Category Archives: 10-Week Book Review Series

Inspirational book reviews related to God, family/home, and friendships

Scriptures to Live by: Repentance

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“Repent is to turn from sin and resolve to reform one’s life, while repentance is a reciprocal action or effect.”

When I was 15 years of age, I attended a Pentecostal church and our transportation to and from the church each Sunday was a large school bus owned by the church. I enjoyed attending both Sunday School and the morning services. Eventually, I began attending Sunday evening services, which included a teen meeting prior to the worship service. It was there that I learned how important it was for me to turn my life over to God and repent from my sin. It has been over 50 years, and I am still serving a wonderful living Savior.

There are numerous scriptures that explain why it is necessary and why it is important for those who do not know Christ to repent and turn their lives over to God and to begin trusting Him for the strength necessary to serve Him every day.

Matthew 4:17: “Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near.”

Luke 5:31-32: “Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'”

Acts 3:18-19: “But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

Acts 5:31: “God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”

II Corinthians 7:9-10: “…yet now I am happy not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.”

Revelation 3:3: “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard, obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”

In Revelation 3:3, we are reminded that Christ will come back like a thief in the night and for those who have not repented and “turned from their wicked ways,” they will be left behind. May He find us ready.

Blessings,
Yvonne

A Hospitable Spirit: Showing Love and Charity As Christ Shows To Us

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Have you ever tried to get a group of friends and/or family members together for a special occasion other than for a funeral and/or other tragic event? Somehow no matter how much planning you do in advance, it just doesn’t work out. One by one you receive a “no” or non-committal response from those who you had invited. Sadly, a decision has to be made and the event has to be cancelled.

A few months ago, we scheduled a family reunion to be held at our home in PA and it was to happen this weekend. We ended up cancelling it because many of my sisters and brothers could not attend. Those who lived closer could have driven in for the day, but most of them would have had to travel a long distance coming from GA, CA, TX, MO, and NC.

However, one of my sisters who I hadn’t seen in 3-4 years and who lives in GA decided to fly up anyway for a week, and we spent some quality time together just catching up. “Sweet Frog” Premium Yogurt got some of our business that week as we enjoyed going out and about and eating our lunches in various eateries. Despite her swollen ankles and physical limitations as well as having to use her cane for support, she never complained and went to bed each night exhausted.

I must admit that when I first arrived to pick her up at the airport and saw her worsened physical condition, I thought we would not be able to do much of anything but she proved me wrong. We had an enjoyable week together during the day, and spent time with my husband in the evenings. Overall, I was glad she came to visit and that I had opened up my home to her with a “hospitable spirit”.

In Hebrews 13:1-2 we are told to “Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Jesus teaches us that we should show love and charity the way He shows to us without grumbling and with a hospitable spirit.

Other scriptures that tell us more about Christian hospitality are as follows:

Romans 12:13: “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

I Peter 4:8-10: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

Matthew 25:40: “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

Let us remember that whatever we do let us do it with our whole hearts for His Honor and glory, and we will be blessed beyond measure and our cups will overflow with love and compassion for others.

Blessings
Yvonne

A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed: Friendships

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Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Merriam Webster’s definition of friendship says that it is: “The state of being friends; the relationship between friends. A friendly feeling or attitude; kindness or help given to someone.”

Throughout my lifetime, I have been privileged with having met a number of wonderful men and women on the job(s) and/or at church through various activities such as choir, ladies Bible studies, home get-togethers, shopping, luncheons, etc. During those times, the Lord has always allowed me to make friends with those who seemed to have the same-like interests and/or uplifting and encouraging positive attitudes. Sadly, over the years of moving from one state to another, I have lost touch with some of them who have made a very profound impression on my life.

But what makes for a good friendship? How do we choose our friends? How do we treat friends? What is the importance of having friends? How do we become a “true” friend?

These are questions that I have asked myself from time to time and have even looked up friendship stories in the Word of God regarding those individuals who were friends during Biblical times and what characteristics drew them to one another.

The first of many friendships is that of Ruth and Naomi:

Ruth 1:16-17 tells us: But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

In this passage, you truly get the impression that Ruth is very loyal, devoted, and a true friend. Although Naomi was her mother-in-law and even after the death of her husband, Ruth was freed from staying with Naomi. However, Ruth had developed such a strong bond with her mother-in-law that she wanted to remain by her side even until death. Because she remained loyal to Naomi, and wanted to follow her God, she later meets Boaz whom she marries and then is able to care for Naomi for the rest of her days.

The second friendship is that of David and Jonathan:

I Samuel 18:1-3 tells us: “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.”

Did you ever meet someone that you just “clicked” with? You became instant friends and nothing could separate you from one another. Such was the friendship between David and Jonathan.

But how do we choose our friends? The scripture gives us guidelines in how to choose our friends beginning with Proverbs 13:20 which says, “He who walks with the wise grows wise; but a companion of fools suffers harm.” In Proverbs 22:24-15, it says, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man/woman, do not associate with one easily angered, for you may learns his ways and get yourself ensnared.” I Corinthians 15:33 further tells us that: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.'” According to these scriptures, we are to choose friends who are wise and are not corrupt.

How are we supposed to treat our friends? Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Luke 6:31 says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” And in Colossians 3:12-14, it says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgives you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” These words are God’s instructions on how we are to treat one another, especially our friends.

How important is it to have friends? The Book of Proverbs gives us several answers to the importance of having friends. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise.” Proverbs 24:5 says, “A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength.” Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We can truly learn from friends who are filled with wisdom.

What is a true friend? A true friend…

Accepts you as you are.
Acknowledges how important you are in their life.
Appreciates you.
Affirms who you are.
Assures you that they understand you.

John 15:12-15 reiterates God’s command to love one another. “My command is this: Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Here is Christ’s example in that He imparted what He learned from His Father to His disciples; that they are to love one another. We are to do the same with our friends and show compassion to those in need.

In James 4:7-10, we find that God is our greatest friend. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” We need to humble ourselves and seek His wisdom and He will lift us up.

May the Lord bless you and surround you with friends that encourage your walk with the Lord.

Blessings,
Yvonne

An Element of Surprise: Gifts From God

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Ephesians 2:8-10: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Recently, my husband and I watched an unusual movie entitled, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, in which Walter is depicted as a man who lacks self-confidence in himself and fantasizes that he is stronger in another life. The photographer who he works for gives Walter an anniversary gift for his past 16 years of faithful, loyal service. It was a wallet with a beautiful inscription in the center; however, the wallet was empty–so he thought.

Walter wondered why he would be given an empty wallet, and then he sets out on a quest to find Sean, the photographer, in order to get the final cover photo he needs for the magazine they worked for. They eventually meet in a most unlikely place. When Walter asks about the photo, Sean asks whether he looked inside the wallet. Walter tells him that it was empty so he threw it away. The photographer smiles, then says, “I gave you a special gift and you did not go deeper in the wallet to find it!”

It turns out that what Walter was searching for all along was inside the wallet. He just didn’t look deep enough. He returns home and is able to locate the wallet and finds the final cover photo, which he gives to his publisher. To Walter’s surprise, the photo depicts himself on the front cover. The photographer credits Walter and other employees for his apparent success because without them he would not have succeeded.

When God gives us a free gift, sometimes we are like Walter–we forget to look further or deeper to understand the gift He has given us. The scriptures are filled with God’s promises–free gifts–for all of us to accept and to use them in serving others.

Good and perfect gift: James 1:17-18: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

Spiritual Gifts: I Corinthians 12:4-6: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

Eternal Life: Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Serving Others: I Peter 4:10: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

There is a song that depicts going “deeper” in our faith and in the wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Deeper, Deeper” was written in the 1800’s by Charles Price Jones, a pastor of the Mt. Helm Baptist Church in Jackson, MS. The words of this great hymn are still sung in our churches today:

Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus, Daily let me go.
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom, More of grace to know.
O deeper yet, I pray. And higher every day. And wiser, blessed Lord.
In Thy precious Holy Word.”

May the Lord bless you as you go deeper in His Love.

Blessings on you,
Yvonne

Are You Living Your Life “On Demand?”

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As mothers and wives, we have a number of demands and responsibilities that dictate our daily lives. Sometimes they can become overwhelming and there is very little time for yourself, let alone setting aside time for reading your Bible and prayer.

In our home, we subscribe to a local cable company, and one of the features that we selected included watching TV shows On Demand. If we couldn’t watch a show when it was scheduled, we could watch it at a later time. Since there were several programs that I often missed, I compiled a “watch later program” list. However, the list kept getting bigger, and I actually felt overwhelmed by all of the TV shows I tried to keep up with. I decided to pray about it, and the Lord answered me immediately because my black lab chewed up the list. How is that for a quick answer to prayer? I was actually relieved about it, laughed out loud, and thanked the Lord for the answer. I have not compiled a list since that time.

Sometimes this is what happens in our lives. We can become sidetracked by the things of this world and forget to keep our eyes fixed on the things of God. I still enjoy watching TV shows, but the list I previously created no longer exists or controls me.

According to the Word of God, we are to put God first in our lives and not be controlled by the things of this world. All of the scriptures are from the NIV translation.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

John 3:30 says, “He must become greater; I must become less.”

Romans 8:5 says, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Only God can speak to our hearts and let us know if there are things that he wants us to change. All we need to do is seek Him and ask.

Blessings on you,
Yvonne

Reading in May: “The Heart of a Woman Who Prays” by Elizabeth George.