Did you ever get a song stuck in your head? Unfortunately it is often an annoying jingle that just won’t quit. That’s when an ear worm becomes an ear ring! So tell me what song is stuck in your head today???
Monthly Archives: July 2013
Yes, God loves John Deere
I guess I’d better explain! One day, feeling excessively sad, I searched out Psalm 68:5.
A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation (AMP). Now who wouldn’t find that comforting?
But then I read on, through this Psalm I’d read so many times.
Psalm 68:13b says that the wings of a dove are covered with silver. The dove part caught my attention. ‘On the Wings of a Snow White Dove’ was one of my late husband Ron’s favorite songs. Then I read the next bit of the verse…’its pinions excessively green with gold.’ And oh, how Ron did love John Deere equipment!
God soothed my aching heart with just a couple of his words. Whether it is direction we need or substance or just a warm hug of words, we can count on him to provide it.
Prayer- Thank you, God, for always meeting us right where we are. Amen.
Iron Up
Do you struggle to keep your iron levels up? Here is a list of some particularly high-in-iron foods:
Mollusks (clams, oysters, or shrimp), liver, seeds and nuts, beef, turkey, chicken and fish, beans and lentils, whole grains, dark leafy greens, dark green leafy vegetables and tofu are good choices. Others include molasses, dried apricots, prunes and raisins.
Hang On
My family has been struggling through several long and difficult situations. This morning God told me to encourage myself. I asked, “Is this possible?” and I heard in my heart… “look it up.” And there it was in 1 Samuel 30.
David and his men returned to find their camp burned and everyone, even the women and children, captured. First, they wept till they could weep no more. Since they had no one else to get their hands on, David’s men decided to blame and stone him.
David had no where to turn, or did he? In verse 6 we are told that he encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.The Message Bible says ‘he strengthened himself with trust in his God.’
“So haven’t we been doing that,” I ask myself? I read on. Then David prayed to God, “Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?”The answer came, “Go after them! Yes, you’ll catch them! Yes, you’ll make the rescue!”(1 Samuel 30:8, MSG) So I take this as a promise from God and I encourage myself in the Lord, I trust my God. Prayer-Lord, when all seems at its worst, you are at your best. In Christ, we stand on your word. Amen.
Dream On
But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. (W.B.Yeats, 1863- 1939)
That’s Just the Way it Is.
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. ( Song of Solomon, 8:7b, AMP)
So the fact that I still struggle in my grief is not wrong, or unusual. The same is true for you. We loved deeply and we still do. Hugs to you all.
Can you win this contest?
Match the right person with the right description. Some names will be used more than once. The first reader who sends me the correct answers with the accompanying verse will receive a free copy of one of my books! Log in your answers at my blog, http://heartfeltdevotionals.com. Contest ends July 20.
1. murderer 2. Too old 3. Liar 4. Abused 5. Afraid 6. Adulterer 7. Bankrupt
8. Ran Away 9. Divorced 10. Too big 11. Too small 12. Too religious 13. Prostitute
14. Worrier 15. Womanizer 16. Too young 17. Stomach trouble 18. Widow
19. Stutterer 20. The beautiful sister
Names: Moses, Timothy, Naomi, Goliath, Zacchaeus, Job, Jacob, Jonah, Paul, Samaritan woman, Abraham, Joseph, David, Gideon, Rahab, Martha , Sampson, Jeremiah, Rachel
Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:13, NIV)
Really? The next time you feel like a failure, that your God cannot make use of you…remember these people!
Prayer- Lord, May we see ourselves as you see us, through the eyes of Christ. Amen.
Will You Speak First?
Several people from several different churches tell me that they are leaving their congregations because no one speaks to them. Let’s examine this with great care.
Where does it say that the other guy has to speak first? What if all the congregants are thinking the same thing? What if everyone leaves their church and moves to the other churches where no one speaks?
Where in the Bible does it say we must be spoken to at our whim or that being offended is a reason to move on? It doesn’t. However the Bible does say this.
Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9, NIV)
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.(Proverbs 19:11b, NIV)
Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. (Ezekiel 18:30b, NIV)
See you all in church.
Prayer- Lord, make us a people of common sense before it is too late. For the Christ who died so that we could love and be loved…Amen.
Try these prayers on for size:
Try these prayers on for size:
“Lord, will you please square me and hammer me, and strike off all kinds of pride, self-love, world worship, and infidelity, so that…I can become a stone and a pillar in your house.” (from a quote by Samuel Rutherford)
“Lord, change me—not my husband, not my children, not even my pastor, but change me.” (Based on Romans 12:2, From Evelyn Christenson’s life-changing book Lord Change Me!)
Lord take my everyday, ordinary life—my sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—I give it to you as an offering. I embrace everything about you. Help me not to become so well-adjusted to my culture that I fit into it without even thinking. Help me fix my attention on you so that I will be changed from the inside out. Help me recognize what you want from me and help me to quickly respond. Don’t let the culture drag me down to its level of immaturity. Bring out the best in me God. For Christ. Amen. (from the Message version of Romans 12:1-2)
Amen.
How to Recover
Margaret Terry (author of Dear Deb, A Woman with Cancer, A Friend with Secrets and the Letters that Became Their Miracle) offered these words when asked about her recovery process. I share them with you because they are so like my own and no doubt yours as well.
- I wanted a better life than the one I was raised in.
- I didn’t do it alone. I had a good counsellor and support group
- I had my faith and support from my faith family
- I stopped pretending things were OK when they weren’t
- I told my story and it lost its power to make me feel shame.
- I accepted that healing was a life-long process.
- I stopped being so hard on myself because God wasn’t!
No matter your struggles, keep moving forward into healing and remember this.
So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NIV)
Prayer-Thank you God that you see the trouble of your afflicted; you consider our grief and take it in hand. We were victims who committed ourselves to you because you are the helper of the fatherless. Now this we know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. You answer us with the victorious power of your right hand. Amen. (From Psalm 10:14, 20:6)