Tag Archives: Sharing God’s blessings!

Thanksgiving Blessings!!! A Word from THE WORD!!! #156

20 Monday Nov 2023

Posted by in 'Tis The Season?, A Father's Love, Choose Gratitude and show it!, Choose you this day?, Gratitude, Gratitude Is Timeless, Gratitude to Generosity, Greater is HE that is IN US!, Thankful, Thankfulness with joy!, Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving Blessings!!!  A Word from THE WORD!!! #156

“O come,

let us sing

unto the LORD:

let us make a joyful noise

to the rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come

before his presence with thanksgiving,

and make a joyful noise

unto him with psalms.

3 For the LORD is a great God,

and a great King

above all gods.”  Psalm 95:1-3

 I pray that your time of Thanksgiving will include the greatest gift of all, the love of God toward us in sending HIS SON, Jesus to be our redeemer, savior, and LORD!  May God’s blessings rest upon you and yours as you take time to express your thanks in various ways.

May I just offer a few reminders of some things that could make your Thanksgiving special:

Share with someone in need out of your bounty (whether your bounty great or small

Call a friend or relative and tell them how thankful you are that God placed them in your life—

Hug your loved ones one more time, you never know when it might be the last hug—

Do something special for your spouse that doesn’t cost money, their favorite dessert, an unexpected massage, a surprise trip to see the sights or visit a friend—

Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their decorations—

Call or write someone who was a blessing to you or for some almost forgotten long ago kindness, you could make their day—

Tell your parents, children, friends and loved ones near and far that you love them, and then LOVE THEM—

Gratitude and kindness are contagious, spread them around!!!

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD,

all ye lands.

2 Serve the LORD

with gladness:

come before his presence

with singing.

3 Know ye that the LORD he is God:

it is he that hath made us,

and not we ourselves;

we are his people,

and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates

with thanksgiving,

and into his courts

with praise:

be thankful

unto him,

and bless his name.

5 For the LORD is good;

his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth endureth

to all generations.”  Psalm 100:1-5

May you have a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving season with family and friends.  God bless you with joy and laughter!

Amen and Amen!!!

Gratitude Spills Over??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #154

13 Monday Nov 2023

Posted by in A Father's Love, A Form of godliness?, Blessed by God, By His Grace, Confidence, Don't Wait, Faithful Follower, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Giving and Sharing, Giving or Getting, Giving Or Taking?, God's love, God's measure isn't ours, Good Neighbor, Good Stewards, Gratitude, Gratitude Is Timeless, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Greater is HE that is IN US!, Jesus IN You!, Jesus' Sacrifice, Living Right, Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

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Gratitude Spills Over??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #154

For the rest of this month (unless I change my mind!!) I want us to focus on God’s goodness and our attitudes; for sometimes we just take God’s goodness for granted and forget to thank HIM or share HIS goodness with others, Paul says it better than I could.

“Let him that stole

steal no more:

 but rather let him labour,

working with his hands

the thing which is good,

that he may have to give

to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication    

proceed out of your mouth,

but that which is good

to the use of edifying,

that it may minister grace

unto the hearers.”  Ephesians 4:28-29

 Paul calls believers to live and behave like believers—those who “were” thieves were called to (in Blanche’s paraphrase) “get a job and work diligently to provide for one’s self and have to give to those in need”!  Our actions and our words have an effect on those around us—especially those ‘little people’ who follow us around and learn from our behavior and actions way more than they learn from just our words!  Are we teaching our children and grandchildren about gratitude—about sharing what we have—about looking to Jesus instead of the world—about giving more than receiving?  The truth is that we are teaching them every day, whether we are paying attention or not!  Paul’s admonition to live holy, faithfully, and generously is a call to each of us!  It compels us to hear and obey the call of Jesus to “do unto others” as we desire to be treated.  Small words but a giant obligation to reject the “ME” mentality of the world and share the “others first” love of Jesus!

“Jesus said unto him,

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God

with all thy heart,

and with all thy soul,

and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour

as thyself.”  Matthew 22:37-39

When the “love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost…” (See Romans 5:1-11) it ought to spill over on all around us!  An outflowing of the gratitude that we feel for the “gift of God” (Romans 6:23) which is eternal life in JESUS!  Are you shining for Jesus or hoarding everything to yourself?

Paul shares more in his letter to the Colossian believers; may we willingly and gladly heed God’s Word to our hearts?

“Put on therefore,

as the elect of God,

holy and beloved,

bowels of mercies,

kindness,

humbleness of mind,

meekness,

longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another,

and forgiving one another,

if any man have a quarrel against any:

even as Christ forgave you,

so also do ye.

14 And above all these things

put on charity,

which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God

rule in your hearts,

to the which also ye are called in one body;

and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

in all wisdom;

teaching

and admonishing one another

in psalms

and hymns

and spiritual songs,

singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed,

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”   Colossians 3:12-17

May we truly be fountains of blessing to those around us, taking every opportunity to share not only Jesus, but the material resources that HE has blessed us with to those around us in need, as God leads?  We are to be wise and generous stewards of God’s blessings, not greedy, selfish Scrooges!  How will God assess our gratitude quotient?  Let’s be one of the ‘overly generous’ ones, not the selfish ones!  It’s your choice but choose wisely there is a test!

“But this I say,

He which soweth sparingly

shall reap also sparingly;

and he which soweth bountifully

shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,

so let him give;

not grudgingly,

or of necessity:

for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able

to make all grace abound toward you;

that ye,

always having all sufficiency in all things,

may abound to every good work:

9 (As it is written,

He hath dispersed abroad;

he hath given to the poor:

his righteousness remaineth for ever.”                              2 Corinthians 9:6-9

May we be known for our gracious, grateful, and generous spirit.

Amen and Amen!!!

Are You Pumping Your Iron??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #122

16 Wednesday Aug 2023

Posted by in Cups of cold water!, Drinking at Jesus' fountain, Encouragement, Intercessors, Iron Sharpening Iron, Iron Sharpens Iron, Service, Sharing Our Faith!, Sharing the blessings, Sharing What God Has Given, Sweet Words or Bitter Words?, Teach The Children, The Call of God!

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Are You Pumping Your Iron??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #122

“Iron sharpeneth iron;

so a man sharpeneth

the countenance of his friend.”  Proverbs 27:17

This is one of my favorite verses of encouragement and I am so grateful for the privilege of receiving the “sharpening” from those around me, as well as being a tool in The Master’s hand to sharpen others.  Oh, I can’t take time to share with you all of the times that I have been down and received a call, a note, or a text from some friend that just lifted my heart–sometimes it just the sure and certain knowledge that there are those who pray for me continually–what a blessing.

How’s your sharpening going.  Are you yielding to God’s voice and sharing The Word, The Savior, and The love of God to those around you?  I’ve had a couple of really difficult weeks, and I sent out some ‘prayer texts’ to some as I felt led the other day (Always listen to The Master’s voice! You don’t know who is in need outside of your knowledge.) and yesterday, I received the most uplifting reply (and I don’t send them out looking for replies, for many don’t reply and they know that’s ok–it’s sent to help them not stir up activity for me!) and it more than “made my day”!  It was the right word at the right time and met my need!  And this precious friend is one who tries to stand in the background, but her heart for Jesus and others shines so brightly to those who take the time to see!  We need to be light to others!

So, just a few of my favorite scriptures to encourage your heart today.  May you be encouraged and spread the joy!

“A friend loveth at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity…

….22 A merry heart doeth good

like a medicine:

but a broken spirit

drieth the bones.”  Proverbs 17:17 & 22

Share your “iron” today!

“A man that hath friends

must shew himself friendly:

and there is a friend

that sticketh closer than a brother.”  Proverbs 18:24

And in closing, the words of our Lord which resonate with joy in my heart–HE calls me friend.  Oh, how I want to honor my friend and bring help, joy, and encouragement to those HE has placed in my circle of care!  How about you?  Will YOU sharpen some iron today?

“Henceforth I call you not servants;

for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:

but I have called you friends;

for all things that I have heard of my Father

I have made known unto you.”  John 15:15

Have a great day sharpening–not crushing!

Amen and Amen!!!

How BIG Is Your Box??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #12

10 Friday Jun 2022

Posted by in Abiding In Jesus, Abiding IN Jesus or the World?, Confidence, Conformed to HIS image, How Big is Your Box???, Redeemed By HIS Blood, Reflecting HIS glory, Sharing the blessings

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How BIG Is Your Box???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #12  Bible Ballistics

As I sit here writing today, this verse came to my mind; yet being the strange thinker that I am, I couldn’t help but think of the question that entitles this post!  How BIG is my/your box?  We often settle for less than God has for us, because we won’t listen to Him, or we refuse to obey, or we just can’t “believe” that God is asking/telling me/you to “do THAT”!

I sit here listening to my favorite southern gospel music on a music service and one of the songs talked about needing another Noah—a faithful servant who preached that a flood was coming as God’s judgment on the sin and rejection by men of God Himself.  Yet, something we often overlook, is that while Noah was a faithful servant, and he preached for some one hundred years, he took only his family onto the ark!  Think about that call!  He was faithful but had no converts.  God gave several of His servants/prophets a similar warning in their calls.

It seems that as modern believers, many have swapped the truth of God’s Word for the idea that God measures our work by “popular acceptance”!  That is a totally unbiblical idea.  Paul stated it best in his message to his young protégé, Timothy!  We need to take note of it today!

“Yea, and all that will live godly

in Christ Jesus

shall suffer persecution.

13 But evil men and seducers

shall wax worse and worse,

deceiving,

and being deceived.”  2 Timothy 3:12-13

It seems to me that we often miss God’s best by settling for the world’s message rather than God’s.  Our box is filled with other things than God.  While Malachi’s message was contextually in regard to “giving/tithing” the message is one that applies to every area of our lives.  I find it amazing that many people who claim the name of Jesus want to talk about blessings, but they don’t have/make time for obedience.  When I keep my eyes on Jesus, knowing that I am HIS and HE is mine, and that HE has promised to care for me, money isn’t even an issue!  Money is simply one of the tools that God has entrusted to me to meet the needs of others as well as myself.  (I would encourage you to read Malachi—it’s only 4 chapters long. And it has great insights that we surely need today!)!

“Ye are cursed with a curse:

for ye have robbed me,

even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,

that there may be meat in mine house,

and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts,

if I will not open you the windows of heaven,

and pour you out a blessing,

that there shall not be room enough

to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer

for your sakes,

and he shall not destroy the fruits

of your ground;

neither shall your vine

cast her fruit before the time in the field,

saith the LORD of hosts.

12 And all nations

shall call you blessed:

for ye shall be a delightsome land,

saith the LORD of hosts.”  Malachi 3:9-12

Paul’s message to the Ephesian believers, on his final departure from them was a commission to serve and share (truth and blessings):

“Yea, ye yourselves know,

that these hands have ministered

unto my necessities,

and to them that were with me.

35 I have shewed you all things,

how that so labouring

ye ought to support the weak,

and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus,

how he said,

It is more blessed to give

than to receive.”  Acts 20:34-35

Are we seeking the blessing to “keep it” or to to pass it on?  We are truly blessed to be a blessing, but if our box is so full of the world how can we have enough of GOD’s blessing to share?  WE can’t!  Blessings are to share not to hoard!  Get the world out of that “box” and receive from God that which you can pass on for God’s glory, and the good of others as well as yourself!

“Let him that stole steal no more:

but rather let him labour,

working with his hands

the thing which is good,

that he may have to give

to him that needeth.”  Ephesians 4:28

Oh, we are so rich!  May we be found to be faithful stewards of all that God entrusts to each of us—it’s not the quantity of our resources, but what are we doing with what GOD has given to us!  Is my/your box filled with blessings from God that we may reflect the glory and gracious heart of our Lord; emptying our box of the control and lure of worldly things and allowing God to “pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”!

And one last thing that blessed me years ago, and I hope it will bless you as it did, and still does, me!  We aren’t to be glasses that fill and empty, fill and empty; rather we are to be a glass without top or bottom that is continually allowing the love, grace, and power of our God to flow “through us” continually.  In closing I’d like to share an old hymn that always makes me smile and remember that my hope isn’t in this world—but it IS IN JESUS!

God Leads His Dear Children Along                                                             By C.A. Young

In shady, green pastures so rich and so sweet
God leads His dear children along
Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet
God leads His dear children along

Refrain

Some through the water, some through the flood
Some through the fire, but all through the blood
Some through great sorrow, but God gives the song
In the night season and all the day long

Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright
God leads His dear children along
Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night
God leads His dear children along

Though sorrows befall us and Satan oppose
God leads His dear children along
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes
God leads His dear children along

Some through the waters, some through the flood
Some through the fire, but all through the blood
Some through great sorrow, but God gives the song
In the night season and all the day long

To read a most touching story about the author of this song go to the link:

https://popularhymns.com/god-leads-his-dear-children-along

Blessings on your day my friends—each one filled with HIS blessing, and opportunities to share that which the world may not value, but GOD does!

Amen and Amen!!!