Walk Worthy of the Lord—Whatever Happens

September 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Philippians 1:27 NIV

A friend’s quick status update on Facebook a few years ago reminded me of her family’s need for prayer that morning. They were dealing with some folks who had not only waged a legal war against them but had lied about them as well. As I began praying for my friends, the Lord brought the above verse to mind, and I immediately prayed it for them.

“Lord, no matter what happens, no matter what they face, help my friends conduct themselves in a manner worthy of you. Help them react to all that happens with calmness and grace.”

As I continued to pray, I felt led to share this wisdom from the Word with them. I went back to the status update and left a comment, assuring them of my prayers and then shared the scripture with them. A few minutes later, I saw a reply—they were trying their best to do the very thing the verse exhorts us to do.

And yes, this verse is for all of us. Whatever happens, we are to walk worthy. Worthy of our Lord and Savior.

When times are good and we are rejoicing, we need to walk worthy. In other words, when good things happen or we succeed, who gets the praise? And are we careful not to lose our heads and do something unwise in the thrill of an exciting moment? Do we follow the admonition in 2 Timothy 4:5 (NIV)—“But you, keep your head in all situations . . .”

Of course, the more difficult times to walk worthy are when times are bad. When a friend or loved one betrays us . . . when someone hurts our kids . . . when our husbands or wives lose their tempers with us . . . when someone gossips about us . . . and yes, even when a devastating crisis knocks us to our knees. What do we do then? Do we walk worthy?

How are we able to do this? How can we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel no matter what happens? Only by his grace. Only by his power.

 “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

*When do you find it most challenging to walk worthy?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*I hope this slightly revised post from Sept. 2011 blessed you today!

*Flickr photo by peasap, Creative Commons License

Leave a Comment Filed Under: behavior, challenge, encouragement, faithfulness, goal, life, righteousness, strength, unfailing, wisdom, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Prayer to Pray for Unbelievers and for Those Sharing Christ With Them

September 18, 2018 By Leave a Comment

“The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Acts 16:14 NIV

We followers of Christ long for those who don’t know him to place their faith in him and let God give them his free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. What hope, what joy, what peace we find when we ask God to forgive our sins and be our Lord and Savior. We want all people to experience the same. We want all to come into God’s family. 

One of the most important things we can do to help unbelievers come to faith is to pray for them. And not only them, but also those who are sharing Christ with them. Family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, pastors, group leaders, mission team members, and missionaries. The first group needs their hearts prepared to hear the good news, and those sharing with them need the right words to say, sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading, and boldness to share as God leads.

As inferred above in the verse from Acts, one way to pray specifically is to ask God to open unbelievers’ hearts to respond to the message of those sharing Christ with them. God is the one who can bring about changes in a person’s heart so we need to pray accordingly. We need to ask him to open hearts.

If we know the names of the ones who are reaching out to them with the good news, we can pray even more specifically. We can mention their names in our prayers and ask God to help the unbelievers respond to their message. For example, “Lord, open Diana’s heart to respond to Phil’s message.”

Such a brief prayer but what a life-changing result it can bring. Let’s be faithful to pray for unbelievers. Let’s ask God to open hearts.

“Be joyful in hope . . . faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 NIV

*What are some other ways to pray for unbelievers?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by Angela-xujing, Creative Commons License

Leave a Comment Filed Under: change, faith, forgive, Gift, life, missions, prayer, salvation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Making Our Lives Count: Laura Bush’s Words Still True Today

September 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Several years ago when the tenth anniversary of 9/11 drew near, we heard, saw, and read many reminders of that horrific time. I came across one that year that I think bears repeating here. I hope you will agree.

Woman’s Day Editor-In-Chief (at that time) Elizabeth Mayhew introduced their September issue with a quote from an essay former First Lady Laura Bush wrote for their magazine on the first anniversary of the attacks. I love what Mrs. Bush had to say:

“You don’t have to walk into a burning building or wear a badge to rescue someone. You don’t have to go to medical school to help a person feel better, or walk on the moon to change this earth. You simply have to care about what happens in our country. To me, we can all honor the lives lost on September 11 by making our lives count even more.”

What great perspective Mrs. Bush offered back in 2002—and it’s still true today. Instead of feeling hopeless and helpless in the face of overwhelming times, we can make a difference. We can make our lives count. Sometimes we just need to think about it a bit and then become more intentional in our efforts.

So what can we do to make things better for our nation? We can vote regularly in elections and pray for our leaders. We can treat others with kindness and respect. We can volunteer through our churches and civic organizations when crises come or to help with ongoing projects. We can support our military and their families and volunteer at our communities’ schools. We can also recycle and try to incorporate other earth friendly practices in our lives. The possibilities abound.

In like fashion, we as Christians should be making our lives count for the Lord as well. We can grow closer to him each day, becoming a beacon of hope and good news for those around us. We can live our faith in front of our families and friends in good times and bad, setting an example for our children and grandchildren. We can pray for and encourage others. We can get involved in mission projects and actively support missionaries. We can be ready to share the good news of a Savior as the Lord gives opportunity. Yes, we can make a difference eternally.

Let’s heed the wisdom Mrs. Bush offered on that first anniversary of 9/11. Let’s make our lives count even more.

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:42 NIV

*What else can we do to make a difference in our nation or for Christ?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*I hope this slightly revised post from Sept. 2011 blessed you today!

*Flickr photo by włodi, Creative Commons License

Leave a Comment Filed Under: advice, America, challenge, encouragement, faith, giving, help, hope, leadership, life, opportunity, prayer, serve, variety, wisdom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

7 Sentence-Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Growing Deeper Faith and Trust

September 4, 2018 By 4 Comments

Are you interested in discovering some sentence prayers that will invite God’s power in your life and the lives of others in a mighty way? If so, the new monthly blog series I’m kicking off today is for you—and it’s for me as well.

I’m excited to share with you some concise and meaningful prayers God has either put on my heart in the past or ones he’s putting on my heart as I write these posts. Each month I’ll share prayers on a different topic or facet of life.

Oh how I pray that the following prayers will bless you—and me—both now and for years to come!

7 Sentence Prayers Inviting God’s Power—For Growing Deeper Faith and Trust

  1. Lord, even as I believe in you, help me overcome the doubts and unbelieving thoughts that Satan tries to use against me. (see Mark 9:24 and Hebrews 11:1)
  2. Bless, O Lord, the reading of your Word and open my eyes and heart to what you have for me today. (See Psalm 119:18)
  3. Lord, as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so surround me with your peace and your protection. (See Psalm 125:2)
  4. This day is yours and so am I; my times, O Lord, are in your hands. (See Psalm 31:14-15)
  5. When times are bad, O Lord, help me lift my face to you and keep on trusting and praising you through my tears. (See Ecclesiastes 7:14 and Habakkuk 3:17-18)
  6. Father, you are my past, my present, my future—my firm foundation forevermore. (See Psalm 139 and 2 Timothy 2:19)
  7. Lord, since you are the one who makes us grow, help me grow in every good way and live a life worthy of you. (See 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 and Colossians 1:10)

May God bless as we incorporate these prayers and scriptural truths into our own prayer lives!

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 NIV

*Which of these sentence prayers most resonates with your spirit today?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. Sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by 1991568456rtbp, Creative Commons License

4 Comments Filed Under: change, faith, growth, help, life, prayer, trust, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Snapshots of Summer

August 21, 2018 By 2 Comments

As summer winds down, let’s rewind mentally and take some mental snapshots of the joys this fun-filled season bestowed. For each of us they’ll be a little different while at the same time being much alike. May my latest poem help you recall the scenes of your own special summer!

Summer Snapshots

As the waning weeks of summer slip by
Its snapshots drift through our minds,
Classic moments, favorite memories
Keepsakes of the carefree days.
Toes painted for flip flop season,
Poolside parties and ballpark nights,
The grill fired up and ice cream churning
All part of the rhythm of summer.
Playing in sprinklers, drinks from the hose,
The Fourth filled with fun and fireworks,
Friends and fishing, bike rides and berry-picking
Each day holds hope for adventure.
Zoo days and picnics, gardens and flowers,
Loading the car for road trips,
Mountains and beaches, sunblock and shades
All leaving the gift of memories,
All captured in summer’s snapshots.

“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:3 NIV

*What are your favorite snapshots from this summer?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by Daniel Ray, Creative Commons License

2 Comments Filed Under: blessing, family, Friend, fun, joy, life, memories, poem, summer Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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