My Divine Notes

During March I posted Scriptures each day honoring my daughter’s birthday. My sole purpose in doing this is to remind her and now you that our every need is answered by God and we see evidence of it in His word, the Bible.   Proverbs 22:6. Thanks to the ministry of  Bible Gateway  for providing online Scripture.   Jude 1:2 The Voice (VOICE) 2  Kindness, peace, love—may they never stop blooming in you and from you. Numbers 6:24-26 Living Bible (TLB) 24-26  ‘May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.’ Psalm 139:17-18 Living Bible (TLB) 17-18  How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. [ a ]   And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me! Exodus 14:14 Living Bible (TLB) ...

Matthew 5:8 NCV They are blessed whose thoughts are pure, for they will see God. I am in a season of deeper learning and yearning for the things of God. During the sacred Lenten season, my heart compels me to remember the Lord’s great sacrifice by sharing Communion in community and by practicing spiritual disciplines. Coincidence or not?  God works His  power  in ways I never expect… I attended a service and shared Communion at my daughter’s favorite church. The pastor brought us a very touching and powerful sermon via video from  Ghana  where he is attending a  Living Water  global conference. I left church and went to my lay ministry volunteer work with the ill. I always begin my ministry of compassion and listening by spending time in the chapel asking the Lord to use me in His name and by reading his word. My eyes and heart focused on  Matthew 5  (the Beatitudes) and I thought of the poor in  Ghana  ...

Matthew 9 Jesus Chooses Matthew 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him. Matthew got up and followed him. 10 Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and “sinners” came. They ate with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this. So they asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 12 Jesus heard that. So he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor. Sick people do. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ (Hosea 6:6) I have not come to get those who think they are right with God to follow me. I have come to get sinners to follow me.” I don’t want to forget that Jesus was about relationships with everyone he didn't distinguish between sinners and tax collectors. Andy Stanley compares tax collectors to the people who sell drugs to young kids in our d...

Lent series at First Presbyterian | My sermon notes Luke 23:32-34   Jesus wasn't the only one being crucified that day. There were two others, criminals, who were also being led to their execution.  When they came to the place known as “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, in the company of criminals, one to the right of Jesus and the other to His left.  Jesus: Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing. Meanwhile they were drawing lots to see who would win Jesus’ clothing.   God's grace is boundless and there's nothing you have to do to deserve it. There's nothing we can do because we all fall short.  "God is a perfect God. We are an imperfect people." ~ Pastor preaching Jesus prayed an intercessory prayer before those who crucified Him even understood that they were killing God.  You don't have to know or understand. And there's nothing you can  do that doesn't fall under God's ...

My sermon notes: Encouraging one another  ~ Dr. Charles Stanley  You can find this sermon at InTouch Ministries . We should all be encouragers. Even Jesus needed encouragement. Everyone needs encouragement.  Matthew 26:38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”  Dr. Stanley suggests we don't keep our faith to ourselves or keep to ourselves. We need each other.  Below are simple things you can do to encourage your friends, family, coworkers, those who help you and those you know need a little extra TLC.  ➡️Call ➡️Text better than nothing ➡️Write a letter ➡️Compliment  ➡️Ask: What can I pray about for you? ➡️Fulfill a need ➡️Give someone your time ➡️Provide Scripture. Psalm 32:8 ➡️Tell the truth ➡️Be forgiving  ➡️Say it -> I love you!  ➡️Be a good example  ➡️Give godly correction ➡️Listen ➡️Look people square in the e...

Hebrews 5:7   While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because he trusted God.  There is only one way to move through the valley of unimaginable loss and angst:   Trust God in your deepest sorrow. Our Lord grieved and trusted his Father. We can do the same.

Psalm 31:19 How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. When did we stop being just plain good to each other? When did we decide manners, common sense and courtesy no longer matter? These are questions I've been asking myself especially after reading a blog post in Church and Culture by James Emery White on how Christians have missed the opportunity to rise above the moral, social and political upheavals in this generation.  We, who know Christ, and who are called His Body, have reacted without unity and Christ-likeness in this environment of meanness. But the thing is if you are a Christian, you probably don’t think this post is about you. But it is. We must all take responsibility.   You, who rants about those who don't belong to your  political party; you, who casts the first stone when someone sins differently...