Devotional // 4.26.2012 | “Contentment”
Source: Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-by-Day
Devotional // 1.18.2012 | Psalm 91
Source: King David, The Book of Psalms, The Holy Bible
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Edited to add: Click HERE to read Psalm 91 from BibleGateway.com.
Devotional // 12.22.2011
“The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.” - Ephesians 1:17, 18
The science of redemption is the science of all sciences, the science that is the study of the angels and of all the intelligences of the unfallen worlds, the science that engages the attention of our Lord and Saviour, the science that enters into the purpose brooded in the mind of the Infinite—“kept in silence through times eternal,” the science that will be the study of God’s redeemed throughout the endless ages. This is the highest study in which it is possible for man to engage. As no other study can, it will quicken the mind and uplift the soul….
The theme of redemption is one that angels desire to look into; it will be the science and the song of the redeemed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Is it not worthy of careful thought and study now? […]
Devotional // 12.16.2011
“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” - 1 Corinthians 2:4
We are not surprised to find that Satan will work today as he has worked in the past. We must live by faith; for without faith it is impossible to please God…. Boasting claims of righteousness and noisy demonstrations are calculated to lead to a fanatical experience that will confuse many minds. If such things are encouraged, a wave of fanaticism will come into our ranks that will be detrimental to the work of God, and that will sweep away many souls in a dangerous delusion. These things are designed by Satan to deceive, if possible, the very elect.
It is our privilege to preach the Word in the demonstration of the Spirit. It is the privilege of every soul to exercise faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But pure spiritual life comes only as the soul surrenders itself to the will of God through Christ, the reconciling Saviour. It is our privilege to be worked by the Holy Spirit.
The Runaway Bunny
Sometime ago on my birthday, I was thinking about what to get myself…a little something to mark another year of life. The only thing I could think of was a children’s storybook called THE RUNAWAY BUNNY, written by Margaret Wise Brown. Random and unusual for someone my age to purchase for herself on her birthday? Mmmmaybe…but the simplicity of its reminder may convince you otherwise. So read on, won’t you?
This book was introduced to me in a movie called WIT. In the movie, a woman named Vivian Bearing (played by actress Emma Thompson) is diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Shortly before her death an old friend of hers, a former college professor, pays her a visit and reads to her the story of THE RUNAWAY BUNNY.
Devotional // 12.10.2011
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” - 1 John 4:11
The world is looking with gratification at the disunion [seen] among Christians. Infidelity is well pleased. God calls for a change among His people. Union with Christ and with one another is our only safety in these last days. Let us not make it possible for Satan to point to our church members, saying, “Behold how these people, standing under the banner of Christ, hate one another. We have nothing to fear from them while they spend more strength fighting one another than in warfare with my forces.”
After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples went forth to proclaim a risen Saviour, their one desire the salvation of souls. They rejoiced in the sweetness of communion with saints. They were tender, thoughtful, self-denying, willing to make any sacrifice for the truth’s sake.
Devotional // 12.7.2011
“And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God.” - Revelation 14:5
Sin is a hateful thing. It marred the moral beauty of a large number of the angels. It entered our world, and well-nigh obliterated the moral image of God in man. But in His great love God provided a way whereby man might regain the position from which he fell in yielding to the tempter. Christ came to stand at the head of humanity, to work out in our behalf a perfect character… . “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” …
What does the Lord require of His blood-bought heritage? The sanctification of the whole being, purity like the purity of Christ, perfect conformity to the will of God… . . Into the holy city there can enter nothing that defileth, or maketh a lie… .
Devotional // 12.5.2011
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13
What does God require? Perfection; nothing less than perfection. But if we would be perfect, we must put no confidence in self. Daily we must know and understand that self is not to be trusted. We need to grasp God’s promises with firm faith. We need to ask for the Holy Spirit with a full realization of our own helplessness. Then when the Holy Spirit works, we shall not give self the glory. The Holy Spirit will graciously take the heart into His keeping, bringing to it all the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. We shall be kept by the power of God through faith.
When we are daily under the control of God’s Spirit, we shall be commandment-keeping people. We may show to the world that obedience to God’s commands brings its own reward, even in this life, and in the future life eternal blessedness.
Q:Hi Karla. I was looking at your archive. I notice you got many of inspirational Bible verse and quotes. I want to know if you have advice to give me. I am experiencing insecurity. Why I did not find relationship yet. I did not find the "right man" yet. When I compared myself to others' I get scared. Can you PLEASE help me? Thank you in advanced.
Anonymous
Hello, anon! First of all, good morning/afternoon/evening to you, wherever you are in this beautiful world. Secondly, thank you for stopping by and entrusting me with your question. As the name of my blog suggests, this blog is “my reverie”, my haven, my place to unwind, relax, mentally vocalize, pray, share words of encouragement…my place to simply be me. So when I read your question, I was glad that in some way, you allowed my blog and my “ask” box to be your reverie, too!
My dearest anon, I will attempt to answer your question to the best of my ability. With that said, however, please keep in mind that though I may offer my advice, the Bible and sincere prayer will always be your best source of wisdom.
On insecurity. We live in a world where the easiest human tendency when coping with life circumstances is to look north, south, east, west instead of looking up to God, our True North. As a result of looking around us, comparison becomes a part of our everyday living. This is something I struggle with myself. I’ve found that reading the Bible and daily prayer helps. Talking with like-minded and Godly friends definitely encourage me as well! When I make God a part of my daily schedule and faithfully stick to the agenda, I’m able to resist the temptation to compare myself with the world. Submit every source and area of insecurity to God and ask Him to help you with those insecurities.
On finding the “right man” and being in a relationship. God’s timing is always the best timing. Also, God’s plans for us are always the best plans. If a relationship has the likelihood of breaking up our relationship with God, in the end, we will feel broken inside. God is the author of your and my life. We may never know and understand why we go through what we go through, but I have complete confidence in our all-knowing God and His plans for His beloved children.
I have been reading this amazing book called The Question Behind the Question (QBQ) by John G. Miller. In the book, the author writes about the importance of asking the right questions. “The answers are in the questions. … If we ask a better question, we get a better answer.” Here are Miller’s three simple guidelines for asking the right questions:
- Begin with “What” or “How” (not “Why,” “When,” or “Who”).
- Contain an “I” (not “they,” “them,” “we,” or “you”).
- Focus on action.
Ever since reading that section of the book, I’ve been able to ask myself the right questions - and they have truly helped! However, I’ve added my own twist to the third guideline, and instead of focusing on action, I ask myself, “What would Jesus have me do?” Asking myself this question brings me to my knees and/or points me to the Word.
Instead of wondering why you are still single, a good question to ask yourself might be, “What can I learn from God during this season of my life that I may not be able to learn if and when I’m in a relationship?” A wise friend of mine once told me, “Singlehood is a gift.” Just because a person is single longer or their entire life doesn’t mean it’s the end of happiness for them. There is always, always, always a reason for happiness at every moment and stage of our lives. Singlehood could mean a period of loneliness. But why let it mean that when it can mean so much more? To me, singleness means “more time to learn about me, more time to make myself a better person with God’s help, more one-on-one quality time with God…”. In the mean time, take time to reflect on your blessings, deepen your friendships, grow in Christ, and make this stage of your life count so that if and when God places you in a marriage relationship, you will enter into that marriage union having lived your life to the fullest, and having accomplished the things you can only accomplish as a single woman, and having prepared yourself to be the best helpmeet you could possibly be for your spouse.
Anon, in the world’s eyes, you and I are single; but in God’s eyes we are taken…because we are HIS. I hope I was able to help in some small way. I’ll be praying for you, my sister. Blessings!
Karla
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A couple verses from God’s Love Letter:
- “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” - Philippians 4:11 (KJV)
- “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” - Psalm 37:4 (KJV) [My favorite verse!!!]
“Stick to the formula!”
Growing up, algebra was never my forte. To be honest, I very much preferred keeping the word “forte” in my music world. My musician’s definition of “forte = loud/loudly” was quite enough for me. Years later, while sitting in a college algebra class, I was humbled by my umpteenth realization that algebra will always be a part of my life.
I was sitting in class one day, paper in front of me, textbook open, pencil in hand (and multiple erasers expecting to be used), trying to find the answer to a math problem. Gone were the days of elementary algebra. I had gone from problems that looked like this
Amen, amen, amen! I needed this reminder today!
(via bearhugsforjesus)
Source: iwilltrustinyou
”What a PRIVILEGE to carry EVERYTHING to GOD in PRAYER.” Jesus has us and all of our burdens in HIS hands. May you be blessed by the Post-It reminder in the words of this song.
This is such a powerful testimony! It is definitely worth listening to! God is real and is able to deliver us from the bondage of our painful past. I praise God for the power of this young man’s testimony.
