I apologize for not keeping up with this Page. I am not doing these weekly items any longer but wanted to keep the page open to you that you may be blessed by one or more of them.....
Week of 2/9/14
"You are the salt of this earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?" Matthew 5:13
Jesus compares His followers to salt. Salt was very important in biblical times, and today as well. When added to food in the right amounts, salt enhances flavors. But too much salt is harmful to us. And a body without salt can die. There is a balance--there is a right amount of salt. And in this part of the verse Jesus is telling us that we are very important for bringing his message of hope to a dying world.
But as followers of Jesus Christ if we have lost our flavor, meaning we just follow along, go through the motions and not spreading his message, then what good are we? We are as worthless as salt without flavor. We add nothing, we improve nothing.
"Father in heaven, I want to be salt, I want to stay flavorful. Please help me to see opportunities to share your Word with others and to share your message of hope. Amen.
The analogy of Salt is really well explained in depth at: CBN.com
Week of 2/2/14
"When you search for me with all your heart, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:13
I bet you have wondered, what about those people who never had an opportunity to know Christ? Like tribes in remote places. Can they go to heaven when they die? I believe they can. The Bible tells us that God is written in everyone's heart. We have a sense of right and wrong, good and evil. And those who seek good, no matter their culture, and recognize there is a creator and an absolute goodness can go to heaven.
So if you are in a culture that has never heard of Christ or God, for example a tribal group in the Amazon, but you practice infant sacrifice, cannibalism and are a warring people. IF you seek in your heart, you will know it is wrong, that it is evil. And you will turn away from those practices. If you meditate on your creator and the meaning of good and love, with all your heart, you will find God and you will want to worship Him.
God is Just, God is Fair, God is Love. He wants us all to come to Him and He will reveal Himself to those who seek Him with all their heart. It may not be in the way we understand, as we have the blessing of knowing Him through the Bible. But everyone can know Him and accept Him and follow Him.
Dear God, I thank you for your grace, for your mercy, that you will reveal yourself to everyone. I thank you for loving us so much to send your only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for all of us, in every corner of the Earth, so all of us, may be forgiven of our sins and be with you in heaven. Amen.
Week of 1/26/14
"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." 1 Corinthians 3:19
No one likes a "know-it-all". But yet many of us take pride in our knowledge. Knowledge is power. We smirk when we hear someone say something "stupid". Some of us may pretend to be humble, but inside we feel pride bubble up when we get better grades than others, or answer a difficult question in class correctly and with ease, or score higher on the SAT's.
Pride separates us from God. We begin to feel bigger and smarter than God. We fool ourselves into thinking we are something great. We forget that the most wise among us are less than infants in their intellect next to God. We forget we are to humble ourselves before God and before others.
God wants us to use the "smarts" he has blessed us with. He wants us to succeed to the fullest of our potential. He has great plans for us. But we must remind ourselves that all glory goes to Him. As we acquire knowledge it should be with the question, "How does God want me to use this knowledge? Who can I help with this information?"
Ok. So acing algebra may not seem to fit the above description, but if you are gifted in math, maybe you want to go into engineering, or business or some field of science. Or if you are gifted in spelling / writing maybe you want to go into journalism or write a great novel. Wherever your God given brilliance takes you, always give thanks to Him, give the Glory to Him, serve Him and help others.
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for the talents you have blessed me with. I struggle with pride in my talents, please help me to overcome this. Help me to see your plans for me and how to best use my talents to serve you and your children. Amen.
Week of 1/19/14
"I don't spend time with people who tell lies. I don't keep company with pretenders." Psalm 26:4
"I asked God to protect me from my enemies, and then I started loosing friends". (author unknown)
Take a look at your friends, how many lies have they told? Have they even told lies about you? Do your friends gossip or talk about each other when one is not around?
God tells us to avoid people like this to protect us. One, it protects us from getting hurt by those who lie, or pretend to be our friends. And Two it protects us from drifting away from Him. The people you hang out with, you begin to emulate. If they have bad habits or sinful natures you first become desensitized to it. These sins don't seem so bad, then they become normal behavior, then they become your behavior. And slowly we are separated from God and the unhappier we become.
We don't want to loose our friends. But ask yourself. Do my friends help me to be a better person or a better Christian? Are you a strong enough Christian and a good enough friend to help them to be a better person or a better Christian?
If you answered no to either of those questions----its time for a change in friendships.
Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me how to identify and how to be a true friend. Please reveal those who are not truly my friend and either help me to be strong enough to help them, or help me to let them go. In Jesus's name this I pray, Amen.
Week of 1/12/14
"Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3
Throughout our lives we will be making plans or working on huge projects. We may have plans about college, careers, or major projects for school, or work. I believe this Bible verse reminds us that in all our plans and projects we should pray to God for guidance. If we keep our plans centered around Him, He will bless them and our success will be higher than if we try to accomplish things entirely on our own.
So whether as big as your plans for career or marriage, or as small as a school project with a big grade, pray, pray without ceasing, and God will guide you to success.
Heavenly Father, I pray that in all things I do, I do with your guidance and for your glory. Amen
Week of 1/5/14 ***Officially the New Year!***
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Happy New Year and Happy New You! If you are truly with Christ, then you should feel transformed, you should see the world differently. You will try to see others through His eyes. You may feel a great weight lifted off of you, you may find your anxieties are not as great as you place your trust in Him. The best thing about becoming God's new creation, is you can do it anytime! Not just in the New Year.
Father in heaven, thank you for removing the stains of my sins, for cleansing my soul and making me new in You. Amen.
Week of 12/29/13
"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD" Lamentations 3:40
As we look forward to the New Year, many of us will be making New Year's Resolution. A New Year's Resolution is our way of improving ourselves. And we often forget to include God in them. It is a great and noble thing to improve ourselves, but I believe including God in this process will increase our chances of keeping them. So prayerfully consider your New Year's Resolution this year! As Lamentations reminds us, examine where we are today, where we want to be tomorrow and measure that against God's word. Will this resolution bring us closer to or further from God?
Father in Heaven, guide me in this New Year; show me the path that brings me closer to you and makes me a better person in You. Amen
Week of 12/22/13
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.." Isaiah 9:6
This prophecy was spoken more than 400 years before the birth of Christ our Lord. It reminds us, not only of the birth of our savior, but also His death by which we are saved when it claims "...a son is given". And that is the true gift of Christmas....not just His birth, but that He was born so He could live among us and die for our sins.
Father in Heaven we praise you and thank you for the gift of your precious son. He lived among us as an example, a model, for us to live by. And He died for us, His blood alone washes away our sin, so that we may live with you in eternity and we thank you for your love and mercy. Amen
Week of 12/15/13
"In a loud voice she exclaimed, "Blessed are you among women, blessed is the child you will bear!" Luke 1:42
Week of 12/8/13
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Matthew 20:267-27
Many of us want to be leaders, either among our friends, or in our school, or someday in our careers. I think this Bible verse offers the best advice if you want to be a leader. During the Last Supper, Jesus takes the bowl of water and towel and begins to wash the feet of His disciples. They are appalled. Servants wash feet, not masters, and certainly not the Messiah, their Lord and King!
But Jesus continues as he gently admonishes His disciples. He tells them, and us, that to be a great leader, you must be humble. You must be willing to do the "dirty work" that you demand of those below you. In doing so, you will earn the love and respect of those you lead. And as a leader, you will have a better understanding of those beneath you because you have "walked a mile in their shoes."
Jesus was humble. He was willing to do the lowest of chores, and after this Last Supper, after His arrest and trial, He willingly, lovingly, took on our sins-yours, and mine-and took the punishment, paying our ransom, so that we may be with Him in eternity.
Father in Heaven, we thank You for Your Son, for His example, so that we may be better in all that we do. We thank You for His sacrifice, so that we may be with You forever. Amen.
Week of 12/1/13
"Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever" Psalm 107:1
This past week was Thanksgiving, a day when we take the time to reflect on all that we are thankful for in our lives. We usually thank God for our family and friends, our health, and for all the yummy food! It is a happy day, so it is easy to think of things we are thankful for.
But what about on bad days? On a day that did not go well at school, or at work, or at home. A day when we feel we don't have a friend. Or maybe we, or someone we love, are very ill. These times, more than any other, we need to pause and give thanks.
Give thanks??!! For bad luck, for bad things? For all the anger, frustration or illness we are suffering?
Yes. We must remember that although we suffer now, God is good, His love for us endures forever, He is with us and will help us through this difficult time. We need to thank Him for never leaving us. We need to show our love for Him, not only in the good times, but also the bad, because He loves us no matter what.
Our situations are temporary, the pain and hurt will leave. His love is forever, and He will be with us for eternity!
Father in Heaven, we are thankful for your love. Your love heals us when we hurt, heals us when we are ill, guides us when we are lost. We are thankful for that and for your son, Jesus Christ, who's blood was shed to wash away our sins so that we may be with you in Heaven forever. Amen.
Week of 11/24/13
"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?" Psalm 27:1
There are times in our day to day lives we will feel alone and lost, sad and confused. Maybe a friend hurt us with a casual comment, or another friend seemed to shut us out. Or maybe we feel we have no friends, no one in our family, that we can turn to in times of need.
But there is someone....
But we must remember, we have God. He is our light in the darkness, who will guide us through these hard times. Turn to His Word. His love will be revealed to you. Pray to Him, and you will learn His Will for you. You will feel safe and secure when you see that He is your light and salvation, and that with Him, there is no one, no thing, to fear.
Week of 11/17/13
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14
We are seekers. We seek things we often don't understand. We seek love, fulfillment, success. And often when we find those things, after awhile, we feel empty......and we begin to seek again.
This is because God has put onto our hearts a desire for Him. Those of us who are not raised with God, those of us who do not know Him or who have rejected Him continually seek, but are never fulfilled. Their hunger never satisfied, their thirst never quenched.
But for those of us who know God, and follow Him, we will find satisfaction and joy. We never again will hunger, our thirst will always be quenched. Because that empty part of our hear, of our soul, is filled. It is filled with the Holy Spirit---that is the spring of water the wells up inside of us, that is the water Jesus provides.
Father in heaven, we recognize our need for your, our desire for you. Please fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we will know joy and never thirst again. Please help us to lead others to your well so that they may know you and ake you into their hearts and have peace and joy and eternal life. Amen.
Week of 11/10/13
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1
This is one of my favorite Bible verses, I think because of it's poetic feel, but also because what it tells us about Jesus. It tells us Jesus is God and has existed even since the beginning. It tells us a bit about God's Triune nature, that He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
I really like this verse when it is followed by John 1:14: "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." It confirms that the "Word" mentioned in verse 1 is Jesus. And again I love the poetic nature as it describes that the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. It tells us a bit that Jesus is fully human, but also fully divine.
Week of 11/3/13
Week of 2/9/14
"You are the salt of this earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?" Matthew 5:13
Jesus compares His followers to salt. Salt was very important in biblical times, and today as well. When added to food in the right amounts, salt enhances flavors. But too much salt is harmful to us. And a body without salt can die. There is a balance--there is a right amount of salt. And in this part of the verse Jesus is telling us that we are very important for bringing his message of hope to a dying world.
But as followers of Jesus Christ if we have lost our flavor, meaning we just follow along, go through the motions and not spreading his message, then what good are we? We are as worthless as salt without flavor. We add nothing, we improve nothing.
"Father in heaven, I want to be salt, I want to stay flavorful. Please help me to see opportunities to share your Word with others and to share your message of hope. Amen.
The analogy of Salt is really well explained in depth at: CBN.com
*****
Week of 2/2/14
"When you search for me with all your heart, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:13
I bet you have wondered, what about those people who never had an opportunity to know Christ? Like tribes in remote places. Can they go to heaven when they die? I believe they can. The Bible tells us that God is written in everyone's heart. We have a sense of right and wrong, good and evil. And those who seek good, no matter their culture, and recognize there is a creator and an absolute goodness can go to heaven.
So if you are in a culture that has never heard of Christ or God, for example a tribal group in the Amazon, but you practice infant sacrifice, cannibalism and are a warring people. IF you seek in your heart, you will know it is wrong, that it is evil. And you will turn away from those practices. If you meditate on your creator and the meaning of good and love, with all your heart, you will find God and you will want to worship Him.
God is Just, God is Fair, God is Love. He wants us all to come to Him and He will reveal Himself to those who seek Him with all their heart. It may not be in the way we understand, as we have the blessing of knowing Him through the Bible. But everyone can know Him and accept Him and follow Him.
Dear God, I thank you for your grace, for your mercy, that you will reveal yourself to everyone. I thank you for loving us so much to send your only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for all of us, in every corner of the Earth, so all of us, may be forgiven of our sins and be with you in heaven. Amen.
******
Week of 1/26/14
"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." 1 Corinthians 3:19
No one likes a "know-it-all". But yet many of us take pride in our knowledge. Knowledge is power. We smirk when we hear someone say something "stupid". Some of us may pretend to be humble, but inside we feel pride bubble up when we get better grades than others, or answer a difficult question in class correctly and with ease, or score higher on the SAT's.
Pride separates us from God. We begin to feel bigger and smarter than God. We fool ourselves into thinking we are something great. We forget that the most wise among us are less than infants in their intellect next to God. We forget we are to humble ourselves before God and before others.
God wants us to use the "smarts" he has blessed us with. He wants us to succeed to the fullest of our potential. He has great plans for us. But we must remind ourselves that all glory goes to Him. As we acquire knowledge it should be with the question, "How does God want me to use this knowledge? Who can I help with this information?"
Ok. So acing algebra may not seem to fit the above description, but if you are gifted in math, maybe you want to go into engineering, or business or some field of science. Or if you are gifted in spelling / writing maybe you want to go into journalism or write a great novel. Wherever your God given brilliance takes you, always give thanks to Him, give the Glory to Him, serve Him and help others.
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for the talents you have blessed me with. I struggle with pride in my talents, please help me to overcome this. Help me to see your plans for me and how to best use my talents to serve you and your children. Amen.
*****
Week of 1/19/14
"I don't spend time with people who tell lies. I don't keep company with pretenders." Psalm 26:4
"I asked God to protect me from my enemies, and then I started loosing friends". (author unknown)
Take a look at your friends, how many lies have they told? Have they even told lies about you? Do your friends gossip or talk about each other when one is not around?
We don't want to loose our friends. But ask yourself. Do my friends help me to be a better person or a better Christian? Are you a strong enough Christian and a good enough friend to help them to be a better person or a better Christian?
If you answered no to either of those questions----its time for a change in friendships.
Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me how to identify and how to be a true friend. Please reveal those who are not truly my friend and either help me to be strong enough to help them, or help me to let them go. In Jesus's name this I pray, Amen.
Week of 1/12/14
"Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3
Throughout our lives we will be making plans or working on huge projects. We may have plans about college, careers, or major projects for school, or work. I believe this Bible verse reminds us that in all our plans and projects we should pray to God for guidance. If we keep our plans centered around Him, He will bless them and our success will be higher than if we try to accomplish things entirely on our own.
So whether as big as your plans for career or marriage, or as small as a school project with a big grade, pray, pray without ceasing, and God will guide you to success.
Heavenly Father, I pray that in all things I do, I do with your guidance and for your glory. Amen
Week of 1/5/14 ***Officially the New Year!***
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Happy New Year and Happy New You! If you are truly with Christ, then you should feel transformed, you should see the world differently. You will try to see others through His eyes. You may feel a great weight lifted off of you, you may find your anxieties are not as great as you place your trust in Him. The best thing about becoming God's new creation, is you can do it anytime! Not just in the New Year.
Father in heaven, thank you for removing the stains of my sins, for cleansing my soul and making me new in You. Amen.
Week of 12/29/13
"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD" Lamentations 3:40
As we look forward to the New Year, many of us will be making New Year's Resolution. A New Year's Resolution is our way of improving ourselves. And we often forget to include God in them. It is a great and noble thing to improve ourselves, but I believe including God in this process will increase our chances of keeping them. So prayerfully consider your New Year's Resolution this year! As Lamentations reminds us, examine where we are today, where we want to be tomorrow and measure that against God's word. Will this resolution bring us closer to or further from God?
Father in Heaven, guide me in this New Year; show me the path that brings me closer to you and makes me a better person in You. Amen
Week of 12/22/13
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.." Isaiah 9:6
This prophecy was spoken more than 400 years before the birth of Christ our Lord. It reminds us, not only of the birth of our savior, but also His death by which we are saved when it claims "...a son is given". And that is the true gift of Christmas....not just His birth, but that He was born so He could live among us and die for our sins.
Father in Heaven we praise you and thank you for the gift of your precious son. He lived among us as an example, a model, for us to live by. And He died for us, His blood alone washes away our sin, so that we may live with you in eternity and we thank you for your love and mercy. Amen
Week of 12/15/13
"In a loud voice she exclaimed, "Blessed are you among women, blessed is the child you will bear!" Luke 1:42
The angel Gabriel told Mary that her elder cousin Elizabeth was pregnant. Elizabeth had never had children and was now thought to be too old to be pregnant.
Mary was pregnant as well, although she was a virgin. I think she probably was feeling very alone, who could she tell? Remember, Mary was maybe 13 or 14 years old! Engaged to be married but pregnant--and not with her fiance's child. Being pregnant out of wedlock could be punished by death by stoning!
Who would understand? Elizabeth would. And when Mary spoke to Elizabeth, Elizabeth's baby (John the Baptist) leaped within her! At that moment the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and she exclaimed Mary was blessed among women because Mary believed, she was faithful and unwavering. Unlike Elizabeth's husband, Zechariah, who did not believe when the angel told him Elizabeth would bear him a son.
Elizabeth also knew that Mary's unborn child was blessed, and she even identified Mary as the Mother of her Lord. Can you imagine the relief Mary felt? Elizabeth knew! And was thrilled! I am sure that was reassuring to Mary that all would be alright.
God watches over us. When we remain faithful to Him, and find ourselves in need of help, He will often put someone into our lives to help us through. Perhaps this is why Elizabeth was not given a child until that point. John would be born ahead of Jesus, to prepare others for the coming Messiah. But John was not born so far ahead of Jesus that Mary's pregnancy would overlap Elizabeth's. God's timing is perfect. Mary had a loving person in her life, also with a miracle pregnancy, who would understand and help Mary!
Father in Heaven, thank you for always watching over us, and helping us in times of need. And we thank you for the gift of your Son, our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer. Amen.
Week of 12/8/13
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Matthew 20:267-27
Many of us want to be leaders, either among our friends, or in our school, or someday in our careers. I think this Bible verse offers the best advice if you want to be a leader. During the Last Supper, Jesus takes the bowl of water and towel and begins to wash the feet of His disciples. They are appalled. Servants wash feet, not masters, and certainly not the Messiah, their Lord and King!
But Jesus continues as he gently admonishes His disciples. He tells them, and us, that to be a great leader, you must be humble. You must be willing to do the "dirty work" that you demand of those below you. In doing so, you will earn the love and respect of those you lead. And as a leader, you will have a better understanding of those beneath you because you have "walked a mile in their shoes."
Jesus was humble. He was willing to do the lowest of chores, and after this Last Supper, after His arrest and trial, He willingly, lovingly, took on our sins-yours, and mine-and took the punishment, paying our ransom, so that we may be with Him in eternity.
Father in Heaven, we thank You for Your Son, for His example, so that we may be better in all that we do. We thank You for His sacrifice, so that we may be with You forever. Amen.
Week of 12/1/13
"Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever" Psalm 107:1
This past week was Thanksgiving, a day when we take the time to reflect on all that we are thankful for in our lives. We usually thank God for our family and friends, our health, and for all the yummy food! It is a happy day, so it is easy to think of things we are thankful for.
But what about on bad days? On a day that did not go well at school, or at work, or at home. A day when we feel we don't have a friend. Or maybe we, or someone we love, are very ill. These times, more than any other, we need to pause and give thanks.
Give thanks??!! For bad luck, for bad things? For all the anger, frustration or illness we are suffering?
Yes. We must remember that although we suffer now, God is good, His love for us endures forever, He is with us and will help us through this difficult time. We need to thank Him for never leaving us. We need to show our love for Him, not only in the good times, but also the bad, because He loves us no matter what.
Our situations are temporary, the pain and hurt will leave. His love is forever, and He will be with us for eternity!
Father in Heaven, we are thankful for your love. Your love heals us when we hurt, heals us when we are ill, guides us when we are lost. We are thankful for that and for your son, Jesus Christ, who's blood was shed to wash away our sins so that we may be with you in Heaven forever. Amen.
Week of 11/24/13
"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?" Psalm 27:1
There are times in our day to day lives we will feel alone and lost, sad and confused. Maybe a friend hurt us with a casual comment, or another friend seemed to shut us out. Or maybe we feel we have no friends, no one in our family, that we can turn to in times of need.
But there is someone....
Father in Heaven, hear those who seek you, reveal yourself to them, repair their breaking hearts with your Holy Spirit so that all will know that with you, their light and salvation, there is nothing to fear. Amen
Week of 11/17/13
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14
We are seekers. We seek things we often don't understand. We seek love, fulfillment, success. And often when we find those things, after awhile, we feel empty......and we begin to seek again.
This is because God has put onto our hearts a desire for Him. Those of us who are not raised with God, those of us who do not know Him or who have rejected Him continually seek, but are never fulfilled. Their hunger never satisfied, their thirst never quenched.
But for those of us who know God, and follow Him, we will find satisfaction and joy. We never again will hunger, our thirst will always be quenched. Because that empty part of our hear, of our soul, is filled. It is filled with the Holy Spirit---that is the spring of water the wells up inside of us, that is the water Jesus provides.
Father in heaven, we recognize our need for your, our desire for you. Please fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we will know joy and never thirst again. Please help us to lead others to your well so that they may know you and ake you into their hearts and have peace and joy and eternal life. Amen.
Week of 11/10/13
This is one of my favorite Bible verses, I think because of it's poetic feel, but also because what it tells us about Jesus. It tells us Jesus is God and has existed even since the beginning. It tells us a bit about God's Triune nature, that He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
I really like this verse when it is followed by John 1:14: "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." It confirms that the "Word" mentioned in verse 1 is Jesus. And again I love the poetic nature as it describes that the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. It tells us a bit that Jesus is fully human, but also fully divine.
Last Sunday my pastor told the congregation that if you want to know who Jesus really is, what Jesus is all about, to read John. I pray that you will join me in doing so.
Week of 11/3/13
"No one should deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, he must become foolish so that he can become wise. 1 Corinthians 3:18
Jesus tells us that to follow Him we must be like little children. He doesn't mean for us to act that way literally, but He wants us to let go of all we think we know and open our minds and hearts to Him. Have you ever tried to help explain something to a "know-it-all"? Sometimes we get arrogant with our knowledge and we are unable to see or learn something important that God wants us to know. It could be right in front of us, but we refuse to see, because we think we already know.
Father in heaven, I pray that we un-clutter our minds and hearts so we can see and learn all the wonderful blessings you have for us, in your son's name, Jesus, I pray...amen.
******
Week of 10/27/13
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters---and his own life--he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26
This is one of the most mis-understood verses in the New Testament. Non-believers will use it to show how the Bible is inconsistent and contradictory. Many Christians are not familiar with this verse and do not know how to defend it when confronted with it. This verse, like all others, must be reviewed within its context. Jesus does not want us to hate anyone. But he wants us to love Him, God, sooooo much, that by comparison it looks like we hate everyone.
Does that sound like too much to ask? I think so. Until you really think about it. If you meditate and pray on it, you will find that it is exactly right. If we put God first in our lives, with all else--and all others a distant second, then we will be better children, spouses, parents, siblings. We will a better person as we strive to keep God first and bring glory in all we do to Him.
Father in Heaven, forgive us for not putting you above all else. We are so busy in our lives, hanging with friends, being absorbed in popular culture, striving to get ahead in our careers, being consumed with our children and their activities....and at the end of the day, we are so exhausted. And we do not spend time with you. Please forgive us, Father. Help us to remember that all things are less important than You, guide us in prioritizing You, in Your Great Name I pray.
Week of 10/20/13
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" Colossians 3:17
Not everyone is called to greatness (in the way our culture defines it). Not everyone is called to preach or teach the masses about God. But in all that you do, do it for the glory of God. At school, do your best, be kind and good, and humble and that brings glory to God. At, at home, honor your parents, help around the house, be kind to your siblings, and that brings glory to God. As adults, we should work our hardest, be the best employee our boss has every seen, remain kind and humble, shining for the Lord, our God.
As Steven Curtis Chapman sings in his song "Do Everything",
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you,
Cause he made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do
Cause he made you
To do
Every little thing that you do
To bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do
*****
"Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God." Philippians 4:6
We worry about so many things, we can actually worry ourselves sick! We are stressed about school, we worry about do we have the right friends, the right clothes. We have worries at home, maybe a loved one is sick, maybe our parents are fighting, maybe we are missing someone who is far away. But we need to remember, we cannot solve all things. We are human. God can and wants to make things better for us. We must pray. We must give thanks for all we do have. We ask God for what we think we need. He may not give us exactly what we want (or think we need) but He will be with us and get us through the hard times. He is our shield and our sword. Rely on Him for everything. Nothing is too small or too big for our God!
Heavenly Father, hear us, hear our problems and help us to see what is truly important--Love. Help us to focus not on our concerns but your love for us and our love for you and one another. Help us through difficult times and remove the worries you will, but strengthen us through the trials you would have us go through. Mold us and shape us and bring us closer to you...Amen
Week of 10/6/13
"For the Lord God is the Sun and Shield the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good things does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11
Never forget that our Father in Heaven loves us and wants to lavish us with His favor. But we must walk in His word, seeking to fulfill His will in our lives. I have heard in sermons that God may actually withhold His favor from us, if we are not right in His will. To receive God's fullest blessings we must seek in our hearts that we are complying with His will, that he shares with us in His written word, the scriptures.
I pray for our Father to guide us into His word in all that we do. We rejoice in Him always...Amen
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Week of 9/29/13
"I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your miracle of long ago" Psalm 77:11
It is important that we remember the miracles of God, and of Jesus. It reminds us that He Loves us, and that He always will. We remember how He provided for His people in the desert, with manna, and we know He will always provide for us. We remember how David slayed Goliath in His name, and we know He is with us whenever we face adversity. And we are reminded of His love with every rainbow placed in the sky.
I pray that as we read and learn more of how God loves us, that we grow in our Love and Faith in Him.....By His Grace and Love, I pray, Amen
* * * *
Week of 9/22/13
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55: 8-9
I like this Bible Verse because it reminds me that we should not (and cannot) expect to understand why things happen sometimes. When things happen, especially when bad things happen, and we cannot understand why, it is because we really, really can't understand why.
God's wisdom is so much greater than ours, it would be like trying to explain Einstein to a rock. You just wouldn't even try, right? So He doesn't even try to explain it, but He DOES tell us over and over again, that He loves us and if we are faithful in Him we will all understand one day.
So when things are horrible, and your believe in God is shaken, remember Isaiah. Remember God loves you SOOOOOO much. And He will carry you through.
As this picture illustrates----we only see a small piece of the overall design.........
I pray that you are blessed by His words and find comfort in them.....in His Great Name, Amen
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