You are always loved!-Encouraging Messages

[Judy Harder]

Roy Lessin
   

-
Let Us Draw Near, Part 5

Oct 15 2011

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Time is short...you need the body of Christ and the body of Christ needs you—come together to pray, to bear one another's burdens, to do good, to stir up, and to build up each other in love. Together, keep pressing into God's heart, and pressing on to faithfully serve the Lord, "occupying until He comes."

I've found a way, through the blood, past the veil
To the Holy of Holies with God...
There in the presence of Jesus I stand,
Glorified Son at the Father's right hand,
There I can plead, I can claim, I can have,
All that He purchased for me. -Paul Rader

[Judy Harder]

dayspring.com     
   -
There is hope...
You can turn back to God,
because He has not turned His back on you.

You can hold on to God,
because He has not released His hold on you.

You can love God again,
because He has never stopped loving you.

I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:21-22

-Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer
Read more encouraging devotions from Roy on his blog,
Meet Me in the Meadow.

Know What to Carry
Never put down trust,
because that is something God wants you to carry;
Never pick up cares,
because that is something God wants you to cast away.

Cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you.
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 10:35

-Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer
Read more encouraging devotions from Roy on his blog,
Meet Me in the Meadow.

[Judy Harder]

Roy Lessin
   

The Precious Blood of Christ

17 Oct 2011

You were not redeemed with the corruptible things, like silver or gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV

How greatly blessed and favored you are today because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Without His precious blood your life would be covered in darkness, hopelessness, and despair; instead, your life is flooded with light, filled with hope, and enriched with spiritual blessings.

The blood of Jesus has taken you from the dungeons of slavery, to the highway of holiness; from the cruelty of a harsh taskmaster, to the tender care of your loving Father; from a descending stairway of bondage, to the ascending pathway of spiritual freedom.

The blood of Jesus cleanses you from the stain of sin, releases you from the chains of sin, frees you from the power of sin, saves you from the judgment of sin, and heals you from the pain of sin. The blood of Jesus restores and reconciles you to God. The blood of Jesus has not lost its power (and it will never lose its power) to make it possible for you to begin each day forgiven, washed clean, and clothed in the garments of His righteousness.

[Judy Harder]

This is the day the Lord has made
let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Psalm 118:24


Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Hebrews 13:7


His love is as gentle
as freshly fallen snow,
His peace is the quiet place
our hearts can go.

[Judy Harder]

     

Roy Lessin
   

He Holds You

Oct 20  2011

Today's posting is in response to the following request which came to Meet Me in the Meadow from one of our readers.

Today, I went back and read one of your previous devotions "He Holds You."  I cannot read this enough sometimes and perhaps someone else needs to hear these same words you previously shared again.  We all face difficulties and storms in life, but to know we have a Savior who loves us and cares, is enough to know that we can face our tomorrow.  God Bless you! -Donita L.

He Holds You

God never leaves you alone...

He never forgets about you...

He looks out for you and takes care of you.

You are more important than the birds

He feeds and provides for.

Trusting Him means to rest in Him

as your shield, your covering, your provider,

your defender and your friend.

It means freedom from worry, anxiety and fear.

It means peace to your mind and joy to your soul.

Come to Him; He is waiting...

Lean on Him; He is strong...

Talk to Him; He is listening...

Depend on Him; He will never let you down.

He holds you within the hollow of His hands

to keep you close...to keep you safe...

to deliver you from all your fears.

[Judy Harder]

Roy Lessin
   

ALL HIM

Oct 22 2011

Today's posting is by Bonnie Jensen, senior writer for DaySpring. I know her devotionals have been a blessing to many of you whenever they appear in Meet Me in the Meadow.

What is God doing in your life? I like that question. In the mundane and the hectic of our days, He is continuously at work in us. It's good to pause and think about how we're being shaped into His likeness.

I've called this season of growth in my life 'distraction extraction'. Having a job that requires me to pray, reflect, empathize, tap into my emotions, and spend a great deal of time alone, I can't afford to allow anything in my life that distracts my heart and mind from Him. I have a quote on my desk that reads:

"So long as we are occupied with any other object than God Himself, there will be neither rest for the heart, nor peace for the mind." –Spurgeon

Extractions are painful. They are often difficult. But each of us has a purpose that can't stand in the shadow of anything...and the battle begins in the mind. What do you spend most of your mental energy thinking about? Worrying about? For many of us it's simply the task in front of us or the next item on our to-do list. But the quiet time eventually comes. And when it does, the landscape of our minds can be cluttered. Let God clear it out. Give Him full rein. Let Him have the thing you don't think you can 'let go' of. Let yourself be 'occupied' with nothing other than Him....

And the peace will come, the joy will surface, the hope will emerge, the heart will rest. These are the fruits of letting God have control. These are the gifts of focusing on Him. These are the reasons to be thankful He'll extract the distractions from our lives if we let Him.

Bonnie Jensen

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. (Matthew 22:37)

[Judy Harder]

Roy Lessin
   

Live

Oct 25 2011

Live in Him— As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. Colossians 2:6 NKJV

Live through Him— Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 NKJV

Live from Him—  For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 NASB

Live with Him— Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. Romans 6:8 NKJV

Live as Him— He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 1 John 2:6 NKJV

Live by Him— 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 NKJV

Live for Him— yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6 NKJV

[Judy Harder]

Jesus is the Gift
that perfectly fits every heart.

His love is as gentle
as freshly fallen snow,
His peace is the quiet place
our hearts can go.

[Judy Harder]

Fret buster # 98

Oct 27 2011

The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Exodus 14:14 NLT

For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12 NKJV

Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Isaiah 28:16 NKJV

God's peace and calmness is a mark of our walk when the Holy Spirit is in control of us—sanctifying our thoughts, guiding our steps, directing our decisions, prompting us to move at the right time, and assuring us that He goes before us and takes care of all that is behind.



Holy Spirit, Peace divine!

Still this restless heart of mine,

Speak to calm this tossing sea,

Stayed in thy tranquility.

-S. Longfellow

[Judy Harder]

     

Roy Lessin
   

Jesus, the Only One

Oct 29 2011

Jesus is the only Way to God (John 14:6).

The only Door to enter (John 10:7-9).

The only Salvation to receive (Acts 4:12).

The only Living Bread to feast upon (John 6:35).

The only Truth to know (John 14:6).

The only Light to walk in (John 8:12).

The only Vine to abide in (John 15:1).

The only Life to live (John 14:6).

The only Good Shepherd to follow (John 10:14).

The only Sure Foundation to build upon (1 Corinthians 3:11).

The only Mediator to call upon (1 Timothy 2:5).

The only Lord to serve (1 Corinthians 8:6).

"Look to Jesus for everything...God has simplified our life of faith in His dear Son. Severing us from all other sources, alluring us away from all other dependencies, and weaning us from all self-confidence, He shuts us up to Christ above, that Christ might be all and in all." –Octavius Winslow