Risen

“The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.'"
Matthew 28:5-6

Jesus’ death on a Roman cross, paid in full the debt of all of our sins – but it is the resurrection, His victory over the grave that brings us life.

Because of the resurrection we can know for certain that we will never be alone in this world and that we, who believe will live for all eternity in the presence of God.

So live victoriously today no matter what you are facing because Jesus is alive and by the power of His Holy Spirit He lives in You. Stand on His promises and live by His power.

He is risen indeed!

A prayer
Father –thank you that because Your Son still lives, we can live powerful and victorious lives no matter what circumstances we are facing in this world. May we be a reflection of that power, and of His mercy and grace. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

Together

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’”
John 20:19

It had been a horrible few days. On Friday they had watched their friend and teacher, the one they thought was the Messiah brutally beaten and crucified. Some of them had fled and those that remained were together. Hold up together out of fear and grief. Jesus had told them but they didn’t get it. Then all of a sudden He is there with them, the locked doors hadn’t stopped Him, the Romans hadn’t stopped Him, death hadn’t stopped Him. He was with them giving them peace.

Humans were never meant to be alone - when Adam was alone God said it wasn’t good (Genesis 2:18). The church was built on people being together in the name of Jesus the Christ. Acts 2:1 says: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” Later in the same chapter we read that the believers were together - the met together, ate together, prayed together, and worshipped together… “And the Lord added to their number daily” (Acts 2:47). The apostles never traveled alone they were always together with someone.

When we stand together in life and prayer - faint hearts are strengthened, burdens are shared, blessings are celebrated and when we fall, someone is there to help us up. In the book of Hebrews we read “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit if doing, but let us encourage one another…” (v. 25).

We were made for relationship, we need each other. Whether you are in the midst of a storm or on the mountain top make sure you are not on the journey alone. As followers of Christ we need to be together often… it one of the ways His kingdom grows.

Jesus was in their midst when they were together. Jesus told them they would have power when they were together. He said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20).

A prayer
Father – Thank you for putting people in our lives who help us grow, who help and encourage us when we are down. Who celebrate with us when things are good. Thank for Your promise of being with us when we are together in Your Son’s name. May we be together more than just on Sunday mornings. Help us in the busy world we live in make time to be together and to invite You to join us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Love Is A Choice

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:12-13”

At a wedding my husband and I attended once, the pastor used this scripture as the starting point for his message about the commitment of marriage. It is a great verse.

It starts out with a command from Jesus telling us, we must love one another the way He has loved us. Now stop and think about what He is saying.

Jesus is the incarnation of the One True God – He loved us so much that He made the choice to leave the glory of heaven and come be with us. While on this planet Jesus was both fully God and fully man – He showed us love is a choice, he asked His Father to remove the cup, and yet HE ultimately made the choice of obedience, stretched out His arms and laid down His life us.

Today as we consider the cross, really think about how much God loves you. He made the choice to love you so much that He willingly went to the cross for you and me so that we who believe can spend eternity with Him.

Then think about how our own relationships might be strengthened if we make the choice to love sacrificially. If we place others before our selves, if we would love and respect others the way Jesus loved us – can you imagine how much better our families and communities would be?

If that newly married couple heed the words spoken to them at their wedding and build their marriage on a foundation of Jesus – they will have a long and happy life together.

And if we treat everyone in our lives with the love of Jesus, we will bring positive change to our world.

What we call Good Friday was a dark day some 2000 years ago brought about by the choice Jesus made to love. Think about that today as you take time to come to the cross.

A prayer
Father –thank you for loving us so much that You came to be with us and to show us much you loved us by paying the cost of our sin. By the power of Your Spirit may we fulfill the command to love one another the way the You love us. In the might name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

I Died For You

“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28

As I write this two things are on my mind - the hit television show Once Upon A Time and the cross of Christ. I know, I can hear some of you thinking - how do those two things fit together? Let me try to explain.

Snow White under the influence of a magic potion has forgotten what true love is, her heart has grown dark and she is bent on murderous revenge - she plans on killing her stepmother, the evil queen. True love’s kiss had failed to break the spell, so Prince Charming had to find another way to break the spell and save his beloved Snow White. He takes the arrow intended for the Queen and when Snow asks him why - he looks her in the eye and says: “I love you, I would die for you.” Now it isn’t the prince’s willingness to sacrifice his life, after all that’s what fairy tale princes do. Instead, it is Snow’s response that got me thinking. As his words sunk in to her heart the spell was broken, her heart was softened and filled will love again. Her whole countenance changed.

We have a prince too, a real prince. Isaiah calls Him the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world…” God speaking through the prophet Ezekiel says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Eze. 36:26). Jesus, hanging on the crossing asked His Father to “forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). This is God’s true love for us. He died for me and you, so that our hearts would not become black and hard - so that we would know what true love is really like.

Can you see him? Beaten and near death as he stumbles down the road carrying His cross on the way to Calvary. Did He see you in crowds that lined that ancient street? Did He look you in the eye and say “I love you - I will die for you”. Can you hear Him even now whispering to your heart “I love you, I died for you.” Allow those words to sink in and chase the darkness away. Allow His light of true love to fill your whole being and then let it shine for the world around you to see.

A prayer
Father – Thank you for being the source of true love. Thank you for loving us so much that you laid down Your life to heal our world wounded hearts, souls and minds. May we hear often Your words of love as we travel on this journey home. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

He Told Them...They Told Us

“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.’”
Matthew 28:5-6

Have you ever wished that you had been there? Drinking the water that had been turned to wine, witnessing Lazarus walking from his tomb, in the crowd fed with a few loaves and some fish, on the mountain where Jesus met with Moses and Elijah, at the empty tomb on the first day of the week. Have you ever wondered about how they – the apostles and other disciples – were there and didn’t get it? The angel had to remind them that Jesus had told them what was going to happen. I have wished and wondered those things and then this thought occurred to me.

I wonder if the apostles and all the other heroes of faith are in heaven watching us and thinking. They – us that is – they have all our stories; they know what happened and what will happen. They have experienced their own miracles, why don’t they get it? Why do they still doubt? Why do they have to be reminded that Jesus told them?

I began to think what is it that links us with them? Why even when we know the truth do we doubt, do we have to be reminded? From Noah to now we are all human, even when we know the plan we still have to make the journey one step at a time without being able to see the end. Our minds cannot truly comprehend the greatness of God and so we often suffer from a kind of spiritual Alzheimer’s. Noah knew the plan… but had never experienced rain, Abraham moved to a new land without knowing where he was really going. The disciples followed not clearly understanding what was happening and the Apostles helped to change the world not truly comprehending the effect they would have. We do our best to remember the stories but we too must walk by faith and not sight. We – like those who have gone before do not really understand all that we will do in the name of Jesus and we cannot see where we are going. So we like them doubt and need to be reminded.

Here is the best part – Jesus doesn’t mind sending us reminders because when the light goes on we worship authentically with our whole lives and the people around us are changed as well.

He is not here. He has risen – just as He said. HE is Risen indeed.

A prayer
Father – Thank you for the daily reminders that you have a plan, that You desire good things for Your people. Thank you for being patient with us when we doubt and grumble. Forgive our unbelief. Grant us the faith we need to take the next step – to stay the course, so that like those who have gone before we too will one day see Your face and fully understand. In the name of Jesus Amen.

How Big is Big?

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?”
Isaiah 40:12

At some time or other we have all seen an image of the mythological Atlas holding the world on his shoulders, but how big is God really? How big is your God? What I am learning as I walk this journey we call life is that GOD is bigger than anything we can possibly comprehend.

Take for instance the words in our passage today “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand…” Have you ever taken a drink from a mountain stream? It can take a few handfuls to satisfy your thirst. Yet this scripture tells us God measured the waters in the hollow of his hand – one hand mind you. I did a little research to find out how much water that might actually be, the total amount of water in all its forms on, in and around the planet amounts to 332.5 million cubic miles. A single cubic mile equals more than 1.1 trillion gallons – that would fill 1.6 million Olympic sized swimming pools. I think you are getting the picture. If God’s hand is that big how big is the rest of him? How big is his heart?

His heart is so big, that He became human size and then poured out His blood to restore the relationship between us and Him. If He is big enough to do that – He is big enough to provide everything we need – like water.

Another thing about the size of God is that He is so big that He cannot and will not fail at anything He has determined to do. He has determined to love us and to bless those who walk in His ways, those who uphold His command to love God and love others.

Today, as you go about your life, spend some time really trying to understand just how big God really is. I think you will find that everything about this planet and the trials we face will fit in His hand and be overwhelmed by the love in his heart.

A prayer
Father, forgive us for placing human limits on you and your plan for us. Our minds cannot truly comprehend Your unlimited size but help us to catch a glimpse of it as walk the path you have laid out for us. Thank you for the amazing things You have done, are doing and will be doing for us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Signs

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.”
Matthew 27: 45, 51 and 28:2

No matter whether you think the world is millions of years old or considerably younger, the planet has seen the beginning and end of many ages. It would seem that each age comes and goes in an environment of great turmoil.

Jesus had denied the religious leaders of His day any additional signs to prove He was who He claimed to be. In the days following His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, Jesus spent much of his time trying to prepare His disciples for what was coming. He tried to answer their questions about the end of the age. He warned them about imposters, about war, natural disasters - He warned them of the turmoil, pain and suffering that would come with the end of the age. They did not understand that they would witness some of these things in just a few days.

On Friday the sky went black and the ground shook. The war was won with a rugged Roman cross and an empty tomb - an age ended and another began. Yet, battles still rage for the hearts and souls of mankind.

We will battle on; we will continue to witness the sorts of things Jesus warned His disciples about. In the midst of all the turmoil of this life, if we dare to keep our focus on our conquering servant King and Savior - we can live the abundant, victorious life He intends for us today and every day.

A Prayer
Father, help us to be mindful of the signs of times, so we can respond with grace and mercy to the circumstances around us. Above all else help us to focus on the One who has gained the eternal victory for us, using a cross and empty tomb. In the name of Jesus, our Servant King and Savior - Amen.

Triumphal Entry?

"The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
'Hosanna to the Son of David!'
'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'
'Hosanna in the highest!'
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?'
The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.'"
Matthew 21:9-11

Recently, as I was reading Matthew 21 I began to wonder, what made Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem triumphal? Did Jesus think it was triumphal? Was it more triumphant for the crowd, who didn’t quite understand what was going to happen in just a few short days?

Today is Palm Sunday – it is the modern church’s memorial to the event described in Matthew. For us looking back it can be seen as triumphant because we know what happened. We know the end of the story. But back then only Jesus knew what was going to happen later that week and I don’t think he looked at his entrance to the city as a celebration. I believe his heart was heavy because he knew the crowd didn’t get it and that even though they were crying Hosanna in the Highest then – they would soon be shouting crucify him.

But here is the good news – there is something triumphal about Jesus’ visit to the city during that particular Passover celebration, it wasn’t his entry though – it was his exit. The triumph started with a beating, and continued as he exited the city with a cross on his back on his way to Golgotha. The triumph became even greater when He exited the tomb three days later and He continues to be triumphant today. Because of His triumphal exit we can live victorious and abundant lives because the One who died and rose for us will not let us be defeated. There is nothing that we will face, that by His power we cannot be triumphant over.

A prayer
Father – thank you for Your Son's triumphal exit from Jerusalem so many years ago. Thank you for saving us. May we cry Hosanna in the highest with all our hearts. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

The Power Of His Promise

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7

I have read that God’s word contains 7,487 promises to his people. I have not counted them for myself – at least not yet. Today’s verse is one of those promises. Let me be very clear God is not a genie in a bottle to grant our every want and desire. He is a loving father desiring to give good things to his children in accordance with His good will and our faith put to action. Notice this verse says “if”. If we remain in Christ and His words dwell in us – what we ask we shall have. What kinds of things should we ask for?

Like Solomon we should ask for wisdom. We should ask for the ability to see the world as God sees it. We should ask for the power to love others the way God loves us. We should ask for things that will help us to serve one another. We should ask for a pure heart.

Here is another promise “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:31-34). God knows what we need and promises to provide it – I have seen this at work in my own life have you see it in yours?

We, who follow after Christ – who seek to be like him, we may – no, perhaps we must claim the power of His promises. If we do not are we keeping God in a box – in our own lives, in the life of our world?

I want to encourage you to seek His promises and to claim those that apply to where you are in your journey to eternity. Claim the power that is yours as a child of the King and watch him do a powerful work in your life and the world around you.

A Prayer
Father, thank you for the many promises you have given us. Thank you for the fathomless depth of your love for us. May we boldly – as we are told to do – come before your throne to claim the promises you have for us through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Your word instructs us to ask in His name and so in the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

A Good Night's Sleep

“The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.”
Acts 12:6-7

Did you catch it as you read verse six? Peter was asleep and he was not sleeping restlessly – he was sound asleep. So asleep in fact that the angel that came to rescue Peter had to kick him in the side to wake him up.

Maybe, I should back up a bit. Peter’s friend James had just been beheaded by King Herod. The king seeing that it pleased the Jews decided to arrest Peter and do the same thing to him. The king knew better than to have the execution during the Passover feast, so he throws Peter in prison to wait. So here is the thing, Peter is mourning the loss of his friend James and he is in a filthy, varmint infested Roman prison, chained to Roman soldiers awaiting his execution – sound asleep. I don’t know about you but I lose sleep over much less. I have no doubt many of you have stuff going on in your lives keeping you up at night as well.

I have been sleeping much better since I discovered part of the secret to Peter’s restful night.
First – before Jesus was crucified he gave the disciples his peace. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” That is a gift for us as well - we just need to accept it. Peter had Jesus’ peace so he could sleep. Another part of the secret is prayer. You see there was a houseful of people praying for Peter as he slept in the prison. We all have at least one other person and probably many more praying for us as well. I have slept well every night since I got it. When I get in bed I simply claim Jesus’ gift of peace and give thanks for all of the people who are praying for me.

Can’t sleep – give it a try, accept Jesus’ gift of peace and remember to give thanks for those who are praying for you. I’ll be praying that you sleep better this week.

A prayer
Father – thank you for gift of peace offered by Your Son Jesus. May we accept it fully into our lives. Thank you also for the people who pray regularly for us and for the situations of our lives – may they also find peace and rest in You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Productive Pain

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not…. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:3 & 5

We have all heard the phrase “No pain, no gain” and most of the time that phrase conjures up the image of being sore after exercising. But are there other times when pain brings with it some other kind of gain? A friend of mine recently had surgery and is experiencing what she called “Productive Pain.” You see she knows that the pain of surgery and recovery will lead to feeling better.

There are lots of different kinds of pain, physical, emotional, spiritual. The loss of a loved one, the betrayal of a friend, the loss of a job or home, an injury or illness all cause pain. Some pain can easily be described as “productive” while other kinds of pain leave us asking: Why? or What could I have done differently? I tried to figure out what can be gained by these experiences and I discovered there are no easy answers – is there something to be gained by the painful experiences in life? Yes. Are we going to “get it” in this life time? Not necessarily.

Here is what I know for sure - we are never alone in our pain. Someone else has experienced it, may be experiencing it right now and Jesus also understands – He has been there too. Loss of a loved one – John the Baptist was his cousin. Betrayal of friends – Judas sold him out for money and Peter denied knowing Him when the chips were down. Jesus witnessed the injustices of this world and I would say suffered the most “Productive Pain” ever experienced. His beating and death on the cross and resurrection is the pain that allows us to go to Him with our pain and find peace, comfort and rest.

A prayer
Father – thank you that you understand the pain we experience, thank you that Your Son Jesus was willing to endure the productive pain of your plan to bring us back into Your family. You know that we don’t like pain so we ask for the comfort and peace You offer us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Royalty

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”
John 1:12-13

When you keep track of world happenings on the internet, like my husband and I do, you can get a different perspective on life. I was catching up on the news via Yahoo when the following headline caught my eye: “Secretary by Day, Royalty by Night.” I clicked on the story because I was pretty sure, that being a king is a life-long, full-time job. It seems Miss. Peggielene Bartels is both an executive secretary at the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington D.C. and the new king (that’s what I said – king) of Otuan, Ghana. She received a call at 4:00 am telling her that her uncle the king had died and that “the ancestors had blessed her as the new king.” She struggled with whether or not she wanted the position but came to the conclusion – “You can’t escape it. It’s yours.” She visits when she gets vacation and rules via the internet and phone the rest of the time. She will relocate to Otuan in a few years when she retires from her U.S. job. In many ways she is living a double life – ordinary person by day and king by night.

Now I don’t know how many of you became a child of God and so a child of the King at 4:00am – but in reading the news story I wondered how many of us are leading double lives to some extent. Whoever we are Monday through Saturday (mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends, secretaries and so on) and Christians on Sundays and other occasions like Bible study. I know I may be preaching to the choir here but I want to be a Christian 24/7/365. Am I succeeding? Sometimes.
How about you? I suspect that Miss Bartels is king 24 hours a day even though she isn’t in Ghana (she still gets calls at 4:00am). We have responsibilities as well – we are to Love God, love our neighbors and love one another. That’s plenty to keep us busy. I want to encourage you to live out your royal position everyday – God will provide everything you need to be His prince or princess in this world.

A prayer
Father, by our relationship with You we have become members of The Royal Family. Like those on earth who belong to royal families, we have responsibilities because we are Your princes and princesses. Help us to live out our family responsibilities each day, so that You our King may be honored and glorified. In the name of Jesus whose blood made us family we pray. Amen

God Does Care

“What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
Psalm 8:4

Who are we that He is mindful of us? Psalm 8 says that He has made us just a little lower than those who reside with Him in heaven and that He has things for us to do. If you look deeper at verses 4-6 I believe not only do we see how God cares for us but we catch a glimpse of Jesus – who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. As God’s special creatures on this planet we humans are supposed to care for all of the rest of his creation – including one another, it is hard to get through this life on your own. God cares and He has given us responsibilities – that in and of itself is enough to warrant praising Him.

A prayer
Father – thank you for caring about us and for giving purpose to our lives. Thank you that we have one another to lean on in the hard times and to rejoice with, in the good times. When we are struggling help us to reach out first to You and then to those who love us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Not Part of the Plan

“Oh LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”
Isaiah 25:1

Something incomprehensible happens - children are cut down at school, someone opens fire in a movie theater, a plane full of people disappears or a tsunami, tornado or earthquake wipes whole communities and hundreds of people off the face of the planet. Inevitably, someone trying to make sense of the whole mess says something like “guess it’s just part of God’s plan.” What, really? 

When God finished creating this amazing universe and world we live in, He said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The Hebrew word translated "very" means greatly or exceedingly - we could say it was perfectly perfect. James writes: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:16-17). It is not God’s plan that children should get gunned down. We humans managed to muck up God’s creation and ever since that first bad choice God’s plan has been to restore our world and us to it’s perfectly, perfect state. 

What I do know, is that in the midst of the horrendous things we experience He is there with us. He understands pain and loss. He can, will and does use these kinds of things to draw us back to His perfect plan. 

His plan carried Him from the majestic throne room of heaven to a simple manger in Bethlehem to a rugged Roman cross and a cold tomb. His resurrection turned that same rugged cross into a bridge from death back to life. 

We will face terrible things in this life. Some of those things will be the direct result of our own selfish choices. Many others will be simply the results of living on a fallen world. But God’s plan was to create a perfect place for us to live and love in always and His plan will restore us to that perfect place and He will once again say it is very good.

A Prayer
Father, forgive us when we muck up your plan for us. Thank you for being with us in the midst of the hard stuff of life on this planet. Give us the strength we need to lay down our selfish desires so we can cross over the bridge You built as part of your perfect restoration plan. In the name of Jesus who built a perfect bridge from an old rugged cross - Amen.

Praise Him

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Psalm 8:9

It is hard to believe that this season of Lent is almost over and we will soon be celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. Time is flying so quickly these days. Psalm 8 ends the same way it begins - praising the LORD. Author Derek Kidner has this to say: “We have been given much responsibility on this planet and the greatest of these is to be servant and worshipper.” Jesus was and is a servant and a worshipper, that is the example He set for us to follow with His life.

May the words of the closing line of Psalm 8 be on our lips with the dawn of each new day – they have power, the power we need to be who we are supposed to be in Christ.

A prayer
Father – Your name is indeed majestic and powerful, forgive us for the times when we do not give You the praise You deserve. Help us each day to see the ordinary miracles that You work in our lives and may we give You the praise and glory for it even in the midst of the storm. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

A Dry and Weary Land

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water”
Psalm 63:1

God where are you? I need you. Over the past few years that has been my heart cry and like King David, since I have seen the power of God I will trust. Psalm 63 reveals the anguish of one in the wilderness but it also reveals the trust that same one in the wilderness has for God.

I know that some of you reading this are traveling through the wilderness right now. This might sound strange but enjoy the journey. Why? This a time of growth, a time of trusting that the One who made you is bringing you to a new and better place. Growth is painful, but it brings beauty to the wilderness and brings the kind of faith the moves mountains, calms storms and allows us to walk on water.

If you are not in the wilderness right now, you probably know someone who is – walk with them for a while and encourage them on the journey - to see the beauty of the wilderness.

A prayer
Father – it can be so easy to get discouraged in the wilderness, thank you for being there even when we are not aware of Your presence. Help us to blossom into who You desire us to be. Thank you for those who encourage us and help us to encourage others. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Better Than Life

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”
Psalm 63:3

David is in the wilderness again, this time running from a rebellious son. He is longing for God. Do you ever feel like you are just going from one wilderness experience to another, just when things seem like they are getting better, something else goes wrong? It seems to me David might have felt that way.

I hope I am coming to the end of the wilderness, but if I am not I will stay and praise God for all that I am gaining in this dry place. I want to be so dependent on God that I can sing praise to Him no matter what. Because He is able turn the wilderness into paradise. He can mend broken hearts, heal bodies, restore marriages, bring encouragement and provide us with all the wisdom we need for the moment – for that I will praise him.

What is happening in your wilderness? Whatever it is you are not alone; Jesus has spent time in the wilderness too, so God is with you. 

A prayer
Father – We will praise you today whether we are in the wilderness or on the mountain top. We will praise when things go right and when they go wrong. Thank you for being with us today and everyday. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Content and Secure

“My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
Psalm 63:5

Have you ever had a perfect meal, the type of meal that left you perfectly satisfied? Maybe it was the company that you were with that made the meal more special. My husband Dan and I have shared lots of great meals together over the years. One experience stands out in our minds especially – we were out for dinner in San Francisco. It was late in the evening and the restaurant was very quiet, we ordered our meals and talked, when dinner arrived it was perfect – the kind of meal that compels you to send compliments to the chef and you remember 20+ years later.

That kind of experience is rare, but we can be content no matter the situation we find ourselves in. That is what David is telling us – trusting in God is satisfying, like a great meal only better. HE can and will take care of us if we let Him. Not only can he satisfy our souls, making us content in this world, but He’s got our backs too.

Here’s what David has to say: “Because you are my help… your right hand upholds me. … They who seek my life will be destroyed.” (Psalm 63: 7, 8, 9). See what I mean the Lord is watching out for us – it certainly make me feel secure. No matter the situation He is there, even when you don’t think so.

If we want to heal our lives, to be content and secure, we must fully surrender to God. We must acknowledge that we too have seen His power and recognize that His love and care for us is better than life. The world – our friends, families, jobs, etc - will never meet our needs the way that God can, the way that God wants to. We live in a dry and weary land but if we seek, trust and praise the One who made us – He will make it a paradise.

A prayer
Father – be with each one reading this today. Help us to seek you to supply all our needs whatever they are so that we can live content and secure. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Not Down or Out

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Life on this planet is messy. We get pushed around, knocked down and battered by the storms of life. But we who are followers of Christ are not defeated by this life. Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians that they will not be permanently damaged by what the world throws at them. We need to be real about it – we get discouraged, we are not always “fine” and yet we can have peace and we can find encouragement for the hard days we face. 

Paul continues by telling the Corinthians “not to lose heart even though outwardly we may be wasting away because inwardly we are being made new day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Today if you are feeling discouraged, be real about it – don’t hide behind the “I’m fine” mask and then remember that God is in control, you will be encouraged again and then you will be more than fine.

Stand on the promise contained in Paul’s words and you be able to get back up and live in Christ’s victory. 

A prayer
Father – Thank you that we are not crushed, that we are not hopeless, that we are not alone – we have you and each other, that no matter how many times life throws us to the ground we are not destroyed. Thank you for making us new day by day. May we encourage one another and give you thanks. In the name of Jesus Amen.

A New Attitude

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24

I have a confession - my attitude is sometimes not the best, in fact sometimes it is well and truly in need of a major adjustment. Perhaps, that it why the word’s of Patti LaBelle’s 1985 hit New Attitude popped into my head. To be honest I am not a Patti LaBelle fan - so it just goes to show that God does indeed work in mysterious ways. How has your attitude been lately?

The apostle Paul actually talks quite a bit about our attitudes. In today’s passage he reminds the Ephesians that they were suppose to have new attitudes. In his letter to the Philippians Paul tells them “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)” and he also talks about our attitudes in Romans 15.

A particular line in Patti LaBelle’s song caught my attention “I tidied up my point of view, I got a new attitude…my worries are few cause I’ve got love like I never knew…” As followers of Christ we have a love like we never knew, in fact it is a love that we have a hard time understanding. Yet, it is that love that gave Christ the attitude we are suppose to model to the rest of the world.

Isaiah speaking of the suffering servant who is Christ Jesus says: “He was despised and rejected…a man of sorrow and familiar with suffering, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3), yet He did not complain, His servant attitude never wavered even as He carried his cross to Golgotha, even as the nails pierced His flesh - He showed us the attitude we should have.

The season of Lent is a great time for an attitude adjustment. Let’s try to see life from Jesus’ point of view and allow His love for us to give us new attitudes.

A Prayer
Father, sometimes I don’t understand how you can put up with our lousy attitudes, but thank you for never giving up on us. Help us to see the world around us, the people around us through the eyes of your Son, so that we can adjust our hearts and take on His servant’s attitude. In the name of Jesus who can give us a new attitude, we pray - Amen.

How Many Hairs?

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Luke 12:7

Do you know how many hairs are on your head? Some of us have lots, some not so much - but I know I don’t have the patience to count them. I don’t have the eyesight either. But God knows how many hairs are on your head. He knows what your real hair color is and he knows how many hairs fall out each day. The point is God knows you!

Because He knows you personally - better really than you know yourself He knows exactly what you need and when you need it. Keep in mind that what we think we need and when we think we need it, is not the same as His plan – at least most of the time. Unfortunately because we work on a different clock than God does we often times get frustrated, perhaps we even doubt his love for us. Today if you are frustrated and doubting – look beyond the storm or trials you are facing to a Roman cross where Jesus once surrendered His life for you and then look beyond that cross to an empty tomb that assures us of a victorious and abundant life.

He knows how many hairs are on your head – He knows you personally and He loves you more than anything – rest in that today and be blessed.

A prayer
Father – Thank you for caring about the little details of our lives, thank you for the cross and the empty tomb that allows us to rest in Your arms and live abundantly in Your grace. Show us the blessings you have for us this week – help to be watching for them. In the name of Jesus Amen.

 

Is It Time To Update Your GPS System?

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:16

Detours, detours and still more detours. Life it would seem is full of detours and that can upset the performance of your navigation system. I don’t really care much for detours although it appears my life will once again be taking an unexpected turn. To be honest I am feeling a bit lost – what about you? Are the detours in your life leaving your head spinning? If you have a GPS in your car or on your smart phone when you need to update all it takes is a push of a button and you are good to go - but how do you update the GPS of your life. God’s Word provides us with the key.

Esther’s life was certainly on a detour – from Jewish peasant to Queen of Persia and now she is faced with having to ask the king to do something to save her people. How did she get her course of action right? She called for prayer and fasting. She told her cousin Mordecai to call the people to fast and pray for her and that she and her staff would do the same. Daniel - in another time and place also used prayer and fasting to maintain his GPS system. In fact throughout the Bible people who wanted to get back on track or stay on track used prayer and fasting because it gave them a better connection with the One who can see the entire journey.

Traditionally, in the church, Lent is a time for fasting and praying. I like to use it as an opportunity to get my personal GPS system updated and reset - so I can have clarity for the detours of life. If you would like to gain some clarity for your journey I encourage you to consider taking some time to pray and fast. The type of fast doesn't really matter. Just remember that the purpose of whatever kind of fast you choose should be to grow closer to God.

A prayer
Father – Thank you for being our guide for this journey called life. We are sorry for the times we get off track. Give us the strength we need to seek Your face in a new way through Your update program of prayer and fasting. In the name of Jesus Amen.

Just A Glimpse

“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”
Revelation 21:5

Despite the recent rains I believe that spring has indeed arrived in my part of the world. The hills surrounding the valley - where I used to live are lush and green, the orchards are blooming, trees are getting leaves, birds that had left for winter are returning. The air smells fresh, the greens are vibrant and the sky seems extra blue now that the clouds have parted. Spring in its newness is just a glimpse of what will one day be. We live on an amazing world – yes, filled with struggles we would rather not have – but amazing just the same. While spring is arriving where I am - autumn is approaching on the other side of the world. This too is just a glimpse of what is happening to our world.  

In today’s passage Jesus is telling us that one day everything will be new, He is not only going to restore our world and us to our original state – He is going to make us and the world even better. 

Paul writing to the church at Corinth tells the followers of Christ that “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). What Paul is saying is that we don’t have a clear picture of what our world can be or who we are in Christ but one day, one day we will. Until that day – God gives us glimpses of what it will be like. He gives us glimpses of who he has created us to be. 

We see glimpses of our better selves in scenes from our world – a soldier sharing a candy bar with a child in a war torn country, a stranger giving a kidney so someone else can live, a hug when someone is hurting, a party when someone has been blessed. All of these things are glimpses of us becoming like Jesus. 

Yes He will make all things new and until then find strength and hope in the glimpses He gives.

A prayer
 Father – Thank you for the changing of the seasons that show us just a glimpse of your plan for us. Thank you for the times we catch a glimpse of the way we can really be as Your master creation. Help us to find strength and hope in these moments. Bless each one reading this today with just a glimpse of You. In the name of Jesus Amen.

HE Hears Your Cry

The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
Psalm 145:17-19

The drama of life can at times be overwhelming. Unexpected health problems, renewed unemployment, natural disasters and the list can go on and on. Yet the sun shines, the birds sing and life continues when perhaps we would like it to stop so we can get off and rest for a while before re-entering the battle. During these times it can seem like God is nowhere near, we sometimes wonder why? Why do I have to be sick, why can’t I find a job, why is there so much violence and suffering?

Jesus told us life would not be easy but that He would be with us. He hears us when we cry and He desires to give us good things. King David the writer of today’s verses could relate to the trials of life, He often cried out in his anguish to his GOD. The whole of Psalm 145 is David’s praise for a God who is faithful, a God who is near. Sometimes we need to draw nearer to him by reading His word, praying and fasting, and praising Him for all He has already done.

I don’t know what you may be facing today – important decisions, financial trouble, relationship issues or whatever – I do know that God is there waiting for you to call on him, when you do He will give you peace and will work out things out as He sees fit and in His time. He wants the best for you – stand on that promise today. I will be praying for you.

A prayer
Father – Sometimes the drama of life gets to be too much for us to handle. We need you to walk with us and hold us. May we seek you each and every day. Thank you for all You have done and all You will be doing in our lives. May we find rest in You. In the name of Jesus Amen.

Friends

“You are my friends if you do what I command. I know longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
John 15:14-15

Do you get that? Jesus – the incarnation of the One True God, the Creator of the universe, the King of kings, calls us friend. Sit with that for a moment, let it sink in – you and I are friends of God. He shares all that He knows with us – so we know God’s business.

Friendships are important to our well-being. Not long ago I got to spend some time with some “old” friends – we spent an afternoon celebrating the retirement of one of our gang. It was great to see people I hadn’t seen in a while and for all of us to greet one another with many hugs – being really glad to see one another after so many years.

Made a new friend recently – making new friends is also fun, you can never have too many people with you on the journey of life. Then there are far away friends – these are the friends you can’t wait to meet even if you have to wait until heaven to meet them. Friends help us get through the drama of life. They celebrate the good times with you and hold you in the bad times, they offer words of encouragement, condolence or they are just present in the moment with you.

Jesus, calls us friend and He is there celebrating the good, sharing in our pain and just being present in the moment with us.

A prayer
Father – Thank you for the friends we have both old and new. Thank you that we do not have to face this life alone that our friends are there to journey with us. Thank you that Your Son counts us among His friends – may we love one another the way that He loves us. Help us today to let our friends know just how much they mean to us. In the name of Jesus Amen