Category: Bible

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

There is only one God. He is the Lord.

We are to love Him most. Love Him best. We are to cherish Him above all else. He is our everything.

We are to love Him with our WHOLE heart and soul and strength.

And because we love Him so dearly, with all our heart and soul and strength,  we are to keep His words on our heart, and we teach our children to love Him, too.

We will teach His Words to our children moment by moment, day by day, night by night, and year by year. Precept upon precept, we will teach them. We will teach them diligently, when we’re sitting at home, and when we’re out and about; whether we’re all alone or whether people are watching us at the grocery store.

We will teach our children to love Him, like we love Him, because He is so worthy of our love.

This is my prayer for me, and my family, and for you and yours.

At the start of 2016, I began thinking about what I’d like this new year to hold.  My mind immediately turned to all the things that I needed to do, the self-improvement projects I needed to start.

Then, the Spirit grabbed hold of my heart.

Too often, friends, I am captivated by the things I need to do MORE, rather than the things I need to do LESS.

So, this year I’d like to see:

• More praying, Less fretting
• More time used, Less time wasted
• More face time, Less Facebook
• More Jesus, Less me

“And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness–look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”” (John 3:26-30 ESV)

This semester at Renewed Moms (a women’s Bible study I’m a part of) we are inductively studying the book of Daniel. Today, while observing chapter 4, marking up the words for Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar and God, I had another Aha moment confirming what I saw earlier this week.

Look with me at the very last verse of the chapter, verse 37.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (NIV)

This is the very same Nebuchadnezzer, who in verse 30 was bragging about great Babylon, which he had built by his own mighty power and for the glory of his own majesty!  The Lord intervened and humbles him. The Most High took away from him all these things that he had worked so hard for and which gave him such pride, until after seven long years, Nebuchadnezzar “raised [his] eyes toward heaven, and [his] sanity was restored. Then [he] praised the Most High; [he] honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.” (v. 34 NIV)

God indeed opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. He exalts those who humble themselves before him. I fear that in my never ending desire to glorify God, I too often end up glorifying myself, and in trying to be “all that I can be,” I forget that I can do no good thing apart from Him.

As Psalm 34:3 says, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

Let us pray together for meek and gentle spirits, for hearts that seek to praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven who does everything right and who is always just and who is faithful to humble the proud.

And, our nation needs prayer.  We need to be praying for the leadership of our country to recognize that God’s dominion is indeed eternal and that His kingdom is the only one that endures forever, from generation to generation.

Please, stop whatever you’re doing right now, and pray.

Over Christmas break, I put together a variety of verses I’ve memorized over the years and put them in order according to where they’re found in the Bible. Then, I put them inside clear page protectors with the front of each page containing shorter passages or single verses and the back being a chapter that I’ve memorized. Then, I filed these pages into my big 3-ring Bible study binder with a nice tab that says “Scripture Memory.”  Oooh.  It felt good.

I love getting organized! (If only I could stick with the grand plans I come up with.)

So, the other day I was walking at the park, carrying one of these pages of verses. As I walked, I was reciting these verses out loud and praying as the Lord was leading. And here are some of the verses that were included on that one page.

“Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV)

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8a ESV)

And I had one of those awesome “Aha” moments where these random pieces all came together.

Wisdom and might and wealth, speaking in tongues and prophecy and faith, these are all gifts out of His good hand.

But above all these things, the Lord Himself practices love, justice and righteousness. He has all the wisdom, all the might and all the riches of the world. Yet, He delights in these things: love and justice and righteousness. This is what is good. If I have great wisdom and power and wealth and if I have every single spiritual gift known to man, but have not love, I am nothing.

I couldn’t help but see the repeated themes in these passages.  Themes of wisdom and knowledge, themes of wealth and helping the poor, themes of power and might and love.  They are sprinkled through the Old Testament and the New.  This is who our God is.  But there is something over all these things.

He desires a humble heart from me as I receive these precious gifts from His hand to His glory.

Father, forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me for my own pride, for thinking that I am something when I am not. Every good and perfect gift is from You. What do I have that You have not given to me? Bless me, Father, with a humble heart that seeks to follow You in all of Your ways, as I practice steadfast love, justice and righteousness here on earth and may it all be to Your glory. May they see my good deeds and glorify You, my Father in Heaven.

Have YOU had an “Aha” moment this week?  How has God opened your eyes to something you thought you already understood?

Years ago, my kids and I memorized Psalm 139 together. It is still precious to my heart. It is the passage my heart turns to when I am in turmoil.

This month, October, in honor of infant loss awareness, and my own little one (Tommy) who was born still on September 15, 1998, and in recognition of the thousands of babies aborted every month in our country, please join me in prayer. Please join me in committing to pray for the moms at risk for abortion, as well as the other family members involved, and the staff of hospitals and abortion clinics.

This is a daily holocaust happening in our own country, our own cities.

Please, spread the word. This is not a right. This is the murder of a child not yet born.  Get involved. And pray.

Please, commit to pray daily for the sanctity of human lives yet to be born.

This is the video testimony that was shown at the Memphis Exalts Jesus celebration in Autozone Park on April 4, 2015.
To God be the glory!
TWIG

Here is day 2 from the Women’s Retreat.  On the topic of being United as One Body in Jesus Christ.

May God be glorified!

Enjoy and share as you are led.

 

 

Last month, I had the awesome privilege of sharing on two topics very near and dear to my heart.  We are each unique creations of God and we are one body, united in Christ.

Here is the audio from the first talk – “UNIQUE.”  It is right around 30 minutes.

Enjoy and share as you are led.