Mostrando resultados por autor "Janice Alonso" en Todas las categorías

What a dilemma. We are Christians and strive to live by the standards set forth in the Bible. Yet, we are humans . . . created in a form that yields to temptation. We are not alone. God loves us. Jesus died for us. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Based on a personal experience and Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We see ourselves with a narrow-angle lens and a shallow measuring stick. God sees so much more in us . . . Based on a personal experience and Matthew 17:20: Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

As Christians we study the Bible, go to church, and pray. While it is good to pray in general terms, it is also good to pray and serve specifically. Pray for the hungry – reach out to a family in your church community in need of food. Pray for the elderly – visit, write, or call those in nearby assisted living facilities. Pray for the sick – offer to help neighbors with tasks they are no longer able to do . . . Based on a personal experience and Romans 1:17: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is...

Getting places has become a lot easier with the invention of navigation systems at our fingertips. Not only has driving been made less confusing, but we can now use smart phones to guide us when we are on foot. The Bible provides us with its own navigation system . . . and it never needs to be upgraded . . . Based on a personal experience and Psalms 119:33: “Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.”

Too often we go for an all or nothing attitude, and unfortunately, it’s the nothing we walk away with. Whether your mountain to climb is losing weight, learning to play an instrument, or tackling a mound of paperwork, seeing a task in small parts makes the job ahead look less daunting. Based on a personal experience and Proverbs 19:2: “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.”

Slowing down . . . many of us have certainly learned the meaning of these two simple words during Covid-19. The idea for this devotion came at a time in my life that was very hectic. Many look for God’s words in a loud and stern voice; often, it is the soft and small voice that is telling us what He wants. Based on a personal experience and 1 Kings 19:12: “And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

Sometimes we’re just not ready to move on. We love our job. Our family relationships are running smoothly. The annual doctor’s appointment couldn’t have gone better. Then the day comes where changes have to be made and our stomach churns and our thoughts become fragments. Change is inevitable, but anxiety doesn’t have to be a part of that transformation. Based on a personal experience and Ecclesiastes 3:1: “There is a season for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Families have different ways to celebrate. Sometimes we celebrate agreement; just as often, we celebrate to agree to disagree. For over forty years, we have had a Family Beach Week. In 2020, due to Covid-19, it looked as though no one would be going anywhere. Based on a personal experience and 1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

When my first grandchild was two and a half years old, she noticed Bert was not among her Sesame Street stuffed animals. Even though her favorite character, Elmo, was there, she was concerned for the missing Bert. Based on a personal experience and Luke 15:31-32: “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again: he was lost and is found.”

“They” have always been with us . . . “they” will always be with us. Who are “they?” The Bible tells us “they” are the least of these, and it is our responsibility to care for them. Based on a personal experience and Matthew 25:45: And Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth. Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

I am blessed to have had many stories published, but there are still some of my pieces that don’t find a “home” the first time they are submitted. I edit and rewrite these pieces and send them out once more. Often they are accepted on a second try. Then, there are those stories that just don’t fit in anywhere . . . Based on a personal experience and Matthew 28:20: Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I tutored a woman to help her get a high school diploma. With a higher degree, she felt she would be eligible for a promotion. Her words, after receiving this hard sought-for degree, are an inspiration to us all. Based on a personal experience and John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Each of us is God’s beloved, and it is through grace we are saved by Jesus Christ. We all have gifts and God has a purpose for us here in this life that will continue in Heaven. A personal experience based on the following scriptures. Philippians 2:13: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for each of us to do.”

Do you have trouble snapping at your heels? Is depression pounding at your door? Or perhaps you are embroiled in a situation that is consuming you bit by bit. My friend Gilly, a Jack Russel Terrier, made a choice that literally saved her life. A devotional based on a friend’s personal experience and Psalm 116:8-9: “For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”

Meditation is beneficial for many reasons. Quietness calms the body and mind. Stillness settles the emotions. Pushing aside all mental and emotional turmoil also allows thoughts to rise freely and without judgement. This story about the God’s permanence was born out of one of my meditations. A devotional based on a personal experience and Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Dealing with an aging parent is emotionally, physically, and mentally draining. In this personal experience, God tenderly and lovingly, yet firmly, reminded me to remove the “speck” from my eye before judging my mother. This devotion is based on Luke 6:42: Jesus said, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?”

Every day is an adventure. You wake up to what appears to be a normal day only to suddenly have life throw a curve ball at you. You may not end up where you wanted to be, but with God as the driver, you’ll have strength and comfort and end up where you are supposed to be.. A devotional based on a personal experience in Jacksonville, Oregon and 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18: “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Do troublesome thoughts keep you awake at night? Are these thoughts founded on situations over which you have no control? Each of us has a Zacchaeus in us – our shortness comes from Earthly concerns. It is only by climbing upward to see Christ so that we can rise above the issues that make us small. Only then will he move in and make us see matters more clearly. A devotional based on a personal experience and Luke 19:9: Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because, this man too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to see and to save what was lost.”

Have you ever finished a project and felt it wasn’t complete? Ever felt there was something missing in your life? Many of us look at the story of The Prodigal Son and sympathize with the brother who had been faithful all his life, but it was the “bad” brother who received the celebration. Our minds cry out unfair!” Looking at the story from the father’s point of view may provide another point-of-view. A devotional based on a personal experience and two parables – Luke 15:11-32: The Prodigal Son.

Have you ever taken time to think of all the people you have encountered in your life? The most recent and constant ones are those you remember first. But what about those who were with you for only a while? God has filled our Earthly journey with fellow-travelers, some good – some not so good. Each person has contributed to what we become as guides toward God’s intended purpose. A devotional based on a personal experience and Matthew 22:39: Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbors as yourself.”