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Devotions
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See The Glory Of God Around You
"Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest
see the glory of God?" (John 11:40 KJV)
If only you'd believe ... you'd see the Glory of God around you. When you look around what do you see?
When you wake up each morning what do you see when you walk through your house? Do you thank God for the roof He has
provided for you? There are all different situations we are all in ... but through it all God has provided. This
week in South Carolina the weather has been beautiful mid to high 60's.
We are so thankful for these beautiful days, we can see trees and plants starting to bloom. The Glory of God!
In New Jersey, my family says it is frigid. The plants and trees
not yet blooming, yet, we can still see the glory of God in the snow that falls to the ground. What a beautiful sight
to see a fresh coat of white snow on the ground - it is the brightness of heaven to me. As we approach spring, all over
the nation we will start to see the Glory of God. The "brightness of heaven"
As you start out on your day today, think about all your blessing the Lord has given to you. Life
is a journey and we have much to learn as we take each step. As you think about your blessings, thank Jesus for what
He has done for you in your life and for what He has yet to do. We are so blessed! We have so much to be thankful
for. Even when we are in the pit of the valley, we have much to thank the Lord for. I pray you can see His glory
around you today. I hope you have a great Friday. Invite someone to church with you this Sunday, if you don't
have a church home or are not going to church, pray and ask the Lord to show you where you need to be. Count your blessings
... for we are truly BLESSED! Love, Tracy
Release The Weight Of The World "The
earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon
the seas, and established it upon the floods." (Psalm 24:1-2 KJV)
"Lead me in thy truth,
and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies
and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according
to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD. (Psalm 25:5-7 KJV)
So many of us walk
around each day with the weight of the world on our shoulders. Our pastor gave a good illustration of that last night.
Do you ever feel like this man ....
 The statue Atlas. Do you ever feel like you have so
many troubles and so many worries that you are carrying the whole world on your back? I have before. Try and try
as I might I could never feel relief until I knelt at the foot of the cross, because this is the real picture we should be
experiencing each day ...
Jesus holding the world. The verse in Psalm 24 verse 1 and 2 in New Living Translation says
this ... "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The
world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean
depths." Jesus holds us in the palms of His hands. Anything we face is meant to be faced with Him, not
like the Atlas Statue.
I hope that whenever you feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your
shoulders that you remember these illustrations. Remember that Jesus loves you ... think of the song you learned as
a child:
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Traditional
Written
By: Unknown
Copyright Unknown He's got the whole world
in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's
got the whole world in His hands.
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers
and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got the whole world
in His hands.
He's got the sun and the rain in His hands,
He's got the moon and the stars in His hands,
He's got the wind and the clouds in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got
the rivers and the mountains in His hands,
He's got the oceans and the seas in His hands,
He's got you and
he's got me in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got everybody here in His
hands,
He's got everybody there in His hands,
He's got everybody everywhere in His hands,
He's
got the whole world in His hands.
He is holding your hand today! Trust in Him,
He loves you. I pray that you are walking closely with Him today. Have a great Thursday! Count your Blessing
... because you are Blessed!
Trust In The Word Of The Lord
"Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The
LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
and with my song will I praise him. The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his
anointed. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever." (Psalm 28:6-9 KJV)
The Lord is your strength. No matter what we face today, there
is one constant and that is that Jesus is our strength. Trust in His Word. Place your faith in Him. I wonder
sometimes how people can't believe. I was looking at pictures yesterday of my sisters nieces. Twins born in
January. One with thick dark hair and a little chubby and one with just a light covering of hair and tiny. Two
girls born from the same mother, on the same day, minutes apart. So beautiful. Yet, so different. When I
think about birth, what an awesome miracle of the Lord. It amazes me. We are given this gift from God, a child
(or children) and our job is to just nurture them. Teach them.
I was listening to Joseph (my son) talking to Jenna (my daughter) in the car on the way home yesterday.
They were talking about their day and Joseph was telling Jenna about a kickball game. He had gotten hit in the back
and he was talking about how frustrating it is when he gets hit hard. He gets angry. He said I wanted to tackle
that boy. I got to thinking about my son and his attitude. What have I done to teach him how to handle disappointments
in life and anger. I started thinking about the direction I'd like to point my children in. I love it when
people say, your children are so well behaved. (although I have to chuckle in my mind, because they are not always like
that at home). I can remember my Mother telling me one time, that she wanted people to know she raised good
children and clean children. She would say, how you look is a reflection on me. That is so true.
So where do we turn when parenting gets tough? Where do we turn
when we are having marriage problems? Where do we turn when we have financial problems? Who will help you in your
time of need? Jesus. Trust in His Word. Don't give up!
I hope you have a great Wednesday. Count your blessing ... for you ARE blessed! Love, Tracy
Keep His Words
"Wherewithal
shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee:
O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed
art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced
in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I
will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."
(Psalm 119:9-16 KJV)
All the Psalms are good prayers for daily living, but I found this one
especially good. In the Message it is worded like this ... "How can a young person live a clean life? By
carefully reading the map of your Word. I'm single-minded in pursuit of you; don't let me miss the
road signs you've posted. I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won't sin myself bankrupt. Be
blessed, God; train me in your ways of wise living. I'll transfer
to my lips all the counsel that comes from your mouth; I delight far more in what you tell me about living than
in gathering a pile of riches. I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you've done
it. I relish everything you've told me of life, I won't forget a word of it."
Those are good words to live by. They are good words to teach
our children. Proverbs 22:6 says; "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it." In other words point them in the right direction. That is all we can do as parents,
set a good example for our children, point them in the right direction and pray for them each morning as they leave the house.
My children and I pray together as we are approaching their school. If my mind gets sidetracked they remind me.
It is important to them! We thank God for a new day, we pray for their day, we pray that they remembered everything
they learned the day before, we pray for their teachers and we pray for my husband and his job. I am so proud of them.
I am so thankful that at this point in their lives Jesus is important to them and I pray He always will be. Train them!
Guide Them! Pray for them!
Yesterday I went to the bookstore looking for a 12 month daily devotion book for them.
I wanted a book that would be on their level. I did not find what I was looking for. I am going to look on line
and at the Christian bookstore, but I am also going to pray about maybe writing one for them. Please pray for me.
Pray that if it is the Lord's Will that a door will be opened, that the words will just flow and it will be something
their little minds will understand. Thank you for standing in the Gap! I hope you all have a great Tuesday.
It is hard to believe it is March already! Love, Tracy
Teaching His Word
"Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon
your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when
thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou
shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days
of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. For
if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in
all his ways, and to cleave unto him;" (Deuteronomy 11:18-22 KJV)
I've
been thinking a lot lately about what my parents taught me as I was growing up and what I teach my children. One thing
my Mother never taught be was how hard it was to be a parent. I am sure I disappointed her many times in the 38
years she was here with me. When I read this verse, I thought this is the greatest gift I got from Mom. No matter
what, loving the Lord and teaching my children the same. That no matter what we are facing today, Jesus is with us and
If we are living according to His Word that He will guide us and protect us from the evil that we face each day. I know
my Mother was so proud of her children. She loved all 9 of us and our spouses equally. I believe when she got
to heaven, as far as raising her children went Jesus said, Well done Valerie, my good and faithful servant.
Are we doing what we need to do to be
a good example for our children? I was thinking about my quiet time, I make sure I have my quiet time each morning.
But one thing I have not pushed with my children is their quiet time. It is important. I am going to talk to them
tonight. Maybe just 15 minutes a day, give them a scripture to read and a note book to write their feelings from that
day. It is so important to get them in the habit now of having quiet time so that when they get older if they stray
away from the Lord, they will remember this. Make a plan today for your Children. As a teenager I did not
go to church. I could have walked, but I choose not to. I learned by example. What are we teaching our kids
today, not only by what we do ... but even more importantly, by what we don't do?!
Just something to think about. Make a plan.
Count your blessings ... for you are blessed!
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| Devotions |
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| by Tracy Beckham |
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