HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day to all of my readers! I absolutely love being a mother and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

I love this picture. Some of my favorite memories from my childhood is when we would have family devotions and prayers at night just before bedtime. I did not realize how hard it was for my Mom to try to keep this going until I had children of my own. I find myself so tired at night after such busy days, that it is so easy to say that we'll skip devotions, just for that night. I must confess that I have done this on more than one occasion. Well, I only have two children and my mom had six. I'm sure there were nights when we didn't have devotion time, but I don't remember it being very often.

Prayer and devotion time is important. This is the time when we can talk on a more personal basis with our children about God and His Word. We can help them to memorize scripture. When we teach them to pray for people, we are teaching them to think about others and not themselves. And what an awsome thing when they actually see prayers being answered! It will help to strengthen their faith.

We also don't need to just pray WITH our children, we need to constantly be praying FOR our children. Lift them up to the Lord. Sometimes things happen that we just don't understand or don't know how to handle. Give it to the Lord. Ask for His direction and leading.

Moms, we have such an awsome responsibility to teach our children and raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord!
Motherhood is such a high calling from God. It's an experience like no other.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Beth :-)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and mothers-to-be! What a special and awesome calling we have been given!
Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday.
Beth :-)

STANDING IN THE GAP FOR YOUR NATION

"And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God."~ Ezekiel 22:30-31. 

 Can you feel the sadness in this verse? The sadness that not one person could be found in Israel that would pray for them and "stand in the gap" before God that He would spare them of His wrath over the wrong doings of their leaders and priests.
Our nation is sinking fast in it's selfishness and sins. Are you "standing in the gap" before God for our nation? Are you praying for our leaders and those in authority over us? 1 Timothy 2:1-4 tells us that we are to pray for them: "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
Did you notice that, along with the supplications (which are humble prayers, entreaties, or petitions), prayers and intercessions (which are prayers on behalf of someone), we are told to give thanks for all men, including kings (or in our country, the president) and ALL that are in authority. This is such a hard thing to do, especially if you don't agree with their actions and behavior. But, we are commanded to do so. When we do so, it is good and acceptable in the sight of God. He is pleased that we are following what He tells us to do.
How are we to pray for our leaders, our bosses, our supervisors, etc? First of all, God wants all people to be brought unto the knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ, so we are to pray for their salvation. We also need to pray for decisions that they will be making.
Today, let's start praying, as we are commanded, for those in charge over us. Let us be the ones who will make up that hedge and stand in the gap for our nation!
Blessings!
Beth :-)

GOOD BY 2013, HELLO 2014

In just a very short time, we will be once again saying good by to another year. 2014 is just a couple of hours away.
How was your year? Good? Bad? Mine was filled with both. I lost a friend, who died suddenly in her sleep, leaving behind a husband and two young boys. Tragedy struck our country many times through violence and natural causes. And yet, there were also many blessings for our family. My mother-in-law came close to death, but the Lord's will was to keep her here a while longer with us. Our vehicles continue to run and take us where we need to go. My husband and I celebrated 17 years of marriage. God has blessed our church and our missions tremendously. I could go on and on with the list.
Sometimes, through our humanness, all we can see is the sadness and trials that we have gone through during the year, and, yes, I definitely agree that some years are much worse than others. But God has given us this promise: "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."~ Isaiah 43:18-19. If things seem unbearable right now, lean on God. He can make a way through this barren wilderness that you are travelling through. Read and study His Word. Talk to your Heavenly Father and unburden your soul. Let those tears flow. If we are honestly listening, He will give us guidance. Sometimes, though, things get so hard that we can not concentrate on what we are reading. The words seem like nothing. But still read. Your mind will remember. Psalms is a good book to read when you are feeling sad, in despair or depressed. King David, the main author of Psalms, knew all about these feelings. Something that we can learn as we read the Psalms is that God cares for and loves us. We may feel like we are in the deepest pit, but He will never leave us or forsake us. 
It sounds too easy, doesn't it? I have been there with the same thoughts. But when the peace of God truly touches your soul, it really is as Philippians 4:7 describes: "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." It does pass all understanding!
So, has this past year been a little rough? Remember that God is there to lean on. Did you mess up any? Don't feel bad! We all have to some degree. But God wants to do a "new thing" in your life! Commit your ways to the Lord and He will guide you. If you fall, He is always there to pick you up again. Determine to do your best for your Lord and Saviour.
I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed New Year! Don't forget to start the year out right with prayer and dedicating it to the Lord!
Beth :-)

ARE YOU WILLING?



I love Christmas time. It's my most favorite time of the year! I always tell my oldest son that God knows how much I love Christmas, and that is why He gave him to me at Christmas time. He was almost born on Christmas day, but came on the next day, December 26th.
As I read about the circumstances that surround the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, several things jump out at me.
One thing that really comes through is the willingness of both Joseph and Mary to do what God called them to do, even though it meant alot of hardship, shunning (on Mary's part) and sacrifice.
When the angel Gabriel came to Mary, she was "a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, " (Luke 1:27). During the Jewish "espousal" period, the man and woman were considered married, but had not yet consumated the union. So, when Mary was found to be with child, of course everyone, including Joseph, had thought her to have been unfaithful. This was a great shame in their society (unfortunately and sadly, quite different from ours today!). And yet, Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." Luke 1:38. She was willing to sacrifice herself and life to do what God was asking her to do.
The Bible tells us that Joseph was a just man. When he found out that Mary was with child, and knowing that this baby wasn't his, Joseph did not want to make a public example out of her, but decided to "put her away (or divorce her) privily" Matthew 1:19. But an angel visited him in a dream, explaining everything to him, telling him not to be afraid to take her as his wife. Did Joseph question or hesitate? No. He got up and did as God asked him to do.
Is there something that God is calling you to do? Are you willing, no matter what the cost? What is He calling you to do? Why are you hesitating? What is holding you back from following what He wants you to do? Pray and seek His face. Search the Word of God. Have those prayer warriors help you pray that you might find God's will for your life, and that you would have the strength to follow through. Don't forget, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phillipians 4:13. He will not call you to do something that you can not handle. It may not be an easy thing to do, but we must do what God is asking us to do. He will see us through!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

STOP THAT GOSSIP WHEEL!

My friends, PLEASE don't get caught up in the gossip wheel. It is so easy, I know! Even if we're just "listening" and not repeating, you and I are just as guilty as the talebearer.
It is well said in a Spanish proverb, "Whoever gossips to you will be a gossip of you." Don't think that the tongue that is "slicing and dicing" the person who is the topic of the present conversation won't do the same to you later on.
The Bible says so much about gossiping. God is serious about this! Psalms 101:5 -  says, "Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer." Wow! That is serious!
James 3:1-18 describes the tongue so well. It tells us that even though it is a little member, it can kindle a great fire.
Gossiping will also hurt our Christian testimony. I once heard an evangelist say that Christians will call eachother with something juicy that they have heard about someone and say, "Now, I'm only telling you this so that you can pray about it". It's gossip! If you feel the matter needs prayer, then simply pray about it, don't spread it.
When the gossip wheel rolls our way, we need to stop it right then and there. If you find that you have a hard time not getting caught up in the situation, then AVOID where you may hear it-the break room at work, certain people or group of people, etc.
Today, let's give our tongues and words to the Lord, that whatever we say will please Him.
I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to your! God has been and is so good! Look around. You'll find blessings everywhere!
Beth :-)

30 DAYS OF THANKFUL VERSES-DAY 26

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;"~ Colossians 4:2

 

Are you a born-again Christian and in charge of people, whether it is at your place of employment, your church, school, volunteer activities and so on? Did you know that we are told to pray for those under us? Colossians chapter 4 starts out with the Apostle telling "masters" or, in this day and age, the supervisor, boss, controller, teacher or whatever position puts one in charge of others, to be "just and equal" with their servants, or those who work under them. Why? Because those in charge of others also have a Master, One Who is in heaven to whom they are under and answer to. Those in charge need to be consistent, fair, keepers of their promises and so on.
If we read verse two as continuing on from verse one, those in charge of others need to pray for those under them. Yes, even that difficult one! This verse also goes for all Christians. We need always to be praying. Have you ever known someone who looks like they are constantly talking to themselves, but it turns out that they are having a conversation with their Saviour? They are continuing in prayer. Keep the communication open between you and the Lord. Now, I don't mean that it has to be spoken out loud all of the time. God hears the silent prayers of our hearts as well. You know, if we are always talking to the Lord, whether silently, quietly or out loud, it doesn't leave much room for other, sometimes regrettable things, to come out of our mouths.
Today, how about working on opening up and talking with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ? Before long, you'll find out how sweet and wonderful it is to have Someone Who will listen. He is just waiting for us to talk to Him. God created us to desire fellowship with Him and with each other.
Don't forget also to pray for and deal justly and equally with those put under our authority.
I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

GOD'S TEAR BOTTLE



“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears in thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” Psalm 56:8.

One day, I cried. It was a good cry. It was a cleansing cry. Feelings that I had been holding onto for years suddenly just came out. I was watching a wedding video. The song that always grabs at my heart, "Butterfly Kisses", was playing as the bride and her father were sharing a special moment. Memories suddenly came back to me-my parents' divorce, my father telling me that he couldn't attend my wedding, the strokes and cardiac arrest that my mom suffered and we didn't know whether or not she was going to make it through (she did, praise the Lord!!), even when my oldest child need stitches above his eye.....These memories and more suddenly surfaced and I allowed myself, FINALLY, to cry.
You see, I am one of the oldest of six children (I have a twin brother who is four minutes older than I). I have always felt that I had to be the strong one in situations where everyone else was falling apart. I did not allow myself the option to cry, even though I wanted to very badly. I would just push those feelings deep down inside.
Dear readers, this is not healthy. God gave us tears for several reasons, and one of those reasons is to release emotion. Some people even cry when they're happy.

Did you know that God has a bottle for your tears? The Psalmist tells us so. God knows when we are sad. He listens as we unburden our hearts to Him. He puts our tears into His bottle to let us know that He now holds our sorrow and that when things seem so out of control for us, He is still in control. This tells me that I can go before the Lord and pray, talk and cry unto Him, and He will hear me.

How about you? Is there a burden or sadness that is weighing heavily on you? Do you need to cry? It's alright. Male or female, we were all given tears. Give it to the Lord. Cry out unto Him. Shed those cleansing tears. Fill God's tear bottle. He is waiting.

I hope you have a blessed day!

Beth :-)

30 DAYS OF THANKFUL VERSES-DAY 21

"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."~ 1 Timothy 4:4-5

I am on a diet right now. Yes, yes, it is VERY hard to get back into healthy eating habits. It's even harder to restrict the chocolate candy that I love to snack on so very much.
In our text above, the Apostle is telling us that we are not limited to certain foods. We can eat it, as long as it is received with thanksgiving. Always say a prayer over your food, thanking God for what He has provided.
At the time of this writing, there were certain people who had left the faith and were telling others that one could not be justified and holy in God's eyes unless they followed a list of man-made rules such as not marrying or not eating meat (vs 3). The idea was that if man made great physical or mental sacrifices, then God owed them blessings or miracles. That is wrong. We cannot manipulate God into giving us what we want. This was also a way to show people how "holy" or spiritual they were.
It also was a way of trying to work their way into heaven. My friends, there is no other way into heaven except salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."~ John 14:6.
How about you? Are you trying to get into heaven on your own accord? You can't do it. Jesus came so that we might have life. He sacrificed Himself on the cross and rose again so that we might have a way into Heaven. All you have to do is call upon His name, confess your sins and turn your life over to Him. That's it. Why not today?
I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)