Servants of God

“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom

 as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

 1 Peter 2:16

Peter tells his first Century readers and us to live, using our freedom wisely. He guides his readers to not disguise bad thoughts, ideas or deeds by covering them over with good and kind behavior.

How can we live as ‘servants of God?’ A servant places his masters’ well-being above his or her own. One who serves obeys orders from the master. He or she always does as the master says.  

In our 21st Century, overall, people seem to follow the ways of the Old Testament Israelites; they do what is right in their own eyes. These actions cause harm to those around us. We choose carefully when we venture out at night. When we read our newspapers or watch the news broadcasts, we discover events that heighten our awareness of how far our world has fallen.

When we make our plans for our days and even our lives, let’s remember to choose God.

Graphic:faithful for him.wordpress.com

Freedom vs. Slavery

“They promise them freedom, while they themselves

 are slaves of depravity- for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.”

2 Peter 2:19 (NIV)

Peter writes to the believers, to warn them about false teachers in their midst. The phrase ‘while they themselves are slaves of depravity’ makes me think. How can these false teachers promote freedom when what they have is another brand of slavery?

In our 21^st Century world today, we see several types of modern slavery; we know them as addictions. Our society is filled with many groups that offer help for people to rise above the desire for the addictive substances.  I applaud their efforts to break the attraction of these forces.

We see people who seek acceptance by others, who begin to develop certain lifestyles. People don’t always understand that some of these habits are actually detrimental to their health.

There are times when those ways become harmful to their health and well-being. These lifestyles can affect their work. These choices can also affect marriages and families.

Jesus told the Jews,” . . . You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’ John 8:32 (NIV)

If you know of someone who is caught in an addictive lifestyle, pray for him or her. Then, if that person is close to you, seek help for yourself, in order for you to learn how to deal with the problem.

   

Graphic: drhurd.com

Trials Will Come/Two Sides RJD July 2014

Journal entries March 8, 1998

(Entries based on Charles H. Spurgeon devotional, Morning and Evening)

Trials (Morning)

“We must go through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22 (NKJV)

Spurgeon states that “It was never God’s design for His people to be untried.” The book of James tells me “Consider it pure joy when you experience trials of many kinds,” James continues with,” the testing of your faith develops perseverance, perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 (NIV)

Yes, God does test his children; he tests them for their own good. If we weren’t tested we would not gain any spiritual insights into our world and we would never know God for who He is. We would never know to rely on Him in times of stress, especially from the world. I would have caved in this past Thursday if I had not known that God would listen and take care of a situation and He has. Thank you Lord!

Two Sides (Evening)

“She called his name Ben-Oni [son of sorrow], but his father called him Benjamin [son of my right hand.] Genesis35:18 (NKJV)

We know there are two sides to “all earthly things.” There are two sides to coins, literally and figuratively, there are two sides of fabric. The embroidery work I have done has a ‘nice’ side-the front of the piece—and a ‘not so nice’ side; the back of the piece.

When an event happens, we have the responsibility to decide whether it’s a good or a bad thing. The outcome has the decisive factor. This weekend I made a discovery that has me trying to decide if a decision made late last spring was a good decision or a bad one. All I have seen is not-so-good outcome for my worship family. Lord, are You listening? Are You in this? Are we listening to You? What do you have for us?

UPDATE: I journaled these entries sixteen years ago. From the standpoint of the writing craft, they are raw. I broke a lot of the writing rules back then but I wasn’t aware of them.

I can’t remember the situation or the decision I refer to. All I can say is God had to be in them.    

Looking back tells me a couple of things.

1)      How much I have grown in the craft of writing.

2)      How much I have grown in the Lord.

As of this writing,(6/30) I plan to ride on our church's float in the Indepencence Parade on the evening of July 3, 2014. I didn't get to ride in the parade after all. I had to see my doctor and she thought it would not be a good idea.

Linked to :enthusiasticallydawn.

Book Review: Women For All Seasons By Angela Joseph

 

Angela John writes an informative collection of stories about twelve women found in the Bible. For each woman, she tells a Biblically based story; gives insight, reflections, and scriptures for the reader to probe.

In the Introduction, she tells us this is a compilation of stories about women who are in different seasons of life, seasons that women all face. She selected 12 women to make more real to us. Each of these women faced trials in their daily life. She chose seven women from the Old Testament and five from the New Testament for her readers to meet. The stories Ms. Joseph has put together are unique.

One outstanding feature of this book is, at the end of each woman’s story, she gives insight into the woman and asks us to reflect on the woman’s life and actions and compare those attributes to ourselves.

I would recommend this book to women who strive to grow in the Lord, to women who mentor new Christian women and to those who work in reentry ministries for women.

The author sent me a PDF version of this book. All she asked me to do was read it and give an impartial, honest review.

Interview: Author Angela Joseph

,

Hello;

Today we will have a chance to get to know Angela Joseph. On Wednesday, we will find out about her book, A Woman for All Seasons. Shall we get started?

Please tell us about yourself.

I am a lover of Jesus Christ with a passion for spreading the gospel through the written word. I currently live in South Florida, and next to writing and reading, I enjoy photography, travel and spending time with my grandchildren.

1.)               

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing for longer than I can remember, but began writing seriously twelve years ago.

In what genre do you write?

In addition to non-fiction, I write in the women’s fiction genre.

Do you have a ‘day’ job?

I am employed as an occupational therapist in behavioral health.

What have you written before this?

I’ve also written a series of three novels, the Egypt series, which are not yet published, in the Christian women fiction genre. I have contributed to A Cup of Comfort for Mothers, and recently to Chicken Soup. I have also written several freelance articles on health, fitness and education. A few years ago, I won an honorable mention in a Writer’s Digest contest.

Do you write a blog? Please give us the address.

My blogs can be viewed at http://quildonwrites.blogspot.com and http://angelasfreelancewriting.com

 Tell us about your family.

I am a wife and mother to one daughter and three sons and grandmother of five.

It’s been nice getting to know more about you, Angela. Thanks for stopping by. 

Being Blessed

‘” The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD

make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

God blesses those who love Him and obey Him. He brightens our days by letting us know we are His. The LORD comes to our assistance when someone prays for us. Each of us has experienced times when we felt the prayers of our Christian brothers and sisters.

We have times where we actually see God working in our lives, a result of God’s actions- we call these times God moments. We have a need; something happens and we feel His presence or we receive favor from Him.

When we receive a blessing from our Father, we should give thanks. We then get to give testimony of the blessing we received when we go to worship with our faith community. There was a time in my life I didn’t feel close to God. The church where I worshipped had a time of testimony at each service. At one service, I started writing down the names of those who gave praises and testimonies. I realized God was at work even though I couldn’t see it.

I enjoy writing down the gifts God has given me. This is an almost daily exercise. When I happen to have a bad day, I go through my list and thank Him again for what he has done for me on an earlier day.

As I worked on this entry, I had to make some phone calls for my hubby. Doing this kind of activity always unnerves me. I had to call a store that sells home improvement items and other merchandise. The first call netted me talking to four different departments. I had to hang up and call again. I talked to the woman in the department I couldn’t reach on the first call. Then I had to call the manufacturer. The number we gleaned from the paper work of the item we had purchased gave me a busy signal several times. I went to the website and found I had been given a number minus one digit. I called that number to make contact to find out the price of the item we needed to replace. Then we found out they only take credit cards, no checks or money orders. I received a blessing in all of this. I did not get upset or lose my cool. I am calm and composed That makes me feel blessed.

Calvery 's the Reason Why

Graphic: Pinterest- Sunshine Taylor

A Blessing

‘” The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD

make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’

Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

I remember back in high school the Choral Club ended each performance with a musical arrangement of this passage of scripture. I was not a member of this group or any chorus but I enjoyed hearing those groups perform. I had forgotten how special the passage was.

This passage, a part of my devotions one recent morning, touched me as I read it. I felt led to call four of my church sisters and one of my church brothers and share the message. One prepares for Vacation Bible School to be held this upcoming week. The second lady had confided in me her feelings about a situation that keeps letting us know of its presence. One of my friends grieves her sister’s passing into heaven.

Several of us believe we stand at the brink of something very good for our building of God’s kingdom. 

God looks down on His people and gives approval to those who work for Him. He is kind to those who read His Word and obey Him. This blessing comes in five parts, which God would:

1.)    Favor and protect.

2.) be pleased with.

3.) be merciful and compassionate.

4.) give His approval.

 5.) give peace. ¹

God brought joy to at least six people through this passage on a summer’s Saturday in central             Indiana. I wonder how many other people God blessed with these words that morning.

 In our 21th Century world, God’s children seek His favor and desire His protection. They seek His peace. When they interact with others, they strive to show mercy and compassion.

Dear Lord God: Thank You for Your love for Your children. Please show us how to spread Your blessing to those who hurt, who search for You, who want to know You better. I ask this be done out of Your grace for Your children. We will give You the glory. In the name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN

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1. The Life Application Bible, New International Version © 1991 Tyndale House Publishers
Inc., Wheaton, IL page 224

Who Am I?

Graphic:clearlyistamp.typepad.com