looking

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

- Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV)

 

God comes near to us by revealing Himself, but for this revelation to be effective, we must actively seek the Lord.

Turn to God and seek Him before it's too late.

The most obvious example is turning to God before we die, as death ends all opportunity to turn back to God.

Nearer, My God, to Thee was written by Sarah Flower Adams, and supposedly played as the Titanic sank in 1906:
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me;

Still all my song shall be nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

There let the way appear steps unto heav'n;

All that Thou sendest me in mercy giv'n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Then with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

A sixth verse was later added to the hymn by Edward Henry Bickersteth Jr.

There in my Father's home, safe and at rest,

There in my Saviour's love, perfectly blest;

Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

It seems appropriate as the Titanic sank that the passengers and crew would have sung this hymn, death ends all opportunity to turn back to God.

There are specific times of opportunity to turn back to God, and if we miss them, it may be too late.

When we hear His voice, we should turn to Him, seek Him, and call out to Him.

We must not harden our hearts and ignore Him.

God commands us to look for Him because He desires to be found by us and bless us.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

all the stuff

We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.

- Ecclesiastes 5:15 (NLT)

 

My husband and I have a “memory jar” that we have been keeping since 2014.
It’s just a jar where we write down things that we did, drop in ticket stubs or small things from an event we attended or trip we took.
There is nothing valuable in there, just reminders of the times we have during the year.
It’s a lot cheaper than buying souvenir type things every time we do something, and it helps keep me in check from grabbing the “dust collectors”.

I finally went through my mother’s clothes, cassette tapes, pictures, books, and miscellaneous stuff I stuck in the attic and let it go.
I don’t know what compelled me to keep that stuff, we can’t take it with us when we die as clearly stated in this verse in Ecclesiastes.
I am certain that my kids will have no use for the cat picture that I drew in the 3rd grade that currently resides in a box in the attic.

These are just “things” and maybe they do or maybe they don’t “spark joy” (thanks, Marie Kondo) but the joy is usually a memory associated with the item.

Memories are far better than “things”, they don’t clutter the house, and you don’t have to dust them..

I want nice things; I work hard for the nice things that bring me joy.
But in the end, will there be more joy in my “things”, or will I have joy for a life well lived, a life full of friends, a life where I shared the love of Jesus with everyone I met?

That is something that we can take with us.   

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

lots of money

The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

- Ecclesiastes 5:11 (NLT)

 

Quite often, if someone thinks you are “well off,” they will drop hints about their needs or boldly ask for money or items.

If you decline, they may become upset to the point of ending any relationship they have with you.

I've heard snarky comments about the things we’ve saved for and purchased, as some feel it's unfair that we have them while they do not.

Stories abound of people who win large sums of money only to find long-lost relatives appearing on their doorstep.

It’s sad that people often can’t be genuinely happy for someone’s good fortune without feeling entitled to a share.

Many people have nice things because they work hard for what they have, while others accumulate debt to maintain a certain lifestyle.

If you want something, earn it; don't expect others to give it to you.

Learn to budget and save for the things you truly want, rather than working until you die because of excessive debt. (Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace is a great program to teach budgeting and living well.) 

Above all, be content with what you have, as many have far less.

Help those who are truly in need (it is a wonderful feeling to be able to give a hand UP) but be cautious of those who are only your friend because of what you have to offer.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

a few words

Do not be rash with your mouth and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore, let your words be few.

- Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NKJV)

 

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take”
Did you pray that prayer or some variation of it when you were young? 
Did you teach someone younger than you to pray it? 

Are there other prayers out there that you were taught as a child that you remember and can rattle off at any point?
Here is the hard question: do you rattle these prayers off and not consider the words?

I’ll be honest, when my kids were little, I did not teach them to pray.
It was not until my youngest was born that I developed a relationship with the Father and started teaching my kids about prayer.
My husband made up a nighttime prayer for our youngest son that he committed to memory (so did we!) but looking back, I wonder if the words had meaning to him.
This verse tells us that when we pray or make any vow, that we need to speak carefully – essentially think before we speak.
Why? 
Because we are addressing God. 

We should not be hasty or impulsive with our words (God if you get me home safe in this rainstorm, I will never drive in the rain again).
We should consider the words we are about to say (if you make [spouse or child] do the dishes tonight, I will never ask for anything ever again).

Remember He is God, not our next-door neighbor (if they stop parking on my grass, I’ll be nicer to them).

We shouldn’t say a bunch of empty prayers, but we should speak with intention.
Sometimes, the fewer words that come out of our mouths, the better off we are. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

when I fall

 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

- Psalm 37:24 (NLT)

 

When our children are learning to walk, they fall quite often.
When we try new things, we sometimes fall. 
It can get very discouraging to fall, to fail, to feel like we will never succeed, and we just feel like we are alone.

Katy Nichole nailed it in her 2024 single When I Fall:
Lord, I can't find You right now

And everything is crashing down

I'm losing faith and falling into my doubts

How long will I have to fight

Just for me to stay alive

I know You're there, God please

Just meet me here tonight

My God, I'm tired of trying to be okay

I've prayed all the prayers I have to pray

Please don't leave me lonely

My God, I need You to hold me

My God, I'm losing all the hope I got

I'm far beyond the point of being lost

I've tried, but I can't let go

'Cause God, You catch me when I fall

You catch me when I fall

. . .

There's hardly air in my lungs

With all the damage that's been done

Lord, please sustain me now

I know You are enough

. . .

Lord, please help me now

My soul is crying out

. . .

You catch me when I fall

. . .
There are times when we are that desperate for help, when we are tired of just being OK, and we need more.
Those are the times that we need to cry out to God, because He will catch us, He will hold us.
Because He loves us.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible