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Sunday, May 28, 2023

JESUS, the Storyteller (22)



In Section Four, we lean in to hear

JESUS

the Storyteller

on a not so popular topic or at least one

we hope to not have to deal with 

"The Divine Auditor"

19. The Seed Sower 5/7
20. The Best Boss    5/14
21. The Eye Opener 5/21
22. The Divine Auditor 5/28
23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4
24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11
25. The Life of the Party          6/18
26. A Hospitable Host              6/25
27. The Object of Our Worship7/2
28. The Grace Giver                7/9
29. Discerner of the Heart       7/16
30. A Divine Divider                 7/23

A couple of weeks ago, I began somewhat of a challenge for you, as the reader, to guess which Parable you think James Merritt will be using in the devotional according to the title that he's chosen & given to this week's Story that JESUS, the Storyteller is sharing when the author gives us the title:

"The Divine Auditor"

Last week, I narrowed down your choices to the Book of Luke to help you out and also to broaden your knowledge of the Parables that were told in the Book of Luke. This week, I am sharing the Parables in the Book of Matthew so that you can choose from this list for this week's Chapter. 

Parables of JESUS in the Book of Matthew
 
1. Parable of the Lamp - Matthew 5:14-16
2. Parable of the Speck and The Log - Matthew 7:1-5
3. Parable of New Cloth on Old Garment - Matthew 9:16-17
4. Parable of The Divided Kingdom - Matthew 12:24-30
5. Parable of The Sower - Matthew 13:1-23
6. Parable of The Weeds Among the Wheat - Matthew 13:24-30
7. Parable of The Mustard Seed - Matthew 13:31-32
8. Parable of The Leaven - Matthew 13:33-34
9. Parable of Hidden Treasure - Matthew 13:44
10.Parable of Pearl of Great Price - Matthew 13:45-46
11.Parable of The Net - Matthew 13:47-50
12.Parable of The Heart of Man - Matthew 15:10-20
13.Parable of The Lost Sheep - Matthew 18:10-14
14.Parable of The Unforgiving Servant - Matthew 18:23-35
15.Parable of Laborers in the Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-16
16.Parable of The Two Sons - Matthew 21:28-32
17.Parable of The Tenant Farmers - Matthew 21:33-45
18.Parable of the Marriage Feast - Matthew 22:1-14
19.Parable of The Budding Fig Tree - Matthew 24:32-35
20.Parable of Faithful vs. Wicked Servant - Matthew 24:45-51
21.Parable of The Ten Virgins - Matthew 25:1-13
22.Parable of Ten Talents - Matthew 25:14-30 

Now once again before you read on, I am asking you to stop & make a choice of which Parable
you think this one is and go to the comments 
to put in your choice to go with

#22. The Divine Auditor

before I continue

CHOOSE & COMMENT

<><><>

You too can join in the Journey weekly with

52 Weeks With Jesus.com
[sign-up to receive an email a week of this devotional]

The Book of Matthew, the Gospel written by the apostle Matthew (the Levi), a former tax collector, makes sense that this Parable of The Divine Auditor would be one from Matthew, one of the 12 disciples. It fits - tax with audit, right. Hopefully, you've never had to go through an audit on your taxes. The original audience may have been the church in Antioch, Syria. Its members included Jewish and Gentile Christians. Matthew was probably a Jew of the tribe of Levi. Matthew was not the first disciple chosen by Jesus and he shares his story in Matthew 9.

The Gospel (Book) of Matthew was believed to be the first Gospel written, though we now know Mark dates earlier. Matthew's Gospel comes first because it most intensely is concerned with issues related to Judaism - it is a good bridge between the Old & the New Testament after 400 years. Then, as now, there needs to be a bridge between Christians & Jewish as we learn much from the Jewish tradition & Jews that have become Christians. Our minds and hearts definitely need to be more open and accepting of others. JESUS, as the Servant-Messiah and Son of God, represents the nation of Israel. There is no better author to begin telling us the Story - and His Story. But for this week with JESUS, the Storyteller, we will be looking at: 
 
#22. The Divine Auditor

(no one is a better Divine choice than JESUS, as Auditor)

since none of us really want to be audited, He would be the most fair

and my first choice.

as we continue & read the following

Scriptures:

Matthew 25:14-30; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 4:1-16

Clearly with the list of Parables in Matthew, this parable had to do with finances, 
so that helped to limit your choice but if you had the Scripture reference above,
you can easily select the correct choice.

These are the subtitle/segments for this week:

"A Kingdom Melody"; "A God-Given Opportunity to Play Our Parts"; "A God-Given Responsibility to Play Our Parts"; "A God-Given Accountability to Play Our Parts"; "Every Player Matters" 

As you can see 
we have been given by God the

Opportunity

Responsibility

and

Accountability

to do/play our parts

EVERY.ONE.OF.US

MATTER

and

MUST

in God's Kingdom

"... JESUS told this Parable about People playing their parts and how important that is to the Church and to God's Kingdom. Not everyone plays the same instrument and not everyone has the same part. ... It's not how much you have that matters to Jesus; 
it's what you do with what you have that matters to Him."


"Lord, teach me to be a good steward of the talents You've given to me. Grant me the wisdom to use them wisely and the courage to share them freely."


Reflect on what the particular "talents'' are that God has entrusted only to you

- gifts, resources, treasures, abilities.

Now let's 

PLAY OUR PARTS

DO our PART

just as

JESUS

did

HIS

🕇🕆🕈

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Sunday, May 21, 2023

JESUS, the Storyteller (21)



In Section Four, we encounter

JESUS

the Storyteller

19. The Seed Sower 5/7
20. The Best Boss    5/14
21. The Eye Opener 5/21
22. The Divine Auditor 5/28
23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4
24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11
25. The Life of the Party          6/18
26. A Hospitable Host              6/25
27. The Object of Our Worship7/2
28. The Grace Giver                7/9
29. Discerner of the Heart       7/16
30. A Divine Divider                 7/23

Since last week I began giving you an opportunity to make a guess in the comments as to which Parable James Merritt will be sharing in this week's devotional, based on the unique title he's chosen; I decided that I would help you out a little by giving you a list of Parables.

This week, I am listing the Parables given in the Book of Luke for you to make your choice:

1.Parable of The Good Samaritan - Luke 10:29-37
2.Parable of The Friend at Midnight - Luke 11:5-13
3.Parable of The Rich Fool - Luke 12:13-21
4.Parable of The Barren Fig Tree - Luke 13:6-9
5.Parable of The Invited Guests - Luke 14:7-14
6.Parable of The Lost Coin - Luke 15:8-10
7.Parable of The Prodigal Son - Luke 15:11-32
8.Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus - Luke 16:19-31
9.Parable of The Persistent Widow - Luke 18:1-8
10.Parable of The Pharisee and The Tax Collector - Luke 18:9-14

Those Parables are unique to the Book of Luke. Yet you might find similarities of the Story from the other Gospel writers that present JESUS, the Storyteller and these Parables.

So now look over that short list and make your choice of which Parable you think is:

#21. The Eye Opener

Now before reading or even glancing at the rest of this blog
stop, go to the comments, and share your guess

CHOOSE & COMMENT


I must admit, this one is a little difficult for me!

Often as I read God's Word, particularly the Parables

as JESUS, the Storyteller

brings a life lesson to me

through His Story

my

EYES

are

OPEN

and

His Word

becomes relevant to me today

and each of us can apply it to our own life

making it personal & part of our story too

His Story in our story

JESUS

alive & living

in us & through us

if only we allow Him & His Story to

change us

by not only

OPENING our EYES

but our ears and our hearts and our minds

<><><>

Have you ever had the experience of having your eyes opened?

Maybe not your physical eyes (but that too) however your mental or spiritual eyesight?

To have a better understanding or a fresh perspective

perhaps to see things differently from someone else's view?

Similar, to the idiomatic phrase (and Elvis' song & others):

"Walk a Mile in my Shoes"

before judging someone (commenting on social media, etc.)

you need to understand the other's experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc.




The Scriptures for this week for 

The Eye Opener

are
 
Luke 10:25-37; James 2:14-17; Luke 6:32-36; Colossians 3:12-17; Hebrews13:1-3

More than ever, this life lesson needs to be heard and applied in the time we live.

The devotional is broken down into the following segments with these subtitles:

"A Surprising Neighbor"; "A Trick Question"; "Friend in Need"; "Rationalize the Situation in Your Mind"; "Respond to the Situation with Your Heart"

As with most messages, lessons or knowledge;
it needs to be understood as we listen and go 
from our heads to our hearts

When our eyes are opened, I pray our hearts are changed

OPEN to ACT

OPEN EYES - OPEN HANDS

OPEN to SERVE

OPEN to LOVE

"Lord, I admit that I am tempted to pass by those who suffer. Give me courage to recognize a "neighbor" in the face of those in need."

There are so many life lessons taught in this Parable needed today in our world.

"Understanding the ..... Parable"
for some in-depth info

So many comparisons and applications for today.

Let JESUS be the EYE OPENER in your life.

Did you guess correctly?


<><><>

My new friend & author, Shirley Alarie has a wonderful Life Lesson 
on this Parable & others.
You can learn so much more from her devotionals at Finding God Among Us.
And she will be launching a book at the end of 2023 or in 2024 on
PARABLES of JESUS - LIFE LESSONS
Can't wait!

Shirley Alarie
is an excellent 
Resource!

<>

I also found various reading plans on You Version!

I have chosen this one:

JESUS

Parables on Justice



Sunday, May 14, 2023

JESUS, the Storyteller (20)



In Section Four, we find

JESUS

the Storyteller

and

what a Story weaver

He is

20. The Best Boss    5/14
21. The Eye Opener 5/21
22. The Divine Auditor 5/28
23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4
24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11
25. The Life of the Party          6/18
26. A Hospitable Host              6/25
27. The Object of Our Worship 7/2
28. The Grace Giver                 7/9
29. Discerner of the Heart        7/16
30. A Divine Divider                  7/23

As I looked at the above titles of James Merritt this past week, I was pondering which of the Parables of Jesus might this one be. The first one was pretty obvious but before I share the Scriptures for Week 20, see if you can decide which Parable you think goes along with the title

"The BEST Boss"

If you need help with a list of Parables, I have found a wonderful site & author, Shirley Alarie (who is in the process of writing a book to be released in 2024 "Parables of Jesus - Life Lessons") has listed 38 parables of Jesus here. I have been thoroughly enjoying her site: Finding God Among Us! I'm sure that you will too! Of course, there are other places to find a list of the Parables, like Bible Study Tools, ESV, Christianity Today, the two I linked last week, even Wikipedia and others that you can find my a Google search, too.😏💙😉 but for now, my go-to-site is Shirley's. 

So, put your guess in the comments for "The Best Boss" before proceeding with the reading of the Scriptures and subtitles of this week's content. Each week I will be asking you to do the same. I suggest you keep your list of Parables handy or better yet you can download the pdf of the chart Shirley Alarie shares. Kevin Halloran (?) also shares what he considers to be a "complete list of Jesus' Parables in the New Testament" [the question mark is because I don't know him, but I didn't know Shirley either until starting this Section Four on JESUS, the Storyteller]. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this little additional challenge of matching the Parable of Jesus with James Merritt's titles. I had to chuckle today when I read the "Big Boss", because for most of us believers, our 'big boss' should be God, the Father Almighty. But I better not write too much or I'll give you clues to center your guess on which parable this might be about before you go to the comments and add your guess. Oh forgive me, correction, it's the Best Boss ... well, that made me smile too. 

There may not be too many of us, who think of any boss we've had as the best boss (unless we are that boss)🤣 Let's think about what characteristics we might like in the 'best boss' or have found in the bosses that we consider good or the best possibly. What makes them the best?

I have to share a little more about myself here. I have a relationship with someone very close to me, that went from being in one position/role to me to actually becoming my boss; and then that role was changed to being yet another, however that person still considered themselves as my boss. It doesn't work well that way. That in itself makes that person not the best boss. You cannot continue well in a relationship that's changed if you continue to think of yourself as the boss, or better said, you can't be "bossy" or think you are in control over the actions of another (just because at one time, you were the boss, doesn't make you the boss from then on). Some of us don't ever adjust in life to our role changing. 

When I decided to finally go to Mexico, as a missionary, I was an independent missionary (meaning there was not a church or denomination that sponsored me or trained me or even supported me) but that 'boss' did. However, when asked about it, in Mexico, I would say, "I work for the Best Boss", which was true, because I went directly to God, as my Boss, and it doesn't get any better than that. If the conversation continued, quite often, I would mention that I work for God and He directs my steps, which is what it should be for every believer and in every work place (which by the way, is your mission field) that God is your final authority or Boss AND allow Him to direct your steps. Yes, even a stay-at-home mom or homemaker, is in her place of mission & should be guided by God and done in accordance with His Word & to His Glory, which is your Best that you give to Him, and is done for Him because you obey & follow what your Boss says. This makes Him, your Big Boss and the Best Boss both! If you don't listen closely, you may miss the specific direction He gives you and at times you may not know what to do exactly, but did you ask your Boss, did you seek His direction, His guidance? We all need to follow the Best Boss each day in everything & hope that we are doing whatever we do unto Him & His plan for the good of all, not just ourselves. This makes our Big Boss pleased & He becomes the Best Boss ever! JESUS knew this and so He gives us this story - this parable. 


HERE

and

make your guess in the

COMMENTS

before reading on

<><><>

As I read through the Scriptures, especially the Parables, I like to imagine myself sitting at the feet of JESUS, actually listening to Him tell me this parable. The following are this week's  Scriptures:
 
Matthew 20:1-16; Ephesians 1:3-10; 1 Timothy1:12-14; Romans 11:33-36; Romans 5:15-21

Some of you may be so well versed in Scripture that you can already tell now which Parable is

#20. The Best Boss

Unlike other parables this one is unique to Matthew (only recorded by Matthew) which makes sense since he was the disciple known as the tax collector. a Levi. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard would be of interest to someone like Matthew. I learned quite a lot from reading the lesson shared by my new favorite author & place to read about the parables (follow that link & see). 

James Merritt uses these interesting subtitle/segments in #20 The Big Boss from JESUS, the Storyteller:
 
"The Boss's Generosity"
"Put In Our Place"
"God is Gracious"
"Gratitude for God's Generosity"
"What We Don't Deserve"

As I think about the 20 years in Mexico, claiming JESUS as my Boss 
(that I work for God)

I truly found out how gracious God is and His Generosity.

I was more than grateful for every provision & direction & His guidance
daily & often, living in Mexico taught me to look at everything I have.

"Not just materially ... even physically & realize that it is all just grace."
~James Merritt~

His aMazing Grace!!!

More than enough!

Join me in

This Week's Prayer:

"Lord, give me a heart that is a reflection of Your own generous heart! Let me live out the abundance of Your gracious Gospel of good news." James Merritt

We don't deserve to be blessed with all we have 

just because we've been born in the USA

this side of the border

we've been afforded much.

"To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required"
(Luke 12:48)

JESUS

is the

BEST BOSS

yet still there are many not listening & following

His direction, His guidelines

His example

HIM

Think of this as you think of the thousands fleeing their countries

for the opportunities you've been freely given

not by choice just by birthplace

you've received yet want to

withhold from others

unjustly, unfairly

with not an

ounce

of

JESUS'

compassion

and

aMazing Grace!

<>

I hope those of you who are mothers 

or still have your mothers

enjoyed a blessed

Mother's Day!

To those of you who aren't or don't,

my prayers & heart

are with you

&

for you

I do understand!

May you sense God's Presence

comforting you & your grief or loss

wrapping you in His endless love

and filling your hearts with

more of His & Him

💖


Blessings & Hugs

Peggy


Sunday, May 7, 2023

JESUS, the Storyteller (19)



In Section Four, we encounter

JESUS

the Storyteller

Most of us are familiar a little with JESUS as the Storyteller, stories usually known as Parables: "a short, simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson." I read that the characteristics of a parable are: "earthiness, conciseness, repetition, conclusion, listener-relatedness, reversal of expectations, kingdom-centered, kingdom ethics, God and salvation, major and minor points" (Osborne 2006). "Through speaking in parables, Jesus brings understanding to those who are seeking after Him - revealing truth..." simply put - Jesus using parables was a way to simplify complicated or spiritual truths of living a Christ-centered, kingdom life, with a practical and applicable manner for His audience. His stories were to help and teach kingdom living principles by something the listeners could relate to and understand.

There are 12 Chapters in this Section Four - "the precise number of Parables in the Bible varies based on different definitions of what a parable is. By some counts, Jesus gave us more than 30 parables in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke." Others suggest  more than 50. But without question, Jesus was a Storyteller! Here is one source that lists them as found in the Bible and another. Although these Chapters probably cover only 12 (we'll see), there are more, but there's a book written called the "Twelve Parables of Jesus", which could be a bit misleading, so I'll assume that those 12 are the most well-known. I have some favorite parables, perhaps you do also. You're invited to share in the comments your favorites & why.

19. The Seed Sower 5/7
20. The Best Boss    5/14
21. The Eye Opener 5/21
22. The Divine Auditor 5/28
23. A Better Financial Planner 6/4
24. The God of Tomorrow        6/11
25. The Life of the Party          6/18
26. A Hospitable Host              6/25
27. The Object of Our Worship7/2
28. The Grace Giver                7/9
29. Discerner of the Heart       7/16
30. A Divine Divider                 7/23

For this week (from the intro), we start off with Jesus telling an 
"earthly story imbued with both eternal and practical meaning"
"not for entertainment but for edification; not for information but for transformation"
"If you want to know who Jesus was and what He valued, take a plunge into the
PARABLES
He told."

#19 The Seed Sower

with these scriptures

 Matthew 13:1-9; 1 Peter 1:22-25; Matthew 9:35-38; John 4:27-38; Matthew 28:16-20

and 

the following segments/ subtitles

"A New Measure of Success"
"Our Part is Sowing the Seed"
"Variety of Soils"
"God's Part is Producing the Harvest"
"Rock Hard or Pillow Soft"

This is the prayer I make as my own for this Chapter on The Seed Sower:

"Lord, give me boldness to partner with You in evangelism and grant me confidence that You alone are in charge of the harvest."

and another fitting prayer from another devotional

"Jesus, I don't always see the ends of stories. And some of my own stories are untied threads with no knots ending them nicely. But You are the great Storyteller and Story weaver."... Mary DeMuth, Jesus Every Day, day 122,  "... Your surprising task is to make every story beautiful in its own time."

Help me become a Storyteller of Your Story
so that my story weaves together with Yours because

You

JESUS

are

the very best

STORYTELLER

and 

You know 

the beginning & the ending

and all the content
 
in-between

too

Thank You Lord

that my name is included

in Your Book of Life

because of

YOU


Thursday, May 4, 2023

JESUS, my Miracle Worker

"Sometimes, the MIRACLE He offers does not change our circumstances or bring us the answers we desperately want, but He promises to remain near to us and continue working in us. And that is a divine MIRACLE I'm so very thankful..."

I read this the beginning of this past week from Lysa TerKeurst in
"You're Going to Make It..."
which prompted me to sit down and write this
because I am thankful for the
BIG and small Miracles
from JESUS in
my story

<><><>

As I finish off this section of the "52 Weeks With JESUS", I have been writing and re-writing in my head my own personal current part of my story with JESUS, as my Miracle Worker. 

Have you ever noticed or experienced that God allows you at times a personal way of driving home a point, either from what you're reading in His Word or perhaps through a devotional? I just knew that God wanted me to share about "Miracles" in my own life. Not that I have had a grandiose miracle of something spectacular in my own life, but it doesn't have to be grand to be a miracle. I believe that Jesus works in miraculous ways now as much as He did in the New Testament stories and nothing is too big or too small for us to bring it to Him with expectancy of the possibility that this might just be a miracle in the making. 

I believe in Jesus, as the Miracle Worker! I did not happen to just chance upon this belief through reading this devotional yet it somehow magnified and is being confirmed in a recent personal happening in my own life. God allowed me (and allows us) to actually see how He is our Miracle Worker. How often to we cry out to God & let Him know, we need a Miracle! 

In my story, at this time, I was not crying out for a personal example of miracle of JESUS, however, without a doubt, I do believe that He is providing one. I have cried out to God for miracles but this was/is not one of those times. I daily come to Him however asking for His Healing.

My first most profound miracle in my life (and in the lives of most believers) is when we come into having a personal relationship with God, because of JESUS Christ. It is about being chosen and accepting the gift of salvation from Jesus! Jesus becomes our friend, advocate, defender, as our Messiah, Savior, King & Lord. Jesus lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit! I consider this a grand miracle! Jesus is everything! So everything in us belongs to Him.

Here is a definition and explanation I read of a miracle that I've held on to while reading this:

"A miracle is a divine act by which God reveals Himself to people. I would love for you to have a big definition of miracles. We don’t want to be people who doubt or question whether something was “big enough” to name it a miracle. An answered prayer, by this definition, is a miracle. It is a divine act by which God reveals Himself. We want to be people who have such faith that we know answered prayers are miracles. We want to be amazed and know that God shows up whenever we see Him move in our lives and in the lives of others." 

My "miracle in the making" began the Monday right after Resurrection SONday. My spouse informed me that he was expecting a friend, who is on crutches from a fall she experienced during the icy, snowy winter we had. She had surgery and metal plates were put in & is still in the process of recovering. 

The winter has begun to slowly edge away & snow has been melting yet remnants of snow piled high and ice remain but now in addition to that mud has replaced much of the area out in front of our country home. This makes it quite difficult to drive up and escape mud and ice on our driveway and entrance area. So I decided to move my vehicle, since the other one was being used to go to town; and clear the area in front so his guest could get out of her vehicle more easily on our sidewalk and the paved area to walk directly into our house without encountering any mud or ice or snow. I drove my car closer to the other end of our house near the deck, ramp & stairs, where our dog Bella was waiting for me. Then I opened my door & stepped out of my vehicle to where my disaster happens. I lost my footing and slid flat out in to the mud and under a portion of my car. Soaking in mud, hurting so much everywhere, I was unable to decide how I could even get up and I was calling out to my spouse to help me, but most certainly could not even hear me (very hard of hearing) or see me (lying in the mud on the opposite side of the house where he was waiting). In between my groans, I began calling on Jesus, "Jesus, help me". And He did! (but that isn't the miracle, just the beginning) ... I was able to get up, dripping with mud and make my way "ouching" to our dog on our deck & opened the sliding door, grabbing a walker on wheels thankfully right there, and scooting myself to the bathroom to wash off the mud all over me. But had to immediately grab 2 Tylenol for the pain, without even knowing what part of me was aching the most. 

JESUS helped me get out of the mud to a place where I might be able to wash off & rid myself of mud soaked clothes and shoes in between excruciating pain and the inability to put weight on one side. I was unable, but JESUS is able! I'll spare you all the rest of the details from the Urgent Care to ER to the beginning of the making of a miracle slowly taking place for me. A break - actually a fracture ... a sprain & swollen, bruised ankle, foot & leg ... aches all the way up - a chance for JESUS to show up, restore and bring healing day by day. Orthopedist & Physical therapy (starts today) but no need for surgery. Praise God! Just His healing.  

Hopefully, you can understand the similarities from this 'mud episode' and when we come to Jesus. You see, when we first understand how God sees us with so much love, yet covered with the filth of sin, separating us from Him, He chose to look further for a solution. The mud covers us from head to toe, so much that we are unrecognizable as His children, His image. He desires to remove the mud, the shame, the sheer humility from our falling in the 'mud' in the first place. He had warned us. We were aware of the dangers because we ourselves were trying to keep another from falling. Yet we slid. We fell. We were unable to get up alone. But it doesn't end there. Oh no, not after a glorious Resurrection SONday! Because God sent JESUS to earth to save us, wash us off and cleanse us by His very own blood, to pay the price that we could never pay, for what divided us from God, the Father. Jesus willingly stepped into the muck (that mud & filth of our sin) and grime of history to die so we could live. Jesus was our sacrificial Lamb, that died a horrendous death on Good Friday, was laid in the tomb, descended to the pit of hell, and rose again victoriously on Resurrection SONday! But this is still just the beginning yet oddly also the ending. 

JESUS has been with me every. single. moment of every. single. day & night through every. single. pain and every single phase of my healing and learning to walk in a walking boot for at least the next six weeks according to the orthopedist but JESUS is teaching me many lessons along this healing journey of how to walk again with Him, relying on Him. I've seen the bruising slowly get worse as it gets better. I get a close-up encounter with JESUS daily as He tends to me and my healing (and not just the physical ones from the mud fall) but allowing me to heal in other ways to strengthen my faith & belief in miracles & the Miracle Worker, our Great Physician, Jehovah Rapha! Oh, how He has revealed so much more of Himself to me & lessons I still need to learn. When I sat down to begin sharing my Miracle Worker, I had so many ideas from this muddy fall swirling around in my head and spiritual analogies of this healing process, that I was not sure which direction, or which ones I should choose to use. 

BUT I am so thankful for JESUS, my Healer and Miracle Worker, as I watch intimately how each step along this new journey, He brings healing and revelation of something new to me. I've had to learn how to rely on JESUS even more: to change from stepping out on my right as I am accustomed to doing to my left which use to just follow my right step; and also learning to put less weight on my right. There are so many daily motions and abilities that we take for granted without thinking how important they are to the whole functioning well. Sleeping with my foot elevated & iced has made my sleepless nights even more restless. Yet I'm so grateful that I can rest as JESUS soothes every. single. ache & pain and gave me adequate posturing to sleep comfortably trusting Him.

JESUS does miracles (big & seemingly small, like mine) to move our hearts to believe in Him & give Him all the glory! We don't just need a miracle when we're desperate, we need miracles every. single. moment. We need to believe in the Miracle Worker and the power in the Name of Jesus! We need to keep on believing so when a desperate situation arises, we know that JESUS has the ultimate power over everything - anything. Miracles require us to trust God - release and relinquish, then receive! Seek God first, believe and see your miracle in the making!  I was going to write the following in my own words to praise JESUS & give Him all the glory as my Ultimate Miracle Worker but felt it was best expressed by the author.

"The ultimate miracle is not the healing of the body but the healing of the soul."

"Jesus Christ brings healing. He can heal you emotionally, relationally, spiritually, and physically. If you believe in Him, He will give you life in His name. Through Jesus Christ, we connect with God and are able to place our trust in Him. The ultimate goal of miracles is to believe in Jesus; it is not enough to believe the miracle. The miracle is an on-ramp to get you to believe in Jesus. You do not get saved, have a relationship with God, and go to heaven because you believe in a miracle. You use the miracle to believe in a higher Power—and that is Jesus Christ."~Greg Matte



Note: I was going to insert photos of my foot healing but decided I would spare you (and what's left of my dignity). Just in this past week, the bruising on the side disappeared and mostly the top now has crept down to just a very small portion along the edge (base) of where your toes start. Still tender to the touch slightly at times but ever so much less. I give JESUS all the thanks, glory & praise! {I really did not need this personal example to solidify my belief in miracles, my need for Jesus, or miracles still today!} I am posting this on the day of my first Physical Therapy appointment so I would appreciate any prayers. Really do not like being stretched out of my comfort level that I finally have found & readjusted to making do, except for not being able to drive myself. But if you must do PT, you must. I also did not want to post this on Cinco de Mayo tomorrow & festivities. So Happy Cinco de Mayo eve day! 

I will start a new section of "52 Weeks With Jesus" on Sunday, May 7th, 6 PM