True Joy

I Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

In God’s kindness and goodwill toward us who were stuck in sin and afflicted with mortality, He took pity on us. He made it possible for us to be conformed to His will and way.

Now we can enjoy real, efficient life forever with Him when we receive the gift of His own Son sacrificed for our sakes. Jesus proved this fact when He raised from His grave and showed us that those who follow Him will arise also.

This good news fills us with joy and confidence in His most generous gift for the here and now and forever in eternity.

What a wonderful God we serve! Let us share this good news with at least one other person today.

Lord God, cause at least one person to cross my path today
with whom I can share this wonderful news.
Open the doors of opportunity
and then shove me through it.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

Judgment Day

Romans 8:33
Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

We who belong to Christ, need not fear the day we stand before God to give an accounting. God Himself has declared all those who have received Christ and trust Him for salvation, “Not guilty.”

God Himself is the one whom we have offended. He also is the judge, jury, and executioner. When we chose to choose Jesus as our Savior, God declared us justified, righteous in His eyes.

Our sin has been thrown into the deepest part of the sea (Micah 7:19). You have removed our sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). When we appear before Him we will receive rewards from His hand because we have believed in the One whom He sent to save us.

The enemy would like us to believe differently. He accuses us. He tells us our sins are too bad for God to forgive us. When he comes at us with his lies we need to remind him we are God’s elect. That in God’s eyes we appear justified; just as if we had never sinned.

Father God, thank You for the provision
of Your Son, Jesus,
who took the punishment we deserved
and gave us right standing before You.
Thank You for Your forgiveness.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

New Baby

I know this doesn’t look like a new baby, but it is. It’s my new fiction, based on fact which is out this month. So, do we call that “faction”? Hard Times in the Heartland the third in the series of The Late Sooner. It’s based on my dad’s letters to Mom and me during WW II and family stories. Like my other books, the facts are carefully researched and woven into this story.

As a kid, I hated history class because it consisted of learning endless lists of dates to be regurgitated later onto a test paper. When I found my great-grandfather’s one-line-a-day diary in an antique chest fourteen years ago, the first Oklahoma Land Run became more than a list of facts–it became story. That diary became The Late Sooner.

When I found my dad’s stack of letters, WW II came alive as I saw it from his eyes. I was also struck by the parallels between then and what we see flashing across our TV screens today.

This December will be the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor. This month marks the 87th year since the Stock Market Crash of 1929. These two events mark the beginning and end of the era covered in Hard Times in the Heartland.

The Rock

Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Another way of saying the above scripture is: The living God, the ever-existing One is my security and my stronghold; my place of escape and safety, my God. I put my confident hope in Him. He is my shield from harm. His strength will deliver me and in Him I will enjoy salvation and victory.

My heart goes out to those who do not yet know this One who outshines all other things that call out for allegiance. Oh, that all people knew Him!

May we live our lives every day expecting Jesus to send people across our paths that we may share this good news with them.

Lord Jesus, You know all hearts.
In Your perfect timing,
may my paths cross others
so they may hear Your truth
and know Your love for themselves.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

Money Matters

Hebrews 13:5
Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

We each one have a choice. We can love God or we can love money and what it can buy. Money and goods are temporary, fleeting. Money can be here today and gone tomorrow. Things can burn in a fire or thieves can steal them.

When we make money our goal, there is never enough. It never brings lasting contentment. Someone always has something a little better or a little more.

When God is our goal, our supply never lacks. He promises never to leave us (to send back, to let sink). He promises to never forsake us (to abandon, leave in straits, leave helpless, to leave behind).

In Jesus, there is a contentment that all the money in the world can’t buy, and the lack of money can’t diminish. He is sufficient in all things.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your presence and peace
which only You can give, and money can’t buy.
Thank You for Your precious promises
that never grow old nor fail.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

Holy Spirit Coaching

Job 39:22
(God said) “He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; and he does not turn back from the sword.”

Here God tells Job how He has made the horse a very powerful animal, and yet, after training, a very useful instrument for specific purposes.

The one spoken of here must be a war horse. He has been taught not to fear. When he sees and hears a battle, he is not terrified. He doesn’t turn tail and run. He is ever at the ready.

We would do well to take lessons from the horse. If we will yield to the Holy Spirit’s coaching, He will teach us to do spiritual warfare, trusting in God’s strength and the power of Jesus’ name. His name is far superior to any other name named in this age or in the one to come (Ephesians 1:18-22).

Then we will be like the war horse when we face the enemy of our souls. We will laugh mockingly at terror. We shall not be terrified. We will know how to conduct victorious battles against those sent out against us.

Lord Jesus, teach us and train us
so we may be as fearless
and effective in battle
as the war horse
bringing glory to Your name.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

Temptations

I Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

Many people use this scripture to say, “God will not give me more than I am able to bear.” That is not what God says. He’s talking about temptation, not bearing burdens.

Of burdens, He says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

When we face temptations, we need to ask for God’s strength that is available upon request. He and only He can make that way of escape for us and give us the strength to overcome—to sustain us so that we do not yield to the temptation.

I rejoice in Your strength, my Lord, and my God.
May I never forget where my source is,
especially when temptation sweetly calls.
May I let You answer.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

One Who Reverences the Lord

Psalm 112:7
He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

This scripture speaks of the person who fears (reverences) the Lord, who delights in His commandments. This individual is gracious (shows mercy) and lends.

When he hears an evil report or a bad rumor, he is not shaken. He has a quiet confidence, a security in his Lord, who is the ever-existing One.

As I grow older, I find my response when hearing bad news, is a quiet, “Jesus.” He is as close as the whisper of His name. It’s my invitation for Him to enter the situation; to do what needs to be done in order to right the wrong.

After all, Romans 12:19 says, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

Lord Jesus, I thank You
I don’t have to be in the judging business.
I’m only called to reverence You,
and let You do the rest.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

Time Management

Luke 12:22
And He (Jesus) said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.”

People today spend a great deal of energy building personal wealth. Women shop for hours for the most fashionable apparel. Others, fritter away their time following the latest program on TV, or search on Facebook what their friends had for lunch.

All the while they miss the most important thing; developing a rich relationship with God. Their time and energies are spent on temporary things rather than the eternal—those things that will last forever.

Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added (provided) to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Each of us is given twenty-four hours in a day. How shall we use them?

Father God, thank You for the 1,440 minutes
You give me a day.
May I use them with wisdom so at the end of my days
You will be pleased how I spent them.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/

One Faith

I Corinthians 11:1-2
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

This is God’s plan for the spreading of the gospel for each generation. Those who are established in the faith are to share their faith with others. The truth of the gospel is that Jesus is the promised Messiah, sent by God to us to be our sacrifice for sin once for all.

We are to hold fast to the precepts, the substance of the true teaching about Christ and His resurrection (translated here “traditions”). Many people today have deviated from the truth of the gospel, laid out clearly in the Bible, in order to fit a certain doctrine or view.

If we went back to what the Bible said, we could begin to be as one just as Jesus prayed for us in John 17:21. That scripture reads, “that they may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, that the world may continually believe that Thou didst send Me.”

Father God, may we know the truth taught to us by the Holy Spirit,
as we read Your word and seek Your face.
May we come together as one with You and Jesus
so the world may know Jesus is the Messiah sent for salvation.

To see my books visit http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007F5H0H4
To view my other blog visit https://familyfavoritesfromtheheartland.wordpress.com/