"For those who make themselves great will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be made great."
This verse from Luke comes at the end of a parable where Jesus explains that one should sit in the lowest seat at a banquet and not the highest. To me, it means that to be humble, we should put others before ourselves. Our own happiness and comfort should come second to that of others. We see it time and again in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New, that those who do this do not lack for happiness and comfort themselves.
When we put others first, we are putting God first. When we put God first, He provides for us.
Agree? Disagree? Thoughts or comments? Examples from your own life? Please feel free to share.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Job 5:8-9
If I were you, I would turn to God and present my case to Him. We cannot understand the great things He does, and to His miracles there is no end.
It's my belief that God answers all our prayers. However, sometimes the answer is "No" or "Not yet." But miracles do happen, we just don't always recognize them.
When I was a young mother, money was very tight. There was a time when the electric company was going to shut off our power. I hadn't told anyone about this, not even my husband. I was ashamed, feeling responsible. I was the one who paid the bills. If I'd been better at budgeting maybe we wouldn't have fallen so far behind. If I hadn't stopped working when our third son was born, there would have been more money, etc. I had 2 days to come up with enough money to keep the electricity on and no way to get that money.
I went to church and prayed. I cried. I prayed some more. During this time of my life, pretty much the only time I really prayed was when I was desperate, so I wasn't really expecting an answer since I wasn't very devout.
After I got home, my mother called and invited us to dinner. Well, at least that was a meal I wouldn't have to worry about paying for. I don't remember exactly when she did it but at some point during the afternoon, she handed me an envelope and said, "I think you need this." Inside was a check for the exact amount I needed to keep our power on. Nobody knew about this, except me and God.
He hears and He answers.
It's my belief that God answers all our prayers. However, sometimes the answer is "No" or "Not yet." But miracles do happen, we just don't always recognize them.
When I was a young mother, money was very tight. There was a time when the electric company was going to shut off our power. I hadn't told anyone about this, not even my husband. I was ashamed, feeling responsible. I was the one who paid the bills. If I'd been better at budgeting maybe we wouldn't have fallen so far behind. If I hadn't stopped working when our third son was born, there would have been more money, etc. I had 2 days to come up with enough money to keep the electricity on and no way to get that money.
I went to church and prayed. I cried. I prayed some more. During this time of my life, pretty much the only time I really prayed was when I was desperate, so I wasn't really expecting an answer since I wasn't very devout.
After I got home, my mother called and invited us to dinner. Well, at least that was a meal I wouldn't have to worry about paying for. I don't remember exactly when she did it but at some point during the afternoon, she handed me an envelope and said, "I think you need this." Inside was a check for the exact amount I needed to keep our power on. Nobody knew about this, except me and God.
He hears and He answers.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sirach 51:1-2
I give you thanks, O Lord and King; I praise you as my God and Savior. I give you thanks for you have helped me and protected me.
Since this is my first blog post, most of you reading this know me and know my story of the past year. It was about this time last year that my husband, Dan, started feeling ill. Eventually, it was found out that he had lung cancer and, after a very rough few months, passed away on August 2, 2011.
Some people might say that my faith in God is a crutch that I'm using to help me through my grief. I have two replies:
1. I have always had faith in God. I haven't always lived that faith, but it's been there.
2. Of course it's a crutch. God wants us to lean on Him during hard times. He wants to feel His love and give us strength, just as any good father wants. He has the strongest and broadest of shoulders to cry on, the biggest and most gentle of arms to hold us, and more love than any human can possibly imagine.
It's funny. Once I decided to do the random daily readings of the Bible and began sharing them on Facebook, I have actually been feeling something akin to joy. I got past the 6-month anniversary of Dan's death with sadness but also with joy that I had 33 years on this earth with him and joy in knowing that I will be reunited with him in Heaven, forever, when my time comes.
I do give the Lord thanks and praise, for he has indeed helped me.
If He has helped you and you care to share, I'd love to read your story. Please feel free to comment.
Since this is my first blog post, most of you reading this know me and know my story of the past year. It was about this time last year that my husband, Dan, started feeling ill. Eventually, it was found out that he had lung cancer and, after a very rough few months, passed away on August 2, 2011.
Some people might say that my faith in God is a crutch that I'm using to help me through my grief. I have two replies:
1. I have always had faith in God. I haven't always lived that faith, but it's been there.
2. Of course it's a crutch. God wants us to lean on Him during hard times. He wants to feel His love and give us strength, just as any good father wants. He has the strongest and broadest of shoulders to cry on, the biggest and most gentle of arms to hold us, and more love than any human can possibly imagine.
It's funny. Once I decided to do the random daily readings of the Bible and began sharing them on Facebook, I have actually been feeling something akin to joy. I got past the 6-month anniversary of Dan's death with sadness but also with joy that I had 33 years on this earth with him and joy in knowing that I will be reunited with him in Heaven, forever, when my time comes.
I do give the Lord thanks and praise, for he has indeed helped me.
If He has helped you and you care to share, I'd love to read your story. Please feel free to comment.
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