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Autumn Inspiration Week Posts

Autumn Inspiration Week PostsI’ve been participating in Autumn Inspiration Week with other blogging friends. I wanted to give you a place where you could see all of my posts in one place, and also refer back to the other posts.

A: Ask, Seek, Knock

U: Unless the Lord Builds the House

T: This is the Confidence

U: Until I Come, Devote Yourself

M: My Flesh and My Heart May Fail

N: Now to the King Eternal

And here is the link to see what autumn-themed posts other bloggers are sharing:

Autumn Inspiration Week

Stop by and see what others are sharing. I know you will find some quality posts to help you welcome autumn!

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Now to the King Eternal

Today is the final post in my Autumn Inspiration Week series. This may be my favorite verse of the 6 we’ve looked at this week:

N: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God,
be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. -I Timothy 1:17

Now to the King eternal

This verse always reminds me of the majesty of God. Eternal. Immortal. Invisible. The only God. No one else can be described this way - not since the beginning of time, and not even at the end of time. Only God.

Only God!

Isn’t that reassuring? If things are not going well, we can remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), and that we can’t see the battle in the spiritual realm, but we know that God - eternal, immortal, invisible - is fighting for us! When the enemy is attacking, the best way to ward him off is with praise, and a great way to do that is to focus on these aspects of Who God is!

And when things are going well, are we remembering to thank God for all He does for us? In our own power, we’re unable to accomplish many of the things we do in life. Often, it’s only because of God’s help that we’re able to accomplish what we do. Are we remembering to acknowledge Him and thank Him for that? All honor and glory are His!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the posts this week. Honestly, it’s stretched me a little to write every day, but I’ve enjoyed focusing specifically on Scripture this week! If you need to catch up on the older posts, you can find them here:
A: Ask, Seek, Knock
U: Unless the Lord Builds the House
T: This is the confidence
U: Until I Come, Devote Yourself
M: My Flesh and My Heart May Fail
N: Now to the King Eternal

If you’re looking for other autumn-focused posts, you can find them here - Autumn Inspiration Week - or by clicking the image below.

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My Flesh and My Heart May Fail

This week we’ve been looking at Bible verses that begin with the letters in the word ‘autumn’. The verse God laid on my heart today seems so appropriate for this time of year, as many are overwhelmed by back-to-school activities, or adjusting to new schedules, or dealing with a life that’s a little different from what they might have hoped for or expected. Today’s verse if Psalm 73:26 -

M: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

God is the strength of my heart

Sometimes as we travel through our days and weeks, we work on getting things done - doing the things we know we need to do. We get caught up, or at least I know I do, in a cycle of self-reliance. For example, I don’t give a lot of thought to including God in the somewhat smaller areas of my life, like the laundry or the meal-making. Not that I’m trying to exclude Him, but I’m not actively including Him. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing.

However, when that lack of focus on God, and lack of reliance on God, seep into other areas, and I find myself trying to take on things in my own strength, then that becomes a problem. I get worn down, I get sidetracked, I lose my focus. I grow weary so easily, even in doing all the good things.

I may become frustrated with the kids because they are all battling for my attention, rather than making time to spend with each of them. I may get discouraged in attempting to keep up with the cooking and cleaning because I’m feeling so overwhelmed in other areas that I’m trying to manage in my own strength.

That’s where a choice to continually focus on God helps me to guard my heart. When I actively carry God with me through each day, even through the mundane aspects that I physically can do on my own, I find that He fills my heart.

When my heart is full with God, all of the other things fall into place.

Like the psalm-writer, I can say that God is the strength of my heart. It’s only through His filling of my heart that I’m able to keep my attitude and actions on track, focused on God.

If you’re looking for the previous posts in this series, they are listed below:
A: Ask, Seek, Knock
U: Unless the Lord Builds the House
T: This is the Confidence
U: Until I Come, Devote Yourself

Also, feel free to join us on the Facebook page for further discussion and more interacting. You can find the link to the Facebook page on the right-hand side of this page, or you can click here: Facebook Page All the social media links are at the top of the page - I’m around and would love to interact with you!

Check out some other wonderful autumn-inspired posts at Autumn Inspiration Week. Blessings, friends!

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Until I Come, Devote Yourself

This week, I’m sharing 6 short meditations for Autumn Inspiration Week, each verse beginning with the letters in the word autumn. Here’s what I’ve shared so far:

A: Ask, Seek, Knock
U: Unless the Lord Builds the House
T: This is the Confidence we Have in Approaching God

And today,

U: Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. I Timothy 4:13

autumn inspiration week day 4

In I Timothy 4, Paul is encouraging Timothy as the church in Ephesus is facing some struggles. He is encouraging Timothy, in a pastoral sense, to keep pointing the church in the right direction.

I love this chapter, as a reminder of the right things to do, and as a strong encouragement for those in a position of leadership.

Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. I Timothy 4: 11-14

These verses are so special to me -
- “Command and teach these things.” (Listed in previous verses)
- “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young…but set an example….”
- “Devote yourself to….”
- “Do not neglect your gift….”

Aren’t those some encouraging reminders?

These reminders help us to keep our focus where it needs to be - on instructing wisely, on being bold in our love for God, on sharing God’s word, and on using our God-given gifts.

As we devote ourselves to the public reading of Scripture, this reminds me that we need to be meeting regularly with the congregation in church. We have much to learn from meeting together and sitting under good teaching. (Pray for your pastors, that they would hear clearly from God!)

How do these verses apply to where you are right now in your walk with God?

Are you looking for more encouraging posts for autumn? Check out some of my friends who are sharing other inspiring posts. Click the icon below, and enjoy!

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This is the Confidence

This is Autumn Inspiration Week and I’m sharing thoughts on Bible verses that begin with the letters in the word autumn. You can start with reading
A: Ask, Seek, Knock
U: Unless the Lord Builds the House

And today we’re looking at the next verse -

T: This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. I John 5:14,15

confidence in approaching God

As a parent, my children sometimes all talk to me at once. Uncertain as to if I’ve heard them, they all start asking me, “Did you hear me?” or, “Is that ok?” or “Are you listening to me, because this is important!”

When they are all talking to me at once, it’s hard to hear, process what they’re asking, think about an answer and then actually answer them.

I realize that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all those strong, wonderful things, but the concept of Him hearing millions praying at any one time? It boggles my mind! I can’t process 3 requests at once (well, not often anyway), yet God can hear us all at one time and answer as He sees fit, for our very best.

Not only can He hear us, but we’re given a promise that He will hear us, that He does hear us, if we ask in His name.

Let’s note - this does not mean that He promises to answer in the way we might want Him to. Remember, He is God, we’re not. He promises to hear us. And let’s think - out of all the people in the world, how many promise to hear us? I can tell you, if I’m being honest, there are days I don’t hear my husband when he is talking to me. It’s not because I’m tuning him out, it’s just that there is so much going on that I have to fight to find his voice.

Friends, it’s not like that with God!

When we pray, He hears us. He hears us! The God who created us, who fashioned us, who placed us on the earth at this particular time, He doesn’t leave us, He stays with us, and hears us!

And even when we can’t pray, when all that we have are the groanings of our hearts, when we ask of God, in His name, He promises to hear us.

It’s THAT simple.

And it’s THAT amazingly grand!

And if we can trust God’s promise to hear us, let’s trust that He will work on our behalf, for our good, and for His glory!

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. I Thessalonians 5:24

What a blessing that God has given us!

If you’re interested in more posts focused on Autumn Inspiration, please visit some of my friends. You can click on Autumn Inspiration, or the orange icon below. Stop by and visit them - you won’t be disappointed!

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Unless the Lord Builds the House

I’m sharing a week’s worth of devotionals this week, using the word AUTUMN and choosing a verse that begins with each of those letters.

Here’s where we are so far -
A: Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Today we’re moving on to the next letter.

U: Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain…. Psalm 127:1

I am not a builder. When it comes to building houses with Lego or Lincoln Logs, my kids know I’m pretty much hopeless. Don’t get me wrong - I will try. But if you want a Lego house with anything more than the most basic structure, I’m not the one to ask. It’s pretty much a given that my efforts will be in vain.

But when my husband builds a Lego house, it looks like a pretty impressive structure - one that any self-respecting Lego person would love to live in! My husband is the one with Lego skills; it comes easily for him. Therefore, the kids will ask him to do the building.

We, as people, can construct things on small scales because we can have some control over that. We can even construct things on a larger scale - like an actual house, that families can live in - because we can operate within the constraints of that size and scale.

Unless the Lord builds the houseBut what about the spiritual level? We can’t see or know what’s going on in the spiritual realm. We didn’t create the spiritual level, we can’t control anything that goes on in that realm like we can in the physical realm.

So why would we trust spiritual growth and development to anyone but God? He created the spiritual level. He knows and understands it. He put us on the earth at this particular time in history for a reason.

As I work to nurture my children’s spiritual development, it’s not something I can do on my own. I can know of the spiritual realm, I can know the battles that go on, but I cannot control the spiritual realm. Only God can. I want my children to continue to develop their relationship with God, and I can lead and point the way, but that relationship is between the child and God.

As parents, we have to trust God to build the spiritual house that our children will live in, because we cannot construct that for them. We can lay the foundation, provide support for the relationship in terms of sharing our relationship with God, but we cannot force them to have their own relationship with God. We have to leave that between them and God.

I’m grateful that our children made decisions for God at an early age, but I know there will be times where they will need to revisit their decision and continue to see that relationship grow and develop. I have to trust that as they pursue that relationship with God, He will continue to remain faithful in building their spiritual house.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to work on putting these posts together for Autumn Inspiration Week. Feel free to stop by and read some of the posts by some other fabulous bloggers.

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Other posts in this series:
Autumn Inspiration Week
A: Ask, Seek, Knock
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Ask, Seek, Knock

This week, I’m joining other bloggers for Autumn Inspiration Week. Yesterday, I shared a verse that I’m reminded of at this time of year. Coming up this week, I’m going to be sharing a short devotional each day, with a verse starting with each letter of the word autumn. For today, we’re looking at the verse for the first letter.

A: Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
-Matthew 7:7

Ask and it shall be given to youThat verse is full of such promise - not a promise of prosperity or riches, but a promise that God will meet us where we are, and provide for our needs.

He doesn’t just promise one time, though, He promises 3 times, just in that one verse! If someone, anyone, is promising 3 times in a row, I’d say they’re pretty serious about what they intend to do.

But when that promise comes from God? Three times in one verse? I think it’s safe to say that He plans to fulfill that promise!

But…

God doesn’t just say He’s going to make sure we wake up each day to have our needs met. Granted, a lot of days that does happen - and praise God for that!

God gives us some work to do in receiving what we need from Him. What is our work? We have to ask, seek, and knock.

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely been through stages with your children where you know what they need - no doubt about it. But you watch to see if they can work it out on their own, or if they ask for your help. You patiently wait to supply them with exactly what they need, but you watch to see what work they are capable of doing on their own.

It’s the same with God - He is waiting to pour out His blessings to meet our needs, but He wants us to ask, to seek, and to knock.

How do we do that?

Maybe you’re struggling in your parenting. You would certainly ask God to help you, to give you insight into your child’s heart, and you would probably ask for heaps of patience. And those are all good things. But I think sometimes God wants us to explore other avenues as well.

You might check if your church, or a local church, is hosting a parenting seminar. You have asked, and now you’re actively seeking help or additional resources. Maybe you ask a friend for help, or just to listen while you vent. You could search out some families (knock) who are seeming to make it all work right now, and learn from them.

God wants to hear from us - the most important thing we can ever ask for is salvation. Have you done that?

We can confess our sins, ask for God to forgive us and to be in our hearts and lives. And His promise, when we ask for salvation, is that we will be in heaven with Him, for eternity, after we die. Won’t that be wonderful?

Have you asked for salvation? It’s easy, and God will help you to change your life, to grow to be more like Him! If you have never done that, start there today - there’s nothing special about this prayer, and different people use different words. But you just need to say a simple prayer, like this:

Dear Lord,
I know that I have done wrong in my life, and you call that sin.
I ask you to forgive me of sins, and to be in my life.
I ask you to make me more like you.
Thank you for what you will do in my life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, please tell someone so that they can work with you to help you grow in your new life in Christ! Feel free to send me a message (see the Contact section at the top of the page) and let me know of your decision for Christ - I would love that!

As we begin this week focusing on devotions for autumn, let’s make sure we’ve taken care of the most important thing - our relationship with Jesus. He’s waiting to bless us, but we need to do our part in asking, seeking, and knocking.

Be sure to check out others who are joining in Autumn Inspiration Week.

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Autumn Inspiration Week

IBN Blog imageAutumn is my favorite season with rich, vibrant colors and the transition to cooler weather after the long, hot days of summer. I like bundling up in sweatshirts and jackets, and going for walks to look at the changing leaves.

Long, frequent walks let me notice the change in some of my favorite trees, sometimes even from day to day. I notice everything around me seeming to begin its long descent into preparation for winter. At the park, that they aren’t mowing as often. More branches are visible on shrubs and bushes, and there is less greenery to be seen. Flowering plants quickly fade away as the days get shorter and the nights get cooler.

That reminds me of the verse in Isaiah 40:8 -

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.

This is what happens every autumn - “the grass withers and the flowers fall” - and God already had it ordained. Yes, we certainly know that God has ordained the days, weeks, months, seasons, but how often do we truly consider that?

As I walk through the park, as I see the bright red tree on our drive to therapy, as I note the final time that my husband mows for the season, all of these are parts of what God has ordained for this season, autumn. What joy that brings!

God made the world to go through these changes, to have times of new growth, steady growth, and then a natural time of pruning and washing away of “the old” in preparation for the winter dormancy before new growth is revealed again in the spring.

The grass withers and the flowers fall….

And then there’s the next part of the verse - so rich in truth and promise.

…but the word of our God endures forever.

Oh, friends, in the time of the year when all is changing around us, when everything in nature is preparing for the coming winter, the word of God endures.

autumnDo you know those rich, vibrant colors that we see on trees in autumn? I love to consider those as God’s rich gift to us, reminding us that He is a part of everything around us. He shines through, no matter where we are.

Isn’t that a wonderful blessing? Take time, as you enter this autumn season, to remember that God is at work in all we see - the birds flying south, the trees showing their true beauty, the chilly air announcing the coming frost.

This is such a perfect time to get back on track with God, to spend time in His Word, to renew and restore our relationship with Him, as He is the only One capable of carrying us through the seasons of our lives!

Welcome to autumn; step outside, soak in some of the warmth of the sun in the coolness of the morning. Notice the bright, warm colors as the leaves change colors. And remember that, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Amen!

I’m joining other wonderful bloggers in Autumn Inspiration Week. I’d encourage you to click the link and head over to read some other wonderful posts!

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