YOU are LOVED!

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So thankful that I am loved.  He loved me so much that HE died for ME.  I am HIS princess! 

Do you know HIM?  He loves you more than you will ever know! 

A Daughter of the King....

Are you Great worth in HIS sight?

When I look at this picture from our most recent camping trip I think of God's beauty!  What a SIGHT!  This is of great worth in my eyes, I love looking at his beauty. 

 

What about you?  Do you love looking at his beauty?  Do you take the time to thank him for what HE has created for YOU?  I know I don't do it as much as I should! 

 

As I was looking at this photo it made me think of what God thinks when he looks at me?  I really want to have him see the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, because that is of GREAT WORTH in HIS SIGHT!  However, I know that some days I fail at that.  I'm so thankful that he is a loving and forgiving God so that he can still look at me as GREAT WORTH in HIS SIGHT!

 

 

^{I Peter 3:4 "}Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."

 

Lord,  Help me to work on my inner self, and work on the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.  I want to shine for you, everyday, even when I don't feel like it.  Help me to be beautiful inside just like this beautiful scenery you gave me this last weekend while camping with my hubby that you have gifted me with.  I ask that you forgive me for not thanking you as much as I should for what you have created for me to enjoy.  I love you Lord and I thank you for loving me even the days that I'm not looking very beautiful on the inside.  I trust you in advance for the way you are going to work on me so that I can continue to be GREAT WORTH in YOUR sight!  In Jesus Name, AMEN

 

 

 

It takes work to maintain peace!

I Peter 3:10 -11 "For the scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.  Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace, and work to maintain it."

I really want to enjoy life....what about you?  I'm sure you do too....!  In his word it tells us that if we want to enjoy life and see many happy days...all we have to do is keep our tongue from speaking evil and don't tell lies.  Some days it's so easy to control my tongue and other days it's not.  It such a small part of our body that sometimes is very hard to control.  I don't want to talk evil about anyone because I know how it hurts when someone speaks evil of me.  So why do I do it at times?  I remember days way back when I was in school I would go home crying because of what other kids said to me.  I would try my hardest to be the nice girl to somebody else to try to cover up my hurts.

Why are kids so cruel?  Ok...maybe I better change that wording.  Why are we as adults so cruel at times? We are suppose to turn away from evil and do good.  That sounds so easy.  So why don't we do it all the time.  When that person is telling the dirty joke why don't we get up and walk away?  When our friend is telling us something about something she heard at work today about so and so....why don't we walk away or tell her you don't care to hear about that.  What about when we are watching television and some filthy language is being spit out, why do we not shut it off or turn the channel?

In God's word He also tells us to search for peace, and work to maintain it.  Jesus is peace and HE is the Way.  Living for HIM everyday gives us a peace like we have never experienced.  But it also says WORK to MAINTAIN It!  It's not easy to do good....we have to work at it every day.  So the next time you think your tongue is going to get you in trouble...pray and ask Him to help you turn away from evil and not say what you were about to say.

Lord I want to please you everyday not just some days...help me to turn away from evil and do good.  Help me to work my hardest to maintain that peace that you give me.  I want to shine for you, in a very dark world where there is more evil than good.  Help me Lord...I Love you and want to enjoy life to the fullest.  Help me to continue on this race you have placed me in.  In Jesus Name AMEN!

What about you do you really want to enjoy life?  Are you struggling with turning away from evil and doing good?   I challenge you to read his word every day and search for that peace and then work hard to maintain it!  I promise you...you will see many happy days.  I don't think I would want to keep running this race of mine if I didn't have that peace.  So thankful that several years ago God sent his son to die on that cross for me!

Darkness into LIGHT!

Psalm 18:28 "You Lord keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."

I've been laying in the dark quite a bit this last week due to bad migraines.  I tried to read when they weren't real bad.  I'm so thankful for HIS light that kept coming through my darkness.  It seemed that He would give me exactly what I needed to read, when I needed it.  Here is what he gave me to keep my lamp burning.

1.  Matthew 6:34  "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ He is in the tomorrows.  It is tomorrow that fills men with dread.  God is there already.  All the tomorrows of our life have to pass HIm before they can get to us. ~ rev. f.b. meyer, Streams in the Desert

2.  Like a loving Father, God offers us a hand to hold in life's darkest hours.  He'll carry us through the darkness, and lead us where we need to go. 

The things I was worrying about was the fact that about 20 years ago when my migraines started I had 2 weeks of really bad migraines and then the migraines were gone and I woke up and had no strength in my legs.  I ended up in a wheel chair for a couple weeks.

When I read these two things I felt God with HIS mighty BIG hands that have held me so many times in life reach down and say I've got this...don't worry about another headache tomorrow, I will hold you then too. 

I'm so thankful that my lamp is still burning and that my God turns my darkness into light. 

When I have a migraine I don't want any light in my room accept HIM.  I am blessed to know him and see his light even in the dark times!

What about you?  Do you worry about tomorrow?  Do you wonder how you are going to get this done or that?  Do you wonder am I going to die from some disease?  I'm sure we all have at sometime or another worried about something.  That is when we start to dread tomorrow.  Try to choose JOY and know that God is already in the tomorrow's and HE's got it in his hands.  The next time when your lamp seems to be going dim, reach up and take God's hand that he is offering YOU.  Believe me you will not regret it because you will see HIS beautiful light!

He will never give up on YOU or ME!

I Corinthians 1: 7-9 "Just think--you don't need a thing, you've got it all!  All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectatly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale.  And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus.  God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus.  He will never give up on you.  Never forget that."

Wow, I really don't need a thing.  I've got it all!  He has given me the gift of life, to live at it's fullest.  He is right here beside me running this race in the lane next to me just waiting for me to fall so he can keep me from falling.  He taps me on this side and then taps me on that side keeping me on track when I am stepping out of my lane as a child of God. 

When I think of when God got me started on this spiritual adventure it amazes me that at the time I was in Junior high track and I ran hurdle relay's.  Did I continue on running hurdle relays' in High school no not literally because I hated running.  However, I think about this and realize that I kept running hurdle relay's but it was in real life.  I kept jumping hurdles for about 8 more years trying to run away from God but yet running to him in prayer when I didn't even really know him.  It amazes me that even though I hated running I still named my blog Jesus, Take my Baton. 

He has taken my baton from me so many times in this spiritual adventure that I have been on for 28 years and he has never given up on me.  I am so grateful for HIS perseverance with me because He has had to keep me steady on the right track quite a few times. 

In saying all this if He is never going to give up on ME....then He also won't give up on YOU.  So where are you today in your spiritual adventure are you running away from him and don't really know him?  Or are you running to him daily and building that relationship with him?  Have you totally handed that baton off to him and asked him into your life as your savior so he can help you with this race called life?  I will be honest, I don't know where I would be today if I hadn't of handed that baton off to him.  I was probably in a point in my life when I handed it off that I could of very easily turned to drugs or alcohol to try to fill that void and I am so thankful that I heard him next to me saying "just give me the baton, this race is to hard for you alone."

Thank you Jesus for keeping me steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by you!  Even though you have to help me daily with that!

He crowns ME with LOVE and MERCY!

Psalm 103:4 & 5 "He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.  He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence."

So thankful that my God crowns me with love and mercy.....He wraps me in goodness.....and He renews my youth.  Somedays I question does he really love me....is he really holding me....am I really young in his presence? 

Then he gently reminds me by some small gesture from someone, or a call, or just something I read.  I feel his love when I get to hug on some of my grandkids even if it is for a short time because they all live far away. 

He shows me his goodness when I look at these little ones and think that I may have not even been a part of their lives if He hadn't shown me his love and mercy 28 years ago.   You see He crowned me with His love and mercy 28 years ago when I accepted him as my personal savior.  Then 20 years ago My hubby and I founded The Ranch and approximately 8 years ago the daddy of these 4 little ones started calling me mom (adopted me) when he was 16 years old and has not stopped since.  God showed me Love and mercy so that I could share that with Dustin. 

After having these 4 with us this weekend and then reading this scripture I was reminded that he really does love me, he is wrapping me in his goodness and HE renews my youth in HIS presence. 

I love you Lord and I thank you for Lilly, Emma, Kynsley & Madison.

So glad we got some time with them this weekend!

 

Pure Gold, proved pure! Genuine faith, proved genuine!

^{I Peter 1:6-7 "}I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory." The message

I am so thankful that when Jesus wraps it all up....it's my faith, not my gold, that He will have on display as evidence of his victory. 

Some days there are so many distractions in this thing called life and we have to put up with things that we would like to never have to put up with, but through it all in the end we are proved genuine.  So no matter what you are going through right now in your life, keep on keepin on....and let God get the GLORY!  Because in the end HE has the victory.  I'm so grateful I know the end of my story.

God....help me to shine your light even when I go through the fire.  Help me to reach out to those that are hurting and give me strength to persevere even when the tough gets going.  I want to display genuine faith, take my baton so I can do that.  I love you and I am so grateful you adopted me as your daughter 28 years ago.  In Jesus Name, AMEN


Running for HIM,

Cathy