Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Don't Miss Jesus ~

Hello sweet ladies!
Thank you for taking the time to stop by for a visit,
I am always appreciative of your grace left behind
through the comments you share.
Summer has finally made it's way showing up in all it's beauty.
When summer arrives we are more than ready for the warmth
and the new life that has unfolded all around our country yard.
Some weeks ago I shared a post with you on our wild turkeys
and right now we have only six toms and a couple ladies showing up for breakfast
as I am sure my little Merriam's are with their young right now.
* By the way, our female turkeys are called Merriam's according to the bird book in our area *
Our two Canadian geese  and mallards have made their way to our pond.
I always hope and pray that they will survive the winter months
and will return as a pair since they mate for life.
Should I listen carefully I will hear the sounds of their 
honking as they fly over our home notifying us of their arrival.
What glorious beauty are you enjoying this time of year?


Last year when I was away looking after my parents
and the time of my dads going on to glory,
a dear and precious blogging friend
here in our blogging community graced my life with 
"The Quiet Place"  Daily Devotional Readings
by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
My life has been enriched all the more through this excellent devotional book.
Thank you Cheryl, for your love and friendship! 
God in His love and care over His children
 brings people into our lives whom He uses to encourage and strengthen
during those times we may need it most.
God knew that I would need my dear friend Cheryl, 
as well as this encouraging devotional book after my dad passed away.
 Through Cheryl's sweet and tender spirit
she listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit and shared her loveliness with me
just when I was going to need it most. 
"At unexpected moments...
God places an angel in our path~
someone we will soon call "friend."
~ Unknown ~ 
My heart rejoices over and over again in the love and friendships
that I have received here in our amazing Blogging community.
Thank you Jesus!
 
 I had wanted to write a post on the topic of God's Word,
but Nancy said it so eloquently in one of my readings
 that I'm just going to share from her book.


Jesus The Word of God

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God." ~ John 1:1

THERE ARE MANY HELPFUL PLANS and methods you can
use for reading the Bible. Personally, I like to vary my
approach from time to time. But whatever plan you
choose, don't let yourself become a slave to the method.
Remember that the goal is not just getting through the 
Bible but getting the Word into you and getting you into Jesus ~
cultivating a growing relationship with the living Word of God.
One of the most sobering passages of the Bible addresses
this matter. The Pharisees of Jesus' day were renowned for their
vast knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. Yet one day
Jesus looked them squarely in the eye and said, "{God's} voice
you have not heard, his form you have never seen, and you do
not have his word abiding in you" (John 5:37-38).
I can just imagine those indignant, bedecked scholars
turning red in the face, sputtering under their breath, "What
does He mean? Who does He think He is? He's just a blue-collar
 worker! He's never even been to seminary! And He's telling us
that we've never heard God speak and His Word doesn't dwell
in us? Why, we've spent our whole lives mastering the Bible! If
we haven't heard God's voice, who has?"
But Jesus wasn't finished. "You searched the Scriptures because 
you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that
bear witness of me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may
have life" (verses 39-40). They were missing the whole point of 
their study.
If we master the content of the Bible but don't end up
knowing, loving, worshiping, serving and being mastered by
Jesus, we too miss the whole point, and set ourselves up to
become twenty-first century Pharisees. So, yes, get into the 
Word; study it diligently, but as you do, don't miss Jesus!

**~~**~~**

In your reading and study of God's Word, are you getting to
know Christ in a more personal and real way? Ask Him to
reveal Himself to you through His Word and to give you faith
to keep coming to Him to find life. 
~Nancy Leigh De Moss~

**~~**~~** 

May we not miss Jesus as we diligently
and faithfully study the Word of God.


 Our Precious Heavenly Father,
Guide us through our study time
so we will not be a slave to the method we choose
in coming to know You better.
Teach us to be diligent and
draw us to Thyself.
Amen.

Joy!
~ Debbie ~


I would like to introduce you to the lovely Lorraine
who Blogs over at Flower Lady's Musings.
Lorraine made this gorgeous heart and
has more beautiful items in her etsy shoppe
 where you can purchase some of her creations.
As you look closely at the detail of her work
you will stand amazed. 
I love my heart Lorraine!
Thank you for sharing your beauty and grace with us.


 

35 comments:

Sylvia said...

Beautiful post today,Debbie. I love the purple heart.
Hope you had a great 4th.

Elizabethd said...

I so enjoyed your post today, thank you.

Pom Pom said...

Yes He draws us to His heart! Thankful. Very pretty heart! Hearts are a lovely theme on a Tuesday morning ❤️

LV said...

Wonderful job, most touching and inspiring.

Linda said...

I really enjoyed your post...have a Joyful day, friend.

Debby Ray said...

Thank you for sharing your heart with us today Debbie...in more ways than one! The purple heart you received from your friend is beyond gorgeous but it pales in comparison to YOUR heart. I'm sure Lorraine would agree :) Hugs!

Linda said...

Beautiful and inspiring post, dear Debbie. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.

Linda Walker said...

Hello Debbie,
A lovely, inspiring post! Thank you! As you can imagine, I adore that purple heart! It is exquisite! The color is lovely too! Hope all is well with you! Have a lovely week my friend!
xo
Linda

Robyn said...

It's appropriate that you are sharing the beautiful purple heart, Debbie, because you always touch my heart in the most wonderful ways.
So much hear to think about and practise. I'll be back again and again this week because I had so much pleasure in reading this.
Thank you, sweet friend!

CherylQuilts said...

Oh, Debbie, I've learned a new word - Merriams. They say we learn something new every day. Hehe! Oh, what a joy to see the beautiful creatures God has given us return to your home for enjoyment. Oh, the heart handmade by Lorraine is exquisite. What beautiful embroidery and craftsmanship, and you always have some of the most beautiful photographs. Ah, yes, I remember that reading, and even the other day I was urged to read another portion of Scripture (and put aside the book I was reading through). It was so refreshing, and I so needed the place that the Holy Spirit led me to. Praise God for how He reminds us to never miss Jesus! What a beautiful post today, my friend, and I cherish our friendship and love, and whether here or there, we shall enjoy eternity forever and meet face to face. Tender hugs, sweet friend!

Celestina Marie said...

Dear Debbie, what a beautiful post. Your words so wise and teaching!! Love the heart created by Lorraine. She is truly a very talented artist and her works are incredible.
Thank you for sharing and blessing me in so many ways.
Sending Hugs your way! xo

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

This was a beautiful post! To be daily drawn closer to Jesus is my prayer!

My little Etsy shop is closed right now until I figure out what to do about getting a sales tax #.

Thank you for your lovely comments about my work and the link to my shop.

Love & hugs to you dear Debbie ~ FlowerLady

Patti said...

This is beautiful, Debbie. It is so easy to fool ourselves into believing that we are in a right relationship with Jesus simply because we read our Bibles every day. That is the main reason I no longer make it a yearly goal to read through the Bible. When I do that, my Bible reading becomes just another thing on my "to do" list, which, of course, means I have missed the point.

Last year, I was going through an emotional time as I helped my daughter plan her wedding. She and I are so close, and as I was agonizing over my fear of losing our closeness, the Lord brought encouragement and understanding to me in the form of my friend Nancy. Truly, she helped me to think clearly in those very difficult days. Like with your friend Cheryl, God knew exactly the person to send to encourage my heart.

Oh, I think loons mate for life as well. There's something very comforting in the thought of a lifelong pair of birds coming home to roost every year.

Blessings,
Patti @ Embracing Home

Marilyn Mathis said...

Precious, precious friend, your post is so special to me. I have for years raced to read the Bible 2-3 times a year and prided myself in accomplishing that. One day the Lord showed me that I was reading His word, but not getting what He was saying. I have since been reading to "hear" what He is saying and how much more it blesses my heart. What a wonderful post. Thank you. Hugs.

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

Lovely post! Filled with so much truth and encouragement. I love the handiwork on the pretty heart.

Mindy said...

Beautiful post Debbie. So sweet to read of the book sent to you - love how God orchestrates such things!

Karen said...

Thank you for recommending this devotional book. Yes, this is a good word - "Don't miss Jesus!" Your blog looks lovely.

Anonymous said...

So often we find ourselves following a devotional book to the "T"... but like Nancy shared in her book, we end up missing out on the most precious message of all...

Thank you Debbie for such a beautiful post!

mari

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

As always, your wisdom shines through to me, my sweet friend. I will keep those words with me as I read the bible. What lovely gifts you've received from your friends. The devotional book and the beautiful heart are gifts to cherish. Have a beautiful day, Debbie! Love and blessings, Kitty

Stephanie said...

Such a lovely post in not only photos but words as well. First of all, your photos are swoon-worthy! They are so soft, feminine, and incredibly beautiful. Lorraine does indeed do lovely work.

The words you shared were certainly a blessing and encouragement. Thank you for gently sharing God's wisdom. Have a great day! Love you

Anne Payne said...

Lovely post today, Debbie! Of course, they always are. :-)
It's easy to become bogged down in a method. I am guilty of this myself. When my 'method' is interrupted I tend to get cranky. Guess I need to focus more on Jesus! Thanks again, my sweet and precious friend for your timely words of wisdom!!! Love you!

Oh, and that purple heart is GORGEOUS!

hobbyloes said...

Thank you for sharing this beautiful post.
The purple heart is a beauty.
I like the precious photo with the Bibles, we have an old Bible that's been used by my husbands grandparents.
It is so precious because there are several notes and letters in from his grandfather (he was an elder).

Pamela M. Steiner said...

I am so happy to become acquainted with you and your lovely blog today. I am looking forward to getting to know you in the days to come. Thank you for stopping by to visit with me earlier today! Blogging is such fun. We meet so many wonderful, "Gracious" women here. Interestinly, my "One Word" for 2016 is the word "Grace"...and I've been learning more about that in my personal life as God leads me in the way of living with grace. So your blog is an inspiration to me as I glean from your thoughts regarding how "She Graces Her Home in God's Beauty". So excited to discover you today! Blessings dear friend...and yes, "Don't forget about Jesus"...

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

I loved this post dear Debbie, and my favorite picture was the one of the dearly worn and loved Bibles! (Lorraine's heart is amazing too!) But something touched me deeply seeing those precious Bibles that hands had loved and had turned pages in, cried tears over, and hearts were changed as they read. May we all find the Jesus, the Word of God, the Bread of Life to mean more to us than anything else we own. Bless you Debbie for sharing this wonderful post from your heart, and how wonderful to know that the Word is full of life, fresh manna for us each day. Appreciate you dear friend, and your precious love for the Lord that abounds in your writings, may the Lord continue to bless you abundantly!

quakerhillfarm said...

Debbie, what a beautiful post, both in picture and word. I needed to be reminded of this today. Thank you. Have a wonderful Christ filled week, Lynn

M.K. said...

So, so important! The Pharisees of Jesus's day studied the Word in vanity and as an academic exercise for their own pride - very sad. Since Jesus IS the Word, it seems impossible to be reading and studying the Scripture without meeting Him and knowing Him there. But without the Holy Spirit involved as well, in the reader's heart, stirring it with longing and interest, and producing a thousand strands of loving connection, the Word is merely text. It's hard to understand how that can be -- but the living and active nature of God's Word is the Spirit in it. Thanks for this reminder.

Lady Linda said...

A great post! It doesn't seem like we should need a reminder not to miss Jesus, but we do! Your purple heart is so pretty! It sounds like you are enjoying the summer. Nice that you can blog again.
Hugs,
Linda

Bonnie said...

Great wisdom in your post today. I enjoy Nancy Leigh DeMoss and I was happy to hear she got married this year.
Thanks for sharing from her book.
I also enjoy hearing about your turkeys and geese and mallards.
Love the pic of your Bibles. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Have a great day, Debbie.

Deborah Montgomery said...

Oh, I knew that heart had to be from Flower Lady! I have one, too. Aren't they beautiful?
The past few years, I've been diligently following a Bible reading plan. I have several times been aware that I am reading just to check that day's reading off my list. Not good!
I'm following a much slower plan this year, which is better for me. More time to think and ponder the words.
Hope you're having a good day, Debbie. Blessings, Deborah

NanaNor's said...

Just got back from vacation and wanted to stop in and say hello. Powerful post! Love how the Father always brings angels to minister to us in our time of need.
Sending love your way.
Noreen

bj said...

Such a pretty and heartfelt post...loved it all.xoxo

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Debbie, so special to revisit this wonderful post again. Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comment on my new blog look. Hope you are enjoying summer even though it seems to be flying by. Blessings to you dear friend. Love, xo

Oliva Ohlson said...

Thank you so much Dear Debbie for this most touching post! The heart from your friend is so precious, and thanks to you I learn something new today -- Merriam. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Gathering Place said...



























Thanks for the encouraging words about our new puppy. Your post is very uplifting and just what I needed to read today. Thanks!









Denise said...

Hi Debbie, I'm so glad to have read this beautiful post of Yours. How lovely Our God works through You.I sure do need to be reminded,even while studying the books of law in the Bible to keep My spirit open to what Jesus is saying to Me.Enjoy Your day blessed abundantly little lady-Denise

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