Monday's Moment

Acts 17:28

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Good morning, everybody!

Yesterday was the first time since this blog began on February 1, 2015, that I did not blog. The reason being that we left for a preaching engagement in AR around 7:00 AM. I found it quite impossible to fit a blog post into that busy time of getting ready so early. So, may today be a combo - Sunday's Specialty AND Monday's Moment.

After a busy week of getting ready for my family to come in, lots of cooking, fun, memories, etc., etc., I was looking forward to finding a secret place with my Lord; and, I found it yesterday. We had two great services and enjoyed God's presence so very much. The word of God was anointed and probing; prayer time was powerful. It was an awesome, and very special Sunday, indeed.

Everything that we enjoy in this life comes from the Lord. We are nothing and we have nothing without Him. This song is on my heart today, and I want to share it with you all as the very heart of this blog post:

He's the Only Reason I Live

by Joy Elms

Verse One

                         I've been blessed with so many things, God's been good to me

I have family and friends who share in all I do

But if I lose it all and I am left with nothing

If I have the Lord I know I'll make it through

Chorus

He's the only reason I live, but oh, what a reason

He's the only reason I live, but oh, what a reason

There's nothing in this world worth living for

It only leaves you empty and longing for more

Oh, He's the only reason I live, but oh, what a reason

Verse Two

You may have tried a lot of things to find real happiness

But if you've looked very long, then you know it can't be found

Until you find the Lord in the power of His Spirit

Jesus will be your reason to live and He'll never let you down

May your Monday be marvelous and filled with special moments with the Master!

God bless you all today. Please enjoy this spoonful until we meet again with another one!

Saturday's Snippet

Psalm 116:1-7

116 I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

² Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

³ The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

⁴ Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

⁵ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

⁶ The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

⁷ Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Good morning!

It is Saturday, and a very quiet Saturday morning it is at my house. Just yesterday, my entire immediate family ate Christmas dinner together - fourteen of us but, now, there remains just the original two!! They've all gone to their own homes, leaving behind a lot of wonderful memories, too many leftovers, and ... quietness.

The above verses from Psalm 116 touched my heart this morning, so I began today's blog post with them. I love the Lord because He has "inclined his ear unto me." Just the other day, I wrote about God caring at MY needs. I'm so glad for a personal God; One who cares about each of us as if we were the only child He has on earth. I feel as David, "...therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." 

There is much on my mind and heart today, but I just want to tell the Lord how much I love Him, and to say "Thanks", for He has truly dealt bountifully with me. I am a blessed woman. The hand of God has been great and good upon my life, and my determination to live for Him and to spend eternity with Him is stronger than ever before.

An old but very dear song seems fitting right now:

Thanks

by Carroll McGruder

Verse One

I thank You, Lord, for the strength You give

To simply carry on

Through life's toils and tests

In the worst and best

I'm never left alone

You are always right beside me

Hear me every time I pray

Since I first began, You've been my dearest Friend

And I want to give You praise

Chorus

Thanks, thanks

I give You thanks

Fro all You've done

I am so blessed

My soul has found rest

O Lord, I give You thanks

Verse Two

I give You thanks this moment

And I will continually

For each day I live Your grace You give

I'm blessed abundantly

I can't forget that moment

When in my life You made such a change

Since the Spirit came, I've not been the same

And I want to give You thanks

May our hearts be filled with daily gratitude for a daily God. We may get busy and be guilty of putting Him on the back burner, but He never treats us that way. He is truly an on-time God!

God bless you all on this Sweet Saturday and, if He is willing, I'll be back again tomorrow to share another spoonful!

Friday's Footnote

John 1:9

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Merry Christmas to all of my family and friends... faithful readers!

It's been an awesome Friday and Christmas Day. I hope yours was as blessed as mine! Grateful for the True Light that came into the world - just for you and me!! Enjoy this song as my blog post today!

Tonight 

(as sung by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)

Words by Gloria Gaither / Music by Benjamin Gaither

Verse:

Kings and shepherds make their way

Straight to where a baby lay

Rich and poor and lonely

Bow before this sight

A light, a star has led them to this place

The Word that's been echoing through space

Becomes a child tonight

Chorus:

Light to shine in the darkest night

Light to make all the wrong things right

Light to show everyone the way

Light to shine where a virgin lay

Star of David, the prophet's star

Yahweh--God come to where we are

Star to mark the Messiah's birth

Star of heaven now touches earth

Tonight

Angel voices fill the air

Angel wings are everywhere

Light so bright it's blinding

Shepherds shake with fright

A song, a warmth begins to flood the hill

"Fear not! Peace to you--good will

Comes to earth tonight"

(Repeat Chorus)

Light will be so bright

It will shine through the darkest night

Send down Your holy light

(Repeat Chorus)

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Thursday's Thought

Luke 2:25-32

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Good morning, one and all!

Today, by all accounts is Christmas Eve, and in the midst of all the activities going on in our lives, I really like to pause to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ. Our lives were forever changed because He came. He made the difference in our world and in our lives - if we let Him.

I love this song that I just recently heard:

Changed by a Baby Boy

As sung by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Verse One

Joseph was looking for a place to sleep when

His life was changed by a baby boy

Mary had secrets that her heart must keep

Her life was changed by a baby boy

Chorus

They were glad (so glad)

So glad (so glad)

They were glad (so glad)

Their lives were changed by a baby boy

Verse Two

A host of bright angels tell the shepherd band

Their lives were changed by a baby boy

And when the angel said "Go", they obeyed the command

Their lives were changed by a baby boy

Verse Three

The kings had to follow a brand new star

Their lives were changed by a baby boy

No matter how long, and no matter how far

Their lives were changed by a baby boy

Verse Four

I was searching for something that I could not name until

My life was changed by a baby boy

I gave Him room and now I'm not the same because

My life was changed by a baby boy

Bridge

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah

My life was changed by a baby boy

I will forever be grateful for the change in my own life - all because of the birth of a baby boy! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my faithful readers! 

God bless you today and always. I hope to see you again tomorrow!

Wednesday's Whisper

Psalm 57:2

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

Good morning, family & friends!

It's Wonderful Wednesday once again, and to God be the glory for another day in which to be alive! God is so awesome - Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent! You cannot get any better than that!

Sunday night, Rev. O. C. Marler, well-known minister and author, was the guest speaker at our church. We had two wonderful services Sunday, and Bro. Marler's messages were timely and touching. Sunday night, he just exhorted us to think of something we needed from the Lord, and he emphasized that God could fix it for us. It's a personal thing - sometimes we don't need to see God working just for our neighbor, brother, sister, etc.; He cares about ME!! 

The Holy Ghost moved so powerfully throughout the congregation as, one by one, it seemed that people were letting that revelation get ahold of them. There are so many needs in our world today. Every day, I am touched by the fact that someone I know and love has been diagnosed with some dreadful illness or disease; others are facing what appears to be an insurmountable mountain in their lives. Yet, God is big enough to care about all of the needs of the entire world. If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders, He can carry us.

During that service, I believed God to fix something in MY life, and the verse above from Psalm 57 stood out to me this morning as I thought of today's blog. I will cry to God, my God, the One who performs all things for ME. Yes, there were others that needed something from the Lord that night but, I was obeying the preacher and believing God for MY need! 

God is able to fix things for us every day that we live, and today is no exception. He is at work when we cannot even sense what He's up to. His ways are higher; His thoughts are higher than ours, but He IS working even now.

Here's a song from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir that goes along with today's blog post:

God is Working

by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

God Is Working, He's still working

God is working even now

Though we often don't know just how

God is working, He's still working

God is working even now

Though we cannot see

And we cannot quite understand

Remember God is still in control

He has promised to see you through somehow

And He's working even now

Hallelujah, He's working even now

Hallelujah, He's working even now

Though we often don't know just how

God is working, He's still working

God is working even now

May we all take some quiet time with the Lord today, and I believe we'll each get an individual whisper from the Lord, saying, "I'm still working for YOU."

God bless you all. Hope we meet again tomorrow to share another spoonful!

Tuesday's Tidbit

Luke 2:4-7

⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵ To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶ And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Good morning, everybody!

One part of the Christmas story that has always stood out to me is the mention of Joseph and Mary finding no room in the inn, thus making it necessary for Jesus to be born elsewhere. One commentary indicates that the place where Jesus was born was something like a cave, and He was laid in a feeding trough for animals!

The point that I often ponder is that there was no room for the baby Jesus to be born; no normal place. Yet, He did not come to make a royal show; He came humbly. I love this verse from II Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 8:9

 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

We can be rich today because He became poor for us!

As in the days when Jesus was born and no place could be found for His birth, so it is today - people seem to have no place for Jesus in their hearts. Imagine the Lord walking around, trying to find a place where He can feel at home, and He finds none. People can become so busy with life, or just so full of themselves, that they have no room for the King of kings to abide. How sad, yet it's oh, so true.

In closing, I'd like to include a song from the late Andrae's Crouch's Christmas CD:

Mary's Little Boy Child

as sung by Andrae Crouch:

Long time ago in Bethlehem

So the Holy Bible say

Mary's boy child, Jesus Christ,

Was born on Christmas Day

Hark now hear the angels sing

A new King born today

And man will live forevermore

Because of Christmas Day

While shepherds watch their flocks by night

They see a bright new shining star

Then hear a choir of angels sing

The music seemed to come from afar

Now Joseph and his wife, Mary,

Come to Bethlehem that night

Then find no place to bear her child

Not a single room was in sight

Hark now hear the angels sing

A new King born today

And man will live forevermore

Because of Christmas Day

Trumpets sound and angels sing

Listen what they say

That man will live forevermore

Because of Christmas Day

By and by, they find a little nook

In a stable so forlorn

And in a manger cold and dark

Mary's little boy was born

Christ was born for us. He came to give - to give His life a ransom for many. Many are celebrating the Christmas season, putting Jesus back in the manger, but by January 2nd, He'll be forgotten again. To know Him is to celebrate Him every day of the year, and I hope I never lose the wonder of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! My aim in life is that He will always be welcomed in my heart and life!

God bless you, one and all, and I hope we can meet again tomorrow for another spoonful!