Vignettes Devotional

Vignettes Note To Self: He Still Wants Me!  But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8 KJV If you have been alive for longer than a few years then I am sure you have had close, intimate experiences with rejection . We all have been rejected at some point in our lives, sometimes due to our own poor performance, or by people who just struggled to love us. Rejection is a part of life, yet we may find ourselves struggling to overcome being betrayed, not being in relationship with someone we wanted to be friends with, or with family pushing us away because of our beliefs, not getting the job we wanted, or, for some, having to face the pain, heartbreak and unfairness of divorce. We ourselves reject those we do not get along with, who do not share our culture and beliefs, who are not in the same league financially, fashionably, or educationally with us, or who have hurt us.   But do you know that God does ...

Vignettes Note To Self: Don't Live By Others Recommendations Then Saul clothed David with his armour; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword over his armour. Then he tried to go, but could not, for he was not used to it. And David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I am not used to them. And David took them off. 1 Samuel 17:38‭-‬39 AMPC God Made You You On Purpose!   You were not created by God to follow, live by, or make others recommendations and opinions about you your final authority on how to live your life. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:10 NLT God made you you on purpose ~ for His purposes! God wants you to know how much He loves you and that, as the very embodiment of love, He thinks no evil towards you, but that He always seeks to give you His best for your life. Jesus wants you to trust...

Vignettes Bigger and Better Always! But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”  I Corinthians 2:9 What Do You Think Of Yourself?  Examine your thoughts this morning. Ask yourself what you truly think of yourself. Have you made up your mind that this, what you are living now, is all there is for you? Are most of your thoughts about yourself for good, or are your thoughts of you steeped in negativity, basically given up hope already, definitely not focused on God's best for your life? Or is there a hope in your heart that God has Bigger and Better Plans for you? What You Think Matters What you think of yourself truly matters. Your dominant thoughts about yourself will become reality in your life. If you think you can't make it, that this is too hard, that good things never come your way, then you will have what you say! You will think Murphy's Law was written especi...

Vignettes Murphy's Law Will Kill You! And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28 Murphy's Law Strange thought but, from numerous conversations, it struck me that many Christian's faith is based on Murphy's Law and not God's Law, the Bible! Murphy's Law emphatically states that Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong! And that's how most Christians live, it seems, with the belief and the negative opinion that Nothing will go right; something will inevitably go wrong; things always go from bad to worse for me!  God and Murphy's Law If you do not know this yet, know this truth from this day forward: God does not like, subscribe to, rule the Universe by, nor does He ever want you to live according to Murphy's Law! When we pray to or petition God,  He does not turn and say to Jesus, They asked Me for something. That blesses My heart. All things are possibl...

Vignettes Who Do You Say I Am? He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Matthew 16:15  Who Was Jesus To His Disciples? Who do you say I Am? When Jesus asked His disciples this question, the Spirit-led answer Peter gave was,  Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  (Matthew 16:16 KJV). The disciples had enjoyed a closer walk with Jesus for three years and had come to know Him intimately and intuitively .   Intimately  because when Holy Spirit came to live in them to lead them through life and ministry at Pentecost/Shavuot, they were able to recognize Him and easily discern that the Spirit which lived in them was the Spirit of the Lord Himself, allos , the same as the Lord, of whom they had detailed knowledge, and whom they had come to know from spending time with Him every day in a close and personal way. The disciples also knew Jesus intuitively because they knew by the witness of the Spirit in them that Jesus was the promised Messiah of God, the...

Vignettes Imitate The Father Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Ephesians 5:1 In a dream I had many years ago, God the Holy Spirit gave me insight into Ephesians 5:1   that taught me the important Kingdom Principle of Imitating the Father . In the dream I saw many children, sons and daughters, with their fathers. My attention was drawn specifically to a father and his son. The father led his son by the hand. The father was constantly aware of the fact that wherever he went and whatever he did, his son was watching him, imitating his every move, learning from him,  and doing his best to be just like his father.  The son, clinging tightly to his father's hand, looked often at his dad with admiration and love in his eyes as they talked, walked and worked together. Whatever the father did, the son did, too. When the father respectfully greeted another father and his child, the son did so, too. The mannerisms, style, attitude and body movements the father employe...

Vignettes Till The End Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come , it will not tarry. Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith . Jesus promised each generation of Believers since Adam that He would never leave nor forsake them. Jesus has been faithful. He has not left the side of those who Believe in Him and in the power of His name. It takes faith to know that God will be with you till the end. Till the end of what, you ask? Till the end of the age,  till the end of the world,  till the end of the devil's reign on the earth; till the end of what you are believing Him to perform in your life.  Till  the end  of your days on earth, too.  God is not a man that He should indulge in lies, saying one thing yet doing nothing. If God has said He will do something, you can rest assured it w...