Set us afire, Lord, stir us we pray! While the world perishes, we go our way Purposeless, passionless, day after day; Set us afire, Lord, stir us we pray! --Cushman
Thought for the Day
Talking to Christ about others helps us to talk to others about Christ.
Christmas is coming! Loved ones to see, gifts to give, baking to share. We prepare our homes for the celebration. Yet even more important than this outward preparation is the preparation of our heart. The Advent season is a beautiful reminder to prepare our hearts,as we prepare our homes, to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus! This week we light the first of the four candles in the Advent Wreath, the candle of HOPE.
Is your heart filled with hope? Do you have a confident expectation of your tomorrow? What happens when the road ahead is filled with loss and stress weighs your shoulders down? When confident expectation in life's tomorrow dwindles, what can you do? How can you walk in hope when you feel hopeless inside? The God of Hope is your answer.
"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
Hope for H elp. - Hebrews 4:16 Hope to O vercome - 1 John 5:4 Hope for P ower - 2 Cor. 12:9 Hope for E ternity - John 3:16
To read this in its complete form, please click on: http://thelife.com/blogs/experience/devotionalforwomen/2008/11/30/
Hopefully, I'll be back next week to post Advent Week Two.
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet water, He restores my soul" (Psalm 23:1-3).
It's in the quietness that God speaks. He nourishes our souls and our spirits. He restores us so that we can function optimally.
We need to be still and listen. It's in those quiet moments that God speaks to us.
Do you feel frazzled? God wants to restore your soul, but He needs you to become quiet to do that.
Before tackling the demands of the day, spend a few moments being still. No music. No reading. No television in the background. Maybe you'll be noticing a flower in your garden or sitting quietly listening to the rain.
And all of it speaks to me of God's order in nature as well as in life.
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress" (Psalm 46:10).
~Thank you, Father, that I'm always in your Presence. Now as I listen to You in the quietness, let me hear Your voice. Amen.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5 and 6).
Have you ever wondered why you need to pray when God knows your thoughts?
Prayer is deliberate communication with God. He knows our thoughts but He likes for us to communicate with Him frequently. He speaks to us through His Word, which prompts us to interact with Him.
When we pray we don't have to listen to electronic messages before we get to talk to God. He doesn't have voice mail. His line is never busy. We are not put on hold or hear the message, "All calls will be answered in the order received." We read in Isaiah 65:24, "While they are still speaking, I will hear." However, He does not always answer our prayers immediately, sometimes we have to wait for His timing, but He does hear us while we are praying.
Excerpts taken from Christian Women Today Devotional for September 20, 2008
However, that was easy to do in the Winter when I was house-bound, but not so easy in the warmer months of the year. Sometimes, the time I took to post them here, left me with no time for my own devotions!
I changed the name... still no posts from others.
The "indoor" season is coming up again.
However, I can open up a thread in the Spiritual Section of HATQUARTERS, AND the old QMB1, if I wish to share my daily devotions and Bible verses with my RHS sisters.
UNLESS this group becomes used (i.e. members are posting) in the next week or so, I will be closing it out.
It was never meant to be just ME writing here, it was meant for PARTICIPATION.
Please, make a comment, post in the forum, or message me, IF you read (or have read) things in this Group at any time in the past few months (June >>August). Thanks!!
Starting off with June at the bottom, and July at the top, working backwards. August will be posted later in July.
It doesn't matter which way you read these verses, as long as they are of help to you when you need them. The complete Bible Verses may be posted later in the Forum.
To read the Devotionals that go along with these verses, please go to the RBC Website: http://www.rbc.org/index.aspx
A Month's, or Two, or Three.... Worth of Positive Thoughts
Working Backwards, so that the newest are at the top.
Even though June has receded into history, I'm starting there. You could read a week's worth at a time, and then you'll be caught up in no time. I'll post August's sometime during the latter part of July.
AUGUST to follow Above / JULY below
31 - God's call may come at any time -- so be ready all the time! 30 - It's not how long you live that counts, but how you live. 29 - Nothing is more pleasing to God than self-sacrifice that grows out of obedience. 28 - The what of our future is determined by the who of eternity. 27 - To love god is to obey God. 26 - Nothing surprises God. 25 - When troubles call on you, call on God. 24 - Nothing is stronger than strength under god's control. 23 - To get better with age, get spiritually fit. 22 - Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,... but have not love, it profits me nothing. --- 1 Cor. 13:3 21 - When believers influence each other for good, the body of Christ remains healthy. 20 - God's timing is perfect -- even in death. 19 - God cares for us and calls us to care for His creation. 18 - It is better to bite your tongue than to let it bite someone else. 17 - If Jesus need to pray, how can we do less? 16 - Christians who bury their gifts make a grave mistake. 15 - God keeps giving us reasons to praise Him. 14 - A life given fully to God is at the heart of true sacrifice. 13 - We are at our best when we serve others. 12 - Love is more than a feeling, it's a commitment. 11 - Christ's love creates unity in the midst of diversity. 10 - Bitterness is a root that ruins the garden of peace. 09 - Hope can be ignited by a spark of encouragement. 08 - Jesus is preparing a place for us and preparing us for that place. 07 - The way of obedience is the way of blessing. 06 - The church is not a select circle for a few, but a spiritual center open to all. 05 - When God shows you a problem, He may ask you to be His solution. 04 - Salvation is infinitely costly, but absolutely free. 03 - To be anxious about nothing, pray about everything. 02 - A word of encouragement can make the difference between giving up and going on 01 - Our heavenly Father delights in bringing us delight.
JULY above / JUNE below
30 - The price of our freedom from sin was paid by Jesus' blood. 29 - Own up to your sin and experience the joy of confession. 28 - One proof of our love for God is our love for our neighbor. 27 - God uses our difficulties to develop His Son's likeness in us. 26 - Only Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, can declare guilty people perfect. 25 - There is no place or time we cannot pray. 24 - To ignore the Bible is to invite disaster. 23 - Don't merely spend time with your children -- invest it. 22 - When you feel like griping, start counting your blessings. 21 - All creation sings God's praise. 20 - God gives blessing to us so we can give glory to Him. 19 - True freedom is found in bondage to Christ. 18 - Welcome to the privilege of friendship with God. 17 - Satan has many tools, but deception is the handle that fits them all. 16 - A Christian rises against the winds of adversity. 15 - A life lived for Christ is the best inheritance we can leave our children. 14 - We honor God when we honor our leaders. 13 - Courage is not the absence of fear -- it is the mastery of it 12 - In a world of mystery, it's a comfort to know the God who knows all things 11 - If you sense your faith is unraveling, go back to where you dropped the thread of obedience. 10 - A parent's love never ends. 09 - Accepting Jesus' free gift of salvation frees us to accept ourselves. 08 - Two cannot quarrel when one will not. 07 - God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. 06 - Our hearts are linked through the love of Christ 05 - Learn from your failures, or you will fail to learn. 04 - Obedience is another word for love and loyalty 03 - Someday the scales of justice will be perfectly balanced. 02 - Keep your eyes on Jesus and you'll soon lose sight of your fears. 01 - Christians stand strong when they stand together.
JUNE Above
Even though June has receded into history, I'm starting here. You could read a week's worth at a time, and then you'll be caught up in no time. I'll post August's sometime during the latter part of July.
Working Backwards, so that the newest are at the top.
