Numbers 6:24-26 - "God So Loved"

God loves us all so much. The desire of His heart is for all people to love Him. When we love Him, we can love others with His love. This has been a theme in my life in such a powerful way for several weeks. This morning He woke me to the God So Loved that We Thy Kingdom sings. I love these words...

For God so loved the world that He gave us
His one and only Son to save us
Whoever believes in Him will live forever
The power of hell forever defeated
Now it is well, I'm walking in freedom
For God so loved, God so loved the world

Praise God, praise God
From whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, praise Him
For the wonders of His love
Praise God, praise God
From whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, praise Him
For the wonders of His love
His amazing love

He gave His Son so we could all live. He loves us so much that He does not want to have one person go to hell. He gives us all free choice. We are the only ones who can decide to live for Him or to allow the enemy his way in our life. I am so grateful for God to be the One in charge of my life. I am so grateful for the way He blesses me daily. I am so grateful even in these days where I cannot fathom being a widow at age fifty-nine, He encourages me. I am so grateful times of being with couples is becoming easier. I am so grateful I am not afraid of driving alone at night. I am so grateful for my tribe who continue to support me. Plain and simple. I am so grateful for being a daughter of the Most High. This picture was taken on the night of my ordination interview. I was so blessed to have Doc with me especially since the ordination service has yet to happen. We talked on the way home about how blessed
we were as a couple serving God together. We talked about things we were praying about as individuals and as a couple. I remember being so tired after the interview. I know it was just an emotional let-down after the anticipation of the evening. Once again God blessed me through Doc that evening.  

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for all the blessings of yesterday and the ones You will provide in the day ahead! Thank You for calming the tingling a bit yesterday so I could enjoy time with friends! Thank You for my tribe who loved on me so well yesterday! Ofie and Lisa; Norma; Rhonda and Chris; Chrissy; Nancy; Carol; Paula; Sheri; Will and Sandy. Thank You for those who will come today for work day at the church! May You be in the midst of our conversation and work. Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You! May You ooze out of my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. Father, another loss on this earth is breaking my heart. How I pray for Your comfort for Valarie and her family with the loss of Little Melody. Be so very near to them during these 'tough' days. My heart also breaks for several others who are going through: the loss of a loved one; fighting disease in themselves or in a loved one; having relationships issues; and especially for those who are battling spiritual issues. May You be greater than what they are facing so they will come into Your arms for Your peace. Thank You Jesus for being My Most High! Amen.

Psalm 16 - "Who You Are To Me"

The Lord woke me at 4:10 to pray for a friend. This is the second day He did this. When I asked the friend if there was anything in particular to pray for they said there was not. When times like this happen, I wonder if God is protecting people from something unknown. I also wonder if it is God's way to get us to go deeper in our faith. Will we be obedient when He wakes us to pray? When we are told there is no great need in a person's life, will we quit praying for them? How will God use our obedience? I know I always want to walk in obedience to Him. This morning He took me to Psalm 16 to ponder upon. I love this Psalm where I read how satisfied David was in his relationship with God. I love to see how David was satisfied through trusting Him. He was satisfied by living in God's presence here on earth and knowing he would live with Him for eternity. In The Passion Translation it reads:

Keep me safe, O mighty God.
I run for dear life to you, my safe place.
2 So I said to the Lord God,
“You are my Maker, my Mediator, and my Master.
Any good thing you find in me has come from you.”
3 And he said to me, “My holy lovers are wonderful,
my majestic ones, my glorious ones,
fulfilling all my desires.”
4 Yet there are those who yield to their weakness,
and they will have troubles and sorrows unending.
I never gather with such ones,
nor give them honor in any way.
5 Lord, I have chosen you alone as my inheritance.
You are my prize, my pleasure, and my portion.
I leave my destiny and its timing in your hands.
6 Your pleasant path leads me to pleasant places.
I’m overwhelmed by the privileges
that come with following you,
for you have given me the best!
7 The way you counsel and correct me makes me praise you more,
for your whispers in the night give me wisdom,
showing me what to do next.
8 Because you are close to me and always available,
my confidence will never be shaken,
for I experience your wrap-around presence every moment.
9 My heart and soul explode with joy—full of glory!
Even my body will rest confident and secure.
10 For you will not abandon me to the realm of death,
nor will you allow your Holy One to experience corruption.
11 For you bring me a continual revelation of resurrection life,
the path to the bliss that brings me face-to-face with you.

I love the titles David gives God. My Maker, my Mediator, and my Master. My prize, My pleasure, and My portion. I also love the way David describes his relationship with God especially for your whispers in the night give me wisdom, showing me what to do next. God gives me so much insight during the night. He loves on me 24/7 or as David says, for I experience Your wrap-around presence every moment. Woo hoo! Yes! David was satisfied on this earth. He knew where he would spend eternity and that gave him a sense of satisfaction. David knew he needed to continue living in God's presence, doing His will to have eternal life with Him. He knew dying to self was not just a one-time thing but needed to continually be in his spirit. David's last words of this Psalm in verse eleven in The Living Translation are the icing on the cake for me. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence  and the pleasures of living with you forever. Woo hoo! Yes! Living in His presence brings me great joy not only on this earth but for eternity with Him in heaven. He blesses me in abundance every day. I am so thankful for the way He is walking with me through these great losses in life. I am grateful He continues to give me exactly what I need. Like David, I am satisfied in the Lord. I am satisfied with knowing He loves me so much. I could never be completely satisfied where I am in my relationship with Him because there is always room for growth. I desire for my faith to be taken deeper and my light to shine brighter for Him. I desire for people to see His strength in me more today than yesterday. I desire to have more of His wisdom. Plain and simple. I desire more of Him to flow in and through me. One writer wrote David was satisfied with God because of the stabilizing influence that God had on him. Yes! I am satisfied with God because of His stabilizing influence. That influence is what keeps me grounded in my relationship with Him. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the opportunities You gave me yesterday to love with Your love! Thank You for the opportunities You will give me in the day ahead! Thank You for the strength You continue to give me as I find my way through this new life without Doc! Thank You for the 'gifts' such as the picture I found on my computer yesterday of him and lunch with my friends Rhonda, Sheri, and Chrissy! Lord, cleanse me of anything not of You so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May you shine brightly through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a more intentional way than ever before. I pray for my friend You woke me up to pray for the last two days. I do not know why You have me praying but You do and that is all that matters. I pray for the lady You told me to give money to yesterday at the store. Once again, I do not understand why it was such a little amount but You do and that is all that matters. Lord, I pray for Your healing touch on: my friend Cait; Little Melody who is hospitalized; a lady who was taken to the ER with chest pains; a lady who is on a vent in ICU with COVID19; and many others dealing with health issues. I pray for Colleen as Triston's medications were adjusted again. I also continue to pray for many in a season of loss. Donis; LaNora; Corey; Alyssa, Desiree, and Chloe; Mr. Fran; Grammy; and our family. May You continue to give Your strength through 'tough' days. Thank You Jesus for being My Stabilizing Influence!

Psalm 87 - "Everything"

This morning the Lord took me to Psalm 87. I read it in different versions and loved The Passion Translation. This Psalm is about Christ being our Foundation. This reminded me of our discussion in last night's Bible study about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. Since moving to this area I have been reminded of the importance of a firm foundation in sandy conditions. I cannot begin to imagine the work that goes into building a house down here. It is no wonder we do not have basements. When a house is built on our sandy soil, there must be more work put into the foundation so it does not crumble. We, as believers, need to set our lives upon the Rock but we also must work to keep our foundation strong. This takes spending time with God, reading His Word, praying, fasting, and most of all living in His presence so we will walk in obedience to His will. We must keep Jesus as our Foundation. We must seek Him at all time. Matthew Henry wrote of the first part of this chapter: Christ himself is the Foundation of the church, which God has laid. Holiness is the strength and firmness of the church. Holiness is where I find my strength. I do not have to feel like my foundation is being swept away by the waves that crash over me but instead know I am living in His will and He will not allow anything to knock me down. I do not have to fear the things the enemy puts before me but instead know God is greater than anything that comes my way. This Psalm shows us how when we live in His will He will bless us with eternal life with Him. I love verse seven...

Spurgeon wrote of this verse: If all my springs are in God, then let all my streams flow to God. All the rivers run into the sea, because they all came from the sea. It was from the sea that the sun drew up the clouds which fed the thousand rills which fall into the rivers, and so the rivers run back to the sea. Let us do the same. What we have had from God must go to God.

This reminds me of how the Beaufort River is salt water because it flows in and out of the Atlantic Ocean. I am the river and God is the ocean. The tide goes in and out and encompasses both the river and ocean. God flows in and out of me and encompasses my whole being. Everything I am is because of God. Everything I will be in the future is because of God. All of my moments on this earth are because of Him and all of my moments in heaven will be because of Him. He is the reason I live. He is the reason I do what I do every day as I bask in His presence. For the last couple days I have had the song Leslie sang at Doc's Celebration of Life service here in South Carolina going through my mind and flowing off my lips. What a blessing to have this reminder!

God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping...

Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything

God in my hoping
There in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting

God in my laughing
There in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing

Yes! He is my Everything and for that I am so grateful! The more of Him I take in, the more of Him will spill out. The more I lean into Him, the stronger my foundation of faith will become. I am so grateful for the way He loves on me so much. I am grateful for the way He directs me. I am grateful for the rest He provided yesterday. I am grateful for the day that is ahead and for wherever He leads me. Plain and simple. I am grateful.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for being Everything I need! Thank You for being with me throughout the day yesterday as it was the two month anniversary of Doc leaving! Thank You for the rest You provided! Thank You for continuing to guide me! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing so You can ooze out of me. May You be my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a more intentional way than ever before. Father, I pray for people to see/hear You in me today and desire to be in relationship with You. I pray You will shine brightly through me. Lord, when You put someone before me that is hurting I pray for You to use me as a soothing balm. Thank You for being My Everything! Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 - "The Blessing"

Two months. How can it be two months since my honey took his last breath on this earth? Two months seems like such a short time in some respects yet it feels like it has been a long time since he was here with me. Oh how I miss him. The house is so quiet and lonely without him. I miss talking with him and taking him for drives. I miss asking him questions about the Bible. So, so many things have changed with him leaving. I am so grateful for my tribe who continue to love on me so greatly. I am grateful for God's direction for me and His peace. I am grateful for the time I had with Doc not just over the last thirty plus years but especially for the last few months of his life. What a blessing He gave us! He blessed us with our talks, the decisions we made, etc. He blessed us with quality time that we used to deepen our relationship with one another and with Him. Woo hoo! I am so thankful Doc was with me the night of my ordination interview even though ordination was postponed so he won't be able to walk me down the aisle. That evening holds a special place in my book of memories. This picture was taken after the interview. The blessing from Numbers 6:24-25 was one Doc said many times. The peace spoken through this blessing is felt greatly and I am so grateful for that. The tears still come from time to time but they are part of the healing process. The song Bethel sings called The Blessing has words that I continue to hold onto...

May His presence go before you
And behind you and beside you
All around you and within you
He is with you, He is with you
In the morning, in the evening
In your coming and your going
In your weeping and rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you

He is with me 24/7. His strength is my strength. His Word tells me He will never leave me and I am so grateful I have lived that promise out especially over these last few months. I am grateful for the peace I continue to live in even during these 'tough' days. There is no better place to live! 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your love that gives me peace in these 'tough' times! Thank You for the gift You gave me with Doc loving on me so greatly! Thank You for the time we had his last few months to grow closer to one another and to You! Thank You for showing Your love to me through him! Lord, life is so different without him. It is not one I would have ever chosen. I know I must stay focused on You so I do not miss any opportunity You put before me. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with You. May You be my words, actions, thoughts, and attitude throughout this day in a new way. I learned this week the word 'new' in Greek is 'freshness' and that is what I desire in my spirit. I want a freshness in my spiritual life so I can be ready for whatever You desire to pour down upon me. Woo hoo! Thank You Jesus for this desire in my heart! Thank You for putting people on my heart to pray for! Thank You for being with Corey and LaNora today as they continue through these tough days! Thank You Jesus for being My Blesser! Amen.

James 4:14 - "Behold Him"

Two weeks. It seems like it has been so much longer since I held Mordecei for his last breath. Oh how I miss my four-legged buddy. I miss him waiting for me when I come home. I miss him at meal time. I miss him when I need someone to talk to. I miss him snuggling with me especially on these cooler days. Pretty much I miss him all the time. He was with me through cervical surgeries, MS exasperations, my Daddy's death, Doc's death....so many things. He was my emotional support dog even though he was not licensed as such. Mordecei was probably one of the most traveled dogs who ever lived. His first year he traveled with us to the Atlantic Ocean, Nashville, and took a trip to the Grand Canyon with visiting multiple states. He put so much pleasure in our lives. He was also involved in ministry with being the mascot in various VBS's at Willard. One time when a friend was at the house who was going through a tough time Doc prayed over him. When he was finished, we opened our eyes to find Mordecei having his paw up on the man's leg. He was loved by pretty much all who met him. He showed his love in different ways. Sometimes laying at your feet. Sometimes licking you with his ole slobbery tongue. When Doc was in bed so much, Mordecei laid underneath to be close to him. He was not happy when the hospital bed was brought in and he could not get under it. When I found Doc on the floor from the stroke, Mordecei was laying with his head beside Doc's. The memories with my four-legged buddy give me such comfort in knowing he lived a good life yet I still have a great hole in my heart with his loss. Doc did not believe dogs went to heaven and was pretty vocal about that belief. A friend shared with me after Mordecei died about what Doc had told him when he lost his dog. 

So sorry to hear about Morti. Pastor Doc told me one time that he didn't believe dogs went to Heaven because they have no soul. I hope that he was wrong and he got a big surprise in Heaven!!!! Living alone, I'd be crazy without them. And we had a discussion in Sunday School one time about it and most of us believed they did. But Doc knew his scripture. Let's both hope God surprises all of us. Besides....what is God spelled backwards?

His words gave me a mental picture of Mordecei running up to his Daddy to surprise him. There are so many unknowns about what heaven will be like. It really does not matter to me the unknowns. What matters is that I go there and I share His love so others will also spend eternity with Him. Mordecei's death brought about blessings through a new friend who recently rescued a dog and needed some things. I was able to gift her a few things but I also made a new friend in the process. I invited her to watch our church service and she was blessed through it. Praise His Holy Name! His life blessed me and now his death blessed me. God has also blessed me through His peace being mine throughout these days of losing Mort so soon after Doc leaving. Praise His Holy Name! I have been asked so many times if/when I will get another dog. Maybe some day but it would not be fair to another dog for it to happen anytime soon. I am going through so many changes in life and I need to settle in before making that decision. I am thankful God is with me every step of the way. I am thankful His love encompasses me every moment of every day. Last night Ben shared the song "Behold Him" by Francesca Battistelli and the tears flowed. There is one line in the song that says "Some years it's okay to cry..." I do believe 2020 is a year where a lot of tears have fallen and it's OK. Praise His Holy Name!

In your silent night
When you're not alright
Lift your eyes and behold Him
Feel the thrill of hope
You are not alone
In this moment behold Him

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for being with me these last two weeks since Mort took his last breath! It was two months this morning Doc said 'I love you' for his final time. These days have been 'tough' yet You continue to bless me. Thank You for Ben sharing "Behold Him" last night! I am so thankful for the knowledge I do not have to worry about anything because You are in control. None of us will stay on this earth forever. We need to be ready at all time to walk into Your arms for eternal living. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit. Be my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in the most profound way. I pray for Corey as he continues in these tough days of Kirstin's death and for Alyssa, Desiree, and Chloe as they have their Momma's funeral today. May You give Pastor James Your words to comfort them and their family. I pray for Your closeness to Donis and Phil with the loss of their mothers. I pray for peace throughout our nation today and the days ahead with the elections. Thank You for being My Thrill of Hope! Amen.

John 13:34-35 - "Love God, Love People"

My heart is breaking with all of the hurt people are going through. Some of them have lost loved ones; some are dealing with disease/illness in their bodies or their loved ones; some have spouses who have left their marriage; some are so lonely they do not want to continue living...the list goes on and on. I am grateful for the ones who have the Hope of Christ but there are some on my list that do not. That makes my heart hurt even more. The tears do not want to stop this morning as I pray. Oh how I wish Jesus would come back! But then I think I am being selfish in thinking that because of ones still not in relationship with Him. He keeps taking me to John 13:34-35. I know there is a reason for this to be continually before me. In the NIV it reads:

“A new command I give you: Love one another.As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I was reading the background of these verses and found it interesting the word new is not used in the same context as we normally think. In the ancient Greek it implies 'freshness or the opposite of outworn' rather than being something just brought about. I think we all need freshness in our spiritual lives to realize God's will. We get tired of 'doing' ministry and need reminded 'doing stuff' is not what being a believer is all about. Following the commandment Jesus gave in John 13:34-35 is where 'freshness' will be realized. Woo hoo! God continues to bring these verses before me for a reason. I continue to seek His will and seeking what He has in store for me through these verses will continue. 

I am reminded of the words to Danny Gokey's song Love God, Love People.

I've been running in circles
Jumping the hurdles
Getting caught in that rush of doing so much
I'm feeling kinda worn out
All this checking the boxes
Trying to be flawless
Has me spinning my head, catching my breath
Too afraid to slow down

I tell myself to keep this up
That God wants more than just my love
But I've been complicating things
It's just like me to overthink

Gotta keep it real simple, keep it real simple
Bring everything right back to ground zero
'Cause it all comes down to this
Love God and love people (People)
We're living in a world that keeps breakin'
But if we want to find a way to change it
It all comes down to this
Love God and love people

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for once again bringing John 13:34-35 before me today! Thank You for loving on me so greatly! Thank You for the blessings of yesterday with my friends from Kentucky driving down and taking me to lunch and spending time with me! It was such a blessing to take a drive with them. I miss the times Doc and I would take a drive. It sure isn't something you want to do alone. I made the statement yesterday about how I never would have thought nor desired to be a widow at the age of 59. My heart is breaking for Corey who is so much younger and facing being a widower. I pray people will gather around him and love on Him with Your love. I pray people will gather around Alyssa, Desiree, and Chloe as they have their Momma's visitation today. May all of these ones going through great loss feel Your presence. I pray for young Kate who continues to go through medical testing; Kat Kay's family as her husband and son continue the healing process; and so many others going through 'tough' days. Lord, cleanse me so I can be Your servant in a better way today. May I not only hear You but walk in obedience to Your will. May You be greater than anything that comes my way. Thank You Jesus for being My Freshness! Amen.

 

II Timothy 1:7 - "Fear No More"

When I went to bed last night, I was thankful there was going to be an additional hour of sleep involved. I asked God for me to be able to go to sleep easily as I was so tired and He did. He had me pray a general prayer for pastors before going to sleep. When He woke me during the night to pray for them, it was prayers for strength in many who are struggling. This morning He woke me to these words of the song Fear No More...

Every anxious thought that steals my breath
It's a heavy weight upon my chest
As I lie awake and wonder what the future will hold
Help me to remember that You're in control

You're my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You're my strength 'cause I'm not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord, I will fear no more

We all need to trust God with every aspect of life. We need to allow Him to be in control instead of allowing fear of the unknown to control us. Doc and I stood upon II Timothy 1:7 throughout many tough days but especially during the months he dealt with the pancreatic cancer. I remember driving home from Bluffton in a nasty storm a couple weeks before his diagnostic and praying out loud II Timothy 1:7 repeatedly. I did not realize within a short time our world was going to be turned upside down with his diagnosis. Many times, throughout those days fear would try its hardest to creep in but we stayed strong in trusting God. Even when everything seems to be falling apart God is there to make sure things all work out for our good. No matter how deep your faith is fear can still come. No matter how strong you are in your spiritual walk fear can come. I think when one's faith is strong the enemy tries even harder to get into them. Satan does not like people to have a strong faith. He already has access into people's lives with little or no faith. That is why he tries so hard on those with a strong faith. We must allow God to be our courage and our strength through the battles we have before us. We must also remember not all of our battles come from the enemy. God puts situations before us so our faith has an opportunity to grow. Sometimes He puts people in our lives to stretch our faith. Praise His Holy Name!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace! Thank You for the memory of Doc and his silliness last year for Halloween! Thank You for my tribe who continue to love on me so well! I am one blessed lady! I prayed last night before going to bed, during the night when You woke me, and again this morning for pastors. I prayed as You directed for those going through struggles. I pray for those with physical, mental, emotional, and financial needs in themselves and/or family members. Most of all I pray for their spiritual needs to be met. I pray for the pastor's family who lost him this week after a long battle with COVID19 to continue to feel Your presence. May Your presence be so very near to them. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me today to overflowing with more of You. May You shine brightly through me as I preach this morning and shine brightly through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts throughout this day. Thank You for my friend Martha who took me to lunch yesterday and Kandi who gave me the flowers from her garden! What a treasure I have in my relationships! I pray You will continue to use medication to help my Momma to feel better and give her better days. I pray for my friend Cait who is having health issues to feel Your loving arms wrapped around her. Thank You Father for being My Courage and Strength! Amen.