Tag: #christianblog

BOAST IN WEAKNESSES

Have you ever read a Scripture passage you’ve seen many times before, but one particular day it was so powerful and took on special meaning?

I recently experienced that blessing on the night before the launch of my second book, God’s Love Illuminated. I had been feeling peaceful all week after my Pastor prayed over me. Well, that peace lasted until that night when I laid awake for a long time. I began reading email devotions.

At 2:30 am, God used a Proverbs 31 devotion entitled “You Don’t Have to be Amazing” to minister to my spirit. It featured the following Scripture passage. In the thoughts the writer was sharing, the word “boast” was italicized and jumped out at me. Continue reading “BOAST IN WEAKNESSES”

PRAISE AT ALL TIMES

While reflecting on “gratitude” from last week’s reflection, I can’t help but think how “praise” goes hand-in-hand with gratitude. Warning: There might be a challenge for this week.

Dictionary.com’s top two definitions for the word “praise” are:
–the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
–the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship.

 

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.  –Psalm 34:1-3  (NLT) Continue reading “PRAISE AT ALL TIMES”

GRATITUDE

What do we do when overcome with grief?
How about the times we experience despair?

 

As Christians, what are ways we can deal with grief and despair?

~Turn to scripture for comfort.

~Pray.

~Share with a trusted friend who can encourage.

~Take a walk in nature.

~Share with the Lord.

~Cry when we need to.

~Seek Godly counsel.

~Express ourselves through music, artistry, or writing.

~Express gratitude to God.

 

Wait a minute! What was that last one you mentioned? Yes, have you ever considered expressing gratitude to God when you are experiencing grief and despair? Continue reading “GRATITUDE”

BUILDING TRUST

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”  –Fred Rogers

 

A music director of a church congregation shared this quote. He was having surgery for cancer the following day. What wisdom can we take away from the quote?

 

 

 

While reflecting on this quote, I couldn’t help but think how God is the perfect model for us.

When we turn to God in our brokenness as we go through trials or when life’s problems seem to overwhelm us, doesn’t God…

…welcome us in the safety of His arms as we share our hearts with Him?
  His huge outstretched arms protect you – under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm.  –Psalm 91:4  (MSG)

…listen to us with His heart?
  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  –Jeremiah 29:12  (NIV)

…let us know we can trust Him?
  Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.  –Psalm 62:8  (NIV)

…send us encouragement, be it a blessing in nature or a passage in the Word?
  For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  –Isaiah 41:13  (NIV)

…assure us He is with us?
 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  –Joshua 1:9  (ESV)

 

Photo courtesy of Eric Holmes under Creative Commons License (CC0 1.0)

 

What a treasure it is in our lives when, especially in our distress, we first turn to God to share with Him. Knowing that God is always there for us, listening to us, comforting us, and encouraging us gives us true peace. As we trust the Lord more and more, we realize we are never alone. God is with us in the most difficult of circumstances.

It is always an extra blessing to see the people God puts in our path who model those Godly attributes in the human form. Sometimes we need that human connection to feel God’s grace even more in our lives.

Can you think of people who provide that for you?
Who comes to you knowing you are there for them?

 

This week may you be encouraged to…
…reach out to God and share your heart when life is tough, and you need a reminder you are not alone.
…look for faithful, trustworthy humans who will be there when you need them.
…seek ways you can improve yourself in building trust with others.
…praise God by the way you respect and honor those in your path by meeting them in their need.

 

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.  –1 Peter 1:22  (NIV)

INSTRUMENTS OF LOVE

If I asked you how you have experienced the love of God, how would you answer?

 

Have you experienced the love of God through…

…the beauty of nature?

…viewing the ocean waters?

…worship music?

…inspiring writings?

…the quiet?

…those that serve you when in need?

…feeling valued and respected by another?

…the person who takes time to listen to not only your words but your heart too?

 

I heard this quote from a sermon:

 

How powerful is that statement?
Does it ring true in your life?
Didn’t Jesus model that quote?

 

Jesus was an instrument of the love of God to others by the way He valued and listened to them.

 

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.  –Mark 1:40-42  (NLT)

Jesus listened to the leper’s earnest plea to be healed. Valuing this leper so much, Jesus willingly touched him, which was something that would make Jesus unclean according to the Mosaic law.  The leper was healed immediately and experienced God’s love for him.

We know sometimes God has reasons for “not willing” to heal our bodies in the way we want. We should keep in mind that we are still valued and loved by Him. God is God, and we need to trust His perfect will reigns in our lives.

  

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”  –John 8:4-11  (NLT)

This woman committed adultery, an offense that warranted stoning her according to the law of Moses. Jesus valued her as a child of God. He asked the teachers of the law and the Pharisees that whoever of them was without sin to cast the first stone. Jesus shared God’s love with this woman by not condemning her but encouraging her to change her life and ways.   

 

I believe this acrostic describes some of Jesus’ listening skills:

 

 

How well do you measure up with Jesus’ example?
Is there one area above that you think you need to improve upon when listening to others?

 

How can we model Jesus’ listening to others?
How can we better share God’s love by listening and making others feel valued?

By…

…giving our full attention to the person.

…letting our heart hear what the person is sharing.

…ridding our mind and heart of prejudices.

…asking engaging, open-ended questions.

…not interrupting.

…showing patience.

…trying to empathize.

…validating what the person is feeling.

…praying with the person.

 

May you be encouraged this week to…

…work on one word from the acrostic to better model how Jesus listened.

…be instruments of love,

   of God’s love,

     as you strive to listen from the heart,

       helping others feel valued.

 

 

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  –James 1:19  (NIV)

TREE OF LOVE

Recently I received an unexpected, unique treasure from a friend. He was cutting wood at his camp and saw this masterpiece.

 

 

He thought of me because he knows God keeps putting hearts in my path daily. The hearts are reminders of God’s great love for me and to love others with His agape love.

This masterpiece was formed by the growing together of two lilac trees. Each tree “happened” to have part of the design that formed a perfect heart shape on the inside grain when the two trees became one.

~How did God make that happen? Continue reading “TREE OF LOVE”

SERVANT OF ALL

The reflection I shared last week was from the first part of the story of “The Request of James and John,” who wanted to be sitting at the places of honor at Jesus’ right and left. James and John believed since they were some of Jesus’ closest friends, they would be great in the kingdom of God if they were sitting with Jesus.

Let’s look at the second half of the story after the other ten disciples became indignant with James and John.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  –Mark 10:42-45  (NIV) Continue reading “SERVANT OF ALL”

PLACES OF HONOR

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”  –Mark 10:35-40  (NIV)

 

The above passage is part of the story of “The Request of James and John.”

What do we learn about James and John from this story?
  • James and John want Jesus to do whatever THEY have in mind for their lives.
  • They want a place of honor, prestige, and power sitting next to Jesus in glory.

How often are we just like James and John, wanting Jesus to do what WE have in mind for our lives?
How often do we let honor, prestige, and power take over in our lives instead of being a servant?

How does Jesus respond to their request?
  • He says they don’t grasp what they are asking. Great suffering is part of being in a position of glory in the Kingdom of God.
  • Jesus then responds that James and John will share in the cup Jesus drinks from, in the sense that because of Jesus’ suffering and death for their salvation. It is a form of “baptism.”
  • Jesus is not the One to decide who sits at His right and left.
  • God, the Father, who has all authority on earth and in heaven, has already decided who will have the places of honor on Jesus’ right and left.

How often do we want to be in positions of glory in the Kingdom of God?
How often are we willing to suffer to share in the cup of Jesus?

 

Photo courtesy of Sharon Tate Soberon under Creative Commons License (CC BY-ND 2.0)

 

When reading the above Mark passage, I never reflected on who the “those for whom they have been prepared” were.

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.  –Luke 23:32-33  (ESV)

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” –Luke 23:39-43  (ESV)

 

Photo courtesy of Lluís Ribes Mateu under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Who were the two people God had planned to be crucified at Jesus’ right and left?

God chose two criminals; two criminals who were justly condemned!

We see that one thief, often known as the “bad” thief, thinks Jesus is the Savior of the world and wants Him to save Himself and the thieves if it is true. His faith is limited by IF Jesus comes down from the cross alive and does the same for them.

The other thief, often known as the “good” thief, rebukes the “bad” thief. He realizes that Jesus, who has done no wrong, is being put to death, whereas the two thieves have done wrong and deserve death. The “good” thief puts his faith and trust in Jesus, asking for salvation. Jesus grants his request.

 What could God be teaching us with thinking about this?

~Aren’t we just like those criminals? We are also justly condemned until we come to repentance.

~The kingdom of heaven is not for the elite; it is for those who repent and accept Jesus as their Savior.

~There are no works we can do to earn our salvation; it is God’s free gift to us.

~We should not be concerned with worldly honor and power; it is about serving others with a humble heart.

 

We can place ourselves at the right or left of Jesus at His crucifixion since we, too, are sinners. Are you like the “good” or the “bad” thief?

May you be encouraged this week to take time to reflect on the goodness of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness He extends to us all.

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.  –Isaiah 55:7  (NIV)

WATER REFLECTIONS

The “Be Still” theme I shared last week continued for me this past weekend. I was grateful to spend a day in the solitude, being still, at Lake Ontario. I spent about eight hours on the shore with my chair, Bible, and notebook; it would have been even longer, but darkness started to move in. It was a wonderful time of just “being” with the Lord and reflecting.

 

 

The shoreline consisted of mounds of stones and some boulders. To get to the beach, the challenge is to climb down the various boulders and stones making your way whatever way you can.  It was amazing to see all the stones and the beauty of all their different colors, shapes, and sizes. Most of them appeared to have smooth surfaces from their travels through the water. I was overcome with the beauty of the shoreline and thinking how our lives are so much like those stones. We come in all colors, sizes, and shapes having quite the journey through the path of life. Sometimes we have smooth times in life and sometimes life becomes jagged. However, we are all beautiful too! Continue reading “WATER REFLECTIONS”

AN INVITATION

It was a beautiful sunny fall afternoon as I headed for a long-awaited weekend retreat at one of my holy places. How grateful I am for this place and the people who minister there who are family to me. After a two-year break from a weekend retreat because of the pandemic, it was extra special to be back.

Toward the end of my ride there, I started playing random songs from the 1,019 songs on the flash drive in my car. The last three songs I let play consecutively. The final song that played as I pulled into the retreat center was “Be Still.” Continue reading “AN INVITATION”