Patience and Perseverance June: Day 1

Welcome back fellow followers in Christ.  Doing God's will sometimes means waiting patiently.  That is why June is dedicated to Patience & Perseverance.  While we wait we can love God, serve others, and tell others about him.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

and he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing, 

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3

Waiting for God to help us is not easy, but David received four benefits from waiting: 1) God lifted him out of his despair, 2) God set his feet on solid ground, 3) God steadied him as he walked, and 4) God put a new song of praise in his mouth.  Often blessings can't be received unless we go through the trial of waiting.

Related:

Psalm 27:14

Month of Motherhood: 5/13/18 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

    Happy Mothers' Day!
     I've always felt a feeling of joy on Mother's Day simply because it is ALWAYS on a Sunday. Why? Think about it....
    God, our Lord!
    Granted, we always seem to address God as "Father" or "He".  However, ever stop to think he has motherly qualities as well?

"I will comfort you there in Jerusalem 

As a mother comforts her child."

Isaiah 66:13 

"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.  When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."
2 Corinthians 1:4

     Many think that when God comforts us, our troubles should go away.  But if that were always so, people would turn to God only out of desire to be relieved of pain and NOT out of love for Him.  We must understand that being "comforted" can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles.  The more we suffer, the more comfort God gives us.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, allow God to comfort you.  Remember that every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles.

Month of Motherhood: 5/1/18

Scripture March Madness: Day 6

The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when 

you will be scattered, each one to his home, and

you will leave me alone.  Yet I am not alone because 

the Father is with me.  I have said this to you, so

that in me you may have peace.  In the world you

face persecution.  But  take courage; I have

conquered the world.

John 16:32-33

 The disciples scattered after Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:50). Jesus accepted their statement of faith even though he knew their weakness.  He knew they would have to grow into people whose words and lives matched even to the point of death.  He takes us through the same process.  How well are you living out what you say you believe about Jesus?  As Christians, we should expect continuing tension with an unbelieving world that is "out of sync" with Christ, his Good News, and his people.  At the same time, we can expect our relationship with Christ to produce peace and comfort because we are "in sync" with him.

Related:

Zechariah 13:7

Matt 26:31

John 8:29, 14:27

Romans 5:1, 8:37

21st Day of Lent:

He revealed his Character to Moses

    and his deeds to the people of Israel. 

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,

                 slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love .

He will not constantly accuse us,

nor remain angry forever.

He does not punish us for all our sins;

                 he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

For his unfailing love to those who fear him

                   is great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us

as the East is from the West.

Psalm 103:7-12

East and west can never meet.  This symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness: When he forgives our sin, he separates it from us and doesn't even remember it.  We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets.  We tend to dredge up the ugly past, but God has wiped our record clean.  If we are to follow God, we must model his forgiveness.  When we forgive another, we must also forget the sin. 

Scripture March Madness: Day 5

Hear the message and learn to follow:
Give your cares and worries to God.

Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God, 

so that he may exalt you in due time.  

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

    We often worry  about our position and status , hoping to get proper recognition for what we do.  But Peter advises us to remember that God's recognition counts more than human praise.  God is able and willing to bless us according to his timing.  Humbly obey God regardless of present circumstances, and in his good time - either in this lifetime or next - he will honor you.  Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows you have not trusted God fully with your life.  It takes humility however to recognize that God  cares, to admit your need, and to let others in God's family help you.  Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our sin and foolishness aren't God's concern.  But when we turn to God in repentance, he will bear the weight even of those struggles.  Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity.  Don't submit to circumstances but to the Lord, who controls circumstances.

Related:

Psalm 55:22

Matt 6:25

James 4:10

20th Day of Lent:  

By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread

until you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.

Genesis 3:19

Related:

Genesis 2:7

Ecclesiastes 3:20-21, 12:7

Psalm 90:30, 103:14, 104:29

1 Corinthians 15:47 

Scripture March Madness: Day 4

There are many reasons to say thank you.  

REJOICE! God is with us always so don't worry.  Give thanks , follow Jesus' example, and help others.

"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses ALL understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

    Imagine never worrying about anything!  It seems like an impossibility; we all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school.  But Paul's advice is to turn our worries into prayers.  Do you want to worry less?  Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray.

    God's peace is different from the world's peace.  True peace is not found in positive thinking, absence of conflict, or in good feelings.  It comes from knowing that God is in control.  Our citizenship in Christ's Kingdom is sure, our destiny is set, and we can have victory over sin.  Let God's peace guard your heart against anxiety.

Related:

John 14:27

Colossians 3:15

  

JESUS CLEANSES the TEMPLE

19th Day of Lent:  The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went to Jerusalem.  In the temple, he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and money changers seated at their tables.  Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle.  He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.  He told those who were selling doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!"  

His disciples remembered that it was written: Zeal for your house will consume me.

The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?"

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?"

But he was speaking of the temple of his body.  After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

John 2:13-22

    The outer court of the temple, accessible to non-Jews, encompassed a huge area the size of ten football fields.  Some business there was legitimate:  Out-of-town pilgrims needed a way to obtain sacrificial animals and to change money into local currency.  Jesus was obviously angry at the merchants who exploited those who had come to God's house to worship.  There is a difference between uncontrolled rage and righteous indignation - yet both are called anger.  We must be very careful how we use the powerful emotion of anger.  It is right to be angry about injustice and sin; it is wrong to be angry over trivial personal offenses.

Scripture March Madnes!: Day 3

Verse: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

     A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of oxen.  It is attached to a piece of equipment that oxen are to pull.  A person may be carrying heavy burdens of 1) sin, 2) excessive demands of religious leaders (Matt 23:4, Acts 5:10), 3) oppression and persecution, or 4) weariness in the search for God.

    Jesus frees people from all these burdens.  The rest that Jesus  promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor.  A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.

Related:

1 John 5:3

Jeremiah 6:16 

18th Day of Lent:

  Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came to him and asked "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can not fast.  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast on that day.

    No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the whine is lost along with the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."

Mark 2:18-22 

     John the Baptist had two goals: to lead people to repent of their sin, and to prepare them for Christ's coming.  John's message was sobering, so he and his followers fasted.  Fasting is both an outward sign of humility and regret for sin, and an inner discipline that clears the mind and keeps the spirit alert.  Fasting empties the body of food, repentance empties the life of sin.  Jesus' disciples didn't need to fast to prepare for his coming because he was with them.  Jesus didn't condemn fasting however.  He himself fasted for 40 days (Matt 4:2) Nevertheless, Jesus emphasized fasting with the right motives.  The Pharisees fasted twice a week to show others how holy they were. Jesus explained that if people fast only to impress others, they will be twisting the purpose of fasting.

    Jesus compared himself to a groom.  In the Bible, the image of a bride is often used for God's people and the image of a groom for the God who loves them (Isaiah 62:5, Matt 25:1-13, Rev 21:2)

Related:

Matt 9:14-17

Luke 5:33-38