I do what I want!

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

– Judges 21:25 

Isn’t that scary?

There was no king, everyone did whatever they pleased, regardless of the laws.

Sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it?

And isn’t that scary?

We have raised up a generation of needy, helpless, selfish people, because everyone does what they see fit.

The world has become a disaster of “political correctness” where you can’t say or do the right things because you might offend someone.

We need to look at every decision we make and ask ourselves if we are living for society or living for God.

I am not big on awards shows, but I heard about an acceptance speech that took place recently.

Chris Pratt, an actor best known for his role on a sitcom, was the recipient of the Generation Award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards

His acceptance speech, given on national television was absolutely amazing.

"I'm going to cut to the chase and I am going to speak to you, the next generation," Pratt said. "I accept the responsibility as your elder. So, listen up."

He followed that with what he called 9 rules for living.

Some of them were a little silly, but please note rules 2, 6, 8 and 9.

1. "Breathe. If you don't, you will suffocate."

2. "You have a soul. Be careful with it."

3. "Don't be a turd. If you are strong, be a protector. If you are smart, be a humble influencer. Strength and intelligence can be weapons, so do not wield them against the weak. That makes you a bully. Be bigger than that."

4. "When giving a dog medicine, put the medicine in a little piece of hamburger and they won't even know they're eating medicine."

5. "It doesn't matter what it is. Earn it. A good deed. Reach out to someone in pain. Be of service. It feels good and it's good for your soul."

6. "God is real. God loves you, God wants the best for you. Believe that, I do."

7. "If you have to poop at a party, but you're embarrassed because you're going to stink up the bathroom, just do what I do. Lock the door, sit down, get all of the pee out first. And then, once all the pee is done, poop, flush, boom! You minimize the amount of time that the poop's touching the air. Because if you poop first, it takes you longer to pee and then you're peeing on top of it, stirring up the poop particles, create a cloud, goes out, then everyone at the party will know that you pooped. Just trust me, it's science."

8. "Learn to pray. It's easy, and it is so good for your soul."

9. "Nobody is perfect. People will tell you that you are perfect just the way that you are, you are not! You are imperfect. You always will be, but there is a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you are willing to accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift. Like the freedom that we enjoy in this country, that grace was paid for with somebody else's blood. Do not forget that. Don't take that for granted."

I hope people stop doing as they see fit and start turning to God.

Have a blessed day!

what is our daily bread?

Give us today our daily bread.

– Matthew 6:11

Yesterday we talked about unanswered prayers.

Today we ask “give us this day our daily bread”.

What is the difference?

Our daily bread – our need for sustenance every day.

God knows our needs, and He will provide – look at what He did for the Israelites when they were in the desert: He gave them manna, a daily bread.  

I call this email / blog “daily bread” for a reason.

It is my prayer that He fill me with His word every day, fill my heart and soul, so I can share with others.

Food for the soul.

Our daily bread.

Have a blessed day!

unanswered prayer

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 

As a child, I can recall wishing and praying so hard for a certain toy, and being so disappointed when I did not get it.

As a teenager and young adult, I prayed many times for a certain guy to be in my life “forever”, and it never happened.

It has taken me many years to understand that those things I wanted so badly were wrong for me.

OK, so really, what was wrong about a little girl wanting a doll house?

I can’t answer that, but I know this now – I did not get that doll house not because I didn’t deserve it, or because I was a terrible child, but because everything happens in God’s timing, and that doll house – it was not in His plan.

Looking back, I am so thankful for the unanswered prayers of “forever love” I prayed as a teen, because I have been given a much better gift in my wonderful husband, and I am glad God led me to wait for him.

Those others? They could have destroyed me, but God knew what He was doing, and He loved me enough to protect me.

Recently I have been able to witness several answered prayers, and I honestly cried with those recipients of the answered prayer because the answers were a long time coming.

But so worth the wait.

So next time you are angry, upset or frustrated about an unanswered prayer, file it away in your memory, because I just bet you’ll understand why someday.

Have a blessed day!

world vs. soul

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his very soul?

—Mark 8:36

Oh you know this is a song reference!

But I will spare you today.

I am going to make a weird comparison here, so bear with me a moment.

Think about a time when you have gone shopping and you are getting ready to check out and the cashier says “if you spend $100 you get 10% off” and you think whoa!! What a deal, and head back to do more shopping?

But what if you had only had $50 in merchandise? 

Are you going to go spend another $50 just to save $10?

Those bargains and deals sound great on the surface, but in reality you just spent $90 when your original trip was only $50.

(thank you to my husband for teaching me wise financial decisions!!)

Now slip back to the Bible verse.

How many times do you suppose that you are offered the “deal of a lifetime” but not warned of the consequences?

I remember an episode of The X-Files, when Mulder and Scully were investigating a magic genie in a lamp.

Mulder wished for world peace, and the wish was granted, and he was the only person left in the world.

When he asked why, the genie said that the only way for there to be world peace is for there to be no humans, because humans are predestined to fight and go to war.

Now, I don’t know about all that, but I do know that I am not willing to give up my family, my friends, and my soul just to gain the world.

Oh – and if you are interested, go listen to Toby Mac “Lose My Soul” – that is the song reference.

Have a blessed day!

keeping me from harm

The Lord will keep you from all harm — He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

—Psalm 121:7-8

I am not sure what other reassurance that we might need.

God does not intend us harm.

When bad things happen, that isn’t God, that is the devil trying to break us down, to shred our faith, to get us to turn away from the Father.

We are not alone – God is with us, always.

That reassurance is enough for me.

Have a blessed day!

Before

Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

—Psalm 90:2, 4

Ok, one more song reference this week J

Before the world was made, before You spoke it to be
You were the King of kings, yeah You were, yeah You were
And now You're reigning still, enthroned above all things
Angels and saints cry out, we join them as we sing

Glory to God, glory to God
Glory to God, forever
Creator God, You gave me breath so I could praise
Your great and matchless name, all my days, all my days
So let my whole life be a blazing offering
A life that shouts and sings the greatness of our King

Glory to God, glory to God
Glory to God, forever
Take my life and let it be
All for You and for Your glory
Take my life and let it be yours

Glory to God, glory to God
Glory to God, forever

Think about it, God has been God before the earth was a thought.

What is days and years to us is but a moment to Him.

We are so lucky to have an Awesome Father like this!

Have a blessed day!

my defender

But You, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; You consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.

– Psalm 10:14 

Another song reference!

Father to the fatherless Defender of the weak
Freedom for the prisoner we sing

This is God in His holy place
This is God clothed in love and strength

Sing out lift your voice and cry out
Awesome is our strong God mighty is our God

You're with us in the wilderness faithful to provide
Ev'ry breath and ev'ry step we see

Sing out lift your voice and cry out
Awesome is our strong God mighty is our God

How can we not love a Father who will defend us, free us, make us strong in our weakest moment?

Every minute of our lives, God is there, waiting for us to cry out to Him, so He can be the Father we need!

How awesome is that?

Have a blessed day!

facing tomorrow

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

– Philippians 1:21

Song reference!  

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

Life is great!

To live in Christ is better!

Even when I am no longer on this earth, I have the promise of eternal life in Him.

What more could I ask for in a Savior?

Have a blessed day!

Little miracles

For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart.  

– 1 Samuel 1:27

This verse is very special to my heart.

Many of my friends have struggled with having children.

Many women, including me, have lived through the pain of a child being taken away before we had the chance to love them.

It is so hard to understand.

Somewhere in all of the pain is a blessing, even though we may not see it right away.

Whether we are given a miracle of a child to which we give birth, or the miracle of adoption, the child we are blessed with is what we have prayed for Him to give us.

Today, I get to witness a miracle.

God has granted the desires of a mommy’s heart.

All in His timing.

Have a blessed day!

my tears

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

- Revelation 21:4

On the anniversary of the death of my older brother, I often reflect of the fun times we had growing up.

I also pause to think about the things that he missed because he passed so young.

Losing someone is never easy, the pain never really goes away, it just kind of softens with time.

I look forward to the day that we are promised, when I have Jesus holding me, wiping my tears, when the pain of this world is no longer mine to bear.

I am thankful to have that promise.

Have a blessed day!

What is your fruit?

A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good fruit. 
- Matthew 7:17-18
Remember the old saying “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” ?
That can be a compliment or a concern.
The saying, according to the Cambridge dictionary, means that “a child usually has a similar character or similar qualities to his or her parents.”
So maybe you are a musical prodigy, and your child shows a talent for the piano.
Or, maybe you are a little shifty and your child has been in trouble at school for telling lies.
As Charles Stanley once said
“The fruit of the Spirit does not pop out of believers through effort; Christians bear fruit through surrender. We “take root” in the heavenly Father by meditating on His Word, praying, and serving. We reserve nothing for ourselves to control but fully rely upon Him.”
What kind of fruit do you bear?

Have a blessed day!

A true saying

This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them,  but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus might show His full patience in dealing with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in Him and receive eternal life.
- 1 Timothy 1:15-16
Hey, remember yesterday when we talked about the sin in our life?
The apostle Paul recalls the sin in his life . . . and what happened after that.  
Jesus came and rose above our sin. 
We are loved and we are forgiven, but we can’t do this alone
Don’t choose your sin over Jesus.Have a blessed day!

What if it’s just a little sin?

Everything is pure to those who are themselves pure; but nothing is pure to those who are defiled and unbelieving, for their minds and consciences have been defiled.

– Titus 1:1

Sin corrupts our whole life.

Our sin can be found in every nook, every cranny, every tiny speck of our lives.

We have got to stop sinning! 

Even the smallest sin can grow and expand and soon cover the entire person.

Think of a dandelion, one little plant with one little flower.

When the little flower goes from yellow to a poofy white, that is when our “little white lie” is born.

Along comes a gentle breeze and the poofiness is blown away, and you might think your dandelion is gone.

But a few days later you look and in another part of the yard is a new dandelion, and the cycle repeats until the whole yard is covered in dandelions and if you don’t stop them, they just keep growing. 

I don’t know about you, but I want my yard lush and green, not covered in dandelions, which means, I have to take care to make sure no dandelions appear.

Just like in life, if we don’t have any sin, there is nothing to spread and corrupt us.

Have a blessed day!

What is your style?

God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

– John 4:24

What is worship to you?

Is it sitting in a room with other believers, hearing a sermon?

Is it quiet reflection?

Is it music that shouts His praise?

Worship is not about where you are, who you are with or how you do it.

God wants us to worship Him with all out heart, soul and strength.

So whether you worship quiet and alone, our shout it from the rooftops, do it with everything you have.

Have a blessed day!

99

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

– Luke 15:7

I have to do a song reference here . . .

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
And I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me

God loves us so much that He will chase us down! 

He want us back so bad, that He will move mountains to bring us home.

And when we come home to Him, He rejoices.

There is nothing that you can do that will turn God from you.

That is the kind of reckless love He has for us.

How lucky are we?

Have a blessed day!

i'm looking!

My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

– Psalm 27:8

Rick Warren said:

“Happy moments, PRAISE GOD
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD
Painful moments, TRUST GOD
Every moment, THANK GOD”

Seek Him.

Two word that can change the way you look at things.

When there is craziness in my life (and believe me, that is often!) I have found that just taking a breath and talking to God makes things a little less crazy.

I don’t always get answers right away.

I don’t always get the answers I want.

But the answer to everything -  

is to seek Him.

Have a blessed day!

not to condemn

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

—John 3:17

Everyone knows John 3:16, but how many people have read further?

People need to know that God is not out to judge us.

Jesus was not sent to punish us.

Jesus came to earth to lead us back to God.

We as a people have strayed so far from God, and He loves us so much, that He sent us His Son to give us a role model.

I am so glad that I have been saved.

Have a blessed day!

it isn't over yet

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

—Acts 20:24

;

“A semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you, and the sentence is your life,” – Project Semicolon

I don’t believe that there is anyone that has not been touched by suicide.

Suicide is devastating for those left behind, there are so many unanswered questions, feelings of anger, guilt, sadness and despair.

When I first read the verse I have chosen for today, I thought there was nothing I could say to relate to this verse.

My blog, email, “daily bread” is supposed to inspire people, to lift them up, encourage them.

How are the first eight words of this verse even remotely inspiring?

They are not.

But the words that follow are.

That I may finish the race and complete the task that the Lord Jesus has given me.

There are several song references I could make here . . .  Mandisa sings a song called “Unfinished” , Brandon Heath has “He’s Not Finished With Me Yet” – go listen to those songs if you have any doubt about His work in you.

Maybe you feel that your life is not worth anything, but I am telling you, you are worth EVERYTHING to God.

YOU are important.

YOU are special.

You have a job to do, to spread the love of God.

Go do that.

Your story isn’t over yet.

Have a blessed day!

Please don’t ever think you are alone and hopeless. Call someone. Text someone. Call, text or email me!  If you can’t talk to someone you know, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255

choose joy

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

— Romans 12:12

A gentle reminder. . .

Sometimes it is difficult at best to be joyful and patient, and even less faithful in prayer.

I don’t know about you, but there are times in my life when surviving day to day is a struggle and I simply have to throw myself into prayer, trusting that my God will see me through.  

It is not easy.

Phil Ware, one of the contributing authors of Verse of the Day has this to say:

“Choosing joy through hope rather than despair, choosing patient endurance in times of affliction, and choosing faithfulness in prayer are all decisions of the will trusting that the God who raised Jesus from the dead can also change our circumstances because he hears our voice.”

Maybe knowing that He hears our voice is all we need to know to find joy, to be patient and to continue our journey of faithfulness.

Have a blessed day!