It’s a new year and a new beginning. There is no better time to renew our spirits and jump excitedly into the great things God has for each one of us. Life is like a mountain road full of unexpected turns, steep climbs, and downhill slopes. It’s an amazing ride filled with a gamut of emotion. There are sorrows and celebrations in all of our lives. Life will never be perfect. But it is glorious when we rest in Christ’s love.
The love of Christ makes us look heavenward so that every difficulty in this life becomes like a vapor in the wind. His love brings beauty into the most painful circumstances. His love covers the soul with peace, joy, and goodness. His love is better than anything else.
During the past year, Christ’s love has shaken me in ways I could have never dreamed of. It has been a year of spiritual growth and drawing closer to Christ.
I believe that 2023 will be a year for many people to draw closer to the heart of Christ. I can feel it in my bones…His love is rocking the world like never before. Nothing excites me more than watching others get shaken by God’s love.
Are you ready for Jesus to knock your socks off with His love?
With excitement for the year ahead, I’m sharing my mantra (life verse) again: Christ never promised that the road would be easy, but He did promise an abundant life. Jesus said: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
LORD,
Thank You for Your never-ending love and goodness. Give us an abundance of joy and peace in 2023. Help us keep our eyes fixed upon You and let us experience Your love every day. Help us be content in all circumstances and know You are all we need to live abundantly. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
May you experience more of Christ’s love and live abundantly every day in 2023.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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As I ponder the memories of the past year, the defining theme of 2018 could be summed up in the word, “yielded.” It was a year of allowing Christ to stretch me more and fully accept His callings for my life. The most defining moment for me was standing on a mountaintop at ‘Fields of the Wood,’ a Bible-themed park, on my 53rd birthday. It was a significant birthday and God confirmed His plans for my life in amazing ways that day. It’s no coincidence that the biblical symbol of the number fifty-three is “faithful witness.”
While standing on the mountaintop, the sky was blue like beautiful pools of water and the golden rays of sunshine were radiantly shining down as I stretched my arms toward HEAVEN.
I wept as I prayed: “Lord, I am Yours. Take me and use me however You desire. I will go wherever You lead me…together with my husband.”
It was one of the most powerful moments of my life as I stood on a concrete platform in the shape of the cross, surrounded by the flags of the nations. I knew in that moment I was truly yielded to the unknown possibilities, realizing I had no idea where Christ would lead us. The only thing that mattered in that moment is the confidence in knowing I am His and my soul is completely free to do what He placed me on the earth to do.
This journey of living the yielded life in Christ is not about us—it’s all about Him. Our failures and brokenness do not determine whether or not God will use us for His glory. In fact, the more broken the vessel is, the more Christ’s Holy Spirit can flow through us.
Wrong mindsets say our flaws disqualify us from being used by God, but the Holy Spirit says: Broken people make the best examples of the wonder-working power of God.
Last year, Christ embedded it into my heart that only His opinion matters. Christ freed my soul completely from fear of anyone’s opinions of me.
So here I am, a fifty-three-year-old woman, ready for new adventures and ready to be the most faithful witness for Christ that I can be. After this life is over, I cannot imagine a greater reward than hearing Christ say: “Well done, MY good and faithful servant.”
What about you? Are you ready to say, “YES” to whatever Christ has for your life? God is ready to take full responsibility for the life of the ones fully surrendered to Him. A yielded heart is one of the keys to true contentment. When we are yielded to Christ’s will for us, He is faithful to chisel away the sins in our hearts and lead us to the new beginnings in store for us.
Life will not be perfect until Christ’s return, but it is deeply fulfilling within our souls when we simply lay everything down and quit trying to figure things out. Let’s live totally yielded to Christ in 2019 and do the things on His agenda for our lives.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for filling us with Your Holy Spirit and leading us with Your guiding voice. Please help us to surrender every part of our lives to You and let us walk by Your Spirit. Let us seek You wholeheartedly and live for You with a singleness of heart. We lay aside all of our selfish ambitions and yield ourselves to You completely. Let us keep You as our highest priority every day. Help us to live each moment guided by Your Holy Spirit so that we can make a difference in the world. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
I’m remembering my grandfather, Poppy, today on his birthday. He passed away at the age of ninety-six in 2012 and he left an awesome legacy. His life was defined by love and his relationship with Christ was exemplary.
My love for Christ grew from watching Poppy’s life and I hope your love for the Lord will grow as you read the words I wrote about Poppy.
A TRIBUTE TO POPPY
If I had to choose one word to describe my grandfather, Poppy, it would be, “LOVE.” He loved God, he loved people, and he loved life.
Some of my favorite memories of him are the times he laughed hysterically while watching cartoons. I remember watching Tom and Jerry with him and he laughed so hard that he nearly fell out of his chair. That was amazing to see an old man laugh harder than I did as a little girl. He loved to laugh and he laughed hard and often. He truly lived life to the fullest.
Growing up, I spent a great deal of time with him and my grandmother because I lived right next door to them for several years. One of my favorite things to do as a little girl was to sit with Poppy and swing with him. While swinging, he loved to hold one of his cats that he called, “Sweetie Pie.”
I will always remember the camping trips I took with my grandparents. Poppy loved his camper, he loved to fish, and he loved the outdoors. Some of my greatest memories are all the times we spent outside in his garden and on his property.
I learned what true joy is by hanging out with Poppy. He was always content while living a laid-back life in Epworth, Georgia. He was a country boy at heart.
Poppy knew the art of enjoying the simple things in life. I can imagine him now making a soft whistling sound just like he did as he tinkered on his tractor and worked in his garden. He had this amazing aura of happiness about him.
Poppy had a major sweet tooth. Some of his favorite treats were Circus Candy Peanuts and Moon Pies. He loved to eat a slice of cake or pie after every meal and sometimes he even ate his dessert before the main course.
Oh how he loved his family. He was truly the best father and grandfather a person could have. He raised three wonderful children and he brought tremendous joy into the lives of his grandchildren.
I will always remember the laughter and the fun times with Poppy. But what is most important to me is how Poppy’s life permanently impacted my heart. I learned from him that life is a gift—a beautiful gift from our heavenly Father. I watched my grandfather live the life that God intends for every person to live.
There is a scripture verse that comes to my mind when I think of Poppy. Deuteronomy 5:33 says, “Walk in all the way that the Lord has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”
Poppy could have lived a tragic life. His earthly father passed away on his 11th birthday and left him fatherless. However, he chose the high road and he let His Father in Heaven fill the void in his heart after losing a parent at such a young age.
Poppy surely prospered in his life. He had a rich marriage with my grandmother for 72 years. He stayed committed to her and loved her through the good times and through the hard times.
He was a man of courage and a man of honor. He loved and enjoyed his family and friends so very much.
He lived a fulfilling life because he attained a beautiful relationship with Christ. He lived out the greatest commandments in the Bible very well.
Poppy’s life is a great example of a life fully surrendered to Christ. He lived a blessed life throughout his journey on Earth because he loved God with his whole heart, mind, and soul. And he certainly loved his neighbor as himself in countless ways. He was an amazing man because he tapped into the true Source of life.
His life was beautiful and filled with joy because of that. A close relationship with Christ is what God longs for every person on Earth to enter into. He wants us to be so head over heels in love with Jesus that no circumstance or loss can rob us of our joy.
My prayer for each one of us is that we will let the life that my grandfather lived be a standard we will reach for. May we let Jesus fill the void in our hearts in the same way that Poppy turned to God when he lost his daddy as a child.
The words my grandfather wrote to me reveal the key to a happy life.
Poppy wrote these words that will stay with me forever, “We pray that you and Michael will always love Jesus with all your hearts. This is what life is all about.”
Poppy loved Christ wholeheartedly and he lived abundantly because of his closeness to his heavenly Father.
May the Lord bless your life abundantly with His grace and peace.
Compassion flooded my heart as I walked into the room where my step-mother, Debbie, was resting while she battled the effects of stage-four cancer. With a frightened look in her eyes, she burst into a cry when she looked at me standing in the doorway. Debbie normally wasn’t emotional, but the sympathy in my eyes must have touched a deep place in her spirit.
With a smile, I walked toward Debbie, and her tears subsided as I embraced her. Serenity filled the room while we sat there together enjoying a conversation.
As love flowed from my heart, I asked Debbie if she would like me to say a prayer. Enthusiastically, she said, “Yes!” I held tightly onto her hands and began praying softly over her. The fear I had seen in her eyes began to fade away and a fresh glow illuminated her face.
After a sweet time together, I hugged her firmly and said, “Goodbye.” As the door shut behind me, a flood of emotion washed over me and I began sobbing.
The tears were a bittersweet mixture of the sorrow I felt for Debbie’s battle with cancer and a celebration of the powerful love I had shared with her in the midst of her pain.
I realized during those precious moments spent with my step-mother that I was reaping the fruit of my choice to forgive her many years before. Decades earlier when I was a thirteen-year-old girl, I met Debbie after my dad moved out of our home. He divorced my mother and married Debbie soon afterward.
The life I had known in my childhood was shattered and I felt the deepest pain I’ve ever experienced. Bitterness invaded my heart as I blamed Debbie for the break up of my family. In my brokenness, I struggled to open my heart to Debbie until after I matured and realized the burden of carrying the pain was too heavy.
While I watched the example of my mother’s forgiveness in the midst of the unwanted divorce, I resisted the urge to stay bitter. Miraculously, through the resurrection power of Christ, I was able to totally forgive Debbie, and the wound in my heart healed.
Forgiveness has the power to make something beautiful out of something terribly painful.
On my wedding day, the photographer got a candid photo with my step-mom joyfully gazing at me. Only Christ could enable such beauty to emerge out of the brokenness from the past.
Years later, as I sat with my step-mom while she faced death, it was evident to me that the choice of forgiveness had truly transformed my soul. The hurting, young teen I once was, could not have fathomed I was capable of loving my step-mother with a love so pure.
While hoping and praying for Debbie’s healing, I received a phone call from my father. His voice was solemn as he said, “The doctors are saying it will be just a few hours before Debbie passes away.”
I said, “I’m so sorry, Daddy.” I was crying as I tried to comfort my father.
Peace encompassed my sad heart as I walked into the critical care unit. It was surreal to see Debbie hooked up to machines and nearly lifeless.
A kind nurse assured me that Debbie was listening even though she was powerless to speak. In those surreal moments, I embraced the sacredness of Debbie’s soul preparing to pass from this life into eternity.
As a heavenly aura filled the room, I walked closer to her bedside and with words mixed with tears, I passionately said, “I love you, Debbie; thank you for being a loving step-mother to me.”
If it’s possible to touch HEAVEN tangibly while still on the earth, I certainly touched it that day.
I am certain that forgiveness is the birthing place for the most beautiful kind of love. Evidence of the love that grew in my relationship with my step-mother is in a card she gave me a few months before her death.
Debbie’s written words will forever be inscribed on my heart. She wrote, “Amy, I have grown to love you like my very own daughter.”
After nearly nine years since Debbie’s death, she is treasured and the power of forgiveness remains the greatest miracle of my life.
A life without forgiveness is a burdensome existence—it’s like dragging a large weighted ball. Without forgiveness, the pain adheres itself to the soul and dampens everything we experience with a thick darkness. When we don’t forgive we are only hurting ourselves.
Forgiveness is one of the greatest keys to living an abundant life. The one who walks in love and forgiveness experiences an abundance of spiritual blessings.
Are you carrying unnecessary weight in your heart? There’s no better time than now to choose forgiveness. Christ died on the cross and rose again so that we can forgive and be free from the pain that weighs us down. Choosing the path of forgiveness leads us to eternal joy, perfect peace, and unleashes the most magnificent, unimaginable love.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being the greatest example of love and forgiveness. We surrender to You and repent for the times we have had an unforgiving heart. Please show us the offenses we are holding in our hearts and let us totally forgive every offense that has come against us. Let us live a lifestyle of forgiveness daily and let us have a grace-filled heart that’s incapable of being offended. Let us be vessels of Your awesome love and let us be defined by Your powerful gospel of grace. Please use each one of us to make a difference in the world by spreading Christ’s love everywhere we go. We pray in the mighty name of Christ. Amen.
Dr. Bruce Hebel teaches a powerful message on forgiveness. If you’re struggling to forgive, I highly recommend that you watch the video below and check out the ministry’s website to learn practical steps for walking in forgiveness: ForgivingForward.com.
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Heaven touches us and stays in our hearts the moment we truly realize what Christ has done for us on the cross. We do not have to wait until after we leave our earthly bodies to begin experiencing Christ’s eternal gifts. Eternity begins when we surrender to Christ and allow Him to turn the hard things of life into something amazingly beautiful.
Yesterday, as I was strolling through Gibbs Gardens with my friend who recently lost her beloved mom, I thought of the anchor we have in Christ. The stunning beauty in the gardens reminded me of Christ and His redemptive love. There was an overwhelming sense of Christ’s resurrection power as I gazed at the splendor of the Japanese maple trees.
Christ’s gift of love restores us and heals us. His love is the balm to the oozing wounds in our souls after a loved one passes on. His love restores hurting relationships and rebuilds broken lives. Christ makes even the hardest days remarkable, simply because He is with us.
Whatever you are going through at this moment, be encouraged and know that it is not too big for Christ. The same power that raised Jesus back to life will resurrect you and your situation as you turn to Him and have faith.
Our constant pursuit of Christ and our surrendered prayers move the Lord’s heart to work powerfully on our behalf. Our relinquished lives open the door to God’s glory and the heavenly realm overcomes the darkness around us.
Once we have tasted of Christ’s glory, there is no dark force that can defeat us or bring us down. He is life. He is everything. His love is the greatest gift of all.
Beloved Jesus,
We adore You and we are in awe of the sacrifice You made for us. Thank You for paying the penalty for all of our sins. Thank You for giving Your life so that we can live freely and eternally. Help us to receive all the gifts You have for our lives and help us to live as recipients of Your amazing grace every day. Help us to share Your love with those around us and invite others into a life-giving relationship with You. We love You with all our hearts and we pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.
Grace and peace to you,
Amy
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I hope you enjoy this powerful song by Elevation Worship. Shout out to our King!
I woke up yesterday morning thinking of the lyrics to an old hymn written by Bill Gaither. The words are powerful and sum up the message of the gospel beautifully. Because Christ lives, we can rest in His presence and peace. We can face adversity with strength because we know we have our Jesus to carry us.
I pray that as you read these lyrics you will be reminded of the power in the cross to heal and strengthen you.
God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus; He came to love, heal and forgive; He lived and died to buy my pardon, An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Chorus Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living, Just because He lives.
How sweet to hold a newborn baby, And feel the pride and joy he gives; But greater still the calm assurance: This child can face uncertain days because He lives.
Chorus Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living, Just because He lives.
And then one day, I’ll cross the river, I’ll fight life’s final war with pain; And then, as death gives way to vict’ry, I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.
By: Bill Gaither
LORD,
Thank You for dying an agonizing death so that we can live eternally in Your perfect peace. Help us continually to walk in Your righteousness and let us live in the fullness of Your joy every day. Help us to remember daily the pain you bore so that we can be free to live abundantly. Let us revel in the gift of Your amazing grace and let our lives be a celebration of Your love. We pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.
During one of the hardest seasons of my life I learned the most about abundant living. My husband had been laid off from a good job, I was working tirelessly to make ends meet and life was very stressful. I wanted desperately for my circumstances to change.
While battling hardships and trials, I sought the Lord for the answers to my problems, and He diligently answered me. He led me to a Scripture in the Old Testament that jumped off the pages when I read it.
Deuteronomy 30:6 says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart, and with all your soul, and live.”
In these verses, I found the answer to what my heart longed to know. The word ‘circumcise’ is derived from a Latin word meaning, to cut. In the midst of excruciating trials, it felt like my heart was being circumcised. God was cutting away the things inside me that were hindering me from fully loving Him and fully living life. The process was, at times, excessively painful. But ultimately it led me to the abundance my soul was longing for.
Everyone wants to live abundantly. The Bible says that Jesus came to give us life, and to give it more abundantly (John 10:10). Yet how many people truly tap into the abundant life that Christ offers? Could it be the way we view our lives, or what we equate happiness with? For a season, I was seeking abundance in the wrong places, which led to more disappointment.
In God’s infinite grace, He took me through a season of testing because He wanted to lead me to the true source of abundance.
Are you in the midst of being pulled and stretched? Do you feel as though life is caving in around you?
To be rebuilt, a house needs to be torn down first. It can be an excruciating process. Do not lose heart. God is building a beautiful house out of your life. He uses every loss and every struggle for our good. Nothing He allows in our lives is in vain. He uses it all.
The things in my past, that were the hardest to endure, are what led me to the abundant life in Christ—a life of genuine joy and peace—that is not determined by things or circumstances.
Through the hardships, God gave me a new heart—a heart that rejoices because of His love.
It really is pure joy for a child of God to face trials because we know that no matter what is happening, Jesus is walking along beside us, carrying us, allowing us to bask in His great love at all times and in all circumstances.
Jesus is everything—when we know this, then we know that any other good thing we have in life is only the icing on the cake.
Lord, I thank You for the abundance of joy and peace that You give to us. Help us to look to You as our only source. Let us be content in all circumstances and know You are all we really need to live abundantly. I pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.
“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5 (NASB)
This post has been revised and was originally written in 2008.
I walked into my grandmother’s assisted living home soon after her husband of 72 years passed away. It was hard to see her in the shape she was in. My grandmother Mema seemed lost without my grandfather Poppy by her side. I left that day and wept. I wept tears over the sadness I saw in her eyes, over her frailty and her seemingly lost sense of purpose.
In my spirit I knew I needed to trust the Lord and make it my mission to bring joy to her by visiting her as often as I could. So I made it a priority to drive over an hour to visit her each week and encourage her.
Every visit is different, yet so very beautiful. Her mind is fading a bit, but she always knows who I am and she’s happy to see me. Her frail, ninety-three-year-old body is so weak that she can’t stand up without me using every bit of my strength to assist her. She had to start using a wheel chair over the summer.
I’ve visited her twice this week. On Wednesday, I spent about three hours with her. Shortly after leaving the dining hall, I asked her, “Do you want me to push you around outside?” She responded, “Yes!” She acted as though it was the most exciting part of her day. We headed to the exit and I pushed her for what seemed like an hour.
On our walk, we stopped at every flower and looked closely and breathed in the beautiful, sweet smells. We looked closely at the leaves beginning to turn vibrant shades of red. We looked at the magnificent North Georgia Mountains surrounding us. In those moments, it was as though all of Mema’s cares had dissipated. We were breathing in the sweetness of God’s presence together—grandmother and granddaughter—not thinking of the past and not longing for what is to come. We were simply reveling in the beauty God had given us in those moments.
We were at an ordinary place in an ordinary parking lot of the assisted living facility where my grandmother lives. But there was nothing ordinary about these precious moments. They were sacred moments of breathing in the love of Christ and thanking Him for giving me these precious extraordinary days with my last living grandmother.
Jesus has an amazing way of taking what seems like ordinary life events and turning each moment into a spectacular, extraordinary display of His splendor.
“I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.” Psalm 145:5 (New Living Translation)
I’m linking up for Five Minute Fridaywhere Lisa Jo Baker and other awesome people write for five minutes with no self critiquing or no striving for perfection. This week’s prompt is: “Ordinary.” Today, I broke the rules and spent about twenty extra minutes writing this piece. I was weepy and couldn’t seem to stop writing after five minutes.
In the photo, my grandmother is holding her great-great grandchild (my nephew’s son).
It’s tempting to live life focused on the past or worrying about what lies ahead in the future. While my mind sometimes wanders and I think about those things that steal my peace, the Lord whispers words to my heart that keep me focused on what is eternal.
Be still and quiet every day so that you can hear My voice. I will give you what your soul is yearning for if you keep focused on Me. Don’t look back to the past. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Simply walk with Me and live in the present moment. Savor what I am giving you in the present and enjoy every single breath I am giving you.
His words are what draw me into living in the present moment.
“You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears.” James 4:14 (God’s Word Translation)
I’m linking up for Five Minute Fridaywhere Lisa Jo Baker and other awesome people write for five minutes flat with no self critiquing or no striving for perfection. This week’s prompt is: “Present.”
The photo was taken at Dauphin Island, Alabama. There’s something about the beach that beckons me to listen closely to the voice of God.
