A Weekly Walk in the Word
with Wanda
Attitude of Gratitude
Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
November is a great time to reflect on life’s blessings with an attitude of gratitude in preparation for advent. Below are a list of verses to walk you through the month. Just one verse to begin or end your day with an attitude of gratitude.
- Psalm 100:4
- Colossians 3:15
- 1 Corinthians 15:57
- Ephesians 1:16
- Daniel 6:10
- 2 Corinthians 8:16
- 2 Corinthians 9:15
- Ephesians 5:4
- Matthew 26:27
- Mark 8:6
- 1 Timothy 2:1
- Hebrews 13:15
- Luke 22:17
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- 1 Thessalonians 3:9
- Nehemiah 11:17
- Revelations 7:12
- Philippians 4:6
- Psalm 107:1
- Psalm 26:7
- Psalm 116:17
- Isaiah 51:3
- Acts 27:35
- Romans 7:25
- 2 Thessalonians 1:3
- Ephesians 5:20
- Revelation 11:17
- Matthew 15:36
- Psalm 95:2
- Psalm 92:1
An Extra Hour
Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Last night we fell back into daylight savings time. We gain an extra hour in our day today! How will you spend the hour you have been given?
I want to live a life where people can tell I’ve spent time with Jesus.
Shared Fruit
Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Visiting an apple orchard is one of my favorite fall outings. Last week we strolled through acres of apple trees sampling as we walked. Here was an orchard loaded with rows of apples trees, each with their own unique tastes. I bit into sweet apples, tart apples, firm apples, soft apples and everything in between.
We serve one God… our Lord Jesus Christ. We are his followers, yet we are all unique. The fruits of the Spirit we share with the world are done so in our own unique ways. I share love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control differently than anyone else. I have been created uniquely for a special purpose. You have been created uniquely with a special flavor to be shared with the world.
After walking the entire orchard and tasting enough apples to leave with a belly ache, I went into the apple hut to ask the ladies to put together a bushel of apples for applesauce. They knew just the right apple variety mix to make the perfect applesauce. You and I are the perfect mix for sharing our fruits with others as we respect the uniqueness of the fruits we share!
Turn North
Deuteronomy 2:1-3 Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. Then the Lord said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.”
The Israelites wandered through the hill country for 40 years, just outside the promised land. Instead of turning to God, they made poor decisions based on their personal wants and desires. During those 40 years, the Israelites faith was strengthened. Moses encourages them to remember where they have been as they continue to move forward into the promised land.
When I look back on my life, I am ashamed at how much time was wasted on the pursuit of my personal wants and desires. When I turn north, God leads me and fulfills my every desire.
When we remember where we’ve been and learn from those mistakes and failures, we are ready to move ahead with humility and wisdom as companions to our faith. Spend your week turning to the north!
Sing and Make Music
Ephesians 5:19-20 Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
There is something magical about music that soothes the soul. I am in awe of musicians who write their own lyrics to share with the world. Music alters the mood in the room. Keep the beat as you sing praises to the Lord. The world needs to hear your song.
You Have A Blessed Day
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
South Texas is where we traveled last week to buy antiques, relax and explore. My favorite part of our trip were the people. Every shop we visited and every person we met left us with the same saying… “you all have a blessed day”.
We were able to accomplish all the items on our trip itinerary even with a heat index of over 100 degrees every day we were there. I usually melt in the extreme heat, but in Texas the people thrive. We met such amazing friendly people who were not afraid to share their faith.
We now have new friends who are planning trips to visit us in Minnesota and we will return to our new friends in Texas. You all have a blessed day!
The Heavens
Psalm 8:1-4 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider 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, the son of man, that you care for him?
God’s handiwork is incredible. We took a road trip this weekend from Minnesota to Texas – 17 hours in the truck. I was in awe of the beauty of our land. We passed fields of cotton, red rivers and magnificent trees. But the skylines were breathtaking. The creator shares a piece of heaven in the landscapes of our world if we only slow down enough to notice.
Faith
Romans 1:11-12 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
How do you encourage the faith in others?
The Minnesota Writer’s Guild has begun their 2019-2020 year. We meet once a month in Hopkins, which is over an hour drive from my house. It would be easy to stay home instead of making the effort every month to attend the meeting. But, every time I go, I am blessed to be surrounded by other Christian writers. Their text messages, emails and phone calls mean so much to me. My faith has increased because of the the love I receive from these writers encouragement. And the beautiful thing is that when I show up, God is always there to meet me in that place!
May God Bless you and may you find a group where you feel welcome to encourage each other’s faith.
Overwhelmed
Matthew 26:36-39 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Where do you go when you become overwhelmed?
We had a crazy week last week that landed us on an antique buying trip near the St. Paul Cathedral. As we walked by, we decided to go in because neither of us had been this close to the cathedral. As we walked through the massive doors a sense of peace came over me. God was in that place. Even though outside St. Paul experienced 3 homicides in 9 hours and it was the week of 9/11, inside the St. Paul Cathedral, there was peace.
Instead of being overwhelmed by life, be overwhelmed by God’s love.
The Flowers
Isaiah 40:6-8 “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
The landscape seems to change daily. My flowers wilt a little every day as they reach the end of their growing season. Soon the bright blooms will fall as the early morning frost covers the ground. I anticipate the season change by adding an extra blanket to our bed and becoming reunited with my favorite sweater.
We experience many seasons of change in our lives. I think that is why I am so comforted by the verses in Isaiah. No matter how much things change, God’s word remains the same FOREVER! He is the rock when life gets moving too fast.
Enjoy autumn and the season of life you are in today. God was with you yesterday, he is with you today, and he will be with you tomorrow.
A Weekly Walk in the Word 