Tag: heart

Christian

Helping One Person at a Time

Cindy Dawson

You may have heard of the devastating tornadoes that destroyed so many lives here in my hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky.

There are so many people who need our help, it can be overwhelming. Not just tornado victims, we may have family members who need our help, a man begging on the corner, people in our church, and more.

What would happen if our goal were to help just one person at a time? Could it possibly make a difference? Mother Teresa thought so. It’s interesting that someone who helped so many had this philosophy:

Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa’s words remind me that people who need God’s love are all around me. People who need “a good Samaritan” are all around me. I can’t help all the homeless, but I can give a cup of coffee to one. I can’t feed all the starving children, but I can help one. I can’t help every tornado victim, but I can help one.

Jesus told the Expert in the law that he must love God and love his neighbor as himself. The Expert in the law said, “Who is my neighbor?”  In reply, Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus’ message was,  “If you see someone that needs your help, help them!”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 

31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Let us examine our hearts. Are we more like the priest and the Levite, or the good Samaritan? Do we show the love of Jesus to those around us or do we pass by on the other side?

Lord, Show me how to reach out to my “neighbor”. Lead me along the path that will take me to the one you want me to help. Give me the opportunities to reach out in a personal way and to bring your love to the hurting. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

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Christian, women

Are You Guarding Your Heart?

Cindy Dawson

Over the last few months, I’ve thought a lot about what I look at and listen to. For example, television, music, news, talk shows, Facebook, etc. How does it all affect me? How does it influence my thinking and my attitudes?

 The Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV

What does that mean exactly? I decided to dig in.

A wellspring is the source of a spring or abundant supply. OK. Above all else, I should guard my heart because it is a spring of abundant supply of something called “life”. Hmmm. I still didn’t get it, so I dug in more. I found some clues.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” NLT

So, how well I guard my heart determines the course of my life. Well, that’s certainly been true enough (and sometimes in a bad way).

“. . .  out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

My mouth reveals what’s in my heart. Can’t argue with that, either.

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Sometimes we think God only looks at our actions, but what he really examines is our heart. Well, that’s certainly something we should think about! That tells me that no matter how many good works I perform, He is still going to look at my heart.

“. . .  the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” (1 Chronicles 28: 9

He knows me better than I know myself.

If I’m going to guard my heart, I must be careful what I allow to influence me.  One thing that concerns me is TV, especially the news. Honestly, it doesn’t do anything positive for my attitude. However, I’ve learned that the more I listen to and sing Christian music, the closer I feel to God.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4

“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 146: 1-2

My heart is the spring that nourishes my life. Is that spring sparkling clean or is it polluted by the things of this world? Well, I guess that depends on how well I guard my heart. Are you guarding your heart?

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

To Be a Woman After God’s Own Heart

Cindy Dawson

“I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” Acts 13:22

The key to being a man or woman “after God’s own heart” is to be surrendered to His will and to put your trust in Him alone.

Stand outside tonight and ponder the stars. Those stars were scattered across the sky by God’s mighty hand. They are so far away that even though many of them are larger than the sun, they look like tiny points of light.

Did you know that our galaxy, the Milky Way, has approximately 100 billion stars? But the Milky Way is not the only galaxy in the universe… There are about 10 billion galaxies in the observable universe!¹

Just imagine the enormity of what we can’t even see! Our God is a mighty God. This is the God that we know and trust!

How can we know what God wants us to do? How can His plan be carried out if we don’t know what it is?

We must trust the Lord, study the Word ,and spend time in prayer. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

God reminds me that “we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3) Sheep aren’t that smart.  They need endless attention and oversight. They are unable to take care of themselves. They need a shepherd. It’s not by accident that Scripture compares us to sheep.

David was a shepherd boy. He learned about God as he cared for his flocks. He knew everything about the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep. He writes, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

The sheep know the shepherd’s voice. Jesus said, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:2-5

As we spend time in the Word and in prayer, He leads us.

Jesus declared, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

If we are surrendered to the Lord, if our heart seeks after Him, we are doing our part. God will carry out His plan. He will do it. He will make that happen. He is the Good Shepherd. He has promised to lead us and we can trust Him.

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog  

This is a repost from 2020.

References: 1 https://scienceline.ucsb.edu/index.html

Photo by Alexandru Zdrobău on Unsplash

Bible, Christian

Do You Want a More Intimate Relationship with God?

Cindy Dawson

I have to make a confession. I’ve already confessed this to the Lord. Now, I openly confess it to you. Sometimes, praying seems like another thing on my “To Do” list. (I can barely type these words. I feel so ashamed.) What’s wrong with me? I’m supposed to love prayer.

Should anyone dare to confess such a horrible sin? Guess what? God already knows whatever it is that we’re ashamed to admit to Him. Confessing it is humbling.

I decided to write this confession in my prayer journal. Honestly, it took a few minutes for me to actually write the words down! I had to remind myself, He already knows. He already knows! 

I followed this confession with a heart-felt request.

Lord, Forgive me. I want to look forward to prayer time. I want a more intimate relationship with you through prayer. Help me. Teach me. 

Romans says,

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Roman 15:4 ESV)

So once again, I looked in God’s Word for guidance.  As I studied the book of Psalms, I saw how open and real David was with God. David recorded his prayers. He wrote down his innermost thoughts, unafraid.

I decided to do this, too. I want to be a person after God’s own heart, like David. I love the story of David and the Psalms he wrote. There is so much for us to learn there.

“God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” Acts 13:22 NIV

As I read through the Psalms, I noticed that David was completely open with God. He didn’t hide his emotions, feelings, or frustrations. (Why do I? God already knows what I think, what I feel, and what’s in my heart!)

David writes this at the beginning of Psalm 13,

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” Psalm 13: 1-2 ESV

David also wrote down what he believed at the end of Psalm 13:

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.”  Psalm 13:5-6 ESV

The more secure we are in His love for us, the easier it will be to share our most private thoughts with Him. Let us pray, unafraid to be completely real with our Father in Heaven who knows us better than we know ourselves.

What A Friend We Have in Jesus

“Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.” ¹

We can strengthen our intimacy with God by taking everything to Him in prayer. What do you need to talk to God about?

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Listen to this:

If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.

“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.”   ROMANS 10:9-11

1)From the hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”, by Joseph M. Scriven and Charles C. Converse.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, women

Friday’s Verse, 6/25/21

Cindy Dawson

“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
    Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
    Write them deep within your heart.
Then you will find favor with both God and people,
    and you will earn a good reputation.” Proverbs 3:3-4 NLT

With Love, Cindy

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

Sunday’s Memory Verse, 6/20/21

Cindy Dawson

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

With Love, Cindy

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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Christian

Verses for Meditation, 5/20/21

Cindy Dawson

When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16: 6-7 NLT

With Love, Cindy

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Kyle Peyton on Unsplash

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

Sunday’s Memory Verse, 12/13/20

Cindy Dawson

“Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV

With Love,

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by REX WAY on Unsplash

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

What Kind of Worshiper Am I?

Cindy Dawson

Those bad Pharisees! I can’t believe how stubborn they were! I’m glad I’m not like one of them!

We tend to see the faults in others before we see our own. Isn’t that true? I’m pretty sure that’s called pride. So as we examine what the Bible says about worship, let us look inward, at our hearts.

Jesus talked about two kinds of worshippers – “true worshipers” and those who “worship me in vain.” Do we really understand the difference? Let Jesus explain.

To the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said,

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23-24 NIV

But when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, He said,

“You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
 They worship me in vain;” Matthew 15:6-9 

The Greek word translated “worship” in the first passage is proskuneo. It means to prostrate oneself in worship, to reverence, to adore. To lie prostrate implies total surrender.

The Pharisees put on a show of reverence, but were not totally surrendered to God. It is interesting to note that Jesus did not use the same word for worship in Matthew 15:9. He used the word sebomai, which means to revere. There is a big difference. The Pharisees honored God, but they were not surrendered to His will. Their hearts were somewhere else.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1 NLT

Let us examine our hearts. What kind of worshipper am I? Is my worship pleasing to God? Am I surrendered to His will? Or, do I worship Him in vain? Do I give Him reverence, but cling stubbornly to my own will? Do I worry more about how I appear on the outside, or the condition of my heart?

Am I totally surrendered to Jesus?

“If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls “mounting up with wings as eagles” to the “heavenly places” in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows have no power to disturb us.”

– Hannah Whitall Smith

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

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1st Photo by NATHAN MULLET on Unsplash

2nd Photo by Rachel Pfuetzner on Unsplash