The "E" in adorE

The "E" in adorE:     Jesus, I adorE you...I like you sooooo much .......because you ENABLE us and you have a power that ENABLES you.  You "supply us with the means, knowledge, or opportunity to be or do something. You make feasible or possible"        " Praise be to the Lord, the God of Isreal, because he has come and has redeemed his people.......to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to ENABLE us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." Luke 1:68 & 74-75         " But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that ENABLES him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."  Phillipians 3:20-21     I adorE you, I am incredibly fond of you because you hate EVIL. You hate "anything that is undesirable because of its injurious effects; what causes an undesirable condition, ruin, injury, pain, harmful ...that which is destructive."    " "To fear the LORD is to hate EVIL." Prov. 8;13   "Your eyes are too pure to look on EVIL." Habakkuk 1:3     You are the ONE I adorE, Jesus, becasue you are an EVER-PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE.   " God is our refuge and strength, and EVER-PRESENT help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with surgin. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where Most High dwells. ....Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with us." Psalm 46:   Merry Christmas eve. "O come let us A-D-O-R-E him." Let us be profoundly impacted and in love with Jesus. Let us like him soooo much and be used in helping others come to adore him as well. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy lInk "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

The "R" in adoRe

The "R" in AdoRe:   1. Jesus I adoRe you because you are the RADIANCE of God's glory and the exact REPRESENTATION  of his being.   "In the past God spoke to our forefathes through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the RADIANCE of God's glory and the EXACT REPRESENTATION of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:1-3     2. I adoRe you, Jesus, because you gave your life as a RANSOM (the price or payment demanded or paid...a redemption from sin and its consequences.......to obtain the release of a person by paying a certain price)   "..the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a RANSOM for many." Matthew 20:28   "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a RANSOM for all men." 1 Timothy 2:5    3. I adoRe you, Jesus, because you are REAL!!!   "For my flesh is REAL FOOD and my body is REAL drink."  John 6:55   4. Jesus, I adoRe you because you have RECONCILED me.   "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies we were RECONCILED to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having een RECONCILED, shall we be saved through his life." Romans 5:8-10   "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who RECONCILED us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of RECONCILIATION: that God was RECONCILING the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. ...We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be RECONCILED to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:17-21   5. I adoRe you, because you REDEEM, you are a REFUGE, you REIGN, you RENEW, you are the RESURRECTION, you REWARD, you are RIGHTEOUS, you RESCUE, you are a ROCK, you are ROYAL, etc................ and on and on and on......You are worthy of all our RESPECT and REVERENCE.   Blessings from Bombadil. May we REFLECT on some 'R' REASONS to adoRe him today. Kristy "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

The "O" in adOre

The "O" in A-D-O-R-E......................   I AdOre you Jesus because you are the "One and Only."   "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the ONE and ONLY, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14   "Noone has ever seen God, but God the ONE and ONLY, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:18   "Now this is eternal life: the they may know you, the ONLY true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3   "To him who is ABLE to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy- to the ONLY God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Jude : 24 & 25   "He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the ONE whom God appointed as judge of the living and dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:43     I adOre you Jesus because you OVERWHELMED the people you encountered with amazement and wonder:   "People were OVERWHELMED WITH AMAZEMENT. 'He has done everything well, they said. ' He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." Mark 7:37   "When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw JESUS, they were OVERWHELMED WITH WONDER and ran to greet him.' Mark 9:14 & 15   I adOre you Jesus because you are OMNICIENT, OMNIPRESENT, and OMNIPOTENT:   OMNISCIENT-  having total knowledge; knowing everything   "Nothing in ALL of creation is hidden from God's sight." Hebrews 4:12       OMNIPOTENT- Having unlimited or universal power, authority or force.   "Is ANYTHING too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18: 14     OMNIPRESENCE- the fact of being present ........everywhere.   "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there;. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the se, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast..." Psalm 139:7-10     As a woman, would you rather have your lover simply tell you he "adores" you or be specific about the reasons why he adores you? May we adore our "Lover" the way we (I'm sure not ALL of you prefer this, ...but I sure do) desire to be adored..........very specific and detailed. As you sing, "O come let us ADORE him" this Christmas, may these words and reasons for adoration come to your mind. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link     "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

A lONG blog on reasons to ADORE Jesus.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is, "Oh come let us ADORE Him."  I believe that is what christmas is really about. However, it takes THINKING ABOUT HIM, knowing him, remembering experiences with him  and how he is revealed through Scripture to REALLY do that. So this week before Christmas, I am filling my own mind with reasons to ADORE him through taking each letter of the word A-D-O-R-E each day of this week and finding reasons to adore him.  I thought I'd share what I'm meditating on with you. I want my own soul to TRULY/SINCERELY adore him this season.  Since I was out of town yesterday, I'm going to double up and look at A and D.   1.  He is ABLE.           "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is ABLE to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he doesn't, we want you to know, O king, that we will NOT serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18            "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is ABLE to make him stand." Romans 14:4           " And God is ABLE to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8             "Now to Him who is ABLE to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church....." Ephesians 3:20                "Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is ABLE to save completey those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:24-25    2. He is ABOUNDING (  to be filled and overflowing with) in love.                "The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, ABOUNDING in love and faithfulness, maintining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." Exodus 34:6                " You are forgiving and good, O Lord, ABOUNDING in love to all who call to you." Psalm 86:5     3. He is ALMIGHTY ( all powerful, omnipotent, having unlimited power & authority)           " I am God ALMIGHTY; walk before me and be blameless." Genesis 17:1           " Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe  the limits of the ALMIGHTY? They are higher than the heavens - what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave- what can you know?" Job 11:7-8           " Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD ALMIGHTY; the whole earth is full of his glory."  Isaiah 6:3     4. He is AWESOME ( inspiring awe...an emotion of mingled reverence, dread, & wonder inspired by something majestic. Respect tingled with fear for authority)          " Who among the gods is like you, O LORD?  Who is like you- majestic in holiness, AWESOME in glory, working wonders?" Exodus 15:13           " Do not be terrrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and AWESOME God.' Deuteronomy 7:21            " For the LORD your God is God of gods and LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and AWESOME, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing."  Deuteronomy 10:17 & 18            " How AWESOME is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth."  Psalm 47:2       And now for the "D"   1. He is our DEFENDER ( makes us safe from danger or attack. Protects us from danger or harm; shields & guards)              " The people of Isreal are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go. Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously DEFEND their casue so that he may bring rest to their land." Jeremiah 50:34                " My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have ONE who speaks to the Father in our DEFENSE- JESUS CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUS ONE. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2     2. He DIED for me/us             " Very rarely will anyone DIE for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own LOVE for US in this: While we were still sinners, Christ DIED for us" Romans 5:7-8              " For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ DIED for OUR sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living...." 1 Corinthians 15:3-6                "He DIED for US SO THAT, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him." 1 Thessalonians 5:10     3. He will DELIGHT in me/us/those who draw near to him and love him                  "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take GREAT DELIGHT IN YOU, he will quiet YOU with his LOVE, he will REJOICE over YOU with singing." Zephaniah 3:17   4. He DELIVERS (releases/rescues from bondage, danger,or evil of any kind; sets free)me/us             " Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But his happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has DELIEVERED us from such deadly peril, and he will DELIVER us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to DELIVER US, as you help us by your prayers." 2 Corinthians 1:9-11               "But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O LORD! DELIVER me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the LORD comes DELIVERENCE."  Psalm 3:3-8                " O Sovereign LORD, my STRONG DELIVERER. who shields my head in the day of battle.' Psalm 140:7             Now, may we add our own personal experiences and testimonies to these truths making them REAL and INTIMATE.........the stuff deep love and adoration is made of. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link                       " "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Adore Him!

" O come let us ADORE him...."   Adore- to love deeply; to like very much; to worship and revere     May we ADORE him very much today. May we delight in Him all day and all that he is. May we train our minds to think about HIM sooooo much more than we think about ourselves. Our souls will be happier and more peacful if we do. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy link   "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Quick to listen

Yesterday, while running on the treadmill at the YMCA, a friend came and ran next to me.  We were chit-chatting away until I finally got to the place where I really couldn't talk much more. I finally had to say, " I can still listen but I won't be able to chat for a few." I immediately thought:   Listening is better anyways according to James 1:19 & 20     "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be QUICK TO LISTEN, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires......."   Later last night, I needed the last part of this truth as I'm always more tired at the end of the day when my children seem to be more wired. I get tired..........they get wired. Ahhhhhhhhh!  It is a great temptation for me to get angry at them in the evening and I need these words constantly being whispered in my ear. May these words of God direct our steps and behavior today to the Glory of God. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy   "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

INVISIBLE

During this season of Invisible to the eye but incredibly REAL germs causing the flu, may we remember the INVISIBLE BUT INCREDILBLY REAL GOD:     "He is the image of the INVISIBLE GOD..." Colossians 1:15    "By faith, Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because HE SAW HIM WHO IS INVISIBLE." Hebrews 11: 27    "But when you pray , go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is UNSEEN (invisible)." Matthew 6:6   Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link   p.s if you have young boys you might want to pass along these verses to them because they lOVE invisible super heroes.  And our God is the SUPEREST OF SUPER HEROES!     "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

The Voice of the Martyrs

This morning I spent my time reading one of the most disturbing, challenging, inspiring magazines/ newsltters out there (in my opinion), It's called "The Voice of the Martyrs." Everytime I read it my  soul is disturbed & inspired for the rest of the day.........sometimes week. It's a very small magazine (if you can even call it that) that shares how our fellow Christians/believers are being persecuted around the world simply for believing and gathering together to worship Jesus.  There is soooooo much persecution and torture going on across the ocean for so many people who choose to follow Jesus and not deny his name. Churches and homes are being burnt down, guns & machetes being used, fathers, mothers and children being killed simply for believing that Jesus is the way to God.         We are so "safe" here in America (at least at this time). We can gather, share our faith, and believe in Jesus with no real fear of being persecuted or tortured. May we NEVER take that for granted. That is NOT the case for soooooo many of our brothers and sisters around the world.   Their committment to not denying his name and sharing about him with others knowing that it might very well mean death for them inspires me to be faithful. The verse that Voice of the Martyrs has adopted as their mission verse is Hebrews 13: 3. ' I'll share Hebrews 1-6 simply to get a little more of God's words in our hearts today:     "Keep on LOVING each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON, AS IF YOU WERE THEIR FELLOW PRISONERS, AND THOSE WHO ARE MISTREATED AS IF YOU YOURSELVES WERE SUFFERING. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral . Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,   'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'   So we say with CONFIDENCE,   'The Lord is my helper; I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?"   May  we hold to the name of Jesus .............no matter what!!!! Just like our fellow believers across the ocean. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link   p.s if you'd like to order this newsletter and be disturbed and inspired with these true stories happening today, you can do that by contacting The Voice of the Martyrs at:   1-800-747-0085   or   e-mail: thevoice@vom-usa.org   website: www.persecution.com "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Mom Monday

"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers/sisters, LOVED BY THE LORD because from the BEGINNING God CHOSE YOU to be SAVED through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through BELIEF IN THE TRUTH. He called YOU to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers/sisters, STAND FIRM and HOLD TO THE TEACHINGS we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who LOVED US and by his grace gave us ETERNAL ENCOURAGEMENT and GOOD HOPE, encourage YOUR HEARTS and STRENGTHEN you in every good deed and word...................... May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.......and as for you brothers/SISTERS, NEVER TIRE OF DOING WHAT IS RIGHT." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17, 3:5, and 3:13     As we mother our children today may we think about how much God loves us and them and may we think about How Jesus persevered and "for the joy set before him endured the cross." Keep the joy set before you of reaping a harvest someday of all you have poured into your children.  May we "never tire of doing what is right." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, help us God. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Made for interacting........with God

As I was sitting here at my computer this morning and my 12 year old son was sitting out on our front steps waiting for his bus to come, he popped his head back in the door to say,   " I think it's cool that the FIRST day of snow is on the FIRST day of December."     I agreed with him and he went back out to continue waiting for his bus.   As soon as the door shut I said to God, "I LOVED that! I LOVED that he just told me that. Why did I love that???"     I belive the answer lies simply in this...........Life is about relationships.  Relationships with each other and more importantly, a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.   In James 5:13 it says;   " Is any one of you in trouble? He should PRAY. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of PRAISE.  Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to PRAY over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord....."   I wonder if God himself, the Creator of the Universe, feels touched and thinks, "I LOVE that my child just shared a thought he had, a piece of himself, with me. I LOVE when my child RELATES ( has  a connection with; interacts in a meaningful fashion) WITH ME."   Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............I'm sure He does. The Bible is full of Him compelling us, drawing us into RELATIONSHIP with him. That is actully WHY we were made:   "All things were made by Him and FOR HIM." Colossians 1:16    How fun it is to think about touching the heart of God with our relating/sharing/praying/ drawing near to him.   Until the day we meet Him face to face to see all that really went on when we interacted with him here on earth, may we pray when we are in trouble, may we sing to him when we are happy, may we pray to him with others when we are sick, and may we touch the heart of God just like my son touched my heart this morning with such a simple little interaction. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link   ."I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26