Mark 4:39
"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, 'Peace, be still.' And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."
What does this verse mean to you today?
For me, as I still await the birth of my little one, I was reminded of these things:
1. Remember to breathe.
2. Remember to pray (most importantly).
3. God will not put more on me than I can bare.
I have actually felt very calm this week. My little girl was due to arrive on the 24th, but as we all know, they don't always come when they are "suppose" to. I had a crazy, stressful week last week. And this week I feel so calm. My sister even said to me, "Wow, you are so zen about all of this." And it's true, I am. I can only thank God for that! :) I can't worry about what others think I should be doing, or worry about the coming pain, etc. I just have to trust God to look over me and trust that He will supply my every need.
My mind even went to my favorite verses from Proverbs 3:5-6 after reading the above scripture.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto thine own understandings. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."
"Peace, be still...and there was great calm." Trust Him. Breathe. Pray. And remember: God never puts more on us than we can handle.
Blessed weekend to you and yours!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Trusting God with our Fears.
How do you deal with any fears you might have in your life right now? Do you take them to the Lord in prayer? Do you read and trust in His Word to take care of you and to sustain you?
Job 39:11 asks us, "Wilt thou trust Him, b/c His strength is great, or wilt thou leave they labour to Him?" (KJV)
Psalms 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; of whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?"
David goes on, in that Psalms, and talks about his enemies coming up against him to tare him apart. They encamp around him, trying to trap him, but he isn't afraid. He is confident b/c he put His trust in the Lord! Do you put your trust in the Lord when things go wrong in your life? Do you feel confident that He will hide you under His wing, or set you up on a rock, taking care of all of your fears and all of your tomorrows? Are you willing to wait on the Lord to give you what you stand in need of, and trust that His ways are better than your ways?
Just remember, God doesn't give us the spirit of fear. Fear doesn't belong to Him, it belongs to satan. God gives us the power, He gives us love, & He gives us a sound mind! (2 Timothy 2:7)
Some of my fears and uncertainties lye with thoughts about my coming baby. I've heard the horror stories of delivery. I've heard how painful labour is. I've heard this and I've heard that. I've had to deal with crazy hormones that sometimes are overwhelming. I've had people disagree with with what our doctor thinks is best for our child. I've been afraid of offending others b/c of a decision we had to make. I have questioned, "can I do this?" And yes I can!! I can b/c I put my faith and trust in God. This is my first delivery. I've never been through this before. My mind would love to be crowded with fear and uncertainties, but I have been working really hard at giving them all over to God and trusting in Him!
I want to know what it feels like. I want to experience all the firsts that every other mother has experienced as a first time Mom.
As each of us face any fears, doubts, or uncertainties, let us remember one thing: God will be there with us no matter what the outcome! We can get through the hard times with His help & come out on the other side of them victorious! Trust Him. Rest in Him. Be confident that with His help, you can be victorious while you're fears are crushed under your feet.
Blessing to you this week!
Job 39:11 asks us, "Wilt thou trust Him, b/c His strength is great, or wilt thou leave they labour to Him?" (KJV)
Psalms 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; of whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?"
David goes on, in that Psalms, and talks about his enemies coming up against him to tare him apart. They encamp around him, trying to trap him, but he isn't afraid. He is confident b/c he put His trust in the Lord! Do you put your trust in the Lord when things go wrong in your life? Do you feel confident that He will hide you under His wing, or set you up on a rock, taking care of all of your fears and all of your tomorrows? Are you willing to wait on the Lord to give you what you stand in need of, and trust that His ways are better than your ways?
Just remember, God doesn't give us the spirit of fear. Fear doesn't belong to Him, it belongs to satan. God gives us the power, He gives us love, & He gives us a sound mind! (2 Timothy 2:7)
Some of my fears and uncertainties lye with thoughts about my coming baby. I've heard the horror stories of delivery. I've heard how painful labour is. I've heard this and I've heard that. I've had to deal with crazy hormones that sometimes are overwhelming. I've had people disagree with with what our doctor thinks is best for our child. I've been afraid of offending others b/c of a decision we had to make. I have questioned, "can I do this?" And yes I can!! I can b/c I put my faith and trust in God. This is my first delivery. I've never been through this before. My mind would love to be crowded with fear and uncertainties, but I have been working really hard at giving them all over to God and trusting in Him!
I want to know what it feels like. I want to experience all the firsts that every other mother has experienced as a first time Mom.
As each of us face any fears, doubts, or uncertainties, let us remember one thing: God will be there with us no matter what the outcome! We can get through the hard times with His help & come out on the other side of them victorious! Trust Him. Rest in Him. Be confident that with His help, you can be victorious while you're fears are crushed under your feet.
Blessing to you this week!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Mary- Stretched to Capacity
Luke 2: 4-5 (NIV)
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of Bethlehem; (b/c he was of the house & linage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."
Tonight as I read this devotion, in my "Mommy-to-Be" journal, it struck a cord. Titled "Stretched to Capacity" it talked about Mary being "great with child" and having to travel all that way on the back of a donkey! Can you imagine all the discomforts she must have been feeling? She was, after all, in her final days of pregnancy. I wonder what was going through her mind along the way? She had no comforts of home, or even a familiar place to rest. She had no assurance of a place to go to and deliver her child (our Savior) into the world.
It struck a cord with me b/c I too am "great with child". I am thankful for this reminder of Mary. Here I am, around the same time she would have been, in the comforts of my own home. There she was, forced to travel on a donkey for several miles and days with no place to call her own! I'm sure that had to be a trying time for her. My discomforts seem so small compared to what she surely must have been feeling. I have an air-conditioned car to take me to a safe place to deliver my child. I have the assurance of a place to stay, a midwife to help me deliver, & the assurance of a decent bed & medical care. Mary had none of this! While I still have had similar discomforts as most pregnant women do, & have been stretched to capacity (in more ways than one), I still have it better off than Mary did. It was (and is) a good reminder for me to think about Mary's final weeks compared to my own.
God will take care of me, just as He did Mary. In the meantime, He also wants me to cast all my cares upon Him and trust Him in these final days of stretching. (Psalm 55:22) May I allow this stretching time to help me grow into the person He's calling me to be.
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of Bethlehem; (b/c he was of the house & linage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."
Tonight as I read this devotion, in my "Mommy-to-Be" journal, it struck a cord. Titled "Stretched to Capacity" it talked about Mary being "great with child" and having to travel all that way on the back of a donkey! Can you imagine all the discomforts she must have been feeling? She was, after all, in her final days of pregnancy. I wonder what was going through her mind along the way? She had no comforts of home, or even a familiar place to rest. She had no assurance of a place to go to and deliver her child (our Savior) into the world.
It struck a cord with me b/c I too am "great with child". I am thankful for this reminder of Mary. Here I am, around the same time she would have been, in the comforts of my own home. There she was, forced to travel on a donkey for several miles and days with no place to call her own! I'm sure that had to be a trying time for her. My discomforts seem so small compared to what she surely must have been feeling. I have an air-conditioned car to take me to a safe place to deliver my child. I have the assurance of a place to stay, a midwife to help me deliver, & the assurance of a decent bed & medical care. Mary had none of this! While I still have had similar discomforts as most pregnant women do, & have been stretched to capacity (in more ways than one), I still have it better off than Mary did. It was (and is) a good reminder for me to think about Mary's final weeks compared to my own.
God will take care of me, just as He did Mary. In the meantime, He also wants me to cast all my cares upon Him and trust Him in these final days of stretching. (Psalm 55:22) May I allow this stretching time to help me grow into the person He's calling me to be.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Jerusalem Obituaries, 33 AD
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| FYI: I received this many years ago in an email. I do not know who originally came up with this wonderful idea, I just know that I cannot take the credit. -Jules |
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