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Devotions
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Just a Simple Thank you "Come to me, all
you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 NIV) Sometimes when I wake up I am so thankful for being so blessed and sometimes
I wake up and I just take it all for granted. Somedays I wake up and think oh, I wish I could just sleep all day ...
instead of being thankful that I have a job to get up for. Are we thankful for the little things that come together
in our lives to give us all the blessings? Even those
of us in the deepest valley or those of us on the highest mountaintop - the Lord has provided a blessed life for us.
Look around you. Look at the people He has brought into your life, you spouse, your children,
your brothers, your sisters, your Mom, your Dad, your friends, even a stranger only to cross your path once. There is
a reason. Be encouraged today. Look for the life lesson to be learned in that valley and make a change.
You may face it again or it may take a while to come out of it -- but the Lord is showing us something, He is drawing us near
to Him or maybe He has brought you there to help and encourage someone else. Be open to all His possibilities.I often think about Mary and Joseph. Did you ever
just wonder why God chose them to raise Jesus? Why was Mary the one? Why Joseph have to face the shame?
And in those days it was shame to be with child before marriage. In today's time if a girl is pregnant and
not married no one even shakes a head. It is now normal. Acceptable. Even in my high school days if a girl
was pregnant there were whispers and shock. She hid her pregnancy. She was ashamed. Nowadays they are still
attending High school in their last months. Did you ever wonder what Joseph's prayers were about His circumstances?
He was engaged to a woman who he had never been intimate with -- and now she was pregnant. Our first thoughts if we
were Joseph probably would be, hatred and disgust because Mary had been unfaithful. Or we would think, what will
people say about us?" I think Joseph probably did say, why me Lord? Always turning to the Lord for direction
and the Lord spoke and Joseph listened. The Lord guided and Joseph followed. The Lord counseled and Joseph obeyed.
Can we be more like Joseph? Can we just say today, I don't understand Lord, but thank You Lord! Show me the
way.And then actually listen to the Lord and go down the path He has provided for us.
I pray that I always seek His will for my life and that when I don't follow His way that I will always be drawn back to
Him. Have a great weekend.
Invite someone to church with you this Sunday, if you do not go to church, pray that the Lord will lead you to a church where
you will hear His Word spoken. Count your blessing and accept His love and His forgiveness. Love, Tracy. And then actually listen to the Lord and go down the path He has provided for us. I pray that I
always seek His will for my life and that when I don't follow His way that I will always be drawn back to Him. Have a great weekend. Invite someone to church with
you this Sunday, if you do not go to church, pray that the Lord will lead you to a church where you will hear His Word spoken.
Count your blessing and accept His love and His forgiveness. Love, Tracy. I often think about Mary and Joseph. Did you ever just wonder why God chose them
to raise Jesus? Why was Mary the one? Why Joseph have to face the shame? And in those days it
was shame to be with child before marriage. In today's time if a girl is pregnant and not married no one even shakes
a head. It is now normal. Acceptable. Even in my high school days if a girl was pregnant there were whispers
and shock. She hid her pregnancy. She was ashamed. Nowadays they are still attending High school in their
last months. Did you ever wonder what Joseph's prayers were about His circumstances? He was engaged to
a woman who he had never been intimate with -- and now she was pregnant. Our first thoughts if we were Joseph probably
would be, hatred and disgust because Mary had been unfaithful. Or we would think, what will people say about us?" I think Joseph probably
did say, why me Lord? Always turning to the Lord for direction and the Lord spoke and Joseph listened. The Lord
guided and Joseph followed. The Lord counseled and Joseph obeyed. Can we be more like Joseph? Can we just
say today, I don't understand Lord, but thank You Lord! Show me the way.And
then actually listen to the Lord and go down the path He has provided for us. I pray that I always seek His will for
my life and that when I don't follow His way that I will always be drawn back to Him. Have a great weekend. Invite someone to church with you this Sunday,
if you do not go to church, pray that the Lord will lead you to a church where you will hear His Word spoken. Count
your blessing and accept His love and His forgiveness. Love, Tracy. And then actually listen to the Lord and go down the path He has provided for us. I pray that I always seek
His will for my life and that when I don't follow His way that I will always be drawn back to Him. Have a great weekend. Invite someone to church with
you this Sunday, if you do not go to church, pray that the Lord will lead you to a church where you will hear His Word spoken.
Count your blessing and accept His love and His forgiveness. Love, Tracy.
Looking to the Lord
"....Today,
if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."
(Hebrews 4:7 NIV paraphrased)
Sometimes we don't like what God is saying to us. We want to direct our life down a
certain path and God says no. Isn't it typical of us to miss it and say God really didn't say no!
We try to do it on our own and we fail. We keep running into walls, until we realize that God has great opportunities
waiting for us! We need to learn to ask the Lord for patience to wait for His timing. We try to rush things
to get them when we want them, then we miss an even better blessing that the Lord had for us. When the Lord tells us
to wait, sometimes we try to head in our own direction and handle things our own way. Trust God today, wait for His
direction. Walking the Christian walk does not make you a perfect person. As a matter of fact, we each have many
imperfections that others are quick to point out. But never lose faith and know that your walk with the Lord is a work
in progress. We learn and we grow each day and yes, some days are better than others. But you can make it!
Pray to the Lord to give you patience to "wait" today. God's love is unconditional
and pure. Desire to grow closer to Him and desire His will for your life. I pray the Lord has touched your heart
and that HE will continue to work in your life each day! Have a great day, count those many blessings. No matter
what we are facing today - it can work out for good, remember to give God the Glory! Love, Tracy
link
Memories "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need
of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
(Matthew 6:8-15 NIV) Did you ever listen to the words of the Lord's prayer? Really listen. I was reading this
scripture this morning, I could hear it being sung like maybe how Josh Groban's voice would sound. Beautiful.
It is amazing. The words getting louder and stronger in the end. As I am sitting here I am thinking about my Mother's
last days and moments. When she was in her hospital bed, at times her eyes were fixed on the corner of the ceiling-open
-- but she was not in a conscious state. It would seem that she was laying there taking to someone.
Not any of us in the room - that we could see. Perhaps she could see more. She mouthed the words "Beautiful.
Beautiful. Wonderful. Wonderful. Mom?" I often wonder what she saw. Or who she saw.
She did a few other interesting things in that moment. Some say it is the high dose of medicine she was on, some say
she had a glimpse of heaven. I don't know. I remember a day or two before my Dad passed away that next year. I believe he too got
a glimpse of Heaven when he said to my sister and I - "there's your Mother". Whom he said was standing
between us over our shoulders. Sometimes I just think about those two experiences
I had with my parents. I create in my own mind a scenario of what was happening at that moment. Maybe they were
on their way to reuniting with loved ones. Anyway, getting back to the Lords prayer. It is sometimes called the Lord's prayer or sometimes
people call it the Our Father. In Matthew, Jesus teaches us a prayer. Their are many prayers in Psalms, but here,
it teaches us to speak directly to our Father in Heaven. Some people
put limitations on themselves thinking they cannot do this. We limit the Lords ability to use us and work through us
and in us when we try to handle life alone. Trust in Him today. I pray that you have a great Wednesday. Today is the day of Salvation! Count
your many blessings that the Lord has given you. Love, Tracy
We Need Rain! "He rained down on
them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven." (Psalm 78:24 NIV) When we eat, we nourish our bodies ~ when we pray we nourish our souls! Most all of us always remember to eat each day. Our bodies need food to grow and our brains need food to be
able to think. In that same way, if we're not praying and reading our Bible we are neglecting our spiritual growth.
Food blesses our bodies with physical energy. Prayer bless our bodies with spiritual energy. The more we pray,
the more the Lord will bless us. Sometimes something physically, some times with something monetary, and always spiritually.
The more we study and learn about the Truths in the Bible the more we are blessed, for when we experience the presence of
God, we gain strength, we are inspired and we are comforted. I hope you all have a great Tuesday. Please continue to remember Mary Ryan in prayer. Today is my son
Joseph's first day of Middle School. Please stand with me and pray for a hedge of protection around his little mind!
Thank you all and think about your blessings today! Love, Tracy
Pray Continually
"Consider it all joy...when you encounter various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4 NIV)
We all have trials in one form or another, sometimes it is hard to have joy in the tough times. If
you are like me, we try to find the positive or the moral lesson learned. Sometimes that works, and I don't go through
that again. But most of the time it does not, because I can't do it alone! Only with the Lords help can we
handle what comes our way. I have several
unspoken prayer requests today ... with God, anything is possible! Please pray for Mary Ryan (health
problems). Have a great day today. Love, Tracy
"Consider it all joy...when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
(James 1:2-4 NIV)
We all have trials in one form or another, sometimes
it is hard to have joy in the tough times. If you are like me, we try to find the positive or the moral lesson
learned. Sometimes that works, and I don't go through that again. But most of the time it does not, because
I can't do it alone! Only with the Lords help can we handle what comes our way. I have several unspoken prayer requests today ... with God, anything
is possible! Please pray for Mary Ryan (health problems). Have a great day today. Love, Tracy
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| Devotions |
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| by Tracy Beckham |
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