JabberJuls

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”- Micah 6:8

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
— Jeremiah 29:11

As God is at work in our lives, we may see only a brushstroke here or a dash of color there and say, “Wait. What is this? I don’t know if I agree.” We need to step back and give God room.
There will be an expected end. There will be a completion. And ultimately, it will be good. God had a future for Paul, and God has a future for you. And in that final day, Jesus is not going to say, “Well done, good and successful servant.” He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” So be faithful.

Proverbs 10:18 (New Living Translation)
18 Hiding hatred makes you a liar;
slandering others makes you a fool.

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I read this verse today in my daily reading and it hit home for me. Pretty much sums up my situation I’m facing from my brothers and sisters in a nutshell. Telling me after the funeral how they’ve resented Dad’s love for me all my life and we never had a true relationship–I feel They’ve hidden hatred against me in their heart’s for so long. Guess I was the only one living a Fantasy that I had brothers & sisters. They’re good–to smile and hug me and pretend they cared when around me, but hidden inside is pure hatred. I feel sorry for them living that way. I believed our love and relationship to be real, so to face this new reality of theirs is Mind-shattering. My sister Robin feels its her obligation to tell the siblings I’m always a problem (slandering me)–heard her myself as she turned to family right in front of my face at the funeral–instead of seeing me as a sister loving mom and honoring her wishes. Just because I wanted to verify mom’s true wishes about an issue that affected my family, I’m now an outsider to the siblings and mother too backing the craziness. Crazy stuff.

*sharing my shattered heart trying to understand in love. now I understand why the Lord will let go of us and allow us to turn to a reprobate heart– if we reject him. times like these you have to let go if all people see is evil from you when its love and can’t see the good that is honestly in you–what choice do you have? Let Go! Lord, I give this issue to you again. Forgive me for anything I’ve done and I forgive them for not realizing what they are doing.

Okay, we all know it takes discipline to sit down and read the Bible each day. Of course, all kinds of things happen the moment you sit down to open the Bible and start reading; the phone will ring, the children might start fussing or fighting, or even something simple to distract you like having to go to the restroom or deal with some issue. We have to consciously choose to take the time to read a chapter, read the daily Bible versus from a devotional, something.

If you find that it’s just READING in general that you don’t like doing, at the least download the FREE podcast to listen to the Word each day. Subscribe to the daily audio bible on itunes or even subscribe to in through your favorite pod-cast catcher.

The 1-Year Daily Audio Bible has been a wonderful blessing to me. I’ve downloaded the whole selection on my itunes podcast section to access anytime. I also like keeping the current week’s daily verses available on my iPhones iPod section to take along with me anywhere. Keeping the Lord’s Word in your mind is critical to daily living. Believe it or not, the Lord brings opportunities your way daily that seem to relate to what you read or listened to.

This shouldn’t be drudgery to do. The Lord talks to you through His Word. It reaches your deepest parts in ways you won’t understand until you read the Word. Your faith will increase greatly hearing about what Jesus did for us and how much he Loves us. Your heart will be touched…Let Jesus speak to your heart through hearing the Word and/or Reading the Word. It becomes life changing.

Verse for Today is a great one to remember.

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”- Psalm 56:4

This verse has been one of my personal favorite verses since the Lord changed my life in 1986. It carries a deep Truth that can sustain you in any situation. To me, this truth is that God is the only one I should be afraid of, not man or anything for that matter. So if I keep my heart right with the Lord, spiritually walk with Jesus every day of my life, recognizing his hand and guidance in my life every moment, honoring him and living the life he desires me to live according to his word, then there is nothing to be afraid of that Man can dish out at me. Ultimately, the Lord is the one in control of it all. Boy, Satan sure can torment you so subtly through people, but it’s what you do with the knowledge of knowing that it’s not the people you are accountable to ….it’s God/Jesus/Holy Spirit that you are truly accountable to. Remembering that truth…helps us make better choices than our natural instincts just taking over. None of us are perfect, but the Lord expects us to keep practicing doing what is right. It’s when we stop practicing living for the Lord is when the enemy creeps into our lives and has his manipulated way with us.

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Under Cover by John Bevere
My brother Mark gave me a copy of this book. I’ve been reading bits and pieces of this book and am near completion. It’s a wonderful book discussing Authority and Rebelliousness. A lot of great scriptures and advice in it. Thanks Mark!

Here is an excellent verse to remember:

Romans 12:2
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”- Joshua 1:9

I love this verse. It’s a great verse to have in your memory, especially during times that feel like there is no hope, are no choices, or is defeating or disappointing, etc. “The Lord is with US wherever we go!!!” That comforts me, hopefully you too.

Psalm 73:25-26

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Just my own ponder about this verse:

Isn’t this verse so true! The only one true God, our creator, is who we have to rely on. Through Jesus, our creator, He became flesh and lived as a man like us. He did this to bring us salvation and teach us how to live for Him and know what’s right from wrong. There is nothing that this earth has to offer worth anything that could even compare to what the Lord already gives us. The reality is…this body may not function properly, but God is in control and is our strength and will make a way for us to live according to His purpose, forever.

Feel free to share your thoughts about this verse with a comment.

I’ve been enjoying Journey Community Church’s weekly podcasts that allow me to hear the weekly sermons. They have really stimulated my heart and desire to seek the Lord even greater than ever.
The sermons not only confirm what I believe, but Ed and the Pastors speak in such a real, down to earth way that helps stir my heart to pursue the Lord deeply in my life.

Download them and listen for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

If you are able to access podcasts through itunes go here.

Podcasts: http://feeds.feedburner.com/jcccast
Sermon Notes: http://www.jcccast.blogspot.com/

The most recent sermons available to download are:

Speaking with God
Hearing God
Focusing on God

Interrupting Our Brokeness, Lostness, Bondage, Grumpiness

Soul Honesty, Soul Happiness, Soul Longings

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of them.

Hi Everyone! It’s been awhile since I’ve written. My dad shared a great little “Jewel to Ponder” with me yesterday. So I’ve posted it to be accessed on my sidebar column with the other Jewels to Ponder. It’s called, “Attitude – Dance in the Rain!”. Click on this link or the one in the side bar and get a little lift for the day.