Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLV)
¹⁸ “Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. ¹⁹ See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now. Will you not know about it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLV)
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope.
Proverbs 16:3 (TPT)
³ Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself.^[a]
Then every plan you make will succeed.

It is said that, when you have 20/20 vision, you have perfect vision. My question for you as we enter the year 2020 is:  How is your vision?  Have you prayed and consulted with God, before randomly setting the goals that you want to achieve this year?  Are you crystal clear on your purpose for this New Year?  And most importantly, is your vision for the year correctly, and precisely aligned with God’s vision and purpose for your life.

 Only by spending time with Him, will you know what His vision for your future is. As you draw closer to Him, bit by bit, He will begin to unfold His plan for your life.  It is only through spending time with Him that you will know, if your vision for your future, aligns with His vision for your future.

The Gift-Giving Season

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the ^[a]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV)
⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of ^[a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

1 John 3:16-18 (NKJV)
¹⁶ By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? ¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Acts 20:35 (NKJV)
³⁵ I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Hebrews 13:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Christmas is a joyous time of year when we celebrate the birth of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   Just as Christ’s entrance into the world was a sacrificial expression of His love, we are to immolate His example of love in the way that we give to others.  Christ gave from a place that was pure. He expected nothing in return.  He gave and there were no ulterior motives.  His gift was love-based, and it was the ultimate sacrifice.

Can you imagine leaving a place that is the epitome of royalty, to spend years, willingly in impoverished conditions?  And just to think, He knew that there would be those who would choose to reject Him as their most precious gift.

Psalm 30:2
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.

 Psalms 107:19-21
¹⁹ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.
²¹ Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
3rd John 1: 2
² Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.
Jeremiah 17:14
O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved.  My praises are for you alone!
Exodus 23:25
²⁵ “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I^[a] will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.
Isaiah 58:8
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Psalms 103:2-4
² Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
³ He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
⁴ He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
Psalms 30:2-3
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.
³ You brought me up from the grave,^[a] O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
Psalms 34:19
⁹ The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
Mark 5:34
³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
Luke 6:19
¹⁹ Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.
Matthew 9:28-30
²⁸ They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”
“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”
²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” ³⁰ Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.”
Psalms 23
The Lord is my shepherd;   I have all that I need.
² He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³  He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
⁴ Even when I walk through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
 My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶ Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Matthew 9:20-22
²⁰ Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, ²¹ for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
²² Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
Deuteronomy 32:39
Look now; I myself am he!  There is no other god but me!
I am the one who kills and gives life;
    I am the one who wounds and heals;  no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!
Isaiah 38:16-17
¹⁶ Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health.
You restore my health and allow me to live!
¹⁷ Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death
    and forgiven all my sins.
Psalms 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

My 45th Class Reunion

 Proverbs 27:9
The sweet smell of incense can make you feel good, but true friendship is better still.^[a].

I  came very close to saying, I’ll just plan to attend the next reunion, which will be the 50th Class Reunion.   I am so thankful that God impressed upon my heart to attend this one.  Who knows how many of us will still be around to attend the 50th.  I certainly hope that God sees fit to allow me to be one of the ones there. Wow! It has been 45 years since I graduated from high school in 1974.  My how quickly the time flies!

This past Labor Day Weekend was my 45th Class Reunion Celebration.  I am still trying to figure out where the time has gone.  In the busyness of living, lifetime slips away, and before you know it, you realize that maybe you should have savored more of the good times.

I must say getting to spend time with my classmates was a blast!   Of course, there were many that I did not recognize, or if the face was familiar I had forgotten the name of the person.  I have no doubt that they were probably thinking the same thing about me.  It was hilarious and we all laughed about it because everyone was in the same boat.

The committee that was in charge of planning the event had a brilliant idea!  They made copies of photos from our senior class yearbook. With these photos, they created really cute name tags with our maiden names on them.  That was a lifesaver for those of us that were struggling. Some of us had stayed in touch over the years, such as my best friend Deborah and I.  We have been best friends since the 9th grade.  She and her husband came in from Tennessee, and as always we had a great time.  Some of my other close friends were there as well, and it was great to see them.

Has Your Blessing Become Your Stumbling Block?

Deuteronomy 8:6-20
 ⁶ “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. ⁷ For the Lord, your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. ⁸ It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig-trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey.
⁹ It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. ¹⁰ When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lordy our God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹ “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lordy our God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.
¹² For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, ¹³ and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! ¹⁴ Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.
¹⁵ Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! ¹⁶ He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.
¹⁷ He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ ¹⁸ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. ¹⁹ “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.
²⁰ Just as the Lord has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the Lord your God.

Have you ever received a blessing from God that later became a stumbling block? Well, I would like to share with you today from my personal experience on this subject.

When we first moved into our new home, my main focus day and night was on getting things unboxed and in place. Needless to say, it was a bit overwhelming!

Because I was over the moon excited, I could not stop thinking about how I wanted to decorate and beautify our new space. I was constantly window shopping online, (notice I said window shopping) looking for the perfect dining room chairs, or the perfect comforter or the perfect whatever to go with the decor that I had envisioned for our home. I watched the home decorating channel every time I had a free moment. I looked through magazines for ideas etc. and oh the countless furniture stores that I drug my husband through. I realize that some of this are normal to a certain degree, and the fact that I was an Interior Designer for 20 years certainly did not help the situation.

I believe that my quest to get it just right was becoming a wee bit of an obsession. I finally had to make myself, take a moment and just breathe, and just slow the pace down. You see God had revealed something that He wanted me to do on a weekly basis for my Women’s Ministry prior to moving into our home. Although I was still spending time with God each morning, I was not walking in obedience to the extra that God was calling me to do. I was too busy with my house project and trying to balance it with my career to focus consistently on what God had asked me to do.

With all that I was trying to accomplish with my house, I started to find myself drifting further and further away from what God had led me to do. What I had failed to realize in the process, was that God was still God and that He still requires obedience no matter what’s going on in my life. I was allowing my blessing to overwhelm my life. My blessing was becoming my stumbling block. When God brought this to my attention, it was like a light bulb moment. I had put my desires above what God desired. Looking back, I realize that my gift had become my priority instead of the giver of my gift.

How many times do we come so close to worshipping the blessing instead of the blesser? Make no mistake about it ladies, this is the breeding ground for idolatry.

Well, after receiving that big thump on my head, I think it is safe to say that God got my attention and that I am back on track. I am sure that this won’t be the last time that He will give me a thump on the head and a light bulb moment in order that I might see just how I really look before Him.

I must say that I still have boxes in my garage and the decorating project will take longer than I originally anticipated. I am OK with that because my priorities are back in order and when my priorities are in order my life is no longer chaotic but peaceful.

Today, I encourage you to do a self-check. What have you been blessed with that has become your stumbling block? Remember, no matter what God has blessed you with, He must be honored above all else.

Galatians 6:7-8  (NIV)
⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Hosea 10:12-13  (NIV)
¹² Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;  for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.
¹³ But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil,
you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,
Job 4:8  (NIV)
⁸ As I have observed, those who plow evil  and those who sow trouble reap it.
Proverbs 11:18  (NIV)
¹⁸ A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
James 3:18  (NIV)
¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11  (NIV)
⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Galatians 6:9  (NIV)
⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Proverbs 20:4  (NIV)
⁴ Sluggards do not plow in season;  so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

What Seeds Are You Planting?

I was blessed to spend my childhood years growing up on a farm. You see my dad was a farmer, so my siblings and I always had lots of farm chores to do.  One of which was helping in the garden each year. From that experience I learned something quite valuable, and that was whatever you harvested during the harvest season, was totally based on the type of seeds that you had planted during the planting season. During those years of living on the farm,  I never once saw my dad plant corn and harvest cucumbers, or plant a pear tree that harvested peaches.

Another interesting thing that I noticed when working in our garden planting corn, is that one kernel of corn would produce a stalk with several ears of corn on it, from which many kernels would yield at harvesting time.   The lesson here is that whatever we plant is usually multiplied and returned back to us during harvesting season, and that’s another good reason to only sow good seeds.

Ladies the Law of Sowing and Reaping is real.   My advice to you, is watch what you sow, because it will return to you in great abundance, and it will be when you least expect it. Sometimes it takes years but the reaping season is inevitable.

The type of seeds that we sow into the lives of others are so important.  Whatever you do, sow seeds of love and encouragement and generosity.  Stay away from the seeds that bring negative consequences or a negative harvest.  

Sowing seeds of discord, strife, selfishness, gossip, hatred, and unrighteousness will only come back to you in a harvest that will measure more abundantly than you initially sowed.  Ask yourself, can I live with a tenfold harvest of what I have been planting?  If the answer is no way, then maybe the next course of action should be to start planting better seeds. 

The Law of Sowing and Reaping says that what you sow must come back to you. Just as you are sure that the sun will rise and set each day, be just as sure that what you sow you will reap. If you sow well you will receive good and if you sow evil you will reap evil back. 

We all have planted bad seeds, forgetting that someday they would grow into a full grown plant.   If we ask God for forgiveness for the bad seeds that we have planted, He will certainly forgive us, but there are still consequences for our behavior and those consequences are the harvest.

I am sure that we all know people who have not connected the dots yet, when it comes to the direct correlation between what they are reaping with the seeds that they have planted. Let’s be wise spiritual farmers and be selective as to what seeds we choose to plant in our spiritual gardens, because harvest time will surely come.

Let’s Pray For Our Children

Psalm 127:3 (NLT)
³ Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Isaiah 54:13 (NLT)
¹³ I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT)
³ But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.^[a]
1 John 5:14  (NLT)
¹⁴ And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
¹ God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

From the time our daughter started kindergarten until the end of her senior year in high school, we prayed for her each morning before school. 

Our routine went like this; while I was driving I would ask her to start our prayer. She would pray over her day and for our family, and then I would pray for her safety, for her teachers and all of the school administrators.  I also prayed for her friends, and I asked God to bless her with friends that had a desire to honor Him by being obedient to those in authority at her school. By the time we were finished praying, it was time for her to get out of the car.  This happened every morning without fail, and on the mornings that her dad took her, they did the same thing.

Your Pain Has Purpose

 Ephesians 1:11 (NLT)
¹¹ Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,^[a] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)
²¹ You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Psalm 57:2 (NLT)
² I cry out to God Most High,^[a] to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
Jeremiah 32:19 (NLT)
¹⁹ You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NLT)
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.^[a] Because of the joy^[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. ³ Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;^[c] then you won’t become weary and give up.
Romans 8:28 (NLT)
²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together^[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

It is amazing how many times we hear of people whose purpose has been realized, as a direct result of a tragedy, or some type of painful life situation.  Many times after these tragedies, support groups, charitable foundations, and other organizations are started, that would not have been stated otherwise.

In 1988 I went through a very very painful and violent divorce.  Little did I know that God would use my pain to start my speaking and writing career.

One Sunday while sitting in a Women’s Bible Class, I decided to share a bit of my story in response to the topic that our class was on that Sunday.   Afterward, several women came to me sharing, how they had no idea that I had gone through so much.  One lady even said to me “you are always so cheerful and bubbly, no one would ever know what you have been through”.  She asked; how can you be so happy all of the time, when you have been through so much?  My answer to her was how could I not be happy?  God had been so good to me, to spare my life on more than one occasion.  After all, that I had gone through, to be joyful was the only way to live, and the only way to express my gratitude for God’s amazing grace and protection. My heart was so full of joy because I was so grateful to simply be alive!  I had no complaints.

After the class, our minister’s wife,  who was teaching that day, came over and gave me a big hug.  As we stood there talking she said, “we have our Ladies Retreat coming up in October, and there are so many women who would benefit from hearing your story.  I would love it if you would be one of our speakers at the Ladies Retreat”.  At that moment I knew that God was working. He was in the process of giving me a crown of beauty for my ashes. He was working good from my years of pain and struggle.

After a few weeks had gone by, it was finally time for me to speak at the Ladies Retreat.  I would not have expected hearts to be moved by my story, but they were.  Some women came up to me afterward with tears in their eyes, sharing that they too, had endured abuse, while others were still living in abusive marriages.  My mind was blown away, because some of these women, were women that I was sitting beside every Sunday in worship.  No one would have known when they walked into Church with their husbands, flashing their pretty smiles and wearing their gorgeous dresses that this was what was really going on at home.

These women had been silent because they thought they had to be,  and just as I was, they were too embarrassed to let anyone know their truth. They were assuming guilt that was not even theirs to assume. They were hurting and God used my story to give them strength.  When they could listen to someone who had not only survived the same type of physical and emotional pain they were going through but was thriving, it gave them hope that life could be different.  My prayer is that it also gave them the courage to never allow themselves to be violated again.

God was showing me how the emotional and physical pain that I had endured,  would not be wasted.  He also showed me, that He uses everything for our good and for His divine purposes. If He allows it, there is a purpose in it.

God was helping others to heal through my speaking and He was also helping me to continue my own healing process through speaking. Through this process, I was also encouraged to write more.  You see, I had been a person that had journal since I was a teenager.  Little did I know, that my habit of daily journaling would be the therapy that God would use to get me through some of my darkest days.  As I wrote about my pain day after day in my personal journal, I never knew that God was preparing me to become a writer.

Many great lessons and blessings have come from the painful years I endured.  I certainly don’t want to wish painful experiences on anyone,  but what I do want you to know about pain is this;

1.  Every life will endure some pain.
2.  If God allows pain in your life, it is for a reason that has a purpose and many times Kingdom purpose.
3.  Your pain and God’s purpose will not only benefit you but others.
4.  Trusting that God knows what He is doing, is the only way that your attitude can remain hopeful when you are experiencing pain.
5.  God’s ways are higher than our ways. We may never understand why we must suffer painful or tragic things, but God will use those very things to make us stronger and to help us be a blessing to others.

P.A.I.N.

P- Pain is not forever. When our pain has served its purpose it will end.
James 1: 2-4
² Dear brothers and sisters,^[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Romans 8:18-2
⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,^[a] including the new bodies he has promised us.²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope^[b] for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers^[c] in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together^[d] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
2nd Corinthians 7:9-10  (NLT)
⁹ Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. ¹⁰ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.
 2nd Corinthians 12: 9-10
 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
A- Always remain prayerful during your time of pain.  Ask God for strength for your journey.
1st Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
   Ephesians 6: 18
 ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.^[a]
   1st John 5: 15
And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
 1st Chronicles 16:11
 Search for the Lord and for his strength;  continually seek him.
 2nd Chronicles 7: 4
 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord.
  James 5: 13
 ¹³ Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.
 Psalm 102:17
He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.  He will not reject their pleas.

I- Ignore the negative thoughts and lies that will come from the enemy during your time of pain.
Philippians 4: 8
 ⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
 2nd Corinthians 10: 3-5
³ We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. ^4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵ We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
 Romans 12: 2
² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
N- Never lose sight of God’s love for you.
Ephesians 3: 16-21
¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.²⁰ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ²¹ Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
   John 3:16
¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave^[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
   Psalm 136: 26
 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.
1 Peter 4:12-13 (NLT)
¹² Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
1 Peter 4:19  (NLT)
¹⁹ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
¹¹ 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.

Pretty Plates

Psalm 92:4 (NIV)
⁴ For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

Matthew 7:11  (NIV)
¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Psalm 96:8  (NIV)
⁸ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

Have you ever seen something so pretty, that with just one look, you knew that you couldn’t live without it?  Well it happened to me a few years back.  What’s so interesting about this, is that I have tried to train myself not to get too worked up or excited over material things.   I have learned from experience that they only give temporary satisfaction.   However, on this particular day the lure was much too strong.  My whole thought process regarding the pleasures of material things being too fleeting, went flying straight out of the window.

This is how it all got started; The company that I work for, offers quarterly prizes for those who qualify for them.   One year they offered us the opportunity to acquire a complete set of dishes.  All throughout the year you could earn a place setting every quarter until you had acquired the complete set.  I absolutely fell in love with the dishes that they were offering.  They had a colorful band that went around the outer edges of each item in the place setting, and on the banding were the words; Belief, Courage, Commitment, and Enthusiasm.  I thought that these words would be the perfect thing to see each morning, to get my day off to a well motivated start.  I thought they would send a positive message each time I ate on my pretty little plates.

After the contest was finally over, I realized that there were several pieces that I still needed to complete my set.  The more I thought about not having all eight place settings, the more obsessed I became with wanting to find them.
The thought came to mind, that maybe there were ladies in my area that worked for the same company that I did, that had extras and they wouldn’t mind me purchasing one or two sets from them.

I called several people that I knew, and no one had extra place settings to spare. I even called people in other towns.  My heart was broken!  I wanted a complete set of those pretty plates and it simply did not seem like it was going to happen.   I finally stopped my frantic search for the plates and all of the matching pieces.

One day months later,  the UPS driver that delivered to me each week, accidentally left my box of products at another lady’s house.  It just so happened that she lived in my neighborhood, but several streets over.  In his rush to get his deliveries done, he gave her my box and he gave me the box that belonged to her. I now know however, that it was no accident.   Although it appeared to be one, it was actually God’s divine intervention at work on my behalf once more.  Praise God!

When I got ready to open the box, I noticed that my name was not the name on the box.  I called the company that I worked for, and told them that I had the wrong box. I asked them if they would please track the box that belonged to me..  When they told me where it was, I recognized the name of the street.  I went to the lady’s house to deliver her box and to retrieve mine. The two of us had never met before.  She was a really nice lady, with a gift for gab.  We talked for quite some time.  After spending time having a great conversation, we decided to exchange phone numbers.   From time to time we would call one another just to say hello.

One Saturday morning out of the clear blue sky, she called and said:  “ I am cleaning out my front closet and I have several things that I want to get rid of.   I thought I would see if you would like any of them”.

What she said next brought tears to my eyes.  She said; “Do you remember the dishes that we could earn last year”?  At that moment I knew that God was working!   Trying to stay calm, I said ” yes I do remember those”, and she said “well I have lots of them, if you would like them, I will just give them to you.”   That very moment my heart was so full of gratitude.  God had granted a favorable answer to my heart” s desire.  He cared about my desire for something as simple as a set of pretty plates.

God blessed me in a way that only He could orchestrate.  From the UPS man leaving the boxes at the wrong house, to me starting a friendship with someone that I had never met before.  God was steering me and guiding me to the dishes the entire time.   When I tell you that God is Awesome, please hear me.  This story is not just about pretty plates. It is so much bigger than pretty plates.

This story is about God’s kindness, His generosity, His wisdom, His will, His timing, His guidance, and His sovereignty.  Most importantly, its about God receiving the glory that is due Him.  I could not take one ounce of credit for finding those dishes and God wanted me to be very clear, that this was a gift from Him and that only He could arrange this!   He wanted my heart to be grateful, and He wanted me to express that gratitude to Him, and boy did I ever!

Isn’t it amazing to think of the many things that God could work from something as simple as a set of dishes.  You see I also learned from this experience,  that though we may want something, God has the final say and it will be in His time and not ours.

I also learned that just as we want to give our children some of the things that they want, God does the same for us. You see I did not need the dishes, I just wanted them.  Sometimes God just blesses us because He desires to do so.

Another lesson is that He always wants more for us than we want for ourselves.  I was looking to get eight place settings and after the lady  blessed me with her sets of dishes, I ended up with twelve place settings.

Something else that this reminded me of is; just because you don’t see the blessing coming, it doesn’t mean that the blessing is not on the way. Keep trusting!

So here it is about fifteen years later,  and we still have those dishes.  Some of them have been broken or chipped over the years, but for the most part we still have quite a few remaining.  They are a reminder to me that God cares about the smallest things that concern me and I hope that you always remember that He feels the same way about what concerns you.   Keep waiting and trusting, and you will also get to experience a pretty plate moment!

Psalm 100:4-5  (NIV)
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 103:13  (NIV)
¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;