Daily Devotions for Women Archives - Page 2 of 46

The Word of God is Greater than Gold

February 24, 2016 by Jeannie Pallett 15 Comments

Hello from my corner of the web! With our move six months ago and my husband’s retirement, it has been months since I have written here and I have missed this corner of quiet reflection as I ponder all the ways God’s word is greater than gold.

Some of you may have breezed through this kind of transition, never missing a beat, never missing an opportunity to post and stay in touch. I thought perhaps that might have been my experience, but sadly, the truth is, it is not.

Blogging for me, has been about sharing our learned experiences and learning why God’s word is greater than gold. Sharing what the Father is teaching us in our day to day lives and how His word impacts and changes our hearts. I have sure missed my time here at Greater than Gold sharing the lessons God teaches me and even though I have not written posts about them, His hand has been active in my heart. Very active.

But, my days have been so too! And that activity is something I have had to grow into. To trust my Father in.

You see, I have spent many years on my own while my husband has been at work. I have loved that time. Never having raised children and learning how to share my daily life with a house full of family is not a gift I have been given and I am ok with that. I have considered my time to reflect and ponder the things of God a gift however and I am very thankful for the years I have had to immerse myself in the River of God.

My husband and I have dreamed these days even as we treaded the waters of prostate cancer. Our dream has kept hope alive! We have dreamed and trusted and believed God for health and the past few months have found us both stripping the kitchen down to the bare walls in order to bring about the kitchen transformation we have dreamt of. The bathrooms too were taken down to the bare walls and we are thankful for the strength and health to do the work ourselves. Instead of picking up a pen I have picked up claw hammers to remove floor screws and taken a broom and swept up old tile flooring carting the old outside to be taken to the dump…and wallpaper stripping, choosing fresh paint colours, new bathrooms and trim and crown moulding, flooring and tile choices…Well, I am still in the River of God, but the current of the River changed and has taken me a little further downstream, a little further from the comforts of the shoreline.

We have dreamed these days in years past and sometimes I need to pinch myself to make sure I am really awake! And all the while, I have thought of you!

I have been awake enough to know I have not written more than six pages in my journal these past six months…awake enough to know I have needed to learn how to transition into this time of life change with grace and wisdom. Awake enough to know the Father has me in the palm of His hand even though everything about my daily life is so very different to anything I have ever known.

I am awake to His Presence in my life, awake to His Voice in spite of life’s changes, awake to the love He has been pouring into my life through the new family of God He has brought us into.

It wouldn’t be truthful to tell you it has been easy though. I have faithfully kept a journal for most of my life and written more seriously for at least the last fifteen years and to not pick up the pen or sit down at the keyboard feels like part of me has been amputated. I know that is not the actual case, nor is there cause for alarm.

I need only readjust myself as I travel in the River and trust the Father to determine the speed and direction of the current He has me in.

Today, I have taken the laptop and am sitting in the big leather chair by the front window where I can usually see the cardinals, blue jays and squirrels. Today there has only been the odd squirrel to make a dash across the street in the heavy rain…

I am here. I AM is here. His Presence has never left nor has He forgotten how He has wired me. He speaks peace to my heart and speaks words of wisdom. I can hear, I am awake. Today, I am here and want to let you know that whatever circumstance you find yourself in, God has not forgotten you. You are engraved on the palm of His hand and His heart is ravished by you.

I ravish His heart too. My blogging may look a little different these days, but sharing with you why God’s Word is greater than gold is still a burning desire in my heart. My next post I am going to tell you about how hard it has been to pick a tile for the kitchen and bathroom backsplash. Such a mundane topic – Nay! In the choosing He spoke to my heart about how we in the Body of Christ are living, tumbled and honed stones. Oh, how I want to be that honed stone reflecting His image.

I hope you will meet me here, for He is here.

Linking up here: http://www.frogslilypad.net/thankful-thursdays/

Peace, Overwhelming Peace

December 7, 2015 by Jeannie Pallett 3 Comments

Have you learned that Peace, overwhelming peace floods your soul when you keep your mind focused on

the attributes of God?

the character of God?

the promises of God?

Peace is a love gift from the Father and it belongs to us. The Holy Spirit indwells us and peace is a result of His presence within our hearts.

Love, Joy, Peace – these are gifts from the Holy Spirit. Precious gifts to help us live lives of love and abundance. Lives focused on loving God and seeking first His Kingdom matter so much to Him.

Peace is a settled assurance in our souls about a matter. In Galatians 5, Peace follows after Joy. When we receive Joy, we also experience Gladness in our souls. We are no longer striving to hold onto momentary, fleeting moments of happiness. Gladness settles down deep in our soul and keeps our outlook focused on the work of the Cross. Gladness protects us from despair and depression too!

Looking Beyond the Mountains

November 2, 2015 by Jeannie Pallett 14 Comments

After two months of not writing while settling into our new home, it feels good to sit down in the quietness of the early afternoon and begin plonking at the keyboard letters. The sun is shining bright on the copper and gold leaves and I can see the squirrels and blue jays playing in the branches of the big trees lining our back yard. A little farther down, the lake is pale and quiet as the day draws slowly to an end.

My heart is thankful, grateful for the faithfulness of God and all He has done for us in this past season.

Life has been busy, just. plain. busy. as I adjust to a new life with a newly retired husband. I have heard it said that retirement is kind of like being a teenager with money and not having to ask your parents stuff and not worrying about how late you get home. We have not been coming home late from anywhere, but I will tell you it is so nice that we don’t have to set the alarm to 5:15 am anymore. It is good to see my husband relax after the emotional toll of the past few years and sometimes we are not up until 8:00 am. Rest of body and soul is beginning to merge.

Usually, we have our coffee downstairs in our blue rocker recliners in front of the fireplace. We are beginning now to use that time for prayer and Bible reading; it is a good time and place because our hearts are thankful as we appreciate the peace and blessing of our surroundings. His goodness is not lost on us.

Lift up Your Eyes

One morning a few weeks back, I switched coffee places up so I could sit and watch the squirrels playing in the grass and a fresh revelation struck my heart that when our eyes are downcast, all we see is the ground before us. Our focus stays at the level of the grass that fades and withers when God wants us to look up and be like the tall oaks, regal and strong.

The Scripture came to mind from Psalm 121:1

I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from God maker of heaven and earth.

Gazing at the green grass, still wet with dew and then raising my eyes and head higher to take in the sight of the glorious tall trees a definite attitude change was tangible and the Holy Spirit began whispering truth to my soul.

When our soul is downcast and our eyes focus on that which is lower, we walk with a downtrodden attitude. When we do lift our eyes, and see the hills and mountains before us, we think of them only as path blockers creating difficulty in our walk. As the children of God, He wants to be the lifter of our heads so we are able to persevere and press on in our faith and not despair when times get hard.

I have seen so many pictures of mountains with “Psalm 121:1 I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from God, maker of heaven and earth”; as if to indicate that from somewhere in the mountains, the help of God comes.

I had the intense understanding the Lord was saying that when we see the mountains and hills as we journey with Him, instead of allowing depression, despair and fear rule us, we make the choice to declare that our help comes from God, not some mystical mountaintop.

Our help comes from God, the Maker of Majestic Mountains and He will stop at nothing to help us in our times of need. Do you believe that? Will you dare to believe and trust on a completely new level?

He is Your Very Present Help

He wants to be your glory and the Lifter of your head and raise you up to look at Him. He needs no time to reach you for He is always with you. Your help does not come from some place amongst the mountains; He is your very present help in time of need. I Am is your Great Tower of Refuge and He longs for you to keep your gaze focused on Him. Lift up your eyes and behold that which is beyond.

On another note, just after those thoughts came to me, Shadow was hip checked by Sasha as they chased squirrels and he fell into the pool landing on the pool liner. I flew out of the house, was there in seconds, and pulled the liner over to the side of the pool and Shadow climbed out, shook himself off and wagged his tail. I gathered him up, wrapped him in a dry towel and cuddled him in a cozy blanket for quite a long time.

The Lord whispered again, ‘you thought you were close and quick to rescue Shadow but I am closer still. Trust Me with all of your heart and soul and be confident in my ability to lift you out of deep waters.’

Dear one, will you join me in trusting our God more and more in these days to come? Will you let your heart rest in the unfailing, unchanging love He has for you? You are secure and loved and He has called you out of shade and darkness, set His love upon you and calls you His beloved. You are His.

Beckoned by the King,

Jeannie

Happy once again to be linking up with some great writers and will be adding more as week goes on.

http://mecoffeeandjesus.com/

Reflect Link-up

Will We Bear One Another’s Burdens

August 27, 2015 by Jeannie Pallett 6 Comments

At this time of writing we have only five days left. Five days to finish emptying a house of all that made it home. The new owners will take up residence in a home they love never knowing of all the burdens that have been shared within the walls of this home.

Our pastor and dear friends have sat on the couch with us as we wallowed in the shock of our son‘s suicide, the news of cancer in my husband. Friends have gathered here in our living room and prayed and been willing to bear our burdens so we could walk on the high places and see those mountains come crashing down.

We have been encouraged by those willing to bear our burdens, those willing to carry us in prayer and friendship until the battle was won.

I really want to tell you though about one friend here who has impacted my life by her love almost as much as Jesus.

Maybe that is because she has displayed and lived the Jesus kind of love we see too infrequently. She was willing to lay down her own life for her friend. Jesus said there is no greater love than this.

Paulette has given up the last six months of her life to walk a journey few would dare. Her friend, roommate, adopted Japanese sister was diagnosed with cancer when she was away on a very brief holiday. No sooner had Paulette returned from her holiday than she was right back on the plane with her friend to hospital in another city and was by her side when she heard the news her cancer was terminal.

Praying for them both everyday seemed so tame, lame and just not enough given the magnitude of the journey. But we know, don’t we that God gives strength for the walk of faith He calls us to when we ask. My friend carried the burden for her friend, we here at home carried and bore her burden, lifting her to Jesus, interceding for them constantly.

On Tuesday morning, our dear sweet Yuka was ushered into the presence of the King. On Monday night, a quiet whisper I heard, deep in my spirit, a whisper I wanted to ignore. “I am preparing to receive her“, were the words I heard, so Tuesday morning I waited with baited breath for the news.

Tears flow and hearts ache for the home going of Yuka. Her servant heart and child like faith and deep love for Jesus, the beauty of her soul, this precious young woman who was so deeply loved will be so deeply missed and mourned.

But it is for Paulette now that my heart aches. She is waiting for Yuka’s sister to arrive from Japan and they will fly up here together to begin the achingly hard task of going through Yuka’s earthly possessions. We have to leave before Paulette comes home and I won’t be able to wrap my arms around her, won’t be able to give her my shoulder or be available to sit long with her and listen to her grieving heart.

I want to know that the prayers I pray will bear her burden, will carry her to the arms of Jesus so she can find rest in the midst of the hard and painful.

I have to trust they will because the God I love, believe and trust CAN.

My grief is part of the grief we share as a body, as the church and I pray the church and most especially, Yuka’s adopted Canadian family, will know the deep and tender comfort and consolation of our Lord. He weeps with us even as He rejoices over Yuka and dances with her in the courts of heaven.

May we, the church, the hands and feet and heart of Jesus be willing to bear the burdens of another, to carry those who are in hard and seemingly insurmountable places so they can rise up with wings as eagles and not grow weary. May our faith and prayers bring sustenance and strength to their hearts.

May our prayers bear the burdens of those we love and carry them all the way home.

But God is Here and His Word is in My Heart

August 11, 2015 by Jeannie Pallett 7 Comments

We are living some pretty crazy days engrossed in our current season of having our house for sale. My days feel frazzled and full of frustration and worry as I prepare our home everyday for showings, only to be disappointed that no offer was forthcoming.

I am writing to find hope and encouragement from God’s Word. Even in this I want to know why and how God’s Word is Greater than Gold. (Psalm 119:72)

The two words I desperately need to remember are

“But God!”

But God, He sees the way that each one of us take and has never left our side or wandered off somewhere else even for a moment.
He is with us as we make our plans and He busies Himself with our every step, all the while rejoicing over us.

Isn’t that just a precious thought! His love for us is so absolute and the shed blood of Jesus has completely washed away all our sin that the Father looks at us and just plain grins as He watches over His beloved.

I imagine Jesus lifting up the hem of His garment as He twirls in glee at the joy He feels as He looks at us.

I imagine Him reaching out His arms to us, that we might take His mighty right hand and dance with Him.

When we feel stressed, one of the best things to do is rejoice and laugh for a merry heart doeth good like medicine, Proverbs says.
Instead of hanging out on the sidelines we need to engage with Jesus and join Him in the song He is singing over us. We need to be exuberant about taking His hand and dancing with Him for He loves it when we rejoice too and live out the joy and peace He has given us.

And just between you and me, I will tell you that living like that has been hard for me this summer. I have desperately wanted to enjoy our last summer season here in the Northeast BC. The Father knows the transition into retirement we are making. After all He helped us make those same plans and opened doors for us that no man could have opened.

We have known His guidance, followed His leading and we have confidence that our plans and timing are in alignment with His. But this part of our journey has been so hard I can’t even begin to find the words. I feel like I am in a brick box and the Lord cannot hear my prayers and is deaf to my cries.

He has been teaching me how important it is to trust Him wholeheartedly and over the summer He has been graciously revealing to me, all the things I have been trusting in other than Him!

Ouch! But we need to know those things! We need to be aware of what the truth is about our hearts so He can do a new thing.
We are to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not upon our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:6)

So often, we don’t know what peripheral things we are trusting in and do not realize we are leaning on our own understanding.

You see, we need to get that first part right so we can walk confidently in the second half of the verse. The stripping and baring of the heart is painful but it is a good first step towards purity. Oh, how I long to have a pure heart.

I pray that as you seek His face, He will give you ears to hear and you will hear Him gently speak to your heart and show you the adjustments He would like to make. I pray that this summer season will be fruitful for you and you can enjoy the harvest that is to come.

In the meantime let’s continue to believe God for His victory and matchless, unbroken companionship, His favor, His love and His peace as we keep on waiting on Him and looking to Him. May He have mercy on us and show us His loving kindness. (Isaiah 30:18)

With much love as I seek the King,

Linking up: RaRa Link-up

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