But God…

I often find myself disgusted about the sins I still commit. I understand that on this side of eternity, sin is still part of my life, even though Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I know it is temporary, and when I die and go to Jesus I will no longer be tempted to sin. But I don’t like it at all.

The good part of this battle is that it brings confirmation that I belong to Jesus! Before I gave my life to Christ, sin seemed pleasurable. That is only true for a short season. The sting of sin results in fear, worry, anxiety, discord, and numerous consequences, as they wreak havoc in our lives.

At the cross Jesus paid the penalty for sin.  He took upon Himself the wrath of God for our sin. But God has not yet removed the inclination to sin. That day is coming!

At the cross Jesus saved people from sin’s penalty. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 tells us this: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Praise God, as Paul does in this verse, because He, through Jesus has removed the victory sin once had on all of us who love Jesus, and are born again. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead proved His victory over death. Sin brings death, but God changes that for all who belong to Christ.

Everyone who belongs to Christ will rise from death to live eternally with Jesus in the New Heaven and the New Earth [Revelation 21-22]. All people who have refused to come under submission to Christ will experience the second death, an eternal existence separated from God [Revelation 20].

At the cross Jesus also saved people from sin’s power. Romans 6 is a wonderful chapter of the Bible that helps us to understand that those who have submitted their lives to Jesus no longer live under the power of sin. Consider Romans 6:6: “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

At the cross Jesus also saved people from the presence of sin. However, until we go to be with Jesus, that is not the reality in this life. It is one of the powerful gifts we, as Jesus’s followers, look forward to in our eternal existence in the New Heaven and New Earth.

As Christ’s followers, we can make the choice to turn from sinful thoughts, words and actions. What do you choose?

Most of the time I make the choice to take my sinful thoughts to Jesus for help, through His indwelling Spirit, to remodel my thinking so that it aligns with His Word. 

But when I don’t do this, I quickly confess my sin, and seek His help to repent – to apologize where necessary, to redo what I may have misdone, and bring my behavior into a place of alignment with what pleases Jesus. 

It is a battle, and Paul describes it well in Romans 7, of which these verses are an excerpt:

Romans 7:21-25: “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Paul clearly describes what I feel daily, evil wanting to lead me astray, into a path that would destroy my witness for Christ, and wreak havoc in my life. I don’t want either of those, and that provides incentive for me to walk according to the commands, principles, and guidelines God has inspired to be written in His Word.

Are you really sick of your sins? If so, do you want to change your way of life so that you experience peace and joy? You can do that this very moment. You simply need to confess to Jesus that you recognize that you have a sin problem, and that He alone can remedy it for you. You need to express to Him your desire to be a committed follower of His. He is looking at your heart. He already knows where you are with regard to sin. But God wants you to admit it. He wants a heart of truth and commitment to Him.

Perhaps you haven’t gotten to that place yet where you are ready to submit yourself to Jesus because you only view your sins as a nuisance. While living in this world you have the opportunity to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. 

However, once death comes, that opportunity will have passed. Hebrews 9:27-28 states that truth: “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Are you truly willing to risk the opportunity to be saved from sin’s penalty, power, and presence?  What is worth that risk? Please don’t delay making this decision.

For those of us who love Jesus, how committed are we to living as people who extend mercy, grace, and forgiveness to others? Too often it is easy to think our sin is nowhere near as bad as another person’s sin. That is a lie from Satan. 

Jesus gave His life on the cross for all of us. 

Jesus gave His life so we would be forgiven.

Jesus gave His life so we would be forgiving, merciful, and gracious, because that is what we have received from Him.

If you would like to talk about how you view sin, please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

Have you ever planned for a vacation that you couldn’t wait to begin? You were so excited that you could hardly think about anything else.  You had all the details in place – reservations made, and confirmations for traveling, and all accommodations in place. But it was NOT the vacation you hoped for. There were delays at the airport, or your vehicle broke down. You got sick. The accommodations were less than stellar. The people who waited on you at the restaurants were not friendly, etc. 

You found yourself yearning to go home. You wanted this horrid vacation to end early.

That is how I’m coming to view life on this side of eternity – a bad vacation.

Far too often I realize that I desire the pleasures that will only happen when we get to heaven.

I want a stress-free life.

I want people to be friendly.

I want everything to work well, without any hitches.

I want the sinless heaven now.

But God will bring about that life when He is ready. He knows what He is doing. His timing is always perfect.

In the meantime, God has allowed people (you, me and everyone else) to make sinful choices. With our sinful choices come consequences. Those consequences are unpleasant. 

But God has planned an amazing eternal existence for everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. It will center around pure, undiluted worship of our great God. For all eternity it will be an experience better than anything we can even begin to imagine in this life.

Does that mean that this life is all bad?  Absolutely not!

John 15:11 states: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Experiencing the joy of Jesus takes away the unpleasantness of this life.

There are times that the goodness of God is so evident to me in the midst of my struggles that I find myself in tears. They are tears of joy, not sorrow, because I am touched by our great God. 

Because God refreshes my spirit, I can face the challenges of this “bad vacation”, and let go of the grumbling. He helps me make lemonade out of the lemons!

This life is about serving Jesus in the midst of a sin laden world. When we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, He does something miraculous in our hearts and minds. He makes us aware of His presence in us, because His Holy Spirit indwells everyone who worships Jesus. 

We must accept the truth that this is a life of challenges and hardships. Some of those challenges are due to our sin laden world, while others are because we stand for Christ and serve him diligently in this sin laden world. Whatever the situation, we must maintain hearts of compassion and forgiveness, mercy and grace, while standing for what is just and righteous. With God, this is possible.

It is like we are sitting on the banks of the river of life, waiting to step into glory, but we are not there yet.  It is coming. It will be awesome to worship and serve Jesus without anyone’s sin, including our own. We maintain our focus on that beautiful river, pointing to Jesus.

We begin our experience of the life to come by worshiping and exalting Jesus now.  Through our service to Him, we can enjoy some of the things of this world.  

But God warns us to be cautious, because we have an enemy prowling around wanting to devour us. 1 Peter 5:8: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Peter continues in 1 Peter 5:9: “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 4:13states: “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

The great life is coming, soon!

Let’s be careful to not try to get ahead of God in our desire for that everlasting life with Jesus as our Bridegroom. It’s not an easy journey, but God makes it possible.

God’s people are all on the same bad vacation! Take heart, Jesus has the best yet to come!!

Do you want to talk about living for Jesus in this sin-laden world? You can reach me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

I have a friend who often says “That’s a reason for me to trust God.”

How many reasons do you have every day to trust God?

I thought it would be interesting to see how many I could come up with, and if you can add to my list, please email me with your reasons to trust God every day:

I need to trust God every day with my existence – giving me breath to make it through whatever part of each day God has given me. No matter how healthy I eat, what vitamins I take, and the exercises I do, God holds my life in His hands. Psalm 139:16 states: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”Even though eating healthy, taking necessary vitamins and regular exercise can help my days be well lived. I need to trust God for the gift of each of those days.

I need to trust God every day with my eternal destiny and the eternal destiny of my loved ones – eternal life is a gift from our Heavenly Father, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and brought to us through His Holy spirit. I cannot earn it for myself. I cannot give eternal life to anyone. I had to admit my sinful need to God. I cannot convince anyone they are a sinner in need of Jesus’ gift of eternal life. It is God’s territory. His plan for eternal life is delineated in the Bible. He tells us everything we need to know in order to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. But God’s Holy Spirit must do the work of regeneration in those He has called. 

I need to trust God for my own eternal wellbeing and for the eternal wellbeing of my loved ones.

The act of redemption is wholly the work of God’s Holy Spirit. John 16:18 states: “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”  Our part is to believe Christ and live by faith, and share the message of the Gospel with others. God’s Word is living and active [Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”]. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” 

I need to trust God every day with the care of my loved ones – our world believes and promotes so many ungodly viewpoints. I cannot wrap those I care about in a bubble to protect them from injury, their own wrong choices, the ungodly influences of this world, or any other events. I can caution those I love with the wisdom from God’s Word, but God is the only one who can protect those I love. He cares more for them than I do, and I must remember that truth. 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” 1 John 4:16: “We love because he first loved us.” I must trust God with the care of my loved ones.

I need to trust God every day to provide for my physical needs. I’ve learned that it is God who provides me with abilities and opportunities to use those abilities to earn money. As I am retired, and Social Security and a small IRA retirement account are the source of my funds, I can’t put my trust in them. Past history proves that those all can be gone quickly. But God knows what I need, and when I need it, and He is the one I trust for the provision for my physical needs. 

Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Matthew 6:28-34: “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I need to trust God every day for my emotional needs. It is easy to think that a spouse, a child, a friend, or some other person can meet our emotional needs. But God is the only one who can truly meet these needs. He is the only one who truly knows my heart. He is the only one who truly knows your heart. He is the only one who is omniscient and therefore, He alone knows what we need, and how to meet that need. He may use a spouse, a child, a friend, or even a stranger, but He does it best. I have learned it is best to trust God every day with my emotional needs. 

Jeremiah 31:3: “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Psalm 23:6: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Philippians 3:7-8: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” When I dig into the Bible and talk with God, He calms my heart, and unruly emotions, and satisfies my emotional needs.

The truth is, I must trust God with everything. He is the sovereign God, who rules and reigns with majesty.

I must trust God with everything, because I have no control over anything. That is the hard truth we have to accept. 

God wants us to be utterly dependant upon Him, while seeking Him, His righteousness, and serving Him as He leads. That is what we are here for. Jesus summed it up this way in Mathew 22:34-40: “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

We need to trust God with EVERYTHING!  He is faithful, reliable, and sovereignly powerful over all events. Therefore, there is no One better to trust with everything in our lives.

Is something troubling you today? Perhaps it would help to write in a journal the problem, and tell God you will trust Him with the process and outcome, or maybe get on your knees and talk with God about it? 

God holds the answers. He IS fully trustworthy!!

You can reach me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com if you would like me to pray about a situation for you, or if you don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus, and want to know more about His gift of eternal life.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

In my daily journal I always thank God for today. 

Some time ago, I began to feel as if I was taking the gift of each day for granted. I never want to forget that life is a gift from God, one day at a time.

So why do we have the gift of each day?

Ephesians 5:8-20 gives us some guidance on living each day:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth”. When we belong to Jesus, we are given each day to represent Him, because we are “light”. 

Each day we are instructed to “find out what pleases the Lord.” We do that by spending time in the Bible every day. God’s Word provides us with the knowledge we need to worship and exalt Him, and that is a major reason we are given each day. 

How should we not spend the gift of each day? Paul gives these instructions: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, What should we do? “but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”” God’s people are to be aware of what is happening so that we can live for His glory each day. 

Paul provides further details for living each day: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,”. God has all knowledge and wisdom. According to James 1:5
God wants to give us wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” What is God’s wisdom like? James 3:17 states: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

Another reason we are given each day is to live in such a manner that people will “see” God in us, and want to know Jesus. We are God’s representatives! Let’s live with His wisdom, with His peaceable, gentle, merciful and gracious ways. After all, He has given us the gift of today!

Additionally, Paul continues in Ephesians 5 to instruct us on what to do with our days: “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Do we make the most of every opportunity for God by beginning our days with prayer, and living wisely for Him, reading His Word so we know what His will is? 

 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Why should we make an exerted effort to do these things?  

These are the activities that bind God’s people together.

These are the activities that prepare God’s people – The Bride of Christ – for His return.

God doesn’t give us a day to be wasted upon fruitless activities.

I know so many Christians who are all about the “good life”. But God wants us to be all about the abundant life. The “good life” pales greatly in comparison to the abundant life in Christ. Even the sufferings of this life, when we lean into Jesus, are better than the “good life”.

God doesn’t give us a day to be utilized for our desires. 

Each day He gifts us with is to be for witnessing to others of His greatness. It isn’t about the resources He has given us as His stewards. It is about the Giver, the Owner of those resources. That Owner is God.

I read Jonathan Cahn’s book, “The Book of Mysteries”. On Day 118, he writes the following:

“If you belong to God, you’re His bride. And the world is your tent, your present home. And as the bride, the focus of your life can no longer be on the world, nor on your circumstances, nor on how comfortable or uncomfortable you are in this world. This is the place you’re leaving. And the more you focus on what you’re leaving, the less you’ll be able to focus on where you’re going. Your days in the world are temporary. You’re not in the world to grow more attached to it, but less attached. …. So use every part of this life to prepare yourself for the life to come. Use the time you have in this world to prepare yourself for the days of eternity. You are here to become beautiful.”

What changes in how you use each day might God be asking you to make, so that you become more beautiful for Jesus, our Bridegroom? 

Matthew 6:21 states: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Based upon what you treasure, where is your heart? If it is not for Jesus, why not change that today – you might not have tomorrow?

Why not make today, and any tomorrows God gifts us with, count for His Kingdom?

Please reach out to me at this email address: ButGodCares@gmail.com if I can encourage you in using your today, and tomorrows, for God.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

When Jesus is our Lord and Savior, who we are is directly derived from who He is!   The following “I AM” statements give us part of the picture of …

JESUS’ I AM STATEMENTS

When Jesus is our Lord and Savior, who we are is directly derived from who He is!  

The following “I AM” statements give us part of the picture of who Jesus is. The more we understand who He is, the more we can understand who we are in Him.

I am the bread of life.  

   John 6:35; John 6:48; John 6:51

Bread is the sustenance that provides physical nourishment. In Jesus’ day, bread was one of the main foods they ate daily. What do you think Jesus’ point is when He calls Himself “the bread of life”? He is addressing our spiritual existence. Through Jesus as our Redeemer, the One who forgives our sins, and reconciles us with God, we have what will sustain us for eternity.

Since Jesus is the bread of life, we who are His, should be people who share the Good News of the Gospel. The Good News that our sins are forgiven in Jesus. Sharing the Gospel message is part of who I am. It is not just what I do. As God’s child, I want to share the message that has reconciled me to my Heavenly Father. I want to share the life giving, life sustaining message of love and forgiveness. 

I am the light of the world.      

     John 8:12; John 9:5

What does light do? Light casts away darkness. Light reveals what is hidden. Light allows us to not stumble or fall when we are moving about. Light is comforting, but darkness often brings fear. Jesus, as our Lord and Savior, does all of this for His own. As victor over the battle for life and death, Jesus removes darkness and fear. He, through His Word and by His Holy Spirit’s enabling power, reveals truth. Our world wants to hide or disregard truth, but God wants to comfort His people, and guide us through each day, leading us into eternity with Himself. 

As Jesus’ follower, I have His light in me through His indwelling Holy Spirit. It is who I am, therefore, I can illuminate the way to Jesus for others.

I am the door of the sheep. 

     John 10:7; John 10:9

Jesus used what His audience understood to teach us a deep spiritual truth. He utilized this picture of sheep because far too often our behavior is mirrored in stubborn, rebellious, self-willed sheep. Sheep enter their pens, places of safety, through a door. Jesus is painting the picture of Him being that door that leads to a right relationship with God. There is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus. This corrects the lie that there are many doors to God. There are not. There is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the door, but as His follower, I am someone who can help others to know His Word, so that they can see Him as He really is – the One who can offer entrance into God’s kingdom.

I am the good shepherd. 

     John 10:11; John 10:14

Jesus continues to utilize the picture of one of the most common means of livelihood in His day. In this statement, He declares that He is the “good shepherd”. It reminds us of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:17: “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.” How often do we hear people claim that someone is good. Jesus clears that up with His response in this verse – only God is good! But God has made it possible for us to have imputed to us His righteousness. With His righteousness, and by the Holy Spirit, goodness becomes a part of who we are.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. As a “sheep” in His pen, I can point people to Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the One and only One who can take them from darkness into the light of His glory and grace. He is the One who can impute His righteousness, His goodness, into our lives. My goodness, my righteousness, is a gift from God. It is not something anyone can earn, no matter how many good things we do. It is all from Jesus.

I am the resurrection and the life. 

     John 11:25

Jesus declares that He is the resurrection and the life. You might wonder why this was significant. It is because not everyone believed then, nor even believe today that there is life after death. Jesus was declaring the fact, the truth, that there is life after death. His resurrection proved this. The disciples needed this truth to encourage them when Jesus died on the cross. We need this truth to encourage us through our challenging days in this life. The hope of eternity with God sustains me. Does it sustain you? If not, why not? 

I am not the resurrection and the life. But God has given me the gift of everlasting life. People who reject the evidence of Jesus will find out one day that they are wrong to have rejected the truth of an eternal existence. Will you make that mistake, or will you acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and with joy, obey and serve Him by telling others He is the resurrection and the life?

I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

     John 14:6

Once again, Jesus is proclaiming that He alone is the way to God. He is truth, and in a world where

most people lie, it is refreshing to have someone we can always trust to tell us the truth. With this statement, Jesus again states that life – everlasting life with Him in heaven – is only through Jesus.  This is the full statement from the Bible: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

God’s people are not THE way, THE truth or THE life, but God calls us to represent Him well so that others will desire Him.

I am the true vine. 

   John 15:1

Once again Jesus utilized what the people were able to understand. Wine was a daily beverage for the people of Jesus’ day. God also referred to the nation of Israel as a “vine”. Psalm 80:8 states this picture of Israel as God’s vine: “You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.”

As God’s people, we are connected to Jesus, THE VINE! He is our sustenance. He is our nourishment. Without Jesus, we will starve. 

After considering these I AM statements, and who Jesus is, are you connected to Jesus, the One who is the way to true life? If not, what is holding you back from making a commitment to Him? 

If you want to talk about a commitment to Jesus, please reach out to me at this email address: ButGodCares@gmail.com. 

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

Unexpected events can be uplifting as well as challenging. They could be the news of an unexpected pregnancy when it was thought impossible. It could be news of the reuniting of family members who didn’t even know of the existence of one another. It could be the answer to prayers spoken decades ago.

The unexpected blessings are generally much less stressful than the challenging ones. But God can, and does, carry us through the challenges of life.

When I was new in my relationship with Jesus, I had a friend who was out to dinner with her husband. They were in their mid-thirties. It was Valentine’s Day. The children were home with a sitter. As Dana and her husband sat across from each other enjoying their meal, her husband had a heart attack and died at the table.

That was the first of many experiences that God used to help me to be aware that the unexpected can happen – when we least expect it. But He is the One prepared for them, because they are not unexpected to Him. He has the events of our lives fully under His sovereign control. If you don’t believe that Biblical truth, please spend time in His Word. Ask His Spirit to help you find confidence in God.

God is the only one who knows what events will take place, and when they will occur. He wants to help us in and through life’s struggles. 

But God has given us His Word, the Bible, to help us fill our hearts and minds with truths that we can grasp when the unexpected happens in our lives.

1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Matthew 6:33-34: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

The Bible provides written accounts of men and women who had the unexpected take place in their lives. We can learn from their experiences what to do, and what not to do.

Consider Adam and Eve. They hadn’t expected to be tempted to sin by Satan. After all, he had been one of the creatures they thought they were watching over. But God had prepared them for this temptation, by clearly delineating what was acceptable and what wasn’t. Therefore, they had the knowledge necessary to defeat this temptation. They chose to succumb to the lies of the enemy. 

What’s the lesson for us? 1 Peter 5:8 states it this way: “Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.” John 15 reminds us that the way to not be tossed about by the unexpected is through remaining in Jesus. 

Acts 2:42-47: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

According to the above Acts passage, how did the people of the early church prepare themselves for the unexpected?

This is what I see they did:

–They were devoted to the teaching of God’s Word. Today we can have a Bible in our homes. They didn’t have that privilege. How often do you thank God for this privilege?

–They were intent on true fellowship with others who followed Jesus. They didn’t just socialize. True fellowship includes time together in God’s Word, talking about what Jesus is doing in our lives, and sharing meals.

–They spent time remembering Jesus as they celebrated communion.

–They were intent about talking with God, aka prayer.

–They shared their resources, even if it meant selling them off so that everyone could be provided for as the needs arose. Therefore, when the unexpected happened, and someone was financially in trouble, needing a place to live, or in need of clothing, their fellow Christ followers helped provide.

–They met in the temple courts. This exposed them to those who needed to hear the Gospel message. It also exposed them to those who wanted to thwart their efforts to share the Gospel. It was certainly a place of vulnerability, where the unexpected could occur.

–They had sincere hearts and praised God. Praise lifts our hearts and emotions. Praise is the language of heaven. Praise helps us get our footing when the unexpected wants to stumble us.

The early church was prepared for the unexpected because they focused on the Lord. They did what it took to abide in Him. They knew troubles would come, and they would sometimes be unexpected. Jesus had warned them, and the warning is for us also: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Accurately understanding and knowing the character of God also equips us to remain steady in the Lord when the unexpected wants to trip us up. When we look into His wonderful face, the things of this life to grow dim. When the things of this world – health issues, financial troubles, relationship struggles – want to trip us up, we need to peer into the face of our great God. Focusing on His attributes [His love, His faithfulness, His omnipotence, His compassion, etc.], His Holy Spirit removes the fear and anxiety that want to unnerve us. 

Memorizing God’s Word is another way for us to prepare for the unexpected. God’s Holy Spirit helps us draw from His living Word, so that we can center our thoughts, and find His peace and contentment in the unexpected.

Here is my summary of how we can stand firm when the unexpected wants to overtake us:

Spend time with God every day. 

Spend time with God every day by reading the Bible.

Spend time with God every day by reading the Bible and thinking, pondering, and meditating on it.

Spend time with God’s people – build Godly relationships.

Spend time with God’s people in weekly corporate worship.

Spend time with God’s people in some way daily – a short phone call, a cup of coffee, in Bible study, etc. 

If you are experiencing an unexpected event, and want to talk or pray with someone, please reach out to me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com. 

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

As I consider my relationship with God, through His only Son, Jesus Christ, I realize that I need to understand who I am in Christ. IT is not just “what” I do, but “who” I am. 

What I do is all about who I am in Christ.

Who am I in Christ?

I am God’s daughter – chosen by Him [John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”], loved by Him [Romans 5:8: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”], regenerated by Him [Titus 3:5: “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”], and I am being sanctified in Him [1 Thessalonians 5:23: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”].

I am God’s servant. I am being conformed to the image of my amazing Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As God works in me, as He renews my mind, the things of this world lose significance, and because of who I am in Christ, the acts of service for the benefit of others are because of who I am. They are not works to earn anything, since I already have God’s full approval, because of the blood of Jesus! 

As God’s servant I simply don’t “do” acts of service. My acts of service are an outpouring of who I am in Jesus.

Consider generosity. When I serve God by being generous, it is far deeper than what I am doing by giving money to church, helping those in need, etc. I am generous because of who I am in Christ. It is all about my new nature. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Generosity is an outpouring of the new nature God has given me. Acts 20:35: “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Since I have a new nature, being generous is who I am – because that is who God is. He is generous. God doesn’t simply do acts of kindness. He IS kindness. It is His character. It is who He is. Once God’s Holy Spirit regenerated me, a change in character began to take place in me. Anyone can do an act of kindness, but it isn’t always done because of having a new character in God. 

Why can God’s people be generous? We can be generous because God is generous with us. He owns everything, as He states in Psalm 50:12: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine.” But God is generous to us in giving us the gift of eternal life, food, water, clothing, and so much more. God’s generosity can never be matched, as He points out in Malachi 3:10: “Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it.” Amplified Version

Consider hospitality. God’s people are hospitable, because that is who we are in Christ. It is not something we do because we expect to gain anything. It is something we do because that is who we are in Christ. Our new nature stirs us to open our homes to others. 

Consider holiness. God’s people are holy, because He is holy. At the time of regeneration, God imputes His righteousness into our being. We are holy because it is His holiness in us at work through His indwelling Holy Spirit. We cannot create our own holiness. It comes through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

All of this, and more, are a test of whether we have a true relationship with Jesus, because character matters. Jesus exemplified this for us in how He lived His life, because of who He is. He wasn’t simply doing loving and kind acts. He is love. He is kindness. He is so much more than we can learn about in His Word. When we get to heaven, we will learn even more about who He is!

How does this all take place in us?

It starts when we are born again into a living relationship with God, through Jesus.

DNA defines our physical makeup, making us who we are physically. 

But God deposits His “spiritual DNA” into us when we are born again. Through His Spirit, HE is working His character into us.   

Ruth 3:11 states: “And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.” When God puts His spiritual DNA into us, and as we are infiltrated with His character, the world takes notice, as it did with Ruth.

How motivated are you to have God infiltrate your being – your heart, mind, and soul – so that you can be known as God’s daughter? The next time you act, will you consider if you are doing so because it is “who you are in Christ”?

Below are the ten commandments from Exodus 20:1-17:   

“And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Having read the above commandments, what do they say about who we are in Christ, when He is our Lord and Savior?

Who we are in Christ is very different than the character of people who don’t have a personal relationship with God through Jesus. 

May we, as God’s people, make Him known by who we are in Christ!

If Jesus isn’t your Lord and Savior, please reach out to me so we can talk further about who you can be in Jesus. You can reach me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com. 

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

I was 10 when the “great blackout” of the Northeast took place in 1965. I still remember the panic that event brought. However, that is nothing when compared with what it would be like if we did not have God’s Word. Without God’s Word, our lives would be in utter chaos, because God’s Word is the light for our path to everlasting life.

In Psalm 119:105, the psalmist wrote: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” 

The psalmist understood that God’s Word is what gives our lives true guidance and direction.

It is guidance and direction for eternal life. 

It is guidance and direction for our salvation provided by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

It is guidance and direction on how to live for our great God, to honor Him.

It is guidance and direction to experience our great God and Savior in our daily lives.

We can never understand everything in God’s Word. However, the more we read and study the Bible, the greater our insights into God’s character and expectations for His people.

Psalm 119 has 176 verses. I recommend reading it at one time, so that you can understand the intense love the psalmist had for God and His Word. You will find many valuable truths to assist in true worship of our great God.

Consider what we learn from this first stanza – Psalm 119:1-8: 

“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.” People who walk according to the Word of God, having received Jesus as Lord and Savior, are blameless. We are not blameless because we are sinless. We are blameless because Jesus took upon Himself our sin. He then imputed [attributed to us] His righteousness. Thus, we are blessed.

“Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart – they do no wrong but follow his ways.” Further blessings come to those who actively keep God’s statutes, His rules, which involve our seeking Him with all our heart. When we obey God, we will be living the best life, this side of eternity. Not that it will be an easy life. But God will be with us, living in us through His Holy Spirit. He will be guiding our steps, as the “lamp for my feet” would do on a pitch-black night. There is nothing better in life than to experience God’s closeness every moment of every day. 

God’s Word, as a light for my path, has given me precepts to guide my life, so that I can live the best life possible, this side of eternity. Precept is defined as: “A general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.”  Why does God want to “regulate our behavior or thoughts”? It is because HE is GOD. He is infinite. He knows all. We are NOT God. We are finite. We know nothing. Since He is our Maker, the Designer of our lives, He wants to guide our paths so that we get the most out of our relationship with Him. 

When we experience Him, it is a small taste of what is to come for eternity, when His true followers will enjoy the life we all seek after. 

A life of no sin!

A life of no troubles! 

A life of no anxiety!

A life of no fear!

A life of pure joy!

A life of bliss!

God’s Word holds the instructions we need to have the guaranteed hope of everlasting life, everlasting bliss, as we trust Him and obey Him: “You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.” That bliss is all about worshiping and exalting our great God!

There is a problem. That problem is clearly expressed by the psalmist – we fail to always obey God: “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!” Note how honest he is with the Lord.

Why lament our disobedience? It is because obedience brings the blessing of honor, not shame: “Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.” Great shame will come for those who fail to pursue God.

God is honored when we join the psalmist in praising Him: “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.” There will be nothing worse than being forsaken by God. 

God’s righteous laws illuminate the path for our lives. His Word truly is a “light for our path”. It is the ONLY light for our lives. This is because Jesus is THE WORD! “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Consider the prophet Jeremiah’s words: “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 15:16, NLT.

What meaning does God’s Word have for us? Are they our joy and delight? Do we thirst and hunger for more of His Word than we did yesterday, last month, last year?

Warren Wiersbe stated: “The Bible is like food for the inner person. It is milk (1 Peter 2:2), solid food (Hebrews 5:11-14), bread (Matthew 4:4), and honey (Psalm 19:9-10).”

Do we feed on God’s Word more than we do on physical food? Why might doing this be a turning point in our lives?

God wants us to delight in Him. We learn how to do that through His Word.  He is looking for sincere worshipers. We learn these truths by studying His Word. This is one way God uses His Word to light our paths: “The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Isaiah 29:13

If I can help you find God as the light for your life, please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com. Jesus wants to be your Lord and Savior.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

God teaches me more about Himself each day. Through His Holy Spirit He guides me into a deeper understanding of His love and His gospel message.

The gospel is a message of humility. I understand this more each day as I study God’s word and walk with Him in obedience.

When Jesus came into our world as a child, He humbled Himself. He set the example, and the tone for His message of forgiveness. It is a message that annihilates our pride – increasingly so, as we walk with Him.

When we come to Jesus, we need to address our pride.  Pride wants to tell us that we have a part in saving ourselves. But God is the only One who could make our salvation take place. 

Eternal life is a work of God’s Holy Spirit. Our salvation, our redemption, is ALL the plan of our great God. It is His mercy and grace to people who rebelled and rejected Him. It was planned by the Father, enacted by Jesus, and His Spirit imputes His righteousness to us.

As I’ve been considering all of this, I’ve had the following writings come my way:

“Jesus had a better idea. He blessed those who were poor in spirit. He said, “Great blessings belong to those who know they are spiritually in need. God’s kingdom belongs to them” (Matthew 5:3, ERV). When the Lord spoke of being poor in spirit, He meant the opposite of everything that’s summed up in the word pride. Those who are poor in spirit have a proper assessment of who they are without Christ. As the International Children’s Bible puts it: “Those people who know they have great spiritual needs are happy.” When we recognize we are spiritually bankrupt, we’ll understand the wonder of God’s love for us through Christ. We cannot impress anyone, not even ourselves. But Jesus loves us nonetheless, and through Him alone we find the Kingdom of heaven.”

The prophet Isaiah understood what it was to be humble before God: “And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Isaiah 6:5

These verses reveal that we need to recognize we are spiritually bankrupt and need Jesus to change that for us. We cannot, in any way, change that unless God opens our hearts to Him, by giving us eyes to see Him, and to honestly evaluate our sinfulness before Him. We need His restoring and cleansing grace that comes through accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

I read this in a Turning Point devotion:

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest soccer players in the world. Last year at Euro 2024, he missed a penalty shot. He felt he’d let his team and fans down. The great athlete’s face twisted into pain, and he couldn’t keep from weeping. His tears dominated the headlines the next day. If an athlete can weep over a missed shot, shouldn’t we be able to weep over our sins? There are a few occasions in life when we can’t help but cry when we see the mistake we made, the sin we committed, or the harm we did. Matthew 5:4says, in the Amplified Bible, “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].” The closer we come to the Lord, the more sensitive we become to sin in our life. We know we are bankrupt without the Lord, and we mourn our sin. The Lord not only forgives us; He also comforts us.”

Colin S. Smith states it this way: “Spiritual mourning is the godly sorrow that produces repentance, and it is blessed because it leads to life. The more you have of this kind of mourning in your life, the more blessed you will be.”  

2 Corinthians 7:10 states: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 also helps us to understand that we cannot take any claim for any portion of our salvation: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

So often we can have the mentality that we can earn God’s favor. But God doesn’t work that way. Jesus did all the work, on the cross, to secure everlasting life for people. 

Please consider this. God’s word tells us that the only way to appease His wrath is to perfectly obey His word. NO ONE CAN DO THAT! Why then, do you think people still expect they can in some way earn God’s favor? We can’t. The sooner we give up that misconception, the sooner we come humbly to God for forgiveness of our sins, and receive His gift of everlasting life.

We need to acknowledge that He alone could atone for our sins. We need to ask Him to be our Lord and Savior.

That is followed up with further changes His Spirit makes in us. His Spirit guides us to understand our pride is a problem. As we cooperate with His Spirit, our pride can be diminished. It is a work God does in us until we pass from this life into life with Him. 

Our responsibility is to cooperate with His Spirit, as He convicts us of our sin [all sin stems from pride], and leads us into repentance that transforms our lives. Romans 12:2 states it this way: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

As we obey God, our pride continues to diminish. When we disobey God, we need to remember that our relationship with Him is secure, but the fellowship we experience with Him is disrupted. It is “repaired” through our confession, and subsequent actions that reveal a change of attitude, shown in our behavior – known as repentance.

Micah 6:8 states: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

The following are some definitions for humility:

Cambridge Dictionary: “the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others; lack of pride”

Online Dictionary: “a modest or low view of one’s own importance”

Some online definitions from a Biblical standpoint are:

“a heart attitude of lowliness, meekness, and being free of self”

“True humility seeks to bring glory and honor to God and looks out for the interests of others.”

Colossians 3:12-14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Philippians 2:3-8: 3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing being the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

How do we view yourselves based upon the above Scriptures? Do we see yourselves through prideful hearts or hearts humbled before God?  How willing are we to let God remove more of our pride so that we can “walk humbly” with our amazing God and Creator?

Please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com if you would like to talk about a humbly relationship with God through Jesus.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.