Seasons of Opportunities

As I am working towards my New Year's Goal of  keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest and a holy day to the Lord and how to apply that to my own life, I wanted to share these verses with you.  Like I mentioned in a past  post  at the beginning of the year, I don't believe we are required to keep the Sabbath in the same manner as the Old Testament believers did. We live in the age of grace, and yet, we still need a day to focus on God, to rest from our work, and regroup.  Here is what my Sundays have looked like in the past: We go to church in the morning We try to avoid use of the computer, video games, TV and social media before church because I want us to focus on getting ready and keep our minds tuned into the fact that we are supposed to be in worship mode. Often we have guests, mostly kids that come over to play with my kids, occasionally someone who accompanies me to church, or other visitors. I usually cook, either in morning before church to p...

How to have JOY this December? Keep Christ in Christ mas ! J esus   O thers Y ou     And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name  Jesus :  for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 Make it all about Him!! 

  Give thanks  to the LORD, for he is good;  his love endures forever. I Chronicles 16:34 This is the last Sunday in November. I hope you have enjoyed this month with an extra focus on Thanksgiving. I know I have!! I pray your grateful heart will continue on into December and even into the new year. A grateful heart is the key to Joy - our theme for December.  I also want to remind you that this is the first Sunday in Advent.  If you are beginning some Advent tradition or reading, this would be the day to start.  I am planning on using the book I reviewed a couple of weeks ago, Ishtar's Odyssey ,  with my kids this Advent season. I am hoping they will like it, look forward to the daily reading, and it will help turn their focus toward Jesus a little more this Christmas season. Have a blessed Lord's Day!  Remember to take time to keep it Holy.

Psalm 105:1-5 Give thanks to the Lord,  call on His name; Make known to the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;    tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name;    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength;    seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done,    his miracles, and the judgements he pronounced. Last Sunday my parents were in town and my pc was getting a clean up, so I didn't take time to blog. This whole month our focus has been on having thankful hearts, and I have been attempting to share a passage of Scripture on Sundays about giving thanks.  There are so many, it is hard to pick just one. I hope you are blessed by it, and continue the thanks-living habit long after this month is over. Today I am thankful for: no *My daughter's courage to get baptized     She accepted Jesus as her Savior...

Psalm 107 Give thanks to the  Lord , for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. 2  Let the redeemed of the  Lord  proclaim that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe 3  and has gathered them from the lands— from the east and the west, from the north and the south. (1-3) Let them give thanks to the  Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity. 9  For He has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things. (8-9)

I love fall and the month of November. One reason is because it is a wonderful reminder of the importance of giving thanks. But the Bible doesn't just command us to give thanks for our blessings, it also commands us to give thanks for our trials. It's totally off kilter from the society we live in.  That kind of thanksgiving requires Jesus. The Mighty One, God, the LORD,      speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the      place where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty,      God shines forth... Sacrifice thank offerings to God,    fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble;    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

Psalm 33 Praise to the Creator 1  Rejoice in the  Lord , you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. 2  Praise the  Lord  with the lyre; make music to Him with a ten-stringed harp. 3  Sing a new song to Him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.  

Psalm 66 For the director of music. A song. A psalm. 1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth! 2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. 4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”

Psalm 9 I will praise thee, O  Lord , with my whole heart;  I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. 2   I will be glad and rejoice in thee:   I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

Psalm 96 1  Sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord , all the earth. 2  Sing to Yahweh , praise His name ; proclaim His salvation from day to day. 3 Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples . 4  For the Lord is great and is highly praised; He is feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

  Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Psalm 119:18 This is my first time joining the Five-Minute-Friday community, and it's actually Saturday,  and maybe I won't schedule this til tomorrow - Sunday. But I have been wanting to do this for a long time, so I'm gonna give it a shot When I saw today's word - OPEN - the first thing that popped into my head was " open my eyes that I might see ". So I looked it up to see if that was a verse or just my imagination that it was. Actually, I think it was more the words of a song, (lyrics below) but the above verse was also one I was thinking of. Open mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Oh how I want that!! As I get up in the morning to read my Bible, how I want God to open my eyes to see what HE has for me. And then... not just open my eyes, but my ears, and my heart as well. I also want to practice what I read, and apply it to my life. ...

I  delight  to do thy will, O my God:  yea, thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8 Do you delight to do His will?

18  When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O  Lord , held me up. 19  In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:18-19 Maybe things are a little stressful right now, finances are tight, the weather is cold and can get a bit depressing - unless you love winter - someone you love is sick... Remember, God's Word is full of comfort that will delight our souls. Spend some time in His Word!

Daniel 2:20-23a Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; he sets up king and deposes them. He give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness and light dwells with Him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: 

Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you watch your step on the Sabbath      and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,      God ’s holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’      making money, running here and there— Then you’ll be free to enjoy God ! How does the LORD's Day play out for you? Are you busy as a bee doing all the same things as usual, or are you taking time out for worship and GOD focus?  Sometimes I get so occupied with all I have to do, that even though we go to church, I spend all the hours in between trying to "get things done" when instead I should be resting in Him and enjoying a day off to draw closer to God by doing different activities than my everyday life! I would love to hear what you do on Sunday's. Take time out to worship, rest, and enjoy God today!

This Sunday is Homecoming Sunday at our church. I am so blessed to be part of a congregation where my church is my family! But when I think of homecoming, I think of heaven!  Growing up on the mission field, then returning to a country that should have been home, when you feel like at times your heart is elsewhere, is not always easy; and at times you feel lost and alone. You feel like you are always split between two places and people that you love. I am so thankful for a Friend who never leaves me nor forsakes me, and who is right now preparing for my homecoming day! In heaven, I will not only be reunited with all my loved ones that have gone on before, but also those that are here on earth that I cannot be near and may never see again. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.   In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.   And if I go and...

"Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you.   I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." Sing for joy, O heavens ,  for the Lord has done this; Shout aloud, O earth beneath . Burst into song, you mountains , you forests and tall trees , for the Lord has redeemed Jacob , he displays his glory in Israel . ~Isaiah 44:21-23 The book of Isaiah is one of my favorites.  God reminds His people that they belong to Him, that He forgives their sins. If nothing else, that is a reason to sing and shout!  Right outside my window this morning trees are changing colors already. God's creation is an amazing reminder of who He is. He deserves all our praise, every day. There is so much to praise Him for. Count your blessin...

Hezekiah (king of Judah) is facing a tough opponent, who is not only threatening him, his people, but is also mocking his God. What does he do?  "Then he ( Hezekiah) went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. (the letter the messengers brought him from the opposition) And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O  Lord and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God... Now, O Lord, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God."  What do you do when faced with opposition? Is your first stop on your knees before God? Do you see it as a way for God to be revealed to those around you? Before Hezekiah made his request - he praised God. Is that my attitude when things get tough? Is it yours? No ...

We are created for God's glory... Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory , I have formed him; yea, I have made him.   ~ Isaiah 43:7 To do all things for his glory. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. ~ I Cor. 10:31 He is glorified through our praise. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me: ~ Psalm 50:23 What praise do you have to offer today? I am praising Him for the blessing of a great day with my family yesterday and my daughter who just turned six. It is all because of Him - My God and my Heavenly Father!

Psalm 115 Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness. Why do nations say "Where is their God?" Our God is in the heaven He does whatever pleases Him.