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Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 532

June 22, 2021///

Sunday was Father’s Day.  Today my thoughts are on earthly and heavenly Fathers.

I thank God for my dad who was an example in word and deed to his six girls.  He gave us unconditional love but taught us lessons in creative ways so that we knew the main thing in our life should be Jesus.

My dad was not perfect as no father on earth is perfect, but we learned life lessons from him that served us in each of our daily lives.

He worked hard in both pastoring and secular jobs.  He taught himself to write better and to do things he needed to do!

My dad was defiantly not a handy man, but he knew the word of God and preached it with conviction and fervor and lived it every day of his life.

I am sure my love for Gods Word, is a least in a big part because I saw how he poured over the Word and studied it a preached it.

May I tell you that we are Loved Perfectly by our heavenly Father, and we can learn from Him and from His Word how to navigate this thing called life.

I want to tell you that if you did not grow up with a dad who showed that love and care to you, or if you did not grow up with a dad in the home, or you have no idea who your dad is, you have a Father in heaven that knows you inside out and loves you with a Love that is beyond understanding.

There is nothing that you can do or have done that will cause God to change His Love toward you! You can be secure in the Love of the Creator God who made a way, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, for us to be able to come to Him and let Him show His Love to us!

Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV)
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Romans 5:5 (KJV)
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Ephesians 3:19 (KJV)
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Romans 5:8 (KJV)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Those are just a smattering of the incredible number of scriptures that express God’s Love for His creations.

I encourage you to search you Bible for the scriptures that will bring the truth of the Fathers Love to you.

If you are a dad, may I tell you that putting God first in your life and teaching that by word and expression is the greatest thing you can do in your entire life.

I have heard it said that if you bring multitudes to Christ but lose you children then you have failed. 

I also say that if you gain riches, fame and fortune and your family does not know that knowing the Father in heaven must be our life focus, you have failed.  I encourage each dad and mom who reads this to determine deep in your heart that your children will never have to question who is first in your life.

God, Family, Church, in that order.  Love in the home will dispel a lot of wrongs in the heart!

If you are a single mom, know that God will guide you in every decision and give you divine wisdom.  You can raise Godly children in and ungodly world as you lean on Him.  Just make sure to keep the main thing the main thing!

The home should be a place of refuge, Love, security and Godly training and discipline!

Make God, your family, and His church a priority and your children will follow!

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Psalm 37:23 (KJV)
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

1 Peter 2:21 (KJV)
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

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Father, I come in Jesus Name.  Thank you for your Love that never changes and never fails.  Fill each person who reads this with the truth and power of that Love and may we receive it and walk in the security and joy of it.  Amen

God is Love!!  Me-Maw

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 531

June 15, 2021///

This morning as I was walking to the corner of my kitchen to move something, I was so focused on what I was going toward that I failed to see the small watermelon close to where I was going.  It was on the floor. I abruptly I hit it with my barefoot toe, and it brought me to a complete stop.

My toe and the watermelon were both fine, but it reminded me of the obstacles we encounter when we are not watching and taking care where our feet are walking in our Spiritual Life!

The enemy of all that is good wants to bring you to a complete stop with something unexpected he throws in our way.

If I had been watching where I was going, I could have avoided this encounter with the watermelon altogether.  When we allow the Heavenly Father to lead us and guide our steps and stay alert to the evils around us, we can stay sure footed and steady as we walk this road called life!

Have you ever had something happen in your life that just came out of the blue and stopped you in your tracks?  Sometimes these are unavoidable life issues but many times it is because we have taken out mind off Jesus and are not watching where our feet are going.

The word has a lot to say about our feet and where they go and allowing Jesus to guide them!

Psalm 37:23 (KJV)
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

We must think about where we are placing our feet and where our steps are taking us.  The systems of this world have a lot of things that can get our mind off of our walk with Jesus and where our steps are taking us and the dangers in the way we are going.

Psalm 44:18 (KJV)
Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way.

If our heart is sold out to Jesus and we are listening to His guidance we will not decline our steps from walking in the way, He directs our eyes on the paths ahead of us.

Consider a small child who has learned to walk and desires to go everywhere with no thought of safety or harm.

As a parent or a caring adult, you guide that child away from danger as they walk with great joy.  Jesus wants to guide us away from hurt or danger as we listen and pay attention to His instructions of where we should walk!

Proverbs 4:26-27 (KJV)                                                                                                                         Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Ponder! Think about what that word means.  Do not rush ahead with your mind on other things rather than where your feet are headed.  If we do that, we will run right into evil. Ponder the steps you are taking.

Are they leading to shining the light in the darkness, encouraging others, or straight into a wall of hurt and evil?

1 Peter 2:21 (KJV)
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.

Jesus’ desire is that we would follow in His Steps!  What does that mean. Look at Jesus life. It was filled with compassion, Love, power, caring and walking out of His way to help others.

Look at the steps our life is taking?  Are we walking in compassion and Love? The world we live in will take us far from being like Jesus if we are not aware of where our steps are going!

Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The Word, God’s Word will be a lamp and light and keep us from stumbling and falling. It should be part of our lifestyle everyday as we meditate on its truths and its direction.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, He uttered powerful words to Peter, James and John who had fallen asleep rather than watch and pray.

Matthew 26:41 (KJV)
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

We must watch and pray that our steps are sure and steady. We can walk right only through Jesus. The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak.  Lean on Him!

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Father thank you for ordering our steps as we give each day to you.  May we understand that the devil wants to stop us from following in the steps of Jesus, but greater is Jesus in us than he who is in the world.  We are victorious because Jesus is victorious.  I ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen

Watch where you are going! Love, MeMaw

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 530

June 8, 2021///

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing as you take time to read this, may the Love of God enfold you and the Peace of God fill you full of the knowledge that you are Loved by the Creator of the Universe!

May you open your mouth and Bless the Lord for this day that He has given you to Live and Breath and see His goodness in spite of all the evil around us!

I know I have said this many times but no matter the circumstances of your life or where you are or the problems or situations you face, you are never alone!

Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)
 for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

We have a nation full of lonely people.  We may have many social media contacts but feel lonely and unfulfilled in our lives. 

But if the lonely, the afraid, the rejected and the angry, could understand the Love of the one who knew them before they were conceived, they would have all of that negative replaced by the comfort of HIS LOVE!

Imagine with me, if you will, a baby sleeping in a crib in a room with closed doors. The child awakens and begins to fill the aloneness of the room and all at once fear attacks and the child begins to cry out!

What the child is not aware of is that the parents are seeing him through the technology of a monitor.  They see ever move and hear ever cry and are even at this moment on the way to open the door and dispel the fears that have assaulted this loved baby.

May I share with you that the Creator of the Universe, sees you and all you do and all you go through.  Nothing escapes His view and when we lean and depend on Him, He is ready to dispel the loneliness, confusion, discouragement, and fear.

Proverbs 15:3 (KJV)
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

His Love fills us with a sense of safety and security as we abide in the Love and Goodness of His nature.

Yes, evil abounds, and fear is rampant, but …….

Romans 5:20 (KJV)
But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

The Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts if we allow it!

Our world may be changing and situations and fears that we have never seen before are coming from every direction.  But when we are secure in who we are in the Creator God, through Jesus Christ, we can walk in confidence and show others a better way.

Are we projecting to our children, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and all we meet, a love and security in Jesus Christ that will make them wonder and desire what we have!

We, my Christian friends, have the answer and if we let that answer flow from our lives, we can point many to the Cross and all the freedom that brings.

Rejoice in the Lord, His eyes are on you! Nothing happens within you and without you and to you that He does not see and understand.

Take heart and understand that we are the victors!  The enemy is defeated!

May we spread Love and Love knows no barriers!

God is Love!

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Father, thank you for your Love that is shed abroad in the hearts of those who will receive it. Take each of our lives and mold us into vessels of your love that others may feel that love and desire it.  Amen

Love is powerful!  Me-Maw

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 529

June 1, 2021///

I pray you had a great Memorial Day and that you remembered those who made it possible for us to celebrate with our families or those around us.

We must remember that Freedom cost someone.  Freedom is not free. Those who came to this land to find freedom to live out their convictions faced hardships, death, and wars!

Theodor Roosevelt said: “We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.”

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.”

This morning I ask you if you understand the sacrifices made for our freedom enough to be responsible to pray for its continuation.

Our Christian freedoms are being attacked on every side.  I mention just a few of them!

• Class Valedictorian gets push back from principal as he proofed her speech beforehand.  One sentence was “My future hope is found in my relationship with Christ”.  She went on to declare she wanted to honor Christ with her life!

                     (This was her speech not a declaration of the school’s stance.)

• Elementary physical education teacher is on leave because He refused to call his students by their preferred gender rather than the way God made them.

• Judge ruled, College of the Ozarks, a Christian College, must open dorms to persons of the opposite sex.  This would include bathrooms and bedrooms.

• Young Life a long-established campus ministry is coming under attack.

There is more that could be shared but the point being: “Where are our freedoms going”!

May I point out that freedom of religion is not freedom from religion!

May I also point out that we are losing our religious freedoms of choice quickly, and subtly, and we must wake up!

The Bible teaches us to pray for those in authority over us.  This means our elected and appointed leaders.  

Each of us have a free will.  We can pray that right invades the hearts of those who have authority over us and those around us or we can bury our heads in the sand and reap the results.

God wants to Bless our Nation and we as his TRULY FREE children are responsible to take up the battle cry on our knees.

Jesus paid the ultimate price for all people’s sins.  Did He die in vain?

We must be up and about His business of fighting a war that is really a spiritual war between good and evil.

1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our battlefield is on our knees! Prayer is the answer.  Prayer will give us boldness to stand in the face of those who desire to destroy our freedom to worship the creator God in all His Power and Glory!

John F. Kennedy said: “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

I believe the key to that is to ask not what God can do for us, but what we can do for God!

May we, the true born-again Christians rise like a mighty army and take victory in the Power of prayer!

Father, forgive us for being lazy in our prayer lives. May all who reads this understand that this is a spiritual battle.  Give us wisdom and boldness as we pray and defeat the forces of evil.  Let our lights shine brightly for you!

Prayer is Powerful!  Love, MeMaw

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 528

May 25, 2021///

What is life about anyway?

THE ULTIMATE GOAL FOR THE UNIVERSE IS TO SHOW THE GLORY OF GOD!

WHEN ANYTHING IN CREATION FULFILLS ITS PURPOSE, IT BRINGS GLORY TO GOD!

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

FINDING YOUR PURPOSE:

• IT ALL STARTS WITH GOD.   (The purpose of your life fits into a much larger purpose that God has designed.)
• YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT. (You are alive because God wanted to create you!)
• WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?  (Knowing your purpose gives meaning, simplifies, focuses, energizes your life, and prepares you for eternity.)
• MADE TO LAST FOREVER. (This life is not all there is: This life is preparation for the next.)

The Father created you for a purpose.  You are to grow in grace, be filled with good attributes that represent the Lord Jesus Christ, declare to others what He has done for you, and worship Him and give Him Glory for who He is!

2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

Philippians 1:11 (KJV)
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Psalm 96:3 (KJV)
Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

Psalm 29:2 (KJV)
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 57:5 (KJV)
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

YOU BRING GLORY TO GOD BY:

• GETTING TO KNOW AND LOVE HIM: Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, Loving Him, and Giving ourselves to be used for His purpose.)

• LEARNING TO LOVE OTHER PEOPLE IN GOD’S FAMILY: Fellowship…be part of the family.

• BECOMING LIKE CHRIST: The more you develop Christlike character, the more you will bring Glory to God.

• SERVING OTHERS: God wired everyone to have a ministry or serving niche. The way you are wired is not an accident.

We are created with the freedom to choose what we will do with our life!  We can live for our pleasure, to please others, to be applauded, successful, and many other things.

Or we can choose to live a life of Glory to Almighty God in all we do and that is the Best Life!

The enemy will try to pull us to the world system of living by declaring that to serve Jesus Christ is confining when actually it is more freeing that we could every imagine.

Giving ourselves to live in our purpose brings great Peace, Joy, and Security from the Creator God and brings His Kingdom to earth!

“WHO ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE FOR-YOURSELF OR GOD?”

Father God I come in the name of Jesus and ask you to fill us with your purpose and the call to bring Glory to your name by being your hands extended on this earth.  Live through each of us and may our lives reflect all you are and bring your Kingdom to earth as it is in Heaven!   Amen

God Bless all of you richly, Love, MeMaw.

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 527

May 18, 2021///

Psalm 37:23 (KJV)
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Question One: Who is ordering your steps?

Question Two: How are we good?

Are the decisions we make or the places we go or the people we are with or the things we do, just random choices?  Are they guided by the crowd, the desire of the flesh, the desire to please others, or the desire to please Our Savior Jesus Christ and Our Father God, the God of the Universe?

Good overcomes evil every time and when we do all we do as unto the Lord Jesus, when we live to honor and lift Him up no matter what small or large chore or task we are undertaking, we do good!

But who can be good?  It is only those who submit their lives into the Lordship of the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, can goodness flow from!

Luke 6:45 (KJV)
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

It is the condition of the Heart that determines whether we are able to be and do good when there is evil all around us!   A heart that is right with God through receiving the cleansing of the blood Jesus shed on the Cross, allows Him to live through us and that makes us good and helps us to do good!

Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The power of Jesus Christ Living through us makes being and doing good easy as we let Him order our steps.  We allow our minds to be transformed by His touch and His word and that allows us to live out the good that Jesus calls us to!

Romans 12:2 (KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Did you notice that it is a transformation of heart and mind by Jesus Christ that makes us good?  Not works, not a list of things to be checked off, but a heart that is in tune with the compassion and love that comes from the one who gave His all for us!

We do not have to strive, worry, fret, we just allow the Holy Spirit to live through us!  We are to be like Jesus to a world searching for something real to guide their footsteps.

I ask you again, “Who is guiding your steps”?  Are you just reacting at every turn to do whatever? 

We must realize that all good things come from the Heavenly Father who loves you more than you can comprehend!

This Daddy God who wants to give us good and help us be and do good can make all things to work for us as we put our Trust in Him and ask Him to lead us in everything we do!

We must understand that our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ desires to be part of everything we do or everywhere we are and every decision we make.

Just as most parents guide their children in the way that is right and best for their growth and maturity, our Heavenly Father does the same!

If you have not received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, right now, just ask him to come into your heart and guide your life and declare you are giving Him control!

We must all listen to that inner feeling to guide us in all we do!

As we surrender our steps to the one who knows best, we can walk in the truth of Philippians 1:6!

Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

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Father in Jesus Name I ask that you help each of us understand that the best life is lived letting you live through us and guide each step we take.  May each of us be able to say with confidence: “Our steps are ordered by the Lord!”  Amen

Love, MeMaw

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 526

May 11, 2021///

MOTHER: Kind, Caring, Loving, Sweet, Energetic, Forgiving, Comforting, and Wise.

Those are just some of the attributes that Mothers are known for.  Of course, we are not all of those at the same time.  Maybe we are not ever some of those!

My Mother is in heaven.  She left this world Fifty-Four years ago last January, but her influence lives on today in the lives of her descendants. 

2 Timothy 1:5 (KJV)
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

When I think about growing up, I do not remember the clothes or shoes I wore.  I do not remember my mother being the greatest housekeeper or making sure I had every advantage possible.

What I do remember is being Loved and being taught that Jesus Loved me!

I remember the security of home and how safe and loved I felt there. 

I remember my Mother’s Faith and the example of that faith in both watching her life and watching her as a Pastor’s wife encouraging my Dad when he would face obstacles or discouragements.

I remember my Mother standing before a hot stove, with no air conditioning, and frying apple pies with sweat running down her face as we girls sat at the table eating them as they got done.

I remember my Mother spoon feeding me soup when I was sick, and I remember my Mother praying for me and guiding me with her sweet spirit!

Mother did not preach nor sing.  I never saw her stand behind a pulpit nor in front of a congregation and yet she preached a sermon every day of her life.

She was not perfect but the Love and Faith she lived overcame any imperfections.

I can think of many things my Mother could have done different, but I am so thankful that she and my Dad kept “the main thing, the main thing”.  They had a personal relationship with Jesus, put Him first and not only taught that but lived that in front of us girls!

My mother was heavy, but I never thought of her as anything but beautiful and all the padding just made her hugs so much better.  Over fifty-four years later I can still feel the warmth of those hugs.

In the scripture at the beginning of these thoughts, Paul was encouraging Timothy to remember all he saw in his mother and grandmother.  Paul was building Timothy up by sharing that he saw the same faith in him.

I pray that I can walk in Faith that is caught as well as taught the way I saw it expressed in my mother.  I pray that I have and am still passing along that lived love and faith to my family.

We are in the season of great-grandchildren now and I so desire that from our son and daughter, their spouses and on down the line the faith that is from receiving Jesus as personal Savior is invading them.

However, I realize that some of you did not grow up in a Christian home.  Maybe you did not even grow up in a good home.  You may have been abused and neglected but may I tell you that Jesus can be the one you pattern your life after.

Psalm 27:10 (KJV)
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Look at Jesus who was filled with Love and Compassion and use His life and attributes as an example. 

Let His Love give you the courage to forgive your parent or parents that were not the secure and loving example they should have been.  Rest in His Love and Care and follow His example.  

Deuteronomy 5:16 (KJV)
Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

We need to honor our parents, no matter good or bad.  God then will honor our lives. We must let go of hurts and just let God love through us!

Whether we were blessed with a childhood of love or a childhood of pain, Jesus is the way to a secure and fulfilled life of walking in FAITH, LOVE AND VICTORY!

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Father, in Jesus’ name I ask you to touch each person who reads this with the desire to live life as an example of the trust we have in you.  May we leave a Faith and Love example as Paul reminds Timothy of. Heal childhood hurts and scars and set each of us free to worship you with our lives.  Amen

Love, MeMaw

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 525

May 4, 2021///

We hear much about the Virgin Mary and how she was the chosen one to bear the Savior of the world, but we do not hear so much about Joseph, Mary’s husband and the one who was Jesus earthly father.

As I read the scriptures that give us a picture of Joseph I am impressed by his faithfulness and obedience to do what he is instructed and needs to do.

Joseph was indeed a major person in the life of the Lord Jesus.  In the years of Jesus life we have no record of, Joseph was teaching and training the Son of God to make things with his hands and to follow His real Father in heaven!

Matthew 1:18-19 (KJV)
¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

Joseph and Mary were betrothed.  In those days, betrothal was as binding as marriage except they were not living nor sleeping together until the additional marriage ceremony.

When Joseph found Mary was with child, he could have had her stoned for unfaithfulness to him.  But he loved Mary and was a kind man.  As we see in the scripture above, he decided to put her away (or divorce her privately to avoid more embarrassment and shame to her).

• He was faithful and kind!

Matthew 1:20-21 (KJV)
²⁰ But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him 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.
²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Joseph’s response could have been: “well that was an interesting dream, but evidence is that Mary has been unfaithful”!

But Joseph was a godly man and believed and received what the angel had said. From this point in the scripture Joseph was set on doing whatever he was instructed to do regarding the child Mary carried.

• He was godly and obedient!

Can you imagine what may have been going through Joseph’s mind!  He was going to be responsible for the Savior of the world!  How would he ever carry out this mandate and purpose?

May we look at something right here.  This man knew he and Mary would receive ridicule and rejection and yet he kept his eyes on the goal and purpose that was given him.

He took Mary as his wife.  Jesus was born and as they could find no place but a stable for the birth, I am sure Joseph may have felt a little like he had failed.  Maybe he said to himself: “I am responsible for the Savior of the World and I cannot even provide a good place for Him to be born”!

Yet he continued in his journey to fulfill his calling and purpose! 

He followed the instructions given him at all times and kept the child and Mary safe. 

• He persevered in spite of obstacles.

In the years we have no record of, based on what we see in Jesus’ ministry years we can be sure Joseph was faithful to teach Jesus all he knew about His birth, and about life as they lived it out as a family.

• He taught what he knew by word and by deed.

May I challenge you today to look at your own life.  Maybe your name is not known and maybe you are not looked at as someone who matters, but you have a purpose!

Just as Joseph, your purpose is a vital part of the plan of God for your family, those around you and the world!

Let us be: Faithful and kind, godly and obedient.  May we persevere in spite of obstacles and teach by word and deed!

May we be as Joseph and just do what we know we are put here on earth to do!

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Father, thank you for this obedient man who followed you and is such and example of just doing what we should whether anyone takes notice or not!  Stir up within each one who reads this the desire just to be open to all you desire of them.  You just ask us to be true to you.  In Jesus name I pray! Amen!

Love, MeMaw!

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 524

April 27, 2021///

Luke 7:12-15 (KJV)
¹² Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
¹⁴ And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
¹⁵ And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

Today, I want to share some thoughts with you about how this event in the life of this widow can teach us vital lessons about our own life.  The Word of the Living God, the Bible, teaches us multitudes of layers of truth that can lead us into a higher realm of life with Jesus. 

Someone once referred to the Bible as having layers of truth like an onion, and as we peel back those layers, we see more clearly the awesome ways of God.

In those days, a widow had no means of support except for her sons.  In this case this was an only son.  She was on her way to bury him.

She was on her way to bury her only means of support.  Not only was she deprived of her precious boy, but she also now had no means of support.

Let us compare this to the Dreams and Desires the Holy Spirit has placed within us.  What are we burying that is the end of our reason for being here on this earth?  You do know you were created on purpose, for a purpose!

Maybe we have tried and failed, or maybe we are scared to try!  Maybe the desire and dream seem so out of reach that we falter under its weight.  Maybe we feel we do not have the opportunities that would propel us into our destiny of letting that dream propel us into a place of security, peace, joy, and life in the Lord Jesus!

Discouragement, defeat, despair, even people will keep you from your miracle of the revival of all that God has placed in you.

Don’t you know that this unnamed widow felt all of those?  Perhaps well-meaning neighbors had already begun to put doubt in her heart that she would survive without any means of support.

She had given birth to this child and now he was gone. 

May I ask you what dreams have you given birth to that now feel dead and are no longer living and inspiring you?

Maybe you tried and just decided it was never going to work and gave up completely and decided to put those dreams in a grave!

But may I tell you that when you in your desperate situation come into the Presence of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, things change.

We have no record that this woman asked Jesus to raise her son but in His Presence all things become new.  Jesus saw her, had compassion, and spoke life into her son, the one who had come from her body!

The good news today is that Jesus looks at each of us with compassion when we allow ourselves to come into His Presence.  He restores life to those dead dreams and desires and when Jesus Speaks, whatever He says is done.

Jesus speaks life into the ideas He gave you and you have called dead.  Jesus speaks life into those talents and abilities you decided you did not really have and so you have let them die.

In His Presence is Life!  Life for the dead things deep in our Spirits.

Maybe it is the Spirit of the Living God within you that needs to be raised.  Maybe you do not have that relationship you once had with the Creator God through Jesus!

May I encourage you to understand that there is an encounter with the Life that comes from Jesus Christ, just waiting for you.  

Take the time to sit in His Presence.  Put on Praise Music if that helps, or if silence is better for you, sit in silence.  But open your heart and ask Jesus to revive those things you consider gone and buried.

As you sit in the Presence of Almighty God, ask yourself the question I asked a small group once.  What would you do if time, money, or ability were no problem?

Answering that may well be the answer to why you are here on earth.  Remember God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called!

God has promised to provide all we need and when we put Him First, He will help us accomplish more in less time!

I pray that today you will spend time in His Presence and revisit all that you have ever desired to do in this world.  Let the Holy Spirit sort out what is of you and what is of Father God.   Then allow Him to give Life to that dream, desire, and purpose!

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Father, in Jesus Name, I ask that you stir up within each person who reads this the desire to be all they were created to be.  If we are breathing it is not to late to fulfill what we have been placed on earth to do! May we release the dead dreams to the Life of Jesus.   Amen

Love, MeMaw

Me-Maw Thoughts

Number 523

April 20, 2021///

Today I want to share a Me-Maws Thought from way back in 2011.  It is more relevant today than ever.  I pray it touches and encourages you today!

NUMBER 28////JULY 19, 2011

I am doing an unusual thing as I write this.  It is a little after eight o’clock AM and I am eating a TOMATO SANDWICH.  This is made from a tomato grown on our deck.  That is not a normal breakfast and I do not normally eat anything this time of day as I am reading the word and praying for all of you, but there it was…sitting on the counter, all ripe and ready to be cut.

Now for those of us who love tomatoes, the tomatoes grown in our yard or on our deck, compared to the tomatoes purchased from the store, are like a different food.  A just picked Tomato sandwich with plenty of mayonnaise, salt and pepper is an experience that cannot be described. 

As I started making the sandwich the Holy Spirit began to reveal some truths to my spirit.  These truths can be applied to any food that you eat.  Fresh made or freshly grown are better in any food, from apples to cakes.  But since a tomato caused this reflection to start, I will use it as a point of reference.

Some might say that the tomato lying on the counter tempted me to eat it.  But unlike the temptation that Adam and Eve succumbed to, this tomato was not forbidden.  It was good for eating and good for me.  Adam and Eve were tempted by the fruit on the forbidden tree that look so good to the eye.  My question to you is…in our lives are we showing the love of Christ to others so they will want to partake or are we showing things that look good and tempting but are forbidden by the Heavenly Father in His word.  

WHAT ARE YOU TEMPTING THOSE AROUND YOU WITH??

COLOSSIANS 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Are we showing those around us the REAL JESUS?

Some of the tomatoes we have pulled from our vines, have had bad places on them and parts that cannot be eaten.   Fortunately, we have not had any totally rotten this year, but some tomatoes look great on the outside, but are rotten thru and thru.

What kind of Jesus are we reflecting by our life?  Are we genuine, loving and kind?  Do we really care about those around us?  Are we loving in deed and not just in word?  If we cut into the center of the Jesus we portray, what would we see. 

A true tomato eater can buy a tomato from a roadside stand that is proclaimed to be vine ripened, and the moment they taste it, or sometimes just cut into it they can tell the proclamation is false.  The truth is in the inner parts.

Are we looking good on the outside and tempting people to come to Jesus, only for them to find out that our lives portray “dead men’s bones”, or rotten places through and through?  Our words sound ok and our outside looks appealing but inside we have not relinquished our lives completely to the Lordship of Jesus and when someone looks at us, they see a fake not a genuine!

A tomato that has rotten places or is rotten through and through is still a tomato, but there is some of it or all of it that is not fit to use to benefit us by giving us good nourishment.  A person can be saved by the blood of Jesus but not surrender to His Lordship.  Jesus wants to use all of your talents, abilities, and the wonderful mind He has given you for Building His Kingdom on earth.

I have cut into a store-bought tomato that looked real and tempting on the outside and found it tasteless and bland. Our lives can look like a wonderful walk with Jesus on the outside, but inside are tasteless and bland.  We have nothing to give, because the things in our world have crowded out the life-giving wonder of serving a living and risen LORD.

1 JOHN 3:18    My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ^

The point I want to leave with you is that we need to portray the REAL JESUS by letting Him have full reign in our hearts so that we can tempt people to lay down their self-centered, world aligned thinking and come to the one who can give real joy, peace, and love.

May we feed people the real nourishing genuine gospel, rather than a corrupt half rotten, half-truth gospel. Because the word says that “They (and us) shall know the Truth and the Truth will set them FREE.  Free to live life to its fullest and to fulfill the destiny they were born for.   May we all walk in the truth and the love of Jesus!

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Father, let us be real and walk in truth.  Let our lives portray the fresh genuine Jesus. I ask this for myself and all who read this.  In the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Please serve the Real Christ!

Love, ME-MAW