Food For Soul

After breakfast this morning, I had noticed that my son hasn't been eating fresh fruits like he used to. He is chewing much better now after getting adjusted to having his brace. And the brace was the reason he stopped eating, because it was hard for him to bite the apples, pears and other harder fruits he enjoyed. So I brought it up, " Hey! You haven't been eating fresh fruits. It's different if you do than those processed ones so you can get the nutrients from it. That way, you will be stronger to fight illnesses." He replied, "I'm sorry mom. I know I can chop up the fruits, too. Okay, I will try to eat more fresh fruits."

"Wait a minute!," I thought to myself. I haven't been eating the proper fruits I need, too, to nourish my soul. Lately, I have been not as enthusiastic to read the Word of God [the Holy Bible]. Sometimes, being fully adjusted to the thought that I have been saved by having the brace for a while [the Holy Spirit indwelling in me], I forget that I still need to eat the fresh fruits or God's Word so I can nourish my soul and be stronger when illnesses [Satan's attacks] come. "I'm sorry, Father. I know that having the Holy Spirit is no excuse not to read Your Words...I may not read the whole Bible in one day, but I know that I can chop up the Words, verse by verse, day by day, to nourish me in return..."

John 1:1- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."

Ephesians 6:17 - "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

John 10:10 - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."

1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

1 Peter 1:23-25 - " For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

Hebrews 4:12-13 - " For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account."

Psalm 119:103 - " How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

No God, No Peace....Know God, Know Peace

I love browsing at our old photos from previous vacations we had spent as a family. My favorite was that of our trip to Morro Bay in Central California. We had so much fun trying out the canoe in the middle of the bay...There were times when the water would be a little wavy when bigger boats would pass by, as we struggled to steer away from its path way before it even came closer to our rented canoe...Looking below, I remember seeing the seaweeds dancing gracefully as the water on top rippled, either from the boats or the sudden gusts of wind. "Hey!, " I hollered to my family, " look at the little crabs down below." They were crawling, not minding the waves that sometimes made me feel the canoe would tip over. They were just enjoying their time burying themselves on the sand, as the hungry pelicans wait for that opportunity to devour them, if ever they pop out of the calm waters below....

Suddenly, the sound of the soothing waves and sight below gave me that deep insight of how peaceful things could be.

Same thing when we have a personal relationship with God and if we learn to truly trust in Him alone, it's easy to realize that if we're rooted in God's love, everything falls into its places:

-protection [Psalm 91:7, 9 - " At your side one thousand people may die, or even ten thousand right beside you, but you will not be hurt....The Lord is your protection; you have made God Most High your place of safety..."]

-inner joy [Psalm 30:5 - "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."]

-His company knowing that He's there with us during tumultuous times [Philippians 4:6-7 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."]

-true peace [Colossians 3:15 - "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."]

-love [Romans 8:38-39 - "For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels won't, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God's love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are - high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean - nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when He died for us."]

I pray that if you happen to be reading this, you will see the "real picture" of how much God loves us in the first place....May that "picture" remind you that true peace only comes from knowing God...

The Gift of Salvation

My son told me 2 days ago that his close friend invited some of them for dinner to celebrate that friend's birthday. Despite the hectic schedule at school brought about by numerous, harder lessons, I told him it was up to him that I'd rather have him take a break and also, have fun with his friends even for a couple of hours. I have to admit it must be hard for that friend to celebrate his birthday on one of busy weekdays they have at school but he chose to celebrate it with his friends.

So, last night, my husband and I dropped him off at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet and left him. By the time we had come back to pick him up, my son's face was glowing with happiness that someone could just tell he had so much FUN!!! He told my husband and I about what went on and how they had fun with each other's company and that his friend was so grateful for the gifts they had given him...

My son made a joke of giving a funny bday card that applied for someone who was much younger, then he had put another card inside that had the gift in it [money] which was the more appropriate one. He said at first, his friend was wondering why he got the wrong card [mind you, that card was for a girl and he was a boy] but was totally RELIEVED when he finally discovered that there was one more card that was more appropriate for him. But the bottom line, they all had fun...

Spiritually speaking, Jesus has been inviting us all, too for a "celebration". He wants us all to have a personal relationship with Him and that's the only way we can get to know Him. Are we too busy to even hear this "special invitation" from Him? And if we don't take notice, it's sad because we've been missing the BEST opportunity of having the BEST FRIENDSHIP from Someone Who truly cares and loves us all from the start. But instead of us giving Jesus a gift, He is the One Who has a gift for those who will accept Him into their hearts. By believing that He died on the cross to pay for our sins, that's how we get saved, meaning we don't have to do anything because He became the sacrifice for our sins. Being saved means our sins do not count against us anymore when we believe and open Jesus' gift of salvation. Revelation 3:20 - "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with Me" [NCV].

When my son's friend had opened the "appropriate bday card" which was inside the "phony card", he had that feeling of relief and then, got excited again when he saw the gift inside...Same thing with Jesus' offer of salvation, there is no other way to have an eternal life but only by the REAL DEAL and that is through Jesus!!! John 11:25, 26 - Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me will have life even if they die. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die."

John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through Me..."

Money

It's scary the way our economy is going...Higher gas prices, that in return, affects the costs of all things we buy or the costs of services we need. A lot of people lost their homes. Some are working not only 1, nor 2 and sometimes, maybe even 3 jobs, to make their ends meet. Some people gave up the things they love to do for themselves in order to save even a few bucks. A lot of people are not sleeping well, when it's time to pay for their bills and if their savings is not enough, where can they get the money they need to pay for these bills or their debts? Or they might worry that something might happen to their health, that if illness strikes, they're not going to be able to work and earn the money they need. Some people if not for their gambling addictions, buy lottery tickets, hoping to win that millions of dollars prizes though they know that the odds of winning is so slim!

I thank God for finding a lost soul like me. Before I have given my life to Christ, I was a worrier, who would want to have lots of money thinking that it would give me the security I need. Once we have a personal relationship with Christ, and if we truly surrender our lives to Him, our worries are replaced with the peace that only comes from our Lord Jesus. Through His promises [His Words], they are great assurances that His love and support for me will never fail. He is my true Security in this lifetime and beyond...To God be the glory!

Psalm 23:1 - "The Lord is my Shepherd; I have everything I need."

Matthew 6:24 - "No one can serve two masters...You cannot serve both God and money."

Psalm 119:36 - "Give me an eagerness for Your decrees; do not inflict me with love for money."

1 Timothy 6:10 - "The love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil."

Hebrews 13:5 - "Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never forsake you."

Proverbs 11:28 - "Trust in your money and down you go!"

Proverbs 19:1 - "It is better to be poor and honest than to be a fool and dishonest."

Mark 8:36 - "How do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?"

Philippians 4:19 - "This same God Who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches."

Luke 12:15 - "Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own."

Matthew 6:31-33 - "Don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."