God Wants Me to Think Before I Speak...

Proverbs 25:8 "Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when they neighbor hath put thee to shame."

It seems God is reminding me in this chapter how influential my words can be. We ought not to be quick to criticize or argue with others. We ought to stop and think before we say something.

Maybe I should ask myself a question or two. "How will this affect those I am speaking to, or those I am speaking about?" "Will these words help to build someone or tear them down." Just because something is true does not mean we have to talk about it! I believe the media has greatly influenced our thinking towards the wrong in this area of critical discussion.

God, I invite you as the Psalmist did in Psalms 141:3 to..."Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."

Stop and Relfect...

Psalms 119:15

"I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways."

It seems God is reminding me with this short little verse how important it is to think about what God wants before I act or speak. If I want His blessings in my life, then I need to respect His ways in every area of my life.

Thank you, God, for this great little reminder to stop and think about what direction YOU want in my everyday life . I LOVE Psalms 119!

Yummy Low-fat Pancakes!

Trying to be careful and eat healthy but still have a sweet tooth? Here is a great alternative! Even a healthy home-made syrup to put on top!

Low fat Applesauce Pancakes...

1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of oats
1/2 cup of low fat milk
1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
2 large egg whites
1 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/4 cup of sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and add to the dry mixture. Stir till blended. Heat griddle or pan and spray with nonstick cooking spray. When hot, pour about 1/4 cup pancake batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles appear and edges are puffed, then flip and cook until golden.

Makes about 8 pancakes.

Healthy apple topping...

Warm a pan with a little bit of butter. Dice up an apple finely. and add to the butter. Cook till apples begin to soften. Add some frozen apple juice concentrate, cornstarch and honey. Let cook till thickened and bubbly. Poor over your pancakes and enjoy! Yummmmmm!! (Sorry, I did not measure things for my syrup, just eye-balled the ingredients!)

Serve this with a steaming hot cup of coffee and an egg or piece of Turkey Bacon and you have yourself a Yummy, Happy, Low fat, Healthy breakfast!!

Isn't Life Great?!

Deuteronomy 12:7..."And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee."

Serving God is not a drudgery! It is fun, exciting, sweet and peaceful to live within the confines of God's will.

I take this as one of my challenges this year, God! To serve you with happiness for my sake, my family's sake and the sake of others around me who are influenced by my life.

There is nothing I would rather do with my life than give it back to You. Whatever the circumstance in life, we are so blessed.

There is JOY in Serving Jesus!

I Chronicles 16:10 "Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."

When I stop to think about how wonderful God is, it brings joy to my heart!

If I truly want to experience a joyous Christian life, I need to always seek the Lord...a constant desire to learn more about Him and His ways. The more I learn about Him and the wonderful life I can have with Him by my side, the more JOY I will have in every area of my life. Then, in turn, the more I will want to seek Him!

Life for every person here on earth is full of "ups and downs." Why walk through this life alone when I have an Almighty Creator who desires to walk beside me and help me through the "down" times and rejoice with me in the "up" times?!

The Christian life...the center of God's will...What a JOYOUS place to be! I wouldn't go back and change one decision I have made for God.

Hmmm...Chronicles!

I MUST admit I struggle to find a truth in my readings through Chronicles at times! Ha!

However, I did find a little nugget of truth in chapter 7 this morning. This chapter discusses the lineage and inheritance of 5 of the tribes of Israel. I find it interesting how God mentions a different area in which each family excelled.

God has given each of us a different area in which we excel. How sad when I take this area and excel for my own glory rather than using my God-given talents to glorify God.

It seems from this chapter that God is pleased when I am willing to give back to Him what He has given me in the first place!

Thank you for this reminder, God, to be unselfish in giving my life for Your service. There is nothing I would rather do with my life; what a HAPPY place to be!!

Am I a Spiritual Baby?

Hebrews 5:12-13 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."

"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe."

It seems that too many of us Christians remain spiritual babies for most of our lives--needing help instead of becoming a helper.

God should not have to teach me the same lesson twice. I should take a lesson learned, apply it to my life, and then turn around and teach it to others. These verses obviously show us that God is disappointed when we do not mature into spiritual teachers but instead remain as spiritual babes, needing to be helped through every aspect of our lives.

What a great challenge! Thanks, God, for your patience with me...with all of us as Christians!

Serving God is FUN!

I feel sorry for those who feel serving God is a chore! It seems more wonderful and rewarding to me each day!!

I had the privilege of meeting up with some of our teen ladies and their moms at a tea room near us today. We had so much fun together! It is a great blessing to share some food and small talk with other ladies who also have a desire to serve God.

I feel that Christian fellowship is SO important! We all desire to have fellowship of some kind. If we seek it out among other Christian ladies, what a sweet fulfillment it can bring to our lives! Thank you, God, for the privilege of spending time with some sweet Christian ladies today.

Young People are IMPORTANT!

II Kings 15:1-3

"In the twenty and seventh year of Jereboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.

Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;"

Thanks, God, for this reminder of what GREAT things young people can do for your work!

Young people can be great leaders for God if they surrender their life to You during their youth. Young people needn't wait till adulthood to begin their service for God. In their youth, they are establishing what kind of adult they will become.

Thank You, God, for the PRIVILEGE of working with young people and encouraging them to give their lives to You in their youth. I pray You will give me wisdom to show our young people through my life what a WONDERFUL thing it is to live a life fully surrendered to Your will. I couldn't be happier with my choice as a young person to yield my life to Your service. No regrets. It is so much fun to serve You!

How Can We Be Sure God Will Hear And Help?

Psalms 91:1 & 15 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him."

Great thought today, God!

EVERYONE wants God to hear their voice as they cry out to Him. How can I be sure He will hear?

By dwelling close to Him. Not just visiting Him in areas of my life, but centering every aspect of my life around His will--what HE would want.

What a great reminder, God! I need you in every tiny area of my life today, no matter how insignificant it may seem...how I dress, how I greet others around me, how I spend my spare time, etc.

I invite you into every area of my life today!