"The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field" (Matt. 13:24, NASV). There is just something special about spring time. I love to work in my yard especially the flowerbeds. I feel like God has made me a steward of His beautiful creations! To prepare my flowerbeds for spring planting, I must first pull out and remove all of the unwanted, pesky weeds that seem to overtake the beds. These weeds seem to have not only overtaken the beds, but they

“The Man called Jesus made mud and smeared it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received my sight!” (John 9:11, Amp) In the 9th chapter of the book of John, a nameless, blind man encounters Jesus twice! It is recorded that this particular man was born blind. Can you imagine never seeing anything but darkness? Can you fathom never being able to experience color, shapes, the beauty of creation, or the faces of your loved ones? This man

"Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]" (Eph. 5:1, Amp). I get amused watching my grandchildren mimic or imitate their parents. They are like sponges absorbing everything they see and do. It amazes me that they will even imitate their parents' verbal and facial expressions. I once watched my three year old granddaughter raise her little hands in worship as she watched her mother worship. I have on

"But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]" (Gal. 5:16, Amp). Some people seem to spend a great portion of their lives trying to please other people or to make them happy. These are known as 'people pleasers'. On the other side of the spectrum there are those who seek only to please

"But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20, Amp). Many people obtain a passport to allow them to travel from country to country. At one time it seemed like a fad to even have one, it seemed like something exciting to have since everyone was doing it whether they planned to travel or not. So , I decided that since traveling to see and tour Italy was on my bucket

"Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous rules" (Ps. 119:164, ESV). As I was reading back through my prayer journal from last year to see what God had done in my life, I noticed that I did a whole lot of pleading. The trend seemed to be what I thought I needed God to do for me, my circumstances, and even what I prayed for others in their lives. What I failed to see was more praising. This inspired me to create a praise section in my prayer journal. I now look each d

" But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness.   gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23, Amp). We, as shoppers, inspect items carefully before we purchase them. This is especially true before purchasing fruit or other produce. Whether we are in the grocery store, a farmer's market, or at a local

"For the Bread of God is He who comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world” (John 6:33, Amp). Who doesn't enjoy a slice of fresh, homemade bread with a slather of butter on top? The aroma is divine, and it's fresh, soft texture oozing with butter tantalizes the tastebuds. The enjoyment lasts only a brief moment, but can leave you with the desire for more. Just this week my daughter baked some fresh honey wheat bread from scratch and brought me a loaf. I was so exci

"He wondered at their unbelief" (Mark 6:6). Have you ever wondered if your faith or lack of faith astonishes or amazes Christ? What a great question to ponder as we approach yet another new year. In Matthew 8:5-13 , in the story of the centurion coming to Jesus for help, we see that Jesus was amazed at the man's great faith. After reading this account of this man's encounter with Jesus, I can't help but wonder...when I, myself, go to Jesus with a need or prayer concern, is He

"Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4, Amp). Here we are at the holiday season once again! There is the bustling of shopping, meal prepping, nostalgia, fun, gifts, service projects, wrapping, decorating,... and the list goes on. We get caught up in the traditions we have created with our families and friends.. But do we stop to really realize and reflect about why Christmas is so special? Who put the "Christ" in

" Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]" (Col. 3:2, Amp). Have you ever been held hostage by negative thoughts: expecting the worst, noticing only the worst in people or situations; having a general mistrust of others or their motives; allowing your feelings or emotions to define reality; or negative self-talk that may cause you to believe that you can't do an

" You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.   This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31, Amp). Well it is the Hallmark season of movies that always seem to have the same story line of romance and true love with a happy ever-after ending. So, what exactly is

“If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments" (John 14:15, Amp). Let's look at what true obedience looks like together. There are five points that show us what obedience looks like: A change of heart: a change on the inside out that stems from love and respect, not a fear of punishment or a desire for a reward. Trust and Faith: deeply trusting what we cannot see. Submission of the Will: surrendering our own will and plans to those of God's. Action: abidin

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever" (Ps. 107:1, Amp). As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we tend to reflect about what we are thankful for; Some even count their many blessings and share them with others. But what holds us back on being truly thankful each and every day? Could we possibly develop an 'attitude of gratitude' by thanking our heavenly Father on a daily basis for all He has done for us? As true c

" So then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of [our great] God" (1 Cor. 10:31, Amp). As I was listening to praise and worship music on an internet radio provider, I was annoyed by a certain commercial that kept interrupting over and over. It was an advertisement for consumers for "free" phones for the upcoming holidays. It was urging people to get newer, bigger, and better phones. It was featuring a particular phone that had an amazing camera o

"Therefore will I give thanks and praise You, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name" (Ps.18:49, Amp). It seems like these day in our world, there is a special day for everything under the sun. There is quite an extensive list: Boss's Day, Secretaries Day, Nurses Day, Son or Daughter Day, Volunteer Day, Pie Day, and the list goes on. There is literally a day for something or someone to be recognized or celebrated every single calendar day. Even as I write t

"This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps. 118:24, RSV). This is the day, today is the day to experience an undeniable feeling to begin something new. This is the day to go with God in what He is guiding you to do, or where He is guiding you to go. This is the day to allow an ending to a negative habit or starting a positive one to grow within you. This is the day to invite the power of God, through the Holy Spirit, to move into your thou

"There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth" (Eccl. 3:1,The Message). We question time quite frequently on a regular basis throughout each day. We check our watches or our phones see what the time is. How much time do we need to get from point A to point B in our lives? We all have the same twenty-four hours, but what do we actually spend our time doing? Are we: working, conducting business, doing chores, running errands, scheduling or fu

The Word perspective is defined as a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view. We all seem to have differing perspectives about various things. What do you really think about your life? Is your life in Christ? Have you ever taken the time to consider God's perspective? It is clearly presented in His word. Let's explore: First, He wants you to know the difference between right and wrong. He sets out His commandments and His will for your relat

" In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence" (Eph.3:12, NIV). No matter what...How bold is your...