Children at Christmastime

"Let the little children come to Me, 

and do not forbid them;

for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Mark 10:14 NKJV

Our children show off their talent and new clothes in our church Christmas program. Proud parents chose the front row pews, cameras in hand.

The boys, with a few crooked bow ties, stand quietly on stage in their assigned row. The girls, some bouncing and twirling with nervousness, wear their best dresses decorated in ribbons and lace. The more the audience giggles, the more the children perform adorable antics.

The parents smile with pride as their children and grandchildren sing, though slightly off tune, “Away in a Manger” and “Happy Birthday, Jesus”.

Jesus loves children even more than we do. Parents brought them to Jesus asking for His blessing. On that particular occasion, Jesus stressed the importance of possessing the humble and teachable attitude of children if we desired to live in His kingdom.

O Father, bless our children and grandchildren. May we parents live righteously before You and show Christian love to our family. You see my heart, the real me. I ask You to reveal any sinfulness hiding there. Cleanse my heart. Lead me in Your kingdom and I shall gladly follow You.

“And He took them up in His arms, 

laid His hands on them, 

and blessed them.” 

 

Mark 10:16 NKJV 

 Merry Christmas!

 Juanita

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Dare We Complain?

 

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” 

Psalm 19:14 NLT

  How often did the Levites break camp in Israel's forty years of wandering? I can hear them grumble, “Oh, no. We're moving again!”
     Numbers 4 describes the Lord as a God of order. He told Moses to organize a large crew (8,580) of Levites, each with a certain duty to perform when disassembling and moving the tabernacle.

The Israelites complained about the menu and when God changed the menu. Leading a whining people stressed Moses, causing him to protest to God concerning his leadership responsibilities.

Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses' marriage to a foreign women after his wife Zipporah died. The Lord showed His anger with Moses' brother and sister. Did they not think God heard them complain?

“Aaron and Miriam! Front and center!” My version of Numbers 12:5.

God gave them no opportunity to explain their sin. He read their hearts; leprosy became the punishment.

O Lord, help me never to complain. I don't want to “travel around the same mountain for forty years”. I know You hear my every word and read my private thoughts. Cleanse my heart and mind today!

 Juanita

Is this your first visit to this site?  Welcome!
 
I would be glad to notify you when I post my next devotional. Email me at: folks7777@gmail.com and request a reminder by email.  Your address will remain private with me.

Blessings Come With Obedience

“She (Rahab) was shown to be right 

with God by her actions . . .”

James 2:25 NLT

Many examples in Scripture demonstrate the Lord's blessings on people who trust in Him. Rahab's story unfolds in Joshua 2 and 6. She hid Israel's spies from the king of Jericho. This woman confessed her faith in the God of the Israelites and asked for mercy on the day the troops planned to conquer her people. As agreed, the invading army spared Rahab and her family.

Because of her kind actions to protect the spies and the troops' promise to spare her entire family from death, Rahab lived in peace with the Israelites. She married a young man named Salmon and became the great, great grandmother of King David, placing her in the lineage of the Messiah. Rahab had no idea of her future blessings when she made that important decision to serve God.

I'm amazed as I recall the many blessings God has poured into my life. As a child, I trusted in Jesus as my Savior. In our senior years, the Lord has provided my husband and myself with more than sufficient finances enabling us to join and support mission efforts around the world.

Heavenly Father, as Jesus was obedient to suffer and die for me in order to provide for my salvation, I am determined to obey Your word and surrender my will to Yours on a daily basis.

"All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."  Revelation 21:7 NLT 

Juanita

Is this your first visit?  Welcome!

 I would be glad to notify you when I post my next devotional. Email me at: folks7777@gmail.com and request a reminder by email.  Your address will remain private with me.

Please feel free to post a comment below. 

                     

A Field of Diamonds

“I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162 NKJV

On a cool Sunday morning in June, the azure sky displayed only a few clouds. The large wall clock above my head read nine o’clock. After enjoying my devotional time with the Lord, I saw a fascinating picture outside my library window. A slight breeze blew the leaves on the horse chestnut tree ever so gently. The soft wind barely moved the tall grass because the lawn laid heavy with morning dew. The moisture on the lawn sparkled, showing me a field of freshly cut diamonds. Sadly, the treasure disappeared as soon as the sun warmed the air. 

 

Paul said in Ephesians 3:8 that he had the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. Paul reminded us that, as believers in Christ, we have the privilege of coming boldly into the presence of our heavenly Father. Even after the diamonds of dew evaporate, I remain rich in Christ's salvation and His daily blessings.

Share the Good News! 

Juanita

Is this your first visit?  Welcome!

Please feel free to post a comment below.

I would be glad to notify you when I post my next devotional. Email me at: folks7777@gmail.com and request a reminder by email.  Your address will remain private with me.

Are We Listening?

“I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,for he speaks peace to his faithful people.”Psalm 85:8 NLT

The apostle Peter—slow to learn the art of listening—owned the reputation of always having something to say, even when it was wrong or out-of-place. In Mark 8, Jesus severely scolded Peter because one minute he confessed Jesus was the Messiah and the next minute he declared Jesus should not die. Obviously, Peter did not listen carefully to Jesus' complete message.

Six days later, Peter again demonstrated his lack of tongue control by interrupting Jesus' conversation with Moses and Elijah. The Amplified version writes, “he took up the conversation.” Did Peter want to be in control that day?

From out of a cloud, the voice of the Almighty declared Jesus as the Son of God. He told Peter, James and John to “be quiet and listen.”

It's one thing to hush your children or for your spouse to tell you to be quiet, but it's mortifying to have God say it. How humbling for Peter! Red-faced with embarrassment, I would have hid behind the nearest tree.

Lord, I don't want to keep relearning this lesson. Help me speak less and listen more, to you and to my family.  

                     

 “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble."

                 Proverbs 21:23 NLT 


Juanita 

Storms of Life

 "He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves."

Psalm 107:29 NLT

Today, storm clouds gather while I rest comfortable in my library with a front row seat to watch how the wind shakes and whips the birch and cedar trees. I want to see more action, more excitement, “But Lord, please no broken branches, no power outage.”

The calm before the storm is not as memorable as the calm afterwards. Twenty minutes later, my scene has changed. Heavenly buckets once full of rain now hang empty, our trees stand tall and still, and blue sky peeks between fast-moving, white fluffy clouds called stratocumulus.

We all encounter storms in our lives. Certain trials may appear as a breeze while other experiences blow in like a Midwest tornado. Whatever the wind velocity or the degree of trouble we face, a calm and peaceful future awaits us sooner or later. Dark clouds may hide blue sky, troubles may hinder our view of deliverance, but God's promises remain.

Our King is still our King. Jesus promised to never forsake us. He proved His faithfulness to His Father God's will, even though His experiences during His final hours looked desperate and defeated.

Jesus knew the ending of His last chapter on earth and so do we. Victory! 

"For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."

Psalm 100:5 NLT