Sing Your Praise to The Lord

   Amy Grant performed a song awhile back called "Sing Your Praise to The Lord".  I listened to it this morning, and thought to myself, "I need to praise Him at all times"!  Hallelujah?  Even when life is challenging and hard, I need to praise Him.  We all do.  I've seen struggles in friends' and family's lives and I struggle as well with difficult situations, but we still need to give praise where it's due, and give it to Whom it's due...Jesus.  In just a few months we will be celebrating Jesus' birth.  He was born fully human and fully God.  He knew no sin.  He grew to the age of 12 and by then was teaching in the temple.  Years would pass and by age 30 he called 12 disciples and began a ministry that would change the world.

     A few months after we celebrate His birth, we celebrate the very essence of why He was born into a world of sinners.  They questioned His ministry and Him.  They mocked Him.  They arrested Him and beat  Him.  They scourged Him and flogged Him.  Spat upon Him and they Crucified Him.  He bled and died for our sin.  God had turned His back on His only Son, so that we may have eternal life.  Then something amazing happened 3 days after His death.  He arose from the borrowed grave He was lying in!  He conquered Death and Hades!  Salvation came to us by His blood, to whoever believed!  How amazing is that?  So yes, we can sing our praise to the Lord in any given situation, because He gave His life for us!

     You may have had a loss or you may have a health or a financial issue.  Family problems or job problems arise, and you are at the end of your rope.  What do you do then?  Give Him praise and glory, just because He died in your place.  Life is hard and we cannot minimize that.  But the truth is that we can praise Him in the midst of our problems, because He gave His life that we might live.  Jesus is our only source of strength.  Jesus is our only source of joy and praise.  Sing your praise to the Lord!

Singing Praises,

Sabrina

Friendship

1 Samuel 18:1

As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

     David and Jonathan had a solid friendship.  One of a true bond, down to the depth of their souls.  They were more than just merely best friends.  Their souls were intertwined.  They were more than brothers.  Their love for one another came from God Himself.  That's the kind of friendship we need to have with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  If we would love each other as David and Jonathan loved each other, and the way Christ loves us, the world would see us as real, and not just see Christianity as religiosity that is empty.  I have a friendship that mirrors David and Jonathan's.  My best friend and I were separated by distance for 25 years, yet we stayed in contact.  Even in our silent moments, we were still joined.  I came back home almost 7 years ago, and we still can't see each other enough.  There are frustrations, but there are times we need to cry and need to laugh, and no matter what, we are there for each other.

     I wrote about friends, and showed a video in my last blog, and I want to continue in that content.  There are friendships that are not good for us.  We may hang out with "the wrong crowd" and get into trouble.  There may be "friends" who just bring us down.  We need to be very discerning in whom we make friends with.  The world shows us great sins.  The Bible tells us in James 4:4, You adulterous people!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Meaning, the lust of the flesh, anyone who leads you to sin, the worldly desires, instead of godly desires.  Those "friends" that lead you to sin, are not friends that are tied to your soul.  They do not have your best interest in mind.  A true friend will lead you in the right direction.  A righteous direction, divinely made from the Lord Himself.

     John 15:13 says, Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  Are you willing to give it all up for your friends?  Are they willing to give all they have for you?  That is what friendship is all about.  Love and sacrifice, just as Jesus laid down His life for us.  How much are you willing to give to your friendships in your life?  Do you think they are worth the sacrifice?  If you don't think so, then maybe you need to rethink why you are their friend, or if you really are a friend to them.  God wants all of you.  God wants your whole life.  Jesus wants you to love others as He did, and for you to give it your all.  Are you in?

In friendship and love,

Sabrina

Friends are Friends Forever

     In 1987, Michael W. Smith sang this song and it touched my heart.  I had close friends that I was away from, and those that I had lost.  The song lived long in me.  It always melted my heart and made me cry.  Well, just last month, one of my nieces graduated high school and they someone sang this song, and it touched my heart again.  We have have our families for a lifetime, but too, can have lifetime friends, if the Lord is in them.

     From the memory I first have of friends, I had a friend named Mark when I was about 4.  I thought of him as my boyfriend at the time.  Oh, young love, right?  I lost touch over the years and still wonder whatever became of Mark.  For many years I moved from one school to the next and it felt like I had just a few friends.  One in particular was Angela, who I thought of as my best friend in the 3rd grade, but we soon lost touch.  We met up again when I moved back to my hometown.  Since my teens I have had a constant best friend, Karol, who was part of our Youth Ministry in our church.  We have been best friends for over 30 years and not once lost touch, unless I took awhile in writing or calling.  I moved from California to Arizona to Montana and to Illinois, and had the best of friends all around.  I have been truly blessed to stay in contact with them through Facebook and reconnect with old high school friends through Facebook, and coming home.  I was even graced by God to meet friends on a cruise ship!

     For many years, I took advantage of my friends, and only called on them when I needed them.  Then Jesus changed me.  Now, a friend is someone who I cherish and take care of any way I possibly can.  God has given me opportunity for friendships from all over to minister to.  I love all who I meet.   I want to give back what I have taken.  I want to be the kind of friend that will lay down my life for them.  When they cry, I'll be there and cry with them.  When they rejoice, I'll be there to rejoice.  God has called me to minister to people's needs, because at one time, I needed to be ministered to.

     One thing is for sure that I have learned in my journey through life, is to never take friendship for granted, and never take advantage of your friends.  Be there for them as they are there for you.  Love them as Christ loves them, and as Christ loves you.  Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them.  If that is the case, it will last a lifetime.  Cherish everyone, because someday they won't be there.  Life is too short to fret over petty stuff.  Forgive and love your friends.  And if I call you a friend, even on Facebook, you are my friend, and I love you.

Love with the friendship that Christ gave to us,

Sabrina 

My Grace is Sufficient For You

                                                               2 Corinthians 12:9
                                                                 "My grace is sufficient for you,
                                                                   for My strength is made perfect
                                                                                  in weakness".

     Paul had something in his life that he called a thorn in his flesh.  It most likely was an ailment he was suffering from.  Paul prayed 3 times for God to take it away, but He didn't.  Jesus made it perfectly clear that His grace was sufficient for Paul.  Paul later stated in the verse that he would gladly boast in his infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on him.  Paul's journey through the Christian life was tumultuous at best, but he was willing to persevere and run the race to the end, for his reward in heaven.  He was once a brutal persecutor of Christians and now is a fervent follower of Christ. 

     How are we then, to accept God's grace being sufficient for us?  When illnesses arise?  When trials of any come?  Grace is undeserved favor that we can't do for ourselves.  Jesus died on the Cross for our sins with His grace.  We all deserved eternal death, separated from God.  But God gave His only Son to save us.  Paul prayed for his thorn to be removed, and Jesus told him His grace was sufficient.  His grace is sufficient with our sins as well.  The price has been paid once and for all.  It's not by our doing, but by Jesus' doing.  We cannot boast in our salvation, but we can boast in Christ.

     How are you handling God's grace today?  Do you have a "thorn" you want to get rid of?  Are you handling your problems on your own, and not turning to Jesus?  Do you think you are not good enough for Jesus?  Do you think you are not doing enough to get to heaven?  No worries, Jesus' grace has got you covered.  No problems are too big or too small.  You may have an illness that He won't release from you, but rest assure, His grace is sufficient in all ways of life. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".  Proverbs 3:5.  We don't always understand God's ways, but His ways are always best.  God gave us grace not because it was deserved, but because He loved us enough to spare us from hell.

                                                               In God's sufficient grace,
                                                                                           Sabrina

Turning Sorrow Into Joy

                    "...Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength".  Nehemiah 8:10b

     I wonder sometimes how we can have joy in the midst of sorrow.  Have you wondered the same thing?  Questions abound when illness, terrorism, riots, emotional turmoil, and many other turmoils come.  Where is the joy?  And how do we get it?  Our joy comes only from Jesus, and His joy gives us strength.  When we are in the middle of turmoil, it can seem like joy is a million miles away.  The truth is, we become so consumed with our problem that we focus on it and we become a million miles away from Jesus.  Jesus is always with us.  When we focus on our problem, we are the ones that leave Him, and our joy is gone.

     Life happens.  Earthquakes devastate.  Planes crash.  Children die of cancer.  Suicides soar.  But God.  Two most powerful words in the Bible.  But God can bring joy in the midst of all the chaos.  How?  He sent His Son Jesus to die on the Cross of Calvary, for a sinful and dying world, so that it may have eternal life...and...joy even when trouble strikes.  Having Jesus in your life doesn't mean there won't be trouble, but trusting and relying on Him, gives you hope.  Our life on earth is temporary.  We are getting ready for eternity.  Earth is our training ground for what is yet to come.

     "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world".  John 16:33.  With all that goes on in this lost and dying world, we can find joy in Christ, and with that, His strength.  And as it says in John 16, we can also have peace.  In Philippians, Paul says, don't worry.  Friends, God's got this!  We just have to trust.  I have found myself wondering why all these things happen.  But God is always reassuring me of His joy and peace when I cry out, "Help"!  to Him. 

                       "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus".  Philippians 4:7

     His peace, as well as His joy is beyond what we can understand.  We cannot know God's plan, but He has it in place for us.  So, do not sorrow, His joy is your strength.  Let Him give it to you.

                                                     In peace and joy,
                                                                        Sabrina

Pray Without Ceasing

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18~

     To be honest, I had something else in mind to blog today, but at my soon to be 53 years of age, my mind lost all the content of what I had previously thought.  Oh well, since today is the United States' National Day of Prayer, prayer will be the topic.  God has His ways, doesn't He?  On my Bible Gateway app, the word pray in the Bible is mentioned 392 times.  Prayer is mentioned 184 times.  Praying is mentioned 25 times.  Prayer is important and we must pray to keep communication going between us and our Lord.  With that, we must be thankful in everything, because despite good or bad circumstances, God has given us all we have.  

     How do we pray without ceasing?  It's not praying with our eyes closed on our knees 24/7.  It would be difficult to do the laundry, work at our job, or God forbid, drive with our eyes closed, on our knees.  No, it's an attitude of prayer.  It's always having our heart opened to God's leading and direction in our lives.  And yes we can pray in our mind while we do the laundry, work or drive, with our eyes opened.  Keeping in contact with Jesus at all times, in all situations means leaning on Him at those times.  Trusting Him.  Having faith.  Being strong and courageous in all of life's activities.  Pray without ceasing is having a heart for God.  A longing to hang out with Him all day.

     On our National Day of Prayer, remember those who need our prayers, from our government officials to the neighbor down the street.  Most importantly, open the communication between you and God all day, everyday.  Call upon Him in need and in praise.  He wants to hear from you.  His line is always open.  Remember as it says in these verses, it is the will of God to pray without ceasing.  God never ceases in His love for us.  Be a blessing to God and someone else.  Never stop having a heart of prayer.

Praying always in His Name

Sabrina

Just Wait

Psalm 27

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord.

     This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  I may have told this story before, but here I go again.

     I was in a hospital in 1987.  I had some neurological symptoms and they did an MRI on me and several other tests.  They came to the conclusion that I had a mass in my head that was inoperable and they gave me days to live.  My life just then turned upside down.  My family's lives turned upside down.  I was 25 years old, married, with a baby.  What would happen next?

     After the crying, and going on, a nurse, who happened to be a Christian, came in and recited this verse to me and prayed for me.  I felt uneasy and afraid, but yet I felt peace coming from this precious nurse.  The next day came with results again from the MRI.  It might have been a miracle, who knows?  It might have been a doctor's mistake, who knows?  Only God knows.  The mass in my head was scar tissue.  I was going to live!  What we have to know is we have to wait on God, with courage.  He will give us the strength we need.  A miracle did happen by the way.  God showed me that waiting on Him, in His timing meant I would see blessings.  And I did!

     Fast forward 28 years later...

     Worried God wasn't listening.  Worried God wasn't answering.  Wondering where He was when I messed up.  With tears in my eyes, He held me close, and said, "Wait".  So the next day comes around, very early, and I'm thinking of the verse, "...Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning".  And I thought again, still struggling, "Where is my joy"?  All of a sudden I felt peace and joy with the arms of Jesus holding me.

     The next thing I know, I get a text from a family member with some good news we were praying about, and I cried for joy this time.  I failed the day before to trust and have faith...and to wait.  The next day, God showed up.  Another verse that comes to mind as I conclude this is, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".  Proverbs 3:5.

     God always shows up when you least expect it.  Are you waiting on Him?

Waiting on Him

Sabrina