Promises about Friendship.

I use to be an outgoing person when my husband and I were involved it lots of church activities, but as we got older and things started happening to our health, we both just slipped out of sight after so many years of fellowshipping and serving others.  Just recently I learned a good lesson about making friends, and I love to do it and it makes others happy.  I make beautiful scarves out of lace and people just love them.  I use to sell them but recently I have decided to give them away to see the joy on peoples faces.  For ladies only, of course, but you could give one to a man for his wife, which I plan to do this week.  Putting self out of sight and not expecting anything in return is a wonderful way to make friends and see the joy it brings.  So let's see some promises.

Proverbs 18:24  "A man (or woman) who has friends must himself (herself) be friendly.  There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."NKJV

Proverbs 17:17  "A friend loves at all times." NIV

Romans 12:10  "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves." NIV

Do these promises sound like a good way to make friends?  I think so and really, truly, it works.  I already have quite a few ladies wearing my pretty scarves at church but there are lots more that don't have one.  I'll keep working on it, I usually wait until God impresses me to give to the right person. I'm sure you have something you can do to make friends, this is just one thing.  Grandma Joan

Promises for those who feel forsaken.

I know what it feels like to not 'belong'.  I spent several years taking care of my husband and not being able to get to church often and not having a whole lot of fellowship from any Christian friends that could have encouraged me, so I sort of know what it feels like to feel forsaken.  Everyone needs friends and the more the better.  Then this past September my son came to live with me and he has an outgoing spirit and is friendly and started taking me to church and he was making friends and it spilled off on me and now I have quite a few friends and no longer feel forsaken.  I am lonely a lot but God usually supplies me with things to do that help the loneliness.  This is one of the things I can do to help others and fill my time and it draws me closer to God which is the best part.  So for those of you who feel forsaken, here are some promises.

Deuteronomy 31:6  "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you, He will never leave you or forsake you."  NKJV

Psalm 9:10  "Those who know Your name, will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You."NIV

So is it possible to not feel forsaken? Yes, it is.  I don't feel that way any more.  I have allowed people to get close to me, am not afraid of people any more and yes, God has done a lot of healing for me and He will do it for you too.  Grandma Joan  (Comments are welcome and so are questions)

Promises for those suffering grief.

"Do you see my tears, God?"  I am sure there are a lot of sorrowing people that have asked that question.  Grief is so hard to bear and there are several things that cause us to grieve extensively.  I really don't need to name them, you know who you are and how weighed down with grief you are.  I am just a servant of God to help wipe away all those tears and sometimes I wish someone would have wiped away mine.  My latest grief was my husbands passing.  It's been three and a half years and  let me tell you I still grieve though silently and no one knows the heart ache except those going through it.  I want to share some promises regarding our tears and grief.

Psalm 56:8  "You keep track of all my sorrows.  You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book."  (NLT)

Psalm 34:18  "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (NLT)

Revelation 21:4  "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, not crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away."

These are great promises aren't they, He does wipe away the tears and saves us when we are crushed in spirit.  We just have to believe His promises and He fulfills them.  It is always His will to comfort the sorrowing and He surely has done that for me and He will do that for you too.  Grandma Joan

Promise for those under a load of guilt.

Do you have a guilt ridden conscience?  I have had one and there is only one way to get rid of it and that is to recognize what its all about and confess it to God or to the person you have wronged first and then to God.  Guilt can destroy us so let's see what God says about it.

Hebrews 10:22  "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience (guilt), and our bodies washed with pure waters."

1 John 1:9  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Guilt makes us old in a hurry if we hang on to it.  So let's free ourselves from this horrible load that tends to destroy by making a clean slate with those we have hurt and with God who loves to forgive.  Grandma Joan

Promises for Love.

Doesn't it seem to you like love is scarce these days?  I'm speaking of real love for God and for each other.  I'm not sure that we understand what real love is, there is so much fake and phony love out there.  I want to share something from the Bible with you that describes what real love is.  Then I have an invitation to extend to you, listen closely or I should say read closely and take every word in.

1 Corinthians 13:  (the word charity in these verses mean love so I will replace the word charity with love as I print it.)  Verse 4 - 8.  "Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, enudreth all things,  LOVE NEVER FAILS."

1 John 4:19  "We love Him because He first loved us." NKJV

I know that this is a hard saying if we try to do this on our own, it is impossible.  But with God's help we can, over time be filled with His love and these things will come into our lives in a quiet manner and before you know it you will be practicing this kind of love.  My invitation to you is, Ask God to come in and change your heart to a heart of love to match His love.  Can you do that?  Grandma Joan

Promise for Peace

So many hearts today are in a turmoil, we need peace in our hearts and peace of mind.  We all need peace, I'm sure.  I know I do and I doubt that there is anyone that doesn't need at least a little bit of peace, so for those of you who need peace, here are three great promises:

Isaiah 26:3  "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you." NKJV

Psalm 29:11  "The Lord will give strength to His people, The Lord will bless His people with peace." NKJV

1 Corinthians 14:33  "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace."  NKJV

He can say, 'Peace be still' to your heart and mind if you will just ask Him too.  It is a great feeling to rest your life in His care, it brings abundance of peace, real peace.  I pray that you have that peace today.  Grandma Joan

Back to posting again.

Feeling much, much better now.  Had a couple of blood transfusions that brought me out of the slump and this past week have felt better than I have for six years.  So I hope to get my readers back again but am not going to try to do anything outlandish, just thought that I would give a thought for the day to help each of you on your Christian journey.  I love Bible promises for different areas of our lives so that's what I am going to do.  Hope you all enjoy the journey with me.  Love you, Grandma Joan


Todays promise is for the Aging, just what I need and maybe some of you then we will go on to something you need for the day.  I feel the need to know that God takes care of us in our old age.  I have a little experience to share on that subject.  We were visiting friends in Oregon and I noticed blood in my stool right after we got there and so for two weeks I was bleeding internally and my insurance doesn't cover out of state, so had to wait till I got home and I went to bed that night and I was impressed to get up and tell my son to get me to the hospital ER or I wouldn't be here in the morning.  I knew then that I was in serious condition, so to the ER I went and they had to give me two units of blood my count was so low.  I am so glad I listened to that little voice in my heart that said 'go to the ER'.  Now for my text:

Isaiah 46:4  "Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you!  I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you."

Isn't that a great promise, I love it.  May you be blessed by it too.  Grandma Joan