Just Follow the Word

Just read a post from a new friend from Circle of Friends Ministry.  It was about thinning out.  If I knew how to put a link on this blog I would, but I don't.  It reminded me one more time of to do things WELL!  It was a great story!!    Since Monday morning, (which is only two days ago) I have had Matthew 25:40 on my heart.  It found me through a book called Capture His Heart.  The verse says, "I tell you the truth what you do for the least of these you do for me."  It isn't in the big things that I try to do, or that my heart desires to do.  It is what I do for those God has ALREADY placed in my life that matter.  The things that seem little are so BIG!  I think of a Mom of twin 1 year olds and a 3 year old too.  I clean for them and I get to  watch what she does for the least of these and it makes my heart glad when I leave that home.  Her tasks are little in most eyes but as I clean and interact with the family it is very apparent this house is a home where G

Good Morning! I was thinking about "love" this morning as I sat with my cup of coffee and my paper and waited on the Lord. Last weeks verse was about being able to love because Christ loved us first.  Do you find loving people we like is pretty easy and it is even kind of easy to love those we don't like.  We can be the first to love someone but the question I had for myself was... ...how come I can't be the first to forgive someone.   Forgiveness is a place I can get stuck! Loving seems easy compared to forgiveness.  I think they may go hand in hand. This weeks verse is from Colossians 3:13  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievenaces you may have aginst one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you It sounds so easy as you "read" it in your Bible!  It sounds so easy as you "think" about forgiveness.  Can it be easy if we stay in step with the spirit as we walk through our day?  Is forgiveness supposed to be hard for us so

I John 4:19 – We love because he first loved us. This verse was sent to me this weekend and once again my mind resonated on it, and brought me back to the verses we are learning for the last 7 weeks. Week 1 – God created all things and they were good! Week 2 – We learned of how Satan created doubt about Gods perfect plan Week 3 we learned how sin continues to crouch at our door and the need to master it Week 4 – The club we ALL belong to – Sinned and fallen short Week 5 – Gods grace reached down and we by faith are saved Week 6 – We have a need for repentance so God can refresh us Week 7 – We are to be the aroma of Christ.   To some it may be a sweet aroma and others the smell of death Week 8 – None of this can happen without the love of Christ.   We can not love people on our own.   The only way we can love is because we were first loved by Jesus.   I asked one of my children, “Why did God choose you to love?”   The reply was, “Because I am His child.”   I proceeded with, “

Hold on this could be a bit all over the place! So I am reading Acts 3: 11-26 this morning and the "YOUS" are jumping off the page at me.   Then I get to our memory verse from last week Acts 3:19 where it calls us to repentance so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord THEN my mind wanders to our Sunday morning message on Jonah where he calls out to God from the belly of the whale THEN I get back on track with the reading and come to verse 26  of Acts 3.  It is here where my mind goes back to the fact that God sent His servant to me and to you to bless us by turning each of us from our wicked ways.  I then go back and review the Jonah message and think of Gods pursuing Grace and my response and you know what... ...it still all comes back to GOD doing a work in me and you.  HE draws us, HE enables us...He pursues  How do we respond? By being the aroma of Christ? (II Cor 2:14) By stepping out in faith? By simply sitting at His feet as Mary? We can't b

Good Morning! It is a beautiful morning in West Michigan!  I got out for a walk early this morning and discovered alot of different smells in the country.  I am a HUGE smeller and as I walked I found myself finding the scent of flowers, wet fresh cut grass, damp dirt, laundry and simply just fresh morning air.  I love morning!!  Here are a few of the things that God brings to mind as I take in the quiet morning.  As I smell the fresh air I remember God's mercies are new every morning.  As I smell the laundry of the neighbor I remember Jesus washed me white as snow.  As I smell the fresh cut grass I remember God prunes and trims the stuff in my life that doesn't reflect His glory.  The one thing that always comes up for me with any fragrance whether it is a good smell or a "country" smell, is a verse that tells me I am a fragrance of Christ to those I meet each day!      2 Corinthians 2:14   But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s

I left Mondays post  asking myself this question, "Is it good to ask questions without giving the answers?"  I like to give questions rather than answers because I personally do not have all the answers.   The one thing you and I need to remember is... ...The Bible is where we find the answers to every question in our hearts today. I had to find the verse to answer the question, "How do we get faith?  Ephesians 2:8!!  It is a gift and we can ask for it!!  The questions that I left you and I with on Monday, all need answers.  Some of us know the answers in our head, some of us know the answers in our heart and still some of us are not sure what the answers are but we know where to find it.  Where do we go for our answers?  Phone a friend? These verses that we are memorizing together have been quite a challenge.  Maybe they would be easier if they were attached to one of those songs I listened to as a teenager.  Why do the pop songs stick in our heads faster than Go

This is our 6th memory verse already! Week 1 we talked of the beginning where God created everything and said it was very good.  We then took on Genesis 3:1 Where Satan asked Eve if God really said they couldn't eat from "any" tree from the garden. Week 3 brought us to Genesis 4:7 talking of sin crouching at our doors and it desires to have us but we need to master it.  This is the week we spoke of our need for a Savior because we can't master anything on our own.  Week 4 we traveled over to Romans 3:23 and learned we all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.  There is a club we ALL belong to! Week 5 We memorized Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. I sometimes get caught up on one thought when I write, and today I got stuck on Romans 3:23 and the fact that we all want to belong.  Whether we are in school wanting to belong or on the bleachers watching sports or at our jobs doing our jobs.    As I thought of

A Holiday happened this past Monday.  You probably are all realized that.  Everyday this week it has been hard to figure out what day it is.  Most everyday this week I also have had thoughts of, "I should have posted the memory verse on Monday for the week."  A holiday comes, a vacation happens or something else comes up and what is the first thing to go?  This is the thought that came across my mind quite often in the past week.  It wasn't a woe is me I am a bad person, it was more of a realization of my human nature and just how sinful I am left to myself.  "I" come first most every time.  Why are the most important things the first thing to be put aside?   Even look at time with your husband or time with your children.  What things keep us from the important things of life?  God, His Word and His people are the only thing that will last for eternity.  Are we spending time in things that will last? I am so glad God never puts us aside! Review the verse