My Divine Notes

Living strong in the Lord  Romans 12:11 Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over, as you serve the Lord.  (This is my Scripture for 2015). My main goal in 2015 is to go deeper in my spiritual journey with the Lord. I never want to be satisfied in the place I am unless I am certain that God has put me there. According the Dr. David Jeremiah, most of us think we're too busy and we are. But much of our “busyness” is the result of how we choose to spend our non-working hours. He goes on to say that Christians should step back and take a bigger and longer view of where we are in life. I'm asking myself hard questions. Am I still passionate about kingdom building and am I using that passion as a vibrant witness for Christ? Or do I need to be still and listen for other instructions? Time isn't on our side - Psalm 90:10 a We may journey through life for 70 years; some may live and breathe 80...

Psalm 50:6 (NLT) Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge. Interlude. The long, hot days of August come to a close as I reflect on the grief and terror experienced  around the world  and  in America by innocent people. Somehow, this month can’t be all about me and my personal world because God opened my eyes and heart to the hatred and evil of humankind. Terrorism against any group, anywhere in the world, is evil whether it’s political or is conducted by organizations that are supposed to protect the citizens of America. We saw images of an innocent journalist, women and children harmed across the world. We saw how racism reared its ugly head in our own back yard with the killing of a young black man. I came of age in the era of desegregation and it feels like  we've  lost ground. I’m particularly appalled at the ignorance of some Christians who are hypocrites when it comes to  loving your brother as yourself....

  Psalm 16:8,11   I know the Lord is always with me.     I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. You will show me the way of life,     granting me the joy of your presence     and the pleasures of living with you forever. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.  Mark 6:31b-32a   He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a lonely place to get some rest.” So they went in a boat by themselves to a lonely place. Don’t let the busyness of your life get in the way of spending time knowing the heart of God who made you in His own likeness. So many of us have the best of intentions, I know I do. I want to do it all: I want to write, tweet, FaceBook, care for my family/friends/others, take care of my cats, handle my job and the ministries I’m called to do, plus I must keep up with daily responsibilities as you do. Where does this leave God in all my busynes...

Mark 10:47-49   KJV And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.  And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.  And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.  This statue is located at Houston Methodist Hospital. My photo.  Can you imagine? Jesus stood still when the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, called out! Yes. God stood still !  The blind man boldly ask for mercy and for sight. Jesus restored his sight!  Opportunities like that never repeat themselves!   How are your spiritual eyes? Do you obey when God asks you to step out? Are you missing out on God's choice blessings when you can't hear His call or when you are unwilling to obey? Those blessings c...

Mark 3:13 Jesus called together a select group of His followers and led them up onto a mountain. 14 There He commissioned them the twelve. [Later He calls them His emissaries.] He wanted them to be with Him. He sent them out to spread the good news. Earlier this year I wrote a post about personal goals for this year, and my own words spoke to me today: “One key thing I plan to do this year is to be available frequently for those who are important to me. I need to be a more frequent and committed participant in community.” In his humanness, Jesus set the example for how we should conduct our lives. His mission included other people personally selected to help carry out the Plan.  The same is true for the rest of us. We can’t go on our own power. You and I can’t do good works without having the Holy Spirit’s guiding light. We must first go to the Lord and spend quality time knowing His heart.  We must go to Him to receive our power for the things we do ...

Psalm 90:10 TLB  Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to eighty. But even the best of these years are often empty and filled with pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone. Getting the things done you’d rather not do For this month’s OneWord365 blog post, I’d like to share a very important DO that I accomplished:  I got my personal and business affairs in order! Sometimes you have to do things you’d rather not do like prepare a will, and pull all the important financial and legal information together that your loved ones need for the day that your earthly dash date arrives and your time is up. Most of us prefer not to consider the possibility, especially if we’re young, healthy and invincible. But I’m proud to say that my “do” goal, 52-week decluttering project and information from a professional development seminar helped me put my affairs in order, so I’ll share resources I found helpful. TED Talk:  Prepare for a good end of life I w...

What does it look like to be kind?  Ephesians 4:23 Living Bible Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Ephesians 4:23 The Voice to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit.  The  dictionary  defines kind as  of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person. What does it look like to be kind? This sentence kicked me out of the ballpark.  As soon as the preacher said it, a knife chopped my heart in half. I was wounded because I can wound others well. This year I don’t want to forget the lessons learned during Lent, so  I've  paid close attention to a series of sermons that ask the question: If salvation comes free and we don't earn it, what does God want from me?  This week’s message was supposed to be simple, according to the preacher, but there’s nothing simple when it comes to changing old habits that ...