The Greatest Gift

It's Christmas Eve and our homes have the aroma's of baked goods, winter candle scents, and maybe even the sound of a fire crackling in your fireplace. There are presents under the tree, and it is a beautiful and wonderful time of the year.

As we look forward to Christmas morning and opening our gifts lets not forget the greatest gift ever given and received...Jesus Christ.

Wishing each and every one of you and your families a safe, joyous and Merry Christmas! Enjoy spending time with your loved ones and I will see you in 2019!

Love in Christ,
Tera

Mary, Did You Know?

"Mary, Did You Know?" is one of my favorite Christmas songs. The lyrics were written by Mark Lowry and music by Buddy Greene. The music and the words of this Christmas classic are beautiful and inspirational. JESUS is truly the great "I am" and the reason for the season.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God?

Mary, did you know the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb?

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the great "I am."

Love in Christ,

Tera

God Is Sovereign

God is sovereign. He reigns over everything with His power and might.

How many of us feel we can't take anything else? We are done and tired of the trials, the pain, the stress, and the unknown. Our endurance is long gone, and we need a break.

In writing this devotion, I thought of Job, and all the trials and pain that man went through. He had the extreme and heartbreaking loss of his ten children; he lost his home, his health and his wealth. Job never really understood all of his sufferings but he never gave in, he never threw in the towel, and I'm sure he needed and wanted a break. Job loved God, was a faithful follower of God, and his trust was in God. There are two verses which were spoken by Job that to me says it all.  Job 13:15 "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him..." And then in Job 23:10 "But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

As Christians, we need to be more like Job. No matter what is thrown at us, how severe the trials and tribulations are we put our complete trust and faith in God. God is sovereign and is in control over everything. Our God today is the same God that brought Job through each one of his trials, purified him as pure gold, and blessed him abundantly in the end.

Love in Christ,
Tera

What A Beautiful Christmas Gift!

I saw this sign on a marque as I passed a church the other day. I love the words and the question.

God gave Him
Mary wrapped Him
Will you accept Him? 

What a beautiful Christmas gift! A gift from God to us and a gift that will change your life forever. Jesus came to touch lives, bring salvation to all who will believe in Him, and give abundant life. It doesn't matter what you have done in the past, Jesus doesn't care about that. He loves you, and this gift is for you to have eternal life with Him.

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior and committed your life to Him, now is the time. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6.

Only JESUS gives eternal life and a home in heaven with Him.

Love in Christ,
Tera

The Lord Thy God In The Midst Of Thee Is Mighty!

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not...The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:16,17.

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty!  The Lord is right in the middle of everything we have going on with His arms open wide to receive all of our problems, challenges, fears, disappointments, stress, everything, and anything...they are all quieted in His love. He will rejoice over us with gladness and singing. He will comfort us with His love. I don't know about you but knowing that God can and will handle all the stuff I have going on is not only scriptural but powerful!  It is up to me and you now to let Him take it all.  Let go. Let God.

Thank You, Lord, for all You do for each one of us. May we sing, be glad and rejoice with all of our heart for the things You are going to do and have already done.

Love in Christ,
Tera

Our Small Little Prayer

Lord, as we start this day running from place to place, doing our busy life, feeling the pressures of work, kids, home, and Christmas let us feel Your Presence, Protection, Provision, and Peace.

May we always remember that we are not the only ones that may be feeling anxiety and the pressures of life. How important it is for us to stop and pray for others that are facing hard times, sadness, loneliness, and even grief. Help us, Father, when someone's name or need is laid upon our heart that we do not dismiss it. Accept it as a nudge from You and to stop right then and pray for that person or that need no matter how busy we are.

Our small little prayer may help others more than we know.

Love in Christ,
Tera

Let Them See God In Us

How many of you have finished your Christmas shopping? How many of you are stressing because you are still working on trying to find that perfect gift and there are only 11 more days till Christmas?! That would be me!

I love Christmas it is my favorite holiday. I enjoy decorating my home, my Christmas tree, singing and listening to Christmas carols, sending and receiving Christmas cards, shopping and giving gifts to those we love and care about.

We may not be able to give our children, grandchildren, family, and friends everything we would like to give them or everything they want, but there are things we can to do to show them how much we love and care about them.

Connect with them
Listen to them
Believe in them
Pray for them
Let them see God in us

All gifts do not have to be costly material gifts. Spending quality time with those we love and letting them know we care about what is going on in their lives is a perfect gift.

Love in Christ,
Tera

What A Beautiful Name

Most of us when a family member or a friend is expecting a baby we ask the question "Have you thought of a name?" And most of the time the parents have a name chosen for a boy or a girl. There is one baby that received His name in a very different way. An angel gave His name to the parents.

Matthew 1:18-25 tells us the beautiful story of the birth of Jesus. In verses 20,21 "the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins."

What a beautiful name. The name of JESUS. The name above all names — the name that has a purpose.

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11

Jesus came into the world to give salvation, and He will save you if you believe in Him.

Love in Christ,
Tera

We Make That Choice

Each one of us can choose to approach life with an attitude of being positive or an attitude of being negative. We make that choice each day.

There are so many things to be thankful for. When we look around us, we can see how God blesses us each and every day. Yes, life has it's ups and downs and can be extremely stressful at times. We have situations with our kids, and at work, we have circumstances beyond our control with family and people, all of these can change our attitude. Instead of letting our problems bring us down let them bring us to our knees. Take a few moments and remind yourself of how good God has been to you and your families. Count your blessings that the Lord has given you. Praise and give Him thanks with your whole heart. Share what God has done for you with others and you will be amazed at how blessed you are and how it changes your day. Psalm 9:1 "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works."

Start today with an attitude of gratitude and make a choice to be positive. God loves us. He wants us to be happy and bring happiness to others. It's up to us to make the right choice.

Love in Christ,
Tera

The Great Commandment

What is the great commandment? Is there one that is more important or greater than the other?

Matthew 22:34-40 talks about the greatest commandment. A religious man, an expert in law, asked Jesus in verse 36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus responded in verses 37-40. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like, unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Our focus should be on loving God with everything that is within us. It is so easy to stray away from serving God because we are too busy, too tired, or too involved with other things. When Jesus tells us the greatest and most important commandment is loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, then why are we not doing it?

There is nothing more important or significant than loving God and loving others.

Love in Christ,
Tera

It Takes Discipline

Discipline. The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior.

We have all been associated with this word during our lifetime in some form or fashion. It was and still is used for training and correction.

I have found it takes discipline to stand up for what we believe and to walk daily in God's will and not the counsel of the ungodly. It takes discipline to have quiet time with God to meditate in His Word and pray fervently and earnestly. It takes discipline to journal each day about our trials and to thank God for His grace, mercy, and victories. 

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night." Psalm 1:1,2

What joy we have when we follow the Word of God and His laws!

Love in Christ,

Tera  

The Light Of The World Is Jesus

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12. As I was reading this verse this morning, it reminded me of the beautiful hymn "The Light of the World is Jesus." The lyrics and music were written in 1875 by Philip P. Bliss. Our world is lost in sin, corruption, and evilness. May God help us to see that Jesus is our only light...the light of life.

The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin; The light of the world is Jesus;
Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in, The light of the world is Jesus.

No darkness have we who in Jesus abide, The light of the world is Jesus;
We walk in the light when we follow our Guide, The light of the world is Jesus.

No need of the sunlight in Heaven, we're told, The light of the world is Jesus;
The Lamb is the Light in the City of Gold, The light of the world is Jesus.

Refrain:
Come to the Light, 'tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the Light has dawned upon me;
Once I was blind, but now I can see;
The Light of the world is Jesus.

Love in Christ,
Tera

Do You Believe In You?

How many remember the book "The Little Engine That Could" The book is an American fairytale published in 1930 by Platt & Munk. The story is used to teach children the value of hard work, perspective, and determination.

The story of the little engine has been told many times. The plot is always the same. A stranded train is unable to find an engine willing to take a heavy load over steep terrain to its destination. Only the little blue engine was willing to try, and while going up the hill with this heavy weight, he is repeating the words "I think I can, I think I can." The little train believed he could do it, had the determination to do it and with hard work completed the challenge.

When we are faced with a challenge or something we think is impossible for us to do instead of not even trying or giving up put your faith to work. If we believe in ourselves and have determination, we can say those same little words "I think I can, I think I can," and complete whatever challenge we are facing. "Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23.

Do you believe in you?

Love in Christ,
Tera

During Our Trials

Trials, we all have them. The thing we need to remember is God knows all about them, and they are not a challenge for Him.

When we have a situation and during our trials, we seem to take our eyes off of THE ONE that can help us the most. We start looking at the size of the trial and not the size of our God. I am guilty of this. I look at the why's, the how come's and then my focus shifts to my weakness and I become weary and discouraged. Not good.

God's love and grace are for us. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Let's don't miss out on God's sovereignty and His strength during our trials. Stay strong in His Word, in our faith, and in the knowledge that He is with us. His power is our power to use!

Love in Christ,
Tera

The Expectations Of Life

Psalm 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Have you ever really thought about the desires of your heart? Is your life what you expected it would be? Has everything you hoped or planned happened?

I have learned that my unfulfilled desires do not have to steal my joy. When we try to go our own and do our own thing without seeking God's plan and His desire for us, we become disheartened and discontented. When we give our heart entirely over to God and let Him guide and direct our steps through life, He becomes our joy!

"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Maybe life is not what we planned, but we can start today giving the rest of our days over to God. Trust Him with His plans for us. His desires will be bigger and better than ours.

Love in Christ,
Tera

   

Is Our Example Powerful?

People notice what we do, what we say, how we act.

We have heard the saying, "Our actions speak louder than words." I believe this. I also think that some of the most beautiful teachings are done by example not words. How we live our lives in our homes, at work, in our car, at restaurants, what we post on Facebook, are all examples of who we are. Our children and our grandchildren are watching, our family and friends are watching, and God is watching. We are setting an example in everything we do whether we think so or not and it is up to us as to what kind of example. 

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Is our example powerful?  Is it shaping another person's life? Are we reflecting Christ in all we do?

Love in Christ,
Tera