The Journal of Ruth

Believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to be in the presence of God and to get into heaven. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This was witnessed and recorded in the bible. Jesus IS the only way. Don't get distracted by other nonsense that people come up with. Stick with Jesus all the way!

Joshua 1:9 is one of my favorite bible verses. God is with us wherever we go. He will never abandon us. Never! So we do not have to be afraid of anything. God has everything in His control. God tells us to be strong and courageous everyday. We don't have to be beaten down and depressed. Have faith. God has got this! Be blessed today and walk in strength and courage!

Worry is just a waste of time and energy. Worry does not not solve any problems or change any situations. Instead of worrying about something, take the proactive approach and pray about it. There is a hymn that says Fix your eyes upon Jesus and the things of this world will go strangely dim. This is true. I have had to fix my eyes on Jesus many times. And you know what happened? That issue wasn't so big after all. Have a blessed and worry free day.!

Communication is important in most relationships, in your job, with your friends, and most importantly with God. God is with us always. We don't have to wait for a certain time to talk with God. Talk to Him while you are driving to work (this is what I do), while you do household tasks, while you are doing nothing. God is always ready to communicate with you and He is just waiting for you. Take the time today for a good heart to heart with God

The very first commandment from God is that we are not to have anything more important than God. Okay so we don't have a statue (idol) that we bow down to but we can have other "idols" that are the most important thing in our lives. Even more important than God. It may be a sport, a person, a hobby, a job, money, fame, power, or anything. Lets take a very careful look at what we have in our lives and make sure that we are not spending all of our time, effort, and energy on that and we are placing God before everything else.

It's Wednesday! Want to understand the bible better? Want to live the life God has in store for you? Want some answers? Want to know what God has to say? Go to a bible study and get into God's word. You will be better for it.

Yes you do have a talent, ability, skill, or special gift. God gave it to you. Some people have a very prominent talent, others abilities may seem minor, but God gave you your skill set for a reason. God created diverse abilities because there is much work to be done for His kingdom. If you are unsure about your God given abilities, pray and ask God to show you what they are and how He wants you to use them to glorify Him. You have the potential to make a positive impact for the kingdom of God. So get to using your talents!

The secret to happiness, everybody want's in on this secret. Happiness comes from fearing and obeying the Lord. Fear does not mean shaking in your boots, scared for your life. Fear means to hold God in the upmost reverence and placing Him first in our life. Then we have to obey God's commands. This means living everyday the way He tells Christians to live. We can be happy, in the good times and the bad just by simply following God. Read the bible. This is God's instruction book for us. Be happy and blessed today!

It is so easy to get caught up in this world with having the best stuff, getting to the top, being important, and achieving something great. As a Christian, we have to remind ourselves every day that it is not about us. Every moment of every day is about Jesus. We really should put all of our energy, time, and focus on the Good News of Jesus. Our reward is in heaven. I just want to be remembered as a person who is 100% committed to and on fire for Jesus. How abut you? https://youtu.be/MVU3wX7Sbog

The is power in prayer. Jesus often went alone to pray. We need to follow His example. Find some quiet time away from the distractions of life and pray. Make the time. Focus. Be persistent. God will move in your life. Watch the movie War Room if you have never seen it to get the idea about focused prayer. Be blessed today.

We need shelter to protect us from a lot of things. Storms, cold, heat, danger. God says that He will shelter us under His wings. Like the protective Father that He is, God shelters us from the storms of this life no matter what form they come in. If you have something in your life that you need protection from, seek shelter under God's wings. God is just waiting for you to ask. There is no safer place to be.

We are created in the image of God. That doesn't mean a physical image, but simply that we resemble God in certain ways. Of all of God's creation, humans are different. He calls us the most excellent of His works. God created us with the intellectual ability to communicate, fellowship, and respond to Him. We are His people. Our part is to actually communicate and obey God. So lets act like we are that special, great, wonderful creation of God today and show everyone how Great He is. After all we are His reflection.

It is not enough just to know about God. It is not enough just to believe there is God. It is not enough just to be a Christian on Sunday. God wants a personal relationship with you like your closest friend. He wants you to talk to him and spend time with Him everyday. Just like you would do with your friend, have a conversation. Give Him your whole heart, soul, and mind everyday. Be an everyday Christian. Start today.

Yes we have a choice to follow God or not. And parents you have a choice for your family. It is important for the whole family to go to church together, pray together, and read the bible together. Parents the responsibility is on you to make sure your children know and serve the Lord. Jesus will hold you accountable for your children. So who does your entire family serve? Can you say as for me and my house, we serve the Lord? If not, start today.

There is a tree growing by a river. It has everything it needs and produces like it is suppose to. It goes through storms, freezes, and droughts, yet it still prospers. So it is with us. We have God's Word and the Holy Spirit. We have everything we need to weather life's storms and to prosper. It really is not that difficult. Read the bible, do what it says, and be obedient to God. Be blessed and prosper today.

What ever your job is, you work for a company, you own your own business, or you are a stay at home parent, the Lord is our supervisor. So we are to work in whatever we do so that our supreme boss gives us a good evaluation. It doesn't matter whether or not your like your job, the people you work with, or your boss. In everything we do, we are to please our heavenly Father. In all things, even your job, honor God.

Most of us don't like our dinner almost cold or our coffee lukewarm. Jesus doesn't want Christians to be lukewarm. He wants us to be Christians all the time not just at church or around church people. Be like Jesus on your job, around your friends and family. Choose activities and the things in your life that say you are a Christian. You can't be a Christian on Sunday and not a Christian the rest of the week. Jesus wants us all in all the time.

If we knew everything that God knows then He wouldn't be the almighty God. We will not understand everything God does with our limited human minds. We just have to trust that God is God and knows what is best. Just follow where He leads you with complete trust.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite verses in the bible. This verse gives so much hope to know that God has great plans for us. To prosper us and not harm us. We get in our own way sometimes of this prosperity. But we still have hope that God can turn it around for us because He still has those great plans that we messed up. One thing we can never mess up if we know Jesus Christ as our savior is that we have a future in heaven. Want to know what your great plan is from God? Just ask Him.

Reading the bible is one of the best things you can do each day. Daily application of what your read in the Bible keeps you on the right path in life and keeps your mind and heart in the right place. When I started reading the Bible daily, I did not understand a lot of it. I bought a study bible that has explanations and a daily devotional that also has commentary about scripture. The Bible is not meant to be read from front to back like a novel. Read in small portions and study that one part. Ask God to help you. He will speak to you through His words.

Did you know that Jesus can work miracles today just like He did 2000 years ago? Miracles are not just stories in the Bible. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Do you need a miracle today? Do you need healing, restored relationships, financial help, or set free from something? Jesus has a miracle waiting for you. But first you have to know Jesus. Not just read about Him, but know Him like you know your best friend. Admit that you need Jesus in your life, believe He is who He says He is, and accept Him as your savior. Then just ask for what you need through prayer. Jesus is waiting to hear from you.

Feeling like nobody really knows or understands you? God knows you better than anybody. He knows what is in your heart. Keep being you as God created you. He set you apart and that's the way He wants you. Don't let other people tell you who you should be. Follow God's plan for you. He fully knows you and loves you like no other. Find Christian friends that will love you the same way. You are not alone.