Archive | September 2023

Scripture of the Week by JoBeth Kested

Sep17

Scripture for the week of September 24, 2023
By JoBeth Kested

I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:2-4 (NIV)

Have you ever struggled with afflicting fear of failure, fear of the future, fear of abandonment or rejection? No matter how much we try to minimize or ignore it, sometimes life difficulties can cast us into the agonizing grip of our deepest fears with seemingly no hope of finding any way out. With great joy, this Psalmist instructs us to seek or call upon the Lord; declaring that God answered him and rescued him from ALL his fears. The afflicted are invited to join the celebration of worship and to glorify the Lord with the good news that God will also answer our cry for freedom from all our fears. In 1 John 4:18 we learn that the perfect love of Jesus casts out all fear. May you know the healing, restoring power of the love of Jesus that will also free you from every fear. Selah—ponder and focus on that!

Scripture of the Week by JoBeth Kested

Sep10

Scripture for the week of September 10, 2023
By JoBeth Kested

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV

Is there anything more beautiful than the dawning rays of sunlight breaking into a new day over majestic mountains, upon rolling ocean waves or watching from the serenity of your own back porch? But, what does the glory of the Lord rising upon us mean? The glory of the Lord in this scripture seems to mean the promise of His loving presence that drives away loneliness, the comfort of His peace that passes understanding, blessings of mercy that triumph over judgement, and the goodness of His enabling grace bestowed upon us. There are times we all need the restoring hope of light to drive out the darkness of fearful times and the unexpected circumstances afflicting our souls. What an encouraging gift we have in the promise of these scriptures that even in the darkest times our loving God promises the arising light upon us with His glorious presence, comfort and sufficient grace for each day. Thank You, Lord!

Scripture of the Week by JoBeth Kested

Sep3

Scripture for the week of September 3, 2017
By JoBeth Kested

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. Isaiah 46:9 (NIV)

Have you heard the saying,”You can’t know where you are going unless you know where you came from?” God instructs us in this scripture of the importance to remember the former things; twice declaring that He alone is God and there is none like Him! It is helpful to recall the stories of faith from those that have gone before us, overcoming great trials, handicaps, poverty and wars. In the midst of our current needs and busyness, have we forgotten the answered prayers and miracles we’ve experienced or learned about in the past that can inspire our faith to trust God for our needs today? Let us remember there is no other God whose very nature is love, extends mercy, offers peace, forgives sin, heals diseases, saves the lost, wipes away all our tears and knows the number of hairs on our heads! He is the King of kings, Lord of lords, Commander of the Angel Armies and yet, is also our loving Heavenly Father. There is no other God like our God! Amen!

Kindness

Sep1

Lately I have seen the phrase “be kind,” everywhere. To the point that I just had to post about it.

Kindness- the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.

Be kind to your fellow man and speak the Truth in Love.

John 14:6 CJB 6 Yeshua said, “I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Blessings and Shalom-Love Beyond Measure, Beth Auman