Holding On And Letting Go

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.   ~Psalm 55:22

Even though I have a bad back I have a habit of trying to do things myself. I'll bring home a carload of groceries which I got help with at the grocery store, and yet I try to bring in a fairly heavy load myself. I weigh myself down, leaving my cane in the car; so there I am with this weight I shouldn't be carrying and without the cane I should  have to keep me from falling down. I hurt myself when I do this, yet for some reason I do it repeatedly.

This is the same thing I do when I hold onto things that God asks me to let go of. It may seem easier, but I am carrying all this baggage that is weighing me down. God wants to take it from me, and handle it for me. I resist letting go because I think I know how life should be or I hold on too tight because I think what I am holding onto is good. I am resisting letting go of my will.

Deep down I know that He knows better, and yet when it comes to my children, or a situation where I have a deep desire for a certain outcome I have a really hard time letting go of my own will in the situation. It is very hard to fully release my loved ones to God even though I know they couldn't be in better hands. And there are times in some circumstances in my life when I just can't imagine that there could be a better answer than the one that is sitting right there waiting to happen and it's not.

God isn't the magic problem solver; He doesn't just make our problems go away, but He does have the perfect plan and the perfect timing. He does know better than I.

When He asks you or me to let go of
something, it's because He has
something better for us. Instead of holding on to what we want, we need to go of everything else and surrender it all to the One who loves us so unconditionally and completely. He wants us to let it all go and hold on to Him.

Let us pray: Father God, Thank you for being our perfect Father in Heaven and that You have a perfect plan for each one of us. Thank you for loving us so much that You make us wait for Your best. Help us hold on to the right thing which is You. Help us to let go of what belongs to You which is control. You are in control, and You use everything for the good. Help us to remember this when things don't go our way. Help us to surrender and let go of everything else and hold on tight to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Father I place my life in Your hands.  ~Luke 23:46

Only You

Only You
I want it to be
Only You
In my mind
Within my soul
You're the one
To fill
The gaping holes
Only You

Only You
Can add soft colors
To my gray
Only You
Can show me
The one true way
You're the compass    
My true north                                            
Only You

Let it be            

More and more  
Of You
And less of me
Fill my heart
And my soul
Make me whole
In You,
Only You

Sweet Jesus,
Only You

From Storm Clouds To Sunny Skies

Today as I was driving to an out of town doctor's appointment it looked like I was driving into a bad storm. There were dark, heavy clouds above me and it started pouring rain. I was filled with dread as I got onto the highway, wondering if I would be slowed down and late to my appointment. As I drove further, I was convinced that I would be driving through blinding rain all the way to my doctor's appointment.

All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. ~Proverbs 15:15

Then an amazing thing happened. All of the sudden, the rain let up and the sky was filled with bright white clouds which after 5 minutes became a blue sky with sunshine. The rain was gone, and it was now a sunny day.

How often have we done that in life? I know I have come across an uncertain, potentially bad situation and jumped to the worst conclusions, letting my mind run away with me thinking about worst case scenarios. Does this sound familiar? It is too easy to project into the future and speculate as to what will happen and could go wrong.

It is so easy to consider all the negative possibilities but why are we so fast to think about the negative possibilities and not the positive ones? We spend so much time preparing ourselves for the worst instead of trusting in a God who has never broken a promise to us, and who loves us so very much.

In Luke 12, we are told that we need not worry and that we will always be taken care of. In fact, we are told to seek His kingdom, and God will be glad to give it to us! What an amazing promise that is! So then why do we wait for the other shoe to drop? Could it be that our minds are trained to do this? I think this is very possible. In a fallen world where we hear about awful things happening every day, it is so easy to believe that the worst will happen. What we don't factor into the equation is the God who is in control and can do anything!

Have you had times in your life when God brought sunshine instead of storms after rain and dark clouds? I sure have. When the uncertain times come in your life, remember and hold onto these wonderful surprises that God has brought you. They have come to you before and they will most certainly come again.

Let us pray: Father God, We thank You that You are a God that loves us so much that You want to give us so much. You want to give us Your kingdom here on earth. You tell us that where our hearts are, there will be our treasures. My treasure is with You my Lord and Savior. Thank you for all the blessings and good in my life. Help me to trust You more. Help my unbelief. Help me to believe that dark clouds can still turn into sunny days in Your hands. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

The Miracle of Mercy

What exactly is mercy? What is the difference between mercy and grace? For a long time, I did not understand mercy or the difference between mercy and grace. I knew that when I prayed, I thanked God for the mercy and grace He gave me every night, but I didn't truly understand the difference. I just knew how grateful I was that I was saved from my sins.

I am very grateful to understand now. Grace is the precious gift of salvation that we get when we accept Jesus as our savior. It is receiving a gift that we do not deserve. Mercy is not getting punished for our sins because of the grace we received by accepting Jesus as our saviour. It is not getting what we do deserve.

“The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day" ~Lamentations 3:22-23

Mercy involves forgiveness, kindness and compassion, something that God has daily towards his children. He loves us just as much despite the many times we mess up, sin and are weak. He overlooks our flaws, and sees us as we will be one day be rather than as we are now. What an amazing Heavenly Father we have!

“The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy.” ~James 3:17

Mercy is also something people have toward each other. In fact, God tells us in several scriptures that He wants us to have mercy toward others; the following is one:

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you"
~Ephesians 4:32

What does that mean to us? It means that he wants us to be kind to others, even those who hurt us or offend us. He wants us to be quick to give second chances.  God also wants us to be patient with other people's quirks, like He is with ours. He wants us to have compassion, and to help others that we see hurting or who are helpless. And, God also wants us to reach out and love those who others don't want to associate with. Is He asking a lot? He isn't asking us to do anymore than what He does for us. In Matthew 9:13, Jesus says he would rather have mercy than sacrifice.

So, like many, I have a way to go on my journey when it comes to mercy. For me, the easy part is to help those that are hurting and to be kind to people I don't know. I am still working on turning the other cheek, and being kind to people who have hurt me deeply. I am praying for guidance, direction and answers. I have read that as we face ourselves, walk meekly before God, and thirst for righteousness, God produces more mercy within us.

What are your experiences with mercy?

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" ~Matthew 5:7

How Does He Love Me? Let Me Count The Ways

Have you ever felt unloved- unwanted, like you didn't belong? I sure have. There have been different times in my life where I felt so alone even in a crowded room. I felt different and while different was okay, I felt unaccepted.

When we find people who truly love us it is something to be cherished; but people can't be perfect and can't alway be there. As much as my people love me, there are times when it just doesn't come together. But my God, well He is a different story!

One of the most wonderful things I have found in my relationship with my Lord, is the perfect, unconditional, unwaivering love He has for me! His love is like a song with a beautiful melody and lovely lyrics that He serenades me with. I know that He is always with me, and that He is there to help me. He will cover my every need. How amazing is that? Like a perfect Father, He does what is best for me, even if it's not what I think I want. He watches over me from above; He gave me Jesus who is always with me, and even died for me! On top of that He sent His Holy Spirit to live within me. Read more from scripture about this incredible love He has for me and for you:

1.   His love cannot be shaken:
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken." ~Isaiah 54:10

2.   He loves me at my worst:
"Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst." ~1 Timothy 1:15

3.   He never lets anything separate us from His love:
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord." ~Romans 8:37-39

4.   He loves us so much that He gives us grace that pardons us from our sins:
"Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich is mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace that you have been saved."               ~Ephesians 2:4-5

5.    His love endures forever:
"Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever." ~ Psalm 136:2-3

6.    His love never fails:
" How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings."  ~Psalm 36:7

7.    God loves us so much, that we give Him joy:
" The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." ~Zephaniah 3:17

8.    His love is so big:
"Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." ~Psalm 36:5

9.    He loves us so much, He gave us His own son to free us from our sins so we could be in   eternity with him:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  ~John 3:16

10.   He loves us so much that He will also love our descendants as well:
"Know therefore that the LORD you God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." ~Deuteronomy 7:9

There are so many more than this! You can go through the whole Bible and find countless verses that tell you about God's love. You may or may not have a valentine for Valentine's Day, but remember how loved you are every single day!