My husband decided to plant tomatoes in the spring, we are still enjoying the result of what he sowed! Sowing and reaping are age old principles- some call it karma, some call it farmer’s common sense!  The sinful nature must be taken off like a dirty work garment (i.e. scrubs after a germ exposed shift) and we are exhorted to put the spiritual nature on like our dress clothes (i.e. wedding garments symbolizing purity)- see Col 3: 9, 10. Father, your justice will not be mocked, help us to persevere in doing right.- Teresa

Galatians 6: 7-10 (NLT)

7 “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”

 When we have passed through troubled waters, there may be a lack of strength and an abundance of fear. To encourage us, God says that He is coming to destroy those ageless enemies, He indeed will save!-Teresa

 Isaiah 35:4 (NLT)

4 Say to those with fearful hearts,

    “Be strong, and do not fear,

for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.

    He is coming to save you.”

 When we realize that our lives are as light as air (not all that) and His influence over us has the weight of glory (more than we can imagine), then we have come to the place where we can pour our hearts out before Him!!- Teresa #Heheardmycry

Psalm 62:5-10 (NLT)

5 “Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

7 My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

8 O my people, trust in him at all times.

Pour out your heart to him,

for God is our refuge. Interlude

9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,

and the powerful are not what they appear to be.

If you weigh them on the scales,

together they are lighter than a breath of air.

10 Don’t make your living by extortion

or put your hope in stealing.

And if your wealth increases,

don’t make it the center of your life.”

  Isaiah 26:3-5 (NLT)

3 “You will keep in perfect peace

    all who trust in you,

    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

4 Trust in the Lord always,

    for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

5 He humbles the proud

    and brings down the arrogant city.

    He brings it down to the dust.”

 Suppose we come to the end of our ability to do good works. At the sunset of our lives will we be impacted by how precious God’s grace is to us? It’s as though we have been crucified with Christ and this new life of trusting His grace becomes a powerful source of thanksgiving, but more than merely saying thanks. We actually learn that dying to self means giving Him full reign to make us one with His purposes. This response is love!!-Teresa

Galatians 2:17-21 (NLT)

17 “But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”

 We are filled with joy each morning by the protection of the One who is our refuge from distress. God is powerful, His love is unfailing, He is our strength! -Teresa

Psalm 59:16,17 (NLT)
16 “But as for me, I will sing about your power.

    Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.

For you have been my refuge,

    a place of safety when I am in distress.

17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises,

    for you, O God, are my refuge,

    the God who shows me unfailing love.”

 There is no substitute for the beauty of Christ’s love in action. He saw our need to be rescued and was able to do it. For the joy set before Him, He chose to endure the shame and suffering required to complete the task (see Hebrews 12:2). Father, help us not to turn away from the purity of Your Good News to the world through Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior.-Teresa

Galatians 1:3-7 (NLT)

3 “May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ[b] give you grace and peace. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.[c] You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.”

 If the road is closed, then remember that God will open a path of mercy. For as many schemes that are raised against us, there is a confident expectation that God hears our cry for help and even collects our tears in a bottle. Fear is natural but where we put our faith can be supernatural.#Hispromise-Teresa

 Psalm 56:1-11 (NLT)

1 O God, have mercy on me,

    for people are hounding me.

    My foes attack me all day long.

2 I am constantly hounded by those who slander me,

    and many are boldly attacking me.

3 But when I am afraid,

    I will put my trust in you.

4 I praise God for what he has promised.

    I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

    What can mere mortals do to me?

5 They are always twisting what I say;

    they spend their days plotting to harm me.

6 They come together to spy on me—

    watching my every step, eager to kill me.

7 Don’t let them get away with their wickedness;

    in your anger, O God, bring them down.

8 You keep track of all my sorrows.[b]

    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

    You have recorded each one in your book.

9 My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.

    This I know: God is on my side!

10 I praise God for what he has promised;

    yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.

11 I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

    What can mere mortals do to me?

 God’s care can look like a nurturing supply of friends to laugh with and pray with and eat cake with! As far as those burdens that want to crush us…sometimes we forget to give them over, fling them off of us. Why do we feel responsible enough to carry the heaviness of the whole issue? Don’t forget today to share the load or maybe just dump the load at God’s feet to handle. “Slip and fall” is not in His vocabulary for those who trust Him- He is faithful to the uttermost (see Hebrews 7:25 KJV). Our job is to know when to stop worrying and start trusting!!-Teresa

Psalm 55:22 (NLT)
22 “Give your burdens to the Lord,

    and he will take care of you.

    He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

 Remember the moments in life that bolster your covenant agreements…God, too, asks for our faith to be firm in Him. He remembers Israel over and over. He remembers the oppressed remnant over and over. He is ready to act on behalf of His kingdom come but are we willing to place our faith firmly in the trustworthy One? Put a picture in your virtual wallet today of Father God’s love for you (replace one that has kept you believing a lie). Father, we believe it when you say we are worth a Son to you!-Teresa

Isaiah 7:1-9 (NLT)
7 “When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria[c] and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan.

2 The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel[d] against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub[e] and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.[f] 4 Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. 5 Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, 6 ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’ 7 But this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“This invasion will never happen;
    it will never take place;

8 for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus,

    and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin.

As for Israel, within sixty-five years

    it will be crushed and completely destroyed.

9 Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria,

    and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah.

Unless your faith is firm,

    I cannot make you stand firm.”