so greedy

The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.

- Proverbs 28:25 (NIV)

 

I have a cat that is very food driven, nearly every time that I walk into the kitchen, he races to his food dish in the laundry room thinking he’s getting fed (he’s not getting fed every time). 
When I do feed him (and the other cats) often he will eat so much, so fast that he ends up getting sick.
No prosperity there, but since he’s a cat, he yaks and then goes about his business.
We have several stray cats in the neighborhood that I feed too, but outside food attracts outside critters like opossums, raccoons, dogs that have escaped the boundaries of their yard,  and the occasional fox, it's fun to watch the “backyardagains” as we call them on the security cameras. 
The raccoons though – those creatures are greedy. 
I have seen them chase away opossums and cats to get the whole dish to themselves.
They clean up the cat food and any other random leftovers I put out there so quickly, then come back multiple times during the night expecting more.

Their greed gets them nowhere though because I only put out food once a day.
I see people that are the same way really, the will push and chase others away and climb over one another to get what they want in life, whether it is a promotion at work, recognition for something that was done, a nice house or car or other luxury items.
It’s really sad to see adults that are supposed to be leaders that are so jealous of someone else’s success that they will lie, cheat, steal and manipulate others to get what they want.
We don’t have to be that way. 
God has shown us over and over that He will provide for us.

When we stop being greedy and start being grateful, we begin to see changes in things that come to us.
There is always going to be the “one-uppers” in the world, there is nothing we can do to change that, but we can change how we conduct our own lives.
Instead of being greedy and selfish, we can be generous with our time, our money, our possessions, and trust in God to take care of us.
The ways He will prosper us may really surprise you. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

this present

Please accept the present that was brought to you. God has given me so much. I have everything I need.

- Genesis 33:11a (NIRV)

 

When we celebrate birthdays, weddings, baby or bridal showers, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, and Christmas, sometimes the first thing that we think of is presents. 

Some people are hard to buy for, others are so simple.
There are people that will spend hours at stores or online looking for the perfect gift and then there are those who walk through the mall at 3:30pm on Christmas Eve and have gifts for everyone on their list by 4pm. (I am not that person!)
This past weekend was my birthday and among the great cat themed items people brought me, I received a great present, but this one was not purchased at a store or an online retailer.

In fact, this present was the best gift ever.
Can you guess what it is? 
I received the gift of a promised future. 
The promise that I am forgiven. 
The knowledge that I am loved. 
Jacob, after stealing Esau’s birthright, he became quite wealthy according to the standards of the day. 
He owned flocks and flocks of sheep and goats, had a few wives who had given him many children.
Then came the time that he would meet his brother again. 
Knowing that he had cheated his brother of his birthright, and all his wealth should have been Esau’s wealth, Jacob had a legitimate fear that Esau would kill him.
Jacob sent a gift ahead to Esau that he hoped would appease Esau and encourage him to spare his life.
In verse four of Genesis 33, we read “Esau ran to meet Jacob. He hugged him and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him, and they cried for joy.”

Esau asked why Jacob sent the herds and Jacob replied, “I hoped I could do something to please you”.
Esau tried to say no, tried to tell Jacob that he did not need to give him such a lavish gift.  
Jacob received many blessings, even after stealing what should have belonged to his brother.
Fast forward thousands of years, and see that God is still giving us everything that we need, no matter what transgressions we commit.
Our God is an amazing God, a loving, forgiving and generous God. 
I didn’t need material items, because God has blessed me with so much, I have everything I need.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

seeking wisdom

But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living.

- Job 28:12-13 (NLT)

 

There are phrases that can really get under our skin, things that people say that just make us cringe.
For me there is quite a list, and right on top is one someone says, “I know exactly how you feel”.
No, you don’t. 
There is no way that you can know exactly how anyone feels in a given situation, except yourself.
I know several people that have lost a parent, including me, but no one knew exactly how I felt when my mother died.
Even simpler things like a minor surgery or getting a migraine, we were all made unique, which means that we each feel and react differently to stimuli.
Even people in the Bible, there were only a few people in the Bible that suffered as much as Job did.
He literally lost everything except his life, and even though he struggled to understand what was going on, he stood on his faith that God was wise and knew of his trouble.
Job honestly questioned what was happening multiple times, yet he did not let his situation break his belief that God would deliver him from it all.

God does the same for us, He puts out fires we may never see, He stops horrible things from destroying us.
We may struggle and think that no one knows what is going on, but right in the middle of our problems God is holding on to us.

He loves us and is there for us, no matter what obstacles we face.
He is wise, He sees our suffering.
We won’t find that kind of love and understanding in our family and friends, no matter how hard they try, it can only be found in Him.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

protected

What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.

- Genesis 28:15 (NLT)

 

Recently I met a little girl with as much patience as I have – and if you know me, you know that it’s not a lot.
While in a swimming pool with her family and some friends, the little girl wanted to remove her swim vest so that she could dive under the water.
Her mom explained that she needed the swim vest on because she could not touch the bottom of the pool and was not yet strong enough to swim.
The little girl tried to argue with her mom, utilizing every excuse she could think of, from “yes, I can” when asked if she could touch the bottom to “I know how to swim” when mom told her she needed to swim without struggling.
The little girl cried, pouted, and argued until her mom sat her on the ladder and reminded her about a promise she had made as a mom.
This mom told her daughter that it is a mom’s responsibility to keep their child safe, that letting her go without her swim vest would not be safe, and that would make her a bad mom.
She said that she had always promised to take care of her daughter and letting her do something unsafe would be breaking that promise.
That is one amazing mom, right there! 
The little girl stopped pouting and crying because she knew she was protected. 

It is the same with us and God.
As a child of God, we are reminded quite emphatically that our Father cares for us and watches over us no matter where we go or what we do.
He will be with us always and He will fulfill every promise He made to our ancestors.

Promises of God cannot be broken, the Lord will never leave us, and we will always be protected by Him.

That is a great promise.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

jars of clay

Treasure is kept in clay jars. In the same way, we have the treasure of the good news in these earthly bodies of ours. That shows that the mighty power of the good news comes from God. It doesn’t come from us.

- 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIRV)

 

Have you ever been on a treasure hunt?
I have not actually done treasure, but I have done scavenger hunts, they are fun.

You get a list of items and you run all over trying to find as many as you can.
Sometimes things are hidden in plain sight, like a sign or a landmark. 
Some treasure is hidden better, like inside another object. 
Geodes are kind of like treasure, on the outside they appear to be a regular boring old rock, but when you crack it open you are rewarded with something beautiful.
We might be similar to a geode, on the outside we look like everyday people. 

But inside is a beauty that God placed there, a vessel filled with His love, grace, and forgiveness.
That is good news! 
We can sparkle like the geode with the mighty power that God gives us. 
Don’t hide inside your clay jar, get out there and sparkle!

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

my friend

Dear friend, I pray that you are doing well in every way. I pray that your body is strong and well even as your soul is.

- 3 John 1:2 (NLV)

 

I pray for all my friends daily, some by name and specific situations,  others I just ask God to meet their needs what ever they may be.

Like many others in the mid-west (referring to those who live in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas) we had some property damage from the weather over the last few months. 

As a result, we are in the process of having our privacy fence replaced because it was beyond repair.
We did the normal thing, asking around for references, getting quotes, having insurance adjusters check things out, all that stuff.
We decided on a local company and the owner brought over a contract for us. 
When he walked in, he said “my wife knows you guys, she’s Facebook friends with you”.
I am a bit ashamed to admit that I couldn’t place her. 

I have almost 1,500 Facebook friends, from family to classmates, from co-workers to motorcycle buddies, from coconspirators in cat fostering to people we’ve met in travel networks.
I found her in my friend list, and I still couldn’t place her in my life. 
I told him that I probably knew her because of cats or because of God.
Her husband said, “you found her driver’s license once and contacted her”. 
Holy catfish y’all – I immediately remembered her, and the situation. 

That was 2018 folks – my husband found her driver’s license in a parking lot after an event, I found her on Facebook, sent her messages, and called her until she answered. 
We spent at least a half hour talking when we met so she could get her driver’s license.
And she never deleted me from Facebook, she’s been following me this whole time.

Talk about a God thing.
I suspect that we will probably go from Facebook friends to actual friends, since God has had us cross paths twice now.
I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us! 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

I don’t know

O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.

- 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NLT)

 

I don’t know what to do.
There is so much craziness going on in the world, in the country, in my city, in my life, that I just don’t now how to deal anymore.
But it’s ok. 
I ran across this little beauty on social media a few weeks ago: 
“Did you know there’s a prayer called the ‘I don’t know’ prayer?

You just go somewhere quiet, and you sit at the feet of God and you say ‘I don’t know’.

I don’t know where to go from here.

I don’t know what is happening.

I don’t know how to process this.

I don’t know what to do with these emotions.

I don’t know how to handle this situation.

And then, with whatever little grain of faith you have, you say, ‘but You know’.

And you leave it there, God most certainly hears your prayer.”

Whoa.

It’s kind of spooky that something just pops up on social media right when you need it the most.
I hope this is one of those things. 

We all have enemies, unseen demons that we fight every day.

Sometimes we fight so hard and so long that we feel we’ve nothing left to give.

And that’s ok, that’s when we pray this prayer to God.
We don’t know. 

But He does.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible