March 17, 2026

Inward and Outward

April 14, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—
possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor
and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace,
regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
Matthew 5:8 AMP

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines the heart as the “…centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life.  The words, “heart” and “soul”, are often used interchangeably. The heart is the “home of the personal life”. The heart is also the “seat of the conscience” , all definitions we would agree with. Then, what is it to be pure in heart?

Most people would agree that to be pure in heart is to be cleansed, spotless.  But Chuck Smith presents the idea that one who is pure in heart mourns because of their sin and because their heart is divided.  A pure heart is one that is undivided; fleshly desires do not compete with Godly desires in the pure heart.  A pure heart embraces God and finds joy in Him.  None of which can be accomplished on our own.  A pure heart comes from God.  It is an attitude we desire.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10.

It is heart knowledge, not head knowledge…
and must be experienced inwardly before we can share it outwardly.

Proverbs 21:2
People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.

Proverbs 4:23
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

Matthew 12:34
For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 15:18
But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart,

Luke 6:45
…for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.

Being pure in heart is WHO we are, shown in WHAT we do

The blessing of being pure in heart is the ability to see God.  Many people believe this speaks to the future when we will actually, physically, see God face-to-face. What a joy that will be!  But we can also see God now.

The promise of seeing God in the present is twofold as well. We are able to see God inwardly by experiencing greater intimacy and communion with Him. God will make Himself known to us through His Word and we will become more aware of Him and His companionship. We will see His hand over us, in our lives. And as we see Him more clearly inwardly, we will begin to recognize Him more outwardly.  We will see God in the ordinary and recognize His favor on a daily basis.

When You give it to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand and they are filled with good things.
Psalm 104:28

Purity of heart leads to the inward desire to “see” God. “Seeing” God enables us to recognize the outward daily blessings and favor of God upon us.  Are you gathering up the good things God has for you?

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the blessing of being able to see You in our lives.  Increase our desire to be pure in heart so we can experience greater intimacy with You.  We recognize that being pure in heart is not something we can achieve on our own but comes through our faith by knowing You.  We lift up praise to You for the favor You rain down upon us each and every day.  In Your precious Son’s name.  Amen, so be it!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Beautiful, Terrible Cross

April 13, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

There is a beautiful terrible Cross
Where though You committed no sin
Savior, You suffered the most wicked fate
On the cruelest creation of men

Yet on that beautiful terrible Cross
You did what only You could
Turning that dark-inspired evil of hell
Into our soul’s greatest good

We see the love that You showed us
We see the life that You lost
We bow in wonder and praise You
For the beautiful terrible Cross

There on that beautiful terrible Cross
Though darkness was strong on that hill
You remained sovereign, Lord, still in control
As Your perfect plan was fulfilled

We see the love that You showed us
We see the life that You lost
We bow in wonder and praise You
For the beautiful terrible Cross

Oh, we gained the riches of Heaven
Jesus, You paid the horrible cost
We stand forgiven and praise You
For the beautiful terrible Cross

        ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥

In the Cross, in the Cross
Be my glory ever
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river

 ~  Songwriters: Todd Smith, Chad Cates, Tony Wood  ~

Performed by Selah

Additional lyrics to ‘Near The Cross‘ by Fanny Crosby and William Doane

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Despite the utter depravity, the evil, the darkness and destruction which was intended by the enemy of our soul’s on that dark, dark day…there truly never was nor ever will be any thing MORE perfectly and purely beautiful than the Cross on which the Christ accomplished God’s perfect plan. When the time came, Jesus willfully, intentionally, purposefully gave up His life. All because of love.

And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.
And at once the curtain of the sanctuary of the temple was torn
in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split.
The tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints
who had fallen asleep in death were raised [to life];
Matthew 26:50-52

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three,
because the sun’s light failed. The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle.
And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.”
Luke 23:44-46

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?”
which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “Look, He’s calling for Elijah!”
Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a reed, offered Him a drink,
and said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take Him down!”
But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last.
Then the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15:33-38

Magnificent, incredible, beautiful acts of nature happened at the very moment of Jesus’ laying down His life and offering Himself as the perfect, spotless Lamb—

  • the sky became as dark as night for three hours
  • the massive (60 foot high and four inches thick) curtain in front of the Holy of Holies in the temple at Jerusalem tore in half from TOP to bottom
  • the tombs opened and many of the believers were raised to life
  • there was an earthquake

There was nothing…at all…beautiful about the Cross itself.  But there is no denying the beautiful awesomeness, the absolute perfection in the events surrounding Jesus’ death on the Cross.

To me, the love that Jesus proved by His sacrifice of Himself…is beautiful.  The redemption of all mankind and Jesus’ presenting us all back to God the Father…is beautiful.  And the mercy and grace that was poured out on each of us…is beautiful.  What can be more beautiful than having the Hope of spending eternity in the Presence of Almighty God and our Lord, Jesus the Christ?

In the words of another songwriter, I sing,

“Oh Lord You’re beautiful…
Your face is all I seek
For when Your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Meaning of Mercy

April 11, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Matthew 5:7 NIV

mer•ci•ful

: treating people with kindness and forgiveness: not cruel or harsh
: having or showing mercy
: giving relief from suffering

I like definitions.  I like to know the exact meaning of words because I think that a lot of words have been lost in translation.  And, despite the emotional power of words, I like to know the exact meaning in addition to the feeling they bring. Merciful is one of these words.  We know the general concept, but I think we often forget what this word really means.

  • Kindness
  • Forgiveness
  • Not cruel
  • Not harsh
  • Giving relief

Mercy takes another step past the feeling it brings and the words used to define it.   Mercy is something we can have and something we can show—merciful should be our way of life.  The thing I love about mercy is that throughout the day we are constantly presented with opportunities to offer mercy to others: while driving and we get cut off; to our snarky co-worker; to the person in a hurry who bumps into us on their way out; to our spouse; to our children.  Mercy isn’t reserved for the pure of heart, in fact it may be most effective on those we feel don’t deserve it.

There is another category of people who deserve our mercy—perhaps the hardest group to offer it to—ourselves.  When I’m working with patients dealing with guilt issues, I always remind them that in most cases it is hardest to forgive ourselves…hardest to show ourselves mercy.

This week I want to incorporate these words into my daily prayers; I want to be intentional in living and showing them to myself and others.  Not because I know what it feels like, or because I know what it means, but because Christ is merciful to me.  He showers mercy on me daily, and because of this I know that I can show it myself and I can show it to others.

Let’s pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, mercy is a common word, yet most of us don’t know what it truly means. Lord, please play these words over and over in our heads this week—”kindness…forgiveness…not cruel…not harsh…giving relief.”  Remind us of the times we were shown mercy and, because You have done so, we can and should do the same.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Mercy to Others

April 10, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Matthew 5:7 NIV

Do you ever feel like you have been wronged by someone or by a group of people?  We are going through this right now.  It is a struggle to stay Christ-like in our situation.  We have an unfinished fence and an unwilling neighbor.  This neighbor is using part of our unfinished fence to build their own fence.  Yet, this neighbor is complaining about our unfinished fence and our backyard.  My husband works hard to maintain our backyard.  Also, our neighborhood is in the woods.  Critters abound but we get blamed.  It is hard to show restraint and not bow down to this neighbor’s methods.  Instead of coming to us, this neighbor is creating havoc.  We are showing mercy trying to work with this neighbor, and we are not getting any mercy.  Surely, there is a better way (on the neighbor’s end) to work this out.

As Christians we are supposed to show mercy to those who do us wrong. We are supposed to be forgiving of them. We are supposed to look beyond the sin that is committed against us and be forgiving. Yet it is hard to be merciful when the wronging party does not want to be merciful back.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:
condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luke 6:37

It is hard not to be judgmental of our neighbor at this time.  We are trying not condemn them.  It is hard to be forgiving of someone who won’t even come see you face to face.  We are trying not to be judgmental.  We are trying to be merciful and look past human actions.  We are trying to do our part and be forgiving of our neighbor.

God looks past our sins against Him and shows us mercy.  One day He will take us into His Kingdom and bless us with blessings that we can’t even imagine at this time.  We will be given the ultimate mercy.  There will be no more suffering, sickness, sadness, or woe.  There will be ultimate glory and love.

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy.  Also thank You for giving us the ability to show mercy and be forgiving.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jesus, Messiah

April 10, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

He became sin, who knew no sin
That we might become His righteousness
He humbled Himself and carried the Cross
Love so amazing, love so amazing

Jesus Messiah, name above all names
Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel
The Rescue for sinners, the Ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

His Body the bread, His Blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn
Love so amazing, love so amazing, yeah

All I hope is in You, all I hope is in You
All the glory to You, God, the Light of the world

Music and Lyrics by Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves, Daniel Carlson, Chris Tomlin
Performed by Chris Tomlin
*  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 
There is power in the name of Jesus! Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about the name of Jesus.

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:13 NKJV

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20 NKJV

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
John 14:14 NKJV

And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
John 16:23 NKJV

When Jesus walked the earth, His name had great power. The following Scriptures show the use of His name and the power to heal the most terrible afflictions. These people called out to Jesus in faith.

And when he had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power
against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease.
Matthew 10:1 KJV

And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness,
and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt,
which thou knowest, upon thee;
but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Deuteronomy 7:15

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9 NIV

That means that everyone ever born will someday bow when the name, “Jesus,”  is mentioned.  They will not only bow but will acknowledge Jesus as Lord.

Right now, those who believe in Jesus and acknowledge Him in this lifetime as Lord and Savior, already have the power to use His name.

But these signs are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in His name.
John 20:31

The phrase “in the name” of Jesus denotes His authority and power.  To “believe in the name of Jesus” is to be persuaded in Jesus’ authority (Matthew 28:18) and thus place our trust, acts in His authority.   Acts 4:12 says,  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under Heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  Saved, healed, delivered included.  For those who really do believe in the name of Jesus, there is no pit that Jesus cannot deliver you from.

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for Thou art my praise.
Jeremiah 17:14 KJV

~ quoted from the 1st Wittness blog ~

We can live in Victory all throughout our lives because we have Jesus living inside of us!! We are not Victims—we are Victorious through Him!

*  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the power in the name of Jesus that is available to us because of the sacrifice made on our behalf. Because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us who believe. May we be women who choose to live in Victory and not live as Victims of our circumstances. To You be the glory, Father! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Healthy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

April 9, 2014 by

chicken tortilla soupIt is one the busiest times of the year for me. With two kids at baseball park almost every night of the week and balancing work and home life, once again, I could not survive without my Crockpot.

One of my new favorite recipes is this Healthy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup.  It leaves you feeling full, yet it is  light and healthy, and a crowd pleaser at my home.  Check out these easy ingredients and directions.

Healthy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1# boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 (15 ounce) can of sweet whole corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15 ounce) can of pinto beans, drained
5 cups of chicken stock
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1+½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Place chicken breast in Crockpot
2. Pour all ingredients over chicken and stir together
3. Cook 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low
4. Prior to serving, remove chicken and shred with fork and knife; place back in Crockpot

Serves 8
Calories – 300
Fat – 3grams
Protein – 30grams
Fiber – 9grams

Tip:  To kick it up a little for the kids, I add a little shredded cheese with a healthy portion of crushed tortilla chips on top.  Add this to your menu this week and double it, if desired.  With this Healthy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup, you can have two meals in one week for those busy late night evenings.

In Good Health,

Crystalball season

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Undeserved Mercy

April 9, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Matthew 5:7 NIV

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is by his great mercy that we have been born again,
because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Now we live with great expectation….
1 Peter 1:3

Every Christian has received mercy.

The fact that we can call ourselves born-again Christians indicates that we have been shown mercy.  God, in all His infinite wisdom and knowledge, gives mercy—freely.  Not only is God’s mercy free, but He offers mercy to everyone.  Jesus told the parable of the unmerciful servant.  The story of the gospel is a story soaked in mercy!  He offered mercy to the women caught in adultery.  He showed mercy to Peter after he denied Him three times.

Each of these stories illustrate God’s mercy, but there is another account I want to focus on….

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, He changed His mind and did not carry out the destruction He had threatened. This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord ? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
Jonah 3:10-4:3

Reading Jonah’s response makes me laugh.  Literally, he wants to die because God showed mercy to a repenting city.  The difference between Jonah’s story and our day to day lives is that the people we are asked to give mercy to are the ones who steal from us, who hurt us and our loved ones—the ones who don’t deserve it and for good reason!

Oversimplified, the concept of showing mercy is give because you received. God gave us mercy and so we should give it.  (And before the comparing and contrasting starts…remember, a sin is a sin.)

I personally find it easier to extend mercy by calling it “undeserved mercy.”  This helps remind me that I’m not giving it because it’s deserved, but that I’m giving it because I didn’t deserve it and yet, I got it.

Oh, and don’t forget to accept mercy from God and be merciful to yourself.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Thank You, Lord, for Your new mercies.  Thank You for Your endless mercy. And help me to extend the same mercies to those around me.  Praying in Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Take Me Back

April 9, 2014 by
It’s your heart that keeps you running
And it’s your mind that I can’t change
Will you ever be returning
And coming back again, coming back again
Take me back to the place where it started
Take me back to the warmth of the sun
To the place where the rivers meet the ocean
Take me back home
Yeah, that’s where I belong
And have you ever really wondered
As we walk beneath the stars
Will we find the truth, will we discover
It isn’t very far, it’s not so very far

I wonder if I’ve gone too far

Lord, please help me get back home
Where I belong

It’s your heart that keeps you running

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

~  Songwriter: Mac Powell / Performed by Third Day  ~
 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 
Do you remember the day that your life changed forever?  The day that you gave your whole life to Jesus?  You lay your burdens at His feet that very first day. But what happens from there?  I know…we start slowly picking those burdens back up again, and then some.  We try so hard to be good mothers, good wives, good daughters.  But, ultimately, we must go back to the beginning…lay it all down…and allow Him to take over and help us be like Him.
This song paints such a beautiful scene.  Warm sunshine and rivers meeting oceans and just real peace…makes you really want to go there, right?  I believe this is what Heaven looks like, plus a little gold, maybe.  But here on earth, things get messy and life gets hard and we have to make a conscious effort to look to the Cross and lay all our burdens down.  Every morning we must do that in order to have the life that Jesus died for us to have.  John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  That’s the life Jesus wants for us. And we can’t have that full life when we are burdened with past sins and shame and regret.  Jesus will only love you through it; He will not condemn you.  He will wrap His arms around you and say that you’re forgiven and that you’re loved.  Our biggest mistake sometimes is letting sins build up on top of each other.  Instead of repenting immediately because of fear, we keep repeating the same sins over and over.  Jesus already knows, and He loves you just the same.
As we enter the Easter season, let’s remember that it is because of the Cross that we are free to ask forgiveness for our sins.  It is because of His death that we will live forever in Heaven with Him.  So today, let this song take you back to the day that you were forever His, and He was forever yours.  Enjoy the song!
 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

Dear Heavenly Father,  You are an awesome, amazing, unconditionally loving and perfect God.  Thank You for Your patience, Your longsuffering and for caring so much about the details of our lives.  Thank You for that day, that we came to know Your Son and started a whole new life, a full life with you.  Thank You for letting us lay it down every day.  We love You and we praise You.  For it’s in Your Son’s precious name we pray, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Relationships

April 8, 2014 by

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 5—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’   Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 5:7 NIV

The word mercy for me conjures up memories of scenes from movies portraying Christ.  Dictionary.com gave this meaning: “compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner”. How many times have we been shown mercy in our DAILY walk?  I shudder to think of how I may unknowingly have offended my heavenly Father.

Then I began to think, “How do I show mercy to others?”  Do I become short when I am pressed for time and someone asks me questions?  Yes, unfortunately I feel like I do sometimes.  My boss is an excellent example of showing mercy and being fair.  No matter how busy she is, she takes the time to speak with that person and make them feel valued.

Christ is a perfect example of mercy.  When the woman who was caught in adultery was brought before Jesus for Him to condemn and punish her, He showed her mercy.  He was gentle in His reproach to the men of the synagogue, to the point that they slowly turned away, one by one (see John 8:1-11).  He did not need to be told her background…He already knew her story.  But He also knew the hearts of the men who had brought her to Him.  Jesus loves us unconditionally, and He wants to know us.  His Father will discipline us when necessary, but Jesus will always intercede on our behalf.

My mom told me one day she was mad at me because of a dream she had.  It was this:  Someone had broken into our store.  She had hit the man over the head with a cast iron skillet and knocked him unconscious.  She told me to watch over the man and make sure he didn’t leave while she went to get help.  When she came back she was shocked to see that I was dressing the man’s head wounds! She laughed and I said, ‘Well that sounds like me doesn’t it?’  She just shook her head.

I want to continue to be that person and show compassion and mercy toward others.  When we pray and listen to the Holy Spirit, He will direct our paths and help guide us in our choices.  This will go so far in our own relationships with family and friends.  Remember there are those who watch and learn from your actions and reactions.  Just remember you can start a new way of thinking today. No matter how old you are, with the Holy Spirit, you can begin practicing mercy and compassion toward others.  Once you begin to extend it in all situations, you will feel a new lease on life…a refreshing of your spirit.

*  ~  ♥  ~   ✞   ~  ♥  ~  *

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your gift of mercy.  Show us, Lord, how we can use this gift in our everyday lives.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Overcome

April 8, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Seated above, enthroned in the Father’s love
Destined to die, poured out for all mankind
God’s only Son, perfect and spotless One

He never sinned but suffered as if He did
All authority, every victory, is Yours
All authority, every victory, is Yours

Savior, worthy of honor and glory, worthy of all our praise, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever, awesome and great is Your name, You overcame

Power in hand speaking the Father’s plan
You’re sending us out, light in this broken land
All authority, every victory, is Yours

We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb
And the word of our testimony
Everyone overcome

~  Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today.  ~

Words and Music by Jon Egan / Performed by Jeremy Camp 

 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

This song is so powerful and speaks to me in so MANY ways!!!  Let’s take a moment to praise Him, shall we??

Savior, worthy of honor and glory, worthy of ALL our praise!!!  You overcame!  Jesus, awesome in power, forever, awesome and great is Your name!!!

 

We walk in VICTORY because of Jesus!  We can hold our head up high in ALL of our circumstances because with Jesus we can be victorious in each and every situation we face and we can do it well.  Let’s see what it means to walk victoriously in our day to day life….

Romans 8:28 tells us:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Notice that it doesn’t say in some things.  It says in ALL things!!!  We ARE overcomers.  We were never meant to walk defeated in life.  We are to walk from victory to victory and strength to strength remembering who God says we are. We were never meant to be weak-willed women…but MIGHTY for the Kingdom.

I want to share with you one of my favorite women in the Bible—Deborah.  I love how courageous she was and how mightily God used this woman.  She was definitely not a weak-willed woman.  She inspires me.  Here is what a  Chabad.org,  says about her.  I love the visual picture this commentary paints of her.

“Deborah lived in the Mountains of Ephraim, between Ramah and Beth-El. In the midst of the sin and idolatry, Deborah remained true to God. She was wise and God-fearing, and the people flocked to her for advice and help. Deborah held court beneath a palm tree, in the open air. There, where everyone could hear her, she warned the Jewish people and urged them to leave their evil ways and return to God. The entire Jewish nation respected this great prophetess.
Deborah was the wife of a man whose name was Lapidoth, which means “torches.” It tell us, that at the advice of his wife he furnished large wicks and oil for the lights of the sanctuary of Shiloh, which burned like torches. This was the effect of this holy woman on everyone around her: spreading the light of Torah. Similarly (it explains) that she sat under a palm tree to show to the world that the Jewish people was all united and turning their eyes again to God, like the leaves of the palm turn upward together, towards heaven.”

Deborah was in tune with God and knew what her part for the Kingdom was and she did it well and God used her mightily. We ALL have different gifts that God has given us for our role in the Kingdom. It is important to be in tune with God so we know what our role is. A woman with a teachable spirit and a willing heart can be used mightily by God.

 *  ~  *  ~   ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥    ~  *  ~  * 

Heavenly Father, I pray that we would remember who we were meant to be and who You say we are.  I pray that each woman would be in tune with You and as they seek You they will find out their role and purpose in Your Kingdom.  I thank You that You have overcome and, because of that, so have we.  To You be the Glory, Father, in Jesus name!!!  Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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