The morning is wonderful time to open God’s Word and whisper a heartfelt prayer. There is no better way to start the day than to hear from and talk to our Heavenly Father.

Today’s verse sparkles with God’s sacrificial love and desire for relationship with us! Doesn’t it knock your socks off to think that the God of heaven and earth knows us and wants to be known by us so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son!?!

God’s ways are blessed, clean, pure, good, humble and perfect in every way… There truly is none like Him! There is no other god as great as our God!

Oh to mount up with wings as eagles, to soar 6,000 feet above the weight of our own sin and failures, to rise above the minutia of the messy world we live in, and to simply enjoy the stength, the wind of His love under our wings. Wait, it is coming!

Life’s recipe is more delicious when the main ingredient is LOVE! Thank You, Lord, for loving us and enabling us to share the bounty!

Our Lord forgives our sins over and over again…hurling them into the deepest sea where they are gone and buried forever! He edits our story and titles it “Forgiven” because His tender compassion is endless and His mercies never fail!

God’s grace gave us salvation through Jesus Christ, that is what He did ‘for’ us. Through His Word, He works ‘in’ us to grow in knowledge, wisdom, insight and understanding…It is His spiritual fitness plan for a godly life!

For some things we give, there is immediate gratification (i.e., a hug generally receives a hug in return)…Other things may go unnoticed until heaven (i.e., anonymously meeting needs or financial giving). Either way, it is a win-win!

Jesus will be our best friend through thick and thin…He loves us, cares about everything we care about and will stay by our side through all of life’s ups and downs. He is the One who sticks closer than a brother!

No matter how desperate we are or how alone and far away we may feel, the Lord is right here with us and He hears even the faintest cry for help.

The One who stilled the storm to a quiet little whisper and caused the waves to hush can bring a sweet calm and hush to our lives as well…guiding us to our desired, safe Haven.

God’s unfailing love is priceless and invaluable…and yet He freely gives it to every one of His dear children, welcoming us under the protective cover of His wings. Priceless, absolutely priceless!!

Our most secure place of refuge is in the fortress of the Lord! It is there that we find the abundant life He has for us…like a compliant child who simply enjoys pleasing a loving parent and being in their presence!

We can lay our heads down in peace, knowing our Wonderful Counselor will guide and instuct our hearts in the way we should go.

Have no fear! Out of God’s giant love, He sacrificed His only Son for us. This perfect love gives us every reason to trust Him boundlessly! And this same God who gave so much to prove His love will continue to care for us, His cherished children!

The same Lord who guided and protected His children through the desert for forty years – using a cloud to shade them by day and fire to warm them by night – is still watching over His children today. His love is steadfast and His mercies never fail!

We may not even realize it, but God’s light reflects from our lives when we spend time in His Presence…praying, reading His Word, worshiping, you name it. And just like Moses, unbeknownst to us, our faces will be radiant! Shine, Jesus, Shine!

The Lord is our one sure Deliverer! Life is fragile and people are fallible. Everything and everyone in this life can fail at one time or another, including us, but the Lord never fails. Pray, wait and trust…Our loving Father wants to bless His children!

It is only human to think that the most important gifts are the ones seen by all, but God decides who He uses, and He gives us wisdom and understanding to know how. Every talent, every gift, every life is profitable in His hands and for His Kingdom!

God’s Word makes it possible to have hearts that beat to the rhythm of His love, grace, mercy and wisdom as we go into every situation. He gave us this day, another opportunity to serve Him and others. Thank You, Lord…please help us make it count!

The same Lord, the same power that is mighty to save our souls is just as mighty, just as present through all the struggles and troubles of this life. He is our lifelong, eternal salvation and stronghold! Hallelujah!!

What a blessing it is to know that the Lord takes care of us as an outpouring of His love. Though our love for Him and His Word may waver, His love and care for us is steadfast, constant and dependable…because He is Love!

Because of His great love, God sacrificed His one and only Son for our redemption…the forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness is giving ‘before’ it is earned or deserved. God did it, how can we do any less! It is here, in forgiveness that we find true freedom!

Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He absolutely DELIGHTS in time alone with us…time when we can speak truth to Him and listen as He applies wisdom to our inner hearts…wisdom that affects how we live and treat those we know and love.

Even modern science has no idea how high the heavens really are, and yet God’s love is higher than that! And no matter how high we jump or fly, His faithfulness is higher than the unreachable sky! There is none like Him!

Jesus loves me, this I know…God’s message is real and sure, and our part is to accept His Gift and His direction for our lives. Billy Graham was an example of this, keeping the message clear and following God’s leading. May we ever do the same!

God gives purpose to every age and stage of our lives…our part is to appreciate the seasons with thanksgiving for all He has done in the past, is doing in the here and now, and will do in the future…trusting in His faithfulness to all generations.

“Whoever” is ALL encompassing! It means that anyone, everyone…regardless of age, gender, race or reputation…is accepted by God when we do one thing His way…accept the amazing sacrificial gift of His Son! Whoever! Me! You! All!

When we hold onto the hand of the Lord, He helps us walk on water with Him, reflecting our trust in Him through all of life’s storms.

God sees us, hears us and speaks to us through His Word, His Creation, other people and life itself. Our part is to simply watch for Him, listen for His voice and converse with Him too. Stand, look, listen…He is there…He is HERE!

As sure as the light of the sun and the waves of the sea, hope in our faithful God will not disappoint! His answers are dependable, righteous and awesome…giving us every reason to join in joyful harmony with all creation and sing of His glory!

Love is all of these things listed and so much more…each quality has been exemplified through Jesus’ sacrificial love for all mankind. Oh, to know it and feel it so completely from Him, and to live it out in the same selfless, patient, kindest of ways!

Time spent with our Heavenly Father is vital…It is in His presence that we find wisdom, guidance and strength for whatever the day may bring.

The Great I AM is more real, more wonderful, more tangible than any mountain we climb, any ocean we dive into, anything we can see with our eyes, touch with our hands or feel in our bones! He is right here, right now, for real!

God’s Son lights our way through the ocean of life, leading us ashore to find safe harbor in Him…our Achor of Hope.

No matter how messy life gets, our Savior stretches out His hand to draw us out of the muck and mire of our troubles. He delights in rescuing us!

We can cower in fear because of how big our giant is, or we can walk in faith because of how GIANT our GOD is!

Only His grace can truly save, keep, heal, deliver and bless…so if we boast in anything, it is the unchanging, infallible, saving, keeping, healing, delivering grace of God!

Through Christ, we are spotless in God’s eyes…It is because of Jesus’ righteousness and finished work on the cross, not of ourselves, that we are guaranteed this miracle! HE is our righteousness!

When the peace of God fills our hearts, we can sleep in safety…like a baby!

The same God who gave us His timeless Word will remember all He has said…Our faith and trust emerge as we take note and remember His promises as well!

Even on one of our most ordinary days God’s extraordinary creation shouts to exalt Him…and so can we! Glory to His Name!

When the Bible becomes our joy and delight and we move from mere knowledge to deeply comprehending and absorbing its truths, we have encountered Jesus Himself, the Living Word.

We call, the Lord listens…What a blessing to know He is always near. 🙂

God’s character never changes…He was true to His Word in the past and He is true to His Word today. He still hears His children’s cries for help and He remembers every promise He ever made.

Worshiping the Lord brings every part of our lives into perspective…His perspective, which is much clearer than our own. Have a blessed Sunday loving our Maker who loves each of us with an everlasting love!

God is faithful to provide an escape from temptation…Just when we think we might crumble under the pressure, He makes a way out.

God’s Word guarantees unfailing love and redemption through His Son Jesus Christ. There is no greater hope than this!

There is not a road we travel nor a door we try where the Lord has not gone before us forging through the wilderness and breaking down every barrier. Wherever our journey takes us, He can make a way!

As we pour over God’s Timeless Word, He pours the continual sweet honey of wisdom and hope into our hearts and minds. We can taste and see that it is good!

Like yeast that rises far beyond it’s original size, we can place our meager gifts into the Sunday offering plate or the hands of beggars, and God will pour out blessings beyond measure…because the fact remains, we can never, ever outgive God!!

God isn’t out to get us, but to shower us with His love and grace…if we simply receive the gift He is holding out to us. And His grace is abounding, ready to help us through each and every day. (Whew! I needed that! ☺️)

God’s promises are sure and true…Wherever we are, whatever we are doing today and every day, He is watching over us! What joy, what freedom that brings!

Our Heavenly Shepherd truly loves and cares for His flock and He longs for us to hear His voice. Listening for His whispers of “I love you” will bring us sheer delight!

The God who redeemed and called us is the Faithful Restorer of everything we place in His Almighty Hands…He is our Strength and our Firm Foundation!

Faithfulness surrounds the Lord God Almighty…He can not be improved upon or surpassed, He is already everything we need. Hallelujah!

A loving home is that one place where we don’t have to be afraid and where we always feel welcome…and there is no Home like the Heart of God. As we rest in Him we are lovingly welcomed into the safest place this side of Heaven!

Nothing we give to the Creator of all things is more delightful to Him than a trusting and obedient heart.

Even from His Holy Dwelling, God sees every thing and every one… Peace penetrates our very souls as we trust Him and His loving care even when we can’t see Him.

Inviting Jesus Christ into our hearts redeems our souls, end of story! But how our story goes from now to then is our choice…and it is in choosing to learn the heart of God that we see His unconditional love and extraordinary plan for our lives unfold!

Every sunrise, every breath of life is a gift from God who renews and refreshes our inner man with each new day!

After years of waiting, God blessed Sarah with contagious laughter through the miraculous birth of a son in her old age. When we ask God for His supernatural answers to our unreasonable prayers, hilariously miraculous answers await us too!

As a runaway child forfeits the sphere of protection home offers, so does a runaway child of God…But as we willingly trust and abide in Him, He faithfully surrounds us with His unfailing love!

God’s whispering voice still speaks to the listening heart. Shhh, listen…

Jesus exemplified love as a pursuing force that is not based upon the response of the beloved…Like a river, love flows freely in one direction from the heart of God to us, to others. Free is free, and how freeing is that!!?!!

The Lord is our only source of true joy…Choosing to trust our Great Defender as we rejoice and praise His Mighty Name in every situation, exalts Him and instills deeper faith within our hearts.

Our weaknesses are opportunities for God’s strength to flourish through us for Christ’s glory and to our own sheer delight…knowing how ginormously HE picks up the slack in our lack. 🙂

Pleasant boundary lines pour from the heart of our Loving Father who wants to provide protection, guidance and security. As we accept His boundaries as an act of His love for us, we are joyfully blessed!

True worship costs the sacrifice of our hearts, wills and bodies before our King, but the result is priceless…He is highly exalted and we are richly blessed!

The same Lord who sustains us through the night will surely sustain us throughout our day. Thank You Lord!

Happy New Year! May we go into 2018, forgetting what is behind, pressing toward what is ahead and focusing fully on our heavenly goal, onward and upward…believing that as we keep step with our Savior we will never lose our way!‬

We can approach 2018 without fear…trusting instead, knowing that our loving Heavenly Father will hold our hand and faithfully help us through each new adventure!

“White as snow, white as snow. Though my sins were as scarlet, Lord, I know, Lord I know, that I’m clean and forgiven!” This is one composer’s version of Isaiah 1:18, but the best version of all is the one we get to live out through our everyday lives…knowing we truly are clean and forgiven!

“White As Snow” lyrics
Leon Olguin/Kelly Willard

White as snow, white as snow
Though my sins were as scarlet
Lord, I know, Lord, I know
That I’m clean and forgiven

Through the power of Your blood
Through the wonder of Your love
Through faith in You
I know that I can be
White as snow

Peace and gratitude are choices of the heart, choices only the Lord can sustain for us…May He reign on the thrones of our hearts in and throughout this soon approaching New Year as we thank Him for His peace.‬

Mary took God at His Word and He delivered His Power, His Shadow of love and protection over her, and He fulfilled His Promise…God’s Plan was accomplished through Mary as it is through every life yielded to Him.

God promised redemption for His children Israel, and He always does what He says He will do and more. Jesus not only came to redeem Israel, but ‘whosoever’ beleiveth in Him! Praise the Lord God who did it all for ALL of us!

Some of yesterday’s gifts were too big, too small, already a disappointment or are possibly already broken. But the everlasting, precious Gift of God’s Son is One we will treasure in our hearts more with each passing day!

Who would leave His throne in Heaven, be born in a lowly manger to a poor young couple, live a meager life as a carpenter, become an itinerate preacher with nowhere to lay his head and die on a cross for sinful mankind just to BE WITH US? ONLY JESUS!

Jesus is everything the angel said He would be… The Great Son of the Most High! Who could ask for more!!!?!!!

At Christmas and always, we can join the angels in praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest!” Even to this day and age, He is still the Giver of peace and good will…giving peace that passes human understanding to all who trust His Son.

The Angel said, “fear not,” to the shepherds…And though seeing an angel had to be quite shocking, the message was good, filled with calming peace, hope of salvation and joy for everyone, including us! Glory be to the newborn King!‬

We don’t have to miss out on experiencing God’s Miraculous Gift like the innkeeper did long ago. When we make room for Jesus and invite Him in through our heart’s door, He gladly enters!

Before the birth of Jesus, God the Father took care of every detail of His life, as He does ours. God, the very Giver of Life, gifted us with His Son so that we may have abundant life through Christ…now and forever!

Taking God at His Word, accepting and believing it with all her heart, and responding with humility, trust and obedience empowered Mary with Blessed Hope beyond her own meager understanding…as it will with us!

When things look dark and scary from our vantage point, the True Light radiates out of the darkness…Jesus, the Hope of all creation!

Our ever present Lord is our Lifelong Help and Faithful Deliverer. He will see us through a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g! 🙂

Our Heavenly Father listens when we pray and withholds no good thing…He loves us!

That thing you are trusting God for? Don’t give up, keep on praying, stay in faith! He can surely do it…because nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible for our Giant, Amazing, Matchless God!

God, summoning us by name, shows us that He knows us way before we ever know Him…He values us…We matter to Him. What a comfort!

As we humbly bow before the Lord in reverence and respect, He upholds us and lifts us up!