Because You Love

Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

Isaiah 58:7-11 NLT

The following is from the NKJV Max Lucado Encouraging Word Bible:

Seek God with pure motives. Do good works because you love God, not because others expect them.

I have a feeling that most people who defy and deny God do so more out of fear than conviction. For all our chest pumping and braggadocio, we are anxious folk—can’t see a step into the future, can’t hear the one who owns us. No wonder we try to gum the hand that feeds us.

But God reaches and touches. He speaks through the immensity of the Russian plain and the density of the Amazon rain forest. Through a physician’s touch in Africa, a bowl of rice in India. Through a Japanese bow or a South American abraço. He’s even been known to touch people through paragraphs like the ones you are reading. If he is touching you, let him.

Mark it down: God loves you with an unearthly love. You can’t win it by being winsome. You can’t lose it by being a loser.

But you can be blind enough to resist it.

Don’t. For heaven’s sake, don’t. For your sake, don’t.

“Take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God” (Eph 3:18–19 MSG). Others demote you. God claims you. Let the definitive voice of the universe say, “You’re still a part of my plan.”

The next time you sing at church...ask yourself, “Why am I doing this? Why am I here? Why am I singing? Why did I bring my Bible?” Examine your motives! Be sure that you are doing those acts to thank God for his great love for you! Copyright © 2020 by Thomas Nelson.

Prayer:

Father,

          Open our eyes and hearts to see and hear You, and give us the strength and wisdom to follow all Your instructions. Move upon our hearts to make us givers like You - the One who gave it all. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Following the Plan

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Yeah, I know I've used that particular Scripture too many times to count. But I figure if God puts it in my face to remind me, then maybe you are in need of the reminder, too. We don't always understand His plan, and I don't know about you, but when I don't understand something, I need to keep going back to it until I do.

God has a plan. He's had it from the beginning and He's working it every day. And He had writers, too, and they wrote it down for us. And He knows He has some serious variables...for instance, me... or you. At any rate, that's irrelevant. The Truth is the Father's plan is the only plan that works for our eternal good.

I know you wanna tell me, "Yeah, but this is real life." That's right, it is and God gave us this real life - with real struggles and real trials and hard times and unknowns. And He gave us this real life with the ability to breathe and to think and to reason and to choose His Plan - the one that includes salvation and redemption.

You see, we don't have to know how the whole thing works, we just have to know Him. And we know it will work, because of who He is...as long as we follow the plan. And we just need to do our part of it, not anyone else's and certainly, not God's part. We only need to do what He's given us to do. That's all. Don't worry about what anyone else is doing...you do your part. God will do His. And it will all come out right in the end and He will say, "Well done..."

And we will love it - and celebrate - when the plan comes together.

Prayer:

Father,
         Help us to focus on what is in front of us to do while keeping our eyes on You. One day at a time. One part at a time. One foot placed in the print You've left in front of us as You go before us and make the crooked way straight. We won't look to the right or left. We won't be distracted by those things that are happening that don't look like part of the plan. We will follow Your plan, Father, and we're grateful for it. Help us to understand and adhere to the instructions You've given us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Keep Walking

 [The Lord God said] Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.

Jeremiah 7:23 NIV

The Word of God has much to say about our walking - especially for those who choose to walk blameless and in obedience to His Word. Lots of promises with regard to walking in His ways. He promises long life (1 Kings 3:14), to prosper us in all we do (Psalm 128:1-2) and to be with us (1 Kings 11:38). 

When it comes to walking in His ways, are we intentional, committed, and on purpose with our walk? We definitely should be. Keep walking.

Prayer:

Father,
          According to Your Word - we want to walk in the light, as You are in the light, so we may have fellowship with one another. Purify us from our sin, Lord. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Thanks and Praise

Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.

Psalm 111:1 NLT

2 How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in him should ponder them.

3 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.

4 He causes us to remember his wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!

5 He gives food to those who fear him;
he always remembers his covenant.

6 He has shown his great power to his people
by giving them the lands of other nations.

7 All he does is just and good,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.

8 They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.

9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.
He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!

10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.
Praise him forever!  Psalm 111:2-10 NLT

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for everything You have done for us, salvation, redemption, Your great love, all Your provision. We can never thank You enough or praise You enough! Help us to walk steadfastly with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Lesson Learned in Making Coffee

 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Colossians 3:12-14 NKJV

To everyone who has ever gone to get a cup of coffee and found the community pot not exactly empty (letter of the law), but not enough coffee left in the pot to extinguish the fire on a pregnant ant – this one’s for you.

I have found that an office coffee pot can be a great witness/indicator of one’s true Christianity. I can see you rolling your eyes, so let me just tell you a story or two and you tell me if you can find anything that’s familiar…

Let’s say you’re the first person in the office, so being the nice person you are, you put on the first pot of coffee. Rather than waste time, you go back to your office to turn on your computer, line out your task list, etc. By the time you get back to the coffee pot, it’s got one-eighth of an inch of coffee left in it. There are pre-measured packs of coffee that only have to be slipped in the dispenser, but someone else could not figure out how to do that. Their rationale? There was coffee left in the pot...technically, at least.

You start another pot of coffee. This time you hang around and if you’re fortunate enough to have a multi-pot brewer, you wait and you start the next pot, too, then go back to your desk. You go back about an hour later and there are TWO pots with so little coffee remaining that even if you combined them, there wouldn’t be enough for half a cup of coffee. You grumble under your breath, but you start another pot for whoever else will be drinking coffee before lunch.

That afternoon, you’re sitting at your desk and you smell something burning. Following your nose, you wind up in front of the coffee pot to discover the one-sixteenth of an inch of coffee that was left on the burner to bubble and char and burn into the bottom of the pot. You go back to your desk and make a sign...Any of this sound familiar?

The first day the sign was posted, and even part of the next day, when I’d gone in there a few times and there was no coffee, I thought to myself, “Fine –what will they do when there’s no coffee made?” And then I thought about what if a friend or co-maker was the next person in there – would I want that person to go without? And as I was standing there in front of the coffee pot, God reminded me that HE makes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust and conviction pierced my soul.

The truth is there are always going to be people who choose to care about other people and people who don’t – or won’t. And we have to decide for ourselves whether our caring is self-LESS or motivated by what it will bring us in return…which would make it selfish. Scripture clearly states that the world will know us by our love, not our grumbling.

If someone else benefits from me making coffee - even though they’re a drinker not a maker - maybe eventually they’ll learn to care…after all, I believe in miracles. But, even if that never happens, what kind of witness am I? How am I representing Christ? Aren’t I to be like Him? He gave Himself for EVERY one of us.

As a Christian, I am to be motivated by self-LESS and too often, I fail. So, even in making a simple pot of coffee, God can teach me a lesson.

This cup’s for you.

Prayer:

Father,

            Help me to love as You love. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

I Know This...

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

Hebrews 3:12-14 NIV

I want to go on record declaring that I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and His gospel. I have a strong faith. I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the standard by which we are to live. I believe that we will live eternally somewhere and that both heaven and hell are real.

So, I have hope in the Lord. It's hope - not born of desperation, but rather of relationship, knowing in Whom I have believed and having been witness to His mighty works and amazing grace. I truly believe that God is good even when I don't understand the dark times. Let the believers say "Amen!"

It's been a hard year. I have lost dear friends and my oldest brother - 9 people - this does not count the number of people who have died who I know OF, but didn't know personally. I am doing better now than I was 6 months ago, but deep in my heart, I am sad beyond words. I feel as though a part of me has died, too, and in a way, it has. Following my brother's death, and the passing of several close friends, a part of my heart seems to have gone dormant. But that's okay; it's just a season. Please know that I am not writing this for your sympathy. I am writing to reiterate these truths. Do not confuse my grief with lack of faith. Do not interpret my tears as signs of unbelief. Here's what I know that I know. Jesus tells us in John 12:24 that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. There IS coming a time of rebirth. These 9 all had accepted Christ as their Saviour. The good news is, as much as I miss these loved ones, I know I will see them again. I know this because it's written in God's Word.

1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT, And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

May you be encouraged today.

Prayer:

Father,
The heavens declare Your glory and I? I can only attempt to echo their praise. Thank You for Your grace and for salvation and for Your mercy, and help us to try to fathom the depth of Your great love...even in the dark times. May the many seeds bring about a great harvest, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

It's a Beautiful Thing

Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence.
Proverbs 27:9 TPT

Tonight, we celebrated the end of our Life Groups for 2021. What a joyous time to come together with all the Life Groups of our church! Looking around the room, it was overwhelming to see the people and remember all the circumstances that have been overcome this year by the grace of God and the help of faithful friends! 

What a roomful of precious testimonies of friends who celebrated life together, who rejoiced with one another, or held each other up as their broken hearts streamed down their faces. Strength lent, love received, holding one another accountable to God and to each other. It's a beautiful thing friendship, not to be taken for granted.

Prayer:

Father,

            Thank You for those You've ordained to cross our life paths, for those who have stayed and for those who were only here for a brief time because we've learned from all of them. ThankYou for loving us so much that You cause our hearts to respond in kind. Thank You for friends of all kinds. Teach us how to value them properly. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

What is Your Motivation?

Remember to stay alert and hold firmly to all that you believe. Be mighty and full of courage. Let love and kindness be the motivation behind all that you do.
1st Corinthians 16:13-14 The Passion Translation

These were the last instructions from Paul, and as such, should carry great weight. So we need to ask ourselves, "What motivates us?" Is it to have better things - job, car, home?  Is it self-serving, tit for tat? Do we choose our actions based on what will most benefit our own personal goals or desires?

The Apostle Paul instructs us to Let love and kindness be the motivation behind all that [we] do.  Are they? Let's check our hearts. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal our motivation(s).

Prayer:

Father,

We humbly come before You and ask You to reveal our motivations. Change anything and everything that is not founded in Your love and kindness within us. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Teach us Your ways, O God. Restore a right spirit within us. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Weekend Word

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
6 The Lord gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
7 He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.
20 Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
Psalm 103

Friends

Now, this means that when we come together and are side by side, something wonderful will be released. We can expect to be co-encouraged and co-comforted by each other’s faith!
Romans 1:12 The Passion Translation

We went to school together as kids but didn't really run in the same circles. About 10 years ago, there was a high school reunion event that produced a huge response on Facebook. It was then that Hope and I connected on FB when we discovered we had both grown to be followers of Christ. In the 10 years since then, we have shared our faith, our struggles, fought battles together, prayed earnestly for each other, and rejoiced in the many blessings God has bestowed on us!

I had the blessed opportunity to visit with Hope and Dave who I had not seen in almost 50 years! And yet, it was as though we had just had lunch together last week! Not one awkward moment. It was so lovely and loving and a precious time of catching up, with hearts connected as only Jesus can do! 

I am so grateful that they carved out the time on their trip so we could visit face-to-face and heart to heart. I keep thinking about the line from the old song by Michael W. Smith, "And friends are friends forever if the Lord's the lord of them..."  Our promise bears repeating, Now, this means that when we come together and are side by side, something wonderful will be released. We can expect to be co-encouraged and co-comforted by each other’s faith!  

And we were!

Prayer:

Father, 

          Thank You for the gift of friendships that stand the test of time and distance because there is no separation in You. We pray rich blessings on our friends and ask that You continue to keep Your arms wrapped around them. Keep them safe, loving You and loving each other. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

God Days

On a good day, enjoy yourself;
On a bad day, examine your conscience.
God arranges for both kinds of days
So that we won’t take anything for granted.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 The Message

No, I didn't miss the other O... We all like good days. Days of calm and no conflict. Days without struggles and stress. Days that are pleasant and peaceful; full of laughter and love. These we tend to think of as God-ordained days...

And bad days? We tend to think that all bad days come straight from the pit of hell. Some days are just life. Life is hard. Some happen to test our faith and trust in God. It's easy to be a Christian when everything is going well. It's a matter of building faith when life batters you on the rocks in a storm-tossed ocean. When you pray and pray for healing that doesn't come. When someone you love and have prayed for so desperately dies anyway.

Where is God in all that? Still on the throne. Still loving us. That which rocks our world does not shake God off His throne of Grace. The mercy seat is still there. His Grace is enough, according to 2nd Corinthians 12:9. However, it's found only IN His presence. We have to face Him and not turn our backs on Him. We have to run TO Him and not away. We have to CHOOSE to trust Him. To believe His Word, God arranges for both kinds of days... And in Psalm 139:16 NIV, it reads, Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

All of our days are God days, for He has ordained all of them. And He can be trusted in each and every one.

Prayer:

Father,
We pray Your Word in Psalm 31, But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake. Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You...In Jesus' Name. Amen

Have Mercy - A Word

A Psalm of David

Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!
The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.
The Lord protects them and keeps them alive.
He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies.
The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.

“O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.
“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.
They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip,
and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst.
 “He has some fatal disease,” they say. “He will never get out of that bed!” 

Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! I know you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever.

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen! Psalm 41 NLT

Prayer:

Father,

            Thank You for Your Word that never changes - the Truth that shines through so ABSOLUTELY and guides us on our path for all eternity. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see, in Jesus' Name. Amen

What is First?

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3rd John 2 NKJV

We all want to prosper and be healthy. We work at it. It's why we have a job. We spend the time it takes to learn how to do it right. We research and study and then train and apply what we've learned so that we might be successful in what we do.

Ask yourself this. Is your soul prospering? Is it expanding in faith and love? Is it at peace? Is your soul satisfied in your relationship with the Lord? If not, why not? Do we work at it? Do we spend the time it takes to learn how to do it right? Do we search His Word and study and train and apply what we've learned in our lives? What is our priority? What is first? Just FYI - God does not do second place.

Answer this. If we prosper in all things and are in health based on how our soul prospers, are we struggling or solvent? Bankrupt or booming? Failing or flourishing? 

Prayer:

Father, 

          Open our eyes to see the reality of our choices and where we place You as a priority. Forgive us for every time we don't make You our first priority. Help us to see every choice we make for selfishness and what we want instead of following Your Word and Your way. Give us clean hands and purify our hearts, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Get It In

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.
1st John 4:7-17a NLT

Have you ever watched a baby try to eat when he's just learning to feed himself? It's comical to watch. He gets more ON himself (and the high chair and everything else) than he gets IN his mouth and he's trying to get it ALL. Sometimes, there's such a mess that you have to wonder if he's getting enough in to provide the nourishment he needs. But a watchful parent is usually there to make sure enough actually gets in. Then there's the clean-up. What a mess! You might be covered in it, but unless you got some in your mouth, you're still hungry, maybe even borderline starving.

We all know that getting something all over you is WAY different than getting it IN you. It's rather like that when we first come to the Lord. We try to get it all in - as much as we can - because we're so hungry for Him! But in the beginning, we make lots of messes. Don't be discouraged! Don't give up! God's Word tells us in Ephesians 5: 25 that He sanctifies and cleanses us with the washing of water by the word. And then we start to hit the mark, taking in the richness of His Word, digesting it and putting it to use in the body.

Don't be confused. Getting it all over you is NOT the same as getting it in you. Physically or spiritually. Pray to know the difference.

Prayer:

Father,
           Don't let us be confused. Teach us what is proper nutrition to produce good fruit in our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

What Will You Believe?

And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
1st John 5:5 NLT

This world is fast becoming one we do not recognize. Nothing is "normal". Life, as we knew it just ten years ago, no longer exists. And the speed at which it has happened can be overwhelming and downright scary. However, if you follow Jesus and walk with Him, you should quickly recognize fear as a ploy of satan. It is his greatest tool in trying to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).

To not be afraid is the most repeated instruction we receive in the Word of God. In order to not be afraid, we must trust the One who promises peace as only He can provide. Peace in the midst of the storm, peace that passes all understanding. Jesus gave us His own peace. He said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).

Jesus was very clear about what people could expect from being His followers. The picture He presented on this Earth was not warm and fuzzy, but He gave them - and all of us - this assurance. [Jesus speaking], I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NLT). You'll notice He said many trials and sorrows...

And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So, what will you believe?

Prayer:

Father,

          We believe and do declare that Jesus is Your Son. We are forgiven because He laid down His life for the remission of our sins, He was buried and rose to life the third day, and even now sits at Your right hand, interceding for us. And it is because we believe in Jesus that we will not be afraid. In Him, we can win this battle against the world. Help us to stay focused and to not be distracted. Give us clean hands and pure hearts, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen