a glimpse of heaven's love

What is Christmas to you?  We have come to know Christmas for all of its commercialism...and most of us would say we hate it!  But there's also a host of other things Christmas is known for: Christmas lights and Christmas decor, even to the point of competitions; Santa Claus and his reindeer; snowmen; wreaths, stockings, and let's not forget mistletoe; a multitude of silly Christmas songs. The list goes on and on!  But what is Christmas really?  I'd really like to tell you! Matthew 1:23 says this: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."  And Isaiah 9:6 says this: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseller, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  This is the true meaning of Christmas! Jesus Christ, God's only...

Psalm 23:3a "He restoreth my soul..." What a statement!  He restores our soul!  Isn't that the ultimate of blessings?  There is so much in this world that seems to get in the way of our fellowship and walk with the Lord...or heartaches that seem too much for us to bear.  Some things are so heavy on our hearts--on our very souls -- that it's all we can do to get through the day.  Perhaps that's the point...it's too much for us to bear...but nothing is too much for our Savior to bear!  He desires to carry our load...no matter how deep it reaches into our souls.  Sometimes I think that is the purpose for some things taking place in our life...that we might turn to God.  He desires so much for us to turn to Him, to trust Him.  Oh, that we would! You see, God promises to not only meet our physical needs, but He also promises to meet our spiritual needs, our heart and soul needs.  Ah,...

Psalm 23:2b "...he leadeth me beside the still waters." At first glance, this sounds very similar to the previous posting, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."   They both sound very restful, very comforting.   But let's look at it a little different way today.   We hear throughout Scripture the realization that "His way is perfect" (Ps. 18:30); "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord" (Is. 55:8).   His ways are far beyond our ways, but that's not to stop us from obeying Him.   He says in James 1:22, we're to be "doers of the word, and not hearers only."   I could go on, but you get the point.   Put simply, as the Good Shepherd, He leads us; and as His sheep, we are to follow. The second point I want to make (and I've spoken on this subject many times), but it's the fact that we--even as Christians--tend to just want to go our own way.   We a...

If you're just joining us,   you've caught us at the third lesson of the well-known passage, the Shepherd psalm, Psalm 23.   Please feel free to go back and read the others.   Psalm 23:2a   "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…"              First of all, it says, "He makes me to lie down…."   There are times in our lives when God must make us lie down.   We're in need of some much-needed rest; some times we need to just get away and have some down time with Him.   There's probably a number of reason we might need some down time , but be assured, God knows best!   We just finished moving to the state of Washington.   I can say--without a doubt--it is like no where else I have been before!   Regardless...we have the privilege of having a horse ranch located behind our yard and neighborhood.   It is quite enjoyable to watch these horses run, play, ...

Psalm 23:1 "...I shall not want."                                                      This is rather a continuation of the last posting.   Although I'm not inclined to use other versions of the Bible, sometimes it is good just to get an idea for study purposes.   Course, if I were a student of the Hebrew and Greek, I suppose that wouldn't be necessary.   At any rate, other versions would state it this way: "There is nothing I lack," or, "I have all that I need."     God is so good to provide us everything that we have need of.   Course, our problem a lot of the time is, we get our wants and our needs mixed up.   Especially here in America, we have more than enough...certai...

This is my attempt at starting up again with this blog. I know I have at least a couple people who check in from time to time, and that is encouraging.  There are countless others that just happen upon my blog, and hopefully this is used in their hearts and lives for a purpose.  What a blessing that would be! I would like to start this time with different studies from God's Word...and to begin, I would like to start with the very well-known Psalm, "The Shepherd Psalm."      Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my c...

It seems it wasn't that long ago [September] when I was speaking of "New Beginnings" then.  My, how time just seems to slip by!  But here it is January, the beginning of a brand new year.  So, how are those "New Year's Resolutions" coming?  Are you sticking by them, or have they seemed to go by the wayside?!  Personally, I've stopped long ago making New Year's Resolutions.  I never seem to keep them, at least not for long...so I end up being more frustrated with myself...not the best of situations.   What I do try to do is set some realistic goals for myself, and by God's grace and power I'm endeavoring to reach them.    I do like the thought of new beginnings...God does as well!  He desires for us to reach new heights and do greater things for Him and for ourselves.  Today, I just wanted to share some quotations with you, that might be an encouragement to you to reach higher heights and keep on keeping on fo...