Scriptures To Think About

Isaiah 41:10 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁰Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

Philippians 4:6-7 (Amplified Bible)

⁶Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
    ⁷And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (Amplified Bible)

⁶Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.

Exodus 14:13 (Amplified Bible)

Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord which He will work for you today.

2 Timothy 1:7 (Amplified Bible)

⁷For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Deuteronomy 2:3 (New American Standard Bible)

 ³'You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north,

Free Bread

After work today I stopped at the store to get something for dinner. On the way out I noticed an older gentleman sitting on a stool holding a loaf of bread. The man was a lot like my Dad. He will start a conversation with anyone. He held up the bread and asked me if I had gotten my free loaf yet. I told him I didn't need any and from there he started telling me about ducks. He and his wife feed the ducks every morning out their back door. He said if they don't watch them they will come right on in the house! I told him it was because they knew they had a good thing going there. You know...if you get a little bread to eat outside the door you might get a whole lot more if you go inside. He took the conversation from bread...to ducks...to church...to Jesus coming back at any time! He invited me to their church but I told him I already had a church. So then he started talking about Jesus' soon return. Then he told me that the bible really just has one theory. That theory is...you just have to believe. He said...Believe...Believe...Believe!! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! Then when you believe...have no fear! Just get rid of all your fear because the Lord will take care of you. No matter what happens in the world you have nothing to fear if you know the Lord. He was quoting all kinds of scriptures to me and clapping his hands and smiling...he was happy.  You could tell he believed, and felt, everything he was saying. He was great!! I don't even know what his name is...but Jesus does! I'm sure He was watching and smiling while he was telling me about Him! 

To me there is nothing better than getting to talk to someone that has such amazing faith and trust in the Lord! He also made me think. What am I doing for the Lord? Am I taking every chance I get to bring Jesus into the conversation when I'm talking to someone? Throwing bread out to the ducks is really what he was doing with me. He was throwing out a little "bread of life" just hoping...probably praying...that I would stop and talk to him so he could bring up Jesus...just trying to get me in the door. The whole conversation lasted about five minutes.

As Christians we need to all take a lesson from this man. Even though I am a Christian he was very encouraging to me. Sometimes the people God leads us to talk to just need an encouraging word to help them get through the rest of their day. Sometimes...they need to accept Jesus as their Savior. If we don't know them personally...Jesus knows what they need. We just need to share His love!

Jesus is coming back really soon. Not only do we need to be ready but we need to tell everyone we can about Jesus. It might be their last chance to make their choice between Heaven and Hell.

In Deuteronomy Moses was telling his people that he wasn't going to get to go into the Promised Land with them. Then he said in Chapter 31:3...But the Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. That's what He will do for us. He will go ahead of us and prepare the one's He leads us to so they will listen. Verse 6 goes on to say...So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

His Eternal Embrace

Sometimes we all need a break from things going on in our world and our own life. How do you take that break? For me, one thing I used to do was to sit down with a cup of coffee and just enjoy it!! Well...not so much right now. I will again but, for a few weeks, I have decided to take a break from coffee. Crazy you say...YES!!!! Today is Saturday and normally I would be having a nice hot cup right now but because of a challenge...to myself and to friends...I am not. This is my twelfth day with five weeks to go. Reminds me of the T.V. show Survivor!! The first few days were really hard...lack of caffeine causes extreme tiredness...but now it's getting easier and I am sure that I will make it to the end of the journey. There's another journey that I am on that reminds me of another show I like to watch...The Amazing Race!!

HEBREWS 12:1-3 (New Century Version)
We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect. He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne. Think about Jesus' example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying.

In the show they travel to a lot of different places in the world. Then they have to perform tasks which are sometimes difficult...and sometimes terrifying! At least that's how I categorize things like bungee jumping and rappelling down cliffs!  After all of that...and doing the best you possibly can...the last team to arrive at the check in point is usually eliminated. Can you imagine, after doing your best...elimination!! In the race talked about in Hebrews we don't have to worry about being eliminated as long as we do what that verse says. Just reread that verse right now. Nothing I write could say it any better than it is said already. Think about it...

While we are in this race who should we look to? JESUS!!! He suffered for us in ways that we can't even imagine. His body was literally shredded for us! Then...after all the pain and suffering He endured in the hours right before His death...He opened His arms one last time and accepted His fate. The soldiers placed Jesus on the cross and nailed His hands down so that His arms were held open wide for all of the world to see His amazing love for us.

I don't know what you think of when you see Jesus on the cross. I think of many things...I feel many things. One is sadness for all the pain He endured for us...you and me. Another is gratefulness that He died for me so that I could live. Another is love. What amazing love He has for each and everyone of us. Something else that I think of is what Jesus' arms, stretched wide, represents to me. In all honesty, until just now, I never thought of this before. I believe He is just saying...Come to Me. Step into My embrace. My arms are opened wide for you. I will close them around you and hold you close forever if you will just let Me. All the fear, all the hurt, all the pain...it will all be okay if you just let Me hold you...wrap My arms around you!

At least for me...this is what JESUS is saying in this moment...

Don't get tired and don't stop trying...No matter what!! In the end it will all be worth it...My arms wrapped around you welcoming you in to My eternal embrace!!

What is He saying to you?