“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
So, I think from my last couple of writings you can tell that we have been going through some things. Not life threatening for us but stressful for sure. In the midst of these day to day struggles my husband lost his sweet mama. It seems like the battle has really intensified and our armor is getting heavy. Thankfully, Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us. We are victorious in Him, but we also have to take part in life’s battles.
The best news is that I am part of an army. I don’t have to fight alone. I have a sisterhood that is the best, and they take 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to heart. Trust me when I say I never want sympathy or pity. I am a daughter of the King; don’t feel sorry for me. He has a plan and a purpose for what I’m going through. ( Also don’t be super nice or I cry 😭 😂)
But that encouragement keeps me going. Some of my favorites are sweet texts that say “I was studying today and this verse made me think of your situation” or “is there something I can do for you today? A meal?” and probably best of all just “Hey I’m praying for y’all this morning” ❤️
If you don’t have solid Christian sisters (brothers are good, too) that are standing in the gap and battling and holding you up – then start reaching out. It is so important to have that support system.
The flip side of this is even when you are in the midst of the valley look around and ask yourself each day, “Who can I encourage?” Earlier in chapter 5 Paul reminds us that we are sons of the light and that fact should fill us with hope. In 5:11 He is calling us to be a community of light that supports one another.
Honestly, I’m not that great at it. My sisters definitely outshine me in this area, but because of their example I want to be better. That my friends is the point. In Hebrew 10:23-25 the writer explains it perfectly.
Hebrews 23 “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT)
Their good example makes me want to follow suit. It spurs me on to good deeds. Thank you Jesus for godly friends 🙌🏻❤️
Recently, I found myself trying to make sense of a challenging situation I was watching unfold. I found myself filled with both anxiety and confusion. One morning, I awoke with the word “orchestrate” in my heart. As time went on, I kept being drawn to really contemplate this word. According to Merriam-Webster, “orchestrate” means one, to compose or arrange music for an orchestra, and two, to arrange or combine things so they achieve the best possible outcome.
Not long after, I came across Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” We often use this verse when we are trying to make sense of difficult circumstances. Or, we offer it to someone as a way to console and encourage them in their “life is tough right now” moment. Honestly, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard this scripture used by anyone, myself included, when things are going smoothly, right? It’s challenging times that often have us struggling to see how our difficulty can be used for any good. A key word in this verse is “all”. You know what “all” means in English? All. You know what “all” means in the Greek language? All. How simple is that?
Just as a composer writes music that to me may just look like scribbles on a piece of paper, to the one writing the music, every single note plays a meaningful part in his/her compostion. Psalm 139:16 expresses that God has composed our lives – “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
There are days that all I see is an indecipherable muddle of details that make no sense. These are the days when, instead of trying to figure it out, I recognize once again that I can’t. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
Sometimes the music playing isn’t music to my ears. I may not understand the notes and the current rhythm of my life, but I can hold on to hope in The One writing the music, and He says , “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
What peace we find, both in the present and in the future, knowing our life’s composition is penned by the Creator Himself. We can trust His wisdom as He uses all things to guide us toward a harmonious and glorious finale -both here and in eternity with Him.
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Hebrews 11:31, CSB.
I want my children to have better opportunities, more fulfilled lives, and a bigger impact on God’s kingdom than me. These are things I pray for, take faithful steps toward, and try to foster. When my days on this earth are over I want the people I leave behind to be impacted by what I poured into them. I want a legacy that brings greater glory to God’s name than I could even imagine. Not for me, but for him and for them.
We all want better for our children and family than what the previous generation had. Rahab, the woman mentioned in Hebrews 11:31, got just that. She was a prostitute in the city of Jericho, an outcast. Jericho was a powerful, fortified city, and Israel was to overtake it. Rahab chose to hide Israelite spies from the city’s soldiers, who surely would have killed them. She did this because she believed God was truly the God of heaven and earth. Her actions weren’t brave, they were faithful. Her only request in return was for the Israelites to spare her and her family when the city of Jericho was attacked. In exchange for her faith Rahab and her family were saved. Then God gave her a new legacy. Jesus, the redeemer of the world, eventually came through Rahab’s family line.
Because legacy starts with faith.
We are all like Rahab. We want to save our family, but we really want more than that. And it’s faith in God that makes us believe we can receive more. Along with faith comes hope. Rahab had new hope after she had been redeemed. She had hope for a future and a legacy.
We can never work hard enough to earn the saving grace God offers, and we don’t have to work hard enough to break generational strongholds. Redemption is a gift that comes through faith. And faith brings hope. And it’s hope that brings us to take the next faithful step toward restoration.
Faith saves, and hope restores.
How have you let your past mistakes keep you from believing God will save, provide for, and prosper your family? How does Rahab’s story give you restored hope? What do you hope for yourself, your family, and your legacy?
God, you are faithful to your Word and your character. Help me to remember your goodness when doubts creep in. Restore my hope in you today and let that hope not be overshadowed by my past. Help me to live out my faith and invite you to restore every member of my family, for generations. Thank you God for restoration and hope. Amen.
At some point in our lives, we’ve all dreamed of being the next movie star or a famous celebrity of some sort. Personally, I used to tell people I was going to be the first female president.
Who in your life do you know that you would define as having “made it,” and what barometer did you use to identify them? If the barometer of success wasn’t Jesus, we missed it. And we’re steering the upcoming generation further off course. We live in a culture where material things like income, the size of our home, the kind of car we drive etc determine how successful the world views us as, but we serve a God who determines our success based on our obedience to what He has called us. It’s not about how much He gave us but rather what we did with it that counts.
It is said that people aspire to the things we celebrate, and it’s true, so what are we celebrating?
Most of us would be more impressed to be in the presence of Taylor Swift than the church intercessor, and we wonder why no one volunteers to pray aloud at church but everyone wants to be on the praise team. We have more people that want to give a word than want to be in the Word. When we give more honor to those on the stage than those in the prayer closet, we cultivate image over character.
We cannot complain about a shallow generation when we are the ones who have built their house on sinking sand.
We suggest that a search be made in your ancestors’ records, where you will discover what a rebellious city this has been in the past…
Ezra 4:15
Everyone has a past. Everyone has made mistakes. But thank the Lord that he doesn’t see our rebellious ruins and say “No, this will never do.” He looks at our rebellious past & all, and says, “Right there. That’s
where I want to build my temple.”
That’s what’s so great about Jesus.
He’s done the search from our past.
He’s seen us at our worst. He knows we’ll never be perfect, yet he still chose to die for us so WE could be the Lord’s temple.
I’m so thankful that our God chooses us just as we are. Broken, ashamed, bitter, all of the above and he says, “I know, but watch what I can do.”
I pray you accept his grace today and allow him to turn your ruins into his beautiful temple. 🩵
This summer, we had several weeks where the temperature stayed 105-110 daily with no rain for months. Unfortunately, I don’t have a sprinkler system, so my yard looks pretty terrible right now. Where the grass died, weeds flourished. When mowed down, you can’t really tell just how bad it is, but as soon as those weeds start to grow, it is embarrassing how the yard looks with lots of brown patches and large sections of weed overgrowth. I was looking at it the other day, and a verse from Psalm 1 came to mind. The Psalmist is contrasting the righteous and the wicked, and he writes about the righteous that, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (v. 3)”
This verse stands out to me for several reasons. The obvious initial thing I see is that the tree thrives next to the water source. Throughout scripture we see Jesus refer to Himself as the Living Water, and I cannot help but be reminded how my roots are strong when I drink from Him regularly. The verse also specifies, though, that the tree bears fruit “in its season.” I’m reminded, then, that maybe there are seasons where we bear much fruit and others where we don’t. I started thinking about how my grass also dies in the winter. It gets brown and crunchy every single winter, but it is a different kind of death. This sort of death is the natural life cycle of the grass. When my grass dies in the winter, it may not be pretty and green, but it is still functioning exactly as it was designed for that season.
My dead yard this summer, however, is a direct result of hot sun and too little water. My neighbors with sprinkler systems have beautiful green yards. They also have less weeds. Healthy grass doesn’t leave spaces for invasion from unwanted plants.
There are two things that this picture of grass and this verse remind me of. First, I am reminded that I need water to bear fruit. The closer I stay planted next to the Father, the more abundant the life will be that flows out of me. I also accept that some seasons will yield fruit more than others, and that is not necessarily a sign of failure. Second, I realize that when I let myself become disconnected from that water source, I open the door for weeds to take root and run wild. It only takes minutes for the weeds of my mind to start to crowd out the healthy thoughts and patterns of my life. If you’ve ever had to pull weeds (literally or figuratively), then you know how exhausting it is. We have the power to “water our grass” in a way that makes us strong enough to fend off the attacks of all the things wanting to overcome us.
This weekend we are spending lots of time in the yard cleaning up the mess that has been made from neglecting the basic care we should have been providing. Soon, the yard and flower beds will look beautiful again because my amazing husband is tending to them with so much care. I know God is faithful to do the same for me, uprooting all of the unhealthy things and giving me a chance to grow healthy and strong again. He wants to do the same thing for you. He is inviting us to a place of dependence where we drink from Him regularly instead of letting ourselves get unhealthy and giving space for “weeds” to grow. He wants us to be rooted deeply in Him and then provide shade and nourishment for others as we were intended to do all along.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. — Jesus
I love God’s Word! From beginning to end, it speaks of His goodness, His Love, and His mercy. He is The source that I now run to in every situation. He is my peace.
There was a time in my life that I loved alcohol, and sadly it was what I ran to no matter the circumstance. I’m so thankful that God took away that love and replaced it with a love for His Word.
The best exchange ever – the bottle for the Bible.
Today as I stand in awe of His love, His mercy, grace and forgiveness, I now run to the Rock of my salvation Jesus Christ as the challenges of a new chapter of life unfolds.
These last few months have been a roller coaster of emotions. There are days I manage to be a champion at keeping them in check, while other days, I really stink at it – allowing toxic thoughts to turn into toxic attitudes, which certainly do not reek of love, mercy, peace or any signs of a pure heart.
But God – in His infinite love and mercy reels me back in, reminding me that He is still on the throne, still in control, and His promises are still true.
My engagement with Him and His Word is so important at all times. It establishes my identity and also ignites His love in my heart, which without, I am helpless in loving and giving mercy to others.
Emotions motivate our personalities, decisions, choices and values, and if not converted by God, will be the cause of toxic behaviors and attitudes.
They are our feelings that will give life to our reactions in all of life’s challenges.
Out of control emotions can be the most destructive force in the world, saying and doing things we can regret for a lifetime.
Theologian Shedd says, “an evil heart, if not restrained by divine grace, is sure to act wrongly, but a properly guarded heart, can be a powerful force for good.”
In Proverbs 4:23 King Solomon’s advice was to, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Our actions and words are a direct reflection of our heart, and if we allow our hearts to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will not only experience His fruit of love, joy, peace and patience, but His fruit will be what flows from us.
All of our heart’s desires for personal fulfillment can be provided by God, and ‘He alone can fill the vacuum of an empty heart’ and fill it with His Power and Presence. It is with the heart that worship and conversion to God takes place.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
To be blessed by God, we must be a blessing to others.
Anybody else desperately and impatiently awaiting the arrival of fall weather?
I’m looking forward to chilly mornings, chunky sweaters…and not sweating during school morning duty. While the weather may not be fully cooperating, fall is already full of all the things.
Back to school. Homework. Practices. Classes.
Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc. Am I right?
This often leaves little time and space for Jesus.
As a teacher, fall is my starting line but has so often felt like the finish line.
Many seasons I have found myself too busy, burnt out, and breaking down before reaching Thanksgiving Break. This has little to do with life’s busyness and burdens, but everything to do with my boundaries.
I think we believe that boundaries are religious rules and restrictions.
We believe that boundaries make us disconnected or disengaged.
Yet so much of God’s work is based on boundary lines.
In the beginning, He separated light from dark.
He placed a gap between the land and the water.
Then, He gave Adam and Eve clear lines to live in.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 2:16-17
Like Eve did, we cross our boundaries in hopes of getting more,
achieving more, seeing more, and having more, but ultimately fail.
The more is found in the margin.
We must give God a place to come and be present.
We must give God space to speak and room to move.
We must give God a chance to have His will and way.
This can’t happen with packed schedules and piled-up plates.
This can’t happen with minds moving faster than our feet.
This can’t happen without well-defined boundaries.
It’s not that He isn’t able, it’s that we aren’t available.
You may be saying, “But I just can’t.”
“Everybody needs me. I can’t say no.”
“Everything is important. Nothing can go.”
Like Eve, we question whether the boundaries are truly for our good.
But time and time again, I go back to the beginning.
Where boundaries were the basis of creation.
Where boundaries created safe places.
Where boundaries were blessings.
Boundaries aren’t bad in nature.
They are lane lines for all drivers.
They are bumpers for the bad bowler.
They are fences for the dog that runs.
They set us in safe places.
They point us to our purpose.
They keep us close to Him.
I encourage you to not try to do it all this fall.
Say no. Set boundaries. Make room. Set aside time.
Go back to the beginning where boundaries were our blessings.
A few nights ago God found me in a moment of sadness. I was just going through it, really missing a member of my family. And then a worship song came on. It’s called, “The Story I’ll Tell.”
A few lyrics in and I’m tearing up, and then the chorus hits and I’m bawling my eyes out.
It goes like this, “and I’ll testify of the battles you’ve won. How you were my portion when there wasn’t enough. And I’ll testify of the seas we’ve crossed. The waters you’ve parted, the waves that I’ve walked.”
And I just love how it says the battle YOU’VE won. Because it is all God you guys. He is our portion!!
Later in the song it says, “and all that is left is highest praises. So sing hallelujah to the Rock of Ages.”
And that is where I was. I had nothing left in me. I knew that God is good, and that He had a plan & purpose for these trials, but I was just so sad. And in that moment, the Holy Spirit called me to worship. To just praise God. Because he is the Rock of Ages. And again in that moment the peace of God washed over me.
Maybe someone is going through the same thing I am. You don’t know what to do next?
Just praise God.
He is worthy of every moment of worship we can offer. He is worthy of each tear, laugh, smile, and He wants your heart.
Keep singing Hallelujah to our Rock of Ages.
Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
I was sitting here on TikTok earlier today and something told me to go to my notepad on my phone so I did and just started typing. I had no idea what I was about to write but I just started typing. I know that God speaks to me through my writing. A lot of people tell me that I have a gift when it comes to writing and I think they’re correct for two reasons: the words truly just flow when I’m writing and when I get done and read it later I think “Where did that come from?”
So, if you’re still reading, this is what I was left with in my notepad on my phone:
Whether you’ve been a Christian 30 years…
Whether you’ve never been to church a day in your life….
Whether you think you’re too far gone…
Whether you’ve sinned 3 seconds ago…
Whether you’ve tried to gain salvation through works and fell short…
Whether you’ve sworn you were going to “get right” with God for years but just haven’t…
Whether you know God has placed a calling on your life but have been too fearful to begin…
Whether if no one in your family goes to church, so you know they would look at you crazy if you started going alone….
Whether you’re currently in prison, whether that be physically or spiritual…
We are all lost and in need of a Savior. If you think you can manage to craft a good enough life and somehow make it into heaven by simply “being a good person” – you would be incorrect. By this logic, you’ll never be satisfied and you’ll always end up knowing something is missing deep down. The Bible says that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. You might say, “Well that sounds depressing and that doesn’t make me feel good, so I’m going to keep scrolling” and that would be your choice to make..but what if I told you that that simple fact can give you a sense of odd relief. It didn’t say that only you have sinned – it says that everyone has. We are all in the same boat when it comes to needing Hope.
Today is the day of salvation – but what is salvation?
Is it church attendance?
Is it traditions and rituals?
Is it praying a certain number of times a day and hoping that it’s good enough?
Is it being nice to everyone you see because that must mean you’re a good person, right?
Is it never getting mad, never getting discouraged, and never just utterly failing?
What is salvation?
There’s a reason that the Bible tells us we are to be like a child when it comes to our faith. Children are innocent and pure hearted. They don’t take something beautiful and start trying to break it down and make graphs and prove why it’s beautiful. They simply know it’s beautiful. That’s why, as we get older and life starts to wear and tear us down, it gets harder to appreciate the simplicity of the Gospel. We try to make it harder than it really is, because something so beautiful must be more complicated than it seems right? The following verse tells us how we receive salvation:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
…Rest in how beautiful and simple that verse is. Anyone, anywhere can be saved whether they’re in a large, lit up church or alone in the dark. God was intentional with this.
The Bible says that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved & that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
Read that again…
What kind of condemnation did it say there are for those IN Christ?
“No condemnation” – none, zilch.
‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Theres a reason God wanted that “it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast” added in there. It’s to show that only God can grant you the gift of salvation because it’s only His gift to give. No man can boast and say that this extraordinary gift is from him because it’s not his gift to give. Your pastor cannot give you salvation, your saved parents cannot give you salvation, your good works cannot give you salvation – only God can. God isn’t a trickster trying to keep it away from you either, by His grace He has actually made it pretty simple. By grace through faith. How do you receive His grace? By faith.
So what do we do with this knowledge now that we have it?
We return to Him no matter how far we have strayed…
I think of the story of the prodigal son and how that story has been told so many times that it’s become something we think “Oh yeah, that’s nice,” but we don’t really think of the depth of that reality.
The prodigal son knew he had failed his father but he also knew that he could return to him. He didn’t know though that he would be greeted with such open arms. Jesus told this parable to show us, still to this day, over 2000 years later, if we would just return to The Father that His arms are open wide.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
I hope this has been a blessing to whoever has read to this point in some way. Whether or not you’ve followed Christ for decades or have decided at this very moment to, He just wants you to come home. 🏡🤍
Rays of Sunshine inc 