Archive | May 2014

Leaning On The Everlasting Arms

May21

“The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’ — Deuteronomy 33:27
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever. — Psalm 136:12
Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. — Isaiah 40:11

As I traveled cross country with my elderly mother who has just become a widow, has memory issues that incapacitate her at times, and really doesn’t like change, I was so grateful I had the everlasting arms of my Father underneath me. Right before I left I was keenly aware that I was a women traveling with another women alone across the country. You know, I never was alone with my Mom. We had Jesus all the way.

We sang praises in the car to His glorious name. Mom read scripture while I drove. The prayers of many saints were lifted up on our behalf and the trip was without incident. Over 2000 miles covering 8 States and not one mishap. Beautiful weather the whole way. Highways were clear of traffic, only slowing down for construction zones which is understandable because summer is the time for road repair. God expressing Himself in His creation. It was a blessed time and one I will cherish having spent it with my Mom.

I thank God for His enduring love, His carrying me at times when I needed it on this trip and being a place for me to dwell in peace knowing that He was in control and with us all the way. His mighty outstretched hand watched over us and protected us even when we didn’t know He was. God is so faithful. I’m so glad I’ve learned to trust Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

What Is Your Altar?

May19

stone-altar   

The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” — Joshua 22:34

What is our witness today that the Lord is God? Altars were built to God many times in the Old Testament — by Abraham, Joshua, Jacob — and for many different reasons and purposes. In this particular scripture the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad built an altar as a witness that the Lord is God.

Visiting Mt. Rushmore brought first to mind idols. Then I heard and read the speech by President Coolidge and realized that this monument is an altar of sorts to remind us of our country’s history, the sacrifices made, the people who worked to make America the land of the free. The monument is not to be worshipped but to be used to remember what America was, is and can become. A remembrance of hope.

It really got me thinking about what altars are in my life that remind me that the Lord is God. As I see the deterioration of mankind, falling away from the beliefs of God, from truly seeking the Lord who is God, I wonder if we should build some altars as a witness that the Lord is God. An altar of witness of the work of God in me —  from who I was to whom I have become to whom God is molding me to be. The hope that is found in Him. What is your altar of witness?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Poor WiFi

May18

Like this verse so I’m posting it alone due to poor WiFi connection where I’m at. Hopefully better tomorrow. Be blessed.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! Romans 11:33

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Update: I sure am grateful and glad I don’t need WiFi to communicate with Jesus!!!!

Breathtaking Majesty

May17

“For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.– Isaiah 55:12

O the majesty of God seen in creation. Driving through the Rocky Mountains simply takes my breath away. The magnificent mountains looming up into the sky. Some mountains were covered so thickly with trees that so many shades of green intermingled to make a masterpiece. The branches of all those trees seemed to be reaching arms of praise to God for making them so beautiful.

This verse in Isaiah has new meaning to me now as I can understand the trees clapping their hands to its Creator. The creation expressing delight in their Creator. Did I mention the joy that filled my heart and the wonderful peace that comes when experiencing God’s phenomenal creation? I wondered if heaven would be as breathtaking.

And then there were the waterfalls . . .

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

How Can I Say Thank You?

May16

How can I say thank you to the One who loves me so?
Who chastens me when I’ve done wrong to make me purely whole
Who strengths me when I am weak to show His glory true
And draws me to His loving arms to hold me when I’m blue

How can I say thank you to the One who loves me so?
Live each day of life for Him and pray for every soul
Touch a life for Jesus and I never will regret
I’ve shown the Lord my thankfulness by how my life is spent

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Go!?

May15

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; — Genesis 12:1
So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. — Genesis 12:4

Have you been sent by the Lord to an unknown place with nothing more than the instruction to “go”?  First I see here that I would need to hear what the Lord said. That will take my being attentive to the relationship with Jesus. I need to be consistent in my intent to know Him better. With this I will be more apt to hear Him when He instructs.

Next I see that I would need to do something with the instructions I’ve been given. Obedience is the next step when hearing the Word of the Lord. Abram was instructed to leave country, relatives, even His father’s house to go to a land that God would show Him. God did not tell Him to go to such and such a place but said that I will show you. Abram was also well along in life. I am sure he was well established and comfortable in his surroundings and life. When we are set in our ways it is even harder to hear and obey when God says to go but we can when we are surrendered to this wonderful faith in Jesus Christ, totally trusting in God.

The biggest step is the one when we say yes I will go by faith and faith alone.  It takes great faith to step out into the unknown with no clear path but to totally lean on Jesus, trust Him completely. When God says, “Go”, will you step out in faith, into the unknown in obedience to the Lord? The first step is faith, the rest is calm assurance on a journey beyond our wildest comprehension. God is good.

Thank you Lord for the challenges in our lives that bring us to a closer walk and faith in You.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Jesus

May14

Joy
Eternal
Savior
Universally
Sovereign

Joy Eternal
Eternal Savior
Savior Universally
Universally Sovereign
Sovereign Joy!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Acceptable and Approved

May13

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. — Philippians 4:8

What is it that you dwell on? That on which you dwell becomes who you are — in character, association — in life. Jesus is the truth, honorable, righteous, pure, lovely and has a good reputation. If there is any excellence, O Jesus is excellent, and anything worthy of praise — let us dwell on this.

Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; — John 14:6a
“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. — Daniel 4:34
“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. — Deuteronomy 32:4
And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. — 1 John 3:3
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely. — Psalm 135:5

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. — Psalm 100:4
For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. — Romans 14:18

What a difference our lives make, even to others, when we dwell on things like the attributes of God Himself! Keep seeking.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Salvation, Then What?

May12

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:41-42

Hallelujah for every soul who is saved. That is reason for celebration! But is there more to this salvation thing? For many years it seems salvation was the focus — get people saved. Many who made decisions to accept Jesus as Savior, repenting of sin, were left there.

There is more to salvation. So much more — wonderful, fulfilling, exciting, challenging, adventurous, faith growing, surrender, dependence — a relationship with the Savior. This takes continual devotion to the teachings of Christ. Being mentored by a mature Christian. Fellowship of the saints is necessary because iron sharpens iron, gleaning fruit from the mature tree, receiving encouragement in the faith and learning from others.

Gathering of the saints to break bread together and pray is a time of drawing closer to God, one another and learning how to do that.

This devotion is for the new babe in Christ to encourage them to be in the Word — joining a Bible Study group — to gather with the saints and learn — gather fruit — from them. Learn to pray by watching and learning from godly people. Step out in faith so your faith will grow.

This devotion is also for the seasoned person in Christ to encourage you to take someone under your wing by inviting them to join you in Bible Study, pray with them, and allow them to gather the fruit of your walk with Jesus.

We must not settle for just salvation when there is so much more!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. John 4:36

Mother’s Day

May11

“Behold, everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ — Ezekiel 16:44

I’ve been living with my Mom for almost 21 months now, since my Dad’s illness. Over that period of time I have noticed — more than I did before I started living with her — how we often are thinking the same thing. I kid her saying it scares me when she says something and it is just what I was thinking. That happened just last evening. We both had a good laugh about it. Then I found this verse right after that. Coincidence? I think not.

I am now — as opposed to my much younger years — honored to be like my Mother. She is a strong woman who raised four children, many times on her own because Dad was off serving our country. She taught me service and how to love a husband and raise children. She taught me to respect elders, those of different cultures, society status, well basically everyone. She taught me manners, how to sew and crochet and cook, although she is still a much better cook than I. But . . .

The greatest thing my Mom taught me was who Jesus Christ is. Passed down from her Mom to her and then to me. She made sure that her children were introduced to the Savior and she prayed for us and continues to pray for us.

From generation to generation. “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. — 2 Timothy 1:5

I continue the legacy with my children. I pray for them and continue to share Jesus even though they are on their own now. They know that Jesus is alive and well and living in their Mother. I hope they will always see Jesus in me. My gift to them this Mother’s Day and until Jesus comes.

May God bless your Mother’s Day!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon