Month: October 2015

Philippians 4:16-19 

“for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.” The Apostle Paul, Silas and Timothy were missionaries traveling through Asia spreading the good news of Jesus. All they had was carried by them or maybe a donkey or two. As they arrived in each city or town they would go to the synagogue to preach and pray. Believers would come and often invite them in to their homes. When they got to Philippi there was no synagogue so they went down to the river where the believers met. A prominent woman named Lydia took them in to her home. They experienced much turmoil in Philippi and had to leave abruptly. They left for Thessalonica where more trouble ensued. Paul was teaching a gospel that penetrated the hearts of the people and they were coming to Christ right and left which made him very unpopular with the religious authorities! While they were in Thessalonica the church at Philippi sent him money and supplies more than once. It was a sacrifice for this church. They were very generous to Paul and his missionary companions. Paul was so thankful for them and told them he was amply supplied. Paul describes their gift as a “fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” He also told them that his God would supply all of their needs according to His riches in glory. Our God instructs us over and over in his word to be giving, sharing, caring for one another. Yesterday I was made aware of a need. I was not asked to supply that need someone just brought it to my attention. I thought about it all day. The phone call I received never left my mind. When I got home I was able to help with that need with the click of a button. Did you know that you can get just about anything on Amazon these days? The person on the phone never asked me for anything but God asked me to help. These verses pertain to a church helping missionaries. I pray that we are aware that the missionaries all over the world need our prayers and support and the church that supports missionaries will have their needs met. We can also bring these verses down to a personal level of one person helping another. As we see a need or hear of a need be sensitive to the Spirit leading you to help. God will always supply your needs. Give out of your abundance because, believe me, even if you have just the basics you have an abundance. There are needs to be met one need at a time. Ask the Lord to guide you today to be a blessing to someone in need. If you are in need make that need known to someone. And my God will supply all of your needs as well. If you would like to support those missionaries out in the world spreading the gospel and don’t know where to start let me know and I can point you to specific families who would welcome whatever you have to give. Thank you for giving to the Lord. 

Good Morning Beloved Happy Anniversary to my daughter Michele and her husband Anthony. May they always love! Isaiah 43:18-19  “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” I like the way The Message translation puts it “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new!” When we are in Christ we are new creatures. Old things are passed away all becomes new (2 Corinthians 5:17). But oh how we love to visit our past, wallow in our circumstances. “You just don’t understand, my upbringing was abysmal”. Okay so it was! With God you CAN rise above it. Everyone has a story of their past. Mine is riddled with abandonment, disloyalty, physical and mental abuse, dissatisfaction, depression, dwelling in a pit of despair worry, fear, anxiety, sheesh! If I would dwell in my past I would be a mess. I visit my past from time to time and I reflect on how God has carried me through. I ask Him to show His hand of blessing in my life in spite of all the enemy did to try to destroy me.  The scripture here is telling us that God is doing something new. Taking up residence in the past is counterproductive. It is just that; PAST! Be alert to what God is doing today. Be present TODAY! He is about to make a “river in your desert”. Are you aware of Him? Do you see Him working in your life? Are you even choosing to allow Him to work? It is your choice to rise above your past hurts and pains. It is your choice to stop holding on to the ugly in your past regardless of how ugly it was. We get so comfortable in our pain and despair. It feels like a familiar friend when all the while it is stealing your joy and choking you out of the blessing of watching God make that new way for you. Later in this chapter God says to the Israelites “but you don’t pay a bit of attention to me, Jacob. You so quickly tire of me Israel.” Today is the day for you to choose to let go of your past and be present in your right now, today. Suffering and sorrow prove their friendship to us by stripping away all that would distract us from our Lord to show us what is truly important to us and what god we are serving. Are we still serving the god of pain and despair or are we serving the Living God of joy and peace? Healing awaits you today, right now. Pray dear one and ask our most precious Lord to do His new work in your heart! Ask Him to cause that river to spring forth in the barrenness of your parched soul. Be alert. Be present. God almighty is doing a new thing! Sent from Terrie’s iPhone Click here to Reply or Forward 0.12 GB (0%) of 20 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 8 minutes ago Details

Good Morning Beloved Psalm 36:5-7  “Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is your lovingkindness, O God!  And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Here King David is trying to describe the attributes of God in terms he could understand: heavens, skies, mountains, great deep. David knew God’s glorious nature was above human understanding but in order to try to put depth to them he used terms a reader could possibly understand. Remember all scripture is “God breathed” ( 2 Timothy 3:16), so as David is writing he is being directed by the Holy Spirit Himself. When you try to describe something big you might say “it was as big as a house” or “that thing was huge like an elephant!” David is describing God’s lovingkindness, faithfulness, righteousness, judgments in terms to which one could relate. In the later part of verse 7 he says we take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. Interesting how the bible uses that term “shadow of Your wing” as an illustration of protection   (Deuteronomy 32:11, Isaiah 31:5 as examples). The hovering Spirit mirrors the intense brooding that a parent eagle engages in about it’s nest. An eagle builds it’s nest high in a tree fully exposed. The nests are 5 ft in length or longer. The mother eagle spends her time hovering over the nest which is the nests only protection from predators. As she tires the father eagle takes a turn. During the nesting period the male will continually bring fresh green sticks and twigs to the nest. No one really knows why but some think it is for more shaded protection for the baby eaglets. 98% of the time the nests are guarded as the mighty eagle spreads their wings over the fragile eggs. Nothing will get near those eggs! No squirrel, rat, opossum, gull or anything will challenge that momma eagle! And definitely NOT the daddy eagle. Those fragile eggs soon to be baby eaglets are safe under the shelter of those wings. Say the mom leaves the nest for that 2% of time and a squirrel sees his chance when suddenly there appears a wing shaped shadow. Doom for that audacious squirrel! Those eggs are still safe even in that wing’s shadow. We know that our mighty God is with us 100% of the time. He never leaves us. We are constantly in the shadow of His wings where we find refuge and protection. God is our protector, shield, strength, fortress, deliverer, defender, strong tower, a very present help in time of our deepest need! Rest in the shade of that protection. Cozy up to the fine softness of those mighty wings that are there to preserve you. Remember, if God is FOR you who can be against you? You are safe under His wings. ️ Sent from Terrie’s iPhone Click here to Reply or Forward 0.12 GB (0%) of 20 GB used Manage Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 8 minutes ago Details

Proverbs 19:17 

“Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full.”(The Message translation). We all know needy people down on their luck that could use a few dollars, a meal, free babysitting, and lots of other needs to support. Even in your roughest times you can still be a blessing to someone else. There was a time someone desperately needed money for a ministry. It was the week before Christmas when I got the phone call. Grabbing the phone with my icing covered hands was probably not the best idea! It was a friend telling me that their ministry was in need of fruit to fulfill the baskets for the homeless. Someone was supposed to bring the fruit but literally backed out at the last minute and could I help. I only had $50 left to purchase the rest of what I needed for Christmas. We always have a big breakfast on Christmas morning and I had not purchased the food or some gifts I needed. I prayed over the $50 and gave it to the Lord. I cleaned up and went and bought the fruit, took it to my friend’s house where I was greeted with a big smile and warm hug. He was thrilled. The truck from the charity was there so I helped pack the baskets. As I went home I said “well we will just have a different Christmas this year. Making new memories”. A few days later my husband brought in the mail as usual. There was a card with a return address that was unfamiliar to me. As I opened the pretty card a piece of paper fell out. The card said “The Lord laid it on my heart to send this to you”. The paper that fell out was a check for $50.00! This woman hardly knew me and most certainly did not know my situation.  Tears welled up immediately as I bowed my head and thanked God for His provision. I didn’t have her number so I wrote her a thank you letter telling her the whole story. We both got a blessing out of our obedience! I am sure you have stories like that. If not it’s never too late to watch God work as you do His work here on earth. He will always provide. I know you have heard “you can’t out give God”. Ask Him to make you aware of the needs around you and be obedient when He shows you. Be a blessing and be blessed in return.️ 

 
Proverbs 27:17-18   
“Iron sharpens iron so one friend sharpens another. If you care for your orchard, you’ll enjoy it’s fruit; if you honor your boss you’ll be honored”. These two verses are PACKED with advice! 1. Friends keep each other accountable sharpening each other’s minds with intelligent discussion. 2. Care for your home, family, body, mind, and enjoy the harvest. 3. Honor those in authority over you; you will be honored in return. A friend came to me recently complaining about her boss. I said “have you asked her if there is anything you could possibly do for HER? How you could help her? Does she need anything?” She replied rather quizzically “Well no, should I?” Giving her a hug I advised her to come alongside and try it. I suggested that she may be pleasantly surprised. My friend did that very thing the next day. The results were eye opening. Not only did her boss drop her guard; tears filled her eyes as she said that no one had ever treated her with so much kindness. She had been going through some tough issues at home and could use a prayer or two. The boss’s countenance changed, she softened her tone and started presenting a gentler heart all because an employee wanted to help HER. The work environment even took on a more relaxed feel! Look around you today. Someone needs your attention, your kindness, a soft word, a note of thanks, your “sharpening”. Take care of your orchard and then water someone else’s. ️

Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” This verse kicks off a chapter full “this is good/but this isn’t” advice. Over the years I have made a habit of watching how people talk; the tone they use. Does it cause peace or does it irritate? My dear mother raised her voice at us a lot. That was her way. I carried that in to my marriage with Steve but right away he confronted me by saying “That’s not the way I was brought up. You need to reevaluate the way you are speaking to me and the kids”. WHAM! I never thought about it because it was what I knew. Boy did I work hard to change that bad habit. Lots of prayer went in to that one because it was in the fabric of my upbringing! Fast forward to today I look back over my marriage and see what a difference a gentle answer has made and how working on my speech and the way I talk to people has brought a blessing, not anger. Give it some thought. How do you speak in general? Is your tone sarcastic, cutting, harsh? Is it gentle, affirming but firm when it needs to be? Are you in the habit of yelling at your husband, kids, pets, or friends? Listen to God’s word and try like I did to break bad habits. “Think before you speak” is sound advice. Once words and the way you say them are out you can not take them back. Be encouraged! Be a blessing. ️

 2 Chronicles 16:9a   (“a” meaning the first part of the verse) 

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” The Message says it this way “God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to Him.” In this section of scripture King Asa of Judah, instead of relying on God to fight his battle, went to another earthly king for help. Because of that act Asa lost the battle. Previously an even bigger army had come against Asa and he had relied on the Lord and God delivered him! What happened? Short term memory loss? What happens with us? Have we forgotten who God is? This verse says His eyes are moving all over the earth to STRONGLY support those whose hearts are completely His. Well I would much rather have the support of the mighty living God than any person on earth that’s for sure. If your heart is not completely His today it can be. Jesus told us to love the Lord our God with ALL of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Is that you today? When I have an issue hit me my knee jerk reaction is to rally support from my family and friends. I need to call someone to buoy me up. I remember a specifically difficult time at work where I was getting blasted from all sides. I called my dear husband and said “I just needed to talk to someone who is on my side”. He patiently listened to my woes. Have you ever felt like that? I failed to remember in that moment that God is always for me! He is looking to strongly support me because my heart is completely His. Oh how I wish I had learned that and taken it to heart when I was younger. Instead of being so wrapped up in my own fear, anxiety and pain I could have been at peace and productive for the kingdom. God is there for you dear one. He is always on the alert to strongly support you. Let Him fight your battles, give you strategy for movement, overwhelm you with his peace. Learn from Him. Take your situations to Him first! Learn from Him by studying His word. There is actionable intel about the enemy in God’s word. He has given us the armor to fight. As we are in battle God is strongly supporting us as we grow in our walk with Him. King Asa ended up contacting a disease. The bible says “his disease was severe, yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord”. His pride kept him from going to his only hope. God is looking to strongly support you today my friend. Give your heart totally to Him and watch Him work. Be amazed.️

I want to take a moment to honor my brother-in-law John Heimaster for 37 years of faithful service to Cuyamaca College. He is retiring today. If you notice how beautiful the grounds of that campus are you can thank John and his crew. Congratulations on a job well done and a well deserved retirement!  

2Thessalonians 3:10-11 “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” I come from a family where all of the men worked hard and long, provided for their families and stayed at their jobs and retired. My husband has been at his the company for 40 years! I know there are many reasons why some people can’t work. There are medical reasons, family issues, job lay offs, needing to hone skills or acquire new skills as a student, mental health issues and many more. Paul says here in this verse “if anyone is not WILLING to work.” Ah, that’s the key! Not willing to work. Not willing to take any job leads to an undisciplined life. Many want jobs. They diligently seek employment day in and day out. That is honorable! They are willing to work but many times there are 100 people applying for one job. Working sets us toward a disciplined day, a disciplined life. We get in our daily routine and provide. Many in the Thessalonian church were not willing to work and that was setting them up for an undisciplined life of going around and getting in everyone’s business. They were standing on the street corner gossiping and causing trouble! The Message translation calls these men “a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings.” I have seen folks get so discouraged seeking employment that they give up. I am suggesting right here that if that is you or your husband or boy friend or brother, neighbor or friend, pray. Tell God you are willing to work. You are ready; lunch pail in hand! Sometimes we have to start over at the bottom and work our way through it. There is honor in that. Letting God teach us through being humble and accepting what He has for us. If you are in a slump right now go to Him. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Tell God you are willing to work. Verbalize it! If you are retired and find yourself aimlessly lumbering about get yourself in to a routine. There are hundreds of places crying out for volunteers! Hospitals, schools, non-profits, veterans, churches, museums, libraries, you name it. Be actively working for the kingdom. A dear lady just passed away that I have known for years. At her memorial service I found out that she went every Friday and folded bulletins at a church to which she didn’t even belong! She was 90 years old! We can be vital in our families and in our communities. If you are a mom you have a full time job already. Blessings on you dear one. You have one of the most important jobs of all. Paul’s point, I think, in writing these verses was to tell those men to stop being lazy. There was work to be done. Get to the practical work of providing for yourself so you can eat and stop lollygagging about! God is a God of order not chaos. In verse 12 Paul says “work in quiet fashion and eat your own bread”. Practical day to day advice worth heeding. Blessings❤️