The Hope of His People {Thankful Thursdays}

For the past year I have been sharing a name or symbol of God found in the Bible. There is so much about Him it can be mind boggling sometimes and that is a good thing. If you’re like me, you still find something about the Lord that takes your breath away. Today’s symbol is no different – The Hope of His People. Did you know we can’t touch or see all there is of God? He is so mighty; we only get a glimpse or a quick touch of what He is and can do. God is our hope.

The Hope of His People

What does it mean for us that God is our Hope? It means we are grounded in our confidence and expectation in His goodness and providential care even in troublesome times. Amazing, huh? I’d like to say I’m that grounded all the time in every situation, but I can’t. Sometimes I find myself with my foot slipping when the ground begins to move. The Lord knows this and still loves me anyway.

There are several thousand promises God gave to man in the Bible. Because of these promises we can fix our faith on Him because He will always keep His promises. He is a never failing help. The Lord preserves the faithful, and He strengthens our heart. (Psalm 31:23-24)

Jesus should be the center of our lives. Without Jesus, there would be no thinking of His return, there would be no heaven. He is the HEART of our anticipation; we long to see His face and touch the scars in His hands and feet. We should be the one wearing the scars, not Jesus. He is our HELP in trouble; He is an unfailing help. Jesus is our HOME for we find a place of rest only in Him.

Get Your Free In Jesus We Have Hope


Our hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.~ Edward Mote

View this week's linkup HERE.

15 Things to Toss, Donate, or Recycle This Week

I hate clutter. I dislike the feeling when opening a drawer or closet and a mountain of mess comes flying out at me. Every six weeks, I deep clean a room and go through what is there. If it doesn’t make me happy or has a superb purpose, it is more than likely tossed or donated. When we bring something new into the home, something old goes out. You can start decluttering this week with 15 things to toss, donate, or recycle this week.

15 Things to Toss, Donate, or Recycle This Week

Magazines – remove the label and donate to a woman’s shelter or a personal care home.

Newspapers – recycle or use them to line a pet cage or donate to an animal shelter.

Take-Out Menus – those restaurants that are closed, you don’t visit anymore,  or if there is an updated menu, throw the old ones away.

Bills, Taxes, Paperwork older than 7 years – shred those papers before tossing. Do you need to keep the paperwork on your first car from 30 years ago?

Old Holiday/Greeting Cards – no need to keep boxes of Christmas cards from the 70’s. Pick a few to keep and either dump or recycle those babies.

Phone books – really, is there a need to keep phone books from 10 years ago? Keep the most updated and check to see if you can recycle the books or throw them away.

Promotional Goods – are those tacky magnets from an unelected official or a business you don’t use necessary? Keep the notepads and the pens if they write.

Pens and Pencils – after a length of time, ink dries up; there’s no need to fight a pen just because of sentimental reasons. If the pencil erasers have a thick waxy coating causing you to not to be able to use it without smearing, toss away.

Old Calendars – no reason to keep old calendars even if they are full of historical events in your life from your high school years.

Hotel Soap, Shampoo, Mouthwash, and Conditioner – the only good thing about these if they are unopened is donating them. In fact,  you can create a gift bag for people in a nursing or personal care home.

Old Technology – if you don’t have the device to play those 8 tracks or VHS tapes don't keep them. Music and movies are all on discs or downloads today.

Dried or Gummy Nail Polish Bottles – nail polish is inexpensive, buy new colors during the spring and fall. When it starts to gum up or dry out, skip the act of adding a little polish remover because it doesn’t work.

Unused Plastic Containers Without Lids – when there is no lid toss those containers. If you can’t find the bowl for the lid, toss the lid. If any of your containers do not have the numbers 1,2, or 5 on them get rid of them because they may contain BPA.

Clothes – if you didn’t wear it within the last season ( ex. winter), get rid of it because you are probably not going to wear it the next season.

Mail – go through your mail and send that junk packing. Go a step further, the moment you bring it in the house, go through it and toss the junk.

While these are only 15 things to get rid of in helping keep the clutter down, be proactive and look around to see what else you can part with.

What would you add to this list?

Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness

Crime dramas on television have come a long way since I was a kid. They have always been my favorite tv shows. The suspense of finding out who committed the crime still makes my heart skip a beat. With all the new forensic technology today, a thoroughly scrubbed site still leaves clues to be found by those solving the crime.

Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness

The Children of Israel depended on the sacrificial system to remove their sin’s stain and obey God’s Law to provide a righteous covering. No one was capable of keeping all the Law because of the gulf fixed between man and God. Even the sacrifices were temporary and could not bridge sinful man to the holy God.

They were helpless and hopeless sinners
and so were we.

While there is nothing we can do to cover our sin, Jesus can. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He bridged that gap between us and God. Because of His shed blood, we can go to God on our own and He sees us through the blood. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness and those who believe. (Romans 8:1-4, Romans 10:4)

The blood of Jesus washes away our sin and declares us righteous. There is no sin too big for Jesus to cover and He removes them all forever. He is our Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness! 

In the Presence of Jehovah
As I stand before the throne
The accuser of the brethren
Starts to read the things I've done
As I hear the awful charges
The question fills my mind
Why should I not be put in hell
To suffer for all time?

It's through the blood
That's all I have to plead
It's through the blood
That Jesus shed for me
Not by works of my own righteousness
For filthy rags are they
But because of that old rugged tree
Hanging on dark Calvary
That is my only plea
It's through the blood

It's Through the Blood - Jeremy Simpson

Jehovah Tsidkenu (tsid-kay'-noo) The Lord Our Righteousness

Visit this week's linkup HERE.

Easy Crock-Pot Apple Butter

My first canning project for the season was apple butter. Before we moved, my Momma called and told me her trees were full of apples and asked if I wanted some when we got back to Georgia. I was so excited about having apples I knew were not full of pesticides for cake, jelly, and apple butter. I was amazed at the huge bag of apples in the bottom of her spare refrigerator;  all I could think about was making Apple Butter.

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When making fruit butter, I love using the crockpot. All I have to do is dump everything in there and let it cook with an occasional smushing and stirring. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. Cooking the apples overnight keeps the impatience down and you wake the next morning to the glorious smell of cooked apples.

My family is not a big fan of the spicy flavor of nutmeg or cloves in apple butter. So for us, there’s no nutmeg or cloves in this recipe; just yummy apples, sugar, and cinnamon.

We love apple butter on biscuits, toast, and I love it on plain bagels. What can I say, I even love to eat it by the spoonful.

Easy Crock-Pot Apple Butter

Ingredients:

4 pounds of apples – peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces
3-4 cups of sugar  * see note below
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place apples in a crock pot and pour sugar, cinnamon, and salt over apples. Stir to coat. Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring and mashing the apples. Turn down to low and cook overnight. The apples should be a dark brown and the mixture should be thick. Continue mashing the apples until your desired consistency. We like our apple butter smooth with no lumps.

Spoon the hot apple butter into sterile jars, leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Place lids on jars and put into a water bath canner and process for 10 minutes.

*Depending on your taste and the type of apples you use the sugar amount will vary. For example if you use Granny Smith apples, you'll need more sugar while with Red Delicious you may only need three cups.

** I am not a canning expert. Ingredient list and process time come from my Ball Blue Book. **

The Righteous Judge {Thankful Thursdays}

The racecar was not the most creative or what some would call beautifully designed. But the owner and his father worked for weeks on that little wooden block to turn it into something the ten-year-old boy could be proud to race. A previous race showed what needed to be done for a car to make it in the top five. After careful designing, sanding, painting, and graphite the car was finished.

The day of the race, many were oohing and aahing over expertly designed and decorated cars. Picking out the cars a father or grandfather created without the interference of a child was easy. The little boy who carefully designed and painted his car was up against several professional looking cars. He was nervous and his Dad and Momma were nervous. The buzzer sounded, the gate dropped, and the cars took off down the track. All of them slowed down or stopped half way to the finish line except for the little yellow and black car. This happened every time the boy’s car raced. His Momma’s heart swelled with pride because she knew he would not win for creativity or perfect painting and design.

Several fathers came over with questions being asked. The first thing out of my husband’s mouth was “This is his race, his car; he did most of the work himself with some graphite for speed. I wanted him to have a car he built and could be proud of whether he won anything or not.” That little car did two things that day, it finished each race and made a 10-year-old boy proud, and in the end, he took home 1st place in speed.

The Righteous Judge

When I think back to the judging of the cars that day, one particular judge pointed out a mishap in the painting of the car. While there was only a little dribble of paint that had marked the bottom of the car, this judge saw it and pointed it out to the others. That one little spot caused points to be taken away. As a momma, I felt the mark should have been ignored, after all, it was on the bottom of the car. Since I am not a judge, I did not know all he was looking for on the car.

In Paul’s encouraging letter to Timothy, he is telling him to continue in his work no matter
what.(2 Timothy 4:1-4) Timothy had a ministry he was called to do, and he was responsible to fulfill it. (2 Timothy 4:5) He needed to be faithful until the end. Timothy would need to fight a good fight, finish his course, and keep the faith, just as Paul did to receive the promised crown.(2 Timothy 4:7)

When we live a life faithful to God and the second coming we will receive the crown of righteousness. The Lord, the Righteous Judge will give this crown in heaven. His discernment in distributing the crown will be given without prejudice. When we are standing before Him, we are going to either be ashamed because we didn’t stay faithful to the Lord, or we will stand there with a smile on our face, with our hands out to take the crown so we can give it back to Him.

While it is easy to know Paul deserves this crown, doubts comes when we think about ourselves and the people around us. It’s a good thing, our opinions don't matter and our judging isn't worth anything in the end. But if we are watching for, waiting and longing for His appearance, then one day, we too will receive this crown. We don’t have to be perfect, just faithful to God.

We don't have to be perfect, just faithful.

There are many crowns waiting for Christians. While Salvation is a gift, crowns are for those who live in obedience to the Bible. Jesus’ shed blood should be a plea to us, to lay down our lives for Him.

Lord, give us an increasing desire to see You and be with You. Give us the strength to be faithful to You and the ministry you have called us.

Visit this week's linkup HERE.

Six Reasons For Not Fearing + Free Download

We have a wonderful Saviour who loves us so much. Jesus wants us to live in peace and not fear, because He is not the one who gives us the spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7) Jesus is the Peace giver. While there are many reasons to not fear, today I want to share 6 Reasons for Not Fearing.

6 Reasons For Not Fearing

• He Strengthens Me

With Jesus, we have a Resting Place where we can go for strength.

Isaiah 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

• He is With Me

As a child of God, we Belong to Christ. We never have to fear Jesus leaving us alone to walk this life. He is always with us. (Hebrews 13:5)

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

• He Helps Me

With Jesus, we have A Very Present Help. We can run to Him and know we will get the help we need. Isn't it amazing to know we don't have to try and figure this life out alone?

Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

• He Redeems Me

With Jesus, we have The Lamp Who Lightens Our Darkness. He will deliver us from darkness and keep our path lit where we can see.

Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

• He Protects Me

With Jesus, we have a Strong Tower we can hide in and a Shield we can hide behind.

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

• He Cares for Me

The Lord is My Shepherd. The Lord knows every one of our names.  He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. He is even willing to "leave" the rest of us to look for the one who as gone astray. Amazing!

Matthew 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

While fearing is natural, we can't allow it to overtake us. We have to turn our cares over to Jesus and allow him to handle them. (I Peter 5:7)

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Our Keeper {Thankful Thursdays}

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed with such sweetness. His words bring comfort to all who reads them in John chapter 17. We belong to Jesus; He is our keeper.

Jesus, Our Keeper

While only a few can say they spent time with Jesus and knew Him, He knows every one of His followers by name. (Isaiah 43:1-2, John 10:3) That very night, in the garden, Jesus prayed for you and me. (John 17:20)

While Jesus was here, He guarded and kept His own. Today, He is in Heaven still guarding and keeping us. Satan, the enemy who captured and controlled Judas wants to separate us from Jesus. He will do anything he can to bring that separation about, but thankfully we have the unfailing promise of being kept in perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3).

Even though Jesus is guarding us, we need to be aware of those little cute things that seem innocent enough. All it takes is a little crack to crumble the wall of protection. No matter what we allow to happen in our lives, Jesus loves us just the same. (Romans 5:8, John 3:16, I John 4:10)

The ever watchful eye of Jesus is on us. His lovingly guiding hand is helping us along the way. We never have to fear Him leaving us (Hebrews 13:5) The Lord is our Keeper!

Visit this week's linkup HERE.

Ways To Relieve Stress In Your Home

A stressful home brings on all sorts of problems for those living there. Daily we send family members out into the world to deal with the stress of work and school. When they return home, they should find a safe haven instead of just another stressful place. Home should be a place where they can get away from it all.

10 Ways To Relieve Stress In Your Home

Be Cheerful – Family members need to be cheerful, even when they don’t feel like it. Moodiness and bad attitudes bring about stress for those around it and it only escalates in everyone.

Keep Things Attractive – Not everyone lives in a brand new house with fresh paint and new furniture, but it doesn’t mean your home doesn’t have to look nice. Believe it or not, our children see if we care about our homes. Pick up the toys scattered across the yard, roll up the water hose, and wash the windows.

Keep The Home Organized – There is nothing like digging through clutter looking for a library book or a set of keys when you are rushed to get out the door. Work on organization in the home, everything should be its place.

Organize Your Children – Children need to learn to be organized. It helps in their school work and will be needed when they have a job. Organized children helps you out in the long run.

Show Kindness and Respect – Every family member needs to show both kindness and respect to each person. Parents, your child deserves kindness and respect just like you do. Don’t forget some people need their alone time to recharge – respect that.

Go On Outings Together – Spend time together away from home. Day trips, museums, or an afternoon at the park are ways to help reduce stress and make memories.

Just Have Fun –Movie night with popcorn, game night, or any way you spend quality time with your family brings on happiness, fun, and good memories.

Spiritual Environment – Family Bible time is important. Teaching and learning about the Lord, His promises, and blessings lowers anxiety.

Security In The Home – Creating a safe place for our families brings about a sense of security. Would you believe when a child doesn’t feel safe in their home, their schoolwork suffers?

Show Love – Our home should over flow with love for everyone. During disciplinary times, those involved should show and receive love. When friends enter our homes, they should feel the love that is shown there.

Stress causes a lot of health problems. As a parent, it is up to us to make sure our children have no more added stress when they are at home. As a homemaker, it is up to us to make sure we are not adding any more stress to our families.

A Happy Home is a Healthy Home.