His Provision In My Need

Psalm 73:21-28

Paraphrased:

When my husband was taken from me, I was thrown into a grief so deep that I was no better than a useless animal, sleeping away the days on the couch, neglecting my duties.

Yet You never left me! You carried me like a shepherd carries a wounded lamb, and led me by the hand out of the moroseness and back into Your joy! You are all I ever needed, in Heaven or on Earth, You are my all, nothing else can compete with You! Even if my health and finances shall fail, You will still be my strength and provision. You are good, and You are good to me; I will stay close by Your side, with Your arm around me. Those who refuse to acknowledge You will disappear as a dream is gone when I awaken from sleep, but You have given me Your eternal life, to prosper my days here, and spend forever with You. So I will talk about all You have done for me.

The Owner And King Of The World

Psalm 24 

Personalized:

My sweet little daughter, the whole Earth is Mine, and everything in it; the whole world is Mine, and everyone in it; because I planned it, plotted it, graphed it, devised it, and I made it and put it all together for you. I made sure that this Earth would be just so far from your Sun for it to allow life to be here, and I planned for all the Nations to be spread out over the whole world.

But Sweetie, to approach Me, I have provided for you to have clean hands and a pure heart, for you have not chased after any other for your provisions. So I will bless you, Darling, and vindicate you, because you are trusting Me as your Lord, as I AM.

I am coming soon, My Princess; I am returning to this Earth soon. Just as I came as a baby the first time, I will come back as King to reign. I am the Lord over all lords, to win not only every battle but the entire war. I am your Lord Almighty, Superhero, the King over all kings, worthy of all glory, honor and worship.

[And you, my dearest, shall reign with me on My throne.]

See Yourself As A Shepherd

Luke 2:8-21

Put yourself in the picture:

We shepherds were just out with our sheep as usual. Then suddenly there was this Angel, and light shown all around us--we were terrified! But the Angel told us not to be afraid, because he had good news for everybody: Today in the town of David a Savior has just been born, who is Messiah, the Lord. The Angel told us what to look for: A baby, wrapped up tightly, and lying in a manger (instead of a crib). All of a sudden, there were a lot more Angels, praising God loudly! When it was all over, we just stood around and looked at each other, and somebody said, "What are we doing standing around--let's go find this Baby!" So we all took off into Bethlehem, looking in all the barns and stables on the way, and when we got to town, there they were: The parents and the Baby, lying in the manger, exactly like the Angel said! We were so excited, we told everybody all about it, and they were all amazed, too. We saw everything just like we'd been told!

Sowing And Reaping

II Corinthians 9:6-8

Personalized:

Remember this, my dear daughter, whenever you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly, and whenever you sow generously, you will reap generously. Decide in your heart that you will always give generously--not because you have to, or are supposed to--but because you want to; then you will be able to give cheerfully, or even hilariously! Then I will make sure that all my grace will abound to you, so that in all things, all the time, you will have all you need; and you will abound in every good work I planned for you to do! You won't miss out on anything, dear.

Love,

Dad

The Sacrifice

Genesis 2:25, 3:7,10, 21

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

"I heard You in the Garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Before sin entered this picture, the first couple were completely oblivious to the fact that they were naked, they didn't even notice, it made no difference in their relationship.

Then, with sin, shame also entered this picture, and Adam was afraid; when before he walked with God "in the cool of the day" as a usual practice, open and free. Now, aware of his nakedness, he was afraid and hid. Even though they had tried to cover themselves ( the first "religion"), they still considered themselves naked, and hid. They were not clothed until God made them garments of skin--something had to die so they could be clothed.

Whenever I try to cover up what I have done, I know that I'm still exposed, and I feel the shame of not measuring up.

So  God let them know that something had to die for them to be clothed, then later God gave the Israelites the sacrifices, for the sacrificial animals to take the peoples' sins and die in their place; which showed how Jesus, as God's sacrificial Lamb, would take upon Himself the very sin-nature of every person born from Adam, purchasing the whole world (so now He is appointed Judge of all) and satisfying the debt we owe, I owe, for the sin, and for all the sins that result from it. God provided the remedy for our sin--in clothing Adam and Eve, providing the ram for Abraham (in Genesis 22:8, 13) in place of his son Isaac, giving the sacrificial system, and finally, His own Son, my Lord Jesus, the Christ, to pay the debt in full for me.

And for you, dear reader, too, if you recognize that you deserve the death Jesus died, and He took your place on that Cross. That's putting your trust in Him and letting Him be your Savior, by dying the death you deserve, so you could have His life, that you don't deserve, either. God's mercy is not giving us the punishment we deserve, and His grace is giving us His eternal Life, by putting His own Spirit inside us to live in our spirits. Now He can forgive us, and bless us with every blessing out of His abundance in Glory.

Our "Bar Of Soap"

I John 1:8-10

If we claim to be without sin - Refuse to admit that our wrongs are wrong.

we deceive ourselves - We lie to ourselves, fantasize.

And the truth is not in us - We've chosen fantasy over reality.

If we confess our sins - Admit our wrongs, face the dysfunctions in our lives and recognize them as sin.

He is faithful - He always remains true to what He has said.

and just - Because the price has already been paid at Calvary.

And will forgive us our sins - The ones we are aware of and have just confessed.

And purify us from all unrighteousness - Clean out all the filth, shame, dysfunction; everything in us that is contrary to His perfection and goodness to make us pure and holy completely.

If we claim to have not sinned - Refuse to admit that what we've done or said is wrong, justify ourselves.

We make Him out to be a liar - Because we're contradicting what He said as though we're right and He's wrong!

And His Word has no place in our lives - We've pushed out His Truth and embraced our own fantasies.

On That Day

Malachi 4:1-3

Personalized:

O my precious daughter, I tell you that the Day is surely coming, and it will burn like a furnace, a crematory. For everyone who is arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble and that Day that is almost here will burn them up with fire. I am the Lord, Almighty over all the Earth. Not a root or a branch will be left of them. But for you, Bonnie, and everyone else who revere My Name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go out and leap and dance like frolicsome calves released from their stalls. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be the ashes under the soles of your feet on the Day that I do these things for you, daughter, dear; as your Lord Almighty you can be confident in trusting Me.