Listening to God...

Are you listening for God's words?

How do you talk to God?  How do you LISTEN for what he offers you for a life's plan?


   If you are doing all the talking, how can you hear God?  If you are talking to a friend and you do all the talking, you don't find out much about your friend, or Their life, their loves and concerns.


It is that way with Jesus and our Lord.  It is hard to hear God's answers when you are praying if you never thank God and his Son for listening to YOU, nurturing you, blessing you in so many ways that you do not even notice because you are so full of yourself.  Be still, God is listening and knows your needs and your thoughts as soon as they occur to you.  God is all-knowing and omnipotent.  He is ever present, everlasting, and all powerful.  If you approach the Father and the Son with a humble, thankful heart, He will answer you. Sometimes, it is only a whisper, from God's lips to your ears.  So be still.....  I wrote a doodle on my desk blotter that says, "shhhh!  God is speaking."  It calms me when I look at it.


Places to hear God:  Nature, sunshine, animals- wild and domestic, fishing, meditating, walking and of course church, if you are not distracted by what the people next to you are wearing or their singing voice or how you look, etc.  If we let go of "me", we find THEE.


Bible references:  


James 1:19 ..."we should be quick to listen and slow to speak." 
Matthew 11:15 ..."he who has ears to hear, let him hear."
"He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame." (Proverbs 18:13).  

Listening is hard work as is giving someone or the Lord your full attention and patience.  And when you ask for things and do not get them, you have to accept and acknowledge that God does say "NO" at times.  He sees the best plan for your whole life.  You are living in your past, your present and your future.  You should be living in the present, looking for blessings that are sent your way if you open your heart and ears to see and Hear them.


Suggestions:  Find a quiet place where you can let go of all that is in your head (working, family chores, bad memories, regrets, holding grudges, etc.) of the world.  Perhaps reading a passage from your favorite Bible verses, proverbs or psalms will trigger your peace.  Tell God you are ready to listen and just relax, see what thoughts come to you.  Hold your hands palms up expecting a blessing....


Before I wrote today's post, I was checking e-mails and face book but the theme of listening to God came over me and wallah!  A post was born!  It is amazing how the Lord works and much fun to see what he has in store for my days!  So now I am going out to cut my lawn, excuse me I mean weeds!  And my heart is full of joy from the Lord so my burden will be light....


Thank you for coming today, you are blessed and I am blessed.

My Christian heart to yours...

People do need the Lord

Can you imagine your life without Jesus and our Lord?  And for those of you that are yet to come to the Father, what a blessing you have in store for you!


Have you always wanted to have that look and feel of joy that you see on Christian faces despite their circumstances and the things that life throws at them in this earthly world?  You can have this, it is yours.  It came with a price but Jesus paid it FOR YOU by his death on the cross, the one true lamb that was sacrificed for our sins.  


You need only to confess your sins and invite the Lord and Jesus into your heart.  "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  The old has gone, the new hath come." 2 Corinthians 5:17  When I became a new baby Christian being born again in Christ (a change of heart as though you were born again) I jumped for Joy and woke every morning not being able to wait to see what the Lord was going to do each day.  And I prayed daily, "Lord let the joy of my salvation be on my lips and show on my face that others might see."


Sometimes we lose our joy as I did when my hubby passed from a terrible cancer after 7 yrs. of fighting it.  Never before had I needed God and his Son so much!  Now 3 months later I am learning to live again---as one.  And if it were not for my Christian faith, I would not have been able to go on, I NEEDED THE LORD.


Please play the beautiful video on the right of this post, People need the Lord.  It says it all so beautifully.  And right now wherever you are, invite Jesus into your heart and you will be filled with peace, love, kindness and joy.  And jump for joy if you want, it's okay!  Then share your joy with others so that they might know the same joy.  You are Bless-ed to be a Blessing!
            Have a most wonderful Sunday.

It's all about Love, isn't it?

My Christian heart to yours...

Mother's Day

Can you imagine being the Mother of Jesus??  Mary raised this beautiful babe, child, man only to lose Him at the cross.  Can you imagine how that felt?  Being a Mother is special not just for Mary but for all of us.  A Mother is love, caring, nurturing, sad, happy, tired but doesn't always show it or give in to it.  I hope you spent a wonderful day with your Mom.  If your Mom is now with Jesus and our Lord, rejoice!  Mary, Mother of Jesus found her son again in the risen Lord, Hallelujah!


My neighbors who are in their 80's have lost their son this past week.  What terrible timing for her heartache to come and she tried not to cry when she told me.  He was 52 and his daughter who is graduating from H. S. this June found him.  The cause of death is un-known at present but was natural.  My heart hurts so much for her and we hugged and cried together.  My Mom lost her eldest son, my brother, when he was only 42 in a car accident.  But she knew where he was and did not have to worry about him any longer.   How should we handle sorrow?  


"The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking." Psalm 34:18 But I am telling you this strange and wonderful secret; we shall not all die, but we shall all be given new bodies!  It will all happen  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown.  For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too.  For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever.  When this happens, then at last this Scripture will come true...
"Death is swallowed up in victory."  O death, where then your victory:  Where then your sting? " 1 Corinthians 15:51-55


Say a prayer for the wonderful Mothers out there who have lost a son or daughter.  I hope no mother had to spend this day alone!

My Christian Mother's Heart to yours.....

Adversity causes growth...Patience pays.

It is hard for us to accept in our humanness that anything good can come from the trials and tribulations that we are experiencing at any one time.  Bad times at work, at relationships, love, children, finances, sometimes we are overwhelmed by all of the "things" that trouble us.  However, God sees beyond the day and plans accordingly for your life.  The key is developing Patience.

James 1:2  "Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems.  For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete."  (quoted from "THE BOOK" a very comprehensive study of the bible printed by Tyndale House Publishers)

I was not patient when my husband was suffering with cancer and I wanted relief for him immediately and questioned through my tears why God was letting him suffer!  I believed in a miracle that never came.  But as in all things God is in control and his timing is not our timing no matter how hard we try to make it so.

I have always likened Adversity causing Growth with a "Kerrie-ism":  The tiny flower seed will push up through the blacktop and grow into a beautiful flower despite its surrounding hardness.  I find the more I grow in patience, the more God gives blessings and I count them every day.

James, the brother of Jesus wrote his gospel with many short, proverbial sayings and reflects in a remarkable way the teachings of Jesus and the Sermon on the mount. 

Are you trying to be patient or is life trying your patience?  Seek God and His Son in all instances and pray to be patient so that you will grow and bloom.

A tiny new life, Canadian Goose baby.

My Christian heart to yours...

  

A Tiered flower pot I made 

Having recently lost my Sweet Husband Bill in January, it was so comforting to read this devotional by Charles Stanley. I do not  not like to use someone else's devotional unless it strikes my heart because it is such a good message.  I hope you will feel this way, too. April 10 The First Empty Tomb 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Jesus is the only person who has an empty tomb. Everyone else who's died has returned  to the dust, but Christ is alive and seated at the Father's right hand. Because He overcame death,  His followers are also guaranteed empty tombs someday. When Jesus returns for His church,  those who have died in Him will be resurrected into glorious bodies. And believers who are  alive at that time will instantaneously be changed. Knowing this, we naturally wonder, What kind of body will I have? The best way to answer that  is to see what Scripture reveals about Christ's body after He rose from the dead. He didn't come  invisibly in the form of a ghost but rather had a literal, physical body. He talked, walked, and ate with His disciples. Yet although He was recognizable, He was somehow different, and at times  it took His words or actions to jog their recognition. Here's one thing I can tell you about the resurrection: you will look better than you do today! God  is going to give you a strong, glorious, eternal body which is perfectly fitted for your life in heaven.  Believe me, you will not be disappointed, because God has far more in store for us on the other  side than we can ever imagine. You will be more alive there than you could ever be here. A more important issue we must face is how to get ready for that day. This life is just a puff of wind  compared to our eternity. It's my personal opinion that the way we live here on earth will determine  our capacity to enjoy heaven. The time to begin living for God is now. For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please  visit www.intouch.org. Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2009 All Rights Reserved. Come again soon and thank you for visiting as always.  You are all wonderful and cherished  by God and by me. My Christian heart to yours...

GOOD FRIDAY

Once you have Jesus in your life, you would be hard-pressed to ever have him out of your life!  Inviting Jesus into your heart will cause a spiritual change in your life, 2 Cor 5:17  17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  What a blessing!  


Why would anyone celebrate the death of our Lord on the cross??  Because in dying for our sins, Jesus made it possible for us to live forever with Him in eternity. God sacrificed His only begotten son --for us!  We can never imagine ourselves giving up a child.  And yet our God did this for us because he loves every single creation that he made.  If you have not given yourself over to the Lord, today is the perfect day.  Because He Lives ♫ I can face tomorrow,♫♫ 

(Verse 1)

God sent his son

They called him Jesus

He came to love

Heal and forgive

He lived and died

To buy my pardon

An empty grave

Is there to prove

My Savior lives

(Chorus)

Because he lives

I can face tomorrow

Because he lives

All fear is gone

Because I know

He holds the future

And life and is worth the living

Just because he lives

(Verse 2)

How sweet to hold

A newborn baby

And feel the pride

And joy he gives

But greater still

The calm assurance

This child can face

Uncertain days

Because he lives

(Chorus)

(Verse 3)

And then one day

I'll cross the river

I'll fight life's fi-

Nal war with pain

And then as death

Gives way to victory

I'll see the lights

Of glory and

I'll know he lives

(Chorus 2xs)

Jesus died on the cross but that was not the end of it by any means, He Rose from the dead after 3 days, Easter Sunday and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.  I cry to imagine my Savior's suffering and death on the cross but there is joy in my heart because he lives, I can face tomorrow.

  Pause at 3pm today and bow your head thanking Jesus for dying for us on the cross.  I am so thankful for Good Friday.  Blessings to each and everyone of you who read this today.  And I hope the hymn touches your heart...

My Christian heart to yours....

Palm Sunday and Miracles....

PALM SUNDAY


We learned that Jesus came into the city on a donkey and the people greeted him placing palm fronds before His path so the donkey's feet did not touch the ground.  And they shouted Hallelujah! And waved palms in praise.
I love finding out more and more of the meaning of things in the Bible!  Some of you prefer not to know the mysteries but the reason I do is that it strengthens my faith, it proves that things happened the way it was written in the Bible and is not myth.  A friend sent a message to me this morning with a link attached on The Parting of the **Red Sea and it was so profound, I have to share with you.


  There is so much archaeological evidence to prove the words of the Bible that it is staggering!  
   And the Bible tells of God speaking to Moses from a Burning bush.  I read about bushes that grow in the area that have so much oil in their leaves they spontaneously combust in the hot desert sun!  I am fortified, I know this is true and can happen.  The Bible is true.

Believe the miracles, they do happen.  We cannot command them to happen, however.  Only God and His Son have that power.  And our timing as you have been told before is not God's timing.


Thank you for visiting on this blessed Palm Sunday and I hope you took away some inspiration and enlightenment with you.

My Christian heart to yours...