It's All For His Glory "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long
life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon
the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust
in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall
be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." (Proverbs 3:1-8 KJV)
Because it is hard when we
don't understand why things are happening in our lives. I think the Lord knows that we will struggle with that.
Most people know verses 5 and 6. Lean not on your own understanding and even when you don't understand, know that
God is in control! I can look back over the times in my life when the valley's were deep. I was just telling
one of my sisters yesterday that any time I think of my Mother now it brings a smile to me face. That took almost 3
years! It is hard to believe she is almost gone that long. I was so sad and lonely without her for so long.
It is still sad for me, but not the way it was. I realized that sometimes all I concentrated on was the fact that she
was no longer here to be my Mother and my children's grandmother. Then the Lord started showing me all the things
my Mother taught me in 38 years. How blessed I was to have such an awesome Mom - no one can top her (says me! ha ha). I
was thinking about the Mercy shown by God in her life and how she was taken so quickly with Cancer-yet, she did not have to
suffer for years with the disease AND we had time to say good-bye. Not everyone gets that opportunity. So today,
when I think of my Marmie, I smile and cry tears of JOY and not tears of sadness or loneliness because I know that she is
with the Lord and some sweet, sweet day I will get to see her again.
I hope you have trusted Christ with your life today. I pray that you know that He is your Savior and whatever
valley you face today HE IS YOUR ROCK! Don't depend on yourself ~ turn to Jesus! I love you.
Have a great weekend. Invite someone to church with you this weekend. If you aren't going to church, have
you begun to pray for the Lord to show you where you need to be? Have an awesome day. Love, Tracy
There IS Victory IN Jesus!!! "Not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which
are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise
minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same
rule, let us mind the same thing." (Phillipians 3:12-16 KJV) Sometimes I think we
put so much pressure on ourselves to be this perfect person that does not exist. I saw a bumper sticker once that said
"Christians aren't perfect, only forgiven" That is so true. We can't be perfect. We have a sin
nature. I find it funny when people think they don't sin. To some that is such a strong word. It is.
But it doesn't matter what you call it, slipping, messing up, or been bad. It is sin. We all do it every single
day. No matter if you are a child or a senior adult. By God's Grace we are saved. What does that mean
to you personally? When you curse, or drink, or smoke, or overeat, or gossip or complain etc. ... how do you feel?
What do you do with those feelings? Are you angry? Bitter? Sad? Where do you turn? If anywhere?
By Grace you are saved through Christ
Jesus who loves you and died for you. Over 2000 years ago the story began. Can this be your prayer today ... I HEARD AN OLD, OLD STORY HOW A SAVIOUR CAME FROM GLORY
HOW
HE GAVE HIS LIFE ON CALVARY TO SAVE A WRETCH (SOMEONE) LIKE ME
I HEARD ABOUT HIS GROANING, OF HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD'S
ATONING
THEN I REPENTED OF MY SIN AND WON THE VICTORY
OH, VICTORY IN JESUS, MY SAVIOUR FOREVER
HE SOUGHT
ME AND HE BOUGHT ME WITH HIS REDEEMING BLOOD
HE LOVED ME ERE I KNEW HIM AND ALL MY LOVE IS DUE HIM
HE PLUNGED
ME TO VICTORY BENEATH THE CLEANSING FLOOD
I HEARD ABOUT HIS HEALING,
OF HIS CLEANSING POW'R REVEALING
HOW HE MADE THE LAME TO WALK AGAIN
AND CAUSED THE BLIND TO SEE
AND THEN I CRIED "DEAR JESUS,
COME
AND HEAL MY BROKEN SPIRIT"
AND SOMEHOW JESUS CAME AND BROUGHT
TO ME THE VICTORY!
OH, VICTORY IN
JESUS,MY SAVIOUR FOREVER!!!!!!!
He is
our Savior forever! You always have somewhere to turn. Jesus loves you. I hope that if you are feeling down
in the valley that you never say it is too late for me. Jesus loves you. Just call on His name and ask Him to
reveal himself to you - be still and listen. Have a blessed day! Love, Tracy
When You Face A Valley "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)
I
often wonder where people turn when they don't know Jesus is their Savior. When I am upset or facing a valley so
deep, I turn to the Word of God for my strength. The Lord brings people into my path that will pray for me and He is
my strength. I went to the funeral home last night for Mrs. Pope (one of our church members that passed away Sunday).
When I approached her eldest daughter, I expressed my condolences in the loss of her Mother and I said, "I am praying
for you and for your family." She said "Thank you, we feel all the prayers." I thought right then
and there, this is a family that draws their strength from the Lord! I was sincere, as was she. Isn't it something
when you can actually feel the Lord working in your life! Have you ever experienced that? Where you are so down
in the valley you don't think you can face another day, yet you do. That is the Lord. We have reasons to get
up each day!
Look
at the first line in this verse ... "Come to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!"
Have you ever just imagined the day that you will see Jesus? You should. I think about it from time to time,
what it will be like. A lot of people say, when I get to Heaven I am asking Jesus ... I think we will be so in awe of
our surroundings, we won't remember our worries and concerns that we had on earth. We will be so filled with Joy
that the questions we had in this world will disappear - just my thoughts. I think about when someone is passing over,
what they experience. Sometimes we want them to fight hard to stay with us, but if we think about the Lord, don't
we want their pain and suffering to end? If they know the Lord and are taken to Heaven, their body is immediately healed!
No more pain, only joy. Do you know Him in that way?
Yesterday I asked you all to pray for my friend
Jackie's Dad (Fred Brown). Mr. Brown is about the same, but the family found out Monday that Jackie's brother
Morris has stage 4 lung cancer. The doctors told him he did not have much time. Please pray for the Brown family
- they are facing a deep valley and need prayers and strength from the Lord. I hope you all have a blessed day! Love, Tracy
You Are Not Alone "This is what the LORD says” your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD
your God,
who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way
you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your
righteousness like the waves of the sea." (Isaiah 48:17-18) I like how the Message
puts it as well ... "And now, the Master, God, sends me and his Spirit with this Message from God, your Redeemer,
The Holy of Israel: "I am God, your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do,
where to go. If you had listened all along to what I told you, your life would have flowed full like a river, blessings
rolling in like waves from the sea. Children and grandchildren are like sand, your progeny like grains of sand.
There would be no end of them, no danger of losing touch with me." (Isaiah 48:17-19)
I often think about
why ... I am one of these people who loves to pray about every little thing, but also loves to grab it back sometimes and
worry about "what will happen" or "why things happen." The Lord is our strongtower ... we don't
always understand What will happen or why things happen; we need to just place all our faith and trust in Him and know that
All things work for the good of Christ. I can remember one of my Mother's favorite church songs growing up.
I can picture me as a young girl and us in Church and her singing that song. Be Not Afraid.
You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst. You
shall wander far in safety
though you do not know the way. You shall speak
your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the
face
of God and live. | Be not afraid. I go
before you always. Come follow me, and I will give
you rest. | If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown. If
you walk amid the burning flames, you
shall not be harmed. If you stand
before the pow'r of hell and death is at your side, know that I am with you
through it all. | Blessed are your poor, for the kingdom shall
be theirs. Blest are you
that weep and mourn, for one day you shall laugh. And if wicked men insult
and hate you
all because of me, blessed, blessed are You! |
I am sure we all have special memories of a song or time. When I think of this song of promise I think about how the
Lord tells us, don't be afraid, I have experienced everything before you and I will be with you always! Just follow
me. Serve me. Trust me! No matter what you face today. Jesus is with you. Don't feel alone.
Turn to Him, trust in His Word to see you through. Please pray for Fred Brown, he is the father of one of the ladies
I work for and he is ailing. Please remember Jackie and her mother and brother as they care for their father/husband.
I pray that your day is blessed! Love, Tracy
Place Your Day in His Hands! "As for God, his way is
perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the
LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh
my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel
is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and
thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip." (Psalm 18:30-36 KJV) I hope this Monday finds you all well and refreshed
to start a new week! As I was reading this verse this morning, I was thinking about how nice it would be sometimes to
just know the plan the Lord has for us ahead of time. How many times in my life I've said "if I only knew."
That got me thinking of this first line - in NIV version it says it like this ... "As for God, His way is perfect; the
word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." Hmmm, that makes sense.
If we knew the plans the Lord had for us, would we ever turn to Him for guidance and direction? Would we ever give Him
praise and worship? I doubt it. We would take credit ourselves for any blessing we received in our lives and blame
Him for any valley we faced.
Then we read verse 35 and 36, "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath
holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip."
He is our protector! It is only by His mercy and by His Grace that we are saved. Saved from a life separated from
God eternally. Last night at our church service our Pastor kept saying with each day you should love Jesus more and
more (I kept thinking of that old song ... I love you more today than yesterday .... but not at much as tomorrow ...)
It is so true, the more we are in the Word of God, the closer we will get to knowing the Lord and knowing the direction the
Lord has planned for us. But don't get too comfortable - that is just when He will take you out of your comfort
zone! All you need to do is be a willing vessel and the Lord will do the rest, Trust in Him today. He loves
you and what ever you face this day He is your shield and He is your Salvation!
I hope you all have a blessed Monday. Please remember the (Thelma) Pope
family in prayer today - she passed away yesterday. Love, Tracy
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