Lenten Study- Friday of the First Week – Day 10

A Call To Intimacy

Jesus offers us an intimacy with Him. The symbol of a vine and its branches, and growth that interconnects us with him. Just as we are being offered this kind of intimacy with him, visualize a picture yourself as a branch that is being grafted on to Jesus; as a branch of the vine from which all life comes. If we are part of the vine and are in communion with Jesus, the vine and our very “little life” can grow together and bear fruit. It’s very real to experience this. But…. do we live this truth? We all tend to want to explore sources of life and enjoy them outside of Jesus. But….truly only listen for Him. Listen……

Jesus keeps saying “Come back to me, give me all your burdens, all your worries, fears, and anxious thoughts. Trust that with me you will find complete Rest.”

Read John 15:1-5

”I am the vine and you are the branches.”

My Prayer

Oh’ my ever giving and great God, thank you for shaping and pruning all my human efforts; please God teach me how to celebrate and accept all of life’s pains and sorrows, so that through them, I can come to discover a deeper love of you, and a much stronger hope in your promises. Sometimes I can see a loss or a failure as a setback or a punishment. Oh God, teach me that these are divine opportunities for a more fruitful and mature life in You. I pray you will always abide in me.

I now give you my thankful heart. Amen……

God is Great and Good!

Nov 18

Psalm 107:1

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

▶︎ LISTEN TO THE DEVOTIONAL

The first prayer most of us offered as children was “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food.” Little did we know that perhaps the most profound words that anyone could ever utter in this universe would be, God is good! What if God were capricious? What if God could have a bad day? That would be serious. Isn’t it wonderful that God is good? And He never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So let us thank God for who He is – Good and Great! My Prayer Good Morning my Heavenly Father, my Great and Good God. I thank you this morning for your everlasting love for me and for all the many blessings you have brought to me. May I offer you my great thanksgiving and praise for delivering me from harm, and carving out a life for me that has brought me closer to you with each new day that you so generously provide. Please hear my prayers of great “Joy” this new day, as I confess my love for your many precious gifts. My life….breath, sight, hearing. To know you, to honor your timing for everything, and to lay my life in your hands with complete trust for your choices for me….and those I dearly love. Thank you! Thank you!  Thank You! My heart is yours…. O my God! • AMEN •

My Friday Devotional

• Glory to Glory •

2 Corinthians 3:18

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

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We are all being transformed into the image of God from glory to glory.

My God,  I know that only your spirit can do this. Teach me to trust your ways. If my life circumstances  become challenging, I wish to yield to you, by asking you to help me be my true self and begin a change. I know that I need to share in your sufferings, so that I can also share in your glory. I wish to grow into your “likeness.”’

Romans 8:17

Now if we are children, then we are heirs~heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

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My troubles sometimes feel heavy. But they are actually light and only truly in the moment…so I need to think about them as helping me to reach eternal glory. 

My Lord, I thank you for hard times and I praise you for my troubles, because I know that if I can continually praise you, and give you thanks, even though I may be suffering, I am glorifying You. I know that my true thankfulness helps me to make the right steps to be transformed from “Glory to Glory.”

2 Corinthians 4:17

Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

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Prayer

My Lord and my God…..I wish to speak to all those I meet with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I want to sing and make music to you “My Lord,”’and always give you my thanks for everything, even my troubles, for I know that you are transforming me into your image from Glory to Glory. Amen.

 

My Friday Devotional

2 Corinthians 4:16

We do not lose heart. Though our inner self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Day by day we are being renewed. If you had a bad day yesterday, just begin today “new.” Think only about pleasing Jesus. Talk to him. Ask him to help you walk in his way. He will do this little by little, as you walk with Him all through your life. Problems and pains sometimes come but if you stay close to him and walk together you will have joy and peace because he is with you every step of the way. Call out to him. He listens and he will never leave you. As you trust in him he will renew you. Thank Jesus always along the way, even if you are going through a painful time. He will help you and hold your hand. He is always preparing you for glory.

Trust….

Psalm 73: 23-24

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me to glory.

* AMEN *

My Friday Devotional

Heavenly Father, our gracious God, you come into our lives to make us free. The closer you live in us the more free we become. The more time we spend with you, the more real and stronger we become in you. There is healing in being close to you in complete intimacy. You bathe our past wounds with your love. Your spirit flows into us. It is like a healing agent, a salve to bring comfort and less pain. In your light we can see things so differently. We toss away our own ways of thinking and become free in your spirit. You bring us your truth and gently remind us what you have done for us. You bring us the truth about everything in our life. You bring change or adjustment in your love when we need it. You help to give us freedom in You. 

John 8:32

”You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Prayer

Jesus take my hand and lead me. I surrender. I place my fragile spirit in your loving hands. I now let go. I now bow my head and quiet myself. I ask you to enter my mind and my body with all healing and your great love. I accept your care for me. I now offer you my humble gratitude in prayer.  I love you Lord Jesus. I need your complete  protection. Amen.

My Friday Devotional – posted Sunday , Nov 7th

Hear me, my loving father God……you are in me, and I am in You. I feel it. It is a mystery to me. You always are there to uphold me. But I fall short Lord Jesus. Your divine presence is deep in me even when I may feel lost. I have no human relationship that can take this place. I know that even people who are married cannot know all the thoughts and feelings of their spouse, but I know that you know everything about me. You even know my tomorrow. As your child, I know that my feelings of aloneness and are not so. They are a false belief.

In You Lord Jesus, I live and move and have my entire being. Being joined with You, makes every moment of my life meaningful. I humbly thank you now, for your presence and for making me alive and so very complete. Amen.  

My Friday Devotional

All Saints Day, November 1st, is one of the most important Christian days of the year. We remember all those saints who have passed before us. The  “saints of God” are those who have led particularly holy lives. They serve as examples for us today, and many Christians believe that the saints intercede for us in heaven.

I give honor to all those in my family who have interceded to almighty God on my behalf. They held me up as an offering of mercy that the Lord would direct and protect my path. Thanks to their intercessions, I have been blessed with a life for which I am exceedingly grateful. All glory and honor to You O’ Lord for hearing their petitions, for me and my life, now and forever more.

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For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
who thee , by faith, before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever bless’d.
Alleluia, alleluia!

Friday Devotional

The Holy Spirit of God is our Helper, our teacher of Truth, and our intercessor with God.

John 14: 15-17

Jesus says:  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

Jesus knew that when He ascended into heaven, the world would need the Spirit of God with them, and so He sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

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Oh Holy Spirit, come be with me now. I need your loving guidance  I need to place my refuge in you. You are the Lord and Savior of my whole life and my whole being .I am dependent and gratefully  encouraged by your shadowing over me in every step, word and action I take. I give you my heart and soul in complete abandonment this very moment.

I will be in your garden today with a new human soul. May your spirit flow from you to me and to those I am with today. Amen

 

Friday Devotional (Revised)

Today was a beautiful day in Gods World……..and a new gardening assignment on Lyons Lane. Our client is getting ready to sell her property. She lives in Falls Church. Her townhouse is empty and we have carved out four hours, as a “special request,” to bring her yard up to snuff for an Open House this weekend.  Our pleasure!  And our morning began at 6:56?am,  Gods sun trying to break through the clouds. Our Sovereign God in all his glory, was our witness this morning.

How great is thy faithfulness, Oh God  my Father, morning by morning new mercies I see, all I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.  

6:56 am Friday, October 8, 2021

7:00 am

                             7:27?am

Great Is Thy Faithfulness….  Oh God….My Father.  Amen

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Video of our completed work for today. Thank you my generous and ever loving and faithful Jesus for sustaining our energy, after a very busy week, so that we could complete this work today, making our homeowner very happy. She thought we were not going to be able to squeeze her work in to our week. it was a blessing for her and for us  Amen

 

 

My Friday Devotional

                 LILY PAD

Genesis 2: 2-3, Exodus 23:12

It is easy to feel like there are not enough hours in the day to fulfill our purpose, but the Bible reminds us over and over,  that rest is an important part of how we best fulfill our purposes.

Psalm 91:4

Rest is a part of God’s design for our lives. Let’s pause and seek God in prayer, asking him to “cover us with his feathers” so we can find rest and refuge in him.

We often pretend to rest. We take a couple days off. We read, slumber and nourish ourselves with healthy foods. We relax in peace and quiet, but do we truly open up our hearts and our spirits to God’s everlasting restful peace. We can connect with Him in complete abandon. Breath his spirit into our whole body. Close our eyes, relax each limb, each muscle, and listen intently for his whispering voice. Lay quietly and wait for His  spirit to come. Pace your breath, and completely rest.

Prayer

Hear me…my Father God. I need to rest completely in you right now. I have been working and accomplishing. But today I want to share deeply in your calming spirit. I want to open myself to completely listen, to hear You and to allow your spirit to take over in my body, my mind, and my spirit in your divine rest. You are my Father, my protector and my healer.  I surrender all……I love thee Lord Jesus….and  I need thee. Oh how I need thee. Amen.