*Note from Ryana Lynn: This post was written in advance. I had planned for it to be about loving one another, bringing out some things that have been on my heart on the topic. But I couldn’t get peace about it. So, I decided to listen to God and just post the part about Loving Him. Never question the Holy Spirit. Fighting with Him isn’t worth it 😉 But yeah, that’s why this post is a few hours late.*
 
Happy February and welcome back to Life of Heritage corner! As of this week, I am seven months pregnant! Or 32 weeks, whichever way you wanna count it 😉 I am writing these posts up a good bit in advance, so if you want a more accurate up to date baby report, feel free to ask in the comments! My newsletters are written in real-time as well, so be sure and subscribe if you haven’t already! (Keep in mind my March and April Newsletters might be late or non-existent depending on when baby Peterson makes her appearance!)

Today, I am sharing my first official devotion in the Commissioned series! And with February being the month when most are thinking of Valentines day, what better way to start off then talking about Biblical love? And no, I’m not talking about romantic love 😉 It’s time to think about what it really means to love God. Let’s dive in!

*All Scripture taken from the King James Bible*

If you were raised in a Christian home, no doubt you heard these verses more times than you can count. We hear it, nod, agree and move on. But do we really love God with all our hearts, soul and mind? Is He the first thing on our mind in the morning? Are His words the most precious to us? Are we aware this is a commission and not just a suggestion?

I’m by no means intending to indicate that I have arrived in this area. I am ashamed that many times, I struggle to put my relationship with Christ first. I often forget to read my Bible at the first of my day or put off the devotionals I desire to finish. This is as much a message to myself as to anyone else. We need to make a conscious decision to put Him first daily!

But how can we do this? I am no expert but I will share my current goals in growing in my love for God. First, pray as soon as you wake. Don’t touch your phone. Take all your concerns and hopes for the day straight to Him. Ask Him to help you learn something from your Bible reading and not just do it out of duty. Read your Bible. Search for that little nugget God has for you today. If you are stuck in genealogies, read a psalm or proverb in addition! Pray again for grace to follow Him today and be a blessing to someone else. Listen to a hymn. Think over the biblical message it shares.

Second, stay faithful to church. In the days we are living in, each state or province has their own rules concerning the virus that shall not be mentioned. Thankfully though, most of us are free to worship the Lord in person. But in the event you are sick, or the weather is inclement, there is this wonderful thing known as livestream! I encourage you to tune into your local church every time you are forced to miss, but if your church doesn’t livestream, click here for a link to my church’s livestream! Or if you know of another church that teaches Biblical truths, tune in to their service!

Third, get involved! There are so many different opportunities to serve the Lord in our local churches! Volunteer to help in the nursery or participate in church clean up! Ask your pastor or his wife if there is anything you can do to serve! Join the visitation team and stock up on tracks to pass out during the week! Add a link to a gospel presentation to that email you are sending to a friend. You never know what opportunities the Lord will send your way when you purpose in your heart to serve Him with all your soul and might.

Lastly, pray. Share your thoughts and desires, your struggles and triumphs with the Father. Does He know? Of course! But He always enjoys hearing from His children! Pray for friends and family and for God to send opportunities to share His Love with others!
 

What are some ways you plan to grow in your Love for God this year? Share below in the comments so we can cheer each other on!
 
Have a blessed day and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn (and Baby Girl Peterson!)

Happy June 1st everyone! Amazing that Summer is right around the corner, right? School is out and people are planning trips and vacations! But what I think of during the summer months is resting. I know, I know, my summers are usually pretty busy, but in general, there's a little more time for special projects and just taking a minute to relax. Today, we’re gonna take a few minutes to rejoice in resting!

Anyone else have trouble just quieting your mind to rest? Does your schedule just overflow with unfinished tasks? Anxiety threatening to swallow you up? I am one of those people that panics if my list isn’t completely marked off. It’s stressful and I just end up getting nowhere. Not very restful.

So, today, we’re gonna look at a few things that will help de-stress, rest our minds and remember Who to turn to when life just gets to be too much; even on a busy day! Maybe not a normal devotional format, but it’s one I think is needed. Because God wants us to bring our cares to Him and rejoice in resting in His loving embrace! Here’ some ways to help you rejoice in the gift of rest!

1| Pray. I tend to speed pray. I’m afraid I’ll forget something, even if I have a list! So I have to consciously remind myself not to run the words together in a frantic race. God has time and we do too. Even if it’s while washing dishes, just rest the rat race in your head and slowly, bear your heart to the Lord. Tell Him about your day. Tell Him you are stressed and need help. Just tell Him! You’d be surprised at how much this helps calm your mind.

2| Read Your Bible. You saw this coming 😉 Seriously though, even if it’s one verse that you ponder all day, read something from the Bible daily, preferably first thing in the morning. This instantly makes me more at ease and reminds me that God is still in control! He knows what I am going through and has a verse for whatever I am facing!

3| Make a Realistic To-Do List. No more than three main household tasks to start with. Don’t even look at the other things. Get those three things done. Then take a short, but reasonable break. Read a chapter of a book or play a game with the littles in your life if that’s an option. Or take a 15-minute walk outside, weather permitting. Something, but at least 15 minutes. Then tackle three more things. And keep that process doing and look back at the end of the day to see how much you have accomplished.

4| Take time to rest. This goes back to those 15-minute breaks. I recommend taking time to pray during these breaks as well, listen to relaxing music as you work, or pick a verse of scripture to memorize, occupying your mind with things worthwhile. Calming things. Don’t empty your mind; the devil will gladly clutter it for you. Fill it with the things of God. Let Him fill your mind and rest will follow.

I understand there are days that even 15 minutes might not be plausible. But by making a habit of filling your mind and home with the Word of God and keeping yourself ever in His presence, even those crazy days can be less stressful. Just give it to the Lord!

How do you rejoice in resting? When you get off track, what do you do? Share your thoughts and tips below!

God Bless and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello everyone! So sorry I haven’t been active of late. Right when I felt I was able to get back into blogging, I got hit with another round of some kind of illness (again, not the virus that shall not be named), and it’s starting to look like 2021 is gonna be my year to be sick all year! One cold after another! And now I have allergies 😊 Like I said, it’s been rough for several weeks! But you didn’t drop by to hear about that, lol! Today, I’m bringing you the fourth devotion in our Rejoicing series! It’s a bit tardy, but I hope you enjoy it!

The above verse is taken from the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. As we know, Jesus was foreshadowing His own resurrection and that of His children in the coming days! Today, I want to take a look at Christ’s resurrection, what it means for us, The resurrection of the Saints, and what that means for us! Let’s dive right in!

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. (Matthew 28:1-10)

The resurrection of Christ brings us hope for eternity! As Christians, we are the only religion in the world to have a living Savior. Mohamed is still in his grave and Buddha in his. We are the only ones who have a LIVING Savior! The only ones with the power to raise Himself from the dead and ascend to heaven!

It gives us a reason to rejoice, for Salvation, is complete! Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can go to heaven when we die! All we have to do is accept His free gift of Salvation, believing that He is the only begotten Son of God!

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

As a Christian, this means that one day, I’m gonna rise! Whether I am in my grave or I am standing on the ground, Jesus is gonna call for me, and I am gonna go to heaven to be with Him! If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you too will get to be raised to be with Christ!

But what does this mean for those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior?
Sadly, this means that you have used up your chances.

When speaking on the rapture of the church (no, the word rapture isn’t in the Bible, but everyone knows what I’m talking about. rapture is a word we use to describe this event), Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12:

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(Here is an excellent sermon on these verses by Pastor Travis Burke of Cazaddale Baptist Church!)

Reader, where do you come into this? Are you a child of God? Rejoice in the resurrection of our Savior! Are you still searching for answers? Please! Contact us here at Life of Heritage! We would love to help you come to know a personal relationship with Christ! No one should be left in the dark on the love of Christ!
 
I hope this devotion has been a blessing to you! Please feel free to leave your thoughts with us in the comments! What are you rejoicing in today?
 
God Bless and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello! I’m happy to be back with another post for y’all today! Our church’s theme this year is “On Bended Knee,” emphasizing the importance and power of prayer. So I thought it would be appropriate for us to rejoice in the blessings of a conversation with our Heavenly Father (for those who are Born Again! Not sure what this means? Please contact us!)!

Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Jeremiah 33:3

1| Praise
Sometimes I’m afraid we forget about this portion of prayer time. I’m just as guilty as the next person, but I try to make a point and praise God for something about Him. His goodness. His love. For good weather. For a roof over my head. For just about anything you can think of. Give it a try! It’s an excellent way to start the day 😉

2| Confess
This cannot be overstated. Even as Christians, that doesn’t mean we won’t still sin. And as soon as you have, confession must be made. It’s hard sometimes. It’s humbling. But that’s the only way we can come before God, in humility. And believe me, there is no better feeling than getting the obstacles out from between you and the Father.

3| Request
When nothing is standing in the way of your relationship with God, it’s time to make your requests known unto Him. Whether it’s for wisdom, health, a request for you, or for a friend, know that He is ready and eager for you to share with Him whatever is on your heart, even though He already knows.

4| Talk
Ever just talked to God? Like, just told Him about your life and your plans? Asked Him for advice? Just had a conversation? And don’t tell me that’s weird, ‘cause you know you talk to yourself *halo* If you’ve never done it, just try it. Trust me. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. Sure, He knows it all. But that doesn’t change the fact that He cares. Just do it 😉
 
Sorry, this isn’t an intense theological discussion, but who said prayer has to be complicated? I definitely want to study more about prayer, but sometimes, it’s nice to just get back to the basics!
 
What is something about Prayer that God has taught you recently?? Please share them with us below!

Have a Blessed Day, and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

And here we are in the second month of 2021! It’s surprising how quickly time passes! Today, I am excited to continue our series on rejoicing! And since it’s February, why not go ahead and tackle the Elephant in the room: Love! Don’t worry, it won’t be mushy 😉

God’s gift of Love is one of His greatest gifts to mankind! Today, I thought it would be nice to look at some of the different kinds of Love God has given to us!

John 15:12 – This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Yesterday was an excellent example of the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ! We got snow yesterday (still coming down!). Because of the terrain around our house, Jacob and I had to leave following our church’s fellowship meal (we were supposed to attend the service immediately following the meal but instead had to live stream). As soon as he found out, one of our church members insisted that I text his wife as soon as we got home to make sure we were okay. And he reminded me that if we had any trouble getting home, help was just a text or phone call away. “That’s what a church family is here for, to take care of our brothers and sisters.” That simple gesture meant so much to my husband and me! And this is the attitude all Christian siblings should have for each other! Praise the Lord for the Love of the family of God!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity 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, endureth all things.Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

I grew up in a large family (Seven kids, plus mom and dad 😉), and I can say from experience there is nothing like a family full of people who love you! Did we always get along perfectly? Maybe not, but there was never a question whether I was loved or not! But I can honestly say that disagreements were not the norm, praise the Lord! The Love of family is something we should thank God for daily!

Genesis 2:23 – And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

God has a perfect plan for mankind, and marriage is part of it! The love He places in the hearts of a man and woman, joining them in holy matrimony, is a beautiful gift from God! One that I feel honored and privileged that He has allowed me to experience loving my husband! In truth, I knew I loved Jacob before I ever met him! God had already prepared my heart to love him, and when we did at last meet, well, it didn’t take long for me to know this was the one for whom God had prepared my heart!

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I think we can all agree that the Greatest Love of all is the Love of God! His gift of His only Son is the ultimate gift of Love and Sacrifice the world has ever seen! Where would we be without Salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, making a way for us to be part of the Family of God?
 
Take a moment and rejoice in the gifts of Love that God has given us! What is something you are rejoicing in today?

Have a blessed day, and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22