Even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Psalm 139:12 ESV

I would say, “Happy” Memorial Day to you all, but it seems a bit of an oxymoron to me. What I mean is…today is a sad day in some ways, as we celebrate those who gave their lives for our country, for us. It is also a day to start acting like those soldiers did. We need to put others before ourselves. We need to risk things for a good cause. There is no better call to action than the one from Jesus…

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:12-14 NIV

Soldiers have answered the call to lay down their lives. They have GIVEN their lives, on purpose, for our freedom. How selfless are they!…Although it is hard for me to celebrate on a day of memoriam, but being able to celebrate our freedom is a gift that someone else bought for us. That does make it extra special. Thank you, soldiers, past and present!!

Let’s really enjoy what they gave to us and reach out to military families that are hurting today. It’s not about us today and according to the Bible, neither is any other day about us. When we realize that simple fact, we can truly begin to live the life God meant for us. As always, I am preaching to myself more than anyone else. We have one life. Let’s get this right…

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 ESV

See, it’s really not about us…promoting us, fame, money, success, our kids’ successes, our home, cars, vacations, jobs or even how many followers we have…it is about loving, helping, encouraging, supporting and thinking of others and their needs Sorry so preachy! I get that way, lol, when I need to hear what I am saying myself! Love you all!

Am I answering my commanding officer’s call to serve others more than myself? Would He promote me for my good work done to others? Would He not promote me because I promote myself enough already? Do any of you need to answer the call that Jesus has laid upon your heart …maybe take on a special mission that has nothing to do with your success but the needs of others? Just some food for thought and action. Sacrifice and suffering done on purpose for others…hmmm…that sounds like what Jesus did! Let us be His good soldiers:)

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 NIV

A beautiful video and rendition of Isaac Watts’ , I am a Soldier of the Cross. Here are the lyrics too:

1 Am I a soldier of the cross,
a foll’wer of the Lamb,
and shall I fear to own his cause,
or blush to speak his name?

2 Must I be carried to the skies
on flow’ry beds of ease,
while others fought to win the prize,
and sailed thro’ bloody seas?

3 Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
to help me on to God?

4 Since I must fight if I would reign:
increase my courage, Lord;
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
supported by thy Word.

5 Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
shall conquer, though they die;
they view the triumph from afar,
and seize it with their eye.

6 When that illustrious day shall rise,
and all thine armies shine
in robes of vict’ry through the skies,
the glory shall be thine.

This was a long post today, but it is so important that we obey Jesus’ greatest command to love others and serve Him:)

Have a wonderful day. If you have lost a soldier of your own, my heart goes out to you. You are loved and thought about and your soldier’s legacy is a lesson to us all. It is a reminder of the legacy to others we are meant to be living out day-to-day. Love and prayers to you all:)

In His love,

Christina

Be strong, and let your heart have courage,

all you who wait for the Lord! Psalm 31:24

Have a great day and know that the Lord is our Rescuer!

Christina

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV

Last night, my husband and I went to return an item to a Ross Store. It was almost 9pm and we weren’t sure they were still open, but as we pulled up, we saw there were several people in the store and the lights were on. We hurried into the store to do the return. The cashier told me, when I asked, that the store did not close until 11 pm. “What?” I responded. “Who stays open until 11?” He then blurted out, “You think that’s late. We are open ’til midnight on Friday and Saturday!” I had to laugh because we had rushed to get there on time. This morning, I am thinking about how available stores are and I realize…

You know who has the working hours of “now, always and forever?” God. We do not have to wonder if He is busy, closed for business or available. He is there to serve us and even take our unwanted returns. Lately, I had a bad attitude that I wanted to get rid of. I prayed and asked God to forgive me and He not only did that, He let me exchange it for a new attitude, one that fit me better.

His working hours are not determined by daylight, financial gain, or popular trends. His hours are determined by His love. He is available always, without judgement, whether we deserve another minute or hour of His time or not. He loves when we come to see Him.

God’s store of what we need, His strong and available arms, are always open. They never weary of wanting to hold us and guide us in the way He knows is best for us, His Way.

Isn’t God just so great to spark these little reminders of How available He is to us? I love Him so much and I hope you do too! Have a great day!

Christina

I Am Not Afraid Standing on the edge of darkness, Hoping soon to see the way. Standing still so I can hear Him, Words my Savior soon will say. Clouds above are tightly gathered, Lending nothing to my plight. Jesus whispers, “I am with you. Trust and let me be your guide.” Chorus: Now I’m not afraid, no not afraid. Though the path’s unknown He’s still on the throne, So I’m not alone. Praise God. I am never alone. I’m not afraid. He takes my hand. His wonders never cease. The mighty King has taken fear Replaced it with His peace. In His light, I now can see in the middle of my night. Fear no longer has a hold I’m bravely walking in His light.

The best way to prevent something from happening is to be prepared. When it comes to sinning, the key to prevention lies in knowing our enemy. We have all been tempted and all sinned before. And guess who tempted us into those sins? You got it…Satan, our enemy. The Bible says so. So what can preparation can we do to avoid being tempted? We can be aware of this truth about our enemy…

“It is not a matter of IF the enemy will tempt you, but WHEN he does.”

The Bible says,

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. James 1:13-14 NIV

Our knowledge of sin, the Bible, God’s law and our spiritual maturity to obey Him…these things do not prevent us being tempted. They do, however, lead us to lean on the Lord’s deliverance when being faced with it. We have our awesome God on our side and He will help us to overcome anything we face. It’s a good idea not to get too comfortable in our righteousness, such as it is. Anyone, at any time, can be tempted.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1Corinthians 10:12-13 NIV

I mean this to be a happy reminder that God thought of everything when He sent His Son to free us from sin. He knows we are human and can fail, but He makes a way out for us!

I hope you have a great day and I also hope you are encouraged by the fact that whatever today holds, God is with you!

Much love and prayers,

Christina

This photo appears almost too beautiful to be true, but maybe this is what God saw right after He spoke the heavens and seas and mountains and sun into existence. Maybe His creations are praising Him and that makes them shine! That could happen, right? The Bible says,

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 ESV

Have you ever looked around at church when people were singing about God? I have! It is a glorious thing to see! Let’s break into song because He has made us and He is glorious. Just like the picture, His beauty is worth staring at! If we gave Him the glory He deserved, we would never stop praising Him! Like the beautiful seas, we are His creations:)

The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95:5 ESV

I hope you all have a wonderful day in the Lord! Do some praising today! I bet you look beautiful to God when You do it! Much love and prayer to all.

Christina

I have people ask me for recipes. Do you? What if they asked you for a recipe for hope, because they were going through a struggle? I found David’s recipe for hope! Starting in verse 3, he gives away his recipe.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. Psalm 37:3-9 NIV

David has an obvious purpose in this passage, to remind the reader that, if they do all these things, they will inherit what God has for them! That gives hope! It may seem like evil prevails in this world, as it did in David’s time, so I love this “recipe” for hope. If we follow the steps, we will receive our inheritance, a forever life with Him!

Have a great day! Love and prayers,

Christina

I may have told you before. I like rocks. They are beautiful. I like that no one has to change them to make them beautiful either. They just are. The world tries to make everything better, but rocks do not need improving. Rocks are hard, solid, organic, made by God.

Of all the verses about rocks, here is one of my favorites…

Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Psalm 31:2-4 NIV

In many of his psalms, David frequently refers to God as His Rock. Psalm 31:2-4 made me chuckle the first time I really tried to get what David was saying in the verses. (See above) How I read these verses…

Turn to me and hear my pleas for help because I need you to be my rock, my rock that listens. And I need you to be a fort made of rock too, because I need saving. And, because you are that to me, please lead me while you are at it and oh yeah, guide me too. Another thing, do not let me get trapped . After all, You are my refuge.

I love those verses! Here are some take-a ways..

1. David talks to God like God is everything to him! David loves his Mighty Rock:)

2. David asked His God, his rock to listen. David’s Rock has ears:)

3. God is solid like a rock fort. It’s a great place to hide! Let’s hide in God! He has our backs:)

4. God is pure, through and through, like a rock. He is pure in all of His qualities. He never changes.

Dear God, Thank You for being strong, unchanging and pure and everything else we need. You are our favorite Rock. We love You! Thank You for Your Word that sets our hearts to rest on all that is true and everlasting. That gives us peace. Amen

Love and prayers to you all. Have a great weekend!

Christina

We have many choices when buying light bulbs. We may want small or large light bulbs that produce light that is either soft or bright; we may need energy-saving bulbs that save us money on our electric bill .Many of those energy-saving bulbs can cost a lot, but we may decide the cost is worth the value they bring. We can afford to be picky with what bulbs we buy because light is a necessity. We go searching for just the right kind of light for our needs.

Going to Jesus for the right kind of light is also a choice we make, every single day. There is never a day when we do not need His light. And how wonderful that His light can be what we need it to be for our situation. We do not have to look at any other place than at the feet of Jesus for our light.

1. His light is welcoming. It beckons to us with rays of pure love. We know His light will warm our hearts if we let Him in the home in our heart.
2. His light is soft and comforting when we feel alone. Doesn’t feeling alone sort of feel like you are in the dark? When we invite Jesus to be with us in the dark, He comes softly with open arms and we have hope:)
3. His light is bright and guiding when we need clear direction. He always answers our calls for more light. Sometimes He only shines light on a step at a time, but with His light, it is a sure step we can take in His direction.
4. His light is free! No need to shop around. The world may tell us we can find light within ourselves or that we can be our own power source, but that could not be farther from the truth. The light we need comes from outside of us. We cannot light our own hearts and minds. Only Jesus can do that.
5. He has all the power and light we will ever need forever. His power will never run out. HE will never run out on us. He has enough power to save everyone in the world. Can you imagine what a great resource we all have?

Jesus has the power to save but He does not save His power. It is a copy of God’s power and God’s plan. Jesus is our Power-Savior!

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3 NIV

Next time I buy light bulbs, I hope I remember where true light and power come from.:) It comes from God’s Son, who is the “radiance of God’s glory!” (Hebrews 1:3 above)

Christina