When you center your mind on God and on His truth and abundance, good things will flow toward you rather than away from you.
I remember when I ceased to be a worrier. It was when my Air Force husband, Allen, had been given an assignment to Istanbul, Turkey. He was to be gone from us for a one year remote assignment. I had to make a conscious decision to focus my energy and attention on God and to trust Him completely for all our needs, at home and abroad. When I began to live in the light of His truth and let go of the negative "what if's", I realized I had stopped worrying. It has been a most wondrous, continuous blessing to not worry. Sure, I have concerns at times, but I have learned to face the unknown with hope. The continuous flow of positive energy, positive thoughts, and positive actions overpower any negative that appears as a brief thought. Yes, the negative thoughts come, but I release them immediately and replace them, instead with positive ones. As I commit my energy and efforts to Him, I am blessed. God's bounty of prosperity and love encircles me like a soft, warm blanket wrapped around me. Within His loving will, I have all I need because of God's law of supply.
1) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2) He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.
3) He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
4) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6) Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
For you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me! Because I have experienced God's compassion and His grace, I know He is slow to anger and that His love and faithfulness endure forever. He has turned to me and I to Him. He has seen me through the dark times in my life. Yes, the Lord has had mercy upon me when I deserved harsh discipline. I have surely been strengthened and am honored and humbled to be His servant. The Lord has saved me! I "see" signs of His goodness around me all day long. I think if anyone could be called my enemy, it must be the devil himself and God puts him to shame at every turn. It is truly a time to rejoice! Reflect upon your own life and when you realize God's presence was with you all along, you will also know today, now, is a time to rejoice!
when we "get it" life is really grand!!
This morning as I sat on my front porch listening to the birds singing and gazing at the cloudy sky, I knew in my heart that the message for today must be about the new day itself. The temperature is mild and the first flowers of spring are beginning to come forth from the cold ground. Today is a day like no other day before. Take full advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves to you to enrich your own life or the life of another. These opportunities may very well be "once in a lifetime" opportunities. Let go of yesterday and embrace today. You will never have another day identical to this one. Carpe diem!
In exact proportion, as you give joy, you will receive joy. It is a law of exact reciprocity. Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself. Actually, unless you give it, you will ultimately lose it. In giving it you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.
Today is John's 19th birthday. He is our only son. In 19 years, he has given us a wealth of joy simply by being John. He is a delight to be around and is filled with joy when he makes people laugh by bringing out Chester, his camel puppet. He is an amateur ventriloquist, and just the other night, John brought out Chester for the girlfriend of one of his long-time buddies. This young lady practically lost her breath from laughing so much as we interacted with Chester. We love to hear the sound of laughter in our home and the house was rocking that night, thanks to John and Chester.
John is in the pre-enlistment process of joining the U.S. Air Force. He is attending classes at our local community college and he is an Eagle Scout. He sings in the choir at church and volunteers at Fort Dobbs, a local historic site. Keep him in your prayers. He is a work in progress, as are we all. I think John is spending his dash wisely. We serve an awesome God.
Whew! Time for a break! When I rose from bed this morning, knowing "I have the day off", I knew it would be a perfect day for cleaning windows in my house. I just love to look out the beautiful sparkling clean windows at the birds feeding on the nearby feeder in the back yard. Plus, I needed to remove the "Bob snort" from the glass in my back door! Wow! What a difference that makes! I can see clearly now through the glass! Bob is a jewel of a pet. He is a black Lab. pound puppy we adopted from the animal shelter nearly four years ago. He doesn't look the size of a puppy anymore!
I've been productive since early this morning, but had to stop and take a break! As I thought about the topic of today's message, there came to mind a poem I wrote several years ago. I think it is quite appropriate to share it with you today. Now I must return to my windows. I hear the Windex calling my name!
The most important of all the jewels I wear around my neck are faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and above all, love. All of my jewels, I'll gladly share, because I know The Source of them. There are more where these came from and the supply is endless!
I love my Lord and that's the truth!
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him.
Today's message of love is dedicated to my children and my unborn grandchildren. No, Ashley isn't pregnant, but I do believe with all my heart that God will bless Ashley and Kris, and someday, John with children. If I should die before I get the privilege of meeting my grandchildren, I want them to know me by my words. I have to write to them down so they will have this part of me and to know me long after I am gone. Memories fade and stories will be forgotten, but my writings live forever as long as they are read. My poetry and Nan's Calendar are a legacy of love I leave my family, my children, grandchildren and you. I am an encourager and I love you.
It really is very simple. Perhaps mine is an over-simplification. We can love because God first loved us. Our part is to pray, that is to say, to have a continual conversation with Him, and to show Him a grateful heart for all He has given us and for all He has not given us. His part is to provide peace for our souls and protection. Yes, bad things do happen to good people. Yes, good comes to the unjust as well as to the just. We have to remember our part and God's part in the big picture. God is the Creator and Judge. He owns it all and He will judge all accordingly. It's about ownership and boundaries. If we don't own the problem, it isn't ours. There really are invisible boundaries we should not cross and, likewise, others will do well not to cross over where they should not cross.
Rick Warren said "it's not about us."
It's about God. It's about love. It's about time and how we use it.
It was Mark Twain who said "my problem with the Bible is not deciphering the passages I do not understand, but in applying those I do understand."
Yes, it is easier said than done, but when we remember that each time we apply in our daily lives, the Ten Commandments and the absolute truths in the Bible, we are performing acts of love to others and for our God who loves us beyond our comprehension.
As I ponder the history and the meaning of Valentine's Day, I know the greatest gift I can give my husband, my children, family, friends, and neighbors near and far is the gift of applying the passages in the Bible I understand. It's one thing to say "I know", but it is another thing entirely to turn knowledge into wisdom by applying what we know. How can we believe something we have not known? How can we apply something we have not believed?
His power is at work within us and we are to use this power, apply this power accordingly. Grasp it! Share it! Remember, love isn't love 'til you give it away! To God be the glory!
Lord, thank you for creating us and for loving us. Thank you for forming the spirit within us. Search our hearts, oh Lord, and be compassionate through those times, in anger, frustration and disappointment, we hide from you. Thank you, Lord for forgiving us when we fail you. Father, help us to turn knowledge into wisdom and guide our footsteps at each turn along the way of life. Lord, keep us from all evil that we may hold on to the good in ourselves and others. We pray for the leaders of our nation and the leaders of all governments that they will look to you for guidance and direction as they make decisions on behalf of all citizens near and far. Lord, we lift up our praise and thanksgiving to you. Thank you for your love, your mercy and your grace lovingly bestowed upon us. Let us seek you and find you in every aspect of our daily activities and may we always be filled with the joy of the Lord and trust in your unfailing kindness now and forever more. In your precious name we pray, amen.
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Today is the most important day of the year. Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery.
Be the best you that you can be today, right now, this minute. As long as you live and breathe make each breath count for good to glorify God, and to encourage yourself and others. Self-talk is so important in how effectively you maneuver through the activities of the day. Make sure your self-talk is positive. God created you like no other living creature on earth. You're unique, beautiful and special! When you get up in the morning and put your feet on the floor, remind yourself that yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery. Remember, today is the most important day of the year!
He who, forgetting self, makes the object of his life service, helpfulness and kindness to others, finds his whole nature growing and expanding, himself becoming large-hearted, magnanimous, kind, sympathetic, joyous, and happy; his life becoming rich and beautiful.
The Word of God never changes; it is always relevant to the human heart. But it needs to break forth in freshness and vitality in each generation.
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
I have been so engrossed in my Bible this morning as I sit here pulling out this message from my heart. I have lost track of time! It's past 8am and I must get up from here and get dressed for work. There are so many passages I want to share with you today, and yet, at God's direction, I chose the one from 2 Samuel. Why? I felt the moving of the Holy Spirit within me that this is the one He wants you to remember today.
The quote, as well, was brought to you by the grace of God. I write Nan's Calendar and post it here on the internet so that anyone, where ever in the world they may be, have access to wholesome, godly inspiration and an example of the love of God travelling the world over, when they least expect it. Perhaps, one will have a hunger for more of the living Word of God as they explore the messages located in the Archives section of this blog. I hope my efforts have caused a stirring in their hearts to reach for a Bible and be nourished by the Bread of Life.
We have to reach this generation in whatever medium is available to make a positive difference in their lives. I praise God for the miracle of the internet that I may be a witness of His great love, mercy and grace for generations past, present and future. I hope you sense a freshness and vitality from my efforts to encourage, you, my friends and neighbors near and far.
Have a wonderful day and may He make your way perfect today.
As the Holy Spirit works within us, we discover insight and direction as Jesus promised. Oh, to be sure, we may think of all kinds of things we think we need. However, Jesus did not promise such. As we draw closer to the Lord and sense a burning desire deep within, we realize the Spirit is directing us toward that which will bring spiritual benefits, not only for ourselves, but for others as well. Remember, it's not all about us.
As we read the verses again, we realize the words "ask", "seek", "knock" are all action words. We simply can not sit thoughtlessly idle and expect anything to change. Circumstances can change around us without our involvement, but change of heart requires action on our part. We can't change other people. No one can make us angry. No one can make us happy. We can't make someone love us. We can ask God to take our weakness and give us strength. We can change our thoughts from anger to peace and we can love God, others and ourselves. We can ask for forgiveness and we can forgive a wrong. We can ask God for guidance and then follows obedience. What do we gain by asking for guidance and then not obey God's will? Trust me, we reap the benefits of obedience when we trust God enough to step out of the comfort zone with an open heart pounding in the chest, not knowing exactly what will happen next, but, without doubt, it will be better than we can imagine.
Lord, lead us, guide us and direct us in all we say and do today so that our words and our actions are pleasing unto you. Amen.
All around you at this moment is divine healing energy. The very atmosphere is charged with it. If you will practice faith, you can be healed of ill-will, inferiority, fear, guilt, or any other block which impedes the flow of recreative energy. Power and efficiency are available to you if you will believe.
This quote comes from Dr. Peale's book entitled A Guide to Confident Living. I have learned so much from this incredible man over the years and want to share this quote with you today, simply because I believe. I believe, because I know of the healing I have experienced within my own soul of inferiority, fear, guilt, etc, as I practiced faith to the extent I was able at the time. The more often I practice faith, the stronger faith becomes.
I believe for you and I believe in you. I believe in the person you are becoming. You are a work in progress, as am I. I wish you could see the paper covering on the outside of the book. It is colored with age and is tattered. I purchased it from my local Goodwill store quite some time ago. As I sat here at my computer this morning, I looked across the room at my bookshelf and I was drawn to this book. In trusting God that something from this book would provide the backbone of today's message, I began to read and then my heart leapt in my chest when I read the quote I share with you. This is one of God's messages for you today.