“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:9

Nicknames can be endearing, especially if given to you by someone special. I love when someone “nicknames” me or shares their nickname with me. It makes me feel closer to them. When I share my nickname with someone. it’s usually because they are close family or I consider them a real friend.

The best friend that anyone can have or know is Jesus and He also has more than one name. And…He shares His ‘nicknames’ with us! Those of us who call him a true friend often use one of His other names from time to time. We call Him the Way, the Truth and the Life. We call Him our Rock, Savior and Lord, among other names. All of His names have to do with His love for us, so they are very special.

If you think about it, someone who doesn’t know Jesus would never call him “the Light ” because they don’t use His light. Someone who doesn’t think they need saving, will not call Jesus “Savior. ” He is not called “Lord” by those who do not consider themselves His servants. His names describe His loving actions that we depend on, to navigate our way and God’s will. What a privilege to call God’s Son by so many names, especially our friend!

Here are some questions for our journals or self-reflection:

1. Do we call Jesus by all of His names? Why or why not?

2. Do we accept, appreciate and use all that He offers to us?

3. What names does Jesus call us? (“child” for example”)

4. What actions do we take towards Jesus that He could use as another name for us? Does He call us “Faithful?”

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

The best name that we can be called by our Savior is “Faithful.” It’s not about doing a bunch of things for Jesus, necessarily. It’s about doing whatever small or big things Jesus asks us to do, consistently, willingly, as a lifetime commitment. No matter what we have going on in life, faithful servants continue to do what the Lord desires. What a high bar to shoot for but what a privilege to do so:)

My pastor said it well…

“Jesus measures our success in faithfulness, not productivity.” (Pastor Daniel Palmer)

May the good Lord bless your day and His way with light and peace and love! With the love from the Father to you, have a great Friday!

Christina (aka Tina, Teener, Teener Beener!)

Have you ever known someone to restore an old car? Isn’t it amazing how somebody with the desire and the ability to fix something old or broken, can restore it to its former condition or an even better condition?

It can take years to get that car to look just right and be all that it can possibly be, but the owner of that car doesn’t care how long it takes. They love that car and they don’t mind spending whatever time it takes, because they see its potential.

We are like cars. Seriously. Some of us are old and may be battered or maybe took some wrong turns in life. Maybe we do not look so great or feel great, but you know what? We are all valuable to God.

He knows what potential we have, even if we don’t see it. He planned our potential!

And…He is in the business of restoring souls. Just as it can take years to get a car to reach its maximum potential, it can take a very long time for us to reach the potential that God wants to see in us. It depends on…

…whether we want to be restored. Hmmm…Do we sit still long enough so He can work on us? Or are we going every which way, running on empty?

…whether we want to go, after He has restored our hearts to be brand new. Do we just want to “sit in the garage” thinking we are in pretty good shape? What good are we if God has fixed us so, to speak, and we never want to go further than the garage?

Just as a car needs to be driven to stay healthy, so do we. we need to be driven by the desire to please our restorer. He, God, has a purpose for us! He has restored us so He can take us somewhere.

Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

As usual, I choose simple analogies because sometimes they can be powerful. I mean, the gospel really is not that complicated. We have a God that loves us and will do whatever it takes to help us on our journey to him so that we can be with him forever. And that means restoring our souls, so they can accomplish what He purposed for us to do .

So the question for all of is…Are we a willing and working vehicle or just a pretty parked car? The good news is that we get to choose which we want to be.

Let’s choose to be a working vehicle. Then God, in His infinite wisdom will equip us to work for Him. Oh, to be used by God! What a privilege!

We are all “makes and models” and every one of us is equally loved and useful to God. We may have different personalities and gifts, but that’s because He made us that way for His own reasons. We should let Him lead us wherever He wants us to go! (and not be led by the world into thinking looks are all that matter!)

With love from the Father to you, have a great day!

Tina

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Psalm 118:8-9

If Jesus were running for office, what would His platform be? Though this may sound silly, it is worth considering this hypothetical because of platforms upon which our elected officials stand. What are they offering?

We vote for those who believe what we believe and offer things that make life better for us, generally speaking. We vote for who we think will do the best job of meeting our and our country’s needs.

Jesus wants to meet our needs! Ok, so Jesus would never run for office, but we can choose Him to be president of our hearts because:

He never exalts Himself; He exalts God.

He does not care to be politically correct, but true.

He does not cause division, but loves everyone.

He does not need a platform, because God is His Father.

He does not need campaign funds, because He trusts us to campaign for Him.

He has no term limits!

He can be trusted always and forever!

HE LOVES US!

He takes His orders from God.

To consider Jesus and what He offers is to consider who we want to be our heart’s best friend as well as ruler. That is a huge decision but also a simple one! He has our best interests at heart.

We either vote for the world and allow its constantly changing values to penetrate our hearts or…we vote for Jesus and His truth to reside in our hearts and be president and resident, forever.

I realize this is a simple presentation and analogy, and one that a biblical scholar could do a much better job with, but I hope you see that our heart’s vote will determine our eternal destiny.

Each day, we have the opportunity to vote for Jesus to lead us into more truth and closer to heaven and further from the world’s shifting opinions.

One more verse to remind us who wants to be our “heart president”…

“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

Hope this makes sense and hope you voted for the Lord and do so daily!

Dear Father, Thank You for giving us the opportunity to vote for You. Thank You for being there for us, encouraging us in Your plan for our lives. You know what’s best for us, because You made us. We will try to listen better to what You think is best, especially when the world is trying to tempt and confuse us. You are the president above all other presidents. We love You! Amen

With love from the Father to you, have a great Friday!

Tina

As a child, I remember asking my Momma, ” How old do I have to be to stay up late?” Her answer was, “We will see.” (Which I did not think was an answer!)

Though I had a happy childhood, I so wanted to be a teenager, so I could have a later bedtime, and more allowance. Then, as a young teen I wanted to be an older teen so I could get a job and drive a car.

Then, I wanted to go to college, to be on my own, to become someone with a good degree. After college, I looked forward to getting a great job…

Do you see my pattern of thinking? I was always looking forward to a status I did not have. It is not wrong to want these things at all. However, they have to be under our #1 desire to have what the Lord wants us to have.

And do you know what status Jesus wants us to want, no matter our age? The humble status of a child. That’s what He told the disciples:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them  and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1-4 ESV

I do not think the disciples were expecting THAT answer! Just a guess, but they may have asked that, so they would know where they stood. Perhaps they wanted to do better, be better, in His eyes?

That is not a bad thing and there was nothing wrong with their question, because they learned something from it. I, too, learned from Jesus’ response here. It totally makes sense. Though we may have goals and strive to be the best at things….

The best version of us is what Jesus wants us to be!!

So if He wants us to be children, how exactly do we do that? As always, God’s Word tells us what we need to know…

“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  ” 1 Peter 5:5-7 ESV

I feel like God is saying, ” Do not exalt yourselves. That’s my job.“

Dear Father, You are so good to your children. That is what we want to behave like, Your children. As we follow our goals help us to be humble when we succeed, knowing that we can do nothing without You. We want to please You, so do whatever it takes to keep us humble and we will give You all praise and glory because that is what You deserve. Amen

With love from the Father to you, have a great day! Remember to pray for our hurting country and world and each other:)

Tina

http://www.gloryinthemorning.com

Today is a poem day! This is based on an old but very sweet memory of my mother washing my hair in the kitchen sink.

“Hold still, my child” my mama said. “I need to wash your hair.”

The kitchen sink was her salon so I was stationed there.

She soaked my locks, put in shampoo, which gentle hands would spread.

It felt so good, but tickled too, as mama scrubbed my head.

Staying still was always tough and more than once I didn’t.

But Mama’s patience was enough and she would wrap me in it.

The loving parent that she was, reminds me of my Lord

Who takes such pains to care for me with grace I can’t afford.

“Hold still my child” my Savior says. He bends to wash my sin.

Then patiently, he washes clean, the sins that lurk within.

The Savior’s heart, like Mama’s heart, shows through at every turn.

It’s my job to sit real still so He can help me learn.

Dear Jesus, Thank you for your loving heart that washed my sins away. I know it wasn’t easy, but you knew it was what we all needed, so you died on the cross for our sins. Help us to be still so you can work on us better. Do for us what we cannot do without you. Teach us to be more like you. Amen

With love from the Father to you, have a great 1st day of February!

Tina

http://www.gloryinthemorning.com

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17 NIV

As I am still sick with Covid, this will be short, but sweet, I think. There’s a sweet advantage to having Covid. It makes me “be still.” And being still makes me think over this past year and marvel at how God was there every step of the way. Have you done that, too? He is so faithful, isn’t He?

Having time to watch inspiring videos is another plus of being sick. I found some real gems on youtube. I hope you love this song as much as I do. They sing with such purpose, fervor and truth! It might make you sing along:)

Dear Father, You are my rock, my reason for faith, my resource for everything. Thank you for your plan, whatever it is, for my life. Teach me and guide me daily to do your will. I totally trust you and love you! Amen

It is my prayer, readers and friends, that you have a wonderful day, a healthier, happier one than yesterday. Trials come, but they will pass. Jesus stays:)

Tina