Verse of the Day

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

Wow! I need the Spirit right now. I have been verrry busy these last few days. I am traveling tomorrow, fly back home Friday, and have another trip next week. I think this will help me keep some perspective during my schedule. I must be cognizant of the Spirit, and really seek to worship God no matter what's going on.

Verse of the Day

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

Whenever I read this verse I am really just amazed. I do know that God loves us. He wants a personal relationship with us. Everyone of us!! I know what a blessing the Lord has been to me. I know what inviting the Spirit into my life has done for me. I am changed beyond words. I truly am a new creature in Christ. The old has died, and the new has been born.

My prayer today is that my life will be a light unto others. It will be a lamp that people will see. They will see my joy, and want to know "where does this come from"? My prayer is that everyone will open the door and invite Christ into their life, to see the true transforming grace that comes from His mercy and love for us.

Verse of the Day

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Sometimes when I have a bad day, I can have the attitude to go with it. I find myself being snappy without cause, and invariably I feel bad if I do that, but I find myself being like that on occasion. However, as I continue to try to grow as a person, I challenge myself to find areas where I need to work on, and strive to improve those areas. This verse really is a challenge to me to watch what I say. It's o.k. if I am having a bad day, or if I get angry about something, or hurt, but I do have to watch what I say in repsonse to those situations.

Verse of the Day

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Galatians 3:6

If you know the story of Abraham, you know that even in today's times, with all the medical breakthroughs that we have, no one would believe that the birth of Isaac would be possible. However, Abraham held fast to God's promise. He knew that he and Sarah would have a son. He was approximately 100 years old, and Sarah was old and barren. And yet she gave birth to their son Isaac. God honored Abraham's faith.

God wants us to have faith in Him, and when we do have faith, He honors it. Notice that Abraham "was credited as righteous" because of his faith in God. I need to work on my faith. I could definitely learn something from Abraham.

Verse of the Day

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Luke 12:22-23

I have to say that when I was a teenager I was fashion conscious. I wanted to wear the "in" clothes. I still like to dress nicely. However, I have learned that it's truly not about what I wear, and I really don't need to worry about all of that. God always supplies my needs. The teenagers today (at least the few that I happen to be around) are so much more into fashion than I ever was, and the brands that are "in" today are very expensive.

Food...I love trying new foods, but so many people really almost worship food. Gluttony is prevelant in the US, and obesity is at epic proportions. I sometimes just want to shake people and say "this is so unhealthy"!!! It's amazing really, that people seem to have an almost worship of food. Once again, we are not supposed to become absorbed in food...God will provide food, clothing and shelter.

Verse of the Day

strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. Acts 14:22

I am participating in a Bible Study at my church. It began Tuesday night, and will meet every Tuesday night for the next 10 weeks. It's a Beth Moore Bible Study http://www.lifeway.com/lby/ about the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us entitled "Living Beyond Yourself".

There is homework 5 days a week in between the meetings, and each homework has verses to read. This is my first time participating in a Bible Study like this, and I am very excited. The verse today was from the homework, and was a focal verse.

"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God". Jesus stated that to his disciples. We will be despised because he was despised. However, I love the Lord so much, and am so grateful for His son, that I cannot think of a hardship or sacrifice that would be too much compared to eternity with Him. There are many that pay the ultimate sacrifice of their own life, and I know for them, just like Paul mentioned, "To die is Christ". They are with Jesus. Today, I pray for those who are spreading the word in areas of the world where freedom is just a word in the dictionary, where Christian persecution is normal. I pray for their safety, and I thank God that they are out there spreading His word.

Verse of the Day

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

The one thing that drawing closer to the Lord has made me realize is how much He actually loves me. How much He loves all of us. I cannot express how much comfort that has given me during difficult circumstances. I truly desire to live my life for God because I do have the Spirit in me, which is Christ in me.

Early this morning I got an alarming email from a very dear friend. She is not a born again believer. She was thinking about suicide for personal reasons I won't disclose. I tried to call and email her several times with no response, so I made a decision to visit her. She broke down, but after just some time, love and patience she finally started to come out of it. I was able to pray with her before I left. She does not know that peace and joy that the Lord can bring, and I am trying to be a witness to her. I do pray that she will truly understand that God is love.

Verse of the Day

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs11:30

The Bible can oftentimes be confusing. I know. Sometimes I read something, and I find myself really wondering "what did I just read"? I am sure most of you have been there. If you have not, let me know-I can use you as my personal reference.lol

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. A tree has branches. It's "fruit" yields offspring". If we live a righteous life, our "branches and offspring" will hopefully follow suit. I do not mean your children...I mean anyone you come into contact with. We basically should strive to win souls for the Lord by living a righteous life. That is wisdom.

Verse of the Day

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3

Have you ever prayed desperately for something and the prayer did not get answered? I know I have. However, what I have learned is that when I ask, when I sincerely pray for God's will to be done, that is what happens. It may not be my first choice, may not even be what I am praying for; however, I always pray that God's will is done because I know that is the best option for me time and again. I have just had to yield control, which can be difficult at times.

Verse of the Day

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

Sometimes we forget to be grateful. We become so absorbed in life, especially when times are good, that we just take things for granted. In America, especially, we have many blessings. I know that I have a good job. I have a good income. I have nice home. I attend an awesome church. I have some terrific friends. I sometimes forget to really give thanks to the Lord, and to acknowledge that all good and perfect things come from the Lord. Right now I am going to say thanks to the Lord for my blessings in life, and not just for the good, but for the "bad" as well.

Verse of the Day

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

When I read this verse, I realize that is how far I have come in my relationship with the Lord. I truly, truly love Him above all other things. He is the most important part of my life, and so surpasses everything else that anything else truly is a loss compared to Jesus. Everything esle truly just pales in comparison to my love for Him. I am so in love with Jesus, so passionate about my salvation, that I could not imagine putting anything else about Him, above His will for my life, which I try to understand through the Holy Spirit (which is Christ in me).

Verse of the Day

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? Romans 8:24

If we have something, why would we hope to have it? This verse is common sense, really. Paul is writing about being saved by Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross. He died for our sins. That gives us the hope of eternal salvation. Hope is defined as "To look forward to with confidence or expectation". As a Christian I do look forward to the day when I will meet my God in Heaven.

Verse of the Day

How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! Proverbs 16:16

You know, this proverb is soooo true. Sometimes, certain verses in the Bible just amaze me with the insight and wisdome that they offer. This is one of those verses. I would rather have wisdom and understanding over wealth untold anyday. Stupidity with money is never a good thing, and greed totally changes people. People who become obsesses with the next dollar, who try to "keep up with the Joneses", are never satisfied. They only have temporal happiness, and miss the joy that can come from truly seeking wisdom and understanding through a relationship with the Lord.