Who guides your path?

I loved the picture today! It went so along the path that the Holy Spirit was leading me this morning.

Who is guiding you along the paths of life? Do we ask the Spirit for guidance on some things, but keep other things to our own judgment? Perhaps because we are afraid of the answer that we might get?

After having just returned from a trip filled with tour guides. Follow this way, no this way, go this way, don't do that, can you hear me, to just plain getting bored with the directions it hit me that indeed sometimes we go our own path just because we want to! Nothing more needs to be said we don't consult God's word, we don't ask in prayer we simply do what we want to do and maybe it's just me. I kinda of doubt it looking at the world around me. We aren't doing so well, so truthfully I don't think I'm alone in making my own way without the help of the one left to guide us.

I loved the reading this morning about Jesus sharing about the Advocate that was going to come in John 18 and also in John 16. The advocate is our comforter the one who plead's another's cause is the definition from the original word that was used. Now I don't know about you, but sometimes we need someone to plead our case! We also need a comforter that only wants us to pick the right path!

I have to share the verse that truly touched my spirit this morning was John 16:13 - When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. Isn't truth what we all need? I don't want anyone to guide me on the top of the mountain or on level ground that doesn't speak truth! Let's listen for the Advocate and follow this lead along the right path.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

I think I can. I think I can...

Remember that children's book? I loved it about the little engine that could...

Well, this morning I woke up feeling terrible and I am repeating these words over and over in my head when God gave me better words...

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Yes, indeed!

Don't feel good, but I know Christ is going to help me get it done and headed home today to my babies.

Sweet blessings,

Deb

Whose your neighbor?

Today I have to write about love your neighbor as yourself.

How good are we at this? Let's be honest with ourselves, if not each other.

Sometimes it's just not easy to love our neighbor. We don't look like them. We don't act like them. We like to be in groups that look and act like we do. Let's don't rock the boat by bringing in neighbors.

Ever thought about it? Who is your neighbor?

Is your neighbor the person that you love or hate? Wouldn't it be anybody other than you? Life just isn't easy sometimes and then God's Word makes it more difficult with Jesus telling us to love our neighbors as ourselves. WE don't even like ourselves half the time - much less our neighbor. Yet Jesus is pretty clear about this in Mark.

Ponder loving your neighbor as yourself when you sit at the red light today, as you ride the elevator with the stranger, or this afternoon when you pull into your driveway and your neighbor is standing there getting their mail...how do you love your neighbor?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

The God of the Living

I loved this verse from Luke 20:38 - 39

So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.

Well said, Teacher! remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there.

I loved this often times you hear people refer to God as the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob. I really never gave it much thought until today with thinking of resurrection. I love it!

God is living always and that we are all alive to Him! Yes, Lord!

God is simply beyond our wildest imaginations!

Thank you Lord for being way beyond our small brains or thought processes! So much more than we are able to comprehend and honestly this gives me a peace beyond words. I don't want people to be able to explain You. I love that You are just way bigger than everything, everyone, and after all the Creator of all of us, shouldn't it be? Why is this hard for us?

Again, thanks Lord for ALL you are...

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Have faith

Mark 11:22 ~ Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God, I tell you the truth you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.

No doubt. Someone plants one little seed and it grows and grows - the doubt. Why doesn't it happen that when someone plants one seed of faith that it grows and grows?

Traveling this week in New York has been very interesting and sad in a lot of ways. After all, we know that everyone from everywhere comes to New York. I have seen so much anger, so much frustration, so much impatience, but very little happiness, very little faces filled with smiles and it hit me how our faith isn't showing our doubt is...YES it is spreading fast! The streets are filled with protesters and the words are filled with anger.

We and I do say we are not sharing words of faith and truly believing it. Perhaps we share the words, but we are truly believing it! We, Christians must believe, truly believe and then it will spread! Let's spread belief in what is going to save us - Christ!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Didn't I tell you?

How many times to you get frustrated a day, when you have told someone something three or four times?

You realize they just aren't paying attention and it frustrates you?

Well, in Luke 11:38 this I believe is what Jesus was feeling...He had told them over and over who He was and they had witnessed His miracles, but yet they weren't getting what He was telling them. We are told Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb and he told them to move the stone. Martha suggest that the smell might be really bad after all it had been four days. Jesus responded with, Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory?

Jesus knew His time was short and He was realizing that people that were around Him all the time weren't even getting it and how were others going to? Imagine, his feelings of frustration, worry, concern, anger, and list could go on and on. We know how we feel when we tell little things three or four times and Jesus was sharing the story over and over.

It helps me to realize that Jesus felt the same feelings I do at times. Oh, He definitely had way more patience than I do, but He walked our shoes. He felt our concerns, our worries, our love, our feelings...He felt them! Such a peace overwhelms me when I truly realize how much Jesus felt for me and you. He felt such suffering for me and you and He took away that feeling that we would never have because of His love for us. The separation from God because of sin - Jesus took it away with His blood. How lonely Jesus must be beginning to feel knowing this separation was coming shortly. How alone knowing that these people just weren't realizing and yet He spoke the Lazarus, come out! And then these words "unwrap him and let him go!" He unwraps all of our bandages and heals them for us as well. He frees us and yet at times - He must feel these same feelings with each of us!

Yet, He frees us! Yes indeed!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Narrow door

The Narrow Door

How many people do you think would fit through this door at one time? Do you remember when you were young and a lot of kids would try to get through a small space all at the same time? Fun days, but the narrow door I'm speaking of will not be a fun day for those that don't get through...

Luke 13 talks about work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter, but many will fail...Huge words and we all know that it is nothing about working and good deeds. If we could have a check off list of things to do that would get us through that might help rather than the things that truly make it hard for us to get through that narrow door.

Things like our pride and our natural love to sin will keep us from passing through this narrow door. Believe me I am certainly not pointing a finger because every human walking struggles with these issues daily - in fact, probably moment to moment! Only through grace will we ever make it through this narrow door knowing that Jesus died because of our pride and our sins, so that we would get through the door.

Next time you pass through a narrow door think about this passage of God's Word.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

How she praised God!

I read the words this morning from Luke 13, being healed of her illness and the words just jumped at me - HOW SHE PRAISED GOD!

How are we praising God?

Are we praising God?

Do others know why we praise God?

Is the praise important?

Are we like the people in the story that were indignant because Jesus healed her on the Sabbath? What better day? Are we busy trying to look right that we don't give God the praise He deserves?

Praise God today!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Beautiful words from Psalm 27...

Yesterday, I picked up The Message and these words touched my heart and I've held them close pondering and wanted to share them with you...

Psalm 27:1 - 4

Light, space, zest-that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing.

When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, Those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces.

when besieged, I'm calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool.

I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study his feet.

David wanted to live with God, study and grow with God, all while worshipping God!

David did indeed have a heart for God! It is my prayer that the same is true of each of us.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Light of the World

When Jesus declared himself the Light of the world many think it happened during the Feast of the Tabernacles. One of the nights during the feast would happen in the temple's court for women where they would light four large lamps and they would dance under the night sky with the lamps lit and sing praise songs and worship!

Wow!

Don't you love this image in your head?

I do!

Jesus lights the world, but also the night skies for each of us. Some days are so dark that the only way through is the LIGHT of Jesus...we cling to His Light, His Promises, His Love and we make it through because He lights the way! He is the Way!

Today remember who lights the path day or night!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Run...run...run

I've read the past several days, but not posted. Very unusual action for me to miss blogging what I believe the Holy Spirit is teaching me for the day. I've still been having the lessons, but I felt it was a time for just me and God! Treasured special moments.

This morning I felt lead back to something from yesterday that I wanted to write about and get your thoughts about it is found in the reading from Mark 8 about Jesus feeding the four thousand. The words just jumped off the page that Jesus said to the disciples...I feel sorry for these people. The people were so hungry to be spiritually fed that they had been with Him for three days and eaten nothing! We miss a meal and we are shouting - I'm starving! These people were picking Jesus over physical needs.

Jesus actually used the words meaning himself this time and in Matthew in the same passage about this time. Jesus felt their need. He knew their need because He walked here on earth! Jesus sees our needs and feels our pain.

He feels compassion for us! Today whatever you are feeling know in your heart that Jesus knows and He cares! Cling to these special words!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Laughed at him

Have you ever been the one that others were laughing at and you knew it?

It hurts, doesn't it?

The photo really grasp the feeling of being laughed at or ridiculed.

I wonder how Jesus felt. We are told He felt feelings that we felt, but He made them leave and went on with His duties.

Look at the story found in Mark 5 about the young girl that Jesus brought back to life. Jesus had just healed the woman with the 12 year bleeding issue, because she knew if she just reached for His robe it would happen! A father knew is daughter was very ill and close to death, so he was pleading for Jesus to come to his home. He healed the woman on the way to this man's home.

When they arrived at the home a lot of weeping and commotion were happening and Jesus responded with Why? She is only sleeping. Jesus was telling them its only temporary and they laughed at him.

First off weeping and commotion were a sign that death had occurred in this culture. Most of the people would have been paid wailers..I found this interesting that you paid people to come and wail and carry on. Burial happened fast, so these folks came quick.

Laughed at him in the original language actually means "were laughing in his face" or "laughed Him to scorn," not a good feeling, if you were the receiver of such an act. We all know it. We have all been on the receiving end of it. Jesus made them leave and with a lot of force. He wasn't happy with their reaction of being shallow and unbelieving, so He was forceful and showed His authority with orders to leave! Imagine this gentle man of healing knowing what He was about to do and these people laughing at Him ~ but He backed it up! He didn't want them to witness this miracle first hand, so out with you...What do we miss because we don't believe?

The original Aramaic words Jesus said to the little girl were Talitha, cumi which meant "lamb" or "youth arise". He talked to this little girl as if she were already living not dead. Absolutely no question you are alive rise....

I wonder how the ones that laughed felt when they saw this little lamb walking and talking? Believe today and don't worry with laughter!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

A lamp is placed on a stand...

Mark 4:21

...A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.

When you enter a room and the lamps are on doesn't it add a sense of welcome and hospitality? I never use to pay attention to things like that, but recently I've noticed how much a lamp sets the tone for a room.

Reading this morning, I was imagining Jesus sitting in a room with the disciples explaining all the stories about the seed, the lamp, the yeast with a lamp lit across the room lighting it for them to talk or around a campfire. A light that without it lit would have made it a dark setting where it would have been hard to grasp exactly what Jesus was saying, because their minds would have been wandering with the sounds that would have been happening, the darkness would have surrounded them and everything would have taken on a different tone. I believe with the lamp lit the mood was set for them to understand. Think about it for yourself and see how you imagine the scene set. After all, we were told yesterday that the disciples ask for Jesus to explain the parables to them. Bringing a light into the setting would have helped them to understand what He was saying...I don't know, but that is how I picture the scene.

A lamp in those days would have been referring to a small clay bowl made with a spout to hold a wick with oil that served as its fuel. They would then have them either coming from a place in the wall that was made to hold them or in a wealthier home a special table would have been holding it. They were suppose to share the message nothing hidden. Darkness hides things. Secrets are told in the dark. Things we don't want others to know are hidden in the darkness, but turn the lamp on and all will see and understand!

Share the message today! Turn your lamps on and share God's Word with one another!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Planting seeds

I've never been much of a farmer or gardener! In fact, I can say that again. I've never been much...

Anyway, I love plants, I love flowers, I love green growing things especially this year with the dry and dying grass and plants! We realize how much we love these things when the water doesn't arrive to keep them beautiful. I digress, but it is so true!

I love all these things as long as I am not the one tending to them. I don't like dirt. I admit it. I don't like dirt under my nails, or on me period so it makes this difficult for me to achieve. One must be willing to dig, sweat, and work the ground to watch these beautiful things grow! It's not my gift, but I love them.

Upon arriving at the words this morning in Mark 4:14 ~ The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others. I realized that I am a farmer. I love to share God's Word. I love to talk about God's Word. I love to learn about God's Word. I love to study God's Word. I love God's Word! I'm a farmer!!!! AT LAST, I get to watch something grow and it is so true! Through the Bible studies I love watching a woman's face get excited when she begins to just wet her appetite for more and then more of God's Word. The light has it begins to shine through her eyes with wonder and awe that she knows that The One True God sees her and loves her! I love to plant a seed and watch God do the work!

Thank you God for allowing me to be a farmer!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Jesus answered his thoughts...

I love the moments that Jesus answers my thoughts through a friend, through His Word or some other way...

I wonder how Simon felt in Luke 7, when Jesus answered his thoughts of how this woman was unworthy to be in their company and that she was so much less than them? Do you think he realized who Jesus was? Do you think He admitted it?

Couple of things to keep in mind reading this story this dinner would have been open to spectators because of the people's importance having the dinner. Certainly no one expected this woman to join them, but she did! She took a huge risk because she needed forgiveness so badly. She was willing to risk it all..

The woman knelt behind Jesus...she didn't feel worthy to even kneel in front of Him. Jesus would have been sitting at a table low to the ground or lounging there and she came in from behind Him. She desired forgiveness so badly she was weeping enough to wipe Jesus feet with her tears! She was truly sorry for all she had done...and again she probably did not choose this way of life all on her own! Women did not have much choice in those days, but she knew she was wrong for allowing the choice to be made and her doing it...Jesus allowed Simon to realize who He was because He told him I know your thoughts Simon...Simon you were so filled with your importance that you did not even do the host duty of cleaning my feet upon arrival. You were so ready to throw things at me to perhaps disprove who I am that you forgot your host roles...In fact you insulted me!

The host with everything forgot how to treat guests, but the woman who really knew who the guest was showed true faith! She was willing to risk it all for Jesus by entering that room!

Are we willing to risk it all to enter a room Jesus calls us to?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Much needed Light

Where does our Light come from?

Is it the Light from God or from the world?

Do we allow the darkness of the world to overtake God's Light, so that we are really in darkness?

Today, the words from Matthew 6 ~ your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. It hit me...

Does our eye deep within us have light or darkness? Are we truly focused on Jesus and His desires for our life and our light shines for all to see or is it so dark surrounding us that everything is dark?

MacArthur commentary states it something like this Jesus indicates that superficial earthly religion leave's one's heart dark...So are we real or not?

Are we the real thing? If so, our light should shine from deep within and all around us will need sunglasses...

Seriously, are we real or fake? Serious food for thought...

It is my prayer that we all stand with light shining from within and around us ~ Jesus light nothing else like it!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Realize?

Do we realize what we need?

Or should I say who we need?

Today, from Matthew 5:3 these words were striking to me ~

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him.

Are we happy?

Perhaps we haven't realized exactly what we truly need...

realize - to grasp or understand fully...

I don't know, if we will every understand God fully....after all He is so big that our little minds just aren't able to comprehend all that He is or has done...

Travel to the mountains and truly look around. You begin to have a small understanding of God's majesty when you are surrounded by the mountains and nature. Take a really good look at a baby the next time you are around one and perhaps you will once again be able to understand a small part of God's being...the list could go on and on

Do we realize?

It is my prayer that we begin to realize how awesome God truly is that He sent us Jesus to walk among us...to walk the earth and feel the things of this world and yet still He went to the cross to save me and you ~ Do we realize?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie