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To Be With Us

10 12 2013

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV

God’s promise to be with us gives us confidence. It is not a promise of ease or unfettered progress but it gives us so much more. He promised to be with us. He gave His unfailing Word that His presence would be with us always. His presence is a place of peace, joy and strength. In His Company, we can receive renewal, strength and confidence. We can be reassured to be strong and courageous. We can thrive. With Him, fear has no place. We can leave our anxiety behind. We can shed anything that hinders our walking fully in our purpose. In His presence we can be healed of the past and look focused toward the future. Growing, maturing, and completing the work of our hands. He promised to be with us. His presence in my life is sufficient for me.

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because GOD, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 MSG

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Tags: Deuteronomy 31:6, terriwellspring.com, To Be With Us
Categories : ENCOURAGEMENT, Uncategorized

The Work in Us

9 12 2013

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

As long as we are still on our life’s journey, we continue to be a work in progress. Each day is a chance to grow and mature in the way we think and feel. I am thankful for the journey and the Lord’s promise to continue His work in us. His Holy Spirit continues to reveal things in our hearts and minds that need to change and to mature. Places where we have stored up resentment or hard feelings come into the spotlight and we are compelled to respond. Jesus is asking us to release our hearts to Him and choose to respond with love, forgiveness and a higher path in Him. We may want to hesitate to let go of things that may have taken up residence in our lives but God is able to help us to clean them out and to replace those feelings with love, peace and healing. In His hands, He can take any situation and transform it into something with beauty that gives us strength for the road ahead. As the New Year approaches we can consider what things Jesus is showing to us about ourselves that need to change. We can take time now during this advent season to prepare our hearts for celebrating our Savior’s birth. We can prepare with repentance, we can seek reconciliation and we can forgive. We can release our hearts to Him and let Him continue the work of love in our lives.

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Tags: Philippians 1:6, terriwellspring.com, The Work in Us
Categories : GUIDANCE, Uncategorized

Heartwork

6 12 2013

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20 NIV
Our hearts are designed to be healthy full of peace and love. It is a large vital muscle within us that gets stronger as we extend our love and compassion to others. Acts of love circulate wellness throughout our being and emanate out to God’s people – using kind and encouraging words and extending genuine concern to those who are in need. We can keep our hearts healthy being careful not to let unforgiveness, jealousy and other blockages that create harm to our bodies and to the Body of Christ. Some of our life experiences seem to be designed to do irreparable harm – betrayal, abuse, disappointment. Thanks be to God that our hearts and experiences in the hands of the Savior can turn what the enemy planned for evil into good. Our passage today is from the familiar account of Joseph’s brothers who left him to die in a pit because of their jealousy against him. What an unthinkable act of betrayal. Joseph when encountering his brothers later did not seek vengeance but found forgiveness in his heart seeing the larger picture and how God turned this evil act into something good. I believe God is able to do this for each of us who may need the heart work of forgiveness and the healing of fresh wounds and scars. God is the ultimate heart surgeon, who can complete the work when we place our heart and our will in His hands.

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Tags: forgiveness, Genesis 50:20, Heartwork, terriwellspring.com
Categories : REVITALIZATION, Uncategorized

Wise Men Still Seek Him

4 12 2013

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

The wise men saw the star indicating the birth of Jesus. Their response was to begin their journey to seek Him in order to worship Him. The news that the Savior is here still requires a personal response from each of us. Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly. We might be tempted to think of abundance in terms of things but life walking with the Lord and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are so much more – peace, joy, gentleness, love, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control and long-suffering. These are qualities so scarce in our society today. This Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ let us turn our hearts to Him and share His purpose for coming with the World. Let us seek Him daily in our lives and worship Him.

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Tags: Christmas, Matthew 2:1-2, terriwellspring.com, Wise Ment Still Seek Him
Categories : ENCOURAGEMENT, Uncategorized

Anticipating Jesus

3 12 2013

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14 NLT

We have entered the Advent season, a time observed by Christians, in anticipation of the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. For some this is a formal of time of prayer, fasting and devotion creating a spiritual connection during this Holiday season. For others it may not have much meaning at all and represents something that other people practice. I believe at some level all of us can prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas. We may not choose to use an Advent Calendar or observe the formal weeks of Advent devotion. But all of us can anticipate the celebration of the gift of Jesus Christ. He came so that we may have abundant life. His coming, His living and His gift at Calvary makes our salvation possible. We are so thankful for this gift and His unfailing love that blessed us at His birth and continues to bless us today. During this time leading up to Christmas, we can anticipate the celebration of His birth and turn our hearts and minds toward Him.

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John I:4 MSG

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Tags: Advent Season, Anticipating Jesus, John 1:14, terriwellspring.com
Categories : Uncategorized

Stand Strong

2 12 2013

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. I Corinthians 16:13 NLT

We can look to the Lord for strength when we need it. He is a strong tower that provides a place of strength and protection. In Him, we can find respite and a place of refreshing when we feel weak and unable to face what is before us. This is a time to turn to our Heavenly Father to seek His presence. We can find renewal in His presence. We can find joy in His presence. In Him we can find peace. We seek Him today for He is all powerful and all knowing. I am so thankful He knows all about us and continues to love us and provides for us what we need. We want to use His tools of powerful faith and righteousness to stand strong and to live strong. In Him we can walk in our purpose and achieve the assignment of our hands. We are thankful for His strength that is available to us to stand strong.

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG

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Tags: I Corinthians 16:13, Stand Strong, terriwellspring.com
Categories : Uncategorized

Taste and See

27 11 2013

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

Thanksgiving is the starting bell for many for holiday eating. Some have already
made plans or are making planning for a great feast for Thanksgiving. This year
I have been thinking about how to seek more of God, the spiritual and the sacred during the Holiday season. So in between recipes, place settings and dessert I am thinking of how good the Lord has been to me.

“Taste and See that the Lord is good”. My walk with Jesus started and continues
today with experiences of learning to trust, building faith, deepening understanding,
forgiving others, walking in love and seeking God’s will over my own. It is ongoing
process but decades later, what a sweet journey. I’ve heard some of the older saints
describe the Lord as “He’s a Good Jesus”. This phrase always brings a smile to my
face. What a tremendous description for someone who has been there for me through
every situation.

Oh Taste and See that the Lord is good….

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Tags: Psalms 34:8, Taste and See, terriwellspring.com
Categories : GRATITUDE, Uncategorized

A Heart of Thanks

26 11 2013

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18

Approaching life through the powerful lens of gratefulness is a blessed way to view our lives. We have so much to thank God for. We sometimes take for granted the many blessings that keep us through the night, that wake us up each morning and to start each day. Blessings great and small are extended to us throughout our lives. No matter what we are experiencing, we have something that we can be thankful for. In fact, when we are struggling to find that “something”, it is a good time to turn our thoughts to gratefulness. Redirecting our focus from our problems to God’s blessings has a way of transforming our mindset from concerns and worries toward having faith. It is hard to think of God’s goodness to us, past and present and not be thankful. God’s promises to provide for our needs as we walk and trust in Him. Keeping a heart of thanks blesses us along the journey.

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Tags: A heart of thanks, I Thessalonians 5:18, terriwellspring.com
Categories : Uncategorized

Difficult Love

25 11 2013

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. Matthew 5:43-45
We are to love everyone even our enemies. It sounds like a tall order. This command includes people we don’t care for and people who maybe even trying to harm us, which sounds like an insurmountable task. We may say in our hearts in a very wide Agape sense that we love everyone. We don’t wish anyone harm and we hope everyone the best. This is the high level psychological framework that we allow ourselves when we think of this command. But then the hard work of daily living comes into play. We may have to cross paths with people who are mean, use harsh words or “despitefully use” us. And suddenly, loving others is a distant memory. So there lies the challenge not only to get along with others but to love them. I believe that these encounters allow us to see a little of ourselves and possibly expose areas that require more work in our hearts and minds. We may be required to be less offended by daily mishaps, to be more forgiving, or to have more mercy or compassion toward one another. It is our command from the Savior to do, so that the world will see the light in us.
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love-not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. I John 4:7-10

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Tags: Difficult Love, Matthew 5:43, terriwellspring.com
Categories : LOVE, Uncategorized

Nurturing Love

22 11 2013

The man answered, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

God is Love. His love for us is perfect and gave us the Gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are called to love God and we are called to love His people. One scripture says we are to love the Lord God with all of our heart. It is a powerful command to love our Heavenly Father who created the universe and blesses the big and small things of our lives. He is all powerful and shows His love, mercy and compassion for us daily. He loves us and asks for us to love one another. It is not a casual commandment and requires our careful and deliberate response. We are asked to love one another; neighbor, family member, co-worker and even our enemies. It doesn’t matter about race, class, income, age or gender. It doesn’t matter what someone has done in the recent or distant past. We are called to love. It may be easy to respond, “I love everybody.” But the evidence of indifference and even hate is rampant in the world. We can hear it in the public discourse of minimizing one group over another. Or it may be just the quite whispers of idle conversation that is designed to tear someone down. Or extreme examples of murder and war against one human being against another exist in our communities and countries across the globe. So love is in need of love today. Nurturing love starts in my heart and mind, the space where I develop responses to God’s children. I have some work to do. Time and procrastination have allowed some hard places to develop. The widespread global need for love may feel overwhelming. But God is merciful and revealed my need for more love in my heart. I need to grow and cultivate more love for all of God’s children. I am thankful for the work that He is doing in my heart to nurture more love in my heart today.

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Tags: love one another, Luke 10:27, Nurturing Love, terriwellspring.com
Categories : LOVE, Uncategorized

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