“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Psalm 126:5

You cannot go through any kind of grief without changing. You can become bitter or you can become better. I’ve often heard the phrase, “In loves service only broken hearts need apply.” In other words, who better to help someone that is going through incredible challenges then someone who has already walked that same road. Someone to comfort them through their tears. Someone to help them find joy again.

Your Life Experience Is A Gift Waiting To be Opened.

You’ve been through challenges, grief, and more than your share of tears. The time has come to use that unique experience to help someone who is now walking a road you know all too well. David reminds us in Psalm 126 that if we choose to sow into others even while still feeling our own pain and wiping our own tears, the joy that God will bring into your life will soon overwhelm you. You don’t need to mask or forget your pain. Simply learn and grow from it and choose to become the source of joy for another.    

“Supposing Him (Jesus) to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him (Jesus’ body) away, tell me where you have laid Him?” John 20:15

Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb overwhelmed with grief. Verse 11 goes so far as to tell us that “she stood by the tomb weeping”. Grief was all that she could see. Even as Jesus approached her and said, “Woman, why are you weeping, Whom are you seeking?” Even then Mary could not see her Lord standing right in front of her. In her grief all she could see was someone her mind told her was the gardener. Mary was unable to

See The Miracle

Would you recognize a miracle if you were standing in the middle of it? In this instance Mary could not because her rational mind told her that her Lord was dead. How often do you and I face trials and our rational mind expects a negative result? Yet when Christ is the Lord of your life your expectations should be transformed. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Stretch your faith today and see the miracle you are standing in the middle of. I guarantee that Christ is working in your life. Are you willing to take off your grief blinders and see what He’s up to?

“Into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Psalm 31:5 & Luke 23:46

When Jesus spoke at critical times during His time on earth He would quote scripture, for scripture is God’s word, and the foundation upon which we build our faith. In His final breath on the Cross, Jesus, in Luke 23:46, was quoting Psalm 31:5, which says, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit” In these few words Jesus declared

God Alone Is The Final Authority.

No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, God is the final word. He formed us, He created us and all that we see, and if this were not enough He loves us beyond our comprehension, which He demonstrated in the life of His son Jesus. The same Jesus who on the cross taught us a valuable lesson, that is the importance of verbally declaring God’s authority. Don’t just think it, speak it! David made such a declaration, which Jesus repeated. Today we can make this same choice and speak God’s authority over us. Such humble surrender to God will open a world to you that you never thought possible. In this quiet time with God, give Him the final authority over every breath you take. “Whatever you have for me today, Lord, I am yours.”

“In the Image of God, He (God) created (us).” Genesis 1:27

What is the image of God? We look at the vast collection of people across our planet and no two are alike. Then we come to 1 Samuel 16:7, where the Lord said to Samuel “Do not consider appearance or height…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but

The Lord Looks At The Heart.”

Indeed, you possess a beautiful heart just as God created it. Let it shine and be a blessing for the world around you. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “you are the light of the world”. In doing so, you truly bear the image of God. 

“O Lord, Our Lord, How excellent is your name in all the earth!…When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, What is man that you are mindful of him?” Psalm 8:1-4

Glance into a star filled night sky and all thoughts of your day will seem to vanish away. Look up and behold the splendor and majesty of our Creator, then remember that in the vastness of this great universe that God’s love for you is real. We are reminded of this fact in Psalm chapter 8. 

“What Is Man That You (GOD) Are Mindful Of Him?” 

I can imagine David, the author of the Psalms, lying beneath a vast canopy of stars as he wrote these words. His thoughts so nearly mirror our thoughts today. We’ve all thought at one time or another, ‘in the vastness of all of this creation who am I that you Lord God are mindful of me?’ And yet He is mindful of you! Better still, God’s love for you is beyond measure. He has singled you out! He knows your name! He cares for you! Through His Son Jesus He’s offered eternal life to you! With such assurance, such support from God Almighty, there can surely be no limit to what you can achieve in life! So the next time you look up into a star filled sky just remember, the same God who created all your eyes behold also created you in His image.

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3

Walking through my local park these days is like walking through a black and white picture show. It’s cold and the leaves are nowhere to be seen. And yet, with a little patience, I will soon see life.

Springtime Will Return  

With a little patience, life has a way of bursting forth, sometimes when we least expect it. Psalm 1 tells us that “Blessed is the person whose delight is in the Lord. They will prosper like a tree planted by the rivers of living water that will bring forth is fruit in its season!” Contrary to what you may believe, your dreams are not dead. You may be going through a barren time in your life but trust in God. Psalm 34 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Trust in God, you will soon see life!

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

The illusion in life is that we are helpless and tossed around by circumstances. This could not be farther from the truth. Perhaps it’s time to decide to take scripture at face value and not read into it with our own insecurities. The breakthrough will come when you can

See Past The Illusion Of Helplessness.

Take Romans 8:31-32, which says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He (God) who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him (Jesus), graciously give us all things?” With this verse we understand that God is already on our side, we don’t have to convince Him to be. He wants the best for us. This is why Jesus tells us not to worry, over, and over again. We don’t have to because God is for us, period! This knowledge forever altered my prayer life. We can simply have a conversation with God. Thank Him, praise Him, and yes ask His help in our lives and for those we pray for. God, who graciously gave us Jesus, will give us just what we need, when we need it. Discover this faith for yourself.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine (Jesus), and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

I loved stacking stones as a child, and soon learned that success is achieved

After Providing A Strong Foundation.

Many times this same lesson never makes its way into our personal lives. We wonder why we struggle, and fret, and fear in life when in Matthew 7:24 Jesus tells us, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine (Jesus), and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Ready for a firm foundation? Try Jesus, the master builder.

Jesus said, “Do not worry” Matthew 6:25-34

In our last post we talked about how Jesus said not to worry about your tomorrows. What else did Jesus have to say about worrying? As a matter of fact, Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you,

O You Of Little Faith.” 

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek” (In that time gentiles were those who did not believe in God – a people that had no faith). “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” In just ten short verses Jesus tells us not to worry five times! Is that starting to sink in yet?