Encouragement . . . for the Journey

Embrace His Truth . . .

Thanking the Lord today for His indescribable gift ~ JESUS!!!

Praising Him for His amazing love shown when He gave His one and only SON that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

~    ~    ~

Amazing grace how sweet the sound . . . a gentle baby's cry, sheep and cattle lowing all around.

God's gift of love for all mankind . . . sweet baby Jesus with a cross in mind.

Yet He came for all without complaint . . .  to save us, free us and call us His saints.

Undeserving ~ you and me . . . beautifully saved and completely free. 

Encouragement for the Journey

The Potter's Hand . . .

"Yet, O LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand."  Isaiah 64:8
 
Recently we were at our NC State Fair.  One of my favorite things to do is walk around the Pottery Exhibition.  I love to gaze on these amazing creations.  Each individual piece a work of art ~ a piece of art that takes many tedious hours of starts, stops and restarts before entering the kiln and the completed object is revealed.  The colors on some are vibrant, others appear less shiny, but all useful in its perfect place.

We too are beautiful works of art, made by the Creator of the universe.  Lumps of clay perfected in the Potter's Hand, perfectly shaped; perfectly molded, perfectly fitted for the work planned long ago for us to do. 
"While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barabbas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  Acts 13:2

Lord, I choose to ask You to mold, shape, reshape and refine me as many times as necessary so that I can be Your useful vessel, set apart for Your glory.  Help me to remember that genuine faith is revealed through the refiners fire.  Begin the refining process today, Lord. Take away the dross; anything that keeps my life from bringing you glory.  Let Your amazing love purify every part of my life. 
In Jesus Name, Amen!!!

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~  Isaiah 1:25 ~ God takes hearts that are full of defilement and burns away the dross.

~  Jeremiah 9:7 ~ Through God's amazing love He purifies us and makes us shine like gold.

~   Zechariah 13:9, Malachi 3:2-3 ~ Purification through the refiners fire brings glory to God.

~   1 Peter 1:6-7~ Genuine faith is revealed through fiery trials.

Encouragement . . . for the Journey
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."  1 Timothy 4:12

Investing in your kids . . .
Read a great devotion this morning about investing in our kids.  The writer talked about investing in our kids education, their athletic ability, their musical talents, etc.  All are good things to invest in, but then she asked the question, "what about training them spiritually?"
As Christian parents, we have the awesome privilege of introducing our kids to the perfect parent, God Himself.  Deuteronomy 6:5-7 says, "Love the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."   Always look for teacheable moments.

I remember when our youngest son was little, we would take "joy" walks in the neighborhood, seizing this opportunity to talk about God our Creator.  Simply put, as we walked we looked for things God had made and then we talked about them.  Great thing to do with older kids as well.  We can all benefit by being reminded of our great, Creator God.  As you're driving and see someone homeless, teach your kids to pray for them.  Pray for policemen, firefighters, walkers and joggers, etc.  You get the picture.  Have age appropriate family devotion/prayer time, choosing the best time for your individual family.  Pray with your kids before they go to school.  Take that extra 30 seconds ~ believe me it will have a great effect on their day. They might not thank you now, but they will later.  Trust me on this one. :)   

Training kids to know God through prayer, reading His Word, singing songs that reflect His glory will have an incredible impact on their lives and ours as well.   

Turn 1 Timothy 4:12 into a daily prayer for kids of all ages:

Lord , , ,
Please keep anyone from looking down on ______________________ today because of his/her age.  Faithful God help them to set an example for those who are believers and non-believers in the way they talk (Ephesians 4:29-30, 5:4), in the way they live their life (Ephesians 5:15, Proverbs 3:5-6), in the way they show Christ's love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7), in faith (Colossians 2:6-7) and in purity (Ephesians 5:3, Colossians 3:1-2, 5, 17).
In the strong name of Jesus, amen!!!