A Picture

I have a habit of not seeing things right away. One time my husband shaved off his beard and it took me awhile to discover it was gone. The same thing takes place with a picture in my hallway. It has been there now for about five years. I walk by it more than once every day but I don't see it. Then for some strange reason last evening I realized it was there.

It is a wonderful picture. It is made of dark wood and is varnished over so that it is very shining. Painted on it is the most life-like picture of Jesus I have ever seen. This picture was going to be thrown out and my husband rescued it.

I think sometimes in my life I forget about Jesus just as I do about the picture. I may go days without really studying or reading His word or hearing any messages about Him then He appears to me. Through a verse, song, or message. It is such a wonderful thing to be close to Jesus and know that He is right there with me all the time even though I don't see Him.

Prayer
Thank You Jesus for being with me at all time even when I don't seem to know that You are there and not paying attention to You as I should. I do love You not as much as You love me but I am working on it.

Think As A Child Thinks

Matthew 18:1-3 (KJV)
"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

As I stopped at verse 3 I was thinking about how a child thinks . They trust, they love, and  they are very forgiving. And as I am a child of God this is the way that He wants me to think. To trust Him always, to love Him and others, and to be forgiving to all those around me and who have hurt me.

I don't know about you, but I find it hard to trust, love and forgive the way that I should. Those I should have been able to trust in my life growing up let me down. So because of this it is hard for me to trust God. But then I think that it is way different with Him for He will never hurt me. And I can give my trust to Him. Actually He is the only one I can give my trust too. He knows what is best for me. And because of this I can also love Him with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Forgiving others is not that hard as I think about all God has to forgive me for.

So even though I am an adult it is all right for me to act like a child. At least in the areas of trusting, loving, and forgiving.

How about you? Are you acting like a child?

Faith and Trust

In my Sunday School class today we were asked if there was anything in our lives that we really had to trust God for. I stopped and thought through this question. Right now I have food in my cupboards, in my freezer and refrigerator, I have a home to sleep in and have more than enough clothes to wear. Both my husband and I are still working. So I can say as far as these things go God is providing.

At one time when my husband first had to retire we were running out of money in our savings account. But the Lord opened up a door for him to go to work for a cleaning company and now he works as an janitor cleaning a church and I work at a library.

We surly had to depend on God at that time. But we have it pretty easy right now. But God could take everything away and we would really have to depend on Him for our daily needs. I am so thankful and I thank God for what He has given us. I know if it was all taken away then He would provide us what we would need. It would be hard to trust Him but as I grow in my faith and understanding of who God is I know that it would be easier now than it would have been just a few years earlier.

Prayer
Thank you Father for providing all that we have. I pray now that those reading this post will be willing and make the choice to trust in You no matter what comes their way. It is easy to trust when things are going good, but it is a lot harder when things are not going as well.

I pray this in the name of Jesus.

Being Afraid

I like to be creative and sometimes what I am working on comes out good. I become afraid though that if I continue to do my creations that I will become proud of what I make. So I just usually try something once.

This for me is the wrong thought. The Lord has given me a desire to create things and He wants me to practice and get better at what I am working on. I need to remember that it is God working through me and giving me the ideas. If I continue to think this way I will not be prideful but grateful and thankful.

So don't be afraid of success and enjoy what you are doing.

 

One of my paperweights made with stained glass, painted rocks, placed on tile.

Answered Prayer

I had been struggling with a problem with a co-worker at work. No matter what I did it wasn't right. Also I was not even suppose to be in the office even though I had a desk and other projects to do other than the one I was suppose to do for my co-worker. I struggled to get along and kept telling her that when she had work for me to put it on my desk or in the area we agreed on so that I would know that she had it ready for me to do. Then I would do it. But it didn't work out that way. She became hostile and would not give me work.

So I kept praying about it and one evening I said to my Heavenly Father, "It's in your hands. I don't know how to fix this and You know it is stressing me out as I want to do the work that I was hired to do." At first I kept taking the problem back and still trying to figure it out myself. Then I finally said enough is enough and I truly gave it over to my Father.

The next day I went in to get my pay check and was asked by another co-worker if I would like to share the business office and have my work area on the large counter top.  I would have the title of be Assistant to the Youth Services Department Supervisor. I would work with my former boss as she needed help and I needed a change. So my Father answered my prayer far better than anything I could have done.

I am so thankful and praising Him for working on my behalf.

Have you ever had God working in your life and answering your prayers? If so and you want to make a comment there is a place below to do so. Tell others how God has worked in your life so He will get the praise and others will be encouraged to put their problems in His hands and leave it there also.

Questions

Has your relationship with God changed the way you live?

I came across this question this morning as I was going over my Sunday School lesson. I rephrased it and have been asking myself all day, has God made a difference in my life? I should had been able to answer yes right away.  For some strange reason I was not able to do that. Why? I asked myself. The reason I believe is that I have not allowed God to make a real difference in my life.

I have not matured. I have stayed in the past.  I could not grasped in my mind Who and how mighty God is. Not until now.

I now know that God thought of me before I was born. He formed me in my mother's womb, and He has a plan just for me.

Coming from a background of not feeling very good about myself and that I was nothing I chosen to think this for most of my life. Now I see that I am special and that is very comforting to me. God has made a difference in my life! I know for sure that I am loved, special, and have something specific and unique that I need and want to do.

I am so excited and happy to see that is just one way God has made a difference in my life. And that my relationship with Him is starting to grow and I am talking to Him more and asking His advice about things before I go to others. It is a great discovery!

How about you? Have you thought how God has changed how you live?

Who Can Be Saved?

As I was getting ready to type out my devotional that I have at my e-mail address I came across these verses in Romans. So would like to put it here also.

Romans 10:9-13 New Living Translation
"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed." Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They all have the same Lord, who generously gives his riches to all who ask for them. For "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Salvation is for everyone. I am so glad that it is. I always feel amazed that God would love me enough to send down His Son for me. If I was the only person on the earth, Jesus would have come down and died on the cross, be buried, and rise again. Just think Jesus did it for the whole world!