Are you properly clothed?

Good Morning Friends!  Thankfully His, Tuesday!   This morning I was reading in Colossians 3:12- 14, “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”  Bam!  The words clothe with and put on, really hit me…..quite distinct commands from our Father….God’s chosen people…..wow dearly loved……clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, and gentleness and patience…not easy ones to carry out all the time are they…..and bound with love…..put on love….Really!!!??  Well, sure smacked me in the face, this command, the way God wants us to be with others, well it takes a little work….we have to be prepared, be connected to HIM through HIS word and prayer…If we are not prepared through a close relationship with our Father, we cannot clothe ourselves with theses virtues or put on love.  Saturday, Kim and I had to fix some fence in a lease pasture so that we could move a few fall-calvers there.  The pasture had not been grazed for a couple years, so of course it was very over grown, thick with brush and grass, weeds, over-grown trees….I grabbed some water while Kim loaded the four wheeler with tools and wire we would need….he was prepared for the job.  Me, on the other hand….I went in shorts, tank top, and no gloves!!!!  Thank heavens I had worn my boots, but I definitely was totally unprepared for the job….I did not put on or clothe myself properly…hence….I cut my hands on the barbed wire, and my legs and arms are covered in scratches and bites, blood on my shorts from my hands and I really was not as much help as I would have liked to have been…..because I was not clothed properly….I went out unprepared!  Father, yes I sure got your message for me this morning……I need to stay close to You so that my actions reflect Your love and give You glory.  Father help me to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…..clothing myself in Your Love!  Father I am so thankful to be Your child….dearly loved! 

 

We love because God first loved us.  1 John 4:19.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.  1 John 4:12. 

Love you all!

The new addition to the family

Good Morning Friends!  Forever HIS, Friday!  Well……somehow or another we have a new dog at our house!  This past year was tough on us as far as our dogs go….lost 3, so I was somewhat surprised when Kim came home with a small, not too young dog.  He was a stray that had landed at a friend’s house in Gertie and it seems……that every time my husband was there the dog vied for his affection……not to mention that his friend really wanted to get rid of the dog.  So, Axle now resides in Lula, America!  He is a handsome little guy a mix of maybe Jack Russell and Dachshund, brown and white and quite stout.  Upon arriving at our house, Axle seemed a bit confused; he wanted to be with us, but if we tried to pick him up or pet him he ran off….very leery of our touch…it was sad, poor guy, easy to see that someone had been less than real nice to him causing him to be real skittish.  I knew there was no sense in forcing myself on him, rather I needed to just be patient, kind, reassuring (and an occasional treat never hurts).  Well, Axle has been with us for about 2 weeks now and he is really coming around; he’s so excited to see us, and follows us everywhere we go!  He loves to go with Kim in the truck and he loves to be petted and have his belly scratched!  Yep, Axle is going to be a great addition to our family….thanks to a little patience, smothered in kindness!  Do you have any Axles in your life….not dogs, but rather people…..people that for some reason or another need to be reassured of their worth….people that are leery of getting too close…..scared of getting hurt.  We so often think we know just what everybody else needs to get all fixed up!  Well, that just isn’t always the case!  I’m pretty sure that we could have chased Axle away if we would have insisted on  pushing our affections on him…..now slowly he is becoming a loving, well- adjusted pet!  For me I know that even in my prayers, at times, I become over bearing with my requests for people I feel are in need.  I think I know what they need…..Well, everyone needs prayers that’s for sure, and God knows exactly!!!  What He needs us to do is to send them to HIM and in the mean- time….be kind, patient, reassuring…..we may never see results like Axle, but we know that God is working!  He wants us to shine for HIM, to not judge others, but rather to be alert to those that might need patience…..kindness….reassuring.  Father, thank you for knowing needs, so that we don’t have to explain….help us to trust in Your will for our concerns and fill us with the will to love others like You love us!

 

The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.  1 Corinthians 1:25.  As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12.  “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear,” says the Lord.  Isaiah 65:24.  Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Jude 20.  As believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.  James 2:1.  The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.  Psalm 29:11.

Love you!

Kathie A. Johnson

April 18, 2013

Good Morning Friends! Thankfully His, Thursday! Now that Hailey and Clark have moved to Alaska, Cooper will be spending his days between daddy and Papa. Today is a Papa day; Cooper bounced in about 6:30 this morning…ready to go to “wok” with Papa! Bless his heart…..he came in talking and was still talking when I left for work. “What’s that Nana, what are you doin, Nana, Papa, what is that, why are you cooking that, what’s in the pot, Nana why are you wearing that, why do you go to work, me and Papa go to wok, Papa, why we go to dogs, we gonna shave them, I want to hold a baby puppy, where’s Holina, what’s that, Nana can I help you, I want to do it, Nana, why you go to wok? You get the picture I am sure, and of course he is right beside us the whole time…..as I kissed them both goodbye and headed out the door, I was smiling to myself….thinking oh that boy has a lot of questions…why this, why that, bet Papa will be worn out by the end of the day…hope he has all the answers!….And then the thought hit me and I had to laugh out loud….Our Heavenly Father is badgered with questions and pleas from all of us day in and day out……and just think, He never gets worn out, or losses patience with us (I wonder if He laughs at us once in a while…). And…HE DOES have all the answers!! And HE LOVES us to come to HIM with everything…..So blessed we are to have 24 hour access to our Heavenly Father…..no worry that He will be cranky, or impatient, or too busy! Father, thank you for attending to our needs all day long. Help us to be more like You in every way! And Father, thank you for grandsons full of questions, eager to learn and help. What a joy-filled blessing! Guide our time with them, enable us to be patient and loving like YOU.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs,. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:1-3. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He bestows rain on the earth; He sends water upon the countryside. The lowly He sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. Job 5:9-11. My God will meet all your needs (answer all your questions) according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10. Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22. The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him Nahum 1:7. Praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. Daniel 4:37.

Love you all!