Author: thevercellonobridge

I am a reader, writer, life coach, mother, Christian and lover of poetry. I enjoy romantic comedies, action, mysteries and faith films. I love the Motown Sound era and jazz. My favorite instrument is the saxophone. I love books, reading, learning and growth.

Mercy, Kindness, and Truth

The camera doesn't lie, we alter the images....

My Devotional today was from Proverbs 3:1-35. Reading from the Amplified Bible, there were several Scriptures that stood out for me.  The one I’ll elaborate on is Proverbs 3:3 – “Let not mercy and kindness (shutting out all hatred and selfishness) and truth (shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood) forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart.”

Mercy, kindness, and truth; these three elements are foundational to our walk of faith.  Mercy is compassion for another.  Our measure of having mercy towards our fellowman can’t even come close the mercy that God has for us.  Giving up His only Son so that we could be reconciled to Him when He knew beforehand that we would fall short.  However, because of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can allow His Spirit and His Word to guide and direct us.  His Word is the standard for us to gauge our daily lives.  This walk isn’t easy; but it isn’t impossible either because God provided us with what is needed to live our lives with compassion.  His example is Jesus, who even had compassion on those who crucified Him.

Hatred and selfishness; what subjects of heated discussion.  My thought here is that as we allow God ‘s Word and Spirit to transform us, these feelings that can seem to control us at times are not more than what God can and will do in us.  “Shutting out all hypocrisy and falsehood” denotes action on our part as well.  The Scriptures specifically call us to action.  You know when you’re being hypocritical and living a lie.  And, just to reiterate, you know in your heart of hearts whether you’re being hypocritical.  Live the truth.

Daily reading of the Word of God will most definitely make us examine ourselves.  Hebrews 4:12 – “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (making it active, operative, energizing, and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”  After examination of ourselves, then we make a choice to be obedient.

Sandra R. Vercellono

[King James Version / Amplified Holy Bible, Parallel Bible, Zondervan, © 1995]

Family Dynamics

Images of Life

My son has been put on a new medicine that has made a tremendous difference.  Since the last post, he has come some distance from the emotional place he was at.  He still deals with depression; however, daily conversations with him help to let him know I’m here for him.  I remind him that he’s not alone and even when our emotions sometimes take control, we can come back to a place of sharing.  One area that I’m challenged in is listening.  We can hear someone speak to us but are we listening to what they are really saying?  I have to admit that I fall short sometimes.  There are times when I am quick to respond even though I do understand what he’s saying because I may not agree with it or be okay with it.  I have to steady myself and listen until he’s finished saying what he needs to say.  Sometimes I don’t think it’s about whether I agree or not but more about being able to unburden your heart to someone who cares.  That’s not just for him, but all the members of my family.  I think our “emotions” validate us in such a serious way.  I “feel” says I’m alive, whether I’m happy, sad, in pain or joyous. God gave us emotions as tools to balance our lives.  “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:”  (Ephesians 4:26) (The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 1982, King James Version).  The point is that our emotions are not supposed to control us.  They may validate us but only in the scope that they help define us when we respond to external and internal stimuli. Our emotions show us what needs to change in our inner selves.  The reason emotions are so important is that the compassion we are supposed to have for our fellow-man would not be possible if we didn’t have emotions.  We just need to have a healthy handle on them.

Change in 2010

I am up early.  Need to go to bed.  However, I am thinking about change for my family.  My son has mental illness and sometimes it is hard when he hurts and I cannot help.  I am going to the hospital later on this morning to see  him.  He sounds really good but I hope that he is now on the right medication.  I am looking forward to seeing him and knowing he’s alright.  I do pray that God would continue to open doors for understanding and bonding and that He would strengthen us.  God’s wisdom is what this family needs to help my son in his journey.  And, we need God to show us how to help make my son’s journey the best for him.  There is so  much more I want to write but need to go to bed in order to get up early enough.  Will post more later.

Life and Death

Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

I believe what the Word says.  We are in covenant relationship with God by and through the blood of Jesus Christ.  I believe that in this covenant we have so many blessings that we short change ourselves on because we are not speaking them out.  The Bible is very clear on speaking life and death.  It is in the power of tongue.  The impact of words is so powerful and if we truly thought about the truth of that, we could grab hold of a life-changing principle.  God SPOKE this world into being. The above Scripture states a truth that once we grab hold  and walk in that principle, we would be the head and not the tail.  Our lives would be lived in abundance.  There are so many ways that we can speak “life” into our lives.  One is praise. Praise should come forth because God is God.  We should praise Him for who He is, our Creator.  We should praise Him because “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  God allowed His son to be crucified on the Cross to allow us reconciliation from the fall from grace.  We should praise Him for what He’s done in us and through us.  God has changed lives so magnificently that praise should be welled up in us waiting for the opportunity to bless someone because of what He’s done.  Praise should come forth because of the Holy Spirit.  God is so good that He gave us help to worship Him!  How awesome is that! Praise should come forth because of what He’s yet to do.  God said that He would never leave us nor forsake us.  Now, if these are not reasons enough to praise Him, speak life into your environment, I don’t know what to tell you.  This I will say though, I will praise the Lord.  

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” Psam 150:6 

Sandra V.

Continue reading Life and Death

The Great Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 – “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

As I read this Psalm, I was led into deep thought on just verse 1.  The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”  Jesus is The Great Shepherd.  He leads us daily through our heart issues, circumstances, providing our needs so that we can be healthy and whole.  The job of the shepherd was to make sure the sheep were safe, were fed, and had water for thirst.  The picture of the shepherd and sheep is equal to the picture of Jesus and us.  As His sheep, He already knows our needs and as His sheep, we follow His voice as He meets our needs.  

Basically, our life is in Jesus Christ, The Great Shepherd.  We cannot follow God without Jesus.  Our reconciliation to God through the blood, the everlasting covenant, is such a wonderful, powerful, and awesome thing!  God is truly worthy of our praise and worship.  Worship God today, say thanks for the love He prepared to give us before we even acknowledged His free gift of salvation.  Romans 5:8 – “But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Be blessed today!

In Him, Sandra

II Kings 3:1-4:17

Prophets were available during this time for the people to inquire of God.  Today, we still have the opportunity to inquire of God.  That is, if we want to.  Sometimes I’m not so sure we always want to.

Elisha was known to have the word of the Lord with him.  Can others tell if the Lord is with us?  King Jehosaphat, King Joram, and the King of Israel came together to inquire of the Lord regarding King Moab. King Moab was coming against these three kings to destroy them.  When they realized their situation of danger, they came together to inquire of the Lord.  Because they received the word of the Lord from the prophet and then obeyed the word, they defeated King Moab. 

The widow had been left with nothing when her husband died in service to the Lord. She went to the man of God inquiring for help.  After receiving the word to ask her neighbors for empty jars, she started pouring the little bit of oil she had left until the jars were filled as the prophet had requested. Not looking at the small amount of oil, she walked in faith.

Even the woman who had no children and her husband was old was told by Elisha that she woud get pregnant.  And even though her husband was old, she hoped in the word she received from the man of God.  She became pregnant and bore a son just as the prophet Elisha had spoken.

Even when the circumstances are against us, how committed are we to believe the word we receive from the Lord?  Is our hope truly in God? Do we trust Him to bring to pass the word He has given us for our lives?  The Bible says “we walk by faith and not by sight.”  (2 Cor. 5:7)

There may be some question as to the prophets of God having the Spirit come upon them as they walked with the Lord in the Old Testament.  There seemed to be more assurance that the Lord was actually leading these prophets. However, God is still leading His saints.  Believers today still hear from God.  He has not disappeared. And, we still have the choice to obey or not.  Obedience is still better than sacrifice. (I Samuel 15:22)

I believe some of the struggles we experience today and the lack of power of the Holy Spirit in our lives is due to disobedience. If the need to see proof is required, look at the disobedience of our children to their parents today. Is there a cry for help for our youth today being spiritually and emotionally ill?

However, like then and still so now, there is hope in God. Be blessed!

Tuesday – Psalm 78:5-8

5) “For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children. 6) That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7) That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8) And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.”

As a parent, I try to do the best that I can for my children, and sometimes it just doesn’t seem to be good enough.  When I stop long enough to realize that I really don’t have enough in me to do all and give all that they need, I humbly repent.  This culture makes it so difficult for us to show our children who God is.  The Scripture above says that we should arise and make known to our children the Word of God, that they may have hope in God, not forget his works but set their spirit faithful to God.  As I read, it seems to  me that we have a choice to set our hope in God.  God is faithful and He does answer prayer.  I praise God, I thank God, and do speak the wonderful works of God to my children.  Sometimes I pray that they hear and listen to what they hear by choosing to do what the Word says.  Parents are not perfect but I do sometimes think they get a bad rap when they choose to serve the Lord and deny to their children some of the destructive things the world has to offer.  I look back at a simpler time and it seems that the heart of our parents may have been the same, just a different dressing.  Less toys and distractions.  However prayer still works and the Word is the same yesterday, today and forever.  There is hope in God!

Welcome

Welcome to Glorious Impact.  This blog is for sharing the Word of God to encourage, inspire and strengthen Believers as well as those looking for answers.  I look forward to sharing my heart and the truth of God’s Word with others.  Ephesians 5:19 “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”  (NKJV, Holman Bible Publishing, Nashville, TN)