Thursday, January 28, 2016

A New Word for 2016

worldartsme.com


                              “Humble yourselves before The Lord and he will lift you up.”  James 4:10 (NIV)

    This past fall, while I was a resident of a care center for rehabilitation for my broken ankle, I found myself thinking about my ‘one word’ for this year. One evening, my pastor came to visit. I told him I tried to thank the CNA’s even if they picked up a tissue off the floor. I continued to tell him I could not do it for myself. I also told him that being laid up like that was very humbling.

               One day, I made a list of several words that I thought would be good words to use to guide me through the months of this year. After I returned home, I found that list and made my decision.

               In case you cannot figure it out, I chose the word “humble.” Earlier this month, I had a very personal experience that truly did humble me. If I shared it with people, I believe I would come across as boasting; so I refrain from talking about it. God knows the particulars of the story.

               Each year I have chosen one word to be mindful of, I have found that particular word grabs my attention every time I read it or hear it in conversation. I spend time searching the scriptures for my particular word and am never disappointed. Later in the year, I will share scriptures.

               What adventures have you had with one of the words you chose for a particular year?

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

New Every Day

godguidesme.com


“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
For his compassions, never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)

I first heard these verses as a young adult. I found myself caught by the words. Every time I ran across them, I paused to take in the meaning.

“Because of the Lord’s great love . . .” Sometimes we tend to forget that God loves us.As humans, we can get so involved in our daily lives, and relationships that we tend to become shortsighted and react to what we can see and hear.
               “ . .we are not consumed,” When we learn that God is with us, we realize we do not have to fall into the trap laid by man. We, at any time, can run to God and talk to Him about our circumstance.

               “. . . his compassions never fail.” God always listens with His heart. He never scolds or belittles us for our thoughts. His treatment is always with our best interests, as He sees it, in mind. Sometimes, God has a lesson for us to learn. His ways are always redemptive. 
               “They are new every morning.” Think about this for a minute. God’s graces are new for each of us every day. Just yesterday, I found out that tomorrow I will be released from Occupational Therapy. My time with the OT lady will end. She believes that I have improved so much that we can end our twice-weekly sessions. I am so happy about this. I on believe our attitudes would be better if we woke up each morning expecting God to do something new in our lives.


               “Great is your faithfulness.” God is always faithful, even when we are not. We do not have anyone else in our lives who is always there to hear our praises, our plights, and our prayers. We should always thank Him for His faithfulness. How can we live this passage before God and others?

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...