Always…

12 09 2014

2014-08-25 15.21.39

 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.

Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.

Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.

Then the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:4-9 NLT

 Things we should do consistently at all times –  Always…


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The Work in Us

4 08 2014

 

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And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

As long as we are still on our life’s journey, we continue to be a work in progress. Each day is a chance to grow and mature in the way we think and feel. I am thankful for the journey and the Lord’s promise to continue His work in us. His Holy Spirit continues to reveal things in our hearts and minds that need to change and to mature. Places where we have stored up resentment or hard feelings come into the spotlight and we are compelled to respond. Jesus is asking us to release our hearts to Him and choose to respond with love, forgiveness and a higher path in Him. We may want to hesitate to let go of things that may have taken up residence in our lives but God is able to help us to clean them out and to replace those feelings with love, peace and healing. In His hands, He can take any situation and transform it into something with beauty that gives us strength for the road ahead.

As we approach this day, we can consider what things Jesus is showing to us about ourselves that need to change.  We can respond with repentance, we can seek reconciliation and we can forgive. We can release our hearts to Him and let Him continue the work of love in our lives.

 

 


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Wherever You Go

7 07 2014

Barcelona 2013 084Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9 (Good News Translation)

Living in today’s world, we will experience uncertainty and change.  I imagine when Joshua was called to lead after the death of Moses that He may have had some questions in his heart about how he should proceed. This passage is one of several commandments and promises Joshua receives to assure his success.  He is reminded of the importance of meditating and following God’s Word, while staying on the path of His leading. God also commands Joshua at least three times to be “Strong and Very Courageous” or in this translation “Determined and Confident”.  It is guidance that we all can use in our daily walk in the Lord. This is not the time to be faint-hearted or weary. As we follow God’s leading, we can walk confidently and be assured that our Heavenly Father will be with us every step of the way.


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Make it Plain

30 06 2014

Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, It will not tarry.
Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV

Is your vision for your life written down? We live in a world where vision and mission statements are plentiful for corporations, non-profits and programs. These statements represent succinct descriptions of why an entity exists (mission) and the desired outcomes of their existence (vision). They serve as guidance for their activities and what they hope to accomplish. I have been through many strategic planning sessions where companies draft and redraft these statements to get it just right. My task now is to consider what would my written vision statement be? Is it something that is a nebulous idea or is it a concrete image that comes to my mind when I think of my life as a Child of God? Our passage today is a reminder from Habakkuk to write the vision down. It will take time, prayer and maybe even some research in the Word of God about what it says about different aspects of our lives: our marriage, our families, our careers, our money, and our health. It will be important for me to hear God’s response to my prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I am thankful to God about this part of my journey to imagine, to dream about my life through the Word of God.

I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster; plans to give you a future filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11


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Strong and Able

17 06 2014

walking feet

Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. III John 1:2

My vision for my health is that I will be strong and able. God created the human body as an amazing organism that supports healthy living, well into our senior years. Our health is a blessing that we can treasure. As God’s children we can strive to be a good steward in reaching and maintaining optimal health. We know more now than at any other era in time about how to support our health through healthy eating, exercise and rest. We know how harmful habits of smoking, overeating and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to disease and sickness. We were created to be an active, strong and able people. Each day we can take steps toward this vision of our lives. We may be in a place where we need healing or direction on how to get there but our God is faithful to answer our prayers. He desires to provide healing for our bodies. He will give us instruction on how to move our health in the right direction. Eating fruits and vegetables is a key for me. A consistent active lifestyle with exercise will keep my body and my mind strong. I am thankful for this time of re-dedication to my best life so that I can work toward being strong and able.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
Psalm 103:2-5 NLT


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Live Full Lives

16 06 2014

Barcelona 2013 032My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to 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.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Ephesians 3:14-21 MSG


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One Long Obedient Response

11 06 2014

IMG_0137God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.

Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—     

my whole life one long, obedient response.

Guide me down the road of your commandments;

I love traveling this freeway!

Give me a bent for your words of wisdom,

and not for piling up loot. Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,

invigorate me on the pilgrim way.

Affirm your promises to me—     promises made to all who fear you.

Deflect the harsh words of my critics—

but what you say is always so good.

See how hungry I am for your counsel;

preserve my life through your righteous ways!

Psalm 119:33-40 MSG


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Mighty Works

9 06 2014

IMG_0099And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Mark 6:2
The Lord is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think. His ways are above our ways. His thoughts are above our thoughts. God is Holy and God is powerful. We may be seeking the Lord for healing, deliverance, provision or a closer walk with Him. I am thankful that we can put our full trust in Him. We can release our health, the diagnosis, the hurt, the disappointment, the debt, the toxic relationship, the addiction or any other aspect of our lives that does not line up with His word. We can let it go. We can release it and leave it at Jesus’s feet. The Lord can transform our situations in ways that we can’t even imagine. The release requires faith. It requires trust and belief that He is able to bring His glory into our lives. The release requires a yielding to His leading and a turn from our thinking and our ways. In His hands, He saves, He heals and He delivers. Mighty are the works of His hands.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:19-20


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Sister Maya

29 05 2014

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On my journey now, Mount Zion
Well I wouldn’t take nothing, Mount Zion
For my journey now, Mount Zion

 
Some people touch your life without ever sharing a physical embrace. That is how one person described the impact of Maya Angelou’s presence in our world. She was an example of strength, gentleness and sage wisdom wrapped in the beauty of her words and her smile. Her courage to love all of God’s children helped me to nurture my own love for all people. Her skilled words on paper as a poet and a writer about her life and living increased my faith and strengthened my resolve to keep pressing toward the mark. Her gentle voice was a reminder of the power of civility and kindness in a sometimes difficult world. She demonstrated that the power of words spoken or written could share strength, promote courage and elevate people. We will miss her presence but honor her memory with staying on our journey of faith and loving all of God’s people along the way.

Dr. Maya Angelou 1928 – 2014

On my journey now, Mount Zion
Well I wouldn’t take nothing, Mount Zion
For my journey now, Mount Zion


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Laser Focus

28 05 2014

focus on JesusTherefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-2

I admire people who have the ability to focus on a goal and work toward it without getting weighed down with the challenges of living. They seem to be able to fix their eyes on their goal down the road and work diligently toward that goal no matter what comes their way. I am working on having that kind of laser focus in my life.

Our passage today is about fixing our eyes on Jesus. We have so many followers that have gone before us, leaving a trail that is encouragement to throw off every hindrance in our lives. We should avoid every sin, every distraction and each thing that will keep us from running swiftly toward our goal. Our Father did not just provide grace, mercy and salvation for us alone. He has given each one of us purpose and work to do to build His Kingdom. Now, like never before we should commit our focus and our hands to getting it done.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14


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