The Joy of the Lord

"...the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10b

Those words have been running through my mind for several weeks now, reminding me to be joyful in all things and to rely on Him for the strength to keep going.

Sister Sites~#5


Another site that started the same time as LOV:
About SOTCL:
  Open hearts, devotion and loyalty, laughter, refreshment in His Word, late-night prayers, nature walks, shared memories...There is so much joy through fellowship and friendship with those who abide in Christ. To live our lives as one in Jesus Christ is one of life's richest blessings....bound together through the unity and desire to live for His smile alone.
   What started with two girls coming together to praise their King and to lift up His holy name soon grew to become a Bible Study with more kindred hearts.
  His hand is in everything and it's such a privilege to see Him at work in and through our lives. God continues to show us more and more as we come together in Him to read His Word and to praise His name. He continues to refine and mold us more into His image, and it has been and continues to be one of the most exciting and breathtaking adventures!

So let us praise!

Jesus says in John12: 27 - 28
"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour?' But for this purpose I came to this hour. 'Father, glorify You name."

And though He is saying that for His own purpose, we can learn and live by it as well.  Instead of being anguished that we are in troubling times, we need to think that we are placed in this trouble for one reason or another. Perhaps it is to grow stronger, or perhaps so that we can know God will get us out of it, as only He can. His name should be glorified always. The Lord will do astounding things in us, if we only let Him. He wants to be glorified, so let us praise!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's day!

"And He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers.." -- Malachi 4:5

We thank God for fathers, for placing them above us! The Lord gave Dad's a very important role, and may
He be glorified in it and let us honour our fathers today!

Seek Ye First

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:25-33

Are we worrying about tomorrow or are we trusting Him for our every need?

Are we seeking His kingdom first or running after the "treasures" of the world?

So calm down

"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom reproach is a burden."  - Zephaniah  3:17 - 18

It is so easy in life to get worked up about little things. To worry over trifle matters. We think "I just can't deal with it any more!" but we don't have to.  The Lord our God is in our midst. He will quiet us with His love. He will calm us with His peace. He will bring us comfort.
The Lord is peace, love, serenity. And He desires the best for us, which means not to get all frazzled constantly, about things that don't matter. This world does not matter.  What you do with your life, does. Think about it. When Jesus was on earth, did He get all worked up about His days being so full with people that needed healing? No! And shouldn't we want to be just like Him? Isn't He our ultimate role model? Our lives are so easy. Yet we rarely take the time to realize this. I need to be reminded of this often. This world and the things of the world do not matter. Our relationship with the Lord is what matters the most.

The Rebellious House

"Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house."  Ezekiel 12: 2

Let us not become rebellious, in our hearts or in our minds. For it is of the sin of witchcraft, which the Lord does hate, as the Bible says.
We have eyes, let us see. We have ears, let us hear. Don't become as the rebellious house, with which the Lord will deal with in His timing.
Let rebellion be far from us, that the Lord may deal kindly with His servants.