1-minute read for Tuesday, 5/20/25
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12 NIV Read full chapter
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
1-minute read for Monday, 5/19/25
“He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:3-4 NIV Read full chapter
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Sunday’s Memory Verse, 5/18/25
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31 NIV Read full chapter
Did you know? Years before Christ, Rabbi Hillel was said to have instructed his pupils that they should not do to others what they did not want done to themselves. Jesus put this principle in a positive context. (Jeremiah Study Bible)
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 NIV
Do you know the story of the Prodigal Son? It is really the story of a father’s love. Jesus told this parable to a large crowd including Pharisees, teachers of the law, sinners, and tax collectors. The Pharisees were indignant that Jesus would welcome sinners. In response, Jesus told them what is known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son. (below)
I love this parable because I was once a “prodigal son” myself. This parable teaches me that the Father is compassionate, merciful, and forgiving. But I saw something today that spoke directly to my heart in a very personal way. I understand that even when I was a long way off, God not only welcomed me back, He saw me and came running after after me!
I confess I have wandered many times over the last 67 years. I can’t even put into words how this truth spoke to my heart and revealed the depth of His love to me today.
Even if you have never wandered, I encourage you to read the story of the Prodigal Son below and discover the depth of His love.
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:11-32 NIV Read full chapter
I want to thank Steve Brewer for his post, Yet In Distant Lands which inspired me today.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Verses for Meditation for 5/15/25
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.” Psalm 91:14-15 NIV Read full chapter
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
1-minute read for Friday, 5/2/25
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres… Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a NIV
Commentary: The Greek word for love used here is agape. Agape love is one of the rarest words in the Greek language and is found almost nowhere in Greek literature apart from the New Testament. But it is one of the most common words within the New Testament. It is totally unselfish love. Christ’s sacrifice and His love model what it means to choose love. (Jeremiah Study Bible Notes)
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
The following quote was not made to get a chuckle based on obvious things we all know about children but based on the psychiatric examination of convicted murderers who experienced abuse in childhood.
Children need love, especially when they don’t deserve it.”
Harold S. Hubert
Hulbert, a leading psychiatric expert witness of his time and a child psychiatrist, knew the potential magnitude of the effects of being a child unloved. He testified in the murder trials of men affected by such abuse.
So, what does this mean to us? One doesn’t have to go far to find children who need love. The foster care system in America is overflowing with abandoned children who need love.
Over 390,000 children are in foster care. 25% of these children will attempt suicide.
For the 23,000 young adults who age out of foster care each year,
Poverty creates hungry children that need love. Drug abuse produces neglected children who need love.
According to the National Institute of Children’s Health Quality, Over 20,000 babies are born each year dependent on illegal or prescription drugs and suffer neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a type of opiate withdrawal. That’s the equivalent of one baby born every 25 minutes with drug addiction.
Read more about opportunities to cuddle drug-addicted babies HERE.
Children who need love are in our towns and in our schools. These children may not be in your neighborhood, but they aren’t far away.
Jesus said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:10 NIV
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart? What is God asking you to do? More than likely, it is something small. Help in your Vacation Bible School? Teach in your Mission Church? Volunteer in a local school as a mentor, or in a hospital for drug babies? Volunteer for CASA? Give a small amount of money to a worthy cause?
Whatever you do, don’t close your eyes to the desperate need all around us.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress …” James 1:27a
There are many ways you can give God’s love to children. All you have to do is ask Him to show you. And remember this:
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Jesus told His disciples,
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 NIV
This was Jesus’ last command to His disciples. In a world characterized by violence and hate, the world will see Christ in His followers by their love.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
4/20/25 (Previously titled What Easter Means to Me)
Easter reminds me that because Jesus paid the penalty for my sins, I am free from guilt and shame. Have you ever felt such deep guilt that you couldn’t forgive yourself?
For those of us who have been forgiven much, love for Jesus runs deep because it changes our life in an indescribable way. It can’t be explained to someone who hasn’t experienced it. Maybe you could imagine what it would be like when you hear the hymn, Amazing Grace, written by John Newton, a slave ship captain who experienced God’s merciful forgiveness.
Another example is a woman known only as “The Sinful Woman”.
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:36-50 NIV
This woman came to hear Jesus while he dined with some religious leaders. I have often wondered, What was she doing at the party!?
“But it was acceptable in Jesus’ day for people to come to a party to watch and listen to the conversation. They were not allowed to eat, but they could observe.” (Never Thirsty Ministry)
She was there to see and hear Jesus.
I have no idea what Jesus and the Pharisees talked about. Maybe Jesus talked about the forgiveness of sins. Perhaps, as she listened, she believed He was the Messiah and experienced the joy of receiving forgiveness.
Maybe Jesus quoted Old Testament Scriptures such as Isaiah 1:18:
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Maybe He quoted Psalm 103:12:
“… as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
And maybe, He looked right in her eyes as he did, not at the Pharisees, but only at her, and maybe that is why she cried so hard that she could literally wash His feet with her tears.
Verse 44 tells us that Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon,
“… her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Imagine how she felt, knowing He was talking about her.
She probably thought no one would notice her that evening. But Jesus looked right at her and spoke the words she longed to hear:
“Her many sins have been forgiven.”
To me, Easter means forgiveness and cleansing. Anyone carrying guilt can be set free from that heavy load, just like I was and just like slave ship Captain John Newton. Receive God’s gift of salvation by trusting in His son, Jesus, and giving your life to Him.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-8 KJV
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
John walked down the crowded high school hallway carrying all the books from his locker when some bullies intentionally knocked them out of his hands.
A bystander walked up and helped him gather the books and supplies. Seeing that the boy was almost in tears, the bystander offered a few kind words.
The boy who had been bullied later became the class valedictorian. At graduation, he gave a powerful speech that caused the auditorium to become still in silence. He told the story of how at one time he had been planning to kill himself. He cleaned out his locker so that his mother wouldn’t have to do it after his death. He told how some students knocked the books from his hands leaving him in tears.
He explained how someone stopped and helped him gather his books, taking the time to speak kindly to him for just a few minutes. This act of kindness gave him the will to keep living because it showed him that kindness existed in the world. This simple act of compassion saved his life.
“Love is … kind…” I Corinthians 13: 4
I have failed to follow God’s path many times in my life. When I reflect on God’s kindness to me in spite of my failings, I am utterly amazed.
Why is God so patient and kind to me? Do I deserve it? Definitely not! And yet, He is always there, ready to listen to my cries for help when I need Him. Always faithful to His promises, always revealing His love for me expressed in His great kindness.
If I meditate on His kindness to me, how can I be anything but kind to others? God’s love is expressed in kindness.
Many times I have received a note or gift from a friend, and that person had no idea that God was using their expression of kindness to lift my heart, encourage me, and turn my eyes back on Jesus.
Even though it may seem like a small thing to us, writing a note, providing a small gift, or a random act of kindness could be just what a person needs at that time. We must not think we don’t have time or we’re too busy. May we slow down and take the time to show kindness where it is needed.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NIV
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Titus 3:4-5a NIV
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 122:6
RealChristianWomen.blog
Real Christian Women 