remain above the deadline by about a week.  Yes, the last week we always have a few last minute clients waiting for completion due to various reasons.  Well, guess what this year has been a madhouse.  One of my bosses whose just been through his 42^nd tax season, stated that this has been the worse one ever.  I have also spoken with other CPAs in our building, and they have had to deal with the same insanity and frustrations as we have this year.  There have been many different reasons for such madness, some of it is the tax law, some is the delays in getting necessary documents needed to complete accurate returns, and some are more specific to our firm.  Whatever the reasons are, we have all been struggling, yet surviving and managing to still remain relatively calm, yet exhausted.

What I have learned through all this is something I am so grateful to God for.  My being faithful to Him has allowed my ever loving Father to open my eyes, ears and heart to what He has been speaking to me for years, I am sure of, but, I have not slowed down or been open enough to see, hear and absorb the love that He has for me.  I now know that I am a gift to this firm.  I add value to the ‘family’ that is here.  For the nine years that I have been with them, I have allowed myself to feel put down, as I am not a CPA.  There is a level of respect that I am not given by them, due to that fact, however, the huge thing for me is that I have ALLOWED myself to be bitter about that, as well as create a worse scenario in my head of how I am NOT good enough.

I had a moment of clarity a few weeks ago in which I realized in a very humble and loving way that neither one of them could do the job that I have.  And I don’t mean that I am superior to them, just that they have different personalities that allow them to be great at what they do with the tax returns and I have a gift for picking up the fluff duties of the office administration, as well as some tax preparation,   In fact, both of them have told me in the past that I am awesome at what I do.  It is amazing how I am with the clients, as well as other compliments. I am the one that has held me back from embracing these gifts, accepting them and myself, as well as my bosses for sharing their honest feelings to me.

1 Corinthians 7:7

New International Version (NIV)

I wish that all of you were as I am. 
But each of you has your own gift from God;
one has this gift, another has that.

Now my plan for the after tax season craziness is to do some work on myself….some more listening to my beautiful,  loving Father and figuring out how I will best use the gifts He has given to me specifically.  Praise the Lord and all His greatness!! It is my prayer that others who have felt inadequate and unappreciated will see the reality and turn to the Lord to show them their strength.

Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version (NIV)
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Written by

Kelly Dobyns

Today's song is "I Know The Plans" sung by Damaris Carbaugh

"Taste and See that the Lord is Good"...Thursday

4/17/14

This past weekend I had the privileged to Taste and See that our Lord is sooo GOOD at a retreat with 25 beautiful women of our Precious Savior.

We sought our Lord together and separately; 

He heard us and delivered us.

We saw His love and compassion wrap 

around us like a warm blanket/

We drank from the lake of Living Water and were refreshed.

We waited upon the Lord and He renewed our Strength.

We mounted on the wings like eagles

 and we ran and were not weary.   

We walked and did not faint.

We soared with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

For in Him we Live.

For in Him we Move.

For in Him we have our being.

We are His beloved and He is ours.

O taste and see tat the LORD is good: 

blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

Psalm 34:8

Thank you beautiful women of God

Blessings, 

Kathryn Hansen