There is a familiar song entitled “Lean on Me.”  Some of the most significant parts of the lyrics include:
Lean on me, when you’re not strong; And I’ll be your friend,  I’ll help you carry on.  For it won’t be long; ‘Til I’m gonna need somebody to lean on.  Please swallow your pride, If I have faith that you need to borrow.  For no one can fill those of your needs that you won’t let show.

I absolutely love this song, and have sung it many times.  What comes to mind now is that the above type of relationship requires a giver and receiver.  The very premise of the song is that there is someone that is ready and willing to be of assistance, and someone ready and willing to request assistance.  Both should be the on-going position of a Christian.

Giving:   Lean on Me; I’ll Help you Carry On.
There are numerous scriptures to speak to Christians being willing and ready to help:

Matthew 5: 41-42 – And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of the turn not thou away.

Proverbs 3:27 – Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

Galatians 6:2 – Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Acts 20:35 – I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive

Asking:    Please Swallow Your Pride; For No One Can Fill Your Needs That You Won’t Let Show
I think Christians find it easier to be a giver than a receiver, but in the same way that God calls Christians to be givers, He calls us to be humble enough to ask for help.  I read somewhere that God designed us to need help, and it stuck with me.  The writer reminded me that God created Adam and then created Eve in recognition that Adam needed help (Genesis 2:18).  His design was for people who would give and receive help.

We understand that God calls Christians to help others, and blesses them for doing so.

Luke 6:38 – Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

By not asking for help, Christians don’t allow others to be blessed as a result of their giving.  Additionally, the act of asking for help, involves the removal of pride, which is pleasing to God.

Proverbs 18:12 – Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
It is important to remember that assistance/help comes in many forms, only one of which is money.  One definition of assistance is “…the provision of money, resources, or information to help someone.”  Time, energy, and talents are also forms of assistance.

The questions that each Christian should ask are:

• Am I willing to give?
• Do I show myself as willing to give? Do others see me as willing to give?
• I am willing to receive?
• Do I show myself as willing to receive? Do others see me as willing to receive?

Glory To God for All That He Has Done!
Blessings – Janice

​I have been hearing over the past several months that the United States of America is a divided county.  I have been pondering this and generally thinking about division.

As is my normal course of action, I looked up the definition of division.  The most common definitions of division are:   (1) the action of separating something into parts, or the process of being separated; (2) disagreement between two or more groups, typically producing tension or hostility.  Then I started thinking about why divisions occur.  There are no easy answers for why divisions occur.  They happen for a whole host of reasons, some that seem to be reasonable and some that simply defy comprehension.  Whatever the reason for the division, there is a price that is paid.

The Bible has several scriptures that speak against division.

Romans 16:17 – Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them

Luke 11:17 – But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

Mark 3:24-25 – And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

I Corinthians 1:10  - Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
God is clear that He wants His children to live in unity, and encourages this behavior:

Psalms 133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity?

Ephesians 4:3 - Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Amos 3:3  – Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Philippians 2:1-2  – If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies.  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Ecclesiastes 4:10  – For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

I am particularly moved by Ecclesiastes 4:10  and the reminder that if you fall and are alone, there is no one to help you up, but if you fall around others, you should expect and believe someone would help.

God admonishes His children to, if at all possible, live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).  Christians are Ambassadors for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20), and as such, should speak to and encourage unity.  It is in times of division, that Christians have an opportunity to let their light shine and be a walking, living, breathing example of Christ.  Take every opportunity to speak in ways that unite and in so doing, bring Glory to God.


Glory To God for All That He Has Done

Blessings – Janice

I have always been a morning person – to the great consternation of my friends and family.  I have always started my day in the wee hours of the morning.  I generally get up between 3:00 am and 3:30 am.  On the weekends, I tend to sleep late and get up around 5:00 am (as I write this, it is 3:38 am).

It took my husband a few years to get use to my morning routine!  He still says he doesn’t understand how I operate so early in the morning, but it is truly natural for me.  There is something about the freshness of the morning, about the newness of the day, the crispness that exists, and the limitless possibilities that float in the air.  The morning represents an opportunity to deal with the previous struggles, problems, and disappointments in a new and different way.

My personal vision, for several years, has been “to promote a world in which God’s love is demonstrated and the power of the morning is realized.”  If God has seen fit to allow you to arise in the morning, you have an opportunity to do any and everything to make that day worthy of the sacrifice that was given for you.  You are not here by coincidence; God has purposed that you are to still be here, that there is a reason why you woke up this morning!

There are numerous scriptures that speak to the power of the morning:

Psalms 92:1-2:  It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:  To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night

Lamentations 3:22-23:  It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Psalms 30:5:  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life:  weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Praying that you see and embrace the power of the morning.


​Blessings To You – Janice