Dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you again for letting me take some of your time to share what is on my heart. I trust that you are encouraged and challenged as I am when reading the Word of God. It is the only place to find out what He looks like, His desires and plans for each of us. We have been looking at love this week and so I want to end with another of my favorite passages.

Psalm 91 has helped me to stay centered day to day. Jumping to verse 14-16..."Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. he shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation."

We can take this to the bank! It is a personal word for all who believe. You can see your name there! There is a however though, the rich promises of this whole chapter are dependent upon one's meeting exactly the conditions of these first two verses...."He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!" That was verses 1-2.

When you read the whole chapter with the purpose of finding God's love, we have it in black and white. The contrasts are like reading Psalm One. Very vivid and oh, so accurate. Prophetic for each person. God gave us this incredible view into His abundance when we place Him first in our lives. So, it is no secret what He can do for His beloved ones.

If you are in a testing place, He will protect you. Beneath His shadow we find our rest. As we lean on Him, solely dependent upon Him, our trust will confidently shine like the morning sun. Where I am living, this morning was so clear and the sky so clean. A summer blue that is like the bluebirds out in the pasture. It makes my soul sing of His wonders. If where you are there is smog, noise and the blasting of humanity, you can still look up and see the abundant beauty God has made. Ask Him to show you, He will.

Do you have a personal knowledge of the Lord's mercy, love and kindness? While you are here now, before the time slips away and you get caught up in the busyness of life, call on Him. The Lord is waiting to hear from you. Do you want God to be your defender and know He is with you when you are in trouble? I wouldn't have it any other way! Look at verse 11..."For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]." Think of it, angels!

I love this because as God fills us to overflowing with His love, we can serve others the way Jesus served the ones beside Him. They really didn't get the full message until Christ hung on the cross and conquered death. Ask and you will receive salvation. You can't fix yourself so don't even try. Instead, ask the Holy Spirit to do that work. He is much better at it and knows your future path. There is so much more! Press in to the goodness of the Lord today.

I hope you do pray with this in mind. Psalm 91 will keep you alert to what is happening in the world. This will cause you to dig deeper into the truths of God and even sew it into your heart permanently. The Lord bless you and carry you along this weekend and we will meet again on Monday as the Lord wills. You are much loved and in my prayers too, Patricia.

Abundance is...my love is set on Him