Treasure the Important Things But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19, ESV) When you treasure something, you don’t throw it around, toss it to the side, entrust it to everyone, treat it as unimportant, no, you put it in a special place. If […]
Come Close. Pray. Come close to God, and he will come close to you. (James 4:8, God’s WORD) How important is prayer as a part of your daily life and relationship with God? Do you look forward to praying to God daily or often; even make time to pray? There […]
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:44, ESV) Sometimes we miss read this portion of the story where Jesus raised Lazarus from […]
A Prayer to Know God Made and Purposed You for This Time and Age And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14, ESV) God you put Esther into this world at the time You purposed and knew it was […]
Heart Matters I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed—all she had to live on. (Mark 12:43-44, HCSB) We are […]
Encourage Yourself in the Lord Further, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all of them were embittered, each man for his sons and daughters. But David felt strengthened and encouraged in the LORD his God. (I Samuel 30:6) The people were threatening to stone […]
God Will Stick by Your side It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” – Deuteronomy 31:6-8 No more assuring promise could Moses have shared with Joshua. He was putting the […]
No Shame in Waiting O my God in you I trust; let me not be put to shame…Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame. (Psalm 25:3) In some ways we never grow up, we are just like children: impatient. We want what we want when we […]
Knowing the Truth is Freeing If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (I John 1:8, ESV) Have you been vulnerable and truthful enough with yourself to admit you are a sinful person? Sinful from the day you were born? That […]
A Prayer to Remember the Presence of God at Christmas and Beyond The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses…everything will be fine for you. (Exodus 33:14, NLT) Lord God, Moses wanted to know who would be with them when they departed Egypt and began their journey, continuing […]
Not About Anything! Do not worry about anything but pray and ask God for everything you need. (Philippians 4:6, CEV) For some, this will be more like “Tis the season to be worried, instead of jolly!” What causes you the most anxiety? What troubles you most? Your health? The cost […]
Thankfulness verses Gratitude One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (Luke 17:15-16, NIV) When we read the Bible we see many references to the words and subjects of gratitude and thanksgiving. […]
Forgiveness x3 You, Lord, are forgiving and good. (Psalm 86:5, NIV) Christ demonstrates his unconditional forgiveness of us in this way: he forgives, forgets, and removes our sin from us. He does not merely declare forgiveness through words of absolution as we often read in the Bible or hear in […]
The Blessings of Studying Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved. (2 Timothy 2:15, Amp. Bible) I’m not a gadget lover and usually balk whenever my husband wants to purchase one, but occasionally he gets one that does not go into the gadget graveyard, but actually […]
What God Alone Can Give Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life’s circumstances]. (2 Thessalonians 3:16, Amplified Bible) “God will give you peace […]
A Prayer for When You Need to Make Decisions Without good advice everything goes wrong—it takes careful planning for things to go right. (Proverbs 15:22, CEV) I have a plan, Lord. I have some thoughts about (name them) and I need to make some decisions in order to move forward […]
The Company We Keep As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (Proverbs 27:17, NLT) If you’ve raised or are raising children, then you probably have had conversations with them about their friendships or the how the company they keep can influence them for good or bad. When […]
Avoid Passive-Aggressive Behavior What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today I the vineyard.’ ‘I will not’, he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. ‘then the father went to the other […]
Practicality Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you will do? Won’t you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it? (Luke 14:28, CEV) Some people are very practical by nature. […]
You are a natural (re)born giver! “More blessings come from giving than from receiving.” (Acts 20:35, CEV) A conversation with one of my grandsons recently brought a smile to my face and warmed my heart. As we talked about Christmas, I asked him if he was getting ready. He assured […]
Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor! And he will be called Wonderful Counselor. (Isaiah 9:6, ESV) It’s been said you don’t have to be having problems or experiencing mental distress or emotional imbalance to seek or receive professional counseling. Every person, young, old, male, female, from every and all walks of […]
A Prayer for a Fresh Perspective Joy will come in the morning light. (Psalm 30:5, ESV) Lord, I’ve noticed how a good night’s sleep can make all the difference when it comes to the way we view our problems or challenges. In the heat of the moment, in the deep […]
From His Throne In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1) What an awesome peek at God and into heaven God gave the prophet on that day! This […]
Well Done Good and Faithful Servant! His master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, NLT) Childhood memories include those of many family members who served in the armed forces. Surprise visits from uncles and cousins who were home on leave, showing up at […]
Doing Well! Be wise and mature in your thoughts and in your choices (I Corinthians 14:20, NIV) Three things determine how well we do in this life: Genetics, Environment and Choices. The first one, genetics can’t be changed. God knits us together in our mother’s womb and we inherit things […]
Overflowing from Your Heart A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. (Matthew 12:35, NLT) A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart and an evil […]
God Loves You As I have loved you. (John 15:13, ESV) At times we might feel as though we need to earn someone’s love through things or behavior. That the love we receive or enjoy from them is based upon the way we perform: if we do the right things […]
A Prayer for the Anxious Mind These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. (Psalm 104:27,28, ESV) Make us increasingly aware Father; that you […]
Jesus is the Balm of Gilead Is there no Balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Jeremiah 8:22 A physician or person in the medical profession may take an oath to “do not harm.” Meaning […]
Making Plans We can make our plans but the LORD determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9, NLT) Some of our children have had the experience of building their home. Awesome experience and outcome! Even after they located the land, they wanted to build on they could not just start the process […]
Discipline For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self- discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7, NIV) Discipline has more than one meaning. It is more than correcting from wrongdoing, it can also mean to undergo training of the mind or body […]
Deliver Us from Evil …but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:13, ESV) The magnitude of this prayer petition from our Lord’s guide to praying can only be thoroughly embraced when we truly comprehend that evil is not only a “thing, presence or force to be resisted or counteracted,” but evil […]
God is Certainly for You! What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? (Romans 8:31, NLT) Have you ever noticed how the Bible never tries to tell us or define “what” God is? Other than saying […]
A Prayer Asking God to Bless Our Medication So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him, and his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed. (2 Kings 5:14, NLT) […]
Happiness that Goes Deep Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. (Ecclesiastes 9:7, NKJV) When someone is in a jovial mood or described as jovial, it means they are good-humored, cheerful, jolly. A person who is […]
For Jesus, Remote is In-Person From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind. (Psalm 33:13, NIV) We are learning and can do so many things remotely now days: hold meetings, work from home, conduct medical appointments, receive, and give counsel, check up on friends and family, learn and […]
Home Sweet Home It is truly wonderful when the people of God live together in peace. (Psalm 133:1, CEV) Have you noticed how many of Solomon’s proverbs speak to the state of the home and relationship? Sometimes he says it’s better to sit all alone on a rooftop than it […]
Learning from the Best and learn from me. (Matthew 11:29, CSB) Can you (still) remember teachers you had in school who were just awesome at what they did? Those, you really excelled and grew under? Those who were good at their craft and just seemed to open up the world […]
Give Me a Clean Heart Create in me a clean heart, O God. (Psalm 51:10, ESV) David asked God to create in him a clean heart because David recognized he had a weakness for women. Not all women but attractive, good-looking, especially beautiful women. These are the ones that made […]
Such Great Forgiveness I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. but a person who is forgiven little shows only little love. (Luke 7:47, NLT) When we learn of or hear of something that is considered to be “egregious” we understand […]
A Place to Go when we’re Weary If, you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me…This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light. (Matthew […]
Let Jesus Wash your Feet He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless […]
God Will open Heaven’s Storehouse for You The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand. (Deuteronomy 28:12, NIV) I’m learning how beneficial it is to research a plant and […]
Learning True Dedication Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5, ESV If you have participated in one of the reading plans that take you through the Bible over one year, two or three years, then you may have noticed something: God’s commitment to humanity can […]
Stay Away from Toxic! I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in […]
You Are Healed! Many followed him and he healed them all. (Matthew 12:15, NIV) If you are not feeling well, experiencing health issues, have been diagnosed with a sickness or disease, have suffered with pain longer than you can remember, have a cabinet lined with prescription or over-the-counter meds, then […]
When We Uncover our Sin, God Covers It! Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Whose sin is covered…I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I have not hidden. (Psalm 32:1, 5, NKJV) An amazing, miraculous event happens when we confess our sin to God. He forgives us. […]
You’re Not a Spiritual Pipsqueak! Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. (Ephesians 6:13, ESV) A Pipsqueak is someone who is not considered to have much power or strength. A lightweight. If you’ve read C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters”, […]
Friends in High Places I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15, NIV) Our daughter’s family were able to attend a […]
Jesus Comes to Live with You! Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust him. (Ephesians 3:17, NLT) Jesus often visited with his friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in Bethany, but he did not live with them. He lived with his disciples. They traveled everywhere together, […]
Daily Encouragement for the Soul 