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

Psalm 100

 Happy Sunday!

"Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."(Psalm 100:3 Amplified).

I'm sure we memorized Psalm 100 in Sunday School.  It's just five verses, and shorter than some of our Easter speeches. LOL!  It's full of instructions for life.  Someone once made an acronym for the word, Bible: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.  Verse 1 tells us how to come before the Lord, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands."(KJV).  Throughout history it was customary to come before a King  happily.  In some realms you could be killed for looking sad in the presence of the King.  Nehemiah 2:1-3 says, "In the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, some wine was brought to the king. I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never before been SAD when I was with him, but now I was SAD.  So the king asked me, “Are you sick? Why do you look sad? I think your heart is full of sadness.”  Then I was very AFRAID. But even though I was afraid, I said to the king, “May the king live forever! I am sad because the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and the gates of that city have been destroyed by fire.”(Easy-to-Read Version).  Thankfully, it worked out well for Nehemiah.   But we must remember to come before our Lord and King with joy.  Verse 2 says, "Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence."(Message).

How can we come before the Lord with joy?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked.  Verse 3 says, "Acknowledge that the Lord is God.  He made us and we belong to him; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture."(ISV).  This translation made me think of how some parents would say, "I brought you into this world, and I will take you out".  Now I don't ever remember my mother saying that, but we knew that she could take us out with a quickness.  Acknowledging who God is, is the first step to coming before Him joyfully.  Like sheep rely on their shepherd to care for them, and protect them, we can confidently come before God happily, and joyfully knowing all of our needs will be met.(Psalm 23).

Verses 4 and 5 say, "Go through his open gates with great thanksgiving; enter his courts with praise. Give THANKS to him and bless his name. For the Lord is ALWAYS GOOD. He is ALWAYS LOVING and KIND, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation."(Living Bible).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

RSVP

 Happy Sunday!

"And the seventy returned again with JOY, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through THY NAME.  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and NOTHING shall by any means HURT you.  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather REJOICE, because your names are WRITTEN in heaven."(Mark 10:17-20 KJV).

My cousin Sonya and I still chuckle about the guest list at her wedding reception.  I was instructed to only allow those to enter that were on the list.  How was I to know that her boss did not RSVP?  I was not letting him in!  Somehow he got a hold of the Bride, or maybe she saw him about to be kicked out to the venue. LOL!  If he were to see me today, he'd likely recall that interaction.  Jesus sent out 70 additional disciples  and gave them clear instructions too.  "When you enter a town and are received, eat what they set before you, HEAL anyone who is sick, and tell them, ‘God’s kingdom is right on your doorstep!"(Luke 10:-9 Message).  They were amazed at the power and authority they had when using the name of Jesus.  We are also given the authority to use that Name. 

BUT Jesus told them not to rejoice over demons being cast out out, and people being healed, but to rejoice that their names were written in Heaven.  Rejoice that you have an RSVP.  Cartoons always portray St. Peter at the pearly gates with the book looking for your name.  It may be funny, but it's not accurate.  Numerous testimonies of those that have died and come back to life, tell of either going up or down.  Not going up, then down.  GOD knows those that are His.  Jesus even told the story of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar.  Their eternal destination was determined before the event.(Luke 16:20-25).

Have you RSVP'd?  Is your name written in Heaven?  Romans 10:8-11 says, "It is the secret of faith, which is the burden of our preaching, and it says, in effect, “If you openly admit by your own mouth that Jesus Christ is the Lord, and if you believe in your own heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” For it is believing in the heart that makes a man righteous before God, and it is stating his belief by his own mouth that confirms his salvation. And the scripture says: ‘Whoever believes on him will not be put to shame’."(Phillips).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Sharing the Good News

Happy Sunday!

"Yes, “everyone who trusts in the Lord will be saved.”  But before people can pray to the Lord for HELP, they must believe in him. And before they can believe in the Lord, they must HEAR about him. And for anyone to hear about the Lord, someone must TELL them. And before anyone can go and tell them, they must be sent.  As the Scriptures say, “How wonderful it is to see someone coming to tell good news!”(Romans 10:13-15 Easy-to-Read Version).

Have you ever caught yourself smiling when you heard good news?  Sure you have!  Joy is contagious. Hearing about positive events, blessings and good outcomes brings joy to the hearer.  We are instructed to rejoice with others when they experience good things, and warned against rejoicing when our enemies fall.  Proverbs 24:17-18 says, "Don’t be happy when your enemy has troubles. Don’t be glad when they fall. The Lord will see this, and he might be upset with you and decide not to punish your enemy."(Easy-to-Read Version). OUCH! 

The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important good news we can share.  During the Christmas Season there will be opportunities to share the Good News.  Look for every opportunity to share the Good News. To make it easier, as children we were taught to use the Wordless Book to share the Good News.  We made them in Vacation Bible School out of colorful felt.  The cover was green. The First page was black, and we memorized Romans 3:23 to represent this page - "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"(KJV).  The second page was red.  We used 1 John 1:7 for this page - "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."(KJV).  The third page was white, and we memorized Psalm 51:7 - "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."(KJV).  The next page was gold or yellow to represent the streets in Heaven, and we used - John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."(KJV).  The green cover also served as the last page.  We used 2 Peter 3:18, "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." to represent the next steps after receiving Jesus. 

My mother-in-law, Minnie Pruitt used to say, "The Bible was so simple a child can understand it, and a fool would have no reason to err".  I thought it was a scripture, but haven't been able to find it.  But the important thing to remember is it's easy to understand, and easy to share.  Five scriptures to introduce someone to the greatest news that they will ever hear.  Luke 2:8-13 says, "That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them.  “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you the most JOYFUL News ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem!  How will you recognize him? You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger!”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God:"(Living Bible).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Jesus Is Lord

 Happy Sunday!

"He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so expansive, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross."(Colossians 1:18-20 Message).

Don't miss this!  Please read that passage again!  ALL the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe are fixed and fit together in Jesus.  1 John 3:8 says, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."(KJV).  The Devil is behind every broken and dislocated thing.  He's a liar, a thief, and a murderer.(John 10:10).  He wants to wipe you out, BUT God has another idea.  His plan is for you to thrive even in the midst of chaos.

In order for you to thrive in the midst of chaos, you have to know that you know that you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  The whole world wants to be saved from sickness, poverty, and destruction BUT few want Jesus to be LORD of their lives.  The word lord is defined as "someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler".  A master or ruler, and even an influencer can get people to do what they may not want to do.  Jesus never forces us to do anything, but he lovingly and patiently knocks.  Revelation 3:20 says. “Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me."(Living Bible).

"Let Christ himself be your example as to what your attitude should be. For he, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to his prerogatives as God’s equal, but stripped himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man. And, having become man, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal. That is why God has now lifted him so high, and has given him the name beyond all names, so that at the name of Jesus “every knee shall bow”, whether in Heaven or earth or under the earth. And that is why, in the end, “every tongue shall confess” that Jesus Christ” is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father."(Philippians 2:5-11 Phillips).

Love and prayers, Cynthia