Weekend Devo — The Gift of God’s Word

“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees...” — Deuteronomy 17:18-19  NIV

Starting in the Old Testament, God set a pattern of instruction and expectation for His people to read His Words on a daily basis. It wasn’t about rituals or fulfilling duties. It was about learning who God is and respecting Him. It was about a king learning from his true King how to be a leader to the people of Israel.

God carried that message into the New Testament. Paul explains to Timothy in his letter that Scripture is vital to equipping us for our lives:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Even James has something to say about what we do with God’s Word:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” — James 1:22 NIV

God spoke the world into being with His Words. First John 1 describes the deity of Christ as the Word, which was with God from the very beginning. God’s Word is a gift, just like his Son. So not reading the Bible is like having a gift from God that you never opened.

Don’t miss out on what God has waiting for you right in the words of the Bible. It’s the greatest adventure you’ll ever take because the Holy Spirit is the one who opens the meaning of every page and word. Ask for His help to delve into God’s Word with an unquenchable hunger. I know from experience that is one prayer He will answer with gusto!

Praying and believing,
Dineen

What Do You Say to the Kids and more....

Today we are answering your questions that were posted the week of January 18, 2012.

What do you tell the kids when they ask, "Why doesn't Dad go to church."

Why isn't there marriage in heaven?

How do you parent your kids when you and your husband see parenting so different.

The boundary between submitting and serving vs. enabling.

How do I keep hope alive when I my husband never responds.

Listen in. Then join the conversation in the comments. 

 

 

The Bigger Picture

One of the greatest challenge is a spiritually mismatched marriage is seeing hope when we see none. I think this is true of any difficult and ongoing situation for us as believers AND as human beings. How do we keep going when everything within us says walking away would be the easier choice?

Truth is, it may be the easier choice, but is it the right one? Probably not. Those trials and challenges in our life are there for a reason. God has a plan for all of it—for us and everyone involved. And I’ve never known God to be interested in the easy solution. On the contrary, He’s more interested in helping us become more like Christ and building our character than making our lives easy.

And marriage is one of those training grounds. It’s not about us. It’s not even completely about our spouse. This is about eternity—ours, our spouse’s and our children’s. Even on our roughest days, it’s vital that we step back and view our challenges in the light of two truths:

1. This is just one small view of a giant picture God is building every second of our lives. Our feelings change moment to moment, day to day, even year to year, as do our circumstances. The picture you’re looking at may be completely different next year, next week, or even in the next hour. Sometimes our biggest issue in these times is fear. We’re so afraid of what might be that we forget who’s in control. There’s a reason Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow. When you worry about what could happen (or not happen), you’ve not only stopped trusting God, you’ve completely tinged your viewpoint, your mood and your hope for what could be a turn around you never imagined possible.

2. The bigger picture—what are we working toward? I know some days just seem more about survival and there are times when God asks for no more than that. But He loves us too much to allow us to stay there. We can choose to walk the trials of life and marriage with the goal to learn and become more closely a reflection of who God created us to be—a design that will come to completion when we are reunited with Him in heaven. Or we can choose to stay in a place of stubbornness because we’re more interested in getting what we want now. That impatience is so destructive to our lives from the smallest of places to the largest. You have to ask yourself if you’re willing to do whatever God asks because you love him more than you love yourself.

If you look at every challenge as an opportunity to serve God and make Him proud, then you have eternity in your sights and you’ve centered your hope squarely on God. That’s when we discover victory in our hearts and lives even when nothing around us seems to have changed. We have changed though. Dramatically. This is also where we find that peace that surpasses understanding that Paul talks about and we are operating in God’s strength, not our own. And it’s the hope God has for us every millisecond of our lives.

Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed. — Isaiah 49:23 (NIV)

Praying and believing,
Dineen

Grace CaféMarriage Divorce and Remarriage 01/23 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Join me today as we take a sensitive look at divorce and remarriage. Hugs, Lynn

 

 

 

Grace CaféMarriage Divorce and Remarriage 01/23 by CWA Radio | Blog Talk Radio.

Join Marsha Harwood & Julie Hunsucker at Grace Café ~ Sharing Life, Hope and a Cup of Coffee; a place for women to grow in grace together, every Monday @ 11:00 Eastern Time 8:00 am Pacific on CWA Radio.

Marsha and Julie are joined by Lynn Donovan for a frank discussion about marriage, divorce and remarriage. 

Isn't marriage supposed to make us happy? Is divorce the only option? Struggling with feelings of guilt and shame? 

Whether you are happy or unhappy in your marriage, divorced or considering divorce, this program is for you. Maybe you know someone who is going through a divorce or is divorced. Marsha, Julie and Lynn want to help you help your friend with compassionate and biblical ways to bring hope, healing and comfort in a difficult situation.

Lynn's websites:

http://www.spirituallyunequalmarriage.com

http://www.winninghimwithoutwords.com

And on Facebook:

 https://www.facebook.com/SpirituallyUnequalMarriage

Grace Café on FB -http://www.facebook.com/GraceCafe

Weekend Devo — The Promise

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

—Acts 2:36-39

I emphasized that last line because of the truth it holds. The Truth. It holds the promise of Jesus Christ. And right here, Peter tells us that this promise is for us and our spouses and our children and grandchildren and so on.

All who are far off...

Amazing! No matter how far off our unbelieving loved ones might be today, this promise is for them. Jesus is for them and He's calling them. We can trust in that promise.

Praying and believing,
Dineen