Ez 34:11 For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep & will seek them out. Psalm 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Jer 29:13 You will seek me & find me, when you seek me with all your heart.—Our doubt doesn’t keep Jesus away! He is always searching for us! He is always knocking! —Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; Love Mel
Be a Doer and Not Just a Hearer
Psalm 34:15 (ESV)The EYES of the Lord are toward the righteous & His EARS toward their cry. Matt 7:24 Everyone then who HEARS these words of mine & does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Mark 4:24 Pay attention to what you HEAR: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, & still more will be added to you. Rom 2:13 For it is not the HEARERS of the law who are righteous before God, but the DOERS of the law who will be justified.—It takes effort to shut out the noises of this world & truly HEAR. But it isn’t enough to just HEAR we must be DOERS as well! For we will be blessed in our doing! More importantly the only way we can come to KNOW God fully is through the HEARING & the DOING of the word. And we must remember to keep LOVE deep in our heart for here we will find the bridge that connects it all. Love Mel
Faith
Eph 2:8 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through FAITH. & this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. Hebr 11:6 Without FAITH it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists & that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Matt 21:22 Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have FAITH. Rom 10:17 So FAITH comes from hearing, & hearing through the word of Christ.— FAITH is complete trust! Our FAITH is much stronger when it rests in the hands of God vs men!! —And don’t forget in —James 1:3 The testing of our FAITH produces steadfastness. Love Mel
The One God Chooses
Who would God choose? He chose David a lowly Shepherd Boy to lead His chosen people! —1 Sam 16:11-12 (ESV)Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” & Samuel said to Jesse, “Send & get him, …. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” … 1 Sam 17:34 I work as a shepherd for my father….
He chose a group of Fishermen to walk with His son on earth! —Matt 4:18-19 As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, & Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” he said, “& I’ll show you how to fish for people.
He chose a prostitute to house His men on their mission to the promised land. —Josh 2:1 Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” & they went & came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab & lodged there. Josh 6:25 Rahab the prostitute & her father’s household & all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. & she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
There are so many examples of our Gods pick, & He fulfills His great work through the humble. —1 Cor 1:26-29 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low & despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
A shepherd can become a great prophet, a fisherman can be an apostle whose name will shine forever & a prostitute can be in the line of Jesus, the son of God when God chooses them. The key is to let go of what this world thinks is important & cling to what God says is important & we too can be in the family of God! Just say YES! Love Mel
Forgive!
Matthew 5:43-44 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor & hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you. Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. — Turning the other cheek is super hard in this life especially when you have a good reason not too! However, we must remember that vengeance belongs to God! —Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide His garments.— Even Jesus asked God to forgive them. So just maybe we can too! Love Mel
