“By myself I can do nothing;
I judge only as I hear, and my judgment
is just,
for I seek not to please myself but Him
who sent me.”
(John 5:30 NIV)
Jesus had a one-track mind,
focused on the Father. Because His Spirit lives in me, I should be the same
way. He left the crowds to be alone with His heavenly Father. I should do the
same. I will seek to please my heavenly Father and not myself. I will not judge
another but lift them up to my Father in prayer. I hope you will, too!
“For by your words you will be
acquitted,
and by your words you will be condemned.”
(Matthew 12:37 NIV)
I have been warned to make sure my words are always sweet, for I may have to eat them. If I always tell the truth, I will never have to remember what lies I have told. Sometimes it is better to keep my mouth shut, not say anything. But, for those times when a word or two is required, I will stop and think before I speak and use sweet words. I hope you will, too!
“Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and
my song;
He has become my salvation.”
(Isaiah 12:2 NIV)
Through it all, God was with me. Marriage, the rejection of divorce, the uncertainty of re-marriage, miscarriages, childbirth, layoffs, death, and loss all tried to destroy me. But God. But He would not let me crumple and despair. He was my Strength, my Song, my Salvation. I will praise Him for His continual presence and power in my life. I hope you will, too!
“He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
(Proverbs 13:20 NIV)
A fool lives for himself. Either he does not believe there is a God or does not care. When he pursues honor for himself, people will get in his way. A wise person seeks God in every pursuit and puts the needs of others before his own. A fool wanders in the dark and does not know what lies ahead. I will walk with the wise in the Light of Truth. I hope you will, too!
“That if you confess with your mouth,
“Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your
heart
that God raise Him from the dead,
you will be saved.”
(Romans 10:9 NIV)
Seems simple, doesn’t it? Just say a few words to get out of hell free. But God knows me. He knows my heart, my inner being, my thoughts, my emotions better than I do. I cannot fool Him. He wants me to know His perfect, unconditional love for me. I will surrender to Him, confess, and believe. I hope you will, too!
“The man without the Spirit
does not accept the things
that come from the Spirit of God,
for they are foolish to him,
and he cannot understand them,
because they are spiritually discerned.”
(1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)
It takes one to know one. I often remind myself of that when tempted to find fault. I must be as faulty as they, for me to recognize the other person’s weaknesses. In a more perfect way, the Spirit living in me connects to the Spirit living in others. I see Jesus in their eyes. I hope you will, too!
by Macy Johnson
“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be
afraid.
Stand firm and you will see the
deliverance
the Lord will bring you today.
The Egyptians you see today you will
never see again.’”
(Exodus 14:13 NIV)
Pastor Bob
told the congregation a story one Sunday morning about a college student
reading his Bible on a campus lawn. The student exclaimed, “Wow! That is
amazing!” just as a professor walked by. The man asked the student what he was
reading. The student replied, “I am reading how God parted the Red Sea so all
of the Israelites could cross on dry land!”
