"Abundantly Pardons"...Wednesday

12/16/15 

 

Several months ago I had not treated one of my brother's in Christ very nicely in a certain situation. The upcoming weeks prior to that time, the Holy Spirit  would gently nudge me and remind me to go to my brother and ask for forgiveness. In response to that each time, I would justify my actions. You see my heart was not right before God or my brother.

 

Finally this past Sunday, I had had  enough of my selfish excuses and my lack of obedience onto Jesus. I decided to lovingly and humbly  get the situation taken care of. And that  is exactly  what I did. I asked my brother if he would forgive me for how I treated him.  I shared that he truly did not deserve that at all. He was more than willing to forgive me and  had actually forgotten  about it.

 

Why I waited so long was quite foolish but I feel so relieved  and at peace. I felt like a burden had been lifted off of my shoulders. I know my Heavenly  Father had forgiven me, but I needed to take  it a step further to make it complete. 

That is just like our Father. He so abundantly pardons! He is always waiting for us to come to Him and make things right so He can grant us His peace and rest.

 

His Word says...  

 

"Seek  the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near, 

Let the wicked  forsake his  way, And  the unrighteous  man his thoughts; 

Let him return to the Lord, And  He will have mercy on him; 

And to our God, For  He will abundantly pardon."
 Isaiah 55:6-7

Our  God is always  willing to forgive and pardon our sins  if  we will but ask. He will not  hold back on us. He so graciously pours out  His mercy on us.

 

We have a good, good Father who dearly loves us and with great abundance pardon our sins. That is  just who He is!!!

 

In His Great  Forgiveness,

Sandy Billingham  

 

 

Coming to a Day to Remember...Tuesday

*

LET

THIS CHRISTMAS BE
A DAY YOU WILL REMEMBER
AND ONE FOR WHICH YOU WILL

GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR MANY
BLESSINGS

*****

*****

    

God,

 we thank you for Your blessings

that happen because you sent your only Son

to save your children here on earth.

A lot of our season is built on the traditions

of how a family celebrates this miracle..

some of it spiritual and some secular.

We pray that all families

will come away from this year's

CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS

with a heightened awarenes of the blessings from the real

REASON FOR THE SEASON!

And...

To all who read the devotionals and writings in 

 Women's Focus Ministries

thank you for your faithfulness

prayers that your Christmas celebrations
will be all you hope.

Prayers and loving wishes that you have a very

an exceptional Christmas season.

Written by
Corinne Mustafa

The Cookie Jar......Monday

I look around the bright country kitchen taking in the white and yellow orderliness of my childhood friend's home. Then I see it. A cookie jar of reasonable proportions perfectly positioned in a ray of sunlight. My heart skips a beat. Is the cookie jar full or empty?

The increasing deception of decorative cookie jars had been on the rise in my life. During that time period almost everyone had a cookie jar. Some held grocery receipts, pencils, little odds and ends that needed to be quickly tucked away. Once I discovered a collection of pennies. My grandfather even had an old cookie jar in his shop where he stored leftovers parts. Frequently the most beautiful cookie jars around stood tall but empty.

Just like cookie jars were designed to hold delicious treats, we as Christians are designed to be filled with a word in season and out of season, which is a fancy way of saying we are to be ready at all times to confront, correct, and encourage with great patience and instructions (see 2 Timothy 4:2). 

According to this verse we are supposed to be ready with kindness, attentive to those who are struggling around us, prepared to show others the way with extreme carefulness, and to teach with great gentleness.

How do I measure up as a cookie jar? When people I know see me coming do their hearts lift? Or do I bring something unpleasant to mind? Does the expression on my face suggest kindness or patience? Do I make cashiers and other service staff work to get positivity and appreciation from me?

and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

 with all your being, with all your mind, 
and with all your strength.

 The second is this, 
You will love your neighbor as yourself. 
No other commandment is greater than these.

Mark 12:30-31 CEB

Dear Lord, please help me to have eyes that see and recognize how I am presenting myself to others. Please clean me out of the any cookies that no one needs or desires. As I read Your Word and pray for understanding, please help me to store all of the morsels I will need to have ready to reach out to those around me with great patience and loving care. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Audio Adrenaline performs Hands & Feet

MISFITS... Sunday

Devotional for 12/13/15

At this time of year there are lots of Christmas specials.  Some of them are brand new movies, others are tried and true animated stories, like Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.  We sometimes wonder what these specials have to do with the real meaning of Christmas.  Perhaps we just have to look a little deeper.  Let's look at the longest running Christmas TV special in history, Rudolph, as an example.

Rudolph was different from all the others around him. He was a "misfit", as was Hermey the elf who didn't like making toys but wanted to be a dentist.  So they decided to run away from their "normal" world and eventually tried to join other rejects on the island of misfit toys.  But the ruler of the island, a winged lion, told them they were not allowed to stay.  Only toys were allowed to stay there because living beings had to go back and be in their own societies.  By doing that they were able to help make their world a better place by helping others with their special gifts - the glowing nosed reindeer to shine the way through the Christmas snowstorm, and the elf to render the Abominable Snowman toothless and harmless.

Christians in a way are "misfits" in this world.  We are told we shouldn't hide from the world, but rather we should be "in the world but not of the world."  As faithful children of God we are sent to be witnesses in this world while avoiding "fitting in" with its sinful ways.  While none of us are perfect, with the help of the Holy Spirit we are to live according to God's will, following his commandments and producing good fruit to the best of our ability. 

And what about those poor misfit toys on that island? Well, because Rudolph went back home, he was able to lead the way for Santa's sleigh with his glowing red nose back to the island to rescue them and find them all loving homes.  In the same way we are to "be in the world, but not of the world" - so that we can be that faithful witness to others of God's love and goodness so they too can come "home" to Him.  So when we see a "misfit" in this world, we should remember that we are all "misfits" in some way, and help lead them to faith.

John 2:15-17 (NIV) "Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of salvation through your Son, whose birth we are soon to celebrate. Help me to be a witness to this world without becoming a part of its sinfulness in my thoughts, words and deeds.  Help me to show others your loving and merciful forgiveness as I lead them to you and the Spirit brings them to faith.  May all the misfits in this world hear YOUR story at this Christmas time.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen

SPIRITUAL HEALTH

 12/12/15

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned

 and have become convinced of..." 

II Timothy 3:14a

     We all take the time to maintain the things we should.  We do regular maintenance on our cars to keep them running smoothly.  We maintain our homes. We take our pets to the veterinarian when needed.   We generally see our physicians on a regular basis and do routine lab work to make sure we are in good health. 

     How often do we do a heart check?  A what?  We need to check our hearts in relationship to God to make sure we are spiritually healthy.

     Every day you live you are either growing closer to God or are drifting away from Him.  To be spiritually healthy you must eat right -- feed daily and drink from the living water of God's Word.  You must also exercise regularly -- make sure your mind is staying alert and is focused on spiritual things and positive thought to grow into maturity in God rather than in the ways of the world.  You must have social interaction with other members of the household of faith and worship God in church.  

You must pray without ceasing to develop your communication skills with God.  You must lose yourself and your self-centered ways and instead serve your neighbor and learn to give rather than receive.

     

Spiritual health takes as much maintenance as all other areas of our lives, maybe even more.  Is your heart with God and His kingdom?  Better check daily to see.

Written by 

Carol Steficek

Fade into His Love...Friday

December 11, 2015 

I heard a song on KLOVE radio that prompted me to what I wanted to write about.  The words were exactly what I needed to hear.  It tells the story of the pattern of my behavior.  I can be so filled up with the love of Jesus and then one second later I get a thought that causes fear, doubt or worry….. and within that one second here I am again taking over the navigation and not allowing myself the gift of my Father taking care of me.  These lyrics are exactly me…I always try to do it on my own…I always think that I know what is best, and if I don’t know what is best then I create all these negative scenarios in my head that are going to happen.  Read the words and see if you can relate to any of them in anyway. 

Let It Fade – By Jeremy Camp

Have you been walking on a surface that's uncertain?
Have you helped yourself to everything that's empty?
You can't live this way too long
There's more than this, more than this

Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?
You can rest, you will find rest
You can rest, you will find rest

Let this old life crumble, let it fade
Let this new life offered be your saving grace
Let this old life crumble, let it fade
Let it fade

Have you been holding on to what this world has offered?
Have you been giving in to all these masquerades?
It will be gone, forever gone
It will be gone, it will be gone

Let this old life crumble, let it fadeLet this new life offered be your saving graceLet this old life crumble, let it fadeLet it fade, let it fade

Are you carrying the weight too much?
You're running from the call, let it fade
You can rest, you will find rest
You can rest, you will find rest

Let this old life crumble, let it fade
Let this new life offered be your saving grace
Let this old life crumble, let it fade
Let it fade, let it fade
Let this old life crumble, let it fade

Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?

I have just gone through a job search for about six months….the roller coaster of that whole process after being at the same place for eleven years.  Well, I sincerely wish that I would have kept to the truthful words of this song, as I would have saved many ugly days of discouragement as I wondered why God was not coming on board to my plan!  After all, I carry the world on my shoulders and therefore must know what is best for me….oh, and all others also. 

I found so many scriptures to go along with this devotional that I had a hard time choosing which ones to include.  Here are a few that I hope will be very encouraging to you, as they have been to me, as well as the blessed words of this incredible song.

 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

           

Psalm 16:11 (MSG)
~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;

        Psalm 37:23 (NIV)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, 

  everywhere you go;

    he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all.

    Run to God! Run from evil!

Your body will glow with health,

    your very bones will vibrate with life!

Honor God with everything you own;

    give him the first and the best.

Your barns will burst,

    your wine vats will brim over.

                                      

Proverbs 3:5-12 (MSG)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The Lord will guide you always;

    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesus once again addressed them: I am the world’s Light.
No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness.
I provide plenty of light to live in.”
John 8:12  (MSG)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Sweet Lord, I ask you to keep us focused on the straight path of You!  The way that is always solid and peaceful.  We can be so distracted by the worries of this world and the crises that occur daily.  Remind us each moment that You indeed are in charge.  In our hearts we know that your way is the only way….YOU are the joy we receive living in these challenging times.   Guide us to be Your light to everyone we see, so that they will know you as we do.  In your precious name Amen.

Written by

Kelly Dobyns

My Desire to Worship You...Thursday

12/10/11

Oh Lord, my God, how great You are! I gratefully praise You, Lord God, with all my heart. My soul will bless You and the core of my being will adore You.

You are clothed in honor, wearing glory and majesty like a beautiful royal robe. You wrap Yourself in the light of the sun like a garment. You stretch out the starry heavens like a tent over the earth.

Lord, You laid the beams of Your palace in the depths of the mighty ocean. You make the clouds Your chariot and ride on the wings of the wind.

You commandeered the winds to be Your angel messengers and appointed the flames of lighting fire as Your ministering servants.

Lord God, You built the foundation of the earth and positioned it firmly on its axis, so that it will never be shaken.  You bound the world together so that it will never fall apart.

Psalm 104.1-5

Father, reveal Your greatness today whenever, and wherever, someone calls on Your name. Upon every altar, on each heart and life offered to You, let the rivers of living water flow to save, heal, bless, deliver & satisfy.

May Your everlasting wing cover and protect Your altar, so that the truth will flow from the mouths of your servants to undo the deeds and workings of evil in people's lives. Oh God, may Your will be done on earth today, as it is in heaven, in Jesus name. amen.

Written by Brother Thomas Ukwute, Anchor of Hope, Nigeria         

                                         Edited by Jody Ward