Beatitudes

 Happy Sunday!

"Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!"

"Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!"

"Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth!"

"Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!"

"Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!"

"Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!"

"Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!"

"Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!"

"Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account."

"Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (strong and intense), for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you."(Matthew 5:3-12 Amplified).

Love and prayers,  Cynthia

Thirsty?

 Happy Sunday!

"As a deer gets thirsty for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God."(Psalm 42:1 CEV).

In pop culture being "thirsty" has taken on a negative connotation.  But thirsting for the right things is applauded in the Bible.  Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."(Matthew 5:6 KJV).  So we see that righteousness which is God's way of doing and being right is something good to thirst after. 

The Apostle Paul urged Timothy, "Your quest is for justice, godliness, faithfulness, love, perseverance, and gentleness."(1 Timothy 6:11 Voice).  It sounds similar to the Fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things."(Easy-to-Read Version).  Being thirsty for the things that God approves will cause blessing to overflow in our lives. 

"Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life
    and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
    Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
    run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
    listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
    on those who do evil things."(1 Peter 3:8-12 Message).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Mapped Out

 Happy Sunday!

"God charts the road you take. The road they take leads to nowhere."(Psalm 1:6 Message).

Long before GPS, and even before MapQuest, we used large state and national maps to find our way around the country.  I remember speaking to my grandmother on the phone, she was telling me how to get from the St. Louis, Missouri area to Macon, Mississippi.  It was the first time I would be driving down alone with my children.  She was adamant about not taking the Jackson, Mississippi exit while coming through Memphis, Tennessee.  I had to write this all down, and I heard her voice in my head the entire way. We made it safely, had a great trip, and came back with the car stuffed with every good thing you could imagine.  I remember praying on the way back that we didn't have a flat tire because the spare was in the trunk under all the things she gave us.

God is even better than my grandmother!  He's mapped out a good plan for our lives and he even tells us how to get there.  Psalm 1 is full of the secrets to living the good life, and prospering in everything you do.  Verses 1 and 2 say, "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely."(Living Bible).  The King James Version breaks verse 1 up into three actions; walking, standing, sitting.  We are Blessed when we don't walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful.

How blessed can you be when you follow these instructions? Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  Verse 3 says, "They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper."(Living Bible).  Can you imagine that?  I don't like to fish, but I know many who do.  I'm sure the fishermen can verify that even during the dry season the trees on and near the river bank flourish. Their roots go down deep and allow them to be refreshed no matter how hot it gets.  That's how we will be!  No matter what may happen in the world we will continue to grow, increase, and be a blessing to others.

"But for sinners, what a different story!"(Verse 4 Living Bible).  "They are like the fallen husk of wheat, tossed by an open wind, left deserted and alone. In the end, the wicked will fall in judgment; the guilty will be separated from the innocent. Their road suddenly will end in death, yet the journey of the righteous has been charted by the Eternal."(Verses 4-6 Voice).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

GOT Faith?

 Happy Sunday!

"And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed. On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction, among all the nations of the earth, as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken!”(Zephaniah 3:19-20 NLT).

The Bible is full of great prophecies of good things.  Thankfully, even if the prophecy was given to people long, long ago we can still benefit from it.  Galatians 3:13-14 verifies this.  It says, "Now Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law’s condemnation, by himself becoming a curse for us when he was crucified. For the scripture is plain: ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’ God’s purpose is therefore plain: that the blessing promised to Abraham might reach the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, and the Spirit might become available to us all by faith."(Phillips).  How awesome is that?  God doesn't leave us out!

We can enjoy God's protection, provision, and prosperity by faith.  How do we get faith? Great question!  I'm glad you asked.  We Believers have been given a measure of faith.  Romans 12:3 says, "Because of the grace allotted to me, I can respectfully tell you not to think of yourselves as being more important than you are; devote your minds to sound judgment since God has assigned to each of us a measure of faith."(Voice).  This measure of faith can be multiplied.  Romans 10:17 says, "Belief you see, can only come from hearing the message, and the message is the word of Christ."(Phillips).  You are probably more familiar with the KJV translation of this verse, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."(KJV).

Hebrews 4:12 tells how the Word of God works in us.  "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."(Amplified).

If you think you don't have any faith, then get Saved!  Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"(KJV).  It took faith to get saved, it takes the Word to grow your faith, and it takes faith to receive all the good things God has prepared for you.

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Big Brother

Happy Sunday!

Happy New Year 2022!

"You won’t be fighting in this battle. Take your stand, but stand still, and watch the Lord’s salvation on your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem! Never fear and never be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, since the Lord is with you."(2 Chronicles 20:17 ISV).

There were times in my life that I felt cheated because I didn't have an older brother.  Probably because in movies or TV, it always seemed a older brother would be there to fight for you, and protect you.  Sadly, now that I look back even some of my cousins that had older brothers didn't have it easy or perfect.  Thankfully, my parents introduced me to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 8:29 says, "For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him—and all along he knew who would—should become like his Son, so that his Son would be the FIRST, with many brothers."(Living Bible).  Jesus is the Best Big Brother any girl could ask for.  He fought for us so we don't have to fight, we just need to trust and obey.

In 2 Chronicles 20 not one, not two, but three armies came against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah.  The people of God made the right decision, and prayed first.  They didn't move on their feelings, intuition, or their past successes.  They got a word from the Lord.  They obeyed God's Word to them, and their enemies ended up killing each other.  It's a great story you should read it again. Afterward it took them three days to gather up all the spoil.  The the fourth day they celebrated and named that valley, "The Valley of Blessing".

What can we take from this story to use in our daily lives?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  No matter what you may face in the coming year, always pray first, get God's insight on your next move, and he will give you good success.  God's Word is His Will. 1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us. And if we know [for a fact, as indeed we do] that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him."(Amplified).  These scriptures are also so very good in the KJV version, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

Love and prayers, Cynthia