During this time of year, Christians focus on the birth of Jesus. He was the Son of God born to become the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Because He died on the cross and was resurrected conquering sin and death, Jesus is our only hope, peace, joy and unconditional love that we can experience both in this life and the next. It is only through Him that these life conditions are met. He is our Hope of eternal life because of His sacrifice. Titus 1:2 “…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time …
After Diagnosis
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:6-8 After my diagnosis, I prayed constantly. I filled my life with prayer, devotionals, …
Because He Loves Me
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91: 14-16 These verses are so simple yet so deep. I’m in crisis. I need God. He promises to answer me just because I love him, as imperfect as I am. In truth, that’s all I need. But when you are …
Individuals are Accountable
What is God’s Will for Your Life? In I Thessalonians, we learn that God’s Will for us is our sanctification. ( I Thess. 4:3) Sanctification is God’s work in us as we grow spiritually, living in holiness pleasing and honoring Him. We are set apart for service and holiness. It is a process of maturing in our faith and becoming more and more like Jesus. The hymnist gives us direction: “Take time to be holy, Speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, And feed on His Word; Make friends of God’s children, Help those who are …
A Hurried Scurried Life
I lived a hurried, scurried life for so many years. I felt I had to DO in order to be. It wasn’t until someone gracefully pointed out that it wasn’t necessary to always be kept busy. It was good to have margins. Margins are useful on pages of paper, making it clearer to read the content. Margins in life are useful in making priorities stand out and allowing our bodies to rest, as God calls us to. Of course, we can be in seasons where we absolutely need to hurry and scurry at times. Living with toddlers, it seems …
As the Rains Come Down
Rain from storms have been falling down recently in Southern California. Some may laugh at those of us who don’t care to be out in the weather or driving in it. I come from the midwest where there is rain and snow and storms all the time. We desperately need the rain here in California, but I have grown to appreciate sunny, dependable days and don’t realize how spoiled I am until faced with weather changes. Not all days are sunny and dependable and the rains do come down in our lives. How we deal with those rains says a …
Contentment
Covetousness is very subtle. Can you honestly say you are satisfied and content with everything around you? Being content is a learned attitude. I’ve never met a toddler who is content all day long. Jesus tells us to not worry about what we eat, where we live or if we’ll have enough (paraphrased). I’ll admit. It’s hard being content in this world we live in. We all yearn for change in our surroundings and in other people. I’ll keep resting in God’s promises while remembering His blessings. Ecclesiastes 5:10 – “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is …
Trusting in the Power of Christ
Early in my ministry, I often exhausted myself trying to manage everything. Though I knew with certainty my assignment came directly from God, I routinely behaved as if He expected me to carry the load alone. As if results came through sheer grit rather than the works of His hands. When one of my team members forgot or failed to complete a task, I felt responsible to step in and catch every ball that happened to get dropped. Though I talked a great deal about faith-filled, surrendered living, I routinely behaved as if our results depended on me. Unfortunately, …
Quiet
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 NAB Quiet Being quiet is not looked up on well. In any scenario, the louder and bolder party is seen as better. Quietness might be interpreted as weakness, submission, vulnerability. So how can quietness be our strength? Quietness can give rise to trust. “Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10. Quietness implies that someone else is in action, doing the work. It links to trust because it requires that …
Trust Brings Overflowing Hope
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 Overflowing hope. Hard to ponder the magnitude of what that means. Hope on steroids? Hope beyond imagination? Hope that defies the imagination? Perhaps it is all that and more. And it can be ours … it is ours! This overflowing hope is one of the many by-products that come to those of us who trust in Him. To trust in God is to rely upon Him. …
The Wind and the Waves Obey Him
I woke up to the sound of wind and rain, so I checked the weather channel to see just how windy it was. To my surprise it said, “wind out of the WSW at 0 miles an hour”. It thought it was wind, but maybe it was just rain. What I did notice while on the website was a weather link that read, “extreme drought prompts governor to call for weekend of prayer”. So much comes to mind in those messages. I remembered the Scriptures that say the wind and the waves obey Him. Aren’t we glad we aren’t bound …
A Psalm for All the Days of Our Lives
Are you old enough to remember the Florida Orange Growers TV commercial from the 70’s? It featured folks of various ages and stages of life pausing in their day to drink a big glass of cold, refreshing orange juice and then declare: juice – It’s not just for breakfast anymore! That commercial came to mind as I studied Psalm 23. Inspired by the Floridians, let’s coin our own phrase: Psalm 23 – It’s not just for funerals anymore! (And it really never was!) While it my be the most-quoted passage for funerals, this poetic Psalm provides truth for every …