Tag: gift

PEACE

One of the greatest gifts that Jesus left us is the
Gift of Peace….
…..a peace that can bring us joy and comfort despite our circumstances in this life.
This peace is a special gift and blessing made available to us as we continually seek Him in our lives.
To possess His peace is awesome and makes all the difference in our lives.
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Did you ever notice that once Jesus, in His resurrected state and before He ascended into Heaven at Pentecost, visited the disciples, He addressed them with the greeting, “Peace”?
–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  (NIV)
–Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  –John 20:21 (NIV)
–A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  –John 20:26  (NIV)
My thought is that in these verses Jesus is preparing His disciples to experience true peace that only comes from Him, not from this world, when He sends the Holy Spirit to them after He ascends into Heaven.
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 Photo credit by Glenn Franco Simmons under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

–All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  –John 14:25-27  (NIV)
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The peace we possess should not be based on our circumstances nor on what others think of us.
Yes, we all have troubles in this world, but God’s peace is triumphant over it all.
So, the next time you have a day or week where everything seems to go wrong…
…the kids are all sick
…you get a flat tire at the most inopportune time
…you oversleep and are late for work
…you find out you have some disease….
I hope you dig down deep within and cling to that true peace that only God can provide. The peace that surpasses all understanding. It is His peace that sustains us even during the troubled, hard times as long as we cling to Him. We need to stay close to Him and trust in His ways.
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Do you ever feel God’s peace in this beautiful world that He created for us……..
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 Photo credit by Jim Mullhaupt under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

…in the beautiful sunset or rainbow that just took your breath away?
…in the sun rising slowly over the peaceful waters of the ocean?
These things remind me of the peace God offers that we can behold with our eyes.
Try each day to tap into that wonderful power of His peace!
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Sunrise at Virginia Beach, VA
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  –Philippians 4:7  (NIV)

CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE

I can’t help but share these thoughts today….as this is the day I get to celebrate ME!

 

baby
                                                      One year old!
When you think about your birthday rolling around, what kind of feelings does that elicit?
Feelings of happiness or feelings of dread?
As I’ve gotten older, I find that it is easier to think about the negative aspect of birthdays. Like the part of the  aging body having more aches and pains and not working as well as it used to.  And then there’s definitely more gray hair to color! Thankfully, I still feel young at heart…now if only the body would realize that too!
But, I think it’s good to shift our focus to celebrating US!

 

 kinder

                               Nice crooked bow for Kindergarten!
Think about when you hear of someone expecting a child, especially maybe as a first time parent. Isn’t there so much joy and happiness to celebrate this new life?  One thinks of all the hopes and dreams you have for this child and what the future will be like.

I guess it seems almost like God wants us to rejoice in those same ways once a year when our birthday rolls around.  There are so many things to celebrate.

After all, we are God’s child…a great reason to celebrate!

 

8th grade
                                                                8th grade
Over the years, I have grown to appreciate the specialness of birthdays.
They remind me that I am special to the Lord, and that He is Lord of ALL creation.

 

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                                         High school graduation

 

Birthdays make me think about the reasons to celebrate in the Lord…
…to celebrate the fact that our life is a GIFT from God.
…to celebrate the MIRACLE of OUR life.
…to celebrate how SPECIAL and UNIQUE the Lord made each of us.
…to celebrate the fact that the Lord knew us even while we were in our mother’s WOMB.
…to celebrate the fact that the Lord has a divine PURPOSE for our life.

 

Birthdays are also a great time to take inventory of how far we’ve come in our walk with the Lord and the direction we’re heading.
 
                                                    The current ME!
So, when your birthday rolls around this year, don’t worry about getting older, but rather…
REJOICE & CELEBRATE the fact that YOU are a special part of God’s creation!

When I think of celebrating ME, I can’t help but think of my favorite, what I call “life song,” Offering by Third Day. I know I’ve shared it before, but take a moment to click the link below and really listen to the message of the song.

For me, in my heart and soul, this song holds such special meaning and truly summarizes that

MY life is my OFFERING to Him for all He has done for ME.

This song is an older song of Third Day’s, so it was such a blessing to hear them play it live at the last concert I went to! Such a wonderful song!!

 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  –Psalm 139: 13-14  (NIV)

GIFTEDNESS

We must all search to find the special gifts that God has given us to share with one another.  Sometimes we may not feel we have any gifts, but Paul says in Romans 12:4-8,

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.  If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

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Photo credit by jublieelewis under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

We need to take time every now and then to evaluate the gifts we’re sharing, as well as where and how we are using them.  It is possible that our gifts may be used in different ways depending on the circumstances of our life.  God may be calling us to use our gifts in a different setting at various times in our life.

God may also call us to expand our horizons and develop other gifts that are needed at certain times in our life.  He wants us to continually grow in our spiritual walk.  Our giftedness will be a blessing for us, while also blessing the people around us.

Sometimes our gifts may be visible to others, and at other times nobody may see them.  What is vital is that we let God use our gifts at each stage of our life for His manifestation, and not to worry if others notice our gifts.  Then we can rejoice knowing we are serving Him and doing His will!

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Photo credit by jublieelewis under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  –1 Peter 4:10

A GIFT TO GIVE

Most of the time, New Yorkers look after their elderly citizens

Photo credit by Ed Yourdon under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

A smile will do so much

   to brighten someone’s day.

And a hug will make such

   a warm difference in today.

You might send a card

   that says just what you feel.

And the receiver won’t find it hard

   to make the feeling lasting and real.

If you listen for awhile,

   you’ll show someone you care.

When you see that smile,

   you’ll know the problem’s easier to bear.

So let’s begin today

 and reach out in God’s love,

To brighten someone else’s day

   with graces from above.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
–1 John 4:7

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Photo credit by BK under Creative Common License (CC BY-2.0)

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  –Galatians 6:3