Jesus--My Most Treasured Gift

   Contemplating what Jesus would want me to share with you this month as look I forward to celebrating His birth, I read back thru my last blog. As Lovely Branches launches it's new website this month, I would encourage those of you who haven't been here before to go back and read my November blog to be reminded during this Christmas season to appreciate the many blessings you already have and most of all to celebrate Jesus and bask in His love for you. 

   This month is especially hard for me in that not only do I miss Ty for Christmas, but it is also the month of our anniversary and his birthday. God is so faithful though at always reminding me that His grace is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weakness. Also, I trust Him enough to know that His plans for me are always perfect and continue to take one day at a time looking forward to that day when I will get to see Him and Ty again.

  Also, this season is hard because I have to fight being drawn back into my past struggles of thinking everything has to be perfect, that having and getting more is better. Our Lord needs to be our focus above everything else as He reminded me recently as I was reading John 14:23 which says:
 "Jesus replied, If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching, My Father will love him and we will come and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching."

  From my journal I wrote: "I realized as I read this that for many years I truly didn't love you, Lord as much as I loved and desired the things of the world and my own happiness. I was blinded to my sin. It's really hard to look back and acknowledge my sin and selfishness. I even struggled with tithing. I didn't understand that everything I had was yours on loan to me to use for your honor and glory. I desired to have peace and now know that can only come from you; yet I searched for that in the things of the world. I was jealous and envious of others and felt insecure and insignificant when I didn't have what the world says makes you valuable. How sad, Lord,  that I wasted so much time chasing after meaningless stuff instead of truly seeking to know You. I'm so sorry! Peace can only come from an intimate relationship with you and realizing that I have the Holy Spirit living within me to guide and counsel me. John 14:26 says: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." The life application commentary for that verse says: As we study the Bible, we can trust the Holy Spirit to plant truth in our minds, convincing us of God's will and reminding us when we stray from it. For many years I wasn't studying the Bible and really seeking to know Jesus. I would have devotions to check them off my list , but I wasn't desperate to know Jesus and to obey Him. I was much more desperate to have the "in" thing to wear, to have the "perfect" house, plan the next vacation, read books or the newspaper, watch T.V. or a movie, or even spend fun time with family and friends. All of those things were more of a priority than getting to know Jesus and surrendering to Him. Even though I read the Bible, I wasn't desperate to know Jesus, to have Him lead me. I still wanted control. Thank you, Lord, for continuing to change me and make me more like Jesus as I have chosen to meditate and read your Word with a desire to know you and love you more. Your living Word has revealed to me the sin in my heart that I was blinded to for so long. My desire now above anything else is to be your humble servant, to glorify you in everything and to become more like you each day as I depend on the Holy Spirit, who lives in me, to change me. Thank you, Lord, for never giving up on me and for your unconditional love and acceptance of me just as I am!"

   As I have said so many times: "Jesus is enough." Don't rely on things or other people to give you lasting peace, joy and fulfillment. They are only a temporary fix. This Christmas season focus on Jesus. He satisfies all who trust in Him. He will never fail you! Psalm 145:13b says: "The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made." and verse 18 says: "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."

   I can promise you that the peace Jesus gives as you surrender everything to Him is truly beyond understanding. He waits patiently as we try to find that peace in other things and people and what joy He gives when we choose instead to run into His arms and listen to what He has to share with us in His Word, the Bible (his love letter to each of us). My favorite time of the day is spending time with Jesus, my best friend, and hearing what He wants to share with me from His Word speaking personally to my heart. His words to me are more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. (Psalm 119:72). It is no longer a duty but a time of blessing as I get to know Him better and understand a little more each day how wide, long, high, and deep His love is for me and for you too! (Ephesians 3:18)

   Where is your focus this Christmas? What do you treasure? The best gift that you could ever hope for and what I searched for in all the wrong places for so long--is peace, joy and contentment. That very special gift can only be found in one place--in an intimate walk with Jesus. You won't find it just knowing about Him, you have to get to know Him. When you choose to seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13) and find a treasure that far exceeds anything this world has to offer. I pray that Jesus will be your most treasured gift this Christmas and that you will choose to be still and know that He is God and to seek Him with all your heart. You will be blessed with the best (more of His love for you) and have the best Christmas ever as you choose to rely on and rest in Him every moment! 
   The song I'm going to share with you was shared by a facebook friend of mine. It's called Open my Hands by Sara Groves. As the song reminds us that God withholds no good thing from us. Also, I pray that you will with me open your hands and your heart to Jesus and as the song says to nod your head with an emphatic yes to all that He has for us. His plans for us are always the best even if those plans are painful and hard, He is faithful and will walk with us through everything!

 

Thanking God

    Plans have changed for what I wanted to share with you this month. Last month I mentioned that I wanted to share from someone who demonstrates what it means to trust in Jesus. Well, I gave away the book that I was going to share from so that will have to wait for another time. Also, I wanted to apologize for the spacing of my blog last month. It made it a little hard to read. It looked great and wasn't all spread out until I published it. As I've mentioned before I'm not very good at this computer stuff, but hopefully the simple words that our Lord leads me to share will be a blessing and encouragement whether or not the format turns out right!

   This month I'd like to share my journal entry on October 17, the 3rd anniversary of the day my husband, Ty, went home to heaven and to see Jesus.  As I praise you this morning, Lord, it occurs to me that You give us so many blessings for free. My windows are open and as I look out at all the beautiful trees with orange and yellow leaves, I am thankful for your creation. I don't have to pay to enjoy it's beauty. I mainly need to slow down and pay attention to the beauty that is all around me. On this the 3rd anniversary of Ty's death, it's interesting how you had me focus on the trees and the beautiful fall day. For much of my life, my focus was on getting more things rather than appreciating all I already had. Ty, on the other hand, always appreciated the little things and especially your creation, Lord. He loved being in the country, taking care of the cattle, enjoying wildlife, sunrises, and sunsets. He was very content and thankful. What an example he was to me, Lord, of resting in you and appreciating all the free gifts and blessings that You surround us with each day. Thanks for walking with me these past 3 years; many times carrying me when my heart was breaking. Thanks for filling up  the hole in my heart with more of You and your love and for helping me to find a new normal in this life without my sweetheart as I chose to run to you, to read and believe all of your unfailing promises in your Word, and to trust you with all my heart, to lean not on my own understanding but to acknowledge you in all my ways and know that you will direct my paths. Proverbs 3:5,6 (Ty's favorite verses). Thank you, Lord, for leading me on this new path, for never forsaking me. I still miss him so much, Lord. Thank you for being my Rock now that my little rock, Ty, is gone, for being my strength, my fortress, my shelter, my comforter, my helper, my healer, my Savior, my Father, my best friend and now my husband (Isaiah 54:5). I can't begin to express how much you mean to me. I am so weak and yet you have been my strength. My heart was broken into so many pieces that I thought it could never be whole again. Yet, you have and continue to heal by wrapping me in your arms of love as I cry out to you. The truly amazing thing is the peace and joy that you give me each day as I choose to lean on you and rest in your love and promises. NOTHING in this world can bring the peace, joy, and contentment that you have given me. As I said at the beginning, the best things in life really are free to us anyway. You, Jesus, paid the biggest price--giving your life so that I could have a relationship with my Heavenly Father that would meet my every need.  You have shown me over and over since Ty's death, that you, Jesus, plus nothing equals everything. Thank you!"

   That ended my prayer but I went on to say: Life is hard sometimes very hard, but God is good. Nothing can separate us from His love, and He never leaves us to suffer alone. We bring on added suffering and heartache when we choose to rely on or trust in things, other people, relationships, entertainment, etc. to make us feel better or to fill that hole in our hearts. It's so easy to get so busy that we just squeeze our relationship with Jesus in here and there instead of making Him our #1 priority and focus. He's always waiting with open arms for us to come and find rest and exactly what we need to help us in every area of our lives. This statement by A. W. Tozer is so true: "As Jesus is exalted to the right place in our lives a thousand problems are solved all at once."  We need to quit chasing after more and more of what our world says we need and instead find true rest, peace, joy and contentment in a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, the one who died for us, who loves us unconditionally, who desires what's best for us and promises to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)

   I'm so thankful for the years that I had with Ty and for what he taught me as he trusted Jesus. I pray that my life will be an example too of trusting and obeying my Savior and appreciating the abundance of His blessings. I mess up so much and get so frustrated with myself, but I'm thankful that His love
 never changes and that He never gives up on me. Let Him comfort and help you today with whatever needs you have. If it's been awhile since you've shared your heart with Him then why not take a walk and visit with Him (He is the best friend you could ever have) and in the process enjoy the beautiful colors of fall and maybe a sunrise or sunset too!

  Celebrate that our God is for us and is with us as you listen to the song "Our God is Greater" and also enjoy the many pictures of God's creation.


 

Trust and Obey

As I sit contemplating what my Lord would have me share with you this month, I'm overwhelmed by God's goodness, faithfulness and love. He continues to teach me so much as I seek Him in His Word as well as thrread and study the lives of others who love and desire to follow Him. My journal pages filled up quickly as I tried to write down all that He was speaking to my heart about. 

A recurring question that Jesus has been asking me: "Keva, do you trust me? Am I really enough?" The Bible study that Lovely Branches Ministries is doing right now is called "Stuck" by Jennie Allen. In the chapter on worry and fear she shared this verse: I Peter: 2:24 "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed." Jennie shares:

     "Our freedom cost Christ everything. Because He died and defeated sin and'
     death in His resurrection, we have the power to "die to sin". Freedom did

     not come cheap, but it is there for us to take freely. Surrender is difficult, 

     but God calls us to it because when we die--die to our hopes for our lives, 

     our need to please everyone, our demands, our fear of failing, our need to

     promote ourselves, our control, our fear of loss and hardship--we find freedom.

     He brings life from death--God can do that in us.

     God is asking us. Do you trust me? Do you trust me when your life is out of 

     control? Do you trust me when you lose your job? When your husband loses

     his job? Do you trust me when your child is rebelling? Do you trust me when

     you are being misunderstood? Do you trust me when you are craving to be

     married and there is no potential husband in sight? Do you trust me when I 

     ask you to risk your comfort, your security?

     No one ever told me how insane Christianity was before I signed up.

     No one told me that it would cost me everything.

     But in surrendering everything, we find freedom."

F. B. Meyer in the book Streams in the Desert writes:

     "This is the blessed life--not anxious to see far in front, nor eager to choose the 

     path, but quietly following behind the Shepherd, one step at a time...The 

     Oriental shepherd was always out in front of the sheep. He was down in front.

     Any attack upon them had to take him into account. Now God is down in front.

     He is in the tomorrows. It is tomorrow that fills men with dread. God is there

     already. All the tomorrows of our life have to pass Him before they can get

     to us."

What I have discovered, especially in the past three years since my husband, Ty went

to his forever home with Jesus, is that the more I trust God and do not fear and worry the more joy and freedom I have. He doesn't want me to worry or be afraid but to find peace and fulfillment in Him alone as I take His hand each day and rest in His love. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-37: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous an sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

     
The life application commentary from my Bible offers this challenge:

     "We should be willing to lose our lives for the sake of the gospel, not because
     our lives are useless but because NOTHING--not even life itself--can compare to
     what we gain with Christ. Jesus wants us to CHOOSE to follow him rather than
     to lead a life of sin and self-satisfaction. He wants us to stop trying to control
     our own destiny and to let Him direct us. This makes good sense because, as
     the Creator, Christ knows better than we do what real life is all about. He asks
     for submission, not self-hatred; He asks us only to lose our self-centered 
     determination to be in charge.  Many people spend all their energy seeking 
     pleasure. Jesus said, however, that a world of pleasure centered on possessions,
     position, or power is ultimately worthless. Whatever you have on earth is only
     temporary; it cannot be exchanged for your soul. If you work hard at getting
     what you want, you might eventually have a "pleasurable" life, but in the end 
     you will find it hollow and empty. Are you willing to make the pursuit of God 
     more important than the selfish pursuit of pleasure? Follow Jesus, and you will
     know what it means to live abundantly now and to have eternal life as well."

I spent much more time for alot of my life pursuing possessions, and pleasure and other's approval more than pursuing knowing and loving Jesus with all of my heart. Those things only brought temporary peace and joy. They truly were hollow and empty. What I know now and want to remind others never to forget is that only a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus where He is your pursuit (a choice that we make each day) over anything or anyone else will bring lasting peace, joy and contentment. Jesus plus nothing equals everything!!! As Jennie says in the Stuck study: "As God is exalted to the right place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once."  Another interesting thing that I have found as I pursue and rely on Jesus above everything and everyone else is that He helps me to appreciate and enjoy all the things and relationships that He has blessed me with so much more. I am content and grateful for all that I already have instead of wanting all the things that our world says is important. I want the blessings that come from knowing and loving Jesus more every day, the blessings and freedom that come from trusting Him and obeying His Word not just reading it. Do I always trust Him and obey? No, but that is my desire. Like Paul, I hate it when I choose  "my way" instead of His. My way is never the best and I know that. I'm just so thankful that He loves me just as I am with all my faults, that He knows me intimately and has promised never to leave or forsake me. It does break my heart when I break His with my selfishness, arrogance, pride, worry, fear, impatience, anger, etc....all sins that He suffered and died for. What's so wonderful is that as I come to Him seeking His forgiveness that He lovingly and patiently forgives me and holds me close. And hopefully, as I seek Him and love Him more each day that His glory will shine through me,  that He will increase and I will decrease and that I will choose to TRUST and OBEY more and more because as the hymn says: "there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey!" Next month I'll share from a young lady who did trust and obey and how Jesus is using her to share His love and comfort with many. Thanks so much for journeying with me on this road of growing closer to Jesus every minute of every day!!! 

Here are two songs that I want to leave you with. The first one is "Trust and Obey" and the second is "His Strength is Perfect". To me they kind-of go together. We need His strength to be able to trust and obey. It's so great to be reminded that in our weakness, He is there to carry us and that we are strong in Him. The one video pictures a father holding the hand of his child just like Jesus does for us. The next one has such beautiful pictures of God's creation. Enjoy them both and be reminded of God's overwhelming love for you!

God Is Our Strength

Wow! Where do I begin? For those of you who have been reading my blog, you may have noticed that I haven't written anything in awhile. The reason being was that I was questioning whether the Lord wanted me to continue writing. Part of the reason I was questioning that is because I was doing what our Lord tells us not to do--compare ourselves with others. As you all well know, there are many bloggers who are very gifted at sharing words of encouragement and hope from God's Word and their lives. Also, many of these bloggers are very artistic using pictures, videos, etc... It made me wonder why I should continue writing when there are so many more creative people offering hope in Jesus. I kept praying about it asking the Lord to make it clear what He wanted me to do. I sincerely desire to honor and glorify Him, but honestly, I was hoping that He would tell me to leave the blogging to others to do.

On August 12 as I was having my coffee time with Jesus, I started my prayer time thanking Him for His strength because on that particular day I was feeling very weak and discouraged. It was one of those days when I was missing Ty alot, was weary of this life and needed His strength to help me to carry on. As I do every day, I expressed my desire to do His will and told Him that I was still struggling with whether He wanted me to continue the blog. That particular morning He led me to read in the devotional book, "Jesus Calling". This is what I read:

"Come to me when you are weak and weary. Rest snugly in My everlasting arms. I do not despise your weakness, My Child. Actually, it draws Me closer to you, because weakness stirs up My compassion--My yearning to help. Accept yourself in your weariness, knowing that I understand how difficult your journey has been.Do not compare yourself with others, who seem to skip along their life-paths with ease. Their journeys have been different from yours, and I have gifted them with abundant energy. I have gifted you with fragility, providing opportunities for your spirit to blossom in My Presence. Accept this gift as a sacred treasure; delicate, yet glowing with brilliant Light. Rather than struggling to disguise or deny your weakness, allow Me to bless you richly through it."

The tears came as I read those words. As Jesus has done countless times since the death of my husband, Ty, almost 3 years ago, He spoke so intimately to my heart. You need to understand that I don't read in this devotional every day and yet on this day when I was feeling so weak He knew I needed to hear His words of comfort in my weakness. Also, He reminded me not to compare myself with others--to accept the gifts that He has given me. After reading the devotional, He spoke so clearly to my heart: "I want you to continue writing, to be willing to be vulnerable, to share your heart--what I'm teaching you, and to be willing to be misunderstood, remember--I was." He also reminded me that the things He has used in my life to change my heart and draw me closer to Him have been simple, black and white words on pages--from His love letter, the Bible and through other books which are written about His Word. I don't need artistic ability. I just need to pass on the hope that He gives me and desires all of us to have as we seek to know Him better and become more like Him. So...that's what I'm going to do. Jesus is my HOPE--the reason I get up every morning. He desires an intimate, personal relationship with each of us and always knows exactly what we need to hear as He showed me on August 12 and continued to show me as I looked up the verses that were listed in the "Jesus Calling" devotional. This is where again I want to share how specifically our Lord will speak to our hearts as we seek Him. As I looked up the first verse, my eye was instead drawn to a verse that I had highlighted on another page which said:

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who HOPE in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 29-31.

How awesome is that? He's again reminding me that He will give me strength when I am weary. Also, I read the life application commentary in my Bible which said:

"He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen. His strength is our source of strength. When you feel all of life crushing you and cannot go another step, remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength. Hoping in the Lord is expecting that His promise of strength will help us to rise above life's distractions and difficulties."

Then I turned the page and read these verses that I had highlighted:

 Isaiah 41:10,13 - "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." And verse 13 - "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. Do not fear; I will help you." The other verses listed in "Jesus Calling" were Isaiah 54:10 "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you." It was so great to be reminded of God's love that never fails and His compassion for me. Then from Romans 8:26,27 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." and the life application commentary:

"As a believer, you are not left to your own resources to cope with problems. Even when you don't know the right words to pray, the Holy Spirit prays with and for you and God answers. Ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you in accordance with God's will. Then when you bring your requests to God, trust that He will always do what is best."

In my weakness, I can be assured of the help of the Holy Spirit. In my weakness I started my coffee time with Jesus by asking Him to give me strength. That strength, as well as encouragement and joy came as He directed me to His Word and very specifically took me to verses that He knew I needed to hear. I started out my morning ready to throw in the towel, and my loving Heavenly Father scooped me up in His arms and spoke His words of comfort as I chose to seek Him. As I told a friend recently: "I just love my Lord so much--He amazes me more and more each day as He helps me to take step after step on this road we call life."

So...I know Jesus wants me to continue to share what He teaches me as I choose to cling to Him, my HOPE. May He bless each of you too with a better understanding of His never-ending love and compassion for you and remind you of what an intimate, personal Father He is to us, His children. Nothing and no one can meet your needs like Jesus!!!!

The song, "Wonderful, Merciful, Savior" came to my mind as I was finishing the blog. I looked it up on youtube and was again amazed at my God as I read these words in the song: "Here in our weakness you find us." Not only did He direct me in His Word to the verses I needed to hear, but He also gave me a song too. I am in such awe of Him. I trust that as you listen to the song that you will praise and worship Him and will also be blessed by the beautiful pictures of His creation. Actually, I have given you two videos of the song to listen to and watch. I liked one for the beautiful pictures and the other for the added verses and quotes. I hope that you will be blessed by both as you praise our Lord in song.

I'm Not Home Yet

The Lord continues to impress on my heart that He wants more and more of my attention and devotion. What I am finding is that the more I give back of the time, talents and resources that He provides for me, the more I am blessed with His peace, joy and contentment. I refer to another blessing from Him in my journal recently. "I was reminded that one of the blessings that I've been given because of Ty (my husband) going home to heaven is that part of my heart is already home there with him. Because of that it's much easier for me to not get caught up in the things of the world. I naturally long more for heaven since part of me is already there. My hope is there with Jesus and yet my hope is also here with Jesus as I abide in Him until that day that I can truly go "home."

In John 15:5 Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains(abides) in me and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." The most important thing I need to do is stay connected to Jesus. Only one relationship matters and that is my relationship to Him. A. W. Tozer has wisely observed, "Yet for all God's good will toward us, He is unable to grant us our heart's desires till all our desires have been reduced to one." I need to continue to abide in Jesus. Cynthia Heald in her book, "Becoming a Woman of Simplicity" says it this way, "Keeping my hand in His." She goes on to say, "Just as the branch must be attached to the Vine, I feel that if I keep my hand in His, then I'm connected to Christ. He is leading, I am following; He talks, I listen; I talk and He listens. When He stops, I stop. When He is silent, I am silent. Whatever path that I'm on, I know it is His path for me. Abiding is a lifestyle--a continual communion with the the Lord as I keep my hand in His." I completely agree with Cynthia's words. In order to have this close, intimate relationship with Jesus I have to make time with Him a priority. As I mentioned at the beginning of my blog--I can't outgive God. When I make time to be with Him He always helps me to accomplish more with the time that is left. When I have to be out of the house early or I'm gone more than an hour or two, I take my Bible with me so that I can read His words (His love letter)to me at any time. Cynthia Heald expresses my thoughts so well: "So I wholeheartedly and expectantly press on for the heavenly prize. I fix my eyes on Jesus. My life is simple because I have one focus: to know my Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is my goal and He is my prize. I run my race with my hand in His ensuring my simplicity and devotion to Christ." Then from Andrew Murray, "Let Christ be first. Let Christ be all. Do not be occupied with abiding--be occupied with Christ. He will hold you, He will keep you abiding in Him. He will abide in you."

Now back to my journal entry: "As it has been over 2 1/2 years since Ty went "home", I continue to be amazed and overwhelmed at the peace and joy that Jesus gives me each day as I choose to allow Him to speak His words of comfort and remind me of His promises every day. Easter was especially meaningful as I rejoiced in my risen Savior and Lord. As I shared with my family at dinner yesterday, Jesus is my everything. I love Him so much! He makes life worth living and gives purpose to each new day. No words seem adequate to express my thankfulness to Him for being willing to suffer and die for my my sins. Then to rise again so that I can have a relationship with Him now on earth that will continue forever with Him in heaven. I Peter 1:3,4 "Praise be to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you." WOW! Nothing in the world compares to that! I am so blessed and continue to look forward to each new day, one day at a time, choosing to trust Jesus to guide me one step at a time as I rely on His wisdom, strength, power and faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

I love the following song. As it says, "I'm not home yet", but I can look forward to that day when I will be home with Jesus where I belong! YEA!

God is Faithful--ALWAYS

A devotional I read this month from the book, Sanctuary by David Jeremiah spoke to my heart. I don't know about you, But I very often focus more on my feelings than on God's faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." From the devotional David Jeremiah says: "When Thomas Chisholm wrote the words to the song, "Great is Thy Faithfulness, he made a tiny error. The song is based on the above scripture. He wrote"Morning by morning, new mercies I see." But the point of this passage is that the prophet Jeremiah did not see any new mercies. He didn't see a thing. He had no visible evidence of God's mercies at all. Morning by morning brought horror and pain and dread--not new mercies. Jeremiah was not saying, " I trust You because I understand everything that is going on in my life." He was saying, "I trust You because You are God and You cannot fail. And I know You cannot lie."

The devotional goes on to say: "There are times when life is not easy, when it is hard to believe in the faithfulness of God. We try to hold on and find out what God is up to, and sometimes He seems to have disappeared. We listen to the words of the enemy who tries to pull us away from what we know and cause us to operate on how we feel. God is faithful whether you feel like He is or not, whether you think He is or not, whether you observe His faithfulness or not, God, who cannot lie, is faithful."

Life is hard for all of us at different times. Many mornings I haven't felt the Lord's mercies and love and have been tempted to give in to despair and discouragement. Like Jeremiah I have a choice to trust God and believe that He loves me and is always faithful. A. W. Tozer describes the faithfulness of God so well. He says: "Upon God's faithfulness rests our whole hope of future blessedness...only as we have complete assurance that He is faithful, may we live in peace and look forward with assurance to the life to come."

God has certainly been faithful to me. Jesus has shown me over and over that only He can take our broken hearts and bring healing. That healing continues to happen for me as I run into His arms over and over by reading, re-reading and believing His precious promises from His Word. I know I've said it often, but ONLY JESUS, not family, friends, work, money, clothes, food, sports, vacations or any other thing can meet the deepest needs of our hearts and give us peace and rest. I still miss Ty so much, but I've noticed lately that I don't say "Jesus, this is so hard" as often. I told my son, Wyatt, recently that I no longer feel like a little lost sheep because I feel so at home in the arms of Jesus. He has filled the hole in my heart that Ty left with more of Himself. I am finding that more of Jesus is more than enough to give me exactly what I need for the next minute, the next hour, the next day. Does that mean that life is easy and I always feel like rejoicing--definitely not--but I can find rest, peace and comfort in my faithful Savior and friend, Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort."

Let Jesus love you and remind you of His faithfulness as you listen to this song, "Hold Me." It may make you want to dance! I'm sure it will make you smile:) Enjoy!! Let Jesus hold you today!

Loving God Completely

The first thing I want to acknowledge and praise God for this month is for a beautiful granddaughter, Clara Kathryn, born January 30 to Wyatt and Laurel. She joins her big brother, Preston, who will be 3 on March 14. Grandchildren are so much fun and such a blessing! I wish that I could post a picture here, but I haven't learned how to do that yet.

The Lord has been teaching me so much lately that it was hard to know what to share. As there continue to be more and more things clamoring for our attention these days, these familiar verses came to my mind from Matthew 22:37-39. "Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all our heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." I've heard these verses many times, but the Lord has been asking me how I'm doing at obeying them. We know many of the verses from His Word, but the key question is are we obeying them. The life application Bible helps say "Jesus says that if we truly love God and our neighbor, we will naturally keep the commandments. This is looking at God's law positively. Rather than worrying about all we should not do, we should concentrate on all we can do to show our love for God and others." Matthew 23:11-12 further illustrates how we can love in this way. "The greater among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Again, from the life application helps--"Jesus challenged society's norms. To Him, greatness comes from serving--giving of yourself to help God and others. Service keeps us aware of other's needs, and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves. Jesus came as a servant. What kind of greatness do you seek? Wow, what a challenge! Our world says the opposite--look out for yourself first and only help others if they can benefit you in some way.

In order to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind, we have to get to know Him and make our relationship with Him our first priority. Making time for Him has to be our focus. In order to do that we have to evaluate where and how we spend our time. I'm currently in a Bible study by Cynthia Heald called "Becoming a Woman of Simplicity." Her words say better than I can what the Lord has been teaching me. "Daily we encounter a potent enemy. The world blazenly imposes its values on its citizens--wealth, success, productivity, ambition, pride, and busyness. Calendars and clocks rule while possessions, phones, and computers clamor for attention. Maggie Jackson, author of "Distracted", tells of a father who describes his daughter as being "surgically connected" to her cellphone. Cynthia goes on to say and I agree with her "My concern is that because the world is too much with us, we easily forfeit the blessing of living a God-paced life that has time for solitude and respite from our noisy world. It is our time spent quietly in His presence that transforms our minds and renews our strength to go back into the world to be the people He wants us to be. One way to have more discretionary time is to make hard choices concerning our possessions. Jesus taught "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own." (Luke 12:15). Cynthia goes on to tell of someone who had to temporarily move from her home to a small furnished apartment. When ask how she was coping with having less, she enthusiastically told how much more time she had because of less to take care of as well as how amazed she was that she didn't miss all the things she had to leave behind. Less stuff does mean more time--more time to spend with Jesus and to serve others.

Psalm 4:6-8 from the Message says:

"Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say "More, more".

I have God's more-than-enough.

More joy in one ordinary day

Than they get in all their shopping sprees.

At days end I'm ready for sound sleep,

For you, God, have put my life together.

As I've mentioned before in previous blogs, I can say amen to those verses because I've experienced both ways of living. When I was trying to find contentment in the things that the world says would bring contentment, it only led to more shopping and sleepless nights because I was never satisfied. Now Jesus fills up my heart with more of Himself as I choose to put Him first and focus on getting to know Him through His love letter to me, the Bible. Because of that He does give me more joy in one ordinary day that any of my shopping trips (always wanting more) did. Also, because of my intimate, personal relationship with Him, I am now content and can sleep peacefully. Only Jesus can bring contentment and therefore thankfulness for the many things and relationships that you already have instead of a continual desire for what you don't have.

Cynthia Heald goes on to say, "Scripture teaches us that love for the world can easily replace our love for the Father. This is why Jesus taught us to seek first His kingdom. Only when our hearts are set on the things of God are we able to respond in the right way to the lure of the world. Only when we trust God to provide for us can we be free from worry. Only when we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our thoughts and attitudes can we be in the world but not of it. It is so tempting to love what the world loves, but when we do yield, we miss out on sound sleep and having God put our lives back together on a daily basis--we miss out on living a life of pure and simple devotion to Christ."

My challenge to you as well as to myself is to look at your lives this week--to evaluate how you spend your time and where your heart, soul, and mind is focused--on loving Jesus and getting to know Him better and caring for others or on allowing the world to squeeze you into its mold by keeping you so busy that you have no time to receive God's rest and peace. As I continue to choose(it's always a choice--everyday--sometimes many times a day) to read and believe God's many promises to me from His Word and to share my heart with Him. As I do that, I get to know Him better and trust Him more. Only then can I (with the power of the Holy Spirit) love Him with all my heart, soul, and mind and love and care for others as He cares for me. He is trustworthy and faithful and where the things of the world can bring only temporary happiness, He brings continual joy and peace.

"I Will Offer Up My Life" was a song that we sang last week in church. I'll share it with you here. The words are so wonderful. Jesus has done so much for us--we should be so thankful and willing to offer our lives back to Him.

Willing to Trust in The Storms of Life

In thinking about the theme of lovelybranchesministries.org "A Willing Heart" this month, I would like to share what the Lord laid on my heart to share with some ladies from my church at a recent breakfast meeting:

We need to have a willing heart to continue to trust God in and during the storms of our lives. As I thought of the word, STORMS, the Lord brought these things to my mind in the form of an acrostic.

S is for SOVEREIGNTY

Just as it was for me 5 years ago when my husband, Ty was diagnosed with cancer and has been for me everyday since, I need to understand and trust that God is sovereign. From Chip Ingram's book, "God As He Longs For Us to See Him", God's sovereignty means that "He is in fact the Lord of all Lords, King of all Kings, and in absolute control of time and eternity. Nothing will come into our lives today that He did not either allow or decree for our ultimate good." Romans 8:28 says: "We know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His Purpose."

T is for TEST

Storms test our faith. We need to have a willing heart to continue to lean on Jesus through those tests. There have been so many times when I have wanted to just give up. I have said so often since Ty's death, "Lord, this is so hard!" It's in those times that Jesus reminds me of His promises and tests my faith by asking if I really BELIEVE everyone of them such as: Joshua 31:8 "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will NEVER leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future." 2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." In my weakness, I am so thankful for God's promised strength! A few more wonderful promises: Psalm 37:28 "The Lord loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones." He also reminds me in many places in His Word that He is my rock, my fortress, my helper, my deliverer, my shelter, my protector, My Savior, my counselor, my friend, and now my husband. How awesome is that?! The key is that we CHOOSE to BELIEVE His unchanging promises and not rely on our ever-changing emotions.

O is for ONLY Jesus Can Bring ONGOING Peace

Again, I have to have a willing heart to choose to believe His promises and to fill my heart and mind with His Word. His Words bring such comfort and peace. Only Jesus can give an ongoing peace that is beyond our understanding. The things and pleasures of our world as well as spending time with friends and family can bring temporary peace, but only an intimate relationship with Jesus can bring a peace that lasts.

R is for REST

God tells us in Matthew 11:28 to "Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." We need to be willing to REST in Him and rejoice in who He has created us to be. All of us are created uniquely different and the Lord has a specific plan for each of us. The problem comes and our rest disappears when we start comparing ourselves with others and become discontent with who we are or what we have. This journal entry shows how the Lord speaks truth to our hearts and gives us rest as we listen to Him. On this particular day I was struggling with my worth mainly because I was comparing myself with others. As I was studying in the book of Nehemiah, the Lord used the life application helps from some of the passages to encourage me: "Nehemiah and Ezra were very different people, yet God used them both to lead the nation. Remember, there is a place for you in God's work even if you're different from most other people. God uses each person in a unique way to accomplish His purposes." The Lord knew what I needed to hear--He does want to use me here--even though I want to be in heaven and really HOME. He's not ready for me there yet and has a plan for me here. "Nehemiah asked God for specific help. The Lord wants us to pour out our hearts to Him and ask Him for specific things. Just as Nehemiah didn't take matter into his own hands--we shouldn't either. Nehemiah asked God to strengthen him--he relied on God for emotional and mental stability." "Sometimes my mind seems so unfocused and decisions often hard--I need to share my confusion with Jesus and TRUST Him to help me. He's available 24/7 and wants me to REST in Him instead of comparing myself with others and focusing on my weaknesses and failures. I need to remember that the Lord wants me to rejoice in my weaknesses because in my weakness, He is strong. Therefore, as I focus on Him and His strength I can truly REST knowing that I can do all things with His help." I read somewhere recently that we all need to absolutely refuse to compare ourselves with anyone else. We need to REST and rejoice in how God has created us and allow Him to use each of us in unique ways!

M is for MIRACLES or God-Winks as I like to call them

Through the storm of Ty's cancer, his death, and my adjusting to a new life without him, the Lord has demonstrated His intimate love and care for me through many "little miracles" or God-winks. On my most discouraging days, all I have to do is read back through my journals to be reminded of how much Jesus cares for me. Here's a recent example from my journal on December 15, 2011. "As I was heading home from Hutch after dark with many Christmas gifts to unpack from my car, I was feeling especially lonely and thinking how wonderful it would be to come home to having the lights on and Ty greeting me as I came into the garage like he used to and helping me unpack things. Just as I turned onto my street a star shot across the sky in front of me. It was amazing!!! I haven't seen one for a long time, and God always seems to send them exactly when I need a reminder that He is still with me and hasn't forgotten about me. I praised Him for the reminder and unpacked the car with a joyful heart!!"

S is again for SOVEREIGNTY

Being willing to believe and rest in the fact that God is in control is key whether we're heading into the storm, are in the middle of it or heading out of it. Chip Ingram writes: "as we believe that God is both good and sovereign (in control) that we would absolutely refuse to worry knowing that He is working ALL things for our good EVERYDAY even those things we don't understand and seem so unfair."

Summing it up: we have to have a willing heart to trust in and accept God's plan for our lives even in the storms. Our attitude and outlook are so important as we lean on our loving Heavenly Father in and through every storm. Remember, God doesn't always promise to take us out of our storms, but He does promise to walk with us through them.

S--Sovereignty--God knows what's BEST ALWAYS.

T--Test--Storms test our faith, but we can trust Jesus to walk with us through them.

O--Only Jesus can bring Ongoing peace

R--Test in Jesus and rejoice in who you are in Him

M--Miracles (God-winks) that remind us of His love and faithfulness

S--Sovereignty--God is in control. We don't need to worry.

I know that I've shared the following song before as it was our family theme song through the cancer journey with Ty, but it is a perfect one to listen to when you're faced with a storm in your life. It's called "Praise You In This Storm"by Casting Crowns. What hope we have in Jesus. We need to be willing to share our hearts and hurts with Him and allow Him to comfort and carry us! As the song says, "He holds every tear in His hands and never leaves our side." I pray that He will bless each of you today with more of His amazing love as you reach out to Him with a willing heart and trust Him.