It’s Just Stuff!

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world…” Psalm 19:1-4

Why do we always want more? Why can’t we ever be satisfied with all that we have? Why do we always feel the need for bigger, better, prettier, wealthier? No matter the cost we are always wanting and working for more. More things that cost us so dearly, often robbing us of our precious time and energy. Things that have very little value…Just ‘stuff’.

Oh! But look what all we are blessed with; We have tree’s taller than buildings, houses that are warm and cozy, food to fill up plates and have seconds to spare. We can go barefoot in the lush green grass in summer and play on snowcap mountains in winter. We have kittens and puppies who curl up in our laps with contentment. We have stars that twinkle and sunsets that paint the sky rainbows of colors. We have melodic sounds of birds singing and the wonderful smells of lavander, jasmine and honeysuckle. There are deep echoing canyons and babbling brooks and the ocean with all its wonders. We have family and friends to love and enjoy. We have eyes that crinkle at the edges from lifetimes of smiling and laughter…We have beautiful, priceless laughter!

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal:” Mathew 6:19

God gave us all that we could ever need to be wealthy, healthy, happy and whole. We simply need to stop living for the ‘stuff’ in our lives long enough to realize that He gave us so much more. Enjoy the beauty of all that He created, It is His gift to us. He knows each star in the heavens and each bird in the air. How much more does He care for you? We often rush too quickly through life to even notice the beauty and richness that surrounds us. His fingerprints are in all of creation and we are wealthy…very, very, wealthy!

Father, thank You for all you have Created for us. You gave us so much more then we could ever buy, collect or earn. Help us to be ever mindful of the richness and beauty of all that surrounds us. Help us to desire ‘stuff’ less and love ‘You’ more. We praise your wholly name, Amen.

Sweet Blessings

Journaling Through The Word

 

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

Devotional journaling, also known as spiritual journaling, is an exciting way to enhance your spirituality. In devotional journaling you write to God. Spiritual journaling is more than keeping a diary where you log the events of your life. It’s a place where you share your innermost thoughts with God. As you become more comfortable and skilled in doing that, you will sense God’s direction for your life as he leads you in his ways. He wants to give you understanding about the circumstances in your life. So when you journal, don’t be afraid to explore what comes to your mind. Don’t push it away. Write down all your feelings and tell the Lord things you would never tell anyone else. Don’t hold back anything, because God already knows what’s in your heart.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalms 119:11

Journaling isn’t exact and everyone has their own unique way of doing it. The important thing is to do it regularly. When we write things down, it helps us to remember them better and it gives us a place to go back to if we forget. Keeping a devotional journal is an excellent spiritual discipline. When you are facing challenging times, you can leaf through your entries and see how God has blessed you and carried you through trouble. When things are going well, your journal can gently remind you about your need to rely upon God and to be thankful for all he has done.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;” Colossians 3:16

Journaling can also be a form of worship. In solitude, we can explore the blessing of writing our hearts to God. Consider keeping a prayer journal. Grab a pen and a notebook and get started! I suggest beginning by reading Proverbs during your quiet time. As you read, meditate and pray and write down the verses that stir your heart. Journaling is a tool that allows you to work through all your emotions that you could never find a safe place to put them. There is more to explore in your devotional journal than you could ever cover in a lifetime. God’s power and majesty are infinite, and he wants to be a part of every area of your life.

Precious Father, I ask that you give us all a heart to journal so that we may have a deeper and more profound relationship with you. Help us to commit to journaling and open our hearts and minds to receive all of your many blessings in your word. I ask this in your wonderful name. Amen

Sweet Blessings

Father God

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9

‘The foolish man sees happiness in the distance, a wise man grows it under his feet.’

We are blessed in our family with six sons that I believe are wonderful examples of Fatherhood! I would be remiss if I did not add my wonderful husband to that number. Today, we live in a somewhat different era where fathers are called to be more hands on dads. Not to mistake that for loving their children more. More moms today are working full time, with many of them earning the majority of the income. It has been a delightful joy to watch our sons step into the role of caregivers. It amazes me what a great job they have done with that responsibility. The Bible teaches us that Gods love is like the love of a father. It is full of instructions on how to raise our children.

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

We are all children of [Abba] God. What better example for us as a parent then to see how much He nurtures us and comforts us when we are in pain. How He distinctly gives us boundaries to follow so that our trials will be bearable. How He often picks us up and carries us when we can not take another step. How He heals our illnesses and shelters us from storms of life. How He loves us and how he gently corrects us so we will learn from our mistakes to be a better person. How He gifts us with so much more then we could ever deserve. How He has promised us an inheritance of eternal life with Him in Heaven. What an awesome Father that loves us so unconditionally and promises to never leave us alone. What a perfect example of Fatherhood! A Heavenly Parent who loves you with an everlasting love!

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Father God, knowing that we all belong to You gives us great comfort, joy and assurance. Help us to live each day in the fullness of the inheritance You supply for us as Your children. Amen

‘Anyone can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy.’

Sweet Blessings

Amazing Grace

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“But He said to me, My grace is enough for you for My strength and power are made perfect and show themselves most effective in weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ may rest upon me.”2 Corinthians 12: 9

I don’t know about you, but one of the greatest longings in my heart is to experience God’s presence and working in my life on a daily basis. Nothing has the power to change us from within like the freedom that comes through grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Its not simply leniency for when we have sinned. It is the enabling gift of God not to sin. It is power, not just pardon.

“Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace.”

God’s grace carries us in our weakness, He loves us and desires for for us to succeed and reach our Devine destiny. He always gives us the opportunity to get it right. Redemption is by grace. Calling is by grace. Justification is by grace. Even the faith by which one believes is by grace. Grace makes us joint heirs with Christ; ‘We get what He paid for’ Grace meets us where we are but it never leaves us where it found us.

“May grace and peace which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts be multiplied to you in the full, personal, precise, and correct knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1: 2

I truly love living under Gods grace. It doesn’t mean I can sin and move on with life as if nothing happened. It means that God will accept me in spite of sin in my life. Receiving God’s acceptance by grace always stands in sharp contrast to earning it on the basis of works. Favor is being extended simply out of the goodness of the heart of the giver. How beautiful is God’s amazing grace that comes through Jesus Christ. What a constant comfort to those who have great needs to know that there is an endless supply of grace that comes from the Savior. Grace comes in like the waves of the ocean. As soon as one wave is past then next wave is rolling in.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” Romans 16:20

Sweet Blessings

Lighten Up

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out? I hear so many people today say how busy and overwhelming their lives are. Everyone seems to be saying, “I always have so much to do and so little time to do it.” Sometimes I think we get so used to carrying our own burdens that we cling to them because they bring us comfort and a false sense of responsibility. We become addicted to worrying about them. We get caught up in them and then allow ourselves to become downtrodden by them.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Today we live in a world filled with so much anxiety and angst! One of the greatest lies the world tells us is that to have a good life, and perhaps especially a good Christian life, is having safe, respected, comfortable and prosperous lives. God never guarantees our success, comfort or even respectabilty. Instead, He asks us to be willing to give up absolutely everything in order to trust him and to follow where He leads us. It’s important that we learn to recognize these burdens that we put on ourselves, and to completely trust God to make the very best decisions for our lives.

“Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

Our goal should be to please God with all our decisions. We should always ask ourselves, ‘is this just a Good decision or is it a God decision.’ Biblical scripture provides us with comfort and support and gives us relief from the suffering that everyday burdens cause. If you’ve been looking behind you with sorrow or around you with sadness, fix your eyes on what’s ahead. God’s wonderful future for His children is beyond our imagination.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.

Sweet Blessings

Cups Of Grace

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:10

‘HOSPITALITY’ the Webster’s Dictionary defines hospitality as: Kindness to visitors: friendly, welcoming, and generous treatment offered to guests or to strangers. Let’s take a journey through Our history of Hospitality beginning with…BIBLICAL HOSPITALITY

Biblical times Hospitality…As presented to us in the Bible was not merely a practice. It was a way of life. Christian hospitality was a sacred process of ‘receiving’ outsiders and changing them from strangers to guests. However, the biblical customs concerning how a person should treat travelers and temporary residents was much different from our idea of hospitality today. It was more than simply ways to be polite or friendly that went beyond entertaining guests. Hospitality customs were a vital part of the culture and people followed these customs as sacred, codes of conduct. The host was obliged to provide a traveler with food, water, and shelter. They even provided them with water to wash their dusty feet and often a servant washed the feet of the guest. This symbolized the acceptance of the stranger and the absence of any hostile intent by the host.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

Hospitality today…We are living in much different times today. We think of hospitality more as entertaining friends and family. It has become more of a social event. However, just like the early Christians, we must also offer hospitality as a means of sharing The Lord Jesus Christ. By creating a welcoming home, we make the Christian life attractive. The benefits of the act of hospitality can offer friendship, acceptance, fellowship, refreshment, comfort and love in one of the richest and deepest ways possible for others to understand. Friendship provides arms to console [a hug] a heart to understand and feet to walk along beside us when we are going through trials or celebrations. God weaves our lives together, strengthening old friendships and creating new ones.

When we invite our neighbors to church, we are asking them to enter our world in the hopes that they might discover Jesus our Savior. When we invite our neighbors into our homes, we are inviting them to enter our world to see how we as Christians live our lives. Often doors can be opened in the hearts of friends when we first open the door of our home. A time for tea is a way to connect with other Sisters. Hospitality is a crucial element of Christianity that empowers us in God’s service. Tea is a tool we can all use to share hospitality. Offering and sharing a cup of tea gives us many opportunities to witness, share the gospel, teach from the Scriptures, pray with women, and encourage others to simply savor an afternoon moment with God….I think of these moments as ‘Cups of Grace!’

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2

Throughout the Bible, God commands us over and over to take notice of and care for those around us. Did you know that hospitality is considered a virtue? We serve Christ directly when we show hospitality to those we don’t know. Christian hospitality is the most important influence on any aspect of Christian living from the biblical days to today. Do you have the gift of hospitality to use for The Lord?

Sweet Blessings

A Servant’s Heart

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” Matthew 24:46

Do you have a servant’s heart? Servant means to serve; Serve means to help, assist, or attend to. Servants in God’s kingdom do the will of God with a humble attitude and with the desire to not only serve God but help others along their journey. God places a desire to help others in all of our hearts. You may be sensitive to help the homeless or the disabled person in their times of need. Maybe He calls you to help little children when their home life is less then perfect or take meals to the bereaved.

“God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.” Ephesians 2:10

God will speak to you differently than He will speak to others. He reveals His heart personally to each person. When you listen to him every single day, you will learn what His will is for your ‘Servant’s Heart? Find whatever ignites your heart. The fire of your heart is the light of your path. Someone once said, “Missionaries are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances expected to do numerous things with nothing much!” We all need to have a Missionary heart so that when Gods calls us to be His Hands, we will be ready with an earnest willingness to serve.

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Galatians 5:13-14

To give and not to count the cost, takes a special attitude. It takes a servant spirit to stay, and to be faithful to the loving God who has called you to His work. A servant’s heart is a special attitude of willingness, trust, and perseverance. If you want to be like Jesus, you will need to be a servant with a good heart and when you get to Heaven you will hear…

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21

Sweet Blessings

Does Your Wifing Need Refreshing?

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything. And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church.” Ephesians 5:23-24

I married a wonderful, intelligent and godly man. He’s the rock-solid steady type. I’ve watched him handle pressures that nearly brought him to his knees. He has a faith in our Lord that I admire. I trust his decisions and know that he will always keep me safe. I respectfully love and honor my husband.Though the husband exercises the role of authority and leadership, and the wife fulfills a role of submission, both are equal heirs in God’s kingdom. The roles are different, but equally important.

God’s word tells us that the husband is to be the head of the home. The Scriptures make it clear that a wife should submit voluntarily to her husband’s sensitive and loving leadership. That he may become the man, the husband, and the leader God intended him to be. How many of you are willing to let your husband take that role?

“The wise women builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” Proverbs 14:1

Women used to stay at home in the role as caregivers. It may be a little stretch of the imagination to be so self sacrificing today. It’s not about where we are but rather how we treat our husbands. We all hear ‘Happy Wife ~ Happy Life’…Have you ever thought to reverse that old saying to ‘Happy Husband ~ Happy Wife’? It may take a lot less nagging and a little more nurturing. Nurturing comes in many forms. It requires a lot of personal sacrifice, attention to detail, planning ahead, thoughtfulness and actually putting in the effort to learn what makes your husband happy. Some may call this old fashioned’ but when put your husband in his proper place in your marriage, God will bless you and your marriage.

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.”
Proverbs 31:10-12

Could your ‘wifing’ use some refreshing? Just maybe if you treat your husband the way that you would want to be treated, it would just bless his socks off and in return, you will have the happy marriage that God intended for you both to have. It will take Prayer, Faith and a lot of Practice!…
”And the God of peace will be with you.”

Sweet Blessings

Joy Down In My Heart

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

‘I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart” (Where) Down in my heart (Where) Down in my heart to stay.’

What does the joy of the Lord mean? It’s not pretending that you have no problems and that everything is okay. It is recognition that God is present in all your successes, failures, disappointments, and dilemmas. Joy is the highest attainment of life. It’s even higher then happiness.

To understand God’s definition of joy and how it should look in our lives as Christians, we first need to learn how to let go of our need to need. Feel the reality that you already are enough, and that it is truly magnificent. Don’t worry about what will be or what won’t be. See and feel the limitless beauty of what is and the miracle of existence. Even the biggest problems are no match for the positive possibilities that fill your life.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalms 16:11

Embrace the joyful times in your life. Live them fully. A moment of true, unencumbered joy is worth more than pure gold. When you regularly lose yourself in joy, you will think more clearly, be more motivated, feel better and be healthier. When you have more joy in your own life, you have more to give others. By experiencing joy, you enable the true person inside you to come to life and it will add immensely to your life and the lives of those around you. Let yourself be joyful, without guilt. Learn to value the joyful moments and lose yourself in their richness.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

To find the fullness of joy you must live in the presence of the Lord. When we remain connected to him through prayer, worship, walking in obedience, reading the word, sharing our love with family and fellowshipping with other Christians, we can experience a level of joy that the world cannot give to us. Let’s relish every moment of life as we live it and find joy in the journey. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows. We can all find joy when we keep our Heavenly Father as our guide.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Sweet Blessings

Anger Hurts

By Georgia (Jo) Kent

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45

Why are you angry? If someone’s angry in my presence, I automatically assume that they are mad at me? I frantically begin to search through my thoughts for what I did wrong. It wasn’t until I began to grow in my faith that I learned how wrong that was. I think of two things. First, why was I so insecure that I automatically assumed that I had done something wrong? And, secondly, what causes someone to become so angry that they feel its okay to share their anger with those around them? I realize, were not all so insecure that we take blame for another person’s anger. That insecurity was birthed from emotional baggage in our lives, and usually only effects us as individuals. Anger, however, is wide reaching and destructive to everyone in its path. It takes a deep relationship with God to begin a work of healing in both of these areas.

“For man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:20

Anger is a God-given emotion that warns a person that something is wrong. You cannot stop the emotion from arising, but how you express your anger determines whether it is sinful or appropriate. Anger also gives Satan a foothold in our soul. Our actions when were angry hurt others and destroy our testimony. Habits are difficult to break.

“Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” Psalms 4:4

We need to learn new ways to handle life’s upsets. The first step in overcoming problems, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual, is to admit you are in need and desire to change. As we give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, He will help us to grow in self-control. The Holy Spirit can teach us how to express our anger appropriately. We can never experience the fullness of God’s love through the veil of anger. The bible says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 Ask the Lord to teach you healthy ways to manage your anger. Without Him, we will continue to be in bondage to our anger.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you are sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:29-30

Sweet Blessings