You are wound up tight!
So said my doc in relation to my blood pressure spike a few years ago. This was so unusual for someone who, all her adult life, has had BP below normal.
So again a wake-up call...this non-procrastinator needs to stay in the present...with her Present Tense Lord!
Read MoreFor years in my Christian walk, I asked God again and again for peace, love, forgiveness, power, ability, etc. I read all the Christian "how-to books" and listened to the Christian "how-to sermons" and messages...on Christian radio, in church, conferences and seminars...anywhere and everywhere. I began jumping on (and off) the latest "Christian bandwagon."
Then I came to the end of my trying. My health was breaking and I declared, "I give up!" It was then that the Holy Spirit illumined my mind and heart to realize that all those things I sought were a PERSON who loved me...my Lord Jesus Christ!
Read MoreAll we have is today. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may not be ours. It’s today or it’s nothing.
And God is in our today. He is I Am. He was I Am when yesterday was today. He will be I Amwhen tomorrow becomes today. He was there when those hard and/or beautiful things happened in the past. He will be there for whatever lies ahead. Actually, He is already there, because He is I Am. And He is in the Eternal Present Tense.
Recently, someone assured me when I was agonizing about my daughter moving with her husband and 4 little ones because of a military transfer, that God is already there.
Read MoreFor years in my Christian walk, I asked God again and again for peace, love, forgiveness, power, ability, etc. I read all the Christian "how-to books" and listened to the Christian "how-to sermons" and messages...on Christian radio, in church, conferences and seminars...anywhere and everywhere. I began jumping on (and off) the latest "Christian bandwagon."
Then I came to the end of my trying. My health was breaking and I declared, "I give up!" It was then that the Holy Spirit illumined my mind and heart to realize that all those things I sought were a PERSON who loved me...my Lord Jesus Christ!
Read More
The abiding presence of my loving Savior...how warm, how tender! On these cold winter mornings...and especially when the heat of the struggle of my day is very truly upon me...how comforting to turn afresh...again and again...to the very real "I AM-ness" of my Lord right here, right now. I'm reminded of a humble, obscure, "pot-scrubbing" monk from centuries past, Brother Lawrence.Reading his words as a young adult, in the more contemplative stage of my life as a young novice, was arresting and brought solace:
The time of business does not differ with me from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great a tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament. The Practice of the Presence of God
And now as I read, in the closing years of my life, I'm comforted even more...today, right here, right now, in this present moment...while life is clamoring and stresses are upon me, I relish and rejoice in this: HE abides, lives, makes His home, with me...IN me!
Maybe you too have life with its stresses clamoring today! Are you a stay-at-home mom with little ones all calling for you at the same time?
Are you at your job, with everyone needing you "yesterday" and your to-do list screaming for your attention?
Are you in a hospital bed, just wondering about the bills and even your next breath?
Turn your mind and heart to your indwelling, ever abiding, Lord and enjoy His presence, listen for His voice, invite Him into your need...today, right now.*
He is here!
Abide With Me
Abide with me, fast falls the eventideThe darkness deepens, Lord, with me abideWhen other helpers fail and comforts fleeHelp of the helpless, O abide with me
I need Thy presence every passing hourWhat but Thy grace can foil the tempter's powerWho like Thyself my guide and stay can beThrough the cloud and sunshine, O abide with me
Abide, abide with meAbide, abide with me
I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?I triumph still if [read, since] Thou abide with me
Abide, with me Abide, With meAbide, abide with meAbide, abide with me
*I love the mellow voice and style of this song by Amy Grant. To me, it is not a plea for Christ to abide, but rather a loving longing to experience His presence at every juncture of life. Sing from that heart longing!
You belong to me, and I belong to You, TODAY, my Jesus. You live in Me, and I live in you, TODAY, my Lord.
You abide in me, and I abide in You, TODAY, my Vine.
You save me TODAY and always, my Savior, and You save me right NOW, my King!
You are my I AM, now, TODAY...AND FOREVER!
Read MoreYou are wound up tight!
So said my doc in relation to my blood pressure spike a few years ago. This was so unusual for someone who, all her adult life, has had BP below normal.
So again a wake-up call...this non-procrastinator needs to stay in the present...with her Present Tense Lord!
Read MoreJanet Renner Loyd has been a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ most of her life. Her formal education includes a degree in education from the University of Arizona and also a degree in Bible & Theology from Moody Bible Institute. For more than thirty years, she has been involved in teaching and leading women’s Bible studies, retreats, and meetings…most notably Precept upon Precept and various studies that she has personally developed. Professionally, Jan recently retired from teaching language and writing to GED and adult ESOL students.
About her life, Jan says, “The most important thing about me is my relationship with my Father God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful to Him for His love, mercy, and grace to me and my family and friends...and the world.”
Jan has been happily married to John Loyd for more than forty years. They have two adult, married children and five lively young grandsons.
