January 16

Hosea 7:8  Gilead is a city of wrongdoers, tracked with bloody footprints.  (NAS)

Could we replace Gilead with the name of our city? I am sure we could. We must break God's heart for not living as we should. More often than not, we don't stand up for God and make His truth known.

I can't help think that these blood footprints can be the tiny footprints of the the unborn that are taken from their mother's wombs before their time. Today's society is just as wicked as they were in the Bible times. We need to be praying for this nation, for our cities and pray that the Christians will take a stand for Christ and be bold in their witness for Him. We should be pointing everyone we see in one direction - to the Cross!

January 15

Acts 5:20  "Go stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this life."

Every wonder why He wanted them to go to the temple? These were the people who were religious. We see them all the time, here on Sunday mornings, never to come back till next Sunday. Fine upstanding people who have their names on a church roll and come to be counted and seen. Yes, Jesus needed his disciples to go to the churches and share with them that there is more to this life than having your name on a church roll. It's having a relationship with Christ, it's about surrendering your life to Him and living for Him. He died on this cross not only to save us, but to have a relationship with us! We take it beyond that and share with others so they too can know who Christ is and why He died for them. God wants more than for us to show up at church, yes He wants to worship with us and speak to us, but when we walk out the doors we are to take Him into the world with us! He is with us every step that we take. Are we showing Christ to those we come in contact with?

January 14

Hebrews 1:1  God after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many way,  (NAS)

Even before God sent His Son, He still spoke to His people. The Old Testament is filled with incredible stories of how He communicated. It was sometimes in unbelievable ways, so that people would know just how mighty and powerful He was. He spoke through a burning bush, he used a donkey to speak, there are great stories waiting for you to jump in and enjoy. And while you are reading you are spending time with God. That's what He longs for, to spend time with you. He knows all about you and me, it's time that we get to know Him even better. Read about Him, study about Him, spend time with Him!

January 13

Peter 5:15 Greet one another with a kiss of love 

I can't help but think of my Aunt Charline when I read this verse. She was a godly woman and was a great example of what I should be more like! She always greeted us with a kiss and there was no denying that she loved us. There were many things that I saw her do, that reflected her love for the Lord. She read her Bible every morning and every night. She took Paul at his word when he said a woman should not enter the house of God without her head covered. She wore a hat to church each time she went.

As Christians we should show forth His love in all things that we do. I think we hold back on literally kissing others because of how we will look to others. Now if we know them, we probably greet them differently that those we don't. We should put what others think of us out of our mind and express ourselves more like Christ. Greet others as Jesus would, we represent Him every day!

January 12

Psalm 46:1-2
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.


There are so many times when we just want to get way from everything. We can go to that place of refuge - God. Maybe we can't go to the beach or that perfect hide-a-way, but we can get into our favorite chair, pull up the Bible and bask in His glory. Soak up the rays of the Son and get refreshed. Draw strength from Him until you can get to that favorite spot. No matter the situation, God is here for us in every situaion. So when you feel like your world may be giving way and falling into the sea, be encouraged, God is our refuge and our ever-present help!

January 11

Isaiah40:9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"   ESV

I think we are also encourged by this. We might not be able to go up to the mountian, but we can enter into His church. We can enter into His presence and Worship Him. This is the place to run to, to draw strenght from Him, to hear His good news. He is with us!! And when there are times that we can't actually physically go somewhere, we can remember that He is with us always. You can take time to enjoy His presence right where you are! He is always standing and waiting for us! Call out to Him, embrace Him and spend time with your Awesome Savior!

January 10

Psalm 111:2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. ESV

Each time I get on Facebook and see that somebody has either posted a picture of a sunrise or sunset, it excites me. It's awesome to see others share and make reference that God has been busy in creating. He creates something for us each day, but how many times do we overlook it. He has thousands of beautiful things for us to see, but we focus on something else There always seems to be something else that distracts us. Remember that every work of the Lord is Great - everything that He creates is GREAT! Take time to enjoy His creations, one was made just for you!

January 9

Acts 3:26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness."  ESV

Another jewel to embrace, God sent His son to me and to you! He wants to bless us, but it's not just something that we easily get. We must turn from our wickedness (amazing, we don't like to realize that we were wicked - but that is exactly what we were) and receive Him. The blessings we think of are material, but that is not all that He is talking about. Our greatest blessing is that we will live with Him eternally in the place that God has prepared for us. Anything else we get down here we definatley don't deserve, but He gives to us and we should realize what a Mighty God we serve. We have nothing because of our own merit. Anything and everything we get is from God. How many times do we say thank you, how many times do we realize that the little things are also coming from God.

Make a list of what He has blessed you with today and then thank Him for giving it to you.

January 8

Luke 11:3
Give us each day our daily bread.

How often do we ask this but not go to God to get this bread. He wants to feed us each day, teach us each day something new so that we can apply it to our lives. Think of what we are missing when we don't go to Him. Are we "spiritually hungry"? Wonder why? We sure make time to eat our regular food, so we need to make time for our spiritual food. So step up to His table and dig in. Be full when you leave and get excited, for the best is yet to come!

January 7

Proverbs 6:6.
Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,

Do you ever picture yourself just watching an ant? I think at some point we have watched them. I have never seen one just stop. An ant is always busy and yes I know that we should be too, but what are we busy doing? Why are we being called a sluggard? I think that we get busy about life and we do get slack in doing what God has called us to do, we should be spending more time with Him and sharing His word with those who don't know Him. I know that we should watch and learn from the ant, but we have to go one step beyond and be busy doing the right things.

Okay, when searching for an ant pictures I realized there are many ants and my thoughts are now going even deeper.

Ants
* There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world.
Much like us, we all look alike but we are very different.
* An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a second grader was as strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car!
It's probably a good thing that we are not that strong
* Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies!
This makes me tired, Just give me the first part of the statement.
* Ants don’t have ears. Ants "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet.
Maybe we should be a little more observant in what is going on around us. Think beyond what we hear.
* When ants fight, it is usually to the death!
Stand for what you believe!
* When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they’ve been,
I guess these we should learn from where we have been and think about going back there!
* Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest.
Glad we don't have to start over when our dead skin leaves us!
* Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and carbon dioxide leaves through the same holes.
Just goes to show how awesome God is and how creation is amazing!
* When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive a few months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.
Don't we think of ourselves as the queen? But we are hopeful that this won't happen to our family if we do die. We want them to go on and maybe not our husbands reproduce but it's okay for the kids too.

After looking at the different types of Ants maybe we need to think about what kind we are:

Argentine Ant: Argentine ants do not pose a health threat, but they can contaminate food by leaving their bodily waste behind.
Now we are technically leaving bodily waste, but do we contaminate what we come in contact with, we can spew awful things from our mouth - what do we cover when it flows from us?
Red Imported Fire Ant: The sting of a Red Imported Fire Ant is painful and often results in a raised welt that becomes a white blister. Persons allergic to insect stings will react more severely. They are frustrating, not only because of the physical pain they can inflict, but because their mound-building activity can damage plant roots and lead to loss of crops.
Are we guilty of stinging others? This goes back to our words that we say. Always remember you can say you are sorry, but the damage is done when those words come out of your mouth! Don't destroy people, you may not think you are doing it but you can!
Carpenter Ants: When they are ready, those workers then get the job of gathering food to feed the next generation. Once mature, this first generation of worker ants work to increase the food supply for the colony.
What are we doing for the next generation. Are we sharing God's food (His word)? Are we preparing the next generation for what is to
Odorous House Plant: This ant gets its name from the strong, rotten coconut-like smells it gives off when crushed and the fact that they commonly nest in or around houses. come, helping them to be ready?
When we are crushed, do we put out that bad odor, always negative, making others want to run from us? Think about what we go through, we are all there, but we must realize that we don't have to be bitter from circumstances, we can be better, give off a sweet aroma that that has Jesus as the fragrance!
Carpenter Ant: Carpenter ants clean their nesting sites, and their galleries are not lined with mud or moist soil as termite galleries typically are. Carpenter ant workers keep their galleries as smooth as sandpapered wood.
We should want this for ourselves, a home for our family, a place where they can come and spend time and feel protected! Give them an enviroment that is healthy, full of love and full of Jesus!

Just want to give you something to think about today! I pray it's a great day for you!

(This was an oldie and I just think it needs to be repeated!)

January 6

Jeremiah 6:25 Go not out into the field, nor walk on the road, for the enemy has a sword; terror is on every side.  ESV

The previous scriptures were talking about the disaster that was coming for Jerusalem, but we should all be aware that there is evil in this world and we always need to keep our eyes open. If we are not focused on the Lord, the wicked one will come and try to drag us off our course and try to keep us from living like we should. Be aware at all times, sometimes the thief can come in many forms and sometimes they look harmless, harm for us may not be carying a sword. Just be aware of your surroundings and always ask God if they is what you should be doing in your life. He will answer, and His sheep know His voice!

January 5

  Deuteronomy 5:27 Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.  ESV
This verse makes me think of church. We should always want to be near God and hear the words that He has for us each time His doors are open. We must go with the belief that God has something to say directly to us! Each person may not get the same thing out of the sermon, but you better believe God has a word for each and every one of us! We must be willing to listen and hear His words! And after hearing we must do what He tells us to do. If you have never heard anything directly to you during a sermon, then you better do some soul searching and see to whom your soul belongs! There is no doubt in my mind He has a word for each of His children, every single time the services are held at the church, our attitude of receiving has everything to do with what we hear! Open your ears!

January 4

Exodus 2:25 God saw the people of Israel--and God knew.  ESV

I think that in our everyday lives, we tend to forget this verse. God didn't just see the people of Israel, He sees us, and He knows us. He knows our every thought, our every action - EVERYTHING.  How many times do we stop and say - Oh Lord, I need your help, what I was doing was wrong! Do you think that if we keep our mind focused on the fact that God is watching our every move and thought, that we wouldn't do some of the things we do? I think we would definitely be better people. After all God's people should be seeking God's heart, and His heart is not mean and wicked. It's very easy to get caught up in the mean and wicked world, but we need to step back and realize that God has called us to be different, He has called us to be like Him. Remember that He is watching, and sometimes He does frown, but sometimes He smiles!

Jan. 3

Matthew 22:9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.  ESV

The wedding is heaven, and here we are given the command to go and invite. This should be simple, right? But then why do we not do it? We think of excuses of why they will say no. We don't need to be thinking of their answers, they just may say yes. They may really want to come to church with us, but they really want to know that they are wanted! Think of it that way and next time it will be much easier. But remember, don't give up. I may take up to eight times before somebody says yes. Let's just think that seven other people have already ask them and we are the eighth and this may just be the day for them to say yes!

It's not just inviting them to church, we need to realize that we are actually inviting them for the opportunity to get to go to heaven! That's a much more important reason for us to ask. What if they never get asked, and they never receive Christ as their Savior. Do you realize where they will be spending eternity? Yes - next time you better get to asking! Their eternal security is waiting for an invitation, do you see how important this is?

See you Sunday, with a friend!!

Jan. 2

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Another verse that we really need to keep in focus this year. How many times do we say things that we should not. There is power in the tongue, power to uplift or destroy and we make a choice every time we open our mouth! So be that person that others really want to be around, somebody that is postitive and uplifting. I know that some days it will be really hard, but when we are having a rough time, we must realize that the person that we are about to destroy could also be having a rough time!

January 1

Garnet

Garnet, the birthstone for January,  signifies eternal friendship and trust and is the perfect gift for a friend.



Luke 6:31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.  ESV

In thinking of the garnet and it representing friendship, this verse would definitely apply to friendship.  It's time that we truly think of others, those who are closest to us and think a little more about them sometimes, than ourselves. I know of many friendships that have been ruined by one friend making a very selfish choice and never considering her friend at all. I think that sometimes we just take it for granted that the friend will be quick to forgive and go about doing just what it is that we want to do. We need to look at our friends and think, would we want them to do that to us? And if the answer is no, then we better change our course of action! 

It's been tough being the preachers wife and making new friends. I must admit that I have been thrown under the bus many times and personally I don't like how the tires feel!  I am a very cautious person when it comes to trusting, but believe me, when you fall into the friend category, you are just that! Yes there have been times that I have not lived up to the scripture, but my prayer for this year is that I will think more about treating others as I would like to be treated. 

May this year we think more about others than ourselves and we put scripture into practice.