Tag Archives: Blessing

Be a Blessing

Do you ever stop to think about blessings? Too often we don’t stop and thank God for the blessings we receive each day from His hand. There are some that struck me on this Easter Monday morning. 1. The blessing of Easter, when Jesus died in God’s rescue plan so we can be friends with God and not be separated from Him by our sin. 2.The blessing of being able to freely go to church and worship Him with like minded people. 3.The blessing of family and friends who love and care for us. 4. The blessing of the beauty … Continue reading →

The Way it Works

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I’m just bubbling over here and I couldn’t wait to tell you all about it. What a great morning! I have not long come back from singing with our Sing Australia choir at a nearby nursing home. What an experience! The crowd was much smaller than those we normally have at some of the other nursing homes we regularly sing at. But what they lacked in numbers they made up for in response. We started by singing songs from the war years. These songs many of the residents knew. Our choir leader encouraged them to sing along with us. They … Continue reading →

Taking God For Granted

A common problem in many relationships at time is that of taking the other person for granted. You can even carry this into your relationship with the Lord. Are You taking God for granted? Being thankful is a solution to this. In 2 Kings 5 we read that Naaman heard about the prophet in Israel. According to the slave girl, who was maid to Naaman’s wife, this prophet could heal even leprosy. Naaman thought he could purchase healing and so sent gifts to the king of Israel who decided he was trying to pick a quarrel with him. Elisha heard … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: The Trial of Prosperity

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In President Kimball’s lesson for this week, he notes the cycle that repeats throughout the Old Testament, and then, later, through the Book of Mormon. A group of people worship God in righteousness. They receive blessings and prosper. That prosperity leads them to trust more in the arm of the flesh and turn their back on the world, and they become wicked. They are then humbled or even destroyed. As we go through our lives, we must be careful not to fall into a similar cycle. I have been thinking lately about how most of the Saints I have come … Continue reading →

The Blessings of the Priesthood

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There are lots of reasons to be grateful for my husband, but recently I stopped to ponder how fortunate I am to have a worthy priesthood holder in my home. As a convert, this is not a blessing I have taken for granted, but I must confess that in the last six and a half years of marriage, there have been times when I have forgotten what a wonderful thing this is. I have been working with an inactive single mom, trying to love her back to church and show her that we still love and care for her. In … Continue reading →

Bless Those Who Persecute You

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Why on earth would we want to bless those who are wicked toward us? Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” I believe the answer to this is simple: the ability to forgive and to stand out as a light to others is something that sets us a part … Continue reading →

Tithing: Does God Really Expect Me to Give Ten Percent?

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My husband was sitting with a coworker, Kevin, discussing faith. Kevin was an atheist who borrowed concepts from several world religions, my husband, Josh, a committed Christian. Kevin said something like, “Did you know the Bible teaches that Christians should give ten percent of what they make to their church? Can you imagine what would happen if people actually did that?” He was incredulous. “Yes, I can believe it,” Josh replied, “Our family tithes.” It’s interesting to contemplate a non-Christian’s view of giving such a substantial amount of money to a church. What becomes discouraging is realizing that a very … Continue reading →

Raising Hands

I’ve been asked before why there are some people who raise their hands in church. Growing up seeing this often I’d never really thought anything of it. It wasn’t until one day when the Lord touched my heart in such a way that I lifted my hands in praise submitting all of myself to Him. After the first time of doing so, I no longer felt uncomfortable. There are two main purposes I see when people raise their hands in praise and worship to God: Surrender: This is often subconsciously shown by the person’s palms facing outward—though I should make … Continue reading →

The Prayer of Jabez: In Conclusion

One thing is for certain, the Bible tells us that “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers”. I believe His cry out to God was worth reflecting on in the midst of the genealogy for this reason. God granted Jabez his request because what he prayed was God’s will. Jabez sought God’s blessing, wanted more from and of Him in his life. He recognized the need for God’s hand to guide him, to keep him from the works of the enemy, and humbly asked that God not allow him to cause others pain. “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, … Continue reading →

The Prayer of Jabez: That I Not Cause Pain

“…that I may not cause pain!” This last plea we read in 1 Chronicles 4:10 from Jabez is the most humble one. It’s as if he recognizes that because of evil in this world, even we are sometimes used to hurt others. Often this is without intention. The Bible tells us to be sober minded (Titus 2:6 and 1 Peter 4:7). This is so we can be better aware of what’s going on around us. I believe it’s also so we will be vigilant not allowing the enemy to use us as a vessel to do harm to others. Consider … Continue reading →