Wake up my Heart!

Scripture of the Day: Hebrews 3:13 13  But encourage one another daily,   as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Love this verse! I love the whole message, but my brain focuses on that capital T in “today!”  I’m no scholar, and have not done any research, but to me the reason for “Today” is because it was written to be timeless. Today is the whole realm here on this earth until Jesus comes back again. We need to think about “Today,” everyday – because there is sin knocking on the door every day. Until Jesus is ruling this world, deceit is something we will continue to see all too often. Notice the words above, “But encourage one another daily…so that none of you may be hardened.” Can you imagine this “Today” if we did that? If every day we encouraged our brothers and sisters in Christ (or really everyone), instead of putting them down, or envying what they have, or judging what they say? If we purposefully ...

Scripture of the day: John 3:16-17 16  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.   17  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. Christmas these days seems to be all about gifts – both and receiving them. But do we often focus on the right type of gift? I read a devotion a few years ago that discussed taking a baby Jesus from a nativity and wrapping it as a gift, then placing it underneath the tree. The wrapping and the recipient were varied, so it was a surprise each year when the baby Jesus was unveiled. But the point was made –Jesus was a gift. He was “given” to the world because God loved us so much he wanted us to be with Him in eternity. The point in receiving this gift in the form of a material present is to remember what the true gift of Christmas really is. Let us remember that, even though Christmas ...

Note: This week will continue my "Christmas in July" theme. My posts have been written following the weekly advent theme of hope, peace, joy, and love (in no particular order here). Last week's posts were on peace and joy, this week's will focus on hope and love. Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 42:1-4 1  “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,      the one I love, in whom I delight;   I will put my Spirit on him,        and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 2  He will not quarrel or cry out;      no one will hear his voice in the streets. 3  A bruised reed he will not break,      and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. 4       In his name the nations will put their hope.” I love the Scripture above because Isaiah wrote those verses about Jesus, long before he was on this Earth. He wrote them out ...

Scripture of the Day: Luke 2: 10-11 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Note: my church is putting together an advent devotional, so this is a little bit of “Christmas in July” if you will – with the focus being advent. The four weeks of advent describe exactly how I think of Jesus. Jesus is our hope. Jesus is our love. Jesus is our joy. Jesus is our peace. Now that we feel all warm and fuzzy, let us delve into this concept of Jesus as the joy of the world! Joy is a positive word in and of itself. The word “great” can even be used in its definition. So the fact that the angel said “great joy” should tell us something! The birth of Jesus isn’t just good news. It isn’t even just great news. It is the best news that has ever been! What adds even another level to that “good news of great joy” is that it is not mea...

Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 4:6-7a 6  For to us a child is born,        to us a son is given,        and the government   will be on his shoulders.   And he will be called      Wonderful Counselor,   Mighty God,        Everlasting   Father,   Prince of Peace.   7  Of the increase of his government   and peace        there will be no end.   If there is something this world does not have – it is peace. There is war and turmoil at every turn. It seems every country is wracked with problems of some kind. And it seems that just when one battle is won, another comes around that needs to be fought. Thinking about the world and its problems can get exhausting! Instead of focusing on that which can give us headaches, how glorious is it to focus on Jesus? God has promised that Jesus, who was called the “Prin...

Song Lyrics: Have a Little Talk with Jesus I once was lost in sin, but Jesus took me in And then a little light from heaven filled my soul. He bathed my heart in love and wrote my name above And just a little talk with Jesus made me whole. Now let us have a little talk with Jesus Let us tell him all about our troubles He will hear our faintest cry and He will answer by and by. Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turning Then you'll know a little fire is burning You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right. Continuing on with my car-thought-ramblings from the other day – Veggie Tales have struck again! We like to sing in the car and I can handle Veggie Tales over and over again, as that is usually the request of my little guy. As a child, I didn’t know many of what I will call “Sunday School Songs,” and so when I heard the song “Just a little talk with Jesus,” my heart did a little jump! The way this song teaches our children also gives...

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 139:13-16 13  For you created my inmost being;        you knit me together   in my mother’s womb.   14  I praise you   because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;      your works are wonderful,        I know that full well. 15  My frame was not hidden from you      when I was made   in the secret place. When I was woven together   in the depths of the earth,   16       your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained   for me      were written in your book      before one of them came to be. I love driving. My brain wanders and I often have time to think about lots of things that would otherwise go unnoticed! To take you down the path of my scattered thoughts (scary, I know!), please read on. On our way home from our vacation t...

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 84:1-2, 10 1  How lovely is your dwelling place,        O   Lord   Almighty! 2  My soul yearns,   even faints,      for the courts of the   Lord ; my heart and my flesh cry out      for the living God. 10  Better is one day in your courts      than a thousand elsewhere This is my week for flashbacks! In my pre-Christian days, I used to get what I would call a “high” attending music concerts. Put thousands of people together, all singing together and there is a kind of power there.  After I found Jesus, there came a moment at concerts when I would have usually felt that “high,”  and I was amazed to find that the feeling during that moment was NOTHING close to how I felt when I was worshipping God, or knew that He was close. When I began listening to Christian music and heard the song “Better is one day,” (l...

Scripture of the Day: 1) Psalm 121:1-2 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—      where does my help come from? 2  My help comes from the   Lord,                               the Maker of heaven   and earth. 2) Philippians 4:13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. In high school, I remember having a sign on my door that said “I know that God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.” Now that I’m a little older, and a little closer to God, I have realized that God will give me LOTS of things I can’t handle. But he won’t give me anything I can’t handle when I go through it with Him. That’s the trick! He designed us humans so that we do better when we lean on the one who made us. And that is just what the Bible teaches us, time and time again! We are told that our help comes from the Lord ...