By no means am I the only one to write on this topic, and yes it is after Thanksgiving, but as we are told in the Bible, “we are to the thankful at all times” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

I cannot say with full certainty how anyone is or has been doing during 2020. Though we share in words and delight in various exchanges, I, being a human myself, know how much a person can hide within themselves, their true and solo pains. Not that this is inherently bad, just in a year that is already whack-a-doodle, I (myself) don’t want to add to people’s burdens, with something that perhaps is fleeting within my own mind space.

Alas, in month 10 of quarantine and the final month of 2020, which sidebar: the jokes that hindsight is 20/20 and that 20/20 is excellent vision seems just downright ridiculous considering the year; I think I have been the most consistently thankful to God that I have ever been. Though days are repetitive and sometimes so are my prayers, I end this year seeing things a whole lot different than how it started. God provides for us so much that we truly don’t need but want in order to make our lives “better” or “more comfortable”, but what value do things have when there are people who aren’t going to spend forever with the Trinity?

A downside of so many repetitive days has brought an invasion of my mind focused on past failings for sure. Not just I, but my husband and my mother have had to struggle with things from the collective years of our lives coming into our memory, taunting us, and reminding us of sins long forgiven. What I focus on when those times come is a simple truth, without the mighty hand of God, I would not have made it through. I am thankful for Him sparing my life and leading me to this time and place, albeit not ideal by normal standards. There was a time when I longed to be around my mother, to get to spend time with her as death has always seem to hang over her, but God in His mercy has granted us time together. Well her story from start to what will one day be her end if nothing but a testimony to God, but it is not the time for me to go into that now. 

But in this time of Covid, continued times of lock-downs, isolations, and whatever else may come (because really can we ever even go back to life like before?), open yourself up to see what all God truly has done FOR you instead of all that we have had to seemingly “give up” for the sake of saving others physical lives. Ask Him to show you what you can do for Him, for His kingdom in this season of the world, or in preparation for whatever lies around the next turn the world takes. Remembering that you, being a child of God, are ultimately safe and secure, for it is written:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and
they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father,
who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
I and the Father are one.”
John 10:27-30 (NIV)

If you are not yet counted as one of His sheep (bka saved aka reborn), but want to know more information you can find it here.

If you need prayer or someone to talk to, there is someone waiting to speak to you (you can text or call): 1-877-800-PRAY

Peace, love, and blessings to you through our Savior, Jesus Christ. 💙

 

As I was laying down to sleep on Wednesday night I was quite restless. Perhaps it was the late-night chocolate, or perhaps it was that state of the world, or even could have been me staring at my phone screen for too long playing Fishdom. Regardless of the reason, I routed to Youtube to stream the book of Psalms with music in order to go to sleep. Upon my journey to slumberland, a collection of verses rang out to me upon hearing them. 

 

 

Psalms 9:15-20 (NKJV)
The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.
But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.
Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal.

I am not sure how long after hearing this I fell asleep, but when I woke up (2 hours early) I was reminded of my mental note to share this on the blog.

It is a jaw drop verse set for me in relation to what we as a country, nation, and world are going through right now. Like there is no doubt that we, as a whole, have turned our back or stepped away from God (the true creator God, accessible through Jesus alone who gifts His precious Holy Spirit upon all who believe), because like umm yeah. While I am not here to debate that, simply put the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), and from I can see these definitely are not the top attributes of humankind.

Do I think all is lost? No, I don’t. I only think all is lost if someone takes their last breath and hasn’t accepted Jesus Christ as savior. There is no reason why “we” the individual, and “we” the people, cannot do better or be better, regardless of what our family, friends, or government officials say. Does being better mean acknowledging who the Trinity is? Yes. Because it is from God we get moral law, by Jesus Christ'ss sacrifice and resurrection are we redeemed, and it is by His Spirit we are transformed evermore.

Looking for encouragement, guidance, or inspiration? We have been watching Charles Stanley, Michael Youssef, and Allan Parr. in the recent weeks for our daily devotional time. May they be of benefit to you, as they have been to us and so many others. 

Peace, love, and blessings to you, through our Savior, Jesus Christ! 💙

First and foremost I hope all who read this are doing well. That even if you might be going through something, that you have a peace within side you that transcends because of the Holy Spirit. Many I know at this current time are longing to go home (aka heaven), but as more people long I can't help but think of how many people I know wouldn't be in attendance. If you have ever wanted to know more about God and/or being saved please check out the links below. Or I would be happy to chat, always about anything! 

~~~~

Gender and gender roles is a topic that is on a lot of tongues these days. Take a listen to this very short video with John Piper which might bring encouragement to you as a woman or it might even make you question what you believe on the topic. I am withholding my own opinions at this time but just felt led to share it. 

(View On Youtube)

Peace, love and blessings to you, through our Savior, Jesus Christ. 💙

What is required for Salvation?
Can you believe this?
Salvation / Sinners Prayer 

This might not be the easiest verse blast to read, but it is so important. God is love, but one day, there will be a final judgment for each individual, and as the verses below will show, God is actually "judging" the nations at all times. This is His right, as Creator of the world, and I hope that the words below (listed from Old Testament to New) will ultimately encourage you to draw closer to the Trinity, realizing your need for a Savior for payment for your sins, and provide hope for that which is and that which is to come. 

As always, love, peace, and blessings to you, through our savior, Jesus Christ. 💙

Love, peace and blessing to you, through our Savior, Jesus Christ. 💙

Have you ever woken up from a restful sleep and the first thing that enters your mind are “way/ways you went wrong” in your past? Well that is totally what happened to me last tonight, and it was a particular event that happened before I even reached high school, so like 23 years ago.

What-the-what I found myself questioning as I tossed and turned at 1:45 a.m., trying to go back to sleep, however, nope that was not how it all played out. Instead, I came, sat at my computer and started watching Youtube videos, pinning, and all the while reminding myself about forgiveness.

I must write to share that I give God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit many thanks, praise and adoration for everything, for being with me, and keeping me around (in this world) even though I fallen many times. There have been times in my life when I sought death, lived like I did not know God (even though I 100% did), and just royally messed stuff up. However, God is a mighty God, and as we are told in, 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” The Creator knows us better than we know ourselves, and has a purpose and plan for you and I, Psalm139.   

As I have shared, this whole pandemic – house locked time has allowed me a lot of time to reconnect and refocus. However, with that has come a fair bit of condemnation for things in my past. Even though I have repented, and I didn’t know what I didn’t know at the time (in regard to some teachers / preachers I used to listen to), it still happens.  We all grow, change and evolve during our lives (or should), and not only do we need to ask God for forgiveness, but we need to accept it ourselves, and extend that forgiveness to others. Also I write condemnation, because I sincerely believe most (if any) of this is not coming from God, because there is normally a small after echo that tells me to “stop doing all things for God and the Kingdom because you are not worthy and it isn’t worth it”, so yeah …

This is not saying I am never brought under conviction, but there is a difference. I found a post that sums it up pretty well :

• Conviction is from God (accept it); condemnation is from Satan (reject it).
• Conviction leads you to repentance; condemnation drives you to despair.
• Conviction inspires you to keep striving; condemnation tells you to quit.
• Conviction says God will help you; condemnation says there’s no hope for you.
• Conviction shows you the answer; condemnation only shows you the problem.
• Conviction helps you change; condemnation says you’ll never change.

Also, we are told in the Bible, that God doesn’t remember our sins (Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”) and an article (audio and text) by John Piper can be found here in more detail on that topic, should your desire further study.

Yet, we are told multiples times that we will be attacked by the evil of this world (spiritual warfare), and to be honest, all I want (and I will say it on repeat for years to come), is that people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and develop a personal relationship with the Trinity (Creator God, Son/Savior Jesus and Helper Holy Spirit). I’ve always written in hopes that I can encourage, plant a seed, water what has already been planted, but in no way think myself higher than anyone, and surely not better than the Redeemer of this world, for only by His sacrifice can I be called worthy.

I conclude with this, no one knows the time or place of Jesus’s return (rapture and/or 2^nd "official coming" aka anti-Christ dethroned), but what I do know is that there isn’t a better time than now, to accept that Jesus Christ is the risen Son of the Holy God, and give your life over to Him.

This is why I write. This is why I design pins. This is why I help and do everything else that I do.

I know where I am going when I take my final breath, do you?

Love, peace, and blessings to you through the Savior, Jesus Christ. 🖤

As the nation around us celebrates our 'independence', I have a mixed headspace with what all else is going on here in our country, social unrest, political absurdity, and the pandemic. Our county is the worst in the state at the moment, and we are not in the same county as Atlanta. People in the masses are not adhering to the rules, and even some of my friends think it is a lie (though I know someone who passed away from Covid-19 and another who recovered). I have found myself becoming consumed with who is doing what, and why aren't they doing a, b or c when those options are "clearly" the better choices for humankind. However, I can talk, text, or write until I pass out, but ultimately each of us is grown and responsible for our own lives/choices. It was upon hearing this video I finally realized that what was going on, and that is that my focus in these moments are off of Jesus, and drowning in the world. 

When I reflect on what quarantine life has been for me, outside of everyone else and everything outside of my control, it has been pretty great. The reason for that is because it has given me a lot of time to realign, refocus, and reconnect with the One who gave His life for mine, and it is something I want to hold on to. I have been many people in my life (as I am sure you have too), made good choices and bad choices, but I am always my best when I am in constant communion with God, and doing what He desires for me to do every day. Also, I am stuck in my *first purchased home* with my (sweetie buns) hubs and awesome Momma, who are my top 2 peeps in this world. 

So I pen this to say, if you are feeling anxious, depressed, confused, or baffled, take a moment to reflect and ask God to show you "what the in the bananas is up" because He will answer you, though sometimes it might come from an unlikely source, and not the moment you asked for it. 

So freedom eh? Though I see-saw thoughts on just "how free are we" in America from time to time, I do know that freedom in Christ is 100% real. 

Here is what the Billy Graham Evangelical Association has to say on freedom, from the article found here. 

1. People have been searching for it for thousands of years.

The quest for freedom is a theme found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Just three chapters into the story of God’s creation, humanity gave up its freedom by choosing to rebel against God. From that time forward, the perfect freedom God created in the Garden of Eden was gone, and the long-term effects were both physical and spiritual.

The Old Testament of the Bible records how God’s people lost their physical freedom time and again as various empires overtook them (most notably the Egyptians, as recorded in the book of Exodus).

The loss of physical freedom was often tied to spiritual disobedience like worshiping false gods. But time and again, the one true God forgave His people and rescued them. When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He was foreshadowing the arrival of Jesus Christ, who came to free humanity from sin—the spiritual slavery that leads to death.

Today, many people are living in spiritual slavery without realizing it. They chase false gods of money, success, personal comfort and romantic love—only to realize they still have an emptiness that can’t be filled by any of those things.

2. God’s answer to our loss of freedom has always been Jesus Christ.

When Jesus began his short period of ministry on the earth, He announced He was the One that God’s people had been waiting for since the fall of humanity. He did this by reading a particular passage from the book of Isaiah—a passage his listeners knew was referring to the Messiah, or the Savior of the world.

The words had been written hundreds of years earlier and spoke of a new freedom that was coming in the future. When Jesus stood up to read, He was saying the future had arrived. Liberty would come through Him.

“And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:17-21).

3. Jesus came to free us from death, sin and anything that enslaves us.

The core message of the Christian faith—the Gospel—is that Jesus Christ rescues us from the slavery of sin and offers true freedom in this life and beyond. This is what Jesus said:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The Good News—the best news ever—is that faith in Jesus frees us from the death we deserve for sinning against God. It frees us from the punishment that would be inflicted upon us at the end of our lives for the evil things we’ve thought and done.

While Christ followers still battle with sin, they are no longer slaves to it. Through the power of Christ, His people can be set free from the bondage of greed, vanity, pride, pornography, addiction, abusive behavior, gluttony, selfishness—and any other sin under the sun. Here’s what Jesus said about the freedom He offers:

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36).

4. God gives us freedom to choose our own path.

God created human beings, not robots. We don’t have to accept the freedom He offers us through Jesus Christ. He gives each person the free will to accept or reject His salvation. But the Bible warns that hell is a real place where real people end up when they knowingly reject the truth.

Likewise, those who choose Christ are not forced to obey Him at every turn. But God makes it clear: the best life is one that’s devoted to honoring Him. As the Apostle Paul explained to some of the first Christians:

“’All things are lawful for me,’” but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Coram Deo awesome humans ❤ 

& 

Peace and blessings to you through Jesus Christ. ✞

For as long as I can remember I have always struggled with wanting to be perfect. Not in a prideful way, but just in a, to be perfect is to be 100% and doesn’t perfection mean no problems, or issues, or failings, guilt or shame and everything would be all good, all the time?

My perfection idealism, I have been shown, is a longing for Heaven. It isn’t just me who I want to be perfect, I want everything and everyone to be perfect as well.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

While we cannot be perfect (completely sinless) in this life, we can work every day at being refined by the Creator. There was a perfect one, Jesus and His life had issues and problems, though he had no failings, He was sinless. And by His sinlessness, sacrifice, and resurrection, God looks at us (those who have accepted Him as savior) as perfect too.

This is the good news, the gospel, the message of salvation.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
1 John 3:5 (NKJV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (ESV)

Please do not be discouraged either when I write we cannot be completely sinless. I know there is some debate on this topic. However, let's be real with one another, the world we live in is pretty vile, and God’s ways/nature is on point, pure and above that which we can comprehend at times. Do we in 2020 even know every time we do fall anymore, as sin is stitched through the fabric of our society? Not that we are under the law but look at it for comparison in this instance, the rules, and regs that were set forth, or look at the 10 commandments and compare that with some of the shows we all watch. Though we are not “doing it ourselves” does focusing our mind on such things have the potential to distort us and cause us to fall (even if in other ways), I do think so.

Whew. 

Ok this has taken a bit of an unexpected turn as writing has continued, and I will conclude with this.

As always, I do not write things from a lofty, above everyone else, perspective. I do not think I am better than any of you and, if anything (from time to time), I feel like the worst human that ever has existed. It is only by Jesus Christ, do I have hope. There are many wrong choices I have made in life, even knowing the truth of Salvation and having a relationship with the Trinity, because of free will. Yet, we always have the chance to pick up, start again, and be a better person through the Trinity. Memories of my past try to eat away at my future, but I know and trust that what is in God’s word is true.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:15-17 (NIV)

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:11-12 (NIV)

Peace and blessings to you through Jesus Christ. ❤

Howdy folks - 

Have you been living under a rock like me? Well, at least a Youtube boulder where you never really got into viewing on the regular and only just recently subscribed to your first few channels? 

It all started in support of my in-laws who are full-time RV nomads as I wanted to help them move their channel along Our Epic Field Trip. Pretty interesting (and breathtaking) videos for sure, and I am so happy for them to be on this journey after years dedicated to the corporate hussle. So I do recommend to check 'em out, but I return to the title of this post ... 

Have you all heard of The Bible Project? They are a 5-year-old Youtube channel with a mission, the best mission there is actually. As noted in their bio:

Our mission is to help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus. We are a crowd-funded non-profit, creating videos that walk through the narrative of the Bible, book-by-book and theme-by-theme.  

I have checked out a few of their uploads and let me say, I AM HOOKED. I am renewed, I am excited, and I am feeling that this channel was just what I needed in order to speak to me at this point in my life, to get me off of this world and into the Word. Not sure if you have noticed, but humanity has gone a little crazy, and it has left me very disheartened on the daily. But alas JESUS IS EVERLASTING HOPE and nothing is going down that wasn't foretold, but still I am human. 

It is my hope that if you have not already been blessed by the creators of this wonderful outreach,  that you take a moment to watch their "about us" videos below and head over to their channel to check out something that sparks your interest about the greatest book ever. 

May you have a wonderful and fantastic day/night, and may the love and truth of Jesus live in your heart always. 

✝❤☺, 

Hollie Marie 

If you never read anything else ever on this blog, I urge to at least listen to this message, “Jesus Rose From The Dead .. So What?” by Michael Youssef. It is one of the best teachings I have ever listened to.

Seriously.

Ever.

I urge you to check it out, it is less than 30 minutes, and I can assure you that you will be blessed by the words, the truth of the message that is never changing, and all powerful.

Check out the sermon on LTW's website here.

Corresponding verses are as follows ->

1 Corinthians 15:1-9 (The Resurrection of Christ)
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day pin accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Dear Reader -
May you be blessed with the fulness of the presence of the Holy Spirit as you go through-out your days. May you stand firm in the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ alone, and be fearless in your efforts to make Him know to all. In Jesus name ♥

The following was adapted to modern English by Grace Gems. It was stumbled upon when I was doing a Google search for the terms for another item - however I am blessed to have come across it. What powerful words given over 150 years ago that still ring true today. As it is told and tested, God's love, who He is, and the truth of Salvation, is never-changing!

Loved and Blessed
by James Smith, 1860

To love, and be loved — is real happiness. When we look around and feel that we love all we know, and believe that all who know us have kindly feeling towards us — it is most pleasant.

Much of the happiness of heaven consists in this, that each one loves the whole, and the whole loves each one. Yes, all is love there. The saints love the angels, and the angels love the saints, and God loves them both.

Our highest honor, and our sweetest happiness below, is to be beloved of God. For if God loves us, he will bless us; and however he may try us, he will withhold no truly good thing from us.

He used Israel of old to punish his foes, and to execute the decrees of his justice; to encourage them in which, his servant Moses assured them, "The Lord your God shall keep unto you, the covenant and the mercy which he swore unto your fathers; and he will love you, and bless you." Deuteronomy 7:13. Israel represents true believers; and what was spoken to them — will apply to us. If therefore we are . . .
doing the will of God from the heart,
making his word our rule, and
making his glory our aim —
he will love us and bless us!

"He will love you." WHOM will he love? Israel, as delivered from bondage Egypt, brought into the wilderness, and now a poor helpless people.

That is, he will love US, who are delivered from . . .
the bondage of the law,
the tyranny of Satan, and
the spirit of this world.

He will love us, to whom the world is a wilderness, yielding us neither contentment, satisfaction, nor delight. He will love us, though poor — poor in this world, poor in spirit, and poor in our experience. He will love us, having nothing to present to him, and unable to do anything worthy of him. He will love us, not only poor — but ungrateful, and often complaining — when we ought to be praising; and murmuring — when we ought to be filled with gratitude. Therefore we are utterly unworthy — unworthy of the lowest place in his house, to be the lowest drudge in his service, or to share in his most distant regard. But, as believing in Jesus, as united to Jesus, as acknowledged by Jesus — he will love us, and bless us.

WHAT will God do for His people? He will LOVE them freely!

He will prefer you to all others — setting His eye and His heart upon you.

He will take you into fellowship — the nearest, dearest, sweetest fellowship with Himself.

He will make you happy with the persuasion of the facts . . .
that He has loved you with an everlasting love,
that He delights in His love to you, and
that He will ever love you freely!

O blessed state — that the great, the infinite, the holy Lord God, will love a worm like me . . .
preferring me even to the angels;
indulging me with the freest, sweetest fellowship with Himself;
and sweetly persuading my soul of His eternal love to me!

"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely — for my anger has turned away from them!" Hosea 14:4

WHY will He love me? Just because He will. The cause, the reason — is to be found in His loving heart, and sovereign will alone. Not because I am good, or amiable, or can repay His love — for He loves freely, and fixes His love on the most unlikely and unworthy objects!

Lord, help me to believe the love which You have to me, and to love You in return! O shed abroad Your sweet love in my heart, and fill that heart with glowing love to You! "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you!" Jeremiah 31:3

"He will bless you." Yes — and bless you like a God!

He will bless you with the knowledge of himself — with such an acquaintance with himself, as will . . .
draw out your heart to him,
fix your affections upon him,
divorce you from all beside him.

He will bless you with likeness to himself, stamping his image on the soul, and making your life reflect his moral perfections.

He will bless you with a fitness to dwell with himself, in the world of light, holiness, and love. O what a mercy to know God in Jesus, to be like God, and to be qualified to dwell with God forever!

He will bless your temporal mercies — your bread and your water, your going out and coming in. He will bless you, not only in your person — but in your relationships, and will make you a blessing to others.

What an inestimable privilege to be blessed by God . . .
blessed in body and soul,
blessed in temporals and spirituals,
blessed in time and eternity!

To be blessed as only God can bless, and to be blessed by God with all his heart and soul.

Precious state! My soul, hide it deep in your heart, that God, the Author and giver of every good and perfect gift, will indeed love you and bless you!

God's love is always free and unchangeable. Everything outside of God will change — but his love is immutable!

God's blessing is infinite and eternal. We cannot fully understand, what it is for God to bless — as an expression of his love. There is a vastness, a dazzling glory in it. To be blessed of God — is to be blessed forever.

But HOW may I know that God will love me? Hear his word, "I love them that love me, and they that seek me early shall find me." Do you love God? If not, will you seek him? If you do, you will find him, perceive his glory, and soon love him. Hear the Savior, "The Father loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God." Do you love Jesus? Do you believe that he came from God? If so, you . . .
entrust him with the salvation of your soul,
rely on his precious promises,
and obey his holy precepts.

In so doing, you prove your love to him, and there can be no question but that "he will love you, and bless you."

Would you be truly blessed — blessed of God, blessed now, and blessed forever more? Would you be blessed with all that you need, all that you can enjoy, and all that you can turn to a good account? Just follow the Savior's advice, and you shall be so, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Seek principally, seek especially, to enter the kingdom, to extend the kingdom, to be an ornament to the kingdom. Seek . . .
to possess the righteousness which Jesus has wrought,
to experience the righteousness, which the Holy Spirit produces,
and to perform the righteousness which Jesus requires
 — and so will you be entitled to appropriate the language of Moses to yourself, "He will love you, and bless you!"


My Savior's ever watchful eye,
Is over me for good;
What will he not on me bestow,
Who has himself bestowed?

Sorrows, and agonies, and death,
You did endure for me,
When all the sins of God's elect,
Were made to meet on thee.

Exult, my soul, your safety stands
Unshaken as his throne,
His people's everlasting life
Is founded on his own!

 ❤❤❤

As I said it my insides knew something wasn’t right, although culturally acceptable, so many people use the word, believers and non-alike it didn’t taste right coming out of my mouth … “well you know karma” is what I said, while having a conversation with someone on checking if something was accurately mine or not … which lead me to ask, does the word karma even have a place in a follower of Jesus’ life?

So, it originates from the Buddhist and Hindu religions, and it would be hard pressed to go a day without hearing or reading it, right?

Karma is defined as the following: 

 - action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation: in Hinduism one of the means of reaching Brahman. - the cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person's deeds in the previous incarnation. - fate; destiny. - the good or bad emanations felt to be generated by someone or something

So in pursuit of knowledge, I worked the Google, and came upon a few other blurbs and blogs on the topic.

On Crosswalk there is a heartfelt writing, What’s The Difference Between Grace and Karma by Sarah Coleman:

“The Bible does not teach karma. It teaches grace. 
Grace is where you get what you don't deserve. 
Grace is unmerited favour. It is love and mercy 
bestowed upon us by God because He desires us 
to have it. As you can see, very different to karma. 
More like polar opposites.”

On Compelling Truth the question is asked straight forward, What Does The Bible Say About Karma? It concludes that, “It is only through Jesus' sacrifice that our good deeds will produce any real good” (Philippians 2:13). It goes on to share Galatians 6:7-8 that reads, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we can read that is says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” Being told even prior to that in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

These all point to what we, as Christians, believers of the One true God, and His Son (our Savior), should focus on .. the bigger picture (the reason we are here), advancing God’s kingdom, as there are only one of two possible outcomes for everyone once this life has concluded. The price of our sins have been paid, yes we may stumble and fall, but glory be, Jesus’s death and resurrection has set us free! So as believers of Jesus, we do not have to live by the fear or trappings of the idea of karma. The Bible is clear that good and bad falls on the just and unjust, but the way to secure your forever is to accept and declare the truth that Jesus IS savior, as by Him alone are we reconciled to the Father. No amount of good deeds or “right” behavior can earn our way to a blissful eternity. “It is a free gift, so that no man can boast.” While we should try (and try again) to do that which is right, and operate out of love, we do not have to live with the fear that karma lends notion to. 

Rejoice, I say, rejoice. Give thanks to the Creator for His wonderful plan, for Jesus’ obedience to the Father, and for the Spirit that guides!

For further reading check out “Reaping What You Sow: Christian Karma” on Crosswalk.com by Whitney Hopler.

Happy Valentine’s Day! It is quite interesting, as my life is changing, and I am celebrating my first Valentine’s with someone in quite some time, I find myself thinking on the word “love” and what it means more and more. As one who has struggled somewhat with self love in the past, and seeing myself as God sees me, I am using this change – full of compliments (or as he says, observations) to learn more and more how God sees me. For as if this human can think such great things about me, how much more than does the Father, creator of all things, truly care for His creation? For the individual, and for the whole? Well, we know the answer, enough to send His son to die, so you can be redeemed back to Him! Amen, how thankful we should all be. ❤ In this time of seeming confusion and chaos how important it is for us all to embrace God’s love to us, love ourselves as He loves us, and share that love with others! May it not be something we just say in passing, but something we all truly embrace!

1 Corinthians 13:4-13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Edit: As seasons above may come and go, I wanted to remind you that you can ALWAYS trust in the truth that the Father's love will never change or alter for you. He loves you the same now, as the day you were created. Nothing you do will ever be a surprise to Him, He knows you to your very core, past, present and future. May you learn to take the good and the bad (every opportunity) in life to grow, and become closer to Jehovah, and seek to do His will. He has great plans for your future! :) 

There are 277 bible verses in the ESV translation with the word light in them or a variation of it, below is just a sampling. It was such a delight this Sunday while we spoke it centered on just that, light... being the light, sharing the light, without a doubt truly Spirit given. To be honest I cannot remember 100% what I said, but I know it was about always standing up for Jesus, and being able to be a witness regardless of where you are in life (on the streets or in a penthouse). So in turn, I share some verses below to those who happen to stumble upon this page. I also recommend checking out this blog posting at the Unveiled Wife “Are We Living In Gods Light”, “How Bright Is Your Light” at Creative Ladies Ministry and give a little watch to this on SkitGuys.

For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. Psalm 18:28

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Psalm 118:27a

Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. Ecclesiastes 2:3

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment. Isaiah 50:10-11

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17

If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light. Luke 11:36

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. John 1:4-5

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

May you be engulfed in peace in the Spirit of the Lord in Jesus name.