When we hear information that differs from source to source, we may, in frustration say, “He said, she said.” It is an expression used to indicate a probable lack of truth. While reading Genesis just now, that phrase came to mind. Remember the incident in the garden where God told Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 ESV

What God said to Adam alone, the serpent questioned Eve about. He basically got her to repeat the command to Him. Eve was fully aware of what God expected, so the serpent decided to attack from a selfish and prideful point-of-view. He has the audacity to question God’s motive! He calls God a liar!

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So, God said something, then the serpent said something and then Eve acted. Isn’t that exactly how temptation works? We already have God’s Word, but the tempter will come and tell us we can do what we want. We have the power. Interestingly, that is what got satan thrown out of heaven, fighting for control and denying God’s authority.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12:9 ESV

God tells us, in His Word how to not fall prey to the enemy. It is to submit ourselves to Him. When we fill our souls with His commands, His spiritual food, we will be able to resist the schemes of the enemy.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 ESV

When we hear opinions on what God expects or allows, whether from the evil one or multiple sources from the world, our best bet is to go straight to God’s Word and feed on it as if our lives depended on it, which they do! How great is He to give us what we need to live a righteous life!

Journal time: In what ways have you been tempted to go against God’s Word? (We all are tempted!) Is there an area in which you are more susceptible? Find a verse about that area, like pride, for example. Write down a verse that tells what God says about it and commit it to memory. As for me, I make too many plans so I will memorize a verse about letting God plan. If your life was recorded in the Bible, would there be a time when you knew right but were tempted to follow the enemy? How would you like that story to end? Good news! We us get to choose how our story ends!

One last thing…Do you remember the old song, “Standing on the Promises?” Here is a link. Listen to and sing the words. So inspiring. We can stand firm on God’s promises to us! Praise Him!

Dear God,

What would we do without You? Having You as our guide is like receiving a gift every day of our lives. Help us to make good choices, based on Your Word. Please make us aware of our shortcomings so we can better fight off the enemy. We believe what YOU say and want to do what You command. Help us love those who do not know You who need You. Give us opportunities to tell them about how awesome You are. We know trials will come but we know Your Word will stand so we will cling to Your truths. You know best. We love You! Amen

Good morning and Happy New Year! Are you ready for another year? Are you set to achieve things? Are you ready and set to go God’s way? These are the questions we can ask ourselves as we start a new year. As my daughters ran track, I have an image in my mind of runners crouched low, looking at the track, focusing on hearing the “gun” go off that starts their race. It dawned on me just now that this is a great way to start each day the Lord gives us, like a race we are very determined to win.

The first thing we can do is to be ready for the race each day. I have found that laying my open Bible on the desk the night before helps a lot. It reflects my openness to read and feed on God’s Word. Placing things at the ready position reinforces that we are looking forward to reading our Bible. That desire to read God’s Word will multiply the more we do this. Placing a journal or notepad by the Bible shows our readiness to learn something we do not want to forget and it is a great place to write out prayers. January 1, 2020, I started writing some of my prayers and it literally changed my spiritual life. Intentional things that we do to be ready for God, He will reward. To be transparent, here is my messy desk, to show You what I see when I wake up. This scene makes my desire to read the Bible irresistible!

The next thing we can do to run a good race is to be set in the correct position. A track athlete who wants to do their very best may often start low to the ground. As Christians running our race for God, the best way to start the race is by becoming low, or humble. We may not always be able to see the finish line but we can lower ourselves to start well in the humble posture that reflects our hearts. We know the race may be hard but we, in a posture of obedience, will run the race as we have been trained to do. The Bible is our guidebook and God is our coach. He gives us His Son and His Holy Spirit to train us. Why? He wants us to succeed!

The only thing left is to GO! With a healthy dose of spiritual food and our hearts in the humble position, we are ready to go and do what God wants us to do. He will never make us go it alone though! He will coach us all along the way. When we trust Him to teach us how to be even better runners, He shows us that part of getting better is by doing. Praying to God each morning like consulting a coach before we run our race. He can remind us of pitfalls and obstacles and other runners or events that may distract us. But the Bible is clear:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 1-2 NIV

Jesus gave us the example of endurance when He gave His all on the cross. He did it for “the joy set before Him.” Isn’t that just like us looking at God each day, no matter how dire the circumstances? We know He has a plan for our lives. A plan that demands our whole heart. We probably will not be asked to actually die for God, but a death of selfishness is not out of the question. Who will we live for this year? Who will we aim to please most? How will we get ourselves ready to start each day? Will we get set in the humble position? Will we listen to our coach? Will we run the way God’s Word tells us to? We may not have control over much of what happens to us, but we can be ready and set to run the race as God wants us to:)

Journal- Day One… Answer some of the questions above in your journal or talk to God about them. (I do the journal work too. I may need it the most!)Consider these ideas to get ready to read God’s Word each day:

Make a plan for Bible reading. Maybe write your plan down in the front of your journal. Print out a chronological or other Bible reading plan. Order a devotional magazine for extra reading, This is important…Pick out a place in your home that you can leave your Bible open every night, ready to be read the next day. Get a journal to record what God teaches you each day. Lay that out by your Bible. I sincerely hope some of these ideas help you as much as it did me…and as it keeps helping me! I may not have a lot of willpower, but the power of God can direct even me. We are only what God makes us.

Dear Father,

Words cannot describe how thankful we are that You have a plan for our lives. Otherwise, we would be running in circles. We do not have all the details of Your plan for us but that is as it should be. You are wiser as to what we need. For today, coach us to run the very best race we can, for Your glory, not for ours. Thank You for even considering us as worthy athletes on Your team! Make a change in our hearts as we read Your Word. Show us how to love others the way You love us. We love You, coach God! Let’s go! Amen

Love and prayers to all of you. May God grant You a great day in His Word for His glory!

Just me. Just His.

Tina

This devotion is late, sorry! I slept in for the first time in a whole year! And my very first thought? Babies! I wondered about the tradition of celebrating the New Year’s first baby. The Greeks are credited with starting this tradition in 600 B.C. to symbolize their god, Dionysus. They believed he was reborn every year and they paraded a baby around in a basket. (baby.lovetoknow.com) In America we celebrate the first baby born in our country, and some states, in the New Year. As Christians, we celebrate The Baby Jesus at Christmas and all year long, for being the Savior of the world! So much can be drawn from the focus on babies. I wonder if we can draw something more from a New Year’s baby than just the new start of a year.

Instantly my mind goes to this verse:

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:1-3 NIV

Wow. What if we all began acting like babies again? No, not actual babies, but spiritual babies. Remember when you first became a Christian? I do. I was so hungry for God’s Word! It’s like the more I fed on it, the more I wanted. Can you relate? Who says we have to grow up so much that we need less baby food? Nowhere in the Bible does it say we should read our Bible less the older we get. Though we have grown up in the church, gotten saved and memorized verses, have we finished our spiritual growth? No. Have we arrived in full maturity, without the need for further spiritual food? Nope.

Babies need milk. Peter tells us to be like babies and crave spiritual “milk.” He wasn’t talking to babies, but adults who would get the significance of his words. We are to be like babies who want to eat all the time and feed on God’s Word. Spiritual food will “grow us up” or mature, in our salvation.

Babies need pure foods in order to grow. This thought hit me hard because…well, look at all the junk in the world we can feed on. Peter mentions a few: “malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” Notice the use of the words all and every. We are to get rid of all things and every thing impure that is not good for our spiritual walk.

Babies need things that taste good. They don’t know if they like the food until they taste it. As babies we are to taste and see that The Lord is good. If it is good, babies will eat more!. Our Father gives us good things to eat, because, well, HE is good!

Babies need their parent(s) This is a sore spot for me as I lost my mom as a teen. However, it made me lean more on the Lord, so His plan was good. As babies, spiritually, we need to look to our parent for all of our needs. Our Father in heaven will supply all that we need to mature, even in a sometimes dark world. He is faithful! My daughter’s boyfriend texted me this morning. In our short conversation, he reminded me that God is faithful. That simple thought is pure food for our souls that need to be fed. Thank you, Zach! I will “feed” on that today! You made me think of this verse that relates to the faithfulness of our Lord to help us lay aside the things Peter talked about above.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8

We are not perfect, but the truth in us is perfect. When we feed on perfect truth from the Bible, we will mature. When we sin, Jesus is faithful! He will forgive us and purify us from all the things we allowed into our heart, that are of the world. Humility is important in our posture toward our King. Let’s all be lowly babies again and crave God’s Word more than ever in 2021. We are our own New Year babies:)

Dear Father,

We will be Your babies in 2021. We humbly ask that You feed us from Your Word whatever we need. As babies, we will look to You for everything because we know You are our faithful Father. You hear us. You answer. You teach. You LOVE us. Anything that hinders our spiritual growth, please convict us of it and we will let it go. All we want is to crave You more and more. When we are upset or scared or just need to be held, You are there for us. We look forward to what You will teach us. We love You so much! Amen

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 NIV

We will start new journal exercises in 2021 that will help us focus on heaven more than ever. Just an idea… you can pick up beautiful journals at TJ Maxx for about $5.00. (I will use any excuse to buy a new notepad or journal!) Exciting stuff ahead…

Love and prayers to and for you all going up now:)

Just me. Just His baby…

Tina

The Lord has kept this phrase in my heart and mind lately. It is the answer to our questions about suffering and trials. Why do we have hope? Because Jesus lives. Why can we endure our trials? Because One who endured the very worst lives! He will help us. How can we have peace? Because He lives! He gives peace knowing full well what trials feel like and that we need His peace. And…He is very generous with it! How can we not stress about stuff here on earth? Because He lives! This is our short-term temporary home. We will someday be rewarded with our forever home instead of dying. Why do we get to live forever? Because He lives! We can brag on God’s goodness; He gave us His Son, our hope!

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5

It is so easy to get wrapped up in the present world and lose focus of the fact that our life on earth is just a drop in the bucket of how long eternity is. When we look horizontally at the world, we may have fear and worry about all the problems and struggles. We may be discouraged because of the abundance of sin and selfishness in the world. But if we tip our head up, we will see what our future looks like. we will see heaven and Jesus!

By obeying God and allowing Himself to be crucified, Jesus showed us how to obey God in our trials on earth. By living again, He shows us that we can die to self and be made new too! Because He lives, we have a future and a hope. What we are experiencing now is only temporary. Why? Because He lives!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for keeping the phrase, “Because He lives” in my mind and heart. You make it so simple to follow You. Thank You for obeying Your Father, Our Father, and giving Your life for us. We don’t deserve it, but You did it based on Your love and trust in Your Father. May we always do the same. Because You live, we can too! Any suffering or trials we face here, will be done and gone in heaven. There’s no need for hospitals, medicine or band-aids there! We will look forward to heaven, because You live. We love You so much!!Amen

Yesterday, John and I, with our daughter Maggie, went to an antique store to look at old records. We were all looking for our favorite ones. I have been looking for a few years for a 45 that I had as a child. It had a song on it called, Ivory Tower”. My momma sang it to me:) Finding that record would be a joy. So at the store, I did what I usually do. I prayed, “God, please let me find that record.” I picked up a huge stack of 45’s to sort through. Guess what record was on the very top? No lie. Ivory Tower! I felt like crying and praising God all at the same time. He interrupted my shopping with a surprise!

He changed the tone of my day, sort of interrupted it. I didn’t mind one bit. It reminded me that He hears every word I pray, no matter how small or slightly selfish I am. What a joy to know that the God who created the world and us listens to our words! We may be surprised when He answers that prayer we have prayed a hundred times. The Bible is full of proof that God hears prayers and is close to us when we are hurting.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18

God hears us when we are humble and are seeking Him with our heart that at times has sin in it.

 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

God hears and answers before we ask Him for what we need. Just like He is already there before we pray, He has the answer before we pray.

 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

God really cares. He listens. He loves us. He wants our best. It is our honor and joy to care for Him, love Him, listen to Him and want His best. That makes for a great relationship with our maker and Father. Whether prayers are big or small, smooth or awkward, selfish or unselfish, He hears every single word and will answer in His way. He heard Jesus pray when He was in the garden. He hears our prayers too.

Dear God,

Our hearts are Yours. You made them. You know how they work. Thank You for loving us enough to listen to them, to us. Please interrupt us when we need to listen to You. Shake up our day so we are jolted to see Your will and character anew. We trust Your answer and timing of our prayers. You are God and we trust in You. We love You so much! Amen

Do you ever feel like we are living in the Twilight Zone? I do! Things are happening that leave us feeling like we are on a different planet. Gone is the familiar. Hello unfamiliar. From masks to mandates to mad politicians… managing life is harder than it used to be. How can we deal with all of it?
First, we can seek Our God that never changes! He always has enough peace and wisdom to fill even the deepest or sudden need in our lives. So if we can’t change our circumstances, we can resolve to seek the Lord about every little thing. He will get us through!
Secondly, we can seek a revolution. Yes, revolution in our hearts and minds. We can revolt against the negative, clear the enemy out and live on joyful ground. The enemy is out to destroy us in our thinking, but let’s revolt! Lets praise Jesus in the battles! Let’s fill our doubtful hearts with confidence! Our leader has beaten death to give us victory, an eternal one!
Thirdly, we can resolve to do both of these daily. A resolution to actively seek God is a great habit to start.When in trial or battle or confusion or indecision, seek God. When feeling negative or hopeless or down, start a revolution in your soul. The Lord will fight for you and stay with you every time!
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Dear Lord,

Thank you for Your peaceful and positive presence in our lives. We need You more than ever, to navigate these strange times. Your unchanging truth is perfect for all of our situations.Lead a revolution on our hearts and minds, against the enemy. Fill us with Your vision for us. Lead the fight so we can gain the victory of a positive life in You! We love You! Amen

Just His. Just me.

Tina

Parents usually teach their children to count. They may teach them colors and motor skills too, so they will be able to grow and function to the best of their ability in the world. I taught my daughter, Kellie, her colors at age two. She had them down pretty well, so I decided to let her show off her abilities to her grandparents. While Nana was holding Kellie, I asked Kellie, “What color are Nana’s teeth?” “Yellow!” she answered proudly. Nana was the first to break into laughter! Her reply, “Wow, you ARE smart!” made us all crack up. What a fun memory. Nana loved Kellie so much that she thought anything she did was awesome. She was both of my daughters’ biggest cheerleader. She counted all of her children and grandchildren as amazing.

You know God feels that way about you and me too? He counts us worthy to be called His children!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

About being worthy…While the Thessalonians were suffering persecution and affliction, God counted them worthy because they were enduring and growing in faith. He values our commitment to the cause of righteousness, even when we are going through trials, and maybe especially when we are going through trials.

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 2 Thessalonians 1:5

Counting can mean numbering the quantity of something but it can also mean, according to the Oxford Dictionary, “to regard as being.” So when we find verses with the word count or counted, we can know it means we are learning what the Lord regards. Jesus tells us that He regards us worthy if we stay alert for the day He comes back and do not get caught in the trap of sin. His high regard is what we want. Jesus says,

“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted ( be regarded as) worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36 NKJV

Counting, regarding and counting worth all involve a value system. What we regard as valuable, we tend to want more of. We regard it as important to have. Because God loved us so much,( regarded us with His abundant love), He sent His son to die for us. Love regards others as worthy of their love. He counted us as valuable so He took action on it.

Sometimes a devotion can make a point but sometimes it can stir up questions, like today:

What do we value? What do we want more of? What do we spend the most time doing? Do any of these value systems need adjusting? I know for sure that mine do. Because we live in a world with different values than the Bible teaches, we are bombarded with temptations to “fit in” with the world. But…let’s not. Let’s regard as valuable anything that God values. Only when we obey God’s Word can we be considered worthy to be His children and inherit eternal life with Him!

Dear Father:

You are the only one worthy. May all praise I give today be to You. Please help me to establish and maintain my value system based solely on Your Word. Thank You for Your truth and light that shows us the Way to Your high regard, which is the regard we care most about. Help us in the dark world to endure our trials and persecutions in a way that shines Your light to the world. We love You so much! Amen

Love and prayers to you all!

Just His. Just me.

I was reading the book of James recently and was imagining him writing the book. I would love to interview Him! He must have been concerned with Christians being influenced by the world because he put out lots of warnings for them. How valuable of a guidebook God inspired Him to write! Maybe someday I can meet Him!… But for now, I will use my imagination and knowledge of the book of James in The Bible.

These are questions and answers I expect he might give me based on what He has written. I am the one asking the questions. They are followed by what might likely be his answer.

What was your primary purpose in writing the book? I wanted to let brothers and sisters in Christ know that they will face trials of suffering or conscience or temptations, so it is vital to adhere to the Word.

Were you concerned that the tone of your book was negative? No, not at all. I am called to tell others the way to stay on the path of righteousness, even when trials come, and they will.

Why did you give so many warnings about sin? I am concerned about the most likely pitfalls for Christians. They were not what some would label “huge” sins, but habits and sins that stem from influences of the world.

How did you get your confidence about what people needed to read/hear? I focus on the truth of God’s Word and nothing but. His Word is perfect and true. I am human and I face temptations and being influenced by the world, just like everyone else. I implore God to tell me what to write.

How did you come to write this book? What inspired you? My brother Jesus and my God inspired me. Our lives are meant to be used of God to spread the gospel, whether in preaching or teaching or helping widows and orphans and the lonely or homeless. Those things show God’s love to people.

I have always loved the book of James because it is jam-packed with guidelines for Christian living. He warns Christians about the deadly tongue. It can praise God, but can also curse. We do not randomly mess up in this area. Right speech comes from a right heart:

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45

James agrees that the mouth can issue both good and evil.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt  water flow from the same spring? James 3:9-11 NIV

As we wrap up 2020 in the next few days, do you have any thoughts on things you may be differently in the New Year? How has Covid life affected your family directly? How has it affected your priorities? Will you change anything? What do you want to do more of? What do you want to do less of? If you feel like sharing please do! (says this curious friend…)

I am not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions, per se, but I think they have value. Any minute, hour, day, week or month is the perfect time to let God refine us. Constant refining is necessary, in order for us to keep growing. There is a saying, “The more you know, the more you grow.” I would submit, “The more you use what you know, the more you grow.” Only with God’s Word and love, Jesus’ forgiveness of suns and the Holy Spirit’s presence and power can we be who God made us to be. Let’s resolve to refining to be made righteous in their eyes.

Dear God,

Our prayer is simple. Please refine us in whatever way You need to so we may accomplish Your purposes. Help us keep things in perspective when Covid stuff seems to cloud our hope. We look forward to health and life with You in Heaven. Whatever we endure down here, give us strength and wisdom to endure and to help others to do so also. We love You so much. Jesus, we hope you enjoyed your birthday yesterday! We love You so much! Amen

Love and prayers to all of you. I am praying that you all have peace in your trials, joy that the enemy cannot steal and bright hope from heaven for the future. What a day that will be! Love you all, mean it!

Just me. Just His.

Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday to Jesus! As my hubby makes the traditional Christmas waffles, I am excited to share today’s devotion. God is so good to allow me to talk about Him all the time!

The Christmas Story is one that never gets old. Because we love the Lord, we are grateful for His plan to save us, not just for eternity, but every day. Sending His Son into the world on purpose makes me thankful for His story and purpose for my life. He did not call me to be Mary, who birthed Jesus, or the Wise men who tracked the star or the shepherds that were messaged by an angel, or the innkeeper that turned the Savior’s parents away…Wait!…or did He? It is worth considering our part in God’s story for us.

Like the characters in the Christmas Story, He does call us to play a part…

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. Ephesians 1:11

Like Mary who bore God’s Son, He does call us to bear witness of the Holy Spirit in us!…

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

Like the Wise men, He does call us to be wise men and women in travelling and following Him…

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5

Like the shepherds, He does send a messenger to us…

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

Like the Innkeeper, He does call us to make a choice about housing the Holy Spirit, making room for Him in our lives…

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. 1 Corinthians 6:19

Dear Lord, Thank You for Your plan of using Mary and Joseph and the other servants of Yours to accomplish Your purpose of redemption for the world. We know that You often use the lowly or unexpected people to accomplish Your goals, so please use us. We know You have a purpose for us that is like the purpose of the Christmas Story, to lead people to salvation. We know it’s not just a story but Your actual wonderful heart and purpose played out. Guide us to the importance of being our best version of You to the world. How can You love us so much, God? Thank You for opportunities to come, to tell others about Your plan. Today, in all that we do, be with us and let us be with You. Dwelling in Your presence, on purpose, is what we want to do. We love You so much. Amen

Christmas trees are beautiful all decorated, but all trees are special. On the last day before Christmas, it is the tree’s turn, to turn our eyes toward Jesus. How can a tree do that? Just by being a tree. God spoke trees into being with His voice. They do what God meant for them to do. Trees give comfort and shade, fruit, beauty, blossoms, seed for more trees and warmth through firewood. Trees are givers. A tree is what bore suffering of Jesus’ body. Even though we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday, it is all the more celebratory because we know what He came to do! He came to die for us. He shows us what sacrifice and love and grace mean. What a loving plan. He shows us through a tree.

I feel like Jesus was saying to me this morning. “Think of me.” So, I did.”

When You See a Tree

My child, see that tree? Please think of me. Be the tree that I need you to be. A giver of love with reaching boughs. Give to others. I will show You how.

Point to the sky as you seek my face. Stand strong in the storms and receive my grace. As my love rains down, soak it all in. I’ll water Your soul so your thirst will end.

Be warmth to the needy and shade to the tired. Give of yourself as I keep you inspired. As blossoms grow, you soon will see. Your fruit will grow as you’re rooted in me.

As the Spirit blows or rushes right in, allow His will to make your own will bend. Remember the tree that I died on for you. Dying to self is what I’d like you to do.

As you see a tree, please think of me. Be that tree I need you to be…do it for Me. Jesus.

Here are a couple of verses that can guide us to be like trees. It requires living for others. Dying to self is a high calling, a tough one. Our lives are meant to be sacrificial though and used to point others to a loving relationship with Jesus.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:3 NIV

They will be like a tree planted by the water  that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought    and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8 NIV

A thought for today…

He died on a tree so we can live like a tree.

Dear Jesus,

We are not naturally givers. Only with Your love can we truly love others like You do. Please help us to do better with that. Thank You for dying on the cross for die for our sins. Leaving Your Father in Heaven to be born so humbly on earth must have been hard on the human part of You. Sacrificing Your life sets an example for us to follow and obey. Please guide us to be more like You as we sacrifice ourselves to Your cause. There is no better honor than being used for You at the expense of us. We love You so much!! Amen

May you all have a Merry Christmas with trees, lights, snow and hopefully some family. I will pray for you in your trials, because I know you have them, even at Christmas and maybe especially at Christmas. I truly love you all with the love Jesus gives me,

Just His. Just me.