Chain of Custody

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

What I received from my parents and grandparents is my inheritance. What I leave my children and grandchildren is my legacy.

 

Lord, may I accept my inheritance with forgiving gratitude and offer my legacy with humble grace.

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The Sins of the Fathers

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

No question, some people have bad parents. And some folks assume that those children are destined to repeat the sins of their parents:

 

Numbers 14:18 (MSG)
God, slow to get angry and huge in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; Still, never just whitewashing sin. But extending the fallout of parents’ sins to children into the third, even the fourth generation.

If you were abused by your father, you carry scars on your soul. Likely your father and his father carried similar scars. But you are not without hope.

By the grace of God, you can be the last generation.

 

 

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Honor Our Father

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

 

 

What’s the best thing a father can do for his children?

 

  • Pay their way
  • Encourage them
  • Love their mother
  • Honor God

I’ll take “honor God” (“all of the above” is also a good choice).

Whether your father honored God or not, you have a choice. Choose wisely.

1 Kings 2:3
Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written.

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Thy Will, Not Mine

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

I say, “not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Do I mean it? 

 

Lord, your will be done in my child’s life–even if that takes him far away, or puts him in harm’s way, or sets him in a place of poverty. May he be exactly where you want him to be.

Make me want what you want, Lord God.

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A Mother’s Will and Prayer

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

Do you remember the story of the rich young ruler, the one who asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life? Jesus knew that money stood between our young man and his eternity:

Mark 10:21 (CEV)
“Go sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven.”

But the man couldn’t do it.

 

What if his mother had been praying that he’d let loose of worldly riches and seek God with his whole heart? What if she’d prayed, “Your will be done, Lord.” Would that have changed the outcome?

 

 

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A Simple Start

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Genesis 1:3
“Let there be light.”

 

 

Big power packed into four words.
(God knows how to keep it short and simple)

 

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My Lord’s Prayer

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott


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Whose Will Be Done

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

 

How do you pray for those folks nearest to your heart?

 

 

  • That they will be healthy and prosperous
  • For God to solve all their problems
  • God’s will be done

“Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10, the Lord’s Prayer) is always the right thing to pray. Question is, do I mean it?

I want the quick fix, the comfortable answer, the painless resolution. I want us all to be happy, right here, right now.

I want what is best as this moment. God wants what is best for my loved one’s eternity.

 

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God’s Hands at Work

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

 

A  friend gave me this sculpture.
I keep it at work.

I think of it as “God’s hands.” 

God’s hands in my office, reminding me that my office is in God’s hands.

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Good Work!

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 

Golden dawns, wispy clouds, pastel blues, threatening thunderheads, double rainbows, vivid sunsets, winking stars, peekaboo moons. Give God credit. His hands do nice work.

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