Children

My passion for many years has been children.   As a high school student I didn’t really like to attend Sunday school with the teens but I loved helping a teacher who taught the little ones.  It was a joy for me to go and help teach Sunday school and I learned so much in that process.  When my husband and I were first married we were recruited to teach the two and three year olds in Sunday school; hat was an experience and about caused me to never want to have children.  They were a lot of fun so long as one of them didn’t start to cry.  If one started to cry the others thought that was their cue to start crying and we would have a mess on our hands.  I remember one day a little girl came in dressed really funny and her mother told us that she had decided to dress herself that morning and it was easier to let her do it than to fight it.  Hey, at least she made it to Sunday school.  I don’t know where a lot of those children are today but I do know of one who is grown and has a small child of her own.  She has gone through a lot in her life but because she had faithful parents who taught her at home and brought her to Sunday school every Sunday, she developed a foundation in Christ which she built upon in later years.  Without Christ, her life would have turned out very differently. 

I taught Sunday school and mid-week classes for years and then became a part of the Christian Education board as the mid-week director.  Later on I was promoted to the Christian Education Director and later became a member of the church conference Christian Education commission.  I became the Director of that commission as well.  The sad thing is that in those positions I fought as hard as I could to maintain a strong board and commission in order to promote the education of our children in the area of Christian growth.  Over the years I have sensed an apathy regarding the children in some churches.  I fought hard against that apathy because  of verses found in Mark 9 and 10.  I would like to look at those verses today.  Mark 9:36 – 37 “He took a little child and had him stand among them.  Taking him in His arms, He said, to them, (37)Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”   In verse 42 He goes on to say, And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better fro him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. 

Mark 10:13-16  “People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.  (14) When Jesus saw this, He was indignant.  He said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  (15) I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (16) And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.”

I have also been involved in the secular education system and have heard all the excuses for why our children do not learn.  One that comes up a lot is the one about their parents.  The parents don’t, won’t, or can’t . . . are very common in that setting.  The same is true for the church, parents are the ones that get all the blame.  Yes, parents should but when they don’t what is our response.  We can’t change a parent so what can we do?  The parents in the scripture brought their children to Jesus and the disciples tried to send them away but what do we do we when the parents don’t bring their children?  Do we shrug our shoulders and say that it is their choice?  Do we reach out to the parents?  Do we reach out to the children? 

Children, they are a precious gift from God and we need to welcome them into our Sunday school rooms, our church settings, into our homes, and into our lives.  Children display a faith that goes beyond that of an adult.  They believe in what we tell them.  They believe in the seen and the unseen.   What are we telling them today?  Is our life demonstrating the faith of a little child?  Are we worrying about the things of this life rather than trusting on God to carry us through?  Do we doubt?  All of these things our children are watching.  They keep watch at how we handle conflict, pain, and suffering. 

If we do not teach our children and value their presence, they will become the children of the end times who are left to go through the pain that we just looked at in Revelation.  We need to remember our children both little ones and big ones, those who have come to the faith in Jesus Christ.  We need to grow them up in the Lord so that they may feast on solid food and have a firm foundation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

This reminds me of a song:

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.  Red, brown, yellow, black, and white they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

May you find ways to teach the children to seek Him with all their hearts as you seek Him today.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

When He Comes

Before beginning our study today I want to share with you a little of how I have been feeling lately.  I had to call unemployment yesterday which is always a frustration and makes me feel terrible.  I feel as though I am worthless in the money sense of things, and my purpose, my love and my passion have been taken away.  That is why I blog, it brings the purpose of sharing the Gospel out in me and gives me a reason to keep on going.  Anyway, I have had the jitters and just some unease and when that happens I just don’t like it.  I know God is in control so I don’t understand why I have to feel this way.  I just want to be at peace and have contentment in whatever situation I am in.  Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”  It isn’t the money I miss but the feeling that people value me and my opinions that I miss.  I miss being needed and I get so frustrated by that.  So today the Lord gave me this scripture found in Philemon 4 – 7, it wasn’t written to me but I think today, it was written for me and it reads, (4)I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, (5)because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.  (6) I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. (7) Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.  Father, today, will you speak through me to share your Word to those around me.  May you find me faithful in my walk with you.  I ask that you help me to be content because I do know you are here with me.  Help me Father to have the purpose and drive to serve you and you alone.  I love you and I praise you for Who you are and I thank you for whose I am.  In Jesus Precious and Holy name I pray, AMEN.

When He Comes

Revelation 10:6b “There will be no more delay!”  So many times we ask for the Lord to not delay.  We asked that the Lord bring His judgment towards our enemies.  Although we want revenge we know that vengeance is the Lord’s and He will repay as He says in, Deuteronomy 32:35-36, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.  In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”  Now, in Revelation 10 we see that there is no more delay.  As I began to read Chapter 10 a peace came upon me in the first part of the chapter,  Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.  He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.  Verse 7, “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.”  I am jumping around a little today but I want us to look back at verse 2, “He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand.”  John was told to go and take the scroll in verse 8 and then in verse 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll.  He said to me, “Take it and eat it.  It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.”  John did as he was told and it happened that it is so sweet but soured his stomach.  I wasn’t sure what that meant and I didn’t go to any commentary to find out but it hit me today, could that be the revenge that we have all wanted?   We have heard the term, “Sweet revenge” and I have used it in my blog.  But, as I read on and the last trumpet is sounded that revenge turns my stomach sour.  I don’t want people to have to suffer, yet that will be what happens.  Those who do not believe will go through so much pain and suffering, the third woe, Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!

What is our lesson in all of this today?  Hebrews 2:1-3  We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.  (2)For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, (3)how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?  This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.  (4) God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Sprit distributed according to His will.

Are you paying close attention today?  Have you heard what He is saying?  Focus today on seeking Him with all your heart and knowing that He was, and is, and is to come.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Encourager

I am amazed each day how the Lord gives me something to write.  I have been a little concerned with Revelation and have wondered, “What can I write about that?”, “What will speak to me today?” and each day something pops out, today was no exception.

We will look at the woe of the sixth trumpet that will sound.

Revelation 9:13-20

“The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.  (14) It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’  (15) And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.  (16) The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million.  I heard their number.

(17) “The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this:  Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur.  The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came, fire, smoke and sulfur.  (18) A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of their mouths.  (19) The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.”

(20) “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. (21) Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”

Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge University of Kansas fan.  I am an alumnus, getting my Master of Education degree in 1994.  It is a great school with a unique mascot and the colors, crimson and blue with a touch of yellow.  So, when I read the description of the breastplates I wasn’t very happy but quickly decided the colors must represent fire and power!  Let’s move on to more serious things now because as much as I enjoy KU there is nothing better than studying the word of God.

It doesn’t sound like it would be good to be alive during the sounding of the sixth trumpet.  This scripture reminds me of another time when God was calling His people and they did not listen.  This morning before I turned to Revelation 9 I was drawn to some scriptures in Hebrews.  This scripture spoke about the Israelites in the desert and I thought to myself, “How will this relate to the sixth trumpet?”  God is amazing and moves in amazing ways because I soon found out how the two scriptures tie together. 

First of all, why do you think this woe was brought upon the earth and one-third of the inhabitants were killed?  Our first clue to that is at the end of the chapter, the verses that I have in bold.  Before reading more, stop and read those verses again and think about why God would have brought this upon the earth.

It is my belief, from the verses that I read, that He wanted mankind to repent and He gave them another chance to do so but their hearts were already hardened.  They were practicing things that were not wholesome and they continued to do so.  Does that remind you of anyone in the past?

Hebrews 3: 7-10 “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear His voice, (8) do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of the testing in the desert, (9) where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did.  (10) That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’  (11) So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’

God is our provider, just as He provided for the Israelites in the desert.  He wants nothing more than for us to seek Him and to recognize Him so He can give us rest.  Hebrews 3:12 - 14 tells us how we should respond to our calling. 

(12)”See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. (13) But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  (14) We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”

Have you encouraged someone today?  Back then they didn’t have blogs, Facebook, computers, or even telephones so that meant daily face to face contact with one another.  Today we have so many means in which we can encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ.  What are you doing? 

Dear Heavenly Father,

I want to lift up to you each reader of this blog.  Whether they read this today, tomorrow or far into the future, I ask that you allow your Holy Spirit to come upon them so that if there is any wicked way in them, they will repent before your throne.  I ask that you give them peace and that they may someday enter into your presence as a true believer in You, that they would hold fast to the faith that they have and with confidence they will proclaim Your Word to others.  I pray also Lord that you will forgive me where I have failed you and that you would give me the confidence as well to endure until the end of this life which I now know.  I ask that you allow me to be an encourager to others as they walk the straight and narrow path that leads to you.  In Jesus precious and Holy name I pray, AMEN.

I trust that you will be an encouragement to someone TODAY as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

The One in Control

I have not written for several days and hope that it has given you a chance to read and process what the book of Revelation which was written by John after being given this vision from God.  I left you with three more trumpets to be sounded so let’s get back in the Word and see what God has to tell us today.

The next three trumpets to sound will be three woes which will be even more dreadful than the ones we have already looked at. 

Revelation 9:1-11 “The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.  The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.  (2) When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.  The sun and the sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. (3) And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. (4) They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (5) They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months.  And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. (6) During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

(7)The locust looked like horses prepared for battle.  On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.  (8) Their hair was like women’s hair their teeth were like lions’ teeth. (9) They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.  (10) They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. (11) They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon.

Wow, I don’t know about you but that all sounds pretty scary doesn’t it?  Why do you think God revealed this to John?  Why do you think we are reading it today?  Does it make sense to you what is to come?  What spoke to you the most?

I have some observations that I want to make concerning this passage.  First of all it speaks of a star falling from the earth.  How many of you have heard that there is some instability in space even today.  There is talk that things are getting out of alignment and a threat that something catastrophic could happen.  I heard the other day that a space station was coming down and they didn’t know where it would land.  With so much junk in space today who knows what might come down.  One day I was watching TV and a science fiction show was on and a huge meteorite was headed for the earth.  Some astronauts were given the mission to go up in space and try to break it up before it hit the earth.  I was scared the entire time because I know from the word of God that it is not fiction, someday this is going to happen and it will be only the beginning of catastrophes on this earth.

Secondly I noticed that God is in control.  I want to jump back a few books, well several books, to the book of Job.  Do you remember the story?  Satan had been wandering the earth and God asked him if he had considered Job who served God faithfully.  Satan responded that Job only served God because of all the good he had so God gave satan permission to bring strife upon him but with restrictions, Job 1:12 “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’” 

How does that tie to Revelation 9?  I found it interesting that God allowed satan to bring strife upon Job with conditions and the same thing is going on in Revelation 9:4 “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads”.  God controls the angels, including satan.  He is in control and He knows what is and is to come because He is what is and He is what is to come.  Do you trust Him?  I hope so. 

What did you envision in verses 7-11?  I always think of helicopters when I read those verses, when it talks about looking like scorpions and sounding like horses and chariots rushing in a battle.  Now, I haven’t ever heard horses and chariots rush in a battle and John had never heard helicopters fly over so I am only imagining what that might sound like.  I think helicopters kind of look like scorpions too.  Have you ever seen a helicopter spay the fields or drop water on a fire?  They have the power to pour down on this earth protective matter and they could also be used to harm.  I am not saying that this is what these scorpions are but it is always the first thing that comes to my mind when I read those verses.

The chaos of this world today does not even pal to the chaos that is to come.  So many times we get caught up in the everyday occurrences of this life we live and we forget that there is a life that is more abundant.  When we remember that promised abundant life, we seem to skip over all that is to come and go directly to the bliss of Heaven.  My hope for you is that this blog message  is that you won’t be scared by the things that are to come but that you will be more motivated to make sure that your life reflects the One who can protect, provide, and save those who will call upon His name.  That someday we can stand before the Lord and hear the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  Serve Him today as you seek Him and find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila  

Heaven

Each day we have trials, pains, disappointments and sometimes we get so caught up in the moment we do not dwell on what is ahead of us.  Sometimes in the moments we look ahead but we skip a few steps along the way.  We look heaven bound and how someday there will be no more pain and no more sorrow but we forget the steps in between.  If we do not focus on our God today and be accepted through Jesus Christ our Lord , our future will be doomed.  We must build a solid foundation through reading the scriptures and fellowshipping with other believers because if we do not the doubts that creep into our lives can overtake us. Let’s look at scripture and see what God has to tell us today.

I am drawn to Revelations 5 - 8 today,  if you have a chance it would be good if you could read those chapters.  In Chapter 5 we see a glimpse of Jesus in Heaven.  We see that He is the only one worthy to open the sealed scrolls.  Verse 6, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.  He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out to all the earth."  That is not the picture I envision when I picture Jesus in Heaven.

In Revelation 6 we see the seals opened.  The one I want to focus on today is the fifth seal.  Revelations 6:9-11 “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. (10) They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’  Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.”  That really isn’t what I think of when I think of Heaven.  I think of no more pain and suffering but as I understand the scripture, there will still be questions in Heaven but they won’t be the questions I always thought I would ask, or at least not at this point.

Chapter 7 is the introduction of the tribulation.  I don’t know if you are a pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib believer or if you even know what that means but I think it is worthy to note that we as Christians are not exempt from pain and suffering.  When the Lord returns our work will only be beginning, there is a battle to come and we will be a part of it.   The joyous part of that is that He wins!!!!!

Chapter 7 speaks of the tribulation and there will be seals on the foreheads of the servants of God.  Note there are only 144,000 servants of God at this time, on all the earth.  Now look at verse 9,  “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation., tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and the Lamb.’’  In verse 14 it tells us who these are, (13)“Then one of the elders asked me, ‘These in the white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?’  (14)  I answered, ‘Sir, you know.”  And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  (15) Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them.  (16) Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.  The sun will not beat upon them nor any scorching heat. (17) For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  Now that is how I have pictured Heaven but note, there was great suffering prior to this point.  When it says He will “wipe away their tears” does that mean they are still crying?

Chapter 8 talks about 4 of the  trumpets sounding.  When I think of the trumpet sounding I think of the Lord returning but chapter 8, is not like that at all.  Trumpet 1:  Hail and fire mixed with blood was hurled to the earth and 1/3 of the earth was burned up.  Trumpet 2:  Something like a huge mountain was burning and fell into the sea and 1/3 of the sea creatures died and 1/3 of ships destroyed.  Trumpet 3  A great star blazing like a torch fell to the earth and destroyed 1/3 of the rivers and springs.  One-third of the waters turned bitter and people died from drinking bitter water.  Trumpet 4:  One-third of the sun, moon, and stars were struck and turned dark leaving 1/3 of the day and night dark.  We aren’t talking about cloud cover here, it will be completely dark.  I get depressed when there is cloud cover!

There are three more trumpets to be sounded and we will look at them another day.  I write these words today, not to scare you, even though the future does seem a little scary,  but to remind you that we need to put all things into perspective.  We need to trust our Lord and obey His commands.  We need to know what we are asking for when we ask Him to come quickly.  We need to know the urgency of sharing Him with others.

 Many times when I need comfort I look at the Psalms and there is a chapter in the Psalms that relates to what we have read today.  It would be good for you to read all of Psalm 46 in your Bible but I will give you the first 3 verses. (1) “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  (2) Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

As you seek Him with all your heart may you find peace, joy, happiness and may you have the desire to share His love with those around you and remember to pray for your enemies.

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila

Responding to Our Enemies

Today our society has become tolerant to all religions and that is disconcerting to me.  Jesus is clear in Matthew 12:30 where He says to the Pharisees, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”   Now I am not talking about different churches, we all have a worship style that meets our needs.  A church that professes Jesus Christ as Lord, has not added to the scriptures, and does not lead people astray is great.  There have been cults that have drawn people in and deceived them, TV preachers who have done the same.  We always need to be cautious and aware of the scriptures so we do not get drawn in to false ways.  The Holy Spirit will guide and direct us in the right way as we seek out scriptures and ask for His guidance.  What I am talking about today are those religions that are totally against the Lord.  The Bible is full of examples of this where they worshipped Baal and other gods.  In Deuteronomy 12:2 the instructions to the Israelites as they entered their promised land was “Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods.  Break down the altars, smash their sacred stones and burn the Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.  God makes it clear that there is only one true God to worship and all others will be destroyed.  That is why it is so disconcerting to me when I see all religions, those who worship God to those who worship gods meeting together and praying together.

As I did a little research  on the Muslim Brotherhood I went to the Jewish Virtual Library where I found the motto for the Muslim Brotherhood “Allah is our objective.  The Prophet is our leader.  Qur’an is our law.  Jihad is our way.  Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”  Does that sound like they are for God?  Do you hear anything about Jesus who says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me..” ? Yet we can hold prayer meetings with a group that wants to destroy any Western influences.  I hope you will continue reading as now it is time to talk about how we should react to our enemies.

If you read Lamentations 3 we find the way that we generally respond to our enemies.  We want the Lord to take care of them and we want to see it happen “now” rather than “later” but how does Christ instruct us to treat our enemies.  Matthew 5:44 - 45a “But I tell  you:  Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”  Love does not mean that we accept their ways which often times I believe our society is doing.  It means that we love them so much that we want their eyes to be opened to the one true God.  We do not want them to suffer eternally.  “Pray for them” does not mean that we meet together with them as they pray to their god and we pray to our God.  It means that we pray that the Holy Spirit will convict them and their eyes will be opened.

Lamentations 3:25 - 26  The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks him; (26) it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.  As you seek Him and find Him pray for those who are your enemies, those who do not know the Lord.

Worship The One True God as you listen to this song by Mark Harris, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJtPKRMmttU

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila

What Is Your Prayer Today?

Isaiah 55:8  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

As I woke up this morning I began to pray for safe travels as we are heading to the State fair today.  I was stopped,  realizing how I needed to pray.  After meditating on His word yesterday and remembering all that our Lord and Savior has done for us I realized I didn’t need to be asking for safe travels but thanking Him and glorifying Him instead.  As I thought about that I began to wonder why we ask for these things anyway.  My thoughts went to the Lord’s prayer  found in Matthew 6:9-13 when He was teaching His disciples how to pray..  In verse 11 He prays, “Gives us this day our daily bread.”

You may think that right there it gives us the permission to ask for physical needs.  This may be what He is referring too but I began to think about other times when Jesus spoke of bread:

In the desert when being tempted by satan Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written:’ Man does not live on bread alone , but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

John 6:35  Then Jesus declared, “ I am the brad of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Our daily brad should be from the word of God.  We need to be praying that His will be  done in our lives rather than telling Him what we want out of this life.  Jesus Himself came to this earth to do the will of His Father.  As He prayed in the garden He did express His anguish but He said, Matthew 26:39b  “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as You will.”   He prayed this not only once but again in verse 42.  Jesus did not want to have to suffer a cruel death anymore than we want to go through the pains of life.  He would have rather had God be glorified through Him without the pain and suffering but He realized this was not the will of the Father and was willing to go through whatever He had to in order to bring glory to the Father.  What a lesson for us to learn!

Isaiah 55:1 -3 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. (2) Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.  (3) Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live.”

As you seek Him and find Him may your life be satisfied with the bread of life.

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila