Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We've been doing some remodeling since October, and thankfully, it was finished Wednesday, so I was able to focus on cooking my annual Thanksgiving turkey and dressing for my oldest son and my husband.
If you haven't grabbed a copy of the first book in The Lindell High School Series, To Love Someone, now's your chance. The eBook will be free Sunday, Nov. 26.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Claire
"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" Ps. 8:3-4, ESV
Have you looked at the heavens lately? As a teenager, I used to stare at the stars and wonder what God was like. How did He make those stars? How did He create all the galaxies? Was He up there? And did He really care about me? Why would He?
Looking back on my life, I can see just how much God cared about an insignificant teenage girl filled with such fear and anxiety that breakfast couldn't be kept down on most days, so I only drank coffee or hot tea. I can see the way He worked through the people and circumstances of every-day-life to bring me to a time of victory after experiencing several defeats. While working on To Love Someone, I reread my diaries, and I was thrilled to see that as a teenager I had written, "I love God!", on one of the pages, and I went to church more than I thought I had at that age. So many things I'd forgotten. I did remember the heartaches, the disappointments, the rejections. It's funny how I always remember the negative things. But I was pleasantly surprised at all the good things the Lord had done for me. And I saw with fresh eyes how He engineered the meeting of my future husband who was not even a blip on my radar--but like the moon and the stars, God set him in place in my life at just the right time.
I'm so grateful God is mindful of us. I am so grateful He loves us and cares for us. It's almost inconceivable that the One who made the moon and the stars, the planets and the galaxies, and all creation cares for us and has plans for us. But He does. Plans that are good, pleasing, and for our good (Jeremiah 29:11). All we have to do is trust in Jesus and follow Him.
Psalm 31:7-8 "I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place." NIV
God not only sees our outer condition but our inner condition as well. He addresses both the affliction and the anguish. Instead of letting the enemy have us, He sets us free to walk in His love and grace. The result is gladness and rejoicing in the knowledge that God sees, knows, and loves us. We don't deserve such mercy, which makes God all the more wonderful. He is so worthy to be praised.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Desire is inflamed by seeing. We need to fix our eyes on worthier things.” Jen Wilkin, pg. 89
I can't think of anything worthier than God and His Word.
Psalm 119:15-16 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. ESV
Hebrews 12:1-3 And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. NIV
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ESV
Book Review: A Christian Romantic Suspense
Callie Webber is a likable character—funny, courageous, and loyal to her friends. Tom Bennett, Callie’s boyfriend and her boss, is more of an enigma. Lots of questions surrounding his involvement with covert activities. Together, they try and discover who attempted to kill Callie’s old friend and mentor, Eli Gold. There are many twists and turns, and the main storyline is resolved at the end, but Callie and Tom’s relationship is left to be resolved in the last book in this series. All in all, A Quarter for a Kiss is a good summer read.
