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February 2020 Archives

Printable Issue 4146  Today is Monday, February 10th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4146

 
(Good to be back and near my computer!)


Today's Bible verse and commentary. At times, we wonder if everything is out of control, but.......)

"But the Lord is still in His holy temple;
He still rules from heaven.
He closely watches everything that happens here on earth."

~ Psalm 11:4 LAB 


*

Bible Commentary:  "When law and order collapse and we wish we could hide, remember that God is still in control. 
Nothing happens without His knowledge and permission.
When we feel like running away---run to God.
He will restore justice and goodness on the earth
in His good time."

***
 

Printable Issue 4147  Today is Tuesday, February 11th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4147

I heard an analogy a bit ago that I liked. I hope that I can do it justice from memory.

Think about a loved one:  a spouse, a child, a good friend. Do you love him/her/them? Yes! Would you still love them if they had cancer? Yes! Do you love the cancer? No, probably not!

The comparison was how God sees us. Does He loves us? Yes. Does he love the sin in our lives, a cancer. No probably not, but He still loves us!

If anyone we love has cancer, we take them, or go, to the doctor to have it taken care of. 

If we have sin in our lives, we can get the diagnosis and take it to the Great Physician to have it removed. He helps us do what we can't for ourselves.

I John 1:9 says, "If
 we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Dear Father in Heaven, thank You that You love us unconditionally. And You have a plan for each of us that includes every kind of care. Show us the way, Your Way! In Jesus' Name. Amen.



Printable Issue 4148  Today is Wednesday, February 12th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4148

 I receive a daily inspirational thought from Max Lucado. Right now, I am getting ones take from his book 'Unshakable Faith', telling about who we are because of who God is! We should know but because of the world we live in, we need to be reminded!

 

You Are Worth Dying For
 

"Has someone called you a lost cause? A failure? Has someone dismissed you as insignificant? Don't listen to them. They don't know what they're talking about. You were conceived by God before you were conceived by your parents. You were loved in heaven before you were known on earth. You aren't an accident.

"When you say yes to God, you are being made into God's image. Print that on your resume! In the eyes of God, you are worth dying for. Would you let this truth define the way you see yourself? Would you let this truth define the way you see other people? Every person you see was created by God to bear his image and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This is God's plan. This is God's promise. And he will fulfill it. And because God promises are unbreakable, our hope is unshakable!"

***

Printable Issue 4149  Today is Monday, February 17th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4149

Some thoughts taken from a flip calendar which sits on an occasional table in my kitchen:  'Touched by An Angel:  Everlasting Love":


"Don't be afraid.
God loves you.
So much you can't even imagine it.


*

"We can't understand loss.
But we can understand love.."


*

"God doesn't expect you to win every time.
He loves you.
And you should use that love to give you the strength to keep going."


*
"There's only one thing in this world that is truly bulletproof.
It's faith.
The faith you wrap yourself up in every day of your life.
Faith that no matter what happens
you won't lose God's love."


*

"Just let yourself be loved."

***
Printable Issue 4150  Today is Monday, February 17th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4150

"See how very much our
heavenly Father loves us,
 for He allows us to be called His children
-----think of it-----
and we really are!"


~ I John 3:1 LAB

 
**

Bible Commentary:

"As believers, our self-worth is based on the fact that God loves us and calls us His children. We are His children NOW, not just sometime in the distant future. Knowing that we are His children encourages us to live as Jesus did."

***

Thank You for Your generous love to us, God!
Thank You for helping us to love ourselves and others!
Wishing a Happy Valentine's Day to You;
and to all of our friends!
Today and every day!!
Amen.

****
Printable Issue 4151  Today is Monday, February 17th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4151

A couple of random thoughts:


Etched on a restaurant door walking into a restaurant recently:

"Focus on the good; 
and the good gets even better."


**
 
Several weeks ago, I asked a single mom and her son out for lunch after church. She said yes! Our mutual friend said, "Did you know her 30th birthday is in a day or two?

No, I had no idea!

On Valentine's Day, I had an errand to run in a neighboring town. I needed to drop off an envelope with this gal. Why didn't we just do lunch?

Okay.

As we ate, she said, "Did you know that today would have been my 50th anniversary?" Her marriage had ended more than a decade earlier.

No I had no idea!

Made me stop and think. If we ask God to direct our day, does He do things with, and through us, that we have no idea what we are doing? Nor why.

How many other things do we do all the time; with no idea the results? Probably all the time! 

Our job is to do. His job is to bless. Hard telling how many thoughts He gives to us. And what kind of results happen!

 
Thank You, God, that You show us, direct us, bless us! Thank You that You want to use us to do Your Will! Thank You for the gift of love and joy that we can give to others! Whether we know what happens next or not! Amen.


***
Printable Issue 4152  Today is Tuesday, February 18th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4152

Introduction into Psalm 116:

Writer is anonymous:  "Praise for being saved from certain death. Worship is a thankful response and not a repayment for what God has done."

"I love the Lord
because He hears my prayers
and answers them.
Because He bends down and listens.
I will pray as long as I breathe!"

~ Psalm 116: 1 & 2 LAB

**
Bible Commentary:  "God is not so far away that we cannot reach Him. He 'bends down and listens' to our prayers. If we are discouraged, we need to remember that God is near, listening carefully to every prayer and answering each prayer in order to give us His best."
*
God, help us to pray more, love more, trust more, and believe more. In Jesus' Name. Amen.


***
Printable Issue 4153  Today is Wednesday, February 19th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4153

Many of you have Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence"; either in book form or as a flip calendar. Her writings tend to hit the spot! Here is hers for yesterday:


"I AM WITH YOU. These four words are like a safety net, protecting you from falling into despair. Because you are human, you will always have ups and downs in your life experience. But the promise of My Presence limits how far down you can go. Sometimes you may feel as if you are in a free fall, when people or things you had counted on let you down. Yet as soon as you remember that I am with you, your perspective changes radically. Instead of bemoaning your circumstances, you can look to Me for help. You recall that not only am I with you, I am holding you by your right hand. I guide you with my counsel, and afterward I will take you into Glory. This is exactly the perspective you need:  the reassurance of My Presence, and the glorious hope of heaven."

 ~ Thoughts taken from Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 73:23 - 26

***
Printable Issue 4154  Today is Thursday, February 20th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4154

At our ecumenical Bible study yesterday a.m., we looked at some thoughts by Sharon Jaynes.

Her lead in was the thoughts she had about herself and how unworthy she felt. Didn't measure up to what she believed others thought about her. As a fraud, maybe some day she'd be found out.

With the advice of a friend, she started to search the Bible for her "New Identity in Christ" (and it is true for all of us as believers.).

The list is a long one. Here is a first installment. We may have heard them before but because of the world in which we live, we need to be reminded:

* I am the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)

* I am the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)

* I am valuable to God.  (Matthew 6:26)

* I am indwelled by Christ.  His Spirit lives in me.  (John 14:20)

* I am a branch of the True Vine.   (John 15:15)

* I am Christ's friend.  (John 15:15)

* I am chosen and appointed by Christ to go and bear fruit.  (John 15:16)

* I am justified by Christ's blood.  (Romans 5:9)

****

Printable Issue 4155  Today is Friday, February 21st, 2020; Karen's Korner #4155

Something written by Max Lucado. I liked what he had to say. We need to be more 'daring and brave':

LIVE ADVENTUROUSLY EXPECTANT


"As a child of God, this resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, 'What's next, Papa?' God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who He is, and we know who we are:  Father and children. And we know we are going to get an unbelievable inheritance!' (Romans 8:15-17 MSG).

"God says, 'Hey, Lucado. You are an heir to the joy of Christ. Why not ask Jesus to help you?'  'And you, Mr. Without-a-Clue, aren't you an heir to God's storehouse of wisdom?'  "Mrs. Worrywart, why do you let fears steal your sleep? Are you not a beneficiary of God's trust fund?'

"Approach God's throne not as an interloper but as a child of the living and loving God. Because His promises are unbreakable, our hope is unshakable!"

****
Printable Issue 4156  Today is Monday, February 24th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4156

"You are their (my, our) strength.
What glory!
Our power is based on your favor!"


` Psalm 89:17 LAB

*
Bible Commentary: ""'Our power is based on your favor' means that when we are full of sin we are weak and powerless, inadequate for even the simplest spiritual tasks. But when we are filled with God's Spirit, His power flows through us and we can accomplish things for Him beyond our expectations."

******
Printable Issue 4157  Today is Thursday, February 27th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4157

There are good people everywhere!
Sometimes listening to the news we wonder!

 
But it happened to our family again last weekend when my sister Jill traveled to Sacramento, California where she was doing some business consulting.

As she was checking in to her hotel in Vallejo, she began juggling all of her items:  carry-on suitcase, computer bag, small purse, coat, rental car keys, and a bag with sandwich and a drink. "I had to put everything down to get to my credit card," she said.

At about the same time, a busload of basketball players from a Christian high school were in line to check in as well. "They were in town for a state private school tournament," Jill said. "And were they tall! One young man I talked with was 18 and 7 feet 1 inch!"

When she got to her hotel room, she realized her computer bag wasn't with her. Back down to the lobby she went. "The hotel employees looked around," Jill said, "No bag. I looked too, going into the backrooms at the front of the hotel. No bag." Pretty vital to what she was doing in California, plus having a couple more items stuffed into the bag.

It was the next morning when her room phone rang. They had her valuable computer. "The nice high school kids had found my bag and given it to housekeeping for the night. It was locked in their secure area overnight!"

A number of years ago when Jim and I were in Passau, Germany waiting to board our cruise boat, Jim misplaced his billfold. Weeks later, it was returned to us through the U.S. Embassy. Everything was still in it; including U.S. currency and Euros.

And even more years earlier, our daughter Jamie, while in New York City left her purse in a cab. Something. Everything came back to her in a few days.
 
Good people. Everywhere. All around the world!






Printable Issue 4158  Today is Thursday, February 27th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4158

God is Faithful!

"His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
~ Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV
 

"Three hundred and seventy-one days after the Flood began, 'God said to Noah, 'Come out of the ark, you and your wife and yours sons and their wives' (Genesis 8:15 NIV)  We can almost hear the 'Hallelujah Chorus' playing in the background! What a day of rejoicing that must have been! God had been faithful to see him through!


"God has not changed. If he was faithful to watch over Noah and all those within the ark, bringing them safely through the storm., He will do the same for you. Just as He was fiathful to preserve Joseph through thirteen years of slavery in Potiphar's house and Pharaoh's prison, just as He was faithful to preserve the little baby Moses floating on the Nile.

"Gpd will be faithful to you. Why? Because God is faithful! He cannot be less than Himself! Keep your focus on God's faithfulness and on God's greatness!

 

~ By Anne Graham Lotz


***

 

Printable Issue 4159  Today is Thursday, February 27th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4159

Installment #2 of some thoughts by Sharon Jaynes.


If you recall,,at the advice of a friend, she started to search the Bible for her (and our!) "New Identity in Christ"

* I am reconciled to God through Christ's death and saved through Christ's life. (Romans 5:10)

" I am set free from sin and a slave of righteousness. (Romans 6:18)

" I am free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1)

" I am free in Christ. (Romans 8:2)

* I am a child of God and a co-heir with Christ. (Romans 8:17)

* I am more than a conqueror through Christ. (Romans 8:37)

* I am accepted by Christ. (Romans 15:7)

* I have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

 

****


 

Printable Issue 4160  Today is Friday, February 28th, 2020; Karen's Korner #4160

Many of us know this familiar Psalm:


"The Lord is My Shepherd,
I shall not want."


~ Psalm 23:1  (KJV)

That is the King James Version.

The Living Bible translation says of the same verse:

"Because the Lord is My Shepherd,
I have everything I need."


~ Psalm 23:1 (LAB)

How many more wants do we have than are our true needs?

Do you think that God's desire for us as His Children is to bring all of our wants and needs to Him? He may not give us all of our wants, because some of them might not be good for us? Or maybe nothing we really need? He knows which are which. We don't always know what our hearts desires really are or what is good for us. Maybe that is why we call Him:  'Father'. 'Savior'. 'Friend'.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can ask you for everything and anything. Thank You that You give us what we truly need! Help us to praise You when we pray, not always knowing the outcome. You have our best in mind. Always!  In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

(Once again I will be away from my computer for a week. Next Karen's Korner will be in your computer email on Monday, March 9.)