Psalm 23:1-3 “The Lord is MY Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me].  I shall not lack.  He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him-not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.” AMP

Revelation 7:17 “For the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” AMP

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When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over.  Let nothing be wasted.”  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” ~ John 6:12-13

Do you eat leftovers?  Leftovers are some of my favorite things to eat for breakfast or lunch.  I don’t like to waste food, and I usually don’t throw much away unless it goes bad.

Jesus was not wasteful.  Even while He did things in abundance, He was specific in this passage to instruct His disciples to “Let nothing be wasted.”

I love this!

Not only did Jesus feed over 5000 people with a boy’s 5 barley loaves and 2 fish (in abundance), He wanted to make sure they saved any leftovers so they were not wasted!

Do you ever feel like a leftover?  Have you gotten discouraged over something in life that left you feeling inferior, unloved, left out, or leftover?

Jesus loves people.  He wants everyone to come to him and be saved…have eternal life in Heaven with the Father.  No one is a leftover to Him.  Everyone is welcome.  Everyone is valued.  Everyone is loved.

When I think about the story of the woman caught in adultery and how the people of the town wanted to stone her for it, Jesus simply wrote in the sand and told the one who was without sin to cast the first stone.  This woman was a valuable leftover to Jesus, and He made sure she was not wasted.  He did not condemn her but instead instructed her to go and sin no more.

2 Peter 3:9 tells us that “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly.  That includes the leftovers!  We only have leftovers when there has been abundance.  Have you given your life to Jesus?  Are you living in the abundance He alone can provide?

And while we’re talking about leftovers from the 5 loaves and 2 fish, I think it is interesting to note that there were only leftovers from the loaves.  I guess the people ate all the fish…just sayin’!!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!!  My pastor’s message this morning, focusing on the stone that was rolled away as the women went to anoint Jesus’ body according to their burial traditions, went so much deeper into something relevant to our lives today.

Mark 16:2-3 ~ “And very early on the first day of the week they came to the tomb: (by then) the sun had risen.  And they said to one another, Who will roll back the stone for us..?” Amplified version

Do you have stones in your life? Not real actual stones, but stones of anger, resentment, regret, shame, sin, grief, relationship difficulties, financial struggles?  Maybe your stone is something else, but equally debilitating in your life. These are all stones that can stand in our way of walking in the fullness of life that Jesus died to give us.

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How about not yet knowing Jesus?  Have you never committed your life to Him?  That can be the largest of all stones, and He can remove that one right now!  Just pray the simple prayer below to turn your life over to Jesus, and He will remove that stone and turn your life around for you.

*Thank you Lord Jesus for shedding Your blood on the cross in payment for my sins and for offering me the gift of eternal life with You.  I am truly sorry for and repent of my sins. I turn from them and open my heart and invite You into my life.  I commit to follow you the rest of my days.  By faith I receive the gift you provided for me, and I acknowledge You as my Lord and Savior.  Amen

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Truth.  What does this word mean to you?  Have you ever really thought about it?

One might say, “Well, what is true for you may not be true for me.”  While I can understand the thinking that everyone is different, our lives can certainly be different, and one size does not fit all, I also know that when it comes to Truth, God’s word is absolute, and absolutely true for everyone!

E. Paul Hovey stated, “Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.”

We all want what we want, don’t we? And we don’t like being told we are wrong about something, or told we are living wrong, or doing things we shouldn’t be doing if they are something we want to do, or something we want to have.

The Bible is our guidebook to how we should live, how we should act toward one another, how we should forgive, but most importantly how we get to God.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father but through Me!”  Jesus is the ONLY way to God the Father…this is TRUTH!

The bible teaches us about what is right (truth) and what is not (untruth.)

I love this quote from D. L. Moody, “The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it.”

This quote to me is very profound!  The point here is that Truth is like a stick.  A crooked stick will be revealed by laying a straight stick (Truth) alongside it.  Once the two are put side by side, the crooked stick (untruth) is uncovered and revealed by the straight stick (Truth).

The Holy Bible is the true Word of God and we should use it to gauge whether or not other written word matches up and is therefore TRUE.  We should not just judge things in life by what we want, what we see, or even what another person says is true.  To be sure of any Truth, we must consult THE TRUTH, the Word of God, the Bible.  It is the Ultimate TRUTH for our lives, and it is the way to know God through Jesus.

I so love spending time with the Lord in the early morning hours, and as I ask Him to give me my nugget of truth to take into my day, apply to my life, and use to point me to Him all day long, I am more than amazed at how He meets me right where I am and ministers to me through His word.

Today I read some scriptures about believing and God gave me the title of this post, “I believe I receive, because I believe.”

The bible says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” ~ John 10:10.

The thief is the devil, and his only quest is to steal, kill and destroy!  Don’t let him, my friend!  Believe God and you will receive His promises.

Here is why:

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” ~ Matthew 21:21-22 NIV

Do you see that, my friend?  IF we believe, we WILL receive.  So when doubts creep in, as they often do, cast them OUT and remember Jesus’ promise that IF we believe, we WILL receive.  Don’t allow unbelief to undermine your faith in God, your trust that God will remain true to His promises (because He always will!), and Believe you Receive, Because YOU Believe!!

In this scripture in Matthew, it is speaking about a time when Jesus was walking with his disciples and was hungry.  As he approached a fig tree, he found it to be unfruitful, bearing NO fruit, and He cursed it and it withered on the spot!  Because the disciples were so amazed and questioned him about this, he gave them this response, found in Matthew 21:21-22.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

If you have faith and do not doubt…You must have Faith, my friend.

You must Say it…Speaking it out in faith is believing

If you believe, you will receive…You must Believe

Whatever you ask for in prayer…You must Ask, my friend.

These truths are so empowering, but we must keep our faith strong and cast out any unbelief that tries to derail us.  If our faith seems to waver, we need to ask God to strengthen our faith, build our faith, and help us cast out any unbelief.

Allow Him to take your unbelief.  Just as the bible says in Psalm 55:22, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you” and in I Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

So my friend, cast those cares and that unbelief upon Him, allow Him to remove it from your life, and then your faith will rise!

Then you will be able to Believe YOU Receive, because YOU Believe