Let Your Prayer Life Be Inspired!

I recently listened to this inspiring video from the T.V. show, "It's Supernatural with Sid Roth" featuring Mark Taylor & Mary Colbert recorded 24 September 2017.

 It offers a fantastic list of things God intends to accomplish for our country we can pray for!

Mary Colbert points out it's very important that we, as followers of Christ, be diligent to lay aside everything that divides us in order to come together as prayer warriors!

Let your prayer life get inspired and get praying!

"First of all, then I urge entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." 

1 Timothy 2: 1-2

The Greatest Gift

This is a true story.
It just happened this month in our small town.

A 91 year old woman had been saving coins in a cookie jar she kept in her kitchen for months for a trip she was planning on taking with her daughter to see her great-grandson graduate in South Florida. Her goal was $100 to help out with travel expenses. 

She had accumulated $87 worth of change in that jar.

On December 10, 2016, she left her house to talk with a neighbor across the road for a few minutes and left the door unlocked as anyone would. Fifteen minutes later, she returned to her house, picked up the cookie jar to add more coins and found it unexpectedly light. Looking inside, she discovered it was empty. Some sneaky person had come into her kitchen and stolen every bit of her change in her cookie jar!

She called the police.
A police Sergeant arrived to investigate the crime.
Unfortunately there weren't any witnesses and no fingerprints could be recovered from the jar, so he had no way to track down the culprit.

Returning to the station afterwards, this police Sergeant told his fellow officers on his shift all about this situation and together they decided they'd donate their own dollars in order to try and make up for what this woman had lost.

Together, these officers put together a of $106 to give to her, more then she'd lost.

So the next day, on Dec 11, the lady was thoroughly surprised to see 2 black & white patrol cars arrive at her house and a half dozen police officers come to her door to deliver their gift.

She was overwhelmed with gratitude.

And, at the time of this interview with her by the local paper on December 15th, she was busy making cookies to give to all these very kind police officers who redeemed a very great wrong.

This is the greatest gift: love.

Agape love that does what is kind and good and beneficial regardless of whether or not it's deserved or even thanked. 

This is what Jesus was talking about in John 15:12 when He said, 
"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."
And that love was to die on the cross for the sins of all.

Best wishes for a Blessed Holiday!

Let us remember to treat others as we would wish to be treated  every day of the year.

(photos from Pixabay)

The Magi's Visit

The events surrounding Jesus birth involve so much history & culture of the time---things which are specifically detailed in scripture, but often lost in artistic depictions. 

For example, the magi or "kings" from the East are very often portrayed in both card art and live nativities as arriving at the time of Jesus birth in the manger, but this is not match the actual facts from scripture!

Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Matthew lays out the details:

The magi arrive in Jerusalem 

They visit King Herod

(This is "Herod the Great" a non-Jew appointed by the Roman Senate to govern in Judea )

They say they were looking for the Messiah, the King of the Jews.

Herod consults the Chief Priests & Torah teachers for details.

They say "Bethlehem of Judah" is the location for the Messiah's birth, according to the prophet Micah.

So the Magi go to Bethlehem, admonished by Herod to report back.

They find the Child & his family still living there since the birth.

They present their 3 gifts.

They're warned by God to return by a different way and not to see Herod again.

Herod angry and threatened by "another King," ordered every male child, age two or under to be killed, based on the time he'd determined from the magi.

Of course, God warned Joseph in advance to flee to Egypt to avoid this event and he and his family did not return to Israel until God told him to when it was safe, after Herod the Great had died.

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Things Worth Noting:

* Exactly how many magi actually came is never revealed; just that they brought 3 gifts. There could have been several more magi then just three.

*Herod the Great ordered children age 2 and under killed. This means Jesus was not a newborn infant at the time of the magi's visit.

* Matthew, the disciple of Jesus and writer of this gospel takes great pains to write out the specific prophecies Jesus fulfilled in his letter.

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Photo from Pixabay

House of Bread

Fun Advent Season Fact: 

Funny thing.  The name, "Bethlehem," literally means "House of Bread." 

So Jesus, who later said of Himself,  "I am the Bread of Life," was actually born in the "House of Bread."

Luke 2:1-5 & John 6:48

Photo from Pixabay

Give Thanks!

People are always wondering what God's Will is for them, like it's some kind of mystery.

 Well, here's one in black and white: Be thankful. That is God's Will.

So, why does being thankful matter to Him, you ask.

Let's consider what the opposite looks like: complaining and feeling dissatisfied which leads to coveting.

How does it make you feel to have your own children whining about not having the latest bit of technology and not considering the food you put on the table to keep their bellies full, the abundance of warming clothing that keeps them warm and the well heated home that protects them from the cold.

Want to improve being thankful?

It's easy! Buy a notebook or journal and just jot down at least one thing every day that you're thankful for---and it MUST be different each day! No repetition!

This teaches you to be observant and the practice of gratefulness will cultivate contentment in your life and contentment leads to a greater sense of satisfaction with life.

Thankfulness is the herald of joy.

"If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." 

~1 Timothy 6:8~

(Photo from Pixabay)

Never Without Purpose

After a recent visit to the Goodwill Store, Hubby said he observed a Gideon Bible on the book shelf for sale. Struck by the paradox, he added, "The Gideon's put those in hotels for free."
They do that so the Word of God will be readily and freely able to anyone. When we're traveling, we always check the Gideon bible and very often we can tell it HAS been read. There will be a bit of paper serving as a bookmark or other such things.

Later on, after having thought this oddity of a free Gideon's Bible being on "sale" at Goodwill, I said to Hubby, 

 "You know, if that Gideon Bible could talk, it would have a ton of incredible stories to tell of all the people it helped while it was in a hotel. And it's journey is NOT over. God's not done with it yet. Someone who needs a Bible, who only has $3 to spend, will buy it and it go on being used. It will have more stories.

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Today's flower photo is a Magic Red Spider Lily from my garden.

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To learn more about the Gideons ministry or get involved, visit here: Gideons International.

The Word is A Light to My Path

There are so many wonderful scriptures, I just have a hard time choosing one to use, but I captured this great shot of late day sunlight on my Pampas Grass fronds and thought it'd be perfect with this verse from Psalms!