While most generally read with a focus on peace, this time my thoughts kept coming back to “dwelling places, (homes)” that He is making ready for me, taking me to Himself, that where He is, I may also be, and doing the works He does. Our Father, in His great heart of compassion, is absolutely unwilling to do without us!
...one of his nieces gave a book to his wife called "Heaven is for Real". It's a true story about a young boy that dies in surgery, visits heaven, sees God, plays with Jesus, and then comes back to life. Before the wife could open the book, he said, "I'm reading it first!!"
"In bygone years, I allowed bitter roots to grow in me. Those years of deep-rooted resentment were hard to bear because the anger was poisonous to my entire being. It was paramount for me to change my life because the unresolved emotions affected my relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and myself. I decided to pray for the grace to help me forgive the offenders ..."
"The Apostle of Grace, Paul, taught grace: he used the word grace more than one hundred times in his epistles. Paul depended on grace, entirely. Paul tells the Corinthians that while in Asia, he faced more trouble than he could handle, even to the point that he despaired of life. And he admits that in desperation, he begged God to relieve him from the attacks of the enemy. And Jesus Christ's response to his prayer is quite interesting..."
Filled with joy, I said, “You see that, bro? Do you see how The Holy Spirit worked on your heart? He softened your heart for that moment. She probably sensed it and saw her opportunity to thank you. She is on her way to being fully restored. Just remember that resentment is like a two-way stumbling block to people trying to draw closer to Christ.”
"Now I knew Jesus was carrying me as in the picture. He heard me when I talked to Him. When I read the Bible, the words seemed to jump off the page straight into my heart. I knew He really cared for me as I looked into His eyes, and He held me close to His chest. I could sense His love as never before. "
"There are many negative voices that will try to convince you and me that we are doomed to blindly go about our lives - living from one crisis to the next crisis. But if we pray the above prayer from Ephesians in faith we will experience a life-changing miracle of believing we are created to live a glorious life."