My Tea Time With Jesus

Psalms‬ ‭32:1-5‬ ‭NLT “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night Your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Oh what joy it is!! For those who put their hope & trust in Jesus Christ our Lord - Salvation is our gift. Our verdict in a court of law = Not Guilty! Because He paid our debt! He freed us from our sin & punishment for our sins. He traded places with us! At the end of our life, in the moment we stand before God, to see Him look for our name in the Book of Life - at that second, when our destiny...

Proverbs‬ ‭29:15 & 17, 8-11, 14, 20, 22-23, 25, 26‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Verse 15 & 17: A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.    Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire. Verse 8-11: Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger. If a wise person goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace. The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity and seek to kill the upright. Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. Verse 14: If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever. Verse 20: Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them. Verse 22-23: An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins. Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. Verse 25: Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but w...

Proverbs‬ ‭28:9, 13, 18‬ ‭NIV Verse 9: If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable. Verse 13: Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Verse 18: The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit. Today, several of these verses reminded me of when I was younger, naive, and not a believer in Jesus really. Before I understood that just "knowing about Jesus" was NOT the same as "knowing Jesus". This lack of understanding, lead to a LOT of wasted prayers!! Wrong prayers, evil even some times. I have learned, that God honors prayers when we are obedient to Him and in a right relationship with Him. Prayers that will bring Him glory, not shame.      Take a marriage for example. Would you really expect a couple to have a long marriage together, if all they did was ignore, bad mouth, ridicule, or even abuse each othe...

Proverbs‬ ‭27:1, 3, 8, 19, 20‬ ‭NIV Verse 1: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Verse 3: Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. Verse 8: Like a bird that flees its nest is anyone who flees from home. Verse 19: As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. Verse 20: Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.” Verse 1 made me laugh! It made me thing of the weather-man, telling us about the weather coming up. How often God shows His power and control over the weather, and it is NOTHING like what the 'people' told us it would be LOL I think God has a GREAT sense of humor! I think He changes it, just so we can NOT be accurate in our predictions. :-) Verse 3 had a visual pop: driving on a road, and the hill gave way, which had falling rocks and sand which blocked the road. In order to clear it, the rocks took actual big machines to remove the rocks...

Proverbs‬ ‭25:6-7, 11-12, 14, 19, 25, 28‬ Vs 6-7: “Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before his nobles." Vs 11-12: "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a ruling rightly given. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear." Vs 14: "Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given." Vs 19: "Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble." Vs 25: "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." Vs 28: "Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” Well, all of these verses jumped out at me today.      Verses 6-7 struck me, as to when we are invited to a dinner party. It is WAY more embarrassing, to sit somewhe...

Proverbs 24:17-18 "Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn His anger away from them.”      I believe we ARE to pray for ourselves, against our enemies. We ARE to pray for protection & guidance & even success over our enemies. However, we are NOT to be all excited, throw a party, or gloat over our enemies when they fall. In 1 Samuel, we learn a GREAT example of praying for our enemies and trusting in God to provide for us thru the trial of an enemy. In Matthew 5:44, we are told to not only "pray" for our enemies, but to "love" them! WHAT?!?! How is this possible?? Well, it's all about your heart. I had an experience a long time ago, that taught me to 'pray' for my enemies. I worked in an office for a buyer, and an assistant buyer or purchasing agent. The lady under our buyer, the assistant, did NOT like me for some reason. I have no idea what I did, or ...

Proverbs 21:3 " The  Lord  is more pleased when we do what is right and just      than when we offer Him sacrifices."      When we do things, that we 'say' are for God, or the church, or for 'humanity'.... yet, we have wrong or hurtful intentions in our heart - then we really are not offering a sacrifice at all. We are following the enemy, and being misleading towards others.      Doing what is right and good and just will ALWAYS be the right path to take! It will ALWAYS be the one that follows the way God wants us to go! Yes, sometimes, the 'right' thing ends up making us stand alone, be ridiculed, even abandoned. However, really - we are NOT left alone - Jesus stands right there with us in the middle of what ever it is, good, bad, or indifferent. Doing what is right, is not always easy either. Sometimes, it causes us or another person hurt feelings, or even discipline/correction. Yet, in the long run - even those momen...

2 Timothy 4:3-5 “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”      Well, if verses 3 & 4 don't describe our world today almost to a T, I don't know what does! Verse 5, "keep a clear mind in every situation" jumped out at me. A few ways to do this:      a) no drugs or alcohol. They clog, fog, and help exaggerate reality.      b) no or very reduced caffeine. This dehydrates you, and like a) - it can be addictive. Caffeine also increases your stress levels, which increases your insulin levels, which increases inflammation in your body. Prett...

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” The flash before my eyes, of standing in a group of people - in the middle of a situation, that good & bad choices can be the outcome. The time actually feeling 'unfavorable', yet the options and choices before us are pretty clear. The crowd seems both like friends we know, and people we don't really know. Yet, this verse tells us, to speak up and 'preach' the truth, in all circumstances and places with any and all people. Not in a "lord it over" someone way, but with kindness, patience, and encouragement. Yes, it needs to be with correction and rebuke too - which both of these mean to do so in a way that it 'startles' or 'jolts' the person being scolded.     Back to the flash picture: standing there in the group, the choices offered, are pretty clear. So, I innocently spe...

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”      Have you ever wondered why, when you read scripture that you've read before, that it takes on new meaning OR you see/hear it differently than you did before? It's because it is the very breath of God! God, the ultimate, perfect Father, uses scripture to teach us. Teaching does something: it exposes truth. Truth ALWAYS of & about God, Jesus, &/or the Holy Spirit! Teaching right from wrong. Teaching us where we are, at that very moment. If we are open & willing - every day is a new day in Gods word!      Sometimes, we are doing or have been doing something a certain way, for a long time. Then one day, we read something and we "realize what is wrong in our lives" - that's how much God loves us & cares for us! He is patient & ki...

2 Timothy 3:1-5 “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”     Holy Cow!! This is TODAY! Our time, we are living in! It just struck me: how 'long of time' is the time of "in the last days"? Scripture tells us, that Gods 'time' and our 'time' are two different things. So, these last days, in order for everyone to have a chance to 'hear the Good News' - these last days ...

2 Timothy 2:25-26  " 25  Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.   26  Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."      Wow! Being gentle with truth, can actually lead people to have a change of heart! That they will come to their senses and be freed from the traps of the devil - WOW! Yes, I too once was held in chains by the lies and troubles from the enemy and his army - totally doing what he wanted, instead of what God would have me to do.      Today, before we speak a word to anyone, we need to breathe a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to give us words that are gentle and true. That the truth will help them come to their senses, have a change of heart towards God and escape the devils traps/bondage/control. Please Lord, help them to be free from being held capti...

2 Timothy 2:23-24 "Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people."      Hmmmm... 'again' - this reminder must be important, because it is 'warned against AGAIN' LOL Yes, we DO get caught up in our humanness from time to time... Yes, I have fallen in to the pit of foolish, ignorant arguments that indeed lead to fights. Darn!! But, it's SO easy to get sucked in! How do we stop? By being kind, finding out ways to 'teach' and by being patient, especially with difficult people. One of Gods greatest gifts to us, is learning how someone else 'learns'. Do they understand truth by example? Maybe by drawings or word illustrations? How about by a story they can relate to, an example? Some people learn by hands-on, some by hearing, and others by reading. Then - there are those that learn b...

‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:22 “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”      Just this week, in our Life Group study, a question was asked: "Have you or someone you know,  ever been addicted to something? If so, how did we/they break free?" My addictions started pretty early in life. 7th or 8th grade, 13-14 years old. Influenced by the 'older girls' I walked home from school with.  I chose to follow their prompting. This 'people pleasing' trait was not good to have then. What strikes me now as I look back, some of those 'youthful lusts' never went away. They affected me well in to my adulthood, after having children, and well in to my marriage. (Funny/strange thought: mid-life crisis = youthful lusts) I didn't understand exchanging one habit for another back then. I also did NOT have anyone in my life that called o...

‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:20-21: “In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”      What an emotional visual I got on this one!! Almost like the 'Be Our Guest' scene in Beauty & the Beast. I'm doing my own thing, minding my own business at my place. In the room, I'm hearing all of the excitement going on, with everyone excited to be 'used' to serve the "Special Guest". I'm giddy, want to peek out and see who is out there in the dining room. Yet, it's not time. I've heard of being used for special service, but haven't experienced it before. So, I've not really been 'waiting' nor have I actually 'cleaned up' or...

2 Timothy 2:14 " Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them."     Well, OUCH!! I have been a bit of a "word police" lately with others. In and out of my household. Sometimes, I have heard people dispute words from scripture - like "which version is best" to use. Well, the truth is - that as long as it is truth, the BEST one, is the one you WILL read!! If you are reading a version of the Bible that makes you confused, or dread spending time in it with Jesus - then get another version!! Quick!      Back to normal arguments over words - when someone is telling a story, in their perspective, in their reality - who are we (or who am I) to judge them or correct them?!?! If there is not a danger to them, then we/I just need to let it be. Now - if they are telling false information that leads people astray - that is a different story!! Then ...

2 Timothy 1:8-9   " 8  So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.   9  For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus."      What jumped out at me today, was that we are NEVER to be ashamed or afraid to share Jesus with others! And that God saved us and called us to live a holy life - NOT because we deserve it, but because it is His plan for us! He LOVES to show us grace, mercy and forgiveness - ALL thru Jesus Christ! So, when we see someone doing something we feel worthy of praise, we can tell them, thank you and God bless you - and NOT be ashamed or afraid! When someone is doing something that the Holy Spirit nudges us to "speak up" ...