~ Devotion ~ Our Daily Bread........... and a Devotional Giveaway !

 

Good Saturday Morning to you all ...

 

Well it's a Hot Humid Day here already .. supposed to hit 100 degrees and I wouldn't be surprised if it actually ends up hotter .. Hope you all are enjoying a cooler day wherever your neck of the woods is !

 

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Have you ever had one of those moments where a single word stands out to you more one day than it ever has before ..

 

Well I had one of those days today !

 

 

As I was reading one of my daily devotions ... the actual devotion was just about that "DEVOTION" ..

 

What the word actually means ..

 

 Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
Ezra 7:10 (NIV)

 

 

Here's an excerpt from this mornings devotion:

 

Are you familiar with phrases about having our daily devotions? Where did that term originate? We don't know when the word devotions was first used for our periods of Bible study and prayer, but it's appropriate. The word devotion means "earnest affection for a person or a cause." It's a better term than the word commitment. We can be committed to a cause out of sheer duty; but to be devoted implies commitment plus affection.

 

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I love how that excerpt defines devotion as "earnest affection for a person or a cause" because that's how I feel about my Dear Sweet Lord Jesus !  ..

 

However when reading my devotions in the morning be they in book form or e-mail .. I won't say I thought of them as sheer duty ... but it was something I did before starting my day because I wanted too, because it was a tool for learning, because it helped me through my day, but I never formed the thought or word affection with it .. however there is true affection in all of my reasons for reading my devotions and being committed to doing so each day ...

 

As I have grown older words and their meanings have grown more important to me. We have become a society that throws words around that have significant meaning yet we use them so lightly or in ways that are inappropriate. I love learning the true meaning and definitions of words it helps me see and understand things clearer in life.

 

 

One of our Favorite Devotions here at Sweet Magnolias Farm .. is

 

"Jesus Calling" By Sarah Young

 

 

 

 

About 10 or 12 years ago ..I can't remember the actual date or Year .. we were going though some rough times in our family. I had been earnestly praying , reading my bible and searching for God's answers and for his help to walk me through the dark valley we were living in .. I went to Wal-Mart..yep good ol' wallymart ... I imagine for groceries or incidentals .. and I wandered onto the book aisle something not unfamiliar for me to do ..I have always enjoyed reading for pleasure and learning.  I was searching through the books and I saw this Jesus Calling Devotional .. Picked it up flipped through the pages to see what it was all about ..landed on a devotion ..read it .. and it was meant to be .. God Spoke to my heart that day right in the aisle of Wal-Mart through one devotion off the pages of this book .. and I was reminded once again he was with me and would indeed walk me through the difficulties we were facing. And Yes he did .. it was a long journey but it was worth the uphill battle that ensued for nearly 2 years ..and in the end we came out better for it.  Of course I purchased the book that day .. and all these years later I love it as dearly as the day I purchased it ..

 

Since then I have also purchased Sarah Young's second devotional .. Jesus Today

 

 

It's also a beautiful devotional to start or even end your day with .. at one point I was reading Jesus Calling in the morning and Jesus today before going to bed each night ..

 

 

 

Have you ever read the story in the front of the Jesus Calling Book about how Sarah Young came to write "Jesus Calling" .. if you haven't it's a must read ! We have the original devotional "Two Listeners" which Abbey found in an antique mall that inspired Sarah.

 

 

If you are wanting a devotion that speaks to the heart .. messages sent from God .. then Jesus Calling and Jesus Today are what you are looking for ..

 

There are several places that offer them for sale online .. Christian book.com  offers them individually or the pair HERE

 

I think Wal-Mart, Sams Club and even recently they were at Costco for your brick and Mortar shops .. and I'm sure others also.

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 And If you want to try your luck ..

 

you can enter the giveaway below ...

 

There are no mandatory requirements for entering .. if you would like to share about this giveaway that's completely up to you .. Otherwise all you need to do is enter below by using your FB info or your e-mail ..neither of which will be used for any purpose other than picking and contacting the winners.

 

Please only Enter if you are in the contiguous 48 states.

 

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There will be 2 Lucky Winners which will each get the Pair of Devotions ..

Giveaway will end on Saturday September 13th

Winners will be notified Saturday Septemer the 13th and will have 24 hours to claim their prize .. if not claimed in 24 hours a new winner will be picked.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Daily Bread .. Girlfriends in Christ

 

 

 

Do you have a daily devotional you enjoy ?

 

As many of you have seen on my sidebar my favorite devotional is "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young.

 

I recently purchased her newest devotional "Jesus Today" while on a trip to Costco. I was surprised and delighted to find them in their book section. I have also been enjoying this newest devotional and would recommend it as much as "Jesus Calling" especially if your walking a hard road in life right now as Sarah wrote this newest one while facing a very long term illness, and that most definitely comes through in the daily devotions.

 

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About a Month back my friend Christie e-mailed me this great online devotional she wanted to share with me .."Girlfriends in Christ"

 

I loved it so much and found that it was a daily devotional delivered to your e-mail box and signed up immediately ..

 

Each day I thoroughly enjoy it .. without doubt it's food for the soul .. it's a way to start out a beautiful day to fill the tank if you will , to put on the armor of God ..to ready yourself for whatever the day may bring.

 

Today's devotional I really loved ..because Sharon who wrote today's devotional uses her flea market find to give us a visual look at how God works in our Lives .. and I wanted to share that with you all today ...

Source: theoldpaintedcottage.com via Sweet Magnolias on Pinterest

 

 

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June 11, 2013
Shabby Chic Refinishing
Sharon Jaynes

 

Today’s Truth

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

(2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV).            

 

Friend to Friend

Junk. That’s what my family and friends thought of most of my purchases. But to me, they were treasures waiting to be revealed.

When I was in my late teens, I had an unusual fetish for beat-up antique furniture. While most of my friends were at the mall shopping for clothes, I was at estate sales, flea markets, yard sales, and auctions hunting for antiques. Often, when I brought my purchases home, my family would roll their eyes and say, "I can't believe you paid money for that old piece of junk." But I never saw my purchases as junk. They just needed a little work…okay, sometimes a lot of work. But I loved the shabby chic projects!

At one estate sale I spied a little drop leaf kitchen table with three spindle-back chairs. I could just imagine a sweet little older lady spending many years sitting at that very table drinking her morning coffee or perhaps her afternoon tea. I could almost hear the faint whispers of thousands of conversations from generations past. The set was painted a hospital green, but I saw that it had great potential. Obviously the other bidders didn't recognize a treasure when they saw one, because ten minutes and $35 later, the set was mine.

I brought the dinette set home, all excited about my great buy, and couldn't understand why no one else shared my enthusiasm "Sharon, do you realize how much time and energy it is going to take to make that old green rickety table look even slightly presentable?" they asked.

 

 At that point in my life, I had a lot more time than money, so the time wasn't a problem.

Refinishing furniture is a dirty, grueling task. First, I stripped off the paint with paint remover and discovered that not only had the table been green, it had also been blue, and before that white. But underneath it all was pure walnut.

The paint remover raised the grain of the wood, so I had to go back and sand it smooth. If the sanding isn't done well, the finished product will always be a little rough. A few joints were loose from wear and tear, so I glued them back together. Then I applied a warm walnut stain which deepened its color and made the beautiful pattern of the wood grain stand out. Finally, I applied a polyurethane coat to seal and protect the piece.

As I worked I began to think of the old broken table as a symbol of my own life. I was also on the auction block, and God had purchased me with His Son’s precious blood. I had layers and layers of my old self that had to be stripped away to reveal the beauty hidden beneath. This raised my grain, but God sanded me with life experiences and trials to remove the rough edges. He glued my loose joints and mended my broken pieces, for He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Then He put a sealer not only on me but in me – the Holy Spirit who brought out the beauty of who God created me to be.

After I finished refurbishing the old table and chairs, I sat in the garage thinking about all that God had done in my life. My mom opened the door, looked at the old table, and said, "I never thought something so ugly could turn out to be so beautiful."

I said, "Amen."

Where are you in the refinishing process? It’s never really over, this side of heaven. But as we listen to God day by day, He will show us what needs to be stripped off, sanded away, and polished smooth to be all that He has created us to be.

 

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, I was such a mess before You transformed me. Thank You for restoring my soul, renewing my spirit, and redeeming my life to become Your treasured possession…a true work of art.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

 

Now It’s Your Turn

Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 to learn more about your refinishing process.

Think back over the past year. What has God used as His sandpaper to refine your rough edges?

What has God used to glue your broken pieces back together?

What has God used to polish your shine?

 

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You can Sign up for the "Girlfriends in Christ"  devotional ... HERE  Just look in the top right of the page for the sign up.

 

You can visit Sharon's Blog HERE

 

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Wishing you all a beautiful and blessed week ..and that God's refinishing process in your life like mine is making you a beautiful Person on the inside and the out.