Tag: bible

  • What to think about…

    Think of the things that make you happy. Create the fuel that destroys depression. Do not think of things that make you sad; think of things that make you happy. 

    · Think of the blessings that surround you. 

    · Think of your friendships, people who love you, who care about you, who are there for you. 

    · Thinks of the gains that you have made in life. You may have had some setbacks, but you have also made progress. Think about that.

    · Think of the good that is spoken of you. People who love you and care for you say good things about you; think about those things. 

    · Think of the days of health, vitality, pleasure. The more you think about that, the more those things are going to come back into your life.

    · Think of the days that were filled with sunshine. Do not look at the clouds; look at the sun. Do not look at the despair; look at the good. Think of yourself taking a walk in the sunshine. 

    · Think of the hopes that lie before you. There is a greater future. Never live in the past. There is another chapter being written for your life, another tomorrow. The page is going to turn.

    · Think of the service that you still can give if someone needs you. Someone needs the gift, the skills, the abilities, the wisdom, the knowledge that only you can give because you are unique, one of a kind. There is nobody else like you.

    · Think of the happiness of others, because there you will find your own happiness. Think about how you can bless other people. Life is an echo: whatever you send out is going to come back. You can have everything in life you want if you help other people get what they want. 

    Remember: You are God’s best!

    For more on this subject, please visit:  https://www.robcarman.com 

  • He is mighty to save…

    when I need saving.

    When I enter into the arena of anxiety about a possible issue, it’s as if I’m going into battle alone against that issue. His strength and power is available to us as we need it. I have seen Him provide peace, strength, and help so many times in my life when I needed it. But His Word does not promise strength and help before we need it. I might be facing the news of a bad diagnosis and all of the health challenges that come along with it, but until I am actually facing it, I do not have His strength and help for this particular issue or crisis. This reminder has helped me relinquish fears and trust that no matter what happens, He is mighty to save…when I need saving.

    Such a good devotion, real!

  • He is near us

    There’s never a place we can go where His presence won’t be there first. He’s in our yesterday, He’s in our today, and He’s in our tomorrow all at the same time. He rejoices over us, rewards us, blesses us, and smothers us with His forgiveness and grace every day, throughout the day. In addition to the good, there is no tragedy we’ll face, no hardship we’ll endure, and no adversity we’ll encounter where God is not with us, steadily holding us up with His mighty, righteous, and perfect right hand. 

    When you feel lonely and wonder where God is, know that He is about you, above you, after you, amidst you, around you, among you, before you, behind you, beneath you, beside you, beyond you, by you, for you, inside you, near you, and over you. He is everywhere, all the time. Always and forever, He is near us.

    When you experience fear and wonder why God won’t remove it from you, know that He hasn’t given you a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind. That nothing can separate us from His love and presence. Always and forever, He is near us.

    When you’re sick and don’t understand why God won’t heal you, know that He is still the Great Physician and Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals. The time frame you have in mind may not match His, but rest assured, He is doing a work in you and through you. Always and forever, He is near us. 

    There is nothing that we’ll encounter that God has not already defeated. And not just defeated, but totally annihilated on our behalf when He put Jesus on the cross to cover our past, present, and future sins. Always and forever, He is near us.

    When you go through devastating situations, He is with you.
    When your life seems to be spinning out of control, He is with you.
    When you can’t see the path or even the next step, He is with you. 

    There are options everywhere that beg us to place our trust, hope, and joy in them. Those temporary joys and pleasures hold no comparison to the eternal, never-ending presence of our Almighty God who calls us His children. His presence is the prize. It’s what we get for all eternity.

  • God is Good

    God is Good

    I’ve heard and read a lot of God’s attributes and characteristics like God is love, merciful, a refuge, a strong tower, great, glorious, faithful and many many more things. I’m sure you’ve heard many of these things too. But what if you were to narrow it down to just one word? God is…?

    Just recently I finished reading The Rational Bible – Exodus by Dennis Prager which I found to be a very enjoyable and enlightening commentary on this section of the bible. There are many explanations and essays on virtually every verse and generally very thought provoking, a worth while read.

    While much of the book was quite profound and revelatory one particular essay stood out to me in a special way. “Is God Good or is God Love?

    At this point I’m going to excerpt the book a fair bit but I’d recommend reading the entire thing.

    The essay comes from Exodus 33:18 where Mosses is on the mountain with God and

    Ex 33:18 “He said, “O, let me behold Your Presence!”

    Even with all the intimate interactions he’s had with God since the burning bush, Moses yearns to better know God.

    Ex 33:19 And He answered, “I will make all My goodness pass before you,”

    When Moses asks God to allow him to behold God’s presence – to reveal His essence – what is it that God reveals?

    His goodness.

    God’s essence is goodness.

    Many people say, “God is love.” However, while goodness and love are often related, they can be very different from one another.

    Dennis Prager

    Good people, by definition, do good – whether or not they happen to have loving feelings.

    Dennis Prager

    There is quite a bit more to the essay expounding on these thoughts and citing example of why we can believe God is good. Excellent stuff. Now when I hear that phrase “God is good all the time and all the time God is good” I have a much better understanding of that fact.

  • YouVersion, The Bible App: End of the Year 2018

    Well, 2018 is not quite over but they have produced some stats for the year.

    I’m feeling pretty good about mine….

    …. and what’s happening around the world is amazing!

    YouVersion, The Bible App: End of the Year 2018
    — Read on share.bible.com/2018/