My husband  hands me a fresh, hot cup of my favorite coffee each morning and leaves me with a good morning kiss, “I love you, Beautiful.”  It’s a great start to my days.  From there I plan to open my heart, ears and Bible to spend time with God.  

Years ago it was a sporadically ringing phone or the very reality of a needy person barging through my door as I sat quietly in the mornings.  Now, of course, I  am on my computer while I read and write. The distractions are far beyond what they used to be: email, text, social media, google rabbit trails, whew-a lot more pull than once a favorite magazine would be.  What I mean to do first gets pummeled at my fingertips, and opportunity  escapes with passed time.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, & his righteousness; & all these things shall be added unto you.

Ironic. As my curser hovered over one page and then another, I clicked close instead of open as the Holy Spirit kept whispering, first.  Seek,  seek first:  God’s kingdom- His royalty, His righteousness.  Friends, what was I thinking?  How could I forego seeking the Lord first? What a costly choice to turn away from all He is.  King of Kings. Let’s not fool ourselves to think if we were in the presence of Queen Elizabeth we would be scrolling through the internet chasing something, or nothing. Biblehub says of righteousness, “An aspect of God’s nature which expresses his unique moral perfection and his readiness to save sinners. It is made known especially through the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  Why am I ever so willing to desire, to seek after, anything else?  Not only do I burden myself with the pressures of life’s provisions promised to me when I first seek the Lord, there’s a much greater cost in turning away from God’s kingdom and righteousness.  No wonder He so lovingly tells us the order of things: seek Me first, because I care for you, I provide for you, I love you, I am  King of Kings and Lord of Lords, My righteousness is offered to your life that I may live in you and the world will see Jesus and be saved.

Not ironic, divine.  We know the verse, but we think it’s for our sake: all these things will be added unto you -hallelujah!  That’s not it. We seek Him first to bring glory to Him in the world.

Oh God my Father, King of Kings, thank You for your love and care for me. Thank you for showing me the need of seeking You first. Lord, may my heart, my life and my priorities desire and demonstrate Your kingdom and righteousness first in my life. I praise You for your promises toward me and through me as I first seek You. Amen.

Let your imagination run wild!

I often think of Adam who had a front row seat to the Lord’s creation coming alive before him, and whose imagination had to be even bigger to name each of the animals!  My own youngest son is a poster child for imagination.  All his life strangers have stopped us and commented on the depths of his exclamations  which were simply the verbal rendition of his mind’s activities.  Right this moment at the dinning room table, he’s shirtless and in his boxers, donning headphones and diligently working on illustrations for a book. It’s a full body job for him as it takes all he is to create.

Regardless of your Disney bend, there’s no debating his incredible imagination. Look at what has become from  the idea of a little mouse! Generations of families have already enjoyed the fallout of his imaginations.  Most of us are left scratching our heads at how anyone could come up with the ideas he and his team have over the years, and if you’re one of them, you can’t help but seeing it in your mind right now.  Such a depth of inventiveness we’ll never realize!

Each one limited, and unlimited, by our own mind, we are always thinking, aren’t we. We ponder our urgencies as well as our hopes. What’s on your mind today? Whether your yearning is born of need or want, can I encourage you to keep a written  list of prayer requests?  The Lord is able to fill us both from shortage and spark!  There’s no thought you or I have that is even close to what Jesus can do in our lives!  Ask Him, today for whatever is on your heart and in His will!  Do you know the childhood song’s lyrics? He’s able, He’s able, I know He’s  able! I know my God is able to carry you through. He heals the broken hearted and He sets the captive free…

As Christ followers and through all our generations, we glorify Jesus Christ, the Creator of us all and each of our imaginations.  However, His own thoughts are beyond even what the most creative of us could begin to imagine, and He is able to do more, much more, than we could ever ask or think. 

Ephesians 4:20-21  Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worth in us. Unto Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all generations without end. Amen

Lord, show me better to glorify You in my heart, my family, my life that it will be true now and in  the generations to come after me. I praise you for who You are, for Your ability to do exceedingly more than I am capable to even ask or think. Lord God, place in my heart the desires of Your will in my life, and teach me to pray, to ask and to think on those things. I praise You for, You. 

Have you ever witnessed the absolute darkness after the clack of a midnight lightning storm flipped the power switch? It’s at this time you either know exactly where to reach for a flashlight, or you scurry around stumbling to find one.

When I lived along the Appalachian  Mountains I felt like I could reach out and touch the stars some nights. As the sky grew darker the stars shined  brighter, and the brighter they were, the closer they seemed.   

Ironic, isn’t it, the same darkness that amps up the light’s brightness is where fear grows. The darkness in our hearts and minds when we block out the light of God’s truth  is a scary place filled with lies blinding us from THE light. 

There are few things I know to be true in life. I am sure of my salvation. Whatever befalls me, I have been saved from eternal damnation and death; Jesus has saved me. I no longer walk in darkness, though its blinding force penetrates my thoughts all too easily at times, I freely walk in the light of my salvation.   I also know the power of myself. Where once I thought of myself as strong and self assured, now I am sure of my weakness; I can do nothing without Christ.  In my weakness it is only the Lord who  makes me strong. 

We were watching the strong man competition just last night. Some serious strength was on display both physically and mentally.  What are the chances those strongest of people on earth aren’t afraid of something or someone? I am sure it’s about zero percent. 

Weakness and fear come in all forms, but God says His own have no reason to be afraid.  What can anyone do to or take from us when our salvation and eternity rests with the Lord? Pain?  Oh, life’s pains can all but consume us at times.  The Lord’s goodness, grace, comfort, and love is present for us as we walk with Him through the valley of the shadow of death, but when we see Him face to face, the pain will be gone forever, but the goodness of His glory in the light of all He is will never dissipate. 

Psalm 27:1The Lord is the light of my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

I praise You, Father, for my salvation. I thank you for being the strength I need in my life, the strength I could never be no matter how strong I think I am on my own. I thank you for being the light of my salvation, in this dark world You are brighter and You are near. Lord, remind me of all You are and that nothing and no-one is to be feared in my heart or mind. Fill me with Your truths, silence the darkness in my heart and mind with Your light. 

Each summer birthday my family would be vacationing on a campground somewhere USA. Mom always retold stories of before the campsite being set I would have gone and come back with a trail of new friends.  Making friends was never hard for me, but today I can’t name any of those friends.  Showing friendliness is very different from being a friend, isn’t it?  We can see in scripture,  friendships were part of God’s design. If we use Proverbs 17 as the litmus test to friendship,  and we should, I realize am a blessed woman.The Lord has given me true friends. 

I really want to say it’s easy love in the celebratory  times, but isn’t it true some women have a hard time rejoicing with others? Whether from jealousy or judgement, some who claim the title friend aren’t with us even on the mountaintops. That’s not a friend, God says a friend loves at all times, all.  Hard times foster a greater need but leave an even easier out, because dealing with disappointments, despair, and death take a real toll and require great effort from each of us.  Painfully true,  in the  pits of life it becomes a bit clearer who our friends truly are. 

To be a friend we must be friendly.  Very often I find myself sitting with and serving women who need a friend, but in truth,  biblical friendship is  reciprocated. Even when we have extended the Lord to others through our friendliness and sacrifice, there are many reasons we could find ourselves feeling woefully alone.  Too many of us unravel in despair of friendlessness, and it’s because we’re pondering a lie. While we may feel lonely, we are never alone; what a friend we have in Jesus! Furthermore, do we consider the Lord’s  character sketch of a true friend as divine wisdom? Who are we calling friends?   Sometimes out of simple immaturity girlfriends fail to see how to invest in another’s life. It’s also true some women have  a well developed core of self-centeredness and have no wherewithal to look outside of their own perspective, not even for one who has been there with them in the ebb and flow of life.  Wether these women are purposeful or oblivious to personal shortcomings with their circle of friends, we should still be Christ-like in our thoughts and behavior toward each of them; the Lord can change them!  However,  the person  Lord speaks of here in Proverbs is a friend. In the rallies and valleys of life, it’s a true friend who  loves us every step of the way.  Praise God for her!  Be her! 

Proverbs 17:17 A Friend loves at all times

Dear Lord, thank you for Jesus, for when I am alone I am not without Him, and He is all I need. I praise you for the friends in my life who are there at all times loving me. Each one a good gift from You. Help me to be a more loving and present friend to each of them, and to whomever else you bring to my life.  I love them, and I love you.