Thanks!

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:30

On this blessed day when we stop to thank God for all He's done for us, I want to say thank you. I'm so grateful Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I'm grateful for my family and for all the bountiful blessings the Lord has given to me. The Lord is better to me than anyone else. Oh, wait a minute. So you think that, too, huh?

I posted the first devotional on this website in the latter part of May 2004. I'm thankful the Lord has continued to inspire and gracious to give me words to write. My greatest desire is to praise God and draw closer to Him daily through prayer and studying His Word.

I'd also like to thank YOU. You've been supportive and encouraging. It's a blessing to know the words the Lord inspires have touched your heart or caused you to meditate on God and His mighty ways.

I pray the Lord allows me to continue writing and uses my limited ability to bring honor to our infinite God.

May you have a blessed thanksgiving with your family and friends.

The Obsession

Ready to read another column with a touch of humor? Then click here to read "The Obsession" in Sisters in the Lord Magazine. I've had such fun penning these humorous pieces. Hope you smile a time or two!

Just for fun...

If you'd like to read something with a touch of humor, click here to read a piece on Penwomanship called "Thanksgiving - a Day in the Life of 'The Cook'" by yours truly. Something different that might cause you to chuckle. Thanks!

Spiritual X-Ray

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.
Luke 6:45 niv

Several years ago, my son fell on his arm while skating. From the outside, his arm looked fine, but his cries of pain told a different story. When the doctor held the x-ray up to the light, even my untrained eyes could see the jagged edge of his small bone sticking out.

I can still hear my brave little soldier’s cry of “Ow-ow-ouch!” when the doctor needed to ‘set’ the bone back into place. They had ushered this nervous Mom out of the room for the procedure, and when I came back in, I saw my baby’s freckles standing out in stark contrast to his paler than usual complexion. After being fitted with a bright orange cast, he recovered enough to ask when he’d be able to skate again!

From the outside, we cannot see everything happening on the inside of a person’s body. But God can. Not only does he see beyond our skin, He sees our hearts. And God doesn’t see just arteries, vessels, and muscles, but knows the intent and spiritual condition of our hearts.

Jesus told the Pharisees, the hypocritical religious leaders of His day, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts.” (Luke 16:15 niv)

What if God administered a ‘spiritual x-ray’ and held the condition of your heart up to the light so all could see the results? Would you be ashamed? Would the sickness of sin be evident? Just as the doctor set my son’s bone back into place, God wants to ‘set’ our sin-sick "hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1 niv)

God knows what you think, what you feel, and most importantly, if He truly is the Lord of your life.

I’m sorry to say my son fell less than a year later and broke his other arm!

Prayer: Lord, I love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Thank You for loving me. Lord, help me to keep my heart set on things above and serving You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Hallelujah, What a Savior

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. - Ephesians 2:8 niv

My husband walked into the family room clutching a yellow receipt. He had just filled my car with gas. “Well, we broke the record with that fill-up.”

“I told you I was driving around on fumes.” I said, grinning. I have a bad habit of being totally oblivious to that tiny light that says, “You’re going to be walking soon!”

When I saw how much it cost to have the car filled, I realized I’m old enough to say, “Remember when you could fill your car up with $10.00 and get change?”

We’ve all heard the saying, “Nothing in this life is free.” I know you’ve been inundated, as I have, with commercials or flyers offering something free. You call the 800 number only to find out you receive something free IF… If – that’s the key word. You have to participate in some way. IF you try a product or buy something else, you’ll get your free gift.

Salvation from God depends on something, too. Romans 10:9-10 says, “IF you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

The gift of salvation is free to you, but it did not come without a price. Jesus paid that price with His blood. He became the perfect sacrifice, pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, on our behalf. This is one gift we receive with only one prerequisite. IF we confess Jesus Christ as Lord of our life, and believe in Him, we are saved.

I need to pay more attention to the warning light on my dashboard. Perhaps this message is your warning light. The next time you see one of those flashy commercials advertising free gifts, remember- Jesus offers YOU a free gift- eternal life with Him, and there are no strings attached. He already paid for it! Have you received the gift of Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for my salvation and the promise of eternal life in Heaven with You. I’m so grateful for Your amazing grace. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.