There are only four days to Christmas! Yikes! Time to check my to-do list so all is ready. On Christmas, most of us probably cook different, dress different, act different, because we want Christmas to feel special. It is our Savior’s birthday!! We are so engaged and active! I wonder…can we adjust our thinking and behavior so that we act somewhat the same during the year? Not as busy, but heavily engaged in love for Jesus and family, the poor, homeless and lonely? Who says we can’t take lessons we put into practice this month, and use them all year? Think of the word, ‘present,’ as in offering something to someone. Not the actual gift, but the ACTION of giving something away… How do we present (give away) ourselves to God? As a worker!

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

Like the song goes, sort of…

On the fourth day before Christmas, the only thing I see…is Jesus wants His present to be me.

His presence is something He gives us always. Our present to Him is to always present ourselves, surrender to Him, be His “worker bee.” Can we also be counted on to present ourselves as a constant source of hope and help to others throughout the year? Be Jesus to them? Be their present?

I am not sure how much longer this crazy world will last, but let’s make every day count for God, by “presenting” ourselves.

Love and prayers to you all.

Just me, just His.

Today, God woke me up with an unhinged excitement for Him that I cannot explain. Half asleep, I hurried downstairs to my office with a sense of urgency. Yeah, that’s it. God is giving me a sense of urgency to praise Him to declare how great He is, to tell others what His joy feels like. Usually, I grab my Bible first and start reading, but today, He filled with with so much indescribable joy that I want to praise Him with it and For it! I feel His love as a Father to a child so strongly. Here is a simple prayer from my heart to God’s. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. May He fill Your hearts with joy You cannot contain, EVEN IF…No matter what, although trials exist, we can praise Him.

Thank You, Lord for another day to praise You! Waking up with You on my mind first thing each day is awesome and motivating!…thank You for getting through to me and showing me my selfishness and pride and how I was building little for Your Kingdom, but much for my own. If I do nothing else right in this life, guide me to surrender all I can to You, more than I have before. Time is limited and Your Son will come back for us. Help me to get this right, to bring people with me. It makes me so sad that I am just now truly getting the depth of what You expect from me and the confidence that You indeed can accomplish anything if I give my ALL to You. Even if I am scared. What if people think I am nuts? What if I mess up with Your plan? What if, what if, what if…Take my “what ifs” away; remove them and firm up my heart to proclaim, “Even if”

Even if I feel out of my comfort zone, even if the enemy attacks, even if I look obsessed with You, even if I grab that pride back, even if I am uncomfortable or scared about what You would have me do, even then… Chisel me every day so I look less like me and more like You, even if it hurts or is scary. I’ve never told You that before, You know, that You can make me suffer. I am giving You permission to use me however You want. You have placed a desire in me that I don’t understand but I cannot ignore. All I want for Christmas is You. What a precious gift You are to me! Here goes this nut for You…

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. (always ready to give Him credit)

My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. (I will brag on no one but God)

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. (This is a team effort with my siblings in Christ)

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (He answers and delivers always)

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (He gives me a shiny joy!)

This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. (God has compassion)

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (Angels are protectors too)

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.(Try God. He is good!)

Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. (Total respect to the Lord. He supplies every need.)

Psalm 34:1-9 NIV

Love and prayers to all my brothers and sisters in Christ,

Just a servant of the Lord,

Tina

Doesn’t that sound like an oxymoron? Do church and sinners have anything in common? They do. Several years ago, John and I visited a church. During a sermon on sin, the preacher belted out…”There are murderers in here!” What?! Where was he going with this? He followed with, “There are rapists and liars and thieves and adulterers in here.” I wondered if people would walk out! I soon learned that he was making an excellent point. WE ALL ARE SINNERS. It is true. We are in church. Sinners are in church. We all have sinned before.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:22-23 NIV

Praise the Lord! There were people in the room that gave their lives to Christ and were cleansed from their past sins. There were sins of hate, jealousy, attitude and idolatry as well as the BIG sins we think of. By the way, we may think we are a better Christian because our sin was “small.” I did for a time but God showed me how wrong I was! His grace washes away our sin, no matter the size. When we become His, our hearts probably look the same to Him. He has no favorites. He is not partial. Humility is believing that.

For God does not show favoritism. All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Roman 2:11-12 NIV

There are four very important truths in this verse:

1.All who break His laws are sinners.

2.All who sin against His law will be judged by His law. (Him)

3, Hearing His laws does not make us righteous.

4. Obeying God’s law makes us righteous.

This is the word of God. All I know is I want everyone to go to heaven, but not once does God guarantee that. Notice the italicized verbs. It shows the importance of our ACTIONS, versus just hearing or knowing the law. I am thankful God is strict about us obeying His laws! Why? Would you rather God loosely described what He expects so we are not quite clear on what pleases Him? I appreciate full disclosure where His expectations are concerned.

Dear God,

Thank you so much for Your Word! Because of Your Word we know what You expect from us. Penetrate our hearts and tell us if we have wicked ways we do not realize. Cleanse us of anything not pleasing to You. Give us a clean heart and renewed vision of what a heart cleansed by You should do for others. With the grace You give us, help us to give grace to others, realizing how much You love them. Thank You for the gift of Jesus in our hearts. The perfect inside the imperfect! It makes no sense , and it makes all the sense in the world. Everything about Your plan is perfect. We love You so much! Amen

GROWwork:

Who is the hardest person in your family or circle of friends to love? Have they hurt you or alienated you? Have you done so to them? Those that hurt us may be hurting worse than we are. Reach out to one person who you normally aren’t drawn to. Make a connection that may eventually point them to Jesus. Show them the grace of His love. I already have someone in mind. It may not be easy but it is the right thing to do, to share the grace we have been given.

Love and prayers to all of you,

Tina

Do you have a dream, something you have always wanted to do? Are you going after it? Sometimes we have to put a dream on hold because we have trials that require all of our time and effort. But sometimes…we get the chance of a lifetime to pursue our dreams. My great friend’s daughter got that chance.

She is living her dream of going to cooking school. Everything about the learning and cooking and practicing and sharing her journey brings her joy. It is exciting when you see someone so full of joy and passion to accomplish something! I am so happy for her! As I was reading her posts on Facebook, I found I was smiling because of her joy. She was overflowing with joy and gratitude and it overflowed to me. This verse relates:

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV

This verse is so encouraging! Even when we are folding laundry or slaving away at a job there is joy. Even when our world is scary, people are arguing, and the future is uncertain, we can have joy. This verse doesn’t promise we will get all the things we want, like a new car or a raise. It means that when we delight in the Lord, He will give us our heart’s desire for eternal things, things that only He can give. Setting our sights on God, chasing His dream for us, brings peace and fulfillment. This verse explains it well:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

Dear Father,

Thank you for the joy You give. You have a dream for my life that I may not see, but I trust You and will delight in You. Thank Whatever Your plan is for my life, I will have joy just because it comes from You. Thank You for all the peace that comes from living for You. If I have any gifts or talents that can be used by You, I want You to take them and live Your dream for me, through me. Whether cooking or singing or preaching or sewing, show me how I can use it to draw more people to you. I love You so much! Amen

GROWwork: Consider what you have always wanted to do. Maybe as a child, you loved to draw, play an instrument, sing or build things. I believe God gives us the desire and talent to do something we enjoy, at any age! When the thing you enjoy can be used in church or in service to others or to inspire others to have joy in a sometimes negative world, then go for it! It is never too late to use your gifts for Him. Remember…You are special. God made You for His purposes. He has a dream for you.

***Thank you, Jenee Turner for letting me share your story!

Love and prayers to all!

Tina

I woke up this morning with a phrase in my head. “Isn’t that just like Jesus?” It is still in my head. Perhaps I had been thinking about writing my devo this morning and that phrase came to mind. Also, the idea that we are to be pursuing, seeking, chasing Jesus. What does it all mean? I am not sure, but I do know we are meant to explore it today. So, let’s look at what the Word of God says about pursuing Jesus:

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Can you imagine going up to a king and asking for some grace or mercy? This verse takes my mind to the Wizard of Oz movie where the “man behind the curtain” doles out what Dorothy, the scarecrow and the cowardly lion need. They approach the curtain with fear and trembling, but they go because that know that the “great and wonderful Oz” can solve their problems. How do they know? They were told by others.

Isn’t that just like Jesus? Wow. Thank you Lord, for this thought this morning! You are so faithful! We are told by others in the Bible, inspired by God, that we can approach Jesus, the great and wonderful Savior! He will give us what we need. Like the imaginary Oz, maybe not exactly what we asked for, but what we need. When we seek Jesus, we will always find Him. In seeking, we sometimes have to chase Him so the world cannot influence us, I think. (that’s a whole other thought, maybe for tomorrow, or as God leads) Aren’t you glad the person we seek knows understands us because He was human like us? We can be confident when we approach Jesus! Taken from the same chapter, Hebrews 4: 13-15(NIV) says:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4: 14-15(NIV)

It’s like playing hide-n-seek but Jesus and God are not hidden. Spiritually, we know where they are and they know where we are. One more thing popped into my head just now about finding Jesus; it is the story of the blind man who had full confidence in Jesus.

The story from Luke 18:35-42 goes like this…Jesus was on His way to Jericho. A blind beggar heard some commotion and asked the people around him what was going on. When they told him that Jesus was passing by, he shouted “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people told him to be silent, so what did he do? He yelled even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” He couldn’t see exactly where Jesus was, but he had full confidence, by calling him the Son of David, that He was the Savior.

In verse 42, this happens! “Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith has healed you.”

That beggar may have been blind physically, but not spiritually. He knew in His heart that Jesus was the answer to his problem. That makes him wiser than those who seek answers in the world. The world will tell us to quiet down and act a certain way, but I think we need to chase, beg and pursue Him as if our lives depended on it, which they do.

Dear Jesus,

It is just like You to be there for us, to hear our plea and give us what we need. Let it be “just like us” to chase, pursue and implore You for our needs, because we have full confidence that You can do it. Give us better spiritual eyes to see what You can do and what the world will try and do to stop us from drawing Your attention. Remind us to go to Your teachings and God’s Word for answers before going to popular advice. You know us better than we know ourselves. We love You! Amen

GROWwork: Go to Jesus with your impossible situation, believing that He can and will give you what you need to get through your trial. Ask Him in full confidence, because You know He can.

Love and prayers to all,

Tina

God has a special plan to use you and me. He wrote a script designed just for us. Zacharias was used of God in the beginning of the Christmas Story, to to lay the groundwork for God’s story to save the world. The Angel Gabriel told him he would have a son, although his wife was old and childless to date. Zacharias was not totally on board at first. What kept him from instantly rejoicing that his wife would have a baby ? He doubted, out of fear and shock. What would we do in his situation? Like Zacharias, do we doubt God’s plan or His goodness?

God chose Zacharias, but also John, to participate in the story of Jesus. The angel Gabriel brought God’s message to Zacharias about his son, John, who was to come:

“ Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:13-17 NIV

Now, that’s a pretty specific and grand plan! Because Zacharias doubted God’s message, Gabriel made Him mute so he could not tell anyone about the plan which would be fulfilled at God’s right time. What if God did that to us? What if He made us mute until His next step of the plan was accomplished? Is that what it would take to get our attention and our belief?

People outside the temple wondered why Zacharias took so long and knew, as soon as He came out, that He had seen a vision. I think this was God working also. He uses people to show other people His mighty works. He used Zacharias and was preparing to use John. According to God’s message through Gabriel, John would be filled with the Holy Spirit, BEFORE HE WAS BORN! With God in Him, He would bring back people to God.

The Casting call, if God had one for the part of John, would seek those who want to be used of God for a higher purpose than just living for themselves. John will be used to live for God and draw people to Him. What a glory and an honor! But you know…we can do that too. All we have to do is ask Jesus to come into our hearts and we receive the Holy Spirit who will guide us every step of the way!

Know this: We are all chosen to play a part in the Kingdom! He is writing all of our stories. He is the main character, director, producer and employer. He runs the lighting too and makes us shine for Him. All we have to do is come and say,

“Dear Lord, direct me to be the best version of You in me, for Your story and glory. Help me to produce the message You want. Use me. Teach me. Just as I am, I come ready and willing to be cast. I love You.” Amen.

GROWwork: Consider the characters of Zacharias and John as described in Luke chapter one. Are you a Zacharias? Do you doubt God’s plan? Are you, like John, not born yet into God’s plan, but willing to be? Is anything holding you back from taking the part? Are we writing our own story? If we can get self out of the way a bit, we can be used on His stage!

Love and prayers to all of you. Have a great day in the Lord!

Tina

If God were writing a play and He was going to cast us in a role, what would that look like? That question haunted me for a couple years. I knew I wasn’t fulfilling what He called me to do and I had no clue what it was, honestly! I went to the Word for answers because I was fresh out of them. After trying too hard to do all the right things, so my situation would change, I realized we cannot earn the life we want from God by being good. All of God’s plans for us are HIS to bestow and ours to welcome. It as if He has written a play and we are the characters. It is our job, and extreme honor, to be the best Tina, Jennifer, Evan Phyllis, Lori or Zach He has called us to be.

And He has called us, all of us, to play a part in His kingdom. Because it is the Christmas Season, let’s consider the Christmas Story as told by Luke. God had a plan that included characters of all types in His plan to redeem mankind. If He had chosen us in that plan, what part would He have assigned to us? What character do we most relate to? This is for the purpose of realizing who God made us to be and if we are playing the part that He made for us. It is about answering His call to be used in His plan.

Are you like Zacharias? Luke describes him as a priest from the division of Abijah ( a division established by King David in 1 Chronicles, 24, as to when priests would take their turns to serve in the temple.) He is married to Elizabeth. They are both old and righteous, but childless. In verse 35 of the first chapter of Luke, the Angel Gabriel came to Zacharias as he was by the altar and told him his wife would bear a son. Zacharias was “gripped with fear.”

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zacharias; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth. Luke 1:13-14 NIV

Now, he was not only afraid, but he was also doubtful. Zechariah questioned the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (Luke 1:18)

 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.  And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time. Luke 1: 19-20 NIV

Casting call: A righteous man who loves the Lord and has served God faithfully into his old age. A man who is married to a righteous woman, who has not received what she thought God would give her. This man will be addressed by an angel, a messenger of God, as to what his future looks like. He is a doubtful, questioning man at times, but He always obeys the Lord.

Do you see yourself in Zacharias? I do, a bit, but I have not served in the church my whole life. I have BEEN in church but not served as faithfully in the church as God would have me do, I admit it. As I just read this to my husband, John, my editor,lol, he told me this:

We can relate to Zacharias because we did not have the life we wanted from God. We both had difficult first marriages that left us drained. That’s not what we thought God would give us. God brought us together at age 50, for His purposes. We doubted God’s goodness for a second, but He gave us a fresh new start at our old age!

Tomorrow we will talk about another character! If you want a sneak peek, read Luke chapter one!

Love and prayers to all of you!

Tina

You know how you can ask favors from people you know really well, that you have done favors for before? In the book of Philemon, that’s what the apostle Paul does.

The story goes…A slave named Onesimus escaped his master in Colossae and travelled to Rome. (That’s about a thousand miles!) Anyway, Onesimus ended up in a huge city and as God would have it, he met Paul, who led him to the Lord. Onesimus’ heart was changed immediately! Onesimus became a great help and encouragement to Paul and he began to love him like a son. However much Paul wanted to keep Onesimus with him, he wrote to Philemon, Onesimus’ master, to take him back.

Why would he do that? Because he could not keep something that was Philemon’s to use. Although he loved Onesimus like a son, describing Onesimus as “my very heart” (Philemon 1:12), he wants Onesimus to return to his master and he requests that Philemon take Onesimus back, even offering to repay anything that Onesimus owes to Philemon. Paul encourages him to do this favor because of the love of Christ between them, not because he could order him to. He writes to Philemon:

“But without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.” Philemon 1:14 NIV

So, Paul not only asked Philemon a favor; he asked for a favor that would send his “son” away, whose help and company he needed and loved. With good friends, we can ask them anything. Even so, Paul did not want to impose his will on Philemon. Rather he tried to convince him to do the right thing. He asks Philemon to take Onesimus back, not as a slave, but

“better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.” Philemon 1:16 NIV

Does anyone reading this see what I see? I wonder if it crossed Paul’s mind that he was, in a small but similar way, copying what God and Jesus did for us. Like God, he is sending his “son” away for the good of someone else. Like Jesus, he is willing to pay what Onesimus owes. Like God, he is giving up something He loves for the greater good. Like Jesus, he does not focus on Onesimus’ sin, but sees him as a new man in Christ, useful for the kingdom! Just wow…

Jesus,

You knew before I read this book of Philemon, that I would learn a lot and be excited by it! What a story! Once again, Paul sets the example for us, having learned from You. Please keep blessing this time in the Word with You and my brothers and sister in Christ. We want to serve You better, as slaves to a wonderful Master. Thank You for paying what we owed and forgetting our past sins. We love You so much!

GROWwork:

Consider how God gave His Son for our good and how Paul gave someone he loved back to his master. Not that we can ever repay God, but as servants honoring a Master, what can we sacrifice today for someone else’s good? Make a point of giving something you like and can use, to someone who needs it more. With no glory, let’s do it for God:) Time, money, food, books or furniture come to mind.

Love and prayers to all of you!

Tina

On the table above this sentence are three foods: apples, hot tea and the Bible, food for both physical and spiritual health and growth. The Lord says:

Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. Isaiah 55:2

And…

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” John 6: 32-33

My Momma used to say, “No Bible, no breakfast.” I only learned that when I read her journal after she passed away, so it is special to me. But… I am one of those people who need to eat first so I am clear-headed enough to read. I still love that saying because Momma’s four words prioritize how vital God’s Word is to our spiritual growth.

There is a direct correlation between the two. The more you feed on God’s Word, the more likely you are to grow spiritually. Noone can say…”I accidentally became a very strong Christian!” We have to, on purpose seek and learn the Bible, be hungry for it,just as we would seek any goal we strongly desire.

Jesus helps us with all of it. We just put our heart into it and He makes us what we are. That reminds me of another quote that both humbled me and excited me when I thought about it…”I am only what God makes me.” He cannot make me anything I don’t ask for. It’s on me, us, to purposefully seek all that He has for us. He is faithful to be found every single time:)

Dear Jesus:

Thank You for being the best teacher ever and saying things in a way that our hearts and minds can understand. We want Your spiritual food so that we can grow into whatever You have planned for us. Please bless us with physical and spiritual health during this time of Covid-19 and always with Your presence and wisdom. We love You so much! Amen

Love and many prayers to all of you!

Tina

On the table above this sentence are three foods: apples, hot tea and the Bible, food for both physical and spiritual health and growth. The Lord says:

Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. Isaiah 55:2

And…

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” John 6: 32-33

My Momma used to say, “No Bible, no breakfast.” I only learned that when I read her journal after she passed away, so it is special to me. But… I am one of those people who need to eat first so I am clear-headed enough to read. I still love that saying because Momma’s four words prioritize how vital God’s Word is to our spiritual growth.

There is a direct correlation between the two. The more you feed on God’s Word, the more likely you are to grow spiritually. Noone can say…”I accidentally became a very strong Christian!” We have to, on purpose seek and learn the Bible, be hungry for it,just as we would seek any goal we strongly desire.

Jesus helps us with all of it. We just put our heart into it and He makes us what we are. That reminds me of another quote that both humbled me and excited me when I thought about it…”I am only what God makes me.” He cannot make me anything I don’t ask for. It’s on me, us, to purposefully seek all that He has for us. He is faithful to be found every single time:)

Dear Jesus:

Thank You for being the best teacher ever and saying things in a way that our hearts and minds can understand. We want Your spiritual food so that we can grow into whatever You have planned for us. Please bless us with physical and spiritual health during this time of Covid-19 and always with Your presence and wisdom. We love You so much! Amen

Love and many prayers to all of you!

Tina