see me

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

- 1 John 4:12

 

Little kids and cats.

Both have an innocent belief that if they can’t see you, you can’t see them.

No one that is living on Earth today has seen God. 

So goes the story of the teacher trying to prove that there is no God.

Teacher asked the students if they could see the trees, the grass, the sky, of course the students could see these things.

The teacher asked if they could see God, which the students replied no, the could not. 

The teacher summarized then, that if no one could see God, he simply was not real. 
A student asked the teacher a series of “can you see” type questions, to which the answers were always simply “yes”, until the student asked if she could see her own brain.

The teacher, a bit taken aback, replied with no, I cannot see my brain, to which the student replied that if no one could see her brain, the teacher must not have one.

While this is a cute story, many people truly cannot believe in a God they cannot see. 
All they need to do is open their eyes.   

When we follow God, He can be seen in our homes and in our words, His love is recognizable in our lives.

When we love those around us, when they love us back, when we choose to be loving instead of petty, unforgiving, critical, and harsh, God's presence, power, and perfection are revealed in us!

Be loving so we can all see God.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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history

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

- Romans 15:4

 

I believe that every parent everywhere at some point in time has said to their children something along the lines of “I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to go through what I did.” 
If we didn’t say it to our own kids, I am pretty sure we heard it from our parents.

We try to teach our children and grandchildren that we need to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others.

We guide them into knowledge of things that we have seen and done and things that we know others have experienced.

As parents, teachers and leaders we want to keep the next generation from making the same mistakes that we did (and boy howdy, that is getting harder every day).

If we can save them from some of the heartache we went through, if we can encourage them to fight through the craziness, not to give up, to share the hope of a better tomorrow.

This exactly what God is doing in the Bible . . . He wants us to learn, so that He can provide encouragement and HOPE.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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fall

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

-James 5:7-8

 

Here we are, October 1st.

Last Wednesday (September 22^nd) was the Fall Equinox, the first day of fall.

I think I am more of a spring and summer kind of gal, I have always loved the newness of spring.

Fall has it’s perks though, I love sweaters and bonfires and cuddling with my husband under a warm blanket.

The Bible is filled with verses that have images of harvests, and this particular verse is a reminder that Jesus is going to return. 
The farmer waits for his crop, the rain, just as we wait for the glorious day of His return.

I like that promise.   

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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empathy

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

- Hebrews 4:15-16

 

Aren’t we fortunate, to have someone that can not only empathize with us, but also show us compassion and grace? 

Oh, you know there is a song reference here:

Everyone needs compassion, love that’s never failing, let mercy fall on me,

Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a Savior, the Hope of nations.

Savior, He can move the mountains,

My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave

God can have compassion upon us because He experienced what we have felt—in every way.

God became a participant in suffering.

To think that God doesn’t understand what we are facing is so wrong!

He knows!

He is with us every single step of the way!

God came to earth to experience our weakness so we can live in the confidence that He knows us fully.

He is mighty to save.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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confidence

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

- Hebrews 10:35-36

 

For some of us it is really hard to get up and sing or make a speech.

For others it is difficult to take a test or go in public.

Fear can be overwhelming.

But with God, we can have confidence, like this song reference!

I'm not a warrior

I'm too afraid to lose

I feel unqualified for what you're callin' me to

But Lord with your strength

I've got no excuse

'Cause broken people are exactly who you use

So, give me faith like Daniel in the lion's den

Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness

Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense

So, I can face my giants with confidence

You took a shepherd boy

And made him a King

So, I'm gonna trust you and give you everything

I'll be a conquerer

'Cause you fight for me

I'll be a champion claiming your victory

So, give me faith like Daniel in the lion's den

Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness

Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense

So, I can face my giants with confidence

I'm gonna sing and shout and shake the walls

I won't stop until I see them fall

Gonna stand up, step out when you call

Jesus, Jesus

Give me faith like Daniel in the lion's den

Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness

Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense

So, I can face my giants with confidence

I'll face my giants with confidence

Faith like Daniel, Moses and David

Seems to me like those are three people that persevered and were richly rewarded. 
I think I want to be like Daniel. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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fear

What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.

- Proverbs 10:24

 

I have several huge fears, like anxiety inducing whole body frozen cannot move fears.

Spiders, snakes and a few other things are on that list, so watching movies like “Arachnophobia” and “Snakes On A Plane” does not happen.

The wicked have bigger fears than spiders and snakes, they fear the triumph of good, they fear death, they fear holiness and righteousness.

Righteousness – that is what we have when we have Jesus.

When we give our life to Him, we recognize our fears, our enemy and even death but we recognize that these fears are conquered by Him.

Our Savior is bigger that the wicked, bigger than the fears.

In the words of Veggie Tales, God is bigger than the boogey-man!! (and that spider living on my patio).

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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it’s not over

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

- Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)

 

I have been devastated this past week by the number of unexpected deaths I have seen among my friends and loved ones. 
There has really been too much death in my life.

Death in the form of unexpected tragedy, and in the form of natural causes, some of the people were close to my heart and others simply break my heart when I hear of the loss.  

I don't like to think about it and I don’t want to talk about it.

But death is that one reality that will not leave us alone.

We lose friends and family members to death.

And some day we too will die, unless Jesus comes before our passing.

Now that we have that out in the open, what assurance do we have as we face the inescapable?

Obviously, the answer is our God!

He will walk us through, guiding, protecting and comforting us in our journey.

As followers of Christ, this promise is intensified because we know Jesus as our Savior, and He has taken the walk ahead of us to assure us that our walk through death's valley doesn't end in death, but in glory. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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