Help, Hope and Answers are all available on any subject in the Word of God. Finding exactly what you need when you need it can be a daunting task.
Letters to My Beloved Ones is a series of inspirational hand-written letters topically arranged to help you get that encouragement or answer you need NOW! Are you depressed? Have an important decision to make? Wondering why God is allowing the circumstances in your life? Help, hope and answers from the Word of God are here in the form of delightfully written letters from a best friend or beloved aunt in Letters to My Beloved Ones.
EXCERPTS
What Are
You Hungry For?
Good Morning My Beloved Ones,
I pray that nothing that may come upon you today can
diminish your joy, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Today I want to talk to you about
“What are you hungry for?” Have you ever just stood in front of the
refrigerator scanning its contents and finding nothing you want to eat?
You’re hungry, but you’re not sure what you are hungry for. You’re
not sure what is going to satisfy.
Do you know the purpose of the
appetizer course in a restaurant? Most people think it’s to tide you over
until the meal comes. The true purpose of an appetizer is to whet your
appetite – to make you hungry for more. Jesus is like that. If you
taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), you will find that He not
only satisfies your craving but makes you hungry for more.
I’ve discovered Jesus to be an
all-you-can-eat buffet. The more of Him I taste, the more I want, and
there is an endless supply. Are you hungry, beloved ones? Shut the
refrigerator door. It’s Jesus you are hungry for. Taste and see
that the Lord is good. Jesus satisfies the soul.
The
Small Stuff
Good Morning, My Beloved Ones,
I pray that you are taking every care to the Lord and are
leaving them all in His capable hands.
Today I want to talk to you about
“The Small Stuff”. My mom has a saying that has ministered to me on many
occasions throughout my life. She says, “Don’t sweat the small
stuff. Everything is small stuff.” Because I’m one who tends to
freak out when things go wrong and make a mountain out of a molehill, this is
really valuable advice.
Hold your hand in front of you and look at your palm. Now stretch your fingers as wide as they’ll go. With your hand stretched like that, look from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your pinkie. That distance is the span of your hand. Isaiah 40:12 says God holds the entire universe in the span of His hand. To make the illustration easier, though, let’s say He has just our world in the span of His hand.
Picture the world in the span of your own hand; picture the
continents drawn on it as on a globe. Now locate your continent and
picture the United States of America with each state’s boundaries drawn as on a
map. Locate your state. Locate your city, your neighborhood, your
street, your house, your room, and finally, yourself. How small has that
speck gotten in the span of your hand? Now in that speck, pinpoint your
mind and the biggest issue or problem that is currently on your mind. How
big is it really? Pretty small stuff, huh? Now compare the size of
that issue or problem to the size of the God who holds the entire universe
between His pinkie and thumb.
Our Bible tells us to be anxious
for nothing. Why? Because compared to God, it’s all small
stuff. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Everything is small
stuff.” It’s the best advice my mom ever gave me. I’m doing my best
to follow it.
Keeping things in perspective - Raelynn
A
Change of Clothes
Good Morning My Beloved Ones,
I pray that each day brings you nearer to your God and that when people see you
they know that you've been in His presence.
Today I want to talk to you about, "A Change of
Clothes". How often do you change clothes? You might change
from church clothes to play clothes; from casual clothes to a work uniform;
from day wear to dressier evening wear. You change clothes when the ones
you are wearing are no longer suitable or appropriate for an event or occasion.
The clothes don't change themselves - we have to make the effort, take
the time, and remove the old outfit to put on a new one.
I think it's not a coincidence that Isaiah 61:3 tells us to
"put on the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness." When we are feeling sad, depressed, worried, or
otherwise "heavy" in our spirits, it's time to change clothes.
Worry, sadness and depression are not suitable and appropriate attire for
a believer. When we notice them settling upon us, trying to clothe us, we
need to make the effort and take the time to put on the garment of praise so
the spirit of heaviness can be taken off.
Have you ever tried to worry and praise
God at the same time? Have you been able to stay depressed while
worshiping God? It's natural to worry or be sad from time to time.
But when these feelings start to envelop you and you start wearing them
wherever you go, it's time for a wardrobe change. Go into your closet (or
other quiet place) and begin to sing praises to God. Audibly thank Him
for your salvation and each subsequent thing He has blessed you with.
Worry won't be able to stay. Sadness will have to flee.
You'll enter your closet in one outfit and leave it
wearing a more appropriate one - a garment of praise! Praise is warm and
comfortable. It never goes out of style. In fact, it will be all
they wear throughout eternity in Heaven. And the garment of praise always
fits. As you grow in the Lord, your praise will grow right along with
you. Lord, thank you for giving us a change of clothes that is appropriate
for one who follows you to wear out in public. Help us to be motivated to
change clothes as often as we need to.
Striving to make the best-dressed list, Raelynn
The
Defense Rests
Good Morning My Beloved Ones,
I pray you are making the most of every moment of your life
here on earth, for it is but a vapor.
Today I want to talk to you about “The
Defense Rests”. A few months after my ex-husband left me, I received a
letter from his mother. The letter said that she would always side with
her son, that I am no longer part of the family and that I was not to contact
anyone in her family ever again. I was devastated. I loved John’s
family. I didn’t have a problem with any of them. What could he
have told her to make her send such a letter to me? My first reaction was
to write a letter defending everything I’d ever said and done in John and I’s
relationship. I knew that if I could just explain, I could make her
understand. The urge was overwhelming. But God said, “No”.
For a long time, I didn’t understand why. Now I do. He wanted to
set me free.
Think about a court trial for a moment. No one gets
set free during the trial. The trial is a time of turmoil, of accusation
(prosecution) and defense. It’s not until the defense rests that a
resolution can come about. After the defense rests, the facts are
considered, a decision is reached and the accused is either convicted or found
not guilty and set free.
The Bible tells us that we have an advocate (lawyer) who argues our case before the Only Judge (Father God). His name is Jesus. It is through Him we are justified (just as if I’d never sinned). We are told in John 8:36 “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed”. So why don’t we feel set free? I think it’s because we keep ourselves in the turmoil of the trial by constantly defending our words and actions to others, our thoughts and intents to ourselves and our motives to God.
I could have
responded to Marie’s letter. I could have explained. I could have
justified. I could have defended and the prosecution would have sent a
rebuttal and I’d have had to defend some more. I thank God for His wisdom
in not allowing me to respond. I needed to let the defense rest so He
could set me free.
I read a poem over 30 years ago by BJ Hoff that illustrates this point. I remember it still today. “It matters not if the world has heard or approves or understands …the only applause we are meant to seek is that of nail-scarred hands.” Letting the defense rest, Raelynn
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