Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34 Message

I was blessed by this verse today! Thought I'd share it with someone else who might need it, too!

Singing for Joy

At a nursing home outreach, a nurse wheeled a man into the fellowship hall that had not joined us before, staying by his side the whole time.

I asked if anyone had a favorite song. The man began to sing: "Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art". Both his nurse and the other residents shed tears of joy, and started singing with him.

The nurse explained that the only words he had said since coming to the facility were, "Go home".

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You because You have redeemed me.

Psalm 71:23

God of Love

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10
I receive newsletters from missionaries that I met in Kansas City who are now serving in the middle east and in northern Africa. They tell of many who are turning to Jesus Christ and hungry for God's Word. These people see the injustice and cruelty every day. I pray that they know the one true God  -  the God of Love.

Father God, You alone are our refuge and our strength. May we trust in You in these troubled times.

Jesus, Be the Center of My Life

Instead of worrying, pray.

Let petitions and praises

shape your worries into prayers,

letting God know your concerns.

Before you know it,

a sense of God's wholeness,

everything coming together for good,

will come and settle you down.

It's wonderful what happens

when Christ displaces worry

at the center of your life.

Philippians 4:6

Getting Offended

One morning, I was having a wonderful time in God's Word, when I was interrupted by someone who said something very cruel and untrue about one of my family members. In an instant, I went from cloud nine to the pit! I felt like my whole day would be ruined.

I was still furious when my grandchild arrived for a visit. She noticed my open Bible beside my chair and began intently turning each page. "What are you looking for?" I asked.

"I want to see Jesus!" she told me.

"My Bible doesn't have pictures," I explained. She kept turning and found a slip of paper that I had tucked between the pages a while back. She handed it to me. In my own handwriting, it said, "Don't become offended!"

Later I thought about the fact that all of us have done wrong. All have been guilty before God. All of us have a choice to stay bitter or accept the peace Jesus has provided.

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. Isaiah 53:5 Amplified

Praising God - A Full Time Position With Benefits

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me,
bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with
lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Psalm 103:1-5

I read the inspiring book WAR ROOM this weekend, based on the Christian movie in the theaters now. It's a story of an elderly woman who spends time in her Prayer Closet, which she calls her War Room, and the many benefits that follow - far greater than her expectations.