Is God Your Beginning and End?

Revelation 21:6
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End".

Does the future ever seem scary to you?
The uncertainties of life - tomorrow ever get you down?
I know the feeling.
There are times now when I'm concerned about what is going to happen next.

I wasn't always like that though.
There were times when I just flew by the seat of my pants, not worrying
about what was around the next corner so to speak.
Procrastinating until my time was up and I HAD to do It!

But these last 18 months have opened my eyes to the reality of life.
How short life is and how precious it really is too.
The fear of not being able to spread the finances as far as they need to go, bills, food, fuel for
our cars and now the heat is coming and it is getting unbearably hot here in Texas.
I'm praying that God will show His mercy and help keep the heat down...a little bit any way.

I know I must keep trusting in Him though, no matter how rough it might get.
He has gotten us through some pretty tight and slim times so far.
I also know He has a perfect plan for us!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 
plans to give you hope and a future".  Jeremiah 29:11 

I believe this and cling to this daily my friend!  And you can too!
God always keeps His promises!

Did you know though that when God makes a promise there is always a response from us that He waits on?
Look with me at the above promise.
He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has this wonderful plan for our lives.
To prosper us and not to harm us.  A plan of hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you.
You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.
There it is!   The response He's waiting for.

Father let us seek You with all of our heart!
Father I ask you to give us Your courage to live each day according to Your will.
Help us not to loose our focus of Your awesome face.
Father I ask You now to give us an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else that is in need right now.
Let us bring glory to Your wonderful name.
Help us to live a stronger and more courageous Christian life through this journey we are on.
Help us also not to miss a single blessing!

"Life is a journey that begins and ends with God"!


Blessings ♥
Betsy

God Is There

It seems like so many tragic things are going on in our country this week.

Yet another test of our Faith has happened earlier today in West, Texas.

My Mother grew up in this sleepy little country town that many back then  would call West Station.

I spent many great times in this sweet little town.

It is a small Czech farming town, where everybody knows everybody.

Just this evening the West Fertilizer Plant, that has been located there for about 50 years,
had a fire which caused a massive explosion.  They have compared it to the Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building.

The news just said that the USGS  measured it on the Richter Magnitude Scale as a 2 .1 earthquake would have measured.  That is powerful!  It was felt over 70 miles away!

I'm sure many of you saw on your TV the horrible ordeal unfolding.

As I posted just the other day in my post "God Is Sovereign"....I know He is in control of this situation and He is most certainly there too with everyone. Guiding the emergency personnel and comforting them in their time of need as they risk their lives to care for the lives of others in need.

Please pray with me for the many families that have lost loved one's.  Also for the many injured and now many homeless families.

Blessings,
Betsy  ♥

God Is Sovereign!

You know it absolutely breaks my heart and brought me to tears as I heard the
awful news that took place today in Boston, Massachusetts during the Boston Marathon.
Though we do not and cannot even begin to understand why such innocent lives
were taken in such a cruel and senseless way.....we must continue to believe with all our heart and being
that God is sovereign...

What does the word sovereign mean.  Webster's Dictionary says:
      As a Noun
      a: one possessing or held to possess supreme political power or sovereignty
       b: one that exercises supreme authority
       c: an acknowledged leader
     
       As an Adjective
       a:  superlative in quality : (excellent)
       b:  of the most exalted kind: (supreme)
       c:  possessed of supreme power  (sovereign ruler)
         d:  unlimited in extent   (absolute)
     
And He is in control....He is the final judge and jury!

People so often mistake what "God is Sovereign" is when they look at the world
around them and see all the evil...wars, murders, famine etc.

But He is not responsible for the evil we see because evil is caused by man.

God being a loving God....He gave us a free will.

Free will is a God given choice and along with man's free will came evil.

And it all started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
It was Eve's choice to listen and fall to the temptation of Satan.

But our wonderful loving God made a way for us to reconcile our relationship with
Him and that was through his son Jesus Christ.

God is Sovereign but it is man who is responsible for the sin in the world, not God.


Galatians 5:16-17 ~ Genesis 3:1-3 ~ John 3:3 ~ John 3:16-17 ~ Acts 4:12 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:9

Blessings,

Betsy  ♥

God's Glory

Isn't it wonderful?....I mean the wonderful changes that are taking place in our outside world.

You know as a child growing up, I never really gave the seasons a whole lot of thought.
I mean I knew when it was cold or hot.  But I never really thought of all the changes that go on to make it happen.
I took all that for granted.  I would rush through Winter and Spring just to be able to get to Summer...
because that meant that school was out.

For the next three months I could sleep until noon if I wanted to, or get up early and get my chores done so I could go to the swimming pool and hang out with all my friends.  What fun it was....no real responsibilities.
My Mother was a school teacher so she understood how it was to just sit back and let the world roll by so to speak for the next few months.

And then August would get here and I would begin to dread the month getting shorter and shorter.
Then before I knew it.....school would start and the whole cycle would start over again.

Now that I'm older, than I often like to remember, I have started taking note of all the changes that take place in the outside world around me.

I like the changes each season brings within itself.
Sometimes it feels like a new chapter of life taking place and I get to be a small part of it all.

Spring is probably my most favorite time now.  Even though I do love the occasional snow that we might get in Texas.  Spring brings in all the beautiful flowers, trees budding and birds sings.

God was so thoughtful to give us all His beauty and glory in the Spring time.

Ecclesiastes 3 is a  favorite chapter of mine.  Because it tells us that God planned each and every season.  Not just Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer, but also the seasons of life in everything.



God did the planning and all He wants us to do is enjoy His beauty and give Him the glory and praise.

What is your favorite time of the year?

Blessings!
Betsy   ♥  

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

May your day be a blessed day with family, friends and Christ.

Blessings,

Betsy ♥ 

I Live Because Of Him

Today is a happy yet somber day in the lives of Christians.

You see today is Good Friday.

Many might say what is good about Good Friday?
Isn't that the day when Christ was nailed so cruelly to the cross and He died?
And when I think about it...I too stop and ponder why it is good?

As doing so I am reminded that without Good Friday we wouldn't be
getting ready to celebrate Easter.  Christ's resurrection!

Because without what happened on that day, on that hill,
on that cross....life would not have the happy ending like it
will one day when we, Christians go home to glory and
sit at the feet of the man that made this all possible.

So why is Good Friday good?
Because of Grace.

Grace:  God's unmerited favor.

It is kindness from God we so do not deserve.
There is absolutely nothing we can do, nor have ever done to earn this favor.
Grace is a beautiful gift from God.
Grace is divine assistance given to us for our rebirth.
We are set apart; given the perfect gift from God.

God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense

Have a Blessed Day!
Betsy <3

His Peace.......

The Lord makes His face shine on you and be gracious to you,  the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.  Numbers 6:25 -26

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.   John 14:27



Isn't it amazing to know that no matter where you are, no matter what you're doing.... God is right there in the midst of things with you.

That in itself you would think would make you feel calm and secure.  Yet because we live in the world, that isn't what the world wants us to feel.

We get so caught up in our hustling and bustling lives that we so often forget to just stop...stop whatever it is we are doing...and take in a deep breathe and remember He is right there....right beside you...walking with you. You are not alone, He's right there.

So when you get all frustrated, frazzled, anxious....whatever feeling you are having that isn't reflecting God's peace....stop....breathe....and tell Him you need to feel His presence.  Take in the fresh feeling of the light from His face shining onto you at that very moment.


Go make it the best day you have ever had!

Blessings,
Betsy  ♥

Trusting Him enough

Psalm 37:3-6  Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pastures.
                      Take delight in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart.
                      Commit your way to Him, trust Him and He will make your righteous reward
                      shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Philippians 4:19 My God will meet ALL my needs according to
                         the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.

Abba Father, Thank You for who we are. You made us to be dependent on You, not to be independent from you.  

It's strange how silently the world  around us creeps into our beings.  

One day we are asking You for Your help and guidance, then the next we are feeling confident (self-sufficient). We start making our own plans or deciding what we are going to be doing in the next moment.  

It goes silently unnoticed.  Never really stopping anymore asking; Father, is this from You or did I just make it up?  Is it Your plan for my life or am I just doing my own thing.  

Then one day we wake up realizing what a mess we have made of our own life.  

At that very moment stop and ask God to forgive you. 

Then ask Him to make His planning for your life to become real to you.  

Ask Him to make His wants for your life become your wants for your life too! 

Thank You for Your words Father.

Praise, Thanksgiving, Peace, Trust, Faith, Love, Patience, Mercy, Grace, Hope, Power, Joy, Victory, Strength, Glory, Truth, Promise, Wisdom, Knowledge, Believe, Honor, Worship, Encourage, Rejoice, Blessed!

Blessings!

Betsy  ♥

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