Envy in this verse takes the form of an onomatopoetic word mimicking the sound of water so hot that’s it bubbling or boiling over. Picture that! Being envious is no way to live life – no matter the type of relationship. Envy is a deep root that creeps and crawls through every other aspect of your life.
God, let us be so full of you, so confident in your love for us, that we know that we are not lacking. God, let us be so full of you that there are no missing parts that we covet from others. Envy is truly the lack of peace that only having a close knit relationship with God brings.
In the same manner, help us not to brag about the things – or the love – that we give others. Help us have true servant’s hearts that give without wanting anything in return. We don’t need praise. We don’t need glory. We don’t need the accolades. We just want to serve you all the days of our life.
God, help us to continue to grow closer to you so that we can in fact love others the way you do. Amen.
You’ve heard it a hundred times – actions speak louder than words.
Love is truly an action.
God, all throughout scripture you show us the true meaning of patience, of long-suffering. You’ve shown us through the many chances given to us and by the immense amount of mercy shown as time after time we have failed you. Thank you for your patience.
Love is also kind. It’s mild. It’s gentle. I read in one commentary that not only does love “wish well” but it also “does well”. God wants the best for us, and He certainly tries to lead us down that path – it is us that strays.
God, thank you for your patience with me. Thank you for being gentle and kind to me and for truly wanting what’s best for me. Help me to love the people you have placed in my life in the same way. Help me to live what true love is out loud and on purpose. Help me to be more like you. Amen.
We know of the common phrase from example in scripture that David was a “man after God’s own heart.” Many individuals take this out of context as we assume it is discussing the overall character of David. Although this may be some of the reasons with his overall character being loyal. The historical theology we find in 1 Samuel chapter 13 is the Lord is seeking out a man who is actually willing to keep His commands.
I want to be so on fire for Christ my goal and desire is to follow His law. To be obedient all while following the commandments. (Exodus 20) We have laws here on earth with the majority of them having the purpose of protecting us. Jesus loves his children. He wants to protect his children. There is such deep love and purpose behind scripture the Gospel reveals to us. May we grow so close to Jesus in our daily walk we instill a passion to draw closer to scripture. To read it, process it, and apply to our daily life. I want to be so on fire for Christ as he watches my steps and decisions everyday he knows my goal is to get closer to his heart. To fall short and go to Him for help and guidance. This year I’m so past the phase of wanting and seeking perfection. This year I’m fully aware of how deeply I need the Father’s love. How badly I need his forgiveness. I’m such a mess up, in a world that messes up. This world is the opposite of the Gospel. We need Jesus! To be the mother, wife, sister, friend, and disciple encourager I desire to be requires me to be a woman after God’s own heart. What an honor that is. What a great goal to strive for.
”She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.“ Proverbs 31:26-30 NIV
Following Jesus gives life hope and purpose. Today, & everyday I pray I never lose the burning desire to be a woman after God’s own heart.
If you have never heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, download the Bible app, read Daniel chapter 3, then come back. It won’t take long it’s only 30 verses. 😊
This morning during my prayer time, my mind rested on this story, and something stuck out to me that never has before. These guys didn’t bow to the cultural pressures of their time and were sentenced to death by fire. Not only that, the king declared the furnace made 10x hotter! They declared, “God is able to rescue us, but even if He doesn’t we will not bow.”
If you read the story, you saw that the fire was so hot it killed the men who placed them in the furnace, but somehow they not only survived but came out untouched by the fire. The only thing burned was the rope that bound them.
Holy Spirit nudged my thinking…
“I never rescued them from the fire.”
“What?”
“I was WITH them in the fire, but I didn’t remove them from the fire.”
At first I didn’t understand what He was trying tell me, but during worship we sang a song called “All Consuming Fire” and a light bulb went off in my mind.
The saying goes, “You can’t fight fire with fire,” but that’s not totally true. There’s a term called “fire line” in the world of fire fighting, and sometimes a controlled burn is used to create a boundary to stop the fire that is out of control.
You see, fire cannot consume that which has already been consumed, and because these three were already consumed by the fire of God the fire the enemy meant to destroy could not touch them.
God didn’t have to rescue them from the furnace, because they were already on fire!
Know that no matter what fiery trial you may face or how hot that flame may be, let HIS fire consume you and draw the line. Fire cannot consume that which is already burned.
”Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.“
Isaiah 30:21 NKJV
It’s no secret to people I pray with that God’s faithfulness is my favorite attribute. He is amazing in every way, but when I think about His faithfulness it just wrecks me. Recently He has highlighted Isaiah 30 for me. What a chapter!
He tells how disobedient Judah is. How as a people they put their faith and trust in anything but God. How they will not listen to God speak through His law or through the mouths of the prophets. Stubborn, self-seeking, “we got this attitudes” are just about to do them in. (And will for a time)
But God can not be unfaithful. He tells them there will be a day. A day they turn back, a day He himself will bind up their wounds, a day they hear His voice and obey. A day He will defeat and punish their enemies.
Y’all!!! Because of Jesus that day can be today for us. If I surrender to the Holy Spirit He will tell me right or left. I’m never alone in any circumstance or decision I have to make. He says pray without ceasing because we never cease to need Him and He never ceases to be there 🙌🏻. Hallelujah!!!
He is Omni-everything. He can do exceedingly, abundantly more than I can dream. Why do I not rest in that and just let Him take complete control? Good question Tracy 🤔
Today I’m making that my prayer. Right or left Jesus. You lead and I will follow. Today is the day. How about you?
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about intimacy with the Lord and while scrolling through TikTok (hear me out), a video caught my ear. The girl was talking about how this was a year of “more” and she said, “if you want to receive more, you have to be willing to give more” and that “God wants more of us”. A picture came to mind of something needing to be filled but there was limited amount of space to fill due to a blockage. It wasn’t that this thing was completely full, it just only allowed a certain area to be filled. This is how we can be with the Lord sometimes. We limit Him access to us and by default limit ourselves access to the fullness He desires to give us of Himself. God can and will only fill us as much as we allow Him! He wants more of us so He can fill more of us with Himself!! Intimacy, spending time in His presence, His word, worship, prayer — the secret place — bringing EVERYTHING to Him is so important with the Lord to not only know Him more but to open ourselves up more to Him. The more we know His heart, the more we trust Him because we find Him to be exactly who He said He is so even in moments that aren’t as hunky-dory as that “baby Christian” phase, times we can’t trace His hand, in the midst of transition, we have a well of His love to draw from for strength.
”that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.“
Ephesians 3:16-19 NKJV
When we deny ourselves of His spirit or time in the secret place or being in His word, we are preventing ourselves from living in His fullness. Our everyday lives taking much of our energy, that we forget or simply ignore to spend time in His presence.
Yet the more we let Him in, the more we come to know that nothing could separate us from His love and strengthens us to continue on through hardship, trials, temptations, persecution, or even just the mundane but occasionally exhausting day-to-day life. Personally, for me (and I’m sure many could relate), the more I walk with Him the more I realize I can’t actually do any of life without Him! The more I also realize that nothing is nearly as satisfying as Him. So why do we, as people, deny ourselves from the fullness He wants to pour out to us? The measure of Himself he wants to give us?
May I suggest a challenge to you all — let yourself be more available to the Lord. Open yourself up more to Him, be filled with the Holy Spirit; set aside everything that vies for your attention – INTENTIONALLY – and seek Him. It’s not always going to be easy and you will fail at times but IT’S SO WORTH IT! Come to more knowledge of His love for you. Get to know the fullness of the Lord. Because again, if you want to receive more of Him, you have to be willing to give more of yourself, more of your time. And the Lord wants more of you for He LOVES you!
”For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
I had a black eye for Christmas – yep, I sure did. And,it was a big, bad one, too!
“What in the world happened?” you ask.
Well, during an unfortunate situation with some inner ear congestion, I became close-up and personal with the tile floor in my bedroom. So, I had a huge knot on my forehead, which is STILL somewhat there almost two months later, swelling of my whole eye and forehead, and my entire eye was black – the lid and under the eye. Y’all. I’ve never even had a black eye, let alone one that lasts for two months! But you know me – if I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it BIG! My grandkids were laughing this weekend that they were gonna get me a t-shirt that says,
“It’s been fifty-two days since my last accident.”
As my eye slowly started getting better all throughout the month of December, I kept thinking,
“Surely this eye won’t be black for Christmas???”
But, y’all, it was indeed still black.
If I’m perfectly honest, though; it was actually a very appropriate way to end a year that I hope I never have to relive. It was honestly probably the hardest year ofmy fifty-five years. I’ve dealt with three – count them, THREE – serious illnesses and have been the caretaker for my parents all at the same time, watching them decline quickly. And, that’s very difficult in itself. So, I’ve basically been dealing with four things that, on their own, would be difficult to walk through…all at the same time. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
I mean, it’s just to the point where I sit down and take a fifteen minute coffee break, and a new part of my world starts to crumble. Ever been there? Everyone tells me,
“Remember, this is just a season.” And I’m like,
“Well, is this season like seasons in Texas, where it’s really just hot, less hot, and hotter?”
Because this season feels like it will last forever.
I feel like I can actually identify with King David, before he was king and running from Saul. God had anointed David as king and everyone was so excited and ready to get rid of Saul. I’m sure David’s family threw a big celebration the day after Samuel visited and woke up that next Monday, thinking,
“Today’s the day our boy becomes king! Who would’ve thought it?”
But, as we know from the Bible, that is NOT what happened. Instead of David getting to take the throne, Saul’s reign continued and, even after fighting Goliath, Saul ended up hating David and wanted to kill him. Sofor the next who knows how many years, David ran from Saul, while Saul tried and tried to kill him…day after day after day.
I’m sure David felt a lot like me, during this season. Like,
“God, what is the DEAL??? You anoint me king and now the reigning king is trying to kill me? Won’t You do something, Lord? Wasn’t this your plan for my life? Why is this happening?”
We see some of David’s struggles in Psalm one hundred forty-two, it starts out like this:
I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before Him and tell Him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, You alone know the way I should turn,
And, that’s exactly how I am feeling!
As 2023 ended, I wondered what this new year would bring. Like David, I’ve been crying out to God, begging Him for new life, saying,
“God, You’ve given me so many dreams, what happened to those? Are they still mine? Will they ever come to pass? How will they if my life continues this way? Can’t you do something, Lord?”
Finally, after a lot of whining on my part, God spoke to me and said,
“Sherra, you already have new life. I have made you new and am making you new daily. My mercies are new every morning, remember?”
Lamentations 3:22-23 are very familiar verses that remind us of His mercies,
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
And, honestly, I had forgotten all about God’s new mercies. I just forgot that, no matter what life throws at you – and life WILL throw things at you – God’s mercies are new every, single morning. We can wake up every day to a new day; the issues, thoughts, problems from the day before can stay in the past. God’s mercies, His grace, His counsel, His peace, and His joy are new and available to us every day. All we have to do is ask for it, receive it, and choose to walk in His newness; but it’s our choice to make, every day.
“Well, what if my problems are still there?” you ask.
Oh, I get it; believe me, I get it. But God’s mercies are still there, no matter what is happening and you can still choose newness. Purposefully remembering God’s mercies, changes you and your day from its start. And,remember, too, that this “making me new” thing is God’s process; honestly, it’s part of our refining and maturing as Believers – and sometimes that’s rough. Remembering God’s new mercies daily helps us keep our eyes on Him, no matter what our day brings; it changes our focus from the problem to the problem solver. The rescue and answers may not come immediately, but that’s OK, because we can be sure and certain that God has got us and is making us new. And, we can learn so much during this time and become more like Jesus in the process, too.
Well, David finally got his day to be king. He came out of his season of running and took the throne that God had promised him. The thing I love about David is that he let it all hang out with God – you never really have to guess how David is feeling at the time of writing each of his psalms! But after he has expressed his weariness, his feelings of defeat, his fear, and on and on, he always comes back to remembering God, trusting God with his life, and remembering God’s daily mercies, while watching them play out in his life.
January is a great month to start new with God. Maybe you’re a seasoned Believer whose life is pretty calmand on target at the moment; unfortunately, life’s trials are gonna come for you at some point. Will you choose to remember God’s mercies and rest in them? Or, maybe, like me, you’re in the thick of a season of trialsand weary. I get you, friend. Even though we can’t control what trials come or what season we’re in, we can always remember that God’s mercies – for whatever we’re going through – are new every morning. Remembering and resting in that can help 2024 be your best year ever!
My eye is much better, but still black in some places; make-up helps a lot. But it reminds me of a past I made it through and the new chapter He has for me. While I’m waiting for that new chapter to begin, I choose to believe that God is good, and teaching me a lot; He’s making me new for whatever comes next!
There’s a song called “million little miracles.” It’s really good, go listen if you haven’t heard it.
I was listening to it last night, and I just kept thinking about the miracles in my life. The big things and the little things.
How good is our God?
He is so good.
How gracious is our God?
He is so gracious.
How kind is our Lord to give us those million little miracles?
He is oh so kind.
I hope that something, or someone, came to mind when you think of a miracle in your life.
If so, will you just stop wherever you are reading this right now and pray? Just thank God for His goodness and His faithfulness in your life. And then if it’s a person who came to mind, will you reach out to them? God put that person in your life for a reason, call them. Let them know you love them and are thankful for them. And if you’re like me and you can’t call that person anymore, then take hope, because the Lord hears and sees you.
I pray we can all take hope in knowing the things that God places in our lives is for a purpose greater than ourselves. He has a plan that exceeds our understanding.
”Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,“
Psalm 105:5
Remember His miracles, and remember the greatest Miracle of all, JESUS!
At the beginning of the month, I went to God in prayerful reflection as I sought His guidance in making a New Year’s resolution. In past years, this task has felt exciting and full of possibilities, but this year the assignment felt daunting and overwhelming. The truth is, I spent much of 2023 feeling this way.
Sometimes in life we may find ourselves feeling overwhelmed by the chaos that surrounds us, and anxiety may attempt to rob us of our joy. This realization is what fueled my resolution. So, as I step into the new year, boldly walking into a new season, I resolve to find joy in chaos.
My daughter recently introduced me to the song “Firm Foundation” (He’s Gonna Make a Way). The lyrics serve as a beautiful reminder that when we build our lives upon the solid rock of Christ, true joy and peace can be experienced even in times of uncertainty and chaos.
Firm Foundation (He’s Gonna Make a Way)
Song by Maverick City Music w/ Chandler Moore feat. Bobbi Storm & Wande
I’ve still got joy in chaos
I’ve got peace that makes no sense
And I won’t be goin’ under
I’m not held by my own strength
‘Cause I’ve built my life on Jesus
He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through every season
So why would He fail now?
He won’t, He won’t
He won’t fail, He won’t fail
So how do we find joy in chaos? For me, it begins by recognizing that although seasons change, God doesn’t. There is great peace that comes from asking Him to restore the joy of my salvation. Even in seemingly chaotic situations, there is joy in His presence.
It is also important to acknowledge that joy doesn’t equate to happiness. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Joy is intentional. Joy transcends circumstances and brings serenity.
The Almighty God we serve is far greater than any of our chaos. And when we surrender to our Creator, joy is restored. Like the words of this gospel song convey, we don’t have to let anxiety steal our joy. The surest foundation is The Word of God. And only through Him can we truly experience joy – even in the chaos.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I recently read Matthew 6:1-21, and verses 19-21 stood out to me. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NKJV)
This is part of the Sermon on the Mount, arguably the most well-known sermon of Jesus. The word treasure in Greek is thēsauros, which we find several times throughout the New Testament, mainly in Matthew. Here are a couple of these verses:
Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (NKJV)
In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus is comparing the kingdom of heaven to a treasure you would give up any worldly possession to obtain.
Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ ” (NKJV)
My Latin teacher used to tell my class, “Latin has no eternal value, so we’re not gonna kick cats, break pencils, or punch
siblings because of it!” This is a comedic example but an important concept. Jesus knows the man He’s telling this to has a heart problem. His treasure is material, but Jesus tells us to store up treasures in Heaven. If you aren’t willing to give everything to be a follower of Jesus, then
your treasure is of this world and therefore, perishable.
Matthew 6:24 tells us, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth).”
The question isn’t, “Is Jesus telling me to give up my worldly possessions?” It’s, “If He did, would I? How hard would it be?” This doesn’t apply to just money- it’s anything you hold higher in importance in relation to your life than God. These can be the things you give the most attention, focus, time, and
energy to into. Throughout today, think about where your treasure is because that’s where you’ll find your heart.
Rays of Sunshine inc 