GIVE ME SOME LIGHT

Psalm 43:3
Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell.

Isaiah 58:8
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

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Psalm 36:8-10
8 They feast on the abundance of Your house;
You give them drink from Your river of delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.
10 Continue Your love to those who know You, Your righteousness to the upright in heart. [emphasis added]

Just allow this visual to speak God's TRUTH over you as you take in His Holy Word about LIGHT - from a different perspective!

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie
[JESUS - the One I DELIGHT In]

THE GREATEST GIFT

1 Corinthians 1:7
The Message (MSG)
Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God Himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of His Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

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Romans 3:21
The Message (MSG)
[ God Has Set Things Right ] But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in Him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity He put us in right standing with Himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where He always wanted us to be. And He did it by means of Jesus Christ. [emphasis added]

Oh, somebody needs to hear this today. The greatest gift that God has ever given us is HIMSELF!

Have you opened the Gift Box yet?

Choosing JOY,
Stephanie
[JESUS - the One I DELIGHT In]

BY ENJOYING GOD

Isaiah 58:13

The Message (MSG)

"If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use My Holy Day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,' making money, running here and there— Then you'll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all. I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." Yes! God says so!

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Psalm 68:1

The Message (MSG)

Up with God! Down with His enemies! Adversaries, run for the hills! Gone like a puff of smoke, like a blob of wax in the fire— one look at God and the wicked vanish. When the righteous see God in action they'll laugh, they'll sing, they'll laugh and sing for joy. Sing hymns to God; all heaven, sing out; clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider. Enjoy God, cheer when you see Him! [all emphasis added]

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It has been said that " The chief end of man is glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Most people would not argue with that statement. However, John Piper, in his book, DESIRING GOD, changes just one word which I agree is most significant. His statement reads: "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever." That really puts the idea into an entirely new light!

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This week I had the privilege [again] to substitute teach for a Bible study in a small nursing home. The ladies there are very elderly and many have lost their loved ones. One lady said to me with sadness, "I have no one left." Yet, as I taught from Luke 15 about the prodigal son - I focused on the love that the father had when the son came home. It was great love - sacrificial love - undying love. I challenged even those ladies to love the Lord their God and to enjoy Him. I watched that very lady light up when I said to her, "But you have God and you get to enjoy Him until you see Him."

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Have you thought about that? Enjoying your God? Do you enjoy Him? How do you enjoy Him?

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I'd really like to hear some of your answers............

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Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[JESUS - the One I DELIGHT In]

BEHIND the WOOD SHED

Psalm 32: 4-6
4 For day and night
Your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer. ........Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin. ........Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;

Psalm 38:18
I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. [emphasis added]

Friends, today I come to you in humble confession before the LORD. I am VERY troubled by my sin. Yesterday I spent the day praying over a situation that I did not know the answer to. I was willing [or so I thought] to do whatever it was that God required of me. At the close of the day God removed the situation and it looked as though all was fine - at least on my end.

But as I began to examine my heart in the entire scheme of things I realized that I had not shown true compassion - the very thing that I wrote about in the last post. God presented a real person who was in dire straights. Someone hurting and beaten by life [some of her own doing and some from the doing of another]. Instead of wrapping my arms around her and loving her and showing her GRACE - I questioned her - even 'grilled' her as to how this happened. I pushed her to the Word - but pushing didn't work. Why? Because God never pushes or forces - He only - gently prods and draws us.

God took me out of the equation - not to protect me [as others had thought] - but possible to protect the other person - all because I was not ready to open my arms or my home in the fullness of GRACE to her. The very thing I desire to do, I did not do. The very thing I never want to do - I did! Is this what Paul was talking about?

Late last night I pulled out [God's perfect timing] a new Beth Moore video all about 'forgiveness' and 'practicing confession'. She said if we practice confession more often [DAILY] - we will more likely offer more grace and forgiveness to others if we can confess and allow God to pour His grace and forgiveness over us.

Friends, I'm on the anvil today. As the Lord [My Master] is teaching me - I confess my own weakness and sin to Him and to you. Believe me I do not want sympathy over this because that will not make things better. I WAS WRONG... I FAILED! Plain and simple.

Now, I must lay it down at the foot of the CROSS and allow Christ's blood to wash me clean again. He will pick me up and dust me off and gently say, "Go and sin no more."

Jesus - You know my heart today. Your grace and love have been lavished on me even in my sin. Please allow me to take up my cross and confess daily so that I may practice YOUR forgiveness, compassion and grace. May Your grace spill over onto all who come in my path. May I remember this lesson so that I don't repeat it. Thank You for your forgiveness and love as You draw me close to You today.

Choosing JOY on the Anvil,

Stephanie

[JESUS the One I THIRST For]

BATTERED and TORN

Ezra 9:8The Message
"Now for a brief time God, our God, has allowed us, this battered band, to get a firm foothold in His holy place so that our God may brighten our eyes and lighten our burdens as we serve out this hard sentence. We were slaves; yet even as slaves, our God didn't abandon us. He has put us in the good graces of the kings of Persia and given us the heart to build The Temple of our God, restore its ruins, and construct a defensive wall in Judah and Jerusalem. [emphasis added]

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Ever met Christians who just shine the light of Jesus when you are with them? They seem to have it all together, they're sitting on top of the world, praising God with all that is within them, looking all together [so you think]. Everything that you can see - looks like it's wonderful.

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I found her among the weeds.
She was barely breathing.

My heart stirred with her pain.

I felt compassion on this beauty - so frail - so broken.

Her wings were tattered and torn.

Her colorful dust had seen the day of struggle.

Someone, something... had attacked her body, her soul, her spirit, her emotions. She was so weak she could not eat. I lifted her delicate body up and placed it on the flower to see if she could

draw some nourishment. It was getting dark. I had no idea if when morning came - she would make it.

The next day while walking through the yard near where she had been, a butterfly [like her] flew by me. Was it her? Did she make it? Or was that another one who took her place?

Do you know someone who needs to be lifted with a compassionate hand? Someone broken? Someone hurting, frail or grieving? Will you pray? Will you help? Will you lift your hand?

Psalm 102:13
You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.

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Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Micah 4:6 [The Message]
"On that great day," God says, "I will round up all the hurt and homeless, everyone I have bruised or banished. I will transform the battered into a company of the elite. [emphasis added]

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[JESUS - the One I THIRST For]