God Is Waiting For You

 

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;

Whoever is discerning, let him know them.

For the ways of the Lord are right,

And the righteous will walk in them.

Hosea 14:9

Hosea again and again preached doom and gloom to the Israelites. And, the Israelites had it coming because they refused to give up idolatry and return to the one true God.

In all this there is the undercurrent that in spite of the Israelites unfaithfulness, God was ready to welcome them back if they would repent of their sin and come to Him.

No matter how far we stray from God, He is still there waiting to welcome us back. God is merciful and all we have to do is ask forgiveness for our sin and accept His mercy.

Things Not Seen

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

It is hard when we are watching others or we ourselves are going through tough times, to remember that everything here on earth is temporary.  Things change and things will change.

God is at work even in the worst times.  He is there for us and for others. 

We hold this confidence, though we are suffering at the moment, God is working for us and He will renew our spirit so that we can continue serving Him.

Have faith, God is at work.  

We Are Thankful

 

So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly, and David said, “Blessed are You, O Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

“Both riches and honor come from You and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.

“Now therefore, our God, we thank you and praise Your glorious name.”

1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Today we thank God for all His blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Not Your Proudest Moment, But...

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”

John 18:2 

The Apostle Peter was famous for messing up. He was the guy who cut the Roman soldier’s ear off in the garden and who denied Christ three times in one day. Peter was not perfect, but he was forgiven and he became one of the most dynamic evangelists in the world, bringing thousands to know Jesus. So, awe inspiring was Peter’s ministry that he is the model for the Pope of the Catholic Church.

We all mess up. We all sin. We can beat ourselves up for our shortcomings and have a regular pity party. Or, we can ask God’s forgiveness and get on with the mission God has assigned us – to take the Gospel to the world.

Forget your sin because God has forgiven you, and get busy on the rest of the story.

 

Love Your Neighbor

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:8

Some of the simplest commandments from Jesus prove to be the toughest. All of us are neighbors and all of us have neighbors and all of us can be downright unlovable at times. You know what I mean.

This scripture urges us to look beyond petty and not so petty annoyances and to look to God’s unconditional love for us so that we can love our neighbors.

Now go say something nice to your neighbor. 

 

God Does Not Ration His Grace

 

Opening his mouth Peter said, “I most certainly understand that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

Acts 10:34-35.

The disciples of Jesus were all Jews, and had been taught that they alone were the people of God. They believed that by obeying the laws of the Old Testament they were working their way to heaven. Jesus taught the disciples that the old rules no long applied, because everyone was under a new covenant; the covenant of grace.

Today, there is civil and religious unrest around the world. We need not to label those embroiled in conflicts as enemies of the faith, but rather to pray that they will come to a place where they recognize Jesus as their savior. Peace comes when the hearts of men are changed, both ours and theirs.

God does not ration His grace.

It's About The Delivery

 

Greet one another with a holy kiss. 

1 Galatians 13:12

Well maybe not a kiss, but at least a smile and a “Hey, how are you doing?” And, for the grumpy ones who reply, “&%D#*@%,” we can say, “I hear you.” Then run away. 

It's about the delivery, not the reception. 

Spread a little kindness.