My Divine Notes

August 31, 2015 The greatest is love 1 Corinthians 13:13  But now faith, hope, and love remain; these three virtues must characterize our lives. The greatest of these is love. Two loved ones connected to friends and another person bonded to my heart by my ministry finished the circle of life and passed into eternity this month. Certainly when the calendar turned to August 1, 2015, their families never imagined they would be saying good-bye. We’re never ready to say goodbye. Death changes everything. The new normal never fits – it’s awkward, it’s painful, it’s stressful and it can bring regrets.   It is good to love well (1 Peter 4:8), forgive easily, be truly present and let loved ones know they matter.   Because. Once death arrives we no longer have a chance to love. We'll either have wonderful memories or deep regrets.  Choose love.

Psalm 119:76 Oh, love me—and right now!—hold me tight! Sometimes you just need The Message! Meet God at your deepest need. 

Until my last earthly breath, I will never stop telling what happened to me on May 2, 2006. That day changed my life and I finally knew what my important mission was. I knew at a very young age that there was something I was going to do, but I had no clue. Acts 16:13   On the Sabbath day, we went outside the city walls to the nearby river, assuming that some Jewish people might be gathering for prayer. We found a group of women there, so we sat down and spoke to them. 14 One of them, Lydia, was a business woman originally from Thyatira. She made a living buying and selling fine purple fabric. She was a true worshiper of God and listened to Paul with special interest. The Lord opened her heart to take in the message with enthusiasm. 15 She and her whole household were ceremonially washed through baptism.[a] On May 2, 2006 I saw the hand of God and it changed my entire life. Ask my friends and family. Ask my daughter – she can tell you how I really was! I am a sinner t...

Rethinking the familiar when God calls you out Joshua 5:12 Beginning after that Passover, the Israelites were no longer fed with manna, as they were in the desert. From the day they ate from the new land, the manna ceased. From then on they ate only the crops of the land of Canaan. It occurred to me how many people stay stuck on neutral in their life with God. It’s like they continue to do the things on auto pilot like the crowd who ate manna (which was life-sustaining) instead of venturing into exciting pastures of Canaan-like territory that might cause potential discomfort, but provide growth and new insights. How are you going to know if you like new crops if you continue to eat the familiar life-giving manna?  Is God just at church for you?  Is the Bible the book read by your priest, pastor or minister? Do you know God’s heart on an intimate level?  Have you tapped into delicious new crops available from the Holy Spirit?  Remember that God...

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!  It's been a season of weather discontent. Too much snow, too much rain, too much gloom and on and on.  Lamenting the rain that gives life to greenery is now a pastime for many in my area. We forget the drought that killed vegetation and maimed our properties, park and public spaces.  Complain, complain, complain.  FaceBook, Twitter, in person or phone, we complain that we have no sunshine. Massive gray skies and clouds frame my daytime views most days, and I also ask for the sunshine. But I and countless others fail to see the beauty of the current moment. Seems like we should stop and thank the Lord that we're alive to see the day with its dreariness and all.  That's how I've decided to look at my days. Soon we'll see endless days ushering in soaring temperatures and humidity fit for a sauna spa.  Instead of lamenting out loud and in...

Matthew  5:33  You know that God expects us to abide by the oaths we swear and the promises we make.  Don't swear by heaven Matthew 5:34 But I tell you this: do not ever swear an oath. What is an oath? You cannot say, “I swear by heaven”—for heaven is not yours to swear by; it is God’s throne.  Don't swear by earth Matthew 5:35 And you cannot say, “I swear by this good earth,” for the earth is not yours to swear by; it is God’s footstool. And you cannot say, “I swear by the holy city Jerusalem,” for it is not yours to swear by; it is the city of God, the capital of the King of kings.  Don't swear by your own head Matthew 5:36 You cannot even say that you swear by your own head, for God has dominion over your hands, your lips, your head. It is He who determines if your hair be straight or curly, white or black; it is He who rules over even this small scrap of creation.  Instead of swearing, keep your word! Matthew 5:37 Yo...

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...