A Heart For Jesus

“you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Stones. I love collecting them when we travel, I have several from Maine, Utah, Grand Tetons and Michigan. They come in so many shapes and sizes, some are smooth and others have a rough texture. They also come in various colors. Each is unique. Kind of like us! We are “living stones”, each with talents and gifts that God has given us to help build up His kingdom and bring Him glory.  In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul uses our bodies as a way of explaining how each of us, in the body of Christ are important. That no one member can exist with out the other. Yes we are each individual, and we have different gifts and talents. But together we can help build up the body of Christ. We are all useful, we are all needed! It's the same Spirit, but He works uniquely in each of us! So why not celeb...

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬ ‭ “I will give thanks to the Lord with my Whole heart”! Not half heartedly. Not because I have to; not in order to check it off my to do list. But because I truly want to thank Him for all He’s done for me; for all He’s seen me through. My whole heart. All that I am. My strengths and weaknesses; my ups and downs; good and bad. ‭ Then, tell of ALL His wonderful deeds. It is good to remember God’s faithfulness. To reflect on how I have seen Him work in my life, both past and present! I pray that one day God may give me the opportunity to share with others the reason for my hope, that they may have hope and give glory to God.  Next, “I will be glad    and exult in you”. This can be challenging at times, the Bible teaches that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. (1 The...

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV God will make known to me the ‭path of life.  Have you ever questioned whether you’re on the right road? The right path? Did you read the “signs” in the right way? For instance, when my husband and I are traveling, I like to notice different signs, it keeps me entertained and sometimes awake:) Like this one, "Obey signs". How many times has the Lord given us signs and we choose not to obey because we think we know better? Or this one, usually in a construction zone, "stay in your lane". Well, what if I like someone else's lane better? What if I think the path they're on is better than the one God has designed for me? Maybe I think they're on the "fast track" and my  lane is way too slow, things just aren't going  according to "my plan", God is holding out on me. But if I take thing...

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬ ”Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid”, easier said the done ‭I think! But it does make me question, how is my heart? How is yours? What causes it to feel troubled? How do we claim this peace that Jesus promises?  Anxiety, the kind that keeps you up at night, or causes you to toss and turn. The scenarios that play out in your mind. The what if’s. And you just wish there was a switch you could use to turn off your mind. With the world changing around us, at what seems like the speed of light, it’s a wonder we may feel anxious from time to time. There just seems to be so much negativity and hate in the world around us.  Lawlessness seems to be on the increase; people are not held accountable for their actions but released back on the streets only to harm again. Innocent children being ...