“We have this treasure in earthen vessels…” 2 Corinthians 4:7

" Through   the   Lord ’s mercies we are not consumed, b ecause His compassions   fail not.  They are   new   every morning; Great   is   Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV Mercy in this context means kindness, and faithfulness. Here is what is true...we have no ability to redeem ourselves. Each of us were/are dead in our sins - this could have been the END! Yes, our story could have been that short! BUT God had other plans, He showed us mercy. Mercy is simply this - you and I don't receive what we deserve. What do we deserve? Death.  So everyday, God's mercy is new...so what? This by itself does not change anything. There are criminals that run from the law everyday - is that mercy? Certainly, not. If we just received new mercy every morning, our lives would just be dodging the inevitable - payment for our sins.  BUT God extended grace to us through Jesus. Grace is defined in the Bible as the "unmerited favor." Plainly, we (n...

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays! Happy Kwanzaa! Just a few of the ways we refer to this time of year. The pressure is on - have to buy the right gifts, send the perfect cards, bake the cookies, wrap the gifts, attend the parties, etc., and the list goes on. So many people go to extreme measures to make sure everyone gets what they want regardless of the cost. Why do we do this to ourselves? Honestly, I don't know.  When Jesus was born, it wasn't about gifts, parties, concerts, or anything like that - it was and is about redemption!  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. ”   So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:21-23 (emphasis mine) Jesus, precious Jesus, came in the form of ...

  " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, [ e ]  Father.”  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with  Him,  that we may also be glorified together." Romans 8:14-17 Lately, I have been contemplating family. Mine has always been close, then in the last 5 years, we lost our Father and Mother. Although I know they are with Jesus, I often wish they were here with me. As a family unit, we remain strong - my brothers, sister, and I still stand together taking care of one another. One of the guiding principles our parents taught us was that God is always first and then family. Interestingly enough our parents believed this also extended to ...

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16  How many time have you heard someone say - there simply isn't enough time in a day to get everything done? How many times have YOU said it? No matter who you are or where you come from or what you do for a living, we all have been given the same amount of time in a day. There are twenty-four hours, 1,440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds in a day to be precise. We all experience the constraints of time - it is the most important commodity we possess. I used to whine to my Mother about needing more than 24 hours in a day. One time she turned to me and asked, "What would you do with more time?" Okay so now I ask, what would we do with more time in a day? Work? Clean the house? Run errands? Tend the gardens? Hmmm...So what would Jesus do with His time? Yes I went there - what would Jesus do?  Let's see, Jesus walked from place to place ...

  "For when  God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He swear by Himself. Saying, surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee...For men swear by the greater and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation..." Hebrews 6:13-14 & 16-18 My dad used to tell me about a time when men would make agreements based on verbal promises and  handshakes. He would tell me how those handshakes were just as solid and binding as a signed contract. A man with reputation would NEVER think about breaking his word. All I can say is - "Wow!" Men stood behind their promises and kept their word! Consider how we treat God sometimes - we tend to look at Him with all the skepticism and ...

“…WE ARE in a battle.  A battle with a long history that reaches back before the annals of time began.  But it is one in which the victor has already been determined. A battle? Yes. But a losing battle? Not Even Possible!” By Priscilla Shirer – Fervent – Chapter 1   Not long ago I purchased a book by the author (Priscilla Shirer) of “War Room” – the title is “Fervent.”   The author writes with such passion about being fervent in spirt – then she mentions how God pursued a relationship with man relentlessly and with fervency.   Fervent – what exactly does it mean?   There are several meanings – all lead to the same outcome – passion, boiling, glowing hot, might and power, etc.   In Romans 12:9-13, it says, “ Let  love  be  without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.  Be  kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent ...