Sunrise Palm Beach, Florida Picture by Terri Becker
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Emphasis mine Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
The past four weeks have been very interesting. Because of all that would happen in our family, we would write the past four weeks’ blogs in two weeks to allow us time to enjoy our family.
Great idea,
But,
I missed during the two weeks we didn’t write the blogs working with the Holy Spirit on our blogs.
Today I’m back to the Joy of writing our blog.
The above reading is very familiar to many of us, as it is read on Ash Wednesday every year.
What jumped out at me was they have received their reward.
Think of our society today. How many are giving very large or small amounts of money and are making sure they are recognized for their generosity, who do public prayer and want to be recognized for their prayer, and who give up something and want to be recognized for their fasts?
The “world” tells us this is what we are to do.
The “Spirit World” tells us just the opposite.
This, for me, is another reason to live in the “Spirit World,” it’s a different world, and the result of living in the “Spirit World is, of course, Joy.
As we stated at the beginning of our blog, I missed working with the Holy Spirit for the past two weeks. This, for me, was a surprise because I didn’t fully appreciate how much I would miss our daily working together.
I am mentioning this because we are a year and a half into writing our blogs, and what I thought would be a “job – chore – or too time-consuming” has proven to be a time filled with Joy and a time when I, yes I, appreciate our growing relationship.
Yes, I have received a reward NOW,
But,
A much greater reward awaits me when I jump on the Hallelujah train home because the man on the Middle Cross said I could come.
If you want to join Team Jesus, try praying. “This is the day the lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
Sidebar:
As you know, this year, I have encountered some medical issues. My heart, lungs, and kidneys are all back to normal. Thank you Father.
I have a semi-blocked bladder and have been on a catheter since April 17. The good news is I don’t feel anything. Thank you Father.
My routine now is filled with Doctor’s appointments; for the past eighty-two years, I only had an annual physical. Thank you, Father, for the great Doctors and Nurses.
Some may think, “So I guess God is not taking care of you now, and all the prayers you have told us to say are phony.”
NOT TRUE
God is very active in my life, and I have had other healings in the past six weeks.
Two quick examples:
The bottom of my right foot hurt a little. I was encouraged Holy Spirit to get new sneakers and socks, and four weeks later, I noticed the pain was gone.
God working in my life. Thank you Father.
I have been overweight for years. My weight is now down fourteen pounds and has been down since a week after I left the hospital. The difference is I have been at this lower weight for more than six weeks, and now I am making a real effort to keep the weight off because I enJoy being lighter. Thank you Father.
Why are we talking about this?
We are starting a new quarter, and we changed the prayer for becoming a member of Team Jesus.
I have made a real effort to say this prayer every day when I put my legs over the side of the bed to get up, and I am finding it starts the day on a positive note because I bring God into my life from the start of the day.
and,
Speaking of bringing God into your life. If you are looking for two books to read this summer, we recommend:
It’s Never Too Late by Kathie Lee Gifford. I couldn’t stop reading it. I gave Mike a copy, and he couldn’t put it down.
Kathie Lee also wrote with Nicole C. Mullen a twelve-minute oratorio telling the story of Hagar, Ruth, David, and Mary and God’s promise to them, The God Who Sees. It is beautiful! The link to the song is below.
Arctic Homestead by Norma Cobb and Charles Sasser. This is the same type of story but a whole different setting. Norma was the last woman to file a claim as a Homesteader in Alaska. What she, her husband, and her family went through to build a home and survive in the harsh elements, nature, and people, is a book I couldn’t and haven’t put down.
Both books relate to how God is active in their lives.
This, for me, is Theology at its best. They are not talking about theory; they are talking about God being active in their lives, as we have in our blogs, and how Joyful God being in their lives is for them.
We are mentioning these books because I have had people tell me I am different; God isn’t in their life as God is in mine.
Our only suggestion is CHANGE.
Start the morning rejoicing,
Ask your Father for everything and expect God will take care of you, and thank God the Father for everything that you have this day, food, shelter, good health, family, and the list is long.
And,
Lastly, thank your Father for the Difficulities He allows in your life until you smile.
The Joy you will receive and grow in will make you wonder why you waited so long.
I know I was there.
We pray you will join Kathie, Norma, and me and enjoy a life you never thought possible.
Picture:
Sunrise Palm Beach, Florida Picture by Terri Becker
Please keep Snapping!
Several people from foreign countries have asked for my email address, but I am still waiting to hear back. We decided to include my email for your convenience.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph. By sending your picture, you consent to allow us to reprint that picture in our next book, God Thoughts 2023, with your name and any comments in the Blog.
