Good Morning all! Although, it may be good afternoon before I finish this post. I slept in this morning and missed my quiet time before the kids woke up.

Scripture

Matthew Chapter 18:35 – This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.

Observation

I know that I ask daily for God to forgive me of different things, and yet I know there are people in my life that I have not forgiven. I am being just like the servant in the parable.

Application

I pray that God can forgive me setting myself outside of and above Christ’s law of love. I need to pray and search my heart and forgive others the seventy seven times that God says and do this from the heart. If I am having a difficult time, then I need to pray about it and lay it at God’s feet.

Prayer

Lord you forgive all of my sins, help me Lord to not withhold forgiveness from others. Please open my heart to true forgiveness and give them compassion. I have been so wrong in holding onto some of my anger and resentment. Please have mercy on me Lord. I have taken advantage of your mercy for my sins in asking for forgiveness and not returning that mercy to others. I am truly sorry.

Amen.

Good Afternoon! My prayers are with all that have had destruction in their lives from the storms that have ravaged through the country.

Scripture

Matthew Chapter 17:17 – “Oh unbelieving and perverse generation, ” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?”…

Observation

It is the power of God, not our faith, that moves mountains (in this case heals the sick), but faith must be present to do so. Later in this chapter Jesus sends Peter out to retrieve a coin from a fish mouth to pay taxes with. That instance and the verse above struck me personally. As you have seen in past posts, I have had many problems with my health (particularly migraines). I pray about the healing of them, but not the source. I have the faith that God will heal me of each individual migraine, but have not had the faith that he will heal whatever is causing them. I felt that he laid it on my heart this afternoon that not only do I need to have faith that he will heal my body, but that I need to help him take care of this vessel that he gave me. With Peter, God rescued him from the tax collectors with a fish, but Peter still had to go get the fish. Ultimately, all that we have comes to us from God’s supply or God’s mercy, but he may want us to be active in the process.

Application

Have faith in God for the long term, not only when some harsh times arrive. Come to him in prayer not only when in need, but always and everyday. Trust in Him and his will for your life. Take charge of whatever task he lays at your feet. Don’t be the man/woman that prays for a miracle and when it appears doesn’t take hold of that miracle and run with it. How many times have I asked for healing only to continue to cram bad things into my body and expect only good things to come of it.

Prayer

Lord, I know I have said this before, but thank you so much for your word. It fills my heart with joy and my head with Godly wisdom. Lord I pray that you give me the passion and the want to help you with the healing of my body, to do my part here on earth. How else am I to help further your kingdom if I am always worried about me and my health. Please forgive me for my lack of faith. I love you Lord, you fill me up.

Amen.

I love that my kiddos have such a good relationship with all of their grandparents. I was not close or even really knew any of my grandparents. It is so neat and wonderful to see the love and bonding that my kids get to have with their, Pop Pop, Maw Maw, Grandma, Nana, etc.

My little old man with his Pop Pop, they truly are buddies.

I loved having my first giveaway last month. I met some new blogging mom’s, one of which did an awesome post on her new cape that she received from my giveaway. Since, I had so much fun with the last giveaway, I have decided to try and have a handmade artisan giveaway each month.

This month’s artist is Kelli from Adventurez in Child’Rearing. I met Kelli, when I decided to try out for the first time the HSBA Post, homeschooling swap. Kelli was my swap buddy and we started emailing back and forth and praying for each other and got to know each other more and more. I mentioned to her that I wanted to try and do an artisan giveaway each month and she said she would be interested. So, now please meet Kelli –

Kelli’s Artist Bio

I really consider myself more of a “crafter” than a genuine artist. But, I do so love to paint & create. I’ve been creating art in one form or another ever since I can remember. As a young child, I would see a broken piece of wood & instead of passing it by I had to bring it home and clean it up. To me – it wasn’t a broken piece of wood at all – but instead a beautiful castle. We still have that piece of wood somewhere, my father put a clear coat of paint on it to help preserve the shape after I had cleaned it and worked with it until it was a thing of beauty (at least to me).

Have I mentioned that I love to paint? I just love slinging paint. I am drawn to the bright bold shapes and colors of primitive art. These days you will often find me working on fun animal paintings with my three boys.

Kelli has been so gracious in letting me giveaway one of her fun animal paintings.

And, here is a close up of that wacky bird…

How to Enter the Giveaway:

Please leave a comment on this post and a winner will be chosen randomly using random.org. The Giveaway will end on May 6th @ midnight!

If you would like to get to know more about Kelli and her precious family then please visit her on Facebook and her blog.

Sorry everyone for being MIA, the migraines struck again for three days this time. I guess on my good days I really need to try and write some posts and not publish them until the bad days.

So, Matthew Chapter 16, just had tons of good stuff to tell me this morning. I could almost write on it for three days (3 different posts). I think instead I will just give the tidbits that hit me and you can delve into it yourself (much more fulfilling that way).

Have you ever heard the saying, “Red sky in morning sailor take warning, Red sky at night sailors delight?” I had no idea that was in the bible, not verbatim of course, but the same. It is in Matthew Ch:16-2. This just made me think to the many things that God has said in his word, that later medical doctors and scientists have proved true with scientific methods. You don’t need science to believe in God, you need faith, but I just find it amazing and just plain neat. Science confirms there is a God, not the opposite, which is what most scientists want you to believe. See, totally could go on and on and on, with that one.

Deny himself and follow me, is the other passage that struck me. Matthew chapter 16:24-25; is a really good message. When we give our lives in service to Christ, we discover the real purpose of living.

Onward…

Scripture

Matthew Chapter 16:23 – Then Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Observation

Peter rejected God’s perspective and evaluated the situation from a human one. How often do I take my own advice or the advice of someone else without first consulting God. How often do I give advice to someone without first asking for God’s wisdom in the words that come out of my mouth.

Application

If given the opportunity to help someone or someone asks for your advice, take the time to pray about it before you answer. I knew I had a time coming recently that I needed to talk with someone and before I left and on the way there I asked for His guidance and wisdom. I admit during the conversation I gave in to some of my own thoughts and said those thoughts and immediately wished I could have taken them back. It was a very important conversation and nearing the end of it, it felt like God really was chastising me and saying will you please listen, when I did and only used his words then things went well.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for guiding me and directing my path. Please Lord forgive me for the times I have not listened to your direction. Lord I pray for you wisdom and that you direct my words and thoughts. Lord give me discernment when someone else gives me advice and let me bring those words to you. I do not want to be a stumbling block to myself or others.

Amen.

Top of the morning to you. I had the hardest time rolling out of bed this morning, you?

Scripture

Matthew Chapter 15:8-9

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. ”

Observation

The only rules and teachings we are to follow are God’s. I have personally been in churches or religious groups that have put more emphasis in their rules than in God’s teachings. They lose sight of God’s love and compassion. The pharisees knew a lot about God, but they didn’t know God. I have heard said that satan worshipers have memorized the bible and can recite it better than most christians, but they also do not know God. It is not enough to study God or even the bible, we must respond to God himself.

Application

Commit His word to your (my) heart. Not only do I need to have his word in my heart but I need to apply it daily to my life. I need to obey his word and teachings and come to him daily (all day, not just once in the morning) in prayer. Ask for his will in my (your) life and that my heart be opened to getting to know Him.

Prayer

Lord I come to you in awe of your ways to lift me up and to wake me up. I love staying amazed in you. To know that you are working in my life is a very heady joy. Lord, please help me to commit your word to my heart and mind, help me to remember your ways, give me the wisdom for discernment. Lord I always pray that I am the good soil and I am ready to be used for the harvest. I am reminded of a childs love as I pray to you and I ask that you give me that wonder, and awe and love for you and for your work.

Amen.

I so needed to weed my flower garden and the kids wanted to help but they kept trying to pull my good plants instead of the weeds. So, I needed something quick, cheap and easy, that they would enjoy while mommy was weeding.

This worked so well and I can reuse this corrugated board again and again. If you do not have a large piece of corrugation, then you can use any old box and cut it open. The cereal box, old diaper boxes, etc.

Materials – watercolor paints, old plastic cup, two small paintbrushes, water, and cut open corrugated box.

Good Morning Everyone! Has God ever just slammed home some information to you? Man, he got me this morning. I wasn’t half way through this chapter and I was wracked with tears of joy. I had prayed to him a few weeks ago about a big financial issue and he answered that prayer yesterday. Do you know I didn’t realize that he had answered till this mornings bible study.

Scripture

Matthew Chapter 14:17,18

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish, ” they answered. “Bring them here to me, ” he said.

Observation

Many know of the parable of feeding five thousand men, women and children. I have heard the story my entire life. As I read it today God reminded me yet again of his power. He reminded me of my prayer and how he answered that prayer. I had prayed about our needs and I had faith that he would see to our needs. He reaffirmed that faith and lifted me up and filled my heart with such joy. My lesson from God today was on faith, but also on being content with his will. Do you know why I didn’t realize that God had answered my prayer yesterday? Because when the call came yesterday and the answer to our prayers was given, I was mad at how it was answered and ungrateful.

Application

How many times have I heard that God answers prayers but not always in the time or way we want. We forget that God’s will in our lives is so much greater than we could ever will for ourselves. I owe God an apology and the person he graciously used to help us in answering our prayers. I need to be content and ever so grateful for what He has done for us.

Prayer

Lord God, I ask for your forgiveness in being resentful and ungrateful and argumentative in the way you answered my prayer. I thank you Lord for your answer and for filling me with such joy this morning. Thank you for your word and for opening my heart to your message. Please give me the words as a apologize and thank your servant. Please help me to be content with your will in my life. Thank you for affirming my faith and showing me how awesome you truly are.

Amen.

Good Morning all. God decided to hit me with a parable this morning instead of a single verse. In Matthew Chapter 13:3, he starts the parable of the four soils. He says, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.” Then he starts to explain this parable in verse 18. This is what he put on my heart this morning was the explanation of the parable.

Scripture

Matthew Chapter 13:18-23

“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has not root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Observation

God is asking what you are, which soil am I? The different types of soil represent the different responses to God’s message. How has God taken root in my life?

Application

Take a good look at my walk with Christ. Do I listen to his word and grow in it, or do I listen and think yep that is good, but not apply it. How easy is it to agree with Christ with no intention of obeying Him. If I had everything I could want in life but forfeited eternal life with God, would wordly things look so desirable? I desire to hear his word and apply it in my life and turn around and be an example to others so that I might be God’s helper in sowing seeds in good soil for the harvest.

Prayer

Lord, I come to you asking for forgiveness, I know that many times I have been the wrong kind of soil. I have wanted things my way more often than following yours. Please be merciful Lord and open my heart, mind, and ears fully to your word and help me to look to you Lord before I do all things. Help me to apply your word to my life. I want to help with the harvest and I want my fruit for you to be plentiful. As the hymn says, mold me and make Lord to be your instrument.

Amen.

Good Afternoon! I didn’t make it out of bed this morning like I wanted to. I ended up bringing Smiley (my youngest – 6 month old) to bed with me this morning because he was feeling bad. If you would please keep him in your prayers.

Once again this morning, God really impressed on me two separate verses today. Matthew Chapter 12:37, really struck me, because it is something I have had to ask forgiveness for over and over again. It says, “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned”. Words are very powerful and so is keeping your mouth shut.

Now, onward…

Scripture

Matthew Chapter 12:2 – “…Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath”.

Observation

I have over the past few years struggled with what is considered work and rest on the Sabbath. What is lawful and not. What I understood Jesus to say to the Pharisees was that do not disobey God’s laws, but still have compassion. It makes me think of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13:13 “…But, the greatest of these is love.” You can be all things and do all things, but if you have not love, you are nothing. Jesus was not condoning disobedience to God’s laws, instead he was emphasizing discernment and compassion in carrying out those laws.

Application

Follow God’s law, but do not focus on the technicalities. Ask for wisdom, discernment, compassion, and love on how to carry out those laws in your life and in the lives of others.

Prayer

Lord, I ask for your forgiveness in the past where I have not had compassion and for not obeying your commands. Lord I once again thank you so much for your mercy and love in dealing with me. Lord, I ask for your will in my life and pray that you give me wisdom to understand your laws and when to show compassion to others and shower them your love. As I ask for these things in my life and the lessons you will teach me to understand them, help me to know and make it through the struggles and learn from them.

Amen.