You Are God's Masterpiece

You are God's Masterpiece,

Cherished, beloved,

By our God who dwells

In Heaven above;

Upon His heart

You're forever engraved,

He died on the cross

Your soul to save.

All of our sins

He died to forgive;

He rejects no one

Who comes to Him.

He loves each soul

No matter their sins

No past, no shame

Repulses Him.

His love like a river

Flows evermore

And carries us home

To eternity's shores.


"You Are God's Masterpiece"

© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved

Artist: Bougereau ~Madonna with Christ Child

 Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your only Son Jesus Christ to earth to be born as a helpless baby, to grow up as a man, to suffer and die a cruel death on a Roman cross so that our sins could be forgiven and we could have eternal life with You.  

If we ever doubt Your love for us may we see our Lord suffering and dying for our sins on the cross. For this is a picture of the depth of Thy love for each one of us. Help us this Christmas season to understand the reason our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth; to meditate on Thy great immeasurable love for us, and may we love and worship You with our whole heart and soul and mind in return for all You have done for us, in Jesus mighty name. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

 

 Danish Artist: Carl Bloch~ Crucifixion of Christ

Unto The Least Of These "You Are God's Masterpiece" © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. /Scripture Picture via Pinterest; Art photos, via Google

Rejoice In The Lord Always

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice." Philippians 4:4

St. Paul wrote those words even though he had a terrible affliction of some sort he called "a thorn in his flesh." 

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 he wrote: "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul was beaten, stoned, persecuted, imprisoned, and suffered much abuse for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always..."

What does that word "rejoice" mean? 

The Strong's Bible Dictionary defines it:

χαίρω khah'-ee-ro

Definition: to be "cheer"ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well

Usage:  be glad, God speed, greeting joy(- fully), rejoice.

Paul is saying, "Don't despair! Don't be discouraged! Instead, choose to be happy, choose to rejoice. To rejoice in spite of our discouragements, trials, and sufferings is a choice we can make. 

The apostle James told us to rejoice despite our circumstances. 

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Instead of being discouraged by our challenges, we need to focus on our blessings. There is always something we can be thankful for. 

It is good to keep in mind that no matter how much we are suffering, there is always someone somewhere who is suffering far more than we are, and we should pray for that person. 

The prophet Jeremiah saw terrible tragedy all around him. Yet he wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23: 

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Gratitude is a wonderful antidote for discouragement and will bring the blessing of joy into our hearts. 

Starting today may it be our choice to "Rejoice in the Lord always!"

Prayer

Heavenly Father, may You help us choose to rejoice always in You and to be grateful for all the ways You have blessed us and been so faithful to us throughout our lives. We love You, in Jesus' name, amen.

"Rejoice in The Lord Always"© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Illustration © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.  Scripture References King James Bible, Strong's Bible Dictionary, NIV Bible Translation © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

The Faith Of Hannah

Please welcome my Pastor, Don Peters, as he guest blogs on Unto The Least of These with a short, insightful post on earnest prayer called "The Faith of Hannah."

The Faith of Hannah

1.  Focus:   Hannah tried for years to have a child, but couldn't.

     Rather than focusing on her problem by herself, 
     she took it to the Lord.   

"She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly."  
1 Samuel 1:10, NASB

2.  Earnest Prayer:   Our prayers can be quick and shallow,

     but Hannah prayed deeply, from her heart.  

 "... I have poured out my soul before the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:15, NASB
 
 3.   Honor to the Lord:   Hannah vowed that if the Lord gave

     her a child, she would honor Him by dedicating the child

     to Him as a lifelong special servant. 

 "O Lord of hosts, if You will ... not forget your maidservant, but will give Your maid servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life ..." 1 Samuel 1:11, NASB           

 4.  The Benefits of her Faith:   Not only did the Lord give

     Hannah a son, Samuel, who became a faithful priest,

     prophet, judge of Israel, and anointer of kings, but He

     also gave her three more sons and two daughters.

 "There is no one holy like the Lord, indeed, there is

     no one besides You ..."  1 Samuel 2:2, NASB 

*Pastor Don Peters loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart.

He is married to Barb and has two adult children, Bryan and Kelly. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a God who hears and answers our prayers. You know our needs before we speak them; but Thy word tells us to come boldly to Thy throne of grace that we might receive mercy and grace in our time of need. 

You have promised us mercy and grace whenever we come to You, just as You gave to Hannah when she poured out her heart before You. Thy word says that You don't show favoritism; what You did for Hannah You will do for anyone who trusts in You and believes You will help them. 

May You meet every need of each person praying this prayer today; may You fill each heart with rivers of Thy peace and hope; give them the answer to the prayer that they have been praying for so long. May they rejoice in You, like Hannah because You are a faithful God who hears our heart's earnest cries, and who loves us very much, in Jesus' holy name, amen. 

"The Faith of Hannah" © 2015 Rev. Donald Peters All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotations: NASB Bible Translation © 1995 The Lockman Foundation All Rights Reserved. Pictures via Pinterest; Unto The Least Of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Thank You, Lord

 "This is the day the Lord has made;We will rejoice and be glad in it."

~Psalm 118:24

Thank You, Lord

Lord, I thank You for this day,

I bless and praise Thy holy name!

I bless and sing Thy holy praise

For all Thy gifts to me You gave!

Holy, holy, is Thy name!

Thank You for my soul You saved;

Saved me from sin and the grave,

By Christ's blood, oh praise Thy name!

© 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden all Rights Reserverd.

God's Word admonishes us to be thankful for all of the gifts and bessings which He showers down upon each of us every day. However, sometimes we can be blinded to the sense of God's Presence and His gifts to us and think that He has forgotten all about us. 

We may even think that He somehow loves us less than others because we end up comparing our lives to other people and think we've gotten a raw deal. 

Many things can cause this to happen. God knows and understands this perfectly. His grace meets each of us where we are. Just as the clouds can obscure the sun sometimes making it less visible does not mean it has gone away.  

Even so, illness, trials, any number of sad things can blind us to God's good gifts in our lives. 

But just as the sun is still shining even on the cloudiest of days, God's gifts to us are still there waiting to be discovered if we just open our eyes and stop focusing on the sad things. Being grateful releases joy in our hearts. 

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to see the wonders of Your grace all around us even during challenging times. Help us remember that there are no second class citizens in Your Kingdom...for You are no respecter of persons and love each of us as if we were the only one to love. How... Because You live inside of us and have each of us all to Yourself. We are Your very own precious temples and You cherish us. Thank You for the wonder of knowing and loving You! You are an awesome God! In Jesus' holy name, Amen 

Unto The Least of These, © 2014 S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. Prayer Poem-"Thank You, Lord" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. /Photo Illustration/Modified via Pinterest/ Scripture/ NKJV © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Lord, Help Me Be Like That Tree

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. 

He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” 

Lord, Help Me To Be That Tree  (© S.D. Harden)

Lord, help me be the flexible tree~ 

That bends its boughs in adversity,

Through winds of trial and suffering,

That hides itself away in Thee

And trusts when assailed by enemies; 

Whose limbs bow humbly in chastening, 

Who will not break but find the Stream 

Of God to drink, it's roots will cling,

It's roots dig deep into that Stream... 

It's leaves are ever full and green,

It bears its fruit to Christ it's King...

In every season it will sing...

Oh Lord, help me to be that tree.

Oh Lord, help me to be that tree~

That tree that bows and bends to Thee; 

For the tree that bows and bends the knee 

Will bear the fruit that honors Thee,

That lasts throughout Eternity...

Oh Lord, help me to be that tree. 

Heavenly Father, may we ever cling to Your promises in Your word that You are always with us in every season of our lives. No matter what challenge we may ever face on our path, You will be right there to see us through as we put our faith, hope, and trust in You. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.

"Lord, Help Me To Be That Tree," © 2014 S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. Illustration © 2014 S.D. Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotation: New Living Translation © 2007 Tyndale House Publishers; Unto The Least of These © 2014  Suzanne Davis Harden 

Come Boldly To God's Throne

Come Boldly to God's Throne

Come boldly to God's Throne; come with the faith of a little child. 

No need is too great for His grace to meet. 

Your Heavenly Father waits expectantly to hear your voice;

He cherishes you. ❤

Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with the faith of a child that we may approach 

Thy Throne with confidence and pour our hearts out to You, for Thy word says that Your 

ears are ever open to our cries. May You meet the needs of every person praying this prayer. 

Thank You, I love You, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Unto The Least Of These, "Come Boldly To God's Throne"  © 2013 S.D.Harden All Rights Reserved.

Photo illustration/ S.D. Harden Instagram