Friday Magnify - 5

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 34:3

“And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26).

What hope do we have, but Jesus Christ?

What comfort do we have, but Jesus Christ?

What joy, strength, and peace but Him?

God, Almighty God, came to us not-mighty humans. Born as a baby, and never having sinned - He shows us how to live. He lived and died that we could be redeemed; hopeless sinners, redeemed by the blood of our God. What a Savior!

There is no one else like Him. And there is no one else I want to live my life for. Any trials, any suffering - it is all nothing compared to His sacrifice for me. He gives me hope to keep going, knowing that He sees all and knows all and is making everything right. He comforts me and strengthens me, He gives me joy that doesn’t make sense and peace when all is in turmoil.

What a far cry I am from perfection, but He is so kind to carry me along. His Word lifts me up to do all He sets before me, and to do it cheerfully. His sacrifice promises me forgiveness when I stumble and sin against Him - sin doesn’t have the final word!

What a wonderful Savior we have. This week, I am thankful He came all those years ago!

What Child Is ThisWords by William C. DixMusic: Greensleeves, 16th Century English melodyPerformed by Sovereign GraceVocalist McKenzie KauflinOn "Prepare Him...

Friday Magnify - 4

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 34:3

Happy Friday! I have been so struck this week with how merciful our God is. Often I complain and am discontent with things in life. Challenges can throw me for a loop and before I know it, I am an ungrateful little stinker! God gently reminds me that He has saved my soul. What is anything in light of that? He has given me all of my days and they are each a gift - complaining is being ungrateful, and I have nothing to be ungrateful for. He is always good and always merciful!

He even looks after the little details, like the above-pictured donut. I had thought earlier in the week about what a birthday cake would look like for a 10am party, and settled on a donut-type dessert being a good idea. Really didn’t want to do a drive-thru donut, since they don’t taste as good and usually upset everyone’s stomachs. But, I had no idea when I would make the 40-minute trip to our favorite donut place…and I wasn’t sure I wanted to make any…so I completely forgot about it. (This is typical, and I end up having to pull something out of thin air last-minute. Heh.)

Unrelated, Thursday I had a last-minute doctor appointment that seemed like a total waste of time. Drove an hour up to see a doctor for three minutes before being set back home. But, right down the road from the office is a fabulous donut shop. So we grabbed some donuts and drove home.

It wasn’t until I got home and settled that I realized I had the donut I needed for my little guy’s birthday. Even when we’re space cadets the Lord looks out for us! He obviously didn’t have to add this little detail to my life, but He did and I am thankful!

Has the Lord blessed you in creative ways this week?

Have a great weekend! :)

Amy

Friday Magnify - 3

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
Psalm 34:3

This week, as with every week, there are countless things to be thankful for! We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday with family and a friend, and it was wonderful. I’m thankful for the time spent together, the yummy food, the laughter and joy throughout the house. Gifts from our Lord!

I also am thankful for this book, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot. Elisabeth Elliot and Amy Carmichael are two of my heroines; they both were steadfast in their faith and the Lord used their lives to touch many. This book is serving as a great encouragement and inspiration to me in this season - I highly recommend it!

God is so good to us. He sends rain on the just and the unjust… blessed be the name of the Lord!

Have a great weekend, friends. :)

Celebrate Thanksgiving!

Freedom from Want, the Thanksgiving print. One of my favorite paintings, created by Norman Rockwell and made alive in my grandparents' home. Rockwell made this as one of four "Freedoms" in conjunction with President Roosevelt's State of the Union address in 1941. Freedom of speech and expression; freedom of worship; freedom from want; freedom from fear.

We crave freedom. We want to be able to say what we have to say and have it listened to. We want freedom to worship as we please. We want freedom to not be in need - freedom to provide for ourselves and our families. We want freedom from fear, when we can trust people around us and not have to live on the defensive.

These freedoms, and our desire to be free - they come from God. He made each of us in His image, those who believe in Him and those who don't. We have rights because He gave them to us. We can read through Proverbs and find that He desires us to be diligent, provide, and live cheerfully. We can see in Genesis that He gives us land to work and cultivate. In Leviticus we see His laws that protect and provide for His people. In the Gospels and Romans especially we see the ultimate freedom, freedom from sin through Jesus Christ.

It is because of our Creator that we can maintain earthly freedom as a good thing and desire to have it. Freedom for me, freedom for you.

This, my friends, is why it's important to fight for freedom. We fight for freedom because it's what God desires. Unjust rule and reign is contrary to what He wants.

"For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man" (Psalm 5:4-6).

Celebrate Thanksgiving this week, and may it be joyful. 🥂