Doors

I’ve been a busy traveling girl this summer. Thank you for being patient while you waited for a new post.

One of the trips I took was to Charlotte, North Carolina where I attended a conference for speakers, writers, and ministry leaders. I won a scholarship to go and have been looking forward to the trip all year. I saw it as a gift from the Lord and an opportunity to share with editors a book I wrote on healing after pregnancy loss.

Four days before I left for the conference, I was at my Mom and Dad’s house in Washington State and tried to do a few finishing touches on my book proposal. As I researched for the "competition" section on my proposal, I made a startling discovery.

The two editors I had made appointments to meet with, the two I'd prayed over so much, represented publishing companies that had just released their very own books on the topic of- you guessed it- miscarriage.

At that moment, I knew I would be wasting their time pitching competition for books they had just published on the same subject.

There I was:

- 10 hours away from home
- Four days away from the conference
- Totally and completely prepared to pitch a book I now knew they would not want.

I did what any girl would do.

I cried.

A lot.

All day Sunday I mourned. Waiting for the conference to arrive, I carried the weight of being a scholarship winner. I knew there were so many women who wanted the gift I was given, and I was determined not to waste it. So, I was so ready. I had handouts, sample chapters, a beautiful proposal, and then- nothing.

Crying it out on Sunday, I learned some hard lessons. I had wrapped up so much hope in getting that book published because I was counting on the book bringing meaning to our loss. God had to show me that the beauty He was and will continue to bring out of our hurt had nothing to do with me or my book, it had everything to do with Him.

He also showed me I was relying on myself. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be prepared. I didn't leave any room for miracles, so He took away the crutches I was leaning on.

That night I made a crazy decision. I have a novel I've been working on, and I decided right then I was supposed to pitch that book instead. It wasn't ready though. I only had four rough chapters written and a vague idea of were I was going with the story. I didn't sleep for the next three days, worked all the way home in the car, spent hours on the telephone with my amazing dad editing what I did have, and then left Thursday morning far less prepared then I would have ever wanted.

While we were in the air, my friend, Rochelle, handed me the devotion book she was reading. I read that day's devotion, overwhelmed and grateful that it was a message just for me. Here's an excerpt:

Streams in the Dessert

July 31 With skillful hands he led them - Psalm 78:72

When you are unsure which course to take, totally submit your own judgement to that of the Spirit of God, asking Him to shut every door except the right one. But meanwhile keep moving ahead and consider the absence of a direct indication from God to be the evidence of His will that your are on His path. And as you continue down the long road, you will find that He has gone before you, locking doors you otherwise would have been inclined to enter. Yet you can be sure that somewhere beyond the locked doors in one He has left unlocked. - F.B. Meyer

I knew God wrote that devotion just for me because I live that scenario everyday.

My baby boy is one week shy of turning one, and he still has not figured out how to crawl right.

(And he doesn't listen to his mommy either when I tell him he'll never be able to read because of it!)

But man can he scoot! He's fast!

His sisters keep forgetting to close doors behind them, so when he sees an opportunity, he looks me in the eye as if to say, The race is on Mommy!

He scoots as fast as he can, trying to beat me to the bathroom door before I can close it in his face.

It dawned on me. How often do I do that with the Lord? How often do I try to race Him to a door before He closes it?

As a loving parent would, God closes doors I might be inclined to walk through and shouldn't, but one day He's going to leave one open for me. It will be the "JUST RIGHT FOR BECKY" door and instead of just leaving it open for me, He'll come and lead me by the hand so we can walk through it together.

Personal Application:

Do you have hopes and dreams you worry will never happen?
Are you in a hurry for God to DO something, anything?
Are you racing God for open doors because you are worried He will close them before you can walk through them?

Take some time this week to lay those dreams at His feet and then wait on Him to not only leave a door open for you, but to take you by the hand and walk you through it with Him.

In my case, stripping away my security opened up doors for miracles that happened all weekend long. I had chances to pitch BOTH books, and I knew it was all God’s doing, not my own.

Trust Him to lead you in the pursuit of your precious dreams. He is worthy of that trust.

Love,

Looking at the Wrong Person

From God's Word:
Click and Read>Matthew 14:22-33

Key Verse:
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" - Matthew 14:30 (NIV)


I made a startling discovery this week.

There are some awesome people out there doing some amazing things for the Lord, and I DON'T MEASURE UP!

When the kids are tucked in for the night, I love to put my feet up, grab my laptop, and surf my favorite blogs. There are some that I follow on a regular basis and look forward to seeing what has been going on in the lives of my blogging buddies. This week, it became clear to me that my blogging buddies are stellar people. I came across stories of people feeding the hungry, traveling to Africa to serve orphans and other ministries, families adopting here and abroad, people reaching out and ministering to hurting people. Others who are missionaries far from home.

A great wave of discouragement rolled over me. Inventory of my life showed much lacking: Inconsistent prayer life, no time in the Word, nothing done to meet the spiritual or physical needs of hurting people. In my own estimation, I've been boring, blah, and of little value to the Kingdom of God.

As I pushed my stroller along the greenbelt on Thursday afternoon, I prayed about the situation. And I got a strange answer.

The Holy Spirit said to my heart, "Turn your eyes off of yourself and on to the glory of Jesus."

I remembered Peter walking on the water to meet Jesus. As long as his eyes were locked on the Lord, he was doing the miraculous, but as soon as he took his eyes off the Lord, looked at the waves and thought about his own inability to do what he was doing, he sank.

When my eyes and focus are locked on Jesus, I will reflect His glory to this hurting world. When I'm stuck focusing on myself and my sin and failures, I get nowhere other than discouraged. My eyes this week have been on the wrong person.

Awhile ago, I read about a mom who was seriously struggling to love her adopted teenage daughter. She confided in a missionary friend how difficult this girl was to love. The missionary told her, "Quit working so hard to love her. Instead focus on loving God. That is where you will find the ability to love her."

God's purpose in my life is to make me more and more like Jesus. Focusing on my sin and failures won't make me more like Jesus. Focusing on Jesus will make me more like Jesus.

Personal Application:

Read this excerpt from Andrew Murray's book Humility:

Being occupied with self, even having the deepest self-abhorrence can never free us from self. Not to be fully occupied with your sin but to be fully occupied with God brings deliverance from self. This gives us the answer to the question so often asked and seldom clearly understood: How can I die to self? Death to self is not your work: it is God's work.

Commit today to turn your eyes off of yourself and on to the Lord Jesus, desiring to know Him more, so you can reflect Him more. That is when you will make a significant impact on this hurting world.

Father,

Forgive me for my self-focus. Turn my eyes off of me and my failures and on to Jesus and His glory. Make me more like Him. Help me to know Him more and more daily, so I can be transformed into His likeness. Be glorified through me.

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen

More of God's Word:

1. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

2. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 (NIV)






Turning my eyes to Jesus,

What I've Been Training For

From the Word

Click and read >Hebrews 12:1-12

Key Verse:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. -Hebrews 12:1

Bright and early Saturday morning, I ran a 5K in the Famous Idaho Potato Race to help raise money for the YMCA. It was a special moment for me. The weather was absolutely perfect. The greenbelt was beautiful. And I was surprised by how easily I was able to run the three miles.

I have been training for this race for the last 10 weeks, following a plan called 'From Your Couch to a 5K" Ten weeks ago, I was only running for 60 second spurts followed by 90 seconds of walking for a total of about 15 minutes. Saturday, I ran 30 minutes straight without a need to stop and rest. My training paid off.

Friday night before the race, I went to pick up my number, timing chip and course map. While I was there I was so impressed by the people I considered the real runners, those who planned to run the 1/2 marathon and marathon races.

Marathon runners train for something called "Hitting the Wall." It is common to run out of glycogen stores in your muscles and liver somewhere around the 20 mile mark. They have to train to persevere through that crash of energy, when the race feels unbearable. I saw some runners this weekend that must have hit that point in their race when I passed them. One lady was sobbing, others looked in physical pain.

It made me think of the spiritual implications of running the marathon race of this life. Walking faithfully with Christ, remaining faithful to him through persecution, heartache, and overwhelming trials of this fallen world, is the ultimate endurance run. Thankfully, we do not have to rely on our own strength. When our "glycogen" stores run out, we rely on His strength and energy to keep us going, and we put our faith into practice. When burdens feel unbearable and our strength is gone, we must remind ourselves that "this is what I have been training for," this test of my faith will make me stronger. Press on! Don't quit! Run with perseverance that race marked out for you.

At the end of my race on Saturday, I hit a point where I wondered how far I had already run and how much farther I had to go. Then all of a sudden, on my left through the trees, and over the river, I caught glimpses of the finish line. There were hundreds of people celebrating with loud music, cheering on the runners as they came in. My speed picked up, my hope increased, and I ran faster than I knew I could just to get to that party! As I ran across the finish line I was huffing and puffing but I felt so much joy and victory. I did it! I was "home free."

I was surprised by how much it helped to know the end was near, to get those little glimpses of the finish line through the trees, and to know what was waiting for me. That's what the hope of Heaven is intended to do for us. As that day draws ever nearer, as we look up in anticipation, we can run faster toward the prize waiting for us. We can remember that our faith is strong enough to carry us home because we've been training for this. Don't lose hope! Just like the crowd was cheering for me during the race, I'm cheering for you, "Keep going! You are doing awesome! You're almost there!"

Personal Application:

Are there areas of your life where you can see your faith being tested? Have you "hit the wall" in the race of life? Pray for God to strengthen you to push on, to persevere, and to remember that you are almost there.

Father,

Thank you for training my faith, making it grow and increase. Thank you for equipping me with the strength I need to endure this marathon of life. Please keep reminding me of the prize that awaits. My very great reward on the other side of the finish line is You! During this time of trial and struggle, please give me your grace and help to persevere.

In Jesus' Name I pray,

Amen

More of God's Word:

1. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 2 Thessalonians 1:4

2. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything -James 1:4

3. Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. -James 5:7

4. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:14

When We All Get to Heaven

Eliza E. Hewitt, 1898

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.

Refrain:
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.


Pressing on with you!

Princess School

From the Word

Click and Read Hebrews 10


Key Verse:

For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
-Hebrews 10:14 (NLT)

"I have to walk on my tiptoes," my daughter told me when I met her at the school bus stop. "I'm going to Princess School and this is how a princess is supposed to walk."

As we walked home, she explained that her new library book was called Princess School and she was officially training in all things princess. She's been very committed to this plan all week, insisting on wearing dresses and paying lots of attention to manners because "princesses are very polite."

As I've watched her practicing her princess skills, it reminded me that I too am a princess. Because of my faith in Jesus, I have become a child of God, the Daughter of the King of Kings, and the bride of Christ. Royalty.

How very un-royal I feel at times! It is easy for me to slip into condemnation mode and to wonder if I'm ever going to get things right. But the truth is, whether or not I pass Princess School or get an A+ in Royal Manners, I have already been made a princess. That can not be taken away from me.

The struggles I have to overcome sin in my life do not and can not take away from who I already am in Jesus. I had a counselor help me understand this with this analogy. He said:

When a prince or princess is born, they are immediately a part of the royal family. They already are a prince or princess. Then they spend the rest of their lives learning how to be royal.

That's how the sanctification process works for us. When we turn our lives over to Jesus in faith, at that moment we are positionally perfect. God sees us through the lens of justification. We are already made perfect, even as we are being made perfect or holy.

Throughout my lifetime, God will be making me into the image of his son. I will be learning how to be royal, but I can rest in the knowledge that that work is already completed. I am his. He promises to finish the work he began in me, so condemnation and discouragement has no place in my life. I need to lift my head up in confidence and start walking like the princess I am.

Personal Application:

Do you ever doubt your salvation? Do you find it difficult to believe that you are forgiven and free? Replace the lies with truth by confessing your false beliefs and replacing them with scripture that tells the truth.

This royal position does come with responsibility. There are warnings throughout the Bible to not treat this amazing grace cheaply. It is our responsibility as a princess to bring honor to our King. We should strive for holiness. We should try to win people to Him by our goodness and by our example that Biblical principles really do work. The difference is in our hearts. We are motivated by love and gratitude, not because we think we can earn our salvation or because we are afraid of His wrath.

After you are aware of this amazing gift, how terrible it would be to throw it all away. The end of Hebrews 10 can be scary and appear to contradict what the beginning of the chapter says. It does not! I think Matthew Henry did a great job of explaining it in his Concise Commentary, so I'll let him explain:

The exhortations against apostasy and to perseverance, are urged by many strong reasons. The sin here mentioned is a total and final falling away, when men, with a full and fixed will and resolution, despise and reject Christ, the only Saviour; despise and resist the Spirit, the only Sanctifier; and despise and renounce the gospel, the only way of salvation, and the words of eternal life. Of this destruction God gives some notorious sinners, while on earth, a fearful foreboding in their consciences, with despair of being able to endure or to escape it. But what punishment can be sorer than to die without mercy? We answer, to die by mercy, by the mercy and grace which they have despised. How dreadful is the case, when not only the justice of God, but his abused grace and mercy call for vengeance! All this does not in the least mean that any souls who sorrow for sin will be shut out from mercy, or that any will be refused the benefit of Christ's sacrifice, who are willing to accept these blessings. Him that cometh unto Christ, he will in no wise cast out.

This is a final throwing away of God's grace. We know from Jesus' story of the prodigal son that there is always hope that someone like this will come home and a grand reception of forgiveness and love will be waiting when they do.

Dear Father,

I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of this truth. From the time I was a little girl, I dreamt of being a princess. You have made me a princess. You forgave my sins, made me right before you, and are now molding me, shaping me, and training me for this royal position. Thank you for redeeming me and for forgiving me. Thank you for the hope of eternity with you. Thank you that I get to enjoy the benefits of your Kingdom even now. How good you are! How amazing your grace and love!

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen

More of God's Word:

1. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. -Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

2. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. -1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

3. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. -John 1:12 (NIV)

Love,

Princess

Cover Where I Fail

From the Word:
Click and Read Psalm 127

Key Verse:
Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. - Psalm 127

We attend the Saturday night service and getting their this weekend was so hard on me! All day Saturday, I was grumpy and irritable, and so were my kids.

The girls kept bickering, the baby whined incessantly from the moment he woke up, and my husband had to work, so getting all of us grumpy people dressed and out the door and to church on time was all my job. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't do that job well. I nagged and yelled and acted like I was the kid.

On the way to church the Mommy guilt rolled in, and I apologized to my kids for the way I behaved.

My oldest daughter was so kind and said, "That's OK, Mommy, you ALWAYS do that. We're used to it."

Ouch! That did not help the Mommy guilt one little bit. Usually, an incident like this would lead to great discouragement, but I'm learning to respond differently. This time I just stopped and prayed the prayer that is becoming all too familiar, "Lord, please cover where I fail."

Cover where I fail- How thankful I am that I can pray that. When I can't live up to the ideal mom that I long to be and worry that I'm failing and ruining my children, I can let go, look up, and say, "Help!" And my kids are somehow surviving being raised by me! Ha Ha.

I would not want to do this job without Him! Thank you Jesus for covering where I fail, when I fail....even when it is so often.

Personal Application:

Are you a parent or grandparent? Or have you felt like a failure lately in another area of your life? Commit these areas to the Lord and trust Him to make them what they need to be. Remember that His grace is sufficient for you, and He will carry you through your failures, turning them into good, when you trust in Him to do it.

Father,

Thank you that I am not parenting alone. My failures are opportunities for You to be strong in the lives of my precious children. I pray that in all areas of my life, I will be able to commit my ways to you and allow you to build them into what they need to be. Thank you for being my strong tower, my refuge, and for covering where and when I fail. I love you!

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen

More of God's Word:

1. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. - Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

3. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

4. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. -Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

Love a very imperfect,

Is it Conviction or Condemnation?

From the Word:

Click and Read John 16:5-15

Key Verse:

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth

- John 16:13a


I've finally been able to make it back to a Women's Bible Study, and it feels so good to be there. After my baby was born, it took a little bit of time to get our routine down enough for me to make it out of the house. It has been so good for me to be back in the Word and in fellowship with other women.

During the study a few weeks ago, we had a brief discussion about condemnation. It reminded me of my own personal struggle to understand the difference between condemnation and conviction.

When I was in the middle of grief over my miscarriages, I became acutely aware of my own failures and sin. Condemnation came in like a flood. At one point, I even believed I had identified a failure in my life that was responsible for all of the pain I was going through. I was convinced I was being punished. I was overcome with guilt over the issue and knew God must be so angry with me, too.

It took time in the Word and in prayer for me to be able to figure out the difference between spiritual attack and the heavy guilt and condemnation that can come with that, and the voice of conviction that often comes from the Holy Spirit when there is sin in our lives that needs addressing.

One of the easiest ways I found to discern the difference was to ask the question, "Where is this sending me?" Condemnation makes me flee from the Lord to hide my shame. Conviction draws me to God, puts me on my knees, and leads me to repentance and change. Condemnation brings feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, while conviction builds me up spiritually, shapes me and molds me into the woman God wants me to be, and makes me more effective for the Kingdom.

Personal Application:

If you are a believer in Jesus, and you are feeling condemnation, it is not from God. If past sins are haunting you, seek God for freedom. If you are enslaved to guilt and fear, you will not be effective for the Kingdom.

Condemnation and conviction differ in their source and in their purpose. Condemnation comes from the enemy but conviction comes from God. Conviction leads to repentance. Condemnation sends you running from God in shame. Conviction sends you running to God for change. We are commanded to live a holy life by God’s help, but we are not to live in a state of shame waiting for the axe to fall.

When we have strayed from God’s best for our lives and are living contrary to His ways, we open a door for Satan. We open a door for his temptation, accusation, and deceit. These things lead to further sin and estrangement from God. If you have unconfessed sin, confess it quickly. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Be done with it, stop doing it, and live free from it. After you have agreed with God that it is sin and turned from it in repentance, feel forgiven and move on. Stop expecting punishment and condemnation from the God who loves You and gave His life to prove it.

Father,

Thank You so much for the gift of grace You have given me. I am so grateful that there is no condemnation for me because I belong to Jesus. I desire to live a life that is holy and pleasing to You, by the power of your Holy Spirit, and for Your glory, not my own. When I need to be convicted of sin in my life, I pray I will recognize it and run to You, not from You. I pray the Enemy would fail in his attempts to use condemnation to render me ineffective for your Kingdom. Help me to know truth and to recognize lies. Mold me into the woman you want me to be. Thank you for your gentleness, faithfulness, and forgiveness.

In Jesus' Name I pray,

Amen

More of God's Word

1. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down. -Revelation 12:10 (NIV)

2. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. -Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

Love,

The Ugly Green Monster

From the Word:

Click and Read Galatians 5:16-26

Key Verses:
Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. - Galatians 5:26 (NLT)

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. - Romans 12:15 (NKJV)

Jealousy reared its ugly head this week. I didn't see it right away, but during my prayer time, I had to face the fact that it was there, repent, and battle against the ugly green monster.

Isn't it strange that you can be jealous even of people you love? My jealousy issues were wide ranging, and involved many different people. There was jealousy over other people's success, recognition, opportunities, ministries, possessions, bodies, clothes, houses, etc. Once I was aware it was there and started digging in my heart and relationships, there was a lot to confess.

Most of us are familiar with the second part of Romans 12:15 where we are told to weep with those who weep, but it is easy to skip over the command to rejoice with those who rejoice. Why would we need to be reminded to do that? The happy part is the easy part, isn't it?

But is it really such an easy thing to do? Do you feel like rejoicing when:

- Your friend invites you over to see her new living room makeover?

- You want nothing more than to be married or to have a baby and you get THE CALL from a happy friend who wants to share her good news?

- You feel fat and frumpy but your friend loses weight and is now able to fit into a size 6?

- You watch someone else achieve their dreams when you wonder if you'll ever even find the time to TRY to realize your own?

- Someone else gets special recognition or enjoys success?

- You meet a beautiful woman and know you could only imagine what it would feel like to look like that?

Happiness for another person's good fortune does not come easily. It is against our nature. The natural man wants to be a god, wants to be significant, and adored. The natural man wants it all for himself. In our case, I should say "herself." Jealousy, envy, selfish-ambition- those are all trademarks of our sinful natures.

Thankfully, we are no longer slaves to that nature! God gives us the ability to be different. We are new creations in Christ. Because I belong to Him, I have the ability to love instead of envy. I can fight my sinful nature because of the Holy Spirit within me. I can rejoice with those who rejoice because as a daughter of the King of Kings, I have nothing to envy!

Personal Application:
Spend some time looking for evidence of envy in your own heart. How has that affected your relationships? Your ability to love? And your ability to rejoice with those who rejoice?

Take some time to confess any jealousy you find and pray that God will prevent it from continuing and harming relationships in your life.

Here are some steps to fighting jealousy that I've found effective:

- It is very difficult to be jealous of someone you are sincerely praying for. Often those feelings of jealousy are replaced with genuine love for that person as you pray for them. You begin to find it exciting when good things happen to them and feel privileged to be a part of participating in their lives in a special way.

- Praise God for creating that person. Thank Him for the ways their talents, beauty, success, etc. enrich the lives of those around them and fulfill the special purposes He has for their lives. Praise does amazing things in our hearts.

- Ask God to give you the eyes to see them the way that He sees them and the heart to love them the way that He does. Ask Him to equip you with genuine desire to see them prosper and to be blessed.

Father,

Forgive me for the way jealousy has crept into my life. I lift this situation ________ and ask you to work in a mighty way to heal that relationship. Change my thinking and replace my jealousy with genuine love. Show me how to esteem others above myself and to love like you love. Help me to appreciate the variety of gifts and talents you've given other people. Enable me to rejoice with those who rejoice. Help me to be content with my own life, gifts, and blessings. I thank you for the change you are going to do in my heart and in my relationships.

In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen

More of God's Word:
1. A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. -Proverbs 14:30 (NIV)

2. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. - Romans 13:12-14 (NIV)

God bless your week! I am praying that you all have a blessed time celebrating Jesus' resurrection. He is Risen!

Love,