Tag: God

Christmas

Tis The Season

everydaywiththeking
Originally posted December 2018

The season is here!

What came to your mind as you turned your calendar to December this year?

  • Advent                                        christmas-2961385_1920
  • Family
  • Traditions
  • Celebration
  • Shopping
  • Gift-giving
  • Decorating
  • Baking

Ideally, it is a season of wonder and joy with families gathering and celebrating together.

However, it is not always so wonderful for all. For many, the season is difficult and challenging. Christmas time can be sad, lonely, painful and a time of struggle. Some have recently suffered a great loss and some are overwhelmed by various difficulties at this particular time. Many are missing loved ones more in this season than any other time of the year.

If you’re missing someone this Christmas this song’s dedicated to you

– The Piano Guys

If this is a hard season for you, don’t put on an artificial smile and act as if you are fine. Remember many others are also feeling like you. Consider being honest with a friend, neighbor, co-worker or loved one and you may find unexpected help and comfort for your heart.

May God give us awareness of those around us who are struggling this Christmas. Let’s notice others and love them. Slow down, pay attention. Look for those Jesus wants to reach out to through your hands. Be thankful for the opportunity and you may be surprised to discover the true meaning of the season.

Thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he is our Father and the source of all mercy and comfort. For he gives us comfort in our trials so that we in turn may be able to give the same sort of strong sympathy to others in theirs. Indeed, experience shows that the more we share Christ’s suffering the more we are able to give of his encouragement. This means that if we experience trouble we can pass on to you comfort and spiritual help; for if we ourselves have been comforted we know how to encourage you to endure patiently the same sort of troubles that we have ourselves endured. We are quite confident that if you have to suffer troubles as we have done, then, like us, you will find the comfort and encouragement of God.

– 2 Corinthians 1:4-7    J.B. Phillips

Tis the season ♥

Your comments are welcome. Always love to hear from readers.

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prayer, Quiet time

Daily Meeting

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Are you spending some time alone with God each morning? If not, do you make time in the evening or some other time each day?

This post is especially for those who say they don’t have time to meet with God each day.

Surely you will agree that nothing on your agenda could be more important than time with God.

Perhaps you’ve experienced a great struggle to make it happen. Does it seem there are endless interruptions to your plan to have a quiet time with the Lord?

Sometimes expressing something in a different way is very enlightening. So I’m going to list a few different ways to say there isn’t time for meeting with God each day. 

  • I have more important things to do than spend time with God
  • I’m fully capable and ready to plunge into my day without consulting with the Lord
  • Jesus will have to wait
  • I’ll take the time to meet with God when I’ve done everything else I need/want to do

What do you think about those statements? If you are a follower of Jesus, I know you don’t agree with any of them. However, wouldn’t it be more truthful to say something from the statements above than to claim there isn’t enough time to meet with God?

The undeniable truth is that you will find a way to do what you truly want to do!

When meeting with God each day becomes your top priority you will find a way to make it happen.

What if you lack the desire to devote time to meeting with God? If this is the case, consider asking God to give you the desire to spend time with Him. You may soon be surprised by how quickly your desire can grow.

The next step for most people is simply setting your alarm clock for an earlier time.

NOTE: If you are not accustomed to spending any time with God at the start of your day, you should begin with a little time and add more as you go along. It is better to increase the time gradually than struggle with unreasonable expectations and end up quitting the habit before it can be established.

Day by day you will be investing your time in the best way!

You may want to check out Design Your Daily Quiet Time

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Book Reviews

Remember God Book Review

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Book review for Remember God

Author:  Annie F. Downs

I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

The opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Description from back of the book

I know God is loving; I know He is good; I believe He is big and powerful. But sometimes I wonder if He is really kind— really deeply always kind.

Is He?

Christians love to talk about how God is in control, but that’s harder to grasp when things aren’t going like you thought they would, when your life looks quite different than you imagined.

For centuries, God’s people have been building altars to Him—to remind themselves and the people around them of His work. His goodness. His kindness. Stacks of stones. Altars. Temples. Cathedrals. Why? Because they believed God and wanted to remember Him.

In the back of my mind, God reminds me that He is the same trustworthy God—the One who always finishes the stories he starts. And this is my story—of wrestling with our God who gives a limp and a blessing. A God who is always kind even when my circumstances feel the opposite. God is who He says He is. He is kinder than you imagine. In a world where it is easy to forget who He is, we will not. We will remember God.

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Let me start by saying this book was not at all what I was expecting.

Remember God strays far from the goal stated in the description. This is the first Annie Downs book I have read and will likely be the last.

There is a certain casual style that appeals to many but not to me especially when dealing with such important subjects. This book seems very self-focused and immature. Mostly I just don’t see how reading Remember God will provide what you need if you are struggling with truly perplexing questions in life.

If I had never read anything on the subject I might feel a little different than I do about this book. However, I’ve read some absolutely terrific writing on the subject over the years.

Below are books that I highly recommend

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Questions or comments?

Please leave a comment below or email me Lynn@everydaywiththeking.com

 

 

 

 

Corrie ten Boom

Tapestry

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Have you ever found yourself confused and questioning God’s plan for your life? Certainly, God’s ways are often mysterious.

When Corrie ten Boom spoke to audiences, she would often hold up a piece of embroidery with hundreds of tangled threads hanging from it. Many wondered if she was holding up the wrong side by mistake.

As she held up the messy side of the embroidery she would ask “Does God always grant us what we ask for in prayers? Not always. Sometimes He says ‘No’. That is because God knows what we do not know. Look at this piece of embroidery. The wrong side is chaos. But look at the beautiful picture on the other side- the right side.” Then she would flip the cloth over and reveal an elaborately embroidered crown- symbolizing our crown of eternal life. The crown was intricately stitched and had threads of many colors, including gold, silver, and pearls.

“We see now the wrong side; God sees His side all the time. One day we shall see the embroidery from His side, and thank Him for every answered and unanswered prayer.”

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This mysterious tapestry of your life is an intricate combination of events, each added at just the right time and in the right order. You can’t see the pattern but you can trust God to complete the design.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands. 

 – Psalm 138:8  NKJV

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

-Philippians 1:6  AMPC

Corrie ten Boom often shared the following poem.

The author is unknown. The poem is titled The Tapestry of My Life or The Weaving

My Life is but a weaving between my Lord and me; I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorrow And

Visit the Corrie ten Boom page to learn about her amazing life of faith.

 

 

 

 

 

Bible

Call To Me

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This post is super short and to the point but contains life-changing truth!

God desires to reveal hidden things to those who will ask Him.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.  – Jeremiah 33:3

Jesus said,  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8

Please notice in these Bible verses there is a part for us to do and it comes first.

Call

ASK

God wants to answer you

Call to Him today!

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Bible

First Garden

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One is nearer God’s Heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on Earth.

The quote above is a line from the poem “God’s Garden” written by Dorothy Frances Gurney. You have probably seen it on plaques and other items if you’ve ever visited a garden shop.

Gardening

Most people enjoy and have some degree of appreciation for gardens even if they’ve never had their own garden. But planting and caring for a garden is an entirely different experience. One that can only be known by doing it yourself.

There are so many amazing things to discover through gardening but the connection between God and gardens is the basis for all of it. This is not my opinion but actually documented in the Word of God.

First review what happened when God spoke on the third day of creation.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.

– Genesis 1:11-13

Now read what God did later in chapter 2

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden,

– Genesis 2:8-9

These are two different events in Genesis.

  • God spoke and all types of vegetation grew on the earth.
  • God planted a garden.

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The very first garden was planted by God.

Ponder that while you are in your garden today.

Love to know your thoughts about God and gardening.

Please leave a comment below.

Every Day with the King in a garden ♥

 

 

 

Bible, Morning devotions, Quiet time

Morning Manna

everydaywiththeking

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While reading my Bible and having coffee early in the morning, I see the birds getting their breakfast of seeds from the ground and feeder. I love supplying seed and watching the birds come each day. It brings me true pleasure to watch them arrive, feed and linger awhile. Add heading

I often think about the comparison of the bird’s morning feeding with the way I start my mornings. What a delightful thought to see myself similar to a little bird coming to spend time with my heavenly Father. My food, morning manna, is His Word and He is always there. He is always present, watching, providing, caring and even enjoying my coming to Him.

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Come early in the morning and start your day with the King!

 

Uncategorized

To Blog or not to Blog…

everydaywiththeking

Becoming part of the blogosphere has been a gradual process for me. Let me tell you a little about my journey.

It actually started with an experience I had while taking part in a Facebook group.  When a conversation started with someone asking for opinions on a hypothetical situation, it soon became clear that all views were welcome except for Christian. I was shocked at the level of hostility toward the few of us who answered from a Christian viewpoint. Understandably, as a result of this hateful attack, a few people left the group. I prayed about it and believe that God wanted me to stay and be a light in the group.

Partly due to the unpleasant experience, I came to the realization that today’s public forum is online and as a follower of Jesus I need to be there.

Next step on the journey was starting the Facebook page Every day with the King.

It was later and with much hesitation that this website/blog began. When I first started blogging, I wasn’t completely sure if it was God calling me to do it or not. I had some pretty strong indications that I was on the right track early on but plenty of doubts at the same time. I know that is very typical and to be expected when stepping out to go where God is leading.

Next, there seemed to be a converging of events that opened my eyes and heart to what the Lord had been whispering to me for a while. I became solidly convinced that this is  God’s will for me at this time.  It has been a process moving from asking to blog or not to blog, to declaring I’m willing to serve in whatever way God chooses to work through me.

I pray that what happens through this blog will glorify God.  Here are four questions I plan to regularly ask myself. Scriptures to help are listed below the questions. 

  • Am I seeking to please God or people?
  • Is the focus on me or Christ?
  • Who am I looking to as the source for my writing?
  • What would Paul’s blog look like?

 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.   ~Galatians 1:10  NKJV

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  ~ 2 Corinthians 4:7  NKJV

When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.   ~ Acts 4:13  HCSB

 In the same way, my brothers, when I came to proclaim to you God’s secret purpose, I did not come equipped with any brilliance of speech or intellect. You may as well know now that it was my secret determination to concentrate entirely on Jesus Christ and the fact of his death upon the cross. As a matter of fact, in myself I was feeling far from strong; I was nervous and rather shaky. What I said and preached had none of the attractiveness of the clever mind, but it was a demonstration of the power of the Spirit! Plainly God’s purpose was that your faith should not rest upon man’s cleverness but upon the power of God.    ~ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5    J.B. Phillips

 

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