I want to live for you with an undivided heart....

today's ~~FOOD FOR THOUGHT~~~

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you...

~Hebrews 12:5~

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

When I was young, I always acted as if I hated discipline. It was part of the game. Now that I am older, I am so thankful that my parents loved me enough to discipline me strongly, to guide me lovingly, and encourage me repeatedly. This "discipline and training of God" has given me so many blessings. Now if I can just learn to recognize and appreciate the Lord's discipline in my life the same way! The lack of love is not hate, but indifference. The opposite of concern is an unwillingness to discipline. Thank God that he loves us and knows us enough to be involved in our lives and discipline us in the direction of heaven.

My Prayer...

Father in heaven, please help me to recognize your discipline and correction in my life. I want to live for you with an undivided heart, pleasing you in word, thought, and deed. I confess, however, that sometimes my heart is rebellious or my resolve is weak. I thank you for helping me recognize my loss of spiritual direction through your loving discipline. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

I said a prayer for you today....

Good morning and Happy Wednesday, it looks as if it will be another dreary, rainy day here in Utah, we are having the most unusual weather this winter! 50 plus degrees each day is bizarre. According to the weather man we will be getting a bit colder as this day goes by and might even have a titch of snow? We shall see, have not had any since before Thanksgiving. 

In prayer this morning I have so much to be thankful for, for in the last and final hour God has come through and given us just enough to get through this storm. I would love to be able to say that I am prepared for the next storm but I will say without a second thought...that if all God needs me to have right now is "just enough" then I am happy with that and will not wish for anything more...Praising God this moment for his never ending hand of goodness! 

In prayer this morning I prayed for each of you that today if you are in need that you be given..."just enough" too. That God make provision for you and that you realize that without his hand in all of this, you would not "have" you would not "be" you would not make it! 

I say a special prayer each morning and every once in a while like to print it so that it can be said many times over. Please do allow the words to wash over your heart and allow God to feel your passion as you read this. God bless each of you with "enough" 

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day.  

I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning.  

I'm blessed because You are a forgiving and understanding God.  

You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.  

Forgive me this day for I have sinned. 

I ask now for Your forgiveness.  

Keep me safe from all danger and harm.

Let me start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. 

Let me make the best of each and every day 

and give my best in all that is put before me.  

Clear my mind that I can hear from You.  

Broaden my mind that I can accept all things.  

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.  

Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes

and acknowledge it as evil.  

And when I sin, let me repent, and confess my wrong doing,

and receive the forgiveness of God.  

And when this world closes in on me, 

let me remember Jesus' example --- 

to slip away and find a quiet place to pray.  

It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.  

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart.

Continue to use me to do your Will. 

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.

Keep me strong that I may help the weak.

Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way.

I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.

I pray for those who refuse to share a word from You.

I pray for those that will read this and not use this in their lives.

I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others.

I pray for those that don't believe.  But I believe.

I believe that God changes people and God changes things.

I pray for all my sisters and brothers.

This is my prayer; I pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

There are no arm-chair quarterback Christians.....

Today's ~~FOOD FOR THOUGHT~~

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

~Romans 12:2~

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Sooner or later we all have to make a decision: Will I be a nonconformist? Will I refuse to be squeezed into the mold of the world? (J.B. Phillips terminology) Will I be part of a Christian counter-culture? (John R.W. Stott terminology) Will I be God's own person, an alien and an exile in the world, put here to have a redemptive influence? (The apostle Peter's terminology) Jesus simply calls us his disciples. Bottom line: until we are really ready to cross the line and live totally for the Lord, we're not going to be able to fully recognize God's will for us. There are no arm-chair quarterback Christians. There are no sideline disciples. There are no back-seat driver Christians. We either chose the Lordship of Jesus, or else we reject it. So what's your decision?

My Prayer...

Holy God, I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. I believe that he came to earth as a human, lived an exemplary life of grace and power, and died for my sins so I could live for you, and with you, forever. Please forgive me, O God, for the times that I have hedged on my commitment to you and flirted with the darkness. I want to live for you with passion, joy, and fulfillment. I want to be transformed to be like Christ. In his name, Jesus the Lord, I pray. Amen.

"Mother, were you this cold for me?"

Good morning and happy "tank filling day"! I pray your day is of to a great start, that you are filled with the Holy Spirit today and that it just keeps getting better and better for you!

Of course I am listening to my HOUSTON TEXANS play football right now and am hooping and hollering, my poor husband...what he has to put up with in having a sports loving wife!! 

I was thinking about sacrifice and came across this story this morning, it really touched my heart and made me think about how this young woman must have felt in not receiving help, how she must have felt when the baby was born and how much love she had in her heart for that little baby to have given her life so that he could live...AMAZING love!!! I am so thankful that God has allowed me to live long enough to see my daughter know this very love!!!!

On a cold Christmas Eve in 1952, when Korea was in the throes of civil war, one young woman struggled along a village street, obviously soon to deliver a child. She pleaded with passersby,

"Help me! Please. My baby."

No one paid any attention to her.

A middle-aged couple walked by. The wife pushed away the young mother and sneered,

"Where's the father? Where's your American man now?"

The couple laughed and went on.

The young woman almost doubled up from a contraction as she watched them go.

"Please . . ." she begged.

She had heard of a missionary living nearby who might help her. Hurriedly, she began walking to that village. If only he would help her baby. Shivering and in pain, she struggled over the frozen countryside. But the night was so cold. Snow began to fall. Realizing that the time was near to deliver her baby, she took shelter under a bridge. There, alone, her baby was born on Christmas Eve.

Worried about her newborn son, she took off her own clothes, wrapped them around the baby and held him close in the warm circle of her arms.

The next day, the missionary braved the new snow to deliver Christmas packages. As he walked along, he heard the cry of a baby. He followed the sound to a bridge. Under it, he found a young mother frozen to death, still clutching her crying new born son. The missionary tenderly lifted the baby out of her arms.

When the baby was 10 years old, his now adoptive father told him the story of his mother's death on Christmas Eve.

The young boy cried, realizing the sacrifice his mother had made for him.

The next morning, the missionary rose early to find the boy's bed empty. Seeing a fresh set of small footprints in the snow outside, he bundled up warmly in a winter coat and followed the trail. It led back to the bridge where the young mother had died.

As the missionary approached the bridge, he stopped, stunned. Kneeling in the snow was his son, naked and shivering uncontrollably. His clothes lay beside him in a small pile. Moving closer, he heard the boy say through chattering teeth:

"Mother, were you this cold for me?"

That story reminds me of another mother and Son who sacrificed so much. One winter night, Jesus left his home, His glory and the warmth of heaven to be born in a stable to an unwelcome world. Just before He was born, Mary, His mother, was not welcome in any of the cozy inns in Bethlehem. Instead, she delivered her baby in the darkness of a cold stable. Th e Creator of the Universe, the Perfect Judge who could destroy the world with a single word, was willing to endure this inauspicious beginning for you and me. That is unconditional love!

We who have experienced God's unconditional love are commanded to share that love with others. John writes in 1 John 4:11,

"Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other" (New Living Translation).

God wants us to express His supernatural love to others. We become examples of God's love to the world as we love our neighbors through the enabling of His Holy Spirit.

My prayer for you is the same as Paul's prayer for the believers in Ephesians 3:17,18:

"May your roots go down deep in to the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is" (NLT ) .

You may confess, "I don't have that kind of love to share with anyone." To experience God's supernatural love, claim it by faith. We have the potential to love anyone God puts in our path. One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my Christian life is "how to love by faith."

When we by faith invite God's unconditional love to flow through us, we will discover a rekindled love that is alive and well. That is true for an "unlovable" spouse, boss, employee, or anyone.

Nothing breaks the hardened ground of unforgiveness and bitterness like sincere acts and words of love. Sometimes you and I, by faith, must take the first step of restoration. A positive response may not be immediate, but keep on loving and reaching out. There is no power on earth stronger than God's supernatural love.

"Things aren't always what they seem."

Good morning my friends, I have been up for a long time, just sitting here thinking of how things are today...I sat in the quiet of the morning, all bundled up in my "betty" blankie on the front porch...the birds in a close cedar tree were filled with so much joy this morning, they flitted about the branches and sang as if there was not a care in the world, the sunrise was not an intense one, mere streaks of color here and there and the sun is hiding beyond the haze that has taken the skies. I sat and looked at the mountains majestically standing there wishing I could be on the other side of them on my way to Kansas to see my babies. This week has been one of deep reflection as my Aunt has gone to see her son for what will most probably be the last time, he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and has decided not to try to prolong with treatment, I chatted via message to my cousin, Walt's sister and the sadness was so thick I could feel it through written word. I chatted with a friend who is having difficulty with her teenage son, she is feeling overwhelmed and lost with his actions, I talked to several people who have just been diagnosed with cancer and could feel the fear in their hearts, I spoke with ones who have lost loved ones and cried with them over the pain in their hearts, so many who have dedicated a lifetime loving someone only to have their hearts shredded by infidelity and abuse...there is much sadness in this old world!!! I thought also of the little joys we have, I get to see my grandson over video chat a few times per week, it is delayed and freezes many times but still I get to see his little movements, his sweet smiles, his growth process...I was only blessed to have one child and life has taken her to the other side of that mountain but I sit and thank God daily for it, even though there are days that all I do is cry in missing her, I know this is exactly where God needs her to be, she found her one true love, and became blessed with the greatest gift of all~~ a child~~ to be there for Derek's nephews and even though she does not know it to be there for Derek's sister. I sit and worry about our finances but then have to slap myself back into reality that God is right here with me, he is going through the anguish with me and he even says to lay it at his feet and he will take care of it for me. There are people I see that are homeless, living in shelters, wondering if they will even get to eat today...I need to stop the worrying and get on with living! My mantra today....nothing will take my joy...nothing will take my joy....nothing will take my joy....for today I am in my little box apartment, I have food to cook, we are warm, we are dry from the elements, my animals are safe, they have food, I am getting medical attention that I have been so badly in need of, my husband has a job, he has good health, he loves me and treats me with great affection and respect...SO I WILL NOT WHINE TODAY!!!! In many's eyes I have it all!!! I have GOD on my side, I love him and he loves me and I know in the last and final moments he will as an eagle in flight swoop down and rescue me from doom!

I know that Father God has good things planned for Wayde and I and I know that in HIS time we will understand the hardship that we face, we will be thankful for our times of need. I came across this little writing and thought it very fitting for my message today!

two traveling angels

-- Author Unknown

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.

Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until some time later.