The Pathway of Faith

There is nothing hidden from the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.He sees what makes us happy; He sees what makes us sad. He sees the very motive of our heart.
Our ways are not hidden from His eyes...our straying....our obedience.

There is nothing that is too difficult for the Lord; nothing which He cannot conquer.
The question is: Is there anything I "bow down" to that I allow between my Savior and I? Any other voice?

My faith must not rest in circumstances which may change.My direction must come from recognizing and following the voice of the Lord

A little child dashes out into the street, unaware of the dangers...the same child goes safely across the street, holding his father's hand...that is faith.

Gentle Intruder

The sun light comes later in the morning now so
I needed to find a different place to set my
chair where the sun rays would be directly
upon me. The only place was in the middle
of the driveway. As I was about to sit down
our fluffy golden haired cat came dashing
in front of me and sat down on the seat
where I was wantng to sit. I managed to
get her out of the chair ; however, she
kept rubbbing her head against my legs
and putting her paws in my lap ...waiting
to be petted. After this activity went on
for some time the cat seemed satisfied
and ran off to another area of the yard.
Incidentally, the cat's name is "gentle".

I could see the cat as an intruder into my
special time alone or as one of God's
beautiful creations wanting some tender
loving care. Do I see through the
the disruptions in my life, opportunities
to show forth God's love?

MY GOD IS NOT IN A HURRY

We hurry here and we hurry there
We do not wait for God
to answer our prayer

We hurry on, over the pathway run
We do not wait for God's dear Son

The Spirit says "No" and we say "Go"
Then we miss the Spirit's flow

We must learn to stop and listen
To know that God is not in a hurry
And He will certainly not worry

He is never too late and never too early
He is the One we can trust most surely

An Invisible Wonder

I moved my lawn chair out into the driveway which seemed to be
the place where the direct sunlight was shining. In fact, the rays
were so bright that I could not look upward . I noticed how the
little pebbles in the driveway glistened in the sunlight. Then
I noticed a spider moving swiftly just inches above the pebbles.
As I watched it going back and forth suddenly I saw another
spider a short distance from the first one also moving back
and forth swiftly.... then I counted five or six spiders all in perfect
co-ordination, swiftly, purposefully spinning a network which
would be almost invisible yet strong.


Proverbs 30:24,28 says, "There are four things that are
little upon the earth but they are exceedingly wise.....
The spider takes hold with her hands and is in kings
palaces.". What is the wisdom that God has given to
spiders? I think it is unity ...all working together in
perfect co-ordination, purposefully.


The church of Jesus Christ is like an invisible
network of believers which streches out across
the nations...as we work together in unity of
the Spirit, building up and edifying one another,
being perfected by His love, the Father will be
glorified.

Today May I Speak....

Words of life and not of death
Words of faith and not of doubt
Words of hope and not despair
Words of truth and not deceit
Words of love and not of hate
Words that heal and not destroy
Words of light and not of darkness
Words of wisdom and not of foolishness
Words of humility and not of pride
Even as Jesus spoke only those words
whch He heard His Father speak,
so may I speak only those words
that I hear the Spirit speak.

Let Go and Take Hold

This morning I read in a devotional book that when
I am frazlzled and flustered on the outside I do
not have to feel condemned. God has made me
a human being and understands my frailities and
is there at my side. He will never leave me to go
through any experience in life without Him. The
following thoughts came to my mind

Let go of your pride and be free to cry , free to laugh,
free to be the creative person that God has made you.
Let go of the control of your life, of your circumstances
Let go of all worry and anxiety concerning the future.

The Lord wants us to take hold of his hand and let
Him walk us through every trial and test. Know that
your Heavenly Father has perfect control of all that
has happened and will happen.

" My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me". John 10:27

"I will instruct you and teach you, I will guide you
with my eye." Psalm 32:9

The little red blossom

I am utterly amazed at the many way God through His creation llustrates to us the truth of His gospel. Several days ago just as I was going into the house from my worship my time I glanced to the left of the ramp and noticed a bright red blossom...What was so unusual about that red blossom? My son and his family had given me a beautiful arrangement of flowers in a flower pot suitable to be outside. I had enjoyed the flowers when I went outside everyday....Then one weekend my husband and I were visiting away from home....the sun became hotter and the flowers became drier from lack of water. Some of them had already died. I watered the remaining flowers and hoped for the best....eventually they all dried up. I felt bad and put the flower pot in back of the house out of view.

Now the plant which had died was revived. My other son had placed the flower pot where it was shaded somewhat from the heat of the sun and where I would see it when I came out side. There is lot of bright green foliage growing in the flower pot but the pretty red blossom especially stands out. It reminds me of the words in the Scripture which say, " And you who were dead in trespasses and sins, has He quickened (make alive). The red reminds me of Jesus blood which was shed so that we could have new life. I t also reminds me that we must never become discouraged and give up when we it looks like all hope is dying. Hope in God for I shall yet

BREAK THROUGH

As I stepped outside the door I could see whisps
of spier web makings here and there draped
from tree to tree. Because the sun was not
shining directly upon the trees surrounding
my pathway, I knew that I might encounter
running into an unseen web; however, there
was no way around. I quickly walked to my
destination. I could feel the cobweb in my
hair. I brushed it off along with the spider
which fell to the ground.

The sky was filled with white, billowy clouds
which had such a brightness that I could
hardly stand to look at them. All was very
still. It was worth breaking through the
spider woven path to come to the place
where I could enjoy the beautiful picture
that God was painting for me. After I
had sat quietly in my "outdoor cathedral"
the sun rays broke through the clouds
and all was bright....no spider webs
could be hidden from the sun's brilliance.

Sometimes we see a trial coming and
we would like to go some other way;
however, the Lord knows that we must
go through that trial to be able to experience
that place of beautiful fellowship with Him.
Other times we encounter unseen, unexpected
trials. Our Heavenly Father knows just what
we need to break through in our lives to walk
in close fellowship with Him. Perhaps it is
pride, fear, cars of this world, sorrow....These
are all enemies of our soul. King David
describes God's victory over his enemies
in I Chronicles 14:11, in these words: "God
has broken in upon my enemies by my hand
like the breaking through of many waters."
Jesus has broken the power of canceled sin.
He came to set the captive free.

Is Your God Greater?

Greater is He that is in me
than he that is in the world

Greater is His love that is in me
than that which is in the world

Greater is His joy than that is in me
than that which is in the world

Greater is His power that is in me
than that which is in the world

Greater is Your love poured out with in my life
Greater than any sacrifice I could ever make
Greater than any persecution I could endure
Greater is Your love than that which is in the world

Greater is Your joy to those who obey Your voice
Greater is Your joy to those who walk in truth
Setting free from words that would enslave
Greater is Your joy than that which is in the world

Greater is Your power to do mighty works
Greater is Your power to those who believe
Greater to do the works You ordained
Greater is Your power than that which is in the world

My God is Greater than anything I have to deal with today
He is the Mighty Conqueror who lives within my soul

A Listening Ear

" Bobby, Bobby, do you hear me, " called mom. No response.
"Bobby, it is time to wash up for dinner" , mom continued...
No response. Mom began to search the house and then
the yard....where was Bobby? Why didn't he answer her
call? She prayed, "Lord, please help me to find Bobby.
Please help him to hear my call. "

Then mom heard Bobby's voice. He was counting one..
two....six, seven.....ten....Bobby was picking up one
worm after another and placing them carefully in a
can. He was so engrossed with the worms that he
did not even hear his mother's voice. I I don't want
to be so engrossed with " my own little world" that I
do not hear my Heavenly Father's voice.

In the Light of Eternity

Thank you, Lord for this quiet place and time
to worship You. Time and place will surely
pass away but You live in eternity; the
eternal past, now and in the etenal forever.
So fellowship with You will never cease;
bu will increase more and more throughout
the endless ages.

I think of Enoch who walked with God and
then He was not....because God took him.
What a privilege we have to walk through
this life ( time) with Jesus as our Guide and
Shepherd and then when we lieave this life
to just keep on walking with Him through
all eternity. I can face the circumstances of
this life in the light of eternity.

Two Crape-Mrytle Trees

My focus this morning is upon our two crape-mrytle

bushes - beautiful red blossoms are opening up on

the taller bush and delicate pink blossoms can be seen

in clusters on the smaller bush. For days I have been

waiting for the buds on our bushes to blossom out

A few days ago the Lord gave us a good, soaking rain; the

very next day I noticed a few blossoms began opening up.

I move my lawn chair just far enough

away so that the entire tree could be seen. I am not

the only one who had been waiting for the blossoms

to open up. I am intrigued as I watch the little bees

come again and again to drink nectar from the center

of the blossoms.

I am reminded that God's Word is to us as the nectar is

to the bees. Psalm 19:9-10 says, "The judgments of the

Lord are righteous altogether. .....Sweeter also than honey

and the honeycomb." Psaknm 119:103 " How sweet

are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my

mouth". Psalm 34:8 " Oh taste and see that the Lord is good

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him". Have you tasted of

the Lord's goodness in your life? Is HIs Word so sweet

to your soul? He wants us to have an eager appetite for

His Word even as the bees have an eagerness for the

nectar in the blossoms...it is there very life. Even so

God's Word is life to us

The Unoccupied Chair

This mornng I took my place sitting in my usual
lawn chair, out in the sunlight. I felt the warmth
of the sun on my legs and arms, as it shone
brightly through the tall stately trees casting
shadows on the path. The sky was deep
blue with not a cloud in sight....Listening quietly
I heard the chirping of the birds happily praising
their Creator. But something was different...
Another lawn chair just like the one I was
sitting in had been placed adjacent to
my chair. That chair was unoccupied!

The two chairs spoke to me of fellowship.
I thought about various people whom I
would like to "occupy" that chair....
my mother, now gone on to glory,......
my husband who is helping a neighbor
today......my sister who is experiencing
physical trials and lives so far away.....my
chidren and grandchildren who are so
lively they can hardly take time to sit
dowm......my friends.who are precious
every one.

Then I thought about Jesus. Although I
do not see Him with my physical eyes,
I know that He is here. I can feel His
gentleness and kindness. I feel in
awe to thnk that the very Son of God
desires to occupy that empty chair.
I know He does because He fills that
place in my heart that no one else can
fill. Truely, He is even closer for He
lives with in my spirit....since I have
invited Him in and He has promised
never to leave.

Long ago, Mary sat at Jesus feet and
felt that fellowship of His presence; the
woman of Samaria found Jesus sitting
at the well. She too, found the true way
to have fellowship with the Living God.
Perhaps you are lonely today, Perhaps
their is an empty chair in your home.....
a husband or a wife has occupied that
chair ....a child has left this life or simply
grown up and moved away......I invite
you to take that unoccupied chair
and offer it to Jesus. You can pour
out your heart to Him and He will reveal
Himself to you in such mercy, forgiveness,
grace, healing .....whatever you need.
Jesus longs to occupy that "empty chair".

Deep With In My Heart

Deep with in my heart; deep with in my soul
I hear You calling, I hear You calling, Lord
Deep with in my heart , deep with in my soul
I hear You calling......come and worship me

Deep with in my heart, deep with in my soul
I have a longing, I have a longing
Deep with in my heart, deep with in my soul
I have a longing to worship You


Deep with in my heart, deep with in my soul
I feel the breeze of your Spirit flowiing
cleansing, healing, making me whole
Deep with in my heart , deep with in my soul

REFRESHING

This morning as I stepped outside I felt a refreshing light
breeze. The sun was peeping through the trees; the birds
were chirping joyful praises to their Creator. I placed my
lawn chair in the direct flow of sunlight to get the full
benefit of my "Vitamin D"; The golden haired kitty
immediately came over to my chair and began
rubbing against my legs showing her affection.

Then I ventured a little farther .......walking down the
old familiar path though the woods and out into
the open field, I noticed clusters of little pink
flowers along the road side. As I was picking
a bouquet the Lord reminded me that He has
a purpose in my writing..

This time outside was special this morning
because the past week has been very hot
and humid; therefore, I had not spent any
time out in my Heavenly Father's "Cathedral".
It was like a refreshing shower of rain to my soul.....
even though there was no actual rain from the clouds.

In Act 3:19 the Bible talks about a refreshing
sent from God... This is a refreshing in our spirit
when the Holy Spirit ccomes to fill us with His
presence. I pray that you will sense God's
presence in a special way today.

Is Your Cup Running Over?

Running over, running over, my cup is full and
running over; Since the Lord saved me..I'm as
happy as can be, My cup is full and running over".
I sang the words of this little chorus when I
was sitting in the lawn chair in my friend's
back yard. I sang it to her little daughter.
It was a chorus that I used to teach children
many years ago. It is a fun chorus for
children with actions to go with the words.

But as I was singing , I began to think about
the words..What do they really mean? Psalm
116:12 says,"I will take the cup of salvation
and call upon the name of the Lord". Jesus, when praying in the garden of Gethsemene said,
" Oh my Father, if it be possible let this
cup pass from me,..." Jesus took upon Himself
the wrath of God which we deserved for our
sins.. The cup of salvation is to receive the
gift of eternal salvation which Jesus purchased
for us when He died for us on the cross.

Along with the cup of salvation are countless
blessings such as healing,provision, protection,
wisdom etc, and all the spiritual blessings in
Christ Jesus. So certainly when the Lord saves
us we can be "happy as can be" because our
"cup" is running over with all that God has
to offer us.

The Bible also talks about the cup of the wrath
of God.in Isaiah 51:22 God says, "See, I have
taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, the
dregs of my cup of fury; You shall drink it no
more." Those who will not receive God's gift
of eternal life will have to taste of the cup
of the wrath of God. Revelation 14:9-10 says,
" If anyone worships the beast and his image,
and receives his mark on his forehead or on
his hand, he himself shall also drink of the
cup of the wine of the wrath of God which is
poured out full strength into the cup of His
indignation." It is my prayer that whoever
reads this writing will receive with joy the
cup of salvation and not the cup of the wrath
of God.

We may be called upon to take "the cup of
suffering" by partaking of persecution for
Jesus sake; however, He has promised to go
with us through the flame or flood and it
will be worth it all when we see Christ.

Jesus, You are All I Need

You are my victory , You are my song,
In You is forgiveness when I do wrong

You are my hope, You are my joy,
You are my peace that none can destroy

You are my purpose, You are my life
In You is no darkness, only pure light

You are my health, You are my strength
In You is found days of length

You are my glory, You are my King
All day long your praises I'll sing

HIS AGENDA

This morning as I was sitting outside in the sunshine, I raised my arms up crsscross over my
head to keep the glare of the sun from shining directly into my face. I could feel the warmth
and whether my eyes were shut or open I could "feel" a great brilliance from the sun.

I am reminded of Saul of Tarsus who was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians.. When God's bright light shone down from heaven Saul dropped to his knees and then he heard God's voice. In my Bible reading this morning I read in . Acts 22:6-9 how the men who were with Saul saw the light but they did not hear God's voice. Back in Acts chapter nine I read that the men with Saul saw the light and heard a voice but did not know what the voice said.

It is so important not only to see the power of God in His creation ..such as the brightness of the sun...the thunder and the lightning... but also that I hear God's voice. As I sit out here in the sunlight it is easy to think about all that is on my agenda for today but I must listen very quietly to hear what God has on His agenda for me to do.

I APPLAUD YOU, LORD

I applaud you Lord for all you have done for me
I applaud you Lord for all you are
I applaud you Lord for you are worthy
worthy of all applause

I applaud you, Lord, for leaving heaven's glory
Being willing to lay aside your honor
For humbling your self to be clothed with a human body
For living a life in obedience to your Father

I applaud you, Lord, for defeating the tempter
In every type of trial and testing
Not giving in to worldy fame or pressure
Using the Word You were the Victor

I applaud you, for your earthly life
King of kings yet you had no pillow-
for your head
With the Father's blessing,
the mulititude you fed
Going forth healing,
setting free those who were bound

I applaud you Lord for going to the cross
For paying the awful cost-
of my sin and my shame
for bearing my sickness and my pain
You cried, "It is finished",
redemption was complete

I applaud you, Lord, for rising triumphant
from the grave
Of the true church you are the Head
Coming soon, You will be crowned
I now applaud you, Lord of Lord and KIng of Kings

Unfinished Tasks

As I hurriedly walked toward the door to sit
outside in the sunlight I noticed that I had
not finished clearing the table from breakfast.
I quickly put away food that needed
refrigeration and rinsed out the soiled dishes
to be put into the dishwasher.......
I went in the bedroom and their on the desk
was the check which was half written out.
I had intended to send it with my husband
in the mail today.....

Unfiished tasks, interrupted lives.....As I
think about these little insigniificant things
in life my mind is upon my brothers and
sisters in many countries of the world who
may be going through very significant
disruptions......

Because of their faith in Christ, they
may be taken from their homes at any time........
kidnapped, hauled off to jail...no time to
change their clothes or finish their meal......
today their plans may be to teach a Bible class,
to work in the fields so their husbands may go
on an evangelistic tour......
Today these plans may be greatly changed....
today their lives may be suddenly ended. .

Lord, may I not be annoyed or discouraged
by interruptions or unfinished tasks in my
daily life but may they be reminders for me
to pray for my "persecuted family" whose
lives will be greatly disrupted and changed
this day.

My Response

"Rejoice, rejoice", the Lord says
"Rejoice in my love for you.....
Rejoice, rejoice, I will see you through...
All the way
Everyday....My response
" I will sing and dance and give you glory
For you are worthy, worthy, worthy
Worthy are you, Lord......
Jesus your voice is so sweet to me
Sweeter than the honeycomb"

I can picture the gentleness of Jesus,
His strong arms holding me..
He who is totally good, totally righteous
totally pure, without even one thought of evil

How can I come with such confidence into
His very presence? Only as I realize my total
sinfulness and the power of His blood shed
to cleanse me can I come without shame
or condemnation.

DESIGN

This morning as my oldest daughter and I were traveling I looked up into the sky
and noticed the picture which the God had painted in a beautiful arrangement of clouds. It looked as though some one had taken a huge paintbrush and swirled it here and there to make an awesome design.

As we drove along my daughter said, "Look, mother, there is a little opening in the clouds which resembles a rainbow. " Sure enough, there was a little place in the
clouds where yellow, pink and purple blended together into a glowing brighness.

After while the scene changed to fewer white clouds, then to a deep blue cloudless sky. I am thinking.......What an awesome God we have! who continuously creates picture after picture; design after design;
sunset after sunset (no two are alike) rainbow after storm clouds....Is it possible that such an awesome God should has an intricate design for every person for every person He ever created? a plan that would bring Him glory?

Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of the holocaust relates in one of her books her experience of sharing about God's working in her life. During her presentation
she would hold up a cloth which had all kinds of twisted threads, knots and no connection or purpose. Corrie turned the cloth to the other side and there was a very beautiful embroidered design. She explained that God sees the whole picture ...the finished product, how He takes all those things in our lives which seem ugly and harmful and designs a beautiful picture for His glory.

Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship created unto good works which He has fore ordainedthat we should walk in them".

What Are You Gazing At?

Yesterday when I sat in my lawn chair
gazing up into the deep blue, cloudless
sky I began thinking about how expanse
God's creation is, how vast is His universe.
My mind cannot comprehend His
greatness...

Today the direct sunlight rays are hidden
behind clouds; yet there is a brightness.
I am reminded of the words which the
angels spoke to Jesus disciples when they
stood looking up into the clouds where
Jesus ascended into heaven. They said,
"Why do you stand gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus shall so come in the same
way in which you have seen Him go into
heaven".

Webster's definition of gaze is " to fix
the eyes in a steady and intent look and
often with eagerness or studious attention".
I want to be gazing for Jesus return.

A New Start

Every morning as the sun rises is a new day;
a new day to live, a new day to plan,
a new day to hope, a new day to love
a new day to forgive, a new day to believe

God's Word says, " If any man(woman or child)
be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation." The
Lord Jesus, God's Son, came to this earth, died
on the cross for our sins and rose again from
the dead. Whoever puts their trust in Him has
new life.

When we ask the Lord Jesus to be our Saviour
and Lord, He comes into our life and enables
us to walk in newness of life.

That is today's Good News