Sugar Sticks with Pinky

    As a kid I remember doing color by number pictures and paintings. Each number represented a specific color with the purpose of making a picture the way it was designed to Look.     In the Beginning of Numbers Chapter 1 God is setting up the army of Israel. He told Moses to number them by the genealogy of each of the families of the 12 tribes of Israel except for the Levites. In verse 49 it says "Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel." It may seem they were being left out, but hang on though, God had a plan for them. They were appointed to be in charge of the Tabernacle and all its furnishings. The 12 tribes of Israel also were appointed as God directed. Moses was to "color" by God's numbers so that the army of Israel functioned with purpose just as God designed.      Just like the 12 tribes of Israel, God has a purpose and a plan for His church as the body of Christ. We are all...

 My mom used to talk about finding a verse or verses and hanging onto them. She called them “Sugar Sticks”   My Pastor recently had encouraged us to read the book of 1 John. In reading it today I came across a verse that I know was one of mom’s Sugar Sticks. I can almost hear her quoting it… You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.“  ‭‭I John‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬) So when life is throwing lemons at you. Put the lemons in the trash and grab your sugar stick to get rid of the sour taste the enemy throws your way. The sweetness of the Word of God and the power of God within balances the sour and stabilizes the soul.  There is nothing like the sweetness of the Lord. His presence in our life daily makes such a difference against the sour grapes that splatter against us. We can miss that sweetness if we live life religiously going thru the motions and just blindly following rules.  Spend tim...