Always On My Mind

 Happy Sunday!

"Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.  You satisfy the desires of all your worshipers, and you come to save them when they ask for help. You take care of everyone who loves you, but you destroy the wicked."(Psalm 145:17-20 CEV).

James Mark and Christopher John Lee Jr. wrote the song, "Always On My Mind".  Numerous artists have sung the song including Willie Nelson, and Fantasia.  While the song speaks of regrets, the chorus echoes the fact that the loved one was always in the thoughts of the one with the regrets.  We humans so often fail at relationships, BUT God never does.  He is always kind, and thoughtful. The scripture above even says he satisfies the desires of those that worship him.  God is a Good God!

God loves us with an everlasting love, and he demonstrates it daily! Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are NEW every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness."(Amplified).  God gave us Jesus, and Jesus gave his life so that we can live abundantly.  They have no regrets.  "Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”(Romans 10:11-13 Message).

You are always on the mind of God. He has a great plan for your life(Jeremiah 29:11), He has given you richly all things to enjoy(1 Timothy 6:17), and He will never leave or forsake you(Hebrews 13:5).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Don't Fret!

 Happy Sunday!

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity."(Psalm 37:1 KJV).

Throughout the Word of God there are many exhortations to "Fret Not" and "Fear Not".  God is never surprised or startled by the state of world affairs.  But as a Good, Good Father, he tells us ahead of time that there will be things that will try to cause us to fret, or fear.  He is also faithful and will never ask, or command us to do anything that we can't do.  So it is possible to live without fretting or fearing.  The Apostle Paul reminded Timothy, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control."(2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified).

So why did The Holy Spirit inspire the Psalmist to tell the congregation to "Fret Not"!  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked.  Verses 1 and 2 in the Voice translation say, "Don’t be worried with evil workers or envy the gains of people with all-wrong-upside-down ways. Soon enough they will wither like grass, like green herbs fading in summer’s heat."(Psalm 37:1-2 Voice).  What a visual!  It doesn't take long for grass to wither in the sun.  Verses 12 to 15 go on to say, "The Lord is laughing at those who plot against the godly, for he knows their judgment day is coming. Evil men take aim to slay the poor; they are ready to butcher those who do right. But their swords will be plunged into their own hearts, and all their weapons will be broken."(Living Bible). 

Take a moment to read the entire 37th Psalm yourself.  You will be glad you did!  Verse 9 says, "For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who TRUST the Lord shall be given EVERY blessing."(Living Bible).  I'll take The Blessing, will you?

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Ready? Or Not?

 Happy Sunday!

"In this way God wiped the earth clean—he destroyed every living thing on the earth—every human, every animal, everything that crawls, and every bird. ALL that was left was Noah and his family and the animals that were with him in the boat."(Genesis 7:23 Easy-to-Read Version).

In Sunday School, or maybe it was Vacation Bible School we sang a song that said, "Get on board, Little Children!  Get on board, Little Children.  Get on board, Little Children there's room for many or more!"  In Junior High School we learned and sang, "O Sinner Man". Both songs urging the listeners to think about their eternity.  Both warning of impending doom for those who fail to make the right choice. 

We are spirits, we have a soul(mind, will, and emotions), and we live in a body.  Our spirits are immortal and will live forever.  We get to choose where our spirits will live throughout eternity.  In Deuteronomy 30:19, God said, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you that today I have set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Oh, that you would choose life; that you and your children might live!"(Living Bible).  God gave us the ability to choose, and even gave us a hint about the correct answer to select.  So why are so many people confused, deceived, and deluded about which way to go?  Why are millions barreling down the wide road to destruction?  Perhaps, it's because we have stopped singing these songs and preaching like Noah.

Jesus said, "As it was at the time of Noah, so it will be with the coming of the Son of Man.  In the days before the flood, people were busy making lives for themselves: they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, making plans and having children and growing old, until the day Noah entered the ark.  Those people had no idea what was coming; they knew nothing about the floods until the floods were upon them, sweeping them all away. That is how it will be with the coming of the Son of Man."(Matthew 24:37-39 Voice).  Don't miss this!  God is not against all these activities, but there is something far more important to do BEFORE we do these other things. Jesus warned the religious leaders, "These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone."(Luke 11:42 Amplified).  Trust and Obey God First.  Jesus said, "What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. THEN he will give you all these other things you need."(Matthew 6:33 Easy-to-Read Version).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Meant to Live...

Happy Sunday!

"The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?” They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!”(Acts 16:29-31 Message).

Are you living as you were meant to live?  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says, "Now, what should we learn from everything that is written in this book?The MOST important thing a person can do is to RESPECT God and OBEY his commands, because he knows about everything people do—even the secret things. He knows about all the good and all the bad, and he will judge people for everything they do."(Easy-to-Read Version).  Paul and Silas had been beaten then thrown in jail.  At midnight, when they could have complained about how hard life was for them, they praised God.  The didn't cry about their situation.  They knew as the Psalmist said, "The good man does not escape all troubles—he has them too. But the Lord HELPS him in each and every one."(Psalm 34:19 Living Bible).

God sent and earthquake that shook the jail, and opened every door.  "Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!”(Acts 16:27-28 Message).  Why did Paul even care about the jailer?  He was a part of the system that locked him up for preaching.  He could have allowed the man to commit suicide.  But he knew that Jesus came to save lives.  Paul later wrote to the Romans, "Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law."(Romans 13:10 Easy-to-Read Version).  He saw the big picture. The jailer and his entire family were saved! One day we will see them all in Heaven!

When we live the abundant life, the good life we are meant to live, God can use us to shake things up and inspire others to live this way too.  Are you really living?

Love and prayers, Cynthia