My Divine Notes

Colossians 3:12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Old habits hang around like dirty clothes. You know you have to wash them, but sometimes they just pile up. The Lord has been challenging me to go to the next level of obedience and maturity in my walk with him. I’ve changed quite a bit, I’m not who I used to be, but I’m not where God wants me to be. I have a responsibility as someone who loves the Lord to walk the talk. Today I was challenged to drop my tendency to get offended. I was pleasantly surprised when I recognized that I was about to fall into my old habit of wanting to take the high road because I’m always right. Offense opens the doors to making irrational decisions, in the heat of the moment, which you will often re...

2 Corinthians 1:4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. I’m in a season of sorrow as I watch my mother slowly start to leave her earthly body. She’s in hospice care. Other key people in my life are also facing serious health issues, and I’ve also had to deal with the “thorns” that I battle. I am taking care of myself by sharing my burdens with the Lord and with the people who are closest to me. In short, I’m doing all I can humanly do to remain in God’s peace. And most days, I’m amazed at the joy in my heart regardless of my circumstances. But some days it’s hard… I feel helpless when Mom’s in pain and I watch her suffer but not complain. All I can do is reassure her that the staff is doing all they can to keep her comfortable and that I love her. And then I cry and my heart breaks and that’s when I feel deep sorrow. I remind myself that Jesus wept (John 11:35...

When it hurts to care – Psalm 31:7 Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. One of God’s gifts to me is the ability to care about and pray for those who are ill. But right now, my mother is at the end of her life, and another key person in my life recently received bad health news. I also follow the Facebook journey of a courageous 12-year old girl, Jessie Rees ,  who suffered from two inoperable brain tumors. She passed away a few days ago. I am sad. But it’s interesting that in my sadness, I’ve come to appreciate how God works my faith steps. Before I decided that God’s purpose for me was greater than my own purpose, I had a hard time being close to people because it hurt that they might die or leave me. God opened my understanding (and healed me) so that I could come to terms with that and step into the gifts of compassion he planned for me. I started to feel that familiar hu...

These tips are for me to ponder because I have to work on improving my relationships all the time . I'm so imperfect... In my case, I know that the love of Christ helps me honor others even when I don't like them or agree with them. I know it's possible to make our personal opinions known in a loving, courteous and respectful way. Twitter Tip #1 for Christians : We're all measured by what we post on Twitter. Remember that we are to represent Christ first . Twitter Tip #2 for Christians : If you use Christian in your Twitter or FaceBook bio, remember it's not about you. Don't embarrass the Lord...or the rest of us... Twitter Tip #3 for Christians : If you must use street language, poke fun at others and say rude things, please don’t include Christian in your bio. Twitter Tip #4 for Christians : Don't use Christian or wisdom in your name or bio if you are going to promote secular "wisdom" or make statements that con...

Psalm 56:9 When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. I have learned that I must rely on God in all things – big and small. I must cry out to him when I’m dealing with life. I tend to want to handle things on my own, but I have a bad track record. I’m not good without God. We can rely on God when we know God. We can decide that God is a stranger and choose not to know him or we can get to know him so we can rely on him when the enemy approaches. The enemy will approach. Know God. Let God be on your side.

Psalm 62:1 I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. There’s nothing harder for a creative person than to be quiet and not say, suggest or do things that are better left unsaid or undone. It’s hard for me not to want to race ahead and implement my own ideas rather than waiting for God’s word. Quiet waiting is an improvement opportunity for me. Some decisions need to be left quietly to God. It saves us anguish, second-guessing and turmoil. If you like to claim victory, step back. Do you really want the victory for yourself or do you want God to give you victory? Wait quietly for God.

Proverbs 27:9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. I am writing this note because I have been blessed with friends whom I consider gifts from God. I am a blessed woman because I have known the love of friends since I was a child. It amazes me the way that God wired us to love certain people enough to call them friends. I have an assortment of friends, men and women, who are very different in race, education, economic status, career, job and religious status. Each one of them brings a unique perspective to my life. I love those moments when we both agree without ever saying a word. Some of my closest friends don’t even live close by. Yet it’s like they are next door. Before social media made life more accessible, we would trade letters – gasp! That always blows me away. Some of these friends may not necessarily feel as passionately about God as I do or even believe he exists. And it still works because God knows ...