20. Dear Abel (Letters from God Volume II)

Dear Abel,

     You are the second child of Adam and Eve. You are also my child. I love you my son. You are obedient and faithful to Me. You made a proper offering to me. You worked tending to the flock and you offered the best that you have raised.

     Your brother was jealous of your offering and became angry with you because I did not accept his offering. You showed him concern when you saw that he was not happy. He then asked you to go to the field with him where he killed you. His action came as a great surprise to you because you were his brother and you loved him.

     I love you and you are now with me.  I know you miss your mother and father. I will care for them and they will be blessed with a son. They will name him Seth. He is not you, but he will be their child and I will comfort them.

    Do not be afraid for Cain. I will place a mark on him to warn others not to take his life. He will not have an easy life, but he will live with the consequences of his actions. Live in peace with Me my child and know My love.

Love,

 Your Heavenly Father

   

Read

Genesis Chpt. 4

Proverbs 4:23

²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.

Matthew 18:20

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

I am grateful for every opportunity to fellowship with other believers in Christ. It is truly a blessing to spend time in God’s Word and with my brothers and sisters In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior,

Art by Julie Sheppard

Joined together in Christ, living as one to fulfill His purpose in our lives.

Reminiscing

I am just thinking back to a camping trip with my mother. It is the same story I shared at her memorial, but it is one that makes me smile as I remember her.

You see it was my mother who taught me to enjoy the outdoors. She taught me how to pitch a tent, bait a hook, clean and cook the fish I caught, and other things that you do when you go camping.

She also taught me the importance of being a lady. So I am just as comfortable out in the woods, sitting by a creek, or paddling a canoe, as I am dressing up and going to the museum or a theater.

One thing my mother was not happy about me during this camping trip, to put it into her words, “Catching fish with your hands is cheating!” We were camping at Big Rock Creek in the Angeles Forrest. The water in the creek is perfectly clear. I got tired of the trout swimming around my baited hook, so I slowly got into the ice cold water (it was a snow fed creek). I patiently watched as the fish swam close to me. When they continued to swim around me I quickly grabbed one with my hands. When my mother who was further up the creek saw me in the water she yelled at me, and told me I was cheating and that I needed to be patient. What she did not realize is that I had really wanted to go hiking and knew she would not let me go until I caught my limit. So I caught my limit by hand, and even though she had wanted me to throw my catch back into the stream, she let me go hiking . Of course I had to clean my catch first.

Sometimes I think that it is because memories like this I enjoy the outdoors and hiking so much. My other reason is I feel closer to God, and now that she is with Him when I get a moment to escape to the outdoors I can feel closer to both.

Spiritual Health Physical Health Lesson 1

Spiritual Health / Physical Health

     When our body is in pain or we are sick, we cannot function to the best of our ability. This will even interfere with our relationship with our Lord. You may question your own faith if you are sick long enough. Others may cause you to question your faith as well and make you ask yourself, “What have I done to deserve this?” Read Job and you will see that his friends did not come to comfort him, but criticized him. Even His wife at one point told him to curse God and die. Not something that is very encouraging. We come together to encourage one another to edify each other and to share the love of Jesus with each other. We are many parts but we belong to one body. Our individual bodies need attention too, and that is what these lessons will be about. For scripture does tell us our bodies are His temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

John 2:21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

1 Corinthians 6:19( ESV) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

We need to take care of our body, and we do this by seeking wisdom and applying what we learn to our life. Our body belongs to God we are its care taker.

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Romans 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Matthew 4:4 (ESV)4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

We need to feed our body and our spirit. We feed our body food and our spirit His Word.

Proverbs 4:20-23 (ESV) ²⁰ My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. ²¹ Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. ²² For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

We need to continually feed on the Word of God. If we do not we grow spiritually weak. We also need to have fellowship with other believers.

Hebrews 10:25 (ESV) not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

If we do not feed our body properly we make it weak and it becomes easier for it to become sick. Today we shall focus on protein. This is a nutrient that if we do not continuously feed on we lose because our body does not keep it stored. It is used by the body and needs to constantly be replenished. Just as our spiritual muscles are weakened by neglect our body suffers if it is neglected as well. Our muscles need protein. We also need to exercise our muscles. This does not mean we have to lift weight and become body builders or athletes. If water does not move and no fresh water comes into it the water becomes stagnate. This water is then useless and it stinks too! If we do not keep our body fed and moving it too will become stagnant and worthless.

Now meat is one way of getting protein, but beans are an excellent source of protein as well and they also contain fiber which is good for our body as well.

Canned

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 6 Calories 218
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 0.7g		1%
	Saturated Fat 0.18g	1%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
	Monounsaturated Fat 0.06g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 922mg		38%
Potassium 739mg
Total Carbohydrate 39.74g		13%
	Dietary Fiber 16.6g	66%
	Sugars –
Protein 14.47g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 10% Iron 26%

Boiled

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 134 Calories 312
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 14.85g		23%
	Saturated Fat 1.978g	10%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 7.263g
	Monounsaturated Fat 4.819g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 414mg		17%
Potassium 609mg
Total Carbohydrate 34.13g		11%
	Dietary Fiber 8.3g	33%
	Sugars 1.24g
Protein 11.82g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 6% Iron 13%

What’s New and Beneficial About Black Beans -Recent research has shown that black beans provide special support for digestive tract health, and particularly our colon. The indigestible fraction (IF) in black beans has recently been shown to be larger than the IF in either lentils or chickpeas. It has been shown to be the perfect mix of substances for allowing bacteria in the colon to produce butyric acid (Role in Digestion Humans have this acid in their digestive tracts, too, and it is one of many stomach acids that helps break down food for energy. The colon also produces it as a byproduct of some types of fiber digestion, particularly oats and raw bran. Many experts say that this acid is the main reason human gas and flatulence smells bad in so many instances.)

 

Now we should begin exercise with learning to stretch and to breathe.

We all breathe but it is what is called shallow breathing. Just like our muscles need protein, it needs oxygen as well. Deep breathing increases the oxygen our body needs. Breathing deeply can also calm the body and lower blood pressure.

When we practice deep breathing exercises, the breath helps to remove toxins from our vital organs and promote improved blood flow throughout our body.

Check this out with yourself right now.  Turn your attention to your breathing. Do you see anything moving? If the answer is no, you are likely taking shallow breaths. Where there is stress, there is usually shallow breathing. The good news is that with very little effort, deep breathing can become an easy and unconscious practice.

 

First, sit upright in a comfortable position, with your hands on your knees and your shoulders relaxed. Now, in your mind, make a conscious decision to focus on your breath. Close your eyes and exhale completely. Your lungs first need to be empty in order to allow you to inhale fully and deeply. Slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of five. Breathe deeply into your lower abdomen. If it helps, picture your lungs expanding with air as you breathe in. As your lungs expand they push down on your diaphragm causing your belly to expand. Once you have taken a good deep breath in, hold in your breath for a count of three. Then slowly exhale the air out through your nose while counting to five. At the end of your exhale, hold once again for a count of three. Take another slow breath in through your nose, again counting slowly up to five.

Remember to breathe deeply down into your belly and let your belly expand as far as is comfortable. There is no need to force it.

Repeat this deep breathing exercise 5-10 times, which should only take a few minutes.

When you do this deep breathing exercise, expect your mind to wander. That is what the mind does.  When you notice this, simply bring your attention back to your deep breathing and begin your count again.

If you practice this deep breathing exercise on a regular basis you will notice that it becomes easier to focus on your breathing and eventually you will notice that you regularly breathe deeply without having to think about it at all.

We can also use this time to meditate on a scripture of your choosing. You can replace counting with a scripture.

Now we should stretch

Let’s learn a stretch we can do while sitting.

1. With legs wide, slowly curl your spine forward, dropping your torso toward your thighs.
2. Allow your head to relax and your hands to reach down toward your feet. Hold for 20 -30 seconds and slowly rise back up. You can increase time as you become more limber.

This stretch will elongate your spine and increase blood flow to your head. Use caution when you first rise from this exercise. You may become dizzy, this is why this a good exercise to do while seated.

19. Dear Uriah

Dear Uriah,

   You are a faithful and devoted soldier and a man of great character. While you were serving your king in battle your king betrayed you and took your wife into his bed, and there she conceived a child. Out of fear of his sin being exposed, he called you home. You did not go home but slept at the entrance of his palace where his other servants slept.

   David asked you to come to him and he asked you ‘Why did you not go home as you were instructed?’ Your response showed what great character you have. You answered, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” You acknowledged the condition of the lives of those you served with, and would not take personal comfort when you knew where they were and what they were doing.

   David became more afraid of his affair with your wife becoming exposed, so he had you eat with him and he proceeded to get you drunk. His plan did not work though; you still did not go home, but slept again with the servants on your mat.

     In David’s final attempt to cover his sin, he sent you into the most dangerous battle. He hoped that you would die in battle. Here you were faithful to a man and a king who took your wife as his own, and then he used a war to have you killed. I am sorry for what was done to you, but I am happy that you are now with Me. I am proud of you my child. I love you and I admire you.

Love,

your God

Read

2 Samuel Chpt. 11

Your physical health and your spiritual health

I want to thank all of you who take time to read my blog posts. Your comments encourage me to continue writing, and sharing with you all that God has been so gracious to give me.

I am beginning a new study that has truly  inspired me. I will be continuing to post from my ‘Letters from God’, but I have been inspired to dig deep into scripture regarding our body and it’s health and how it affects our relationship with our Lord Jesus.

It is like the Butterfly effect. One thing makes an impact on another without you even consciously realizing it. When we are not in the best health and our body is in pain, it influences how we relate to God, even if we do not realizes it at the time. If you are hurting or are sick you may not want to be around other people. So this effects our time of fellowship with other believers. Then there is our time in His Word, to be honest how much time do you really spend in reading when your head is hurting or you feel sick? Even a bad mood can discourage you from reading. We also do not feel like talking with anyone when we feel sick or are in pain, which also means our conversations with God even shorten. We do not mean to separate ourselves intentionally we just flat do not feel well. Without realizing it at the time we weaken ourselves by doing this. We need fellowship, this gives us encouragement and also lets us know we are not alone and that we are care for. So if you have someone you know who you stop hearing from or spending time with you should check on them and see how they are doing. They may not be feeling well and need the encouragement of a visit or even a phone call offering to see if there is anything that they need. This is also a great time to pray for each other. You can also share a verse that helped you when you were not feeling well this too will encourage and comfort the one not feeling well. I already mentioned praying together which brings God into the mix, making Him the focal point and not what is making the person feel bad.

We all have both spiritual and physical needs. I am hoping that by sharing my study here it might be of encouragement and edification of someone else who may be in need of this. I have good days and bad days. The physical pain and limitations that have been put on my body has been a stumbling block for myself. Yet the good that has come from this has taught me that for one I am not alone. Others have their afflictions and understand what I am going through. Two by sharing what I have learned can help another making my pain worthwhile. Then by sharing my lessons others can share their story and I can learn from them.

I am very excited about what God is still teaching me, so as I prepare each lesson I will be posting them here. I am looking forward to hearing from you and lessons you may have to share, and let me know if these lessons help you in any way.

 

18. Dear Son (Letters from God Volume II)

My Dear Son,

    The journey you are about to leave for will be one that I wish You did not had to make. I do not wish to be separated from you for even the shortest period of time. For We are One and the same, but it is You that will leave Our home. This is so that You can do what must be done so that Our creation can be redeemed. This love of Yours for these lost ones I share with You. Yet it does not change what it does to my heart to know what You will endure while living there. It pains me to know that there will be many who will not believe in You, and worse than that, they will reject and mock You. You will not be understood. You will suffer abuse like no other ever has. The weight of sin and suffering of the entire existence of man will be carried alone by You. I am so proud of You, for doing this when You do not have to. Yet while You do know what will happen to You, this knowledge has not stopped You from making the choice to take the sins of man upon yourself. So that man can be saved from death and himself.

   We know that there will be many who will not believe that You are my Son for many reasons. Your entrance into their lives will be a humble one. You will be born to a woman that I have chosen. She is young and has not been with any man. The man who will be her husband is a carpenter and a good man. At first the news of her being with child will cause him to want to send her away. Yet I will send a messenger to him and he will marry her and be a father to You on earth as men know fathers to be. They are still a far way off from completely understanding me to be their Father even though they do sometimes call me Father. The time will come when You will leave their home and do that which You have been sent to do. When You speak, it will be with authority. You will walk to most places, and travel by fishing boats to other. You will not carry earthly possessions. When You do ride an animal it will not be a beautiful horse on but on a donkey. You will live a simple life among these men and women. You are Love and forgiveness made into flesh.

   Though there will be those who will deny You, there will be a day when all will know who You are and what You have done for them, and why You chose to do this most painful, yet most precious act for them. Now you know that there is the group of men we have chosen, who will come to know You better than their own brother. They will leave their homes, families and jobs to follow You.

     Your presence in their life will bring about a great change, and give them hope and purpose to their lives. You already know that they will stumble and be afraid when their doubts surface. But the Spirit will be released to them through you. They will call You teacher, and Savior. You will be the friend and brother that they never knew they could have. You will feed thousands with little, and heal them from blindness, not only of what they cannot see physically but what their hearts and minds cannot. When You open their eyes, they will weep tears of joy and humility. For You will heal both their bodies and their broken spirits. You will deliver them from their sin. They will learn everything that they need to live from You.

   You will restore to Us that which was stolen by the one who We had to cast out. He will be coming against You from the moment You are made flesh. He will do everything to destroy You, for he hates You. His hate is almost as great as Our Love. Yet I know that there is nothing to fear concerning this for We both know what the outcome will be.      

     However My Son there is no parent who would ever want to allow what You will suffer to happen to their child. They would rather suffer themselves to keep it from their child from hurting. Yet I cannot do that. For this act only You can perform. I Love You, and I will send to You the Helper, and the one who will announce Your coming is already there waiting for You. Now it is my turn to wait for You to return to Me. You will do this when Your task is done. How glorious is Your love and mercy. You are My Lamb, and You are My Lion. I will be with You in Spirit. You are My Son.

 

Love,

Your Father

Read

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts Chapter 1

17.Dear Thief (Letters from God Volume II)

Dear Thief on the cross,

    Did anyone in the crowd know your name? Did they even care that you were there, hanging by my Son? Does it matter to you?  I want you to know that as you were there beside my Son, admitting your own guilt I cried for you. You looked at my Son and you knew Him for who He really was. You did not meet until that painful moment. Yet you defended Him.

   What did it feel like when He looked and spoke to you? Were the tears you cried from the pain of the cross or were they tears of joy. As He has received you, I also have received you. You were forgiven as soon as He spoke to you. Everything in your past is now gone. I loved you then and I love you more now. You are my precious child. Your sins were washed from you with His blood.

   Yet unlike some who do not know the physical pain of the cross you know that pain just as My Son does. You dear child are now an example to those who now live amongst men that no matter what you have done it is never too late as long as there is breath in you, and that you confess My Son to be your Savior, you are saved. Your sins are forgotten and My Love then takes its’ place.  Thank you, My child for believing in me.

 

Love, 

    Your Heavenly Father

 

 

Read

Luke 23:32-43

16. Dear Thomas (Letters from God Volume II)

 Dear Thomas,

     Do you know how much I love you? My dear friend your doubts do nothing for you. You love me, but you trust very little. You are faithful in spite of your fears. You knew that travelling to Judea would be dangerous that there were those who wanted me dead there. You were still willing to go, but your attitude was that we would die. Your fears have kept you in bondage.

     When I appeared to the other disciples, you did not believe them when they had told you about my visit. You said unless you touched the scars in my hands, you would not believe that I was alive. How can you believe in me and still doubt when you were with me as I walked among the people.

     You were with Peter and the other disciples fishing in the Sea of Galilee and I appeared to you again and you did not recognize me. You heard firsthand the words I spoke to the multitudes. You witnessed people being healed. Souls were saved yet still you still doubted that I am alive. I am thankful that there are people, who have never walked with me, and saw Me with their own eyes or heard me speak, yet they will believe in Me, and they will share their belief.

     They believe without seeing or touching, you believed because you saw me and touched me. You wanted physical proof and I gave it to you. I love you and I always will. I want you to learn to trust in Me completely without fear or doubt, and let your faith grow. I am with you always even when you do not see me and I have returned to My Father, My Spirit will dwell in you. Believe, trust and have faith. I am coming back for you. Do not doubt that!

Love,

Your Savior Jesus

 

Read

Matt 10:3 / Mark3:18 / Luke 6:15

John 11:11-16 / John 20:19-29

John 21:1-14