'FRIENDS"...Tuesday

6/9/15

Truly great friends are hard to find,

Difficult to to leave,

And impossible to forget.

I received an email today about the importance of friends. It was interesting, because I had just been thinking about the role we play in the lives of our friends and the role they play in our lives. We are blessed if we have friends that we can count on and we also become someone who can be depended upon. I am blessed with many friends. I have a friend that I have known for over sixty five years. My college roommate and I are in contact after fifty years. Every where I have lived has brought me special friends that I love in spite of the fact that we do not see each other often.

I have lived in my present town for thirty eight years. During that time I have made numerous friends. Some were friends who fulfilled a momentary role in my life. Others have become friends for a lifetime. I feel blessed by God to have friends in my life who are substantial Women of God. I often look at myself in the light of the fact that they are so gifted by the Lord with so many insights and spiritual understandings and wonder how I have made such awesome friends.

Then I tell myself that I have something to offer. My gifts include faith in and love of God, compassion, hospitality, and willingness to come along side. These are the gifts from God that I offer to friends. They, in turn, have different spiritual giftings that lift me up.

I know that the One I must rely on is God. He is my source in times of need. Still I believe that the "sisters" he has brought into my life are an important part of His plan for my life.

In the email I mentioned there was a list of the attributes of friends who are like sisters...

"Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how

many miles are between you. A girl friend is never 

farther away than needing her can reach. 

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you

have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life

will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,

praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on

your behalf, and waiting with open  arms at the

alley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk

beside you....Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,

daughters-in-law,  sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,

Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended

family: all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and

neither would I.. When we began this adventure called

womanhood, we had no idea of the  incredible joys or

sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we

would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.

And God in His infinite love and wisdom

has given us friends who are His hands and heart.

Written by

Corinne Mustafa

Waffles and Spaghetti....Monday

When I was young I would pour the syrup over my waffle as slowly as possible trying to get just a drop in each little square. Actually, I still try to do that! I like to organize things in my life. It makes it easier to deal with things. There's work things, family stuff, relative issues, health, money, the list goes on.

Today I heard a description of our lives that was so clear and simple I haven't stopped thinking about it. The pastor preached that while many of us tend to think of our lives in categories, like the waffle- a square for each thing, all of the areas of our lives are actually mixed together, overlapping, inter-twined, twisted together, like a plate of spaghetti. 

I thought the plate of spaghetti looked like a very messy way to live, but then he continued to describe where God is in our plate of spaghetti. He is the main ingredient in the noodles, He is the core of who we are. What a beautiful way to look at the heap of pasta that is my life, as having God in the very midst of every part. 

Immediately I felt peace settle down over my shoulders as I realized how very thorough and complete God is. My bad day at work? God was there. My hectic, sometimes upside down,  family life? God is there. Health issues, financial struggles, emotional battles, no matter what part of our lives we look at: He is there.

Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. 

I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you;

 I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 TLB

Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt!

 For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

 Joshua 1:9 TLB

Dear Lord, thank You for watching over every aspect of our lives. Thank you for reminding us that You are in the details. Please help us to remember that You have promised to never leave us or give us up (see Deuteronomy 31:6). In Jesus name, amen.

Written by
 Mary M. Wilkins

Love & The Outcome performs "He is With Us"

TEARS... Sunday

Devotional for 6/7/15 (repost from 9/2/12)

Things happen. No matter how strong a Christian we are, there will be times when the tears flow. Even Jesus shed tears when Lazarus died and Lazarus' sister, Mary, and other Jews with her were crying over his death: Jesus wept. John 11:35 NIV.

God is moved when we are hurting. He weeps with us when we mourn. But our crying is of this world. While we are being used as instruments of God in this life, we will encounter hardships and strife. But believers are promised that even though we may be sad and hurt deeply on this earth, we can look forward to being filled with great joy when we join God in heaven:  Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6 NIV

But we must also remember that while we are being used by God to do his will on earth, He is the one who produces the results: he sends the rain, makes the crops grow, and produces the harvest. And when we leave this planet, the joy and happiness we will experience in heaven is not because of anything we, ourselves, have done or said on our own. Our eternal gladness in heaven is bought and paid for by Jesus, himself, through his death and resurrection. That is how God wipes away our tears - by giving us eternal blissful life in heaven with him!

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Revelation 7:17 NIV

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for being with us in our difficulties in this world. Even when we do not understand why we must suffer and struggle on earth, you are there for us, holding us up when we want to collapse. You have carried us in our sinful state on your shoulders, all the way to the cross, and laid us at your feet as you were crucified in our place. And in the greatest act ever performed, you died for us and rose again in order that we might live with you forever in heaven, with every tear wiped away, never to moisten our cheeks again. Only you had the power to take on the punishment of death for our sins and still rise again to life eternal. Forever in gratitude and thankfulness we pray in your name, Amen. 

written by Jan Andersen 

RETURN...Saturday

 6/6/15

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, 

in quietness and trust is your strength..." -- 

Isaiah 30:15a

     Repentance means to turn around.  It means to return to God.  This is not something which mankind is quick to do.

     We search for strength, rest, and quietness in about any form imaginable except God.  People tend to think that what they are and become is "self-made."  Some of the most popular books on the market are those in the genre of "self-helps."  The topics are endless.  Most of the advice is soon forgotten and the books lie on the shelf collecting dust.

    

What we should learn is our need to return daily, even hourly, to our God.  It is only in Him that we find all we need for this life.  God must be our constant companion. 

     Want to find help that really is effective and will last the test of time?  Return to your God.  He created You, loves you with unconditional love, and wants to lead you through a fulfilling life.

Written by

Carol Steficek 

 

Moving On...Friday

June 5, 2015

  "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."

Jeremiah 29:11
 (NIV)

There comes a time when you just know you have to move on.  I have been contemplating this idea for a few years now…something always gets in the way of following through with it….mostly the thoughts in my mind that convince me I just can’t do it.  Fear, worry, lack of confidence, laziness, self-pity, loyalty. You name it, and I had it going around in my head as a stopping point for my moving forward.  So my focus today is to stop the stagnation!!  My first step is by looking up….looking up to God and asking Him to take away my worry.  I create all these scenarios in my head of what MIGHT happen.  I need to turn away these thoughts as soon as they come into my head.  Give them to God, and don’t even give them a chance to come into my little brain….and I will continue to do so daily.

 Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6
 (NIV) 

Change is very hard for me, but, with continual prayer and my faith in God, I know that I will be okay….better than okay.  He doesn't want me to be moping around unhappy, just existing in this life.  He has a much better plan for me, and I am ready.  I don’t know what that will be, or where I am going, but, what I do know for sure is that God loves me and at this moment right now I am willing and ready!

 He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

 Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31

 (NIV)

Written by               

Kelly Dobyns

Be Born in Me...Thursday

6/4/15

There is a CD set in an album called THE STORY. Disc One has eleven songs about various stories in the Old Testament, Disc Two  has seven songs about the New Testament. This devotional is named from the  title of the song that Mary sings as she processes what the angel has told her...that she is to be the mother of the promised Messiah. Here are a few lines of the song.

"Be born in me / Be born in me
Trembling heart / somehow I believe / that you chose me

I will hold you in the beginning

You will hold me in the end

Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem

Be born in me."

These poetic words, so sweet, touch me...especially

                            Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem
This is so lovely and touching, because He came in Bethlehem, and Mary is asking Him to make allow her heart to be as the place where He came during His life on earth.

I started to think a lot about these words and the song as a whole. I arrived at some interesting comparisons that are found in our lives as we live under His invitation to us.

Be born in me...
When God showed us how to be born again it was through Jesus' saving life that was an invitation to be born in Him. Also, though not an exactly literal comparison, we could think that our choosing Him as our Lord and Savior is asking Him to be "born" in us...not to be a child but to be resident in us.

Trembling heart / somehow I believe / that you chose me...

Of course He did. He invites people all the time to come to him.
                                                         In Ephesians 1:4 it says...
                               For he chose us in him before the creation of the world
                                          to be holy and blameless in his sight. 

This smacks of predestination and I do not feel qualified to discuss that at the moment, but it also tells me that He planned our lives and knew what choices we would make from before Creation.

Skipping down to this line...

Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem...

This follows two lines that how Jesus and his mother will hold and care for each other. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and Mary is saying let me be the place of your first home no matter where you roam. When we choose to accept the invitation that God has given we are now temples of the Holy Spirit and this could be compared to offering our hearts as a Bethlehem of first welcome to a place that can be God's Home.

Be born in me...
When we are born again it is in Him, but in a manner of speaking we could think of this new relationship as providing a new place for Him to call His. He is not born in us, but His closeness to His new Born Again Believer is as new and birthed in this believer.

Written by

Corinne Mustafa

  

"He Directs and Delights In Me"...Wednesday

6/3/15

I am ever so thankful for a God that so intensely cares about the direction of my life and every detail of my life. 

I discovered in Psalm 37:23

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly, 

He delights in every detail of their lives."

 

It brings me great comfort and peace to know as I follow closely with the Lord that He will see to it that my steps are properly guided by His hand. Not only that, but He is deeply concerned about every single detail of my life. He is concerned and He delights in my details!

 

If He delights in the details of my life, I have even more reason to not be anxious of the end result. As I fully trust in Him, He will most definitely see to it that those details are worked out according to His plans for me.

 

What a package deal that the Lord has given to us as His dearly beloved children. He delights in taking care of us and wants His best for each of us. Rest assured each day that the Lord is ready to fulfill His Word!

In The Lord's Hands, 

Sandy Billingham