For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.
Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.
Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Colossians 3:23 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.
I was going to share a different verse today but accidentally came to this one and thought it was very appropriate for our prayers this week.
Those of us who are blessed need to share our blessings with the less fortunate as we are led by God to do so.
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
Proverbs 22:9 ESV
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Please join me this week in praying for the unemployed, those seeking work, or those who have given up looking. Pray that they turn to the Lord for guidance and encouragement and strength. Let's also pray that God opens doors for them and that they recognize those opportunities.
My husband will notice people's nametags wherever we go and greet them by name. So, to the cashier at the grocery, the waitress, the teller,...he'll say something like, "Good morning, Judy! What a beautiful name! Did you know that God knew your name even before you were born?" I admire his ability to share God and the gospel with everyone. He seems to do it so easily and so smoothly. When I've commented about it, he tells me that, 'you just have to look for an opening.' He also tells me that it gets easier with practice. This particular introduction is especially wonderful because it lets people know that they are special, unique, and loved by God, the Creator who knew them even before they were conceived. While we aren't all appointed prophets to the nations like Jeremiah, I feel like the Bible verse is still relevant to all of us because we're all to share the Good News everywhere we go, therefore we are all God's messengers.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and
before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5 ESV
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Please join me this week in praising God for sending His only Son and allowing us to share in that experience through the teachings of the Gospels (See Luke 2:1-7). Praise Him for all of the new lives He brought into this world in 2020 and for giving us that 'breath of fresh air' when we needed it most. Let us pray for the health and welfare of all of those born this year and their families. May they dwell on the joy and miracle and blessings of new life.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:13-16 ESV
I came across Charles Spurgeon's commentary of these verses: “If we are marvelously wrought upon even before we are born, what shall we say of the Lord’s dealings with us after we quit his secret workshop, and he directs our pathway through the pilgrimage of life? What shall we not say of that new birth which is even more mysterious than the first, and exhibits even more the love and wisdom of the Lord.”
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Please join me this week in praising God for sending His only Son and allowing us to share in that experience through the teachings of the Gospels (See Luke 2:1-7). Praise Him for all of the new lives He brought into this world in 2020 and for giving us that 'breath of fresh air' when we needed it most. Let us pray for the health and welfare of all of those born this year and their families. May they dwell on the joy and miracle and blessings of new life.
Amid all of the illness and the unprecedented number of lives lost in a single year, there have been many, many blessings of babies being born. Every time I heard of a birth, ... it's kind of hard to describe the feeling - almost like a breath of fresh air; a brief moment of calm, of normalcy. I thought during this week of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour, we might pray for all of the babies born this year and remember how blessed we are to have such a loving and merciful Creator to watch over us and guide us through this life. He knows each one of us intimately, even each hair on our heads. He has a plan for our lives. Even among death, life continues and is renewed, just as even among graves, flowers bloom. I found this bible verse which I must have read many times, but it never stuck out in my mind as a 'wow' kind of thing until today. I've been blessed to give birth twice, and aside from the effect of accelerated hormones, it's really an emotional experience. On one hand, I had this human being growing inside of me and that's its own miracle. On the other hand, I was anxious for the child to be born - anxious as in, couldn't wait, but also in nervous about how she would change my life and uncertain if I was up for the challenge. There was also the anxiety of childbirth - because of the curse, it is extremely painful, but we forget the pain. If we didn't, we would never have more than one child.
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come,
but when she has delivered the baby,
she no longer remembers the anguish,
for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
John 16:21 ESV
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Please join me this week in praising God for sending His only Son and allowing us to share in that experience through the teachings of the Gospels (See Luke 2:1-7). Praise Him for all of the new lives He brought into this world in 2020 and for giving us that 'breath of fresh air' when we needed it most. Let us pray for the health and welfare of all of those born this year and their families. May they dwell on the joy and miracle and blessings of new life.
When I was growing up, I didn't feel as if I wanted for anything. I had a loving and supportive family, a roof over my head, and food on the table. My mom made my clothes for years so I was always dressed nicely. My parents provided for all of my needs. Our Father in heaven made it all possible. He cares for us and provides for us.
Even when I turned my back on Him, He continued to provide for me. I was extremely poor during that time but still had food, shelter, and clothing. I didn't even ask Him for anything. During that time, I was still His child, though and He still loved me and provided for me.
Let's wrap up this week of blessings, by reflecting on everything He provides for us on a daily basis. Let's praise Him and glorify Him for His love and mercy. I am so deeply blessed and so incredibly thankful.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Psalm 23:1-4 NIV
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Please join me this week in praying for all of the awesome blessings that God bestows on us. Pray for any blessings that someone close to you needs. And finally, let's pray that the Father uses us to be the blessing in someone else's life.
Please join me this week in praying for all of the awesome blessings that God bestows on us. Pray for any blessings that someone close to you needs. And finally, let's pray that the Father uses us to be the blessing in someone else's life.
I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I started yesterday by making a turkey and a few side dishes (my husband helped, thankfully) and did all of the last-minute clean-up/straighten up chores that come with hosting a meal like this. My husband's family came over and I was able to enjoy their company for a few hours before heading over to my mom's for Thanksgiving meal #2. That's when the real work began.
My mom has lost a lot of strength in her arms and hands since taking the chemo pill, but she still tries to do everything. I get there, and she's having trouble holding the electric knife to cut the turkey so I jumped in to help. She watched me closely, instructing me where to cut, what to do, etc. eventually hovering right behind me until she said, "Just let me do it." It was a lot of stuff like that which I won't bore you with, but let's just say, by the end of the night I was exhausted and quietly cursing my choice of shoes.
Now that we've all sufficiently given thanks, it's time to begin 3-1/2 weeks of intensive preparations for Christmas. There's shopping and decorating and baking and visiting and holiday parties. There's Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. It's expensive and hectic and crazy and unfortunately, I believe, it distracts us from the reason for the season. So, before we begin this Thanksgiving aftermath, this Pre-Christmas frenzy, let's meditate on our blessings some more.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law* of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law* day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
*The law is simply: ...“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ...‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:37 & 39
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Please join me this week in praying for all of the awesome blessings that God bestows on us. Pray for any blessings that someone close to you needs. And finally, let's pray that the Father uses us to be the blessing in someone else's life.
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so blessed to have all of you join me each day as we pray and worship together. I love hearing from you when a particular prayer, bible verse, or story speaks to you and what you're going through. God reveals Himself to us when He answers our prayers, yet, each time I'm still amazed. Who am I that God listens to my small voice and answers? What an amazing God He is. What a blessing He gives us each and every day that we wake up and are given the opportunity to reveal Him to others. God is so good. I am so blessed.
Blessings sung by Laura Story
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
(Chorus)
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
Chorus
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
Chorus
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
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Please join me this week in praying for all of the awesome blessings that God bestows on us. Pray for any blessings that someone close to you needs. And finally, let's pray that the Father uses us to be the blessing in someone else's life.
I want to be like this tree, don't you? I want to have this much trust in the Lord that I'll never worry, never fear. I want to bear fruit continuously for Him. The reason we don't trust so completely is because we doubt, or are just plain impatient. But He is always there for us and provides for us. He doesn't want us to go it alone. We need to learn to just enjoy the blessing of being a child of God.
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Please join me this week in praying for all of the awesome blessings that God bestows on us. Pray for any blessings that someone close to you needs. And finally, let's pray that the Father uses us to be the blessing in someone else's life.
having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV
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Please join me this week in praying for all of the awesome blessings that God bestows on us. Pray for any blessings that someone close to you needs. And finally, let's pray that the Father uses us to be the blessing in someone else's life.
I'd like to take some time before the rush of Christmas gets into full-swing to reflect on the blessings God has given us. I try to remember to thank the Lord for the many blessings He gives me throughout the day, but I forget to thank Him for the greatest blessings He gave to me and all His children: His Son, salvation, and eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18 NIV
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NIV
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Please join me this week in praying for all of the awesome blessings that God bestows on us. Pray for any blessings that someone close to you needs. And finally, let's pray that the Father uses us to be the blessing in someone else's life.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people.
I'm very blessed to have been born to my parents. I can't remember one time when they didn't support me Even as a child, they supported whatever interests I developed whether it was dancing, drawing, piano, they made sure I had lessons and the right tools to be the best ballerina, artist, or pianist I could be. The time that means the most to me, though, was when I decided I wanted to become an interior designer. Our high school allowed girls to take drafting classes for the first time ever when I was a junior. I signed up for it just because it was something that I was previously barred from and I fell in love with it. My parents took me downtown to Dayton Blueprint and got me stocked up with a drafting table, t-square, scale, portfolio, graphite and probably twenty other tools of the trade. I still have most of those items because they meant so much to me. While I didn't make it through the interior design program initially, I did get into the architectural field and have been using those initial drafting skills for over 26 years. I feel so very blessed. Thank you, Mom and Dad.
I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
2 Timothy 1:3
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Join me this week in praying with an appreciation and gratitude for the person(s) who supports you in life.
I'll post daily reminders on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Instagram @archadia27
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power
Send this to someone special in your life who has given freely of themselves. Let them know that you lift them up in prayer.
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
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Join me this week in praying with an appreciation and gratitude for the person(s) who supports you in life.
I'll post daily reminders on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Instagram @archadia27
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power
This is one of my favorite passages for when I'm feeling anxious, worrying about some problem that will most likely never occur, but it's also a great passage to remind us that God takes care of our every need. We have so much to be thankful for.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:30-33 ESV
