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Radically Grateful
I have a phobia of my zipper being down. I don’t know why and surmise this is the result of some embarrassment as a child that caused a trauma that now lives within me as a silly, unsurrendered fear.
As I was coming out of the Men’s Bathroom one Sunday morning, I was doing my customary zipper check when, as I looked up I saw the faces of a sister and brother in Christ. My embarrassment at being caught with my hand in the ‘zipper’ jar quickly gave way to concern as I saw the tears flowing down my sister’s face. A quick discussion revealed that they had become aware of their son’s exposure and budding addiction to pornography. I will never forget the look of brokenness leading to confusion to hope to expectation that occurred in a few short moments when I asked to pray with them. During that prayer I radically and emphatically thanked God for revealing the issue. For ripping away the lies of darkness and secrecy and for the gift of early detection that led to openness and transparency within this family, that had not resided before. The broken mother and father had never considered the gift of awareness that God had delivered, seemingly wrapped in devastation and hopelessness. A change in their perspective stopped defeat in its tracks. Hope won! God, you are good.
“Radical gratitude is the ability to be grateful even during painful moments, and to appreciate the beauty, joy, and compassion in life.” AI Overview
I often see comments of ‘God is good’ during times of personal gratification, achievement, acquisition. New home, God is good. New car, God is good. Athletic accomplishment, God is good. Dream trip, God is good. Health scare that was just that, a scare, God is good.
The truth is, God is good. In the face of desperation, God is good. When terminal illness arrives in a home, God is good. When a job and associated identity is ripped from one’s life, God is good. When the drunk driver runs the red light and stops life in that microsecond, God is good. When a beloved child is wracked by the imprisonment of addiction, God is good.
God is good! All the time. All the time, God is good.
It is so hard to humanly consider a good God during unbearable seasons. Why, God? Why God would you willingly allow Satan to wreak havoc on your righteous man, Job. Taking all of his Worldly possessions, his children, his health, and his wife telling him to curse you and die? Just to make a point to a defeated Satan! And through this, Job laid down and worshipped you. Gratitude in the face of calamity. And then God, in your goodness you restored him multi fold from what he had lost.
“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship.” Job 1:20 NIV
Father, your Word has so many truths that prove you are a good God in every situation. During the years Joseph was a slave, your good works were in process. During the 400 years the Israelites were in Egypt as slaves, your goodness washed over them. When Naomi lost her husband and sons, you showed us your amazing goodness through Ruth and Naomi’s relationship, affirmed and redeemed through Naomi’s relative Boaz. Lord, when all seemingly had been lost and Israel dismantled by Nebuchadnezzar, you showed your promise of goodness when you gave the words of promise in Jeremiah 29:11, that would happen 70 years in the future.
Then Father, after centuries of silence as humankind desperately sought you, your gift of goodness arrived in the form of a little boy, to a young mother and faithful human father. Your eternal goodness came and the darkness of doubt was pushed aside for eternity.
Dad. Father. Abba. Jehovah-Rapha, you are good. You alone a trustworthy. You alone are omnipotent and omnipresent. You alone are deserving of my radical gratitude.
Lord, cause us, your children to exhibit radical gratitude in the face of every situation. Dad, cause me to see your temple in your children when a broken World see rubble. Father, create in me a heart of hope revealed through naive and unabashed gratitude. For financial challenges, thank you. For unanswered prayer (which in truth have been answered), thank you. For failure, thank you. For issues, challenges, fears, doubt, uncertainty, thank you. Thank you for being Certainty in an uncertain life that the enemy desires to destroy. Father, I choose to be radically grateful for ALL you allow and have given and taken from me in my life.
So this Thanksgiving day, I serve a good God. I am redeemed by a good God. I am loved by a good God. I am wrapped in the mercy of a good God. I am a child of the only true God. I am loved.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16
And that is enough.
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Mamaw’s Eggs
The Good ‘Ol Days
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 AMP
I have fond memories of breakfasts at my Mamaw’s table in that little old converted one room schoolhouse, that became my grandparents last home before they graduated to Heaven. In that tight space that became a kitchen, Mamaw would lovingly and patiently talk with her curious little grandson while masterfully making what were and are to this day the best eggs I have ever eaten. Those were the good ‘ol days.
Interesting, isn’t it, that we often reflect on events from our past and remember them as the best of times? As Mamaw and I would have those wonderful conversations that took us back, I would often ask were those the good ‘ol days (my words)? I was always struck by her answer that those days weren’t always good but Jesus was always good and always faithful. Is it possible that the stories that I had heard with much laughter and fond reflection weren’t always good?
Years ago, Holly Dunn penned the words to a song entitled “Daddy’s Hands” that have always resonated with me. A song about a complex dad held together in purpose and focus by a love that transcended the highs and lows of being human.
“I remember daddy’s hands folded silently in prayer
And reachin’ out to hold me, when I had a nightmare
You could read quite a story in the callous’ and lines
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind
I remember daddy’s hands how they held my mama tight
And patted my back for something done right
There are things that I’d forgotten that I loved about the man
But I’ll always remember the love in daddy’s hands
‘Daddy’s hands were soft and kind when I was cryin’
Daddy’s hands were hard as steel when I’d done wrong
Daddy’s hands weren’t always gentle but I’ve come to understand
There was always love in daddy’s hands’
I remember daddy’s hands workin’ ’til they bled
Sacrificed unselfishly just to keep us all fed
If I could do things over, I’d live my life again
And never take for granted the love in daddy’s hands…
‘Refrain’ again…” (Holly Dunn, 1986)
Memories seem to fall into one of two categories. And of course this is overly simplified. We either remember and reflect on those days and years of our past as life mistakes and brokenness, or of a simpler time of joy and purity. Are our memories born out of sinful nature and/or forgiven hope? What I mean is that for many of us, we are stuck in this vortex of time that continues to replay itself, dragging us through memories of broken days gone by. Sinful nature. For others, memories are the catalysts that drive our future, now used as experiential knowledge that has prepared us for our future. Forgiven hope.
Where do you reside? Mamaw did not reflect on the hardscrabble life as a girl and woman of Appalachia whose life involved much abuse, loss of children, imprisonment of a son, hunger, financial destitution and persistent human failings. She reflected joy, gratitude and thankfulness. I don’t ever recall her saying to me, ‘honey, if only.’ I do vividly remember the continual affirmation from her that ‘God is so good’ and her absolute belief solidified by a lifetime of experience that ‘prayer is the greatest gift we have and at times, the only hope we can cling to.’
So, I am thankful for a Mamaw who loved me enough to teach me to be resilient. To not dwell on days gone by. To focus on the hope and future that is Jesus. To pray above all else and through all things. To immerse myself in God’s word.
I miss that little kitchen and those simple mornings with Mamaw. I walk in the knowledge and confidence that my past was only preparation for my future. I trust in the assurance that my sins are forgiven and my eternity is secured. I know one day I will see Mamaw again and be greeted by those sweet words, ‘good morning, honey.’
“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west”. Psalm 103:12 NLT
Whatever your past, God has forgotten the moment you asked him to forgive. Your life experiences and good or bad ‘ol days are someone’s hope. Be radical and be transparent. That person you are concerned about impressing desperately needs the authenticity that is your life. You are Psalm 139:14!
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well” NIV
You’ve got this
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Lemon Twist
There is a saying that goes “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I remember a relative once saying this to me and I quickly uttered ‘when life gives you lemons, take them, cut them apart, sew the seeds and create a lemon orchard. Then harvest those lemons and make lemonade. Provide them for pies, for taste expansion in drinks, as ingredients in other foods. Create a lasting legacy that comes from sewing and harvesting.’ When I said these words, the Father was speaking to me. Go. Sew. Fertilize. Expect. Watch and marvel at how I, your Heavenly Father, harvest.
I remember when our son, Benton was just a few months old we learned that Megan was pregnant again with our daughter, Malia. I remember the flood of emotions of incredible joy that our family would be growing and feelings of guilt that Benton would be short changed on attention and love because his time as “the only child,” would be short.
Then, when Benton was 14 months old, his beautiful sister, Malia, was born. The guilt of another child was immediately replaced with a heart that had grown. Benton was not diminished. Benton gained parents whose hearts were expanded by their gracious Father in Heaven. Parents capable of loving two children with greater joy, commitment, compassion and gratitude. I learned first-hand the lesson of a multiplying God in a diminishing World. Then, God in his relentless love gave us Kensley three years later and yet again expanded our love-filled hearts beyond what we believed possible.
There is an amazing paradox to living a life surrendered to and filled by Jesus Christ. When we give our lives to Christ, the World tells us we are giving up independence and control when the truth is we are releasing our limitations for the supernatural expansion plans that God intends for our life. He takes the limited heart that is seeking and replaces it with the limitless heart that he created within us to expand the love that is his Son, Jesus.
A single ear of corn produces around 800 kernels that can translate to hundreds of stalks of corn. A single potato will create 3 to 4 pounds, that equates to 10-12 potatoes. If we ingest this corn or potatoes, we are satisfied for a moment. But, if we allow the God of multiplication to use what he planted within us, the implications are generational and exponential. You have the God-given ability to be the seed and/or the fertilizer for every life that crosses your path.
“Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT
Your life matters because others need the hope that is your life. Use it wisely. An outwardly focused heart is difficult to restrain. An inwardly focused heart is life limiting and joy defeating. Be radical and love relentlessly. You will disarm the defenses of the enemy and free the life standing in front of you.
You’ve got this!
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Time Travels
“I went to bed a young man and woke up an old man.” William Danny Mullins, Jr.
I’ll never forget those words spoken by my father in the latter years of his life. It was in that moment of vulnerability and transparency from my dad that I moved from son to fellow brother in Christ and man desiring to better live and love because of his example.
My strong father, my example of good and bad, of commitment and inconsistency, the man that God chose and assigned as my father was human. He was a godly man, seeking righteousness and understanding.
It was in that moment that I saw my father as a little boy. As a young man. As a husband, father, brother, uncle, Christian man striving. I am so grateful that God gifted me those few short years of knowing my dad at a deeper level, taking me from the immature judgement and anger of a child to the acknowledgment, love and respect of a man, to a man, gifted me by my Father in Heaven. My dad.
I so vividly remember watching my father in his last days showing a determination to live and love with greater purpose than I ever could have imagined. He taught me that time is precious and relationships worth the effort. I watched as my dad would struggle to dress, carry himself to his truck, cleverly lift his broken body wracked by decades of incessant strokes that rendered the left side of his body dead, make his way to things that were important. His family. To his church for beautiful fellowship and life-giving encouragement and love that no one other than fellow Believers can understand. To Kroger’s for his daily walks and stops of encouragement, gifts of love through time and genuine interest and Bibles to the employees. Who, in that moment could not comprehend the gift of the broken, old man standing before them with a heart yearning for them to know the Jesus that he knew.
Time is the most precious commodity that we have. We live in a time that discounts time. We live during times that minimizes the value of the wisdom that only time can instill. We approach time with a mentality of not enough time. We seek more time through technology, efficiency, faster, faster, faster. When all the while our Father in Heaven says that he has numbered our days in Psalm, Exodus, Job.
What time is this in your life? What is deserving of your precious time? In some ways I admire that King Hezekiah was given 15 more years of life and knew the specific clock countdown. Sadly, he did not use these years well. The question from the lesson is how will we use our days and years, however many we have left? Jesus lived 33 years, with 3 years of documented ministry and teaching. Scholars and theologians spend lifetimes seeking to understand what he planted in 3 short years. It truly is not the quantity but the quality of our time.
“If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she’s my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face this world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes”.Poignant words written by Ronan Keating and so beautifully sung by Garth Brooks. Use well what is fleeting.
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT
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Attn: Satan
You cannot have our kids. You cannot have Megan and my kids. You cannot have the friends of our kids. You cannot have our friend’s kids. I declare in the name of the Almighty God that you can no longer have unfettered access to my kids or any kids within my sphere of reach and influence. They are simply too valuable to surrender to your broken and desperate World.
Satan, I know your desperation grows because every new morning you are one day closer to complete defeat and eternal damnation, with no possibility of escape. Revelation 19:20 confirms the plans that God has already established for you and the antichrist(s) for eternity. You have the audacity to quote scripture to the son of the Author of the Word in the wilderness? Then you also know what has been predetermined for you and your angels. So, you attack our most vulnerable, our children, with every wicked desire for their destruction, enticing them to join you in eternal damnation. No more!
Satan, your evil will not prevail against our children. I heard the best description of Hell as “the complete and eternal separation from God, devoid of all hope or promise.” Satan, you are Hell and your desire is to rob our children of the hope and promise that is Jesus Christ. Today I invite all of my brothers and sisters in Christ to join me in this unrestrained fight for our children from a World desiring to destroy.
I appeal to every parent, every grandparent, every aunt/uncle/family friend, brother and sister in Christ and all who proclaim the name of Jesus to rise up and as God’s army on earth, reject the lies of Satan being poured out on our children. Enough!
I am sick of our kids wondering what is important. Grades? Athletic accomplishment? Social measurement by a broken society with wrong value assignment. Let’s applaud discipline in life that equates to performance, all graded against what the Bible says. Let’s believe and accept what the wisest man who ever lived taught us in Ecclesiastes 1 and then throughout that book’s writings.
How different would our kids lives look if our accolades were properly prioritized with everything for Christ mattering and all things in this World, measured against what matters? Jesus! Only Jesus. “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him.” How would our kids look at this short life if we took an eternal approach with them. That in terms of salvation and eternity, an A in academics, a touchdown, the most stylish clothes, the ‘nicest’ car, the most desirable vacation, dinners ‘to die for’ are temporary and dare I say it, meaningless compared to eternity. That these may in fact be the priorities that determine eternal death versus life. What if our children see us prioritizing Jesus and introducing as many people as possible to him? The only life grade that matters.
So Satan, you cannot have our kids. You cannot have our minds. You no longer can hijack our life priorities. You are defeated. Even in your perverse desperation to wreak as much havoc and destruction as possible in your short days left, you are defeated!
I choose today to guard our kids and all kids that come through our doors. Satan, you cannot have our children!
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3 NLT
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Pay Raise
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” Matthew 5:11-12
I have read the Bible consistently for the past 20 years and have read it through over 18 times. I remain amazed at how counterintuitive the effort and process can be for me. Then I love when God reminds me, ‘don’t be surprised son. Your sinful nature denies what should be natural and instinctive.’ He reminds me that he has given me/us the Bible as the source of light, instruction, hope…a pathway for the pursuit of righteousness. Thank you, Father.
A common phrase in my house growing up and in my adult life has been “don’t take my word for it.” I love how our Dad in Heaven provides us his Word in printed form and lovingly says, “daughter/son, take my Word for it.” Thank you, Lord.
God gave us his Word through the Bible to be the truth during our journey and light for our life’s path. He tells us in Psalm 119 and Matthew 5 among other great, reassuring, life empowering, purpose defining, identity revealing passages throughout the Bible.
Remind yourself that the Bible tells us the enemy (Satan) prowls like a lion, seeking who he can kill and eat. (1 Peter). Then go a step further and understand the confidence of the Enemy desiring to destroy you, your family, your friends, your life. Satan took the son (Jesus) of the Author of the Bible (God) and tempted him by quoting scripture to him (Matthew 4). Thankfully, Jesus being God in human form knew his Word and refuted Satan’s use of scripture out of context until he/Satan knew that he had been beaten.
I exercise because I have Type-2 diabetes and working my heart, my lungs, my core, my muscles is a gift to myself. Spending time in my Dad’s (God’s) Word is a gift to my heart, my health, my joy, my love, my hope…my life.
My encouragement to you is to gift yourself the truth and hope that is contained in God’s Word by spending time in it daily. You’ll be so glad you did and the “life surprises” that await you become mole hills instead of mountains.
You’ve got this!
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What We Allow In, Surely Spews Out
I don’t know the author of this, but relate to this so much. What we allow in to our hearts and minds will surely spill out. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
“I LOVE THIS ANALOGY:
You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.
Why did you spill the coffee?
“Because someone bumped into me!!!”
Wrong answer.
You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.
Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.
Whatevr is inside the cup is what will spill out.
Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled.
So we have to ask ourselves… “what’s in my cup?”
When life gets tough, what spills over?
Joy, gratitude, peace and humility?
Anger, bitterness, victim mentality and quitting tendencies?
Life provids the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.
Today let’s work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affrmation, resilience, positivity; and kindness, gentleness and love for others.” -
Dear Vice-President Kamala Harris and for President Donald Trump, I am praying for you. As you prepare for your debate tonight, I am praying for you.
I am praying that truth will prevail. Not ‘your truth,’ but defendable, identifiable, verifiable truth.
I am praying that a keen awareness comes over you that the Presidency of the United States is not an experiment, but a sacred responsibility to carefully and cautiously protect all citizens first and foremost.
I pray that your heart is revealed and your character exposed.
I pray that today as you prepare, you hear the cries of desperation from parents doing their best to raise kids in an increasingly lawless culture, devoid of moral guidance and foundational life principles sacrificed at the altar of insatiable political desire.
I pray that tonight you exhibit the character of convictions, without thought of audience acceptance or special interest appeasement.
I pray that you choose to reveal who you are regardless of result.
I pray that you will choose God over Country. Country over financial support. Financial responsibility to our citizens over pet projects aimed at the few. That the responsibility of democracy would reign in your lips, be revealed in your eyes and spew from your words.
I pray that the future of a infant girl, a teenage boy, a college student, a welder, a cashier, a newlywed couple, a soldier standing in the gap, a police officer protecting our streets, a firefighter guarding our safety, an EMT caring for the hurt, a nurse covering the third shift, a retired couple seeking peace, purpose and ability would all see that you care first and foremost for them as people and citizens of this great Country and that you are determined to deliver the hope that has been the United States of America for 248 years.
I pray that your love for all is revealed in your answers and that your answers bring trust and expectation.
I pray that you understand how incredibly important our girls are and their right to be protected from confused boys and perverted men. I pray that their bathrooms, their sports, their biologically assigned gender is honored and guarded.
I pray that you affirm our boys and their critical role in our society. I pray that the correction of confusion within our boys from decades of lies is a priority within you, to be delivered through you regardless of micro special interest groups seeking to debilitate and destroy.
I pray that the burden of servitude overwhelms you today. Bringing you to your knees.
I pray that you understand “In God We Trust” is not a clever saying to be printed on our money and above our building, but rather the core, foundational principle that is never to be surrendered.
I pray that you see the insanity of delivering Bibles to inmates but denying them to children in and through our schools.
I pray that you are burdened to welcome all through our lawful pathways to citizenship, with the agreement and understanding that the choice is America defined by a Bill of Rights and protected by a sacred Constitution.
I pray that you are filled with commitment to protect what exists, and consider what enhances by drawing us together.
I am praying for you because the most powerful force that I exists within the World today is the power of prayer.
I pray that you understand the sacred and life protecting words that are God Bless America.
I am praying for you today as you prepare to speak to us tonight.
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Standing On The Promises Involves Knowing The Promises
‘I stand on God’s Word.’ Great! Consider moving it from under your feet. Opening it on your lap. And filling your mind with its truth, in preparation for the battle that exists every day.
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11-12 NIV
Whenever I am meeting with guys, I invariably will say at some point something to the effect of “discount Satan and his patience and abilities at your own risk and the risk of your family.
I have said to our kids that words are only arrogant if they cannot be backed up with action. A little simplistic but used trying to teach them the value of practice, of learning, of preparing before the event. I have become so amazed at Satan’s arrogant confidence that when face to face with God’s son in the wilderness, he tried to tempt him through reasoning by quoting scripture to the son of the Author. Arrogance? Confidence? I’ll let you make that call. Matthew 4:1-11
I recently was meeting with someone and was discussing how Satan never comes through the front door of our lives, but through the vulnerabilities of our lives. In battle, good leaders always shore up the battle lines where weakest. They know their vulnerabilities and take action to make these areas stronger. Similarly, Satan knows and attacks us where we are weakest. Without knowing, understanding, accepting and integrating scripture into all areas of our lives, we are vulnerable to false teaching, the incessant lies, and the attacks of the enemy that are only thwarted through preparation.
2 Timothy 2:15-17 tells us to “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer…” (NLT)
I encourage you to integrate the concept of continuing education into your life…every day. I believe that fitness is a gift that we give to ourselves. Absolutely and without question, Biblical learning is the fitness of our mind that translates into the peace and understanding that builds our relationship with Jesus, his Father and the Holy Spirit. Paul expressed his frustration with the church at Corinth when he wrote, “I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,”. (I Corinthians 3:2 NLT). Gift yourself the relationship that grows with Christ as we learn and live His Word.
I often write and always believe that you and I are built for greater purpose than we can comprehend. I also believe that we must be feeding our mind through scripture to 1) guard against the lies of the enemy, also known as this World; 2) to disciple and encourage others that God places in our path through understanding and truth that is scripture, also known as God’s Word; and 3) to seek, find and live the marvelous plans that God has created us for, to be revealed through the reading of God’s Word and the growing of our mind.
Arguably the greatest Christian to walk the earth was the Apostle Paul, who before his conversion was one of the most scripturally knowledgeable people to walk the earth. He was a Pharisee, educated in scripture from a very young age. He knew what the words said. Knowledgeable in the law. Lacking, then receiving the truth of God’s love through Jesus’ death and resurrection on that road to Damascus.
Gift yourself time daily with the Father through Bible reading and prayer. If you have invited him into your heart, now let him flood your mind with truth.
You’ve got this.
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Your Gifts are Magnificent
“How great are thy works, O Lord? thou hast made all things in wisdom: the earth is filled with thy riches.” Psalm 103:24 NIV
This spider web greeted Megan Mullins and me this morning on a corner of our garage after some much needed rain. I was immediately drawn to Psalm 103:24 and the awareness of God’s knitting our life together in marvelous ways that may not be apparent during the emerging.
My encouragement to you today is if the Omnipotent Creator of all things created a spider that can build things like this web overnight, think and expect of what he can and will do through you if you trust and believe in His plan for your life and the gifts he has instilled within you?
You are created for marvelous things. Seek and you will find in the pages of the most beautiful of all books, The Holy Bible.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLT
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Myron Speaks 