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Because He Rose: The Unending Power of the Resurrection
Easter Sunday has passed, but the profound and transformative power of Jesus’ resurrection remains a vibrant reality in our lives today. Because He conquered death, our existence as followers of Christ is fundamentally different. These incredible gifts are freely offered to all, yet they are truly only fully experienced by those who embrace God’s saving grace through His Son. Last week, as Resurrection Sunday drew near, I reflected on the tangible differences Christ’s resurrection brings to our daily walk. Here are some of the blessings that filled my heart with gratitude: This list, though deeply meaningful, feels like just the beginning! It barely touches the immensity of the blessings we…
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What Spiritual Maturity Looks Like
When you got up today, what was your plan? Did you have a personal agenda in place? At the end of this day, what if your plan doesn’t look anything like what actually happened? Will you feel like a failure? Or do you trust God worked it out according to His plan? Do you believe what 2 Timothy 6:16 says: …God, who is the blessed controller of all things…” Someone once said: One of the marks of spiritual maturity is the quiet confidence that God is in control, without the need to understand why He does what He does. (anonymous) Oops, well, my response many days proves my level of…
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Morning Rhythms
How do you start your day with the Lord? There are many ways to get focused: devotional reading, a chapter a day through a book of the Bible, listening to the Bible audibly, following a Bible reading plan. The point is to have a plan, even if it varies throughout the week. This is what my time looks like (I am memorizing these scriptures) as I focus. Worship: I love you, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:1-2 Satisfy us in the morning with…
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When God Surprises Us
I love it when God shows up in unexpected ways. Those times when I pray and He answers along the lines I’ve prayed, only so much more! But, what if He answers completely differently? Calling all prayer warriors! That was my request recently for a loved one. She knows I have different groups of women who pray for our needs and has been the recipient of those prayers in the past. As I prayed, I expected it to go one way and couldn’t wait to see how God would take care of all the details. I worried it might not be pretty, but I trusted whatever He chose to do. …
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Obedience Pleases a Holy God
I hate times I feel like I failed at something. Or if I did something half-hearted, not putting my best into it. It’s never quite fulfilling, is it? We know we can do better. Contrast that with the feeling we get when we put all we can into an assignment. Isn’t it rewarding when we know we did something well? Especially when our obedience and best efforts are pleasing to the Lord. Obedience acknowledges a holy God’s direction over every aspect of our lives, from dedicated prayer and Bible study to our interactions with a restaurant server. All we do is to testify to our serving our holy Father. In…
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Test: Pass or Fail?
A new favorite song is Flowers by Samantha Ebert. It’s about a beautiful way to walk through hard seasons. Trials, loss, broken relationships, health issues. Knowing God brings growth (flowers) out of pain adds meaning to those experiences (in the valley). Sometimes, difficulties arise when the Lord tests our faith. In Exodus 20, we see God testing Israel’s obedience. They had already failed one test: the test of physical sustenance. He provided manna in the wilderness and gave explicit instructions for how they were to gather manna each day. Some chose to collect more than they needed. Now the test was one of waiting for Moses to come back down…
- Favorite Quotes, Knowing God's Will, Spiritual Growth, Struggle and Loss, Test, Trial, What I'm Reading
Complaints and Provision
One day this past week I read Exodus 16-17, and I was reminded again of how Israel complained and God provided. I was also reminded of how I do the same, even though I hate to admit it! The Israelites had been freed from Egypt through the Red Sea and right away complained about not having the kinds of food they had in captivity! Like Israel, I find myself complaining about insignificant things while ignoring the ways God provides for all my needs every day. As I spent time with the Lord this day, I reflected on a quote by Elisabeth Elliot that I’ve kept handy ever since I read…
- Spiritual Growth, Knowing God's Will, Leadership Lessons, Lessons, Struggle and Loss, Test, Trial, What I'm Reading
Step By Step
My D-Group is reading through the Bible chronologically and recently transitioned from the end of Genesis into Exodus. Each time I read through the Bible, I discover deeper truths. As I came to Exodus 1:8-10, I was reminded once again of God’s sovereignty as He works out His plan for the restoration of His people. “A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are. Come, let’s deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and when war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us,…
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No Disappointments
Theologian and hymn writer Frederick William Faber said, There are no disappointments to those whose will are buried in the will of God. How can that be true? Haven’t we all faced disappointments? We understand God is sovereign, and He decides the course of our lives. He is our ultimate authority, so he chooses what to give us and what to withhold. But does that mean we have to be happy with His choices? What about the alternative? We choose our will rather than God’s. Surely, we understand that it will not end well. We are not all-knowing and all-wise. He is. Isaiah 48:17 speaks of God’s guidance and care…
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Friday’s Encouraing Message
This week I had the blessing of writing posts for encouraging.com. Each day I will link you to that day’s message. Please sign up to receive encouraging.com posts daily Monday through Friday throughout the year. You will be blessed weekly by various authors. Enjoy! Please see link to Friday’s post Battling Your Giants. Thank you for allowing me to share these with you this week. I pray you have been greatly encouraged, no matter what is going on in your life presently. Photo by Ryan Riggins on Unsplash
