Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

9) Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

10) For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls. For he has no one to help him up.

Friendship is a very key element to the strength of a society. As is mentioned in Ecclesiastes, it is better to have two people working in conjunction than being alone. If they happen to stumble, there is more of a chance to restore themselves….one of the members will be able to help the other up. It is not beneficial to face everything on your own. It made me think of marriages, automatically, in this regard (Genesis 2:18).

In a marriage, there should be a friendship based on an unification in the Spirit. God is there for the couple, and it makes a three-fold chord (Ecclesiastes 4:12). He is the one who makes the chord absolutely unbreakable. There are many times when it may feel like both members are falling; but, God can be counted on to salvage the strength of the marriage, and the whole society. In my marriage, there have been times when I need a sounding board for issues…My Husband has been able to step in. Vice versa, it has gone on with his end of the marriage…sometimes he needs me to come alongside him and point him to Christ. I am curious if there are any out there who would be able to share a special friendship that can validate these sections in Ecclesiastes 4? I am praying we will all remember He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)!

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

     Today was a day that I could have easily given up on. There are several areas in my life that are not so encouraging, outcomes are not easy to figure out. 

     The first area would be my Husband’s and my health.  We are getting over the remainder of our COVID virus, and I woke up with complications of my syncope problem.  I got up at about 4am only to find myself feeling a little off balance or dizzy.  I tried to stop myself on the trip to the bathroom, but ended up fainting in the hallway.  I ended up reporting the problem to my primary care physician, neurologist, and to the SSA via Citizen’s Disability.  It is frustrating because I haven’t had a spell in several months.  At any rate, maybe the Lord allowed it to happen because my Disability Hearing will be on March 31st… only a little over a week away?

     The second area of frustration is feeling like I have let myself, Parents and Husband down by not being able to have children.  I always seem to shift my genetic problem onto myself, which shouldn’t be done.  The Lord has a reason I was born with Turner’s Syndrome, missing one of my chromosomes.  When battling depression in this area, I should remember that Christ is the life-giving vine and is able to use me when I am able to help others come to Him. They will join me as branches and bear fruit of their own. Having children is not only in the physical realm, but spiritual also.

The final area I wanted to be honest about is having feelings of hopelessness and uselessness. Just because God is maybe placing me in a time of waiting, it doesn’t mean that my work is through here on Earth. There is a lot of growth to be done while we sit at our Lord’s feet. I am reminded of Mary sitting at Christ’s feet, and the three years Paul spent in the desert learning from the Spirit. The last thought I wanted to leave is for us to be encouraged in the Lord alone. Whatever we maybe going through, it will have a good ending in Christ (Romans 8:28).

Would love to hear from everyone about areas of your life He is helping you with!🙏😉

Psalm 23:4  (NIV)  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

     This verse from Psalm 23, which is one of the most quoted chapters of the Bible, gets me thinking about the care of our Good Shepherd.  It reminded me to trust Him with all my heart, even when it seems hopeless and the end result will be death. I was thinking of this in reference to those facing COVID, or in areas like the Ukraine.

      How can we not fear when faced with the possibility of death, something none of us has ever experienced? The answer lies in the fact that God is always with His children, His sheep. He loves them so much He gave His life for them (John 15:13). Isn’t that the ultimate display of love? It is perfect love. What does perfect love do? It will remove all doubt or fear ( 1 John 4:18). The Spirit will use a rod to fight off deadly enemies, and will use the staff to gently pull us from dangers. Let us pray that we will learn how to grasp how much the Heavenly Father loves us ( Ephesians 3:18). 💕

And she said, ” These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.'” Ruth 3:17 [NKJV]

While partaking of my spiritual food this afternoon, the subject of gleaning came to my attention. In this particular verse, Ruth was sharing with her mother-in-law how she was blessed by gleaning in the fields of Boaz. He specifically encouraged her to pick up enough from the gleaning to feed her family member, also. Things looked pretty bleak for Ruth as she started out as a gleaner in the field; but, she listened to her “employer” and took Boaz up on his offer, obtaining the necessary provisions for herself and Naomi.

God is telling all of us to feed on Him/the Word. He has graciously given us salvation, and each day’s provisions. In order to be filled with His Spirit, have life in us, we are to take time to seek His face and to gather His truths. When we partake of HIm and His goodness, we will have enough for ourselves and the needy. We lack because we do not reach out and take in faith his grace.

I want to close today’s blog by recalling what my Father told me to do…”Bloom where you are planted.” We will be productive when we take to heart each truth and provision He has blessed us with each day. It is not smart to overlook what has been placed in our reach just because it is not a great amount of blessings. We really should “count each day’s blesssings.” Partaking of Him involves things like communion and prayer.

Hebrews 3:13 {NIV} : Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.

While looking at this verse that showed up on my calendar, it reinforced what was talked about today at Church. It mentions how we are to be comforters or encouragers to each other, daily. It then got me think about how it is humanly impossible to be the comfort for someone constantly. That is where the Holy Spirit steps in. He is the Comforter.

It is amazing how it boils down to pointing people back to Christ and His Spirit. Pastor Kevin was mentioning today how the Law/Covenant, shows us how we do not measure up to His standards. By God’s grace, He did not leave us alone but has provided a way to become right in His eyes…we are now able to fulfill His commands. He has walked before us and lived a blameless life, and gave Himself over to the Father’s will. Now He is mediating for us before God in Heaven a New Covenant. Thanks to Christ, we are able to speak and hear from God. He is amongst His believers, and we are able to now know Him more and more each day {Hebrews 12:18-29). We do not have to fear approaching the Father, like the Children of Israel were experiencing with Moses, but have direct access to His throne. We are able to encourage each other daily to approach the Creator!

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Job 12:12 {NKJV}: Wisdom is with aged men; and with length of days understanding.

This Scripture correctly explains what is off kilter with our young people these days. They are encouraged to disregard things that are brought up by the older generation…as if they knew more than their elders. By absorbing and thinking through what is experienced over time, it will save individuals wasted years of mistakes.

Some parents have been misled to believe that they need to let their children make their own decisions by themselves. I agree that a goal should be to see the kids making their own way in life; but, how are they going to make wise decisions without parents and authority figures teaching and modeling the right way to go? It is an awesome responsibility!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5122126251144818&id=100000424807607

I John 3:16

This is  how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

     This Valentine’s Day, I am sure there are some out there who are asking the question whether there is true love anywhere.  The answer lies in the Creator of the Universe…He came and displayed what true love is supposed to look like.  He humbled Himself and became a servant.  He did not come into the world to gain accolades and recognition.  He sought the face of God, and placed His Fathers’ will above what He desired at the moment.  This was shown in the Garden of Gethsemane, talked about in the Gospels.  He sweat great drops of blood while placing His will before the Father.

     I wanted to give a shout out to my lovely Parents, who have showed their love for each other and their family by placing each other before their separate conveniences.  Despite financial hardships and illnesses, they have remained stable in the assurance that God’s love was going to bring our family out to the other end.  They obeyed God.  I observed my Father believing in the love he and Mom had, despite her illnesses.  Mom and Dad also placed their daughters’ educational cost before their own pleasures.  It enabled me to graduate with a Bachelors of Art Degree from Vanguard University. They could have thrown in the towel and left…they did not!  This coming September they are going to be celebrating 54 years together!

     What a testimony! They were modeling to us and to the world how it ought to be. Focusing on the love the Spirit gives, that enables us to give and receive the love He first displayed.  There are many times I wrestle with the problem of loving myself and others.  I believe I need to totally focus on the message that the love of Christ is not based on our deserving it in any regard.  It is given by grace, and not worked for.  It is then up to us to have faith enough to put it into action each day.  Our Lord asked us to seek God and to become servants.  We will all experience the desired love here on Earth, when we base it on believing that mankind was loved from the beginning of creation.  If Christ did not give up on us, then why should we give up on ourselves or each other?  Let us become Kingdom Builders and display that agape love.  His love should be the motivator in sparking love.  Thank you, Alan Sweet, for coming back to me!  May we continue being an example of Christs’ sustaining love! Happy Valentines’ Day!

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2012%3A2&version=KJV

Today I asked myself the question… who am I trusting to provide for and complete the work that was started at my birth? I believe the majority of the depression we experience is when we look to ourselves or other people to bring completion and meaning to our being and efforts. After all, we are but dust and human. The breath that was breathed into Adam gave Him life, and is the same Spirit that can inspire and sustain us. Once we focus on another source of encouragement, solely, is the start of death by wilting.

For me, personally, I have to exercise faith in the Lord through faith to complete the rebuilding work in my remarriage….also in my Parents’ and inlaws lives in the areas of finances and health. Please pray for Sister and Brother-in-Law…they have limited resources, and Scott is a stroke patient. For my Parents… in the area of my Mom’s health, mentally and physically. Thank you very much! We serve a gracious God…let us grab onto this graciousness through faith! (Ephesians 2:8)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204%3A16-18&version=NIV#aoh=16432324505090&amp_ct=1643232452668&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.biblegateway.com%2Fpassage%2F%3Fsearch%3D2%2520Corinthians%25204%253A16-18%26version%3DNIV

     Have you ever wanted to feel better about yourself or your situation? I have personally gone through many days of “mourning” mine and others’ declining health as we age.  Our old man shouldn’t be the gauge by which we judge everything.

     The key is to remember that the new man is what should be focused on.  I have, and I am sure everyone else has noticed, needed strengthening of the inner man each day.  It is beautiful seeing how God is able to renew us time and time again.  Each day we serve Him, we are being sanctified.  My prayer is for all of us to be able to recall the fact that all of our hardships are temporary and will not last forever. Maranatha….Lord come quickly!