Blessings and Gifts

Blessings and Gifts

A small yellow flower blossoming

God’s blessings are all around us. Small ones. Big ones. Some we are surprised by. Others we take for granted. Sometimes, we don’t even see them.

I see blessings as a gift from God. One of the first verses that I remember memorizing as a child was James 1:17a. It was a verse that I put in my heart and claimed as my own. In that verse, James says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17a). Those gifts from God are blessings to me.

Last month, I felt God’s blessing in two ways; first by being able to recognize the blessing, and second by receiving the gift.

Receiving

Somewhere around this time of year, my family and I like to head south for a few days and get out of the cold climate that we live in. We are not able to do this every year, but if we can we try to do it a few months into the New Year. This year, we picked a week that was free. I had a week off in between college terms and it looked like a good week to go. But due to several different things going on in my family, mostly the health of an extended family member, none of us felt like we could commit to this vacation. We did not want to leave our loved one, no matter how much we wanted to go on this “warm weather” vacation. We all felt it was the right thing to do, to stay home. At the same time, we all wanted to go and get out of the cool weather. But we stayed home and trusted that that was the right thing to do.

And God blessed us. In an area of the country that averages anywhere from 30 degrees at this time of year to 30 below, God blessed us with warm weather, and I mean warm! It was 30-50 degrees warmer during this week than it usually is and it broke several warm weather records for that time of the year.

While it may not seem like a big deal to others, maybe not even to my other family members, it was a big deal to me. It was God’s gift to me. I felt His blessing for trusting Him.

Recognizing

The other part of the blessing that I received was recognizing this gift from God. Sometimes, as I said before, we do not always see God’s blessings and we miss them. I could have done this. I could have missed this gift. But God gave me a double blessing! He blessed me with the gift of warm weather (which meant a great deal to me!) and He blessed me by letting me see it!

I challenge you to see blessings every day. They can be small and you may think they are not there, but I guarantee that God has blessings for you if you are willing to let Him work in your life and if you are open to see them.

Proverbs 10:6a
Blessings crown the head of the righteous…

Do you have any stories of blessings in your life, small or big??? I would love to hear about them. Comment here or email joyfilledgirls [at] hotmail [dot] com.

By Mandy H.

JOY Through Trials

Jesus-Devotional

Joy Through Trials

 

Often when hard times come our way, we are not ready for them. No matter if we know in advance or if we try to prepare ourselves for them, we rarely do a good job of preparing. It may be that we can never truly prepare ourselves for trials, for those hard times, hard things.

When I have trials in my life, I frequently think of this verse.

James 1:2-3 says:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

This is a verse I like to think about. I may not completely understand it, but it gives me hope. It gives me hope that I may persevere through those trials. It gives me hope because I know God will be with me through the trials.

But what does the verse mean? Why should we consider it “pure joy” when we face trials? And what does “pure joy” even mean?

My pastor preached a sermon on James a few years ago. Here are some of his thoughts on James 1:2-3:

~JOY is not a feeling of happiness. It is not something that if we try hard enough we can stir up.

~It is not a constantly cheerful mood. Sometimes the appropriate response is to be grieving, sad, and struggling.

~Nor is joy an expectation of relief and comfort.

~Joy is about understanding the spiritual dynamics of the trials that we come under.

In the last quote from my pastor, he says that joy is understanding, understanding the circumstances around us. But more importantly it is about understanding the spiritual dynamics of the situation. So what are the spiritual dynamics? Well, here are my thoughts on this. I believe that it is understanding that God is still with us. He will NEVER leave us (Deuteronomy 31:8). God tells us this many times in the Bible and in many different ways. I also believe that we must remember what the true joy is. In Psalms (Psalm 51:12), it says, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me”. God gave us salvation through His Son Jesus. This Psalm is asking God to once again show us the joy that only comes from salvation in Him!

While this verse may have much more to it, the two biggest things that I get from it is (1) God will always be with me and never leave me and (2) I have true joy in my salvation that is found in Christ Jesus! My definition of “joy” has always been that it is something that is on the inside. Even when we may not be “happy” on the outside, we can have joy because of Christ and we can have JOY even in the trials.

______________________________________

This is something that God has laid upon my heart. I know I do not have this all figured out. I would love to hear your descriptions of JOY. I would also love to hear your stories of how God has been with you and given you joy through the trials that you have faced.

I have a personal story that I have wanted to share with you, to help you understand where I am coming from. So here it is:

It was my high school graduation and my parents were reading a letter to me that they had written for me for my graduation day. As my mom read it, she encompassed some of the things that happened during my high school years. One of the things that she said was in my four years of high school, I had lost three of my grandparents. It was true, but I hadn’t realized the expanse of it. I was there with them, I cared for them, I spent time with them, and then I watched them go home to be with Jesus. That day, was the first time I really recognized how hard it hard been on me.

November 2011 – The end of November rolled around and my grandpa started having some doctor appointments. The week before Thanksgiving, he had a test to check for cancer. Cancer, that scary word that no one wants to hear… the word that I have heard before. Three of my grandparents have had cancer. One grandparent had cancer before I was even born and survived. Another had cancer and also survived the cancer, but the treatment was very hard on him. My other grandparent died from cancer. Cancer was not a word I wanted to hear. Then in the weeks before Christmas, we found out that my grandpa did indeed have cancer. Lung cancer. And we also found out that it was not curable. Since that time, my grandpa has been having treatments. While the cancer has not spread and the tumor has not grown, it has not shrunk.

This is where I am at. Dealing with another trial. And realizing that God is with me. It is not easy. Every day, every day, I have to wake up and trust God. I have to trust that He has the bigger plan. I do not have control of it, but He does. Each day, I again have to give my worries to Him. Again and again, I make the decision to find JOY every day. And I can because I have the joy of Christ’s salvation in me!

Mandy H.

Patience, Patience, Patience

Jesus - Devo

Patience, Patience, Patience

Clip Art from ClipartHeaven.com

Being patient is something I have never been good at. Just ask my mother. I do not like to wait for things. If something is not getting done, then I will just do it, so it gets done. For the most part I do not like to sit around and do nothing. I like to make things happen. Patience is not my style.

But there are times when I do need to be patient. The Bible says that we need to be patient. In fact, it has a lot to say about being patient. I looked.

When I am struggling with something, like being patient, I tend to do Bible searches on the subject. That is what I did this time. Being patient is definitely something I need to work on. It is something that the Bible commands us to do.

First, we are called to be still and wait patiently…

Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Then the Bible tells us what some of the benefits are of being patient.

Proverbs 14:29
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.

Proverbs 16:32
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

The Bible asks us to…

Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

James 5:7
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

James 5:8
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Then the Lord offers us a promise…

Hebrews 6:15

And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Also…

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient…

Being patient is also a part of the Fruit of the Spirit that we are called to live out…

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

God calls us to be patient. He has a plan for us and we are called to wait on Him. And to be patient.

Will you work on being more patient in your everyday life? I am going to try!

Mandy H.

“But Take Heart...”

“…I have overcome the world.”  

Jesus said in John 16:33.

Sometimes, some days, we get overwhelmed. We feel everything pulling us down. And we don’t know what to do or what to hold on to. We feel as if everything is changing, everything is out of our control.

These are the times in our lives that we need to remember that there is Someone to hold on to, Someone that will always be there for us and who will never change. In Revelation 22:13, it says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Jesus is telling us that he will be with us forever.

So as you know from my intro letter, I have had a lot of changes in my life lately. And the one or two I mentioned did not cover everything. On May 26, I felt the burden of these changes. And on that day, the Lord gave me something special. I was reading my devotional book, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and on that day, I read the perfect devo. It was talking about change and about Jesus always being with us. It reminded me that He is always with us and will always be there for us. One of the verses that was included in the devotional was the verse that I started this devotional with.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus reminds us that as Christians, our lives will not be easy. But in the midst of it all, He will be with us and He has overcome the world! And that will, ultimately, bring us peace!

JESUS - Giving and the Greatest Gift of All

Giving and the Greatest Gift of All

This month we set aside a time for remembrance and a time for celebration. We remember Christ’s great sacrifice on the cross. We also celebrate His resurrection.

Romans 5:8

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We didn’t have to do anything. We didn’t have to change and Jesus came and gave his life for us, out of love for us.

Act 16:31

And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

We now have the opportunity to believe and be saved. God calls us to have faith and belief in Him, yet He also calls us to give back to Him from the overflow of our hearts.

Matthew 25:35-39

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

Matthew 25:40

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Jesus is saying that if we give to the least; the poor, the orphaned, the widowed, etc…, we do it for Him. Our Father calls us to love Him first and to love our neighbor second (Luke 10:27). One of the ways God tells us to show our love for Him and for others is by giving.


One way of giving is by tangibly giving, like the Matthew 25:35-40 passage above; by feeding someone, by providing a home for them, by providing them with clothing, or by visiting someone. Those are all great things and very necessary things, things we all should do, but that is not the kind of giving I want to talk about right now.


The giving I want to talk about this month is the giving of your money, of your tithe. God commands us to give a percentage of what we have to Him. He also says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7). God wants us to give, not because everyone else is giving or because we feel pressured to give, but out of the overflow of our hearts.

I recently heard a pastor say God calls us to give financially so that our joy will grow, then he challenged, “If you don’t have joy in giving, maybe you need to give more”.

Are you willing to give your finances to God? No matter what size they are? Whether big or small?

_______________________________

Here are a few tips on how to start giving:

J – Give to God first. Remember the “J” in JOY. Commit to giving to your church, do it regularly and give a set amount, so you can stick to your plan.

Proverbs 3:9

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce;

_____________________________

O – The Bible also calls us to contribute to our families. Now I know you are probably not the financial supporter of your family right now, but maybe you do need to be helping out or maybe you can be planning for your future family by putting money aside now and saving it for when you start your own family.

Proverbs 13:22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

O – We are to also give to the poor and to practice generosity to others. Make it a habit and plan to give to others. *Check out Helping in the Harvest for more info*

Proverbs 19:17

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD,

and he will repay him for his deed.

______________________________

Y – So where does the “Y” and the “You” come into all of this, you might ask? Your job is to manage your money wisely now and to learn it now so that you will be able to manage it in the future.

First, try to avoid debt. Spend less than what you make, then you will be able to save some, too.

Proverbs 22:7

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

Proverbs 22:26-27

Be not one of those who give pledges,

who put up security for debts.

If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?

Second, save your money. You never know when you might need it or for what. Make it a habit to put aside a percentage to save as well as to tithe. Maybe something like 10% - tithe, 10% - savings, and 80% expenses and other things or divide it out even more to include things like; gift giving, clothing, etc…

Proverbs 13:11

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

Proverbs 21:20

Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.

___________________________________________________

Are you truly willing to give? To give to see how God will work in your life? To give to see His faithfulness, joy, and blessings? Are you willing to give to God so that others will give all the glory to Him?

Ponder these questions as you think about the greatest gift God gave us. He gave us the gift of His Son and the freedom from death that we celebrate at Easter. Celebrate by giving from the overflow of your heart!

Are you willing to give your all to God, in the same way He gave us His Son?

Resources:
Crown Financial Ministries - http://www.crown.org/
This website had budget plans, books, and many other resources to help you get started.

Cabin Fever Challenge

Jesus - Devo - Cabin Fever Challenge

I don’t know about you, but this seems to be the time that cabin fever sets in. You may not live in a place where there is snow and you get stuck in the house, but you may be feeling some cabin fever anyway. Maybe it is the same old, same old: school, work, etc…

I have a challenge for you that will, hopefully, cure your cabin fever!

(In case you are wondering…Cabin Fever is…a state characterized by anxiety, restlessness, and boredom, arising from a prolonged stay in a remote or confined place. ~dictionary.com)

One of my favorite passages is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I like to think of these verses as something that I can apply to my daily life and something that I need to work on daily.

My challenge for you is to take one week and apply this passage daily; 3 things, every day, for a week. That is the challenge.

Challenge In depth:

1. Verse 16: Be JOYful!!! Each day find things that you can be joyful about and see if the feeling can last all day. Example: You have a Heavenly Father that loves you! That should be something to keep a smile on your face.

2. Verse 17: Pray and pray, all day long. As you go through your day and think of people, just pray for them! Example: “I wonder how insert name is doing?” “Dear Lord, be with insert name, etc…”

3. Verse 18: Be thankful in every situation. This doesn’t mean you have to be thankful FOR the bad situations, but IN them. There is always something to be thankful for if you look hard enough. Example: As you are walking outside, start thanking the Lord for the trees or the sun. As you are in your home, be thankful for it. Be thankful for your family, friends, transportation, “toys”, food, water, etc…

Try out the challenge! Comment below and let me know if you are doing it and how it is going or how it went. Have some fun curing your winter blues!

I Am Loving My Husband…

JESUS-Devo

I Am Loving My Husband…

Do you love YOUR husband? Do you look for ways to do things for him? Do you dress for him? Do you live your life for him?

Now you are probably wondering why I am asking you if you love your husband and if you are encouraging him. You are thinking, “I don’t have a husband yet, I am not married, and for that matter, I don’t plan on being married for a long time yet”. Are you thinking those things? Well, good.

So since the title of this article is called, “ I am loving my husband”, you might also ask, “Is she married?”. The answer is no, I am not married and furthermore, I am not dating or in a relationship with anybody either. So, how am I loving my husband now? And better yet, why am I starting now?

The How

For as long as I can remember, my parents have told me that they are praying for my siblings and me. And they have also told us that they are praying for our spouses, whether we are married yet or not. My parents praying for me and my spouse has always told me that they are already, even before I knew it, helping me with my marriage someday by setting a foundation for it. So when I was a young, young girl, I too would occasionally pray for my husband. I am sure some of them were silly prayers, but they were still prayers for him. Way back then, I was praying for him and I still am today. 1 Thess. 5:17

A few years back, I was going to a multi-generational Sunday school group for women. We were studying the book, “Lies Young Women Believe”. One of the chapters was on “guys”. One of the single ladies was asked to talk about guys. When she came to talk to us, she brought a box with her. She told us the box is for her husband. Inside this box are cards and letters and other things that are for her husband. On her wedding night (whenever that is), she will present this box to her husband along with her purity. This “box” inspired me. I have now started my own box for my husband. I have letters in there; prayers written down, Bible verses on index cards, and a Christmas ornament.

These two examples are part of how I am loving my husband. I am also doing it through the way I dress. I am dressing modestly now, to save my body for my husband and so as not to tempt other brothers in Christ. I am also doing it through learning now what it means to be a wife, by watching my mother and other women I respect in their relationships with their husbands. One more thing I am doing is making the commitment to save my purity for my husband.

The Why

The greatest gift of love I can give my husband is my respect and faithfulness(as well as my love!). I am being faithful to him even now as I make the commitment to stay pure for him. I want to present myself to him on our wedding night as his and his alone. I have chosen to dress modestly so that the gift of my body will also be for him at that time. I show my respect for him by honoring him now by these commitments even before I meet him! I am learning to be a good wife from those older than me. (Titus 2:4,5)



Books I would recommend:
The Princess and the Kiss - Jennie Bishop
Lies Young Women Believe – Nancy Leah DeMoss and Dannah Gresh
One I am reading now: Preparing to be a Help Meet – Debi Pearl

By Mandy H

New Year...New Connection

JESUS – Devotional

New Year...New Connection

The New Year comes around and you hear all of the talk of New Year resolutions and like me, you are probably thinking, “What resolutions should I make for this new year?”. Well, I want to present you with a resolution, a challenge for the New Year.

Every year around this time, my pastor likes to send out a challenge to our church. That challenge is to read the Bible in a year. This year, he even gave some Bibles away to encourage people to follow through with this idea. I would like to challenge you and encourage you to read your Bible through in a year, or more importantly, simply read it every day.

Before I give you some “helps” for reading your Bible every day, I want to give you some reasons why I think this is a great idea for the New Year.

1. God’s word is a guide for us – Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

2. Jesus is the Word, and so to know Him, you can read the Word. – John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

3. It is a great way to connect with your Heavenly Father. Reading the Word of God is like God speaking to you.

4. It can make you wise. “From a child, you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus!” 2 Timothy 3:15

5. Reading the Bible will equip you for life. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness–so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work!” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Ready for some helps??? Check here!


Bibles

1. NIV Daily Bible: In Chronological Order (comes in different versions)– This is a Bible that many in my family have used. I really like this one because you read the Bible in order it happened. http://www.christianbook.com/niv-daily-bible-chronological-order-softcover/9780736901987/pd/7596?item_code=WW&netp_id=150799&event=ESRCN&view=details

2. The One Year Bible(comes in different versions) – Each day you will read some of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. http://www.christianbook.com/esv-one-year-bible-paperback/9781581347081/pd/47081?item_code=WW&netp_id=381676&event=ESRCN&view=details

3. There are many different daily Bibles to help you read everyday. Check our more here: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=158600&sp=1003&event=1003SPEL|1774981|1003

Online and Other Resources

1. Our Daily Bread devotionals – are another way to help you read your Bible every day. They have a short passage to read that goes along with the devo and also a Bible in a year plan. You can get these online, in the mail, through email, on your phone, or through podcasts. Check them out here: http://odb.org/

2. 411 God – Is a 60 second phone call that you get every day with a Bible reading on it. http://411god.net/

3. Powered by 4 – is a daily email with a reminder and a short scripture passage and more. Find out more: http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/P4homepage.html

Bible Reading Plans*

1. Back to the Bible - http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Bible-Reading-Guides.html

2. BibleYear.com - http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/

3. Zondervan - http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/Bible/Plans.htm?QueryStringSite=Zondervan

4. The One Year Bible - http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/

*These Bible reading plans offer: 30 day, 60 day, 90 day, 365 day, 3 year, topical, beginning to end, chronological (in order that events happened), historical (in order books were written), Old and New Testament, New then Old, Blended, etc… Hopefully, you can find one to fit you! And if one doesn’t work, don’t give up, keep going or try a new one. 


I pray that you can have fun with this and that it will really help you in your relationship with Christ. If you do not know where you are on your walk of faith, this is a great place to start. God will direct your path! Have a Bible-filled, Christ-filled, New Year!

by Mandy H.

Devo-Give Thanks in All Circumstances…

Give Thanks in All Circumstances…

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.

It’s the end of October and Halloween is over. Then comes November… You go to the store and not only is all of the Halloween stuff almost gone, but they are restocking the shelves. You might think it would be with Thanksgiving things. But you probably all know already that they are not putting out Thanksgiving stuff. All the Christmas items are now on display! And no, I am not putting down Christmas ‘cause I LOVE Christmas, and I am not saying that stores have NO Thanksgiving things, I am just making the point that we sometimes seem to forget and push aside Thanksgiving, other than the turkey and trimmings! AND we push away the meaning.

On that very first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims thanked the Indians, but most importantly they gave thanks to God.

The Bible calls us to give thanks and to be thankful. One of my favorite verses is 1 Thessalonians 5:18. I like that this verse says ‘IN’, not ‘for’. If you look above at the verse, it tells you to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There are some difficult things in all our lives that are tough to be thankful for- like someone dying, but we can still be thankful if we know that person was a Christian and is with Christ now. God with us and working through the tough situations help us to give thanks IN everything.

We all have much to be thankful for. This year try to recognize your many blessings. And as Thanksgiving approaches, think of all the people in your life and think of why God has placed them in your life and why you are thankful for them. Then give thanks. Give thanks to God for putting them there and then give thanks to the people for the impact they have made in your life.

Learn to be thankful! Remember that giving thanks should not only be on Thanksgiving, but all year around!

~Mandy