Ruth: Leaving The Past Behind For A Better Future

Ruth 1:16-17

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

When they married, Ruth and Orpah left their parent’s home, and the people and places familiar to them.

Sadly, both of their husbands, Mahlon. Chilion and Father-in-Law perished, leaving their Mother-in-Law, Naomi, without her husband or sons.

The widow learned that the Lord had blessed His people with food, so Naomi, Ruth and Orpah headed toward Judah.

At a certain point, Naomi told both women that her hope was for the Lord to deal kindly with them, and that they should return to their mothers’ houses. She told them the reasons why and even went so far as to tell them that the Hand of the Lord had gone out against her, so they should separate for their good.

It was a tearful goodbye, but Orpah kissed her Mother-in-Law, and returned to people, gods and what was familiar to her. Ruth, on the other hand, clung to Naomi.

At the beginning of barley harvest, the two women arrived in Bethlehem. It was here that Naomi claimed God had dealt bitterly with her.

In God’s Perfect Providence, history introduces a wealthy kinsman of Naomi’s husband.

We see throughout, the great blessings Ruth had because she was willing to leave her past, entirely. We do not read about regret that she abandoned the false gods, clinging to the One True God.

Our Lord requires our loyalty. When we are rescued from death into life eternal by the Blood of Christ, we are called to abandon what we knew, even though life offered the comfort of familiarity.

There is only One Truth, anything else is a lie. Darkness and light do not “coexist”. As cherished children of the Most High, we are expected to assume our role as royalty, forsaking anything not approved by our Father, the King.

Father God

Thank You for this day

Please forgive our sins against You, others and ourselves

Like Ruth, please let us cleave to You

Please let us willingly give up anything that will lead us away from Your Will

Thank You for Ruth’s example

And that she did not choose to return to where she once was

Just because it was familiar

Please let us do likewise

Please let us encourage one another in obedience

Uplifting each other in faith

You are the One True God

With Your Work within us

Our past does not have to dictate our future

In the Name of Jesus

Amen

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There IS A DIFFERENE BETWEEN WANT AND NEED

Quit Whining, That’s not fair!

Matthew 20:1-16 20 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. Honestly, it took me a long time to accept that someone who followed Christ their entire lives and lived  a “Christian” lifestyle  , will share in the same riches as someone who lived a terrible one, totally disobedient to God, yet had a ‘deathbed conversion”?Almighty and Merciful LordThank You for this and every day!Please forgive our sins against You, others and ourselvesPlease continue to remind us that we are no more deserving than anyone else, of Your Mercy, Grace and SalvationWe are Your CreationWe praise You for saving usPlease give us a heart of joy, for all saved soulsAnd a genuine compassion and yearning for those who do not know YouIn JESUS NAMEAmen ReplyForward

Thou SHALT NOT Fear

Psalms 56:3 – What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee 2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Psalms 34:4 – I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 1 Peter 5:7 – Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Psalms 23:4 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy Rod and Thy Staff they comfort me. Psalms 27:1 – (A Psalm of David.) The LORD is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD Is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Meetings all day  at work about why the  company is not being as productive as it could, really?  Two hundred e- mails to answer between meetings, each one subject is “urgent”.In the middle of this, co-workers call.  Each one has a pressing matter to discuss, but you’ll have to call back because you’re running late to another meeting about a new project being thrown your way..We take on  so much, voluntarily or it is put upon us by what we do, there’s wonder why more of us aren’t completely in knots by week’s end.God blesses us with a job, but I do not think He has any intention for us to stress ourselves over what we do.Why do we think we have to finish everything in such haste?  Sure, there are deadlines for certain tasks, but we do, as humans, have limitations on what we can accomplish in a particular amount of time, without the consequences of pushing ourselves past reasonable expectations.Take Creation, God could have simply spoken the entire world, created man and woman and  everything else He did in an instant, but He didn’t.  He got quite a bit accomplished each day though, right?  He successfully and entirely did all He intended? He didn’t forget to do anything?Lean on the Lord for direction on what priorities should be.  He will not mislead you.  God is the BEST “Project Manager” !Stop overwhelming yourself and listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit! He has much more wisdom than anything  you’ll get with more meetings!  Oh, I know you have to go, but take your leadership from the Lord. Father GodThank You for the weekend. For time to celebrate and praise You with our brothers and sisters in ChristPlease forgive our sins against You, one another and ourselvesPlease help us to not put such high demands on ourselves or othersThat we cause stress or anxiety for anyone else                      Or for ourselvesWhen we put unreasonable expectations, it causes a multitude of problems with our health and in our spiritYou are NOT  the author of chaosYou want us to have a sound mind, not one overwhelmed by earthly issuesBeing so busy distracts us from You, LordLet that never be so!All honor, glory and praiseIn Jesus’ NameAmen ReplyForward

Obedience: No Understanding Required

JAMES 1:19-20

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Noah-It took a long time to build the ArkI. Throughout the process, possibly, (although I find no mention directly in the Bible), Noah was ridiculed, yet he remained obedient to the Lord

Hebrews 11:7 – By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.  

Matthew 24:37-39,But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

Abraham and Sarai-  Instead of continuing to wait on Sarai to have children, she sent her husband to another woman! Abraham and Sarai chose their desires over the Lord’s Will, and Abraham produced Ishmael with Hagar.Do we assume what God’s plans are for our lives, and make decisions on those basis? We could have acceptable results, but would we give glory to God or ourselves for those accomplishments?  On the other hand, our choices to run ahead could cause consequences for ourselves or others, as did the actions of Abraham and Sariia.  Let’s just hold on and find out what God has in store for us! 

Genesis 16:1-5 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee

.David – In the following passage, we see that the Lord promised that someone in David’s Line would always be king.  Other than taking that promise and trying to self-fulfill it, David  showed his trust in the Lord’s Word, and determined to wait for His time to place him in that position. It seems as though David would even be able to justify taking Saul’s life, as he could have claimed self defence.  The king hated David and was on a mission to destroy him. Having confidence in the Lord’s Word, David remembered what he was promised.  He didn’t know when or how, but he did believe and trusted God.  

Psalm 132:11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.  David did make many mistakes, as we all do; nonetheless, God had His hand on him and indeed his line will continue throughout eternity. 

1 Samuel 26:22-25 And David answered and said, Behold the king’s spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed

.And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place

.Jonah – This part of history is not just for a children’s Sunday school lesson!  If we have been in church our entire lives or not even much at all, it is very likely we have heard about Jonah and the big fish!Not really wanting to do the task God asked of him, Jonah considered it wise somehow, to try

running away from our omnipotent Lordrks are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.Jeramiah 23:24  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

Jonah Chapter 1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Please take some time to consider these situations and apply them to your life.  If God has called you to do something, be thankful that He is sending you out to do whatever it is.  The task does not have to be significant.  What carries the heaviest weight is your willingness and obedience. 

Mary had no idea what awaited her, but she trusted the Lord and gave herself to serve Him by carrying the Christ child. Although she watched Jesus suffer tremendous agony, God’s Will was accomplished by this otherwise, obscure young lady. 

Don’t eagerly run ahead of God like a dog pulling its owner down the sidewalk.  Don’t lag behind like a kid whining for candy at the checkout line.  You don’t have to “keep up” with  the Lord, because He carries you! 

Almighty Father 

Thank You for this and every day You give us

Please forgive our sins against You, others and ourselves

Thank You for allowing us to participate in Your Work here on earth

Please find us willing to obey, because we know when You call 

We will be able to do the tasks You set before us

If we misunderstand, please block any avenue, not ordained by You

Please give us clarity and discernment 

Let us be willing to pick up or put down whatever it is You are leading us to start or cease

When we need to stick with something, please allow confirmation and encouragement that we are in Your Will

But when we are led to leave an idea, a person, a situation, we ask for wisdom to do so

Let us long to please You

We love You and we want to display that in our lives by obedience to our Father

We delight in You Lord, please allow us to delight You in how we live the blessing of life

In the Name of Jesus

Amen

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The Encouragement of Truth

2 Timothy 1:7– For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

John 16:33 – These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

,In this world of perversion, hatred and constant chaos, as Believers we can be encouraged by God’s beautiful and perfect Word.

Lord and Savior

Thank You for this and every day

Praise Your Glorious Name for peace In these dark hours

While we walk through this world You dwell within us

Guiding, instructing, leading us in Truth

We, Your children are comforted

In ways far beyond human comprehension

Lord, thank You for Your peace that passes all understanding

Please allow us to testify to Your greatness by the way we live our lives

And let our words and actions be a testimony to the faith we have in You

.In the precious Name of Jesus

Amen

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Recognition For Dads. .Praise To Our Father ..Father’s Day 2021

• 1 John 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.      
• The 20th was a day for people to recognize fathers.  All of the card companies and manufacturers never mentioned in any commercials about honoring the ONE TRUE FATHER, our Lord, because they don’t understand. 
• So let’s take a minute to  think about it,  on this day filled with tools, ties and thanks to dad,  above all,  be a reminder to us just how blessed we are to call Him “Father”.

Almighty God, You tell us to call no one Father on earthToday when it is suggested to uplift dadsWe are going to take such an opportunity to recognize YouFor all You have doneFor what You are doingAnd what You will doThank You for special dadsFor the blessing they were or are in our livesAbove allPraise, honor and glory goes to YouOur FatherIn the Name of JesusAmen

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In Our Creator’s Hands

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Aren’t we so blessed the Father has our days in His hands! Thanks be to the Lord for the confidence and comfort this brings, being children of the Most High.

Re-read the verse in Jeremiah. Go to the Word and read the surrounding passages (which is always a good practice with any verse, to get the context and intent of what is being said). Consider what the Lord is telling us here and how precious we must be to Him.

If you are or have ever wondered what your value is as a person, look to the One Who created you. The Cost for us to be called Daughters of the Almighty was the spilled blood of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

Only our enemy would attempt to convince us on one extreme or the other: Either mankind is self-sufficient with no need for a Savior or worthless, sinful and hopeless. He is a liar the father of lies (technically should be upper case, but I refuse) and there is no truth in him.

Remember, our Father is always mindful of His children! His watchful eyes are upon us constantly! Find peace in the knowledge of His presence!

Psalm 8:4
4 What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

PRAYER

Almighty Lord

Father and King

Thank You for this beautiful day

For the breath You give us

Let us send it back to You on wings of praise

We recognize You for Who You Are

Lord of lords

Majesty

Great Jehovah God

Thank You for the blood spilled for us

Thank You that we can call us Your God

And that You call us Your people

Please give us understanding

About what a tremendous position that is

There could be nothing greater than being Your child

Glory to God in the Highest!

In the Name of Jesus

Amen

songs

Glory To God

I Lift My Hands

Jesus Messiah

credits: God the Father, Precious Savior and King, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Scripture
encouraging words
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Earthly Pursuits Dimmed By Heavenly Focus

B <carpediemhwy@gmail.com>	11:47 PM (3 minutes ago)
to me, Amanda, Aunt, Brecca, Brittney, Carolyn, cathy, Courtney, Emily, Ginger, Janet, Janett, jonathan, Kim, Paula, Sonya

COLOSSIANS 3:1-2

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

***********************************************************

There have been far too many times I have wasted countless hours, piddling around the house or scouring the web.  It amazes me how I can get so involved with things that are so insignificant.  

After a while, I search out passages for the devotional, but by then I’m too tired to give appropriate focus to what I  hoped to share, so I’ll wrap it up for the night, intending to send something out the following day (which too often it’s usually longer).

Rather than looking on websites for things I may or may not buy, beach houses we could never afford or places I won’t visit, I believe the Lord has been calling me to invest in sharing His Word with others. 

The Holy Spirit makes me aware of my ability to get distracted by things of this world, yet I neglect His gentle reminders. Is that intentional?  It must be.  My attitude has been more like, “Of course spending time on other things is much less important than working on the devotionals.”   

Really? Where is my proof?  Where is my heart?  It seems to me as though I’m saying one thing, but my actions do not support it. Where and how am I spending my time and effort? What are my priorities showing to be?

Praise Our Wonderful, Forgiving Lord.  He allows me time to learn, grow and continue to share. With God’s guidance, I will see distractions away from Him for what they are, and avoid them, through His Power and Strength.  In Christ, the lure of things on earth will weaken, as within me,desire for that which is eternal grows ever stronger.

Gracious Lord

Thank You for this and every day

Please forgive us our sins against You, others and ourselves

Please give us a heart of obedience 

And desire to please You, Father

We seek to hold in value

 That which is truly valuable

Our Lord

As the world pursues more and more material reward

We find our Treasure in You

Please dim the lure of all that is not of Christ

Fill us, please, with Your Truth 

That things of this world are of no use

With You

Abiding in eternity

No matter how inticing they may seem

Nothing or no one can compare 

To the priceless hope of those who place their trust in Christ for salvation

No Higher Price has or will ever be paid

Than Christ’s Blood shed on Calvary

In Jesus Name

Amen

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Ruth: Leaving Her Past Behind For A Better Future

Ruth 1:16-17 

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

When they married, Ruth and Orpah left their parent’s home, and the people and places familiar to them.

Sadly, both of their  husbands, Mahlon. Chilion and  Father-in-Law perished, leaving their Mother-in-Law, Naomi, without her husband or sons. 

The widow learned that the Lord had blessed His people with food, so Naomi,  Ruth and Orpah headed toward Judah. 

At a certain point, Naomi told both women that her hope was for the Lord to deal kindly with them, and that they should return to their mothers’ houses. She told them the reasons why and even went so far as to tell them that the Hand of the Lord had gone out against her, so they should separate for their good.

It was a tearful goodbye, but Orpah kissed her Mother-in-Law, and returned to people, gods and what was familiar to her. Ruth, on the other hand, clung to Naomi.

At the beginning of barley harvest, the two women arrived in Bethlehem. It was here that Naomi claimed God had dealt bitterly with her.

In God’s Perfect Providence, history introduces a wealthy kinsman of Naomi’s husband. 

We see throughout, the great blessings Ruth had because she was willing to leave her past, entirely.  We do not read about regret that she abandoned the false gods, clinging to the One True God.

Our Lord requires our loyalty. When we are rescued from death into life eternal by the Blood of Christ, we are called to abandon what we knew, even though life offered the comfort of familiarity. 

There is only One Truth, anything else is a lie. Darkness and light do not “coexist”. As cherished children of the Most High, we are expected to assume our role as royalty, forsaking anything not approved  by our Father, the King.

Father God

Thank You for this day

Please forgive our sins against You, others and ourselves

Like Ruth, please let us cleave to You

Please let us willingly give up anything that will lead us away from Your Will

Thank You for Ruth’s example

And that she did not choose to return to where she once was

Just because it was familiar

Please let us do likewise

Please let us encourage one another in obedience

Uplifting each other in faith

You are the One True God

With Your Work within us

Our past does not have to dictate our future

In the Name of Jesus

Amen

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