Happy Friday, Friends! I'm looking forward to a VERY relaxing weekend. How about you?
Today's guided journaling prompt is:
Do you think of Jesus as a servant? What feelings, thoughts, or images come to mind when you think about Jesus serving the disciples?
I do think of Jesus as a servant, and as serendipity would have it, this verse was part of my Bible Study yesterday:
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJV)
Yes, I think of Jesus as a servant who was obedient to His Father. The image that comes to me is Jesus smiling while serving his beloved disciples. I like thinking about Jesus smiling!
What about you? What do you think? And do you have any prayer requests?
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
The verse above is from the scene where Christ restores Peter by asking him three times if Peter loves him. Jesus is cooking over a charcoal fire, the same type of fire Peter was near the three times he denied Jesus.
Hello, Friends! I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend. I know some of your were celebrating, and I can't think of a better time to celebrate than spring.
I think we're all going to enjoy this week's guided journaling. I love thinking about Jesus cooking for his disciples on the beach. I can't even imagine what that must have been like: Our Lord and Savior cooking for his friends!
I want to thank y'all for praying for Shanley Belle and Christopher as they traveled to London. They had such a nice time, and I asked them what they liked best, and they said that they loved how no one wore masks, everything was open, and there was no mention of COVID. Shanley said she wanted to move there, that it made her sad to have to leave because the normalcy was so appealing.
Do y'all have any prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends!
This week's writing prompt has had me thinking about how much influence the world actually has on our goals compared to where they should be based on the principle in Matthew 20:26, above.
Let's take a look:
Do you ever desire greatness in your job, social status, or among your circle of friends? How could the definition of greatness in Matthew 20:26 change these goals and desires?
I don't think I desire greatness, but I do want to do my best. There is a difference, and there is a biblical principle that everything should be done in a proper and in an orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40). I believe that social media has placed pressure on people to perform for likes, and it probably isn't very healthy. The new Bereal App should definitely make social media more "real," fun, and spontaneous (obviously).
The definition of greatness from Matthew 20:26 is in direct contrast to how the world defines greatness. Greatness is humble service which is the opposite of prideful achievement.
Do y'all have any prayer requests? Thanks for praying for travel mercies for Shanley Belle and Christopher. They're enjoying London, and please continue to pray that they will arrive home safely Sunday.
Have a great weekend! I hope you're enjoying beautiful spring weather wherever you are!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Easter Monday, Friends! I want to apologize for posting so late today.
This week we continue to explore how having the heart of a servant leads to happiness in Christ.
Do you have any prayer requests?
Please pray for my attitude, especially concerning my family. I have been in a mood today...and I'm not saying that it isn't warranted, I just need to express myself in a more positive light.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Sorry for the delay in today’s post; my schedule unexpectedly changed. I’ll post late this afternoon after copious amounts of coffee, LOL!
Thanks for understanding!
Until next time…
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
This week's scripture
Happy Good Friday, Friends! I hope you Holy Week has been a blessed one so far. We've had some beautiful weather, and I've been able to spend quite a bit of time outdoors. I've also been watching our church's services on YouTube since I can't participate in person yet.
This week's focus is on having a servant's spirit like Mary (and her son, Jesus). Here is this week's writing prompt:
Why do you think God chooses servant-hearted people to carry out his will?
One reason is that servant-hearted people have humble spirits. God loves humility.
What do you think?
Prayer requests:
I have been very encouraged by all the praises shared this week. :D
Do you have any prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Good Morning, Friends! The Nana Diana herself will be joining us. YAY! She's a prayer warrior, and I'm so happy that she wants to pray with us.
This week's focus in our guided journaling is having a servant's heart. Talk about perfect timing with it being Holy Week!
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
I hope y'all have a wonderful Holy Week. I still can't go to church, but I watch our services on YouTube. Y'all, they had a baby donkey at church today. It was a handful! I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.
Prayer requests? Praises?
I have a praise: I gardened for several hours this weekend. I'm starting to get some of my stamina back! :D
.png)
Usually I'm sleeping most Monday afternoons because of the Benadryl, but I'll check back Tuesday and read everyone's prayer requests.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you've had a good week. We've had many prayer requests this week, and if you'd like, please update us in the comments section.
Holy Week is upon us: Palm Sunday is April 10th. I love Holy Week!
.png)
Here is this week's writing prompt:
Do you feel free to serve others, or does serving feel like an obligation? Explain your response.
I think because of our freedom in Christ, we are free to serve because we aren't conformed to the world. Sometimes it can be tricky to find opportunities to serve given your circumstances, but if there's a will, there's a way!
What do y'all think?
Do you have any prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends! I hope your first weekend of April was a nice one. We had a super weekend, and we spent some time outside in the sunshine!
This week's focus is on service, and I know that many of you serve your communities in a variety of ways. Y'all are inspiring! I hope you have a wonderful week, and I want to remind us to continue praying for the following:
Prayer requests:
- A teenager and her family (all related to Rita) need our prayers as the situation is very serious.
- Kris has medical tests tomorrow. Let's pray that she's healthy, and that the testing goes well.
- Kitty's granddaughter needs our prayers as she recovers from surgery. Let's also remember to pray for her grandson Connor who's a Marine.
- Carla's Sam needs our prayers as his National Guard bag and its contents were stolen from his car. Also, he will be deployed this year, so really lift him up in prayer. Let's also pray for Carla's other son Atticus because he's a dynamic young man, too.
- I will have chemo every Monday for the next ten weeks.
I have another request: Shanley Belle wrote a novel, and I think it's cute (light suspenseful romance with lots of humor). She was able to get an agent, and the agent is trying to sell it to publishers. A major publisher has requested the entire novel which is a very good sign. Please pray that the right publisher will "buy" her manuscript.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Check back midweek to see if there are any additional prayer requests in comments.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday *and* April, Friends!
I quite enjoyed this week's focus on quiet servants. Jesus certainly modeled humble service during his ministry here on earth, and I've actually read quite a bit about it this week as part of my Lenten Bible Study.
Here is this week's guided journaling prompt:
Do you know any quiet servants? Describe that person and what you like about him or her. If you are a quiet servant yourself, what motivates you to serve others?
I know several quiet servants, and until I had breast cancer I had no idea that there is actually a group of breast cancer survivors in our church who quietly reach out to us who are currently fighting the disease. I am so appreciative of them, and I'm a little embarrassed I'd never heard of this ministry in our church before now.
I also want to thank y'all because you are all quiet servants, especially in your commitment to prayer. You have made a huge difference in how I'm handling everything because God is good: He answers prayer!
I want to make sure that we all lift-up Kris this weekend because she has a few diagnostic tests Tuesday. Do y'all have any other prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
