Z is for Zion - Last Day of Blog Hop Friday

I did a quick search on Biblegateway and found over 170 Bible verses with references to Zion - which most scholars believe is the promise of a new heaven.

You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.” No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. - Hebrew 12:18-24

As we come to the end of our blog hop Friday, my question for you is, do you have the assurance of your name written down in Heaven? Maybe you aren't sure what that means. If you have chosen to follow and serve Christ, have sought His forgiveness for your sins, and asked Him to be Lord and Savior, your name was written in heaven that you belong to Him. If you've never done so, now is your chance to set things right. When you make this decision, you have the assurance of living with God in Zion.

Is today your day to take that step of faith and turn your life over to Him? I can tell you from 40+ years of walking with my Savior, it's a decision I've never regretted.

Y is for Yesterday - Blog Hop Friday

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13b-14

I heard a sermon this past Sunday from James MacDonald. He encouraged the need to pray and ask what God wants you to forget from 2013 and find out what He desires you to lean toward for 2014. I've been thinking about this all week.

What from your past... or yesterday is God asking you to forget?

X is for X-Ray - Blog Hop Friday

We are down to the final three weeks of Blog Hop Friday. This week is X for x-ray, but not in the traditional use of the word. Psalm 26:2 says:

Test me, Lord, and try me;
examine my heart and mind.

When was the last time you allowed God to examine your heart? When have you x-rayed your days and life to evaluate how you spend your time? The beginning of the New Year is a great opportunity to make necessary changes so our hearts and minds are in accord with Christ and what He wants us to be doing.

Is it time you had an x-ray?

W is for Write - Blog Hop Friday

Can you believe we only have a few more weeks of blog hop Friday? When I signed up to be a part of it I wondered how hard it would be to post regularly and whether or not I'd be able to keep up with the schedule. The more I consistently wrote, the easier I found it to be. In fact I signed up for an additional blog hop that focused on the Christmas season too.

Now as we near the end I find that I want to keep writing blog posts. I don't know how much my posts always mean to my readers, but I find they are often therapeutic for me. Perhaps that's partly why I write - to not only get words down on paper but also to be able to work through things I may be going through at the time.

For me... writing is something I thoroughly enjoy. So on this blog hop Friday, W is for write. :)

When was the last time that you sat down and wrote something?

V is for Valley

Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4

I have to admit - I've been in the midst of a valley lately. Ever have one of those seasons where you're hit with too many things at once and all you want to do is go to bed and wake up to find it was all a dream?

Yeah. 

That's where I am right now. I see glimpses of sunshine from time to time only to be overwhelmed by another storm again. I have to admit - it's not a fun place to be. I'd much rather be on that mountain top, experiencing life at it's finest. But we can't always stay on the mountains. It's often only through the desert and darkest valleys that God can teach us valuable lessons.

He promises to be with us... through the valleys, through the trials of life, through the good times. He promised in Hebrews 13:5b, "...or He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you." I take comfort in that.

So where are you today - on the mountain top or in the valley? Can you praise Him despite your circumstances?

U is for Uplifted - Blog Hop Friday

Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:5-6

When's the last time you uplifted your hands in praise, or bowed and worshiped Him? Christmas is a great time to start again. 

T is for Today - Blog Hop Friday

But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. Hebrews 3:13

A simple question or two for this blog hop Friday.

Who needs your encouragement today? 

What can you do to show that encouragement?

S is for Sailor - Blog Hop Friday

Two weeks ago my husband and I had the distinct privilege of watching our son and 831 other young men and women graduate from boot camp with the United States Navy. So in honor of our son, today is S for Sailor.

Congratulations, Jeremiah!

We are so proud of you.

Rejoice Always - Blog Hop Friday

Rejoice always.
1 Thessalonians 5:16

Sometimes we are hit hard by life's circumstances. Perhaps everywhere we turn we face problems - physical, emotional, spiritual, etc. The list could go on and on with our troubles and woes. Sometimes we are in a season where things aren't going the way we desire. We may feel out of control. Nothing we do makes the situation better. Life seems overwhelming.

I've been facing a similar scenario where I've been hit with many difficult things at the same time. I have to admit, that it's easy to wallow in the pain and hurt and not move any further. The desire to go back to bed and throw the covers over my head and pretend that things will be better when I awaken is often present.

But this verse in the Bible encourages me to do otherwise. The section of scripture says: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Nowhere does it say anything about staying focused on the hard things in our life. Instead we are to rejoice, pray, and give thanks, even when we don't feel like it. Our rejoicing is not based on our circumstances, instead it's based on our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us on the cross. Rejoicing is an active choice and decision.

How are you choosing to rejoice today?

Q is for Quality Time - Blog Hop Friday

It's blog hop Friday again. I can't believe how far we've progressed through the alphabet so far.

No deep thoughts today other than how do you spend your quality time throughout the day?

On your phone?
Social media?
With family?
Watching TV?
Spending time with the Lord?

If a complete stranger came up and asked you that question, how would you respond?

P is for Pray - Blog Hop Friday

Welcome to Blog Hop Friday. Today is P for Pray... continually. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We'll be camping out on these three verses over the next several weeks. But today, let's look at pray continually. I teach a ladies Bible study and I know I've been asked before what this means. Now I know if we were always praying, we wouldn't get anything else accomplished. I believe this verse encourages us to have an attitude of prayerfulness as we go about each day.

How are you doing with keeping a prayerful attitude each day? Are there any prayer requests you'd like to share?

L is for Laughter - Blog Hop Friday

One of the first recorded incidents of laughter in the Bible was with the birth of Isaac. His name was appropriate since his mother laughed when she learned that she would have a child in her old age.

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” Genesis 21:5-7

I don't know about you, but laughter has a way of lifting our hearts in a way that nothing else can, except for the Lord, of course. He brings joy and laughter. I like this promise He gives in Job 8:20-21.

“Surely God does not reject one who is blameless
    or strengthen the hands of evildoers.
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
    and your lips with shouts of joy.

Psalm 126:1-3 also talks about laughter and joy and the great things the Lord has done.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dreamed
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

What in your life brings laughter to your heart and a smile to your face? Share your thoughts on this blog hop Friday.

K is for Kindness - Blog Hop Friday

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. - Galatians 5:21-22a

Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. - Colossians 3:12-13

Welcome to blog hop Friday. Last Christmas season I remember hearing about a campaign called - R.A.K., otherwise known as Random Acts of Kindness. Many ideas were given of ways to bless people during a hurried and often frazzled Christmas holiday.

Several places in scripture we are encouraged to show kindness one to another. I'm a firm believer that those acts of kindness shouldn't just be at a certain time of year but instead throughout each day.

This topic is one I had planned on writing about this week. To my surprise last night, the neighbor kids knocked on our front door. When we opened it, they handed us a bag of apples. They blessed us by their simple act of kindness.

Who can you bless today with an act of kindness? Are you known by being a kind man or woman? If not, what can you do to change that? 

D is for Delight on Blog Hop Friday

Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

Psalm 37:3-6

I've been thinking all week about what the topic should be for this week's blog hop. There are so many wonderful things that start with the letter D. But God kept continuing to place on my heart the word 'delight'.

Dictionary.com defines delight as 'a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture'. 

I ask you, and myself, "How often do I experience joy, pleasure, enjoyment, or rapture when it comes to my relationship with the Lord? Is it something I encounter every day? Week? Month? Or does it only happen when something goes the way I was hoping and planning. Do I only delight in the Lord when he gives me the desires of my heart, or do I also delight in Him during those tough times when I don't think I can handle one more thing going wrong?"

I honestly can say that this is a topic to wrestle with and examine and strive toward. This scripture from Psalm 37 also says that when we commit to the Lord and trust in Him, "He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun."

How are you doing at delighting in the Lord? What do you need to change in your life to get to that point?