Spreading His Peace

5 12 2013

getting along

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  Ephesians 4:2-3

Our relationships with one another are precious. Each interaction is an opportunity to build, nurture and create stronger bonds. Careful selection of our words and our actions are an acknowledgement of the love, respect and concern that we have for each other. Our busyness of everyday living may open the door to being too busy for the things that matter most. Extending our love and time with our family members, our loved ones and our sisters and brothers in Christ is essential for creating an atmosphere of peace and unity. Our passage today encourages us to make every effort to maintain unity, using peace as the strong glue that binds us together. Patience, gentleness, forgiveness and love are key ingredients required for our success. We need His peace to reign in our relationships, in our families and our communities. As we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, let us spread His peace in our homes, our neighborhoods and our congregations showing the world that the Savior is born and lives inside of us.

How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting. Psalm 133:1-3


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Wise Men Still Seek Him

4 12 2013

West Angeles COGIC

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

The wise men saw the star indicating the birth of Jesus. Their response was to begin their journey to seek Him in order to worship Him. The news that the Savior is here still requires a personal response from each of us. Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly. We might be tempted to think of abundance in terms of things but life walking with the Lord and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are so much more – peace, joy, gentleness, love, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control and long-suffering. These are qualities so scarce in our society today. This Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ let us turn our hearts to Him and share His purpose for coming with the World. Let us seek Him daily in our lives and worship Him.


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Anticipating Jesus

3 12 2013

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So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14 NLT

We have entered the Advent season, a time observed by Christians, in anticipation of the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. For some this is a formal of time of prayer, fasting and devotion creating a spiritual connection during this Holiday season. For others it may not have much meaning at all and represents something that other people practice. I believe at some level all of us can prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas. We may not choose to use an Advent Calendar or observe the formal weeks of Advent devotion. But all of us can anticipate the celebration of the gift of Jesus Christ. He came so that we may have abundant life. His coming, His living and His gift at Calvary makes our salvation possible. We are so thankful for this gift and His unfailing love that blessed us at His birth and continues to bless us today. During this time leading up to Christmas, we can anticipate the celebration of His birth and turn our hearts and minds toward Him.

 

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John I:4 MSG


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Stand Strong

2 12 2013

DSCF0398Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. I Corinthians 16:13 NLT

We can look to the Lord for strength when we need it. He is a strong tower that provides a place of strength and protection. In Him, we can find respite and a place of refreshing when we feel weak and unable to face what is before us. This is a time to turn to our Heavenly Father to seek His presence. We can find renewal in His presence. We can find joy in His presence. In Him we can find peace. We seek Him today for He is all powerful and all knowing. I am so thankful He knows all about us and continues to love us and provides for us what we need. We want to use His tools of powerful faith and righteousness to stand strong and to live strong. In Him we can walk in our purpose and achieve the assignment of our hands. We are thankful for His strength that is available to us to stand strong.

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG


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Taste and See

27 11 2013

090713 Barcelona 062

 

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

Thanksgiving is the starting bell for many for holiday eating. Some have already
made plans or are making planning for a great feast for Thanksgiving. This year
I have been thinking about how to seek more of God, the spiritual and the sacred during the Holiday season. So in between recipes, place settings and dessert I am thinking of how good the Lord has been to me.

“Taste and See that the Lord is good”. My walk with Jesus started and continues
today with experiences of learning to trust, building faith, deepening understanding,
forgiving others, walking in love and seeking God’s will over my own. It is ongoing
process but decades later, what a sweet journey. I’ve heard some of the older saints
describe the Lord as “He’s a Good Jesus”. This phrase always brings a smile to my
face. What a tremendous description for someone who has been there for me through
every situation.

Oh Taste and See that the Lord is good….


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A Heart of Thanks

26 11 2013

Arizona Hills by Lori 2012

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18 

 

Approaching life through the powerful lens of gratefulness is a blessed way to view our lives. We have so much to thank God for. We sometimes take for granted the many blessings that keep us through the night, that wake us up each morning and to start each day. Blessings great and small are extended to us throughout our lives. No matter what we are experiencing, we have something that we can be thankful for. In fact, when we are struggling to find that “something”, it is a good time to turn our thoughts to gratefulness. Redirecting our focus from our problems to God’s blessings has a way of transforming our mindset from concerns and worries toward having faith. It is hard to think of God’s goodness to us, past and present and not be thankful. God’s promises to provide for our needs as we walk and trust in Him. Keeping a heart of thanks blesses us along the journey.


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Difficult Love

25 11 2013

DSCF0776You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. Matthew 5:43-45
We are to love everyone even our enemies. It sounds like a tall order. This command includes people we don’t care for and people who maybe even trying to harm us, which sounds like an insurmountable task. We may say in our hearts in a very wide Agape sense that we love everyone. We don’t wish anyone harm and we hope everyone the best. This is the high level psychological framework that we allow ourselves when we think of this command. But then the hard work of daily living comes into play. We may have to cross paths with people who are mean, use harsh words or “despitefully use” us. And suddenly, loving others is a distant memory. So there lies the challenge not only to get along with others but to love them. I believe that these encounters allow us to see a little of ourselves and possibly expose areas that require more work in our hearts and minds. We may be required to be less offended by daily mishaps, to be more forgiving, or to have more mercy or compassion toward one another. It is our command from the Savior to do, so that the world will see the light in us.
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. I John 4:7-10


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Nurturing Love

22 11 2013

Barcelona 2013 032The man answered, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

God is Love. His love for us is perfect and gave us the Gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are called to love God and we are called to love His people. One scripture says we are to love the Lord God with all of our heart. It is a powerful command to love our Heavenly Father who created the universe and blesses the big and small things of our lives. He is all powerful and shows His love, mercy and compassion for us daily. He loves us and asks for us to love one another. It is not a casual commandment and requires our careful and deliberate response. We are asked to love one another; neighbor, family member, co-worker and even our enemies. It doesn’t matter about race, class, income, age or gender. It doesn’t matter what someone has done in the recent or distant past. We are called to love. It may be easy to respond, “I love everybody.” But the evidence of indifference and even hate is rampant in the world. We can hear it in the public discourse of minimizing one group over another. Or it may be just the quite whispers of idle conversation that is designed to tear someone down. Or extreme examples of murder and war against one human being against another exist in our communities and countries across the globe. So love is in need of love today. Nurturing love starts in my heart and mind, the space where I develop responses to God’s children. I have some work to do. Time and procrastination have allowed some hard places to develop. The widespread global need for love may feel overwhelming. But God is merciful and revealed my need for more love in my heart. I need to grow and cultivate more love for all of God’s children. I am thankful for the work that He is doing in my heart to nurture more love in my heart today.


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Choosing Jesus

21 11 2013

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

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We make decisions each day. From the time we open our eyes, we make choices about how we live our lives. Accepting Jesus into our hearts and into our lives is the most important decision we can make. We are created as creatures of choice. We get to decide to accept His gift of salvation. We get the opportunity to turn from our former ways. We get to choose a new life and a new journey with Him. It is up to us. It may be a new choice or it may be a choice that you made long ago. But we are reminded today that Jesus loves us and that He gave His life for our sins. He loves you and He loves me. He came that we may have life and life more abundantly. We can accept His gift of salvation and the gift of His Holy Spirit. So if this is a new choice, you are welcome to the family of God. If this is renewed choice, we thank God for a renewed commitment to Him and a deeper desire to walk closer with Him. Walking with Jesus, we want to make consistent choices that reflect our faith, love and respect for our Heavenly Father and His Word. We want to walk in integrity, love and meekness that quickly identify us as a child of the King. We want to choose Jesus and His ways each day.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

Dear Lord Jesus,
I know I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. Guide my life and help me to do your will.
In your name,
amen.


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Call On the One

20 11 2013

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I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.   Psalm 116:17 

I am so thankful for all the Lord’s blessings to me. He continues to bless my soul and my life with blessings that I could not earn, even if I had tried. The blessing of peace, His love and His concern for me surround my life and I am thankful. I am most thankful for the gift of salvation and the opportunity to walk with the Lord’s leading. With His leading, I know I will find safety, deliverance and peace that is beyond understanding. I am thankful. Jesus is always present and is available to us. We can call on His name for the concerns of our heart, the promise of direction and to manifest the blessing of healing of mind, body and soul. He is the healer and the provider of strength. I am thankful.


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